Israel Update 21.11.24

WOMEN IN THE IDF

This week two ground-breaking events underscored the IDF’s leadership in empowering women.

For the first time, female combat soldiers have carried out an operational mission in southern Lebanon. Their work involved intelligence gathering, pinpointing anti-tank missile sites, and guiding fire against Hezbollah positions, showcasing their operational effectiveness in high-stakes scenarios.

Also, the establishment of Israel’s first religious women-only combat unit, to be deployed within the Combat Intelligence Corps was announced.

The IDF’s achievements in integrating women into combat roles are unparalleled. While many Western nations celebrate symbolic strides in gender equality, Israel delivers measurable results. Female soldiers are not relegated to token roles; they are actively shaping Israel’s defence strategies, often in some of the most dangerous arenas.Report here

HIZBULLAH ATTACKS ON ISRAEL CONTINUED

Some of the worst incidents:

On Monday, Hizbullah launched over 100 rockets in barrages targeting Israel’s north. A woman teacher Safaa Awad, 41, was killed and dozens of others wounded, some seriously, by a rocket that hit a three-story building in the northern Israeli-Arab town of Shfar’am. 56 victims were brought to Rambam Hospital, among them 18 children.

Also on Monday, fragments of an intercepted missile launched at central Israel caused heavy damage and serious fires in the Ramat Gan suburb of Tel Aviv and wounded six people.Reports here and here

Today, Thursday, Braen Direktor, 27 was killed by rocket fire from Lebanon targeting Nahariya. Some 10 rockets were fired at the city only some of which were intercepted. He was the fourth fatality in the city within a month.Report here

On Wednesday a Hizbullah rocket struck the fence of a kindergarten in Acre causing significant damage. The 120 children had left only 35 minutes previously. In response, the Acre municipality suspended classes citywide on Thursday and Friday. For the past nine weeks, educational activities in the city have been almost entirely suspended due to the ongoing security situation.Report here

Hizbullah fired at least 10 rockets toward Haifa on Saturday. While some were intercepted by the Iron Dome, one hit and damaged the “Avot U’Banim” synagogue. About 20 worshippers had concluded a service 2 hours previously so the building was empty. Dozens of adjacent apartments were damaged, cars smashed and several people were wounded. Among them, Yaffa Peleg (76) and her husband were unable to reach their shelter within 60 seconds of the siren alert. She was blown off her feet by the blast and fell downstairs, sustaining facial and other injuries. Report here and here

On Tuesday, at least five people were wounded after rockets fired by Hezbollah hit central and northern Israel. This was the 2^nd time in 12 hours that sirens were activated in Herzliya, Kfar Saba, Ra’anana, Hadera, Netanya, and numerous other towns north of Tel Aviv.

In a separate attack, one person was wounded after a rocket struck a home in Karmiel.

According to the IDF, 5 rockets targeted central Israel, and 25 rockets were launched in the attack on the north; most of the rockets were intercepted, but several impacts were identified. Two drones heading toward Israel from Lebanon were intercepted before crossing into Israeli airspace. Report here

Hizbullah bombardments have taken a heavy toll on nature in Israel’s North. There has been a 70% drop in bird migration and formerly lush green nature reserves now display wild boar hit by shrapnel, trees reduced to ashes, and swathes of charred vegetation. The impact is particularly felt at the Hula Valley Nature Reserve, where all that remains in some areas after more than a year of Hezbollah rocket fire from Lebanon are burned plants and cinder-strewn soil.Report here

THE IDF’S WAR AGAINST HIZBULLAH

Zeev “Jabo” Ehrlich, 71, an IDF reservist, a distinguished Israeli scholar and archaeological expert on the Land of Israel, was killed by Hizbullah terrorists in Lebanon on Wednesday, along with IDF Sgt. Gur Kehati, 20, at an archeological site. Two IDF officers were wounded in the same incident. Report here

Israeli troops in southern Lebanon are finding huge supplies of Russian weapons, including modern Kornet antitank missiles manufactured as recently as 2020, which came from Russian stockpiles in neighbouring Syria. The weapons Israel is finding now are newer, more advanced, and present in larger numbers than expected by military analysts – 60-70% of the weapons seized were Russian. The arms have significantly bolstered Hizbullah’s ability to fight back after Israeli airstrikes decimated its top leadership. Report here

The IDF carried out eight waves of airstrikes in Beirut’s Dahieh district on Saturday, having warned residents of the target areas to leave before the attacks.Report here

IDF Paratrooper reservists have located and destroyed dozens of Hizbullah launchers and rockets during recent operations in southern Lebanon in an area from which Hizbullah fired hundreds of rockets at Israel in the past year.Report here

UNITED NATIONS INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON: UNIFIL

Argentina is withdrawing its troops from a peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, as UNIFIL reported several attacks on their positions, injuring four peacekeepers and damaging a base. On Tuesday, UNIFIL reported that its positions were hit in three separate incidents.

4 Ghanaian peacekeepers were injured when a rocket fired “most likely by non-State actors within Lebanon” hit their base The IDF said a review showed the rocket had been part of a Hezbollah barrage aimed at Israel.

UNIFIL also said that 5 rockets hit its base in Shama, causing heavy damage to a workshop. Italy’s defence ministry said that those rockets were fired by Hezbollah.

Israel has asked UNIFIL to pull back to allow the IDF to operate against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, while accusing the terror group of using UNIFIL as a human shield. But UNIFIL rejected the request.Report here

and see Comment & Opinion below

GAZA

The IDF on Sunday announced the deaths of three soldiers killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip

An IDF soldier was killed and a senior officer seriously wounded during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, His death brought the total number of soldiers, reservists and local security officers killed in fighting since the Oct 7 to 800. Reports hereand here

UNRWA said on Monday that a convoy of 109 trucks carrying food had been driving from the Kerem Shalom border crossing in southern Gaza when it was looted on Saturday. Nearly 100 of the trucks were lost. Israeli officials have blamed aid agencies for failing to deliver the aid that it has allowed into Gaza, and have said that raids on aid trucks by Palestinians have prevented proper distribution. Report here (paywall)

The Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se) has accused the UNWRA of “deep ties” to terror groups, highlighting in a report the hateful curriculum of five UNRWA schools run by senior Hamas members in the Gaza Strip adding that the Palestinian refugee agency “has taken no meaningful steps to address the glorification of violence or antisemitic rhetoric in these schools,” claiming many of its staff members who have participated in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad activities remain on the payroll. Report here

Footnote: Former UNWRA commissioner general Pierre Krahenbuhl met with leaders of designated Palestinian terrorist organizations during his term, assuring them that “we are one” and “no one can separate us,” according to a UN Watch expose. Article here

HAMAS LEADERS WHEREABOUTS?

A Hamas office in Doha has not yet been shut down, but negotiators for the terror group are no longer in the country, Qatar said on Tuesday. On Sunday, an Arab diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity said that senior members of Hamas’s political arm had left for Turkey. The US warned Turkey on Monday against hosting Hamas leadership, stressing that American allies and partners should not harbour leaders of a terror organization.Reports here and here

PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD (PIJ)

Israel targeted PIJ headquarters in Damascus last Thursday and PIJ confirmed on Saturday that two of its leaders were killed in the Israeli airstrike Rasmi Abu Issa, the head of foreign relations, and Abd Alaziz al-Minawi, a member of the political bureau. Report here

Three PIJ terrorists were killed by Israeli forces during a firefight in Qabatiya on Tuesday, Report here

ISRAEL, IRAQ & THE UN

Israeli Foreign Minister Saar said Monday, “This evening I sent a letter to the president of the UN Security Council in which I called for immediate action regarding the activity of the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, whose territory is being used to attack Israel.” Saar said Iraq “is responsible under international law to prevent the use of its territory as a base for attacks against other nations. Israel calls on the Iraqi government to fulfill this obligation and to take immediate action to halt and prevent these attacks.”Report here

CUTTING WASTE

On Monday the Knesset (Parliament) approved legislation obliging the public sector to donate unused food for distribution to vulnerable populations. The law was spearheaded by Leket Israel, the National Food Bank, which rescues surplus food and delivers it to those in need through partner nonprofit organizations. The new law authorizes organizations such as Leket to collect surplus food from companies or institutions that serve at least 500 portions daily in the public sector. Included among the institutions are the Knesset, government ministries, the State Comptroller’s Office, the IDF, the prisons service, local authorities, religious councils, government and municipal corporations, and hospitals. This is believed to be the first law of its kind in the world.Report here

YOSEF HADDAD

Arab-Israeli Yosef Haddad is one of Israel’s most vocal supporters, both at home and abroad. His basic message is: He is proud to be Arab and proud to be Israeli, and that there is no contradiction between these two identities; that Israel should fight hard against its enemies; and that Arab Israelis should support their country (he volunteered for the IDF serving in an elite Golani unit), and Israeli Jews should embrace Arab Israeli citizens.
He has a combined following on social media platforms of close to two million…and was chosen to light a torch at the Independence Day ceremony this year, a privilege granted to Israelis who are considered outstanding citizens. Two other Arab Israelis also lit torches: Youssef Elziadna, a Bedouin minibus driver at the Nova Festival who saved 30 people, and Nasreen Youssef, a Druze who helped in police interrogations of the terrorists on Oct. 7. Article here

SPORT

An article exploring the diversity of Israel’s national football team which includes Muslim, Druze and Arab players alongside their Jewish compatriots.Article here

Footnote: In the Nations League last Thursday the Israel National team drew 0-0 with France and on Sunday 17^th,they defeated Belgium 1-0

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT (ICC)

The ICC has today issued arrest warrants against Israeli PM Netanyahu and former defence secretary Yoav Gallant.

Statement by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar

The ICC in The Hague has lost all legitimacy for its existence and activity. It acted as a political tool in the service of the most extreme elements working to undermine peace, security, and stability in the Middle East. These absurd warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Galant are not merely personal attacks against them. In essence, they are an assault on Israel’s right to defend itself.
This is an attack on the most threatened and targeted nation in the world – also the only country in the region openly called for and acted against by other nations seeking its destruction. From a moral perspective, this represents a moral eclipse that turns good into evil and serves the forces of evil.
From a political perspective, issuing warrants against a state that operates in accordance with international law is a reward and encouragement for the axis of evil, which blatantly and consistently violates it. Decent nations and every moral person in the world must unequivocally reject this injustice.MFA post (FaceBook) here

US President Joe Biden had blasted the ICC prosecutor for requesting the warrants and expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas. This week, incoming Senate majority leader John Thune threatened to push sanctions against the court if it issued the warrants. Report here

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham criticized the ICC’s arrest warrants, calling the court “corrupt” and said it was acting “in the most absurd and irresponsible manner possible… while there is a serious cloud of allegations hanging over the prosecutor who sought these warrants.” He went on to label the tribunal “a dangerous joke,” and urged the Senate to impose sanctions against what he termed as an” irresponsible body.”Report here

Israeli president Isaac Herzog said the court had “chosen the side of terror and evil over democracy and freedom…This is a dark day for justice. A dark day for humanity…Taken in bad faith, the outrageous decision at the ICC has turned universal justice into a universal laughing stock. It makes a mockery of the sacrifice of all those who fight for justice – from the Allied victory over the Nazis till today.”

Issuing arrest warrants ignores the Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza, Hamas’s use of “human shields” and Israel’s right to defend itself, he said, adding that . “The decision has chosen the side of terror and evil over democracy and freedom, and turned the very system of justice into a human shield for Hamas’ crimes against humanity.”Report here

and see Comment & Opinion below.

COMMENT & OPINION

The US

Michael Makovsky and Blaise Misztal: Biden’s decision to block weapons shipments to Israel was a military and political failure.

For months the Biden-Harris administration has sought to restrain Israeli military operations by blocking or delaying the delivery of weapons – far more weapons than has been reported. It is widely known that the White House has blocked the delivery of 2,000-pound MK-84 bombs to Israel, despite Congress’s approving their transfer. But Israeli officials have told us that the Defence Department is slowing the delivery of thousands of 1,000-pound MK-83 bombs, 500-pound MK-82 bombs, and the Joint Direct Attack Munition kits that convert those bombs into precision-guided munitions.
The State Department has also stalled thousands of Hellfire missiles, tank and mortar shells, and more than 100 armoured bulldozers. Israel has requested expedited purchase of Apache helicopters, which the Defence Department has yet to approve.
Although President Biden has helped Israel defend itself – deploying U.S. military assets which have helped shoot down Iranian projectiles – he has held back from helping Israel win. Israel seeks to dismantle Hamas, degrade Hizbullah, and defang Tehran’s nuclear programme. Delaying weapons to Israel has dragged out the war, worsening humanitarian conditions and undercutting U.S. interests.
…Partly owing to insufficient U.S. weapons deliveries, Israel is conducting fewer airstrikes against Hizbullah targets than planned. Fewer airstrikes forced Israel to conduct more ground operations than planned to destroy Hizbullah’s infrastructure. In Gaza, targets that might have been hit by artillery or from the air now require ground troops to clear. The result is more casualties.
Israel also needs to be fully armed to take the fight to Iran – to retaliate if the regime strikes again, or to attack its increasingly dangerous nuclear programme. If Israel crushes the Iranian axis, it would be a boon for U.S. interests. Iran and its proxies kill America’s troops, plot to assassinate its politicians and civilians, and meddle in its elections. Tehran’s nuclear programme remains one of America’s greatest strategic threats. The administration should provide Israel with the weapons it needs to defeat the Iranian axis that threatens the Free World. Article here (paywall)

Ahmed Charai: Why Jared Kushner’s Return Matters

As an Arab and Muslim, I’ve seen first-hand how this stability (resulting from the Abraham Accords) has fostered hope in a region where scepticism often runs deep. The Abraham Accords shifted the discourse from perpetual conflict to potential collaboration, and for many of us, that shift felt like an authentic new chapter. Kushner understood that people in the Middle East wanted something beyond endless conflict: they wanted the promise of a better life.

Now, as conflicts continue and Israel’s regional ties come under strain, a figure like Kushner—someone who already understands the delicate dynamics at play—is invaluable. His emphasis on economic development gave both Jewish and Arab communities a path toward shared prosperity.Article here

Gaza

Maj. (ret.) John Spencer (chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point).

I have visited Gaza three times since Oct. 7. My analysis of the war is based on what I saw, not on Israeli statements, Hamas’s statements, or videos on social media. I observed both IDF operations and Hamas activities in Gaza firsthand. I witnessed the IDF taking extraordinary steps to mitigate civilian harm and imposing restraints on the use of force as it undertook what may be the greatest urban warfare challenge in modern history.

I saw the IDF tracking the movement of civilians and handing out maps to facilitate localized evacuations, pausing the fighting every day for hours at a time to allow civilians to get out of harm’s way and humanitarian aid to be delivered, and in many cases not permitting operations in areas where civilians were present. I also saw Hamas’s cruel use of Gazans as human shields; the tunnels the group built under civilian homes, mosques, and schools; and the militants’ complete lack of care for civilian life.

Hamas did not say it conducted the Oct. 7 attacks to advance self-determination, human rights, or prosperity for the Palestinian people. The group’s stated goal was to destroy the nation of Israel and kill all the Jewish people within it, and none of its actions since suggest it has other objectives in mind. Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007 and started attacking Israel in 2008.

The only way to break the cycle of violence and radicalization in Gaza is for Israel to continue, through legal and methodical means, to remove Hamas from military and political power.Scroll down for Maj. Spencer’s reply to another article

Lebanon

Ron Ben-Yishai : Although 80% of Hizbullah’s rocket arsenal has been destroyed, its remaining capabilities are still enough to send millions of Israelis daily to shelters. Hizbullah views this tactic as a means to wear down Israel’s resolve and push it to relax its demands.
Last week, IDF forces began advancing from the line of Lebanese border villages northward, aiming to demonstrate to Hizbullah that each passing day brings greater loss of assets.
The IDF is concentrating both ground and air operations on neutralizing launchers for short-range rockets.
The IDF’s detection and interception capabilities for drones have significantly improved in recent days, with interception rates now nearly 90%. Article here

Herb Keinon: One of Israel’s problems with UNIFIL is its composition. Nearly 22% of the force comes from Islamic states that do not have diplomatic ties with Israel. Countries that take an openly hostile diplomatic position toward Israel make up another 15%. Are these nations truly reliable partners in maintaining future security arrangements that will enable evacuated Israeli residents to return home? Article here

THE ICC

Dan Illouz: Rather than confronting real crimes by tyrants and terrorists, it (the ICC) targets those who dare to defend themselves. Israel’s moral commitment remains unwavering, but we have learned that we cannot expect fairness from those who lack the courage to stand for what is right… Israel operates under the strictest moral standards and follows international law to the letter—not to please the hypocritical judgment of others but because of our own commitment to justice. No army in history has gone to such lengths to minimize harm to civilians during conflict—even when fighting an enemy that hides behind human shields. This makes the hypocrisy of institutions like the ICC even more glaring.Article here