Israel’s security cabinet has reportedly green-lighted an expansive military operation in the Gaza Strip in the event terrorists therein do not halt firing rockets into the Jewish state. This, after dozens of projectiles were launched from the Palestinian enclave since last Friday. Additionally, “protests” have been staged along the Israel-Gaza border for the past three nights, with Palestinians burning tires and setting off explosives.
The groups in Gaza that claimed responsibility for the war crimes include the “armed wing” of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Nevertheless, Israel’s policy is to hold Hamas accountable for all violence emanating from the territory it rules.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz have been authorized to plan the scope of the potential Israeli retaliation, with the latter having met on Monday with Tor Wennesland, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. According to a statement released by Gantz’s office thereafter, the defense chief conveyed “the urgency of the immediate cessation of violence from Gaza and reiterated Israel’s unyielding commitment to protecting its citizens and sovereignty.”
UN, Egyptian and Jordanian mediators are currently attempting to forge a cease-fire agreement between all sides, although Hamas reportedly already rejected one offer and instead threatened Israel with a “major conflict.”
While the PA has attempted to connect the uptick in Gaza tensions to ongoing riots by Palestinians in the eastern part of Jerusalem, many analysts believe that Abbas is simply using the violence as a pretext to cancel Palestinian legislative elections scheduled for May 22. For its part, Hamas is currently polling well and has been accused of turning a blind eye to, if not encouraging, the rocket fire in order to gain “standing” with the public by demonstrating its genocidal anti-Israel bona fides in the increasingly unlikely event the vote is held.
The head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, warned that a series of recent attacks on Israel, including those not originating from the Gaza Strip, could be “expanded” and thus threaten the Jewish state with “real dangers.” In the interview, Salami added that Tehran was prepared to use an amount of force necessary to foster “conditions for the collapse of Israel’s existence.”
The comments come amid alleged tit-for-tat attacks on Israeli- and Iranian-owned vessels in and around the Persian Gulf, and following the bombing of the Islamic Republic’s Natanz nuclear facility that was widely attributed to the Mossad spy agency.
Moreover, as IDF forces early last Thursday morning were allegedly striking military targets close to Damascus, Syrian troops launched an advanced surface-to-air missile whose explosion sprayed debris deep inside the Jewish state, near the nuclear reactor in Dimona.
The US State Department has lowered its travel advisory rating for Israel to “Level 3: Reconsider Travel,” only days after raising eyebrows by applying its highest designation — “Level 4: Do Not Travel” — to the Jewish state.
Last week, the State Department said that listing many countries at Level 4 reflected “an adjustment in [its] Travel Advisory system to rely more on [the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s] existing epidemiological assessments.” When pressed to explain why Israel was included, a State Department official suggested its advisories “take into account the latest data and public health and safety analysis on COVID-19 related risks.”
Some analysts construed the decision as controversial — and possibly a warning to Jerusalem due to an intensifying diplomatic dispute over how best to contain Iran’s nuclear program — given that Israel’s world-leading vaccination program has permitted authorities to almost completely reopen the country’s economy.
In fact, Israeli health officials recorded only a few dozen new COVID-19 cases in the 24-hour period ending Monday morning, the lowest figure in many months. About 55 percent of Israel’s population has been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, with some experts suggesting that the nation is nearing “herd immunity.”
Beginning in May, Birthright Israel will be resuming its 10-day trips to the Holy Land for those vaccinated against the coronavirus or who have recovered from COVID-19. The organization, which provides free trips to the Jewish state for eligible youth, had in March of last year halted its tours due to the global pandemic.
“With the input of Israel’s Health Ministry, we’re confident that we’ve developed the best plan to safely and efficiently resume our trips, which play such a critical part in strengthening the Jewish identity of hundreds of thousands of young people around the world,” Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark said in a statement.
Participants will be required to present a negative PCR test before they fly and undergo a serological test for antibodies upon arrival in Israel. Groups will be limited to 20 individuals, half the size of pre-pandemic levels.
According to Birthright Israel, its excursions have contributed approximately $1.825 billion to the Israeli economy over the past two decades.
Relatedly, HonestReporting is pleased to inform you that it is organizing a remarkable mission to the Jewish state from October 5-12, 2021.
The behind-the-scenes trip includes:
- 5-star accommodations at the Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem
- Exclusive briefings by political, defense and academic leaders
- Tour of the Lebanon border with an anti-terrorism expert
- Insider’s look into the complexities of the disputed West Bank
- Examination of Israel’s vibrant democracy at the Supreme Court
- Meetings with influential journalists… and much more!
For more information, please contact us at [email protected]
Recommended Reading
- Human Rights Watch Demonizes Israel Through the Propaganda of Apartheid (Gerald M. Steinberg, The Jerusalem Post)
- Israel Has No Choice But to Act On Its Own to Stop Iran (Jonathan Tobin, Jewish News Syndicate)
- Antisemitism and Four Travesties of Justice (David Harris, Algemeiner)
