Tuesday
Yom Shleeshee
10 Nisan 5785
April 8 2025
WARNING!
TODAY’S BLOG CONTAINS AN IMAGE
THAT SOME MAY FIND OFFENSIVE.
UPDATE 10:00 AM ISRAEL TIME
The View from Ashdod
It has been another 24 hours of unrelenting attacks in Gaza–of which we know very little except for the continuous booms from ground artillery, naval cannon fire, and IAF strikes that we have heard here in Ashdod.
The big news in Israel for the past few days has been PM Netanyahu’s seemingly spontaneous trip to meet with President Trump–which led him to fly directly from Hungary to Washington. What you may not know is that, appallingly, his plane had to take a different route so as not to fly over Iceland or Ireland because of arrest warrants that have been issued in those countries falsely accusing our prime minister for “war crimes” in Gaza.
Last night, all of Israel was glued to the television watching PM Netanyahu’s arrival at the White House and subsequent long question/answer session with reporters in the Oval Office (the regular press conference was canceled).
The results of the hastily convened mini-summit were a mixed bag at best. On the one hand, Trump rolled out the royal carpet for Netanyahu and bombarded him with praise from beginning to end.
But when it came to content, Trump apparently blindsided Netanyahu with the news that the U.S. is already holding direct talks with Iran, and Trump failed to remove the 17% tariff that he placed on Israel last week.
The one place that Trump seemed to be fully supportive of Israel was Gaza. He talked repeatedly about how important it is to get the hostages out and how evil Hamas is. Trump also lapsed into his “Gaza is a great piece of real estate” and even “it would be great if America controlled Gaza after the war.” Trump evaded a question about humanitarian aid, and set no brakes on IDF actions there.
Obviously there were discussions of which we are not privy to, but on the face of things, one wonders what was the urgency of Netanyahu going to Washington.
On the Ground in Gaza
*From the IDF Spokesman:
“Sunday night, the IDF and ISA struck the Hamas terrorist Hassan Abdel Fattah Mohammed Aslih in the Khan Yunis area who operates under the guise of a journalist and owns a press company.
Aslih, a terrorist in Hamas’ Khan Yunis Brigade, infiltrated Israeli territory and participated in the murderous massacre carried out by the Hamas terrorist organization on October 7th. During the massacre, he documented and uploaded footage of looting, arson, and murder to social media.”
Aslih before (on October 7th with his fellow terrorists beside the destruction of an IDF tank) and after (Sunday night):
Aslih Sunday night:
*You will recall that yesterday we reported on the absurd attempt of the IDF legal department to override the directive of the government’s security Cabinet and resume allowing and even delivering “humanitarian” aid to the terrorists in Gaza (we all know that the “aid” goes directly to Hamas).
Yesterday afternoon, the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) issued a statement saying that “humanitarian” aid is definitely not being resumed.
On the Ground in Lebanon
From the IDF Spokesman yesterday afternoon:
“Earlier today (Monday), the IDF struck and eliminated the terrorist Mohammed Adnan Mansour, Hezbollah’s artillery commander in the Taybeh area in southern Lebanon. Throughout the war, Mansour directed and carried out numerous projectile attacks toward the Upper Galilee area.”
On the Ground in Yemen
The USAF was extremely active in Yemen again yesterday striking such targets as Sana’a (11 times), Majzar (3), Jawba (1) Kamaran (2). In one of the strikes, Abd al-Nasser al-Kamali, the Commander of Houthi Intelligence, was killed.
In the Air from Syria? Iraq? Yemen?
The IAF intercepted and destroyed a UAV (drone) from the east as it crossed into Israeli territory yesterday.
Concerning Iran
As we noted above, President Trump announced that direct talks between the U.S. and Iran are already taking place and will resume this weekend in Oman with Steve Witkoff representing the Trump Administration and Iranian FM Abbas Araqchi.
Does anyone really believe that Iran will completely dismantle its nuclear program? Does anyone really believe that Iran will destroy all of its centrifuges? Does anyone really believe that now that Iran has enough refined uranium for 7 nuclear bombs that it can be stopped?
And, importantly, does anyone really believe that Steve Witkoff has the knowledge and ability to take on the Iranians?
In the opinion of OneIsrael, the answer to every question is a resounding “NO”.
The Final Return of the Bnei Menashe Community
From a news report on Arutz Sheva:
“Following ethnic tensions between tribes in India, which led to acts of rape and massacre in the Bnei Menashe community (who see themselves as descendants of the Menashe tribe, live a Jewish lifestyle but are not Jews according to Orthodox law), Minister of Immigration and Absorption Ofir Sofer decided that in the coming weeks he would submit a decision for government approval regarding the emigration of approximately 5,000 members of the community remaining in India.
‘I have chosen to focus my efforts on strengthening the absorption and integration of the Bnei Menashe community in Israel. We will soon submit a decision for government approval that will allow the immigration of the remaining Bnei Menashe in the coming years, and they will be able to better integrate into Israel.'”
An earlier group of the Bnei Menashe that came to Israel:
A photo from eight years of ago of newly immigrated Bnei Menashe in the IDF:
The tribes of Israel continue to return. Welcome home!
On that happy note, we conclude today’s blog unless . . .
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.