British military expert in Israel says understanding the tunnels below Gaza is key to understanding the war above.

By Rolene Marks

“This war from a military perspective is all about the tunnels. They are used for weapons manufacturing, for storage and for maneuvering. The golden rule for any military is your maneuverability,” says Major (ret) Andrew Fox, in an interview with the writer for JNS.  We spoke of the vast damage in Gaza, the visuals of which has many in the international community responding with outrage.

While images of the destruction are used incessantly in the information warfare to typically elicit a robust response from the international community, to fully understand what is happening above ground however, you need to look below ground.  

“The tunnels are a weapons system of their own,” asserts Fox. “People, think of them as hidey-holes; a way to avoid IDF airstrikes – and they are. But they are much more than that and to neutralise the tunnels, you need to destroy what is above them.” Fox explains how Hamas tries to weaponise Israel’s tunnel strategy to solicit international support to get it to stop. They have at times achieved success in this because “Every tunnel is connected to a mosque; to a hospital and to a school, and for Israel to nuetralise these tunnels they need to go through the entrances located in these mosques, hospitals and schools. All the while, a hostile global media contorts the facts by exploiting the visuals to besmirch Israel.” 

Major (ret) Andrew Fox is a former British Army officer who completed three tours in Afghanistan, including one attached to the U.S. Army Special Forces. He also served in Bosnia, Northern Ireland, and the Middle East, was a senior lecturer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and currently serves as a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society focusing on defense, the Middle East, and disinformation. Fox has visited Israel numerous times since the start of the war with Hamas following the atrocities of 7 October and has spent a considerable amount of time with the IDF in Gaza.

In recent weeks, Fox visited Gaza with a cohort from the High Level Military Group (HLMG) “an independent body of former chiefs of staff, senior military officers and cabinet ministers from NATO countries with many decades of expertise at the highest level of land, air and sea conflict and the legality thereof.”

The HLMG has filed a counter-claim at the International Criminal Court (ICC) following the announcement by chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, to issue warrants of arrest for Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant.

Fox elaborated of what the HLMG observed, notably:

“The IDF rules of engagement; collateral damage; the presence of civilians; sites of a protected nature, and then what munitions are suitable in the specific circumstances.”

This explains why, “one in every two airstrikes is cancelled,” says Fox. “If the proposed attack fails any one of the established standards, they abort the mission. Our observations of IDF’s conduct in warfare is clearly correct, moral and legitimate.”

To prove “genocide” as South Africa has accused Israel of at the ICC, “you have to establish intent and you can’t take politicians comments in press conferences as intent,” says  Fox. “Armies don’t take orders from press conferences; they take orders from war cabinets and the official chain of command.”

Regarding the issue of humanitarian aid, it is Fox and the HLMG’s assessment that Israel has gone beyond the requirements under international law .  He elaborates on how Israel has “built and rebuilt damaged roads in Gaza” and food delivered through the border crossings is providing “a caloric 40% daily calorie intake higher than the accepted humanitarian standard.”

This the international media fails to report.

Israel has also facilitated polio vaccines, repaired damaged water pipes and restored electricity supplies. There have been 16,000 aid co-ordinations between the IDF and aid agencies, and “thousands more on top of that,” says Fox.

In recent weeks, UK government announced that they would retract their objection to ICC arrest warrants against Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and its Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant. This change in attitude towards their ally was followed by Foreign Secretary, David Lammy’s announcement to suspend 30 out of 350 arms export licenses. The timing could not have been more hard-hitting as Israeli reeled with grief following the brutal execution of six hostages.

Opining on this decision, “The double insult is performative,” says Fox. “The ordnance licence suspensions will not impact at all to the war in Gaza. None of the thresholds of international humanitarian law were remotely breached. This is purely performative and spiteful.”

STAGGERING STATISTICS

Weighing in on the information battlefield, Fox relates the statistics of media networks that exposes their clear bias: 

“The media have platformed Hamas. I have seen a study that looks at five key media platforms including Sky News, CNN and the BBC. 100% of the time, they cited Hamas fatality statistics. 75% of the time, they mentioned they were from Hamas but not always, 4% of the time they cited IDF statistics. That is the scale of the imbalance. I am trying to tell the truth as I see it and I have a better idea of the truth because I have been to Israel multiple times, I have been on the ground in Rafah, I have spoken to the IDF at every level,” said Fox. “I know it to be true; I have seen it with my own eyes.”

This past Sunday, The Telegraph published a damning expose showing the BBC’s bias and violation of its own impartiality clause.

In Andrew Fox’s opinion, a number of components need to be understood in order to have a better understanding of this war and Israel’s response to the massacre of 7 October, the taking of hostages and the tunnels.

One area where the IDF could improve, is running its information campaign in parallel with its military campaign. This is a lesson for all Western militaries.

There are many lessons that other militaries can learn from Operation Iron Swords and the IDF’s conduct. Fox believes this war will be studied hard and other militaries can learn from the IDF about “urban maneuverability”. Militaries will have to look at urban warfare above and below ground at the same time, how to integrate air power, how to integrate drones, coordination and other factors that have never been done before. Today, “The IDF are clearing out tunnels today far more rapidly than in the beginning of the war,” because, “The Israelis have had to learn it on the job,” concludes Fox.

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).

Could Jordan’s royal appeasement of Islamic extremism lead to the fall of the Hashemites?

By Jonathan Feldstein

September continues to go down as a bad month for peace in the Middle East, particularly relating to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Israel, and Palestinian Arab terrorists.

This week we mark the anniversary of the failed Oslo Accords, which was supposed to accept Israel’s legitimacy and right to exist, end Palestinian Arab terror, and usher in peace. The Oslo Accords were signed in 1993. Oslo became a foothold for Yasser Arafat, the PLO, and Hamas, to bring their genocidal terror closer to and within Israel’s borders.  Thousands have been killed and injured since and as a result. 

This week, a Jordanian national opened fire at the Allenby Bridge (King Hussein) border crossing between Israel and Jordan, killing three Israelis.

This week, throngs of Jordanian civilians marched in solidarity with the terrorist at his funeral, celebrating the murder of three Israeli civilians.

This week, Jordan held elections resulting in the Muslim Brotherhood Islamist Action Front (IAF) winning 31 out of 138 seats in Jordan’s parliament, tripling its representation. While the total voter turnout was a mere 32%, Israel’s war against Hamas was a motivating domestic issue drawing more voters to the Islamist party. The election result is a direct result of rabid public statements by King Abdullah II, and especially his wife, Queen Rania, brazenly fomenting broad public anger for and disdain at Israel, emboldening the Islamists domestically, and other Iranian terrorist proxies.

Last week of course we remembered the mother of all Islamic terrorist attacks on September 11, the ideology behind which is still alive and “well”, threatening all of us in Israel, the US, and around the world.

While quietly King Abdullah cooperates with Israel, the US, and others to preserve his monarchy, and participate in a coalition to prevent Iran from attacking Israel, by making vile anti-Israel statements, he emboldens the Islamists domestically, in Iran, and elsewhere, who would overthrow him in an instant. By supporting anti-Israel sentiments and actions in Jordan, he is enabling his own downfall.

Iran’s influence has played out through increased smuggling of weapons, cash, and terrorists across the 192-mile Jordanian-Israeli border, with a growing number of Jordanians as willing partners. It’s no secret that Iran has set its crosshairs on the Hashemite Kingdom, and will use King Abdullah’s own weakness against him, turning it into the Islamic Republic of Jordan at the earliest opportunity.  In addition to the increased Iranian influence threatening King Abdullah and his monarchy, it also threatens Israel and the entire Middle East which is why it has such willing partners among Jordan’s growing extremist Islamists. 

Underscoring Jordan’s increased radicalism, in addition to the IAF Islamist victory this week, the celebrated Jordanian terrorist Maher Dhiab Hussein al-Jazi who murdered three Israelis was a Bedouin from the southern Jordanian region of Husseiniya, and member of the prominent Huitat tribe. Bedouin are not Palestinian Arabs who make up the majority of Jordan, and considered to be loyal to the King. Maybe not so much anymore, and maybe they now represent an additional internal threat.

Fifty-four years ago, in September 1970, King Abdullah’s father, King Hussein, dealt with a different domestic threat very differently. Black September was a bloody conflict fought between the King’s loyal Jordanian Armed Forces and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) terrorist group. From September 16-27, 1970, King Hussein’s army crushed an armed insurgency featuring PLO hijacking of civilian planes to Jordan, and threatening his legitimacy.  Rather than giving an inch to the PLO terrorists, King Hussein obliterated them, killing tens of thousands, and expelling the PLO presence that had entrenched itself in Jordan. (It’s worth noting that nobody protested Jordan’s slaughtering of so many Palestinian Arabs.)

Why is the threat against Jordan, the King, and the Hashemite monarchy still so real? Jordan is a state that was simply made up in 1921, after Britian lobbed off some 80 percent of the territory of what was referred to as “Palestine” to reward its Hashemite allies. Initially it had the imaginative and geographically correct name, Transjordan, reflecting that it was the eastern part of the British Mandate for Palestine, the other side of the Jordan River, with no previous unique history. The Hashemite monarchy was founded as the Emirate of Transjordan after Britian imported the Hashemite clan that was indigenous to Arabia, to create two new states – Transjordan and Iraq, under King Abdullah I and his cousin King Feisal, respectively. 

Neither Fesial nor Transjordan lasted long.  Feisel was overthrown and murdered in 1958, ending two decades of Hashemite rule. Transjordan achieved independence in 1946, and rebranded its name to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1949.  Abdullah I became Jordan’s first king in a territory that was mostly ethnically Palestinian Arab, with a small minority of Hashemites ruling. He was assassinated by a Palestinian Arab in 1951, and succeeded by Hussein.

Jordan and the Hashemites had largely been a moderating force since before Israel declared independence. King Abdullah I was known to have met with Israeli leaders in secret, to prevent what became the War of Independence which Jordan, in concert with other Arab armies, lost. King Hussein maintained contact with Israeli leaders that could have prevented Jordan entering, and losing in the Six Day War. After a Jordanian soldier killed several Israeli school girls, the King made an unprecedented gesture, visiting the mourning families and apologizing.

I wish it would remain this way, but it seems that in order to preserve his reign today, King Abdullah II is saying, doing, and enabling things that are hostile to Israel, embolden the extremists, and which ultimately will threaten him and the 78-year-old kingdom. The last thing he would do would to be to apologize for, much less visit the three families that are mourning, the murder this week at the hands of a Jordanian truck driver.

Rather than maintaining the “legacy” of September being a bloody month that empowers terrorists, King Abdullah should start today, to build warm public relations with Israel, in his own interest, that of his monarchy, of Israel, and the Middle East on the whole.  Rather than appeasing Islamists, especially this month, Abdullah would do well to learn from his father’s precedent, and prevent the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan from becoming the Islamic Republic of Jordan.

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).

Small in size but big in stature, the Gulf kingdom’s influence is raising serious concerns.

By Allan Wolman

The State of Qatar is a sovereign and independent monarchy, ruled by the Al Thani family, headed by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, with a population of almost 3 million people of which an estimated 88% are expatriates, meaning that less than 400,000 are actual Qatari nationals. Situated on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula, Qatar has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, due to its vast reserves of natural gas and oil.

Despite its small size, it wields a disproportionate influence in world affairs, leveraging its wealth, strategic location, and diplomatic efforts to play a prominent role on the global stage. Through its enormous wealth, Qatar invests heavily abroad, in real estate, sports, media, and education, extending its influence way beyond its size and population. Al Jazeera, the state-funded news network, is one of the most influential media outlets in the Arab world and beyond, and plays a significant role in shaping public opinion to align with the Gulf kingdom’s worldview.

CHEQUEBOOK DIPLOMACY

Positioning itself as a ‘neutral mediator’ on international conflicts, Qatar has mediated several high-profile conflicts – notably Afghanistan, Sudan and Lebanon – that have brought it unparalleled attention. Driving a foreign policy that is independent albeit controversial, Qatar has maintained an important relationship with the United States (which has a significant military base in the Gulf state), while also cosying up to regional powers like Iran and Turkey. It may be worth noting that whilst acting as an ‘honest broker’ in talks between Hamas and Israel, Qatar hosts and finances Hamas, which must surely raise questions about the nation’s broader strategic goals and alignment, especially given the controversial nature of supporting a recognized terrorist group.

SPOILSPORT

Qatar’s investment in sport seems out of all proportion to its small size and population, which raises some serious questions after its hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with its investment in the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) football club and a reported $4 billion investment in Monumental Sports & Entertainment. The Gulf country is synonymous with “Sportswashing”, a new millennium term that best describes the camouflage practice of countries or their governments using sports to improve their public image tarnished by wrongdoing and in Qatar’s case, distracting from negative aspects of their abysmal human rights record. A prime example of Qatar’s sportswashing, was its controversial win to host the FIFA 2022 World Cup. This small, wealthy emirate on the Persian Gulf became the first Arab country to be awarded a summer soccer tournament in a country where daytime temperatures in those months often exceed 120 degrees. Is it any wonder it drew fierce criticism and deep suspicion and was seen by many as a way to provide a veneer to cover up disturbing hidden truth of the country’s maltreatment of its migrant workers, its restrictive laws on freedom of expression, and issues related to LGBTQ+. Included in its potent advocacy arsenal is its national airline, Qatar Airways which engages in numerous global high-profile sports sponsorships thus diverting the focus on its controversial policies. It would come as no surprize if a Qatar bid for the Olympics is not on the horizon in the near future.

COLLEGE CHAOS

Recent events on college campuses have underlined Qatari financing of several elite U.S. and other Western universities through its educational ‘initiatives’, particularly through the establishment of Education City in Doha, which hosts branch campuses of prestigious universities from around the world, primarily from the United States. 

However, Qatar’s financial contributions to U.S. colleges must raise questions about its potential influence on political thought given the turmoil witnessed at major universities that receive Qatar funding. Following recent publication of reports on antisemitism in the US, critics have argued that Qatar’s financial entanglement in US higher education has strengthened antisemitism in colleges, demonstrably evidenced since the October 7 massacre in Israel. By lavishing billions on US higher education that includes the  funding of endowment chairs, research centres, and specific programs that steer academic focus aligned with the interests of Qatar, the Gulf kingdom is fueling anti-Israel and anti-Jewish trends.

Now with Qatar’s ties to US universities being  increasingly scrutinized amid the rise in antisemitism, one does not have too much difficulty of where to look.

As the saying goes “money talks” so follow the money!

About the writer:

Allan Wolman in 1967 joined 1200 young South Africans to volunteer to work on agricultural settlements in Israel during the Six Day War. After spending a year in Israel, he returned to South Africa where he met and married Jocelyn Lipschitz and would run  one of the oldest travel agencies in Johannesburg – Rosebank Travel. He would also literally ‘run’ three times in the “Comrades”, one of the most grueling marathons in the world as well as participate in the “Argus” (Cape Town’s famed international annual cycling race) an impressive eight times. Allan and Jocelyn immigrated to Israel in 2019.

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).

They came, murdered, pillaged, raped, butchered, incinerated and then paraded with pride their dastardly deeds as trophies

By Jonathan Feldstein

Recently, my social media has been overwhelmed with videos filmed by people on safari tours in Africa, capturing the moment when carnivorous animals attack, kill, and devour their prey.  Clearly these videos of the wild enjoy a popularity but I could hot help comparing the savagery of what transpires not in Africa but on my soil – Israel – and not by animals but by people; more specifically our neighbors. Are there parallels when one species behaves savagely in accordance with nature to survive and the other seems to survive as a savage because that is today sadly their nature?

This week Israel is grieving. Not again, but still. Even more. This week marks 11 months since the inhumane Hamas massacre in Israel, murdering 1200 people in the most unspeakable ways, raping and sexually mutilating many, burning people alive, and executing parents in front of their children and children in front of their parents. The terrorists kidnapped more than 250 people from dozens of nations (of whom 101 remain in captivity in Gaza).

Last week, 48-72 hours before their potential rescue by the IDF operating in Rafah, Hamas terrorists executed six of the hostages, shooting them multiple times at close range. They even filmed their victims before, documenting their crime for all to witness. They brazenly released this footage one by one to take pride in their cruelty, and to increase the suffering of the families and indeed all Israelis.

There has been no shortage of grief over 11 months, for the 1200 victims slaughtered on October 7, the 250 plus kidnapped, hundreds of soldiers killed in combat to defeat Hamas and rescue the hostages, and scores of civilians killed since as well.  Tens of thousands of rockets, missiles, and drones are still being fired from Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Iran, and even still from Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

In Judaism, 11 months marks the end of a stage of mourning, specifically for a parent.  Hundreds of thousands or Israelis and others from dozens of nations are mourning still: a parent, grandparent, son or daughter, sister or brother, spouse or fiancé, cousin, uncle, or aunt, best friend, classmate, or neighbor. While grief and mourning are personally profound, the difference nationally is that our mourning and grief have not only not ended, but continued, deepened, and impacts us all.  Every time the name of a soldier killed in battle is “cleared for publication,” when a child is killed by a terrorist rocket, or when the body of a hostage is recovered from a terror tunnel, we as a nation are deeply impacted.

Simply, there is no end in sight for the mourning. That was made evident this week as six more human beings who were executed, and whose bodies were recovered and returned home for burial.

Of more than 100 hostages still held in captivity, more than 30 of the remaining hostages are known to be dead, their remains inhumanely held by Hamas terrorists, to inflict the maximal suffering and psychological trauma on all Israelis.

In addition to their cruelty which they engage in as if it is an act of worship, Hamas terrorists and their Iranian Islamic patrons celebrate the social divisions created in Israel by the steadfast pursuance of the dual goals of defeating Hamas and rescuing all the hostages. Some stand firm that all the hostages must be brought home at any cost, as if Hamas is actually interested in making such a deal, while others stand firm that Israel must continue to defeat Hamas in any way possible.  

The divisions in Israeli society are depicted in many ways from regular social protests to public disagreements in the government. This week, in response to the execution of the hostages, a national strike took place across Israeli schools, malls, public transportation, the airport, municipalities and more.  The pain is deep and how Israelis are approaching a solution has become divisive.

All the while, the Islamic terrorists in Tehran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas leaders in high rise luxury hotels in Qatar and underground tunnels in Gaza, celebrate and do everything possible to avoid releasing any hostages, dead or alive, as evidenced this week. Make no mistake, the Islamic terrorists want nothing to do with a ceasefire or releasing hostages for cruelty is their currency.

DEFINING DIFFERENCE

Back to the deluge on my social media of videos on Africa depicting lions, leopards, hyenas, crocodiles, and other predators out for the kill. Yes, they stalk far weaker species than themselves but they do so out of instinct, not to amuse but to survive. They do not set to intentionally inflict pain or misery but to seek food; it is the way of nature.

Since October 7, many have referred to Hamas and other Islamic terrorists as “animals”, but that is a misnomer, if ever there was one. The terrorists from Gaza are not animals; such name calling would be an insult to the animals I see on the social media.  These erroneously-named Hamas “animals” massacred, raped, mutilated, incinerated, executed, and kidnapped not for survival, but to inflict hateful terror. They also relished in their  killing orgy and then proudly paraded their ‘prey’ back in Gaza  – those dead and barely alive – that others may share in their ‘booty’.

Unlike the animals in the wild I see on social media, the so-called ‘animals’ that went on a bloody  rampage of murder and pillage on October 7 2023, may share the same DNA biologically with the human species but that is where it ends. This was not nature but nurture, their cruelty towards Jews and the sheer enjoyment and pleasure they derived from it, was something inbred, taught from their parents, grandparents, sons or daughters, sisters or brothers, spouse or fiancé, cousins, uncles, or aunts, best friends, classmates or neighbors. Evil is tragically inherent today in their culture and is compounded by the lack of self-realization and self-recognition of its consuming power.

For the survival of humanity and western civilization, Hamas and other Islamic terrorists are dangerous predators that need to be eliminated, not negotiated with.

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).

Is “Never Again” simply an elusive item on a Jewish wish list?

 By David E. Kaplan

How can it be in the third decade of the 21st century that 6 Jews – in the midst of negotiations – are summarily executed in cold blood.  With bullets to the head , it could have just as well have been before a freshly dug-up pit instead of an underground tunnel, for the Gazan executioners were of that same murderous mindset. They may have not worn the same uniform of the Nazisbut they were certainly in uniform with that same malignant ideology.

The imagery of a past juxtaposed with the present is inescapable, a stark reminder of the Einsatzgruppen – the Nazi death squads that roamed Eastern Europe, perpetrating mass executions by shooting rounded-up defenseless Jews wherever they found them. The first Jews selected, dug the pits –  for themselves and for the others to follow. It was a ‘temporary solution’ until the more sophisticated “Final Solution”.

Hamas are the heirs of this legacy; but if the Nazis tried to cover their tracks, not Hamas that brazenly advertises to the world their murders as if proudly marketing a merchandise in the hope the fad of Jew hatred will catch on globally. It has!

Such is the security status today of Jews in the 21^st century.

“How can it be?” is the question.

Easy.

No soon after the Hamas triggers were pulled ending the lives of Hersh Goldberg–Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat and Almog Sarusi – the United Kingdom decides  to suspend select arms exports to Israel.  

No shame or embarrassment – none.

This diabolical decision  made on the same day of the funerals of the abovenamed executed hostages, sent not a “mixed-message” signal as some have called it but a clear message to Hamas and their supporters that Briton “understands” – read sympathetic –  to their position. The UK decision was applauded by these mass murderers and their fiendish affiliates and supporters.

However camouflaged with verbiage the British ‘explanation’, the UK’s new Labour government is evidently now more concerned with appeasing an ever-increasing numerically powerful and volatile Muslim community than with supporting an ally with supposedly shared values.  This “ally”  – being the irksome Jewish state – is looking increasingly expendable in the wake of the new Labour policy of expediency. As Labour Party member representing Birmingham Yardley Jess Phillips recently admitted at an event at the Kiln Theatre in North London:

 “I was seen much quicker by a doctor in a crowded emergency room, at a National Health Service hospital because the medical professional was a Palestinian who noted that that I was a Labour MP who had voted in favor of a Gaza ceasefire.” 

Astute observation Jess in how to jump a queue – such is politics today in the UK.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is fooling few with his  lame justification for the freeze  that it “is not a blanket ban” but only “a targeted measure” aimed at “preventing potential human rights violations.” In other words, why make such a fuss, it’s not so serious.

That’ would be like Edward I in 1290, when expelling the entire Jewish population of England saying, “Don’t worry; it will be fine; the weather on the Continent is far more suitable for your lot.”

Mr. Foreign Secretary, your words are demeaning and offensive.

How dare you try sell it to us that the British ban is of little consequence – being only 30 of 350 arms export licenses!

In British parlance – “Tripe”. It’s super serious.

It was an official public posture amounting to siding with evil.

The reality on the ground is that Israel goes to extraordinary lengths to minimize civilian casualties, even as Hamas cynically uses Gaza’s civilian population as human shields. The Foreign Secretary knows this but felt he had to be seen doing something against Israel; show some support for those who are determined to bring about Israel’s demise in an existential war that also threatens Jews across the world.

Britain’s conduct is a slap in the face to Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself and to the IDF’s commitment to adhering to international law, and stands exposed as waffling during a war, for the UK is not responding to actual violations by Israel but – in their words – “at preventing potential human rights violations.”

How would Britain have reacted if in the 1940s, if the US suspended some of its vital convoys across the Atlantic under a US concern articulated by President Roosevelt that he wanted to prevent “potential human rights violations” of Germans.

They would have heard in Washinton, Churchill bellowing from across the channel.

It is not only Israel, but Jews everywhere are feeling betrayed by the UK.

It is very rare that the UK’s Chief Rabbi takes issue with a British government in power but this is what happened when the Commonwealth’s Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, denounced the decision by the British government to suspend 30 out of some 350 arms export licenses to Israel.

In a statement on X, Sir Mirvis said that it “beggars belief” that such a decision was made:

 “…at a time when Israel is fighting a war for its very survival on seven fronts forced upon it on the 7th October, and at the very moment when six hostages murdered in cold blood by cruel terrorists were being buried by their families.”

FROM UK TO UN

In the wake of Hamas’ execution of the 6 Jews, the UN’s behaviour is no less  appalling even if no longer startling.  Commenting on the execution of the six Gaza hostages, United Nations Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, expressed that all hostages, both “Israeli and Palestinian,” should be freed.

“Free the hostages, both Israeli and Palestinians,” she posted on X, formerly Twitter.

What “hostages” does Israel have, Francesca?

The UN’s representative  is equating Israelis kidnapped during a massacre with Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails for acts of violent terrorism. The Palestinians incarcerated in Israeli jails made an active choice to commit a crime, while the only “crime” committed by the Israeli and other foreign hostages was that they were Jewish or were in Israel. 

The UN’s Albanese’s characterization is deliberate as it is dangerous – designed to further marginalize Israel and undermine its legitimacy, contributing to global antisemitism.

And no castigation from the UN Secretary General for he invariably shares this mindset of false equivalency between Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. He could say something. He chooses not to.

With such global leadership only eight decades from the Shoah, is “Never Again” to be really “Never Attainable”?

For Hamas there is no substitute for menacing and murderous resistance; negotiations are only a façade.

By Dr. Peter Wandwasi
Senior Research Fellow at the University of Johannesburg

While Hamas vows never to recognise the legitimacy and existence of the Jewish state, the State of Israel is not going to vanish. Any future international negotiating efforts to reach an agreement resulting in a two-state solution necessitates either Hamas sits not at the negotiating table or no longer exists. Its actions and positions preclude its participation.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict enlists historical complexity and has become a contemporary subject of heated intellectual debate amongst scholars here in Africa. However, factoring in the dimension of Hamas into this historical complexity adds a new spin for the worst against not only the intellectual debate aimed at seeking solutions towards ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but situates the involvement of Hamas as a deleterious force which in all its intentions, seeks to undermine the much needed two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In August 1988, Hamas, published its Covenant for its struggle against Israel in which it calls for the total destruction of the state of Israel. Article 11 of Hamas’s August 1988 Covenant, for example, unequivocally, states that the land of Palestine from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea is an Islamic endowment and that none of it should be squandered or given up by:

– any organisation

– a single Arab country

– all Arab countries

– any king or President nor all kings or all presidents be they Palestinians or Arab. 

Furthermore, Article 13 reiterates, by interpretation, that peaceful solutions and international conferences which are in contradiction to the principles of Hamas are not considered capable of realising the demands of Hamas and that these peaceful solutions are only intended to yield to the infidels (referring to Israelis and Jews) occupying the land belong to Muslims.

The August 1988 Hamas Charter is a galvanising invitation to Muslims across the globe to join its struggle aimed at the total annihilation of the state of Israel through the propagation of violent resistance within the context of a holy struggle and martyrdom by brainwashing its members and deploying them as suicide bombers not only against Israel military targets but also against Israeli civilian targets. Hamas has rejected international negotiated agreements such as the Oslo Accords as merely schemes to sell off the Palestinian land to the infidels. The Palestinian state from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea and from the south to the North, Hamas argues, will come from resistance and not from negotiations.

HARDLINE HONCHOS

In general, the exiled Hamas leader Khaled Mashal reflects Hamas’ hardline wherein he always argues that there will be no concession on any inch of the land of Palestine, reiterating that Hamas will never recognise the legitimacy of Israel and that Hamas will free Jerusalem inch by inch, stone by stone and that Israel has no right to be in Jerusalem.  The charter also employs language that explicitly calls for the killing of Jews.

Before his assassination, Ismail Haniyeh, who replaced Mashal as head of Hamas political bureau in exile, celebrated the carnage inflicted by Hamas on innocent Israeli civilians including foreigners attending a party on 07 In October 2023. In a jubilation message, Haniyeh stated that the political, military, intelligence, security and morale of the state of Israel was crushed and was optimistic that the State of Israel will be defeated by Hamas and expelled from all Palestinian lands from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea and from north to the South following the 7 October 2023 incursion into Israeli territory. While Haniyeh celebrated the massacre of civilians and foreign tourists, Reuters reported on 15 October 2023 that President Mahmoud Abbas did not share Haniyeh’s enthusiasm and criticized Hamas’s murderous spree of innocents. In furtherance of his disapproval, President Abbas added that Hamas policies and actions do not represent the Palestinian people nor the policies, programs and decisions of the Palestinian liberation organisation (PLO). By implication, Hamas was acting against the legitimate interests of the Palestinian people.

In general, the positions of world leaders are mostly unequivocal in condemning the heinous crimes committed by Hamas during its incursion into Israeli territory arguing for a peaceful settlement of the underlying causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulting in a two-state solution. Included in this camp is African Union Chairperson, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani who has reportedly emphasised that it is Hamas’ rejection of Israel’s right to exist as being the main impediment of international efforts to resolve the crisis. So too the Algerian government that has heightened the call for the de-escalation and a cease fire through dialogue, arguing that violence only serves to perpetuate unending suffering for the civilian population that bears the brunt of every conflict. President Biden, whose country renders unwavering support to the state of Israel has pushed for Middle East leaders to support the two-state solution saying there is no going back to the 6 Oct 2023 status quo.  The President of the European Commission, Ursula Van der Leyen, affirms Israel’s right to self-defence.

Plausibly, while the Oslo Accords are believed to have paved the way for a two-state solution bringing an end to the protracted violence and tensions between Israel and Palestine, Hamas has, nonetheless, reiterated its disdain of any agreement that seeks to promote a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Instead, Hamas has chosen the path of not only murdering innocent civilians including those they suspect as collaborating with Israel, but has vowed never to stop attacking Israel.

Israel’s present mop up process against the murderous Hamas elements hiding in the enclave must continue in order to lay the foundation for genuine and effective negotiations between the State of Israel and well-meaning Palestinian leaders towards a two-state solution, where, Palestinians and Israelis can live side by side in peaceful coexistence.

With Hamas eternally pledged to never recognise Israel’s right to exist and committed to perpetrating future 7 October massacres, all international negotiating efforts necessary to reach an agreement resulting in a two-state solution can only be one where Hamas is effectively not at the negotiating table.

About the writer:

Dr. Peter Wandwasi (PhD) is a Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation, University of Johannesburg.

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).

Observations and insights from an encounter with ‘strangers’ coming together in Jerusalem on behalf of the hostages.

By Galya Tregenza  Hall

You never really know who you are talking to or who you are walking past when you go about your life here in Israel.

I was reminded of this recently when I attended a night of communal singing in Jerusalem that was organized by Jon Polin and his wife Rachel Goldberg, the parents of American-Israeli hostage, Hersh. Hersh was kidnapped on that dreaded day of October 7 last year whilst he was at the Nova music festival. Hundreds and hundreds of people gathered to sing together, pray together, cry together and hope together….for the return of Hersh, and all the other hostages still being held captive so brutally in Gaza.

It was a poignant evening and I feel privileged to have been a part of it. There was something so beautiful about strangers joining together and raising their voices in unison and hope, despite the intense sadness and desperation that seemed to define every face I looked into. The beauty and strength of the Israeli people permeated the atmosphere that night. In actual fact it was not a gathering of strangers but a gathering of one big family who came together in the most moving manner. We all knew why we were there; we all understood the almost intrinsic need in each of us to be together and ‘do something’ …  of course, we also understood that our singing would not bring Hersh home but then again, who knows? Psalm 133 tells us that:

“How good and pleasant it is
    when God’s people live together in unity!

It is like precious oil poured on the head,
    running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
    down on the collar of his robe.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
    were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
    even life forevermore”.

I experienced complete unity that night with everyone around me. Perhaps God will bestow His blessing and grant life forevermore to the hostages. This remains my prayer.

Whilst at the gathering I got chatting to a man who was there with his two sons. It turned out that they were very close family friends of Hersh’s family and that Hersh was like a big brother to his two teenage boys who stood by looking quite overwhelmed, dressed in t-shirts donning his face alongside the words:

‘BRING HERSH HOME’

I swallowed deeply and listened as their father recounted stories to me of different ways Hersh had impacted his son’s lives and how much they miss him, how much they grieve and how desperate they and his family feel. I stumbled over my words trying to find the right thing to say but all I could come up with was, “I’m so sorry”.

Moments later a friend came up to me and told me she wanted to introduce me to someone, a lady that had been standing with us chatting to some other people. Turns out this lady is an Iranian Christian who was jailed in Iran and sentenced to death, before being miraculously released and able to now live in safety in America. She is committed to developing relationships between the Iranian and Israeli people and speaking up boldly on behalf of the Jewish people. I couldn’t believe my ears as she shared some of her story. I was deeply humbled to meet her and could not stop the tears as I watched her go up to Hersh’s father and tell him who she was and what had happened to her. She assured him that miracles do happen, that she was living proof and that he must not lose hope and not stop believing for a miracle for his son.

As the evening came to an end I was preparing to leave when I noticed an elderly lady walking past me. She had a look in her eyes and face that I can only describe as excruciating pain. Tears were falling down her cheeks. I could not let her pass by. I approached her and opened my arms. She accepted and I embraced her. We did not speak. She collapsed in my arms and buried her head into my shoulder, weeping and weeping. I just held her. We did not need to talk. We were united in a way that did not require words. Perhaps this is what the Psalmist was talking about.  After some time, she composed herself and looked up at me. She whispered the words “thank you” and continued on her way. I do not know who she was. Maybe she has a relative held hostage, maybe she has a grandchild fighting in Gaza, maybe she lost a loved one on October 7, or maybe she is simply a human being who has been deeply wounded by displays of such inhumanity.

Through my work with Christian Friends of Israel, I am constantly meeting people who, since October 7, are traumatized and suffering for many different reasons, but what I experienced at the night of communal singing reminded me that every person we come into contact with has a story and deserves empathy. Whether it’s the man driving the bus or the lady on the till in the supermarket…. Whether it’s the shopkeeper or the young girl making our coffee … You never really know who you are talking to or who you are walking past when you go about your life here in Israel.

Let’s all treat each other with an extra dose of love and gentleness and let’s all choose to offer kindness and words of peace to people we come into contact with. We should not underestimate the power of these characteristics.  With the war continuing in Gaza, tensions steadily increasing in the north, our hostages still in captivity and a regional war with Iran and her proxies looming, I hope we can all do our best to live as the Psalmist described because round about now, we could all sure do with a blessing from Above.

About the writer:

Galya Tregenza  Hall is Director of Media and Public Relations, Christian Friends of 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).

Deeply compromised by its entanglements with terrorist activities,  its time to reform to save rather than lose lives.

By Itai Reuveni Director of Communications at NGO Monitor

(Republished with kind permission from the Forum for Foreign Relations)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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 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.

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.”

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.

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).

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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).