Thursday War News: Operation Cast Lead — Day 20 — Senior Hamas Minister Killed in IAF Strike, At Least 25 Rockets Fired at Southern Israel, Three IDF Soldiers Lightly Wounded in Fighting, IAF Hits 70 Hamas Targets Overnight; 3 Live and Ready to Fire Grads Found in South Lebanon; Stones Hurled at IDF Base in Haifa

moshe

.
Hamas Interior Minister Said Siam Dies in IAF Air Strike, by Yaakov Katz (Jerusalem Post)

Excerpts;

Siam was the Hamas political echelon’s liaison with the group’s military wing, and was responsible for the various security apparatuses in the Strip, including the police and the naval force.

Siam was considered a radical and was in contact with Hamas’s political leadership in Damascus. He was also considered close to Iranian officials.

Siam was one of the masterminds of Hamas’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007. read more

Uncategorized

Wednesday War News: Operation Cast Lead — Day 19 — 3 Katyusha Rockets Strike Near Kiryat Shmona- 3 More Found Ready for Launch, 8 Rockets, 5 Mortars Strike South, Soldier Seriously Hurt by Anti-Tank Fire, 60 Targets, 35 Tunnels Hit Tuesday Night, IDF Finds Tunnel Leading to Nahal Oz Fuel Terminal, Pipe Bombs Found on Road to Jerusalem, 2 Arab Terrorists Killed in Yesha

moshe

.
Three Katyusha Rockets Strike Open Areas Near Kiryat Shmona, [Three More Grads Live and Prepared to Launch Found in South Lebanon], by Brenda Gazzar (Jerusalem Post)

Terrorists Fire 16 Rockets at Israel [So Far on Wednesday]

Soldier Seriously Hurt [Wedneday PM] by Anti-Tank Missile in [in Northern] Gaza [ 6 Others Moderately Hurt], by Yaakov Katz (Jerusalem Post)

Grad Rockets Strike Beersheba and Yavne; None Hurt

Rocket Hits Sdot Negev; No Injuries

Rocket Hits Beersheba; No Injuries

3 Kassams Strike West Negev [Sha’ar HaNegev Region], Ashkelon read more

Uncategorized

Tuesday War News: Operation Cast Lead — Day 18 — Heavy Fighting in Gaza City, Northern Gaza, At Least 13 Rockets Fired on South, Jordanian Soldier Fires at Border Patrol in Eilat; IDF Nabs 16 Terrorists, Terrorist Attacks 3 Soldiers in Kiryat Arba, 108 Illegals Nabbed, Molotov Hurled at Car Near Jerusalem

moshe

.
IAF Strikes 50 Targets [Including 30 Smuggling Tunnels]

Nine Terrorists Killed, Two Soldiers Wounded

IDF Uncovers Tunnel Leading to Nahal Oz Fuel Terminal, by Hanan Greenberg (Ynet)

IDF Begins Heavy Shelling of Gaza City [Troops Continued Pushing Deeper into the Densely Populated Urban Center],by Yaakov Katz (Jerusalem Post)

Excerpts;

Military sources said that the objective of Operation Cast Lead – the weakening of Hamas and the restoration of Israel’s level of deterrence – was not yet accomplished, and that Israel would continue its push into Gaza City in an effort to hunt down Hamas operatives and infrastructure. read more

Uncategorized

Monday War News: Operation Cast Lead — Day 17 — Israel Continues Pounding Hamas on Ground, by Air, Sea as Over 18 Rockets Hit South Monday and Hamas Terrorists Hide and Get Paid; Molotovs and Explosion Near IDF in Hevron

moshe

.
Hamas Raids Aid Trucks, Sells Supplies, by Yaakov Katz (Jerusalem Post)

Excerpts;

Security officials at Kerem Shalom thwarted an attempt to smuggle electrical goods, disguised as humanitarian supplies, into Gaza. The electrical goods included computers, infra-red cameras, ovens, microwaves and other electronic equipment.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak has forbidden the entry of electronics to Gaza since the goods do not fall under the category of humanitarian aid. Some electronic equipment has been let in as per an official Palestinian request, such as equipment used to repair the damaged electrical grid in Gaza. read more

Uncategorized

The Great Iranian Sting [And the Role of Successive Israeli Governments]

moshe

.
David Wilder, spokesman for the Jewish community of Hebron, has wrtten this special Op-Ed which appears in the Jerusalem Post. Please pay special attention to the last paragraph. MB

The Great Iranian Sting, by David Wilder (Jerusalem Post)

While our warriors are on the battlefield fighting, it’s difficult to express criticism of any kind. But it is of the utmost importance to know and internalize that the present warfare is not only about rockets pounding our southern cities. Of course, any sovereign nation cannot allow its citizens to be attacked day after day, week after week, year after year, without responding. read more

Uncategorized

Israel’s Homefront: How Beit Shemesh is Helping Fellow Jews From South Israel

moshe

.
Ten days ago, Lema’an Achai’s David Morris sent an email around with this catchy title:

“Dad, What’s a Killer-meter?”

Six Days ago, David wrote this piece which has appeared on Shilomusings and a number of other blogs;

Today I met with Ariel Yered. He’s nine years old this week. He was sitting in a class of enthusiastic kids from Shomria, now relocated to the Ramat Bet Shemesh Community Center.He’s a small blond kid, frail looking, with glasses. There’s a teacher at the front of the class, and another teacher with Ariel, sitting by his side. read more

Uncategorized

Keep Calling White House for Jonathan Pollard

moshe

.

IMRA’s Dr. Aaron Lerner reports this change in tactics on behalf of Jonathan Pollard;

Tactic: CALL White House Main Switchboard 202-456-1414 for Jonathan Pollard

J4JPnews – January 12, 2009

After being swamped with calls last week, and even after hiring a pack of new operators to handle the volume, the White House phone lines were still overwhelmed at close of business on Friday.

J4JP has just learned that the White House plans to ‘restore order’, discouraging calls about Jonathan Pollard, by announcing that it is closing down comment lines until after the inauguration of the next President on
January 20, 2009. read more

Uncategorized

Is Olmert Setting Up Israel for Imposed Ceasefire?

moshe

.
Commentary:

Is the Olmert, Livni, Barak troika setting up Israel for a premature acceptance of a ceasefire short of achieving the goals of Operation Cast Lead?

Among those goals were understood to be destruction of Hamas’ terrorist capabilities, setting in place a fool-proof mechanism to prevent weapons smuggling and to prevent rebuilding of a terrorist capability as well as the liberation of Gilad Shalit?

What about the destruction of Hamas’ terror capabilities? What about assuring that a teror capability never again arises? What about security for the towns, moshavim and large urban centers of southern Israel? Is Gilad Shalit about to be abandoned? read more

Uncategorized

Saturday War News: Operation Cast Lead — Day 15 — IAF Hits 60 Targets, Gaza Rocket Chief Hit, Killed, IAF Warns Gazans of Ground Escalation, 20 Rockets Hit South; Arabs Torch Israeli Factory in Jordan Valley

moshe

.
IDF Blasts Hamas Positions on War’s 15th Day

Excerpts;

Ground troops aided Israel Air Force planes in identifying the location of several rocket launching squads and terror cells planting roadside bombs.

The IAF attacked over 60 targets throughout the day, including: Two rocket launching squads near Jabaliya, shortly after they fired towards the Ashdod region; ten launching points, several of which were hidden underground; seven smuggling tunnels; an anti-aircraft launcher; approximately ten weapons-storage and weapons-production facilities; two vehicles used to store and transport weapontr; and three Hamas outposts. read more

Uncategorized