Doc's Talk: Operation Cast Lead -- Update No. 18

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Operation Cast Lead -- Update No. 18

IICC

Overview

On January 19, for the first time since the beginning of Operation Cast Lead, the south of Israel was quiet, both on the fighting front in the Gaza Strip and in the cities, towns and villages around it. IDF forces continue holding commanding positions, especially in rocket launching zones, after having redeployed at the end of the fighting. On the afternoon of January 20 the calm was broken by two shooting events in which IDF forces were attacked. ( Note : On the morning of January 21, the last IDF soldier left the Gaza Strip).Life in the Gaza Strip has begun to return to normal. In view of the extent of the destruction and losses, Hamas has made an effort to produce a “victory” narrative, issuing fabricated statements about IDF losses and “events” during the fighting which never took place. In the south of Israel , in the cities, towns and villages within rocket range of the Gaza Strip, life has also begun to return to normal. Almost all the children in kindergartens and schools have gone back to their studies, and commerce has resumed.

The situation on the ground

On January 19 no events were recorded in the Gaza Strip. Most of the IDF forces continue to withdraw (the withdrawal was completed on January 21). The remaining forces have been redeployed in positions commanding the zones from which rockets were fired into Israeli territory. The Israeli Air Force has abstained from attacking for the first time since the beginning of Operation Cast Lead (on January 18 Israeli aircraft attacked rocket launchers from which rockets were fired after the ceasefire).

• On January 20 (as of 1500 hours), the ceasefire was violated when terrorists opened fire on an IDF force near the border security fence south of the Kissufim crossing. Forty minutes later, armed Palestinians shot at an IDF force in the central Gaza Strip. The force returned fire. In both instances there were no casualties (Ynet, January 20).

Rocket and Mortar Shell Fire into Israeli Territory

During January 19 there was neither rocket nor mortar shell fire into Israel , making it possible for the residents of the south to gradually return to their routine lives. The schools began teaching again and factories and businesses returned to normal operation.

During Operation Cast Lead ( December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009 ), 571 rockets and 205 mortar shells landed in Israeli territory. The fire killed four people (three civilians and one soldier), wounded 16 seriously to critically, and 351 sustained minor injuries. In addition, several hundred were treated for shock.

Rockets and Mortar Shells Fired at Israel Since Israel Began Holding its Fire

Judea and Samaria

In Judea and Samaria there was an increase in various types of terrorist attacks on January 19. The main incidents were the following:

• A shooting attack was carried out in the Benjamin district : An Israeli civilian was critically wounded after having been shot in the upper part of his body in a drive-by shooting near the settlement of Kochav Hashahar, east of Ramallah. His wife was not harmed and the two managed to reach the settlement. A helicopter evacuated the wounded man to a hospital and IDF forces searched the area for the terrorists.

• A Molotov cocktail was thrown at an Israeli vehicle near Bethlehem . There were no casualties and no damage was done to the car. IDF forces searched the area and detained two Palestinians who had been involved in throwing Molotov cocktails in the past.

• Stones were thrown at an Israeli bus near the Hawara checkpoint south of Nablus . There were no casualties and no damage was done to the bus.

Humanitarian Aid Delivered to the Gaza Strip

Israel

On January 19, the delivery of humanitarian aid continued through the crossings from Israel into the Gaza Strip:

• 195 trucks carrying 5,000 tons of aid from international agencies and donations from Jordan and Egypt were delivered through the Kerem Shalom and Karni crossings. A road was paved at the Kerem Shalom crossing making it possible to deliver goods directly from Egypt into the Gaza Strip. On January 19, ten trucks passed through with 200 tons of flour.

• About 540,000 liters of diesel fuel and 200 tons of cooking gas were delivered through the Nahal Oz fuel terminal.

• Ten ambulances from Judea and Samaria went into the Gaza Strip in coordination with the Red Cross.

• 33 Palestinians left the Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing for medical treatment in Israel .

Since the beginning of Operation Cast Lead, approximately 1,700 trucks carrying 42,000 tons of humanitarian aid crossed into the Gaza Strip. In addition, more than 2,200,000 liters of fuel were delivered through the Nahal Oz fuel terminal and the Kerem Shalom crossing.

The Rafah crossing

On January 19, 75 wounded Palestinians went through the Rafah crossing to receive medical treatment in Egypt . In addition, dozens of doctors, media correspondents and pro-Palestinian activists entered the Gaza Strip. Humanitarian aid continues to be delivered from Egypt through the Rafah crossing. Since the beginning of Operation Cast Lead, more than 4,500 units of blood have been delivered. On January 19, 2,500 more units of blood were supposed to have been delivered (Al-Yawm Al-Sabaa, January 19, 2009 ).

Syrian trucks bringing humanitarian aid on their way to the Gaza Strip
Syrian trucks bringing humanitarian aid on their way to the Gaza Strip
(Syrian TV, January 20, 2009).

Hamas continues to confiscate the humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip . Hamas also prevents wounded Palestinians from reaching the Erez crossing for medical treatment in the field hospital set up there by Israel , and instead sends them through the Rafah crossing for treatment in Egypt .

The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip

The return to normal continues in the Gaza Strip. Families which fled from battle zones are returning to their houses, traffic on the roads has increased, and businesses are reopening. UNRWA reported that 50,000 Gazans are still sheltered in its facilities because their houses were damaged during the fighting. Gazans appealed to the Hamas police to deal with the situation, complaining that damaged houses were being looted (Al-Aqsa Radio, January 19). In addition, two children were reported killed on January 19 when they played with a mine laid by Hamas operatives to booby-trap a building.

According to reports from the Palestinian central statistics bureau, during the fighting 22,000 buildings were damaged, 4,100 of them completely destroyed. The bureau estimated the damage done to the Gaza Strip at $1.9 billion. Muhammad Hasouna, minister of national economy in the Gaza Strip, estimated the damage at $3 billion dollars.

Fatah activists oppressed by Hamas

During and after the fighting, Hamas imposed its authority on the residents of the Gaza Strip while oppressing Fatah activists. On January 19, in increase was reported in the number of Fatah activists shot by Hamas operatives, especially those shot in the legs. Since the ceasefire went into effect, several dozen Fatah activists have been wounded. It was also reported that Fatah activists were abducted by Hamas and are being held captive in improvised jails.

Hamas produces the narrative of its “victory”

Following Ismail Haniya's declaration of “victory,” Abu Obedia, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades spokesman, delivered his own “victory speech,” trying to paint the false picture that Hamas “won” the war. He made the completely untrue claim that 80 Israel soldiers had been killed, 49 of them in direct combat with Hamas operatives ( Note : Ten Israeli soldiers were killed, four of them by friendly fire and one by a mortar shell. In addition, three civilians were killed by rocket fire). He also boasted of fictitious military achievements, such as the downing of helicopters, the abduction of IDF soldiers and attacks within Israel 2 (Al-Aqsa TV, January 19, 2009 ).
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Egypt

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak delivered a speech at the opening of the Kuwait economic summit in which he said that the fighting in the Gaza Strip had exposed many of the problems existing in the Arab world, especially its factionalism. He said that Egypt respected the “Palestinian resistance” [i.e., terrorist organizations], but that it should have shown responsibility for its people when it decided to go to war. He added that Egypt would make every effort to bring about an Israeli withdrawal, ensure the opening of the crossings and bring about an internal Palestinian reconciliation (Al-Jazeera TV, January 19, 2009 ).

The Palestinian Authority and the terrorist organizations

Mahmoud Abbas delivered a speech at the Kuwait summit in which he abstained from criticizing Hamas, but rather said he supported the Egyptian initiative as the only solution for the problems of the so-called siege and the opening of the crossings. However, he did criticize the radical policies which encouraged the Gazans to fight. He called on all the Palestinian organizations to rise about their internal conflicts and coordinate their positions for a joint meeting in Egypt (Wafa News Agency, January 19, 2009 ).

Salam Fayyad , prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, said that he was afraid the mechanism for delivering international aid for the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip would widen the political rift between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. He said a distinction had to be made between aid for humanitarian needs (which, by implication, would be delivered directly to the Gaza Strip) and support for rehabilitating the Gaza Strip, which had to be in the hands of the Palestinian Authority (Reuters, January 18, 2009 ).

Meeting with the media, Salam Fayyad described the operation in the Gaza Strip as “an unprecedented shedding of blood.” He said that Israel had broken international law and all the international humanitarian conventions. He also called for the Egyptian initiative to be acted on and for a national unity government to be established as a foundation for resolving the internal Palestinian conflict. He said that such a government, composed of 25 authorized Palestinian representatives, would be able to renew unity (Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, January 19, 2009 ).

Iran

Ali Moutahari, delegate to the Iranian parliament, claimed that as a result of “negative Zionist propaganda,” the Muslim countries abstained from sending aid to Hamas. In his opinion, that was the reason Iran should openly send Hamas military aid, and even publicly say “We must not work secretly to send arms to the legal Hamas government.” He also called for protests and for diplomatic steps to be taken against the Islamic countries (Asr website, Iran , January 19, 2009 ).

1 This is the last of the daily updates which have appeared since the beginning of Operation Cast Lead. Updates will now appear in their weekly form (every Tuesday in the Hebrew version) and Information Bulletins will appear according to events and circumstances. We will continue issuing Bulletins illustrating the use the terrorist organizations make of civilians as human shields based on the large amount of information received during the fighting.

2 Hamas's efforts to produce a “victory story” will be analyzed in a separate Bulletin which will appear shortly.

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The IDF’s Minorities in Numbers and Pictures

In honor of IDF Diversity Week, we present diversity through numbers and pictures. Each year, more and more Muslims, Christians, Druze, Bedouin and immigrants from around the world take on the responsibility of defending Israel.

MUSLIMS:

Muslim Arab Israelis are not required to draft in the IDF, but there are many who volunteer. In 2013, there were over 200 Muslims serving in the IDF and over 300 in the reserves.

Bedouins:

Bedouins are nomadic Muslims who were in Israel when modern borders were set in place and are now considered Israeli citizens. They are not required to draft but a growing number choose to enlist. In 2012, there were over 1,400 Bedouin Muslim soldiers doing regular IDF service and almost 1,500 in the reserves.

Read more:http://www.idfblog.com/2014/02/27/truth-idf-numbers-pictures/#more-34027

Are you aware that in 2013, Middle class taxes go up-significantly?

In January of next year, the federal income tax rate for middle-class taxpayers is scheduled to rise from 25 percent to 28 percent, and the payroll tax is scheduled to rise from 13.3 percent to 15.3 percent… This drives the marginal tax rate based on the aforementioned three taxes to 48.12 percent. Add in state and local property, corporate, excise, and other state and local taxes, and the percentage of each additional dollar that is taxed hovers around 50 percent… When half of each additional dollar earned is taxed away, taxpayers experience a disincentive to start businesses or expand existing ones. This leads to fewer jobs being created.

Why is HAMAS Inside Tampa Schools?

Clare Lopez

Kelly Miliziano, who teaches history classes at Steinbrenner High School in the Tampa, Florida area apparently thinks it’s perfectly OK to invite a senior official of a HAMAS-affiliated organization into her classroom to discuss Islam with her students. According to local media reports, not only has this been going on for years, but in spite of the civil and criminal proceedings that could result from such reckless negligence, the Hillsborough County school superintendent, Mary Ellen Elia, and the chairman of the school board, Candy Olson, also expressed approval for students under their responsibility to be exposed repeatedly to guest speaker, Hassan Shibly, who is the Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in the Tampa area.
More...

Did You Know... Ignoring the Call to Islam will Bring Jihad

‘Conquest through Da’wa [proselytizing] that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Da’wa.’
-- Yousef al-Qaradawi , Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader The Arabic word ‘Da’wa’ means the “call to Islam.” But do not think that Da’wa is the same thing as an invitation to an optional holiday event. The classical Islamic doctrine of jihad mandates that enemies must be given the opportunity to convert to Islam or pay the jizya tax before it is permissible to attack them.
Clare M. Lopez

Who is being discriminated-facts tell the truth

Religious bias

Hate crimes motivated by religious bias accounted for 1,409 offenses reported by law enforcement. A breakdown of the bias motivation of religious-bias offenses showed:

65.4 percent were anti-Jewish.
13.2 percent were anti-Islamic.
9.5 percent were anti-other religion, i.e., those not specified.
4.3 percent were anti-Catholic.
3.8 percent were anti-multiple religions, group.
3.3 percent were anti-Protestant.
0.5 percent were anti-Atheism/Agnosticism/etc.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2010/narratives/hate-crime-2010-incidents-and-offenses.

On March 31, 1977, the Dutch newspaper Trouw published an interview

with PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein. Here's what he said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

In March 1977, Zahir Muhsein, a PLO executive, said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism."

"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

The Arab Apartheid

Ben-Dror Yemini
In 1948, the Arab countries refused to accept the UN partition proposal and they launched a war of annihilation against the State of Israel which had barely been established. All precedents in this matter showed that the party that starts the war - and with a declaration of annihilation, yet - pays a price for it. Between 550,000 and 710,000 Arabs fled because of the war and a larger number of 850,000 Jews were expelled or fled from Arab countries (the "Jewish nakba").
Population exchanges and expulsions were the norm at that time, occurring in dozens of other conflict points and affecting about 52 million people. In all the population exchange precedents that occurred during or at the end of an armed conflict, there was no return of refugees to the previous region, which had turned into a new national state.
Only the Arab states acted completely differently from the rest of the world. Instead of assimilating the refugees, they crushed them despite the fact that they were their coreligionists and members of the Arab nation - instituting a regime of apartheid. So the "nakba" was not caused by the actual dispossession, which had also been experienced by tens of millions of others. The "nakba" is the story of the apartheid, oppression, abuse and denial of rights suffered by the Arab refugees at the hands of the Arab countries. (Maariv)

International Law and Military Operations in Practice - Col. Richard Kemp

"Islamist fighting groups study the international laws of armed conflict carefully and they understand it well. They know that a British or Israeli commander and his men are bound by international law and the rules of engagement that flow from it. They then do their utmost to exploit what they view as one of their enemy's main weaknesses. Their very modus operandi is built on the correct assumption that Western armies will normally abide by the rules, while these insurgents employ a deliberate policy of operating consistently outside international law. "

Lost Historical Moments

What Rabin’s last Knesset speech really said:repudiation of a Palestinian state

Rabin ruled out a fully sovereign Palestinian state :

“We view the permanent solution in the framework of State of Israel which will include most of the area of the Land of Israel as it was under the rule of the British Mandate, and alongside it a Palestinian entity which will be a home to most of the Palestinian residents living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We would like this to be an entity which is less than a state, and which will independently run the lives of the Palestinians under its authority.”

Rabin ruled out a total withdrawal from Judea and Samaria and thus a return to the pre-June 1967 borders :

“The borders of the State of Israel, during the permanent solution, will be beyond the lines which existed before the Six Day War. We will not return to the 4 June 1967 lines.”

Rabin ruled out withdrawing form the Jordan Valley:

“The security border of the State of Israel will be located in the Jordan Valley, in the broadest meaning of that term.”

Rabin ruled out uprooting settlement blocs, like the Gush Katif bloc in Gaza (which was subsequently uprooted by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon):

“The establishment of blocs of settlements in Judea and Samaria, like the one in Gush Katif.

AND

Rabin ruled out removing any settlement before coming to a full peace agreement with the Palestinians:

“I want to remind you: we committed ourselves, that is, we came to an agreement, and committed ourselves before the Knesset, not to uproot a single settlement in the framework of the interim agreement, and not to hinder building for natural growth.”

Rabin insisted on Israel retaining full security control of the borders with Egypt and Jordan, contrary to Israel’s relinquishment of the Philadelphia Corridor on the border with Egypt:

“The responsibility for external security along the borders with Egypt and Jordan, as well as control over the airspace above all of the territories and Gaza Strip maritime zone, remains in our hands.”

Correcting Oslo Myths-Part 2

3) Kuttab laments that the post-1993 Oslo process resulted in a Palestinian Authority "whose ministers and legislators are not guaranteed passage between Gaza and the West Bank ...."

Before free passage or other perquisites, PA leaders were obligated, among other things, to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, end anti-Israeli, antisemitic incitement in schools, mosques, and communications media, and resolve all outstanding issues through peaceful negotiations. They met none of these commitments, sometimes bolstering terrorism and greatly increasing incitement.

4) Kuttab complains that under Oslo the PA got "lightly armed police ---- but no real sovereignty over the land or contiguity between our communities in Gaza and the West Bank."

Oslo agreements repeatedly were revised, regardless of Palestinian non-compliance, until the authorized number of police grew from 8,000 to 40,000. Though they were to be the only armed forces in the territories, Israeli estimates early in the second intifada put the number of gunmen - police, "security services," terrorists, and armed gangs - at 85,000. Their armament reportedly included not only heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, but also anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.

Sovereignty was to be negotiated in the envisioned 1998 "final status" talks - after a five-year period of confidence-building. Palestinian leadership chronically undermined the process. Palestinian terrorism made the 1993 - 1998 Oslo period more deadly for Israelis than the 15 years preceding it.

The United States doesn't have contiguity between the lower 48 states and Alaska and Hawaii; territorial contiguity between the West Bank and Gaza Strip - that is, through the 20 miles of Israeli territory between them - was never promised and would destroy Israeli contiguity.

5) "Palestinians have been made to endure hundreds of checkpoints in the West Bank, an eight-foot wall deep in our territories, and tight Israeli control over borders."

The security barrier is not "deep in Palestinian territories," but rather encompasses less than 8 percent of Judea and Samaria, and is mostly a fence, rarely a wall; the land in question is not "our [Palestinian] territories" but disputed territory to which, according to the authors of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, Jews as well as Arabs have claims; and there are no international borders, only the 1949 armistice lines with Jordan. Under 242, borders remain to be negotiated. As for checkpoints - like the security barrier and "tight Israeli control" - Palestinian Arabs precipitated these measures themselves. No terrorism and there would be no fence or tight Israeli control and few checkpoints - like before the first intifada.

Correcting Some Oslo Myths

1) In Oslo "Israeli, Palestinian and other world leaders promised that ... Palestinian sovereignty would be solidified."

No, they didn't. The 1993 Declaration of Principles and subsequent Oslo agreements outlined a process by which final status negotiations about the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be reached. The process required an end to anti-Israel terrorism and incitement and a commitment to peaceful negotiations. The PA, Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other terrorist groups, sabotaged the process from the start.

2) "The reality is that, in defiance of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, which states that it is inadmissible to occupy land by force, Palestinian territories are still under foreign military occupation."
Wrong again. Resolution 242 (1967) does note "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war." It also affirms the right of every state in the area "to live in peace with secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force." There were no "Palestinian territories." Jordan occupied the West Bank, Egypt controlled Gaza. Israel did not have "secure and recognized boundaries," so retention of some of those territories was possible under 242. Israel is not a "foreign" military occupier in the West Bank but, pending final negotiations, the lawful military administrator as a result of a successful war of self-defense.

Doc's Talk