BREAKING....Thread 8...Israel At War...OPERATION SWORDS OF IRON

[mystery-ak]

Joe Biden’s Backstabbing Dents Israeli Morale

Joel B. Pollak 13 Dec 2023

President Joe Biden might have thought he was only talking to a small group of wealthy donors. But his disparaging comments, published Tuesday, about Israel and the Israeli government have dented national morale — and cheered Israel’s enemies.

Biden claimed, without evidence, that Israel practices “indiscriminate bombing”; that Israel is losing support around the world; and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will fail unless he boots democratically-elected right-wing parties out of his cabinet.

Two factors made Biden’s comments even worse.

One was that he was speaking to an ostensibly pro-Israel group of donors, led by Lee Rosenberg, a former chair of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Rosenberg was tapped for the job during the Obama years, when it was hoped that he could use his shared Chicago ties with Barack Obama to moderate some of Obama’s left-wing policies. That hope was dashed as Obama grew hostile to Israel, and began cozying up to the Iranian regime.

The other factor is that Israel has been absorbing a series of bad-news stories lately, most of all about the deaths of hostages in Hamas custody, and about the deaths of elite soldiers who are fighting in Gaza to free them.

more
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2023/12/13/joe-bidens-backstabbing-dents-israeli-morale/

[catfish1957]

I know I came to the conclusion long ago, that it is impossible to F up a presidency this badly, but the bar by now should be near the earth's core.

[mystery-ak]

 Israeli army has begun pumping seawater into Hamas tunnels in Gaza: report
By Social Links for Yaron Steinbuch
Published Dec. 13, 2023, 7:22 a.m. ET

Israel has begun pumping seawater into Hamas’ tunnels in Gaza as part of the military’s plan to destroy the terror group’s vast underground network, where many of the hostages are still believed to be held, according to a report.

The water from the Mediterranean is one of several measures the Israel Defense Forces is using to clear and decimate the miles of intertwined tunnels, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing unnamed US officials.

Earlier this month, the outlet reported that the tactic was under “consideration” after the IDF had built at least five pumps about a mile north of the Al-Shati refugee camp that could be used to draw the seawater to flush out the tunnels.

The flooding began around the time Israel added two more pumps to the five and the IDF conducted some initial tests, US officials told the Journal.

The pumping is in an early stage and its effectiveness is still being studied, the Journal reported, adding that other tactics include airstrikes, liquid explosives, and the dispatch of dogs, drones and robots into the tunnels.

more
https://nypost.com/2023/12/13/news/israeli-army-begins-pumping-seawater-into-hamas-tunnels-report/

[mystery-ak]

 Ten Israeli soldiers aged 19 to 35, including a high-ranking battalion commander, are killed and three injured in worst loss of life for the IDF in a single incident since Gaza war broke out

    Servicemen were killed in a battle in the Shajaiya neighbourhood of Gaza City

By Kamal Sultan For Mailonline

Published: 00:50 EST, 13 December 2023 | Updated: 05:43 EST, 13 December 2023

Ten Israeli soldiers, including a high-ranking official, were killed while fighting Hamas forces in the Gaza strip yesterday.

Lieutenant Colonel Tomer Grinberg, 35, Major Roei Meldasi, 23, Major Moshe Avram Bar-On, 23, Sergeant Achia Daskal, 19, Captain Liel Hayo, 22, Major Ben Shelly, 26, Major Rom Hecht, 20, Sergeant Oriya Yaakov, 19, Eran Aloni, 19, and Itzhak Ben Basat, 24, died amid battles in Gaza City's Shajaiya neighbourhood.

Several of the servicemen were killed by an explosive device, while the remaining soldiers were gunned down by Hamas fighters after being cut off from the rest of their troop, according to Israeli media.

It marks the worst loss of life in a single day for the Israeli Defense Forces since they launched their operation in response to Hamas' ruthless October 7 attacks.

At least 115 Israeli soldiers have died since ground operations began in Gaza in late October.

But 18,412 Palestinians have been killed during the Israeli attacks since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

more
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12858091/israeli-soldiers-killed-gaza-idf-hamas.html

[Wingnut]

But 18,412 Palestinians have been killed during the Israeli attacks since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Hey Rocky watch me pull a number of deaths out of my hat>

[240B]

Hey Rocky watch me pull a number of deaths out of my hat>

Exactly. Also, all of them died because of Hamas, not Israel.
Israel does not want to be there. Israel is only there because Hamas forced Israel to defend itself. Israel would leave today if they thought they would be safe.

[mystery-ak]

WATCH: Kirby Tries to Clean Up Biden’s Claim of ‘Indiscriminate Bombing’

White House national security aide John Kirby tried to clean up President Joe Biden’s claim Tuesday that Israel has engaged in “indiscriminate bombing,” telling reporters Wednesday that Biden was expressing concern about civilian casualties in general.

Joel B. Pollak 13 Dec 2023

White House national security aide John Kirby tried to clean up President Joe Biden’s claim Tuesday that Israel has engaged in “indiscriminate bombing,” telling reporters Wednesday that Biden was expressing concern about civilian casualties in general.

Kirby faced a barrage of questions from journalists about Biden’s statement, made to wealthy donors behind closed doors in Washington, DC, just hours after he had expressed public solidarity with Israel at the annual White House Hanukkah party.

Biden’s claim was picked up immediately by anti-Israel groups and foreign media. Israel has pushed back hard against Biden’s claim, telling reporters in at least two press conferences that it takes every possible step to avoid Palestinian civilian casualties.

Journalists asked Kirby whether, if Biden believed that Israel engaged in “indiscriminate bombing,” the U.S. would apply new restrictions on the use of American military aid, or whether the administration believed Israel had engaged in war crimes.

Kirby tried to defuse the inquiries, claiming that Biden had simply been worried about the effect of civilian casualties on Israel’s image in the world. He added that the administration continued to urge Israel to be careful about Palestinian civilians.

more
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2023/12/13/watch-kirby-tries-to-clean-up-bidens-claim-of-indiscriminate-bombing/

[mystery-ak]

Blinken ‘Welcomes’ Iraq PM’s Vow to Do Something About U.S. Embassy Attack

Secretary of State Antony Blinken “welcomed” remarks by the Prime Minister of Iraq that he would investigate an attack on the U.S. embassy.

Sudani made the remarks during a phone call with Blinken on Tuesday.

Terrorists believed to be aligned with and funded by the government of Iran launched a rocket attack on Baghdad’s “Green Zone,” the fortified area where the American embassy and other critical government buildings are located, on Friday. It was the first such attack on the embassy in Baghdad since October 7, when the Sunni jihadist organization Hamas launched an unprecedented assault on Israel, killing an estimated 1,200 people, abducting around 240 others, and engaging in wanton acts of torture, gang rape, murder of children, and desecration of the dead.

Hamas is closely affiliated with Iran, the world’s preeminent state sponsor of terrorism. According to a State Department report, Hamas and another regional terrorist group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, receive around $100 million a year from Tehran’s coffers. Other terrorist groups in Iran’s orbit – prominently Yemen’s Ansar Allah, or the Houthi movement, which has launched a campaign to interfere with international trade by attacking ships they believe are bound for Israel – Islamic Jihad, the Lebanese Hezbollah, and a collection of Iran-backed Iran groups identifying as the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” have also engaged in activities meant to harm Israel or its top international ally, the United States.

The United States has faced at least 92 attacks in Iraq and Syria at the hand of jihadist groups sympathetic to Hamas since October 17, which injured at least 66 American service personnel, according to the Kurdish outlet Rudaw.

more
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2023/12/13/blinken-welcomes-iraq-pm-vow-do-something-about-u-s-embassy-attack/

[mystery-ak]

Netanyahu: ‘We Will Destroy Hamas’ Regardless of ‘International Pressures’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told soldiers on Wednesday that Israel “will destroy Hamas” regardless of “international pressures.”

Netanyahu made his comments in conversation with Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers, a day after the United Nations General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, and after U.S. President Joe Biden criticized Israel for what he called, without evidence, “indiscriminate bombing.”

more
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2023/12/13/netanyahu-we-will-destroy-hamas-regardless-of-international-pressures/

[mystery-ak]

Hamas Thanks United Nations; Best Day for Terror Group Since October 7

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who has become a billionaire while living in comfortable exile, thanked the United Nations (UN) on Wednesday for a General Assembly vote that demanded a ceasefire in Gaza, without condemning the terrorist organization.

more
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2023/12/13/hamas-thanks-united-nations-best-day-for-terror-group-since-october-7/

[libertybele]

Hamas Thanks United Nations; Best Day for Terror Group Since October 7

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who has become a billionaire while living in comfortable exile, thanked the United Nations (UN) on Wednesday for a General Assembly vote that demanded a ceasefire in Gaza, without condemning the terrorist organization.

more
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2023/12/13/hamas-thanks-united-nations-best-day-for-terror-group-since-october-7/

Hamas thanking the U.N. speaks volumes as to the worth of the U.N.  The U.S. needs to get out of the U.N. now!  If Hamas is not a terrorist organization then who is???  I wonder what the U.N.'s definition of a terrorist organization is. What are the qualifications needed to be considered a terrorist organization -- one that only fits their playbook as needed to fulfill their agenda?

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1735016963347193920

[240B]

Hamas killers are carrying children and using them as literal human shields during gun battles, Israel claims, as IDF release footage of terrorists beating Gaza civilians and stealing aid

By ANDY JEHRING ON PALMACHIM AIRBASE, ISRAEL
PUBLISHED: 09:36 EST, 13 December 2023

• EXCLUSIVE - The Daily Mail has spoken to three IDF drone operators deployed in Gaza mission
• One of the pilots witnessed the horrors of October 7 from her drone monitor

Hamas terrorists have been caught breaking every rule of engagement in the book from clutching children as they shoot, dressing as women and firing from mosques, Israeli drone pilots have claimed.

As the civilian death toll mounts, UAV operators have given a unique insight into the atrocities they are witnessing on the ground.

Extremists have learnt to exploit their strict rules of engagement with barbaric cynicism leaving IDF forces with impossible decisions.

(more)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12859061/Hamas-killers-carrying-children-using-literal-human-shields-gun-battles-stealing-aid.html

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1735090027367944266

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/1735063508625101237

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/1734965506094903800

[DCPatriot]

h ttps://twitter.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/1735063508625101237

Have to ask...throw this out there...

Do you think HAMAS streamed the deaths on video, in a negotiation attempt/ultimatum? 

[Hoodat]

i24NEWS English
@i24NEWS_EN
·
Follow
IDF casualties spike up after Israel-Hamas ceasefire, paying a higher price for its gains on the battleground

'You need to ask yourself whether the price is worth it, if every target is justifying the heavy price of human life we pay,' says @HabithonistimEn
Or Yissachar

Israel is paying a higher price BECAUSE OF the cease fire.  Hamas was on the brink of capitulation.  But the cease fire allowed them to bring in more supplies, improve their defensive positions, redeploy militants to block the advances they didn't expect, and set up ambushes.  The blood of these Israeli deaths is on the hands of every idiot who called for a time-out so Hamas could regroup.

[libertybele]

Israel is paying a higher price BECAUSE OF the cease fire.  Hamas was on the brink of capitulation.  But the cease fire allowed them to bring in more supplies, improve their defensive positions, redeploy militants to block the advances they didn't expect, and set up ambushes.  The blood of these Israeli deaths is on the hands of every idiot who called for a time-out so Hamas could regroup.

Agreed...not only Israel, but the western world including the U.S. is now more in the crosshairs as well ... we cannot forget that

[Elderberry]

U.S. delaying sale of M16 rifles to Israel over settler violence

AXIOS by Barak Ravid 12/13/2023

The Biden administration is again holding up the licenses for selling more than 20,000 U.S.-made rifles to Israel over concerns about attacks by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, two U.S. officials told Axios.
Why it matters: The decision to send the rifle deal for another review by the State Department signals the Biden administration remains concerned the Israeli government isn't doing enough to curb violence by extremist settlers.

Catch up quick: Israel in the first week of the war requested the rifles for civilian initial response teams in Israeli villages close to the borders with Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. Those teams of local residents receive weapons and training from the Israeli police in order to be first responders in case of a terror attack.

•   The Israeli request was treated with caution by the Biden administration because of concerns Itamar Ben Gvir, the ultra-nationalist minister of national security who oversees the police, would distribute the rifles to extremist settlers in the West Bank, according to U.S. officials.

•   The Biden administration and Congress approved the export licenses for U.S. defense companies only after being assured the weapons wouldn't go to civilian teams in Jewish settlements.

More: https://www.axios.com/2023/12/13/us-israel-rifle-sale-delay-west-bank-violence

[mountaineer]

attacks by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank

Sometimes known as self-defense.

[mystery-ak]

Scoop: U.S. delaying sale of M16 rifles to Israel over settler violence
headshot

    Barak Ravid

The Biden administration is again holding up the licenses for selling more than 20,000 U.S.-made rifles to Israel over concerns about attacks by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, two U.S. officials told Axios.

Why it matters: The decision to send the rifle deal for another review by the State Department signals the Biden administration remains concerned the Israeli government isn't doing enough to curb violence by extremist settlers.

Catch up quick: Israel in the first week of the war requested the rifles for civilian initial response teams in Israeli villages close to the borders with Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. Those teams of local residents receive weapons and training from the Israeli police in order to be first responders in case of a terror attack.

    The Israeli request was treated with caution by the Biden administration because of concerns Itamar Ben Gvir, the ultra-nationalist minister of national security who oversees the police, would distribute the rifles to extremist settlers in the West Bank, according to U.S. officials.
    The Biden administration and Congress approved the export licenses for U.S. defense companies only after being assured the weapons wouldn't go to civilian teams in Jewish settlements.

more
https://www.axios.com/2023/12/13/us-israel-rifle-sale-delay-west-bank-violence

[DCPatriot]

Scoop: U.S. delaying sale of M16 rifles to Israel over settler violence
headshot

    Barak Ravid

The Biden administration is again holding up the licenses for selling more than 20,000 U.S.-made rifles to Israel over concerns about attacks by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, two U.S. officials told Axios.

Why it matters: The decision to send the rifle deal for another review by the State Department signals the Biden administration remains concerned the Israeli government isn't doing enough to curb violence by extremist settlers.

Catch up quick: Israel in the first week of the war requested the rifles for civilian initial response teams in Israeli villages close to the borders with Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. Those teams of local residents receive weapons and training from the Israeli police in order to be first responders in case of a terror attack.

    The Israeli request was treated with caution by the Biden administration because of concerns Itamar Ben Gvir, the ultra-nationalist minister of national security who oversees the police, would distribute the rifles to extremist settlers in the West Bank, according to U.S. officials.
    The Biden administration and Congress approved the export licenses for U.S. defense companies only after being assured the weapons wouldn't go to civilian teams in Jewish settlements.

more
https://www.axios.com/2023/12/13/us-israel-rifle-sale-delay-west-bank-violence

LOL!  As if the Israeli military doesn't already have the where with all to manufacture

[Wingnut]

LOL!  As if the Israeli military doesn't already have the where with all to manufacture

Or use the ones the found in those Hamas honeyholes.

[DCPatriot]

Or use the ones the found in those Hamas honeyholes.

LOL!  Forgot about Kabul.   

[mystery-ak]

Released Hostage Blows the Lid off Terror Apologists' Claims That Israeli Women Were Not Raped by Hamas
By Jeff Charles | 8:56 PM on December 13, 2023

Remember when the anti-Israel left went into full spin mode after it was revealed that Hamas terrorists had raped Israeli women they had taken hostage on October 7? The formerly #MeToo crowd quickly switched it up to #MeWho?

High-profile progressives eagerly played the role of Hamas apologists, responding to the news by either downplaying the sexual violence against Israeli women or denying it altogether. But now, a survivor of the attacks and kidnappings is speaking up, and her experience is going to put the pro-Hamas crowd in a tricky situation.

    A recently released Hamas hostage's revelation of sexual violence against her fellow captives appears to refute anti-Israel progressives who tend to downplay or dismiss terrorists' atrocities.

    Chen Goldstein-Almog, 48, was held hostage by Hamas with three of her children for 51 days following the Palestinian terrorist group's Oct. 7 attack on Israelis.

    Her husband and eldest daughter were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the attack.

more
https://redstate.com/jeffc/2023/12/13/hamas-survivor-blows-the-lid-off-terrorist-apologists-claiming-israeli-women-were-not-sexually-assaulted-n2167531

[mystery-ak]

Israel Radar
@IsraelRadar_com
·
1h
❗️Mossad confirms: 7 terror suspects linked to Hamas arrested in Denmark, attacks foiled; earlier reports said terror plot targeted Israelis & Jews. via @N12News
 & @ynetalerts

[mystery-ak]

Hamas Waves White Flag: Maybe We Could Recognize Israel? Update: Retreat?
Ed Morrissey 9:21 AM on December 14, 2023

Looks like the Banned on the Run finally got the message. With the IDF closing in on Hamas’ Gaza leadership in a Khan Younis bunker and their international sheiks now on the run from the Mossad, it has begun to dawn on them that October 7 really did change everything. The Israelis clearly intend to either drown or shoot Hamas dead to the last man, and this time the US will not be able to restrain them. Even their hostaging strategy hasn’t worked.

And just like that, from the river to the sea has changed to Let’s Join the PLO. Al-Monitor reported last night that a “top” Hamas official has floated an offer to recognize Israel’s right to exist and to fold itself into the Palestinian Authority in exchange for an end to the war (via Noah Rothman):

    A senior Hamas official suggested the Gaza-based militant group would recognize Israel as a step toward ending the long-running divisions between the Palestinian factions.

    Speaking to Al-Monitor in his Doha office on Monday, Mousa Abu Marzouk struck a careful tone on Israel some two months after his group carried out the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

    “You should follow the official stance,” Abu Marzouk said. “The official stance is that the [Palestine Liberation Organization] has recognized the state of Israel.”

    The internationally recognized umbrella grouping of most Palestinian factions, excluding Hamas and Islamic Jihad, formally recognized Israel’s right to exist and renounced terrorism in 1993. In exchange, Israel accepted the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people.


more
https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2023/12/14/hamas-waves-white-flag-maybe-we-could-recognize-israel-n598940

[ScottinVA]

No.. No.. NO!! Every single one of those Hamas animals must be exterminated to the last one.  That is the only way to eradicate cancer.

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/TreyYingst/status/1735304878669300174

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1735276855156932748

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/IsraelRadar_com/status/1735276539036508329

[240B]

Or use the ones the found in those Hamas honeyholes.

That's true. Israel is bloated with weapons of all kinds. These weapons were purchased by Hamas/Iran with American and worldwide 'charity' money going to Gaza. After raiding all the weapons caches, which each one may contain 20,000+ rifles, grenades, mines, and RPGs, Israel has more weapons than people able to fire them. Essentially, all the arms Hamas has hidden away like squirrels for decades meant to destroy all of Israel and Europe, are now all arrayed against them. This is a positive outcome for the entire Earth.

[mystery-ak]

Instant News Alerts
@InstaNewsAlerts
·
1h
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told Israeli leaders that it was critical for them to begin transitioning their campaign in Gaza to more precise, targeted operations. (WSJ)

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/IsraelRadar_com/status/1735409281011261722

[240B]

https://twitter.com/IsraelRadar_com/status/1735276539036508329

This is an interesting psyop by Israel. These terrorists are typically, but not always, uneducated barbarians. When they see another terrorist with a higher reward value than themselves, they behave like children and become extremely angry and jealous.

The lower value terrorists may actually kill the upper value terrorists just to increase their posted reward. Everyone wants to be the number one terrorist on the Israeli and worldwide list. And they will kill each other to make that happen. After all, they are terrorists. Killing is what they do. It doesn't much matter to them who they are killing or why.

[mystery-ak]

Hamas terrorist fighters will not be safe in the terror group’s vast network of underground tunnels in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces said.

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the terror group’s group tunnels won’t be able to shield its fighters as the fighting intensifies. 

Earlier in the day, IDF troops killed several Hamas fighters in a tunnel.  “In the Hamas tunnels, the troops planted explosives… we identified the terrorists with a camera, and killed several terrorists in this incident,” Hagari said in a Thursday press conference.

He said senior Hamas officials choose to hide underground and use civilians as human shields. 

Hagari said the IDF has “new combat means” to kill Hamas operatives in its tunnels.

“We will enter, plant explosives in locations we know terrorists frequent, and will wait for the right moment to kill them underground,” he said. “The terrorists won't be safe underground.”
Posted by Louis Casiano

[mystery-ak]

Gaza and West Bank should be run by ‘revamped and revitalized’ Palestinian Authority, Sullivan says

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the Biden administration wants to see the governance of the Gaza Strip connected with the West Bank, the other Palestinian territory.

Speaking with Israel's Channel 12 television, Sullivan said both areas need to be connected under a "revamped and revitalized" Palestinian Authority.

"That's something that requires intensive consultations with the Palestinians first, as well as with the Israeli government,” he explained. “But it will require reform, it will require an updating of how the Palestinian Authority approaches governance."

The Palestinian Authority has limited authority in the West Bank and used to govern Gaza until it was ousted in 2007 after a brief civil war with Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month that the Palestinian Authority should not be allowed to run Gaza.

He has accused PA President Mahmoud Abbas of encouraging terrorism against Israel.

Sullivan said the Biden administration has held talks with Israel but has not directed the Jewish state on how to conduct its war against Hamas.

"I'm not here to lecture or dictate. Israel is a friend and a partner. We sit down and we consult and we talk as friends."
Posted by Louis Casiano

[DCPatriot]

Gaza and West Bank should be run by ‘revamped and revitalized’ Palestinian Authority, Sullivan says

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the Biden administration wants to see the governance of the Gaza Strip connected with the West Bank, the other Palestinian territory.

Speaking with Israel's Channel 12 television, Sullivan said both areas need to be connected under a "revamped and revitalized" Palestinian Authority.

"That's something that requires intensive consultations with the Palestinians first, as well as with the Israeli government,” he explained. “But it will require reform, it will require an updating of how the Palestinian Authority approaches governance."

The Palestinian Authority has limited authority in the West Bank and used to govern Gaza until it was ousted in 2007 after a brief civil war with Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month that the Palestinian Authority should not be allowed to run Gaza.

He has accused PA President Mahmoud Abbas of encouraging terrorism against Israel.

Sullivan said the Biden administration has held talks with Israel but has not directed the Jewish state on how to conduct its war against Hamas.

"I'm not here to lecture or dictate. Israel is a friend and a partner. We sit down and we consult and we talk as friends."
Posted by Louis Casiano

IN A PIG'S EYE!! 

Change one sworn enemy for the revamped older model.   

[Right_in_Virginia]

UK slaps travel ban on settlers responsible for violence against Palestinians
Times of Israel, Dec 14, 2023

British Foreign Minister David Cameron announced Thursday a ban on “extremist settlers” from Israel entering the United Kingdom, in order “to make sure our country cannot be a home for people who commit these intimidating acts.”

The decision follows a similar measure announced last week by the United States, which said it will impose travel bans on extremist Jewish settlers implicated in a rash of recent attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, as well as on Palestinians involved in attacks on Israelis.

In a post on X, Cameron said that “extremist settlers, by targeting and killing Palestinian civilians, are undermining security and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians. Israel must take stronger action to stop settler violence and hold the perpetrators accountable.” He did not elaborate on how such a determination will be made, and if a list of those barred will be publicized.

Fifty-six British parliamentarians demanded that the government make the move Wednesday.

“In contrast to the way in which Israeli settlers enjoy a climate of impunity, the Israeli authorities have arrested over 3,000 West Bank Palestinians since the appalling Hamas attack of 7 October. This is often in the most arbitrary manner and without charge,” the signatories wrote.

He acknowledged, however, that there was as yet no unanimity among the 27 EU governments on the issue, who would need to vote unanimously in order to enact the proposal.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday also told the body’s lawmakers she was in favor of imposing sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers.

“The rise in violence by extremist settlers is inflicting immense suffering on the Palestinians. It undermines the prospects for a lasting peace and could further exacerbate regional instability,” she said.

Following the US measure, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said those carrying out such violence are extremists” and that Israel is a nation of laws which cannot tolerate such activity, “and we don’t need others to explain that to us.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/uk-slaps-travel-ban-on-settlers-responsible-for-violence-against-palestinians/

[Right_in_Virginia]

Instant News Alerts
@InstaNewsAlerts

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told Israeli leaders that it was critical for them to begin transitioning their campaign in Gaza to more precise, targeted operations. (WSJ)

Unguided ‘dumb bombs’ used in almost half of Israeli strikes on Gaza
Washington Post, Dec 14, 2023

Almost half of the munitions Israel has used in Gaza since the war began have been unguided bombs, a U.S. intelligence assessment has found, a ratio that some arms experts say helps explain the conflict’s enormous civilian death toll. The revelation comes as U.S. and Israeli officials engage in intensifying conversations about the sequencing of military operations in the two-month conflict.

The Israel Defense Forces has fired more than 29,000 air-to-ground munitions into the Palestinian enclave since Oct. 7, and only 55 to 60 percent of them have been precision-guided, according to a new assessment from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The rest were what are known as “dumb bombs,” said two people familiar with the assessment who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.

The use of so many unguided bombs, first reported by CNN, is a concern among humanitarian groups and others amid growing calls inside and outside the United States for Washington to condition any further military aid to Israel on the immediate reduction of civilian deaths.

Nearly 18,800 people have been killed and almost 51,000 wounded in Gaza over the past two months, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Under international law, weapons are considered indiscriminate if they cannot be directed at military targets.

“It is challenging in the best of circumstances to differentiate between valid military targets and civilians” there, said Brian Castner, senior crisis adviser and weapons investigator at Amnesty International. “And so just under basic rules of discretion, the Israeli military should be using the most precise weapons that it can that it has available and be using the smallest weapon appropriate for the target.”

Israel has been using “very, very large weapons,” Castner said. “And so when you’re using that in a densely populated area, even if you hit your valid military target, you’re far more likely to kill civilians nearby.”

More:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/12/14/israel-unguided-dumb-bombs-gaza/

[Right_in_Virginia]

Sullivan: Israel’s bombings in Gaza must ‘match its intent’ to protect civilians; revamped PA should ultimately rule
Times of Israel, Dec 14, 2023

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, interviewed on Channel 12 news, is asked about the differing US and Israeli visions for post-war Gaza, with US President Joe Biden speaking of a revitalized Palestinian Authority and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposing a PA role.

Sullivan says the US view “is that ultimately governance of the West Bank and Gaza needs to be connected, and it needs to be connected under a revamped and revitalized Palestinian Authority.”

Pressed on what exactly this means, Sullivan says, “It will require reform. It will require an updating of how the Palestinian Authority approaches governance. It will require the participation of other countries in the region to contribute financial resources and other forms of support.”

[...]

Elaborates Sullivan: “The president was saying that Israel’s intent is to conduct that campaign in a way that distinguishes between innocent Palestinians and Hamas. And what he would like to see as this campaign unfolds is that the results of the bombing campaign and the ground campaign match that intent.”


More:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/sullivan-israels-bombings-in-gaza-must-match-its-intent-to-protect-civilians-revamped-pa-should-ultimately-rule/

[Right_in_Virginia]

IDF suspends several troops for singing Hanukkah songs into Jenin mosque loudspeakers
Times of Israel, Dec 14, 2033

The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday suspended several soldiers who appeared on video singing Hanukkah songs over the loudspeaker system in a mosque in the West Bank city of Jenin.

Footage circulating online showed the soldiers singing Hanukkah songs and the Jewish prayer “Shema Yisrael” (Hear, O Israel).

The IDF said the soldiers were removed from operational duty immediately after their commanders saw and investigated the videos.

Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef also denounced the incident, calling on the military’s top chaplain “to explain to soldiers that they must not harm the religious sentiments of the adherents of other faiths.”

The IDF is aware of at least three cases of uninvolved Palestinians being killed by troops in recent weeks, and a handful of cases of settlers killing Palestinians, which are still under investigation.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-suspends-troops-for-singing-hanukkah-songs-into-jenin-mosque-loudspeakers/

[Right_in_Virginia]

The Guardian Updates
4h ago
18.09 EST

Summary

It is just after 1.00 am in Gaza.

Here’s what happened today:

Joe Biden said that he wants Israel to stay focused on how to save civilian lives in Gaza. “I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives, not stop going after Hamas, but to be more careful,” the US president said on Thursday.

Biden’s national security adviser advised Israel to end its ground campaign in Gaza, and carry out a more targeted offensive in its war in Gaza, the New York Times reported. Jake Sullivan advised Israel to change its war tactics within three weeks or less.

A spokesperson for the White House said that it wants Israel’s war in Gaza to “end as soon as possible”, but added that the US is not dictating a timeline on when the fighting should end to Israel.

All communication and internet services were completely cut off in Gaza, Palestinian telecommunication companies announced on Thursday. The latest update came from the territory’s main telecommunication companies, Paltel and Jawwal.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Thursday that soldiers faced discipline after violating the IDF’s code of conduct during an “operational activity” near a mosque in the city of Jenin. The IDF soldiers were seen on video singing Hanukkah songs in a mosque they had raided.

Thank you for reading.

My colleague in Australia will now be handling updates to this blog.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Israel tells US it needs ‘months’ to defeat Hamas
The Guardian, Dec 14, 2023

Israel will fight on until “absolute victory against Hamas”, the country’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told a senior official from the Biden administration, as another minister said the war could last “more than several months”.

Netanyahu’s comments were made to Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden’s national security adviser, during a visit to Israel hours after its defence minister, Yoav Gallant, told Sullivan that many more months were needed to defeat Hamas in Gaza.

A statement from Netanyahu’s office said: “I told our American friends – our heroic fighters have not fallen in vain. From the deep pain of their falling, we are more determined than ever to continue to fight until Hamas is eliminated – until absolute victory.”

Gallant earlier told Sullivan, apparently contradicting bullish daily updates from Israel’s military about the progress of its campaign, that the war “will require a period of time – it will last more than several months”. He said Hamas had “built infrastructure under the ground and above the ground and it is not easy to destroy them”.

[...]

After his meeting with Gallant, Sullivan declined to give details of the talks, but described the conversation as constructive and said there was a “wide degree of convergence” on strategic objectives and steps needed.

Speaking to Israel’s Channel 12 TV station, Sullivan said the Gaza Strip should be brought under a “revamped and revitalised” Palestinian Authority – another point of contention between Washington and Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu has said there is “disagreement” with Washington over how Gaza would be governed after the war and suggested Israel would retain “overall security responsibility” for the territory.

A poll of Israelis, published on the day of Sullivan’s visit, revealed widespread dissatisfaction with Netanyahu’s handling of US-Israel relations during the war. About 43% disapproved of Netanyahu’s treatment of Biden with 36% supporting, according to a Maariv/Jerusalem Post poll conducted this week.


More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/14/israel-tells-us-it-needs-months-to-defeat-hamas

[mountaineer]

Visegrád 24
@visegrad24
BREAKING:  The Israeli Army has taken over the headquarters of Hamas’ Shejaiya Battalion.
After securing it, the command and control center was blown to pieces
4:45 AM · Dec 15, 2023

[Elderberry]

Israel Radar
@IsraelRadar_com
·
IDF built huge war logistics center inside Gaza, @MaarivOnline
 reports; this is the 1st military supply center outside Israel since 1982 Lebanon war, allowing army to enhance Gaza ops without depending on longer supply lines. via @MaarivOnline

[Elderberry]

i24NEWS English

@i24NEWS_EN·
·
 IDF announces the rescue of the bodies of the abductees, the late Elia Toledano, the late Corporal Nick Beiser and the late Sergeant Ron Sherman who were murdered under #Hamas captivity after being kidnapped on #October7

https://twitter.com/i24NEWS_EN/status/1735579531375747155

[Elderberry]

Israel Radar

@IsraelRadar_com
·
IDF forces take over HQ of Shujaiya battalion, considered strongest Hamas fighting force; armored & commando forces raid terror sites in the heart of Khan Younis, kill numerous terrorists, locate tunnels with motorcycles used in Oct. 7 attack. via @idfonline

[Elderberry]

Israel Radar

@IsraelRadar_com·

IDF sends in bulldozers for massive demolition of buildings in Shujaiya; army determined to ensure that no observation towers or surveillance posts remain in this Hamas stronghold near Israeli border. via @Nadav_Eyal
 
Israel Radar
@IsraelRadar_com
·
IDF forces take over HQ of Shujaiya battalion, considered strongest Hamas fighting force; armored & commando forces raid terror sites in the heart of Khan Younis, kill numerous terrorists, locate tunnels with motorcycles used in Oct. 7 attack. via @idfonline