GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 269

A Regional And Global Conflict

War On Seven Fronts

We read in an article from gov.il, a web site run by the Israeli government, that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees the current war as being fought not just against Hamas:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Thursday, 27 June 2024), at the Kirya in Tel Aviv, met with a JINSA delegation of generals and admirals.

JINSA is the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. In the speech, the PM talked about how the fighting is actually global in nature:

The Prime Minister briefed the members of the delegation on the challenges facing Israel on all fronts and emphasized the determination of IDF fighters and the commitment to returning all of the hostages. He also stressed that Israel's war is the war of the entire free world.

He then got specific on who Israel is fighting and their goals:

"Iran is fighting us on a seven-front war: obviously, Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, the militias in Iraq and Syria, Judea and Samaria, the West Bank, Iran itself. They'd like to topple Jordan. Their goal is to have a combined ground offensive from various fronts, coupled with a combined missile bombardment.

Netanyahu then moved to the war against Hamas:

The first requirement is to cut that hand – Hamas. People who do this thing to us are not going to be there. We have a long battle. I don’t think it's that long, but we'll get rid of them.

The PM then spoke to goals of the axis of terrorism in the region:

We also have to deter the other elements of the Iran terror axis. But we have to deal with the axis. The axis doesn’t threaten only us. It threatens you. It's on the march to conquer the Middle East. Conquer the Middle East. Conquer. That means, actually, conquer. Conquer Saudi Arabia, conquer the Arabian Peninsula. It's just a question of time."

If we think that what is happening in Israel is a war we shouldn’t be invested in one that won’t affect us we are sadly mistaken. We know that Hezbollah has a strong presence in Mexico right now and with the porous borders right now we have no idea how many terrorists are in our country right now. I can tell you that these terrorists aren’t here for a vacation. Netanyahu is right when he says that their war is one for the entire free world.

Antisemitism Is Closer Than You Think

Although some would say that this is off topic, after hearing about the speech given by Prime Minister Netanyahu about the fight against terrorism being a global one, hearing about what is happening in major cities around the world should give us pause. We learn about this in a report from the New York Post:

The Big Apple is in danger of falling under “radical Muslim occupation” like many cities in Europe, Israel’s new consul general warned in an exclusive interview with The Post.

“You know what happening in London these days, you know what’s happening in Paris these days and in Malmo, a major city in Sweden?” Ofir Akunis said. “They are under radical Muslim occupation.

He then connected those cities with New York City:

“There are no-go zones and I don’t want to happen here in New York or in other places here in the United States,” Akunis warned. “They burned an American flag right here, in front of the doors of the [Manhattan] consulate.

“I’m calling on New Yorkers: wake up before it will be too late!”

In a poll taken shortly after Oct. 7, 57% of American Muslims said they believed Hamas’ attack on Israel was “justified.”

Akunis arrived in May as a wartime consul-general, replacing Asaf Zamir.

He assumed charge at a crucial time:

Akunis took charge as major American universities were convulsed by pro-Hamas demonstrations and his schedule has been so packed since, he is still living out of his suitcase at a nearby hotel.

Akunis made the comparison to the 9/11 terrorist attack against America and the attack on Israel:

A massive image of the 9/11 terrorist attacks looms across his desk. Also nearby is a photo of his 20-year-old son serving in the Israeli Navy.

“Your September 11th is our October 7th. It’s radical Islam,” he warned.

Ge then used history to warn us as he also thanked local politicians:

Akunis said the antisemitism he has seen in New York City is the worst it’s ever been since Jews began arriving in the United States in large numbers in the late 19th century.

“My late grandmother — she was born in Poland 100 years ago — [told me] what happened in . . . Europe in the ’30s. I never imagined that we would see that with the young people here.”

The new consul praised Mayor Adams as a “brave leader,” and singled out Gov. Hochul, and Reps. Tom Suozzi and Ritchie Torres for their support.

He had less kindness for one New York politician:

He had less charitable words for the city’s Jewish elected officials — specifically Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader who called for regime change in Israel.

“The biggest problem in his speech was that he said that Israeli prime minister is an obstacle for peace. I think that was huge mistake,” Akunis said. “Even when I have disagreed with an Israeli prime minister I never said they were an obstacle for peace.”

The Israeli Consul then mentioned a way to expose these antisemites:

Akunis said he agreed with the growing number of New York leaders who have called for the state to reimpose a ban on masked protests — which was lifted during the coronavirus pandemic.

“You need to update the law about the masks. If someone uses the masks just to hide and they use it to scream ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to United States,’ this is wrong,” Akunis said.

He briefly talked about presidential politics:

He refused to comment on the presidential race, but admitted he was “watching it closely.”

Relations between Israel and the United States have been tense for months as President Biden attempts to hold a coalition together that includes Hamas-supporting young people and Muslim Americans in swing states like Michigan.

“It’s not a secret that there is difference from time to time,” Akunis said. “I appreciate the American support for Israel.”

A Lot Of Finger Pointing

In a move that caused quite a stir in Israel, the man in charge at the Shifa Hospital was released today as seen in a report from The Jerusalem Post:

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Monday demanded the ousting of Shin Bet director Ronen Bar, after Israel released the director of Shifa Hospital from jail, reportedly along with some 55 other Palestinian detainees, and sent him back to the Gaza Strip.

Shifa director Mohammad Abu Salmiya was arrested by IDF troops in November on suspicion of having allowed Hamas to use the Gaza City hospital as a center of operations. He was detained and taken for questioning by the Shin Bet as he was attempting to evacuate to the south of the Strip via an IDF-operated humanitarian corridor.

More blame shifting occurred:

Amid political furor over Abu Salmiya’s release, ministers and senior security officials traded blame and sought to avoid responsibility. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the High Court was at least partially responsible, opposition leaders said the government had failed and should go home, and the Shin Bet said it has been warning for a year that there were not enough cells to hold suspects, and that Ben Gvir and others in government had ignored its concerns.

The finger-pointing got stronger and directed at individuals with no one willing to take responsibility with some blaming lack of cell space for the release. Others then said that wasn’t the reason:

“For lack of any other option, without an immediate solution to the prison space crisis, arrests will continue to be canceled and detainees will continue to be released,” the agency (Shin Bet) added.

The Israel Prison Service hit back at the claims shortly after, saying that “due to false publications, we are forced to reveal the release order of the director of Shifa Hospital,” and publishing an image of the document signed by an IDF brigadier general in reserves.

“Contrary to the false claims that have been published in recent hours, those who made the decision to release the director of Shifa Hospital were the IDF and Shin Bet — not the IPS,” the service said.

“IPS does not make decisions on its own to release prisoners of any kind, and is only entrusted with incarceration of prisoners,” it said.

While all the infighting continues, one father was quite brutal in his assessment of the events:

Avi Marciano, whose daughter Cpl. Noa Marciano was taken hostage from the Nahal Oz military base on October 7 and later murdered inside Shifa Hospital, slammed the government for what he said was yet another instance of neglect.

“Noa was abandoned before October 7 when they didn’t listen to her. She was abandoned on October 7 when they didn’t come to save her. She was abandoned after that when they didn’t do enough to return her home alive,” he wrote on Facebook. “And now, seven months after we buried her, the State of Israel decides to release those who are directly or indirectly responsible for her murder. I’m sorry, my girl, that you continue to be neglected.”

Expect more of this blame game in the future as a full blown investigation into the entire October 7th attacks after the war concludes. But right now getting the hostages rescued and eliminating current and future terrorists should be at the top of our praying for the peace of Jerusalem. This is still the time for fighting and winning this war.