Author: Micha Gefen

Micha is a government policy analyst for Israel Rising.
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Is Bibi Netanyahu Really a Threat to Israel?

According to former Prime Minister Ehud Barak (pictured above), Bibi Netanyahu and the nationalist camp is a direct threat to the State of Israel. Speaking at a publicity event Barak gave the following statements

“The nationalist spirit of the leaders of the right, chief among them Netanyahu, is the central threat today to Israel’s future, its identity, its cohesiveness, and its strength. The leaders of the right in the government headed by Netanyahu are afraid and only see black and white, but primarily black.” Barak then pointed an accusing finger at Netanyahu of exploiting the fire Intifada, to incite against Israel’s Arab population.”It is clear and agreed upon that arsonists and inciters of arson need to be dealt with with an iron hand,” he said, but added that the arsonists “do not represent Arab Israelis or the Palestinian people.”

Perhaps the former Prime Minister has amnesia.  Most people remember him as the guy who removed the IDF from Southern Lebanon so fast that our long time Christian allies there were over run by Hezbollah.

A quote from the Guardian at the time of the retreat from Lebanon sums it up:

With the fighters of its proxy militia, the South Lebanese Army (SLA) fleeing headlong with their families to crossings all along the border, the scale of the Israeli fiasco was beginning to unfold yesterday.

At the Fatima Gate crossing, where men, women and children waited behind a barbed wire fence for five hours in the sun to be cleared for entry by two Israeli security officials, the refugees called out the names of their villages – Khiam, El Qlaia, Kheube. It was a rollcall of defeat that yesterday spread eastwards with astonishing speed across the self-declared security zone. Hizbullah now controls at least two-thirds of the area.

Along with Israel’s evacuation of Bint Jubayl, the second largest town in the zone, at least a dozen more villages passed into the hands of Hizbullah yesterday.

Most fell without a shot. After the Israelis pulled out of Bint Jubayl in the middle of the night, their SLA allies, already in a state of collapse in the centre of the strip, simply gave up. Branded collaborators, they and their families headed for exile.

To further illustrate how much danger Ehud Barak has currently placed the State of Israel in, the video below should be jaw dropper:

That’s right.  Those are Russian troops fighting alongside Hezbollah.  That is only possible due to Barak’s retreat from Lebanon 16 and half years ago.

Let’s also keep in mind Barak is remembered as the leader who offered most of the Holy sites in Jerusalem and Israel’s biblical heartland to arch terrorist Yasser Arafat in exchange for “peace.” It was this negotiation that served to strengthen Arafat’s desire to start the second Intifada costing Israel thousands of lives.

Barak and Arafat Shaking Hands/Source: Sharon Farmer
Barak and Arafat Shaking Hands/Source: Sharon Farmer

It is clear to most observers that Ehud Barak has been a continual nightmare and major security threat to the State of Israel.  His sad attempt at covering up for his failures by attacking the current government should remind everyone who the real threat is.

 

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Who is Shuhada al-Yarmouk and Why Did They Start Attacking Israel?

With yesterday’s attack being the first direct confrontation between an ISIS related group and Israel, the question stands who is Shuhada al-Yarmouk and why did they decide to attack the IDF?

Jihad Intel a Middle East Forum Database for tracking Jihad groups says the following:

Liwa Shuhada al-Yarmouk (Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade) was founded in 2012 in southwestern Deraa province (the Yarmouk Valley), bordering the Golan Heights. Once a part of the Western and Gulf-backed ‘Southern Front’ rebel coalition, the group came to blows with Jabhat al-Nusra in December 2014 as the latter accused Liwa Shuhada al-Yarmouk of secret ties with the Islamic State. Though other Southern Front members denied the claims at the time, the group has since the clashes openly embarked on a program of ‘reform’ in the Yarmouk Valley area it controls, advertising greater affinity with the Islamic State. Besides adopting the Islamic State flag in its emblem, members openly show support for the Islamic State and echo its talking points. The administration of the Yarmouk Valley likewise mimics the Islamic State with an Islamic court , Islamic police and Diwan al-Hisba, though no official pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State has been announced.

Links between Liwa Shuhada al-Yarmouk and the Islamic State can be traced to the summer of 2014, as certain members visited the Islamic State’s de facto Syrian capital in Raqqa. In March 2016, Islamic State dispatched a Saudi- Abu Abdullah al-Madani- to take over the group as a new offensive was launched against rebel forces, cooperating with the Islamic Muthanna Movement that controlled some towns to the east. Islamic Muthanna Movement was subsequently forced to retreat into Liwa Shuhada al-Yarmouk. At the end of May 2016, a new amir was dispatched by the Islamic State and a merger of Liwa Shuhada al-Yarmouk and Islamic Muthanna Movement was announced under Jaysh Khalid ibn al-Waleed, referring to an early figure in Islamic history who was key in the defeat of the Byzantines in the Levant in the Battle of Yarmouk.

So Shuhada al-Yarmouk was an American invention that decided to change sides in order relive the good old days of Islamic history.  So why attack Israel now?

Let’s face it, ISIS and its many affiliates are in a bit of a bind.  The Shuhada al-Yarmouk organization is in worst shape than others.  It has always been cut off from the rest of the “caliphate” and with Russian backed air strikes in the region, an Iranian military presence, and Hezbollah, its future is now compromised.  It has really only two options to stay relevant with the local populace. Either attack Jordan to its South or give it a go against the “Zionist Entity.” It chose the latter.  Does its failure in its first strike mean it won’t be dangerous down the road?  Not at all.  In fact, to its supporters it is victorious in being true to the Koran, because of its attack on the infidels. Recruitment will rise from this one attack, which means there will be more.

As the border area along the Golan increasingly becomes crowded look for more skirmishes between Syrian troops and ISIS as well as attempts to penetrate the Golan border.  The key anchor in stability in the region are the Druze.  With the animosity between ISIS and the Druze very high, Shuhada al-Yarmouk may decide to strategically alter its plans altogether.

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Breaking News: Israel’s Internal Security Minister says, “Destroy the Arsonists’ Homes”

Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Internal Security Minister visited the Neve Tsuf to survey the horrible damage the fire terror has caused.

“The Fire Department has all of the fires currently under control,” Erdan said. “They have the ability – and they have received much help from international firefighting teams – and are successfully dealing with all the incidents.”

“We’re not finished yet, and a lot can happen before next Tuesday [when rain is predicted], especially since these aren’t wildfires, they’re arson attacks. The Fire Department has asked all schools to refrain from nature hikes until the end of next week.”

“Most of those arrested are Arab Muslims from Judea and Samaria, with a very small number being Arabs with Israeli citizenship. 35 suspects have been taken for questioning so far, and 23 of them are under arrest as a result. Some of them are guilty of online incitement to terror, the same incitement which causes people to carry out stabbing attacks. This is a new type of incitement to terror, a terror that encourages Arabs to take advantage of the weather in order to burn entire towns and harm the residents.”

Destroy Their Homes

“We have tools that are proven to work, such as destroying terrorists’ homes. If we can destroy the home of a terrorist who stabbed or shot their victim, we must also destroy the homes of the arsonists, who carried out their attacks because of ‘nationalistic’ motives. There’s no difference,” he said.


“Currently in Neve Tzuf halamish shocking done everything to reach a live person. Those who tried to burn an entire settlement its residents must be made accountable, they won’t beat us. We must give strength to the residents.”

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War Drums: The Fire Intifada is Only the Beginning, Hezbollah is Next

As more fires are set around Israel and the nation’s emergency response is stretched to its max, the next phase in what is fast becoming and orchestrated series of events is likely to happen. It has been understood for a while now that Hezbollah and their Iranian sponsors would launch counter measures in Northern Israel.  With Trump set to take over in a matter of weeks and Putin trying to keep balance between Israel and Iran, the window of opportunity for an actual attack is closing.

Using the fires to cripple Israeli infrastructure, especially in Haifa where large chemical plants exist is a set up for what Iran and Hezbollah plans to do next.  Expect Hezbollah infiltrators with the help of the same groups that are setting fires to penetrate Israel’s Northern border and carve out an area.  Reaction will be swift from Israel, but it will spark a far wider conflict in the waining days of Obama’s presidency.  Given Putin’s role behind the scenes he maybe forced to play peacemaker.

The goal is not to win, but to bring Israel to its knees.  So far Israel’s enemies are winning.

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BREAKING NEWS: Arabs Start the Fire Intifada and Engulf Israel in Flames

What was thought to be accidental is now confirmed to be so widespread that nationalistically motivated arsonists are setting fires around the Land of Israel.  There has always been a warning that Arab terrorists would resort to a “burn it all down” strategy and now we are seeing it.

Map of Affected Areas Courtesy of Stand With Us/Gary Rozenman
Map of Affected Areas Courtesy of Stand With Us/Gary Rozenman

Video below from Haifa shows just how massive the fire is there:

In a quick response MK Oren Hazan has proposed a bill to raise the level of punishment for arson terror to life imprisonment.

“It appears that most of the fires raging around the country were caused intentionally by arsonists. They must be caught and sentenced as if they were terrorists who had perpetrated acts of terror. This is very serious because these conflagrations can cause mass deaths. We cannot relate to them with equanimity,” Hazan said. “The arsonists chose to ignite forests and trees in order to ‘burn the country down’. What they didn’t achieve through suicide and terror they will try and accomplish through fires.”

One update from Haifa says the following:

 

The damage from the fires have even drawn the ire of an unlikely source “Palestinian” activists. Albeit from their own perspective.

 

Yet the above seems to be not in line wit the multitudes on the ARab Street celebrating the fires.

See a list of more fire related Arab celebrations here.

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