Gaza 2014: Old Israel in a New Middle East

By Mosab Qashoo

 

The military operations undertaken by both Israel and Gaza bear many resemblances to what occurred in 2008 and 2012. Military might is still just as disproportionate, with Israel dropping hundreds of tonnes of explosives in 1,600 bombings and Hamas firing 1,500 non-explosive projectiles and rockets. Similarly, while it is unjust to compare casualties, the enormous gap between the over 265 Gazans and the 2 Israelis killed is telling. Of course Israeli weaponry is ever advancing with the assistance of US tax dollars. Despite the loss of its tunnels into Egypt and its severed relationship with the Syrian regime, Hamas has launched rockets farther than ever before and has sent surveillance drones and SCUBA divers into Israel. Interestingly, both Hamas and the Israeli government have implemented new tactics meant to warn civilians of impending attacks. Many news networks have focused on so-called “warning rockets” or “roof tapping”, very friendly sounding words that, no doubt, were crafted and injected into the conversation by Israeli Hasbarists. This media sculpting is very skillful, considering that these “warning rockets” are likely more powerful than Hamas’ most advanced rocket. Not to mention that most of these smaller bombs hit less than a minute before a massive bombing, giving Gazans little time to move to a slightly safer location, and certainly not enough time to gather family photos, identity documents, money or other valuables. They also announced their ground invasion in advance, though there is little Gazans could do to prepare. Hamas has provided slightly more meaningful warnings through text messages and TV broadcasts hours prior to launching rockets, a reasonable time for Israeli citizens to take care of their business and get into their bomb shelters. It is as if there is a side battle of who can appear to be giving the most warning to the other side.

The use of social media is a much loved topic in most news outlets. In this instance, the interest lies not in the use of social media to allow for citizen journalism or political participation, but instead for its application in military scenarios. For example, Israel now has a smartphone app that warns Israelis of approaching rockets and projectiles. On July 14th, Hamas hacked into the most watched Israeli TV station during prime time and also managed to send blanket text messages to Israeli cell phones in order to convey, in Hebrew, a message stating that Israeli children are not more important than Palestinian children, and that their projectiles would continue as long as Israel continued to target Gazan children, houses, hospitals and schools. Hamas may have learned to focus its media message on the Israeli public rather than the international community from Hezbollah during its conflict with Israel in 2006, the idea being that Israelis will hear these messages and encourage their government to tone down aggression.

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Operation Bibi Rescue

By Gilad Atzmon

The IDF launched a vast ground operation in Gaza last night. Until now, Israel has failed to articulate its military objectives. No one in Israel is willing to commit to a definition of what a victory would look like. I am afraid that the military objective is obvious: saving Netanyahu’s political career.

Prime Minister Netanyahu and his defense minister Moshe Ya’alon have no other options. The two have tried to avoid a ground operation. Like most IDF leaders, Netanyahu and Ya’alon know that the Israeli army lacks the capability to counter Gaza’s ballistic defiance. Israel lost its power of deterrence a while ago. Instead, it developed impressive technology to deal with a ballistic threat. The Israeli Iron Dome anti-missile system performed exceptionally well, however, strategically, it proved counter effective. It liberated Hamas and other organisations in Gaza to unleash their rockets arsenal against Israeli cities, putting Israel on the defence while maintaining an ethical position since no one was getting hurt.

From a military perspective, this exposes a unique shift. The Hamas and IDF have swapped military doctrines. While in the past, Israel and the IDF were associated with the offensive doctrine philosophy – the belief that “attack is the best form of defence.”  Now the Hamas and other Palestinian freedom fighters are calling the shots and seeking engagement.

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Hamas growing in military stature, say analysts


An expert in Hamas affairs says its use of tunnels to launch incursions, ability to repulse commando raids and use of powerful Gaza manufactured rockets are signs of a growing military maturity

By Mohammed Omer
 
GAZA CITY - The strength projected by Hamas is based on its military potential of the movement - its capacity to employ force against the enemy. Both engineers and fighters from Hamas’s military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, have died over the years so the group could achieve what this military capacity is today.

It has been a painful process of trial and error, analysts say. When Hamas was established in 1987, it simply planned to copy Israel’s iconic sub-machine gun, the Uzi. Now it has M-75 missiles which with a range of about 80 kilometers that can reach further than Tel Aviv.
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Uproar over 'Hitler' Facebook post

http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2014/07/15/uproar-over-hitler-facebook-post

A woman who spearheaded the ANC's social media election campaign in Western Cape is at the centre of an anti-Semitism row.

ANC volunteer Rene Smit at the weekend posted a picture of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler with the caption: "Yes, man you were right" on her Facebook page.

Below the picture of Hitler were the words: "I could have killed all the Jews, but I left some of them to tell you why I was killing them."

Smit said she shared the picture as part of the "outpour of protest against the Israeli killing of innocent babies and women in the Gaza Strip".

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Gaza: Hamas and the ceasefire that wasn't

Rockets from Gaza are launched towards Israel, 15 July

By Mohammed Omer
#GazaUnderAttack
Hamas almost immediately distanced itself from a ceasefire proposal that didn't meet any of its aims - or come through the right channels

When rumors began spreading late on Monday about a possible Hamas-Israel ceasefire brokered by Egypt,  Ismail Haniyeh - the top Hamas leader in Gaza - appeared on a pre-recorded TV interview from an unknown location to address Palestinians.

In the video, Haniyeh's message was clear - he wanted to reassure Gazans that he and Hamas were unwilling to compromise on the innocent blood spilled in Gaza during the last nine days.

“It is not possible for any party to bypass the conditions set by Palestinian Resistance to implement a period of calm” he said in the clip.

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FAQ on Failed Effort to Arrange Ceasefire Between Israel and Hamas

 July 15, 2014 IMEU
 
Experts
 
Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University, former advisor to Palestinian negotiators, and author of Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. Has Undermined Peace in the Middle East (2013) and The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood (2006).  
 
Mouin Rabbani, Visiting Senior Fellow at the Institute for Palestine Studies, Policy Advisor to Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network, and a contributing editor with Middle East Report and the ezine Jadaliyya. Former Senior Middle East Analyst with the International Crisis Group.

Noura Erakat, Human rights attorney and member of the Legal Support Network for the Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Refugee and Residency Rights, and co-editor of the ezine Jadaliyya.
 
FAQ
 
Q - Why do you think Hamas didn't accept the terms of the ceasefire?
 
RK - "Hamas has insisted that there be a lasting resolution of the basic problem of Israel's siege of Gaza, as was promised as part of the 2012 cease-fire, but never implemented in spite of Israel's recognition that Hamas scrupulously maintained the cease-fire until quite recently. The Egyptian proposal makes lifting of the siege conditional on Israel's approval, which means never."

MR - "Hamas, and with it other Palestinian organizations such as Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, have indicated that they were not consulted on the Egyptian cease-fire proposal, and that it has not been formally presented to them but rather released to the media after its terms were agreed with Israel.

"In terms of the proposal's contents, what these organizations and many Palestinians object to is that it simply restores a 2012 ceasefire agreement that Israel has systematically violated and does not provide any guarantees such violations would cease. These violations consist not only of periodic armed Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, but also Israel's refusal to respect clauses on the rights of fishermen in Gaza's territorial waters and farmers in land close to the Gaza/Israel boundary.

"Hamas has additionally stated that it would not accept an agreement that does not provide for the immediate re-release of Palestinian prisoners who were released by Israel in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange with Israel, but re-arrested by Israel in the last month.

"More broadly, Hamas and other Palestinian organizations are averse to returning to an untenable status quo, which lasts only until Israel once again decides to launch a major assault on the Gaza Strip, and which does not include concrete steps towards lifting the ongoing and prolonged blockade of the Gaza Strip.

"There is widespread Palestinian suspicion that Egypt, which has shown nothing but unremitting hostility towards Hamas since the current regime seized power in July 2013, released a proposal it ensured would be acceptable to Israel but rejected by the Palestinians, in order to help Israel legitimize an escalation of attacks against the Gaza Strip. It is likely to have done so in close cooperation with its new best friend, Tony Blair, and other advocates of Israeli power in the Arab world and internationally."
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Who is Major General Qassem Suleimani ?

 

Who is Major General Qassem Suleimani ?

… by  Hamed  Ghashghavi,   Tehran

 

[ VT Editors Note:  Hamed brings us a rare look into one of Iran's top military commanders, who often are censored from Western Press to avoid any analogies between our own George Washington, heaven forbid. While the two generals were not co-religionists, they shared a passionate desire to not have their people exploited by overseas commerical and military powers.  I personally was not aware of General Suleimani so we are happy share this from the son of an Iranian veteran from the eight year war with the US backed Saddam and Iraq... Jim W. Dean ]

__________________________________

The name of this Iranian Commander is not unknown to many who study the Middle-East situation, but these days during the battle against the evil soldiers and unhuman Takfiris in Iraq, his name has been mentioned on some mainstream media like Fox News, Washington Post, CBS News, and the Guardian.

What I would like to illuminate our readers is the career of this great man whose Pentagon high level officials are afraid to hear the name.

He is the commander of the Qods Force, a division of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which conducts special operations outside Iran. Their name comes from the Arabic name for Jerusalem Al-Quds. Qods Force was created in the 1990s.

According to Western intelligence scources, General Sulaimani has  played  a major role in the arrangement of post-Saddam Iraq plus the Western imposed war on the Syrian people. He had earlier helped the Afghans to resist to the American colonization there. His efforts have also been very effective in strengthening the resistance structure of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

So inside and outside of Iran among those who know a little about the realities on the ground no one can deny his significant role in the struggle against the Israeli and U.S. forces.

4

The Supreme Leader of the Iranian revolution who delivers the messages of condolence or congratulation only for the very important cases, nine months ago gave a condolence message for death of General Sulaimani’s mother in which he said: “Your act in the favor of Islam and Muslims may be very useful for your mother, God bless her soul.”

And we must know that the Supreme Leader chooses his words carefully even for such a message that can be simple in our eyes. In Iran there are many  young guys who are ready to give their lives for the Supreme Leader and their country particulary at the time of the imposed wars by the US and the EU on Syria, Ukraine, Iraq and the continuing “all options are on the table” theats to Russia and Iran.

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Once Again, Israel is Defeated

iron-domeBy Gilad Atzmon

As the Israeli Cabinet announced earlier today that it accepted the Egyptian cease-fire offer, Palestinian freedom fighters in Gaza continued firing rockets targeting the whole of Israel. 

The situation is clear.  Israel is desperate for a break in the violence. In spite of its endless ‘bravado,’ and military might, Israel lacks the military capacity and the courage to encounter Palestinian resistance on the ground. The Israeli elite recognizes that the military can’t resolve the problem, if anything, its extensive use would diminish Israeli manoeuvrability on the international front.

Hamas, on the other hand, has won its biggest military, political and ideological victory to date - it has managed to deliver some elementary messages to all of Israeli society:

You are living on our Palestinian stolen land, our Right to Return is elementary and is not negotiable. You Israelis do not belong here, you never did, and you had better consider your options immediately.

Hamas has also managed to dismantle the BDS / Jewish Lefty’s desperate and blatantly deceitful attempt to present the conflict as an issue over the ‘1967 occupation.’  The range and targets of Palestinian missiles deliver a clear message to both Israelis and their controlled opposition agents within the Left. Palestine is a stretch of land between the river and the sea. In other words, no more empty talk on ‘conflict resolutions.’ It is either Israel or Palestine. And today it seems Palestine it will be. 

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Collective punishment and the right to self-defence – Gaza Context

collective

 

By
http://paltelegraph.com/collective-punishment-right-self-defence-gaza-context/

Two weeks ago at the 26th session of the UN Human Rights Council, states and NGOs discussed the human rights situation in Palestine, condemning the Israeli aggression that had ensued in the oPt following the disappearance of three Jewish-Israeli settler teenagers in the West Bank. The states present for this discussion along with several NGOs who spoke about the current situation in the oPt urged the President and members of the Council to take immediate action to ensure that Israel upheld its obligations as a member of the Council and end the collective punishment of the Palestinian population.  Yet a fortnight later, Gaza is being pounded by missiles from Israel as part of ‘Operation Protective Edge’, the military occupation launched by Israel five days ago which it claims is to defeat Hamas and other Palestinian fighters.  In reality however the attacks have targeted the civilian population of the Gaza Strip.  Over the last few days these attacks have escalated and intensified showing no signs of slowing down.  The Israeli army has stated that it is making preparations for a ground attack.

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Hundreds trapped in synagogue as Paris protest turns violent

http://www.timesofisrael.com/clashes-in-paris-as-thousands-march-against-israel-offensive/

Thousands gather in Paris to demonstrate against Gaza operation, hurling stones at house of worship

PARIS — Clashes erupted in Paris on Sunday as thousands of people protested against Israel and in support of residents in the Gaza Strip, where a six-day conflict has left 166 Palestinians dead.

 

Pearl Jam vs. The Jewish State (must watch)

http://youtu.be/gLo_ZqlUOnE

In front of tens of thousands of music lovers, Pearl Jam's lead singer Eddie Vedder told the truth about Israel. In a concert at Milton Keynes Bowl in England on Friday the famed American rocker said.

“They’re looking for a reason to go across borders and take over land that doesn’t belong to them. They should get the f---out, and mind their own f---ing business…“We don’t want to give them our money. We don’t want to give them our taxes to drop bombs on children.” 

Indeed a reason to be cheerful especially when you witness the ecstatic reaction of the massive crowd. 

Seemingly, the Israelis are upset. The Jerusalem Post reported today that Ben Red, a rock disc jockey for Israel Radio’s music station, denounced Vedder.

“Eddie Vedder, your true face is finally being revealed,” Red wrote. “You are invited not to come here. I personally do not want to see you, and I will erase the Facebook page calling on bringing [Pearl Jam] to Israel, but not before I expose who you really are.”

Seemingly Ben Red  doesn’t approve an American subject’s right to oppose USA taxpayers’ money being spent on a criminal state. 

Israeli Navy Seals Landing fails in northern Gaza Strip

Training of Shayetet 13, Israeli Navy Seals

http://paltelegraph.com/israeli-navy-seals-landing-fails-in-northern-gaza-strip/

By  

Al Qassam brigades, the military wing of Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), countered an attempt to land a special Israeli force northern Gaza City near Sodania beach.

Media resources said that Qassam brigades discovered the attempt and immediately clashed with the Israeli soldiers. Resources have reported that an Israeli soldier was killed during the clash and they are waiting for confirmation.

It is worth mentioning that Gaza Strip undergoes a barbaric military operation called “Protective Edge” launched 6 days ago by the Israeli army under the pretext of stopping Hamas rockets, and revenging for the kidnap and killing of 3 Zionist settlers in June 2014.

On Israeli Defeat And The Future of Jewish Politics

Alimuddin Usmani interviews Gilad Atzmon

Alimuddin Usmani: After "Cast lead" in 2009 and "Pillar of defense" in 2012, the Israeli army has launched operation "Protective edge" in July, 2014 against Gaza. What is the purpose of these repeated large scale military operations?

Gilad Atzmon:  It is important to note that Israel hasn't won a single military battle since 1973. True, it has killed many Arabs, but it hasn't managed to achieve any of its military objectives.

Israel’s military domination has been sustained by the power of deterrence. The strategy was to force Arabs to  avoid conflict by threatening that they could lose everything. This week has shown that this trick won't  work anymore. Palestinian resistance has sprung back to life. Israel can not solve its problems by military means. The situation is desperate for the Israelis. They have started  to realize that they are stuck within a political, ideological and cultural stalemate. Israel is unable to conjure an image of a resolution. There is no prospect of future for the Jewish State.

Furthermore, the Jewish left's  blatant lie that the ‘occupation is the problem’ has been exposed this week as we witness Israeli Arab citizens chased by Jewish mobs. As we know, the right-wing call for mass expulsion of all Arabs from Israeli territory is becoming increasingly popular within Israel. This brutal ‘solution’  is totally consistent with Jewish supremacist culture and ideology. After all, Jews, and I mean both Zionists and anti,  like to operate within a Jews only environment. But can Israel rid itself of the Palestinians. This is exactly what the Right wing parties  within the coalition promise to do.

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Mohammed Omer: As civilian death toll rises in Gaza, Hamas sees growing local support

The more Israel strikes Gaza, the more Hamas regains popularity amongst locals despite increasing attacks that they say target civilians  

GAZA CITY – Deep below the ground, scattered in hide outs and out of sight, most of Hamas’ leadership is in a familiar survival mode, trying to make it difficult for Israeli air strikes to target them.

Above the ground, however, Israeli forces have continued to target their homes and families with F16 missiles – and regularly, locals say, hit the wrong targets and instead hit entire families that have nothing to do with the group.

Yet despite the rising death toll and destruction across Gaza, there is a general feeling here on Friday that the more Israel pounds the Strip, the more popular Hamas becomes, a turnaround for the organisation whose popularity has taken a nosedive during its seven year governance of Gaza.

“In the past, we used to put the responsibility of the siege that we are suffering from on Hamas due to their policies in governing Gaza,” Mofeed Abu Shamala, editor and chief of Gaza’s Al Mujtama newspaper. “But during the Israeli aggression, we think highly of Hamas and I feel they start to get more popular among the population.”

On Friday, Israeli F16s and rockets continued to torment the Gaza Strip killing 105 Palestinians, injuring at least 750 and turning more than 200 homes to rubble, leaving thousands of men, women and children homeless, their possessions destroyed and lives in tatters.
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