Haifa Diary
Haifa is on the "front line" in any action in the north but this blog looks at life in the shadow of danger to all of Israel
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Sweden Gives Prize to Israeli Eurovision Star
Hamas Warehouses in Gaza Overflowing with Stolen Humanitarian Aid.
For full article see https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-820030
Hamas terrorists have confiscated so much humanitarian aid that the terror group is struggling to find space in warehouses to store all of it, according to intercepted communications between Hamas operatives that were played during an episode of N12's "Ulpan Shishi" on Friday.
These intercepted communications feature Hamas
operatives discussing the movement of goods from overflowing humanitarian
aid warehouses to Khan Yunis.
“We’ve got trucks filled with goods alongside the
diesel trucks,” one operative said. “At this point, we have everything... The
warehouse is at full capacity. We’re just waiting for the green light to start
transferring.” The second operative responded, “Coordinating with Samer is
difficult due to a reception issue. If you can move them elsewhere, go ahead.”
The first operative then asked, “Can you take them to Khan Yunis, or will that
cause a delay?”
This short exchange illustrates the significant flow of
aid into Gaza, broadcasters said during the episode. What began with two trucks
entering Gaza before the agreement has now grown into 200 trucks arriving
daily. Hamas seizes these supplies, gaining complete control over the
warehouses without resistance, they said.
They also mentioned how the recordings not only expose
how Hamas takes control of these shipments but also highlight the absurdity of
the situation—the terrorist organization is running out of space to store the
aid. Clearly, this aid is not being used for humanitarian purposes but is
instead aiding the enemy.
Circumventing
Hamas and including local Gazans
Hamas exerts full control over food and medicine
distribution. Meanwhile, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the
Territories, Maj.-Gen. Ghassan Alian attempted to regulate the aid by involving
Gaza-based merchants who had been active before the war in managing the
inflow of supplies.
Hamas exploited this by taking 20% of the merchants'
profits. As a result, it was decided that starting next week, Alian would halt
the aid transfer to these merchants.
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Israel destroys underground Iranian missile factory, Iran fuming
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
IDF
elite forces undertook a raid last week in Syria to eliminate an underground
missile factory created by Iran, three sources told Axios.
Although
Israel has undertaken airstrikes in Syria for specific targets since October
7th, the ground operation in Syria was highly unusual.
The
destruction of the weapons factory was intended to frustrate Iran’s and
Hezbollah’s efforts to produce weapons on Syrian soil.
Israel
did not confirm the operation to avoid conflict with Syria and a further
escalation with Hezbollah.02:1502:23
The IDF
and Israel’s Defense Ministry declined to comment on news of the operation.
Syria
reported heavy airstrikes last week in the West, particularly in Masyaf, close
to the border with Lebanon.
The
airstrikes were meant to give cover for Israel’s ground operation in Syria.
Syrian
state media called the operation “blatant aggression” and claimed that 16
people were killed and 40 others were wounded.
Iran’s
state media called the operation “criminal.”
Two of
the sources said Israel informed the White House prior to the operation, and it
was approved, although the Biden Administration has not commented on the
incident.
The
operation began when IDF special forces surprised and killed the Syrian guards
at the facility before placing explosives in the factory, blowing it up.
Israel
fired from the air to prevent Syria from sending reinforcements to the area.
Sources
say Iran began building the facility in 2018 with the cooperation of Hezbollah
and Syria after most of its weapons facilities were destroyed by Israeli
airstrikes.
The
goal was to produce precision missiles in Western Syria that could be delivered
quickly and easily to Hezbollah and to avoid discovery by the Israelis.
Israel
detected the site and monitored it for five years under the code Deep Layer.
The IDF
realized they would not be able to destroy the facility with airstrikes alone
and would need a ground operation to carry it out.
Israel
had attempted the operation several times, but plans were canceled given the
high risk.
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
UN, there is a genocide going on, are you not interested?
In Bangladesh there is on-going genocide. Why is the UN not interested?
" Jamaat-e-Islami has made a list of Hindu houses and
businesses, and they are systematically targeting Hindus. I am also being told
that JeI has blocked several roads with mobs walking around with guns. The
network is also intermittently down and they are hardly able to contact each
other. Essentially, the Hindus are boxed in a situation where they are not
being allowed to communicate with each other and form groups to help each
other. The situation, according to them is extremely dire. There is also news of
at least 3 Hindu girls being abducted by the Muslims. There are probably far
more..." — Nupur J Sharma, a journalist in Delhi, X,
August 7, 2024
Thursday, September 5, 2024
Letter to UK Foreign Minister David Lammy
‘Bring Them Home’ Is Bringing Us to the Brink
For the full article go to https://tinyurl.com/ycxxyx62
Israelis
are engaging en masse in the most rank American-style lunacy. Slogans like
#BringThemHomeNow, for example, demonstrate just how hollow and inflamed
Israeli public discourse has become. To whom, exactly, is this exhortation
addressed? Surely not to Hamas, the only group with the actual power to release
the hostages. Instead, it’s a bombastic bit of emotional manipulation, daring
anyone to defy it while at the same time giving cover to political movements
with unclear aims and means. Just like Black Lives Matter—and who would ever
argue that they don’t?—the Bring Them Home movement in Israel is now an
amalgam of anti-Bibi activists who’ve been marching for years under a host of
different banners, bolstered by sheer emotionalism that argues for a deal at
any cost, even if it means leaving Hamas victorious.
Monday, September 2, 2024
Palestinians Can’t Even Agree Amongst Themselves
(From the Al Qabas newspaper, Kuwait, August 22)
a) a) Halting and preventing further bloodshed among Palestinians and unifying the stance
against occupation through dialogue to resolve political differences.
b) b) forming
a Palestinian unity government.
c) c) revitalizing
and reforming the Palestine Liberation Organization, and accelerating the
efforts of the Preparatory Committee in line with the Cairo and Damascus
agreements.
d) d) upholding
the principle of political partnership based on existing Palestinian Authority
laws, emphasizing political pluralism.
Only weeks later, Hamas staged a coup against the Palestinian Authority and
seized control of the Gaza Strip, rendering the Mecca Agreement seemingly
ineffective.
In 2009, Egyptian mediation attempted to reconcile the
factions, giving rise to the Egyptian Paper, followed by the Cairo
Agreement in 2011. Yet, these efforts too yielded no meaningful results.
The Doha Agreement in 2012, facilitated by the
former emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, sought to accelerate
Palestinian national reconciliation. This was succeeded by the Beach Camp
Agreement in 2014. The negotiators agreed to form a Palestinian consensus
government and conduct elections within six months, a promise that fell
through. Accusations continued to be exchanged between the factions,
perpetuating the division.
In October 2017, the Cairo Agreement emerged yet
again, and both parties agreed to empower the Government of National Accord,
led by Rami Hamdallah, to assume full responsibilities in Gaza. They also
agreed that the Presidential Guard would oversee the crossings and the Rafah
border with Egypt. However, the division remained.
Now, in 2024, driven by urgency and the relentless war
on Gaza following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, the Palestinian factions have turned
their hopes to Beijing. They are seeking to sign yet another agreement, the Beijing
Declaration.
Neither the Mecca agreement nor the 13 subsequent
agreements over the years were honored. Will the Beijing Agreement be any
different?