Israel Hits Hamas Targets in Gaza After Rocket Attack; Netanyahu Expects Pollard in Israel Soon

Israeli aircraft  struck multiple sites in the Gaza Strip on Sunday in response to a rocket fired earlier from the enclave at the southern city of Ashkelon.

While no Gaza-based group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, Israel holds the Strip’s Hamas rulers accountable for all rocket fire out of the territory:

In response to a rocket that was fired from Gaza toward Israel earlier tonight, the Israeli Air Force struck Hamas military targets in Gaza including:
? 2 rocket ammunition manufacturing sites
? underground infrastructures
? a military compound

We hold Hamas responsible.

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 22, 2020

The rocket attack came at roughly 9:30 p.m local time, setting off sirens in Ashkelon and the industrial zone just south of the city, an area where tens of thousands of people live. The rocket fire caused damage to a warehouse. Israeli media reported that a pregnant woman was injured running for shelter as the siren went off. She was said to be in good condition.

Though Israel is involved in ongoing talks with the Hamas terror group regarding a long-term ceasefire agreement, recent weeks have seen an uptick in violence emanating from Gaza.

Last Sunday, two rockets were fired at central Israel from the Strip. Hamas sent messages to Jerusalem claiming that the rockets were fired accidentally, having been set off by lightning during a thunderstorm. The IDF apparently accepted this explanation, likely in order to give Gaza’s rulers an easy path to backing down from sparking another escalation.

Two weeks ago, a drone was flown from the enclave into Israeli airspace before it was brought down by the military. The week before saw a rocket attack from the Strip, aimed at Ashkelon. One projectile was intercepted, while the other landed in an open field.

Last month, the IDF uncovered what it said was a Hamas attack tunnel dug from Gaza into Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the lifting of parole restrictions on Jonathan Pollard, 66, the former US Navy analyst convicted of spying for Israel in the 1980s:

“The prime minister expects to see Jonathan Pollard in Israel soon, and together with all Israelis, extends his best wishes to him and his wife Esther,” Netanyahu’s office said.

The prime minister’s statement was echoed by other Israeli ministers and President Reuven Rivlin:

Over the years we have shared in Jonathan Pollard’s pain, and felt a responsibility and commitment to bring about his release. Now we will be able to welcome him and his family home after many difficult years of imprisonment and restrictions, to a new life of health and peace.

— Reuven Rivlin (@PresidentRuvi) November 21, 2020

Pollard pleaded guilty in 1986 to conspiracy to commit espionage in connection with providing Israeli contacts with hundreds of classified documents he had obtained as a naval intelligence specialist in exchange for thousands of dollars.

He was sentenced in 1987 to life in prison. After serving 30 years, which included time in custody following his 1985 arrest, Pollard was released on parole in 2015 under terms that dictated he remain in the US for five years.

Netanyahu said on Saturday evening that he had long worked for Pollard’s release, though he did not provide a firm date for when Pollard might arrive in Israel.

After an announcement that US Congresswoman Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) will participate in a panel on antisemitism along with others previously accused of antisemitic or anti-Israel statements, event host Jewish Voice for Peace is drawing criticism for its selection of speakers – only one of whom is Jewish.

Hey @marclamonthill , I’m genuinely curious why you feel you’re qualified to speak on this matter? Do you agree with @RashidaTlaib that tokenism is racism? pic.twitter.com/ZZhFDzvQzk

— Michele-?????? (@MicheleSabra) November 20, 2020

Tlaib, a Palestinian-American politician who has faced accusations of antisemitism and is known as a fierce critic of Israel and supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, was strongly criticized on social media after tweeting a statement on Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah) that failed to mention Jews:

This #HolocaustRemembranceDay—and every day—we pay tribute to the millions of lives lost and forever changed in one of the most horrific chapters of our world’s history. May we honor them by fighting to ensure hate and bigotry #neveragain prevail. #YomHaShoah pic.twitter.com/q1gAwfINEe

— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) April 21, 2020

Another panel participant, Peter Beinart, has said that he is willing to let go of the idea of a Jewish state, but says the new country could still be a “Jewish home.” Beinart also wrote a column titled Debunking the myth that anti-Zionism is antisemitic in the Guardian in 2019.

Jerusalem is listed as a separate entity from Israel in the UK’s updated list of countries to which citizens may travel without a quarantine requirement upon return. The statement issued on the UK’s Department for Transport website reads:

“The travel corridor applies for Israel in its entirety, and Jerusalem in its entirety. For the Occupied Palestinian Territories, only East Jerusalem is included in the travel corridor. The remainder of the Occupied Palestinian Territories are not included.”

“The [Foreign Office’s] decision to define Jerusalem as a territory separate from Israel is offensive and hostile… to describe Jerusalem as anything other than an integral part of Israel is a fiction divorced from reality and the travel advice must be immediately corrected,” the Conservative Friends of Israel said in response.

Israeli Judoka Peter Paltchik won the gold medal in the under-100 kg division when he defeated Russia’s Arman Adamian at the European Judo Championships in Prague on Saturday night.

The gold was a first for Paltchik, who is considered one of the country’s top athletes and a potential Tokyo 2020 Olympic medalist. He previously took bronze at the 2018 European Championships in Tel Aviv.

Paltchik was the second Israeli to take home a medal at the competition, after Tal Flicker took silver in the under-66 kg. category.

Success: CNN’s Amanpour Apologizes for Holocaust Distortion (VIDEO)