Noa Tishby - Progrom in Amsterdam

 

Arab-Israeli soccer fan spoke Arabic to violent mob, saved Jewish fans

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A Druze Israeli said he spoke Arabic to Muslim attackers and warned Jewish Israelis during a violent anti-Israel riot that broke out after a soccer game in Amsterdam on Thursday.

Melhem Asad, from Kisra-Sumei, a Druze town in Israel, described how Dutch security guarded Israelis on their way to the Ajax-Maccabi game in Amsterdam. Still, the security situation fell apart at the conclusion of the game.

Asad told Channel 12, “We felt very safe, but at the end of the game the situation changed completely.”

“The fans were simply abandoned, we all got on the trains and headed for the hotels, and the local police just messed up, big time. They didn’t secure us, they didn’t watch over us, we felt very exposed,” he said.

Asad heard a group of people speaking in Arabic about their plans to attack Israelis, and that is when he realized he could use the fact that he spoke Arabic to confuse their plans.

He said, “I heard people from across the street talking in Arabic and planning on how and where to attack the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans. I took advantage of the fact that I spoke Arabic and shouted at them. They thought I was one of them.

Asad continued, “I told them that the Jews were no longer here, that they had fled. I did everything to confuse them; I knew exactly where our fans were, and it worked. I convinced them to go in the other direction.”

After Asad had confused some of the mob’s plans, he ran to warn the Israelis. He recounts, “I ran towards groups of Israelis and warned them that people were trying to harm us.”

Asad told them to take them off their Maccabi shirts after he heard members of the mob saying they would attack anyone wearing a Maccabi shirt. He ran into bars and restaurants to warn Israelis.

“My goal was to save everyone possible; I saw the amount of hatred and the number of people. I started running between bars, restaurants, alleys, wherever I knew the fans were passing on the way back from the game,” Asad said.

He said that the incident in Amsterdam made him think of October 7th and the hatred of Hamas terrorists who attacked Israelis.

“My heart burned at that moment. Unfortunately, I could not save everyone, but I tried to warn as many Israelis as possible. I feel that God sent me at the right moment and in the right place to save those who can.”

One Kibbutz on Gaza Border Starts to Rebuild Lives

 

This kibbutz on the Gaza border shows hope, energy and resilience
at its best as the residents of Nirim start rebuilding their lives

Life on the Border - Haifa where it is not at all normal

 (From my friend in Haifa,  Forest Rain Marcia - Life on the Border)

Here’s a tiny snippet of Israeli reality that is not at all normal –

Today I am at home, working on my computer. As I work, the alerts of sirens elsewhere beep on my phone. Every beep a siren screaming at other Israelis to run for their lives.

I saw the pattern of the alerts and it was obvious that they were getting closer to my location. I thought to myself, “maybe I should get up and go pee before the sirens go off and I have to run for the shelter.”

I didn’t get up – and the sirens went off. I grabbed my phone, keys and ran down to the shelter.

The other neighbors who were at home came down too. The young parents worried about their baby in his daycare (elsewhere in Haifa). The young woman with her two little dogs. Other neighbors.

Then a stranger came running in, panting. She left her care in the middle of the road and wasn’t sure where to go for shelter. We calmed her down and told her to just focus on catching her breath. It’s better to worry about her car being in other people’s way than to go out to early and risk shrapnel.

We waited our 10 minutes, according to safety guidelines and everyone went back to what they were doing before.

And that was better than yesterday –

I was on the highway, in the center of Israel when the sirens went off. We were in the left lane and had to get to the right side of the road where there was a bit of a shoulder. The concept is to get as far away from the cars as possible and, if there is no shelter, to lie flat, as low as possible and pray that any shrapnel flies over your head and doesn’t pierce your body.

Just getting to the side of the road wasn’t easy. Some people, in panic, kept on driving and could have easily hit anyone crossing the highway. We managed it, climbed over the rail and discovered there was a ditch to lie in – better than nothing and certainly better than being on the same level as the cars. When there is a blast car windows can shatter and become piercing shrapnel

We found ourselves in the ditch with a mixture of other people. Those who haven’t seen the results of missile impact are less careful about following safety guidelines than those of us who have. It's important to lie down, not just kneel and to get as far away as possible from anything that can turn into shrapnel.

 

There was a young woman, perhaps 17 who was on the phone with her dad so he could tell her what to do. She was worried about leaving the car and didn’t know how to protect herself. We showed her how to lie down and explained why and then took pictures so she could show her dad that she implemented what he was trying to explain on the phone. A young mother was holding a little girl, perhaps 10, trying to pretend that everything was normal. People were going back to their cars too quickly so I reinforced what the mother was doing, telling the little girl that her mom was right, that it’s important to wait the full 10 minutes and that she was very brave. She told us her name and smiled. The mother who had a harder time smiling, told us that it was the second time in the same day they were having that experience.

The booms from the interceptions were very loud. Very close. They make little puff clouds in the sky that are not at all cute when you know that they are death interrupted.

At night we heard the news that a young man was killed by shrapnel when he got out of his car to lie down in a field, according to instructions. He was alone and the missile was too close, the shrapnel hit the wrong way and there was no one there to provide emergency care.

This is our reality and it’s not at all normal.

One Gazan Citizen, Two Jobs!

(With thanks to Ben Herskowitz)

 
               

Why The IDF Destroyed This Girl’s House In Lebanon

written by David Mark November 4, 2024 

The video below has been making the rounds on social media in the attempt of defaming the IDF and tricking viewers into believing that Israel blew up an “innocent Lebanese” home. 

While it’s true the IDF destroyed this girl’s home in Khiam, her video does not tell the truth. Khiam is a known Hezbollah stronghold. It has been used to target Metula with non-stop rocket and anti-tank fire since October 8th. It is also Hezbollah’s main position blocking the IDF from reaching the Christian city of Marjaayoun which rests on the southern side of the Litani River.

A Lebanese woman who lives outside of Lebanon identified the piano in her home (more like a palace...) in the city of Khiam in southern Lebanon in a video posted by IDF soldiers on social media. She published the "after" and then the "before". The piano survived.

 

This same house, with its piano is nothing other than a major command center for Hezbollah. 

 That’s right, Julia Ali’s house was not some sort of innocent upper middle class home with a beautiful piano. It was a major Hezbollah position used to fire cornet missiles at Israeli civilians in northern Israel. That means Julia and her family are more than likely Hezbollah operatives and due to their purposeful targeting of civilians they are guilty of war crimes.

So why is this important?

Villages like Khiam and others close to the border with Israel are not some peaceful towns that have nothing to do with the conflict. They serve as the forward bases for Hezbollah soldiers themselves. Often times, the families in these buildings are members of Hezbollah. In other instances, Hezbollah chased out the families and took over their houses.

All of this should be a reminder that Jihadists condone the use of “civilians” as part of their armed conflict against their enemies. For Jihadists there are no civilians, just soldiers with different roles.

 

Lebanese MP: Israel defeated Hezbollah, ‘it’s over’ for terror group

https://worldisraelnews.com/lebanese-mp-israel-defeated-hezbollah-its-over-for-terror-group/ 

 A Lebanese parliamentarian declared that Hezbollah has been defeated by Israel, adding that the terror group is no longer relevant as a political or military force in Lebanon.

Mark Daou, an independent Druze politician, recently spoke out about Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah on a Lebanese talk show.

“It appears now that Hezbollah, as a military force, is finished,” Daou said, according to a translation of his remarks by blogger Abu Ali Express.

He said that the success of the Israeli ground invasion of southern Lebanon demonstrated that Hezbollah had been defanged.

The fact that Hezbollah has failed to expel Israeli troops from the region demonstrates the terror group’s weakness, he said.

“We see the videos, how Israel brought in intensional reporters and showed them around Lebanese territory,” Daou continued.

The Israelis “hold territory so well that they’re already hosting guests,” he added.

Hezbollah “no longer exists as a military force,” the MP emphasized.

“As a regional power? Bye-bye, it’s over.”

Daou’s remarks come on the heels of a recent report that Hezbollah is struggling with mass desertions, following the slaying of the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

According to Arabic-language news outlet Elaph, widespread defections have hindered Hezbollah’s ability to continue attacking Israel.

Some Hezbollah terrorists are fleeing to Syria with their families, while others are failing to report to their assigned stations.

Hezbollah is also struggling to recruit new terrorists to replace those killed or severely maimed in battle against IDF troops.

Due to the amount of Hezbollah terrorists who have abandoned their posts in southern Lebanon following the Israeli ground invasion, Hezbollah has been forced to send reinforcements to what was once a major stronghold for the group.

While the desertions are primarily concentrated to southern Lebanon, senior Hezbollah officials fear that the defections could spread to other parts of the country.

 

Can The IDF Reach Their Goals Before Tuesday’s US Election?

  written by David Mark October 30, 2024 

Although Israel’s war with Hezbollah appears to be moving far slower than many Israelis believed it would, the IDF has made some serious gains and are nAlthough Israel’s war with Hezbollah appears to be moving far slower than many Israelis believed it would, the IDF has made some serious gains and are now in near complete control of the border area. Their latest win was the capture of Hassan Aqil Jawed, the Hezbollah commander of the Ayta al-Shaab region along with three of his Radwan force soldiers. If the intelligence gained from Jawed’s capture and interrogation corroborates other assessments, his surrender will have very real implications on the IDF’s ability to achieve initial success up north before Tuesday’s US election.

His capture and the droves of intelligence he gave during his interrogation will not only save countless IDF lives, but change how the IDF moves forward from a tactical perspective. Given the need to move forward as fast they can, Hassan Aqil Jawad’s capture can be seen as a critical breakthrough.

The debate on IDF control of Lebanon post war is what many believe is slowing the soldiers on the ground up. One wing of the IDF leadership appears to believe that controlling Hezbollah’s direct line of site into Israel’s northern communities is enough. The other group believes that anywhere between 10km and the Litani River is necessary. Other options include a tiered system that incorporates control up to the Litani with local support from Druze and Christian communities and then mining anything within 4km of the border - creating a no-go zone.

Whatever the decision, it is clear, the consensus in the IDF and political echelon is that some sort of permanent IDF presence in Lebanon is necessary.

Caution Before The US Election

With the US election days away, a last ditch attempt by the Biden administration to get to a ceasefire in Lebanon appears to be underway as Amos Hochstein and others arrived this week from Washington and DC. Their claim that there is a deal on the table is merely spin, given Israel’s push northward. What is going on is that the IDF is strengthening its presence in areas it has captured while the US team is here.

If Trump does in fact win on Tuesday, expect the IDF to push ever farther north. Trump wants the war to be finished by the time he takes office, which means Israel three months to get it done. If Harris wins and Israel wants to keep up some sort o relationship with what many will consider to be the most antagonistic US administration ever to the Jewish State, Israel will have to make do with whatever territory it has gained.  If it is only what they have now – it may not be enough to prevent Hezbollah from directly attacking Israeli residents in the northern part of the country. 

This is why time is of the essence.

ow in near complete control of the border area. Their latest win was the capture of Hassan Aqil Jawed, the Hezbollah commander of the Ayta al-Shaab region along with three of his Radwan force soldiers. If the intelligence gained from Jawed’s capture and interrogation corroborates other assessments, his surrender will have very real implications on the IDF’s ability to achieve initial success up north before Tuesday’s US election.

His capture and the droves of intelligence he gave during his interrogation will not only save countless IDF lives, but change how the IDF moves forward from a tactical perspective. Given the need to move forward as fast they can, Hassan Aqil Jawad’s capture can be seen as a critical breakthrough.

The debate on IDF control of Lebanon post war is what many believe is slowing the soldiers on the ground up. One wing of the IDF leadership appears to believe that controlling Hezbollah’s direct line of site into Israel’s northern communities is enough. The other group believes that anywhere between 10km and the Litani River is necessary. Other options include a tiered system that incorporates control up to the Litani with local support from Druze and Christian communities and then mining anything within 4km of the border - creating a no-go zone.

Whatever the decision, it is clear, the consensus in the IDF and political echelon is that some sort of permanent IDF presence in Lebanon is necessary.

Caution Before The US Election

With the US election days away, a last ditch attempt by the Biden administration to get to a ceasefire in Lebanon appears to be underway as Amos Hochstein and others arrived this week from Washington and DC. Their claim that there is a deal on the table is merely spin, given Israel’s push northward. What is going on is that the IDF is strengthening its presence in areas it has captured while the US team is here.

If Trump does in fact win on Tuesday, expect the IDF to push ever farther north. Trump wants the war to be finished by the time he takes office, which means Israel three months to get it done. If Harris wins and Israel wants to keep up some sort o relationship with what many will consider to be the most antagonistic US administration ever to the Jewish State, Israel will have to make do with whatever territory it has gained.  If it is only what they have now – it may not be enough to prevent Hezbollah from directly attacking Israeli residents in the northern part of the country. 

This is why time is of the essence.

Sinwar's Last Thought

 (With thanks to Ben Herskowitz)

 

The Media Is Supporting Sinwar's Genocidal Strategy

Alan M. Dershowitz and Andrew Stein  •  October 29, 2024 at 5:00 am

• Although they could easily distinguish between combatant and non-combatant deaths, Hamas refuses to do so.
• They [Hamas] fail to acknowledge that many of these so-called children were also combatants.
• They do the same with women, conveying the impression that only men are terrorists.
• Without the support of the media, this strategy would not succeed.
• And useful ignoramuses on university campuses, along with bigots in international organizations, falsely accuse Israel of genocide, despite the successful efforts of the IDF to reduce civilian casualties to the minimum possible....
• In the absence of an honest accounting, the media will continue to do Sinwar's nefarious work in increasing Palestinian casualties in order to increase the pressure on Israel.

Sadly, the media's dangerous cooperation with terrorists tells us more about them than about the war about which they purport to be "reporting."

Captured terrorists admit: Hezbollah paid UNIFIL for use of their positions

 ) Israel National News   Oct 21, 2024 (

Recently-captured Hezbollah terrorists have testified that the terror group paid money to UNIFIL in exchange for use of their positions in southern Lebanon, Israel Hayom reported, quoting security sources.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Hezbollah took over UNIFIL cameras in areas near the Lebanon-Israel border, and made use of them.

The report added that in light of these revelations, any future agreement with Lebanon will demand more of a commitment from the Lebanese army and less from UNIFIL.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was established in 1978 to confirm both Hezbollah and Israeli cooperation with several resolutions intended to bring an end to Operation Litani, an invasion of Lebanon targeting the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The force was made of troop contributions from multiple UN states.

UNIFIL claims that its original mandate was to "confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces, restore international peace and security, and assist the Government of Lebanon in ensuring the return of its effective authority in the area." It was also expected to encourage the disarmament of Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Its mandate has been reaffirmed repeatedly by the UN following various Israeli offensives into Lebanon, and expanded to include the execution of humanitarian aid tasks.

Since the end of the 2006 Second Lebanon War, UNIFIL's role has focused on monitoring military activity of all parties between the Litani and the Blue Line. Its role allegedly includes preventing arms smuggling, and executing humanitarian tasks, including assisting the displaced and clearing unexploded ordnance. Hezbollah built up an arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles during this period without interference from UNIFIL.

Iran’s oil revenues up 500% since 2020

 When former President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, critics decried the move as unnecessarily hawkish. Yet, an explosive new report by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) tells a compelling story.

Under the present US administration, Iran has seen a significant surge in its oil export revenues, with figures soaring to over $41 billion in 2023. The rise in Iran’s oil exports is striking when compared to the mere $8 billion recorded in 2020, during the final year of the Trump administration. According to OPEC data, Iran’s daily export volume of crude oil, condensates, and petroleum products averaged about 1.73 million barrels last year, which is a staggering two and a half times higher than when Biden assumed office.

Traditionally, Iran systematically diverts a portion of its oil revenues to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its regional terror proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas. However, Iran’s Supreme Audit Court announced on Sunday that the country has fallen short of its budgeted oil revenue targets by 26% despite increased exports.

 

From the Front Line - Haifa

 ( Written by Jeanine Hirschhorn)

At 09:35, I was walking down the stairs through a patch of Carmel forest next to my building pursuant to a doctor's visit.  When the siren sounded. Yet again.  I looked around and realized there was no place to run, no place to hide.  So I stood facing the wall of an apartment bloc that borders the forest patch.  And then I heard an explosion above my head.  Not high in the sky. But perhaps 30 meters above my head.  I looked up and saw the smoke from an exploded rocket/interceptor.  Then I watched as three more rockets/interceptors exploded above me.  I braced myself, waiting for the pain of shrapnel or the blow from falling pieces of metal.  But none of that  happened.  

I waited a few more minutes facing the building, looked up . . . and then continued on my way.  I'm alive.  I won. They lost.   

I'm alive, I won, they lost is very much the mentality of the region vis-a-vis conflict.  As long as you remain alive, you are considered to be a formidable leader, a successful warrior on the battlefield.  It doesn't matter that all around you is on fire and destroyed. It doesn't matter that your populace has fled, that your society is in chaos.  It doesn't matter, as in Bashar al Assad's case, that much of your country is destroyed, ungovernable and bankrupt. Bashar is alive, therefore a formidable leader, a winner.  And the more Syria is destroyed while he remains alive, the more he is considered a respected and honored winner.  

Therefore, it doesn't matter to Iran that there proxies in Lebanon and Gaza have been decimated, reduced to rubble and ruin. It doesn't matter that many of their senior proxy terrorists and terror combatants are dead.  It doesn't matter that their ability to arm and finance is, at the moment, extremely difficult to non-existent.  The only thing that matters is that they are alive and can still strike Israel at will. They are still formidable warriors.  They are winning this jihad against the Jews. The Muslim world and much of the West cheers their continued success, and lavishes them with great praise, respect, honor. And fear.  This fear is exhibited by the West in its incessant calls for "ceasefires" and "proportional responses", displaying an obeisance to the victorious mullahs and their terrorist allies.  Further confirmation that Iran's pursuit of jihad for power, control and concomitant submission against not only the West but the entire Near/Middle East is a crowning success beyond all expectations and dreams. The victors dictate rules of engagement both to the Gulf despots ("severe repercussions for any assistance to the Infidels") and the West ("We've taught you a lesson. Any escalation at your own peril"). The mullahs are well aware that no one in the world will deter them, let alone stop them, from achieving their goal of total domination.  As long as they remain alive. 

And Israel?  Israel is not only fighting Islam's latest Salah-al-Din, but also a West terrified of Iran and its axis partners Russia and China and indifferent to dead Jews.  Israel will soldier on because victory means severely weakening or destroying Iran.  Even if it has to climb over a West prostrate before Iran in protection and fear to accomplish it. 

(Editor comments - An amazing analysis from a regular citizen with the motivation to survive)

UNIFIL as Human Shields for Hezbollah

 

Every House is a Terror Base.

 IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari led a tour inside a Hezbollah terrorist 
stronghold in southern Lebanon, explaining that the terrorists 
were planning an attack on northern Israel larger than the October 7 massacre.

He showed weapons and gear stored in a residential home, noting 
that all the houses in the area contain such arms, requiring the IDF to raid 
each house to dismantle the threat.

He also noted that Hezbollah’s storage of arms in the area 
violates UN resolution 1701.

Sinwar, Dead or Alive?

 Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has renewed contacts with mediators in Qatar, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported on Monday, citing sources familiar with the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

On Friday, The New York Times reported that Sinwar is seeking a wider regional war and is not interested in reaching a truce with Jerusalem. 

The article noted that Sinwar, the mastermind of the Oct. 7 massacre and who is believed to be hiding in Gaza’s tunnels, believes that he won’t survive the war and has hardened his stances over the past weeks.

“Hamas has shown no desire at all to engage in talks in recent weeks, U.S. officials say. They suspect that Mr. Sinwar has grown more resigned as Israeli forces pursue him and talk about closing in on him,” per the Times.

The article noted that Israel has questioned whether Sinwar is still alive, with U.S. and Israeli officials acknowledging that there had been no sign of him for months. However, in the absence of hard evidence of his death, American officials believed he was still alive and in charge of Hamas.

Channel 12 said over the weekend that the Qatari officials involved in negotiations between Israel and Hamas told family members of hostages that Sinwar has surrounded himself with captives and that despite his disappearance, there is no indication of his death.

“Sinwar is currently not communicating with us. He has disappeared from us as well and has not made contact. He stopped using phones because of the assassinations, and now he communicates using paper and pen, which makes things very difficult,” the Qataris reportedly said.

Israel's Enemies "Celebrate" October 7th

 As we enter the sombre atmosphere of October 7th, the whole country is warned to be extra alert.  All terror groups wish to ‘commemorate’ Oct. 7 with more blood.  Terror attempts and extra rocket attacks are possible.

Already there have been:-

a) INFILTRATION ATTACK (NORTH)!  6 terrorists entered Israel from Lebanon via a tunnel, all of them were eliminated.  Apparently planned a massacre for today, were exposed by the IDF and eliminated.

b) SUICIDE DRONES (2) at RISHON L’ZIYON this morning!  Intercepted - “from the east”, possibly from Houthis - Yemen or from Iranian Shia militias Iraq.

c) ROCKET STRIKE HAIFA - late night, restaurant hit! 4 injured.  13 year old boy, shrapnel injury to the head. Hezbollah: “We bombed an IDF base.”

d) ROCKET STRIKE TIBERIAS - late night, 1 injured.

e) HAMAS ATTEMPTS COMMEMORATION ATTACK!  The IDF thwarted an immediate threat, following preliminary preparation and the identification of an intention by the terrorist organization Hamas to fire at the territory of the State of Israel, attacking multiple launch positions and a tunnel route.

f) Propaganda is expected today from Hamas who are expected to publish videos of hostages or a special message from Hamas leader Sinwar today. This may not happen as Sinwar seems to have disappeared.

g) As of publishing this blog at 4pm, 4 rockets have been fired into Israel by Hamas and 90 by Hezbollah

Videos from Iran show the transport of large amounts of missiles throughout the country.  Experts are suggesting they are redistributing missiles to prevent Israeli targeting opportunities.

Defense Minister Yoav Galant has said to CNN: An Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities is not ruled out. However there are persistent rumours from the US suggesting that American officials have offered Israel extensive diplomatic backing and additional military assistance if they refrain from attacking certain targets in Iran. (Most would refer to this as blackmail!)

SUMMARY. There have been 885 civilian casualties, of which 53 were children under the age of 18 and more than 70,000 refugees of hostilities, since the beginning of the war. There are now 923 orphans and 340,000 dunams (85,000 acres) of Israeli territory have been burned.

Hezbollah's Terror Tunnel

 A tour through a terror Tunnel built by Hezbollah

From the Front Line in Haifa

 (From the front line in Haifa - thanks to Jeanine Hirschhorn)

Israel is under siege from her enemies.  Iran's 180 . . . or 200 . . . or 300 . . . or 500 depending on which reportage you indulge . . .missile barrage fell on central/southern/eastern Israel. Plenty of Pulizer-worthy images of interceptors  lighting up Israel's evening skies from Beersheva to Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and Iran missiles sailing over the Kotel and Al Aqsa.  Except for the north, no one was spared. Even the West Bank took a direct hit, killing one Palestinian in a village near Jericho.  An irony no medium outside of Israel will report.

While the rest of Israel was under siege from Iran's missiles, the North was outside of Iran's kill zone and quiet.  Well, except for the terrorists who've been lobbing rockets - whose explosions I sometimes hear and have to do the bomb shelter dash due to constant missiles all over the north/far north of Israel for the past 10 days. Directly after Iran's ballistic missile barrage, the terrorists lobbed a few rockets into a couple of border towns. Just so we wouldn't feel left out, I guess.  

Other terrorists (from Hebron) murdered 6 and 7 were wounded - or murdered 8 and 17 were wounded depending on which reportage you indulge - at a light-rail station near Yaffo.  Terrorists walked off the train and began shooting.  The terrorists were shot dead.  

IDF tanks continue to roll north on the road to Beirut. They've done it so many times, no doubt they didn't even bother to access Google Maps.  I had hoped they'd finally eliminate the above-mentioned terrorists who've been lobbing rockets all over the north.  But nope, they're still lobbing, last lob was at 08:54.

The Gaza battle continues, largely muted by newer battles and fronts.  The fate of Israel's 101 Hamas captives fades in the press of more existential demands. 

Some of the more responsible media are finally calling this war what it has been all along; not Israel versus "Palestine" or Gaza or even Hezbollah, but Israel versus Iran and Iran's pursuit via jihad for regional power and control. 

Rosh Hashana, which begins in  a few hours, is going to be a bust this year. All public Rosh Hashana celebrations are cancelled. So are Yom Kippur commemorations.  But one can hope for something that passes for a festive atmosphere for the week of Sukkot.  Maybe.

 

Palestinians Can’t Even Agree Amongst Themselves

(From the Al Qabas newspaper, Kuwait, August 22)

 On February 8, 2007 Fatah and Hamas agreed to sign the Mecca Agreement. In this historic accord 4 pivotal agreements emerged from these discussions.

    a)     halting and preventing further bloodshed among Palestinians and unifying the stance against occupation through dialogue to resolve political differences.

    b)     forming a Palestinian unity government.

    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)     upholding the principle of political partnership based on existing Palestinian Authority laws, emphasizing political pluralism.

      Only weeks later, Hamas staged a coup against the PA and seized control of the Gaza Strip, rendering the Mecca Agreement seemingly ineffective.

In 2009, There was an 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, this was succeeded by the Beach Camp Agreement in 2014. This failed within 6 months.

In October 2017, the Cairo Agreement emerged yet again, and both parties agreed to empower the Government of National Accord. However, the division remained.

Now, in 2024, driven by urgency and the relentless war on Gaza the Palestinians are seeking to sign yet another agreement, the Beijing Declaration.

Neither the Mecca agreement nor the 13 subsequent agreements over the years were honoured. Will the Beijing Agreement be any different?

Bad News for Hezbollah

With thanks to www.benherskowitz.com

 

Nasrallah Totally Misread Israel’s Mindset

 Israel’s campaign in Lebanon over the last 10 days has been a remarkable display of intelligence, technological skill, and above all political will. The sabotage of Hezbollah’s pagers and walkie-talkies wounded or killed scores of fighters. Its targeted bombings against Hezbollah’s terror masters showed how much Israeli intelligence has penetrated its communications.

Israel, as it turns out, was not the only entity to have underestimated the enemy on October 7^th and fallen prey to mistaken assumptions, and an entrenched mindset. So was Hezbollah.

Hezbollah’s head, Hassan Nasrallah, prided himself on what he thought was a good understanding of Israeli society. He radiated a sense to his own people and the region that he – more than any of Israel’s enemies, knew Israel, understood its DNA, figured out what made it tick, grasped its fears and insecurities, and knew exactly what buttons to press and when.

In August 2018, this self-professed know all of Israeli society said this: “The Israeli leadership knows that it is difficult to convince people to enlist in the elite units and the combat units. Everyone prefers to serve in the rear units. They lost the will that they once had to sacrifice; they have no motivation to endanger their lives.”

His confidence in his ability to read Israel was behind the propaganda videos he periodically put out to frighten the country, the maneuvers of Hezbollah terrorists on the border, and, in the early part of the century, the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers. He thought he had found the country’s Achilles’ heel and could exploit that weakness to victory.

Nasrallah obviously did not believe that Israel would dare take the type of military action it has in the last ten days, essentially crippling his organization. This is the Israel of the 1960s, 70s, and early 80s – confident, brazen, daring, and taking the initiative.

Israel, he assumed, would not take serious action. It was too bogged down in Gaza, too wary of a frontal confrontation with his 150,000 missiles, and unwilling to provoke a confrontation with Iran.

Nasrallah assumed that Israel’s spirit was broken, that its confidence in its leadership was nonexistent, and that its faith in the future was shaken. And where could he have gotten that idea? By tuning into Israeli media and concluding that what he saw nightly on the news – massive protests, reports of internal division, fighting among government ministers, endless bickering and criticism – was a true reflection of Israel. He mistook the defeatism reflected in some of the media for the overall mood of the country and its soldiers. Nasrallah did not realize that this only reflected the mood of a small portion of the population.

Likewise, Nasrallah was reading – and misreading – Israel from the debates swirling in the media, thinking the country had lost its way and its will. It is understandable how he could have drawn that conclusion. But the country’s strength, will, and determination are much stronger than how this often appears on the nightly news. 

It is probably a forlorn hope to expect the news reporters to become reporters and not purveyors of their personal ideologies.

For fuller analysis of this see https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-822427

Beautiful Homes Become Missile Storage Facilities

  IDF strikes somebody’s nice home in Lebanon, which suddenly
 EXPLODES WITH MISSILES HEADED ALL DIRECTIONS.

It was also a missile storage site.

How the Christians Lost Control of Lebanon

 

Another Day In Haifa, Barrages of Missiles

 (From my friend Jeanine Hirschhorn 24.09.24)

07:45 Hezbullah clocks in. 17 consecutive explosions.  Nothing to see. No siren.  There were rocket alerts this morning in the north of the country around Nazareth and Afula.  As well as alerts in the towns along the border, Metulla, Tel Hai, Kfar Giladi and just a few minutes ago Avivim.  Making use of short range mortars/rockets. Just to keep a toe in.  As it were. 

Things your govt/media won't tell you: According to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, Hezbullah is barred from maintaining a military presence south of the Litani River. Obviously neither the UN, nor Hezbullah nor your govt/media paid any attention.

And all those "panicked Lebanese fleeing Israeli bombings" and "horrific traffic jams heading north" headlines are rubbish.  Southern Lebanese have been thru decades of incursions/wars/bombings . They know the drill well, have been heading north toward Beirut for weeks.  For the past 48 hours, Israel has been calling households in the Beka'a, a Hezbullah stronghold east of Beirut, warning them to evacuate.

 The truth your govt and media refuse to hear:  At the conclusion of her interview yesterday on France 24, Stéphanie Khoury, political journalist at l’Orient Le Jour, a Lebanese newspaper in French, stated:  ". . . the reality, the Lebanese political class has been helpless in front of Hezbullah, which is today a militia and a party controlling the state and (it) is completely helpless in the face of this organization".

A very bold and brave statement to make publicly for someone living in Lebanon, given that criticizing the thugs in power can get you murdered or worse.  

Mme Khoury's audacious statement reiterates what President Yitzhak Herzog stated on Sunday during an interview with Sky News: "There are many enemies of Hezbollah out there, quite a few these days. Hezbollah has been choking Lebanon, destroying Lebanon, creating havoc in Lebanon again and again and again. We are here simply to defend ourselves. That's all we do"

When asked about whether Israel is now at war with Lebanon, Herzog emphasised the country is "not interested to be at war with Lebanon... but Lebanon has been hijacked by a terror organisation which is also a political party called Hezbollah. It's been armed to its teeth by the Iranian empire of evil."

13:08 11 explosions. Nothing to see.  Missile alerts in Yagur (a kibbutz right down the road from me), Yokneam and the Druse village of Daliat el Carmel, 20 km south of me.

13:58 Two explosions. So few, after so many. Maybe Hezbullah's eking out what little it has left.  Alerts in Abu Snan, Sheikh Danun, Klil,  Kfar Yassif, Jadeidi
Makr, Muslim/Druse/Xtian Galilee villages.  We're ALL Hezbullah targets.

15:04 8 explosions. Got to window just in time to vaguely see 3 tracer rockets quietly exploding.  Tough to see the tracers in bright sunlight. No siren.

15:13 12 explosions. Missile alerts at kibbutzim/moshavim and Arab villages along border.

The above in addition to both missile and drone alerts all day from the border communities to Arab villages in the Galilee to Safat and Rosh Pina.

. . . and yet daily life in the north continues as usual.  Here in Haifa, people go to work, markets are full, public transport is running, Schools are closed, so there are more children in the malls and on the streets.  And what I didn't notice until this morning, Haifa Bay is full of cargo ships awaiting their turn in port.  So I guess that despite the day-long explosions, Lloyd's is far from nervous.  And if Lloyd's ain't nervous, then neither am I.

That's all from a quiet evening in Haifa on Day Two of Operation Northern Arrows

Private Homes in Lebanon Store Missiles for Hezbollah

 The multiple explosions clearly show many missiles are stored in one location.

Note one secondary explosion result the destruction of an adjacent home.

IDF Kill Armed Gunmen Stealing Humanitarian Aid

The IDF is trying to eliminate terrorists who are 
stealing humanitarian aid and create more confidence

in the Gazan citizens

Just Another Afternoon of Missiles

 (From Jeanine Hirschhorn, a resident of Haifa)

At approximately 16:45, I heard 8 explosions in succession.  Ran to my living room window, nothing to see. No tracer rockets, no impact dust. No siren.

At approximately 17:05, I heard 11 explosions, a few louder than the rest.  Ran to my window, saw impact dust pillar somewhere in a field before Akko. No tracers. No sirens.  It may help to remember that the apartment building that  

At 17:15, 5 explosions, except faint, distant.  Nothing to see.

17:25 11 explosions, faint, but I can feel their concussion when I put my hand on my living room window frame.  Nothing to see. 

17:44 9 explosions, rattling my window frame.  Nothing to see.

18:06 6 explosions.  Didn't even rattle my window frame.  Nothing to see.

I'm guessing that, due to the something that passes for regularity between explosions, Hezbollah has put rockets/mortars on timers, same as Hamas did in Gaza.  Terrorists set the timer, then take off, so that they're long gone to avoid capture and when the air force gets around to bombing the site. 

I also know that today's explosions will stop, that Hezbollah will clock out at sunset, in about half an hour.  Same as they did during their 2006 bombardment. Hezbollah clocked in about 06:30, clocked out at 20:00 at sunset.  The origins of the rockets/mortars/missile launchings are harder to see in daylight.  After the sun goes down, easier to see and destroy.

On the Northern Command (Pikud Haoref) site, there is an on-going list of towns, mostly Galilee Muslim/Xtian villages (something neither your govt/media will report), where missiles were detected.  Including the one I saw hit just outside of Akko.  

When the explosions started, none of my neighbors could be bothered to look north.  After the last round of explosions, a few are now looking out their windows, of course with their mobiles glued to their ears.

I'm a tad more nervous about missiles because I live in a top floor flat.  In 2006, a missile went thru the roof of a bloc of flats 4 blocks west of me, as well as a block of flats about 2 blocks south of me (for those of you familiar with Haifa, Hess Street and Leon Blum Street).  The black smoke from the fire caused by the missile direct hit on Hess poured in to my living room thru the open window. 

There are several cargo boats out in the Bay, waiting to enter Haifa port.  Can't imagine what the captains/crews must be thinking as they hear the explosions.  Since they haven't hightailed it out of here, it means that Lloyds (of London, the famous marine insurer) isn't nervous.  Yet.

Pagers, Walkie Talkies Explode in Hands of Terrorists

Thousands of Hezbollah members and the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, were injured in Lebanon on Tuesday when their handheld pagers explode in what appears to have been an Israeli attack. The Lebanese Health Ministry has estimated high casualties, the vast majority of them in the Hezbollah strongholds of Beirut and southern Lebanon. Even higher numbers have been reported but not confirmed.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the exploded pagers were from “a new shipment the group received in the past few days,” raising the possibility that the Israelis intercepted the shipment and modified the devices or directly infected them with malware. Others have suggested that Israel was able to either hack into the pagers and force their lithium batteries to overheat or somehow activate self-destruct mechanisms that Hezbollah had built into the devices. What the Israelis did not do is tell the United States of the plan, per U.S. officials quoted in Axios—probably a good idea, given that the highest-ranking White House intelligence official, Maher Bitar, used to sit on the executive board of Georgetown’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. 

The attack was a brilliant technical display, of course, but did it mean anything strategically? On Tuesday morning, Israel declared the return of civilians to the north as an official war goal, and Israel Hayom reported, citing a “high-ranking security official,” that Israel was “on the precipice of conflict with Hezbollah.” The same official said that Netanyahu had been working to overcome “resistance [to a Lebanon operation] from Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and [the] military leadership,” who were resistant to defying American requests to delay any invasion until after the Nov. 5 U.S. election. So, was this attack a prelude to an invasion?

For help understanding that one, the Tablet News Editor Tony Badran said: 

The question is what was the purpose of this operation? Why now? What now? 

Timing wise, it’s difficult to overlook the fact [that] it coincided with Amos Hochstein’s visit to Israel and him telling the Israelis that the U.S. continues to oppose an invasion of Lebanon.

This brings us to a point made by Tablet’s geopolitical analyst: 

They set off the pagers because they decided not to invade, which was the original purpose of these capabilities.

In a separate email to The Scroll, Tablet’s geopolitical analyst expanded:

I highly doubt this was intended as a one-off. Logic says this was supposed to disrupt the enemy’s communications as part of a larger invasion plan. The word is that the invasion was called off “until after the election.” So then you’re left with a degrading asset that was either already discovered or would likely be discovered the moment one of these guys brought their pager for repairs. So either you use them or you lose them.

In other words, as with everything we’ve seen so far from Israel, its actions are still within the U.S.-imposed parameters pertaining to the special province of Lebanon and the U.S. protective umbrella it extends to Hezbollah.