NUMBER OF DAYS UNTIL THE ISRAELI ELECTION: 47
ISRAELSTREET ENDORSES NAFTALI BENNETT
NUMBER OF TERRORIST MISSILES AND MORTARS SHOT AT SOUTHERN ISRAEL SINCE THE CEASEFIRE AGREED TO BY BENJAMIN NETANYAHU ON NOVEMBER 21, 2012:
34
UPDATES 9:30 am Israel time Friday:
**The Syrian war continues spilling over into Lebanon. It has been reported that snipers have killed 12 people in the last 24 hours in the city of Tripoli alone.
People running for cover from snipers in Tripoli, Lebanon yesterday in scenes reminiscent of the Lebanese civil war.
Hezbollah’s support for Assad, which has resulted in hundreds of Lebanese Hezbollah “militia” members being killed on the ground in Syria, has ripped open the fabric of Lebanon once again.
A group of self-described "Islamic Sunni Salafist" fighters in Tripoli (photo AFP: Getty).
Who’s being shot in Tripoli? Apparently, members of anti- and pro-Assad factions.
**The cauldron of Egypt continues to burn, literally.
A scene on the streets of Cairo last night.
The Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Cairo were set on fire overnight as was Morsi’s home in Zagazig north of Cairo. These fires were set after Morsi went on television to request a “national dialogue” to discuss the upcoming Egyptian referendum on the newly proposed Muslim constitution based on Sharia Law.
Headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Ismailia on fire.
In the meantime, Morsi–the embodiment of the flowering of “the Arab Spring”–is quickly abandoning all vestiges of democracy and is ruling “by decree”–having taken executive, legislative, and judicial powers into his own hands.
**The election for the Israeli Knesset is now set after a dizzying series of political maneuvers yesterday which left the so-called “center-left” parties (actually they are all “left”) in even greater disarray.
Most of the turmoil was caused by Tzipi Livni who continued to raid other political parties. Having virtually destroyed her old party Kadima, she went after one of the main candidates on the Labor list, Amir Peretz, and convinced him to jump to her “The Tzipi Livni Party.”
Another lovefest with Livni leading Peretz by the hand yesterday. Polls this morning show that Livni is making herself the laughingstock of Israeli politics (photo: Alon Ron).
The resulting avalanche of recriminations between Livni, Peretz, and Yachimovich (the head of Labor) was like something out of a poorly written, unintendedly comic soap opera.
In the end, candidates from 34 different political parties are vying for the Knesset’s 120 seats. Tomorrow’s blog will contain a full description of each party (I’ve delayed this for a day because there is still some uncertainly about a few of the party “lists”).
TODAY’S BLOG:
For almost a year now (see previous blogs), the security situation in Judea and Samaria has continued to deteriorate with numerous daily attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF patrols and bases with everything from “rocks” and Molotov cocktails to IEDs.
Yesterday, the israelstreet breaking news ticker reported an especially troubling incident in Hevron (Hebron). The full details are these: an IDF patrol was in the Hevron shuk (marketplace) attempting to arrest a wanted, off-duty, Palestinian PLO “policeman” when it was suddenly confronted by a group of PLO “police”–one of whom knocked down an IDF soldier. Approximately 200 Palestinians then surrounded the soldiers who were forced to retreat down a side street.
Even for seasoned IDF troops like these, patrolling the endless warrens, mazes, and alleys of Hevron is a nightmare.
The entire event was filmed and appeared on Israeli television last night. What the video showed was an IDF patrol consisting of soldiers that were too young to be in that situation, cowering in total disorganization with a glazed look of shock on their faces, among hanging slabs of meat in a butcher shop. Despite being heavily armed, the soldiers had obviously been ordered not to shoot, and were no match for the armed, organized PLO “police” who pushed them around and laughed as they ran away.
The incident is disconcerting on several levels:
1. Over the last decade, the U.S. has essentially created a PLO Army in Judea and Samaria that is well-trained and well-armed. This “army” of policemen has been given credit for working with Israelis on security matters to stem terrorism. One of the main areas of cooperation has been an effort to keep Hamas and its satellite groups under control.
The worry has always been that one day the cooperation would stop and the “police” would become an opposing army. Now that the PLO is declaring that the U.N. vote created a state of “Palestine”, we can fully expect that the police will quickly transition into that army. Your humble servant suspects that the incident yesterday is a forewarning of events to come.
2. Political correctness is effectively neutering the IDF. The Air Force can no longer attack missile launchers from Gaza when they are in the process of shooting without approval from a “superior officer.” The IDF soldiers on the Gaza border fence cannot shoot at mobs attempting to tear down the fence and infiltrate into Israel. IDF soldiers on patrol in terrorist mazes such as Hevron have now been ordered not to fire–even when confronted and attacked. The rules of engagement for the IDF must change.
3. The IDF must do a better job of sending troops into dangerous situations. Having an entire patrol of “green” troops facing an older seasoned enemy is a recipe for disaster. The IDF soldiers were so intimidated yesterday that one wonders what will happen if and when the IDF sends another patrol through Hevron. The PLO and the Palestinians have been immeasurably emboldened by what transpired.
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A daily feature of this blog is the recognition of those of you who support Israel by donating to this website. Each month, your humble servant places each name on this wall of support into the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Today we are highlighting Margalit of Geneva, Switzerland; Benny O. of Acapulco, Mexico; and Koila T. of Fiji:
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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.