The Attack on Gaza: Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing

Tuesday, August 23 2016

UPDATES  9 am Israel time:

…Palestinian terror yesterday unreported in the mainstream media…

Terrorists brazenly attacked Israelis with “rocks” in the Old City of Jerusalem and at the Damascus Gate. More “rock” assaults took place throughout Judea and Samaria in such places as Har Bracha, Beit Horon, Huwara, and on Road 443.

There were two more attempted launches of missiles from Gaza just before midnight. Both missiles failed to reach Israel landing on the Gaza side of the border fence. More on the Gaza missile situation below.

Also around midnight, a busload of Bratislav Hasidim was attacked by “rock” throwing terrorists at Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem. A number were wounded by shattered glass.

…Meanwhile on the Israeli Golan…

There was a mortar attack on an IDF position from Syria following which the IDF eliminated the mortar launching site.

With a large contingent of Iranian and Hezbollah soldiers in Quneitra, there is every reason to believe that such mortar attacks will soon become the norm.

…Minor construction in Hevron?…

Haaretz newspaper reporter for the White House,  Yotam Berger, reported that the IDF has signed on to some very minor construction in the H2 Jewish area of Hevron–the first such construction in over a decade.

The area is in a Jewish owned group of buildings on Shuhada Street that leads to the Cave of the Patriarchs.

But let’s not count our chickens before they hatch. All that was approved this week was “the planning phase” of the project. And more than that, Berger send the following tweet to the White House to make sure that the Obama Administration would quickly voice its disapproval:

Now we even have Israeli “news” reporters “reporting to the White House” and encouraging interference in Israeli judicial and legislative proceedings.

…Speaking of kowtowing to the Americans…

It has apparently been decided by PM Netanyahu and Defense Minister Lieberman that no action will be taken on Sussiya, the illegal Palestinian settlement near Hevron, until after the American election in November.

Do Netanyahu and Lieberman really think that Clinton (currently ahead in the polls) would be more disposed toward Israeli evacuation of the site?

If anything, she will be less disposed than Obama.

…The amazing solar project in the Negev…

A sea of solar panels in the desert. Note the car in the foreground.

Spanning millions of square feet, the gigantic solar panel project near Ketura continues to be built. Already supplying electricity to Eilat and environs, it is projected that by the end of next year, it will supply 1% of the entire country’s electrical needs. 

It is the largest solar field in the world.

TODAY’S BLOG:

With planes still flying overhead this morning, the events in Gaza on Sunday night following the missile attack on Sderot are intriguing to say the least.

For his part, the IDF chief spokesman commented yesterday that some 50 bombing sorties were carried out thoughout Gaza targeting terrorist infrastructure. The spokesman crowed that Hamas was hit harder than at any time since the 2014 war.

For its part, Hamas published pictures yesterday (see yesterday’s blog) indicating that virtually no “destruction” took place. Late last night, it supported its own pictures by saying that no retaliatory action against Israel is contemplated.

For its part, our new friend Turkey blasted us yesterday for continuing “crimes against the Palestinian people.”

For its part, Egypt, which detests Hamas as much as some of us do (not, by the way, the IDF General Command), calmly declared that nothing Israel carried out on Sunday night was “state terrorism” or anything else bothersome.

And on and on.

Last night on Israeli television we were treated to more pictures of the so-called “devastation.”

Which turned out not to be devastating at all. Over and over again, we saw pictures of a bombed dune, a bombed tin hut with a bicycle beside it (the bicycle was not harmed), and a concrete observation tower that had apparently been hit by IDF tank fire.

In short, there is no real evidence that anything of note took place at all. No terrorists were wounded or killed; no tunnels were destroyed (perhaps an opening or two were hit); and no headquarters or control facilities were struck.

It was an attack full of sound and fury from the IDF’s Chief Spokesman’s Office, signifying nothing.