Before I write about important steps Israel is taking, and what Israel must contend with, I want to mark a momentous step of mine own: It is the 22nd anniversary of my aliyah.
Daily, I thank Heaven that I am here: With all the angst, life here has elevated meaning, for I live now where it all began. And I am blessed to be part of the sacred journey of return.
Israel is truly a miracle. There is no other nation like her. It is our task to cherish her and strengthen her.
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As most of my readers are undoubtedly aware, we have just completed a major two-day operation in the Jenin refugee camp. Called Operation Bayit V’Gan (House and Garden, a reference to Jenin’s biblical name), it was overdue and greatly welcome (by most of us).
The operation began in the wee hours of Monday morning and IDF troops pulled out this morning (Wednesday).
Last night, one IDF soldier was killed: Sgt. First Class David Yehuda Yitzhak, 23, of Beit El, a combat soldier with the elite Egoz unit.
At first it was reported that he was shot by a terrorist, but now there seems to be indication that he was killed by friendly fire. This happens, but it is terribly painful.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/373719
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Deputy Speaker of the Knesset MK Nissim Vaturi stopped a discussion in the Knesset today, asked for a moment of silence, and read a chapter of Psalms in memory of Sgt. Yitzhak z”l.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/373716
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With the horrendous rate of terrorism that we have been enduring, there have been cries from many sources for an operation to deal with the terrorists. But there could be no public response from the government: The element of surprise was essential.
And there was surprise, not just in timing but in tactics. As Brigadier General Daniel Hagari, head of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, explained on Monday morning, “The course of the attack created a surprise in the field, the enemy was surprised by an air attack that hit the terrorists and sites they thought we weren’t familiar with.”
The air attacks – 20 in number during that first day – were via drones. As I understand it, the terrorists were looking for encroaching IDF ground forces, when they were hit with attacks from the first five drones. Troops then moved in. Additionally, for the first time in 20 years tanks were brought in.
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It was said from the start that this was to be a limited operation with very specific goals. What is important, now that the IDF has withdrawn, is that it intends to return.
“This operation doesn’t stand on its own… This day doesn’t stand on its own,” Chief of Central Command, Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fox, told reporters. “There is a series of operations here, just like we were here a week ago and two weeks ago, we will finish this operation, and we will come back in a few days or a week, and we will not allow this city of refuge for terror.”
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The goal of this operation, explained military analyst Yaakov Lappin, “is to reverse the trend in which this Palestinian city and parts of Samaria became a safe haven for, and hornet’s nest of, terrorism…
“[it is] not to hold ground, but to target the capabilities of the growing terrorist threat in the city – bomb-making centers, weapons storage facilities, command posts and more, and to target terrorists themselves, both those affiliated with PIJ and Hamas and those who are not.”
https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/idf-seeks-to-shatter-jenins-role-as-terror-hub/
Prime Minister Netanyahu declared, in his statement at the end of the first day, that, “In recent months, Jenin has become a city of refuge for terrorism – we are putting a stop to that.”
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When terrorists in the area of Samaria realize what damage has already been done by the IDF in Jenin, and understand that Israel’s military will return, the expectation is that they will be discouraged from gathering in Jenin to consolidate and strengthen their weapon supplies and their forces. It will not be that safe haven.
This approach, which involved roughly 1,000 IDF soldiers acting on a short-term basis, is at variance with Operation Defensive Shield, which operated for weeks on the ground against the second intifada in 2002. But it is the largest operation since 2002 – considerably different from recent operations that sought to arrest specific terrorists or to foil one specific attack.
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There are several important points to be made with regard to this operation. I think a primary one concerns the incredible scope of what was uncovered:
[] Over a thousand weapons were confiscated and neutralized. Among them were 10 explosive devices, 24 “8” rifles, M16 rifles, and hundreds of bullets for a diverse number of weapons. These were located in hideouts, a mosque, pits concealed in civilian areas, operational situation rooms, and in vehicles.
[] Six explosives manufacturing facilities were located and dismantled.
[] Dozens of kilograms of chemical materials for making explosives were confiscated.
[] Fourteen wanted suspects’ hideouts and operational situation rooms used for terrorist activity were located and thwarted.
[] Hundreds of thousands of shekels in terror funds were confiscated.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/373688
Additionally, of course, a good number of terrorists were taken into custody.
I salute the troops on the ground involved in this significant operation.
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It should come as no surprise that the terrorists in Jenin made use of a mosque for their purposes. Why should the methods of Jenin terrorists be different from those of Hamas in Gaza? The IDF, utilizing technological equipment, uncovered tunnels beneath the al-Ansar mosque in Jenin.
A map released by the IDF indicated one tunnel opening into an adjacent kindergarten.
Tunnels held weapons, explosives, military gear and two-way radios.
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Terrorists had placed concealed IED (improvised explosive devices) along roads in Jenin, including in residential areas. The IDF used specialized engineering vehicles to neutralize 11 such devices.
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Of note here is the fact that what is described above took place in the Jenin refugee camp, although it houses, in the main, descendants of refugees (and others), not refugees at all. It operates under the auspices of UNRWA, which ought be held accountable and disbanded forthwith.
During the second intifada, Jenin was also a terror hotbed, referred to as the “suicide-bombers’ capital.”
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Regrettably, but not unexpectedly, criticism of the IDF operation and expressions of support for the terrorists in Jenin emanated from a variety of sources.
[] The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) published a statement Tuesday saying that it is “extremely concerned by the alarming intensification of armed violence in Jenin over the last two days. Each passing minute of this ongoing violence poses a danger to lives, homes, essential services, and infrastructure.”
I do not remember similar Red Cross statements of concern about terror attacks.
[] Protests against the IDF operation were held in several Israeli Arab communities. Posters were held declaring: “Stop the massacre,” and “Immediately stop the aggression against Jenin.” My friends, we have a fifth column within Israel and must never lose sight of this reality.
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There are questions being asked about why this operation stopped and did not go all of the way: taking over the area completely.
There are a number of complexities to be dealt with in this regard, particularly as we are facing down Hezbollah and concerned about Iran. There is, without question, a sense that long-term operations are not wise at the moment.
But at the heart of this issue is the role of the PA, which is on the verge of collapse and yet is still seen by many as an entity that should be sustained. Were Israel to take down the PA, it would mean assuming responsibility for civilian concerns and infrastructure in Palestinian Arab areas – lest they fall into the hands of Hamas. This would be a vast undertaking in an area that is hostile to Israel.
This is not to say that it should not be done in time – it may need to be done in the end. And perhaps sooner rather than later. As PA control diminishes, a power vacuum is being created that allows the terrorist groups to move in.
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And the fact of the matter is that the PA is itself a terror-supporting entity, with its pay-for-slay and its incitement. As to security cooperation, Abbas has cut off all security cooperation with Israel (not for the first time) because of the Jenin operation.
Fatah, the main party of the Palestinian Authority, announced support for Jenin.
https://palwatch.org/page/34242
I will be returning to this issue.
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Here I turn to news of a terror attack that took place in the Ramat Hayal neighborhood of Tel Aviv at about 1 pm on Tuesday.
The terrorist drove his car into a group of pedestrians standing at a bus stop and then exited his vehicle and started stabbing people.
Eight people in all were injured (I have no information on their identities): three in serious condition, two in moderate condition, and three victims listed in light condition.
https://worldisraelnews.com/6-injured-in-terrorist-ramming-attack-in-tel-aviv/
The terrorist was from the PA town of As-Samu in Judea, in Israel legally with a permit for medical care. He was shot dead by an armed civilian. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir praised the civilian, calling him a hero.
Hamas has taken credit for the attack, which they claimed was in retaliation for the Jenin operation. This cannot deter us, nor, said Netanyahu, would it.
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An important step in the right direction took place on Tuesday when the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, chaired by MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism), voted to approve for the first reading in the Knesset plenum the proposed amendment to Basic Law: The Judiciary (Amendment—Reasonableness Standard).
The bill was approved by a majority of nine MKs in favor versus six opposing votes. One MK was present but did not take part in the vote.
It passed in spite of the continued vile demonstrations by the opposition, which, happily, seem to be reducing in numbers.
See further details on the vote here:
https://main.knesset.gov.il/en/news/pressreleases/pages/press040723c.aspx
In closing I want to cite part of MK Rothman’s statement, which powerfully brings forward the issue at stake in allowing Court justices to invalidate official decisions based on their subjective take on “reasonableness”:
“…the issue here is clearly an issue of values. When…[former] Minister Gilad Erdan bars the entry of a BDS activist and the court lets her enter in spite of him, that is a question of values. When the Minister of Defense says that he’s not willing to break the full closure imposed on Judea and Samaria during Memorial Day and Independence Day for the benefit of an event, and he’s told that no, since it’s an event in which families of terrorists visit their children you will let them enter for the Alternative Memorial Day ceremony, that is a question of values…”
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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.
