Author: Gavriel Dan

Gavriel Dan spent a number of years covering social movements in Israel, the wider middle east and Europe. He is considered an expert in embedding himself with various groups and causes in order to get accurate and rich information.
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Israel’s Interrogation of Captured Gazan Infiltrators Reveal Hamas’ Strategy

While celebrations in Jerusalem continue over Jerusalem Day and the new American embassy in Jerusalem, riots on the Gaza border backed by Hamas with an attempt to cause mass Israeli casualties through firebombs, rocks, grenades, and infiltrations continue.  The IDF has defended the border fantastically but has had to use deadly force mutiple times.  So far there have been 37 militants killed today trying to harm Israelis near the border.

Although many news outlets in the Western Media have claimed these are mere protests, captured infiltrators reveal their true intentions.

The IDF and ISA has now released information they have gathered from some of the detainess captured trying to infiltrate.

Yahiya Eijle, 19, a resident of Gaza City and Hamas member, was arrested on 29 April 2018 while making his way into Israel to steal a security camera and cut the Gaza Strip fence. Officials learned the following from Yahiya:

1. Hamas is instructing its activists to cut the fence and steal security cameras in order to sabotage and topple the fence and disrupt IDF activity ahead of “Nakba Day.”

2. Hamas in the Gaza Strip wants the activity to be seen in the international media as a popular uprising, and not as violent action led by its militants.

3. Hamas militants, who are embedded among the residents of the Gaza Strip, are taking an active part in the violent protest activities along the fence every Friday in part by wielding firebombs, knives and large wire-cutters.

4. Hamas members supply Gaza Strip residents with tires and assist them in setting them on fire in order to create thick smoke to agitate residents and persuade them to infiltrate into Israeli territory, throw firebombs and prepare kite-borne firebombs to be handed over to violent militants.

5. It has also been learned that Hamas terrorists themselves are prohibited from approaching the fence lest they be killed or captured by the IDF. However, ifs the fence is breached, then they are to enter Israeli territory armed – under cover of the mob – and carry out attacks.

Salim Abu Daher, 21, a resident of the Gaza Strip, was arrested on 28 April 2018 upon infiltrating into Israel in order to burn fields and groves. Officials learned the following from Salim:

1. Hamas is financing the violent action in the framework of which kite-borne firebombs are sent toward Israeli territory.

2. Hamas members in civilian clothing circulate among violent activists and supply gasoline for the kite-borne firebombs which are designed to ignite and burn Israeli fields.

Other detainees revealed the following:

1. Hamas encourages children and young people to cross the fence.

2. Hamas militants in civilian clothes encourage children to try and cross the fence in order to steal IDF equipment.

This resulted in an event on May 4th in which a 13-year-old youth was wounded while taking part in an attempt to infiltrate into Israeli territory in order to steal a security camera at Karni Crossing, east of Gaza City.

Below is the video of today’s protests from the border of Gaza Strip:

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Will Bahrain and Tunisia Move Their Embassies to Jerusalem?

With all the noise around President Trump’s decertification of the Iran deal over the last seven days, two voices, traditionally associated with being in opposition to Israel, made astonishing statements signaling the end of their animosity to Israel.

The first is Bahrain, whose foreign minister Khalid Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa declared the following after the first direct confrontation between Iran and Israel Wednesday night:

“As long as Iran has breached the status quo in the region and invaded countries with its forces and missiles, so any state in the region, including Israel, is entitled to defend itself by destroying sources of danger.”

Bahrain has shown extroadinary openess to Jews in recent years with its king including a Jew on his council. While Bahrain despises Iran, ever since the Iranian attempted stage a coup against its king in 1981, this statement goes far beyond other overtures.

The second country is Tunisia, who still has a Jewish population on the island of Jerba.  The head of Tunisia’s Liberal Party Mounir Baator made the following statement in a debate on Tunisian TV where he argued with a conservative lawmaker:

“How was Israel affected by the tearing up of its flag? It was a meaningless gesture with no impact. He took an A4 sheet of paper and tore it up. It was nothing but a show. Why didn’t you tear up the American flag?” he said.

He explained that “we are calling for normal economic relations with all countries. We believe that enmity toward Israel and love of the Palestinian cause are not Tunisia’s real problems today. Tunisia’s problems are social and economic.”

“Whether or not you tear up the flag of the Zionist entity… By the way, it is called the State of Israel, not the Zionist entity. The State of Israel exists, it is a member in the United Nations and in all the international organizations, and its flag flies everywhere. So whether or not you tear it up is immaterial to Israel,” he added.

While it appears these two countries are far from ready to move their embassies to Jerusalem, let alone having real diplomatic relations with the State of Israel, the voices beginning to flow from many of their citizens and even government members are encouraging and a true sign that we are living in momentous times.

 

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HAS THE WAR BEGUN OR ENDED: Iran Attacks and Israel Destroys Dozens of Military Targets in Response

There is a calm jubilation this morning in the IDF/IAF staff over what they are calling a successful response to the 20 Iranian missiles fired by the Al Quds force into Israeli positions on the Golan Heights.

 

This morning the IDF and Defense Minister Liberman relayed the same message of success in the overnight defensive retaliation.

“The Iranians tried to attack the sovereign territory of Israel,” Liberman said. “Not one Iranian rocket landed in the State of Israel. Nobody was hurt. Nothing was damaged. And we’re to be thankful for that. We damaged nearly all of the Iranian infrastructure in Syria.”

The IDF was quoted as saying that the “Overnight raids set back Iranian military in Syria by ‘many months’.”

 

 

An illustrative map showing the general locations of Israeli strikes in Syria in response to a presumed Iranian attack on the Golan Heights on May 10, 2018. (Israel Defense Forces)

Is this the End or Beginning of the Iran-Israel War?

The statements by the IDF and the Defense Minister appear to indicate that the IAF gave the Iranians a severe blow to their presence in Syria. While this appears to be true, there are some indications that the early success of Israel’s attacks against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Syria may be just a precursor to a larger struggle. Iran is no Iraq or Jordan.  They were fully aware that the IDF was prepared to go all out to stop them.  Most likely many of their positions were arrayed to learn and understand the capabilities of the IAF.

One also has to keep in mind that these attacks are without Hezbollah’s involvement.  The vaunted IRGC is considered formidable, but it has only just begun its control over Syria’s southwestern territory, while Hezbollah is prepared and ready for war with Israel.

Given President Trump’s warnings to Iran not to restart their program, it is fair to assume, the skirmishes we have been witnessing are just the beginning of a protracted conflict.

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ISRAEL STRIKES SYRIA: Residents in Israel’s North Are Told to Prepare for Retaliation

A few moments ago, Israeli planes struck multiple Iranian targets south of Damascus.  These strikes occurred soon after Israeli officials warned Israeli citizens in the north of the country to open their bomb shelters as the government was expecting Iranian retaliation to Trump pulling out of the Iran deal. Reports are indicating the IAF destroyed an advanced Iranian communications base.  Considering Israel is bracing for an Iranian attack, this appeared to be a premtive strike.

There have been reports that Israel has begin to call up a select number of reserves as well as placing a heavy amount of anti-missile batteries on the Golan.

Prime Minister Netanyahu had this to say on President Trump pulling the USA out of the Iran deal:

“Israel fully supports President Trump’s bold decision today to reject the disastrous nuclear deal with the terrorist regime in Tehran. Israel has opposed the nuclear deal from the start because we said that rather than blocking Iran’s path to a bomb, the deal actually paved Iran’s path to an entire arsenal of nuclear bombs, and this within a few years’ time. The removal of sanctions under the deal has already produced disastrous results. The deal didn’t push war further away, it actually brought it closer. The deal didn’t reduce Iran’s aggression, it dramatically increased it, and we see this across the entire Middle East. Since the deal, we’ve seen Iran’s aggression grow every day- in Iraq, in Lebanon, in Yemen, in Gaza, and most of all, in Syria, where Iran is trying to establish military bases from which to attack Israel.”

With Iran now in control of Lebanon and free reign in Syria, Israel has no choice but to take the initiative.  By striking at the Syrian capital, Israel sends a clear message: “We’re ready to fight.” Of course Iran may now choose to respond, placing much of Israel in danger.

 

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Don’t Believe the Fake News on Trump’s Peace Plan

According to the Jerusalem Post, Israel will have to make concessions to the Palestinians after the US relocates its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman told Channel 2 Saturday night.

This of course has sparked wide spread rumors in the Israeli press that Trump plans on revealing his “peace plan” soon after the May 14th embassy move.  Furthermore, there is an unsourced rumor that part of the “peace plan” includes a provision that Israel would have to evacuate four East Jerusalem Arab neighborhoods to be set aside for a Palestinian State. The same rumors indicate that the purported Trump “peace plan” will see the Old City be handed over to international control.

Before we fall into our typical paranoid national PTSD motivated responses, Caroline Glick tweeted the following:

One piece of evidence to support Glick is the fact that the government released a much anticipated report paving the way for Israel to be able to legalize all of the outposts throughout Judea and Samaria.  If there was a chance that the US was bringing a “peace plan” into the public right after the embassy move, the government would never be so brazen to literally end any chance for a “2 State Solution” by legalizing the countless settlements and outposts across Judea and Samaria.

Another, is the claim that Trump has requested Israel vacate four Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem.  One of them is listed as Shuafat. Below is the location of the Shuafat neighborhood.  It lies in the northern part of Jerusalem, but is buttressed by Jewish neighborhoods.  The light rail also runs through it.  No Israeli government would agree to giving this over to a Palestinian State.  So where is this rumor flowing from?  There was a plan to disconnect Shuafat from the Jerusalem municipality, but keeping within Israeli control.  Essentially this would make it its own locality. No one has discussed this being handed over to the PA itself.

Is there a peace plan being formulated?  No doubt.  Given the accolades Trump has received on Korea, he will be emboldened to repeat it.  This does not mean however that the specifics of the plan have been formulated.  Trump’s style is usually to provide contours and let the parties figure it out.  In our case, Israel has no partner, rendering Trump’s plan dead on arrival.

So what is the best solution to the endless rumors streaming in from all places?  The only thing left to do, is to ignore them.