The murder of three of our soldiers by an Egyptian police officer turned terrorist is a tragedy, clear and simple. Those who were killed were all combat soldiers serving on the border between the Negev and the Sinai:
Staff Sgt. Ohad Dahan, 20, from Ofakim (left, below); Sgt. Lia Ben Nun, 19, from Rishon LeZion (center); and Staff Sgt. Ori Yitzhak Iluz, 20, from Sfat.
Iluz and Ben Nun served in the Bardelas Battalion; Dahan served in the Caracal Battalion; both battalions are tasked with guarding the border.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/two-israelis-hit-by-gunfire-in-incident-on-egyptian-border/
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The circumstances of their deaths are not yet entirely clear as I write this. The situation is more than a bit convoluted. An exceedingly thorough investigation of the matter will be conducted by Israel in addition to an investigation by Egypt.
Ben Nun and Iluz had begun a 12-hour shift together at 9 PM Friday night at a military post on the Egyptian border. It is believed that they were killed between 6 and 7 AM on Saturday morning, but their bodies were not discovered until 9 AM when their shift was about to end.
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Along the border with the Sinai – running its full length from Eilat to Gaza, some 200 kilometers – there is a significant barrier, equipped with sensors, cameras and radar. Completed 10 years ago, it was built to halt the massive illegal African migration into Israel, as well as to prevent militant jihadis who had become active in the Sinai from entering Israel.
Here you see IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi walking with IDF and police officers along that sizeable barrier near where two of the soldiers were killed on Saturday.
One additional purpose of this barrier was to stop smuggling of contraband. This, however, has continued. Drugs are thrown over the barrier, retrieved by Israeli Bedouin in the Negev, and sold.
At approximately 2:30 AM on Saturday morning, the IDF had foiled a smuggling attempt; that operation had ended by about 3 AM. At 4:15 AM there was radio communication with Ben Nun and Iluz, who reported that all was well.
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And this is the point at which the story gets murky:
According to the official Egyptian version, the smuggling attempt was connected to the deaths of the IDF soldiers. Their claim was that an Egyptian police officer had crossed into the Negev in pursuit of the smugglers. He entered through a small security gate that the IDF occasionally utilized with Egyptian permission when in pursuit of smugglers into the Sinai.
Then, according to this story, the police officer was fired upon, presumably by Ben Nun and Iluz. When he returned fire, he killed them.
There are problems with this version of events, however:
[] When the bodies were found, it was discovered that the soldiers had been taken by surprise; they had not shot their guns. The Egyptian police officer could not have been “returning fire.”
[] The smuggling attempt was 1.8 kilometers (1.1 miles) south of the post where Ben Nun and Iluz were located. What would the police officer have been doing there?
[] And finally, the question of what this police officer – allegedly seeking the smugglers – was doing running around in the Negev at 6 or 7 AM, when the smuggling attempt had been foiled hours earlier.
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Once the bodies of Ben Nun and Iluz were found, a terror incident was declared, and an alert went out triggering a search. Prior to this, there was no knowledge of the presence of the Egyptian on Israeli soil. At about 11 AM, a drone discovered someone hiding behind a rock formation. When soldiers began to advance on the police officer, he shot, killing Dahlan. Another group of officers then closed in on him and killed him.
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And here is the clincher: The Egyptian police officer was carrying two combat knives, food, a copy of the Koran, and an AK-47 assault rifle. The presence of a Koran suggests a radicalized mentality. The fact that he had six magazines for his assault rifle indicates that he had anticipated carrying out a larger attack.
This was clearly a pre-meditated terror attack.
The Egyptians, who apologized to the families of the soldiers, would have been greatly relieved if their story – which portrayed the situation as no more than a deeply regrettable accident – had been accepted. Done, finished. It was an embarrassment to them.
Now that it has been determined that this will not happen, reports are that they are cooperating fully in the investigation. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke with his Egyptian counterpart, Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Zaki, indicating how important this cooperation was for the future of Israeli-Egyptian relations.
In the main, the relationship between Israel and Egypt is positive. Prime Minister Netanyahu has indicated, however, that he considers this a “grave and serious” incident “that will be investigated to the end.”
No one has suggested that the Egyptian government had prior knowledge of, or condoned, the attack. There are, however, questions about accomplices the police officer may have had. It is possible, in fact, that a terrorist group has infiltrated Egypt’s security forces.
Israel is concerned, as well, with procedures from our side. Why were no alarms sounded when the police officer came through that small gate? How is it that he remained undetected on Israeli soil for hours? Were our troops not sufficiently diligent because this is considered a peaceful border?
It has been suggested by some military analysts that the timing between the foiled smuggling incident and the subsequent attack may not have been coincidental: that the smuggling was an attempt to divert the attention of our troops, or to cover for what followed.
Chief of Staff Halevi has appointed Maj. Gen. Nimrod Aloni (pictured) to investigate the “systemic” failures that contributed to the attack.
As I say time and again, Stay tuned!
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I have been writing about the behavior of some of the opposition protestors who have been coming out now for many months, ostensibly because of the plans for judicial reform. Some are sincere and remain peaceful, but the behavior of others is abominable. Protesting is legitimate, and a right that is protected in Israel, but there are limits.
See here a brief video of their blocking the main artery of the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv in both directions (something they have done many times):
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/anti-overhaul-protesters-block-main-tel-aviv-highway/
MK Simcha Rothman is the focus of protests because of his position as Chair of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee and his key role in promoting judicial reform.
On May 28, there were such fierce protests during a speech he attempted to deliver at Tel Aviv University that he had to be rescued by police. He was prevented from speaking by those (they call themselves Brothers in Arms) who say they are defending democracy. On this occasion his car was also vandalized.
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In the last several days, Simcha, along with a number of other members of the coalition, has been in the US, primarily to participate in the Celebrate Israel parade in NYC and to attend a conference. And there in New York, the focus of those protesting judicial reform was once again on him.
David Israel, editor of The Jewish Press, joined a WhatsApp for a group that identifies as “UnXeptable NYC 4 ISRAELI DEMOCRACY,” and shared with readers what they were putting out in their fight from NY against judicial reform in Israel. They put out messages such as one calling for a demonstration outside the synagogue where Simcha was to be speaking – which did bring out protestors. Fair enough.
All of this, Simcha tolerated with exemplary patience, recognizing the right to free speech and to protest.
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On June 1, they put out the message: “Spotted: Simcha Rothman Now in Brooklyn Bridge, City Hall – who can tell him what we think??? Go now! There are a few of us there waiting!” It was accompanied by a real-time picture and a Google Maps link. This was more disconcerting. They would not leave him alone, and this smacked of harassment.
The two men with Simcha are his bodyguards, who are always with him because of threats on his life.
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The following evening, Friday evening, Simcha and his wife were walking in Manhattan after dinner and were followed by a group of protesters screaming at them. Slowly they edged closer to him until one woman with a megaphone came very close. She ignored his demands to move back and instead screamed in his ear. In one swift motion he turned around and, careful not to touch her, grabbed the megaphone from her and ran away down the street. See video:
Explained Simcha:
“A small group of violent protesters attacked me and my wife as we walked in New York late at night. They blocked my path, stepped on my wife, Chana’s, foot, and cursed, including wishes of death. My security guards called the police, explained where we were, and we continued walking while ignoring the protesters.
“At one point, the protesters understood that we weren’t bothered by them, and then they put their megaphone against our ears (which is assault) and yelled. Both the guards and I told them, again and again, to stop and move away, but they continued.
“I took the megaphone which the protester shoved in my ear, without touching her, of course. After about half a block, we reached a spot where we could wait for the police. The police accompanied me to the hotel, and the incident ended.”
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/372313
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The protestors were enraged and filed a protest with the police. But the police closed the case without pressing charges. (The megaphone was returned to its owner.)
Shany Granot-Lubaton, the protest organizer, said, “Manhattan is not Hadera. Here there is democracy, and we can tell him what we want to his face.
“No police officer will stop us from utilizing our basic freedom of expression.”
It is difficult to know if she is really that foolish, or she is just pretending to be. I have no idea why she singled out Hadera, but nowhere, not in Israel and not in the US, is freedom of expression, as she calls it, absolute. There are legal limits when that “expression” impinges on the rights of others. This might be with regard to loudness of speech, proximity to others, time of day, etc.
Hear Simcha’s comments on this here, starting at one minute:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/372337
What happened with the megaphone, he said, was not a protest, but an attack. And the people who don’t know the difference need a crash course on democracy. Small violent groups that threaten leaders are the real threat to democracy.
What has been going on brings joy to our enemies, he observed. But I doubt these protestors care.
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“There will be a judicial reform,” Simcha declared. “There are people who think that through violence and threats, they will manage to get us to think differently. But violence actually convinces me that reform is important and how important it is to do it quickly.” (Emphasis added)
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/372313
This may indeed happen sooner than later. (I personally pray so.) The latest news is that the negotiations at the president’s house are close to collapse.
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But here is the information that I find most disturbing. The group NYC 4 ISRAELI DEMOCRACY is composed of Israeli expats: They are progressive Israelis who have come to live in America and brought the fight over judicial reform there. If you listen closely to the protestors following Simcha, they are yelling at him in Hebrew. A chapter of “Brothers in Arms” – which I alluded to above – exists in NYC as well.
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There were threats that they were going to generate disturbances during the Celebrate Israel parade. But that took place yesterday, thankfully with 40,000 strong walking the parade route along Fifth Avenue without incident.
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/new-york-city-celebrate-israel-parade-2023/
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© Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
