Israel Update 25.7.24

THE UK: NEW GOVERNMENT – NEW POSITION?

 

 

The new UK Labour government is reportedly expected to back away from the last government’s objections to the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s request for an arrest warrant against Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu over the war in Gaza, with the decision likely to come by the end of this week, according to The New York Times.Report here

 

 

HOUTHI ATTACK ON TEL AVIV

 

 

Yevgeny Ferder, 50, was killed, and ten others were injured from shrapnel and shock after an Iranian drone launched from Yemen hit central Tel Aviv, not far from the former U.S. Embassy, at 3.15 a.m. last Friday.

In addition to the drone that struck Tel Aviv, the Houthis also launched a cruise missile towards Israel, which landed in Jordan.Reports hereand here

 

 

In response, the IDF on Saturday struck Houthi military targets and energy infrastructure Hodeidah port in Yemen. The aircraft completed a long and dangerous 3,400 km operational flight, in the furthest ever attack from Israeli territory.

The IAF attack was carried out by 20 fighter jets, some of which were refuelled in mid-air, and at a distance of more than 1,700 km. (1,000 miles) from Israel – 200 km. further than Tehran.
According to a security source, the assessment was that not responding to the UAV attack on Tel Aviv would be more severe, in terms of deterrence against Iran, Hizbullah, and the Houthis. Reports here& here

 

At 6 a.m. on Sunday, the IDF intercepted a missile that approached Israeli territory from Yemen using the Arrow 3 Aerial Defence System Report here

 

The Houthi suicide drone used in the attack was constructed primarily with American components, highlighting severe gaps in U.S. sanctions on Tehran, according to US Sen. Ted Cruz who said    “U.S. export and trade restrictions are aimed in part to prevent the acquisition of such components by rogue regimes such as Iran.”Report here

 

 

The Houthi drone travelled 2,600 km.,although Yemen is 1,800 km. from Israel, and flew for 16 hours. The IDF said the reason for the failure was human error – failure to flag a blip on the radar screen as dangerous.  More details here

 

 

HEZBOLLAH’S WAR AGAINST ISRAEL

 

Daily attacks on northern Israel, largely unreported outside the country, continued.

Among them:

On Tuesday a soldier was seriously injured by rocket fire from Lebanon on the Mount Dov area, while rocket and drone alert sirens sounded in northern communities near the border with Lebanon multiple times throughout the day with barrages fired at Kiryat Shemona and the Galilee Panhandle as well as explosive drone attacks.Report here

 

An empty school in Kibbutz Dafna and a kindergarden in Kibbutz Hanita were hit in rocket barrages fired from Lebanon on Sunday, as several fires sparked by Hezbollah missile attacks raged in the north of Israel. Report here

 

Meanwhile Israel’s Education Minister on Tuesday told the heads of local authorities that students from northern communities evacuated because of the war would not be able to return to school in their hometowns in September and would instead continue to attend schools elsewhere.Report here

 

 

GAZA WAR

 

 

On Tuesday, Hamas launched several projectiles from central Gaza towards Israel, but the rockets did not cross into Israeli territory, with one slamming into a school.

Failed launches carried out by Hamas on Wednesday from the Khan Yunis   humanitarian area fell in the UNRWA Al-Qarara school in the area causing  the deaths of two civilians and the wounding of others.

Both Hamas and the Islamic Jihad have misfired rockets with projectiles landing within the Gaza Strip.

The IDF has previously stated that one-fifth of the rockets fired by terror groups in the Gaza Strip land in Gaza, killing civilians.

Reports here& here

 

 

The IDF has identified numerous rocket launch sites in part of a humanitarian zone near Khan Yunis and announced on Monday it “is about to forcefully operate against the terrorist organizations” in the area.
The IDF is adjusting the humanitarian zone and called on the civilian population to evacuate the areas marked on maps it has distributed, “in order to mitigate harm to the civilian population and keep civilians away from areas of combat.” The IDF was notifying the population of the need to evacuate the area via phone calls, SMS messages, and Arabic broadcasts. Report here

 

 

 

The IDF and Israel Security Agency have uncovered a massive trove of Hamas intelligence, including operational tables, equipment lists, and classified maps.
“Based on what we saw in maps and documents and what was actually discovered, it is clear that Gaza was constructed as one large military base, including the use of kindergartens, schools, clinics, hospitals, and mosques,” according to a source. More details here

 

 

 

Photo Essay: The idea of Muslims serving in the IDF might not align with many preconceived notions. Yet, this is one of the defining features of Gadsar 585. In addition to the Bedouin majority, the battalion also includes Jewish, Arab Israeli, and Christian soldiers.

In conversations with the Muslim soldiers, it became clear that the horrific actions of Hamas on October 7 and beyond are antithetical to the values of Islam that they hold dear. Photos & text here

 

 

GAZA AID

 

Israel will evacuate 250 sick and wounded residents of Gaza for medical treatment in the United Arab Emirates. An initial medical evacuation flight is expected next week.Report here (paywall)

 

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) told Israel’s High Court of Justice on Sunday that UN and humanitarian organizations had failed to collect and distribute 35% of the aid brought into Gaza by Israel last month. The head of COGAT, Maj.-Gen. Ghassan Alian, rejected claims that the humanitarian aid delivery corridor from the Kerem Shalom crossing to central Gaza was in any way dangerous, stating that 150 trucks from the private sector use it every day.
He also said there is no humanitarian crisis in northern Gaza in recent months and that assistance coming via Jordan and the Israeli port of Ashdod was flowing freely. He added that Gaza’s water and fuel requirements were being met, and that all requests for the entry of medicine and medical equipment were approved by Israel.
Alian said that there were currently 11 field hospitals operating in the IDF-designated humanitarian zone in southwest Gaza, alongside ten regular hospitals still operating in Gaza. Report here

 

 

THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY (PA)

 

899 terrorists who were captured in the Gaza war have been recognized by the Palestinian Authority as prisoners and are eligible for monthly terror reward salaries.
In January, the PA had already recognized 661 terrorist prisoners from Gaza.
9,750 terrorist prisoners are now recognized by the PA as eligible for monthly terror rewards, up from 4,300 prior to Oct. 7.     Report here

 

 

Most Palestinians that American comedian Zach Fox spoke to in Ramallah expressed unwavering support for Hamas, antisemitic views, and an antipathy towards a two-state solution    “I didn’t meet one person who didn’t love Hamas….All of them hated Jews with every bone of their body.” he said.   Video here (3 minutes)  Article here

 

 

The two main rival Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, signed a joint statement in Beijing on Tuesday that endorsed, in concept, a temporary unity government for Gaza and the West Bank. Report here (paywall)

 

 

EASTERN FRONT

 

Three Israeli soldiers were shot and wounded on Thursday from a passing car near Kalkilya.Report here

 

Palestinian Islamic Jihad tried and failed a few days ago to launch rockets at Israel from the Tulkarm area. Report here

 

 

 

TERROR ATTACKS IN ISRAEL

 

 

Cpt. Ariel Topaz, 24, one of four off-duty soldiers wounded in a Palestinian car-ramming attack at a bus station near the Tzrifin military base in central Israel on July 14, died of his wounds. Report here

 

A Muslim Canadian citizen, entered Israel on Sunday on a tourist visa and attempted a stabbing attack against Israeli security forces on Monday morning at the entrance to Netiv Ha’asara, a moshav close to the Gaza border. As the assailant threatened security forces with a knife, was shot and killed.  Report here

 

 

 

COUNTER-TERRORISM

 

 

The Israel Security Agency (ISA) recently foiled plans by a Palestinian terror cell that was planning to kidnap Israelis alongside shooting and explosive attacks against IDF troops and civilians in the West Bank. Report here

 

 

Members of the Hamas student organization at Ramallah-based Birzeit University, under the direction of Hamas in Turkey, formed a terror cell to attack Israeli targets, and were engaged in “practical preparations to carry out a significant attack” the ISA has revealed.    All the members of the squad were arrested, an M-16 weapon was seized, and tens of thousands of dollars received from Hamas were confiscated. Report here

 

 

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE (ICJ)

 

The ICJ on Friday issued an advisory opinion that Israel’s “occupation” of the “Palestinian territories” violates international law.

The Vice-president of the ICJ, Judge Julia Sebutinde of Uganda, wrote a 36 page dissenting opinion  whose conclusion is:

“For all the above reasons, I am of the view that the Court should have declined to give its Advisory Opinion in the present case. Instead, Israel and Palestine, the two parties to the conflict, should be encouraged to return to the negotiating table and to jointly find a lasting solution. The United Nations and international community at large, should support these two parties to do so. In rendering its Advisory Opinion, the Court should have been careful to guard its judicial character and integrity by ensuring that the nuanced and more complex issues that require resolution through negotiation, are left to the negotiation framework already agreed upon by the parties to the Israeli-Palestine conflict.” Dissenting Opinion here

 

and see article by Joshua Rozenberg in “Comment & Opinion” section below which summarises the dissenting opinion.

 

The US had called on the ICJ on Wednesday not to issue a ruling calling for a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, saying that addressing Israel’s “very real” security concerns was a critical aspect of the established framework for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Report here

 

 

RESILIENCE IN SDEROT

 

In Sderot, one km. from Gaza, there are billboards announcing various activities and the shopping centres are busy in this city of heroes who fought the terrorists on Oct. 7.
The first Qassam rocket fired from Gaza fell on Sderot on 16.4. 2001. Children who grew up under the Qassam threat are now fighting in Gaza against Hamas.Article here

 

 

PARAGUAY

 

 

The Paraguayan President has confirmed that his country “will once again move its embassy to Jerusalem, capital of the State of Israel.” Paraguay had its embassy moved to Jerusalem previously but later backtracked on its decision citing political inconveniences.Report here

 

 

ENERGY

 

 

Energean has announced that it will invest $1.2 billion to develop the Katlan gas field off Israel’s Mediterranean coast, with gas output expected to commence in the first half of 2027. Katlan was discovered in 2022 near the Karish and Tanin fields, also owned by Energean. The field contains 1.10 trillion cubic feet of proven and probable gas reserves.Report here

 

 

MEDICAL

 

 

Researchers at Sheba Medical Centre  have developed a new radiation treatment that significantly reduces the severe pain caused by pancreatic cancer by targeting the celiac plexus nerve, offering patients less suffering while undergoing life-saving treatments. The treatment has now been included in the new American guidelines for treating this aggressive disease. Article here

 

 

OLYMPIC GAMES

 

 

Amid a spate of threats and an expected hostile reception, most of Israel’s Olympic delegation departed Monday for Paris ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Games on Friday. Israel is sending 88 athletes to Paris to compete in 15 sports. Report here

 

El Al issued a video to support the team: ” Especially this year, no Israeli athlete competes alone!” Short video here

 

 

COMMENT & OPINION

 

Houthis in Yemen

 

 

WSJ Editorial: The bombing exchange between the Houthis of Yemen and Israel over the weekend represents the failure of U.S. policy to contain the Iran-backed Houthis as they terrorize commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The Biden Administration told Israel nine months ago that the U.S. would handle the Houthi threat and it should stick to playing defence. But the attack on Tel Aviv shows that the U.S. effort is a bust.
The Houthis have all but shut down Western shipping in the Red Sea, at enormous cost to global businesses and consumers. They continue to attack U.S. naval vessels, which have been forced to play a high-stakes game of catch the drones and missiles. Editorial here (paywall)

 

 

UNWRA – the UN Relief and Works Agency

 

The UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced on 19 July that the UK will resume funding UNWRA.

Neta Heiman Mina: On October 7 last year, my 84-year-old mother Ditza was kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz…Hamas had handed her to a middle-aged man called Abed who kept my mother locked in a dark room of his home, with little food and no access to medication..He told her that he was a teacher at a school run by UNRWA. It emerged that my mother was not the only hostage who had been kidnapped or held captive by UNRWA employees, but the ties between UNRWA and Hamas go much deeper than kidnappings alone.

Last week, UNRWA opened its latest fundraising campaign at the United Nations in New York. Delegates from around the world signed a proclamation that the agency’s work is “indispensable” for Gaza, and many countries, including the UK, quickly committed to providing hundreds of millions more in funding…Despite the insistence in the declarations, UNRWA is only indispensable to Hamas. Beyond the weapons, rocket launchers, tunnels, dead hostages and server farms found in and underneath their facilities, and octogenarians held captive by their employees, UNRWA has been funnelling significant sums of cash straight from donors to Hamas for years.

The money laundering works like this: UNRWA insists on distributing cash aid to Gazans in US dollars, a currency they have to convert to shekels in order to use locally. In the West Bank, Jordan and other countries, UNRWA distributes cash aid in the local currency. Hamas, controlling the only licensed money changers in Gaza, charges Gazans a 10 to 20 per cent commission to convert their dollars to shekels. For more than a decade, over a billion dollars in cash from donations has been diverted into Hamas’s coffers.

(At the UN) there was no attempt to counter the money laundering. No path to countering Hamas’s systematic desecration of UNRWA’s neutrality. No resolution to have UNRWA work to promote a sustainable peace between Palestinians and Israelis. By funding UNRWA as it is, we will only meet the same problems in the next generation.

Gazans will need a lot of help to get back on their feet, and I continue to hope that one day we will live side by side in peace. The UK’s decision to continue to funnel much of that assistance through UNRWA is a mistake that will only help to bring about an avoidable repeat of this awful war. Article here (paywall)

 

 

International Court of Justice

 

 

Joshua Rozenberg: Judge Sebutinde was not alone. Judges Tomka, Abraham and Aurescu were also “not convinced” that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful nor that… Israel is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as rapidly as possible”. Full article (recommended) here

 

Other critiques of the ICJ’s ruling:

 

Natasha Hausdorff: Anti-Israel lawfare has reached a dangerous new low. The verdict of the ICJ is a staggering misuse of the tools of justices, and tears up the framework of the Oslo Accords.Article here (paywall)

 

 

Orde Kittrie: The ICJ opinion…ignores Israel’s right of self-defence and deeply undermines the principle, established by the Security Council and Oslo Accords, that Israel need withdraw from territories occupied in its 1967 war of self-defence only in exchange for peace. The opinion’s rationale gravely undercuts the ability to defend themselves again terrorism of not only Israel but also the United States and its NATO allies.” Article here

 

 

Robert Nicholson: In legal terms, the opinion is little more than a warmed-over presentation of the Palestinian narrative. Judge Sebutinde’s dissent is a masterful analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that dismantles the majority opinion point by point, arguing that the court shouldn’t have taken the case to begin with.Article here (paywall)

 

 

Gaza War

 

Nadav Shragai: The U.S., while providing crucial military support to Israel, has inadvertently hindered our war efforts against Hamas. With humanitarian aid that benefits the terrorists and restrictions on IDF actions, America’s well-intentioned policies have prolonged the conflict and increased suffering.
Alongside the air and sea bridge of armaments and weapons to Israel, the U.S. ensured a “humanitarian train” for Gaza residents, including fuel and food in insane quantities. Hamas seized most of it and even made a nice profit from selling it to the Gazan population. Thus, in practice, the U.S. helped to preserve Hamas’s governing capability and provided Hamas’s leadership with more and more fuel, allowing it to fight and exist for many more months in underground Gaza and continue firing at Israeli border communities.
Moreover, there is an inherent anomaly in the decision to aid the murderous enemy of your closest ally in the Middle East, conduct that would not have crossed America’s mind against its own enemies.
The U.S. also sought to limit the nature and pace of Israel’s fighting, as well as the types of armaments it is allowed to use. These restrictions further endanger IDF soldiers, slow down their rate of progress in the combat zones, and prolong the war…the delay in sending weapons to Israel does not relate to one weapons shipment of a certain type, as Biden claimed, but to various ammunition that Israel paid for, and which was delayed for months, in the fields of artillery and air and tank warfare, as well as thousands of kits which turn bombs into smart target-guided bombs. Article here

 

Before the War – Life under Hamas Oppression

 

Catherine Perez-Shakdam: Ever since it seized power in 2007, Hamas has exerted its despotic influence over Gaza’s inhabitants, deploying an arsenal of coercion and relentless indoctrination to crush dissent and mold minds. Children were taught to aspire to become pawns in a deadly game of jihad.Television programs and radio broadcasts spewed the same dogma. Community events entrenched the Islamist narrative.
Hamas controlled access to jobs and resources. The regime did not tolerate opposition. Political rivals were eliminated. Arbitrary arrests, torture and extrajudicial killings were the norm. Women were subjected to severe restrictions and discrimination under the guise of religious and cultural norms. Women were systematically traumatized and brainwashed to accept their subjugation.
Child marriage is rampant in Gaza, with girls as young as 12 being forced into marriages with older men. A wife is seen as the property of her husband, her consent irrelevant. Under Hamas, homosexuality is not just taboo; it is criminal.Article here

 

 

THE US

 

Con Coughlin: the Biden administration (just) announced its latest $100 million aid package for the Palestinians… Nothing better illustrates the perversity of the Biden administration’s attitude to the Gaza conflict that, at the same time that Washington is limiting arms exports to Israel, the US is increasing its aid to the Palestinian Authority.

One of the key lessons that the US should have learned from Hamas’s deadly terrorist attack against Israel on October 7… is that aid donations made by foreign donors invariably end up being used to fund Palestinian terrorists. Article here