Yom Shishee
Friday
22 Sivan 5784
June 28 2024
May Their Memories Be For A Blessing
Sgt. Eyal Shains, 19, from Kibbutz Afik on the Golan Heights.
Sgt. Afik, a fighter in Battalion 931 in the Nahal Brigade, was killed in battle in the southern Gaza.
Capt. Alon Sacgiu, 22, from Hadera.
Capt. Sacgiu, 22, was commander of a sniper unit in Haruv Recon Unit in the Kfir Brigade. He was killed in an ambush in Jenin when he got out of his vehicle to rescue a wounded soldier and stepped on an IED buried a meter and a half deep in the road.
The Quote of the Day
“Iran is fighting us from seven fronts: Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, the militias of Iraq and Syria, Judea and Samaria, and Iran itself. They also want to overthrow Jordan. Their goal is a combined ground attack from several fronts, in addition to a combined missile launch. The Axis does not only threaten us. The Iranians are on their way to conquer the Middle East. They literally mean to conquer Saudi Arabia, the Arabian Peninsula. It’s just a matter of time.”
PM Benjamin Netanyahu, in his meeting yesterday with retired generals from the Jewish National Security Organization of the USA (JINSA).
All of this is obviously true as Israel is attacked everyday from all directions.
By the way, Israel does not so much need normalization from Saudi Arabia as Saudi Arabia needs additional defenses that Israel can provide.
The Photos of the Night
A stirringly emotional ceremony yesterday as the new cohort of the Nahal Brigade was sworn in at the Kotel–the first such swearing in at the Kotel since October 7th.
Meanwhile in Tel Aviv:
Another stirring event in Tel Aviv last night as thousands gathered in Yarkon Park under the banner “We will dance again” remembering all the Israelis who were murdered at the Nova Festival on October 7th.
On the Ground in Gaza
The IDF attacked on multiple fronts overnight:
—A combined air and ground attack on the al-Shahkoosh neighborhood in west Rafah.
—Another combined attack on the Shujayieh neighborhood across the border from Nahal Oz.
—Another “belt of fire” attack on the Alhansaa school in East Khan Yunis. Dozens of Islamic Jihad terrorists were killed.
—Yet another attack destroyed the Deir al-Balah municipality building in the center of the Gaza.
—Tanks entered the Muassi “humanitarian zone” southwest of Khan Yunis. The terrorists have been firing missiles at southern Israel from this zone.
On the Ground in the North
The insane scene over Tzfat as a massive barrage of Hezbollah missiles hit the city.
*Hezbollah launched more than 40 missiles at northern Israel. There were direct hits on homes in Beriya, Marom, and HaGalil. At least 5 people were wounded.
*Two Hezbollah operatives were killed in an attack in the village of Ramia in southern Lebanon, and an operative was killed in an attack in the village of Hadatha in southern Lebanon.
On the Ground in Judea and Samaria
*As you saw above, there was heavy fighting in Jenin where our troops were ambushed with tragic results.
*Palestinian terrorists opened fire from Tulkarm toward Bet Hefer.
*Despite the continued Palestinian terror throughout the area, the Civil Administration absurdly destroyed another fledgling Jewish community–Givat Tzur Harel.
*In an exciting development courtesy of Finance Minister and Deputy Defense Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a new proposal was rolled out following the egregious activity of the PLO at the ICC, ICJ, and the U.N.:
1. Response measures against the PLO to include canceling permits and various benefits for PLO officials, restricting movement and preventing PA officials from leaving the country, enforcing offenses for incitement, deporting officials, withdrawing enforcement powers from the PLO in the agreed reserve in the Yehuda desert, and carrying out enforcement against rampant construction on the spot and damage done to heritage sites and environmental hazards.
2. The regularization of five fledgling, critically situated Jewish communities:
Avitar – in Samaria
Sde Ephraim – in Binyamin (Judea)
Givat Assaf – in Binyamin (Judea)
Chaletz – in Gush Etzion (Judea)
Adorim – on Mount Hebron (Judea)
3. Construction in Jewish communities:
Publication of tenders for construction and the convening of the Planning Council (MTA) to approve plans for thousands of housing units to be built.
About the Trump-Biden Debate
As you may not know, it is estimated that there are between 300,000 and 500,000 Israelis with American citizenship who could vote in the 2024 election. For days, all the non-war talk on Israeli television has been about the debate.
Your humble servant and his wife were up at 4 am this morning to watch it, and as many have noted afterward, it seemed that debate was over after Biden’s first stumbling, confused, incoherent response.
A relatively short amount of time was spent discussing Israel/Hamas/Iran.
Trump focused on how October 7th would have never happened if he had been president because he had completely isolated Iran and cut off most of their means of funding. His primary comment was this somewhat confusing one:
“You got to ask him (President Biden), as far as Israel and Hamas, Israel is the one that wants to go. He said the only one who wants to keep going is Hamas. Actually, Israel is the one, and you should them go and let them finish the job. He doesn’t want to do it. He has become like a Palestinian. But, they don’t like him because he is a very bad Palestinian. He is a weak one.”
Let’s parse a bit of this:
He has become like a Palestinian. Presumably, Trump meant that because Biden will not let Israel finish the job of wiping out Hamas because he has Palestinian interests at heart.
But, they don’t like him because he is a very bad Palestinian. He is a weak one.” It is not clear who “they” are (the Palestinians?). Palestinians don’t like Biden because he behaves like a weak Palestinian?
Trump further stated that he didn’t know whether or not he would support a Palestinian state “I’d have to see”. He further referenced “the Palestinians” and “everybody else rioting all over the place.”
For his part, Biden gave this lengthy answer on the subject:
Number one, everyone from the United Nations Security Council straight through to the G7 to the Israelis and Netanyahu himself have endorsed the plan I put forward, endorsed the plan I put forward, which has three stages to it.
The first stage is to treat the hostages for a ceasefire. Second phase is a ceasefire with additional conditions. The third phase is know the end of the war. The only one who wants the war to continue is Hamas, number one. They’re the only ones standing down.
We’re still pushing hard from – to get them to accept. In the meantime, what’s happened in Israel? We’re finally – the only thing I’ve denied Israel was 2,000-pound bombs. They don’t work very well in populated areas. They kill a lot of innocent people. We are providing Israel with all the weapons they need and when they need them. And by the way, I’m the guy that organized the world against Iran when they had a full-blown kind of ballistic missile attack on Israel. No one was hurt. No one Israeli was accidentally killed. And it stopped. We saved Israel. We are the biggest producer of support for Israel than anyone in the world. And so, that’s – they are two different things.
Hamas cannot be allowed to be continued. We continue to send our experts and our intelligence people to how they can get Hamas like we did Bin Laden. You don’t have to do it. And by the way, they’ve been greatly weakened, Hamas, greatly weakened, and they should be. They should be eliminated. But, you got to be careful for what you use these certain weapons among population centers.
Biden is right that he has provided weapons and support to Israel for which we are grateful, but let’s parse a bit of lengthy response.
The first stage is to treat the hostages for a ceasefire. Obviously Biden meant “trade” instead of “treat”.
The only one who wants the war to continue is Hamas, number one. They’re the only ones standing down. It is unclear what “they’re the only ones standing down” means. Is “they” Israel or Hamas?
We are providing Israel with all the weapons they need and when they need them. All the recent back and forth with PM Netanyahu–and with Gallant in Washington would suggest this is not true.
And by the way, I’m the guy that organized the world against Iran when they had a full-blown kind of ballistic missile attack on Israel. No one was hurt. No one Israeli was accidentally killed. And it stopped. We saved Israel. It is all fine and good for Biden to give himself credit for organizing resistance to Iran, but let’s not forget the some 300 missiles they fired into Israel. It was somewhat of a miracle that no Israelis were wounded or killed. Biden saved Israel? That is a reach–many of the Iranian missiles were intercepted by Israeli air defense weapons.
We continue to send our experts and our intelligence people to how they can get Hamas like we did Bin Laden. You don’t have to do it. This statement includes heretofore unknown news to the effect that U.S. experts and intelligence personnel are in Israel (and perhaps Gaza?) in order to deal with Sinwar like Bin Laden was dealt with (aka assassination?). It is unclear what Biden meant when he said “You don’t have to do it.”
To summarize, I was not terribly impressed with either candidate’s responses about Israel; however, Biden’s overall stumbling, mumbling demeanor in the debate was disastrous. He clearly does not possess the cognitive or physical strength to be president.
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.