Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Britain

Activists file arrest warrant for Sa’ar during his London visit

2025-04-17

[IsraelTimes] Two NGOs seek warrant against FM over military action at Gaza Strip hospital in 2024 and detention of its director; Jerusalem says top diplomat will not cut short trip

Two legal NGOs in the United Kingdom sought arrest warrants Wednesday against Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar during his visit to London, accusing Israel’s top diplomat of committing crimes in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
Strip during the ongoing war with Hamas
Hamas

..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
"Sa’ar cannot walk freely in London while innocent Paleostinian civilians are buried under rubble. His role in the killing of Gaza’s civilians demands accountability," said Dyab Abou Jahjah, founder of the Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation, which filed the arrest warrant alongside the UK-based Global Legal Action Network (GLAN).

The foreign minister "has no intention to shorten his trip or to change his plans in any manner," the Foreign Ministry told The Times of Israel in response to the warrant, which was filed with the UK’s Attorney General and Director of Public Prosecutions, according to a joint statement from the two NGOs.

"The charges focus on [Sa’ar’s] role in the siege of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza," GLAN wrote on X, which it said led to "the abduction and torture" of hospital director Dr. Hussam Abu Safiyeh.

Israel detained Abu Safiya along with nearly 240 others during a raid on the hospital in northern Gaza in December 2024, alleging that Hamas was using it as a command center.

The IDF said it suspects Abu Safiya of being a Hamas member. In February, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, a Paleostinian rights group representing Abu Safiya, claimed he was subject to repeated physical abuse during his ongoing detention in Israel.

Launched in September 2024, the Hind Rajab Foundation has used social media posts by Israeli soldiers, officers and reservists in an attempt to have them arrested for alleged war crimes when they travel abroad.

During what was termed a "private visit" to London on Tuesday, Sa’ar met with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy for discussions that addressed Iran’s nuclear program, as well as negotiations to free hostages from Gaza, according to an Israeli readout.

The nature of the visit could impact the success of the arrest warrant requests, as under British law, Israelis are protected against such action if they are on an official trip.

There have been previous attempts to see Israeli officials arrested during trips to the UK, notably against then-foreign minister Tzipi Livni in 2009 when, ahead of a planned visit, a British court issued a warrant for her over alleged war crimes committed by the IDF during a three-week conflict in Gaza. In the end, Livni did not go through with the trip, and the threat of an arrest kept her out of the UK until authorities in 2011 granted automatic immunity to all Israelis on official visits to the country.

Britannia changed the law to make it more difficult to obtain arrest warrants against Israeli figures by requiring the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The amended law helps those visiting Britannia in an official capacity. Those making trips of a personal nature are left vulnerable.

In 2015, Livni, by then an opposition member of Knesset, again visited the UK to attend a women’s summit. Anti-Israeli activists applied to have an arrest warrant issued, as the visit could be considered personal. To preempt the problem, Livni arranged to meet with senior UK government officials, enabling the Knesset speaker to approve her travel as an official visit, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported at the time.

The following year, Livni was back in the UK to attend a conference and British police summoned her for a "voluntary interview" over her involvement in Israel’s 2008 war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The request was reportedly dropped after an exchange between Israeli and British diplomats that granted her diplomatic immunity.

In 2015, former defense minister and IDF chief of staff Shaul Mofaz was nearly arrested when he visited London. At the time, Mofaz was greeted at the airport by two Israeli diplomats. His arrest was avoided after swift action by the Israeli Embassy in London and the British Embassy in Israel.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

The history of Hamas' lifeline: 20 years of broken Egyptian pledges along Philadelphi Corridor

2024-08-14

[YNet] Nearly 20 years ago, a conversation took place between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz that outlined a plan for deploying 750 Egyptian police officers along the Philadelphi Corridor within months to prevent arms smuggling.

The plan also included coordination between Egyptian and Israeli battalion and brigade commanders to thwart smuggling activities. However, this discussion did not occur recently or during the current war in Gaza but rather in March 2005, as part of the preparations for Israel's disengagement plan, which was implemented later that summer.

...An Israeli military source told The Washington Post in June that an estimated 20 tunnels in the area remain undetected. The source emphasized that before any IDF operation, contact is made with Egypt to coordinate activities. Just a few days ago, the IDF released footage of a 10-foot-high tunnel capable of accommodating large vehicles, which was discovered last week along the route.

Despite this, Egyptian officials continue to deny the existence of such tunnels. An Egyptian source recently denied "Israeli media reports about tunnels between Egypt and Gaza," describing them as "an Israeli attempt to escape the failure in Gaza." The source added, "Israel's failure to make progress in Gaza leads it to publish claims about the existence of tunnels to justify the continued attacks in the Strip."

The things people tend to forget is our system of morality is based on judging actions as right and wrong. Arabs' is based on relatedness: any conflict between brother & cousin, the brother is right. Any conflict between Muslim and non-Muslim - the Muslim is right. Any promises given are taquia.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Hannibal Directive in Jewish law

2024-02-06

[Jpost] The Hannibal Directive is just one more reminder of the dangerous consequences of well-intentioned but ultimately misguided prisoner exchange policy.

Israeli reporter Ronen Bergman has claimed that IDF soldiers were told, during certain incidents on October 7, to prevent the kidnapping of Israel citizens or soldiers “at all costs.” The alleged directives were purposely ambiguous. In practice, the claim goes, it was understood that the forces would fire in those given scenarios with the goal of killing terrorists, even when clearly understanding that their fellow Israelis would inevitably also be killed.

These alleged incidents have been strongly criticized by Prof. Asa Kasher, author of the IDF’s first code of ethics. He notes that previous IDF chiefs of staff, including Shaul Mofaz and Benny Gantz, directed that there was no permission to target a hostage. The details of these allegations remain murky, but it pays to review the responsibilities of a government toward individual lives within the broader context of a military campaign intended to secure the broader collective.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Former defense minister Mofaz: Bolton tried to convince me to attack Iran

2018-03-25

Former Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Sunday that US President Donald Trump's newly-appointed national security advisor John Bolton had tried to convince him to attack Iran.

Speaking at a conference hosted by Yediot Aharonot, Mofaz said: "I have known John Bolton since his days as US ambassador to the United Nations - he tried to convince me that Israel must attack in Iran.

"I don't think that it's a wise move, not for the Americans today or for anyone until the threat becomes real," he added.

In 1998, Mofaz became the sixteenth IDF chief of staff, serving until 2002. He then served as minister of defense from 2002 until 2006.

"The Iranian threat is very significant for Israel's security. Iran is already at Israel's borders - in Syria and Lebanon," Mofaz warned. "It's impossible to promise a future to the children of Israel if Iran obtains a nuclear weapon."

Bolton is known to be rabidly opposed to the Iran nuclear deal, and is considered a strong friend of Israel. He has also stated that the two-state solution is "dead."

On Saturday night, right-wing Israeli politicians welcomed the news of the hawkish choice to replace Lt.-Gen. H.R. McMaster, who was seen as a constraining influence within Trump’s inner circle.

Bolton’s appointment sends "an unequivocal message to Iran that the days of the terrible nuclear agreement are coming to an end," said Kulanu MK and former ambassador to the United States Michael Oren.

"Bolton is known to hate the agreement," he said.

Sitting alongside Mofaz at the conference were former defense minister Moshe Ya'alon and former IDF chiefs of staff Benny Gantz and Dan Halutz. All four panelists said they were not in favor of nixing the Iran nuclear deal.

Ya'alon emphasized the importance of exhausting non-military options before using force against Iran.

"Leaders in the region have understood that their armies cannot defeat the IDF, and as a result have gone in two directions," said Ya'alon.

"The first is terror, guerrilla, rockets and missiles; the second is an unconventional threat, particularly nuclear," he added.

"To thwart or to destroy? For as long as possible, obtain achievements without using military force. If there's no choice - it'll be necessary to use force."

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

IDF chief details army's national security strategy

2015-08-16

[Ynet] In document released to the public, Eisenkot states that while Israel won't initiate wars, if war is forced upon it, the IDF will go on the offense rather than defense; also differentiates between 'wartime' and 'emergency' situation, stressing the need to define clear objectives to each military campaign.

In an unprecedented move, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot released a document to the public on Thursday defining and detailing the army's national security strategy.

The document details what can be expected from the IDF during three types of situations: Routine time, emergency situations and wartime.

Based on this division, conflicts like Operation Protective Edge and Operation Pillar of Defense are considered confrontations limited in their scope and are therefore define as "emergency," rather than "war."

This means these confrontations were meant to bring Israel "back to a situation of calm, without striving for an immediate strategic change," so the IDF cannot be expected to bring down the Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, regime in Gazoo in such a military campaign, unless the politicianship tells it otherwise.

In the first chapter, Eisenkot discusses the "military aspect of the security perception" - deterrence, intelligence, defense and a decisive victory. The IDF chief determines that while Israel will not initiate wars for the purpose of conquering lands or achieving strategic goals, as it did in the First Leb War, when a war is forced on it, the IDF will prefer to attack rather than merely go on the defensive.

"The basic assumption is that the enemy cannot be defeated with defensive fighting, so an offense is required to achieve clear military results," the document states.

The definition of the "enemy" has also been altered. As the threat of an all-out war against another state or several other states is on the decline, the document redefines the main threat as coming from military organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah or terror organizations that are not affiliated with any one country, like global jihad and the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
Because of that, the IDF will favor fighting with smaller forces that can maneuver quickly and easily between different fronts, over large and stationary forces. This statement comes in the midst of the public debate over the defense budget and the IDF's attempt to present itself as a dynamic army that can become more efficient.

While Hezbollah, Hamas and the Islamic State are all mentioned, Iran is missing almost entirely from the document. Tehran appears as an example of a distant enemy state and is mentioned one more time beyond that - as the puppet master behind Hezbollah and Hamas.

The Iranian nuclear threat, which is presented by the politicianship as the biggest existential threat Israel is facing, is not mentioned - possibly because the army's strategy on that issue is too classified to appear in a public document, or because the agreement signed between Iran and world powers is seen as mitigating the threat.

The document also determines that the chief of staff, being the army's commander-in-chief, would be the only one in contact with the politicianship, and it would be his responsibility to translate the government's instructions into operational orders.

This declaration emphasizes the fact the IDF is subordinate to the government and is only implementing the instructions given to it by the public's representatives.

Other principles detailed in the document include the importance of the strategic cooperation with the United States, strengthening Israel's standing in the region and maintaining Israel's relative advantage over its enemies.

In addition to the document released to the public, there is another top secret document, much more detailed, about how the IDF will implement its strategy.

A historic milestone
The document, titled simply "The IDF's strategy," is a historic milestone in Israel's national security. For the first time, the IDF is defining its defense worldview and using that to determine how to act.

But most importantly, this document clarifies to the politicianship what is reasonable for them to demand and expect from the IDF, while at the same time demanding the prime minister and security cabinet to define exactly what the objectives of using military force in each instance are, what restrictions and constraints are imposed on the army, and what are the desired results.

This has never happened before. For the first time, the army is telling the politicianship what it needs from it in order to act effectively.

It is safe to assume that the prime minister, and mostly the defense minister, approved every letter and comma in that document before they allowed the chief of staff to declare it as a binding document and release it in full to the public.

The fact the defense minister approved the document is also a historic precedent, and Moshe Ya'alon should be given credit for doing something no defense minister had done before him. Some defense ministers appointed committees tasked with formulating Israel's security positions, but such positions have never been agreed upon and certainly not released to the public.

At the beginning of the document, the IDF defines the national goals and the principles of Israel's national security perception, which is similar to the principles outline by the Meridor Committee in 2006. The conclusions of the Meridor Committee, appointed by former defense minister Shaul Mofaz, were never released, not even to all members of Knesset.

The need to finally release a coherent document detailing the IDF's national security perceptions arose after the Second Leb War in 2006 and Operation Protective Edge in 2014. Both wars revealed failures that were the result of having no clear objectives for the war, as well as no clear definitions of what a "decisive victory" entails, what is considered a "victory," what should the army aim for and what roles do the IDF and politicianship each have.

The document answers all of these questions. For example, it clearly states that the politicianship can present the IDF with two kinds of demands while fighting an enemy that is not a sovereign state - meaning Hamas, Hezbollah or the Islamic State: A full and clear decisive military victory against the enemy, or a limited and defined strike against the enemy.

During Protective Edge, for example, the politicianship demanded a limited strike against the enemy, rather than a decisive victory. With this document, the IDF wants to prevent some of the criticism that would follow the next round of fighting with regards to whether or not the objective of the military campaign has been reached.

While the IDF chief clearly states that he will do whatever the politicianship instructs, he also goes into great detail about what the politicianship needs to do so he, as the commander of the army, can provide it with the desired outcome.

Another reason for the document's release to the public is to match the Israeli public's expectations with what the army can and cannot do. When fighting enemies who are not states, the IDF faces constraints. For example, Israel needs to have international legitimacy for the campaign, otherwise IDF troops and commanders fighting among civilian populations, as well as the politicianship, could be declared war criminals.

With this document, Eisenkot also seeks to show that the IDF is not set on past dogmas and does not use billions in tax payer money to prepare for previous wars, rather than the wars to come.

It is also an attempt to show the army is attuned to public opinion and that it understands that allocating resources to education, health and welfare is just as important as allocating resources to security.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Palestinians detain dozens in weapons crackdown

2012-07-03

Some 200 jugged
Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw!
throughout West Bank during raids conducted in response to high-profile vigilante shootings. Jenin governor: Rules have changed

Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
has launched his broadest weapons crackdown in years, for the first time confronting his own loyalists, including rogue security officers and gunnies linked to his Fatah movement.

The arrest raids conducted in recent weeks are a response to high-profile vigilante shootings that threatened to undermine law-and-order successes, seen as key to Paleostinian statehood claims.

Some 200 people were jugged
Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw!
and dozens of guns seized in recent weeks, many in the northern West Bank district of Jenin, Paleostinian police said Monday.

Just under half the detainees were released after surrendering their weapons, while others remain in jug on suspicion of weapons dealing, extortion and shooting attacks, said police front man Adnan Damiri.

Until the crackdown, Abbas had largely avoided taking on gunnies with ties to Fatah, apparently fearing a political backlash and unrest in the ranks. The recent shootings, including a May attack on the house of the Jenin district governor, who later died of a heart attack, seem to have left him no choice.

Among those tossed in the clink
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
were several gangs involved in illegal weapons trading and extortion, as well as those who attacked the house of the Jenin governor. The Paleostinian officials have linked the deadly heart attack to the shooting, seen as the main trigger for the security crackdown.

At the same time, Paleostinian human rights
When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much...
groups have criticized Abbas for curtailing basic freedoms in the West Bank under the guise of security.

Over the weekend, his security forces violently dispersed two protests against Abbas' security coordination with Israel and a planned meeting with Israeli Vice Premier Shaul Mofaz. The meeting was later postponed.

To the international community, the Jenin area, a former terrorist stronghold, had become a symbol of Abbas' ability to assert control successfully. The recent violence has threatened to spoil that perception.

The situation "reached a level where it was hurting the faction (Fatah) and the reputation of the security forces, and the president decided to intervene," said Azmi Shuaibi, an independent Paleostinian politician.

Senior Fatah officials did not criticize the crackdown publicly, though local leaders in the Jenin district argued that disarming Fatah loyalists will leave them vulnerable in case of renewed festivities with the movement's main political rival, the Islamic Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, terror organization. Five years ago, Hamas and Fatah fought a brief civil war in the Gazoo Strip, ending with a Hamas takeover of Gazoo that left Abbas with only the West Bank.

Even Fatah politician Shami al-Shami, who was shot and maimed in an ambush outside his home in the Jenin refugee camp over the weekend, opposes a large-scale weapons roundup, saying only troublemakers should be targeted.

"If the Paleostinian Authority takes my weapon from me, and tomorrow the Authority cannot protect me, Hamas people will come and attack me," said al-Shami, his maimed right leg propped up on a pillow as he received well-wishers in his brother's living room.

There were no suspects in the attack on al-Shami, a former Paleostinian security official, said the new district governor, Talal Dweikat.

The Jenin district is the largest contiguous area under Paleostinian self-rule. Israel retains overall control of the West Bank, an area it captured in 1967, along with the Gazoo Strip and east Jerusalem. Paleostinians have limited autonomy in 38% of the West Bank.

Since the 2007 Hamas takeover of Gazoo, Abbas has gradually asserted control in the self-rule areas, clamping down on Hamas while trying to co-opt Fatah-linked gunnies who had fought Israeli troops during a Paleostinian uprising a decade ago.

Some of the armed Fatah loyalists were given security jobs, while others were persuaded to disband their squads.

The performance of Abbas' security forces, key to buttressing Paleostinian claims for independence, has won Israeli praise in recent years. At the same time, Paleostinian officials complain that Israeli restrictions on the movement of the Paleostinian security forces and frequent Israeli army incursions into self-rule areas hamper their efforts.

In Jenin, the equilibrium seemed to hold for a while, but several shootings attracted new attention to the once troubled district.

In April 2011, a masked gunman shot and killed well-known Israeli actor Juliano Mer Khamis, son of a Jewish mother and a Paleostinian father, who had founded a community theater in the Jenin camp to provide a means of peaceful protest against Israeli occupation. In a brazen daytime attack, the killer stopped the actor's car near the theater, fired several shots and escaped.

A "no weapons allowed" sign still marks the entrance to the Freedom Theater, but the admonition clearly never applied to the rest of the Jenin camp, the epicenter of what Damiri said was the most extensive weapons crackdown since 2007.

Among the high-profile detainees is Zakarya Zubeidi, the most famous gunman in the Jenin camp. Zubeidi was tossed in the clink
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
after the attack on the governor, though security officials would not say if he was a suspect.

Dweikat, the new governor, said rules have changed in his district.

"Those who enter the circle of chaos" will not be able to hide behind their rank or political affiliation, he said.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Erekat: Abbas To Meet Israeli Vice PM In Ramallah

2012-06-29

(Ma'an) -- President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
will meet Israeli Vice Premier Shaul Mofaz in Ramallah on Sunday but the talks will not entail negotiations, PLO official Saeb Erekat
...negotiated the Oslo Accords with Israel. He has been chief Paleostinian negotiator since 1995. He is currently negotiating with Israel to establish a de jure Paleostinian state...
said Thursday.

"We do not want to raise expectations or lower them. This is not a negotiation meeting," Erekat told Voice of Paleostine radio.

Erekat said the meeting was arranged at Mofaz's request, but said negotiations were the responsibility of Israel's prime minister and official negotiating teams.

A front man for Mofaz would not confirm or deny that a meeting had been arranged, but he did say there was ongoing contact with Abbas' office toward setting up such an event.

Mofaz told news hounds this month that he intended to meet Abbas "to examine ways to restart peace negotiations with the Paleostinians".

Mofaz, head of Israel's centrist Kadima party, joined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition in May to form one of the biggest coalitions in Israeli history, a move that commentators said could give Netanyahu a freer hand to seek peace with the Paleostinians.

Negotiations between Israel and the PLO broke down in late 2010 after Netanyahu refused to extend a partial freeze on illegal settlement building on occupied Paleostinian land.

The PLO has demanded a halt to the construction before talks resume, but Israel says the settlements issue should be resolved in negotiations.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Israel could set borders unilaterally

2012-06-01

It was bound to happen. The Israelis, growing weary of looking for a Palestinian leader actually committed to negotiating a two-state solution, are starting to consider laying down their own parameters for an interim situation and then waiting for Palestinians to come to the negotiating table.

No less a figure than Ehud Barak, the current defense minister and a former prime minister, this week floated the idea of Israel adopting a provisional arrangement or even unilateral action setting borders.

Hes not the only one. In forming a national unity government a few weeks back, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu elevated to deputy prime minister Shaul Mofaz, a former paratrooper who saw action in three of Israels wars and who favors establishing a temporary Palestinian state on about 60 percent of the West Bank. And in April three prominent Israelis, including Ami Ayalon, a former official of the Mossad intelligence agency, advocated unilateral actions in an op-ed in the New York Times. They argued the Jewish state can transform the stalemate, writing, Israel can and must take constructive steps to advance the reality of two states based on the 1967 borders with land swaps regardless of whether Palestinian leaders have agreed to accept it.

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The Grand Turk

Turkish ties

2012-05-31

[Jerusalem Post] Istanbul's Seventh Criminal Court to seek prison terms totaling over 18,000 years for four former IDF commanders.

The decision this week by Istanbul's Seventh Criminal Court to seek prison terms totaling over 18,000 years for four former IDF commanders may or may not have been timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the May 31 Mavi Marmara debacle. But many have used the occasion of the indictment -- and the anniversary of the incident -- to argue that the time has come to apology to the Turks.

New York University's Alon Ben-Meir, a professor of international relations and a regular columnist for The Jerusalem Post, made such a recommendation in an oped that appeared in the Turkish daily Hurriyet. Ben-Meir claimed that "Turkey has repeatedly reaffirmed that once Israel apologizes, Ankara will resume full diplomatic relations."

In addition, according to a Channel 10 news report, Vice Premier Shaul Mofaz supports apologizing to the Turks, thus strengthening the position held by Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Intelligence Agencies Minister Dan Meridor.

The US has reportedly relaunched an effort to convince Israel to reconsider apologizing to Turkey, encouraged by Mofaz's strengthening of the apologist camp in the government and by the fact that the broad government coalition cannot be toppled by Yisrael Beytenu's Avigdor Liberman, a strong opponent of apologizing to Turkey.

But will an apology truly improve Israel's relations with Turkey? Last July ahead of the release of the UN-appointed Palmer Commission's report -- which found that Israel had every legal justification for enforcing a naval blockade on the Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,-controlled Gazoo Strip, though the IDF was taken to task for using excessive force -- a concerted effort spearheaded by the US, attempted to resolve the tension between Jerusalem and Ankara.

To pacify the Turks, the US would see to it that the Palmer report would be buried. In addition, the Turks demanded that Israel apologize for the incident and pay compensation to the families of the nine people who were killed when IDF commandos raided the Mavi Marmara.

Israel also was expected to lift its blockade of Gazoo.

In exchange, the Turks agreed to refrain from bringing legal claims against the commandos who boarded the Mavi Marmara or against the officers and politicians who sent them, and resolve the conflict with Israel.

For its part, Israel was willing to express "regret" over the incident and provide monetary compensation. But Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Liberman refused to issue an official apology or lift the naval blockade.

As a result, the deal fell through and the Palmer report was published. In response, Ankara downgraded its diplomatic relations with Israel.

At the time, this paper supported the government's decision not to cave in to Turkish demands. Doing so would have been interpreted as a sign of weakness.

Agreeing to lift the blockade would only encourage future attempts to use diplomatic pressure to influence Israeli policies. And a full apology would also be a disservice to IDF soldiers and military commanders.

Finally, an Israeli apology -- without any recognition on the part of the Turks that by allowing the Mavi Marmara to set sail from their shores, they were also responsible for the debacle -- might be interpreted as an admission of guilt.

Obviously, if the Turks had really been interested in improving relations with Israel they would have -- "If you don't want to marry, ask for a large dowry," says a Ladino expression.

And even if Israel had apologized, it is highly unlikely that Ankara would fully normalize relations. Doing so would hurt its standing in the Mohammedan world. In contrast, taking a tough stand against Israel is an easy way of currying Mohammedan favor, both inside Turkey and throughout the region.

It is naïve to believe that if only Israel were to apologize for the Mavi Marmara raid, relations with Turkey would return to normal.

True, Israel might score a small diplomatic victory by apologizing and proving to the world that it is Turkish intransigence and radicalism -- not an Israeli refusal to apologize -- that are the real obstacles to normalization.

But Israel also has an obligation to itself to maintain a modicum of self-respect and deterrence power.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

US officials said to be fearful of looming Israeli strike on Iran

2012-05-11

US officials fear the unity government established earlier this week signals an impending Israeli attack on Iran, Channel 10 News reported Thursday evening.

They mean 'Cowering, fearful, scaredy cat US officials'. The ones who are fretting about Champ's election. A fair number of Americans have no problem with Israel protecting itself and are concerned (not afraid, concerned) only that Israel does it right.

According to the report, officials are holding marathon talks in Washington out of concern that an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear program may take place before the US presidential elections in November.

Should have done it already and would have it you guys had kept your mouths shut. But you leaned on the Israelis so they held off. As the old saying goes, 'be careful what you wish for'...

Undisclosed Washington sources told Channel 10 that they worry Kadima was offered a place in the coalition to shore up support for a preemptive attack aimed at halting the Islamic Republic's nuclear drive, and that Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz would approve of such an attack.

Because Mofaz has no wish to die from an Iranian nuke or an Iranian biological/gas attack...

The report added that the US officials believe early Israeli elections would have kept the F-15s at bay, but are now genuinely concerned that with political backing, there is little to stop Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from ordering the attack.

Certainly not Champ...

In a joint press conference held Tuesday, Netanyahu and Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz said they saw eye-to eye on a slew of issues, including Iran. In the past Mofaz has been a vocal critic of the notion of Israel striking Iran's nuclear sites on its own, but Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are both believed to favor an early strike.

Having gone to sleep with expectations of September elections, Israelis woke up to a new political reality Tuesday morning, learning that overnight, Netanyahu and Mofaz signed a deal to form a unity government.

Legislation to dissolve parliament was frozen after it had been approved on a first reading. The Netanyahu-Mofaz deal provides for this Knesset to see out its term, until October 2013.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Early Israeli elections canceled, speculation of Iran attack

2012-05-08

In a dramatic turn of events that could influence a possible Israeli strike on Iran, Israeli media reports early Tuesday indicate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reached an agreement with the Kadima opposition party for a unity government, canceling an early election.

There was no immediate comment from official sources on the decision that was reported at about 2 a.m.

The reports came as Israels parliament held debates long into the night over whether to break up ahead of early elections called for the fall. Knesset spokesman Yotam Yakir said no final vote was taken and parliament is not dispersing.

Earlier Monday, the Israeli government proposed that the election be moved up to Sept. 4.

The election had originally been set for 2013.

According to the media reports, Netanyahu forged an agreement with opposition leader Shaul Mofaz of Kadima shortly before parliament was set to vote to disperse.

The appointment of Mofaz, a former military chief and defense minister, is significant in Israels standoff with Iran as he has been a vocal critic of Israel striking Irans nuclear sites on its own.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Another Former IDF General Says: We'll Have to Bulldoze Gaza

2011-12-06

Former IDF Major General Yoav Galant says Israel's negligence vis-a-vis Gazoo will eventually force it to undertake a major ground offensive.

Major General Yoav Galant (Ret.) said Monday Israel's refusal to take decisive action in Gazoo will only serve to force Israel to make a massive incursion into the Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,-run enclave.

Galant told attendees of a speech at Tel Aviv University that Israel's concerted efforts to dismantle against terror infrastructures in Judea and Samaria caused terror levels to plummet, while Gazoo beturbanned goons were being allowed to thrive and build.

"A lack of action, negligence by military officials, has resulted in a situation in the West Bank where we took care to tend the lawn, but in Gazoo - since we didn't - thorns grew into tree trunks."

"In the end we'll have to go in with bulldozers," Galant added.

Galant, a former contender for IDF chief of staff, added that Gazoo is "something belonging to the Islamic bloc. That's a reality no one knows how to solve."

He also dismissed efforts by Hamas and Fatah to form a unity government saying the differences between the factions could not "be resolved with words."

Galant joins former IDF chiefs of staff Shaul Mofaz, Moshe Yaalon, Dan Halutz, and Gabi Ashkenazi in calling for major operations to root out Gazoo's terror infrastructure. Minister of Internal Security Yitzhak Aharonovitch has also publicly called for a Gazoo incursion.

Israel's strategic paradigm of ~~Arclight~~ airstrikes-for-rockets has largely been seen as maintaining the poor security situation of its Gazoo belt communities - which have had over 12,000 rockets fired at them from Gazoo since 2001.

The timing of Galant's remarks come as Hamas' leadership finds itself in a tenuous position in Damascus
...Capital of the last overtly fascist regime in the world...
as the regime of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Leveler of Latakia...
comes under increasing domestic and international pressure for him to step down

Hamas has been openly looking for a new country to host its foreign headquarters for several months, but has reportedly been given an ultimatum by Iran to remain or face losing funding, training, and armaments from Tehran.

Iran has long used terror factions like Hamas and the

Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine
... Paleostinian Marxist movement, founded in 1967. It is considered a terrorist organization by more than 30 countries including the U.S., European Union, Australia, Canada, and Antarctica. The PFLP's stated goal is the establishment of a socialist State in Paleostine. They pioneered armed aircraft hijackings in the late 60s and early 70s...
in Syria and Leb as proxies against Israel - and pro-Western elements in Leb.

Analysts say Israel could potentially use the chaos a future Assad ouster would create for Hamas' foreign leadership and support networks as a window for moving against the terror infrastructures in its Gazoo stronghold.

Link

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