Daily Shmutz | ISRAEL (IINO) | 5/17/24

ISRAEL (IINO)

Sinwar in Exchange for Rafah BY LEE SMITH

Why is the Biden administration dangling the Hamas chief in exchange for stopping the Gaza war? Because the terror group’s survival is key to the administration’s larger project in the Middle East.

MAY 16, 2024 – The Biden team’s offer to trade Yahya Sinwar, the man believed to be the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack, for guarantees that the Israeli military stay out of Rafah points to two disturbing truths about the current conflict in the Middle East. The first is that the U.S. knows plenty about what the Hamas terror group is doing and has done. The second is that Washington has been keeping key information—like the terror leader’s whereabouts—from the Israelis, thereby prolonging the war that it claims to decry.

The implications of the administration’s offer, relayed in a recent Washington Post article, has Israelis and U.S. pro-Israel activists livid. Israel’s former ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren, for instance, posted on X, “I am shocked and sickened by reports that the U.S. is withholding from Israel vital information on the whereabouts of senior Hamas leaders in Gaza. Is the administration still our ally?”

The Biden administration is making the offer because all its efforts to end Israel’s war have failed and if Rafah falls, Hamas is likely to fall, too. It seems there’s no other way to preserve a pillar of what the White House calls “regional integration”—a euphemism for the U.S.-Iran alliance system that Barack Obama has tried to impose on the Middle East for the last decade.

Gallant, go home Ruthie Blum

The Israeli defense minister’s disgraceful display was—in the words of the late baseball great Yogi Berra—“like déjà vu all over again.” And despite the protests against him, he has the gall to speak about his “plan.” Opinion.

May 17, 2024, 9:44 AM (GMT+3) – (JNS) Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant made it evident on Wednesday evening that he has got to go. Yes, in the throes of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, the person tasked with overseeing the country’s security apparatus had the gall to take to the airwaves to undermine the whole endeavor.

His remarks came three days after a chummy phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinke and were taken right out of the Biden administration’s playbook.

“I call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a decision and declare that Israel will not establish civilian control over the Gaza Strip; that Israel will not establish military governance in the Gaza Strip; and that a governing alternative to Hamas in the Gaza Strip will be raised immediately,” he said. Today he had the gall to expound upon that to our eager enemies and erstwhilefriends.

He also asserted, “The ‘day after Hamas’ will only be achieved with Palestinian entities taking control of Gaza, accompanied by international actors, establishing a governing alternative to Hamas’s rule.”

The disgraceful display shouldn’t have come as a shock. On the contrary, it was—in the words of the late baseball great and master of malapropisms Yogi Berra—“like déjà vu all over again.”

Indeed, three things became clear about the defense minister practically from the moment that he assumed his role less than a year and a half ago. One was his cowardice in the face of opposition from the left—an unfortunate, albeit typical, trait for a former Israel Defense Forces general in charge of the Southern Command.

The second was his disloyalty to his party, Likud, and its chairman, Netanyahu, who appointed him to the position in the first place.

The third, related to the other two, was his prioritization of future political concerns over present military ones.

Rewind to March 2023. His own government was encountering major pushback over its plans to reform the judicial system. Establishment elites on the bench, in academia and in the media were able to persuade much of the general populace that curtailing some of the powers of the virtually omnipotent Supreme Court would be the end of Israeli democracy.

Hefty financial backing from anti-Netanyahu individuals and NGOs in Israel and abroad aided the “anybody but Bibi” camp’s effort to succeed where it had failed a few months earlier at the ballot box. The well-oiled protest movement’s hysterical demonstrations succeeded, however, at dominating the discourse.

As if that weren’t pathetic enough, the so-called “people’s army” elite got into the act, with the cream of the crop of the IDF threatening that without an end to the “coup d’état” (the protest movement’s misnomer for judicial reforms), Jerusalem could forget about counting on Israeli Air Force pilots to confront Iran.

Rather than demanding that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi warn them that such blackmail incurs their ouster from the IDF or at least result in a stripping of their ranks, Gallant not only conveyed their complaints to Netanyahu; he began to behave as though he saw the merits of their case. His argument was that Israel’s very visible internecine strife was weakening it in the eyes of its enemies.

He got that part right.

And bears responsibility for it.

But his conclusion was that the process of judicial reform should be stopped, and he let his boss know that he was going to reveal this sentiment to the public at large.

About to embark on a state visit to Britain two days later, Netanyahu requested that Gallant hold off. The latter agreed to comply.

Netanyahu then delivered an address to calm the nation’s tensions. In his speech, he articulated the purpose of the reforms—to enhance, not harm, Israeli democracy—and assured that all civil and minority rights would continue to be guaranteed after they were implemented.

Gallant opted to pull a stunt rather than keep his promise. He took the opportunity of Netanyahu’s trip to London to bite the very hand that fed him the position he’d so coveted.

As soon as Bibi’s back was turned in the direction of the United Kingdom, he held a press conference in which he called on the government to halt judicial reform legislation in order to heal the societal rifts that had gone so far as to infiltrate the IDF.

“I hear the voices from the field and I’m worried,” he said. Netanyahu’s justified response, upon his return from a weekend in London, was to fire Gallant.

The hell that broke loose was music to Gallant’s ears. That the demonstrators went wild was to be expected, since what could be better for them than having a Netanyahu appointee and key member of the “full, full, right-wing government” take their side?

Histadrut Labor Federation Secretary General Arnon Bar-David joined in the action, calling for a general strike and threatening that it would be in effect until all judicial-reform legislation was scrapped. He also urged Netanyahu not to sack Gallant.

After local authorities, banks, shopping malls and even the Ben-Gurion International Airport shut down, and the health-care system was on the verge of following suit, Netanyahu declared a pause in judicial reform moves. Two weeks later, he said that he and Gallant had put aside their disagreements.

Both in real-time and in retrospect, the choice was unwise. Israel needs a defense chief right now whose sole aim is to enable the head of the IDF to destroy Hamas. Neither Gallant nor Halevi should be focused on any other goal—certainly not a delusional one entailing Palestinian rule in Gaza.

Brig. Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi, founder and chairman of the Israel Defense and Security Forum (“Habithonistim”), summed it up succinctly in a clip addressed to both of them.

“What this nation wants is a distinct victory over Hamas and the return of the hostages,” he stated. “The ‘day after’ is of no interest at the moment; nobody knows what will be. First, take down Hamas. Return the hostages. Deal with [Hezbollah] in the north. We know we don’t want Hamas, [Palestinian Islamic] Jihad or the Palestinian Authority. We won’t allow you to return the P.A., the entity that armed Gaza from head to toe, bringing it from the Stone Age into the rocket [age]. It’s not an option.

“Creating an alternative will take time. You, [Gallant and Halevi], have to take responsibility for the Strip, as well as on the [distribution of] humanitarian [aid]. That’s the way it is. The ‘day after’ will first entail imposing martial law and from there, gradually, solutions will be found. But not now! Now we win! Beat Hamas! Why are you conducting these discussions now? Doing so runs completely counter to Israeli interests and what the people want. Go and secure a victory,” Avivi said.

That’s Gallant’s job, after all. If he isn’t capable or willing to perform it, he should apply for a fellowship at a think tank.

Netanyahu didn’t come out and say this in his rebuttal to Gallant on Wednesday night. But it was a relief to hear him reiterate that he’s “not willing to exchange Hamastan for Fatahstan”—acknowledging that P.A. leader Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction is no less of a terrorist threat than the one that brave and dedicated Israeli troops are currently engaged in eliminating.

Defense Minister’s plan: Weapons for Gazans who take the reins after the war

Plan put forward by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant would see weapons provided to the local Gazans who take control of their communities after the war, replacing Hamas.

May 17, 2024, 8:26 AM (GMT+3) Israel National News – Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has proposed a plan which would provide weapons – under international supervision – to the Gazans who take charge of the Strip “on the day after” the war, Israel Hayom reported.

According to the report, Gallant is proposing that the population in Gaza be concentrated in “humanitarian” bubbles, and for each bubble like this, a civilian system be set up comprised of local Gazans who will take charge of its management.

Responding to the claim that Hamas will kill anyone who attempts to rule Gaza in its stead, Gallant and the defense echelon propose arming the new government with rifles, so as to enable them to enforce law and order and protect themselves from Hamas.

The weapons provided to the Gazans will be under Israel’s technological supervision, so as to prevent a situation in which they will end up in the hands of Hamas, and they will also be under an international “umbrella” of moderate Arab countries with the support of the US, which will send money and supervise the civil management of the Gaza Strip.

It was also reported that the security echelon has held talks with both military and diplomatic personnel in the relevant countries, and learned that the precondition would be transferring civil control to local Gazans. Choosing the Gazans who would rule the area will be done with the help of intelligence from the Palestinian Authority, which can identify those Gazans who are not affiliated with Hamas.

As of now, Gallant’s plan is on the table, but the matter of “the day after” Hamas is not currently under serious discussion.

Related articles:

[Ed.: Surely, Israeli taxpayers will be happy to finance this brilliant military strategy. But not to worry, with any luck, by then, Galant and the rest of the leftist IDF Leadership (War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz, Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, Commanding Officer of the Southern Command, MG Yaron Finkelman, commander of the 99th Division, Major General Barak Hiram, Major General (Aluf) Herzl “Herzi” Halevi) will be serving their life sentences for their responsibility for this entire boondoggle!]

Israel to Hague: There are 50 tunnels between Rafah and Egypt – with hostages in them Nitsan Keidar

Israeli delegation responds to South Africa’s claims of genocide at the Hague, anti-Israel woman screams ‘Liars!’ at the Israeli delegation – and is removed from the room.

May 17, 2024, 3:31 PM (GMT+3) – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday continued the hearing begun Thursday, hearing Israel’s counter-arguments detailing why the State of Israel is not, in fact, guilty of genocide, as South Africa has claimed.

South Africa is now demanding that the ICJ order a ceasefire in Gaza.

Tamar Kaplan-Tourgeman, one of Israel’s legal team, noted that “Israel takes extraordinary measures in order to minimize the harm to civilians in Gaza.”

Dr. Gilad Noam, Deputy Attorney General (International Law) at the Justice Ministry, began by stating that the claims made by South Africa are completely unconnected from the reality of what is happening on the ground.

He also noted that Hamas is not a party to the 1948 Genocide Convention, and therefore an order for Israel to end its war against Hamas would allow Hamas to continue its attacks on Israel.

He also said that South Africa’s case against Israel “makes a mockery of the heinous charge of genocide” and is “an obscene exploitation of the most sacred convention.”

“There is a tragic war going on, but there is no genocide,” he stressed.

Noam added: “South Africa warns this court that, I quote, ‘if Rafah falls, so too does Gaza’. Once again however, the reality is exactly the opposite. Only by bringing down Hamas’s military stronghold in Rafah will Palestinians be liberated from the clenched grip of the murderous terrorist regime and the road to peace and prosperity may finally be paved.”

Noam also noted that days before South Africa submitted its latest request to the ICJ, the country hosted a Hamas delegation: “They did not use the meeting to urge Hamas to release the hostages, to stop targeting Israeli civilians, to cease using human shields, to cease operating from within and nearby hospitals, UN facilities, and other protected sites,” he said.

Instead, South Africa turned once again to the ICJ “in order to obtain military advantage for its ally Hamas, which it does not wish to see defeated.”

Hamas, he added, has an advanced tunnel system in Rafah, which includes about 50 tunnels which cross from Rafah into Egypt. “Israeli hostages are being held there,” he stressed.

Related articles:

Defense Minister’s plan: Weapons for Gazans who take the reins after the war

Plan put forward by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant would see weapons provided to the local Gazans who take control of their communities after the war, replacing Hamas.

As of now, Gallant’s plan is on the table, but the matter of “the day after” Hamas is not currently under serious discussion.

Related articles:

Tragic Accident in Gaza

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1:54 am Eastern – The deaths of 5 IDF soldiers who were killed in Gaza in a tragic incident:

Staff Sergeant Betzlel David Shashuah (22)🕯️

Sergeant Ilan Cohen (20)🕯️

Sergeant Daniel Chemu (20)🕯️

Staff Sergeant Gilad Arye Boim (22)🕯️

Captain Roy Beit Yaakov (22)🕯️

May their memories forever be a blessing. 🕯️💔

𝗜𝗦𝗥𝗔𝗘𝗟 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 https://chat.whatsapp.com/FXzcXhIPEi45Pqmb4dZOsv

1:56 am Eastern – According to an initial IDF probe, a tank operating alongside the paratroopers in the Jabaliya camp fired two shells at a building where they were gathered at around 7 p.m.

The tank forces had arrived [March 15th] at the area in the morning hours, and several hours later, the paratroopers reached the area and established a post in the building. Later in the evening, another group of paratroopers reached the area and notified two of the tanks there that they were entering the building.

The tank forces had later identified a gun barrel from one of the windows of the building and believed it was enemy forces, leading them to fire two shells.

Bibi: We Are Not a Vassal of the United States! By David Israel

7 Iyyar 5784 – May 15, 2024 – In the aftermath of President Joe Biden cautioning Israel that a significant offensive on Rafah would constitute a violation of a “red line” regarding US crucial military support, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last Thursday reportedly lashed out during a security cabinet meeting, and declared, according to three sources including one of Netanyahu’s aides, “We are not a vassal state of the United States!”

The incident, reported on Wednesday by Barak Ravid for Axios, highlighted Netanyahu’s confrontational mindset amid tensions between Israel and the White House over Israel’s military operation against Hamas in Gaza. These strains began around two weeks ago when Biden halted the shipment of 3,500 heavy US bombs that were already on a ship set to be delivered to Israel.

According to two sources familiar with the discussion, in his extended remarks during the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu drew a parallel between his disagreement with Biden over Rafah and Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion, proclaiming independence in 1948 despite opposition from then-US Secretary of State George Marshall.

According to an aide present at the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu informed the cabinet that he was prepared to withstand pressure from the United States and would take similar actions again if needed to safeguard Israel’s security interests. The aide recalled that Netanyahu told his cabinet, “When it comes to threats to our security, we will take whatever measures are necessary.”

Netanyahu’s “vassal state” remark was also reminiscent of Prime Minister Menachem Begin’s response to the same Joe Biden’s threat in 1982, at a closed-door meeting of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to cut off military aid for Israel over its campaign in Lebanon. According to the Wall Street Journal, PM Begin responded:

“Don’t threaten us with cutting off aid to give up our principles. I’m not a Jew with trembling knees. I am a proud Jew with 3,700 years of civilized history. Nobody came to our aid when we were dying in the gas chambers and ovens. Nobody came to our aid when we were striving to create our country. We paid for it. We fought for it. We died for it. We will stand by our principles. We will defend them. And, when necessary, we will die for them again, with or without your aid.”

As of now, while the heavy US bombs are still on hold, a move that sabotages not only the war in Gaza, forcing it to last longer but also Israel’s future attacks on Hezbollah underground tunnels in southern Lebanon, other vital shipments from the US continue.

Ravid believes that National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s visit to Israel this Sunday will aim to mend the rifts over Rafah. And after Sullivan leaves, a senior Israeli delegation will go to Washington for further discussions of the Rafah situation.

[Ed.: As always, Bibi’s comment is right-on. But Israel’s (not-so) ‘Elite military leadership’ think that Israel is a vassal state!]

Netanyahu responds to Gallant: I won’t replace Hamastan with Fatahstan

PM responds to Defense Minister’s demand he declare that Israel will not assume civilian or military governance of Gaza after the war.

May 15, 2024, 7:25 PM (GMT+3) Israel National News – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded this evening to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s call for him to declare that Israel will not exercise governing control of the Gaza Strip following the ongoing war with the Hamas terrorist organization.

“I am not ready to replace Hamastan with Fatahstan. The first condition for the day after is to eliminate Hamas and do it without excuses,” Netanyahu said.

The Prime Minister’s statement comes in response to an address by Gallant in which the Defense Minister declared, “I must reiterate – I will not agree to the establishment of Israeli military rule in Gaza. Israel must not establish civilian rule in Gaza.”

“I call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to make a decision and declare that Israel will not establish civilian control over the Gaza Strip, that Israel will not establish military governance in the Gaza Strip, and that a governing alternative to Hamas in the Gaza Strip will be raised immediately,” Gallant said.

Gallant’s address was condemned by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who said, “The people of Israel are not willing to be humiliated. The people of Israel are not ready to be led into the Oslo 2 process, which will lead Israel to another disaster. The people of Israel will not agree to hand over Gaza to the control of the Palestinian Terrorist Authority.”

“The people of Israel know that Israel’s security will only be achieved by determination to win, and not by relying on promises of peace from the vile terrorists and their various organizations,” said Minister Levin.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also condemned Gallant’s remarks, accusing the Defense Minister of announcing “his support for the establishment of a Palestinian terrorist state as a reward for terrorism and Hamas.”

Related articles:

Ben & Jerry’s board: Pro-Palestinian campus protests are ‘essential’ to democracy

‘Student-led protests against the Vietnam War and Apartheid South Africa, and now the campus protests in solidarity with Gaza, all are part of our rich history of free speech’

May 14, 2024 at 04:19 AM i24NEWS – The board of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, a brand owned by Unilever, said that the pro-Palestinian protests at the college campuses and graduation ceremonies across the United States are “essential” to democracy.

Earlier in January, the company called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza amid the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) ground operation in the Strip.

“Lunch counter sit-ins, student-led protests against the Vietnam War and Apartheid South Africa, and now the campus protests in solidarity with Gaza, all are part of our rich history of free speech and non-violent protest that makes change and is essential to a strong democracy,” stated the independent board.

Back in 2021, Ben & Jerry’s announced it would stop selling its ice cream in the West Bank and east Jerusalem saying the Israeli occupation was “inconsistent” with its values. The step led Unilever to seek “new arrangements” for selling the product in Israel.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1542458725629321217

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Unilever then offloaded its Israeli Ben & Jerry’s business to a local licensee, keeping the ice cream for sale in the country. In 2022, the Ben & Jerry’s board sued in an attempt to block the sale, and the lawsuit was later “resolved.”

🇮🇱🇮🇱 Mon night 5/13, 2024, 3:15 Eastern – ISRAEL REALTIME – Connecting to Israel in Realtime

🇮🇱Yom HaAtzmaut – Israel Independence Day tonight and tomorrow.

⚠️MERON AREA MAY BE EVACUATED.. Northern Command discussed the possibility that they would soon have to evacuate the settlements around Meron in light of the fear of escalation with Hezbollah.

▪️INVESTIGATION POLITICS.. The High Court of Justice rejected the request of the IDF and the Attorney General to issue a temporary order restraining the State Comptroller from proceeding with the audit of the IDF’s Oct. 7 performance (due to potential impact to the war effort).

▪️CORRECTION – Economy: Pango bought Gett, not the other way around.

▪️US ATTACKS YEMEN.. US attacked the airport in the city of Hodeidah.

▪️AID TRUCKS SET ON FIRE.. aid trucks that were blocked and dumped during the day were set on fire tonight by protestors against giving aid to Hamas. Order 9 aid protest movement: “acts were committed today are not in line with the values of our movement.”

▪️US DOESN’T LIKE AID PROTESTS, BUT DOES LIKE ANTI-JEW PROTESTS.. “Deputy Spokesman of the American State Department: “The US talked with its partners in Israel about the reports regarding interference with aid trucks and damage to the aid itself on its way to Gaza.”

(( While in the U.S., pro-Hamas protestors are allowed to block Jewish students and professors without consequences, disrupt all types of events – – and per the president that’s democracy, if in Israel people protest giving aid to the group that massacred them, that’s “interference” and not ok. The hypocrisy is EXTREME. ))

▪️HEZBOLLAH – SACRIFICE OF YOUR WHOLE PEOPLE OK FOR THIS.. Nasrallah on the Oct 7 attack: “The Arab rulers were about to sign the documents of the death of the Palestinian issue and normalization with Israel that would have come within months. The attack by Hamas prevented this.” (( At the cost of the complete leveling of Gaza, which is ok by their leadership. ))

▪️US SAYS.. “Jake Sullivan, US national security adviser: working with Israel on a better way to defeat Hamas.” (( The US is sending over their top wizards to summon underground combat fairies. ))

▪️ISRAELI HACKER GROUP ASKED TO STOP.. “The Red Evils: The decision to stop the offensive activity was not ours – but of security officials and dear friends who asked us to do so. With all due respect to our activity, we are first of all citizens who love the country and assuming a senior security body asks us to stop the activity – we listen.”

(( Apparently their effective independent actions against Lebanon, Yemen and Iran caused disruptions to the security services. ))

♦️ACTIVE BATTLES.. (enemy report) eastern neighborhoods of Rafah, in Jabaliya, Nuzirat and Gaza City.

⭕ HAMAS ROCKETS at ad Mordechai, Karmia, Netiv HaAssara.

⭕ HAMAS attacks IDF.. Sources in Gaza say that a few minutes ago, the terrorist organization Hamas launched several mortar bombs at our forces in the Rafah area. No casualties have been reported at this time.

📌GAZA CASUALTY NUMBERS CUT IN HALF.. UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), numbers are 1/2 reported by Hamas -> https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2024/05/11/un-halves-its-estimate-of-women-and-children-killed-in-gaza/

The number of children was cut from -14,500 to 7,797, and the number of women from 9,500 to 4,959.

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Terror from young age: this is what it looked like when IDF forces entered an Arab neighborhood in the West Bank, they were attacked by “innocent civilians” terrorists…..

𝗜𝗦𝗥𝗔𝗘𝗟 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 https://chat.whatsapp.com/GPCz8p1zb3KBEJAuQ4YVpY

video upload 0:36

🇮🇱 May 13, 2024 Mon. morning – ISRAEL REALTIME – Connecting to Israel in Realtime

Yom HaZikaron today – Israel Memorial Day for its fallen

Yom HaAtzmaut tonight – Israel Independence Day

📍REMEMBRANCE SIREN AT 11:00.. a solid-note siren in remembrance of the fallen will sound at 11:00 PM. SOLID-NOTE SIREN IS NOT AN ATTACK. BUT if the siren changes to up-down sound, IT’S REAL, take cover!

📌GAZA CASUALTY NUMBERS.. UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), numbers are 1/2 reported by Hamas -> https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2024/05/11/un-halves-its-estimate-of-women-and-children-killed-in-gaza/

▪️ISRAEL PRESIDENT HERZOG SAYS.. at the Western Wall plaza: “I stand here, next to the remains of our temple, with torn clothes. This tear – the Jewish sign of mourning, is a symbol of the mourning and grief of an entire nation in this year – a year of national mourning.”

▪️WHITE HOUSE SAYS.. A telephone conversation was held between the US National Security Adviser Sullivan and the Israel National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegavi: Sullivan affirmed the US commitment to Israel’s security and defeating Hamas in Gaza. They discussed the situation in Gaza and the ongoing efforts to secure the release of the hostages. Sullivan reiterated US President Biden’s concerns about a major ground operation in Rafah, where over a million children have taken refuge. He discussed alternative courses of action to ensure the defeat of Hamas everywhere in Gaza. They also agreed to schedule another personal meeting soon.” (( We hear this again and again, but have yet to publicly hear .. a .. single .. magical .. suggestion. ))

.. The US Secretary of State spoke tonight with Defense Minister Yoav Galant. He reiterated US opposition to a major military ground operation in Rafah.

🔸THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAL.. senior Hamas official, Hussam Badran: “The negotiation must lead to a full and comprehensive ceasefire, complete withdrawal of the occupation forces from all areas of the Gaza Strip, to the return of the displaced to their homes without restrictions or conditions, and to the beginning of aid and rehabilitation. After that will come a respectable prisoner exchange deal that will end the suffering of our prisoners.”

(( Translation: Surrender, withdraw, rebuilt Gaza for us, and maybe we’ll give back hostages – or their bodies. ))

▪️HAMAS SAYS.. Hamas in an official announcement: “We condemn President Biden’s remarks, according to which if Hamas agreed to release the hostages there will be a ceasefire today. We see this as a complete erasure of the results of the last round of talks.”

▪️IRAN – WE GOT NUKES.. an Iranian lawmaker announced that Tehran had obtained nuclear bombs.

▪️AID.. Hundreds of trucks carrying thousands of tons of food and goods are stuck on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing after Israel’s capture of the crossing.

♦️HEAVY AIRSTRIKES CONTINUE IN GAZA, particularly in Jabaliya. Enemy report: “heavy attacks by the Israeli air force all over the strip, according to them the attacks are as strong as they were on the first day of the war”

♦️HEAVY AIRSTRIKES CONTINUE IN SOUTH LEBANON.

⭕ PALESTINIAN ATTACK ON IDF OUTPUT – JENIN.. “Terror fighters managed to attack the Israeli military camp, west of Jenin, with a heavy barrage of bullets.”

⭕ 3 ATTEMPTS BY HEZBOLLAH TO HIT AN IRON DOME BATTERY.. via suicide drones. The Air Force is having difficulty intercepting, one hit next to a part of the battery but only minimal damage. One hit the soldiers dining tent, one failed to explode.

⭕ HEZBOLLAH DRONES at northern Golan communities.

⭕ HEZBOLLAH DRONE BARRAGE at north west border towns.

⭕ HAMAS ROCKETS at 2 aid ports to Gaz

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Terror from young age: this is what it looked like when IDF forces entered an Arab neighborhood in the West Bank, they were attacked by “innocent civilians” terrorists… 𝗜𝗦𝗥𝗔𝗘𝗟 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 https://chat.whatsapp.com/GPCz8p1zb3KBEJAuQ4YVpY

🇮🇱 May 13, 2024 Mon. morning – ISRAEL REALTIME – Connecting to Israel in Realtime

Yom HaZikaron today – Israel Memorial Day for its fallen

Yom HaAtzmaut tonight – Israel Independence Day

.. The US Secretary of State spoke tonight with Defense Minister Yoav Galant. He reiterated US opposition to a major military ground operation in Rafah.

(( Translation: Surrender, withdraw, rebuilt Gaza for us, and maybe we’ll give back hostages – or their bodies. ))

▪️IRAN – WE GOT NUKES.. an Iranian lawmaker announced that Tehran had obtained nuclear bombs. [Emphasis added]

▪️AID.. Hundreds of trucks carrying thousands of tons of food and goods are stuck on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing after Israel’s capture of the crossing.

♦️HEAVY AIRSTRIKES CONTINUE IN SOUTH LEBANON.

⭕ PALESTINIAN ATTACK ON IDF OUTPUT – JENIN.. “Terror fighters managed to attack the Israeli military camp, west of Jenin, with a heavy barrage of bullets.”

⭕ HEZBOLLAH DRONES at northern Golan communities.

⭕ HEZBOLLAH DRONE BARRAGE at north west border towns.

⭕ HAMAS ROCKETS at 2 aid ports to Gaza

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Blinken: Hamas will remain no matter what Israel does in Rafah

US Secretary of State reiterates administration to Israel’s crushing of the last 4 Hamas battalions in Rafah, demands plan for ‘day after.’

May 12, 2024, 6:14 PM (GMT+3 Israel National News) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed in an interview with CBS’s “Meet the Nation” today (Sunday) that Hamas will remain a problem in Gaza no matter what Israel does in Rafah, where the IDF is preparing to destroy the last four Hamas battalions.

According to Blinken, without a plan for the day after the war, Israel “will be left holding the bag on an enduring insurgency because a lot of armed Hamas [terrorists] will be left, no matter what they do in Rafah.”

Blinken stated that whatever “initial success” Israel has in Rafah would not be worth it due to the “high cost to civilians.”

Addressing US President Joe Biden’s statement that the US would halt certain arms shipments to Israel to prevent the munitions from being used in Rafah, Blinken said that if Israel “launches this major military operation to Rafah, then there are certain systems that we’re not going to be supporting and supplying for that operation.”

“If they leave and get out of Gaza, as we believe they need to do, then you’re going to have a vacuum that’s likely to be filled by chaos, anarchy, and ultimately by Hamas again,” he said.

“We want to make sure that Hamas cannot govern Gaza again,” he claimed, despite the administration’s pushing for a ceasefire that would preserve Hamas’s military and political power in Gaza. “We want to make sure it’s demilitarized. We want to make sure that Israel gets [Hamas’s] leaders… We have a different way, and we think a more effective, durable way of getting that done. We remain in conversation with Israel about exactly that.”

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Watch: Northern Israel Is Literally On Fire After Hezbollah Attacks [VIDEOS] BY TYLER DURDEN

SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2024 – 07:10 PM – Starting Friday night into Saturday a series of surreal images and videos have circulated widely showing that whole swathes of northern Israel are literally on fire.

The fires were largely in open field areas, but were very extensive given they were the result of about 35 rockets being fired from Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, targeting the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, which suffered damage.

Brushfires erupted, but there were some direct hits on homes and buildings as well. “The city reported significant damage to property and infrastructure, with dozens of homes and vehicles affected,” Ynet news reports.

At least ten fire crews from the area of Galilee and Golan responded, and worked to extinguish at least two expansive fires which were in open fields.

Since conflict erupted along the Israel-Lebanese border in the wake of the Hamas Oct.7 terror attack, rocket salvos from Hezbollah have been almost daily, but these appear to be the most extensive wildfires which have resulted to date.

Israeli authorities have confirmed and filmed the fires which were at their height in the Friday overnight and Saturday early morning hours.

Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services North District issued a statement saying, “The firefighters are working tirelessly to contain the flames along the residential line, while fire alarms continuously sound in the area.”

“The combination of weather conditions and heavy barrages has led to multiple fire sites—a scenario we were prepared for and responded to with reinforced efforts,” Commander Assistant Deputy Fire Commissioner Yair Elkayam,” it continued.

The Debate over the IDF’s Rafah Operation and Joe Biden’s Interference By Antonio Graceffo

May 11, 2024 12:00 pm – As Israel prepares for the final push through Rafah, President Biden announced that he will pause the delivery of some US weapons and ammunition to Israel, which is a huge mistake. It will embolden Hamas. Until a few days before, he was using US taxpayer money and US military personnel to build a pier to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, while simultaneously providing weapons to Israel. Ironically, the US also halted funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the primary humanitarian agency operating in Gaza. Cutting funding to UNRWA was justified by the fact that some of its members were found to have been terrorists who participated in the October 7th attack on Israel. But now, Biden is giving aid, more or less directly, to Hamas.

Biden is playing both sides at the same time. It is a dangerous game, and it will win him nothing. Israel supporters hate him for it. And the pro-Hamas crowd is not going to be happy until he stops supporting Israel altogether, which will never happen.

In a recent survey, only 38% of voters believe the US is doing too much to support Israel, while 50% more voters trust Trump than Biden to handle the situation.

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has fought their way through to the final pocket of Rafah, which borders Egypt. The humanitarian crisis in Rafah is worsened by Egypt closing its border to keep out Hamas. With aid unable to enter through Egypt, Biden devised his nonsensical plan to airdrop aid to Gaza, helping Hamas hang on that much longer, prolonging the conflict and increasing civilian casualties.

Most of the world community is trying to stop Israel from carrying out its Rafah operation. Despite the unpleasant prospect of more destruction, Prime Minister Netanyahu believes he must push all the way through to destroy Hamas, as he sees it as the only path to peace for Israel. Biden’s decision to cut off weapons to Israel is not likely to halt the fighting. Netanyahu has emphasized that Israel will continue the fight with or without US munitions. However, without them, the conflict will continue and more civilians will die.

Furthermore, the US withholding military aid could lead to an increase in casualties for another reason. It may embolden Hezbollah to launch an attack, recognizing that Israel will be forced to prioritize its remaining munitions against multiple threats.

Ironically, if Hezbollah were to enter the conflict, the US is likely to become directly involved. Israel remains the US’s most important ally in the Middle East, and this alliance won’t be altered by the Israel-Gaza conflict. If the US ends up deploying troops or conducting targeted airstrikes and artillery barrages against Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, it would seem absurd if the Biden administration still refused to provide Israel with weapons. Additionally, it’s improbable that liberals would acknowledge and appreciate his restraint.

An unforeseen consequence of this conflict is that Palestine is closer to international recognition now than at any time in history. So far, 144 countries have voted to grant Palestine statehood. The Israeli ambassador to the UN has said that granting statehood to Palestine, with no mention of the October 7th massacre, would be like handing a reward to the Nazis for the Holocaust. Fortunately, the US blocked the resolution on Palestinian statehood.

The UN later voted to grant Palestine expanded rights and privileges; however, the US again vetoed. President Biden stated that the US would not agree until Israel had been consulted and until details such as “boundaries, security, and the future of Jerusalem” had been agreed upon. The president’s stance aligns with the US position of the last 75 years, which is also supported by most American Conservatives, but it has put Biden at odds with liberals. Nonetheless, there is no chance that liberals will vote for Trump. Therefore, in reality, Biden is taking no electoral risk.

Biden bailed on Afghanistan. Hopefully, he will not abandon Israel. Legally, he is not permitted to completely forsake Israel and is obligated to defend Israel at the United Nations. The Kirk-McCain Bill prohibits the US from contributing to U.N. agencies that grant full membership to the Palestinian Authority or the Palestine Liberation Organization. Consequently, if a U.N. agency were to grant full membership to a Palestinian state, the United States would be required to halt funding to that agency, which could encompass both dues and voluntary contributions. The US ceased funding to UNESCO in 2011 when it granted Palestine full membership.

Biden Regime Accuses Israel of Violating International Law in Their Attacks on Hamas in Gaza By Jim Hoft

May 11, 2024 1:20 pm – The Biden regime on Friday accused Israel of using U.S. weapons in ways that violate international law.

The regime is pressuring Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu not to invade Rafah in Gaza – the final stronghold of Hamas terrorists.

Forbes reported:The Biden administration said Friday it is “reasonable to assess” Israel has broken international law during the war in Gaza, multiple outlets reported, though the report didn’t definitively confirm any violations that would prompt a cutoff of U.S. aid—two days after President Joe Biden said “I’m not supplying the weapons” if Israel launches a broader offensive in southern Gaza.

Earlier this week Joe Biden threatened to cut off military aid to Israel as it continues its war against Hamas terrorists who murdered 1,200 Israelis on October 7, 2023.

Hamas is still holding over 130 Jews hostage including Americans.

On Wednesday, the Biden administration confirmed it was pausing a shipment of arms to Israel out of concern Israel will invade Rafah, a southeastern Gaza city in which an estimated million Palestinians are seeking refuge—and one of the only remaining parts of Gaza that hasn’t faced an Israeli ground incursion since Hamas’ attack last year. Later that day, Biden said he would not be “supplying the weapons” if Israel invaded Rafah. There has been growing pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to invade Rafah—from the U.S. and other allies—though Netanyahu said Thursday Israel “will stand alone” if it has to and will continue to fight until it defeats Hamas.

[Ed.: The old guy kind’a makes it up as he goes along. It’s not like he is some kind of international law maven. Maybe we can get him to say that October 7 was in accordance with international law…]

US ‘deeply concerned’ after report alleges Gaza prisoners abused at Israeli facility By TOI STAFF and JACOB MAGID

Citing Israeli whistleblowers and freed detainees, CNN describes beatings, psychological abuse, medical neglect, prisoners tied near-naked to beds; IDF denies improper treatment

May 11, 2024 – The United States has said it is “deeply concerned” over a recent report alleging abuse of Gaza detainees at an Israeli detention facility holding terror suspects detained during the ongoing war with Hamas in the Strip.

Citing two Israeli whistleblowers and a Palestinian doctor who was held in the Sde Teiman facility in the Negev, the report detailed alleged widespread abuse of detainees, including extreme use of physical restraints, beatings, neglect of medical problems, arbitrary punishments and more.

Most of the detainees at the facility are suspected terror operatives arrested during the months-long Gaza war, though it is believed that some are terrorists arrested in Israel during the atrocities of October 7.

Suspected terror operatives are legally allowed to be held for 45 days before they must either be released or moved on to the care of the Israel Prison Service.

The two Israeli sources said prisoners were forced to sit up straight for long hours, blindfolded much of the time, and were not allowed to speak. A common form of punishment for those who spoke or otherwise offended was to force them to hold their arms over their head for an hour. Some had their arms zip-tied to the fence over their heads.

[Ed.: But the US was never “deeply concerned” about the tens of thousands of migrant children that the US has forced into child sex trafficking. These same children are often being sacrificed alive in (US) Devil worship ceremonies. Entities as evil as the US mustn’t be given any credibility when pointing fingers at others (who do not do that. )

This is where Yahya Sinwar is hiding

Living underground in tunnels has made Yahys Sinwar actually look like a rat! His personal pronound is “It”. His famous last words will be “squeek squeek”‘

Recent intelligence estimates point to location which Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar left about a month ago, The New York Times reports.

May 11, 2024, 9:05 PM (GMT+3) Israel National News – Yahya Sinwar, Hamas leader in Gaza, is not in Rafah, Israeli sources told The New York Times.

Previously, it was believed that Sinwar was hiding in one of the many tunnels beneath Rafah in southern Gaza.

However, the two sources said that the most recent intelligence points to Sinwar hiding in underground tunnels near Khan Yunis, which the IDF exited about a month ago.

Meanwhile, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said Saturday night that, “IDF forces are at the height of an operation in the Zeitoun neighborhood in the Gaza Strip. In recent hours, they located a significant underground network, and in the past hour, IAF planes are attacking terror targets throughout Jabaliya in northern Gaza. As part of our preparations for an operation in the area, this morning we began a temporary evacuation of Jabaliya.”

Hagari added that “alerts sounded in northern Israel, warning of hostile aircraft infiltration from Hezbollah, and the aircraft fell in Beit Hillel. No one was injured in the incident.”

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In protest of resolution: Erdan shreds copy of UN Charter using a paper shredder

According to the Israeli Ambassador to the UN, the resolution granting the PA powers and rights of a UN member state violates the UN Charter.

May 10, 2024, 6:55 PM (GMT+3) Israel National News – Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations addressed the UN General Assembly before it voted to adopt a resolution granting the Palestinian Authority the powers and rights of a UN member state.

“Today, another travesty is being committed here by the General Assembly. An unforgivable act: the destruction of the United Nations Charter. The UN Charter, the ‘sacred’ document that serves as the foundation of everything we are supposed to do here, is being trampled upon. It is being thrown out the window. You are spitting on the very values that were formulated to bind this organization!” Erdan stated.

“With today’s destructive resolution, you are circumventing the Security Council, ignoring its decision, and violating the norms this organization has abided by. The Charter was drafted for a reason, but most of you care nothing for the qualifications it outlines,” he continued.

The Ambassador explained: Let me remind you what the Charter says about admitting new UN members:

1) Membership in the United Nations is open to all other peace-loving states that accept the obligations contained in the present Charter.

2) The admission of any such state to membership in the United Nations will be effected by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.”

Erdan declared: “With today’s vote, you are not only bypassing the Security Council – in violation of the Charter. But you are bastardizing the meaning of ‘peace-loving.’ You know that the Palestinians are the exact opposite of peace-loving! You know this! Since they rejected the UN Partition Plan in 1947, they have only tried to destroy Israel, time and again! They are terror-loving! They are anything but peace-loving!”

To demonstrate what, in his opinion, the resolution would mean to the UN Charter, Ambassador Erdan pulled out a small paper shredder and shredded a copy of the UN Charter.

[Ed.: Golda Meir was right! And you can’t let your ‘friends’ try to negotiate peace for you, either!!]

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Daily Shmutz | ISRAEL (IINO) | 5/17/24

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