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IDF ‘Shake-up’ means army chief is out

April 8, 2010

Apparently, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t want to make too much of a fuss about the recent decision to terminate IDF chief Gabi Ashkenazi. Ashkenazi was to serve one more year, but his tenure was not extended. The Jerusalem Post reports the move as “part of a routine shake-up of the army’s chain of command.”

“I appreciate the Chief of Staff very much,” Netanyahu told reporters during a press conference held at the Knesset in Jerusalem. “But every organization needs to freshen its ranks.”

Some claim the relationship between Ashkenazi and Defense Minister Ehud Barak is strained. Reporters questioned Netanyahu about these alleged tensions speculating Barak supported the termination. Netanyahu also brushed off challenges of Israel’s political isolation is, in part, due to his policies.

“There’s a change in the world that is caused by the rise of radical Islam,” he said. “There are those who put this responsibility on Israel, but everybody who looks at it closely sees that is not the case.”

IDF charges two soldiers in Gaza breaches

March 16, 2010

Besides rampant inaccuracies and the fact that it didn’t really examine the actions of Hamas, one of the main reasons that supporters of Israel have been so critical of the Goldstone Report is that Israel already has military and civilian courts that are responsible for monitoring any misbehavior in the IDF.

In fact, the IDF itself investigated 36 cases of possible misbehavior among its troops during last year’s Operation Cast Lead, the incursion into Hamas-controlled Gaza to stop rocketfire targeting Israeli civilians. Most have been investigated and dismissed, but, last week, IDF investigators moved forward in charging two soldiers with the horrific act of using a 9-year-old boy as a human shield.

The two soldiers, staff sargeants from the prestigious Givati brigade, had the boy open sacks they thought might be booby-trapped with explosives. (The bags, thankfully, turned out to be harmless.)

Haaretz reported that the soldiers, “who breached the army’s rule against using civilians as human shields during war, will be tried for violating their authority and for inappropriate conduct. An Israeli military official said the soldiers could face up to three years in jail.”

Two other Givati soldiers have already been charged with using a credit card they found during the siege.

Yediot Aharonot reports:

More than 30 probes have been launched against soldiers since the Gaza offensive ended in the beginning of 2009. Half of the cases have been closed by the military prosecution, while the other half are nearing their termination and await a decision on whether indictments will be filed.

A special team led by Lieutenant-Colonel Gil Maoz, who heads the military police’s southern district, is conducting investigations into claims regarding unlawful fire, injuring and endangering of innocent civilians, and disobeying orders.

Dozens of officers and soldiers have been summoned to give testimony or receive warning at the military police’s headquarters in recent months, some of them already having been discharged from the IDF.

A military official said the testimonies had revealed other infractions, some committed by commanders. “In places where the incident exceeds the boundaries of reason we will file indictments,” he said.

“But we can clearly state that we are talking about a number of specific incidents, some of them serious and others not, and not about lawlessness in relation to war crimes and the like.”

We can only wish godspeed to the investigators. The IDF’s code of ethics is second-to-none, and soldiers who violate it bring shame on themselves and their compatriots, and do not deserve the honor of serving.

Israel Takes Investigation Seriously

March 15, 2010

Israel’s military prosecutor has charged two Israeli soldiers with “making use of civilians” during the Gaza conflict early last year, the New York Times reported last Thursday.

Although the military emphasized that the disciplinary actions were unrelated to the U.N.’s Goldstone Report, the fact that Israel is thoroughly scrutinizing the actions taken on their side of the conflict begs the question: What about the other side?

Last year, following the release of the Goldstone Report, the U.N. Human Rights Council called for both sides of the Gaza conflict–Palestinians and Israelis–to conduct internal investigations into possible human rights violations during the operation. Israel has done so — in fact, Israel has always had in place a legal system that investigates alleged abuses by the IDF.

Meanwhile, the Palestinians admitted they only began their investigation in late January of this year (barely meeting the three month deadline given by the U.N. last November), a small detail the AP mentioned low in their report on the U.N.’s recent decision to extend the investigation into the Gaza conflict for five more months.

IDF operation canceled due to… facebook status update!

March 3, 2010

One of the more routine–and dangerous–endeavors IDF battalions engage in is entering Palestinian villages to capture wanted terrorists. Soldiers do all they can to protect civilians–who are often used by the terror heads as human shields–while still nabbing the bad guys.

Imagine – soldiers in camouflage, sneaking stealthily through a village, bodies tense with readiness… when one whispers, “Wait! I gotta update my facebook status!”

Apparently, something not so far from this happened recently in the Binyamin region, which stretches north of Jerusalem and east toward the Dead Sea. After a soldier updated his facebook status that a force from his battalion was due to arrive in a Palestinian village, the commander aborted the mission, Yediot Aharonot reported:

The decision was made by Judea and Samaria Division Commander Brigadier-General Nitzan Alon, who feared that the leaked information may put the force in danger.The soldier’s commanders were informed of the incident as well and decided to put him on trial. Military officials noted that this was a serious incident which may have put the troops in danger had it not been revealed on time.

The operation was held several days later and deemed successful, while the soldier was judged and incarcerated.

The affair began when a soldier wrote in his Facebook status that the force was slated to arrive in the village and leave a day later. The Judea and Samaria Division’s information security officer learned about the leak and informed the division’s commander, who decided – in an unusual manner – to cancel the operation so as not to put the force at risk.

Maybe facebook needs to add another privacy protection option for when one is posting classified information.

Everything the U.S. ever wanted to know about UAVs (unmanned drones), it learned from Israel

February 26, 2010

Earlier this week, we told you about Israel’s newly developed drone, The Eitan, the world’s largest un-manned aerial vehicle (UAV). (These are the drones that keep “eliminating” Taliban leaders and helping U.S. forces in Iraq without imperiling U.S. troops.)

What we didn’t tell you is that a significant part of the U.S. technology has come from Israel, which has been at the forefront of UAV development for decades. The U.S. Air Force did try using unmanned drones for reconnaissance in Vietnam, but eventually shut down all its UAV funding until Israel changed world opinion about UAVs in the early 1980s.

During the First Lebanon War in 1982, the IDF used small UAVs to trick radar installations into becoming active in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, thus revealing their locations. Once spotted, regular Israeli fighter places moved in to destroy the radar sites.

According to this interesting article in Popular Mechanics, the Bekaa Valley campaign convinced the Americans that UAVs had major potential. (They’re spending $5.4 billion on UAVs in this year alone!)

The article continues with specifics about how the Eitan might play into an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear installations:

The Eitan can carry a ton of payload and can reach Iran’s nuclear facilities, which the United Nations last week determined is hiding an active weapons program. But that does not mean these will be used as bombers. The IAF has been buying and upgrading airplanes specifically for long-distance strikes such as a potential attack against Iran. At least 50 F-15 Raam and F-16 Soufa aircraft have been converted by installing extra fuel tanks for greater range and countermeasures to defeat radar and missiles. So maybe the warplane/UAV tag team presented at the “operational acceptance ceremony” speaks to how manned and unmanned aircraft will work together on missions: The drone provides information while the manned airplanes drop the guided munitions.

Working from high altitudes, the Eitan will likely be used to provide prestrike information on targets, to eavesdrop on electronic communications and to send battle damage assessments back after an attack. It will also undoubtably be used to monitor any retaliation for the airstrike—seeking rocket launches and eavesdropping on Iran. The onboard power required to electronically jam radar and communications equipment is not in the Eitan, Israeli defense industry officials told the trade journal Defense News. But the ability to carry so much weight opens up questions about the drones’ ability to conduct long-range, high-risk bombing missions on their own.

Early literature suggested the Eitan would have a role in shooting down enemy missiles in flight as well as in bombing targets.

Historical preservation triggers Hebron violence

February 25, 2010

Jewish communities in Hebron have faced violence this week, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement of two new additions to the official list of Israeli national heritage sites.

The sites are Hebron’s Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel’s Tomb, both located in the contested West Bank zone (where Hebron is the largest city). “People must be familiar with their homeland and its cultural and historical vistas,” Netanyahu said on Sunday of his plan to dedicate $100 million to rehabilitate the two sites.

Rioting started in Hebron following the announcement, with further violence after a statement made by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday. In what Netanyahu called “a dishonest, hypocritical campaign,” Abbas claims the move illustrates that Israel’s leadership has no desire for peace.

Abbas also warned of a “war of religions” that could be triggered by enshrining Israel’s faith heritage at the sites. Netanyahu pointed to to Israel’s demonstrated freedom of religion policy in response.

The U.S. also criticized the move. “US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the administration viewed the move as provocative and unhelpful to the goal of getting the two sides back to the table,” reported the Jerusalem Post.

But the Palestinian response is ongoing: “Dozens of Palestinians are burning tires and are throwing stones at IDF soldiers,” according to the IDF. “Soldiers responding to the violence are doing so with demonstration dispersal methods. No casualties or damage to property have been reported.”

Israel announces military innovation

February 24, 2010

Last weekend, the Israeli Air Force officially introduced the world’s largest Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV).

The drone can reach altitudes of 45,000 feet and has a 26 meter wingspan (the wingspan of a Boeing 737 passenger jet), according to Israel Aerospace Industries. The drone will be operated by a specially trained squadron.

Called the Eitan but known internationally as the Heron TP, the military drone made its operational debut during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza strip last year.

Heralded by the world press as a “super-drone,” the Eitan is especially significant because of its long-range flight capability. The Eitan is capable of reaching Iran to gather crucial intelligence information. “It could provide surveillance, jam enemy communications and connect ground control and manned air force planes,” reported the New York Times.

“The Gulfstream costs three or four times more than Heron TP, and the UAV can remain airborne longer in high-threat territory,” a Ministry of Defense development official told the trade journal Defense News.

“Israel has been at the forefront of UAV development for decades, and taught the U.S. a thing or two about drones,” notes the magazine Popular Mechanics, which also speculates about the possible role the UAV could take in Israel’s conflict with Iran.

British colonel sees “dark forces” arrayed against Israel, thanks Jewish state for life-saving work

Col. Richard Kemp

As the UN and other zealous critics of  the Jewish state continue to condemn her for defending herself against the terrorists who seek her annihilation, the former commander of British forces in Afghanistan is  praising Israel for her contributions to the war on global terror and harshly criticizing the “dark forces” motivating those who unfairly target Israel.

Col. Richard Kemp told a London audience that the media often is exploited by “dark forces” who want to harm Israel. He also praised Israel for pioneering military technology and tactics that he said had been “invaluable” in combatting Afghan suicide bombers. In fact, he said, the Israeli tactics form the basis of official British army guidelines used by soldiers on the ground there.

Remarking on the unusual amount of criticism lobbed at Israel, Kemp said that–even though there are tremendous similarities between the IDF and British forces, UK soldiers did not have to deal with the same amount of criticism from the international community:

“When we go into battle we do not get the same knee-jerk, almost Pavlovian response from many, many elements of the international media and international groups, humanitarian groups and other international groups such as the United Nations which should know better… of utter automatic condemnation. We don’t have to put up with that.”

As usual, a small group of British Jews who oppose Israeli actions in Gaza protested outside the hotel where Kemp spoke.

IDF establishes two new all-volunteer Israeli Arab search-and-rescue units

February 14, 2010

We’ve reported before how many Israeli Arabs not only oppose the violent actions of Palestinian terrorist groups, but deeply value their citizenship in the Middle East’s only free country, even serving with valor and distinction in the IDF — sometimes making the ultimate sacrifice, as First-Sgt. Muhammad Ihab Khatib did last week.

Just this week, the IDF Home Front Command announced the established of two new search and rescue units composed entirely of Arab citizens of Israel who chose to volunteer their services.

Each unit will have about 25 volunteers, mostly men. The new recruits spent last week at the Home Front Command training base, where they went through a series of training exercises simulating emergency situations. The units were trained to rescue wounded victims from rubble that could result from a rocket attack, bombing, or even a natural disaster like an earthquake.

Israel’s worst civil disaster occurred in 2001 when a poorly constructed events hall in Jerusalem collapsed in the middle of a wedding party. As a camcorder recorded the events–which was later broadcast across the shocked country–the dance floor on the hall’s third floor simply gave way. Twenty-three people were killed and 380 were injured. Were Israel’s emergency services not so well trained, many more would undoubtedly have died or been more seriously injured in the tragedy, or in any number of other non-civil tragedies since.

The two new units will operate mostly in the Arab areas in Israel’s north, Cpt. (res.) Sami Halabi, Deputy Commander of the Unit said, but they’re ready to go wherever they’re needed.

“If God forbid an unfortunate event will happen, we can operate anywhere in Israel, also in the Jewish cities,” he said.

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