Protecting Israel from terror
Responding to the recent escalation of rocket fire stemming from the Gaza strip, IDF Chief Benny Gantz addressed the Israeli Knesset’s Defense Committee and stated that the Israeli army will eventually have to “launch a major offensive in Gaza,” in order to restore security to the southern Israeli cities that are under constant attack.
If and when the IDF launches a military offensive in the Gaza strip it would be the second of such operations since Israel’s disengagement from Gaza in 2006, which ended all military presence in Gaza and uprooted thousands of Israeli residents from the Gush Katif settlements.
While many in Israel thought that quiet would prevail as a result of the disengagement, the exact opposite has been true.
Since Israel’s evacuation of Gaza, Hamas has violently taken control of the strip and has launched a campaign of terror against the Jewish state. Islamic Jihad – which like Hamas receives support from Iran – has flourished in the Hamas ruled Gaza and is now responsible for many of the rocket attacks against Israel.
Israelis understand the necessity of launching a military offensive in Gaza to diminish the power of Hamas and Islamic Jihad and to deter terrorists from continuing to fire rockets into southern Israel. However, there is a great concern that anything short of retaking control of the strip and establishing the IDF as the sole power in Gaza will not lead to long term security in southern Israel.
Therefore, the more hawkish Israeli citizens believe that the army should reassert its power in Gaza to permanently root out Hamas and Islamic Jihad. However, realistically speaking Israel is not going to retake control of the Gaza strip in light of the political and diplomatic consequences that would ensue. Hence, any future operation in Gaza will be limited to destroying smuggling tunnels and terrorist training bases, confiscating or obliterating all weapons that are found, as well as capturing or killing Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists.
Unfortunately, a limited operation will only lead to temporary security for southern Israel. Even a highly…
Read More » Comments (29) »Wednesday, November 16th, 2011 at 12:07 PM | Amichai Farkas
Hamas’ terror tactics in Gaza
Via the IDF Spokesperson, here’s a revealing video explaining how Hamas amasses arms in the Gaza Strip — and use those arms to terrorize Israel.
Comments (17) »Thursday, November 10th, 2011 at 9:43 AM | Stand for Israel
Israel-Turkey ties worsen – to Israel’s dismay
The current state of Israeli-Turkish relations has been frustrating to many Israelis who up until recently considered Turkey to be the Jewish State’s most treasured friend in the region. Many Israelis remember growing up in a time when hundreds of thousands of Israelis traveled to Turkey annually, trade between the two countries was blossoming, and the Israeli army sold weapons and traded intelligence with its Turkish counterpart.
Unfortunately, Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayip Erdogan has chosen to turn his back on years of cooperation with Israel and instead has decided to work against Israel by aligning with Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas. The most current ruffle in Israeli-Turkish relations was sparked by Turkey’s insistence that Israel apologize for the death of nine Turkish citizens on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship last summer.
My friend Ofer was born in Israel to parents who had immigrated to Israel from Turkey when they were children. Ofer remembers visiting Turkey routinely throughout his life, first as a young boy with his parents, and later on with his wife and kids. “It’s very sad to see what’s happened to Turkey since Erdogan became their president,” Ofer told me. “I had traveled to Turkey many times and was always treated warmly by the Turkish people.
“The Turkish people are very friendly and most of them have fond memories of the large Jewish communities that once dwelled in Turkey,” Ofer stated. But when asked if he would travel back to Turkey again, Ofer replied no. “Turkey used to be a great place to visit, but the way their government deals with Israel, it is clear that we are no longer welcome.”
Ofer is glad that Israel did not grant an apology for the flotilla incident. “Our soldiers were only protecting themselves on those ships. I was once a soldier myself and I know what it’s like to be attacked, and you have only a few seconds to save your life. Our soldiers did the right thing on that ship last summer and our government acted wisely by not apologizing for those deaths.”
Comments (1) »Thursday, September 8th, 2011 at 4:34 PM | Amichai Farkas
Relations between Turkey and Israel further strained
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey has suspended all defense ties with Israel, though private trade will continue. Erdogan’s announcement followed the release of the Palmer Commission report on the raid of the Mavi Marmara and Israel’s refusal to issue an apology for the incident:
“Trade ties, military ties, regarding defense industry ties, we are completely suspending them. This process will be followed by different measures,” Erdogan told reporters in Ankara on Tuesday morning.
A spokesman for the Turkish PM told the Wall Street Journal a few hours later that these sanctions did not include general trade between the two countries, and rather referred only to defense goods “for now”.
Ankara earlier this week launched a series of penalizing measures, including the severing of military ties, against Israel over the latter’s refusal to apologize for its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in 2010.
Comments (3) »
Tuesday, September 6th, 2011 at 5:14 PM | David Kuner
Turkey expels Israeli diplomats
Relations between Israel and her former ally continue to go downhill:
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday Israel’s diplomatic presence in Turkey was being cut to second secretary level, effectively expelling Israeli diplomats after details emerged of the Palmer Report which dealt with the IDF raid on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship.
“Turkey-Israel diplomatic relations have been reduced to a second secretary level. All personnel above the second secretary level will return to their countries by Wednesday at the latest,” Davutoglu told a news conference.
Davutoglu said that Turkey was also suspending military agreements after he said that some of the report’s findings were unacceptable.
The Palmer Report, commissioned by the U.N., found Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza to be legal, but also concluded, “An appropriate statement of regret should be made by Israel in respect of the incident in light of its consequences” — meaning the loss of life in 2010 when the IDF raided the flotilla ship the Mavi Marmara. The Israeli blogger A Soldier’s Mother tweets, “Palmer report says Israel should issue statement of regret. Ok – we regret Turkey sent violent psychopaths on an illegal Flotilla.”
That sounds like the only statement of regret necessary in this case.
Comments (9) »Friday, September 2nd, 2011 at 7:47 AM | David Kuner
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