The Israel Brief – 12 August 2024– Is Iranian strike imminent? This and more on The Israel Brief.
The Israel Brief – 13 August 2024– Israel observes Tisha B’Av in the shadow of 7/10. This and more on The Israel Brief.
The Israel Brief – 14 August 2024– Will or won’t Iran attack – this and more on The Israel Brief.
The Israel Brief – 15 August 2024– All eyes on Doha as negotiations underway. This and more on The Israel Brief.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Israel for the past two weeks has been on the brink of a major escalation, if not regional war, following the highly sophisticated assassinations of senior terrorist leaders in Lebanon and Iran, although the latter, Israel has not admitted responsibility.
Despite the risks and ramifications, Israel’s strategy of taking out terrorist leaders in precise “targeted assassinations” undermines the efficacy of these terrorist organizations as attested – albeit begrudgingly – by writers in the Arab media.
See article below by Mohammed Al-Saeedwriting in Okaz, an Arabic Saudi Arabian daily newspaper located in Jeddah. It was translated by Asaf Zilberfarb for Media Line, a news agency specializing in coverage of the Middle East.
What is interesting to note is that criticism is accompanied by admiration of Israel’s prowess, professionalism and penetration:
“While Hezbollah leaders delivered public addresses and rallied supporters with fervent speeches, Israeli agents meticulously gathered intel, even in the most private spaces. What Hezbollah perceived as a 2006 victory was likely a strategic deception by Israel, which has now reached unprecedented levels of intelligence penetration.”
“Property once considered safe – homes, vehicles, and farms -have become targets for Israeli drones and planes.”
“Israel’s target bank has been years in the making, not a result of recent events alone.”
The full article below is illuminating.
David KaplanLay of the Land Editor
ISRAEL’S TARGET BANK IN LEBENON
by Mohammed Al-Saeed
Okaz, Saudi Arabia, July 25
The Israeli state has long been characterized by actions rooted in violence and human rights violations, yet assassination remains a defining feature of its operational strategy. A clear illustration of this can be seen in Mossad’s pursuit and elimination of the masterminds behind the 1972 Munich Olympics attack, orchestrated by the Palestinian militant group Black September. This organization, infamously responsible for the murder of international participants, including Israeli athletes, saw its key planners systematically tracked down and killed by Mossad operatives. Despite some individuals fleeing, disappearing, or hiding in European countries, Mossad’s relentless pursuit ensured their eventual elimination.
In his early sixties, the assassinated Fuad Shukr was believed to be a key military adviser to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Many of these assassinations were carried out discreetly, without Israel officially taking responsibility. It took years to locate some targets, but the determination to execute these missions never wavered.
In the wake of the events of October 7, Israel has been simultaneously pursuing two strategies:
conducting military operations in Gaza and southern Lebanon to dismantle both civil and military infrastructures supporting Hamas and Hezbollah and
utilizing intelligence to target and neutralize leaders at various levels within these organizations.
Hezbollah, which has long prided itself on its robust security apparatus and staunch cadre loyalty, is facing a series of assassinations that challenge its internal cohesion. The growing list of assassinated leaders indicates potential erosion of loyalty, internal disaffection, and even betrayal among key figures who possess sensitive security information. This ongoing assault has deteriorated the image of invincibility that Hezbollah has carefully crafted, subjecting the group to a position of vulnerability. A pressing question emerges: how has Israel managed to infiltrate Hezbollah so thoroughly, executing daily operations with precision and minimal errors? Israel has even hinted at its capability to target Hassan Nasrallah himself. For nearly ten months, Israeli operatives have relentlessly pursued Hezbollah leaders, attacking them in their homes, vehicles, and even when disguised on mules. This persistence highlights weaknesses within Hezbollah’s security administration and hints at internal unrest among its cadres, fatigued by decades of mobilization and empty rhetoric.
A view of the damage following Hezbollah leader’s ‘right-hand man’, Fuad Shukr, killed in Israeli airstrike on Beirut southern suburbs, Lebanon July 30, 2024.
Hezbollah’s boast of resilience and follower loyalty has faltered under the pressure of a conflict defined by more than just guerrilla tactics. Israel’s strategy of neutralizing leaders and denying the group any operational initiative has forced many into a continuous state of flight. Property once considered safe—homes, vehicles, and farms—have become targets for Israeli drones and planes. Such precision attacks owe much to a sophisticated ground intelligence network composed of disillusioned former supporters who no longer subscribe to the party’s ideology. Israel’s target bank has been years in the making, not a result of recent events alone. While Hezbollah leaders delivered public addresses and rallied supporters with fervent speeches, Israeli agents meticulously gathered intel, even in the most private spaces. What Hezbollah perceived as a 2006 victory was likely a strategic deception by Israel, which has now reached unprecedented levels of intelligence penetration. The party’s failure is glaring, not only in protecting its members from consistent attacks but also in its inability to dismantle spy cells that could mitigate its growing disgrace.
Nasrallah says ‘no place’ in Israel would be safe in war, but he may well ask – How safe is he?
The current situation reveals an alarming disintegration of the security and operational efficacy once claimed by Hezbollah. The ongoing assassinations by Israeli forces underscore a deep-seated problem within the organization, reflecting both internal vulnerabilities and the formidable proficiency of Israel’s intelligence and military apparatus.
– Mohammed Al-Saeed
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Humanitarian aid stands as a beacon of hope, intended to alleviate suffering and uphold human dignity in the face of crises. However, when such aid is manipulated by terrorist organizations, it undermines the very principles upon which it is built. This issue has come to the forefront with the misuse of international aid in conflict zones like Gaza, where funds and resources meant for the needy have been exploited by groups like Hamas. The importance of revising humanitarian aid mechanisms to prevent such exploitation cannot be overstated.
The United Kingdom’s recent decision to restart funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) highlights the delicate balance between providing necessary assistance and ensuring that aid does not inadvertently support terrorism. The UK government, aware of the potential risks, has likely reinstated funding with the hope that stringent monitoring and transparency measures will be in place to prevent misuse. However, history suggests that without significant reforms, the danger of aid falling into the wrong hands remains high.
Functioning under Fear. Intimidation is the name of the game as seen here with Palestinian protestors outside the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City on September 19, 2022. (Photo: Atia Mohammed/Flash90).
UNRWA, the agency tasked with aiding Palestinian refugees, has been deeply compromised by its entanglements with terrorist activities. Over the years, it has become evident that UNRWA’s facilities are not merely being misused – they are actively employed in the orchestration of terror attacks. Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, has used UNRWA schools and clinics as launch sites for missile attacks against Israel. These facilities have also served as command centers for Hamas operations, making them integral to the planning and execution of acts of terror.
The infiltration of UNRWA by Hamas extends beyond the misuse of its infrastructure. Disturbingly, some of UNRWA’s own employees were involved in the atrocities committed on October 7th, including acts of kidnapping, rape, and murder. This involvement of UNRWA staff in such heinous crimes is not just an oversight – it reveals a deeper, systemic issue within the organization. Instead of providing a sanctuary for the vulnerable, UNRWA has, in some cases, facilitated the very terror that perpetuates the suffering of the Palestinians.
UNRWA members accused of participating in the October 7 massacres in southern Israel. (IDF Spokesperson)
This deep-rooted corruption and exploitation within UNRWA make it not only complicit in acts of terrorism but also a critical component of Hamas’s strategy to sustain and escalate conflict. Such a compromised organization cannot be trusted to deliver aid without stringent reforms and oversight.
This exploitation of humanitarian aid by Hamas is not a new phenomenon, but its persistence and scale demand urgent action. The existing frameworks often lack the necessary oversight and accountability to ensure that resources reach those most in need rather than being diverted to fuel violence and extremism. The challenge lies in balancing the need to provide immediate relief with the imperative to prevent aid from empowering those who perpetuate conflict.
UK policy towards aid distribution, particularly concerning the Palestinians, has faced criticism for its apparent lack of transparency and due diligence. A recent investigation by The Telegraph revealed potential cover-ups within the Foreign Office regarding funding in Gaza, further fueling concerns over the effectiveness and integrity of the aid distribution process. The lack of transparency not only erodes public trust but also increases the risk that aid might be misappropriated by terrorist-linked entities.
Moreover, UNRWA’s educational materials have been pivotal in radicalizing generations of Gazans, according to watchdog groups. The textbooks used in UNRWA schools have been criticized for promoting hatred and violence, effectively serving as a breeding ground for future extremists. Beyond this, the relationship between UNRWA and various NGOs, some of which have links to terrorist organizations, has raised red flags. A report by NGO Monitor highlighted the complex network of partnerships between UNRWA and NGOs with ties to terror groups, questioning the efficacy of UNRWA’s vetting processes. This situation underscores the need for a comprehensive review of all partnerships and the establishment of rigorous standards to prevent any form of collaboration with organizations that could pose a security risk.
Teacher and Terrorist. On October 7, Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s (PIJ) Rafah Brigade fighter Mamdouh Hussein Ahmad Al-Qek is heard calling his family to tell them he had entered Israel and when asked how he will return home, he responds laughingly, “When I die.” A photo from 2022 of staff members at the UNRWA Shouka Prep Boys School shows Arabic teacher Mamdouh Hussein Ahmad Al-Qek circled in red in the far right of the photo. (Courtesy: IMPACT-SE via Facebook)
To address these challenges, a fundamental shift in the approach to humanitarian aid is required. Aid organizations must adopt stricter monitoring and reporting mechanisms to track how resources are being used. This includes:
– The implementation of real-time tracking systems
– Independent audits
– Increased collaboration with international security agencies to identify and mitigate potential risks
– Transparency should be a cornerstone of all aid operations, with regular public reporting on the allocation and impact of funds
The international community, including donor countries like the UK, must also hold aid recipients accountable. This could involve setting clear conditions for aid distribution, such as mandatory adherence to human rights standards and the exclusion of any entities with ties to terrorism from receiving aid. Failure to comply with these conditions should result in the suspension or withdrawal of funding.
UNtrue. Although UNRWA has consistently claimed that it doesn’t present cities in Israel as Palestinian as “it violates their neutrality policies”, in Facebook posts from an UNRWA school, posters are seen on the library wall showing the names of Israeli cities within pre-1967 borders described as “Palestinian”, such as Yavne (Yibna), Acre, and Maghar.
Revising humanitarian aid practices is not just about protecting resources – it’s about preventing a cascade of violence that extends far beyond the immediate conflict zones. The inability to reform these systems will not only lead to more violence in places like Gaza but will also empower terrorist organizations with the resources they need to carry out attacks on a global scale, including in Europe. The international community has a moral obligation to ensure that aid reaches its intended recipients and is used to build a foundation for peace, not war.
Without the implementation of reform as suggested above, the very aid designed to protect lives will likely end up causing more.
*Feature picture: Activists protest against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) outside their offices in Jerusalem, March 20, 2024.(Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90).
About the writer:
Itai Reuveni is an expert on social movements and their impact on politics, and the role not-profit organizations play in funding terrorism and promoting antisemitism. He is the Director of Communications at NGO Monitor, a Jerusalem based non-profit research institute. Itai is an alumnus of the International Visitor Leadership Program, the U.S. State Department’s premier leadership program for foreign professionals.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
To strike or not to strike – these are the agonizing questions confronting all parties in the conflict.
By Jonathan Feldstein
I received an email last week from a US-based journalist asking me when the war starts, can he call me for a live interview. I said yes, and gave him my home landline for which we have purchased an old analog phone in case our power and cellular service are knocked out for an extended period. Israelis are taking precautions for the worst while trying to go about our lives. The new/old phone is just one example. It’s not new and it’s not the only example.
As tension mounts in Israel, waiting for an inevitable attack by Iran, or the Iranian Islamic terrorists proxy Hezbollah, or others in Yemen, or Iraq, the following statement could have been made by any of their terrorist leaders:
“The circumstances through which we are now passing are difficult because we are not only confronting Israel but also those who created Israel and who are behind Israel. We are confronting Israel and the West as well – the West, which created Israel and which despised us Arabs and which ignored us before and since 1948. They had no regard whatsoever for our feelings, our hopes in life, or our rights.”
‘Aiming’ to Devastate. In possession of guided and unguided rockets, antitank artillery, ballistic and anti-ship missiles, as well as explosive-laden drones, Hezbollah is waiting for the order from Nasrallah to release its wrath on Israel. (Photo: AFP)
While these words sound like they are pulled out of the headlines of this week’s news, these comments were made by Egyptian President, Gamal Abdel Nasser, in May 1967. Fifty-seven years ago, the words could be the same today. In many ways, the circumstances are the same as well: Israel waiting perilously for an imminent attack.
In 1967, Israel’s enemies were allied as “the United Arab Republic”. Today they call themselves the “Axis of Resistance” under the Iranian Islamic regime, but really are the Axis of Evil.
For weeks leading up to the 1967 Six Day War, Israelis waited in fear for what was coming and what could have been a devastating attack, even a knock-out punch for the 19-year-old country. Car headlights were painted black, blackout curtains were hung, and even public parks were dug up and prepared as cemeteries for tens of thousands of projected casualties.
The Waiting Game. Recalling past anxieties when Israeli youth dig trenches prior to the Six Day War in 1967.
The reality is it’s very tense here: waiting for something we all believe to be imminent, not knowing when and how bad that will be, or what our response will be. And with it, the public debate about what the response ought to be. As we go about our lives, there’s an awareness that at any moment everything can change; all the plans, vacations, and even going shopping can be canceled.
It must have been similar leading up to the Six Day War except then we could have been wiped out, not just hurt badly, and then we had the will to act preemptively which made the war’s victory so decisive. A recent poll shows that half of Israelis support a preemptive strike, against Iran, Hezbollah, and anyone who threatens us.
An Axis of Evil attack could see 500 people killed in Israel daily for the first weeks of the war. That will be devastating indeed. Unimaginable carnage. Calls for a preemptive strike are legitimate. But the support of the US and others (including the Arab states, which is remarkable and important), also ties our hands. Rather than proactively and boldly attacking our enemies where we can limit their abilities to hurt us the most, the coalition of western and Arab states force Israel to behave defensively rather than taking on the Iranian Islamic regime and its proxies to stop them. This means that we will be forced to keep kicking the can down the road, rather than landing a knock-out punch to them that will keep us safe. And “us” is all of us, Israel, the West, and the moderate Sunni Arab states as well, all enemies of the Iranian Islamic regime.
I appreciate the US and others’ help, but sadly, part of me believes that as much as they may want to help protect us, there’s a lack of understanding that we need to go on the offensive to crush the enemies, otherwise we’ll be back in this situation again and again, maybe with a nuclear Iran. And part of me believes that no little amount of the support we are seeing is because the WORST situation for the US and others is a regional escalation (and high gas prices going into an election). This was amplified with US officials warning Israel not to “push it” in a strike against Iran and its proxies, presumably including no preemptive attack.
At wits end. In a highly charged atmosphere, Iran and its proxies are playing a ‘battle of wits’ with Israel. (Photo: AP)
Other than not defeating Iran and its proxies decisively as in 1967 which will keep the threat against Israel alive and imminent, signaling a policy to avoid escalation encourages and emboldens the other side to do so with impunity.
Israel is in the cross-hairs again and the players are different, but many others are at risk as well. In 1967, Egypt blocked the Red Sea as an act of war against Israel. Today, the Iranian backed Houthis are blocking international shipping to the Red Sea and Egypt’s Suez Canal, also an act of war and causing Egypt major financial losses.
This is just the latest of Egypt and the Iranian Islamic regime being at odds. Iran was responsible for the 1981 assassination of President Sadat, supporting the outlawed Moslem Brotherhood, and Hamas which also threatens Egyptian stability domestically.
The stress of waiting is part of Iran’s goal, and they have excelled at it. While Israel (along with the US and others) can truly knock out the Iranian Islamic regime, and we ought to, recently a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Commission, Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, was quoted as affirming this. Ardestani bragged that Israel “feels every night that it is in limbo, and keeping Israel in limbo is part of the revenge operation.”
Preparing for Escalation. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visits new IDF recruits on August 11, 2024. (Photo c: Ariel Hermon/Defense Ministry)
Largely because of the golden handcuffs of the US and other countries support, Israel’s policy has been strategic precision strikes against terrorist leaders, rather than striking preemptively. Unfortunately, while a strong defense is critical, it cannot preclude an equally strong offense.
Last month, Israeli planes attacked Yemen’s port, Al-Hudaydah following a Houthi drone attack on central Tel Aviv that killed one. This attack was a necessary and measured reprisal, also signaling Iran that Israel has the capability to attack in a precise way, some 1100 miles away, coincidentally the range of Tehran and much of the Islamic regimes nuclear and military facilities.
After Israel’s counter strike, some Israelis said that the Israeli military should have carried out a similarly forceful response against Hezbollah at the beginning of the conflict. Many are discussing what crippling attacks on Iranian targets would be such as its oil refineries, military and economic infrastructure, and ports along with the Ayatollahs and IRGC leaders themselves.
Angered Ayatollah. Latest Israeli intelligence suggests Iran prepares to attack Israel within days.
Calls for preemptive strikes consider attacking enemies based on their threats and capabilities, not after the fact based on the outcome of the enemies’ attacks.
With some 100,000 Israeli citizens still displaced from their homes because of threats and actual damage to their communities, and most Israelis living under the cloud of waiting for the war to escalate, Israel needs to act boldly, as it did in 1967, and give its enemies something to worry about rather than allowing our waiting to be a successful front in their psychological warfare.
About the writer:
Jonathan Feldstein - President of the US based non-profit Genesis123 Foundation whose mission is to build bridges between Jews and Christians – is a freelance writer whose articles appear in The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Townhall, NorthJersey.com, Algemeiner Jornal, The Jewish Press, major Christian websites and more.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
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Israel aspires and inspires at 2024 Paris Olympiad and sends message of resilience
Poetic Poise. In a time of massacre, hostage taking, war and global antisemitism, Israel’s Rhythmic Gymnastics team – as if appealing to the heavens – take silver, bringing Israel’s haul of medals for an Olympic Games to a record seven. (Photo: Gabriel BOUYS / AFP)
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ANYTHING NOVEL ABOUT THIS NOVELIST’S ANTISEMITISM? NOPE….
Popular Belgium writer publicly declares burning desire to murder Jews and world typically ignores By David E. Kaplan
Same old Europe. Disturbing return to the past, when an acclaimed Belgium novelist, Herman Brusselmans, can pen that he wants “to push a sharp knife in the throat of every Jew” he sees and his editor finds nothing wrong in publishing?
In the spotlight of the Olympics, South African leadership attacks Israel rather that deal with problems at home By Kenneth Moeng Mokgatlhe
Food for Thought. Poverty, child malnutrition and rampant crime are South Africa’s daily diet. “How does the Palestine-Israel conflict become South Africa’s priority when we are the world’smost unequal country?” asks the writer.
Strong threats from Teheran of annihilation, Israelis wait… By Jonathan Feldstein
High Anxiety. Waiting to be attacked from multiple directions, the writer delves into the DNA of Israeli resilience and notes Jewish wit such as an online enquirer asking on Friday, “What traditional pre-Armageddon food one should prepare for Shabbat?”
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Popular Belgium writer publicly declares burning desire to murder Jews and world typically ignores
By David E. Kaplan
Clearly, when you kill Jews it’s not murder – something else – but not murder!!
Is there any wonder that when Jews were massacred on October 7, the world quickly lost interest and then comfortably pivoted to blaming the victims not the perpetrators. How insightfully resonant are the poignant words of Booker Prize-winning author Howard Jacobson in his essay on the Shoah and antisemitism:
“The world will never forgive the Jews for the Holocaust.”
Will the world now also not forgive us for October 7?
It seems that when Jews are murdered, “they had it coming” or “they deserve it”. It’s not murder!
So must subscribe the acclaimed Belgium man of prose and poetry, Herman Frans Martha Brusselmans, who passionately penned:
“I want to push a sharp knife in the throat of every Jew I see.”
It would seem to Brusselmans that killing a Jew is not murder!
Aspiring Jew Killer. Flemish novelist, poet and columnist Herman Brusselmans writes that he wants to stab every Jew he says in the throat. (Photo: Wikipedia, Dirk Annemans-Eigen werk)
A novelist, poet, playwright and columnist, Brusselmans lives in Ghent and is one of the best-selling authors in Flanders. When he expressed to the world his desire to murder Jews, he did so not in a raged tweet (X) but in his regular Flemish HUMO magazine column published in Belgium. Clearly, writing with such murderous intent for this popular Dutch-language Belgian weekly, a magazine first published in 1936, was not a spur of the moment expression but one that he had thought long and hard. He must have known only too well that in the current climate of global antisemitism, his writing would incite violence against Jews. He didn’t care.
Or maybe he did care, he cared to seeing again – metaphorically speaking – smoke rising from the ovens of Auschwitz.
A man of words who only too well knows how his own country succumbed to the words of hate when during the Holocaust in Belgium, saw the systematic dispossession, deportation, and murder of Jews. Out of about 66,000 Jews in Belgium in May 1940, around 28,000 were murdered, mostly at Auschwitz. Is this what this best-selling Flemish writer would like repeated? After all, his words are clear that he wants to push a sharp knife in the throat of “EVERY JEW” he sees.
Friends of a Feather. Herman Brusselmans (left bottom) shares the cover of HUMO with Adolph Hitler, Ali Khamenei and larger than life, Yahwa Sinwar but it is only Jews he wants to stab in the throat.
And of the Israeli army that is doing its best and at great sacrifice to defend all Israelis and bring back the hostages, Brusselmans refers to as:
“that Israeli shitty army.”
Israel’s ambassador to Belgium Idit Abu Rosenzweig rightly questions beyond the hateful writing:
“How did this pass editing?”.
Surely legitimizing violence must have crossed a red line. Asks the
ambassador:
“What if someone said in Belgian press ‘I’m so angry I want to stick a knife in the neck of every Muslim I meet?’ Herman Brusselmans did. In Belgium press. But relax! It wasn’t about Muslims; it was just about Jews. In a country where Jews are attacked daily and 70% report fear for their lives.”
Just browsing recent papers, one cannot escape reading about rampant antisemitism across Europe. On Friday last week, US women’s wrestling gold medalist, 20-year-old Amit Elor revealed that she had received antisemitic messages on social media while at the Paris 2024 Olympics like:
“You belong in the gas chamber”
Antisemitism at Paris Olympics. “You belong in the gas chamber” was one of many social media messages 20-year-old American-Israeli gold medalist wrestler Amit Elor received in Paris.(Photo: Luis ROBAYO / AFP)
This is just one of the many comments she says she has received recently.
On Instagram the gold medalist responded:
“Eight years ago, my grandparents survived the Holocaust, but antisemitism is all around us.”
Irony of ‘gas’ company, not lost on Jews! A Lindley Gas Services vehicle with Palestinian flag. Last month, the company posted an image of a man looking into a microscope at the Star of David with an embedded caption: “This is the worst cancer I’ve ever seen”. (Photo: via Facebook)
It is, across Europe, including in Leeds in the UK.
A gas fitting company based in Leeds called last month for an attack on “filthy Zionist dogs” and claimed that “occupied people” have the right to resist “by any means necessary”.
Thus, October 7 massacres are quite in order.
On its Facebook page, Lindley Gas Services posted a series of harsh antisemitic statements, including a picture of a person throwing a Star of David into a trash can, with the caption:
“Keep the world clean”
Clearly, Belgium novelist Brusselmans is keen to help with this “cleaning”.
Not OK in UK. Of the many antisemitic images Lindley Gas Services (a Leeds’s based British company) posted, this one shows a Star of David intertwined with a Nazi swastika adding the words: “The irony of becoming what you once hated”. (Photo: via Facebook)
Sadly, Brusselmans is not an aberration but a sick symptom of Europe today, where Jews today have to again ask the same question their ancestors asked in the 1930s:
“Is there a future in Europe today for Jews?”
With such ‘writing’ in long-established magazines like Belgium’s HUMO to kill Jews wherever you see them then surely the message in Europe is clear:
The writing is on the wall!
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
In the spotlight of the Olympics, South African leadership attacksIsrael rather than deal with problems at home
By Kenneth Moeng Mokgatlhe
I was astonished to see ANC’s Fikile Mbalula and the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture campaigning against Israel at the Paris 2024 Olympics. This happened just as the media broke an international headline that 95 Libyan nationals were discovered in an illegal, non-state military camp in Mpumalanga, posing a national security threat to the entire SADC region.
Masters and Ministries of Misfocus. South Africa’s leadership typically misdirects its focus away from pressing local issues with ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula (above) and the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture campaigning against Israel at 2024 Paris Olympics.
On Saturday morning, I woke up to the devastating news that eight innocent people were killed in a tavern in the Kanana township of the North West Province. Isn’t this supposed to be the government’s priority? It is increasingly evident that the current political leadership does not prioritize the security and safety of impoverished South Africans.
It needs to be emphasized that more than 84 people are killed daily in South Africa, a number that may have increased in 2024. Between January and December 2023, the SAPS reported 27,368 murders – an alarming figure that accounts solely for murder.
Who sent 95 Libyans to South Africa? 95 Libyan nationals linked to an illegal military training camp in Mpumalanga appeared in the White River Magistrates Court on 29 July 2024 on charges of violating the country’s immigration act. (Photo: Katlego Jiyane/Eyewitness News)
While there are white victims, the majority are black. The tragic reality is that black-on-black violence is prevalent, with murder hotspots identified in the Western Cape, Gauteng, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces. Political leaders are aware of these dangers, which is why they employ private security for themselves and their properties, leaving the poor to fend for themselves.
Death by violence – the norm! A mourner holds a photo near the coffin of Luke Fleurs, South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs defender, at the funeral outside the New Apostolic Church in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, South Africa, April 20, 2024. (Photo: Esa Alexander/Reuters)
South Africans deserve diligent service and constant protection within their country. This has not been the case for many years. People live in fear within their communities, while we claim to address complex issues in Palestine, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Ukraine. We are failing to secure our borders, which have always been porous. Many undocumented migrants from other countries pose a national security threat to innocent people.
In fact, terrorism experts have previously warned that terror groups carrying out attacks in Africa are using South Africa as a financial (and training) base for their heinous activities, resulting in numerous deaths. The country is dotted with illegal, unregistered spaza stores (small shops operating from private home, selling food, drinks, cigarettes, etc. to local people, especially in a township) that do not comply with tax regulations, yet the government has ignored warnings that this money is being used to finance terrorism. Jihadist financing is flourishing in South Africa due to the complacency and greed of public servants and politicians.
Furthermore, our very own Department of Health has conceded in parliament that 15,000 children are diagnosed annually with severe acute malnutrition, with 1,000 dying directly from it. And this is happening in a resource-rich nation!!! Severe acute malnutrition is one of the three leading causes of child deaths accounting another 10,000 deaths a year.
Our political leadership must start treating its citizens as equal by prioritizing them and providing dignified public services. As the saying goes, charity begins at home. We cannot claim to fight for social justice globally while failing to protect our citizens from brutal killings that often do not get investigated, leaving victims without justice. We need to take ourselves seriously.
How does the Palestine-Israel matter become South Africa’s priority when we are the world’s most unequal country? Ten percent of the population which is white owns 80% of the country’s wealth but the political leadership is so obsessed with countries that are more than 6,000 miles away from them.
Hunger in South Africa. For the ANC’s top echelon of leadership, these South African children are less of a concern than the more international grabbing media attention of the Gazan Palestinians in order to falsely besmirch Israel.
South African politicians have convinced themselves that the Israel-Palestine conflict holds political significance and can garner electoral support. However, this has not proven true, as the ANC lost 17% of its national votes despite making considerable noise about the Middle East conflict.
The Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture should focus on domestic issues. Our youth are struggling with alcohol and drugs, yet the department is more concerned with Palestine. Why not collaborate with communities to rehabilitate lost youth and create arts and rehabilitation programs to reduce substance abuse? South Africans voted for representatives to deliver quality services, not to focus on distant conflicts. While our government criticizes Israel, there are lessons to be learned from Israel’s experience in handling terrorism and surviving amidst constant threats. We should also learn from other countries’ use of diplomacy to resolve issues and avoid unnecessary tensions.
Kenneth Moeng Mokgatlhe is a political writer and researcher based at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
The Israel Brief – 05 August 2024– Israel on high alert for Iranian attack and headlines on The Israel Brief.
The Israel Brief – 06 August 2024– The Israel Brief from Dizengoff Square, Tel Aviv.
The Israel Brief – 07 August 2024– Israelis keep calm and carry on ahead of impending Iranian attack and more on The Israel Brief.
The Israel Brief – 08 August 2024 – Are relations between Israel and Norway in jeopardy? The Israel Brief.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Strong threats from Teheran of annihilation, Israelis wait…
By Jonathan Feldstein
I’d be lying if I told you that things are not tense in Israel right now, nationally and personally. As always, one of the ways to get through it is with humor, even when the situation is far from funny.
One of the best social media posts I saw was on Friday asking what traditional pre-Armageddon food one should prepare for Shabbat, the sabbath.
Messaging Murder. Iran publicizes threat to Israel as seen here with workers hanging a billboard in Tehran bearing a portrait of Ismail Haniyeh with a slogan in Hebrew and Farsi saying “Expect severe punishment”. (Photo: Hossein Beris/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Indeed, many Israelis went into Shabbat, the day of rest, very ill at ease. As Orthodox Jews who typically shut off all devices on Friday night for 25 hours, this Shabbat we – and many others – left phones on, on silent, set up our bomb shelter with food and drinks and activities for our grandchildren. We tuned into a silent radio station that broadcasts nothing, unless there is an emergency. All this is to be able to enjoy a peaceful, restful Shabbat according to Jewish tradition, but to be aware of any life-threatening emergency protocol above and beyond the air raid sirens that we are used to.
In a Friday radio interview, I quipped to the host that while I was glad that most of our kids and grandchildren would be with us for Shabbat if anything happened, packing 12 people into a one-room bomb shelter might be stressful, as much as it would be important that we are all together, especially since four of our children live in buildings without bomb shelters.
“On the other hand,” I told the interviewer that “while I will have my phone on for emergencies, if the anticipated Iranian attack happened on Shabbat, I would not be able to film it.” After the April 13 Iranian attack with over 300 drones and cruise and ballistic missiles, and having seen up close one of the missiles (11 meters long with a massive warhead), even if I am in my bomb shelter, were one to hit my building I’d probably not survive anyway. “I’d rather go out getting great video and hope my phone survived.”
Israel Braces. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini, had authorized a direct attack on Israel which is expected as “imminent”.
He felt discomforted by my fatalistic comments and told me it was unsafe, and I should go to my bomb shelter. I joked that he was being like my mother, and that I am sure he’d really love to see the video. He confessed he would. But still.
Shabbat passed uneventfully. We recounted getting on an airplane with five kids from 3-11 exactly 20 years ago to move to Israel. Despite the challenges, and indeed there have been many including those exacerbated by the now 10-month-old war, even with no end in sight and a feeling of Armageddon on the horizon, or something close to it, we agreed it was the best move and we’d do it again every day.
That doesn’t make the reality easier.
Trying to keep up with the pace of life, we’re second-guessing plans, planning not to be too far from home. Just in case. I have three days of meetings scheduled as of now, but understand that anything could change at any moment. My daughter and son-in-law are expecting their fourth in a month and have plans to get away for a night this week, with us watching the grandchildren. Like any good mother, even my radio-host friend, she’s uneasy being an hour away from home and her kids, just in case. They need to get away and I hope they will. Canceling their plans will not be the worst thing to happen if there is a major escalation. But we need to keep on living, not existing in fear.
Motivating Massacre. Motivated for the next round, an Iranian passes by banners outside a government building in Tehran depicting the April 13 missile strike on Israel, April 17, 2024. (Photo: Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Images)
My meetings have been arranged with the unspoken understanding, “barring escalation”. The truth is if/when something happens, I don’t want to be away from home either. So, I am trying to stay close, yet to plan my schedule as if nothing were different, even a travel program to Israel that I am organizing. The truth is that I have to do that because with my work, building bridges between Jews and Christians in support of Israel, I need to be present, to plan for what I can plan, to communicate to the many who look to me for updates, who are praying, advocating for, and donating to us.
Just before Shabbat, there was a kind of reprieve to our nervousness that something might happen imminently with reports that Iran was planning to attack Israel on next week’s observance of Tisha B’Av. All this is part of their psychological warfare, or possibly as I said to my kids, even a disinformation campaign: by us toward the terrorists, or by the terrorists toward us. They could indeed be planning for that date (August 12-13) because of the symbolism, being the anniversary of numerous calamities that have befallen the Jewish people on that date throughout history. Or not. Or just to try to catch Israel off guard. Or maybe something will happen as early as tomorrow as some reports indicate. Who knows.
The one thing I am pretty sure of is that Iran has now created the expectation domestically and globally that they have to retaliate, if not for the assassination of Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukr in Beirut a week ago for which Israel openly took responsibility/credit, then surely for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyah in an IRGC facility in central Tehran the next day, for which Israel has not taken responsibility.
Iranians Fired Up. Iranians burn an Israeli flag during the funeral ceremony of Hamas terror group leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard. Iran has rejected attempts by the US and Arab nations to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, as Israel braces for an attack from the Islamic Republic and the Lebanese Iran-supported Hezbollah. (AP Photo: Vahid Salemi)
It would be very unlikely that the bloodthirsty Iranian Islamic regime won’t respond, and that it won’t do so forcefully. April’s drone and missile attack on Israel was unprecedented in the world. Iran could do worse on its own, or unleashing Hezbollah (with at least 150,000 missiles and rockets, along with an untold number of drones) in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen who have long range Iranian weapons, the remnant of Hamas in Gaza, and even Hamas and other terrorists in Israeli territory.
A multi-front attack will indeed be massive. I don’t know that anyone knows for sure, but I have heard estimates of as many as 500 Israeli casualties a day in the first weeks.
There’s a lot going on, and no less uncertainty. I expect to keep up with these regular updates for people asking and wanting to know what’s really going on. Armageddon notwithstanding.
About the writer:
Jonathan Feldstein - President of the US based non-profit Genesis123 Foundation whose mission is to build bridges between Jews and Christians – is a freelance writer whose articles appear in The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Townhall, NorthJersey.com, Algemeiner Jornal, The Jewish Press, major Christian websites and more.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
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With the winds of war blowing across the Middle East, the winds in Marseille were behind Tom Reuveny speeding him to win gold for Israel in windsurfing
Israel secured one gold in windsurfing and two silver medals in gymnastics at the Olympics on Saturday – a first time in history that Israel has achieved three Olympic medals in a single day. Israel has 6 medals in total so far. Says Reuveni: “Winninggold for Israel means far more than Olympic glory because of the war in Gaza…my brother has beena combat soldier since the war began… its much bigger than me winning this event..”
Articles
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BARTALI RAISED THE BAR
In a post-October 7 world when Jews again are tagged and targeted, the name of cycling legend Gino Bartali personifies true heroism – reflections and recollections during the 2024 Tour de France. By David E. Kaplan
Uphill Battles. During the very hilly penultimate stage of the 2024 Tour de France, the commentator repeatedly made uphill comparisons of race leader Tadej Pogačar with an Italian rider who won the Tour in 1948. The morally high ‘roads’ Gino Bartali took, led him to be recognised at Yad Vashem!
I know evil exists; I’ve seen the evidence By Rolene Marks
What happened that Black Sabbath? “I have seen more footage and photography of the atrocities committed by Hamas than the human soul can bear,” relates this distraught journalist. However, “…this week I saw the evidence of another side of this evil.”
The massacre of Druze children on the Golan, Israel mourns while world ignores. ByJonathan Feldstein
Burying Children. Mourners attend the funeral in Majdal Shams of Druze children killed by Hezbollah rocket fired from Lebanon, July 28, 2024. Events following have only affirmed the concerns and nervousness as the region braces for an escalation of unpredictable proportion.
BEAUTIFUL, BELOVED AMIT MAN – WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH
Last Words. “They are right here,” Amit whispered to her sister on the phone from the besieged clinic at Be’eri as it was stormed by terrorists while she attended the wounded. “Stay strong. I love you.” She never heard from her courageous sister again.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
