Daily Shmutz | ISRAEL (IINO) | 1/5/24

ISRAEL (IINO)

American Victims of Hamas Attack on Israel Plan to Sue North Korea Jiha Ham, Sanghoon Lee, Christy Lee

January 03, 2024 7:59 PM – TEL AVIV/WASHINGTON, DC — Families of Americans killed and injured in Hamas’ October 7 terror attack in Israel are contemplating a lawsuit against North Korea for indirectly supplying the Palestinian militant group with weapons, according to an Israeli attorney representing the families.

Weapons that Hamas used in its surprise attack on Israel were provided by North Korea “knowingly and intentionally,” said Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, an Israeli attorney and human rights activist who spoke with VOA’s Korean Service in Tel Aviv on December 27.

“North Korea knows its weapons go to Iran, and Iran gives the weapons to Hamas,” Darshan-Leitner continued, adding that Pyongyang “never once warned Iran not to send the weapons to Hamas.”

This makes North Korea “liable,” she said, explaining that she and her legal associates are considering filing a lawsuit in U.S. court against those countries that supported Hamas, such as Iran and North Korea, on behalf of American victims of the October 7 attack and their families.

More than 30 Americans, many of them dual U.S.-Israeli citizens, were killed in the attack that initiated the latest round of violence between Hamas and Israel.

Darshan-Leitner is representing 10 Americans, including family members who lost their loved ones, as well as U.S. citizens who were injured or who incurred property damage in the attack.

Gazan clans, US allies: Who will run post-war Gaza? IDF plans revealed By YONAH JEREMY BOB, TOVAH LAZAROFF

While The Jerusalem Post previously reported that top defense officials want local Gazan Palestinians to run Gaza once the IDF starts to withdraw, this was only part of the picture.

JANUARY 4, 2024 22:12 – Local Palestinians would govern Gaza after the war with the help of an International coalition, which would also provide internal security, according to a plan presented to the war cabinet and the security cabinet on Thursday.

“Hamas will not rule Gaza,” said Gallant in a press briefing before the meeting, “and Israel will not hold a civilian governorship over Gaza.”

The defense establishment and Gallant also do not completely disqualify the Palestinian Authority from playing some role, though the defense minister would prefer to minimize its role or only give it a role if aspects of its policies toward Israel improve.

The plan, however, focused on the integration of existing Palestinian civilian leadership in Gaza into a more substantial local government.

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was also expected to brief the cabinet on details of a plan that he presented to US officials last month.

The cabinet meetings, which mark the most substantive and broadest debate yet on plans for Gaza after the war, comes in advance of a visit next week by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The US and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have been at odds over plans for the day after. The US wants a reformed Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza and to advance a two-state resolution to the conflict.

Netanyahu has insisted that it must be an entirely new and reformed Palestinian entity. His government also wants to close the crossings from Israel into Gaza, replacing them with a land passage through the Rafah crossing from Egypt and a sea route originating in Cyprus.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, “What we want to see achieved long term is a reunited West Bank and Gaza under Palestinian-led governance.” He explained that this is the vision Blinken will advance when talking to Israelis during his visit.

[Ed.: So, everyone has a different solution about what should come after the war, but no one came up with the correct answer. For those of you interested, here it is: Israel should first annex Gaza in its entirety and clean up Gaza by disinfecting it from all germs and bacteria with massive amounts of Lysol. Then, Israel will return it to being ‘Gush Katif’ in its pre-disengagement levels, which produced 63% of Israel’s exports. No Arabs will be permitted entry as supplemental workers, or for any other excuse. This is the land that the God of Israel has given us, and we are not to negotiate its ownership or desecrate its purity for any reason. We should have gleaned that from the consequences the last time on Oct. 7th, and the first time, after Ariel Sharon’s Gush Katif ‘disengagement’ August 17, 2005. But even now, we still don’t get it. Because we don’t get it, we will be whacked again, and the next time will probably be the last time. How much patience, benevolence, and forgiveness for disobeying Him do we expect from our Creator?]

Soldier Discovers Tunnel Shaft in Mt. Hebron Area, a Reminder the PA Is Riddled with Tunnels and Shafts By David Israel

22 Tevet 5784 – January 3, 2024 – A video posted by an IDF soldier on Wednesday revealed a tunnel shaft in one of the villages in the Mount Hebron area. The soldier says he found the shaft during a patrol his unit conducted after receiving complaints from area Jewish residents who had been hearing noises of underground digging. The video shows a 5-meter-deep shaft that connects to a short tunnel that does not appear to be connected to other tunnels or has another shaft.

The Army speculated that the tunnel’s purpose was to collect rainwater – the reader is invited to judge whether this is the shape of a water-collection hole.

Past reports suggested Gaza is not the only Arab enclave that features numerous underground tunnels – Judea and Samaria Arabs are just as eager to create underground passages free from the IDF’s watchful eye.

Following the June 2014 Hamas kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers, the IDF’s Yahalom combat engineering unit conducted numerous tunnel searches in the hope of locating the boys.

In March 2021, the IDF Civil Administration discovered a 4-meter high, 5-meter-wide tunnel that had been dug under Rt. 35 which runs across Judea. The tunnel connects several villages, as part of the PA’s plan to take over Area C, which is completely under Israeli control.

Even if the numerous that have been dug by PA Arabs in Judea and Samaria were not initially intended for terrorism, they can be easily repurposed, starting with the storage of weapons, ammunition, and explosives, to be followed by using them to move murder squads through the area away from IDF control.

Recently, an ever-growing number of Israelis who live inside the Green Line but close to PA cities, have been raising the alarm about the sounds of digging they’ve been hearing under their homes in the middle of the night. The complaints stretch from residents in Upper Galilea to the Sharon Valley, and now all the way south to Mt. Hebron.

Needless to say, Israelis are haunted by the images of Arab murderers emerging from tunnel shafts and going about raping and beheading peaceful civilians. The security apparatus has been extremely responsive, devoting considerable resources to testing the ground in those areas where residents are hearing the digging. So far, the tunnel shaft in the Mt. Hebron area is the first tangible proof of recent diggings.

Israel Eliminates Hamas Top Dog Saleh al Arouri By Pamela Geller

January 3, 2024 – Al Arouri was one of the founders of Hamas’ military and the leader of the terrorist group in Judea and Samaria. Done surgically, seamlessly. Note to world, no other casualties. No other country in the world uses so much technology in order to prevent civilian casualties.

[Ed.: ‘Woof-woof’…]

Israel in talks with Congo and other countries on Gaza ‘voluntary migration’ plan By SHALOM YERUSHALMI TOI

Senior official says Jerusalem working on postwar resettlement of Palestinians from Strip; some ministers tout Saudi Arabia as destination for Gazans seeking construction work

January 3, 2023 –The “voluntary” resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza is slowly becoming a key official policy of the government, with a senior official saying that Israel has held talks with several countries for their potential absorption.

Zman Israel, The Times of Israel’s Hebrew sister site, has learned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition is conducting secret contacts for accepting thousands of immigrants from Gaza with Congo, in addition to other nations.

“Congo will be willing to take in migrants, and we’re in talks with others,” a senior source in the security cabinet said.

Congo has high levels of inequality, and 52.5 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the World Food Programme.

Meanwhile, Gaza is facing a growing humanitarian crisis amid the Israel-Hamas war, which was sparked on October 7 when thousands of terrorists stormed the border and rampaged through southern Israeli communities, massacring some 1,200 and kidnapping approximately 240 more as hostages in the Strip.

Last Monday, Netanyahu told a Likud faction meeting that he is working to facilitate the voluntary migration of Gazans to other countries.

“Our problem is [finding] countries that are willing to absorb Gazans, and we are working on it,” he said.

The prime minister was responding to Likud MK Danny Danon, who claimed that “the world is already discussing the possibilities of voluntary immigration,” though the idea has been roundly rejected by the international community.

The far-right Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit parties, headed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, respectively, have backed the plans for migration.

On Tuesday, the US State Department called out Smotrich and Ben Gvir for advocating the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza, slamming their rhetoric as “inflammatory and irresponsible.” [Emphasis added] Smotrich dismissed the comments on Wednesday, claiming that over 70 percent of Israelis support the idea of “encouraging voluntary immigration” because “two million people [in Gaza] wake up every morning with the desire to destroy the State of Israel.

[Ed.: After the travesty of Ukraine and bringing the world to the brink of World War III, The US State Department has the unmitigated gall to tell Israel what to do in Gaza. The US government is not qualified to tell other countries what to do. This is especially true for their ex-friend Israel. Fortunately, Israel will continue to disregard their uninformed and destructive opinions and attempts to pressure us!]

Rejection of Irresponsible Statements on Resettlement of Palestinians Outside of Gaza U.S. Department of State

PRESS STATEMENT

MATTHEW MILLER, DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON

JANUARY 2, 2024

The United States rejects recent statements from Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza. This rhetoric is inflammatory and irresponsible. We have been told repeatedly and consistently by the Government of Israel, including by the Prime Minister, that such statements do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government. They should stop immediately.

We have been clear, consistent, and unequivocal that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, with Hamas no longer in control of its future and with no terror groups able to threaten Israel. That is the future we seek, in the interests of Israelis and Palestinians, the surrounding region, and the world.

[Ed.: The State Department thinks that it has something to say about how Israel should handle Gaza. They must have illusions of grandeur! What chutzpa!]

Hamas’ 2nd in command killed in Beirut explosion Israel National News

Saleh al-Arouri, deputy chairman of Hamas’ political bureau, reportedly killed in car explosion in southern Lebanon.

Jan 2, 2024, 6:17 PM (GMT+2) – Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy chairman of Hamas’ political bureau, was killed in an explosion in the neighborhood of Dahieh in southern Beirut this evening (Tuesday), Arabic and Hezbollah media sources reported.

Al-Arouri was considered the ‘number two’ of the terrorist organization under Ismail Haniyeh and was responsible for terrorist activity in Judea and Samaria. He once admitted Hamas’ responsibility for the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in 2014. He was close to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

According to one report, Al-Arouri was killed in a strike on an apartment building by an Israeli drone. Videos from the scene show nearby vehicles set on fire from the blast.

Two other people were reportedly killed in the blast, which occurred while al-Arouri was reportedly in a meeting with other terrorist operatives from Hamas and Hezbollah. According to reports, one of the operatives who was killed in the strike together with al-Arouri was Khalil al-Hayya, a senior member of the Hamas political wing.

The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati, reacted to the assassination and said: “The explosion in Dahieh is an Israeli crime aimed at dragging Lebanon into a new phase of conflict. It casts a shadow on Lebanon and is a clear response to our efforts to distance the fighting spirit in Gaza from Lebanon.”

Related articles:

In the past, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was asked what Israel’s red line is in the face of Hezbollah’s attacks, and replied: “If you hear that we attacked in Beirut, it means that Hezbollah has crossed the red line.”

Earlier today, two anti-tank missiles struck the town of Shlomi in northern Israel. One missile exploded near a high-rise building and caused property damage.

Shlomi Mayor Gabi Naaman said: “This is a very serious incident and miraculously no physical damage was caused to the residents. The [attack] this morning illustrates the great danger of the current situation for the residents of Shlomi. We will not agree to live in this situation.

[Ed.: Following the very high profile assassinations, Hamas has informed the mediators to freeze talks about any truce or prisoner exchange with Israel. – Al-Arabiya]

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu to Supreme Court: No one authorized you, your ruling is not legal Israel National News

‘No one chose the judges and no one authorized them to cancel the will of the voters, to cancel regular laws or the country’s Basic Laws,’ Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu says.

Jan 2, 2024, 2:23 PM (GMT+2) – Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, chief rabbi of the city of Tzfat, on Tuesday responded to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn a Basic Law.

Due to its constant battles for survival, Israel never completed the creation of a constitution, Instead, a number of Basic Laws were enacted, which, when the compilation is complete, will form the country’s constitution. Thus far, the Supreme Court has never intervened on a Basic Law, considering its authority to stem from the Basic Laws themselves.

However, on Monday night the Supreme Court narrowly voted, in an unprecedented 8-7 ruling timed to allow Chief Justice Esther Hayut to rule on the matter before her retirement, to overturn an amendment to a Basic Law.

“Who authorized the court’s judges to cancel a Basic Law?” Rabbi Eliyahu queried. “Who gave them any authority at all to cancel laws that the majority of the nation decided on? Who gave them the authority to cancel the vote of the nation of Israel?”

“The answer is ‘no one,'” he emphasized.

“The members of Knesset were chosen by the nation of Israel. The members of the government were chosen by the members of the Knesset. The judges no one chose and no one authorized them to cancel the will of the voters. Not to cancel regular laws and certainly not to cancel the country’s Basic Laws.

“No one gave them the authority to force their weird values on the majority of the residents of the State of Israel. No one gave them the authority to force themselves on the public who did not choose them.”

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Rabbi Eliyahu continued, “Such a ruling, during a time of war, shows us that they have no authority and no responsibility. The country does not sit on their shoulders. It sits on the shoulders of the soldiers, who are not free to return fire against them, on the shoulders of the families of the heroes who gave their lives for the sake of the nation of Israel.”

“So that you do not interpret our silence as agreement, we hereby announce that your rulings have no validity in our eyes.

“You have no authority to dictate your values to us. We are not obligated to uphold your rulings. They have no halachic (pertaining to Jewish law -ed.) validity and apparently no legal validity, either.”

Turning to the soldiers, he said, “To our brothers who are on the front: Do not allow your hearts to soften! The path of unity and courage will see victory! The promise of G-d exists and will be implemented in its fullest: ‘And I will restore your judges as at first and your counsellors as in the beginning,’ (Isaiah 1:26). Amen, amen.”

[Ed.: He speaks for all of us (except, of course, for the leftist, libtard, erev rav amongst us.)

Former Chief Justice Aaron Barak telling Chief Justice Esther Hayut that Israel thinks it’s a ‘democracy’

MK promises: ‘We’ll finish the war and make order in the Supreme Court’ Israel National News

MK Tzvika Foghel responds to judicial activism, promises: ‘We’ll deal with Hamas, Hezbollah, and make order in the Supreme Court.’

Jan 2, 2024, 3:52 PM (GMT+2) – MK Tzvika Foghel (Otzma Yehudit) on Tuesday responded to the Supreme Court’s unprecedented decision to overturn a Basic Law.

“First of all we will defeat Hamas, immediately afterwards we will deal with Hezbollah, and for dessert we will make order in the Supreme Court,” Foghel wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Everyone has his time. Patience.”

Hundreds responded with a “like” to his post, among them Foghel’s party leader, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

Related articles:

“While, every day, our soldiers in Gaza are sacrificing their lives for the nation of Israel, the judges of the Supreme Court decided to weaken their spirit and harm them, first and foremost,” Ben Gvir wrote Monday evening.

“The Supreme Court’s ruling is not legal, and includes the unprecedented cancellation of a Basic Law, without a source of legal authority and with a conflict of interest on the part of the judges. This is a dangerous, anti-democratic event – and at this time, more than anything else, it is a ruling that harms Israel’s war efforts against her enemies.”

Standing up for national unity and national survival, despite the Supreme Court Caroline Glick

Israel’s outgoing Supreme Court President, like her dwindling camp of post-Zionist elitists on the left are less concerned with Israel’s survival than protecting their power and privilege. Op-ed.

Jan 1, 2024, 7:57 PM (GMT+2) – (JNS) – Oct. 7 shattered the founding myth of the so-called peace process with the PLO—that there were “extremists” and “moderates” on both sides.

A lot has changed in Israel since Oct. 7, but a lot has also stayed the same.

What has changed is exemplified in the actions of the Kalmanzon brothers, members of the religious community of Otniel in the South Hebron Hills, on Oct. 7, whose father heads the Otniel Hesder Yeshiva.

On Oct. 7, Elhanan Kalmanzon, a reserve major in the Commando Brigade and a Mossad officer, realized almost immediately that Israel was being invaded. He organized the security team in Otniel and messaged his brother Menachem. It was Simchat Torah, a holiday on which observant Jews do not drive or message, but in Judaism, saving lives overrides every other Torah commandment.

“I’m packing up and going south. The nation of Israel needs us. Our brothers need us,” he wrote.

Menachem joined Elchanan, and with their brother-in-law Itiel Zohar Horovitz, they drove down south, ending up at the gate of Kibbutz Be’eri.

Be’eri was one of Hamas’s primary targets for slaughter. Ninety-seven members of the small farming community were butchered that day. Greeting them at the entry gate were terrified residents.

… Progressivism, post-Zionism

Be’eri and the surrounding kibbutzim were founded by hardcore Labor Zionists. They believed that the Jewish people would liberate themselves from two thousand years of exile and powerlessness, build their state and secure their freedom into the future through hard work, hard fighting and collective farming. They aspired to build a Jewish socialist state.

Over the years, as they became prosperous, their socialism dissipated. Zionism, it seemed, had finished its job. Socialism was superseded by progressivism, Zionism by post-Zionism.

Like the residents of neighboring kibbutzim, Be’eri’s members believed in coexistence with the Palestinian Arabs. They thought the biggest threat to that coexistence was people like the Kalmanzon brothers, who are religious and live in Judea or Samaria. They believed in the founding myth of the so-called peace process with the PLO—that there were “extremists” on both sides. The supposedly “moderate” PLO ruling Fatah faction had its “extremists” in Hamas. The “moderate” Israeli elite, of which the kibbutzim outside Gaza were very much a part, had its “extremist” religious Zionists, otherwise known as “settlers.” To reach peace, the “moderates” on both sides had to defeat their “extremists.”

Oct. 7 shattered that illusion. Hamas didn’t slaughter the people of Be’eri and surrounding communities on its own. It was joined by Fatah terrorists and thousands of “civilians.” These Palestinian “moderates” were full participants in the atrocities committed that day. They called Be’eri residents “settlers.”

On the other hand, the people who arrived at the scene to save them, unbidden, were the Kalmanzon brothers from Otniel who were supposed to be their enemies. Since the ground operation began in Gaza, 45% of the soldiers killed in action have come from the religious Zionist community whose members comprise only 10% of the overall population.

Shift in the ideological landscape

The slaughter of Oct. 7 provoked a radical shift in the ideological landscape in Israel. On the left, the revision was led by the refugees from Be’eri and the other kibbutzim that were subjected to Hamas’s one-day genocide, and saved by men they had seen as their greatest foes.

… The Supreme Court

During the 10 months that preceded Oct. 7, the most polarizing issue on the national agenda was the question of the proper role of the Supreme Court in Israel’s democratic system. For the past 30 years, in a series of groundbreaking decisions, activist, progressive and post-Zionist Supreme Court justices led by retired Supreme Court President Aharon Barak enacted what Barak referred to as the “judicial revolution.”

The Netanyahu government that entered office in late December 2022 was pledged to reform the judiciary in a manner that would restore the court’s position as a co-equal branch of government. Justice Minister Yariv Levin presented the government’s exceedingly limited program of reform weeks after being sworn in. His speech provoked a ferocious response.

Aharon Barak spoke of civil war and so incited one. Barak’s successor, Supreme Court President Esther Hayut, stopped just short of declaring war on the government and its supporters. The furor they stoked quickly penetrated the IDF officer corps and intelligence services as officers in elite units signed letters pledging not to serve under the Netanyahu government.

Report: Is this the IDF’s plan for the day after the war? Israel National News

A tentative proposal would see Gaza split into multiple clan-based administrative areas, instead of being ruled by a single entity.

Jan 1, 2024, 11:03 PM (GMT+2) – The ISA and IDF are planning to present to the Expanded Cabinet a plan for the day after the conquest of Gaza, in which the Gaza Strip will be divided among clans known to Israel to have managed the civilian affairs of Gaza in the past, according to a report by Kan.

According to the report, the clans will each receive a zone over which to be responsible, presumably divided by ethnicity.

The Gaza Strip will be divided into regions and subregions, with Israel communicating separately with each clan, including regarding humanitarian aid from Egypt.

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Each clan will be responsible for distributing humanitarian aid in the area assigned to it. This is an interim solution only and has not been finalized.

It is still unclear if there is any support for the plan in the Cabinet, and various objections are expected.

The plan is reminiscent of the ‘Emirates plan’ proposed by Arabic studies expert Dr. Mordechai Kedar earlier in the war, in which he recommended splitting both Gaza and Judea and Samaria into individual ‘Emirates’ ruled by different clans, instead of a single political entity, with the IDF retaining security control.

Supreme Court strikes down Reasonableness Standard law, overturning a Basic Law Israel National News

Israel’s Supreme Court makes historic move of striking down a quasi-constitutional law while Israel is at war with Hamas.

Jan 1, 2024, 6:45 PM (GMT+2) – The Israeli Supreme Court this evening (Monday) published its ruling striking down the ‘Reasonableness Standard Law,’ the amendment to ‘Basic Law: The Judiciary’ which limited the court’s ability to apply the subjective ‘Reasonableness Standard’ to strike down Knesset-passed laws or government decisions.

The move marks a historic shift in the balance of power in Israel, as it is the first time the Supreme Court has ever struck down part of a Basic Law, laws which have quasi-constitutional status in Israel and were considered the source of the court’s judicial review authority.

An unprecedented full panel of all 15 Supreme Court Justices heard the petitions against the Reasonableness Standard law, the only major element of the government’s previously planned judicial reforms which was brought to a vote and successfully passed last year.

The court’s decision to publish the decision now has been heavily criticized for risking reopening rifts within the country while Israel remains at war with the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza following the Hamas massacre of 1,400 people, 1200 of them civilians, on October 7. The vote was 8-7, a majority of one, leading to further criticism that this unprecedented move should not have been passed without greater consensus among the judges. However, outgoing Chief Justice Esther Hayut wished the law to be struck down under her watch and had only until the end of next week to sign court decisions.

The judges who voted in favor of striking down the law were Esther Hayut, Isaac Amit, Anat Baron, Ofer Grosskopf, Uzi Vogelman, Dafne Barak-Erez, Khaled Kabub, and Ruth Ronnen.

The judges who voted against striking down the law were Yechiel Kasher, Noam Sohlberg, Yosef Elron, Alex Stein, Yael Willner, David Mintz, and Gila Canfy-Steinitz.

President Hayut wrote in her decision: President Hayut wrote “The authority of the Knesset in its capacity as a constituent authority is not unlimited and it is not authorized to enact a Basic Law that denies or directly contradicts the characteristics of Israel’s basic identity as a Jewish and democratic state. This conclusion is learned from the constitutional data as it has developed since the early days of the state.”

Twelve judges ruled that the Supreme Court could overturn a Basic Law, including five judges who voted against overturning the Reasonableness Standard law.

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The Reasonableness Standard allows the court to strike down laws and government actions based on the subjective view that no ‘reasonable’ legislature or government would act in such a manner rather than based on established legal principles and precedents.

The government had argued that the court would abrogate to itself supreme power if it took the unprecedented step of striking down a Basic Law, overriding the will of the people and all democratic standards.

Opponents of the Reasonableness Standard law argue that the standard as it was before the amendment is a necessary check on the government’s authority and protects the rights of minorities. The attorney general, an appointee of the previous government, supported the petitions against the law.

Hamas War Crimes: Terrorist in Civvies Hides RPG under Blanket, Terrorist Tells Gazan “I’ll Place a Bomb Between You and Your Wife.” By Richard Abelson

Jan. 1, 2024 1:40 pm – The Israeli Army released a video seized from a terrorist’s iPhone documenting how Hamas hides among the civilian population. A man in the video claimed to have eliminated 3 Merkava tanks. When a civilian complained about an IED near his house, a Hamas terrorist threatened to “place the bomb between him and his wife.”

Over the past week, the IDF’s 401st Brigade has been operating against the Daraj Tuffah Battalion in the northern Gaza Strip, Arutz Sheva reports. IDF soldiers from the Shaked Battalion encountered several terrorists and engaged in a firefight, killing the terrorists.

While scanning the building, soldiers found a camera belonging to one of the terrorists who was killed, with footage showing Hamas’ operational methods, including the hiding of an RPG under a blanket by a terrorist who disguised himself as a civilian in order to attack IDF forces, Arutz Sheva reports. The terrorist claimed to have destroyed three IDF Merkava tanks, and he and the cameraman thanked Allah for their success.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists were interrogated by the IDF’s Unit 504 on how the terror group makes cynical use of Gazan civilians to support terror, Arutz Sheva reported.

Hamas operative Zohadi Ali Zahadi Shahin recounted how they had planted an IED near a family residence.

The father said, “Man, how do you plant explosives by the door? If it explodes, my children and I will be gone.”

The Hamas operative replied, “If you don’t like it, get out of here, it’s none of your business.”

The father said to the Hamas operative, “How is this none of my business, man? These are my children. This is not ok.”

Then the Hamas operative told the father, “This is the bomb. I’ll place it even if you don’t like it. I’ll place it between you and your wife.”

Israel Supreme Court overturns key part of controversial judicial reform By Madeleine Hubbard

The 8-7 majority decision overturns a law meant to prevent judges from overturning government decisions they deem to be unreasonable.

January 1, 2024 – Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday struck down a key part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial judicial reform plan.

The 8-7 majority decision overturns a law meant to prevent judges from overturning government decisions they deem to be unreasonable. Additionally, in a 12-3 decision, the Israeli Supreme Court decided that they had the authority to review basic laws and intervene in “exceptional cases” where the Knesset, or Israeli parliament, may exceed its authority.

The high court said Monday on X, formerly Twitter, that the portion of the law that was overturned “causes severe and unprecedented harm to the core characteristics of Israel as a democratic State.”

Discussions involving the judicial reform plan were put on pause after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in the kidnapping of about 240 others.

MK Itamar Ben-Gvir, a conservative politician who supported the judicial reform, said that the timing of the court’s decision would “weaken” the spirit of the soldiers who are fighting in Gaza.

“The High Court’s ruling is illegal, and includes the annulment of a basic law in a precedent manner, in the absence of a source of legal authority, while conflicting the interests of the judges,” he also wrote on X. “This is a dangerous, anti-democratic event – and at this time, above all, a judgment that harms Israel’s war effort against its enemies.”

[Ed.: How unreasonable is that! IINO’s oligarchical “gang of thugs”, (*) the (not-very) ‘Supreme Court’ has once again declared that what the elected government of the people decides, may be overruled at their discretion. Israel calls itself “The only democracy in the Middle East”. But how is it a democracy, when the elected government gets overruled by a self appointed leftist gang? It would be more accurate for IINO to say that it is ‘not the only oligarchy in the Middle East’.]

(*) Reuven “Ruvi” Rivlin is an Israeli politician and lawyer who served as the tenth president of Israel between 2014 and 2021.

Gaza: Muslim Terrorists Launch Massive Rocket Barrage Into Israel on New Year’s Eve, Screaming “Allahu Akbar!” By Pamela Geller

December 31, 2023 – Slaughter is how they celebrate.

Ceasefire, my ass.

Muslims Attack Armenian Christians in Jerusalem By Pamela Geller

December 31, 2023 – Their one contribution to humanity.

First the Saturday people, then the Sunday people.

“Show me just what (Islamic Prophet) Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” – Pope Benedict XVI quoting from a 14th-century dialogue between the Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologos, and a Persian scholar.

Media silence.

IDF Document Warns the Next Major Attack Will Come from Jordan and Syria By David Israel

19 Tevet 5784 – December 31, 2023 – Hakol Hayehudi on Sunday revealed a new document issued by the Home Front Command detailing the dangers facing the State of Israel on the eastern border and raises the concern that all of Hezbollah’s activity in the north is only intended to distract from the real attack that will come from the east.

Using only known sources, the document details the deployment of Iran’s forces in Syria and raises the concern that the Jordanian army is also preparing to attack from the east.

REVEALED: Eyewitness testimony to acts of rape by Hamas terrorists from the October 7th massacre.

What Hamas Did to the Girls and Women in Gaza BY HUGH FITZGERALD

DEC 30, 2023 2:00 PM – The full horror of what happened to them is now coming out. It is just what you expected. What is unexpected is that it was The New York Times, so often unfair to Israel, that published this detailed account. More on the rapes, tortures, and murders of Israeli girls and women on October can be found here: “In harrowing detail, NYT reports on weaponization of rape, sexual violence on Oct. 7,” Times of Israel, December 29, 2023:

In a comprehensive, horrifying exposé published on Thursday [Dec. 28], The New York Times detailed the systematic sexual violence against Israeli women and girls employed by Palestinian terrorists during Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 rampage through southern Israel.

The two-month investigation includes interviews with more than 150 witnesses, medical personnel, first responders, soldiers, rape counselors, and government officials, along with the scanning of video footage, photographs and GPS data from cell phones.

The piece begins with the description of a harrowing video that circulated widely in the days after Hamas’s monstrous assault on southern Israel that Saturday morning. The footage, filmed in the early hours of October 8, shows the partially charred remains of a woman whose face is burned beyond recognition, and who is naked from the waist down, legs spread, her black dress hiked up. Her body is lying beside a car that was set alight on Route 232, which runs parallel to the Gaza Strip, where many people trying to flee the outdoor Supernova festival near Kibbutz Re’im were massacred by Hamas terrorists. Some 360 of the 1,200 people slaughtered that day were from the rave.

[Ed.: How could these men have done these things? It’s really very simple: Moslem men have a unique type of misogyny stemming from a deep-seeded gynophobia. They are so threatened by women, that they subordinate them to the level of chattel. This is why little girls are so much less threatening! Even Mohammad himself married 9-year old Aisha, so it’s okay for grown men to take little girls. The men then aspire to attain their 72 virgins if they can manage to die for Allah while killing non-believers. Their Koran teaches them that non-moslem women are to be raped and murdered (either one can come first). This is how Islam provides a pressure-release valve for their male inferiority complex. It’s a very evil and sick ‘religion‘. Okay, you may go vomit now…]

Settler violence? MKs demand answers from President Biden Israel National News

A group of MKs has written to US President Joe Biden, challenging the data behind his statement on ‘settler violence.’

Dec 31, 2023, 12:23 AM (GMT+2) – The lobby against delegitimization, led by MK Ariel Kallner (Likud), sent a letter Saturday to US President Joe Biden, asking the basis for his statements regarding “settler violence.”

The MKs noted that incidents of violence by Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria are relatively few when compared to acts of violence by Palestinian Authority Arabs against them. They also noted that the scale of incidents perpetrated by residents of Judea and Samaria is relatively minor when compared to other societies.

A total of 23 MKs signed the letter, representing several parties. “As members of the Knesset, we, like you, condemn violence against innocents,” the letter begins.

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“We share the goal of a struggle against violence, but our efforts may not abandon facts or truth. In consideration of this, and to be more effective partners in the fight against violence, it is important for us to receive the sources upon which you based yourself.”

“Settler violence is a modern blood libel carried out by delegitimizing organizations like B’Tselem and Breaking the Silence, funded by millions from foreign powers. We all condemn violence, but this is a combination of outright lies, manipulations of statistics, and baseless claims, all with the goal of defaming the settler community and paving the way to a Palestinian state, as has recently been revealed in documents from the New Israel Fund. We must stop this blood libel.

“The settlers of Judea and Samaria have, for years, been subject to attacks by the Arab society that support to a large degree the October 7th massacre. Additionally, these pioneers are even today at the front in Gaza and in the north. This has been expressed, to our sorrow, in the large number of casualties. At this time, we must stand beside the settlers and not allow delegitimizing agents, who also slander IDF soldiers, to besmirch them.”

“We would be happy to receive the President’s answer and hope that the data upon which he based his statements will be thoroughly checked,” Kallner commented.

[Ed.: It’s obvious that Joe Biden has been listening to too much NPR! No wonder he has it reversed!!]

IDF soldiers in Gaza suspected infected with leishmania Israel National News

Several cases of the disease, which is spread by insect bites, have been found in staging areas around Gaza.

Dec 31, 2023, 8:33 AM (GMT+2) – Dozens of IDF soldiers have been diagnosed with leishmania due to sandfly bites, according to Maariv.

According to the report, the soldiers suffer from welts or skin lesions and we’re directed to a unit doctor and expert dermatologist in a hospital, who diagnosed the disease. Recovery from leishmania takes a relatively long period of several weeks.

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It was also reported that some of the soldiers had been withdrawn from operational activity due to their condition.

An IDF statement commented: “All IDF units are undergoing different treatments to prevent spread of leishmania among the troops. In this context, information packets on the subject have been distributed and insect repellent devices issued to soldiers in field units. Any area in which mosquitoes or soldiers with insect bites were reported has undergone preventative environmental treatment.”

“All those suffering from suspected symptoms are checked by a military dermatologist, given appropriate treatment, and at need, are sent to a dedicated leishmania clinic. The IDF has a limited supply of leshcutan cream, which was taken out of production over the last year, and in the future will provide treatment with a similar product that will offer alternative treatment. Generally speaking, leishmania does not prevent continued operation of the soldiers affected. Complicated cases are diagnosed individually by a dermatologist.”

Report: Indictment against Hamas to be largest since Eichmann Israel National News

Israeli investigators and prosecutors are building a case against Hamas terrorists similar to the one against Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann.

Dec 31, 2023, 10:56 AM (GMT+2) – The Wall Street Journal reports that Israeli investigators and prosecutors are compiling an indictment against the terrorists that carried out the October 7th massacre comparable to the case against Adolf Eichmann.

According to the reports, Israel is collecting numerous testimonies, including of serious sexual assault, rape, the burning of children, and the amputation of limbs by Hamas on October 7th. Israeli sources estimate that if such a case can be assembled, it will serve as the basis for severe punishments for the terrorists that have been captured alive.

According to the report, Israel’s investigation is expected to yield a trial that would be the country’s most significant since the early 1960s, when Israel captured, tried, and hanged former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann for his central role in the Holocaust.

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“The state of Israel has never before dealt with crimes and an investigation on this scale,” said Roi Sheindorf, former deputy to the attorney general. “This will be one of the most important trials to take place in Israel.”

The Israel Police are investigating claims of armed militants who we captured, camera footage, social media, and material captured in Gaza. These materials are being processed by the Israel Police and the state prosecutor and will serve as the basis for a case intended to bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible.

Binyamin Gov. to Biden: Discard perilous idea of a Palestinian state Israel National News

Binyamin Council Gov. Israel Ganz pens letter to US president warning that continued push for 2-State solution will lead to more bloodshed.

Dec 31, 2023, 2:43 PM (GMT+2) – Binyamin Regional Council Governor Israel Ganz addressed a letter last week to US President Joe Biden calling on the President to cease advocating for the creation of a Palestinian Arab state in Judea and Samaria in the aftermath of the Hamas massacre of October 7.

“As the Governor of the largest regional council in Judea or Samaria, and in fact all of Israel, I find it a rare occasion to address the esteemed leader of the United States and the free world. However, I must address the time that Your Honor has devoted to an issue that directly impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands of Israelis, including those under my jurisdiction and, by extension, the entire State of Israel. The war between Israel and Gaza did not commence on October 7, 2023; rather, it has been unfolding over the past few years, particularly in Judea and in Samaria. It is no secret that the Palestinians use the same language as Hamas with regard to Israel, as expressed by the Palestinian Authority leadership, their educational systems and media outlets,” Ganz’s letter begins.

“Regrettably, we forewarned of such events. The recent appalling massacre of Jews by Palestinians near Gaza was not unprecedented in its nature. We have witnessed similar acts of terrorism in the past, such as the tragic murder five months ago when four young boys enjoying lunch in a restaurant were mercilessly slaughtered, akin to the residents of our southern kibbutzim.

“It is imperative to recognize that the axis of evil threatening us is not confined to southern Israel or to Judea and Samaria; it extends beyond, posing a threat to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and all who consider themselves members of the free world. This malevolent force, which currently attacks us in our region, has intentions that stretch beyond our borders to places like New York, London, Berlin, and Pennsylvania Avenue,” he wrote.

He noted that repeating the mistakes of the Gaza Disengagement, which allowed Hamas to rise to power, would put Israel’s major population centers at the same risk Israel’s southern communities have faced for the last 15 years. “Respectfully, advocating for the outdated and failed concept of an independent Palestinian state in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza inadvertently fortifies this axis of evil, whose ultimate goal is the destruction of the State of Israel. The establishment of a terrorist state in Gaza, a mere 15 kilometers from Tel Aviv, signifies the impending demise of Israel and, subsequently, serves as a direct threat to other Western countries.”

“Mr. President, the nation of Israel stands for eternity, and the enduring connection between the land and its people is deeply rooted in our history. The recent return of our people to our homeland aligns with the ancient prophecies of the bible, and I extend an invitation for you to recognize and join us in achieving our shared goals of a prosperous and peaceful Israel,” he said.

Tunneling for Allah This is how it’s done:

IDF carries out series of strikes in Hezbollah stronghold in Lebanon INN

IDF strikes Hezbollah stronghold Kfarkela, after terror group launched several strikes from area towards Israeli territory.

Dec 30, 2023, 7:37 PM (GMT+2) – The IDF on Saturday evening confirmed a series of strikes on a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon.

“Earlier today, IAF fighter jets targeted Hezbollah terror infrastructure in the area of Kfarkela in southern Lebanon, in an operation that included two extensive series of strikes on numerous targets this morning and noon,” an IDF source said.

Kfarkela is a Hezbollah stronghold. The organization uses infrastructure in the area for terror purposes, exploiting civilians and using them as human shields for its activities.

Since the beginning of the war, Hezbollah carried out a large number of launches from Kfarkela toward Israeli territory.

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Earlier on Saturday, the IDF reported: “Numerous launches were identified from Lebanon toward Israeli territory. In addition, the IDF Aerial Defense Array successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory.”

“Earlier today, IDF aircraft targeted three terrorist squads in Lebanon. Moreover, the IDF struck Hezbollah’s operational infrastructure and IDF artillery struck in additional locations in Lebanon.”

Footage from deep in Gaza: Hamas terrorists hide in school together with civilians Israel National News

Hamas terrorists hid inside a school together with civilians, soldiers from the IDF’s 188th Brigade separated terrorists from civilians and apprehended the terrorists.

Dec 30, 2023, 8:23 PM (GMT+2) – The IDF’s 188th Brigade has been operating since the beginning of the week in the Al Bureij Camp in the central Gaza Strip. During their activity in the area, the troops encountered many terrorists who attacked the forces from positions within civilian buildings and population.

From the beginning of the operations in the camp, the troops located four rocket launchers and destroyed them, exposing five tunnel shafts.

Last Thursday, intelligence was received regarding dozens of Hamas terrorists hiding inside a school together with civilians.

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“The terrorists took advantage of the presence of civilians in the school area in order to fire RPGs and fire at the forces while hiding behind women and children,” the IDF stressed.

The troops of the 188th brigade, led by the brigade commander, raided the school and separated the civilians from the terrorists. The terrorists were then apprehended and taken for further examination by the security forces.

[Ed.:

Jerusalem stabber was employed at local hospital INN

Terrorist who stabbed two people at checkpoint south of Jerusalem was employed at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center.

Dec 30, 2023, 10:40 PM (GMT+2) – Hadassah Medical Center has said that the terrorist who carried out a Thursday evening stabbing attack near Jerusalem worked in the medical center.

According to Hadassah, the terrorist was employed by an external contracting company which provides cleaning services to the center.

“The Medical Center’s management was shocked, and it fiercely condemns the despicable terror attack,” a statement read. “Hadassah management has instructed the contracting company to examine all of those employed by it, as is necessary, in order to ensure that only appropriate employees are sent to the hospital.”

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During the Thursday evening stabbing attack at the Mizmoria Checkpoint south of Jerusalem, a young woman was seriously wounded and a young man was moderately wounded. Both victims were members of the security forces who were operating at the checkpoint.

[Ed.: Hadassah Medical Center, an ‘Equal Opportunity Employer’…]

PM Netanyahu: The war is at its peak – and will last many more months Hezki Baruch

‘We will continue to fight until we have eliminated Hamas and freed all our hostages,’ PM Netanyahu promises.

Dec 30, 2023, 9:15 PM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening held a press conference, providing updates on the war against Hamas in Gaza.

“The war will last many more months,” Netanyahu said. “We will continue fighting until we have eliminated Hamas and released all of our hostages. We will not cease our efforts to bring back our hostages. We will not agree with Gaza being a source which encourages terror. We will ensure that Gaza will no longer threaten Israel.”

“Every place I go, I hear from all sectors of the nation – continue, don’t stop. I hear it from the families of the fallen heroes, from the injured, and from the commanders and the brave soldiers who I meet in the field. Everyone tells me the same thing: Continue until victory,” Netanyahu said.

“In order to complete the goals, we need more time. We are working all the time with determination and strength, while doing the best to ensure the safety of our fighters.

“We are executing heavy fire and we are doing everything to ensure the safety of our forces. Our forces are fighting with force and using new methods above and below ground – we have the upper hand. We have thus far eliminated over 8,000 terrorists.”

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When asked about the tensions on Israel’s northern border, Netanyahu said, “If Hezbollah expands the fighting, it will absorb hits that it did not dream of, and so will Iran. We will act in every way until we bring security back to the residents of the north.

When asked about Iran, Netanyahu said, “The Iranian aggression is not only directed towards Israel but towards the entire free world. We are acting against Iran all the time, in every place and in every way – and I will not go into detail.”

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