Truth, Lies & Videotape War: Days 12 & 13

Jerusalem Magazine Dashboard 5 Truth, Lies, & Videotape War: Days 12 & 13 LARRY PRICE OCT 19, 2023                          US President Joe Biden meets in Israel with PM Netanyahu and “War Cabinet” US President Joe Biden was in Israel on Wednesday, Oct 18, for a five-hour visit. He met with Israel’s “War Cabinet” in a safe room of the Kapinski hotel in Tel Aviv. Reportedly, Biden was in Israel to not only show support for Israel but also to insure that Israel stayed within the boundaries of acceptable conduct while conducting the war in Gaza. He said that the USA and Israel were democracies that respected the rule of law unlike the terrorists who did not. Biden also stressed that Israel needed to be sensitive to the humanitarian needs of the Gaza population. The war began when Hamas terrorists crashed through the Israeli border fence from Gaza with 2,500 fighters. By the latest estimates, Hamas terrorists killed at least 1,400, taking 203 hostage, including Americans, French, Argentinian and others, leaving 309 recovering in the hospital with over 80 in critical condition. The army spokesman also said that so far over 300 Israeli troops have been killed, including 70 from the Golan brigade. Biden said that the USA stands “Shoulder to shoulder” with Israel. He pointed out that “America has Israel’s back.” He also said that the USA had sent two aircraft carriers into the region. Analysts say this move was to deter Iran, it’s proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon, and other enemies of Israel from assuming Israel was in a weakened condition due to this attack and the internal strife over the Judicial Reforms pushed by PM Netanyahu. The push for Judicial Reforms resulted in a month of protests that included reserve soldiers and pilots refusing to do their reserve duty. Biden also said the US was supplying Israel with unspecified advanced weaponry to defend itself. Observers say these supplies included sophisticated intelligence gathering equipment, access to US intelligence organizations, bunker buster bombs and planes to carry them, as well as ammunition to refill the Iron Dome missile defense system. Some analysts also said that Biden came to Israel, following on the heels of US Sec. of State Blinken and US Sec. of Defense Austin, because there is concern among the US hierarchy of Netanyahu’s ability to successfully manage the war. And to make certain the conflict didn’t spread and become regional. Analysts have said that Netanyahu has repeatedly placed politics over security, pointing to the errors stressing Judicial Reforms even when warned that this was weakening Israel strategically. Others point to the cabinet, and even the war cabinet, made up of Netanyahu cronies and yes men. Of late, Netanyahu formed a National Unity Government with opposition leader Benny Gantz. He also formed a smaller War Cabinet and allowed Gantz a seat along with former chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot. But it is unclear, say the observers, how much influence these military men have on the cabinet. Or even who is making the decisions. Some observers have begun to question Netanyahu’s fitness for his position citing mental health issues exhibited by a possible denial of the current reality. Netanyahu has also been criticized for not holding any press conferences. According to Danny Kushmaro of Channel12TV, “Netanyahu stands up and speaks and then leaves, never allowing any questions.” However, the government has so far not admitted any errors. Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi told a reporter firing questions at him as he walked through the Knesset, “Apologize? For what? We did nothing wrong.” Karchi was one of the voices calling for the Judicial Reforms and castigating those who joined the protests, including those in the military. Channel 12 TV’s political analysts Avraham Rabinovitch said that the Chief-of-Staff Herzi HaLevi, as well as the head of the Shin Bet (Israel’s FBI) Ronen Bar, and Maj. Gen Aharon Haliva, head of Military Intelligence, and others have all admitted they should have known of the impending attack. “Everyone but Netanyahu. Why doesn’t he go on TV and admit he made a mistake.” Rabinovitch then called on Netanyahu to resign. The Times of Israel reported that Tazachi HaNegbi, head of the National Security Council and a long-time Netanyahu ally, appeared on TV and admitted, “I was wrong,’ so were others, about Hamas being deterred.” Hanegbi also said that Israel wouldn’t negotiate until Hamas was destroyed. “Hamas will not be the ruler, the sovereign, in Gaza after the war.” When asked why Netanyahu had not taken responsibility for the catastrophe HaNegbi ignored the question and went onto other issues. The displaced Gaza Strip residents were also critical of the government. Channel 11 Kan TV’s Michael Steinman reported that many people had been relocated from their destroyed homes to hotels and hostels in the center of the country but were now told that the government wouldn’t pay for their housing past the end of the week. These displaced people were asked to raise the money themselves for their own housing. Or go home. “But they don’t have a home.” Videotape Channel 11 Kan TV news showed videotape taken from a body camera lifted from a Hamas terrorist killed in the fighting to clear the terrorists from the Gaza Strip settlements. The video showed Hamas terrorists on motorcycles, carrying RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and automatic weapons,  breaking through the three lines of defense the Israeli military had set up to stop attacks and thought impenetrable.  The terrorists used bolt cutters or explosives to get through two of the fences, each a hundred meters apart, and finally more explosives to blow holes in the 18-ft tall concrete wall. Then the video showed how easily the terrorists invaded the Israeli settlements, firing indiscriminately, killing defenseless men, women and children.  North According to Channel 11 TV news Ohad Hemo, Hezbollah was unaware of the planned Hamas attack. “Had Hezbollah been aware of the attack and coordinated an attack with Hamas the catastrophe would have been much greater. Iran’s proxy Hezbollah, that essentially controls Lebanon, has limited their attacks on Israel, being very careful not to escalate the tit-for-tat into a full-scale war.  Israeli media reports that Hezbollah has been warned that should they cross the red line of moderated response Israel will decimate Hezbollah and the parts of Lebanon they inhabit and call home. Hezbollah continues to fire missiles into Israel. A number were fired on Wednesday and Thursday. Israel has responded with artillery fire. “Israel is capable of fighting a war on two fronts without US aid,” said Tomer Hyman, former head of Israel’s military intelligence, on Channel 12 TV news.  Lies and Truth At 18:59 on October 17, 2023 an explosion occurred on the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital grounds. Even now, according to CNN, it is unclear how many people were injured. NPR reported that the parking lot of the hospital had been used by Gazans seeking safety from Israelis aerial attacks on Hamas targets, thinking that the Christian hospital grounds were safe. But an explosion went off in the parking lot. The hospital building was untouched. Hamas immediately blamed an Israeli bomb. And issued a press release saying hundreds of Gazans were killed indicating that the hospital was hit and patients killed. The world’s media jumped on the story without checking the facts and news of the event and Israel’s culpability spread like fire on dry grass. The army spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari appeared on TV saying Israel would investigate the explosion but had no knowledge of Israel’s culpability. Experts appeared on Israeli tv panels doubting Israel’s involvement. An Israeli bomb leaves a crater ten feet deep and twenty feet across. This explosion had no crater. Channel 12tv news looked at the footage they had from a video camera they’d recently set up in the southern town of Netivot with a clear view of Gaza.  In studying the video, that was shown on TV, they saw that the volley of rockets, launched by Islamic Jihad near a cemetery behind the hospital, went airborne except for one missile that misfired and fell onto the hospital grounds. The army spokesman showed this footage, as well and before and after footage of the hospital parking lot, and said that it was clear that an Islamic Jihad missile had misfired. “This was not unusual. Since they began firing rockets into Israel over 450 have misfired.” Islamic Jihad Missiles launched (left) and landing on hospital grounds (right)  The army spokesman also played audio that was captured by Israeli listening posts of a conversation between two Hamas operatives. The conversation made it clear that the explosion was called by an errant Islamic Jihad missile. U.S. President Joe Biden, in meeting with Israel’s “War Cabinet” told the press that the Pentagon had looked at their satellite images and confirmed that Israel had not caused the disaster. “It was the other team,” Biden said. Still, the fact that Israel wasn’t responsible had much less impact than the initial Hamas disinformation. No sooner had Hamas made the claim than international news outlets broadcast the video clips and information provided by Hamas without checking the facts.  Roi Case of Channel 11 Kan TV said, “The result was more than Hamas could have hoped for.” He added, “When Mohammed Dieff planned this attack, he thought that Hezbollah would join the war, and the Arabs in the West Bank, and Israeli Arabs in the north of Israel. That didn’t happen. But now, with this Hamas lie accusing Israel, there is an uprising of Arab support Dieff didn’t get when the Hamas terrorists invaded Israel.” Impact of Lies Media reports protests breaking out in France, England  and other places. In Tunis a synagogue was set on fire. In Argentina the Israeli and US Embassy’s were hit with bomb threats. Protests have been organized in Britain. A synagogue was firebombed in Germany in response to the explosion at the Gaza hospital.  New York City is reportedly a hub of pro-Palestinian support. “Kidnapped” posters calling for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas have been torn down around the city.  In France, Nice’s Algerian born footballer Youcef Atal has been suspended by the football team and reprimanded for showing support for Hamas.  In Britain, popular Liverpool soccer star Egyptian born Mohammed Salah has called for humanitarian aid for Gazans. The New York Times admitted that they’d been hasty in reporting that Israel was responsible for the explosion. NPR was lukewarm in their apology saying that all the information was not yet in. The Huffington Post wrote that Israel was apparently not to blame for the explosion but took decidedly pro-Palestinian slant to their reporting. Both NPR and the Huffington Post have a progressive market they need to please, said one observer. However, according to Ynetnews, even US progressive Democrat Ilhan Omar has said that Israel was not to blame for the Gaza hospital explosion. Channel 12TV news reported that the British now realize that all of the reports coming from Hamas are not reliable. The BBC, the commentator said, is another matter. Many outlets were not endorsing the US-Israel narrative. Rob Picheta’s CNN reported that “The devastating Gaza hospital blast is shrouded in uncertainty.”  The report also stated, “Several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq issued statements condemning Israel and accusing its military of bombing the hospital.” CNN continued that even though Israel, backed by the USA have shown the blast to be a misfired missile, still  CNN reported, “Palestinian officials and several Arab leaders nevertheless accuse Israel of hitting the hospital amid its ongoing airstrikes in Gaza. Islamic Jihad – a rival group to Hamas – has denied responsibility.”  CNN also reported that “…thousands of protesters shouting anti-Israel slogans gathered in Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Egypt, and Tunisia. Protests also rocked the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.” The worry, according to the Israeli media was that these denials, half-hearted or not, were too little too late. Those who had heard the original Hamas lies chose to believe them despite proof to the contrary. Qatar based Al-Jazeera still supports the Hamas false narrative. Egypt, Jordan and the PA declined to meet with US President Biden to discuss the present situation after the hospital explosion was blamed on Israel. Reportedly, the leaders of these countries feared an uprising by their own populations. Egypt has long been fighting the Islamic Brotherhood, a sister organization of Hamas. The Hamas lies could well inspire Hamas sympathizers to try to overthrow the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and the PA. One analyst pointed out that Muslims make up nearly a quarter of the world’s population. 6% of the population of Europe was Muslim, about 28 million people. European leaders were worried about these Muslims rising up and violently protesting the events in Gaza. Moslems make up 6.5% of Great Britain but according to the Guardian newspaper 39% live in poverty stricken areas.   One of the messages US President Biden carried to Israel was that Israel should not attack Hezbollah in the north because the US did not want to see this conflict spiraling into a world war, bringing in Iran and her allies, like Russia and China. On Thursday, October 19, 2023, Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sumak flew into Israel. He said, “I want you to know that the UK and I stand with you. He said he absolutely defended Israel’s right to defend itself.” He also said that there should be humanitarian aid to Gaza.” Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Sholz had been in Israel earlier in the week with similar sentiments. Humanitarian Aid Egypt has agreed to open up the Rafiah border crossing to allow in humanitarian aid. Reportedly, 20 trucks of food and medical supplies are lined up at the border. At the outbreak of the war Israel cut off supplies, electricity and water to Gaza, although turned back on the water after a day. Electricity, according to media reports, has never been reliable in Gaza and many homes are powered by gas-driven generators. At the start of the war, Israel also bombed Hamas supplies going into Rafiah. But has agreed to allow the convoys pass. This despite fierce opposition by protest groups made up of the families of the Israeli hostages that have formed against the humanitarian aid.    Protest by some families of those held hostage Many in Israel, like ultra-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, are demanding that the international community concern itself with the hostage crises as a humanitarian issue not only supplies for Gazans. Still, US President Biden has made it clear he supports humanitarian aid for Gazans, many of whom he says are innocent civilians. Some media reports liken to Gazans to hostages themselves, hostages of Hamas. Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, head of the Yesh  Atid party, told an international press conference today that the war wasn’t Hamas against Israel, but rather Hamas against Israel and the Palestinians and in fact Hamas against all of us. Like Isis. Israel has said it would allow in the humanitarian aid as long as it was not going to be used by Hamas. An Israeli spokesman reportedly said that should the goods wind up in Hamas’ hands, Israel would seal up the Rafiah crossing.  The War Hamas continues to fire rockets into Israel Wednesday night, some landing as far as Tel Aviv. On Thursday, sirens sounded once again in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. There were no reports of injuries. So far citizens have been evacuated from the Gaza strip, settlements and cities near the Gaza and Lebanese borders. Over 80% of the Southern seaside city of Ashkelon have been evacuated and the entire city of Sderot. The army spokesman’s office said that Israel destroyed hundreds of Hamas targets overnight, between Wednesday and Thursday, including missile sites, tunnels, intelligence infrastructure and various command centers. The IDF also killed  Rafat Abu Hilal, head of the Rafiah Military Wing of BPRC (Gaza Popular Resistance Group) the third largest terrorist organization in Gaza after Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Abu-Hilal was reportedly responsible for some of the groups that attacked the Israeli settlements.  According to the Times of Israel, the IDF also targeted several members the Nukhba commando force that led the Oct 7 slaughter in the Gaza Strip settlements.  According to Ynetnews, The IDF said on Thursday that security forces arrested some 63 Hamas operatives and 80 terror suspects who were detained in overnight West Bank raids including Hassan Yusaf, the head Hamas in the West Bank. This brings the number of West Bank suspects in custody since the Hamas attack on October 7, to 524.  The army spokesman along with military analysts said the upcoming battle in Gaza would be long and hard. Israel is still preparing for the invasion of Gaza. Troops are gathering on the border and being supplied with necessary equipment. 100,000 bullet-proof vests with ceramic inserts, and helmets, have yet to arrive from suppliers.   Suspected N. Korean RPGs with red strip The IDF has also shown evidence that some of the weapons used by the Hamas terrorists were made in north Korea, long a supplier of arms to the Palestinians.  Israel media says that so far Israel is playing by the rules set out by the USA mainly to continue receiving needed supplies for attack and deterrence.