Tag: middle-east

Trump’s Two-Week Window: Deceptive Delay or Determined Diplomacy in the Israel-Iran Conflict?

On By marvinskLeave a comment

As war intensifies between Israel and Iran, a pivotal question looms large: Will the United States join in the military campaign? Yesterday (Thursday), the White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, read aloud the President’s statement: “Based on the fact that there is a chance for substantial negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future – I will make my decision on whether or not to go within the next two weeks.” She added: “The President is always interested in a diplomatic solution … if there’s a chance for diplomacy, the President’s always going to grab it. But he’s not afraid to use strength as well….” This move on the part of Trump could potentially reshape the course of the war.

A Pause for Diplomacy?

This pause reflects Trump’s latest pivot in a week that was marked by sharp swings between his hawkish rhetoric and diplomatic restraint. Only one day before this latest announcement, Trump threatened Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, adding: “Nobody knows what I’m going to do” .

Behind-the-Scenes Talks

While waiting for “push to become shove”, and notwithstanding Israel’s ongoing strikes against Iranian nuclear and ballistic targets, U.S-Iranian dialogue has not entirely broken down. According to a Reuters report, referred to in The Jerusalem Post, Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, has been in contact several times with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Iran expressed a willingness to return to the negotiating table and that it “could [note: not “would”] show flexibility in the nuclear issue”, but it is not willing to resume negotiations as long as Israel continues its war against Iran. Notwithstand the U.S. position that Iran must prohibit uranium enrichment and dismantle its ability to produce nuclear weapons, Iran views uranium enrichment as a sovereign right and asserted that this matter is non-negotiable. Israel’s position is that Iran’s nuclear ambitions need to be dumped into the trash bin of history. 

Given the conflicting positions of the major players, a delay of two weeks to test the waters of diplomacy appears to be an exercise in futility. But, that doesn’t deter representatives of the United Kingdom, Germany and France, as well as the European Union’s foreign policy chief, from meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister to pressure him that Iran needs to put the brakes on its nuclear program. It was pointed out that the Iranians can’t just “sit down” with the Americans, but the European representatives can and that they would urge the U.S. to consider renewing negotiations about Iran’s nuclear intentions before the situation explodes out of control. Despite Germany’s involvement in a push for renewed negotiations, German Chancellor Freidrich Merz said earlier this week that by taking action against Iran’s nuclear program, “This is the dirty work Israel is doing for all of us.”

The primary issue for consideration, at least from Israel’s point of view, remains to be whether the U.S. would strike Iran’s heavily fortified Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which Israeli jets may be hard pressed to reach.

Just to clarify:The Fordo facility in Iran is one of the most heavily fortified nuclear sites in the world. Israeli jets would face significant challenges if tasked with bombing it, even with advanced “bunker buster” bombs. Some of the reasons for Israel’s present difficulty are the following:

1. Extreme Depth and Fortification

• Location: Fordo is built deep inside a mountain near the city of Qom.

• Depth: It is estimated to be buried under 80 to 100 meters (260–330 feet) of rock and reinforced concrete.

• Purpose-built: It was specifically designed to withstand aerial bombardment.

Even the most advanced conventional bunker-busting bombs, such as the U.S.-made GBU-28 (used by Israel) or GBU-72, have limited penetration capabilities. The most effective bomb for such a deep facility is the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) of the U.S., which is:

• 30,000 pounds (13,600 kg)

• Designed to penetrate up to 60 meters of concrete or deep rock structures. But Israel does not possess the MOP or the B-2 or B-52 bombers required to deliver it.

2. The U.S. Holds the Most Effective Weapon

• Only the U.S. Air Force has the aircraft (B-2/B-52) and bombs (like the MOP) capable of reliably damaging or destroying a site as fortified as Fordo.

• Israel’s F-15s or F-35s cannot carry the MOP due to its size and weight.

3. Risk of Incomplete Destruction

• Even if Israel used multiple bunker busters in succession (a technique called “burrowing”), there’s no guarantee of a successful strike that would disable the facility.

• Partial damage might leave centrifuge halls intact, allowing rapid repair and reactivation.

4. Operational Complexity

• Fordo is not just deep—it’s also protected by advanced Iranian air defenses, including:

◦ Russian-made S-300 systems

◦ Hardened missile and radar sites

• Israeli aircraft would need to:

◦ Penetrate heavily defended airspace

◦ Coordinate multiple refuelings

◦ Conduct a precise strike on a very small and buried target 

5. Diplomatic and Strategic Consequences

Even if it were technically possible, a bombing strike on Fordo could:

• Trigger a regional war

• Lead to Iran accelerating its nuclear program

• Put Israel at odds with key allies, including the U.S., unless the strike was fully coordinated

For the foregoing reasons, Israel cannot reliably destroy the Fordo facility with its current bunker-buster weapons or military aircraft. Fordo’s depth, fortification, and the limitations of Israel’s arsenal make it a uniquely challenging target—perhaps only vulnerable to a direct U.S. strike with strategic bombers and next-generation bunker busters.

Israeli Expectations vs. U.S. Timelines

In Jerusalem, the two-week timeline is causing visible tension. Israeli officials believe that if the U.S. intends to participate, it must act within days – not weeks. One senior official earlier told The Times of Israel, “The expectation is that they join, but no one is pushing them. They have to make their own decision.”

During an interview with one of the leading television news networks here, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the military campaign is progressing “ahead of the schedule we set – both in terms of timing and results.” and that Israel has the ability to hit all of Iran’s nuclear facilities, which of course would include Fordo, presumably even without U.S. assistance. Here and here.

Mounting Criticism and Skepticism

The Democrats are opposed to military involvement and the Republicans are split over Trump’s indecision. The concern is that America would be pulled into another, seemingly endless conflict. One Democratic U.S. Senator dismissed the president’s remarks about a two-week hold on decision-making, saying, “He’s used this ‘two weeks’ tactic a million times before to pretend he might be doing something he’s not.” But, given Trump’s track record and modus operandi, it’s worth considering that this statement may reflect a more complex calculation. And, it is quite possible that, beneath the surface of his diplomatic choreography, there lies a web of strategic ambiguity, political stagecraft, and psychological maneuvering. Time will tell and, realistically, it won’t take too long. 

Iranian Threats and U.S. Precautions

As President Trump considers a potential strike on Iran, Tehran has warned that any U.S. involvement would result in “irreparable damage to them”. Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh stated that all U.S. bases in the region are within striking distance and would be targeted in the event of an attack. 

With a significant U.S. military presence across the Middle East, these bases could, indeed, serve as launch pads for an assault – and likely face Iranian retaliation. In preparation for potential Iranian retaliation, the U.S. military has been repositioning its assets in the region, moving unprotected aircraft to other locations; U.S. Navy ships leaving ports in Bahrain; increasing blood supplies (usually indicative of anticipated potential conflict and major U.S. airlines once again cancelling flights to the Middle East (not just to Israel). Moreover, although initially standoff-ish, the U.S. has since deepened its logistical support for Israel, with at least 14 U.S. cargo planes landing here in recent days, delivering weapons and supplies to bolster the IDF.

Final Thoughts: War or Waiting Game?

President Trump’s two-week deliberation window could be either a genuine opening for diplomacy or another calculated delay. While Jerusalem accelerates its military objectives, Washington appears indecisive, caught between an urge for non-involvement and a pull toward military action. One thing, however, remains clear: Iran’s nuclear ambitions need to be brought to nought and any negotiations that do not bring this to pass will simply be another “business deal” for the benefit of the U.S., at the considerable expense of Israel. .

Whether Trump chooses the path of restraint or military engagement, the consequences – for Israel specifically, and for the Middle East and global stability generally, will be profound.

This complex and rapidly evolving situation between Israel, Iran, and the United States stands at a critical juncture. 

The most likely short-term outcomes will hinge on four key variables:

🔑 1. Trump’s Strategic Calculation: Delay or Decisive Action?

🔑 2. Israeli Military Momentum: Self-Reliance or Expecting Backup?

🔑 3. Iran’s Posture: Threats vs. Real Red Lines

🔑 4. European Mediation & International Pressure

Fordo remains the “doomsday target” – its bombing could well mark the beginning of a regional war. But, for Israel, who is already dealing militarily on seven fronts, there is no middle ground. Maybe an earthquake will do the job and put an end to Israel’s need to destroy the Fordo plant.

From the macrocosm to the microcosm:

Iran’s missile attacks on Israel occur at all hours of the day and night. Their goal is to generate as much death and destruction as possible and target Israel’s civilian population and structures. Two days ago, residential communities in Israeli cities and a major hospital in Beer Sheva were hit. A serious catastrophe was averted when the hospital director instructed a day earlier that the third floor, which is used for operations, be completely cleared and the patients removed to other locations. But, where was the world’s outcry of Iran’s blatant war crimes?

Today’s attacks on the City of Haifa also resulted in severe damage, as well as injuries to about two dozen people, with several of them being in serious condition. 

Iran’s latest missile barrages against Israel included cluster‑munitions warheads. Around seven kilometers above the ground, these ballistic missile warheads are specifically designed to break apart in mid‑flight and release multiple smaller missile bombs, each of which contain about two kilograms of explosives and could affect an area with an approximate eight-kilometer radius. This shift marks a troubling evolution in tactics – as these missiles combine speed, maneuverability, and area saturation to overwhelm Israeli air defenses and increase the risk to civilian zones.

Your prayers are genuinely solicited:

For wisdom for the government in its decisions;

For wisdom, courage, boldness and precision for the IDF to accomplish its objectives;

For a spirit of unity amongst the people of Israel;

For the people of Iran who seek to live in peace;

For the hostages, alive and dead, being held in Gaza to be released;

For the thousands of wounded, that they would receive care and be treated with compassion;

For the families who lost loved ones as a result of the Gaza War, to be comforted.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?

When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.

Though a host encamp against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
In spite of this I shall be confident.” (Psalm 27:1-3)

Whatever situation you find yourself in, there is One Who is greater than all of our problems. So remember: Bless, be blessed and be a blessing. Your rewards will be eternal.

Shabbat Shalom,

Marvin

“Operation Rising Lion” – Israel’s Strategic Strike on Iran Cloaked in Deception and Biblical Symbolism

On By marvinsk2 Comments

In what experts describe as the most intricate deception campaign in Israel’s history, the Israeli government launched a major preemptive strike against Iran – code-named “Operation Rising Lion”—targeting key nuclear facilities and senior military leadership. This unprecedented operation was concealed beneath layers of real political drama and misleading signals that misdirected both domestic and foreign observers.

Strategic Deception Behind the Strike

Israel’s operation against Iran was not only a military event but a carefully choreographed illusion. Amid genuine political turmoil over the controversial Conscription Law and speculation about a potential collapse of Netanyahu’s government, military preparations proceeded in secrecy.

Disguising Intentions: Key figures, such as Mossad Director David Barnea and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, remained in Israel instead of traveling abroad for expected diplomatic consultations with U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steven Witkoff. Reports falsely suggested diplomatic priorities, while covert military plans were already in motion.

False Timelines: Prime Minister Netanyahu’s personal calendar—including a planned family vacation and his son’s wedding scheduled for the beginning of this coming week—helped foster the impression that no military action was imminent.

Information Control: Only a tightly restricted circle within Israel’s leadership was aware of the strike’s details. Even top officials were kept in the dark to avoid leaks.

Despite clear signals—like U.S. evacuation alerts in the region and increasing speculation in international media—Israel’s silence held, successfully preserving the element of surprise. Presumably, the only “outsider” who knew about the planned strike was U.S. President Donald Trump.

Operation “Rising Lion”: The Strike Itself

In the early morning hours of Friday, Israel initiated a sweeping aerial assault against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Over 200 Israeli fighter jets struck around 100 high-value targets, including:

Natanz and Fordo: Iran’s underground nuclear enrichment facilities

Military Command: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Hossein Salami and Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri were killed, along with some other, senior personnel

Scientific Core: Six senior nuclear scientists were eliminated.

According to the IDF, the attack marked a critical point where Iran’s nuclear capabilities posed an imminent existential threat. Netanyahu emphasized that Israel could not afford to delay: “If we don’t act now, we simply won’t be here.” As one tabloid expressed it: “The danger is here, and the choice was between preemption and regret.”

The operation itself was planned and put together over a number of years. It was executed following extensive intelligence, covert operations inside Iran and meticulous planning, combined with an “extraordinary joint effort by the IDF, Mossad and Israel’s defense industries” .

Biblical Symbolism: Naming the Operation

The name “Rising Lion” is drawn from the biblical prophecy of Balaam in Numbers 23:24, where Israel is described as a powerful lion rising to conquer its enemies. This reference comes from the Torah portion Balak, where Balaam, sent to curse Israel, ends up blessing them under divine compulsion.

“Behold, a people rises like a lioness, and lifts itself like a lion; it will not lie down until it devours the prey and drinks the blood of the slain.” – Numbers 23:24

Netanyahu reportedly placed a written prayer with this verse into the Western Wall ahead of the operation, framing the strike not just as military necessity, but also as fulfillment of a prophetic vision of national survival and triumph.

Aftermath and International Reaction

Though the strike dealt a significant blow to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, retaliation was expected and was not late in coming.

Israel’s strike on Iran revealed deep political divides:

In Israel: Broad consensus across political lines supported the action. Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, after being briefed on the results of the operation, including the pin-point elimination of military personnel and others who plotted to destroy Israel, lauded the operation as a “striking achievement” that sent a clear and unambiguous message: “Anyone working to annihilate Israel will be eliminated.”

In the U.S.: While the Trump administration backed the move, Democratic leaders and much of the international community condemned it, calling for restraint and renewed diplomacy, with very few countries taking their heads out of the sand and truly understanding “the threat that Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program represents to international peace and security…”

The strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities and military capabilities may have delayed Iran’s nuclear progress and restored Israel’s regional deterrence. But, it has also heightened tensions in an already volatile Middle East. As with the October 7 attack that left Israel reeling, this strike represents a critical turning point – except this time, Israel dictated the terms. The strike also clearly demonstrated that Israel is willing – and able – to act decisively when it perceives its very existence is at stake.

What is expected to happen in the coming days? As of this writing, it appears that Iran will be acting like a wounded lion in its hatred of Israel and blood lust to retaliate against it. Within hours following Israel’s preemptive strike, Iran launched over 100 armed drones, as well as Cruise missiles, from Iran and other locations, including Iraq.  Certain television news sites published that about 850 drones were actually sent against Israel by mid-morning.

Multiple barrages of ballistic missiles punctuated the sky line over Israel during the night (between Friday and Shabbat), particularly, in the center of the country. Most of the projectiles were downed by Israel and some of its neighbors, who came alongside when push came to shove. Nevertheless, some of the missiles did manage to get through, causing major damage to property, as well as injury to dozens and, as of this post, resulting in the deaths of at least three Israels. Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, said that by targeting civilian population centers, Iran “crossed red line” and that  “We will continue to defend the citizens of Israel and ensure that the Ayatollah regime pays a very heavy price for its heinous actions.” See here and here.

While many of the missiles managed to make their way to Israeli air space, it is important to note what was expressed on Channel 12 News last night. Many Iranians reported independently of one another that a number of missiles that were launched from Western Teheran mysteriously exploded seconds after being launched. It was as though the “Beeper Operation” that occurred with the Hezbollah pagers took place in Iranian missiles. The attached site is in Hebrew.

Teheran accused the United States of complicity in Israel’s actions against Iran, saying that continued U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations were meaningless and that Israel “succeeded in influencing” the diplomatic process and the Israeli attack would not have happened without Washington’s permission.” For its part, the U.S. gave mixed messages. The Secretary of State claimed that Israel’s action was “unilateral”, with Israel acting alone. The President, on the other hand, first expressed public opposition to Israel attacking Iran, but after Israel’s amazing accomplishments, he claimed to know and impliedly took credit for the preemptive strike against Iran. He gave the Mullahs 60 days to come to terms with the U.S. over their nuclear ambitions. The implications were clear. “Today is day 61…I told [Iran] what to do, but they just couldn’t get there.”

The days ahead, several key developments can be expected. These can be grouped into military, diplomatic, domestic, and regional outcomes:

1. Military Escalation: 

Continued Israeli airstrikes; Missile interceptions and damage control; Targeting of Hezbollah (if Hezbollah enters the conflict, Israel will likely open a second front in the north, including preemptive or retaliatory attacks on southern Lebanon); Cyber warfare: Both countries may escalate cyber operations, targeting infrastructure, military systems, and communications.

Regional Fallout: Proxy activation (Hezbollah, Houthis in Yemen, militias in Iraq and Syria) may launch coordinated attacks on Israel and U.S. interests in the region.

Gulf States will be on increased Alert: UAE, Saudi Arabia, and others may tighten defenses, anticipating possible spillover or being dragged into broader confrontation.

Oil Prices and Shipping: Disruption in the Persian Gulf could cause oil prices to spike; Iran may threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, impacting global trade.

Civilian and Domestic Impact in Israel: Mass Mobilization: The IDF may expand its call up tens of thousands of reservists; Casualties and Trauma: If Iran’s missile barrages continue to penetrate Israeli defenses, civilian deaths and infrastructure damage could be significant.

Internal Unity or Political Crisis: A “rally-around-the-flag” effect could occur initially, but criticism of leadership decisions might increase rapidly, if casualties increase and the government response falls short of what will be required (primarily due to lack of sufficient resources and qualified personnel).

Massive casualties: Shelters and hospitals could become overwhelmed, with insufficient staffing and facilities.

2. Diplomatic Repercussions

U.S. and Western Response:

Strong rhetorical support for Israel is likely, along with enhanced military aid; increased U.S. presence into the region and offer of interception assistance. This could be accompanied by internal U.S. dissent, urging restraint to avoid full-scale regional war and potential U.S. involvement.

UN and International Condemnation: Nothing new on this end – condemnation of Israel and expressions of sympathy for Iran, as the terror king of the Middle East.

European Mediation Efforts: France, Germany, or Turkey may seek to mediate a ceasefire to avoid uncontrollable escalation.

3. Risk of Broader War:

All-Out War Potential: If attacks on civilians in Israel escalate or Hezbollah again opens a northern front, the situation could spiral into a multi-front war resembling or surpassing the scale of 1973 or 2006.

Nuclear Threshold Tensions: In response to Israel targeting of Iranian nuclear facilities, Iran may make an all-out effort to accelerate its nuclear program in response, or even withdraw from the NPT, prompting the need for more urgent and global intervention.

4. Media and Psychological Impact:

Disinformation and Propaganda: Both sides will flood social media and news outlets with narratives to sway domestic and international opinion.

Global Protests and Unrest: Expect pro-Israel and pro-Iran demonstrations around the world, along with increased antisemitic or anti-Muslim incidents in some regions.

Final Thought: The immediate days will likely be shaped by uncertainty, escalation, and international anxiety. The key question will be: Will this stay or contain the Israel–Iran conflict, or will it become a regional or even global crisis? Much will depend on:

The scale of civilian casualties.

The duration and targets of Iranian retaliation.

The role of the United States and the West.

And whether de-escalation channels remain open, especially via backdoor diplomacy.

Just as this was about to be sent out, Iran threatened to attack the U.S., the U.K. and France. Wake up now, world! You’ll never forgive yourself tomorrow, if you don’t act today.

“I pursued my enemies and overtook them, I did not turn back till they were destroyed,” (Psalm 18:37) quoted yesterday by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Thank you for continuing to pray for Israel (Gen. 12:3), for wisdom for its leadership; wisdom, skill, precision and success for the IDF; for healing, grace and compassion for the wounded; for the return of all of the hostages, both alive and dead; for a spirit of national unity; for an outpouring of a spirit of repentance and a return to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.

Shabbat Shalom.

Marvin

Failed Nuclear Diplomacy May Lead to Multi-Front War

On By marvinsk1 Comment

Shalom all,

We all need a break from time to time. The pressures in the Middle East, the unending hostage crisis, the continuation of the Gaza War against the Hamas terrorist organization, the increasing missile launches from the Houthis of Yemen and the blaring of air-raid sirens, the internal divisions within Israel, the conflicts between left and right, religious and secular, just to name a few, affect all of us, in Israel as well as abroad. Included in these events are the increasing demonstrations calling upon the government of Israel to “bring the hostages home NOW”. We need to take a step back and try to put all of the pieces together and, sometimes, after we look at the entire picture, we notice that there are a few pieces still missing.

Add to that the events surrounding the recent trip to the Middle East of the President of the United States – a trip that left out a visit to Israel, with whom the U.S. has an “unbreakable bond” of friendship. Deals of different kinds were made with countries that were enemies of Israel, without any input from Israel. Political pundits began to express concern that the “New Middle East”, from America’s political and economic point of view, might not include Israel, who is seeing a few cracks in the bond that was supposed to be unbreakable. Many politicians who have a solid grip on the mentality of the Middle East, believe that the West, represented by the United States, was being played, lulled into a sense of false security with grandiose gifts and empty promises. From Washington’s perch of 9,500 miles from Jerusalem, its clouded vision doesn’t allow it to see that a terrorist who puts on a suit and tie is still a terrorist. But, that’s for another time. 

The big issue of the day, as it was yesterday, and as it was last year and the years before that, is Iran. The United States and Iran had been discussing a renewed “deal” regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Israel has always considered such discussions a play for time on the part of Iran and that the U.S. was being dragged along into what could be the greatest fiasco in history. Iran can signed a thousand deals, but it will still consider the United States as the “big Satan” that needs to be brought under the thumb and rule of Islam.

As reported by most media, the latest round of nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran in Rome ended without progress. Iran insists on enriching uranium at home, while the U.S. demands a full stop to enrichment. A key U.S. diplomat even left the talks early, signaling deadlock. According to U.S. defense intelligence, Iran could have enough weapons-grade uranium for a bomb in under a week. That leaves Israel with almost no time to act if it hopes to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. 

At a recent Middle East Forum event in Washington, a simulation of conflict in the Gulf showed just how fast diplomacy can fail and military action can spiral. In the exercise, Iran used talks to stall while advancing its program and triggering a regional crisis.

Israeli leaders and intelligence officials are no longer just preparing quietly—they’re openly getting ready. Top officials flew to Rome to monitor talks firsthand, and U.S. intelligence has picked up signs of Israeli military readiness, including movement of special munitions and completed air force drills. We have learned that when an enemy hates us and says he wants to kill us, we take him seriously. When he has the means to harm us, we also have learned that the best defense is a strong offense.

Amid reports from CNN about Israel’s intentions to strike Iran, the IDF is ramping up preparations for a potential multi-front war, focusing on both home-front readiness and coordination within the General Staff. As part of these preparations, a military exercise was conducted to ensure continuity of operations on the home front, defensive measures, and the protection of critical military infrastructure. 

The IDF Spokesperson announced the completion of the drill, named “Barak Tamir”, that was designed to simulate multi-front war scenarios. According to the statement, the exercise aimed to improve coordination between various military branches and units during emergencies, ensuring a faster and more effective response to evolving threats.

Israel has already acted to reduce threats from Iranian-backed groups. Hezbollah’s rocket arsenal has reportedly been slashed, Hamas is isolated after the Gaza war (although its military wing continues to fight and missiles continue to be launched from Gaza into southern Israel), and Iran’s proxy networks in Syria have been disrupted. One Israeli official noted, “Iran’s regional allies lie in tatters.” Such statements should not be made publicly, if at all. We should be careful not to be proud or to boast about our military achievements. We still have the embarrassment of the intelligence failures that allowed October 7th to happen and have to live with the aftermath of the deadliest and most traumatic attacks in Israel’s history, the failure to bring about the return of all of the hostages who were taken by Hamas, as well as the sprawling anti-semitism that crept out and/or burst out from every nook and cranny following our retaliatory responses.

In light of Israel’s ongoing preparedness, Iran sent a letter to the UN threatening to hide enriched uranium at secret sites if Israel continues to pose a threat. This means Iran might move nuclear materials out of sight from international watchdogs, which should be an alarm not only to the region of the Middle East, but a blaring wake-up call to the rest of the world.

In the above simulation during the Middle East Forum event, China played both sides—supporting Iran while offering Gulf states a security alternative. It also reflects reality: China buys oil from Iran and helps it bypass sanctions. Meanwhile, Russia is supplying Iran with military upgrades and could soon sell it advanced air defenses.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has declared that Iran is “more exposed than ever” to an attack, indicating that Israel should seize the moment. The U.S. is also sending signals—like deploying B-2 bombers and transferring bunker-buster bombs to Israel—showing support while keeping official policy vague.

Israeli intelligence believes Iran is dangerously close to crossing the nuclear threshold. Without a diplomatic breakthrough, Israeli officials are preparing to act alone. Every sign—military, diplomatic, and intelligence—points to a strike happening within days, not weeks. <https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/days-not-weeks-israels-imminent-attack-on-iranian-nuclear-sites>

If Israel does strike, the fallout could be global. Iran has promised a “devastating” response. Missiles could rain on Israeli cities. Iranian forces could retaliate from the locations of its proxies (Lebanon, Syria, Yemen), and beyond. Jewish communities worldwide could be at risk. And if they are at risk, the countries where they reside will be at risk as well.

But from Israel’s perspective, the cost of not acting is even higher: a nuclear-armed Iran that poses an existential threat.

All signs suggest that a major military confrontation is on the horizon. As diplomacy crumbles and Iran nears nuclear capability, Israel may act very soon. What happens next could reshape the Middle East—and test how far the world is willing to go to stop nuclear proliferation.

How can you pray?

For wisdom – for the government of Israel; for wisdom, courage, boldness and precision for the IDF; for a spirit of unity throughout the nation – we are all in this, together; for the families who have lost loved ones in the ongoing Gaza War; for the families who are still waiting for their loved ones to return from captivity, both alive and dead; for the thousands of wounded, whose lives and livelihoods have been upended because of their injuries; for the medical personnel treating the wounded and the hostages who have returned from Hamas captivity; for the inability of Iran to complete its nuclear ambitions.

Thus says the Lord,
Who gives the sun for light by day
And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar;
The Lord of hosts is His name:
“If this fixed order departs
From before Me,” declares the Lord,
“Then the offspring of Israel also will cease
From being a nation before Me forever.” (Jeremiah 31:35-36)

Bless, be blessed and be a blessing – it is a “win win” situation.

Marvin

There once was a country called “Syria”.

On By marvinsk6 Comments

Shalom all,

One can easily question whether the title of this post is valid. After all, notwithstanding that the long-standing tyrannical rule in Syria came to an end very recently, still, the country continues to exist, even though it is fragmented. This is a valid argument, at least to a point. 

What happened to our unfriendly, but relatively quiet, neighbor to our immediate northeast? A little over a decade ago, an event that was labelled the Arab Spring began in Tunisia and successfully removed oppressive leadership there and in several other countries in the Middle East, such as Libya, Yemen and Egypt. Attempts were made to also overthrow the government in Syria, which, until two week ago, was led by President Bashar al-Assad and they almost succeeded, twice, although those attempts were two-years apart. The Syrian Arab Spring quickly gave way to the Syrian winter frost, as peaceful protesters were arrested and tortured. And, as momentum increased for the release of the protesters, the Assad regime resorted to the use of its military to quell the fledgling uprisings.

It did not take long for the Syrian Arab Spring to turn into a civil war, which resulted in early losses of territory/cities to rebel forces that were opposed to the continuation of the Assad government. Within two years of the beginning of his country’s Arab Spring, Assad received assistance from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as one of Iran’s long-standing proxies, the Hezbollah in Lebanon, both of which sent its forces to back up and support Assad. By 2013, Assad’s efforts to remain in power and leadership resulted in the bombing of Syrian civilians and the use of chemical weapons against them dozens of times

Moderate rebel groups began to lose ground against more radical extremists, such as ISIS, the terrorist group that claimed a very sizeable slice of Syrian terrority and whose establishment and activities eventually resulted in direct military intervention by the United States.

Once the U.S. became involved, Russia did not sit idly by, but also became a major player in the Syrian arena. It sent various forms of military assistance to the Assad regime in its actions against the more moderate rebel groups, all the while that Iran and its proxy in Lebanon took further root in the then, war-torn country. With the help of these outside forces, excluding the U.S., Assad was able to regain and re-establish control over areas seized by rebel forces. By that time, the Syrian winter frost was in place for seven years. Diplomatic efforts to resolve the civil war proved unsuccessful.

The Syrian civil war displaced at least half of the country’s population, generating a serious humanitarian crisis. Agriculture was seriously affected and political corruption skyrocketed. A large portion of the population found refuge in neighboring Arab countries, in addition to various locations in Europe, causing a demographic and political change in those locations.  

During the last seven years, various rebel/militia continued their armed struggle against the Assad regime, sometimes gaining territory, sometimes losing it. Over a period of thirteen years, the cost in lives exceeded what anyone would have thought when the Arab Spring first began in 2011. On the whole, and notwithstanding that the fighting continued and the “opposition” controlled small, unconnected regions in the area of northwest Syria, it appeared that the Assad emerged victorious in the civil war.

Israel, of course, was not a silent by-stander to the events taking place in Syria. The major cause of concern for the Jerusalem government was the transfer of military personnel and sophisticated weaponry to Syria by Russia and Iran. More specifically, Israel took action to prevent the transfer of weapons from Iran to the Hezbollah terrorist organization, through Syria.

And then, after what seemed like an endless round of tit-for-tat fighting between the government forces of Assad and the forces of the opposition, the rebels succeeded to sweep through parts of Syria, taking control of major cities and airports within a two-week period. Government forces abandoned their positions and fled. Bashar al-Assad saw the hand-writing on the wall and fled with his family to Russia. The iron-fisted rule of the Assad family (Hafez al-Assad and Bashar al-Assad) after half a century came to an abrupt end. 

“The king is dead. Long live the king!” Can that expression apply to a situation where the king is not dead, yet, but abandoned his kingdom and took up residence in a 5-star hotel in Moscow? By stretching the interpretation, we could say that it would apply. But, that begs the question: “Who is the replacing king?” Stated differently, what will happen to / in Syria after the fall of Assad? 

Within days following the collapse of the Assad regime, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said: 

“The transition process and new government must also uphold clear commitments to fully respect the rights of minorities, facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance to all in need, prevent Syria from being used as a base for terrorism or posing a threat to its neighbors, and ensure that any chemical or biological weapons stockpiles are secured and safely destroyed. The Syrian people will decide the future of Syria. All nations should pledge to support an inclusive and transparent process and refrain from external interference. The United States will recognize and fully support a future Syria government that results from this process.  We stand prepared to lend all appropriate support to all of Syria’s diverse communities and constituencies.” He added: “As the President said on Sunday, ‘it would be a waste of this historic opportunity if one tyrant were toppled only to see a new one rise up in its place. So it is now incumbent upon all of the opposition groups who seek a role in governing Syria to demonstrate their commitment to the rights of all Syrians, the rule of law, and the protection of religious and ethnic minorities’.” It seems as though after all that has happened in this region over the last dozen-plus years, they still did not get a handle on the mentality of the Middle East countries surrounding Israel.

Jackson Richman, in his article for The Epoch Times, commented: “In response to a question from The Epoch Times on Dec. 10, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that U.S. support for rebuilding Syria is ‘putting the cart before the horse…We need to see a political process play out here before we get to the discussions about reconstruction and who’s going to fund it’.”  At last, a ray of light.

The coalition of rebel forces that toppled the Assad regime was led by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham group (“HTS”-the “Organization for the Liberation of the Levant”), whose predecessor was Al Qaeda (of Osama bin-Laden fame) that dominated the Jabhat al-Nusra Front that opposed Assad. The HTS made a public split away from the terrorist organization in 2016 and focused its activities as an opposition movement to the Assad regime. The HTS is now headed up by its founder and militant leader, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, who was formerly a member of the group that eventually became Islamic State. The Political Affairs Department of HTS announced on December 8th: “The liberation of Syria is a victory for all its sons who sacrificed for the unity of the land and the people. On this occasion, we affirm our commitment to strengthening societal unity and establishing the principles of justice and dignity among all components of Syrian society.” In my opinion, this statement of the HTS is made more for public relations purposes in an effort to find favor with the West, rather than for a genuinely planned eventuality. While the language of the announcement has a semblance of “democracy”, in all likelihood, the last thing to be expected is a democratic, secular rule that is committed “to the rights of all Syrians, the rule of law, and the protection of religious and ethnic minorities“, as expressed by President Biden. The organization maintains its Salafi-jihadist ideology and was added to the U.S. State Department’s list as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. And, it must be kept in mind that the HTS does not presently rule over all of Syria, so any statement concerning its intentions for “all its sons” is definitely premature.. 

Israel wisely took advantage of the collapse of the Assad regime and our air force effectively destroyed most of the Syrian military capability within the last few days, here and here, including chemical weapons facilities and other targets in and around the capital city of Damascus. It has also taken over full control of the buffer zone on the Golan Heights. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took credit for the collapse of the regime, saying that it was a “direct result [of the] heavy blows” inflicted on Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran by Israel and that we are “dismantling the Iranian axis piece by piece.”. The HTS rebel leader has come out with the comment that with the departure of the Iranians from Syria, Israel no longer has a reason to attack sites in Syria by the Israeli Air Force. While not an express, outward “threat”, still Israel will obviously take into consideration all statements  made by those who now appear to control Syria, whether in whole or in part. 

Dry Bones cartoon, Syria, Assad, HTS,

The Dry Bones Blog – 8 December, 2024

President Biden is also claiming credit for the fall of the Assad regime. Really?

In reality, most of the political pundits are expressing their hopes regarding the future of Syria. But, until the dust settles, and the damage and devastation that has been done to the Syrian population and economy over the last half century, the realities of life in the area of our northwestern neighbor remains speculative at best, and pessimistic at worst. Assad was the devil we knew. Israel is not taking any chances and is taking measures to protect our northern borders from the rebel militias, who for the meantime, are all looking to get their “piece of the pie”, the more the better, a situation that leaves Israel “confronted with new and unpredictable threats”.

It would be a grievous mistake if we were to ignore the possibility of outside intervention from Turkey, Qatar and even Russia, who have their various interests in the area. And Iran is slowly making inroads into Iraq, which borders on Syria, possibly looking to add Iraq to its puppetry, as a belated act of revenge for the forced ceasefire in 1988, of the Iran-Iraq War, a ceasefire that temporarily extinguished Ayatollah Khomeini’s vision of subjecting Iraq to the Islamic Revolution.

Who will be the next victim of the belated Arab Spring? Obviously Iran ranks high on the list. Others, interestingly enough could include Egypt, Kuwait, Azerbaijan, and possibly Jordan, to name just a few.

Dry Bones cartoon, Iran, Mullahs, Tehran, overthrow, Shia, Islam, Syria, Assad, HTS,

The Dry Bones Blog – 10 December, 2024

With Assad’s departure, the extent of his imprisonment, torture, execution, murder and other atrocities committed under his reign of terror, are now being exposed. The failure of the world community to raise an eyebrow during Assad’s reign of tyranny, while condemning Israel right, left and center for its actions in defending itself against ruthless enemies, reveals an incredible double standard and inexcusable hypocrisy. Take a look at Nadav Shragai’s Commentary in Israel Hayom published two days ago, who expresses the matter very clearly.

Not to be forgotten is our ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza. From all outward appearances, negotiations for the release of the hostages and ceasefire appear to be making headway. Hamas has agreed to certain key demands of Israel and has even provided, for the first time since November, 2023, a list of the first hostages to be released. Apparently, Israel is still willing to allow a staged return of the hostages, which could still end up being snagged before all of them, alive and dead, are returned.

We are approaching the seasons of Hanukkah and Christmas. Both deal with light, one physical and the other spiritual. Upon reflection of those lights, truly, there is much for which to be thankful and to remain thankful, in all things at all times.

Have a simply great, healthy and encouraging week.

Marvin

The Importance of Getting the Facts

On By marvinsk5 Comments

Shalom all,

It’s been a while since a full post of The Week That Was went out. This was due to a “working vacation” related to our non-profit society, A Future and A Hope <afutureandahope.org.il> – whose website is presently being re-designed and updated. During the course of a month, my wife and I visited some congregations and Israel prayer groups in the United States and Canada where we met with old friends, as well as made new one. We delivered information regarding the work of the society and the situation in Israel, including an overview of why Israel is the focus of efforts to destroy her. Most of the places were receiving only minimal input about what is really happening here from places that were supposed to be media news outlets. While both of those countries have been loudly expressing concerns about the possibile expansion of Israel’s war against the Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist organizations into a regional conflict, few local television stations in those areas took the time to properly convey factual information about Middle East events. And when it actually was discussed, often it was limited to a passing blip cross the screen with a few words of what was supposed to be “news”. And sometimes, even what was mentioned was lacking in a few important essentials, such as facts. This is a sad commentary on what was once believed to be responsible journalism, which has deteriorated into manufacturing information that is interspersed with expressing opinion, instead of reporting real facts and adding a bit of commentary to them. I discovered that information about Israel was obtained from very limited sources, and taken as gospel truth, although often failing to cite the sources of the information reported and rarely containing explanatory comment or anticipated consequence of what was communicated. Like cold water to a thirsty soul is factual information to a person hungry for truth. 

A lot has happened over the course of a month. One hostage being held by Hamas was found by the IDF and freed, while the bodies of six more hostages were found by the IDF in a tunnel after they were executed by Hamas. Negotiations for the release of the hostages were on again, then off again, then on again. Increasingly larger demonstrations continued in Israel calling for the release of the hostages and pressuring the government to agree to the demands of the terrorists, whatever the cost may be. Demonstrations against Israel continued in places around the world, accusing Israel of every evil under the sun, while ignoring the responsibility of the monstrous evil that is called “Hamas” that prompted the present war. The Israeli air force destroyed thousands of rocket launchers in a pre-emptive attack in Lebanon, which prevented a massive missile attack against Israeli targets. Iranian weapon-manufacturing facilities were destroyed in Syria. Car rammings and car bombs continued in Israel. Fighting in Judea and Samaria (the “West Bank” of the Jordan River) intensified. Missile barrages and weaponized drones continue unabated from the Hezbollah affecting more and more communities in the north of Israel. And Turkey is chomping at the bit to get involved in the present distress of the Middle East. And more…

And while many in the world condemn Israel for its actions on the battlefield, even some of its “fair weathered friends”, others have a more seasoned perspective, noting that Israel’s war with Hamas is justified, but is complicated by the hostage issue. As noted in today’s The Jerusalem Post, a delegation of “high-ranking” foreign, military officials from various countries, seasoned veterans of modern conflicts, visited Israel. They got the facts and “gained rare insight into Israel’s military operations”, which “provided them with a direct understanding of the challenges Israel faces.” The above article quoted a former commander of the British forces in Afghanistan, Colonel Richard Kemp: “There’s no question that this war Israel is fighting in Gaza is probably the most complex battlefield any army has ever fought on…You have to consider the dense population and the extensive preparations Hamas has made over decades, including a vast network of tunnels. The large number of hostages held by Hamas also complicates the situation.” 

Retired Delta Force Lt. Col. Jeff Tiegs reported that they saw some of the Hamas tunnel network and that the IDF was drilling to locate more tunnels. His heart was broken when he saw an area that could have the site of a beautiful hotel, were it not for the devastation of Gaza over the last twenty years. He described the failure to develop Gaza economically as “a crime against humanity”.

Col. Tiegs was clear in expressing his opinion that Israel has to keep the pressure on Hamas until we break through and are able to recover the hostages, but noted that the urgency of saving the hostages has a higher priority than the defeating of Hamas. He added that part of the ruthlessness of Hamas’ strategy of warfare atrocity is “the barbarism of assassinating [the] hostages…It’s like a ‘Sophie’s choice’ for the Israeli army—an impossible decision between two objectives.”  

The conclusion of the group of military veterans could probably best be summarized by the statement of former British Army officer, Maj. Andrew Fox, who now serves as senior lecturer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst: “The events of October 7 justified the war. But the hostage situation complicates things. It’s an inherent paradox between defeating Hamas and rescuing the hostages. It may come down to choosing one.”(emphasis mine). That’s exactly what I have been contending from the outset of the Gaza War. We cannot exert 100% to both of those efforts. One has to give way to the other. Put another way – Which choice is the one that will be for the greater good of the nation and people of Israel? Defeating a ruthless, totally immoral enemy that is committed to the destruction of Israel, knowing that another one will eventually raise up to take its place, or trying to negotiate for the release of the hostages (Israel’s weak spot) in stages, in the hope of returning all who remain alive (with no guarantee that they will all be returned), in exchange for releasing terrorists, who are serving multiple life sentences for the planning and murder of hundreds of Israels? Both are fraught with danger. The present leader of Hamas was included in the “trade” of over 1,000 prisoners for one Israeli soldier. Israel needs Solomonic wisdom.

The rest of the above article touches on the situation with Hezbollah, as well as the growing violence in the area of the “Palestinian” Authority with “car bombs, IEDs [improvised explosive devices], and weapons” and the concern by the IDF over the possibility of a third Intifada. It is worth the read.

While eyes are focused on Israel and her actions, Iran and its proxies are getting minimal condemnation. Hamas puts the people of Gaza at risk, using them as human shields and placing its weapons, as well as its command centers, in the middle of what are supposed to be humanitarian “safe zones”. The strings to the puppets of the 3-H Club (Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis) are being pulled by Iran, who is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and is, more or less, getting a free pass. Israel is learning, although it took a long time for her to be educated, that slowly slowly, it will end up standing alone against Iran. Our “friends and allies” speak of their support of Israel against terrorism. But, instead of acting against Iran, the greatest terrorist entity in the world, our friend and ally who spoke of an unbreakable bond between Israel and the U.S. is releasing an estimated $100 billion (yes, billion) that will undoubtedly be used to continue its terrorism against Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, as well as the US. There are none so blind as those who will not see. And what about Iran’s fraternal twin brother, Qatar, who is the major financial benefactor of Hamas to the tune of some $6 billion, not to mention its financial involvement in anti-Israel demonstrations on university campuses? It is difficult to explain Israel’s decision to allow Qatar to serve as chief negotiator with Hamas. Qatar’s press releases refer to renewed “cease-fire negotiations”, whereas Israel’s press releases refer to renewed “hostage release negotiations”. Are we not paying attention to the emphasis placed on words? Apparently not. If the U.S. and other militarily-strong countries do not act quickly against Iran and Qatar, just to name a few, we’ll wake up one morning with a nuclear Iran and then we’ll ask each other how we could have missed the writings on the wall. By then, it will be too late. The present Gaza War can end quickly and Hamas will be forced to yield, if the sources of its funding are cut off. This is where Israel’s “friends and allies” can make the greatest contribution to ending the war. As Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said during his interview on Fox News two weeks ago while speaking about the murder by Hamas of American-Israel Hersh Goldberg-Polin: “He was murdered by Hamas. Hamas [couldn’t] care less about the hostages or the Palestinians. And if you want the hostages home, which we all do, you have to increase the cost to Iran…Iran is the Great Satan here. Hamas is the junior partner. They’re barbaric, religious Nazis, Hamas…They [couldn’t] care less about the Palestinian people. I would urge the Biden administration and Israel to hold Iran accountable for the fate of remaining hostages, and put on the target list oil refineries in Iran if the hostages are not released.” He got it right. Hurt them economically and the fallout will reach Iran’s proxies in the Middle East.

The war in the north continues unabated. Hezbollah has unleashed dozens of missiles throughout the entire day and mushroom clouds were seen even over the Sea of Galilee. Sirens blared in most of the northern cities and towns. Hezbollah’s “support” of Hamas began on October 8th, one day after the Hamas massacre of 1,200 people in the Gaza Envelope and took over 250 people hostage. As a result of the steady bombardment, tens of thousands of residents in northern communities had to vacate their homes and are living in temporary residents. They wonder how long they will continue to be refugees in their own land. According to an article in The Times of Israel today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is expected to bring a motion before the security cabinet on Sunday to make their return back home an official war goal.” But, it is not clear whether this “official war goal” is related to the present Gaza War, or the expected land operation against Hezbollah. 

In this latter regard, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, speaking to members of the IDF in the north following an operation simulating ground combat in Lebanon three days ago, said here and here: “The center of gravity is shifting to the north. While we are wrapping up our missions in the South, an important task remains in the North: to restore security and allow residents to return to their homes…In the South, I gave the order to proceed after three weeks. The same will happen here, and you must be ready to execute that mission when the time comes…This arrow is ready to be fired, and we will know when to release it…Use this time wisely to prepare.” And as Israel expresses readiness for a ground operation against Hezbollah, the terrorist organization, that has entered the fray in support of Hamas, is, apparently, now treating that readiness as an “existential” threat. That could well be one of the main reasons why it has launched unrelenting missile attacks to northern Israel throughout the course of the day. There is no doubt that the situation is escalating, not only with words, but with action as well.

Notwithstanding the multi-faceted military engagements that occupy our attention almost a year after October 7th, Israel is still doing what it does best – coming up with ideas, inventions and discoveries that will be of benefit to all mankind. This time it is the development of a system that will extract clean water from the air. You can read briefly here.

There are times when we simply don’t know in which direction to turn or how to deal with situations that are beyond our understanding or control. At such times, our best solution is to remember the words of the Psalmist: 

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come?My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth…He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper…The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. (from Psalm 121)

And above all, remember: Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.

Marvin

Regaining “Deterrence”

On By marvinsk2 Comments

Shalom all,

“With the killings of two terror chiefs in the capital cities of two enemy nations in the past few hours, the existential war that began for Israel with Hamas’s invasion and slaughter on October 7 has now entered uncharted territory.”

Fuad Shukr was the #2 man on the list of Hezbollah’s leadership and its most senior military official. But, he was also said to be responsible for the horrendous Hezbollah missile attack last Saturday that killed 12 children in the Israeli Druze of Majdal Shams. Israel said that it would respond. Yesterday, it carried through with its promise and killed Shukr in a strike in Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon.

But, that wasn’t all. At the outset of the war, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister, Yoav Galant, said that the Hamas leadership would be reached wherever they are and described them as “dead men walking”. Within a matter of a few hours after eliminating Fuad Shukr, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, Iran, by a missile strike at his residence. While Israel openly admits eliminating Shukr, it has remained quiet regarding the killing of Haniyeh, Hamas’ political chief in exile who was visiting Tehran for the inauguration of the newly elected Iranian president. Nevertheless, Iran promptly accused Israel of his assassination and pledged relaliation for violating Iranian’s territorial sovereignty.

Senior Hamas leader, Khalil al-Hayya accused Israel of striking Lebanon and Iran “to set the region on fire,” but added that Hamas and its allies do not want a “regional war.” At a news conference in Tehran, al-Hayya said that Haniyeh’s killing “sent a clear message: that our only option with this enemy is blood and resistance.”

Yoel Guzansky, a former official on Israel’s National Security Council, now a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, said “I don’t think it will change the balance of power or the face of the war, but it sends a strong signal to Iran and the axis [of proxy militant groups]…It shows them they cannot be safe anywhere, even in Tehran.”

David Suissa, the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Tribe Media/Jewish Journal, simplified the matter, noting in his excellent article yesterday, Israel Just Took Down a Terrorist Who Loves Room Service,: “The most important word in the Middle East is not power or honor or religion. Those are important, but the supreme word is ‘deterrence.’ Deterrence is how sophisticated people say ‘scared sh-tless.’ If your neighbors are scared of you, they’ll behave. If they’re not, you’re in trouble. That’s how Israel has survived for so long– it’s the rule of the jungle. October 7 broke that rule. One of Israel’s sworn enemies said to the all-powerful Israel: ‘We’re not afraid of you. And we’re so not afraid of you that we are invading your country and slaughtering your people.’ In fancy language, Israel lost deterrence.” There is little doubt that the elimination of the top echelon representatives of Hezbollah and Hamas was designed to re-establish that “deterrence”.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “harsh punishment” and revenge against Israel . Officials in Iran said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ordered a direct attack on Israel, in response to the assassination of Haniyah on Tehran soil. Iran is considering responding with a combined attack with military targets in Tel Aviv and Haifa, but will target civilian targets. <https://www.timesofisrael.com/khamenei-said-to-order-direct-strike-on-israel-after-haniyeh-killed-in-tehran/> The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem is taking the Iranian threat seriously and issued a “Security Alert”, noting, among other things:

“The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem reminds U.S. citizens of the continued need for caution and increased personal security awareness as security incidents often take place without warning.  The security environment remains complex and can change quickly. 

On July 31, we updated the Travel Advisory for Israel, West Bank and Gaza to reflect U.S. government travel restrictions to northern Israel within 2.5 miles of the Lebanese and Syrian borders to Level 4: Do Not Travel – the full text of the Travel Advisory may be found here.  U.S. citizens are encouraged to read the current Travel Advisory and Country Information Page for Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, that advises U.S. citizens to be aware of the continuing risks of travel to Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza due to the security situation and heightened regional tensions and warns against travel to Gaza. U.S. citizens can find additional information regarding steps to take in case of mortar and rocket fire or unmanned aircraft system (UAS) intrusions in the Country Information Page for Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza: 

Mortar and Rocket Fire or Hostile Aircraft Intrusion:  In the event of mortar or rocket fire or hostile aircraft intrusion, a “red alert” siren may be activated.  Treat all such alerts as real; follow the instructions from local authorities and seek shelter immediately.  Know the location of your closest shelter or protected space.  U.S. government personnel and their family members may be restricted from traveling to areas affected by rocket activity, sirens, and/or the opening of bomb shelters.  For additional information on appropriate action to take upon hearing a siren or explosion, see the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command website (available on devices within Israel) or view the Preparedness Information PDF.  U.S. citizens may also wish to download the free Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command application on Android or Apple devices to receive real-time security and safety alerts.  Free commercial applications, such as Red Alert: Israel, are also available.” The alert also specified what actions should be taken, including making sure that the families of Americans have our travel documents in order and that they should be “prepared to travel”.

The City of Haifa is also taking the threats seriously., with the Mayor issuing an announcement calling upon all residents of Haifa to stay close to protected areas, adding that Haifa is prepared to accommodate residents in underground parking lots. Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not willing to wait on the sidelines. He threw his two cents into the pot and threatened to invade Israel because of the war in Gaza. In reality, however, Erdogan’s desire to attack Israel has very little, if anything, to do with the Gaza war and almost everything to do with his desire to re-establish the Ottoman Empire under an Islamist Caliphate, under his authority, of course.

Daniel Pipes, President of The Middle East Forum, n his clear and incisive article appearing in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, asserted that the indecision and equivocation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the last 10 months between military victory over Hamas and negotiation for the release of the hostages, is over. The assassination of terrorist leaders should be understood as revealing Israel’s intention to achieve victory over Hamas. “The drama and chutzpah of killing Haniyeh on a ceremonial visit to Iran appears to end the indecision. Mr. Netanyahu has thrown down the gauntlet, indicating that Israel intends to crush Hamas and win rather than negotiate with it and permit it to survive.”

Yesterday’s article of the Middle East Forum added the following: “Appearing on Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends” this morning, MEF chief editor Jim Hanson – channeling his U.S. Army Ranger background – said that Iran has to retaliate. ‘What kind of terrorist puppet masters are you if, in a twelve-hour period, one of your top Hezbollah guys gets returned to his component molecules, and then you invite the Hamas leader to a party in your own capital city and those pesky Zionists return him to ambient temperature.’ Hanson added that: Israel is ‘fundamentally ready’ to deal with Iran’s proxies throughout the region. Israel’s actions show they ‘are not going to take the path of appeasement that so many are trying to force upon’ them. Instead, they will defeat Hamas and Hezbollah while making the point that ‘both of them are terror proxies of the tyrannical theocracy in Tehran’.”

The IDF is at peak readiness to deal with attacks from the puppeteer and his ha-he-hu (Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis) cronies. Local authorities are preparing for damage to infrastructures. And now we wait.

LORD, open our eyes that we may see that those who are with us are more than those who are with them, that the mountains of Israel are filled with angelic beings and chariots of fire. (see 2 Kings 6:16-18) and that no weapon formed against us will succeed (Isaiah 54:17).

As this week begins to draw to a close, let us remember not to let what we don’t know to take away from what we do know.

Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.

Marvin

Dramatic Rescue of 4 Hostages Returned Alive

On By marvinsk7 Comments

Today’s news brought tears to most of the nation, including veteran news reporters and television anchors, Jews and Arabs alike. But, this time they were not tears of grief and sorrow, but of joy and celebration. 

After eight months and one day, being 246 days following the events of October 7th, a daring joint operation carried out this morning in broad daylight by IDF Special Forces, Israeli Security Service and the Israel Police’s Special Counterterrorism unit, resulted in the rescue of four Israeli hostages, who were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th from the Supernova mustic festival near the southern community of Re’im. The four, Shlomo Ziv, 40, Andrey Kozlov, 27, Almog Meir Jan, 21, and Noa Argamani, 26, were rescued in two separate military operations carried out under fire, simultaneously, in the central Gaza city of Nuseirat. They appear left to right in the attached photo. They were taken by helicopter to a hospital in Tel Aviv, where their medical condition was said to be “stable”.

Noa Argamani’s abduction by Hamas was captured on video and went viral around the world. It became, in a real sense, a representative video of those kidnapped on Black Saturday.

Noa Argamani being taken to Gaza – 7 October, 2023

Extensive intelligence gathering and coordinated efforts combined to bring about her rescue from one location, while the three men were rescued from a separate location. One Officer of the Police Counterterrorism Unit was severely injured during the operation and succumbed to his injuries. 

Daniel Hagari, the IDF Spokespeson, stated that the rescue operations took place in a “high-risk complex mission based on precise intelligence conducted in daylight in two separate buildings…while under fire inside the buildings, under fire on the way out of Gaza…[Those involved in the rescue mission] risked [their] lives to save the lives of our hostages. This is what we do in Israel.” He added: “We will continue to do everything to return the 120 hostages still held in Gaza. We are confident that we will reach you, and this operation will not end until you are returned home. We will not give up on a single hostage. I want to say, it is a great pride seeing the security forces working together, shoulder to shoulder, in a vital operation: returning the hostages home. When the operation reached this level of intelligence and was approved [by the relevant bodies]… only then were we permitted to proceed. Hamas intentionally hides the hostages in civilian neighborhoods…This operation could have ended very differently.”

Liora Argaman, Noa’s mother, is suffering from stage 4 brain cancer. In December, 2023, she wrote letters to U.S. President Joe Biden asking for his intervention to help bring about Noa’s release. Her letter, which she read on television, included: “I am terminally ill with stage 4 brain cancer. All that’s running through my mind before I part ways with my family forever is the chance to hug my daughter, my only child, one last time…It’s Christmas, and I want to ask you, President Biden, as a gift for me, to see my daughter again before I leave the world.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also requested the intervention of Chinese President XI Jinping, through that country’s Ambassador, Cai Run, as Noa hold dual Israeli and Chinese citizenship, the latter through her mother. Neither of those efforts were proved successful. Israel accomplished militarily what it was not able to accomplish diplomatically. Today is the birthday of Noa’s father. Her rescue is the best birthday present that he could receive. The hope of seeing her daughter alive will now be realized by her mother.

The successful rescue operation was a national, good news “shot in the arm” that evoked tears and brought cheers and praises from “Dan to Beersheba” (i.e., all of Israel), from politicians, military, civilians and from Israelis of all backgrounds, as well as from politicians from foreign countries.

Today’s rejoicing follows yesterday’s sad and disturbing developments, in which U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres notified Israeli Ambassador to the U.N, Gilad Erdan, that Israel was added to the U.N.’s “blacklist”, purportedly for “harming children in conflict zones”. The “blacklist” includes terrorist organizations such as ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram, as well as countries such as Russia (who holds a permanent seat on the Security Council), Afganistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. This follows the request of the Hamas terrorist organization published four days ago on its official Telegram channel: “On the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, we call on the United Nations to include the Zionist occupation (Israel) in its blacklist of entities that target children with murder, torture, and displacement.”

If there was ever a situation of “the pot calling the kettle black”, this is it! And yet, the totally useless “organization of nations” has willingly fallen victim once again to its antisemitic bent and adds insult to injury in its totally biased relationship towards Israel. Woe to them!

In his post on “X”, the Israeli Ambassador reponded and wrote: “I received the official notification about the Secretary-General’s decision to put the IDF on the “blacklist” of countries and organizations that harm children. This is simply outrageous and wrong because Hamas has been using children for terrorism and uses schools and hospitals as military compounds. I responded to the shameful decision and said that our army is the most moral in the world.   The only one being blacklisted is the Secretary-General who incentivizes and encourages terrorism and is motivated by hatred towards Israel. The Secretary-General should be ashamed of himself!” This is the first time that a democratic country has been added to what is known as “the blacklist” or the “list of shame”, which is added to the U.N.’s annual report. Israel’s inclusion in the list will undoubtedly have a negative impact upon Israel’s image in the international community.

But, the international community does not speak for everyone in Gaza. There are other voices and I want to share one of them with you here. What follows is a message received by an Arab Israeli, born-again Believer in Messiah Yeshua, who has a deep love for Israel and with whom I am personally familiar. He boldly proclaims the Good News to Muslims in Israel, as well as abroad, including in Gaza. He forwarded this message to me and gave me permission to pass it on. The message was sent to him by a former Muslim Arab living in Gaza, who has come to faith in Messiah Yeshua. It is a loose, but close, translation by me into English:

“This is a message that I received from our brother “Y” [see * Note] (who was baptized some time ago in a water tank at his home) at the beginning of the week.

“My brother “M” [see * Note], I wish you would listen to what is in my heart, and convey my words to the Jewish brothers who believe in the Lord Yeshua and I have no problem with my full name being exposed. [* Note: Even though I received permission to use both names, I chose to use only initials here, so as not to cause potential problems for them.]

“We are fine and [pass on] greetings from me, my wife and our children and you are in our prayers every day. I also pray that the Defense Forces will boldly continue and destroy the murderous organization of Hamas! I and others see that the army is not at all responsible for our casualties, even though there are indeed casualties and innocent people who are injured such as children and others. The responsibility lies entirely with Hamas, which by its cunning initiative becomes part of regular crowds seeking refuge, knowing that many victims are going to fall and this is a holy goal for them in order to influence world opinion and cause them to denounce Israel, and to my regret, they succeeding to do at the expense of those who are innocent.

“I want to thank all the believing soldiers who went to a war that is holy in my eyes against a terrorist and murderous organization (I’m not afraid to write this) who feed from the same source as ISIS! I want to say to my brothers, the believing soldiers: you went to a war that honors your country and your constitution according to which human dignity is always in before your eyes and you do everything to save and return people at any cost, and do not use people as commodities for trade. You are always in our prayers that the Lord will protect you from those who wish to destroy you. It is important that you know, my brothers, if I had known about a kidnapping in the area where I live, I would have done everything to pass on all the information in order to return the hostages to their parents.

“Another important thing, [for] the first time I feel that I have enough freedom of expression and action in terms of my faith in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. I finally [did a] “like” to the Facebook page and also “Subscribe” to your YouTube channel after 5 years in the faith, and I even wrote in the Comments and I no longer have any fear.

“And this is a request from me (I am “M” – the one to whom that message was sent): Brothers and sisters, please continue to remember our brothers from Gaza, that  they be strengthened in faith and hold on to hope, and that they will be light and salt to their people.”

Rounding off some of the numerous events of this week, it became clear that Hamas finally rejected Israel’s proposal to end the war, claiming that the Israeli plan and the announcement by Biden were different in a number of perspectives. Essentially, it continued to insist on an absolute end to the war, the withdrawal of all Israeli military from Gaza and its refusal to disarm as part of any ceasefire deal. For Israel’s part, it refused to agree to the modified proposal that would call for guarantees to permanently end the war that would also include full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. 

Then the surprise came. The United States is attempting to force an end to the present Gaza War, that would leave Israel in a considerably disadvantaged position. The Biden administration has been circulating a draft proposal to members of the U.N. Security Council, which calls for the immediate implementation of the ceasefire plan submitted by President Biden.. If the Security Council agrees to endorse his proposal, and if agreed to by Hamas, Israel could find itself in a situation where the U.S. will refuse to veto its own plan, even if Israel adamantly refuses to accept its terms.

Problematic provisions in the Biden administration proposal repeat the Security Council’s “unwavering commitment” to a two-state solution, which, of necessity, would seek to unite the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria (“the West Bank” of the Jordan River) under the leadership of the “Palestinian” Authority.

From israel’s perspective, the push to have the Security Council approve the revised Biden plan reveals the pressure being exerted upon Israel to end the war, even if its announced goals have not been achieved. 

The Biden plan reveals his administration’s lack of understanding of the Middle East mentality and is a “pie in the sky” belief that Hamas will abide by any agreement that it believes, at any point, is no longer in its best interests, even if it agrees to it in and gets all the guarantees that it wants. The likelihood that it would agree to release all of the hostages without Israel paying an exhorbitant price for them is zero. The hostages are Hamas’s human bargaining chips. Once they are released, they have nothing further with which to pressure Israel.

Biden’s moves must be seen as personally political, for his own benefit and, possibly, for the benefit of his party. He desperately needs to prove that his administration has accomplished something positive that he can display in his bid for re-election. That “display” is being played out at the expense of Israel. His “friend of Israel” and “support of Israel” speeches are meaningless, if his actions don’t back up his words. In light of the failure of both sides to agree to the latest proposal, he now wants to remove Israel (over whom he has a degree of influence), and Hamas (over whom he has no influence), from the equation and force an end to the war. The Biden proposal also contains a provision, whereby the members of the Security Council “emphasize the importance of the parties’ adherence to the terms of this plan once agreed upon and call on all member states and the United Nations to support its implementation. The council rejects any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including actions aimed at restricting its area through the de facto or de jure establishment of buffer zones.” In essence, Israel will be forced to withdraw from any area inside Gaza that is intended to provide distance and early warning opportunities to protect against future attacks against it from inside Gaza. Hamas would not agree to any plan that fails to allow it to remain in power and to continue its aggression against Israel. War against Israel and its destruction is the “raison d’etre” for Hamas. The terrorist organization is also not a nation state, so any ruling against it by the Security Council would be almost impossible to enforce. If Hamas expresses a willingness to agree to an initiative promulgated by the United States, Israel could find itself without the possibility of an American veto when the Security Council meets to vote. This is, obviously, seriously problematic.

And so, we begin another week. The fighting in the north has increased steadily and debris from projectiles, as well as some of the projectiles themselves, have fallen in populated areas in the north. People continue to be killed and injured on both sides of the borders with Lebanon and Gaza. The explosions in the north are inching closer to Haifa each day and this morning, the “booms” were heard loud and clear.

Prayers for wisdom for the government; prayers for wisdom, strength, boldness and exactitude for the IDF; prayers for the hostages who are still alive and for their families who long to see them returned home safely; prayers for the wounded and the medical teams that are treating them; prayers that no weapon formed against us would prosper, would all be genuinely appreciated.

And while praying, remember: Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.

Marvin

Iran vs. Israel-An Opening Salvo or Enough for Now?

On By marvinsk5 Comments

One could easily say that this past week was truly a difficult one. But, as we look back over it, we see that we made it through and are pressing on. 

As everyone knows by now, during the early morning hours between Saturday night and Sunday of last week, Iran launched hundreds of missiles towards Israel. The numbers vary, but it is conceded at the very least, there were 320 missiles. Some reports indicated 350. While others indicated at least another 100-150 were launched, but never made it outside of Iran. On the Israeli side, it was aerial warfare with Israel achieving a resounding success rating of 99%. Some were quick to say that Iran’s unsuccessful efforts to exact vengeance on Israel for the killing of a very senior member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was attributable to Israel’s military prowess. Others said that training and coordinated efforts from different countries contributed to Israel’s successful aerial defense. No matter how one wants to look at it, a miracle happened here a week ago.

When the aerial warfare was over and the world was in shock over Israel’s military and technical success – with the help of a few countries, rumors began to circulate that the U.S. “negotiated” the scale of Iran’s attack upon Israel. Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, during an interview that took place on April 15th on the New York City-based radio show, “Sid & Friends in the Morning”, responded to the comment by Sid Rosenberg, the program’s host, who said that he believed President Biden was “behind the whole thing”. Friedman stated: “I was kind of skeptical, but as the stories are coming out … Look, if this ends up being true, this will be an absolute outrage and a scandal the likes of which I haven’t seen before.” Here, at minutes 5:20 – 7:00. John Kirby, the U.S. National Security Council Spokesman, said, in part: “I’ve also seen this speculation about messages passed back and forth and warnings…We did receive messages from Iran. And they received messages from us, too. But there was never any message to us or to anyone else on the timeframe, the targets, or the type of response.” (my emphasis) So, was it “speculation”, or was it fact?

According to Reuters, the planned Iranian attack was discussed between official representatives of the U.S. and Iran, through the intermediary of the Foreign Minister of Turkey, Hakan Fidan. The unnamed, Turkish diplomatic source that conveyed the above information, said that in a meeting between Fidan and U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, “Iran informed us in advance of what would happen. Possible developments also came up during the meeting with Blinken, and they (the U.S.) conveyed to Iran through us that this reaction must be within certain limits.” (my emphasis) 

On the Friday before the attack, President Biden said that he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” but warned Iran not to attack Israel, with the simple message, “Don’t”, while underscoring America’s commitment to defend Israel. In light of these conflicting reports, what are we to believe? It’s obvious that “Don’t” was not a real threat to the Iranians. Instead, the message that Iran apparently walked away with was that its “reaction must be within certain limits”. Were those “limits” conveyed? Was the message understood? A day and a half after President Biden said “Don’t”, the Iranians “did”.

Three days ago, on April 18th, during an interview with Biden, he made what appears to be a geographical blunder, while responding to a question about how he planned to regain pro-“Palestinian” voter support, in light of the Israel-Hamas war. His response was that he was meeting with them, “that we have to vastly increase the amount of food, water, healthcare going into Gaza.” But, then he added: “And I made it clear to Israelis – don’t move on Haifa. And he immediately went on to say, “It’s just not … I mean, anyway, I just, look what we did recently when Israel was attacked.” See here.

It’s obvious that there was a mistake in his statement. Haifa is Israel’s third largest city. He certainly couldn’t mean that Israel should refrain from attacking its own city. Almost all of the media jumped on his case, ridiculing his “faux pas” and claimed that what he really meant was not Haifa, but Rafah (“Rafiah”), which is the last base of operations of the four remaining Hamas battalions. Some described the error as “seriously embarrassing”, while others said that it was a sign of “cognitive decline”, which, of course, was denied by the White House.

But, if we take Biden’s statements together – “Don’t”, “Don’t move on Haifa”, “look what we did…when Israel was attacked”, and then link them to the instruction to Iran that its reaction against Israel must be within certain limits, then maybe, in Biden’s mind, he jumped to the thought that he gave Iran instructions not move on Haifa. Is this a possible understanding of all of the statements and actions attributable to the U.S. and the President during the last week and a half?

Look at the map that was attached to the last post and is re-inserted here. It shows the areas of air-raid warnings that were triggered during Iran’s missile attack on Israel (displayed in red). 

Take note that Haifa (in the northwest along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea) not only was not attacked (for which we are exceedingly thankful), but there wasn’t even a single siren that was triggered. For those familiar with the area, it immediately becomes clear that Haifa is a militarily strategic location. Yet, it was not targeted, not by Iran and not by the Hezbollah. That would add credence to the claim that the U.S. gave a limited “green light” to Iran to attack Israel, but not to go after a strategic target that would trigger a major response and cause the entire Middle East to become engulfed in flames. Just thoughts. But, given what we do know, is it possible?  

Following the Iranian missile strike against Israel, the question that kept floating around international circles was whether Israel would respond militarily. Israel was strongly encouraged to just “take the hit” and not retaliate. Then, the claim was widely circulated that Israel would not attack Iran, in exchange for receiving “permission” to go against Hamas in Rafah (Rafiah). Arguments for and against both propositions were everywhere, in the halls of government, as well as on the streets of Israel. Everyone had an opinion on the matter. But, on Friday morning, the question was resolved. An air base in Iran was attacked and radar installations were destroyed. The attack was precise and limited. Israel remained silent, while Iran tried to downplay the attack, even claiming that the attack was by drones from inside the country. Most official reports inside Iran denied that there was serious damage, while others did not mention Israel at all. Like almost everything else that has taken place here in recent days, the extent of the damage caused to Iran varied, according to the source of the information. But, we need to remember that only the side being attacked, as well as the side doing the attacking, know exactly what was attacked and the damage that was caused. Everything else is cheap speculation.

Still, Israeli silence spoke volumes. As expected, that silence was meant to be broken, and it was. 

As The Times of Israel pointed out: “It’s important Iran understands that when it acts against us, we have the ability to strike any point and we can do enormous damage – we have a capable air force and the US on our side,” former national security adviser Eyal Hulata told Army Radio…The Israeli response was thought to have been tempered by international pressure to make sure that the reply did not further escalate tensions… ‘Nobody wants war with Iran right now,’ Netanyahu confidant Natan Eshel was quoted saying by journalist Ben Caspit. ‘We proved to them that we can infiltrate and strike within their borders and they weren’t able to inside ours. The messages are more important than the grandstanding. We currently have more important tasks both in Gaza and Lebanon’.” (my emphasis)

Although much of the news this past week related to Iran’s attack and Israel’s retaliation, the war against Hamas continued. Negotiations for the release of the hostages stalled, as Hamas continued to change and increase its terms for a hostage release/prisoner exchange/ceasefire. Its latest terms include a willingness to release up to 20 hostages, in exchange for hundreds of prisoners in Israeli jails and a 6-week ceasefire, that being the time that Hamas says is needed for them to locate the remaining hostages. There are additional terms, but it should be clear to any objective observer that the constant hardening of its conditions reflects an unwillingness to seriously negotiate to bring an end to this war. In reality, it is hoping that international pressure will force Israel to unilaterally end all military action in the Gaza Strip, leaving Hamas intact and still retaining Israeli hostages. At this point, there are “guesstimates” that most of the hostages either died in captivity, or were killed. We STILL don’t know who is alive or the condition of their health.

Finally, tomorrow evening is the begining of Passover. The gathering for the evening meal will include a recitation of the release of the ancient Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Notwithstanding that Passover is an historical milestone for the people of Israel, still, even this is the subject of debate. Some say that we should not celebrate the Feast of Passover and our freedom from slavery, while Hamas is still holding some of our people hostage. Others say that celebrating the Feast is a moral imperative, to show that notwithstanding our adversaries and our circumstances, we remain strong as a people and as a nation. 

In his annual Passover message to the nation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alluded to the story of Passover, while hinting at the action that will soon take place against Rafah (Rafiah), stating, in part that just as “Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to allow the Jewish slaves to leave Egypt…[so] Hamas was ‘hardening its heart and refusing to let our people go’…Therefore, we will strike it with additional painful blows – and this will happen soon’.”

May you all have a blessed Passover, with good health and thankfulness. And, despite the difficulties of these days, remember to bless, and you will be blessed to be a blessing.

Marvin

A Great Miracle Happened Here!

On By marvinskLeave a comment

No, last night was not Hanukkah. It was a night in the life of Israel. Truly, last night was quite surrealistic. After the television news media informed about the launch of missiles from Iran towards Israel, most of the country sat up and waited for the missiles to arrive. The announcement of the launch was said to be of “suicide attack drones”, but that statement was soon followed by another one saying that a second launch would follow with ballistic missiles and then, finally, by a third launch of cruise missiles. The threat was such a major concern that once the news of the first launch was announced, it was enough to cause the dispersion of the crowds that gathered for one of the major, nightly demonstrations against the present government and their unceasing call for an immediate deal to release the hostages being held by Hamas, whatever may be the price that Israel will be requested to pay.

“There’s nothing like a dose of existential dread to turn the People of the Book into the People of the Meme.” In typical Israeli fashion, once they are confined to their homes, they seek to alleviate the emotional pressure by posting different forms of humor over the internet. Last night, they included poems, limericks, drawings of Mullahs on missile-driven Persian carpets and a straight-forward announcement that the missiles were the “First direct flights to Israel from Iran since 1979”, as posted by British Journalist Matthew Kalman on Facebook.

The different types of missiles were given different names, as if one was ordering a food delivery from a restaurant and listing alongside estimated delivery times, ranging from 12 minutes to 2 hours to 12 hours, depending on the type of “delivery” to be anticipated. The first expected to arrive was the ballistic missiles, while the last to be expected was the “suicide attack drones”, with the cruise missiles making the journey in only about two hours. These extended time periods (except for the ballistic missiles) allowed time to organize both a ground and aerial defense. To their credit, television news teams remained at their posts, reporting on areas of the heaviest missile traffic and on-the-scene photo-journalism that captured the tracking, intercepting and downing of some 350 Iranian missiles having a combined weight of close to 50 tons of explosive material. Sirens blared as the night sky was lit up and the in-coming missiles were tracked and eliminated by a combination of Israel’s Iron-Dome Defense System, David’s Sling anti-missile system, the Israeli Air Force and Fighter Jets from the United States, the United Kingdom, Jordan, France and others. By mid-morning, an assessment was made that some 99% of all of the missiles were destroyed, which was confirmed by the IDF Spokesman and that no drones or cruise missiles entered Israeli airspace . A 7-year-old girl suffered serious shrapnel injuries, but there were no other reports of physical injury. No matter how ones looks at it, a great miracle happened here last night.

The areas of “Red Alert” sirens are shown in the attached photo.

Also attached is a photo of an Iranian ballistic missile that was shot down. It has a range of 1,700 kilometers, carries an explosive warhead of 750 kilograms (1,650 pounds) and is accurate to within 50 meters.

Iran claims that only “strategic areas” were targeted, including the F-35 (Phantom Jet) Air Force Base, in southern Israel, which suffered minimal damage and continues to function as usual. But, despite its claims, it is clear that its missiles were also directed at civilian locations, as air-raid alarms were set off through most of the center and eastern areas of the country.

Iran’s attack on Israel was widely condemned, including by G7 leaders, who said: “With its actions, Iran has further stepped toward the destabilization of the region and risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation. This must be avoided.” While Israel is the last country that would want to cause “regional escalation”, the events of last night cannot be ignored, particularly in its dealings with a soon-to-be nuclear powered Iran. 

Following last night’s missile attack against Israel, which was a military failure and an embarrassment to the Iranian regime, it became necessary for Iran to fabricate a success story in a blatant effort to “save face” in the Middle East and, particularly, vis-a-vis its proxies in the region. As reported by Iran International : “In the face of the humiliating failure of Iran’s first ever direct hit on Israel, Hossein Salami, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard chief commander, also alleged that the attack had been a success ‘beyond expectations’.” Iran also claimed that it has evened the score for the alleged Israel air strike on the Israeli consulate in Damascus at the beginning of the month that killed a senior commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. 

The Guardian reports that: The chief of the general staff, Gen Mohammad Bagheri, claimed that an Israeli intelligence centre close to the Syrian border and an airbase had been destroyed ‘to a significant extent and put out of operation…We see this operation as a result, and in our opinion, as over and there is no intention to continue it, and if the Zionist regime takes action against us, either on our soil or in the centres belonging to us in Syria, or another country does, our next operation will be bigger’. He said the operation could have been 10 times larger.” The threat contained in these statements is that any action against Iran or Iranian personnel or interests in the Middle East will result in a far-greater Iranian military response. This is intended not only as a warning against Israel, but against the U.S. and any U.S. or Israel-military ally. So, far from being over, the events of last night are actually an attempt by Iran to flex its military muscles and to try to maintain “face” in this region and towards other Shiite entities. It needs to be remembered that in this region, if one is not emphatically shown to have lost, then he is considered to have won.

Israel needs to be careful and not be carried away by its achievements in the missile attack against it. Nor should it deceive itself into thinking that it has achieved a strategic “win” over Iran, but needs to exercise wisdom, discernment and patience in analyzing yesterday’s events and outline her actions for the immediate and not-too-distant future. In this regard, the Op-Ed of David Horowitz, appearing today in The Times of Israel, is helpful and provides eight insights into the events of Iran’s missile attack upon Israel and how Israel should deal with it. The article is a worthwhile read.

For the time being, this was the day that was.

We are thankful for answered prayer and continue to encourage you to bless, be blessed and be a blessing.

Have a great week.

Marvin

Preparation for War!

On By marvinsk1 Comment

Shalom all,

This will be brief. The headlines that filled the tabloids and news media in Israel throughout the week was the threat of Iran to “punish Israel” for the death of Iranian general Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who was killed in Syria earlier this month. He was the commandeer of the al-Quds force and the highest-ranking Iranian military officer to be killed since Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated four years ago by an attack from a United States drone.

According to most media sources in Israel, as well as abroad, including the United States, it is expected that Iran will attack Israel within 48 hours. The reports vary, as they all are based on gathered intelligence, but without a specific day and hour. As a result, Israel’s military is on highest alert, while the public is being inundated with media “guesstimates” as to when and how the attack will take place, whether directly from Iran and/or through its proxies in the region, most notably, from the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon. Sources from the U.S. believe that the attack will take place within the next 24 hours.

A short while ago, missile barrages were launched from Lebanon and it is reported that those missiles were directed at military targets in the area of the Golan Heights. There is no doubt that the intention will be to strike strategic locations, meaning power sources, military bases and communication systems. The IDF Spokesman just gave a brief announcement, indicating that it is prepared for whatever scenario might develop.

I won’t get into speculation and certainly do not want to generate any sense of panic, or unnecessary anxiety. But, this is being sent out now, requesting that the recipients of this blog who have the privilege to pray and to petition before the Throne of Grace, would do so and that you would ask others to pray as well. If power stations will be attacked, there will not be any opportunity to send out a post. Please also remember our youngest son, who is stationed in the north.

We continue to pray that we will be kept under the shadow of His wings (Psalm 91:4) and that no weapon formed against us would prosper (Isaiah 54:17).

With blessings always,

Marvin

Six Months of War – Expectations vs. Accomplishments

On By marvinsk1 Comment

Shalom all,

The number of IDF deaths since the beginning of the ground offensive has now reached 256. The total number of IDF deaths since October 7th stands at 600. 

We’re six months into Operation Sword of Iron. An in-depth analysis of the war will not be undertaken in this post. There are numerous articles that have presented pluses and minuses of the events since October 7th and have expressed various viewpoints, which are often at odds with each other, throughout the course of the war. Some things, however, are clear.

Following the massive invasion of Hamas and other terrorists into the southern communities in the Gaza Envelope, the brutal massacre of over 1,200 individuals, most of whom were civilians, and the abduction of over 250 men, women and children of all ages, both civilians and members of the IDF, Israel set out to eliminate Hamas, dismantle its ability to pose a threat to Israel, and to locate and return the hostages. The goals were and remain noble, but ended up being in conflict with each other. As a result, the repeated promises of “total victory” expressed by the Israeli government have up to now fallen far short of being accomplished.

After 183 days, Hamas has been weakened, but it still continues to exist and to fight. The same is true of the Islamic Jihad in Gaza. And, of course, there are the “unaffiliated” Gazans who participated in the events of October 7th and took some captives for themselves. While some of the hostages were released and returned to Israel as a result of a deal worked out between Israel and Hamas, and while the IDF succeeded to free 3 who were taken captive, the difficult realization is that as of this date, we still don’t know how many hostages remain alive, who they are and where they are being held. Tomorrow will be six months since October 7th.

There is no doubt that Israel’s military response to the events of October 7th has seriously impaired the operational ability of Hamas, as well as resulted in the elimination of a multitude of its operatives, including no small number of Hamas’s upper echelon. At the same time, it has taken control over a large area of the Gaza enclave. Nevertheless, for an extended period of time following the ground offensive, Hamas continued to fire missiles into Israel, necessitating the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents, causing them to become refugees in their own land. During the early days following the terrorist onslaught and the sadistic murder, sexual molestation, dismemberment and burnings of those in the southern communities, as well as those attending an outdoor festival, there was a broad showing of public support for Israel to pursue the twin objectives of doing away with Hamas and returning the hostages. Regrettably, neither of those objectives has been accomplished. Great expectations that have, as yet, to be accomplished.

The Israeli public was motivated to put politics behind them and to be united behind the government and the IDF. But, within a short period of time, it became necessary to decide which of the dual goals would take priority. The release and return of the hostages became the rallying cry of families and friends of those taken captive. Throughout Israel, from Metula to Eilat, in every public location, inside public buildings, on billboards, on lampposts, in windows and balconies, in newspapers and television news programs, among other places, there were slogans indicating that “together we will win” and similar words to that effect. Alongside the encouragements and calls for the nation to be unified in our efforts, there were posters, advertisements, tee-shirts and a multitude of other items that were quickly disseminated throughout Israel and to a multitude of other countries. In the same locations where signs for unity were posted, there were the banners, posters, advertisements, and other items, such as dog-tag-like necklaces enscribed with “Bring them home, NOW!”, or “We need to get them out of hell”, and various statements along those lines.

The urge for the desired unity quickly evaporated, as the conflict of priorities entered the picture: Rescue of the hostages vs. protection of the nation from a well-armed and well-organized terrorist organization. The division grew over the course of the war and now, there are organized demonstrations throughout the country calling for a hostage deal ‘at any price”, which not so gracefully slid into “new elections now”, “you’re the head, you”re gulity”, “go home, now” (referring to P.M. Netanyahu). The demonstrations against the government, which were carried on for long months before October 7th, have returned, only with a different excuse – or maybe with the same excuse that was hidden behind a convenient alternative.

What did we accomplish? We confirmed that it is not possible to live side by side with a terrorist organization that rules the Gaza Strip. By the same reasoning, and given the involved fighting in Judea and Samaria (“the West Bank” – of the Jordan River), we can’t live side-by-side with the entity known as the “Palestinian Authority”. What did we learn during this time? We learned that Islamic fundamentalism will not tolerate the continued existence of the State of Israel, whose existence prevents the coming of the Islamic Messiah, or Mahdi, and the re-establishment of an Islamic Caliphate headed by Shiite Moslems.

Added to the failure to accomplish Israel’s military goals set at the outset of the war, and to the internal divisions among the population, as well as in the government itself, is the pressure placed on Israel to unilaterally bring about a ceasefire, in order to effectuate a hostage deal AND to enable increased humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza. The unverified casualty figures announced by the Gaza Department of Health, which is under the control of Hamas, have been accepted by governments near and far, not the least of which include our “friends”, the United States, Canada, England and others. They have dictated to us what our priorities should be: protection of civilians and supply of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. 

There is a blindness that has affected our “friends and allies”. If what took place in Israel on October 7th had taken place in their countries, they would have pursued the terrorist organizations with a vengeance, just like they did after September 11th when they pursued Osama bin Laden and when they went after and fought against ISIS. I won’t even discuss the bigoted United Nations – a totally useless organization when it comes to being an effective, impartial peace keeper. 

Are there victims of terrorism? Yes. Are there casualties of war? Yes. Are mistakes made in war? Yes. Should the casualties of war be a reason to stop pursuing the terrorists who slaughtered the victims and generated the need for the surviving victims to pursue their attackers? Definitely not!!! 

Think of it a different way. Terrorists break into YOUR home, rape YOUR women, cuts off the arms and legs of members of some members of YOUR family, they destroy YOUR home and burn to death some members of YOUR family. Then, they kidnap other members of YOUR family and take them to where the terrorists came from and are hiding. It’s YOUR home, YOUR family members. You have both a right and an obligation to pursue them and bring the members of YOUR family back. Nobody is going to do that for you. Israel is a sovereign nation. Terrorists broke through OUR borders, raped, murdered, destroyed and kidnapped OUR people. We not only have the RIGHT TO PURSUE them, BUT THE OBLIGATION TO PURSUE THEM AND TO BRING OUR PEOPLE BACK. In the process of doing so, the terrorists hide behind civilians, set up military operations in hospitals, public buildings, business areas and residential communities. You want the non-combatants to get out of the way, but the terrorists continue to put them between you and them and the civilians become victims of their own terrorist leadership. And then, your close friends tell you that your primary concern should be to protect the people behind whom the terrorists are hiding and that if you don’t listen to them, they’re not going to encourage and support you any more. Now, it’s YOUR decision. What are you going to say? What are you going to do? Is this a fair comparison? Definitely! 

And so, our “fair-weather friends” not only condemn us, while threatening not only to vote against us in the U.N., but also to cut off military aid, unless we do as we are told. 
“United States President Joe Biden said Friday that Israel was heeding his demand to let aid into Gaza, a day after he warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of a sharp shift in policy. Asked as he left the White House whether he had threatened to stop military aid to Israel in the call with Netanyahu, Biden replied: ‘I asked them to do what they’re doing’…In a tense call on Thursday, Biden warned Netanyahu that US policy on Israel was dependent on the protection of civilians and aid workers in Gaza, following an Israeli strike that killed seven aid workers.” The call to stop weapons deliveries from the United States to Israel “is increasingly becoming mainstream among Democrats“.

And while there is also an effort in England to get the British government to cease supplying arms to Israel, there is the voice and light of reason from former British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who said that “banning arms sales to Israel would be ‘insane’.”

With a keen understanding of the larger picture, Johnson published a “scathing column” in the British “Daily Mail”, noting that imposing an arms embargo on Israel would give a victory to Hamas, that is not concerned about humanitarian law. He wrote: “If you want an example of the death wish of Western civilisation, I give you the current proposal from members of the British establishment that this country should ban arms sales to Israel. If you want evidence of government madness, it appears that Foreign Office lawyers are busily canvassing the idea — which has not, as far as I can tell, yet been rejected by the Foreign Secretary himself. He seems to have gone into a kind of purdah on the subject…[adding] More alarming still, we are told that an Israeli arms ban is the subject of an active row in Cabinet, with only a handful of ministers positively sticking up for Israel. The contagion has spread pretty wide, and very fast. The proposed embargo is now supported by MPs on all sides, by the former head of MI6, by some former Supreme Court Justices, and by about 600 members of the legal profession, all of them clamouring for us to turn our backs on the only democracy in the Middle East…Let us be clear what it would mean, to ban arms sales now, when Israel is under a greater existential threat than at any time I can remember. If we ban the sale of arms ourselves, it surely follows that we do not think any self-respecting country should be arming the Israelis…And if we are willing everyone, including the U.S., to end their military support, be in no doubt what that means. There is only one logical conclusion. We are willing the military defeat of Israel and the victory of Hamas. Remember that in order to win this conflict, Hamas only has to survive. All they need at the end is to hang on, rebuild, and go again.” [emphasis mine]

While not ignoring the suffering of the people of Gaza, Johnson noted in his article the tactics of Hamas: “They [Hamas] wanted to evoke global feelings of repulsion about events in Israel, and, of course, they wanted to provoke the Israelis into a violent response, because they knew that retaliation would inevitably forfeit sympathy for Israel around the world…That’s why they took the hostages: to give Israel no choice but to fight. That’s why they refuse to give the hostages back. That’s why they prepared so carefully for the war, cynically designing their very defences so as to provoke the greatest loss of Palestinian life, and the greatest possible loss of Western support for Israel...That’s why they built 400 miles of tunnels, and that’s why they made sure to conceal themselves beneath mosques, hospitals, schools and other civilian targets. They are actively using the death and suffering of their own citizens, maximising their pain and grief so as to rally international opinion against Israel — and we are falling for it.“ [emphasis mine] Thank you, Mr. Johnson! At last, there is a clear expression of understanding that seems to have escaped many “leaders” in the Western world, who continue to bury their heads in the sand, while making outrageous demands upon Israel and asserting that the establishment of a so-called “Palestinian” State will solve the long-existing religious war and bring about a lasting peace.

Where do we go from here? Continue to fight with the goal of destroying the military capacity of Hamas (even if their leaders survive), or capitulate to internal and external pressure and make a series of disastrous deals with a thoroughly evil terrorist organization to return all of the surviving hostages, knowing that we will return and fight another day, as if October 7th never happened?

Then there is the threat of Iran to retaliate against Israel for the death of Brigadier General Mohammad Rez Zehdi, a senior military commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, who was the head of the ground operations of Iran in Syria and Lebanon. That is a genuinely worrisome and developing story. The Islamic festival of Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks the end of the month of Ramadan, will take place on Wednesday of this coming week. It would be reasonable to think that Iran will try to carry out its threat against Israel around that time, either alone (which is possible, but doubtful) or together with the Hezbollah, which has over 100,000 missiles pointed in the direction of Israel. May it be that their threats are like clouds without water.

But, we are beginning a new day and a new week.

So remember: Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.

Marvin

Fighting For Our Existence – Day 141 of the War.

On By marvinsk2 Comments

Shalom all,

The number of IDF deaths since the beginning of the ground offensive has now reached 238. The total number of IDF deaths since October 7th stands at 577. The number of hostages still held by Hamas and other terrorists is estimated at around 134.

After last week’s disclosures that the United States was working together with a number of “partners” to effectuate the establishment of a “Palestinian” state – without Israel’s involvement, the Knesset [Israel’s Parliament] earlier this week voted overwhelmingly against imposing such unilateral recognition on Israel. In what can only be described as a rare, historical moment, 99 of 120 Members of Knesset agreed to the declaration. Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, commented in an “X” post (formerly Twitter): “This landmark vote underscores our collective resolve: We will not reward terrorism by unilateral recognition in response to the October 7 massacre, nor will be accept imposed solutions. This strong stance sends a powerful message to the world: Peace and security for Israel will be achieved through negotiations, not through unilateral actions. Today, we stand united more than ever.”

Given such a stance on the part of Israel’s law makers and leadership, one would have to ask why foreign governments still speak about recognizing what is unrecognizable, a so-called “Palestinian” state. Maybe because there are still politicians who hold to the same point of view of Ahmed Tibi of the Ta’al Party, one of Israel’s most outspoken Arab Members of Knesset, who said, during the plenum debate on the proclamation: “A Palestinian state will be established Ras Ben Ami [Arabic slang for “in spite of his opposition”].”

Michael Freund, who served as deputy communications director under P.M. Netanyahu’s first term of office, wrote an Opinion piece appearing in The Jerusalem Post this evening (February 24th) entitled “Palestine is dead: No one will ever be able to make a Palestinian state”.   In the article, he pointed out certain realities that Western politicians, such as UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron and French President Emmanuel Macron, who “floated [the] suggestion”, notwithstanding the continuing Gaza War, that the time has come to give the “Palestinians” an independent state, “even in the absence of a negotiating process.” Freund cogently points out that what these, and other statesmen, fail to understand is that “the very idea of a Palestinian state is no longer geographically viable, morally acceptable, or even politically tolerable to the overwhelming majority of Israelis. Simply put, the idea of “Palestine” is dead and buried, and no matter how hard they may try, Western politicians will never be able to revive it.” He noted that a recent poll  released last month revealed that a considerable majority of Israelis are opposed to such a move, which is doomed to failure for a number of different reasons, among which is the national trauma of October 7th, that will prevent such a grant of “a massive and unprecedented reward to terrorism”. He concludes that “In light of the realities on the ground…it is time for people such as Cameron, Macron, and like-minded loons in the US State Department to take a dose of some reality pills.” 

If anyone reading this post has access to such “loons”, you might want to send them a copy of Freund’s article. 

In the midst of the ongoing Gaza War, Israel chose to send representatives to Paris for the renewal of talks that would lead to another hostage release / cease-fire. The Israeli delegation returned to Israel a few hours ago, with a new and updated outline for negotiations, with the major question being whether Hamas would agree to the new framework. There were, as usual, conflicting reports regarding any real progress in the talks, as the discussions in Paris focused on various demands of Hamas, including the complete withdrawal of the IDF from the northern Gaza Strip, which Israel opposed. The same news source indicated earlier today that the Israeli delegation returned from Paris “with no significant breakthrough, stating there are plans for follow-up talks in the future.”  There is no denying that pressure has been mounting on Israel to reach a deal with Hamas to prevent a planned move by the IDF against the City of Rafiah in the southern region of Gaza, and particularly, for such a deal to be made before the onset of Ramadan. According to a report in Sky News, a Hamas political official said that Israel’s position was making it difficult to reach an agreement. Particularly, the official said “the Israelis had refused the main demands put forward by Hamas to ’stop the aggression, to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, to return displaced people to the north [of Gaza], and to make a real reciprocal deal’ on exchanging the Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israel … [adding that] his group [Hamas] is sticking to these demands.” P.M. Netanyahu’s response was that the demands of Hamas are “delusional”.

The leftist-leaning news site, Haaretz, reports this evening that broadly speaking, the outline/proposal calls for a six-week lull in the fighting, during which around 40 hostages would be released, including women, elderly and those in poor health, humanitarian aid and the release of prisoners being held in Israel. But, Israel will not commit to ending the war. The Guardian adds that Hamas is demanding the release of 500 “Palestinian” prisoners for each Israeli soldier being held in Gaza, along with its other demands. From a realistic point of view, if Hamas is holding a dozen Israeli soldiers, such a demand would result in Israel having to release 6,000 prisoners, which, in essence, was the original demand of Hamas. Even this demand would be a possibility, however far-fetched it might be. But, an immediate end to the war is a non-starter.

We are back to the point that is left unresolved from the outset of the Gaza War, with two seemingly irreconcilable goals: Ending the power and influence of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the safe return of the hostages. Both goals demand an all-out resolve on Israel’s part. 

The multitude of demonstrations that take place almost nightly in Israel for an immediate cease fire, coupled with the demand to bring the hostages home, NOW, is a different way of calling upon the government to yield to all of the demands of Hamas, so that some 130 plus hostages can be returned. Some hold up placards saying, “Choose the lives of our loved ones.” But, choose between what? The safe return of the hostages over an extended period of time, as against the safety of entire communities in the south of Israel. As of tonight, we still do not know how many hostages are still alive, who they are and the status of their health. We also don’t know whether Hamas, along with Islamic Jihad, will be able to return all of the hostages, or even if they know where all the hostages are. Israel appears to be running after Hamas to enter into another deal. It is as though we, the victim of a demonic massacre, are pleading with the devil that he should agree to make another deal with us, knowing that he will lie and deceive. And then after that, another deal and then still another deal. Hamas has learned how to fight a psychological war, while Israel hasn’t grasped its fundamentals.

The other side of the coin is the military successes against the Hamas terrorist organization. As Israel is poised to press on towards Rafiah, in seeking to weed out Hamas operatives, the world community is becoming more tense. The terrorist invasion of October 7th is of little, or no concern, to most of the nations. The expressed concern is over the number of alleged Gazan deaths, the reports of which are released by the Gaza Health Department that is under the control of Hamas. Almost half of the numbers include the deaths of terrorists, but they are lumped together in the release of the figures. The rest are unable to be independently confirmed. 

Given enough time, the IDF can destroy the organizational structure of Hamas. Militarily, Israel can defeat the Hamas terrorists, even though it may not be able to eliminate the ideology that underlies and motivates their anti-Israel and anti-Jew actions. Whether it can find the leading players in Gaza is another story. There is the possibility that Yehya Sinwar has left Gaza with his family via the tunnel network and is presently in Egypt, or somewhere else. The whereabouts of Mohammed Deif is also not known. For the Hamas leadership, its soldiers are expendable. Many of the terrorists are recognizing that their leadership doesn’t care about them, so they are making the decision to surrender to the IDF. The information gathered from the captured terrorists allows for additional measures to defeat Hamas and, in some instances, to locate some of the hostages, as was the case last week. But, the big question regarding the hostages is: Where are they being held? If we defeat Hamas militarily, but do not succeed in freeing the hostages, will we be considered as having “won” the war? Conversely, if at war’s end, Hamas is allowed to continue to exist, but is not said to have lost the war, then according to the mentality of the region, it will be viewed as if it has won.

Another question is whether Israel can achieve the military goals of the Gaza War before the beginning of Ramadan, which is almost around the corner. Israel is planning to restrict the number of Muslims who will be able to visit the Al-Aqsa Mosque to those over the age of 60 and under the age of 10. Hamas warns against an imminent “explosion of rage” if restrictions will be imposed. Consideration is being given to lower the age from 60 to 40. In a message posted on Telegram, Hamas wrote: “We call on the people of our Palestinian people in the occupied territories, Jerusalem and the West Bank, to escalate the confrontation of the occupation everywhere…[and] to mobilize and march to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, to protect it from the desecration of the usurping settlers, and to thwart all fascist plans targeting the Holy Mosque and the Holy City.”  

It is amazing that the Hamas leadership continues to make threats against Israel and expects that Israel will allow tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of Muslims to visit the mosque in the midst of the Gaza War. Israel would be absolutely justified, not only in restricting the number of visitors, but of restricting them entirely. As one person said: “We didn’t celebrate Simchat Torah (the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, which was on October 7th)! Then they shouldn’t have Ramadan!” That should be a statement with which we can readily agree.

No discussion today about the Hezbollah, or the Houthis. Not because they are not important. But, because they are separate stories that will need to be dealt with at another time. Still, please remember to pray about the situation in the north. If the IDF pursues action in Rafiah or follows through with its plans to restrict visitation of Muslims to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the region could explode and the pot that is heating up with Hezbollah can boil over. 

As a final thought, I’ll leave you with Jonathan S. Tobin’s opening words in his article that appeared in Jewish News Syndicate on February 19th: “What Americans [and others – my addition] don’t get about Israelis fighting for their lives…They fail to understand a traumatized nation facing genocidal foes – one that is united behind a war whose aim is the preservation of their very existence.”

The Dry Bones Blog – 23 February, 2024

As we begin a new week, and despite any difficult circumstances –

Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.
Marvin

War! Terrorist Invasion of Israel – Day 74 of the War.

On By marvinskLeave a comment

Shalom all,

The number of IDF members killed in action since the beginning of the ground offensive is now up to 131.

Rachel continues to weep for her children. Another military funeral, similar to others, but definitely different. It is difficult to describe in words what a military funeral is like in Israel. I’ve attended a few and wept with the families, the friends, the companions-in-arms and others who participated in the ceremony simply to honor and respect the fallen soldier. Today, it was the funeral of Sergeant First Class, Urija Bayer, 20 years old, for whom many of the recipients of this blog prayed for.

It was about an hour’s drive from Haifa to the military cemetery in Ma’alot-Tarshiha, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of the northern city of Nahariyya. I drove with my oldest son, who was released from reserve duty after serving for two months, and his wife (whose sister is married to Urija’s cousin). We anticipated traffic, so we left a little early, planning to arrive between 30-45 minutes before the funeral service began. As we were approaching the entrance to the cemetery, we saw a long line of people lining the roadway, holding Israeli flags. The number of roadside participants increased significantly by the time we reached the cemetery. Vehicular traffic was directed by the IDF and we were able to get a parking space very close to the entrance. By the time we arrived at the cemetery, literally hundreds of people were already present – Urija’s family, of course; friends; members of the unit where he served, along with what appeared to be a sea of members of the IDF. By the time the actual funeral service began, about a thousand people were in attendance, including my daughter, who came down from Jerusalem, and my other son, who is on full-time, active duty in the IDF in the north of Israel. 

We heard the echo of the loud speaker being turned on and then the announcement, requesting that the crowd make way and not block the path of the procession that was about to begin, on schedule. The crowd separated, making an uneven divide, but clearing a path wide enough for the pall bearers and the honor guard to pass, followed by family and just about everyone else, to the actual plot where Urijah would be interred. 

The military funeral is arranged fully by the IDF. Each funeral has similar aspects – the arrival of the casket and its burial; eulogies by members of the IDF, including a rabbi, the commanding officer of the unit where the deceased soldier served, a testimony by another officer about the person and service of the solder, a prayer to the Father of Mercies, eulogies by members of the family, the “Mourner’s Kadish” (a prayer exalting and praising the greatness of God), a three-volley salute and the declaration that the service is officially over. 

But, while all of the above elements were present, still, this military funeral was considerably different from almost all others. Urija was not Jewish, but was an Evangelical Chrisitian. Although he held the status of a permanent resident, he did not have Israeli citizenship, and so was exempt from mandatory military service. Nevertheless, like his four siblings before him, he volunteered to join the IDF, and served in the Maglan Special Forces unit, which is part of the Nahal Brigade. He is the youngest of five children, all of whom were born in Israel. His parents are German Christian Evangelicals, who founded “Zedakah” (meaning “charity”), a German Christian charitable organization that runs the Bet Eliezer Nursing Home in Ma’alot, which has one goal: to comfort and console elderly Holocaust survivors. Urija’s grandparents founded and operated the Beth El Guest Home, located in Shavei Zion (not far from the city of Naharriya), which hosts Holocaust survivors and their families for free.

In her eulogy, Urija’s mother related, among other things, to the meaning of the name “Urija” from a Biblical point of view. She spoke of the sovereignty of God in all things and of the salvation offered by faith in Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel – a subject almost never mentioned at a military funeral in Israel. The emotional impact of her words were clearly evident upon many of the faces of those present, as some wept and others wiped away tears. Urija lived out his faith in Messiah Yeshua and found favor in the sight of God and man. The testimony that he left behind will be remembered and spoken about by the people whose lives he touched.

Urija was described by officers and enlisted men, and women, as a highly dedicated and competent combat soldier, who was always ready to perform the most difficult tasks. He was quiet and always smiling, encouraging others in his unit to press on. He was dedicated to the defense of Israel, and was honored and respected by everyone in the IDF who knew him. Last Thursday, during difficult combat in the southern portion of the Gaza Strip, he sustained severe head injuries, from which he died on Sunday. All of the members of the IDF who spoke at his funeral closed with the words, “may his life be bound up in the bundle of the living” based upon 1 Samuel 25:29, which is a prayer of faith in the eternal life of the soul. The Hebrew letters that form an anagram from those words appear on almost all gravestones of Jewish people. May Urija’s memory be blessed.

The Gaza War continues in earnest, as units of the IDF continue to find and destroy additional tunnels that are part of a vast tunnel system, some of which are able to accommodate trucks. It is nothing short of a miracle that one of these larger tunnels, which is located a relatively short distance from one of the Israel-Gaza crossings, was not utilized by Hamas to overrun the IDF units in charge of those crossings and cause an even greater massacre inside of Israel than that which took place on October 7th.

The northern arena is no longer a place for irritating, cross-border incidents. Now, there is ongoing military action throughout the course of the day. The question on most people’s minds these days is not “if” a second front will develop, but “when”. In conversations with representatives of the United States, Israel expressed its desire that the Hezbollah be moved northward, at least 6 miles from the border with Israel. It is doubtful that the U.S. will be able to bring that event to pass and, even if it does, 6 miles will not prevent the Hezbollah from launching a missile attack upon Israel. The slightly increased distance will only result in a minimally longer “warning time”, that would enable people on our side of the border to find shelter.

Hostage negotiations – Israel is almost pleading for renewed negotiations with the Hamas terrorist organization, which remains adamant in its position that it will not negotiate for the release of hostages until Israel, essentially, stops the war. As has been the case for the last few days, “unnamed sources” relate information to news media, who then pass on the information to us, the “uninformed”, as if the information being communicated is true in every respect. We need to be careful about accepting third-party, “hearsay”, information.

Be that as it may, a report in Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) today, refers to an article appearing in the London-based newspaper, The New Arab (Al-Araby Al Jadeed), which claims that Hamas is ignoring feelers put out by Israel for renewed negotiations for a hostage/prisoner exchange and ceasefire. The Qatari-owned newspaper reported that according to an unnamed Egyptian source, “The leadership of the Hamas movement refused to respond to a proposal put forward by Tel Aviv regarding the possibility of completing a prisoner exchange deal that includes female soldiers and some elderly people as a first stage, followed by other stages.” Note the language: “Hamas movement” – no reference to it being a militaristic, terrorist organization; “put forward by Tel Aviv” – this is an attempt to refer to Israel’s capital as Tel Aviv, rather than Jerusalem; “first stage, followed by other stages” – The final release/return of ALL of the hostages will be negotiated in stages and definitely over an extended period of time. All during that time, if the IDF doesn’t “behave” properly, it is clear that Hamas will play its “on-again, off-again” game, putting the IDF and Israel to shame before the Arab world and the world community itself. 

JNS added: “Hamas leadership won’t accept any proposals that don’t include a ceasefire as a ‘good faith gesture,’ the Egyptian source added. Israel’s offer included the release of prominent Hamas prisoners who had been in jail for long periods, said the source, who according to the paper was briefed on recent meetings between Egyptian officials and Hamas terror representatives in Doha. However, Hamas views the offer with suspicion, seeing it as an Israeli tactic to sow division among the various terror groups operating in Gaza, and so insists that ‘any future negotiations will not be limited to leadership prisoners from Hamas, but will include the leaders of all Palestinian resistance factions,’ the source said. The involvement of CIA Director William Burns is a sign that the United States and Israel are eager for a deal and that the Biden administration ‘believes that it is possible to reach a new agreement similar to the previous agreement, if Egypt and Qatar exert pressure,’ he added.” (Emphasis mine) Israel has rejected those demands and has stated that the war will continue and that it will be be ready for a ceasefire only when the hostages will be released.

The terms expressed above need to be understood from the point of view of Hamas wanting to “save face”, which is of critical importance in the Middle East, as well as to get what it originally requested, namely, the release of all “Palestinian” prisoners being held in Israeli jails. Although the language used is “leaders of all ‘Palestinian resistance factions’,” that is a starting point: first get the “generals” out, then get the “soldiers” out, who will be the military might that follows the instructions of the “generals”.

Israel needs to WAKE UP! We’re being played by Hamas. Even though we say now that its terms are unacceptable, if we continue to run after them and reduce our demands each time, then at some point we will give in to their demands in order to satisfy the demands of the families of the hostages. While we are at it, it should be obvious that to no small extent, and notwithstanding anything that the U.S. Department of Defense might say, we’re also being played by the Biden Administration, that is telling us how to conduct our war, when to finish fighting and what to negotiate. If our “friend” wants us to win the war, it can’t shackle us and tell us to do so with one hand, or maybe both hands, tied behind our backs. If the U.S. is sending in its top negotiator, who helped bring about the last “deal”, then it wants us to compromise regarding the goals we set for this war. The end result will be that the hostages “may” be released (we don’t know who is alive), how many negotiated deals will be necessary to bring that to pass or how long. And worse, Sinwar and his other evil cohorts will live to fight another day and to plan more massacres of Israelis. We should stop trying to make a deal with the devil. All of Israel wants the hostages returned. But, we also want to prevent a repeat of October 7th. We cannot compromise. Agreeing to the prerequisite demands of a purely evil, blood-thirsty terrorist group is a recipe for disaster. The good of the few should not take precedence over the good of the many. We need to make our own decisions. We can’t pursue winning the Gaza War and negotiate over what will cause us to lose it.

“Don’t Let Us Grow Old Here.” That is the title of a brief video, in Hebrew and English, that was released by Hamas yesterday, which features 3 elderly men who were taken captive on October 7th. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the IDF Spokesman, said that the video was an “atrocious terrorism…It shows the cruelty of Hamas against elderly civilians, innocents, who require medical attention…The world must work to allow medical aid and to verify their condition.” And we are supposed to sit with their kidnappers and play “Let’s Make A Deal”? Hagari added a personal note to the hostages: “We are doing everything to return you safely. We will not rest until you are back.” While I respect Hagari, in my opinion it would have been best if that last statement was left out. If the “everything to return you safely” is a reference to the negotiations, then their safe return will come at a tremendous price tag that will endanger Israel.

The release of the video yesterday was obviously intended to play on the emotions of the Israeli public, in the backdrop of the rumors of an attempt at another negotiation, probably to put more pressure on the Israeli government to do whatever is necessary to bring about the release/return of the hostages. The emotional notch was increased a bit by including the well-known phrase (at least here, in Hebrew) from Psalm 71:9: “Do not cast me away at the time of my old age; Do not abandon me when my strength fails.” It should be a clear reminder of the totally immoral, insensitive people that we are dealing with.

Friends stand with their friends and defend them, when wrongfully attacked. United States Representative David Scott made that clear on October 25th.

So, what happened between the time that United States Representative David Scott declared that they not only will stand with Israel, but that they will fight with Israel? Why are we getting mixed messages from Uncle Sam? In all likelihood, it has to do with politics. There it is again. Politics!

The Dry Bones Blog – 19 December, 2023

Some friends “go the extra mile”. They not only defend in words, they give valid explanations for their positions. AND, they make it clear and unambiguous.

Oh, that You would tear open the heavens and come down, that the mountains would quake at Your presence—as fire kindles brushwood, as fire causes water to boil— to make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence! (Isaiah 61:1-2)

Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.

Marvin