by Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaacov Amidror, BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 273

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Operation Protective Edge in Gaza against Hamas was, in many ways, an exceptional operation that will probably not repeat itself elsewhere. The IDF fought in a unique set of circumstances: an inferior enemy a stone’s throw from the border with the IDF using its full force, in some cases entirely unopposed. The IDF must be careful not to make too many operational changes based on the lessons of this operation, because the next wars will likely be fought under completely different terms.

Lately, a lot has been said in praise of the way the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fought in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge. Indeed, great courage and extraordinary sacrifice were displayed during the operation. The commanders led from the front and displayed the kind of vigor that field commanders ought to possess. We have been promised that the IDF will investigate and draw conclusions from the outcomes of this operation, and that is precisely what should be done. No serious, professional institution can ever develop and progress without delving deep into its own actions – for better and worse.
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By Janet Tassel, AMERICAN THINKER

“The Hebrew Bible is the blueprint of Jewish civilization. And it’s the foundational document of some of the best in civilization as we know it. There in the Bible is the pledge of the Jewish people, ‘If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its cunning.’ And then, in our lifetime, that pledge was realized, when the Jews regained their sovereignty in the land of Israel, after it had been under foreign domination for almost 2,000 years. And what’s more, they did it in the 1940s, in the same decade when one-third of the entire Jewish people had been eradicated in Europe. Now that is a miracle of truly biblical proportions.”

Thus, with great solemnity, Ruth Wisse of Harvard introduces Body and Soul: The State of the Jewish Nation, the latest documentary by Gloria Greenfield and her company, Doc Emet. The film, which will have its premiere later this month in numerous American and Canadian cities, as well as in Jerusalem, is an intensely moving experience, documenting — one is tempted to say “once and for all” — that Israel is, was, and always will be, the land of the Jewish people.

Greenfield deftly uses the format developed in her previous films, a succession of prominent “talking heads,” their authoritative commentary accompanied by historic photographs and films, paintings, and archeological objects, all conducing to the ocular proof of Israel’s history in its own promised land.
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By Ted Belman

U.S. paid expelled Nazis millions in Social Security, investigation finds

Payments made to SS guards and war criminals, underwritten by American taxpayers, flowed through a legal loophole that gave the Justice Department leverage to persuade suspects to leave the U.S.

If the US can bribe undesirables to leave, why can’t Israel bribe Palestinians to leave. Martin Sherman and Moshe Feiglin call it compensated emigration.

After similar move last month evoked criticism, nine Jewish Yemenite families return to Jerusalem neighborhood ancestors expelled from.

By Oranit Etzer, Ari Yashar, INN

After a similar move last month led to American condemnation and Arab riots, nine Jewish families on Sunday night moved into their homes in Jerusalem’s Shiloach (known as Silwan by local Arabs) neighborhood.

The neighborhood is located adjacent to the City of David, an area thought to be the heart of the Jewish capital in Biblical times located just south of the Old City.

Jerusalem Councilman Arieh King told Arutz Sheva on Monday morning that the families took residency in nine housing units in “Beit Ovadia” and “Beit Frumkin,” located in the “Yemenite Village” area of Shiloach that was founded by Jewish immigrants from Yemen in the 1880s, who were later expelled by the British in 1938 following violent Arab rioting.
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See also: PM: Nothing Can Stop Us From Building In Jerusalem

Jerusalem Mayor wants police to go on offensive, says prime minister ‘banged angrily on the table’ during security meeting over violence.

By Gil Ronen, INN

Nir Barkat, Binyamin Netanyahu

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat has spelled out his plan for restoring order to neighborhoods in Jerusalem where Arab attacks on Jews have become daily occurrences, and said that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also forcefully demanded action by the security forces in a recent high-level discussion.

Barkat enumerated the neighborhoods currently under attack – from Armon Hanatziv, Har Homa, and Gilo in southern Jerusalem, through the Mount of Olives area, Issawiya and Silwan, northward to Shuafat and Beit Hanina, where the Light Rail has repeatedly come under brutal attack.
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BBC NEWS
The US military said the supplies were designed to “enable continued resistance” against IS (FILE PHOTO)

US military aircraft have dropped weapons, ammunition and medical supplies to Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State (IS) militants in the key Syrian town of Kobane.

US Central Command said C-130 transport aircraft had made “multiple” drops of supplies provided by Kurdish authorities in Iraq.
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By Ted Belman

I keep in touch with Nadia Matar who runs it with Yehudit Katsover. They are doing great work and leading the way to extending Israeli sovereignty. Here is an email from them about their work and their fourth issue. It is supposed to be posted today at www.ribonut.co.il. Its not there yet.

There are two things of particular note in this issue.
1) More politicians are going on the record in support of it and
2) They are supporting a phased process i.e first greater Jerusalem and then bloc by bloc.

Dear Friends,

1) Here is a link to the short video of the amazing event we had on
Sukkot at Oz veGaon in which close to 1500 people participated.
http://youtu.be/gwKMML0ZeUo?list=UU2BQ9Ug9niueKD0R6Nf3F2A

2) Sovereignty Legislation is Gaining Momentum – the Fourth Issue of
Sovereignty is Published
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http://vimeo.com/54400569

By JONATHAN SPYER, JPOST

As the Syrian civil war spills over Lebanon’s border, Hezbollah finds itself facing a formidable Sunni threat.

Hezbollah is under pressure as the consequences of its ongoing intervention in Syria have come back to bite the terrorist organization.

There are increasing indications that the sectarian war raging in Iraq and Syria is now moving irrevocably into Lebanon.

The Shi’ite group is currently seeking to shore up its legitimacy by reminding its constituents, and other Lebanese citizens, of the role that gains it the most domestic sympathy – resistance against Israel. It is likely the strike at Mount Dov last week was part of this effort.
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Agreement is a reversal of Berlin’s earlier decision to withhold the discount because of Israel’s settlement construction.

By Barak Ravid, HAARETZ

Analysis: Changes to UN Security Council bode ill for Israel as two states friendly to Israel are replaced with two that are sure to vote for full membership for Palestine at the UN, and an American veto is no longer a sure thing.

Itamar Eichner, YNET

Changes in the makeup of the UN Security Council have made Israel’s diplomatic stance worse and strengthened the Palestinians’ position on the world stage.

During the weekend, five new members were elected to enter the UN Security Council on January 1, 2015, as non-permanent members for two years, while five current non-permanent members will evacuate their seats. Spain and New Zealand will replace Australia and Luxembourg. But the biggest surprise was Turkey losing a seat to Spain 60-132, in a blow to recently-elected-president Erdogan.

Israeli diplomats said that following the changes in the council’s makeup it is likely Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will be quick to try his luck in asking the UN Security Council to grant Palestine full membership in the United Nations. So far, the Palestinians managed to obtain non-member observer state status at the UN General Assembly, but recognition from the Security Council will make them an official member of the UN. Read more…

New survey reveals: 74.3% oppose Palestinian state within ’67 borders, 76.2% oppose dividing J’lem, 74.9% oppose Jordan Valley withdrawal.

By Shimon Cohen, Cynthia Blank, INN

Israeli flag in Jordan Valley

A survey by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs demonstrates the resistance of a vast majority of Israelis to Palestinian statehood, the division of Jerusalem and giving up the Jordan Valley, Israel Hayom reports Sunday.

The newspaper reported that in response to the question of whether the spread of Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria and Iraq altered one’s position on Israeli concessions of land in Judea and Samaria, 70.1 percent answered that this phenomenon did not change their opinions.

16.8 percent of respondents said that because of ISIS, they are now less willing to concede land than before. In contrast, 4.8 percent of respondents answered that because of regional changes, now is especially the time to offer political concessions.
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by Reuven Berko, Special to IPT News

In a recent speech, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor mentioned the central role of Qatar in supporting international terrorist organizations. Money flowing from Qatar to Hamas, for example, paid for the terrorist attack tunnels dug from the Gaza Strip under the security fence into Israeli territory, and for the thousands of rockets fired at Israeli civilian targets in both the distant and recent past. In response, State Department spokesperson Marie Harf rushed to Qatar’s defense, claiming it had an important, positive role in finding a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Qatar’s funding for Islamist terrorist organizations all over the world is an open secret known to every global intelligence agency, including the CIA. It was exposed by Wikileaks, which clearly showed that funds from Qatar were transferred to al-Qaida. Qatar also funds the terrorist movements opposing the Assad regime in Syria, such as the Al-Nusra Front, encourages anti-Egyptian terrorism in the Sinai Peninsula and within Egypt itself, and is involved in Islamic terrorism in Africa and other locations. It accompanies its involvement in terrorism targeting Israel and Egypt (through the Muslim Brotherhood) with vicious and inflammatory propaganda on its Al-Jazeera TV channel.
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TOI

Officer charged with defending maritime boundary warns extending Palestinian fishing zone will endanger Israeli assets

As the Gaza Strip’s authorized fishing zone grows, so shall the danger posed to Israeli gas processing platforms off the coast of Ashkelon as well as merchant ships docking in Ashdod, an Israeli Naval official tasked with safeguarding Israel’s maritime boundary with Gaza told Israel Radio on Saturday.

The expansion of the Gaza fishing zone from its current six-mile limit was one of Hamas’s key demands during the recent Gaza conflict. Israel said it would consider such a move as part of the ceasefire agreement with the terror group, though no actual change has been made so far.
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By Gil Hoffman, JPOST

There is a time known as “after the holidays,” when key decisions can no longer be postponed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered that critical period Friday under tremendous pressure; he is feeling the heat from the indefatigable US Secretary of State John Kerry, who wants to begin a new diplomatic initiative, from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who visited this week, and from Europe, which has started taking action against Israel that can no longer be ignored.

With all that pressure, Netanyahu could tip over and make concessions to the Palestinians. On the domestic political front, there is nothing to stop him. Bayit Yehudi wants to stay in the coalition, there is no serious alternative candidate against Netanyahu in Likud, and in any general election that would be held, another Netanyahu victory is seen as a foregone conclusion.
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After comparing Hamas to ISIS and asking Abbas to choose between reconciliation with Hamas or peace with Israel, why is Netanyahu cooperating with Fatah-Hamas ‘unity government’?

Elyakim Haetzni, YNET

Israel is being nice to Gaza. The coordinator of the activities agreed with the “head of the Palestinian reconciliation government” that construction material and a lot of mechanical equipment would be allowed into Gaza.

For the first time, Israel let 1,000 Gazans to visit the Temple Mount. Five-hundred people will be allowed to enter Israel a day. Agricultural exports are permitted, and laborers from Gaza will be allowed to work in Israel.

The Likud government agreed that the (Fatah-Hamas) “reconciliation government” would convene in Gaza. Soon, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s blessing, 3,000 members of the Ramallah government’s “presidential guard” will be deployed in the border crossings, despite Hamas’ announcement that it will be in charge of these “inspectors,” and the advance payments for the Hamas employees’ wages are also being transferred.
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Amir Rapaport,ISRAEL DEFENSE,  Washington  16/10/2014

National Security Trauma

Here is another unfamiliar result of Operation Protective Edge: the Israeli defense establishment will reduce the production of weapon systems in the USA in the context of joint Israeli-American projects, and will rely more heavily on Israeli-made products. Under a veil of secrecy, a decision has already been made at IMOD not to enable the production of at least one highly sensitive weapon system on US soil, despite the fact that the manufacture of said system in the USA may be funded through US defense aid instead of being paid for in NIS with Israeli taxpayer money.
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By Martin Sherman, JPOST

The entire issue of Palestinian statehood, and the Palestinian narrative on which it is based, are nothing but a giant hoax so transparent it is inconceivable that anyone even feigns credence to it.

With the two-state solution… Israel will collapse, because if they get out of Jerusalem, what will become of all the talk about the Promised Land and the chosen people? What will become of all the sacrifices they made – just to be told to leave? They consider Jerusalem to have a spiritual status. The Jews consider Judea and Samaria to be their historic dream. If the Jews leave those places, the Zionist idea will begin to collapse…. Then we will move forward.”

– Abbas Zaki, senior PLO official. (ANB TV, Lebanon, May 7, 2009)

Two recent events have once again propelled Palestinian statehood into the forefront of media spotlight, after several months of it being overshadowed by other events like developments in Ukraine, the war in Gaza and the televised barbarity of Islamic State.

One was the statement by Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven (subsequently somewhat equivocally revised) that his country would recognize a Palestinian state. The other was the British Parliament’s (nonbinding, but in the eyes of some, historic) vote on recognition of statehood for the Palestinians.

In light of these incidents, I was invited to appear on i24news news and participate in a discussion with a Palestinian interlocutor on the prospects for, and the prudence of, establishing a Palestinian state.

Much of what follows reflects the things I said during that 20-minute debate – and the things I didn’t, but would have, had time permitted.
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