Fighting To Survive
War in Gaza Day 293
War
IDF tank in Gaza
The war in Gaza has been going on for 293 days. According to media reports, as of July 18, 326 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the ground offensive, including five colonels, the most senior officers killed in recent memory.
683 soldiers, officers, reservists, and security officers, have been killed since the Oct 7th Hamas invasion of Israel, about half of them on the border with the Gaza Strip during the terror onslaught,
Media reports state that approximately 1,200 people were killed as Hamas terrorists in Gaza launched a war on Israel on the morning of October 7, infiltrating towns, rampaging through military positions, shooting travelers dead on roads and in their homes and firing thousands of rockets at a wide swath of the country in a shocking assault.
Terrorists also dragged 251 civilians and soldiers into Gaza. 1200 Israelis were killed, some brutally, and 251 taken captive into Gaza. 111 are still held in Gaza, but it is unclear how many are still alive.
On Thursday July 25th, the IDF announced they’d brought five more bodies of hostages out of Gaza. The IDF said they’d previously announced the death of these hostages.
Meanwhile, the Israel Police has listed 58 officers who were killed confronting the terrorists on the Gaza border, an officer killed during a hostage rescue operation in the Strip, an officer killed in a terror attack in Jerusalem, and three other officers killed during clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank.
The IDF had concentrated efforts on clearing out the remainder of the Hamas military infrastructure from the Rafah area of southern Gaza. However, following the probably death of Hamas second-in-command Muhammad Deif, (see below) the IDF has shifted focus to Khan Younis, a former battleground in central Gaza.
In the fighting in Khan Younis, the IDF estimated 150 gunmen had been killed and demolished more than 100 sites belonging to terror groups and located an underground weapons manufacturing site.
According to the Times of Israel, quoting a USA CIA report, Hamas leader Sinwar is under increasing pressure to end the war.
According to David Horowitz, editor of the Times of Israel, October 7th has now become a war on every front. Horowitz repeated the now common assumption that Hamas expected the West Bank to rise up and attack when Hamas invaded. Hamas also expected Hezbollah to launch an attack with their 150,000 missiles. And also expected that Hezbollah friendly forces in Syria, Iraq and Yemen would join in the fighting.
“All this at a time when Israel, led by a divisive, dysfunctional government including ministers bent on alienating our remaining friends, is more viciously demonized internationally than ever before, with ever greater pressure on supportive governments to deny it the backing and practical means to defend itself, and with our most important ally preoccupied for the next few months with its own governance.
“October 7, in all its horror, wrote Horowitz, could have been much, much worse. We’re not out of the woods yet.”
Gaza
As was reported earlier in Jerusalem Magazine,
Muhammed Deif (left) Rafa Salama (right)
The IAF struck, and probably killed, Hamas’ number two leader while he was in Gaza city.
Some pundits consider this the last nail in the Hamas coffin.
The Israel Defense Forces have yet to definitively declared Muhammed Deif, the Chief-of Staff of the Hamas military, dead. Deif was, according to military experts, the mastermind of the Oct 7 massacre on the Israeli settlements along the Gaza border. And the brains behind countless Hamas attacks on Israel.
IDF Spokesman Adm. (ret.) Daniel Hagari said on Thursday that the signs are growing stronger that Deif was killed last Saturday. The IDF did confirm that Deif’s second in command, Khan Yunis brigade commander Rafa Salama was killed when the Israel air force dropped 8 tons of explosives on the spot where Salama and Deif were sitting.
Crater where villa once stood
Ehud Yaari, Channel 12TV’s veteran Arab affairs correspondent, said that the almost certain death of Deif would weaken Hamas leader Sinwar considerably. Yaari said that Deif was essentially Sinwar’s sponsor, the one who recommended Sinwar for the job of Hamas’ political leader. Without Deif’s backing, Sinwar’s position as leader of Hamas in Gaza was no longer assured.
Also, analysts say that without Deif, who was considered a brilliant military strategist, Hamas would have a hard time rebuilding their army. Sources say that it was Deif who organized the army and broke up the forces into 24 battalions, arranged for weapons, rockets and training.
Most experts say that the odds of Deif having survived the attack were slim. A ten-foot deep crater was caused by the blast, sending up a plume of smoke a hundred feet high topped by a mushroom cloud
The attack took out the villa, in white on left of the picture, and a brown smudge on the right after the attack, showing where Deif was sitting just before the attack.
Before and after bombs dropped on Deif
Reportedly, Deif, who has survived at least six assassination attempts, had emerged from the tunnel and was sitting in the garden of the villa of his second in command Salama when the IDF bombed the site. The villa was in a fenced off Hamas compound located inside what was supposed to be a safe area for refugees. Media reports that scores were killed in the attack.
The IDF said most of those killed were Hamas terrorists.
The IDF reported that Deif, who was suffering from lung and other injuries caused by previous assassination attempts, needed to come up from the fetid tunnels from time to time because of breathing problems. Salamah was also frequently seen in one or another of his homes when he too came out of the tunnels.
Hamas is investigating how the IDF knew that Deif was out of the tunnel and sitting in Salama’s garden. The death of Deif is expected to hasten Hamas’ agreement to a cease-fire.
Channel 12TV aired an audio clip recorded by Israeli intelligence that captured Gaza residents speaking on the telephone. One said it was good Deif was dead and hoped that Sinwar was next so that the war could end.
According to military sources, the IDF has killed over half of the Hamas commanders and more than half of their fighters, as well as capturing rockets, destroying weapons manufacturing plants, and miles of underground tunnels.
On July 21st, the UAE has signaled a willingness to join a post-war Gaza peacekeeping force. And the Egyptian government has apparently agreed to allow Israeli forces to stay along the Philadelphia corridor to help contain smuggling of weapons and goods from Egypt into Gaza by Hamas.
Meanwhile, Hamas leaders met with Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas in Beijing, China and reportedly struck a deal that would bring about a national unity front composed of the PA, Hamas and various other Palestinian factions.
At the same time, according to Reuters, Russian President Putin met with Syrian President Assad in Moscow to discuss Middle East strategy.
North
Rockets continue to fall like hail on Israel’s north. As many as 80 a day.
The towns of Metulla and Kyriat Shmona have been hit dozens of times.
Car destroyed in Kyriat Shmona
There is hardly a building in Metulla that has not been bombed.
Also, residents of the upper Galilee town of Kfar Vradim have said they are constantly being attacked by missiles. Kfar Vradim is only 9 kilometers from the Lebanese border. According to one resident, by the time the sirens sound the missile or drone or mortar lands at the same time the siren sounds. They have no time to seek shelter.
Also, an Israeli Arab from a village along the Lebanese border said that his family as well as most Arab families along the border had relocated to the “Triangle,” a cluster of 11 Arab towns and cities in the lower Galilee housing about 250,000 Arab Israeli residents.
Fighting in the north started the lives of eighteen soldiers and a local security officer have been killed on the border with Lebanon.attacks Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups claimed responsibility.
Israel has tried to curtail the attacks by taking out Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon. Mohammed Hamad Jabara, a senior commander in the Hezbollah military wing, was killed in Lebanon by an IAF air strike. The IAF also killed Haviv Maatuk, a senior Hezbollah commander of the Redwan force. These attacks result in heavy reprisal missile attacks from Hezbollah.
Reportedly over 241,000 dunams, about 40,000 acres, have been destroyed by fires caused by the Hezbollah rocket, mortar and drone attacks.
According to the Times of Israel, on Tuesday, Education Minister Yoav Kisch told the heads of local authorities at and near Israel’s northern border with Lebanon that, that due to “…security complexities, the almost 15,000 school-age children displaced by the fighting that has raged across that border for more than nine months will not, as had been hoped, be able to go back to school in their hometowns at the start of the new school year on September 1.”
This announcement disappointed the Galilee council chiefs who are responsible for the 60,000 Israelis displaced from the north. The chiefs were also deeply concerned about the inadequate funding and preparations for alternative frameworks.
Hezbollah seems prepared to carry on what has been called a ‘war of attrition’ in the north as long as the fighting continues in Gaza.
Channel 12TVs military correspondent Nir Dvori said that Hezbollah has sent over 1000 missiles and drones against Israel since the outbreak of the war.
On Wednesday, Hezbollah send footage taken by a spy drone of an Israeli air force base runway, radar array and Iron Dome anti-missile defense system.
Drori also reported that the Israel air force had shot down two armed drones sent from Iraq.
The Israel military has begun to beef up its forces along the Lebanese border in preparation for what many consider an inevitable attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
West Bank
Soldiers in West Bank town
Israeli security forces continued to fight terrorists in Jenin and Tulkarem and surrounding West Bank villages this week. A leading Islamic Jihad terrorist was killed by a missile strike while driving in his car in the West Bank.
Also this week, five terrorists were arrested near Tulkarem. Two are suspected of being involved in last week’s road side bomb attack on Israeli soldiers.
Last week, the EU (European Union) sanctioned the Israeli Lehava movement headed by Benzi Gopstein, a supporter of Otzmah Yehudit’s leader National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, as well as Baruch Marzel former leader of Meir Kahana’s outlawed Kach movement. American-born Marzel has already been sanctioned by the US.
The EU also sanctioned other settler activists and two illegal West Bank outposts. Also targeted was Tzav 9, an activist group opposed to delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza strip during the war with Hamas.
The results of these sanctions mean the people listed will be subject to an asset freeze and a travel ban to the EU. As well as prohibiting funding to any on the list.
The EU, as well as the US, Canada, the UK, and France have all sanctioned violent settlers in recent months, in the wake of a surge of incidents in the West Bank since October 7, and a 15-year high in 2023.
Last week, Israel’s State’s Attorney indicted former Member of Knesset Michael Ben Ari, founder of Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party. Ben Ari, an Ultra-nationalist politician, was indicted on charges of incitement to racism for “dozens” of public statements during the years 2017 to 2023, in which he incited against Arab Israelis, the State Attorney’s Office announced Sunday.
In March 2019, the High Court of Justice barred Ben Ari from running in Knesset elections due to his record of incitement, resulting ultimately in far-right activist and current National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir taking control of the party.
According to media reports, the US is considering imposing sanctions of Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotritch over their West Bank policies.
Red Sea
On Wednesday, July 23rd, the Israel air force shot down two drones aimed at Israel. Reportedly, the drones did not enter Israeli airspace.
As was reported last Friday in Jerusalem Magazine,
Houthi drone in the sky over Tel Aviv shortly before explosion
A Houthi “Jaffa” Simad-3 long-range UAV, a veteran, non-stealth, armed drone, upgraded by Iran, that exploded in Tel Aviv at 03:15 Friday morning killing Yevgeny Ferder, a 50-year old bachelor, and wounding ten others, four seriously.
The powerful explosion, that shattered windows and sprayed glass, was heard for miles. There was no warning siren that the UAV was approaching Tel Aviv.”
The Simad 3 is 12-feet long, with a wingspan of 15 feet and has a range of about 1700 kilometers (@ 1,000 miles).
Iranian enhanced Houthi Samad 3 “Jaffa” drone
Some reports that Ferder was killed was in his apartment located on the roof of the building when the drone exploded above him killing him with razor sharp shrapnel.
The building is on the corner of Ben Yehuda and Shalom Alecheim streets, not far from the US consulate, once the US Embassy, now in Jerusalem. According to Ynetnews, some speculate that the drone was aimed at the US consulate. “It did not fall there by chance,” said one source.
The drone was apparently launched by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen and aimed at Israel. Reportedly, US forces in the Red Sea spotted the launch of a ballistic missile and four drones from Yemen. The US forces downed the ballistic missile and three out of four armed drones. One armed drone got through.
According to Ron Ben Yishai, Ynetnews’ veteran military correspondent, the UAV (armed drone) that exploded in Tel Aviv was detected, but due to an error by an Air Force controller, it was not intercepted.
Ben Yishai wrote that Israel is investigating whether this is a combined operation by the Houthis and the Iran-sponsored Shiite militias in Iraq.
First responders in street outside damaged TA building
According to Ben Yishai, “…large explosive UAVs are an ideal tool in the hands of terrorist armies and guerrilla organizations, as well as in the hands of regular armies. The reason is that they can reach a distance of thousands of kilometers in an indirect route and at a very low altitude, which makes it very difficult to detect them.
“Their relatively small size also makes it difficult to identify them as a hostile target. The bottom line is that in intercepting drones, the critical step is detection and then identification.
“The Air Force's initial investigation reveals that the UAV that exploded in Tel Aviv, and which killed a 50-year-old man and injured 10, was actually discovered while on its way to Israel, but due to human error by an operator in the Air Force's long-term detection system, it was not identified as a hostile target.
“Therefore, fighter jets were not sent to intercept the drone far from Israel's borders, as was the case later that night, when a UAV was intercepted from the east. This is also the reason that no warning was given to the residents of Tel Aviv.”
Ben Yishai also wrote that, even though one UAV got through due to human error, “there have been more than 200 UAVs that the Air Force planes and Iron Dome batteries were able to discover and intercept, whether they were launched from Yemen or Lebanon. “
In this case, Ben Yishai wrote that the Air Force warning and control system spotted the UAV on several sections of its route, “but the person on duty watching the screen estimated for some reason that it is not a hostile target, probably because the UAV was flying in a direction that he thought was not aimed at or endangering Israel. That is why he did not launch the planes that could have intercepted the UAV in the air, far from Israel's border, nor did he give a warning.
“…the Houthis can send a UAV from Yemen that will pass over the territory of Egypt at a low altitude, then turn north and fly literally meters above the waves of the Mediterranean Sea then rise and hit Tel Aviv.”
Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai raised the alert level in Tel Aviv.
Fire and Rescue Service officers inspect damaged building
Houthi militants issued a statement that they’d launched the drone and took credit for the strike on Tel Aviv. Yahya Sarie, the Houthi military spokesman, said that Tel Aviv has become "unsafe" because the Houthis now have new drones that are capable of evading Israeli defenses.
Ben Yishai says that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) are tasked with intercepting drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles as soon as they are launched from Yemen towards Israel. The American ships of the Fifth Fleet have been successfully doing this job for nine months.
The problem is, according to Ben Yishai, that the USA does not employ offensive tactics against the Houthis, like attacking the missiles at their bases before they are launched. This is, writes Ben Yishai, because the US government fears a regional war that might flare up if Yemen or the Shiite militants in Iraq, who are cooperating with the Houthis, were attacked. And because the USA needs to keep American military forces in Iraq. An attack there might be enough reason to expel the US forces.
Ben Yishai thinks a new arrangement should be reached that allows Israel to attack targets in Iraq and Yemen that the USA is reluctant to do for their own strategic reasons. This would allow Israel to bo on the offensive, rather than wait for missiles and drones to approach close to Israel as is now the case.
According to the Times of Israel, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, meanwhile, said Israel would respond.
“The defense establishment is working to immediately strengthen all defense systems, and will settle the score with anyone who harms the State of Israel or directs terror against it,” he said in remarks provided by his office following an assessment held with IDF officials on the Houthi drone attack.
According to Ynetnews, the former director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ronan Levi Maoz, now a researcher at the Meshgav Institute for National Security and Strategy, said: "The root problem is Iran and that is where treatment should be focused.
“The time has come for the world and Israel to charge it a price for its proxy activities and the distribution of UAVs. The Houthis also have assets, and we need to start leaving them without them. The required change in Israel's political and military perception must be reflected in other arenas as well. Anyone who harms us Must pay a price, these are the rules of the game in the Middle East."
In response to the Houthi attack on Tel Aviv, Israeli jets flew a long mission and reached the port of Hodeida in Yemen, destroying a fuel refinery, fuel storage facility, and power station, while causing heavy damage to the port. According to CNN at least xix people were killed and scores injured in the attack. The Hodeida port is essential life-line needed by Yemen to receive arms shipments.
Yemen oil refinery hit by Israeli bombs
According to PM Netanyahu, the port “was used for military purposes, it was used as an entry point for deadly weapons supplied to the Houthis by Iran,” Netanyahu said, adding that Hodeidah had also been used to attack international shipping in the Red Sea.
This was the longest mission the IAF has flown. The distance was even further than Tehran, Iran. A point not lost on the Iranians, said one analyst.
Hostages
Hostage Families demonstrate in Washington D.C.
The IDF reported that it had found the bodies of five more hostages during the fighting in Khan Younis. All five had been previously been declared deceased by the IDF. This brings the number of hostages still in Gaza to 111 of the 251 captured on Oct 7th. It is thought only about 50 remain alive.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with families of the hostages in Washington prior to his speech to congress. Reportedly, he was less than forthcoming.
Protests in Israel called for Netanyahu to postpone his trip to washington until after the negotiations to free the hostages was successfully concluded. Netanyahu ignored the pleas.
An American Israeli hostage family member testified before an open session of the House Panel of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, pleading with US lawmakers to use their influence to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to agree to a hostage deal.
Daniel Neutra, speaks before US House Foreign Affairs Committee
According to the Times of Israel, this testimony came after the families had held a private meeting with Netanyahu in Washington. Daniel Neutra, whose brother Omer is one of the 8 captives held in Gaza with US citizenship, told the panel that, “The urgency of the matter did not seem to resonate with him. (Netanyahu)”
According to the BBC, hostage families pressured Netanyahu not to travel to Washington but rather stay and finish up negotiations to free the hostages.
The BBC reported that Netanyahu seemed to be dragging out the negotiations for political reasons. Netanyahu, said the BBC, always seems to add a new condition to the negotiations that require the sides to pause and return to consult with the powers that be.
Some analysts say that Netanyahu is stalling because of the fear that two of his coalition members, ultra-Nationalists Ben Gvir and Smotritch, would bolt the coalition causing the government to fall and bring on new elections should he not agree to their terms.
This would also strip Netanyahu of the excuse he uses not to appear in court to testify in his trial for three felony charges. Now he says he’s too busy being prime minister and fighting a war to go to court.
On Wednesday, it was reported that Netanyahu was going to delay sending the negotiating team back to Cairo until he returned from the US.
Meanwhile, according to families of the hostages, those in captivity are slowly withering away.
Channel 12TVs military correspondent Nir Dvori pointed out that the first stage of the proposed 42-day ceasefire only called for the release of 18 hostages. As well as the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Politics
PM Benjamin Netanyahu address US Congress
Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu was invited by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, to address the joint houses of Congress. This invitation was sent, according to NBC news, amid the protests and encampments that formed on college campuses this spring.
At least 90 Democrats in the house and senate planned to boycott Netanyahu’s speech. And VP Kamala Harris has announced she would not be present at the speech due to prior engagements.
Families of the hostages held protests in Tel Aviv and Washington as Netanyahu arrived to speak to Congress. They blocked roads in Tel Aviv. And police used tear gas to drove them away from protesting near the congress.
Still, on Wednesday evening July 24, 2024 Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke to the joint session of Congress for the fourth time, the only dignitary ever to do that.
PM Netanyahu and wife Sarah aboard Wing of Zion
Netanyahu arrived in the US aboard the newly commissioned “Wing of Zion” state airplane, a converted Boeing 767-300ER that cost the country about $207 million. An expense critics said epitomized Netanyahu’s self-indulgence. The plane has a private bedroom, bathroom with shower, fully stocked kitchen, meeting room and even a war room.
In his 54-minute speech the members of Congress rose 48 times in a standing ovation. However, 90 members of the congress, from both the House and the Senate, almost all Democrats, boycotted the speech, including VP Kamala Harris.
Netanyahu also thanked President Joe Biden as well as former president Donald Trump for their support of Israel. One analyst said Netanyahu had provided some great sound bites for Trump to use in his election campaign. He also thanked the American people for “having Israel’s back.”
According to Yair Sherki, a political reporter on Channel 12TV, this was Netanyahu’s best speech to Congress of the four he’s made, “Even if what he said left a huge gap between words and deeds.”
Amit Segal of Channel 12 said Netanyahu spoke about ending the war not when the hostages would be released.
In the speech, Netanyahu said there is “ today a clash between barbarism and civilization.”
Netanyahu also laid out Israel’s reason for fighting the war in Gaza. He said "Like Dec. 7, 1941, and Sept. 11, 2001…Oct. 7 is a day that will forever live in infamy."
He cited the barbarity of the Hamas invasion of Israel and the murder, rape, beheadings, and burning of bodies by 3000 Hamas terrorists.
According to Channel 12TVs Donna Weiss, Netanyahu made the case that Israel was America’s front guard in the war against Iran and others against western democracies. He also said that. “If you are not with us, you could be next.”.
He called on the USA to support Israel and send weapons that had been held up speedily so Israel could finish the war. "Give us the tools faster and we will finish the job faster," he said.
Netanyahu said the war in Gaza is part of Iran's war on America. Iran understands that to truly challenge America it must first take control of the Middle East. Israel is standing in Iran's way, he said.
Netanyahu also said, "When we're fighting Hamas, we're fighting Iran. When we're fighting Hezbollah, we're fighting Iran," he said, adding: "We're not only protecting ourselves, we're protecting you. Our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory.”
Later he added: "For the forces of civilization to triumph, America and Israel must stand together."
Netanyahu addresses congress
He also spoke about the possibility of establishing the Abraham Alliance between Israel and the USA to bolster those moderate Arab states and provide a bulwark against Iran.
"The day after we defeat Hamas a new Gaza can emerge," Netanyahu said. Israel does not seek to resettle Gaza, he added. Netanyahu also said he envisions a civilian administration "run by Palestinians who do not seek to destroy Israel."
He said he seeks a security alliance in the Middle East to counter Iran. "All countries that have made peace and those who will make peace should be invited to join." He suggested it should be called the Abraham Alliance.
Hostage family protester arrested at Capitol building in DC
However, critics said Netanyahu had essentially skipped over the hostage issue. Protesters who had come into the hall revealed t-shirts that read “Seal The Deal,” referring to the hostage negotiations. They were removed from the hall and three were arrested after holding a sign calling on him to make a deal that would bring the hostages home..
Other protesters gathered outside congress calling for the hostage release. Netanyahu said that these protesters could unwittingly be Iranian stooges. He called them “Iran’s useful idiots.”
One mother protesting at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv said she was disappointed in Netanyahu’s speech. She’d expected for him to make the case that the US should pressure Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and free the hostages.
According to the BBC, a drumbeat of protests demanded that Netanyahu stay home and focus on a ceasefire deal with Hamas to free Israeli hostages.
“Until he has signed the deal that's on the table, I do not see how he picks up and flies across the Atlantic to address the American political chaos,” said Lee Siegel, one of the family members who has come out to demonstrate. His 65-year-old brother Keith is a captive in Gaza.
“The trip is a political move,” he said, adding, “unless Mr Netanyahu stops being a ‘hurdle’ and signs the ceasefire agreement.
The BBC added, “Mr Siegel reflected a widespread view that Mr Netanyahu is slow-rolling the process for his own political reasons, roiling his negotiators when he recently threw new conditions into talks that seemed to be making progress.
The BBC reported that former Prime Minister Ehud Barak thought it was a mistake for the Congress to invite Netanyahu to speak.
Barak said that many Israelis blame Netanyahu for policy failures that allowed the Hamas attack to happen, and three out of four want him to resign.
“The man does not represent Israel,” he said. “He lost the trust of Israelis…And it kind of sends a wrong signal to Israelis, probably a wrong signal to Netanyahu himself, when the American Congress invites him to appear as if he is saving us.”
According to the BBC, VP Harris does not share Mr. Biden’s long history and emotional ties to Israel, and would more easily align herself with the younger elements of the Democratic party.
“That’s a stance more likely to include restrictions on weapons, on munitions from the US for use in Gaza, said Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East.
About Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, Israel’s Walla news’ diplomatic correspondent Tal Shalev told the BBC “This is not the failed Bibi who was responsible for the seventh of October. This is the old Bibi who goes to the Congress and gets the standing ovations.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said that Netanyahu blaming as he has done hundreds of time over the years. But didn’t take blame for the war. “He’d have been better off staying home and working on freeing the hostages,” said Lapid.
Other commentators pointed out that in Netanyahu’s 2015 speech, he pressured President Obama to drop out of the nuclear arms restrictions and inspections deal with Iran. Ultimately the agreement was scrapped and many military experts say this was a huge mistake that allowed Iran to be a hairs-breath away from a nuclear bomb.
On the plus side, pundits did say that after all the criticism of Israel not having done enough to supply the world with positive information about the war in Gaza, Netanyahu accomplished this by addressing the international stage and presenting Israel’s position in one 54-minute speech.
Israeli soldiers in gallery of Congress during Netanyahu’s speech
One of the emotional points was when Netanyahu named four Israeli soldiers in the gallery. An Israeli-Ethiopian-soldier who upon hearing of the Hamas invasion grabbed his uniform and gun and then ran eight miles to the Gaza border to fight.
Beside him an Israeli Bedouin soldier who fought in Gaza. And an Israeli who lost an arm in his tank but, according to Netanyahu, was going back to fight. As was another soldier in the gallery who had lost a leg but was returning to battle.
Netanyahu also cited statistics and testimonies that disputed Hamas civilian casualty and death figures. And he also took exception to the ICC (International Criminal Court) in the Hague that he said was persecuting the wrong people and damaging democracy.
Israel was helping get aid into Gaza, said Netanyahu. “Israel has allowed 40,000 truck loads of aid into Gaza. That’s a half-a-million tons of food.” He said if the Gazans aren’t getting enough to eat is is not because Israel isn’t allowing the food in, but because Hamas is stealing it once it gets into Gaza.
In the end, most critics agreed this was Netanyahu’s best and most effective speech of the four and expected him to get a bump in the Israeli popularity ratings. And position himself well as a firm friend of Donald Trump.
However, pundits also pointed out that the speech would have little or no effect on the US public since they were embroiled in internal politics and were not interested in foreign issues at this time.
Times of Israel’s editor David Horowitz wrote that “If only Netanyahu governed Israel as effectively as he speaks about it.”
These opinions were shared by veteran political correspondent Nachum Barnea writing in Ynetnews. “Netanyahu understood that he had to present a vision for the day after: in Gaza, in the north, in the abductees. Unfortunately, there was no connection between what he said and what he does as prime minister - not on the Gaza front, not on the northern front and above all not in the hostage deal,” wrote Barnea
Barnea added, “This shows how different the Netanyahu of today is from the Netanyahu of previous terms, who would interrupt visits because of news of an attack. The deal can wait: a weekend in America is more important.
“Let the thunderous applause not mislead us: America is moving away from us. The (90) empty seats in the hall were a message no less authentic than the full seats.
“While Netanyahu was speaking in Congress, the IDF worked to identify more bodies of abductees. One world in Washington, another in Israel,” wrote Barnea.
According to CNN, harsh criticism of Netanyahu came from other quarters as well. Prior to Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, a group of senior Israeli figures including former national security officials, academics and business leaders have sent US congressional leadership a blistering letter accusing Netanyahu of threatening both Israeli and American national security.
The 30 former security and business officials said they thought PM Netanyahu was an “existential threat to the State of Israel.”
Among them were five former senior officials from the Mossad intelligence service, including retired director Tamir Pardo, two former heads of the Israeli military and a wide-ranging list of other former military, security, diplomatic, legal and business officials.
Nobel laureate for Chemistry Aaron Ciechanover is among them, as are two former presidents of Ben Gurion University, Avishay Braverman and Rivka Carmi. Billionaire entrepreneur Morris Kahn joins former pharmaceutical CEO Jeremy Levin among the business leaders.
Parts of the letter read, ““For decades, [Netanyahu] has been inciting Israelis against each other, damaging our national social fabric, dramatically harming our defense capabilities, eroding our economy and devastating our international standing.
“Netanyahu severely harms the US national security interests through his approach to this war, which adversely impacts American policy in the Middle East and beyond and further endangers Israel,” it continues.
Also, on Wednesday morning, the ultra-nationalist Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir went up to the Temple Mount and said he prayed for the hostages held in Gaza. The admission that he had prayed broke an understanding Israel had with the Moslem Wakf religious authority, who has charge of the Temple Mount, that only Moslems would be allowed to pray and Jews only allowed to “visit.”
The Temple Mount is the second most holy place in the Muslim religion after Mecca in Saudi Arabia. And a flashpoint that could ignite the Arab world against Israel.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir
Following Ben Gvir’s “prayers,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said that the status quo remained. Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant castigated Ben Gvir in a tweet saying he was playing with fire and could cause the middle east to explode.
Pundits say that Ben Gvir wallowed in the attention he received, some claiming he purposefully visited the Temple Mount to draw attention away from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to the USA to speak to the joint sessions of Congress.
Ben Gvir’s exclusion from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s security forum on Wednesday by Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Shas party chief Aryeh Deri has sparked a public feud
Reportedly Shas chief Deri ‘vetoed’ the far-right minister’s inclusion in proposed high-level decision-making body. This caused Otzma Yehudit party leader Ben Gvir to threaten to block coalition legislation on a ‘softened’ Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) draft law.
Netanyahu was, according to Hebrew media reports, in talks to create the new body to placate Ben Gvir who has been left out of the high level, now disbanded, war cabinet. Ben Gvir has, according to observers, opposed the Haredi draft bill as a way to pressure Netanyahu to appoint him to a post on a new war cabinet. Netanyahu has denied these reports.
Voting on the Haredi draft law bill was postponed until Sunday. Some analysts see Netanyahu’s hand behind Deri’s opposition saying Netanyahu doesn’t want Ben Gvir, who along with ultra-nationalist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotritch, opposes any hostage deal that includes a prisoner exchange, on any war cabinet.
Both have threatened to bolt the fragile coalition if their demands are not met. This would cause the Netanyahu government to fall and lead to new elections. And force Netanyahu to finally show up in court to testify in his trial for three felonies.
According to the Times of Israel, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant opposed Ben Gvir’s entry into any position that would allow him to influence military strategy.
“Sitting in the Israeli government is a pyromaniac who is trying to set fire to the Middle East,”Gallant tweeted on Wednesday afternoon in an apparent reference to Ben Gvir. “I oppose any negotiations to put him in the war cabinet, this will allow him to fulfill his plans.”
In response, Ben Gvir countered that Gallant and Deri were leftists who are undermining Israeli national security.
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry has issued draft notices for 1000 Haredi men, the first wave in a planned draft of 3000 ultra-Orthodox men.
According to the Times of Israel, in 2008, the Jerusalem District Court convicted Ben Gvir of incitement to racism and supporting a terror organization over a placard he held reading “Arabs out” following a Palestinian terror attack in the capital, and anti-Arab signs he had in his car that referred to the far-right Kach movement, a Jewish group that was banned as a terror organization.
Ben Gvir has been indicted dozens of times, mostly for disturbing the peace, though he was exonerated in almost all the cases.
And media reports that crime has spiked since Ben Gvir has taken over the reigns as National Security Minister, a post that is also in charge of the police.
Antisemitism
Anti-Israeli protests at Congress
Oscar winning actor Jon Voight, a staunch supporter of Israel, has said that he has criticized his daughter Angelina Jolie for her anti-Israeli comments. Voight thought that she had been influenced by the UN that he said was firmly anti-Israeli.
In Lakewood New Jersey, Dion Marsh 29, pleaded guilty to assaulting five ultra-Orthodox residents of Lakewood because of their heritage. He was also convicted of car jacking and a series of violent assaults most agains ultra-Orthodox men. Marsh was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
In France, the summer Olympics have begun. Israeli participants have been given 24-hour protection by the Israeli Shin Bet security services. Israelis going to the Olympics have been warned to be cautious when attending the events.
Also, according to the New York Times, campus protests against Israel led to 3100 arrests but many changes have been dropped.
And in Israel, according to Reshet Bet radio, a Canadian Moslem citizen exited his rented car outside the guard post at the entry to Kibbutz Nativ HaEsera in the Gaza envelope, the Otef. He was carrying a knife and cursing the soldiers for killing Gazans. The soldiers shot and killed the man as he approached the guard post.
Adidas has dropped super-model Bela Hadad from an ad for sneakers. The ad was to introduce a new sneaker to commemorate the 1972 Munich Massacre of 11 Israelis at the ’72 Olympics.
The American Jewish Committee, and other Jewish organizations, complained to Adidas that Hadad was the wrong person to represent the sneakers since she is an avowed enemy of Israel. Her family on her father’s side are Palestinian Moslems from the Galilee city of Nazareth.
Editorial
One pundit said that a possible explanation for antisemitism could be found in an analogy of a time traveller. Many novels and stories feature men and women who are born with some quality that makes them immune to aging, like Matt Haig’s “How To Stop Time.” Or the TV show “The Outlander.”
In many of these stories, these odd people are viewed with suspicion by the townsfolk and neighbors. Some, townsfolk and city dwellers have, over the historical timeline, considered these people as sorcerers or witches, or even representatives of the devil. The very fact that these odd people didn’t age and didn’t die was enough to create fear and hatred. And perhaps envy.
One pundit uses these timeless people as an example of why antisemitism exists. The Jewish people are like those timeless people who never age and never grow old and are always around.
There is no rational explanation for the thousands of years of Jewish existence hence the fear and hatred.
Just as those who never aged were considered witches and sorcerers and representatives of the devil, so some consider the Jewish people who existence over 5000 years defies explanation.
You fear what you hate and you hate what you fear, Eugene Burdick wrote in his political novel “The Ninth Wave.”
From the outside, the Jewish people’s seeming eternal life, and unique accomplishments in so many fields, including finance, frightens people.
To some the Jews are a mystery that can only be solved if one applies sorcery and the devil to the Jewish people.
And, as Burdick wrote, you develop a hatred for what you fear. So, perhaps, just perhaps, the answer to why some people hate the Jewish people. And is the root cause of antisemitism.
Which leads to the question, Is Israel fighting for her very survival? Has the “Zionist Enterprise” run its course? Have the haters of the Jewish people finally gained the upper hand?
As PM Netanyahu said in his speech to Congress, the US is essential to Israel’s existence. Israel needs US weapons to fight off the enemy. More weapons delivered faster, he said in his speech.
But should the anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian community gain the upper hand and cut off aid to Israel, then Israel could well be at the end of her historic run. Without bullets for the rifles, shells for the tanks and artillery, bombs for the airplanes, Israel would be overrun within days or weeks.
And should VP Kamala Harris win the presidential election, will she allow the weapons to flow to Israel as Biden did, most of the time? Or will she bow to her progressive wing and Bernie Sanders and cut Israel off at the knees?
Israel is, according to military analysts, in a four front war for her very survival.
Some faint hearted Israelis are looking to relocate to safer waters.
Assuming one can run from their identity. From their heritage as an eternal people. Those ageless characters in the novels and TV shows couldn’t.
Some have options. Homes and families and citizenship in other countries.
But others, most in fact, have no option but to stay. And fight.
And hope there are enough friends to offset the enemies.
And enough bullets to defend the country.