Creative Commons. IDF Spokesperson's Unit
Voice of Israel from Jerusalem,
Shalom, the time is now 6 am and here is the news,
in the studio, this is Rivki Dangot, Continue reading
The Day After Israel Attacks Iran
Category Archives: Israel
Curious Communiques from a Chaotic Cabinet
News coming out today from the Prime Minister’s Office could lead one to believe that the atmosphere inside the most important and sensitive office in the country is on the chaotic side of late.
Firstly, the sensational story about alleged harrassment by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bureau chief Nathan Eshel. Continue reading
Israel to Iran: Do you get the picture?
When it comes to sending signals, a picture is worth a thousand words. And lately, Israel has been sending a lot pictures to get its message across.
Just over the past week, the Israeli defense establishment has released the following pictures of its set pieces:
The Ministry of Defense has released pictures of an Arrow 3 anti-missile defense system test. [Message to Iran: We can hit your long-range missiles, your threats of massive rocket attack have been noted and we're prepared].
Analysis: Israel and the Muslim Brotherhood
When the Muslim Brotherhood leadership looks around them they see an America in decline – both at home and abroad. They see how the US abandoned Mubarak. They see how America speaks of human rights in Egypt and Tunisia, but don’t apply these principles in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Syria. Continue reading
As its neighborhood roils, Israel must work closer with America
Over the past few weeks there have been a growing number of signs that relations between Washington and Jerusalem are even more strained than they’ve been over the past few years.
The US Administration has gone out of its way to make it clear to the Israeli leadership that it believes sanctions against Iran are working and need more time to evolve. The US does not want Israel to launch a strike against Iran’s nuclear weapons program, and there exists a certain amount of unease at Israel’s opacity when it comes to sharing its Iran plans with America.
Where do Israel and America’s interests dovetail, and where do they part? Continue reading
Eli Yishai cost us the war
Interior Minister and leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party Eli Yishai on Tuesday said something absolutely regrettable in its evil.
This is what he said:
“During the Six-Day War each and every Jew who went to battle raised his eyes to the Creator. But in the Second Lebanon War we said, ‘By my strength and the might of my hand, and then God said to us, ‘Let’s see the results of, ‘By my strength and the might of my hand.’”
In other words: The Israel Defense Forces lost the Second Lebanon War in 2006 because its soldiers didn’t pray enough, and the army wasn’t religious enough. Continue reading
Some thoughts on the situation 18/01/2011
1. A senior ranking IDF officer has told reporters the following two things:
a). The army is very loathe to demolish the illegal settlement outpost of Migron by the court-appointed deadline of March because it “will cause a serious backlash from the right wing and possibly change the security balance in the West Bank.”
In other words: we can carry out the orders of the High Court but it’s going to cause a major upheaval and so may not even be worth the trouble. Continue reading
Yair Lapid’s Catch 22
UPDATE: Well, it looks like Lapid has chosen not to join Kadima. I guess that means he’ll most likely fail to achieve anything of real significance in his political career. Pity.
Here’s the original blog post:
So what will Yair Lapid do? Is he for himself, or is he for the greater public?
It seems as if the man from Channel 22 has landed himself in a Catch 22. Continue reading
Israel’s existential threat crisis
I’m trying to make up my mind, you know, about ‘it’. Should I be worried about it, really worried about it, somewhat worried about it? Should I panic? Should I pack an emergency suitcase? Or is it not as serious as some people make it out to be?
As a Jew born into the generation of Jews who are lucky enough to have come back to our historical homeland – after 2,000 years of exile and horror – you can understand my anxiety when serious people tell me that Iran’s nuclear program threatens to put an end to this historic homecoming. Continue reading
The Israeli diplomatic psyche explained
You dont like us when we’re weak
(Holocaust)
You dont like us when we’re strong
(Israel)
You just dont like us.
So it’s better that we’re strong.
Inside the Likud’s generational battle
Legislation to bend the legal establishment to the will of politicians; legislation against left-wing NGO funding; laws mandating loyalty oaths, fines against boycotts, increasing the minimum fine against libel, enforcing noise pollution on mosque muezzins, and much, much more.
What’s behind this ‘Assault on Democracy,’ this rush of legislation from the ruling coalition and its satellite parties? Why are young Likud legislators working overtime on changing the nature of the state? On the one hand we want our lawmakers to make laws, but on the other hand, many are alarmed at the rate of the laws being proposed, as well as their content. Continue reading
With leaders like these, Israel’s zealots will win
Leadership. You either have it or you don’t. The following Israeli leaders don’t.
1. A day after prime time Channel 2 TV news shows a segment about a little 8 year old girl being spat on by religious extremists in Beit Shemesh, the Israeli Minister of Culture and Sport, Limor Livnat [Likud] goes on national radio and says that in majority religious towns, gender segregated public buses should be allowed. What we have is a minister in the Israeli government going against a Supreme Court ruling saying that all gender segregation on public transportation is illegal. Continue reading
Love in the time of Uranium
“America’s commitment and my commitment to Israel and Israel’s security is unshakeable. It is unshakeable. I am proud to say that no U.S. administration has done more in support of Israel’s security than ours. None. Don’t let anybody else tell you otherwise. It is a fact. We are determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. And that’s why, rest assured, we will take no options off the table.” – US President Barack Obama, December 17, 2011
The Jewish Self-Destruct Button
The fact that 30 attackers could break into an IDF base in a military zone in Palestinian areas without the IDF having any prior intelligence, vandalize the base, damage IDF equipment, knock a few soldiers around, and walk out scot free, as if they had just won a battle, is not a scandal. That’s already happened before. Two attackers were arrested in the Epfraim Brigade attack. Only two. And one of them ‘escaped.’ That’s the scandal.
The fact that Jewish attackers can ambush an IDF vehicle carrying a Brigade Commander and a Deputy Brigade Commander, open the vehicle door, and throw a concrete block at the Deputy Commander’s head, is not a scandal. That’s also happened before. What’s a scandal is that these Israel Defense Forces officers didn’t put a bullet between the eyes of the man who dared to open the door of their armored car. Continue reading
Peace now? Forget about it
Why the Palestinians and settlers don’t want peace now
The Palestinians are certainly interested in a sovereign and independent state that will allow them to realize their self-determination as other peoples have done across the world. But they’re not pursuing a negotiated settlement with Israel. Instead the Palestinian Authority is pursuing a unilateral drive for statehood, still promising its people, as well as the Palestinian Diaspora, that they will eventually return to their former homes in Jaffa and Haifa. Continue reading
Absorption minister defends expat ad, but apologizes if Diaspora Jews were hurt
[Many thanks to Haviv Rettig Gur for providing the quotes straight out of the committee meeting.]
Immigrant Absorption Minister Sofa Landver (Yisrael Beitenu) on Wednesday defended a controversial public relations campaign produced by her office, saying it was her job to return Israelis living abroad, but also apologizing if the campaign hurt the Diaspora Jewish community. Continue reading
Netanyahu and Obama are running against each other
Some thoughts on the situation
1. Silvan Shalom, the Likud’s number 2 man, had no idea that PM Netanyahu was planning to bring forward the Likud primaries date. He was caught completely by surprise. And just for that, he doesn’t deserve to be Likud leader. In this profession, and in this neighborhood, if you’re not constantly trying to politically or militarily outmaneuver your opponents, chances are they will get you. The wolf and the sheep have not laid down together yet here. If Shalom doesn’t know that by now, he’ll never know it, and he can’t lead the Likud, or this country. Continue reading
Can Israel live with a nuclear Iran?
Some thoughts about the situation following the release of the IAEA report on Iran’s nuclear weapons program. So, nu, do they have nuclear bombs or not? Are they clearly trying to make them, or is it still not clear? Does the report have a smoking gun or does it not have a smoking gun? Was the report watered down at the request of China and Russia or was it not? Do we still have time or is time up? What happens now? Continue reading
Protocols of the elders of Mossad
Protocols of a meeting of the former directors of Israel’s foreign intelligence service, the Mossad at a cafe near Ramat Hasharon.
In attendance: E.H, S.S, M.D, D.Y.
Gentlemen, it is clear that we have reached the point of no return. The forces of evil are upon us, the enemy is at the gate. He is strong, armed to the teeth, and is determined to throw our tiny nation into the sea. The mission before us is the most fateful one we have embarked on since the creation of the state in 1948, and we cannot blink, we cannot shirk our responsibility to protect the Jewish people. While we are no longer in active duty, all of us have taken a life-long oath to defend our people and crush our enemies. Now is the time to act, old men, time to dust off the cobwebs and sharpen our daggers. The old men of the Mossad are saddling up for one last charge against the forces of evil. Continue reading
‘Superhero’ spymaster now a thorn in government’s side
Former Mossad chief, now chief thorn in government's side
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking cabinet support for a military strike on Iran, the Haaretz newspaper reported on Wednesday, after days of speculation about plans for an attack. The report, citing a senior Israeli official, said Netanyahu was working with Defense Minister Ehud Barak to win support from skeptical members of the cabinet who oppose attacking Iranian nuclear facilities.
The above quote is making its way around the world’s media. It bothers me that the whole world now knows what’s going on deep inside the top Israeli leadership concerning the issue of an attack on Iran, no less. But there you have it. A few days before the Haaretz report, Yediot Aharonot reported that Barak and Netanyahu had already decided to attack Iran, without consulting the other ministers.The Israeli government is furious that Haaretz even reported on the inner deliberations of the Israeli ministers. Now everybody is talking about this issue: should Israel attack Iran before the winter clouds make it difficult for our planes to find their targets? Are Barak and Netanyahu sufficiently experienced to carry out this fateful mission? Is the Israeli home front ready and capable to withstand an Iranian and Hezbollah retaliation? Should the Israeli public be readied to live with the Iranian bomb, or is there no way on earth the Jewish people should ever let radical Islamists arm themselves with nuclear weapons? Should our planes swoop in from the east or the north? What music should the pilots listen to the night before, something rhythmic or something soothing? Metallica or Mozart? Continue reading
