Israel land grab law 'ends hope of two-state solution'
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Salaam
Another update, interesting perspective, seems to the Jews of Israel aren't that happy with their diaspora.
Goodbye, Jewish-American busybodies
I want a divorce. Not from my wife, whom I love dearly, but from the liberal and progressive American Jewish community. From those American Jews who believe that they have a special right to judge and advise the state of Israel because their parents were Jewish.... Your Jewish DNA does not make you any more knowledgeable than anyone else, nor does it give you a greater stake in the Jewish state, unless you decide to accept the generous offer it has made to all Jews everywhere by its Law of Return.
The fact that you had a Bar or Bat Mitzvah does not mean that your piece in the Forward or your letter to the New York Times in which you explain why, as a Jew, you are traumatized by Israel’s efforts to defend her southern border, should be published any more than that of any other person’s.
Even the fact that at some point in your life you have experienced antisemitism doesn’t qualify you to talk about how Israel should behave toward her own antisemitic enemies. If antisemitism in the US is problem for you, there is always that Law of Return.
There is no reason that the pronouncements of “If Not Now” are any more worth listening to than those of the American Nazi Party. Peter Beinart isn’t a more authoritative source about Israel and the Arabs than David Duke just because he has a bigger nose.
The head of the Union for Reform Judaism, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, likes to talk about how the demands he makes of Israel are made out of “unconditional love,” because he wants to “repair it” according to his notion of tikkun olam. What he calls “love,” I call hypocrisy. He owns an apartment in Jerusalem. He should live in it, send his kids to be combat soldiers in the army, pay taxes, and learn to practice situational awareness when he walks the streets or gets on a bus. Then he can try to fix things here (he probably would still give wrong advice, but then at least he would suffer the consequences).
http://abuyehuda.com/2018/04/goodbye-jewish-american-busybodies/
Another update, interesting perspective, seems to the Jews of Israel aren't that happy with their diaspora.
Goodbye, Jewish-American busybodies
I want a divorce. Not from my wife, whom I love dearly, but from the liberal and progressive American Jewish community. From those American Jews who believe that they have a special right to judge and advise the state of Israel because their parents were Jewish.... Your Jewish DNA does not make you any more knowledgeable than anyone else, nor does it give you a greater stake in the Jewish state, unless you decide to accept the generous offer it has made to all Jews everywhere by its Law of Return.
The fact that you had a Bar or Bat Mitzvah does not mean that your piece in the Forward or your letter to the New York Times in which you explain why, as a Jew, you are traumatized by Israel’s efforts to defend her southern border, should be published any more than that of any other person’s.
Even the fact that at some point in your life you have experienced antisemitism doesn’t qualify you to talk about how Israel should behave toward her own antisemitic enemies. If antisemitism in the US is problem for you, there is always that Law of Return.
There is no reason that the pronouncements of “If Not Now” are any more worth listening to than those of the American Nazi Party. Peter Beinart isn’t a more authoritative source about Israel and the Arabs than David Duke just because he has a bigger nose.
The head of the Union for Reform Judaism, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, likes to talk about how the demands he makes of Israel are made out of “unconditional love,” because he wants to “repair it” according to his notion of tikkun olam. What he calls “love,” I call hypocrisy. He owns an apartment in Jerusalem. He should live in it, send his kids to be combat soldiers in the army, pay taxes, and learn to practice situational awareness when he walks the streets or gets on a bus. Then he can try to fix things here (he probably would still give wrong advice, but then at least he would suffer the consequences).
http://abuyehuda.com/2018/04/goodbye-jewish-american-busybodies/
Salaam
Another update
President Abbas on Jewish History
Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas as anti-Semitic after the latter claimed past massacres, including the Holocaust were related to the “social function” of Jews in banking. “[H]ostility against Jews is not because of their religion, but rather their social function”, were Abbas’ exact words.
Abbas’ view is not a new one, and it was a view accepted by early (Labour) Zionists who tended to agree with the so-called ‘antisemitic argument’ that Jews were removed from labour and proletarian life and were too involved in capitalist adventures. Neither Abbas nor Early Zionists justified antisemitsm however, they attempted to grasp it roots. Labour Zionism was actually a promise to change the Jewish people and their fate by means of ‘homecoming.’
“It would appear that, once a Holocaust denier, always a Holocaust denier,” the Israeli prime minister said of Abbas on Twitter on Wednesday. “I call upon the international community to condemn the grave antisemitism of Abu Mazen [Abbas], which should have long since passed from this world.”
But is Bibi correct? Has this kind of debate faded away? During the last American presidential election, contender Donald Trump was repeatedly accused of antisemitsm for ‘dog whistling’ on the connection between Jews and Wall Street. Abbas’s comment, to a certain extent, helps us to locate Trump’s victory in an historical context.
Israel’s foreign ministry accused Abbas of fuelling religious and nationalist hatred against the Jewish people and Israel. I can’t figure out where the religious hatred is to be found in President Abbas’ words. Abbas didn’t argue that Jewish banking is a Judaic ritual or a mitzvah. He specifically referred to culture. In my book, Palestinians are more than entitled to oppose Jewish nationalism. However there was no nationalist hatred there either.
PM Netanyahu asked the international community to condemn Abbas. David Friedman, the US ambassador to Israel was quick to deliver. He tweeted the following: “Abu Mazen has reached a new low in attributing the cause of massacres of Jewish people over the years to their ‘social behavior relating to interest and banks.’ To all those who think Israel is the reason that we don't have peace, think again?”
I am left puzzled, when Friedman says “WE don’t have peace” what ‘WE’ does he have in mind? Is it the Israeli ‘WE’ or maybe he refers to the American ‘WE” whom he is paid to represent. I ask because for the time being America and Palestine are in peace.
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/2018/5/2/president-abbas-on-jewish-history
Another update
President Abbas on Jewish History
Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas as anti-Semitic after the latter claimed past massacres, including the Holocaust were related to the “social function” of Jews in banking. “[H]ostility against Jews is not because of their religion, but rather their social function”, were Abbas’ exact words.
Abbas’ view is not a new one, and it was a view accepted by early (Labour) Zionists who tended to agree with the so-called ‘antisemitic argument’ that Jews were removed from labour and proletarian life and were too involved in capitalist adventures. Neither Abbas nor Early Zionists justified antisemitsm however, they attempted to grasp it roots. Labour Zionism was actually a promise to change the Jewish people and their fate by means of ‘homecoming.’
“It would appear that, once a Holocaust denier, always a Holocaust denier,” the Israeli prime minister said of Abbas on Twitter on Wednesday. “I call upon the international community to condemn the grave antisemitism of Abu Mazen [Abbas], which should have long since passed from this world.”
But is Bibi correct? Has this kind of debate faded away? During the last American presidential election, contender Donald Trump was repeatedly accused of antisemitsm for ‘dog whistling’ on the connection between Jews and Wall Street. Abbas’s comment, to a certain extent, helps us to locate Trump’s victory in an historical context.
Israel’s foreign ministry accused Abbas of fuelling religious and nationalist hatred against the Jewish people and Israel. I can’t figure out where the religious hatred is to be found in President Abbas’ words. Abbas didn’t argue that Jewish banking is a Judaic ritual or a mitzvah. He specifically referred to culture. In my book, Palestinians are more than entitled to oppose Jewish nationalism. However there was no nationalist hatred there either.
PM Netanyahu asked the international community to condemn Abbas. David Friedman, the US ambassador to Israel was quick to deliver. He tweeted the following: “Abu Mazen has reached a new low in attributing the cause of massacres of Jewish people over the years to their ‘social behavior relating to interest and banks.’ To all those who think Israel is the reason that we don't have peace, think again?”
I am left puzzled, when Friedman says “WE don’t have peace” what ‘WE’ does he have in mind? Is it the Israeli ‘WE’ or maybe he refers to the American ‘WE” whom he is paid to represent. I ask because for the time being America and Palestine are in peace.
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/2018/5/2/president-abbas-on-jewish-history
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Salaam
Like to share. Passionate speech, caution some strong language.
Blurb
Ken O'Keefe discusses the 'Great March of Return' that is ongoing in Palestine and has resulted in hundreds of Palestinians being shot with thousands of injuries in total.
Like to share. Passionate speech, caution some strong language.
Blurb
Ken O'Keefe discusses the 'Great March of Return' that is ongoing in Palestine and has resulted in hundreds of Palestinians being shot with thousands of injuries in total.
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Salaam
Another update. Well at least this is out in the open, partially at least.
Poisoned toothpaste and exploding phones: New book chronicles Israel’s ‘2,700’ assassination operations
Intelligence correspondent Ronen Bergman persuades Mossad agents, Shin Bet and military personnel to disclose their stories on state-sponsored killings
Poisoned toothpaste that takes a month to end its target's life. Armed drones. Exploding mobile phones. Spare tyres with remote-control bombs. Assassinating enemy scientists and discovering the secret lovers of Muslim clerics.
A new book chronicles these techniques and asserts that Israel has carried out at least 2,700 assassination operations in its 70 years of existence. While many failed, they add up to far more than any other western country, the book says.
Ronen Bergman, the intelligence correspondent for Yediot Aharonot newspaper, persuaded many agents of Mossad, Shin Bet and the military to tell their stories, some using their real names. The result is the first comprehensive look at Israel's use of state-sponsored killings.
Based on 1,000 interviews and thousands of documents and running more than 600 pages, Rise and Kill First makes the case that Israel has used assassination in the place of war, killing half a dozen Iranian nuclear scientists, for instance, rather than launching a military attack. It also strongly suggests that Israel used radiation poisoning to kill Yasser Arafat, the long-time Palestinian leader an act its officials have consistently denied.
Mr Bergman writes that Mr Arafat's death in 2004 fit a pattern and had advocates. But he steps back from flatly asserting what happened, saying that Israeli military censorship prevents him from revealing what - or if - he knows.
The book's title comes from the ancient Jewish Talmud admonition, "If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first." Mr Bergman says a huge percentage of the people he interviewed cited that passage as justification for their work. So does an opinion by the military's lawyer declaring such operations to be legitimate acts of war.
Despite the many interviews, including with former prime ministers Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert, Mr Bergman, the author of several books, says the Israeli secret services sought to interfere with his work, holding a meeting in 2010 on how to disrupt his research and warning former Mossad employees not to speak with him.
He says that while the US has tighter constraints on its agents than does Israel, President George W Bush adopted many Israeli techniques after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 and President Barack Obama launched several hundred targeted killings.
"The command-and-control systems, the war rooms, the methods of information gathering and the technology of the pilotless aircraft or drones, that now serve the Americans and their allies were all in large part developed in Israel," Mr Bergman writes.
The book gives a textured history of the personalities and tactics of the various secret services. In the 1970s, a new head of operations for Mossad opened hundreds of commercial companies overseas with the idea that they might be useful one day. For example, Mossad created a Middle Eastern shipping business that, years later, came in handy in providing cover for a team in the waters off Yemen.
There have been plenty of failures. After a Palestinian terrorist group killed Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, Israel sent its agents to kill the perpetrators - and shot more than one misidentified man. There were also successful operations that did more harm than good to Israel's policy goals, Mr Bergman notes.
Mr Bergman raises moral and legal concerns provoked by state-sponsored killing, including the existence of separate legal systems for secret agents and the rest of Israel. But he presents the operations, for the most part, as achieving their aims. While many credit the barrier Israel built along and inside the West Bank with stopping assaults on Israeli citizens in the early 2000s, he argues that what made the difference was "a massive number of targeted killings of terrorist operatives."
One of Bergman's most important sources was Meir Dagan, a recent head of Mossad for eight years who died in early 2016. Toward the end of his career, Mr Dagan fell out with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu partly over launching a military attack on Iran. Mr Netanyahu said intelligence techniques such as selling the country faulty parts for its reactors - which Israel and the US were doing - weren't enough.
Mr Dagan argued back that these techniques, especially assassinations, would do the job. As Bergman quotes him saying, "In a car, there are 25,000 parts on average. Imagine if 100 of them are missing. It would be very hard to make it go. On the other hand, sometimes it's most effective to kill the driver, and that's that."
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/mossad-assassinations-israel-foreign-operations-arafat-book-shin-bet-ronan-bergman-interviews-a8181391.html
Another update. Well at least this is out in the open, partially at least.
Poisoned toothpaste and exploding phones: New book chronicles Israel’s ‘2,700’ assassination operations
Intelligence correspondent Ronen Bergman persuades Mossad agents, Shin Bet and military personnel to disclose their stories on state-sponsored killings
Poisoned toothpaste that takes a month to end its target's life. Armed drones. Exploding mobile phones. Spare tyres with remote-control bombs. Assassinating enemy scientists and discovering the secret lovers of Muslim clerics.
A new book chronicles these techniques and asserts that Israel has carried out at least 2,700 assassination operations in its 70 years of existence. While many failed, they add up to far more than any other western country, the book says.
Ronen Bergman, the intelligence correspondent for Yediot Aharonot newspaper, persuaded many agents of Mossad, Shin Bet and the military to tell their stories, some using their real names. The result is the first comprehensive look at Israel's use of state-sponsored killings.
Based on 1,000 interviews and thousands of documents and running more than 600 pages, Rise and Kill First makes the case that Israel has used assassination in the place of war, killing half a dozen Iranian nuclear scientists, for instance, rather than launching a military attack. It also strongly suggests that Israel used radiation poisoning to kill Yasser Arafat, the long-time Palestinian leader an act its officials have consistently denied.
Mr Bergman writes that Mr Arafat's death in 2004 fit a pattern and had advocates. But he steps back from flatly asserting what happened, saying that Israeli military censorship prevents him from revealing what - or if - he knows.
The book's title comes from the ancient Jewish Talmud admonition, "If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first." Mr Bergman says a huge percentage of the people he interviewed cited that passage as justification for their work. So does an opinion by the military's lawyer declaring such operations to be legitimate acts of war.
Despite the many interviews, including with former prime ministers Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert, Mr Bergman, the author of several books, says the Israeli secret services sought to interfere with his work, holding a meeting in 2010 on how to disrupt his research and warning former Mossad employees not to speak with him.
He says that while the US has tighter constraints on its agents than does Israel, President George W Bush adopted many Israeli techniques after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 and President Barack Obama launched several hundred targeted killings.
"The command-and-control systems, the war rooms, the methods of information gathering and the technology of the pilotless aircraft or drones, that now serve the Americans and their allies were all in large part developed in Israel," Mr Bergman writes.
The book gives a textured history of the personalities and tactics of the various secret services. In the 1970s, a new head of operations for Mossad opened hundreds of commercial companies overseas with the idea that they might be useful one day. For example, Mossad created a Middle Eastern shipping business that, years later, came in handy in providing cover for a team in the waters off Yemen.
There have been plenty of failures. After a Palestinian terrorist group killed Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, Israel sent its agents to kill the perpetrators - and shot more than one misidentified man. There were also successful operations that did more harm than good to Israel's policy goals, Mr Bergman notes.
Mr Bergman raises moral and legal concerns provoked by state-sponsored killing, including the existence of separate legal systems for secret agents and the rest of Israel. But he presents the operations, for the most part, as achieving their aims. While many credit the barrier Israel built along and inside the West Bank with stopping assaults on Israeli citizens in the early 2000s, he argues that what made the difference was "a massive number of targeted killings of terrorist operatives."
One of Bergman's most important sources was Meir Dagan, a recent head of Mossad for eight years who died in early 2016. Toward the end of his career, Mr Dagan fell out with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu partly over launching a military attack on Iran. Mr Netanyahu said intelligence techniques such as selling the country faulty parts for its reactors - which Israel and the US were doing - weren't enough.
Mr Dagan argued back that these techniques, especially assassinations, would do the job. As Bergman quotes him saying, "In a car, there are 25,000 parts on average. Imagine if 100 of them are missing. It would be very hard to make it go. On the other hand, sometimes it's most effective to kill the driver, and that's that."
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/mossad-assassinations-israel-foreign-operations-arafat-book-shin-bet-ronan-bergman-interviews-a8181391.html
JustTime
كـٌنٍ مـَع الـلُّـہ
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So far of all the things you post this has been my favorite, it shows a reality not seen by many and many will likely ignore or downplay. But with this I would like to say that in spite the tragedy of being separated from their ancestor's lands they should be thankful to live where they live even with all the challenges that come with it. If you took an Afghan, a Syrian, an Iraqi, and a Uyghur how many do you think would trade their situations for the ones of the brothers and sisters in this video.
They have overall security by a faction that cares enough to fight on their behalf with autonomy along with external support from numerous nations and multi-national organizations. They can pray freely, they can grow beards freely, they can wear hijab and niqab without fear of persecution. They have homes, schools, and food, they have access to the internet, telecommunications, and modern technology.
Compare this to Eastern Ghouta, Aleppo, Raqqa, Mosul, Grozny in the 90s, various regions of Afghanistan, Burma, and Turkestan in China. Most non-Muslims are familiar with Gaza some even sympathize and call for change yet a majority of these same individuals probably have no idea who the Uyghur people are.
While the situation in Syria gets worse and worse support for its people declines as well as evident with the cutoff of aid for the White Helmets because some very twisted indivudals lied enough times to where the lies became truth and the truth became rejected, you will hear individuals when discussing Syria admit to the crimes of the leadership there but justify it by his so called "Secularism" which is just code for not Sunni, I've yet to hear similar claims about Gaza I've heard plenty of support for Israel in various grounds and with different reasons for support.
East Ghouta, Syria 2018
Mosul, Iraq 2017
Benghazi, Libya 2017
Be consistent in what you say and believe, Allah loves those who are consistent, and Pray for this entire Ummah
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Be consistent in what you say and believe, Allah loves those who are consistent, and Pray for this entire Ummah
Not to downplay what's going on in other places but, there is a thread on Syria which you are well aware of. You're more than welcome to start threads on other places if you feel the need to do so as well. What exactly is your point in coming to a thread dedicated on one location and stating that other places have it worse? This is a thread on Palestine afterall. Also, what's going on in Gaza is way different than what's going on in Syria, Iraq, and Libya. How many governments and groups are involved in the latter countries? That comparison shot is also not accurately representing the situation. Was it not so long ago that Gaza suffered destruction? Don't hesitate to do some google imaging to remind yourself what they've gone through.
If we're going to talk about being consistent and all.
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Salaam
Yes I have to ask what is the purpose of trying to (intentionally or unintentionally) derail this thread with charges of Whataboutism? Hasbra agents use this tactic a lot but you get wise to it.
Oh and people do care what going on in other parts of the Muslim world. For example medical professionals (who come from the UK) went to Syria to help and have had to brave the dangers of working in such a unstable environment.
Massacre in Eastern Ghouta, Syria
[TABLE="class: grid, width: 100%, align: center"]
[TR][TD] Massacre in Eastern Ghouta, Syria
Asalaamu Alaikum, A massacre is taking place in Eastern Ghouta, Syria right now. A 5 year seige and constant bombardment has killed & injured hundr...[/TD][/TR][/TABLE]
These people don't whine or complain, they take action, maybe you should adopt the same attitude Bro JustTime.
To finish sometimes I feel like a one man band here on the World affairs section
, ( I understand people have other interests, specialties etc) I can only post so much, don't want to spam the forum.
Yes I have to ask what is the purpose of trying to (intentionally or unintentionally) derail this thread with charges of Whataboutism? Hasbra agents use this tactic a lot but you get wise to it.
Oh and people do care what going on in other parts of the Muslim world. For example medical professionals (who come from the UK) went to Syria to help and have had to brave the dangers of working in such a unstable environment.
Massacre in Eastern Ghouta, Syria
[TABLE="class: grid, width: 100%, align: center"]
[TR][TD] Massacre in Eastern Ghouta, Syria
Asalaamu Alaikum, A massacre is taking place in Eastern Ghouta, Syria right now. A 5 year seige and constant bombardment has killed & injured hundr...[/TD][/TR][/TABLE]
These people don't whine or complain, they take action, maybe you should adopt the same attitude Bro JustTime.
To finish sometimes I feel like a one man band here on the World affairs section
, ( I understand people have other interests, specialties etc) I can only post so much, don't want to spam the forum.
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Salaam
Another update, its good to know what the other side is thinking.
The Israeli Army
Can you give us an overview of the actual situation of the Israeli armed forces?
One could argue that, taking a grand strategic perspective and starting with the establishment of the State of Israel seventy years ago, some things have not changed very much. First, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) remain the armed organization of a democratic country, one in which it is the politicians who decide and the military which obeys. Second, the objective of the IDF was and remains to defend the country, a outrance if necessary, against any military threats that may confront it. Third, Israel remains in a state of war with several other Middle countries; nor is there any way in the world it can bring the conflict to an end by defeating them and compelling them to make peace against their will. Fourth, the occupation of the West Bank and the Golan Heights notwithstanding, Israel remains a small country with very little strategic depth. Fifth, the lack of strategic depth implies a heavy reliance on intelligence to detect threats before they materialize. Sixth, and for the same reason, Israeli military doctrine remains basically offensive, with a strong emphasis on destroying the opposing armed forces.
How is composed the Israeli military apparatus?
The Israeli military still retains the basic structure it assumed in 1949-50. It is made up of 1. A standing army, consisting of officers, NCO’s, and conscripts, numbering about 176,000 men and women altogether; and 2. A considerably larger number of reservists, who bring the total to about 620,000. As these numbers show, the IDF places heavier reliance on reservists than most modern armed forces do. Many reservists, moreover, serve in their own units and are expected to go into battle almost immediately and not after a period of organization as is the case in most other countries.
In charge of the IDF is the chief of staff, a lieutenant general. Under him is the general staff, including the divisions of manpower, operations, intelligence, computers (C4I). technology/logistics, and planning. Like most modern armed forces, the IDF has ground forces, an air force and a navy. Each of these three has its own general staff. There are three territorial commands: north, south, and central. There is a home defense command as well as a long-range command intended for “deep” operations in the enemy’s rear. Just recently the establishment of yet another command, armed with surface to surface missiles and apparently meant to supplement the air force, on missions up to 300-500 kilometers deep into enemy territory, has been announced.
Can you explain in detail which are the weapons currently owned by Israel?
The IDF is one of the most modern forces in the world. The ground forces rely on heavy Israeli-designed and produced tanks (the Merkava), of which there have now been four successive generations). It also has modern, heavy, armored personnel carriers (produced, in Israel, on a Merkava hull and undercarriage) as well as various kinds of surfaces-to surface missiles, multiple-launch rockets, and artillery The infantry, including a paratroop brigade and special operations units, has modern personal arms (the Tavor assault rifle) as well as machine guns and various anti-tank missiles.
The air force is in charge of a number of earth-circling intelligence satellites. It also has a number of medium and intermediate range (1,500-5,000 kilometer) ballistic missiles capable of reaching well beyond the Middle East. Combat power in the air consists mainly of US-built F-15. F-16 and F-35 fighter-bombers. Other important weapon systems are attack helicopters, AWACS aircraft, and tankers. A very important element are anti-missile defenses, a field in which Israel is a world leader.
Traditionally the Navy has been the least important among the three services. However, the need for a second-strike nuclear force as well as the discovery of enormous reserves of gas under the Mediterranean, which need to be defended, has caused this situation to change. Currently the Navy has a number of corvettes armed with various surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles. These ships are sufficiently large to carry helicopters for over-the horizon work. Four more corvettes are on order in German shipyards. The Navy also has five submarines (with a sixth on the way) which, according to foreign sources, can launch sea-to-land cruise missiles over a range of up to a thousand miles or so. That, incidentally, should be enough to reach a target as far away as Tehran from positions opposite the Syrian coast.
About the nuclear: can you give us an overview of their allocations and actual potential?
These matters are secret. After all Israel has never openly admitted to having nuclear weapons in the first place. All one can say, on the basis of foreign sources which have long been discussing the issue at length, is as follows.
First, the number of warheads in Israel’s nuclear arsenal is probably in the low hundreds. Yields may vary between 20 kilotons, the equivalent of the device dropped on Nagasaki back in 1945, and a megaton. There have also been rumors about tactical nukes, but they have never been confirmed. Whether the larger warheads are fusion-based or simply boosted fission-ones is unknown.
Second, the delivery vehicles that can carry these weapons include fighter-bombers, various kinds of surface-to-surface missiles, and submarines. Between them, these weapons and these delivery vehicles should enable Israel to wipe any enemy in the Middle East and beyond off the map.
Third, absolutely nothing is known about the doctrine that governs the use of the weapons in question. In other words, about their strategic mission, the circumstances in which they may be used, the way in which they may be used, the targets against which they may be used, and so on.
About new generation weapons (drones, long range missiles), what is the situation? Are the Israeli armed forces still greater than its neighbors?
Israel technology in all these fields is as good as any available in the world. The more so because it is assisted by joint programs not just with the US, the largest weapon-manufacturer of all, but with and several other advanced countries. Israeli computers, satellites, optical- and communications equipment, radars, and drones are excellent. However, there is no room for complacency. Israel’s enemies, including both state- and non-state ones, are doing their best to challenge its superiority. As they do so, some of them are supported by Russia. Which is why constant vigilance and innovation are required.
In its short history, the State of Israel often fought and won wars in which it was outnumbered and trapped: is this because of its only technological superiority or is there also a strategic and tactical factor?
Starting in 1948 and ending with the 1973 war inclusive, the most important factor behind Israel’s victories has always been the quality of its troops. Both in terms of education—Israel, unlike its enemies, is not a third-world country but a first-world one with educational, technological and scientific facilities to match. And—which is more critical still—in terms of motivation and fighting morale.
After 1973, and especially the 1982 First Lebanon War, things began to change. Education, technical skills and scientific development continued to improve, turning this a nation of less than eight million people into a world center of military (and not just military) innovation. There are, however, some signs that, as some of its former enemies concluded peace with it and its own military superiority came to be taken for granted, motivation suffered. To this was added the need to combat terrorists in Gaza and the West Bank—the kind of operations that contribute nothing to overall fighting effectiveness and any even detract from it.
Can the logistic organization represent a decisive factor – militarily -?
Logistics, it has been said, is “that which, if you do not have enough of, the war will not be won as soon as.” As recently as the Second Lebanon War against Hezbollah in 2006, so heavy was expenditure of air-to-surface missiles and other precision-guided munitions that the IDF had to apply for US aid even as hostilities were going on. This situation which has its origins in budget constraints, may well recur.
Furthermore, in all its wars from 1948 on the IDF has enjoyed near-absolute command of the air. As a result, it was able to attack enemy lines of supply whereas the enemy was unable to do the same. The buildup of reliable and accurate surface-to-surface missiles in the hands of Hezbollah, Syria and Iran may very well change this situation, causing supply bases and ammunition dumps, as well as communications-junctions and even convoys on the move to come under attack. This scenario, which is not at all imaginary, is currently giving the General Staff a lot of headaches.
We know that the intelligence is the decisive element to ensure strength to Israeli Armed Forces: can you explain what is this strength?
Israeli technological, tactical and operational intelligence has always been very good. Two factors help account for this fact. First, there exists in Israel a large community of first-class experts (known as Mizrahanim, “Easterners” who know the countries of the Middle East, their language, culture, traditions, history, and so forth as well as anyone does. Many members of this community spend their periods of reserve duty with the IDF intelligence apparatus.
Second, modern intelligence rests on electronics, especially various kinds of sensors and computers. As the famous Unit 8200 shows, these are fields where nobody excels the IDF. Nobody.
That said, it is important to add that Israeli top-level strategic and political intelligence is nowhere as good as it is on the lower levels. Starting at least as early as 1955, and reaching all the way to the present, IDF intelligence has often failed to predict some of the most important events. That included the 1967 war, the 1973 War, the 1987 Palestinian Uprising, the 1991 Gulf War, the “Arab Spring,” and the outbreak of the 2011 Syrian Civil War.
Compared to its actual friends, which are its strengths and weaknesses from a military point of view?
As I said, strengths include a well-educated and highly skilled society, excellent technology, and vast experience in fighting various enemies (though some of that experience is now dated). The chief weaknesses remain the country’s relatively small size and lack of strategic depth—Iran, for example, is eighty times as large as Israel. Perhaps most important of all, there is reason to think that motivation, though much higher than in the NATO countries, is no longer what it used to be.
If the situation between Israel and Iran (or Hezbollah in Lebanon) comes to a showdown, which could be the reactions of some States as Turkey, Syria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt or USA?
Hard to say. Iran will use Syria as a forward base for fighting Israel. Assuming the regime stays, Saudi Arabia will probably retain its ties with Israel, at least unofficially. Ditto Egypt. Turkey will probably not engage in a shooting war with Israel, but it will support an anti-Israeli coalition in other ways while at the same time fighting the Syrians (and the Kurds). Russia will try to support Hezbollah and Syria, but without becoming deeply involved. The US on its part will support Israel and Hezbollah, but without directly taking on the Russians.
There seems to be a fear about a large scale conflict; militarily, what do you think that Israel could put in place?
With its vital infrastructure—power plants, fuel depots, factories, and the like—exposed to precision-guided missiles launched by Hezbolla Syria and possibly Iran, Israel will find itself in a difficult situation. As well as doing its best to protect these assets by means of its highly-developed surface-to air missile system, it will mount air- and missile attacks on enemy air defenses, missile launching sites, and infrastructure targets (one Israeli officer has recently warned that, should Hezbollah get involve in a war with Israel, the latter would bomb Lebanon back into the Stone Age). One can also expect Israeli commando raids against military targets which, for one reason or another, cannot be tackled by airpower on its own.
http://www.martin-van-creveld.com/the-israeli-army/
Another update, its good to know what the other side is thinking.
The Israeli Army
Can you give us an overview of the actual situation of the Israeli armed forces?
One could argue that, taking a grand strategic perspective and starting with the establishment of the State of Israel seventy years ago, some things have not changed very much. First, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) remain the armed organization of a democratic country, one in which it is the politicians who decide and the military which obeys. Second, the objective of the IDF was and remains to defend the country, a outrance if necessary, against any military threats that may confront it. Third, Israel remains in a state of war with several other Middle countries; nor is there any way in the world it can bring the conflict to an end by defeating them and compelling them to make peace against their will. Fourth, the occupation of the West Bank and the Golan Heights notwithstanding, Israel remains a small country with very little strategic depth. Fifth, the lack of strategic depth implies a heavy reliance on intelligence to detect threats before they materialize. Sixth, and for the same reason, Israeli military doctrine remains basically offensive, with a strong emphasis on destroying the opposing armed forces.
How is composed the Israeli military apparatus?
The Israeli military still retains the basic structure it assumed in 1949-50. It is made up of 1. A standing army, consisting of officers, NCO’s, and conscripts, numbering about 176,000 men and women altogether; and 2. A considerably larger number of reservists, who bring the total to about 620,000. As these numbers show, the IDF places heavier reliance on reservists than most modern armed forces do. Many reservists, moreover, serve in their own units and are expected to go into battle almost immediately and not after a period of organization as is the case in most other countries.
In charge of the IDF is the chief of staff, a lieutenant general. Under him is the general staff, including the divisions of manpower, operations, intelligence, computers (C4I). technology/logistics, and planning. Like most modern armed forces, the IDF has ground forces, an air force and a navy. Each of these three has its own general staff. There are three territorial commands: north, south, and central. There is a home defense command as well as a long-range command intended for “deep” operations in the enemy’s rear. Just recently the establishment of yet another command, armed with surface to surface missiles and apparently meant to supplement the air force, on missions up to 300-500 kilometers deep into enemy territory, has been announced.
Can you explain in detail which are the weapons currently owned by Israel?
The IDF is one of the most modern forces in the world. The ground forces rely on heavy Israeli-designed and produced tanks (the Merkava), of which there have now been four successive generations). It also has modern, heavy, armored personnel carriers (produced, in Israel, on a Merkava hull and undercarriage) as well as various kinds of surfaces-to surface missiles, multiple-launch rockets, and artillery The infantry, including a paratroop brigade and special operations units, has modern personal arms (the Tavor assault rifle) as well as machine guns and various anti-tank missiles.
The air force is in charge of a number of earth-circling intelligence satellites. It also has a number of medium and intermediate range (1,500-5,000 kilometer) ballistic missiles capable of reaching well beyond the Middle East. Combat power in the air consists mainly of US-built F-15. F-16 and F-35 fighter-bombers. Other important weapon systems are attack helicopters, AWACS aircraft, and tankers. A very important element are anti-missile defenses, a field in which Israel is a world leader.
Traditionally the Navy has been the least important among the three services. However, the need for a second-strike nuclear force as well as the discovery of enormous reserves of gas under the Mediterranean, which need to be defended, has caused this situation to change. Currently the Navy has a number of corvettes armed with various surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles. These ships are sufficiently large to carry helicopters for over-the horizon work. Four more corvettes are on order in German shipyards. The Navy also has five submarines (with a sixth on the way) which, according to foreign sources, can launch sea-to-land cruise missiles over a range of up to a thousand miles or so. That, incidentally, should be enough to reach a target as far away as Tehran from positions opposite the Syrian coast.
About the nuclear: can you give us an overview of their allocations and actual potential?
These matters are secret. After all Israel has never openly admitted to having nuclear weapons in the first place. All one can say, on the basis of foreign sources which have long been discussing the issue at length, is as follows.
First, the number of warheads in Israel’s nuclear arsenal is probably in the low hundreds. Yields may vary between 20 kilotons, the equivalent of the device dropped on Nagasaki back in 1945, and a megaton. There have also been rumors about tactical nukes, but they have never been confirmed. Whether the larger warheads are fusion-based or simply boosted fission-ones is unknown.
Second, the delivery vehicles that can carry these weapons include fighter-bombers, various kinds of surface-to-surface missiles, and submarines. Between them, these weapons and these delivery vehicles should enable Israel to wipe any enemy in the Middle East and beyond off the map.
Third, absolutely nothing is known about the doctrine that governs the use of the weapons in question. In other words, about their strategic mission, the circumstances in which they may be used, the way in which they may be used, the targets against which they may be used, and so on.
About new generation weapons (drones, long range missiles), what is the situation? Are the Israeli armed forces still greater than its neighbors?
Israel technology in all these fields is as good as any available in the world. The more so because it is assisted by joint programs not just with the US, the largest weapon-manufacturer of all, but with and several other advanced countries. Israeli computers, satellites, optical- and communications equipment, radars, and drones are excellent. However, there is no room for complacency. Israel’s enemies, including both state- and non-state ones, are doing their best to challenge its superiority. As they do so, some of them are supported by Russia. Which is why constant vigilance and innovation are required.
In its short history, the State of Israel often fought and won wars in which it was outnumbered and trapped: is this because of its only technological superiority or is there also a strategic and tactical factor?
Starting in 1948 and ending with the 1973 war inclusive, the most important factor behind Israel’s victories has always been the quality of its troops. Both in terms of education—Israel, unlike its enemies, is not a third-world country but a first-world one with educational, technological and scientific facilities to match. And—which is more critical still—in terms of motivation and fighting morale.
After 1973, and especially the 1982 First Lebanon War, things began to change. Education, technical skills and scientific development continued to improve, turning this a nation of less than eight million people into a world center of military (and not just military) innovation. There are, however, some signs that, as some of its former enemies concluded peace with it and its own military superiority came to be taken for granted, motivation suffered. To this was added the need to combat terrorists in Gaza and the West Bank—the kind of operations that contribute nothing to overall fighting effectiveness and any even detract from it.
Can the logistic organization represent a decisive factor – militarily -?
Logistics, it has been said, is “that which, if you do not have enough of, the war will not be won as soon as.” As recently as the Second Lebanon War against Hezbollah in 2006, so heavy was expenditure of air-to-surface missiles and other precision-guided munitions that the IDF had to apply for US aid even as hostilities were going on. This situation which has its origins in budget constraints, may well recur.
Furthermore, in all its wars from 1948 on the IDF has enjoyed near-absolute command of the air. As a result, it was able to attack enemy lines of supply whereas the enemy was unable to do the same. The buildup of reliable and accurate surface-to-surface missiles in the hands of Hezbollah, Syria and Iran may very well change this situation, causing supply bases and ammunition dumps, as well as communications-junctions and even convoys on the move to come under attack. This scenario, which is not at all imaginary, is currently giving the General Staff a lot of headaches.
We know that the intelligence is the decisive element to ensure strength to Israeli Armed Forces: can you explain what is this strength?
Israeli technological, tactical and operational intelligence has always been very good. Two factors help account for this fact. First, there exists in Israel a large community of first-class experts (known as Mizrahanim, “Easterners” who know the countries of the Middle East, their language, culture, traditions, history, and so forth as well as anyone does. Many members of this community spend their periods of reserve duty with the IDF intelligence apparatus.
Second, modern intelligence rests on electronics, especially various kinds of sensors and computers. As the famous Unit 8200 shows, these are fields where nobody excels the IDF. Nobody.
That said, it is important to add that Israeli top-level strategic and political intelligence is nowhere as good as it is on the lower levels. Starting at least as early as 1955, and reaching all the way to the present, IDF intelligence has often failed to predict some of the most important events. That included the 1967 war, the 1973 War, the 1987 Palestinian Uprising, the 1991 Gulf War, the “Arab Spring,” and the outbreak of the 2011 Syrian Civil War.
Compared to its actual friends, which are its strengths and weaknesses from a military point of view?
As I said, strengths include a well-educated and highly skilled society, excellent technology, and vast experience in fighting various enemies (though some of that experience is now dated). The chief weaknesses remain the country’s relatively small size and lack of strategic depth—Iran, for example, is eighty times as large as Israel. Perhaps most important of all, there is reason to think that motivation, though much higher than in the NATO countries, is no longer what it used to be.
If the situation between Israel and Iran (or Hezbollah in Lebanon) comes to a showdown, which could be the reactions of some States as Turkey, Syria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt or USA?
Hard to say. Iran will use Syria as a forward base for fighting Israel. Assuming the regime stays, Saudi Arabia will probably retain its ties with Israel, at least unofficially. Ditto Egypt. Turkey will probably not engage in a shooting war with Israel, but it will support an anti-Israeli coalition in other ways while at the same time fighting the Syrians (and the Kurds). Russia will try to support Hezbollah and Syria, but without becoming deeply involved. The US on its part will support Israel and Hezbollah, but without directly taking on the Russians.
There seems to be a fear about a large scale conflict; militarily, what do you think that Israel could put in place?
With its vital infrastructure—power plants, fuel depots, factories, and the like—exposed to precision-guided missiles launched by Hezbolla Syria and possibly Iran, Israel will find itself in a difficult situation. As well as doing its best to protect these assets by means of its highly-developed surface-to air missile system, it will mount air- and missile attacks on enemy air defenses, missile launching sites, and infrastructure targets (one Israeli officer has recently warned that, should Hezbollah get involve in a war with Israel, the latter would bomb Lebanon back into the Stone Age). One can also expect Israeli commando raids against military targets which, for one reason or another, cannot be tackled by airpower on its own.
http://www.martin-van-creveld.com/the-israeli-army/
Salaam
Another update
Jewish Boomerang
If political terror is defined as the use of fear to achieve political aims then the activities of the self-elected British Jewish Zionist pressure groups seem to fit that definition. Some of these groups have openly tried to coerce political parties by threatening them, setting ‘ultimatums’ and harassing individuals. Political activists have lost their jobs and been ejected from their political institutions merely for criticising Israel or for citing historical facts deemed by some to be anti semitic.
Yet, the recent Local elections in Britain proves that the Brits are strong people, not easily deterred by political terrorism. Despite the relentless campaign against the Labour Party and the vicious slander of Corbyn and his supporters, the Party didn’t lose power. In fact, Labour saw its best London results since 1971. A BBC statistical exercise that applied the local election results to a possible parliamentary election predicted that the Conservatives would lose 38 seats while Labour would gain 21!
The message to the Israeli Lobby is clear. Your game appears to be counter effective. Further, if these threats are viewed by the public as political terrorism they could lead to a backlash against British Jews and perhaps others. Despite your efforts, Labour voters stayed with Corbyn. By now they are likely frustrated by your relentless activity. The British are not blind to your lobbying, and how could they be? The Zionist pressure games are openly aired in public.
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/2018/5/7/jewish-boomerang
Another update
Jewish Boomerang
If political terror is defined as the use of fear to achieve political aims then the activities of the self-elected British Jewish Zionist pressure groups seem to fit that definition. Some of these groups have openly tried to coerce political parties by threatening them, setting ‘ultimatums’ and harassing individuals. Political activists have lost their jobs and been ejected from their political institutions merely for criticising Israel or for citing historical facts deemed by some to be anti semitic.
Yet, the recent Local elections in Britain proves that the Brits are strong people, not easily deterred by political terrorism. Despite the relentless campaign against the Labour Party and the vicious slander of Corbyn and his supporters, the Party didn’t lose power. In fact, Labour saw its best London results since 1971. A BBC statistical exercise that applied the local election results to a possible parliamentary election predicted that the Conservatives would lose 38 seats while Labour would gain 21!
The message to the Israeli Lobby is clear. Your game appears to be counter effective. Further, if these threats are viewed by the public as political terrorism they could lead to a backlash against British Jews and perhaps others. Despite your efforts, Labour voters stayed with Corbyn. By now they are likely frustrated by your relentless activity. The British are not blind to your lobbying, and how could they be? The Zionist pressure games are openly aired in public.
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/2018/5/7/jewish-boomerang
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Salaam
Another update.
Blurb
Norman Finkelstein says that Israeli forces have conducted "a murderous assault on non-violent protesters" in Gaza's Great March of Return because non-violent protest threatens not Israel, but its occupation
Blurb
In part two, Norman Finkelstein says that while Palestinian protesters in Gaza have bravely resisted their ghettoization under merciless Israeli fire, international solidarity is falling short
Blurb
With the final demonstrations of the Great March of Return ahead, Israel could be preparing its worst killings of non-violent Palestinian protesters in Gaza to date, warns Norman Finkelstein
Another update.
Blurb
Norman Finkelstein says that Israeli forces have conducted "a murderous assault on non-violent protesters" in Gaza's Great March of Return because non-violent protest threatens not Israel, but its occupation
Blurb
In part two, Norman Finkelstein says that while Palestinian protesters in Gaza have bravely resisted their ghettoization under merciless Israeli fire, international solidarity is falling short
Blurb
With the final demonstrations of the Great March of Return ahead, Israel could be preparing its worst killings of non-violent Palestinian protesters in Gaza to date, warns Norman Finkelstein
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