GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 181

Threats From Everywhere

Prepping For Iran Attack

Israelis are fearing for the worst after Iran threatens to retaliate after the IDF Syria strikes as we see in a report from Ynet News:

Despite the fact that the Israel Defense Forces has canceled weekend leave for combat troops and has called up forces to be deployed in aerial defense, intelligence and Home Front command, there is no need for Israelis to stock up on supplies and alternate power sources such as generators, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said on Thursday. The clarification comes as Israelis have begun to purchase emergency supplies amid fear of an Iranian retribution after the strike in Damascus.

In a video from an IDF spokesperson, there is no need to panic:

"The IDF Home Front Command guidelines remain unchanged. There’s no need to purchase generators, stockpile food, or withdraw money from ATMs. We will give updates of any new instructions via official channels as we’ve done up to today," IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said.

The IDF added that attempts are being made to reduce GPS jamming issues, meant to defend areas of the country from aerial targets. The disruption affects the ability to use the Home Front Command's rocket alert application, as well as navigation via applications including Waze and Google Maps.

Even though the IDF is trying to calm people down, emergency preparations are still being made:

Despite the IDF's efforts to calm the public, various municipalities are already making emergency preparations. For example, the Tel Aviv municipality issued a notice to its residents. "Israel is still at war. Unfortunately, the threats aren’t over - so each and every one of us must maintain vigilance to with emergencies and escalations," the municipality said in the notice.

The Herzliya municipality also published guidelines for the public. "Take a few minutes to ensure you’re properly equipped for prolonged power outages," according to the municipality's notice. The municipality said the required items include: "Water and non-perishable food (such as canned goods), pre-charged batteries for mobile phones, a first aid kit and medications, emergency lighting, a battery-operated radio, and others.”

In general, local municipalities are prepared for a wide range of possible emergency scenarios against the backdrop of the Iranian threat, including missile launches, terrorist infiltrations and disruption to infrastructure.

Some in charge of cities are even getting ways to communicate if cell phones aren’t working:

At the same time, the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel announced it has purchased 600 satellite communication devices for emergency purposes, for cases where cellular communication won’t operate for a time.

Each municipality is expected to receive three communication devices intended for the authority's command centers and managers, as well as relevant military and government personnel.

Thwarted Assassination Attempt

An article from The Times Of Israel informs us that a plot to kill a national security minister was stopped:

The Shin Bet security agency announced Thursday that it had foiled plans by a cell of Arab Israelis and West Bank Palestinians to carry out terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank, including assassinating National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

Seven Arab Israelis and four West Bank Palestinians were arrested in connection with the plot, the agency said.

The report tells us that taking out the security minister was only part of the plan:

According to the Shin Bet, the cell also planned attacks against IDF bases and other sensitive sites, including Ben Gurion Airport and the government complex in Jerusalem.

The cell had planned to attack the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba.

“Within this framework, there was even an intention to assassinate National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, by obtaining an RPG rocket in order to carry out the attack,” the Shin Bet said.

The minister, who leads the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, lives in Kiryat Arba.

The agency said the cell also sought to kidnap IDF soldiers.

Details on how it would happen were also given in the article:

According to the Shin Bet, the cell planned to rent a plot of land in southern Israel’s Rahat or an area in the West Bank to establish a factory with an underground complex where it would manufacture weapons and train operatives.

The agency said the cell members worked to contact Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip to receive funding and instructions. At least one of the Palestinian detainees was in contact with a Hamas operative in Gaza, who offered funding for attacks in Israel, the Shin Bet said.

Taking out terrorism overall is a good thing, but rooting out threats like this will take much longer and, unless something else happens, will be the part of the deradicalizing phase of the conflict.

US Putting Pressure On Israel

According to a report found in The Jerusalem Post the United States is prepared to change its policies concerning Israel if things they don’t start doing things the way it wants them to:

The United States will change its policy toward Gaza unless Israel takes immediate steps to better protect Palestinian civilians there, US President Joe Biden warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a terse half-an-hour call on Thursday night.

“With regard to our policy in the Gaza Strip… if we don't see the changes that we need to see, there'll be changes in policy,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Belgium as he discussed the conversation.

The changes are expected to happen quickly:

US National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby added that his change needed to happen within “hours and days,” adding that he expected to see announcements from Israel.

“The President made very clear his concerns and the prime minister acknowledged those concerns,” Kirby stated. He described how there has been “growing frustration” in Washington over Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

The atmosphere changed with the strike on aid workers that killed 7 people:

Biden and Netanyahu spoke as the international community, including the US, continued to condemn the IDF airstrike Monday that killed seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen, including an American citizen.

Blinken said that “It's our expectation that Israel will and certainly should announce concrete specific, measurable steps that it will take, and take as soon as possible to make sure that there can be an effective surge in [humanitarian] assistance [in Gaza] that can be sustained. And that humanitarian workers and civilians are better protected.”

Israel is seen as the reason for not getting a hostage deal done:

Blinken also appeared to blame Israel for the absence of a hostage deal, as he explained that Biden urged Netanyahu “to empower negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home.” The Biden administration wants to see an immediate pause to the Gaza War but has linked that temporary halt in the fighting to a hostage deal.

Both Blinken and Kirby appeared to indicate that the US was still linking a temporary ceasefire with the hostages deal. Israeli has warned that decoupling the two issues would make it impossible to arrive at a deal. A senior Hamas leader said on Thursday that Egypt had put forward a ceasefire proposal to end the conflict in Gaza, but that it did not include anything new.

Where the optimism is coming from is hard to fathom, in my opinion. Hamas wants the war to end with them still in power and Israel insists on annihilating them. Neither is going to budge on those positions and compromises aren’t going anywhere. If I’m reading this wrong, feel free to correct me, but every report I read indicates that these sides are entrenched in those stances. If you want to pray specifically for the peace of Jerusalem pray that they will have a spine of steel to resist all the pressures from the international community and have stability and unity apart from the inside pressures to call new elections.