UPDATES
9 am Israel time, Wednesday, April 1 2015
**There has been a major, on-going, terror incident around Kissufim on the Gaza border for the last 12 hours. Palestinian terrorist snipers opened fire on an IDF patrol jeep at around 6 pm yesterday evening and have continued firing into Israel this morning. There is currently a lockdown on all kibbutzes in the Eshkol region along the Gaza border.
It is worthwhile remembering that the last few wars with Hamas have begun following incidents like the one at Kissufim. Israel always seems willing to tolerate missile fire on citizens of the South, but not sniper and IED attacks on IDF patrols.
**The war in Yemen reached a new critical phase yesterday as the Iranian proxy-Houthi forces captured the main “overlook” positions along the Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb. As previously reported on israelstreet, Egypt will not tolerate Iranian control of the Straits because it is through the Straits that shipping passes to the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
Concomitantly, Iranian naval task force 33, consisting mainly of smaller vessels which had been cruising off the coast of Somalia, suddenly showed up at Bab-el-Mandeb. Shortly thereafter Egyptian warships arrived, and after a tense standoff involving warning shots from both sides, the Iranians retreated back into the Indian Ocean.
The situation is far from over. A larger Iranian naval force is being readied to sail to the area. And Iranian cargo planes have been spotted at the airport in Sanaa carrying weapons cargo that includes anti-ship missiles.
An Iranian plane at the airport in Sana’a last night. Supposedly a “tourist” flight, it was loaded with weapons and Revolutionary Guards.
By the way, this is not merely an Egyptian problem. How do you think that commercial ships reach the Israeli port of Eilat to offload their cargoes? Through the Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb.
TODAY’S BLOG:
Do the talks between the United States and Iran about the Iranian nuclear weapons program remind you of anything?
Hmm. Let’s see.
The talks with Iran have been going on for over a decade.
The Iranians have not conceded anything of importance.
Nevertheless, the U.S. has made concession after concession–even to the point of paying the Iranians through the release of frozen funds–to stay at the so-called “negotiating table.”
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Isn’t this exactly the same pattern that the United States has employed with the Palestinians?
For years, the U.S. has arm-twisted Israelis to “negotiate” with Mahmoud Abbas and the PLO.
During all this time, the Palestinians have not conceded anything.
They have adamantly refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. They have adamantly refused to compromise on the issue of so-called “Palestinian refugees”. They have adamantly refused peace offer after peace offer which would have given them a Palestinian state on 96% of the land they supposedly seek with land swaps in Israel for the other 4%.
Nevertheless, Israel continues to make concession after concession.
Israel froze construction in Judea and Samaria for almost a year. Israel released a river of Palestinian terrorist murderers. Israel continues supplying electricity, water, and medical services to the Palestinians for free (at least until last week). And still, the United States declares that Israel must make more concessions so that the Palestinians will continue “talking about peace.”
It is patently absurd.
There are some hilarious (to those of us in Israel) reports out of Lausanne today* that Western diplomats are exasperated with John Kerry’s willingness to talk to the Iranians without end. One diplomat commented: “John Kerry does not demand anything from them.” The same diplomat continued that because “there is nothing to talk to the Iranians about” a large part of the European delegation has left–along with the Russian and Chinese delegations.
But Kerry keeps talking. And talking. And talking. And Israel is supposed to continue talking endlessly to the Palestinians. The Iranians won’t concede anything, and neither will the Palestinians.
Why shouldn’t the Iranians sign another agreement to extend the deadline yet again? Why not sign some vague agreement that will enable them to keep their program up and running and at the same time lessen the economic sanctions?
Meanwhile, their centrifuges continue spinning.
*The diplomat’s comments were reported on Israel Army Radio.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.