House to vote Wednesday on bill to compel Biden to sell arms to Israel

 

(May 13, 2024 / JNS)

The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on Wednesday on a bill that would compel the Biden administration to approve arms sales to Israel.

Reps. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), Tom Cole (R-Okla.), Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and David Joyce (R-Ohio) released the Israel Security Assistance Support Act on Saturday. The bill condemns the Biden administration’s decision to pause an arms shipment to Israel and would withhold funds from the Pentagon and U.S. State Department unless that and future shipments are approved.

“The House and Senate acted on the will of the people, overwhelmingly providing Israel with the firepower to send a message: the U.S. and our allies will not cower to terrorist organizations like Hamas,” the stated lawmakers. “The administration is expected to utilize the very aid it requested to equip Israel with what it needs to defend itself, destroy Hamas and maintain peace in the region.”

Withholding resources would “impede our national and global security and send a dangerous signal that the U.S. cannot be counted on as a partner,” the lawmakers added.

“We demand the administration fulfill our commitment to our great ally in the Middle East, especially so in this serious time of need,” they added. READ MORE

Israel-Egypt ties in the spotlight: Regional media smells blood - analysis

Egypt-Israel ties are being closely watched in the region. This includes a number of reports from the Gulf, particularly from the UAE media, as well as reports from pro-Iranian media, indicating that different parties in the region are keenly engaged in this topic.

The reason for this is clear. Egypt was the first Arab country to make peace with Israel, and historically, it has been a center of Arab military, political, and cultural power. If Egypt begins to turn on Israel due to the Rafah operation, it could have widespread effects.

It's important to understand what is at stake here. The Jordan-Israel relationship has often been tense over the last decades and there is a particularly negative view in the region regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

This was clearly displayed when Israel-Jordan relations appeared to improve while Netanyahu was briefly out of office. The Israel-Jordan relationship carries a lot of baggage and criticism of Israel is a 'built-in' feature of the relationship. Jerusalem is expecting negative statements from Amman regarding current events.

Israeli ties with Egypt different from ties with Jordan

Whereas Jordan has a large Palestinian population and public negativity toward Israel is seen as a way to placate the masses, the Egyptian relationship is different. READ MORE

Hezbollah leader: Israel in dilemma between defeat or ‘abyss’ in Gaza war

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address Monday that Israel was facing a “historical dilemma” in its war in Gaza between defeat and an “abyss.”

“If it halts the war, it will be a major defeat; and it will move into an abyss if it continues the military battle,” Nasrallah claimed, according to the Lebanon-based terror group’s Al-Manar TV.

He added that Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel in which terrorists murdered some 1,200 people and kidnapped 252 was “a chance to revitalize the Palestinian cause.”

The “steadfastness of women, children and resistance fighters in Gaza” has helped to reverse processes of normalization between Israel and Arab countries, he said.

“Nowadays, Palestine and the Palestinian rights are being highlighted all over the world,” Nasrallah was quoted as saying. READ MORE

US outraged at Israeli protesters’ assault on aid convoy: ‘Utterly unacceptable’

The United States said Monday it was looking at a response to an assault by right-wing protesters who blocked an aid convoy heading to Gaza, spilled the trucks’ cargo into the road, and reportedly set two of the vehicles alight.

Four people were arrested during the assault on the convoy as it passed through the West Bank on its way from Jordan to the Gaza Strip.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in Washington: “It is a total outrage that there are people who are attacking and looting these convoys.

“We are looking at the tools that we have to respond to this,” Sullivan said. “We are also raising our concerns at the highest level of the Israeli government and it’s something that we make no bones about – this is completely and utterly unacceptable behavior.”

Germany’s Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert also condemned the vandalism, writing in a post to X: “To raid aid trucks and prevent food from reaching the needy is disgraceful. And it certainly won‘t help the Israeli cause of freeing the hostages and securing the country against the terror of Hamas.” READ MORE

Report: Sinwar had secret police force to quash dissent in Gaza

Yahya Sinwar the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip, created and oversaw a secret police force that monitored and created files on ordinary Gazan civilians, the New York Times reported.

Documents seized from Gaza indicate that this secret force, which is called the General Security Service, targeted journalists, young people, and others who questioned the Hamas government in Gaza.

Anyone who attended a protest against a Hamas official or any aspect of Hamas's rule, as well as anyone who publically criticized Hamas, was investigated by the General Security Service.

The secret force was used to quash any and all dissent in Gaza, the Times reported. Journalists were often followed, criticism of Hamas was removed from social media, and all efforts were made to suppress anti-Hamas protests.

The General Security Service created files on at least 10,000 people in Gaza from 2016-2023.

The secret force consisted of 856 people and had a monthly budget of $120,000.

One Gaza journalist who was targeted said that he had his phone seized and searched while on his way to a protest. According to the journalist, the officers wrote messages of a flirtatious nature to a female journalist on his phone to plant evidence of immoral behavior against him.

Michael Milshtein, a former Israeli military intelligence officer, compared the Gaza General Security Service to the East German Stasi secret police organization.

Columbia University-affiliated seminary to divest from Israel

A Christian seminary in New York, affiliated with Columbia University, recently announced plans to divest from Israel and other companies involved in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, Newsweek reported on Monday.

On May 9, the Union Theological Seminary in New York announced that its board of trustees had endorsed a divestment plan from "companies profiting from war in Palestine/Israel", according to the report.

"Over the decades, we have developed what are called 'socially responsible investment (SRI) screens' to express our values and not financially support damaging and immoral investments," the seminary said in a statement. "With respect to companies that are profiting from the present war in Palestine, we continue to hold these standards high and have taken steps to identify all investments, both domestic and global, that support and profit from the present killing of innocent civilians in Palestine, whose numbers are now over 34,000—and a humanitarian crisis of ever-growing magnitude."

The seminary said it remained "unequivocal" in its denouncement of the civilian deaths caused by Hamas terrorist on October 7. It added, "Our investment policies will continue to adapt, guided by our values, to strengthen the resolve that undergirds our decision today."

In a statement to Newsweek, Serene Jones, the president of Union Theological Seminary, said, "Union has a 187-year tradition of advancing peace and justice. The Board of Trustees was driven to undertake this months-long process to ensure that we have a proactively just investment policy in accordance with our deep religious, spiritual, and core values. We're constantly evolving to better embody our core values. This was an act of conscience and the vote was an extension of Union's policies to ensure our investment portfolio reflects those core values."

Tensions have been on the rise at Columbia University in recent weeks amid growing anti-Israel demonstrations on the campus.

Two weeks ago, New York City police officers entered Columbia University to clear a pro-Palestinian Arab encampment, arresting hundreds.

Previously, more than 100 people were arrested by New York Police Department officers on a preliminary charge of criminal trespass, as police entered Columbia University to disperse a the pro-Palestinian Arab protest, but it has since continued and grown more explicitly antisemitic.

Days earlier, the Chabad rabbi of Columbia University and a group of Jewish students were forced to leave the university campus for their own safety during a pro-Hamas.

Live Updates: IDF tanks moving towards central Rafah, reports say

IDF ground forces on Saturday evening entered the Jabalia "refugee" camp in the northern Gaza Strip once again in an attempt to prevent Hamas from restoring its rule in the camp. During the day, the IAF and IDF artillery bombarded buildings known to be housing Hamas terrorists with thousands of kilograms of explosives. Explosions were heard all the way in central Israel.

Last week, IDF forces began operating in the eastern outskirts of Rafah, the Gaza Strip's southernmost city. While the operation is currently limited, it begins an offensive that has been anticipated for the past few months in what is considered Hamas's last stronghold.

Over the weekend terrorists launched missiles at the cities of Be'er Sheva and Ashkelon. In Be'er Sheva, a missile hit a playground, no one was hurt. In Ashkelon, three people were lightly wounded when a rocket hit a house. At the same time, Hezbollah continues to launch missiles and kamikaze drones from Lebanon into northern Israel. READ MORE

Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia: US CENTCOM’s regional strategy - analysis

US Central Command has been highlighting close US ties to several countries in the region. This includes trips by Central Command (CENTCOM) commanding General Michael Erik Kurilla to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, and other countries.

On May 9-10, Kurilla traveled to Saudi Arabia to meet with “leaders of the Saudi Royal Armed Forces and senior US diplomats. The visit is part of an ongoing multi-country trip to the CENTCOM area of responsibility,” US Central Command said.

He met with the Chief of General Staff, Gen. Fayyadh al-Ruwaili, and other Saudi senior military leaders. They discussed the region, Gaza, and defense technology. Kurilla also met with the US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Michael Ratney, and the US Ambassador to the Republic of Yemen, Steven Fagin. “The leaders discussed current security challenges in the region, with particular emphasis on Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.” Kurilla praised the Saudis.

"The Royal Saudi Armed Forces are a critical security partner in the region as we address regional security challenges through interoperable organizations and capabilities…Building on our over seven decades of direct military partnership, we continue to work together to achieve our shared goals."

Kurilla was also in Egypt from May 6-7. He was there to gain a “deeper understanding of the perspectives of Egyptian military leaders on regional security and the status of humanitarian aid,” CENTCOM said. He met Egyptian General Mohamed Zaki, the Minister of Defense and Military Production, and Lt. Gen. Osama Askar, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. “The leaders focused their discussions on regional security concerns in Gaza and the Red Sea, alleviating humanitarian suffering in Gaza, and the need to reestablish stability following the current regional conflicts.” READ MORE

Palestinian terror groups meet in Damascus, claim they will fight IDF in Rafah - report

 

The Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement (PIJ), Ziyad al-Nakhalah, confirmed on Sunday that the “Palestinian resistance will continue to fight until victory, as the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip enters its eighth month.”

The statement was relayed by the pro-Iranian al-Mayadeen media, which often republishes the statements of Hezbollah, Hamas, and other groups. He said this vow came after a meeting of a number of “Palestinian resistance factions” in Damascus. He did not specify which groups met there. PIJ is an Iranian proxy group and it often coordinates with Tehran and with Hamas and also with Hezbollah.

According to al-Nakhalah the Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza, which he calls “resistance factions” are now in a massive fight in Gaza “the likes of which they have never faced before.” It wasn’t clear from his comment if he means that they are on the ropes and they are facing too many casualties, or it was more along the lines of the Saddam Hussein “mother of all battles” propaganda line.

“He continued by saying that the Palestinian people are fighting in Gaza as they have never fought before and that the Israeli occupation is facing resistance that it has never faced before,” Al-Mayadeen media said. According to the PIJ leader, who relaxes in Damascus while his fighters are being killed, the path of the war is the best possible one for the movement.

This is “despite all the sacrifices and pure souls offered by the Palestinian people.” For Hamas, Iran, PIJ, and others, the suffering of people is always justified to get to their final goal of destroying Israel. What’s interesting here is at least the PIJ leader admits it. READ MORE

Reserve soldiers: 72% in favor of entering Rafah and against the hostage deal at all costs

A survey conducted by the Direct Polls Institute for the Regavim movement, polled 512 reservists from all spectrums of Israeli society who served during the Swords of Iron War, to examine their opinions on various issues in Israeli society.

Following protests and heavy pressure from sectors in the Israeli society regarding negotiations with Hamas, the subjects were asked to express their opinions on a hostage deal at all costs and the possibility of entry to Rafah. Only 24% of respondents supported a deal at all costs. 72% responded that they oppose such a deal and support entry to Rafah.

When asked for their opinions on enabling the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza, the reservists presented a clear and sharp approach: only 9% support the initiative. 90% oppose it, while 33% of them are prepared to consider different terms, which would ensure that the aid will not reach Hamas at all.

The subjects were asked whether members of the IDF Forum represent the general outlay of IDF soldiers. Only 18% answered positively, compared to more than 3 times this number (58%), who answered that it does not represent them.

In response to the question "Do the members of the cabinet represent the human composition of the IDF soldiers," the findings are even clearer: 19% believe that they are representative, in comparison to almost 4 times this number (68%), who claim that the cabinet does not represent the soldiers at all.

Meir Deutsch, CEO of Regavim, commented on the results and said that, "On the eve of the Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of the Wars of Israel and Victims of Actions of Terrorism and marking 76 years of our independence, 218 days into the fighting, the time has come to hear the authentic voices of the reservists. Everyone who served in the reserves during the war, including all employees of Regavim, felt that the voices of the IDF soldiers in the field were different from what was shown in the media. In preparation for the day of memorial and day of independence in the State of Israel, the time has come to make the voices of those who chose to stop their lives, fight and risk their lives, heard, including those who were injured and lost friends, and those who are fighting the war for all of us."

Iranian lawmaker claims: We already have nuclear weapons

An Iranian lawmaker declared that the Islamic Republic of Iran possesses atomic weapons, Fox News reported.

"In my opinion, we have achieved nuclear weapons, but we do not announce it. It means our policy is to possess nuclear bombs, but our declared policy is currently within the framework of the JCPOA," the lawmaker, Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, was quoted as having told the Iran-based outlet Rouydad 24.

The JCPOA is an abbreviation for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the formal name for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

Ardestani, who was re-elected to Iran’s quasi-parliament in March, added, "The reason is that when countries want to confront others, their capabilities must be compatible, and Iran's compatibility with America and Israel means that Iran must have nuclear weapons."

"In a climate where Russia has attacked Ukraine and Israel has attacked Gaza, and Iran is a staunch supporter of the Resistance Front, it is natural for the containment system to require that Iran possess nuclear bombs. However, whether Iran declares it is another matter," he stated.

Iran has scaled back its compliance with the 2015 deal in response to former US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement in 2018.

In September, Tehran barred a third of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) core inspections team, including the most experienced, from taking part in agreed monitoring of the enrichment process.

The IAEA has found that, between June and November last year, Iran slowed down the enrichment to 3 kg per month, but that jumped back up to a rate of 9 kg at the end of the year.

Iranian officials insist that nuclear weapons have no place in Iran's nuclear doctrine, and cite a fatwa (religious decree) by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which bans the development of nuclear weapons.

Defense Min. to Blinken: Israel committed to the goals of the war

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke Sunday night with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

As the State of Israel marks Memorial Day for Israel’s Fallen and Victims of Terror, Minister Gallant highlighted the troops who fought courageously in the face of the Hamas invasion on October 7th and in the battles that followed, the hostages taken by Hamas terrorists, and the innocent civilians who were brutally murdered on the day of the attack.

Minister Gallant also discussed developments in Gaza, including IDF operations across the strip in the face of terror hotspots, and the precise operation in the Rafah area against remaining Hamas battalions, while securing the crossing.

In addition, the Defense Minister stressed the commitment of the State of Israel to continue operating in order to achieve the goals of the war - the release of 132 hostages held by Hamas terrorists, and the destruction of Hamas as a military and governing authority.

Gallant expressed his appreciation to Secretary Blinken for the ongoing support provided by the US Administration for Israel’s security.

Early Monday morning, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that Blinken "affirmed the ironclad US commitment to Israel’s security and the shared objective of the defeat of Hamas" and the two "discussed the situation in Gaza and ongoing efforts to secure the release of hostages."

"The Secretary reaffirmed the US opposition to a major military ground operation in Rafah, where over one million people have taken shelter," Miller added.

Blinken "underscored the urgent need to protect civilians and aid workers in Gaza and urged the Minister to ensure assistance can move into Gaza and help address distribution challenges inside of Gaza as Israel pursues Hamas targets," the statement concluded.

Egypt joins ICJ case against Israel as one official warns Rafah op puts peace at risk

With the IDF deepening its ground operations in Rafah, a senior Egyptian official told The Associated Press on Sunday that Cairo had lodged protests with Israel, the United States and European governments, warning that its peace treaty with Israel — a cornerstone of regional stability — was at high risk.

The news agency did not report any further comments from the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

At the same time, at a Cairo press conference with his Slovenian counterpart, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry sought to calm worries over the future of the peace deal.

“The peace agreement with Israel has been Egypt’s strategic choice for 40 years, and it represents a core pillar of peace in the region for peace and stability,” he said, adding that there are mechanisms for adjudicating violations of the agreement.

Nevertheless, later Sunday Egypt announced it would support South Africa’s ongoing lawsuit in the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

Groups Behind Protests Seizing College Campuses Get Bad News as Senators Head Letter to IRS

In the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol incursion, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, known as FinCEN,  asked financial institutions to use search terms like “TRUMP” and “MAGA” to comb through customer data on purchases of items like bus tickets, books or subscriptions looking for indicators of “extremism”

FinCEN also provided slides instructing banks to flag customers making purchases at stores like Cabela’s or Dick’s Sporting Goods as “potential active shooters” or terrorists, according to The New York Post.

While the Capitol incursion happened on one day and was over in a matter of hours, the protests on college campuses have continued for weeks.

The coordination between campuses, the professionally created signs, and the matching tents show clear evidence that these protesters, unlike the ones on Jan. 6, were being funded by outside, anti-Semitic and anti-American forces.

Some 2,200 people have been arrested or detained on at least 49 college campuses in 26 different states, according to Fox News.

So, where are the FBI and the IRS now? Where is FinCEN?

A group of 15 Republican senators, led by Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, has sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel, demanding an investigation into whether several nonprofit organizations have violated their tax-exempt status by providing financial support to groups backing Hamas, which is a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to Just The News. READ MORE

If Terrorism 'Works,' Why Stop? Biden's Push for PA State Will Bring More Terror

Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has repeatedly spoken of the need for a "pathway" for the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. According to Blinken, a Palestinian state would have two positive effects: First, it would pave the way for a normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and second, it would "isolate" Iran and its terrorist proxies, including Hamas and Hezbollah.

This is the same Blinken who has put pressure on Israel to refrain from a military operation to destroy the remaining four Hamas battalions in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. If the battalions are not destroyed, it means that Hamas will remain in power and that Israel will, by default, lose the war. Hamas would be able to rebuild its military and, as it has vowed, will repeat the October 7 attack, time and again, until Israel is annihilated.

In addition, a Hamas victory would catapult the terror group's power and popularity among Palestinians, as well as Hezbollah, the Houthis and other terrorist groups. A Hamas victory would accurately be seen globally as proof that terrorism not only works but is rewarded. A Hamas victory would also definitively seal the chances of Iran and Qatar continuing to control the Palestinian state that Blinken is so keen to establish - as is seemingly the Biden administration's intent. READ MORE

Iran's capacity to move oil reliant on Malaysian providers, US official says

The United States sees Iran's capacity to move its oil as reliant on service providers based in Malaysia, with oil being transferred near Singapore and throughout the region, a senior United States Treasury official said on Tuesday.

Treasury is increasing its focus on financing for militant groups routed through Southeast Asia, including through fundraising efforts and illicit sales of Iranian oil.

The official told reporters the United States was trying to prevent Malaysia from becoming a jurisdiction where the Palestinian militant group Hamas could both fundraise and then move money.

The official said the United States saw Iranian oil being transferred near Singapore and throughout the region.

US trying to prevent Malaysia to be jurisdiction where Hamas can move money

Nelson told reporters the United States was trying to prevent Malaysia from becoming a jurisdiction where the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas could both fundraise and then move money.

He said the United States saw Iranian oil being transferred near Singapore and throughout the region.

Last December, Treasury imposed sanctions on four Malaysia-based companies it accused of being fronts supporting Iran's production of drones.

The official also said sanctions and export controls against Russia were seeing progress, saying the Russian oil price cap was reducing Moscow's capacity to profit from oil sales while preserving the stability of global energy markets.

Singapore is a major shipping hub. Insurance and other maritime service providers operating in Singapore have warned of evasion of the price cap on Russian oil, complaining that it is difficult to confirm that paperwork promising oil is bought at or below the $60 cap is accurate.

US said offering intel on Hamas leaders’ whereabouts if Israel drops major Rafah op

The Biden administration has reportedly offered to give Israel “sensitive intelligence” on the whereabouts of senior Hamas leaders if it agrees to hold off on a long-promised major military operation in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah.

The Washington Post quoted four unnamed sources as saying that the United States “is offering Israel valuable assistance if it holds back, including sensitive intelligence to help the Israeli military pinpoint the location of Hamas leaders and find the group’s hidden tunnels.”

The report said that the administration has also offered to help put up large tent encampments for Palestinians evacuated from Rafah, and to assist in building infrastructure to provide humanitarian aid.

A senior administration official familiar with the discussions, also unnamed, was quoted as saying that Israel had provided assurances that Israel Defense Forces troops would not enter Rafah before evacuating about 800,000 of an estimated 1 million Palestinians sheltering there amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

Comments from White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby at a Thursday briefing appeared to be in line with the report, though he noted that such intelligence was already being given to Israel. READ MORE

The "Biden Effect"

At some point, Israel’s current war with Iranian proxy Hamas will likely evolve into a direct and protracted war with Iran. Whether or not this happens while Iran is “pre-nuclear,” such conflict could nonetheless “become nuclear.” In part, this is because any Israeli-Iranian competition in strategic risk-taking – a mutual search for “escalation dominance” – could compel Israel to cross the nuclear conflict threshold. Though this crossing would initiate an asymmetrical or one-sided nuclear conflict, it would still represent a genuine nuclear war.

There are clarifying scenarios. To begin, even a pre-nuclear Iran could mount “quasi-nuclear” attacks on Israel with radiation dispersal weapons and/or conventional rocket attacks on the Dimona nuclear reactor. In these worrisome narratives, both unprecedented, Israel could find itself having to escalate to low-yield or tactical nuclear weapons in order to “win.” In a worst-case scenario, North Korea would confront Israel as Iran’s already-nuclear surrogate. Such a scenario ought never to be dismissed out of hand.

What would happen next? What should Israel do now? Most urgently, Jerusalem needs to initiate a prompt or incremental process of “selective nuclear disclosure” (that is, put an end to “deliberate nuclear ambiguity,” aka the “bomb in the basement”), and clarify its assumed “Samson Option.” Whatever the particulars, the overriding point of this presumptively last-resort Israeli option would not be to “die with the Philistines” (per Samson in the biblical Book of Judges), but rather to enhance the credibility of Israel’s nuclear deterrent. READ MORE

Post-war plan: Israel to assume civil administration of Gaza for at least a year

The National Security Council recently discussed a comprehensive plan to address the post-war situation in Gaza, and it will soon be presented to the Cabinet.

According to Kan News, the plan includes civil control of Gaza for a period of up to two years by the Civil Administration and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. During this period, services for Gaza residents will be provided by private Arab companies. According to the plan, control of the Strip will eventually be transferred to local bodies that are assured not to be hostile to Israel.

Security and government officials are holding discussions and meetings with relevant parties to formulate the plan. Israel had previously been in talks with a senior Palestinian Authority official and an associate of Mahmoud Abbas, General Majid Faraj, to help build the mechanism for the day after in Gaza.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said regarding this issue that the only way to establish an alternative government in Gaza is the complete elimination of all Hamas services in Gaza. However, Arab states have stated that without a renewed Palestinian Authority, they will not cooperate with plans of this kind.

Over 150 targets struck | IDF soldiers operate in Jabaliya, Zeitoun and Rafah

Following calls to the civilian population to temporarily evacuate from the area of Jabaliya to shelters in western Gaza City, IDF troops began an operation overnight based on intelligence information regarding attempts by Hamas to reassemble its terrorist infrastructure and operatives in the area. Prior to the entry of the troops, IAF fighter jets and additional aircraft struck approximately 30 terror targets in the area and eliminated several Hamas terrorists.

Simultaneously, following IDF and ISA intelligence, IDF troops are continuing precise operations in specific areas of eastern Rafah and on the Gazan side of the Rafah Crossing. During the activity, IDF troops located and dismantled a number of tunnel shafts and rocket launchers ready to fire toward Israeli territory. In addition, IDF troops identified ten armed Hamas terrorists exiting terrorist infrastructure. An IAF aircraft and IDF troops struck and eliminated the terrorists. WATCH MORE

HRW: US weaponry allowed Israel to kill aid workers in Lebanon

An alleged airstrike on an emergency relief center in south Lebanon, in March 2024, was made using US-manufactured weaponry, according to a Tuesday release from the organization Human Rights Watch (HRW.) 

The strike was reportedly made using Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kit and an Israeli-made 500-pound general purpose bomb. 

Some seven aid workers were reportedly killed in the strike, according to HRW.

HRW described the attack as unlawful, claiming it was on civilians and that Israel failed to take all necessary precautions. If the attack on civilians was carried out intentionally or recklessly, it should be investigated as an apparent war crime, the organization claimed. 

The strike, which occurred after midnight, hit a residential structure that housed the Emergency and Relief Corps of the Lebanese Succour Association, a nongovernmental humanitarian organization that provides emergency, rescue, first aid training, and relief services in Lebanon, according to the release. READ MORE

After Biden arms freeze, Israel can still fight in Rafah. Lebanon is a different story

On October 10, three days after the massacre perpetrated by Hamas in the kibbutzim and cities of southern Israel, US President Joe Biden strode to the podium in the White House State Dining Room.

Vice President Kamala Harris stood behind his right shoulder, Secretary of State Antony Blinken behind his left.

“We must be crystal clear,” said the president, seen as one of Israel’s closest friends in Washington. “We stand with Israel. We stand with Israel.”

“And we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself and respond to this attack,” Biden pledged.

His well-received address included a clear warning to Hezbollah and Iran: “To any country, any organization, anyone thinking of taking advantage of this situation, I have one word: Don’t. Don’t.” READ MORE

Four IDF soldiers killed as battles rage across Gaza; tanks said to advance into Rafah

Four Israeli soldiers were killed and several wounded as fierce battles raged across the Gaza Strip on Friday, while Hamas fired rockets at the southern city of Beersheba for the first time since December, lightly injuring a woman.

Israeli tanks reportedly advanced on a main road dividing the eastern and western halves of southern Gaza’s Rafah on Friday, amid heavy clashes taking place in the area, as well as in Gaza City in the north of the Strip.

The four soldiers were killed in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood. According to an initial IDF probe, they were hit by an explosive device or devices in an alleyway.

The troops had been raiding a school complex where the military had indications of Hamas activity. Weaponry and at least one tunnel were discovered in the area of the school.

The IDF has returned several times to the Zeitun neighborhood since the war’s outbreak, as Hamas has managed to regroup in areas previously cleared by the army. READ MORE

Who are Israel’s key weapons suppliers, and who has halted exports since Oct. 7?

Washington has suspended a shipment of heavy, bunker-busting bombs to Israel, weapons Israeli forces have used in their war against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

US President Joe Biden also publicly warned Israel for the first time, in a CNN interview on May 8 that the United States would withhold arms supplies if Israeli forces carried out a threatened assault on the Gaza city of Rafah, given this could endanger the lives of hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians there.

The war erupted on October 7 when the terror group launched its devastating onslaught on southern communities, murdering 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 252 hostages back to the enclave.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says nearly 35,000 people in the Strip have been killed in the fighting so far, a figure that cannot be independently verified and includes some 15,000 Hamas gunmen Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.

Two hundred and seventy-one soldiers have been killed during the ground offensive against Hamas and amid operations along the Gaza border. READ MORE

EU foreign policy chief: Several EU countries will recognize a Palestinian state on May 21

Several European Union member countries plan to recognize a Palestinian state on May 21, the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said late on Thursday, according to Reuters.

His comments came before Friday’s vote at the UN General Assembly on a resolution granting the Palestinian Authority (PA) the powers and rights of a UN member state.

Slovenia, Ireland, Malta and Spain, recently released a joint statement in which they said that they had agreed to take initial steps towards recognizing a Palestinian state.

“We are agreed on the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages and a rapid, massive and sustained increase of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the leaders said in a joint statement following a meeting on the sidelines of the European Council.

“We are agreed that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region is through implementation of a two-state solution, with Israeli and Palestinian States living side-by-side, in peace and security,” they said.

Asked on local Spanish radio station RNE if May 21 was when the countries would recognize a Palestinian state, Borrell said yes.

"This is a symbolic act of a political nature. More than a state, it recognizes the will for that state to exist," he said, adding that Belgium and other countries would probably follow.

The PA has long urged countries to recognize “Palestine” as a means of bypassing direct talks with Israel.

While several European countries have recognized “Palestine” in recent years, those moves were symbolic ones that have little, if any, actual diplomatic effect.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron recently said his country could officially recognize a Palestinian state after a ceasefire in Gaza without waiting for the outcome of what could be years-long talks between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs.