Tag: war

Netanyahu is out and Biden is in. Why Israel is embracing a new ‘father figure’

Posted on by Lone Candle

“About 15 minutes into President Joe Biden’s Zoom call last Friday with families of Americans taken hostage by Hamas, a White House aide started to end the session.
But Biden wouldn’t have it, according to one of the family members on the call.

“The president actually looked at him and said: ‘Last time I checked I’m the president of the United States. And this meeting will end when I say it ends,'” said Ruby Chen of Israel, the father of Itay Chen, a 19-year-old member of the Israel Defense Forces and a dual US-Israeli citizen who is among those missing. “He actually wanted to hear from every single one of us.”

The moment encapsulated Biden’s sudden transformation from a political figure whose commitment to Israel was often questioned by conservative critics inside and outside the Jewish state to – right now – arguably the world’s leading champion of Israel outside the Middle East.

Biden’s actions and words since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, capped by a dramatic visit Wednesday to Israel, have been lauded even by many of Biden’s biggest skeptics in Israel as he stands in solidarity with Israel and pledges “unprecedented” military assistance.

“Israelis were hungry for a father figure that will hug them and show empathy. And the president has done that in such a way that really touched every Israeli,” said Nimrod Novik, a former foreign policy adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and now a fellow with the Israel Policy Forum.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/war-israel-gaza-rages-president-093619159.html

Propagandists are exploiting Syria’s suffering to win the information war in Gaza

Posted on by Lone Candle

“In one video, children cry amid rubble. In another, explosions rip through residential neighbourhoods. The images have gone viral on X (formerly Twitter), purporting to be from the ongoing chaos in Israel and Gaza. They actually originate from the war in Syria – including my family’s besieged hometown of Aleppo, where the Assad regime’s tanks once fired on my grandparents’ home while they were still inside.
They are not isolated examples, and the proliferation of misinformation on X is now so extreme that the European Commission began an official investigation last week. The past week has proved that the site is now unable to effectively tackle the spread of falsehoods in a time of crisis.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/propagandists-exploiting-syria-suffering-win-122424758.html

Israel Resumes Water Supply to Southern Gaza

Posted on by Lone Candle

“Israel has resumed the supply of water to southern Gaza, Israel’s energy minister Israel Katz confirmed Sunday, following an agreement between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Biden. “This will push the civilian population to the southern (part of the) Strip,” Katz said in a statement, a week after Israel had cut off water and the provision of other supplies to the entire territory. The decision came as Israel demanded one million Palestinians evacuate from Gaza’s north, in advance of Israel’s anticipated ground invasion to confront Hamas. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s State of the Union that Israeli counterparts had told him “they have in fact turned the water pipe back on in southern Gaza.” Sullivan said the Biden administration’s goal had been “to make sure that innocent Palestinians get access to those basic necessities and are protected from bombardment.””

https://www.yahoo.com/news/israel-resumes-water-supply-southern-161945863.html

Israel Eases Guns Restrictions Amidst Security Failures

Posted on by Lone Candle

“In the wake of the Hamas terrorist organization’s murderous attacks on Israel, the country’s government is admitting—not for the first time—that even Israel’s extensive security apparatus can’t be everywhere to protect everyone. Under the pressure of bloody events, officials are again making it easier for civilians to acquire and carry firearms for self-defense.
“Today I directed the Firearms Licensing Division to go on an emergency operation, in order to allow as many citizens as possible to arm themselves,” announced National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. “The plan will take effect within 24 hours.”

By no means does the order eliminate the country’s tight restrictions on guns. But it’s an acknowledgment that too many Israelis were caught with limited access to the means of self-defense when Hamas terrorists crossed the border from Gaza and attacked civilians.”

https://reason.com/2023/10/13/israel-eases-guns-restrictions-amidst-security-failures/

Hamas planned killing of young children, secret documents reveal

Posted on by Lone Candle

“Hamas terrorists targeted primary schools in order to kill babies and children or take them hostage, according to plans retrieved from the bodies of dead gunmen.
The documents, published by NBC News on Saturday, reveal that the terrorists were instructed to attack schools and a youth centre in the kibbutz of Kfar Sa’ad.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/hamas-purposefully-attacked-places-where-120212165.html

Israel will ‘destroy’ Lebanon if war spreads

Posted on by Lone Candle

“Israeli jets have started bombing in Lebanon as the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) warned it would “destroy” the country if Hizbollah entered the war.
The air raids came as the United States and the UK expressed fears that Israel’s war with Hamas could “escalate” into a conflict involving “the wider Middle East”.

The Israeli strikes were carried out after anti-tank rockets fired by Hizbollah killed one person in northern Israel, in the most serious clashes outside of Gaza since the war began.

Tzachi Hanegbi, an Israeli national security adviser, warned the Iran-sponsored terrorist group not to start a war on a second front, threatening the “destruction of Lebanon” if it did.

Western nations have warned against any escalation in the conflict and have moved to try and prevent it spilling outwards, potentially drawing in Iran, with the US ordering a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region over the weekend.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/israel-destroy-lebanon-war-spreads-205301260.html