Doc's Talk: IDF warns of 'painful' Gaza incursion if terror continues

Thursday, December 29, 2011

IDF warns of 'painful' Gaza incursion if terror continues

Chief of General Staff, commander of Southern Brigade say another Gaza operation could be around the corner • Active duty brigades have already begun carrying out drills in preparation for a possible operation.
Lilach Shoval, Zeev Klein, with additional reporting by Gadi Golan and Israel Hayom Staff

On the third anniversary of Israel's three-week Operation Cast Lead offensive in Gaza, the general sense among Israel Defense Forces troops is that the next operation against Hamas' terrorist infrastructure is closer than ever. On Thursday, a rocket was fired from Gaza into the Eshkol region, exploding in an open area and causing no damage or injuries, Army Radio reported. This was the fifth rocket to hit the region since the IAF bombed Gaza Tuesday night, killing three Palestinian terrorists who were planning terror attacks.

The Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson's Unit issued a statement Thursday revealing that IAF jets had also carried out attacks overnight Wednesday, bombing a smuggling tunnel and a terror center in central Gaza. "The strike was in retaliation for the high-trajectory fire targeting southern Israel. The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm the citizens of Israel or its soldiers. We will continue to take measures against anyone who employs terror against the state of Israel," the statement said.

Speaking about the situation in Gaza, Gaza Division Southern Brigade Commander Col. Tal Harmoni, said Wednesday that while Operation Cast Lead had "achieved its objectives, the situation has changed."

"Today the region [Gaza] is relatively quiet and thriving. The other side is responding but in a measured fashion, and if the cracks widen we are prepared to launch another offensive, a different and more versatile [than the last] offensive, in order to renew deterrence," he said.

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According to Harmoni, what happens next will be dictated by the residents of the Gaza Strip. "The decision is in their hands. If they do not prevent rocket fire and stop terrorist cells from leaving the Gaza Strip and infiltrating Israel through Sinai, we will unleash a painful campaign on the Gaza Strip," Harmoni said.

The Colonel's statements came on the heels of Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz's statements to an audience of combat soldiers, telling them to prepare for an operation in the Gaza Strip should one become necessary.

In an earlier interview on Tuesday with journalist and TV host Ilana Dayan, on the occasion of IDF Soldiers Appreciation Day, Gantz hailed 2008's Operation Cast Lead as "an excellent operation," saying it resulted in increased deterrence for Israel in the face of Hamas. He added, however, that the war was far from over. "From time to time we have to deal with rocket fire from Gaza and we know that terrorists are gaining strength and expanding their base on Egyptian territory. I don't think Israel will be able to tolerate a continuing threat from Hamas in Gaza. Sooner or later we will have to launch a new large-scale operation in Gaza. The IDF knows how to strike terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip. Any potential operation would be planned in advance, initiated from our side, and carried out quickly."

Active duty brigades have already begun carrying out drills in preparation for a possible operation. A senior officer said on Wednesday that such an operation would indeed occur if the situation called for it.

The IDF has recently reported that Hamas was digging tunnels into Israel with the goal of abducting Israeli soldiers. Their motivation to kidnap an Israeli soldier comes after the "success" of the Gilad Shalit abduction, the cross-border raid that ended with the Hamas capture of the Israeli soldier who was eventually traded for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in October of this year. "From an intelligence and infrastructure standpoint we are making great efforts not to be caught off guard [by an abduction attempt], to be less surprised than we were last time. We learned a lesson from Gilad Shalit's abduction and I believe soldiers know what is expected of them."

Harmoni also mentioned the targeted assassinations in Gaza on Tuesday that prevented a terror attack. "We performed the strikes knowing the risks, Hamas also understood that the cell was on its way to perpetrate a terror attack, which has now been thwarted or delayed."

According to reports in Gaza, the first attack killed Abdallah Telbani, 22, of the Al-Quds Brigade, striking his motorized rickshaw in the Jabaliya refugee camp, 4 kilometers (2.5 m) north of Gaza City. Another terrorist was wounded in the attack carried out by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

The Gaza Strip did not remain quiet after the IDF strike. Terrorists fired four Qassam rockets on Wednesday from the northern part of the Gaza Strip. There were no casualties or damage from the rockets. Another rocket was fired Wednesday overnight but failed to explode upon landing in the northwestern Negev.

Meanwhile, in light of regional threats, the Knesset's joint defense budget committee approved a NIS 1.65 billion ($433 million) increase in defense spending, which will total NIS 60.7 billion ($16 billion) this year.

The joint committee is headed by MK Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) and is comprised of members from the Finance and Foreign Affairs and Defense committees. The committee approved the budget increase after a round of late-night phone calls among the ministers in response to demands made by Mofaz. The budget increase will be funded by the excess money that various ministries did not use this year.

Finance Committee Chairman MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) criticized Mofaz for sidestepping the Knesset's authority by delaying the budget increase and putting the matter to a government vote. Gafni claimed that the Finance Ministry's budget surplus could also be used to fund free day care for babies and toddlers, a demand made by many citizens during the summer's social protests. However, Gafni said, Mofaz should not have delayed the increase in defense spending, lest the money go back to the Finance Ministry which would use it for its own purposes. "The national budget has a NIS 5 billion ($1.3 billion) surplus that will come back to the Finance Ministry as it was not used by other ministries. There are many [inefficient] money pits in Israel's budget, we do not need to trim the defense budget to pay for un-met [social] needs," Gafni said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to discuss the planned NIS 3 billion ($787.5 million) cut to the defense budget, set to begin in 2012.

The Defense and Finance Ministries have sparred for years over the former's high budgetary needs and latter's demand for transparency in its spending. The Trajtenberg committee this summer recommended that the Defense Ministry trim its budget, a recommendation met with open approval by the Finance Ministry. The Defense Ministry warned that budget cuts would hamper the defense establishment's ability to protect the state.

The defense establishment and Finance Ministry both expect Netanyahu to veto the budget cut.

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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