"Protective Edge" Videos

Example of "roof Knocking" technique to minimize civilian casualties. Also, in this video you can see civilians surging onto the home that had just be warned to act as human shields.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTArVIHDelg&feature=share&list=PLObnKQho8o8PNUxfldeGNOsDFdazchJH8&index=9

 

Hamas Spokesman admits and calls for more human shields:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXZEzbT0H1s&feature=share&list=PLObnKQho8o8PNUxfldeGNOsDFdazchJH8&index=11

Example of an IDF aircraft pinpoint strike on a weapons cache embedded in within a civilian area. A large secondary blast reveals there was a lot of weaponry hidden.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ayyXgRVWHk&feature=share&list=PLObnKQho8o8PNUxfldeGNOsDFdazchJH8&index=12

Article about Hamas' use of Human shields

http://www.idfblog.com/blog/2014/07/08/hamas-uses-human-shields/

IDF Strikes Houses in Gaza Used for Military Purposes

IDF Strikes Houses in Gaza Used for Military Purposes . It exceeds its international legal commitments  in order to minimize civilian casualties

Israel's Response to Hamas Rocket Attacks

Talking points for use in the present crisis:

·       Israel has every right to defend itself and has the duty to protect its civilian population under attack according to international law

·       Hamas bears responsibility for the escalation. 

·       Hamas and the terrorist organizations deliberately target Israeli civilians  and cynically use Palestinian civilians as human shield, which is clearly against international law.

·       There is clear evidence that Hamas is calling on Palestinian civilians to serve as human shields for its terrorist infrastructure.  

·       Hamas is similar to other extremist Islamist organizations such as ISIS and al-Qaeda. 

·       Israel showed great restraint during the past three weeks of continuous rocket fire from Gaza and made every attempt to avoid escalation, only to be met by further barrages. 

·       Israel is making every effort to avoid causing harm to genuine civilians, phoning them, texting them before an attack.

·       Israel cannot tolerate a situation in which millions of its citizens are forced to live under a barrage of missiles.  

·       The main objective of the operation is to restore stability and quiet to the residents of Israel.

·       Israel’s actions are measured and directed at the missile launchers and the terror infrastructure. 

·       Israel left the Gaza Strip completely in August 2005 and does not have any territorial claims there.  

·       There is no blockade of the Gaza Strip: goods enter and exit the Gaza Strip freely as long as Hamas rocket fire doesn’t prevent it.

 

 

 

 

Operation Protective Edge - Background

(With thanks to the Israel Project)

In addition to demanding all sorts of concessions from Israel - prisoner releases, lifting restrictions on Gaza, etc - Hamas has also in the last 48 hours demanded a bunch of non-starters from Egypt and the Palestinian Authority. Just in the last 48 hours, they've demanded, as part of a ceasefire:

(1) That Palestinian Authority transfers money to pay for Hamas government employees, which wasn't happening when the Fatah/Hamas unity govt was stable, and definitely won't happen now.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.603649

(2) That Egypt ease movement through the Egyptian-Gaza border, which is a non-starter because the Egyptians fear that jihadists will use the transit in and out of the Sinai Peninsula. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4539644,00.html

(3) That Israel fully lift security-based import/export restrictions on the Gaza Strip, which is a non-starter as long as Iran continues trying to deliver advanced missiles to Hamas.  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4539644,00.html

(4) That Israel release a bunch of prisoners arrested after the murder of the three Israeli teens, which the Israelis won't do because they're seeking to deter future kidnappings/murders.  http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=710735

Just to be clear and explicit about how insane this is: Hamas has declared they'll keep firing on Israeli civilians until Cairo and Ramallah make a bunch of concessions to them, which Israel has no power over.

Even if those demands weren't non-starters - and they are - how could Netanyahu going to convince Sisi to let jihadists into the Sinai, or convince Abbas to release precious PA funds to his rivals in Hamas?

Sderot Under Fire Again

Yet again the reality of life for the residents of Sderot and other communities in the South  of Israel

Condemnation of Murder

An open condemnation of the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir

We unequivocally condemn the horrific murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir. It was unjustifiable under any circumstances. The killing was reprehensible and we hope that the criminals who did this sickening act are found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Israel is a country run by the rule of law. There are reports that Jews have been arrested for this crime. If a trial finds that Jews are indeed guilty of this unconscionable killing, our condemnation is redoubled. The idea that Jews could do such an act fills us with shame and horror.

The people who murdered Mohammed do not represent us in any way. It is not enough to dissociate ourselves from the dreadful act; we must also ensure that crimes like this are never repeated.

Just as the appalling murders of Naftali Fraenkel, Eyal Yifrach and Gilad Shaar do not in any way justify the hideous murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir, neither does Khdeir's murder justify the violence, terrorism, destruction and incitement we have seen over the past few days against Israelis and Jews.

We hope and pray that everyone, Arab and Jew, lives in peace and security in the region.

Theater of the Absurd??

A letter I received recently is trying to gather support for a “Haaretz” (Israeli newspaper) Peace conference to be held shortly.

The letter states:

“In an effort to promote a broad and effective, "peace coalition" that can bring an end to the “Theater of the Absurd” produced by the Government of Israel, we a group of friends from different professional backgrounds have contacted and continue to contact leading people in the Peace Camp .

WE are realists. We know that try as we may, our small initiative has minimal impact. Accordingly, we focus our attentions on people who can use their reputation , political clout and organisations to make a change . Someone has to listen to them and we need to back them in their efforts.

We ask for an immediate freeze in settlement building and the advancement of a two state solution

One has to ask:-

If the writers are realists, how come they don't realise that the basic Palestinian aim is not peace? Yes, they want a peace, but a peace without Israel and a Palestine without Jews.

Who says so? They, the Palestinians do. Continually and emphatically.

Why aren't the letter writers, who claim to be realists, listening to the Palestinians, both Hamas and Fatah?

Have the letter writers taken note of the Hamas Charter and the PNC covenant? Have they actually read them clause by clause?

Surely Israel has to pay some attention to what the Palestinians (and their allies) broadcast in their media, what they teach their children, and the campaigns to demonise Israel that are being carried out throughout their society and the entire world.

It would be wise man who could suggest there was something Israel could do that would satisfy the Palestinians and the wider Muslim and Arab world and bring about a real and lasting peace. But it is hard to think what that might be.

Any peace initiatives will be wasted as long as the Palestinians stick to their long term plan of eventually getting the land from the Jordan to the Mediterranean. They are preparing the ground very nicely by demonising Israel with BDS campaigns and the like until the words Nazi, apartheid, etc. are synonymous with the Jewish state and Zionism is a dirty a word as the word “Jew” used to be.

Palestinians and their supporters are preparing public opinion worldwide to accept that Israel must go. And they aren't making a bad job of it. At the moment we haven't reached that point, but there is a real danger that we will.

Meanwhile we must actively promote our own case and our own cause, and not keep telling the world that it's Israel’s fault that there isn't peace here.

Looking at what is going on around us, with ISIS making gains, already with a presence in Gaza and a possible threat to Jordan, what odds would anyone give Abbas if he came to an agreement with Israel.

The Middle East in practically on fire, dangerous and turbulent and Israel must keep all its security options open. The main danger in the area doesn't come from building blocks of flats.