Doc's Talk: Heavy Fighting on the ground in Gaza, 5 IDF soldiers killed

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Heavy Fighting on the ground in Gaza, 5 IDF soldiers killed

Ground operation in Gaza intensifies, IDF casualty toll rises • Hamas terrorists carry out multiple attacks using tunnels on Saturday, including apparent kidnapping attempts • IDF to hold its fire for two hours in Sajiya neighborhood on Sunday afternoon.

Lilach Shoval and Israel Hayom Staff

Israeli soldiers near Kibbutz Be'eri after terrorists infiltrate the area through a tunnel and kill two soldiers

Photo credit: Albert Sadikov / JINI

The twelfth day of Operation Protective Edge was marked by increased attempts by terrorists groups to kill and or abduct Israeli soldiers. Four Israeli soldiers were killed and 23 were wounded on Saturday: three seriously, six in moderate condition and the rest were treated for minor wounds. One Israeli soldier was killed early Friday morning.

The Israel Defense Forces has uncovered 13 terror tunnels and 34 tunnel openings and has cited significant accomplishments after a day of fighting. The IDF expanded its ground operation Saturday night and the Golani Infantry Brigade entered the Gaza Strip. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz told soldiers: "You need to clean out the Gaza region [of tunnels], you need to find those tunnel openings. I always said that what the nation sees as an emergency, we see as war. That is how you need to enter this act. You have your enemies, and you have your mission."

With the Red Cross serving as a mediator, Hamas issued a request for a short humanitarian truce on Sunday, as dozens of Palestinians were reportedly killed in the Sajiya neighborhood of Gaza. Hamas sought to use the lull to evacuate the bodies from the centers of heavy fighting.

The IDF said it would hold its fire in Sajiya from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Since the launch of the IDF ground operation in Gaza on Thursday, some 130 Palestinian terrorists have been killed, about 800 have been hurt and 36 underground tunnels have been discovered, among them 14 tunnels designed to facilitate cross-border terror attacks.

Since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge on July 8, the IDF has hit 2,570 terror targets in Gaza.

Saturday saw numerous incidents of fighting inside and around Gaza. One of the most serious incidents was an infiltration by nine terrorists into Israel. They attacked a passing group of IDF troops, leaving two soldiers dead. The terrorists infiltrated using a terror tunnel from the Gaza Strip and emerged near Kibbutz Be;eri, hundreds of meters away from the security fence on the border. The terrorists realized that the two IDF posts in the area were not manned. They then encountered an IDF vehicle on patrol.

The terrorists fired an anti-tank missile at the vehicle and killed two soldiers -- 45-year-old Maj. (res.) Amotz Greenberg from Hod Hasharon and 20-year-old Sgt. Adar Barsano from Nahariya. The two other soldiers in the vehicle were moderately wounded.

Israeli forces in the area engaged the terrorists and killed one, with the rest escaping back into Gaza. The IAF struck them from the air it is still unknown how many were hit in the strike. Later in the day, the IDF attacked the apartment which had served as the command post for the infiltration attack.

The IDF said the clash had prevented a much larger and more deadly terrorist attack in one of the communities in the Gaza border area. It is believed the initial objective of the attack was to abduct a soldier. "The terror squad infiltrated near one of the towns in the area and was surprised by an IDF patrol. The attack was aimed at one of the nearby towns and was thwarted near the [Gaza border] fence," a senior IDF officer said on Saturday. "They realized their attack was foiled. They did not plan on finishing the incident with two killed, they wanted to catch us by surprise and kidnap at least one person."

The IDF closed off the area after the incident, telling residents to stay in their homes. Large forces searched the surrounding area to make sure there were no more terrorists. Soldiers found weapons left behind by the terrorists during their escape, including vests, grenades, handcuffs, anesthetics and syringes, indicating to their intention to kidnap a soldier.

Other attempted attacks on Saturday included a donkey loaded with explosives and sent by terrorists toward IDF troops, as well as a suicide motorcycle.

An IDF captain from the Nahal Brigade was seriously wounded by sniper fire in the Gaza Strip.

At 3 p.m., terrorists came out of a tunnel and fired an anti-tank weapon and small arms at an army D9 bulldozer. Israeli soldiers returned fire and killed the two terrorists. One of the terrorists died when his suicide vest detonated. The terrorists also had handcuffs and anesthetics, once again underscoring their intention to abduct soldiers.

At 4:30 p.m., an anti-tank missile was fired at Israeli forces near Khan Yunis. A soldier from the Combat Engineering Corps was killed. Another soldier was seriously wounded in another anti-tank missile attack. A Nahal Brigade soldier was seriously wounded by shrapnel when fired a LAW rocket at a wall.

At 6:30 p.m., terrorists fired an anti-tank missile at an Israeli tank. The Trophy tank defense system was activated. An Israeli soldier was seriously wounded.

At around 9 p.m., a terrorist emerged from a tunnel and fired at a soldiers from the 101st Paratrooper Brigade, killing one. The soldiers returned fire and killed the terrorist.

While special forces have been operating in Gaza for some time, the Golani Brigade entered Gaza on Saturday night, widening the scope of the ground operation.

"All the incidents that have taken place are part of the tunnel threat. It is a big deal for both sides. We are pushing forward to destroy them while they are trying to achieve as much as possible with that asset," a senior IDF offcier said Saturday night. The officer said there have been numerous attempts to abduct soldiers using those tunnels.

As for identifying the tunnels, the officer said, "They are being taken care of. Hamas will be stripped of their ability to carry out attacks using the tunnels. It is a strategic asset for them. They feel we uncovered something significant and want to make the most of them. The ones that are ready -- are ready. They are frustrated about the tunnels. They want to exact a price [on us] with them. You can see it throughout the battlefield," he said.

On Saturday, 13 terrorists who were arrested were brought to questioning and the IDF said they provided viable intelligence. Since the beginning of the ground operation, the IDF has struck 500 targets from the air, sea and land.

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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.

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