ISRAEL REPORT
Thanks once more to Mike Claydon for publishing the excellent Israel Report. It helped this monkey not to focus on the distressing New South Wales election result, but to update his understanding of the desperate position Israel is in, exactly as prophesied in the Bible. Humans in NSW seem to have a type of economic death wish, there remains a faint hope that when counting resumes tomorrow the Upper House results will be more encouraging and provide a brake on the prevailing lunacy. To subscribe to the free Israel Report see contact details at the end of this post.
Gibber! Gibber!
Chugley
Slowly…then SUDDENLY…..
Editorial
At the time of the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD there was great civil unrest in Israel, and as the Roman hordes arrived at the gates the citizenry had other matters on their minds – they were a politically divided nation and greatly distracted.The fall of the city marked the effective conclusion of a four-year campaign against the Jewish insurgency in
Judaea. The Romans destroyed much of the city, including the
Second Temple. The majority of information on the siege comes from the
copious notes of the Jewish historian
In 63 BC the Roman general Pompey captured Jerusalem. The Romans ruled through a local client king and largely allowed free religious practice in Judaea. At times, the divide between monotheistic and polytheistic religious views caused clashes between Jews and Gentiles.
This friction, combined with oppressive taxation and unwanted imperialism, culminated in 66 AD in the First Jewish Revolt. The revolt was successful at first: Jewish forces quickly expelled the Romans from Jerusalem, and a revolutionary government was formed that extended its influence into the surrounding area.
In response, the Roman emperor Nero sent the general Vespasian to meet Jewish forces, an endeavour that pushed the majority of the rebels into Jerusalem by the time Vespasian was proclaimed emperor in 69 AD.In April 70 AD, about the time of
Passover, the Roman general
Titus besieged Jerusalem. Since that action coincided with Passover, the Romans allowed
pilgrims to enter the city but refused to let them leave—thus strategically depleting food and water supplies within Jerusalem. Within the walls, the
Zealots, a militant anti-Roman party, struggled with other Jewish factions that had emerged, which weakened the resistance even more. As Passover 2023 looms yet again next month, we find the little nation in an almost identical situation with the festival just 10 days away.
The difference is that she is now facing enemies on her border and nearby who have strengthened their militaries immensely over the last few years – and one is about to become a regional nuclear power. The wars of 1948, 1967, and 1973 are mere skirmishes’ compared to the plans of those nations now breathing death and destruction upon the Jews.Lining up to annihilate Zion are Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan – add to this mix the Iran financed terrorist organisations of Hezbollah, HAMAS, Islamic Jihad, Al-Nusrah Front, and assorted terrorist groups in Egypt and the surrounding area.
Amongst them they bristle with hundreds of thousands of powerful missiles, and drones all pointed toward Israel and able to wreak absolute carnage and devastation upon the land.
Now, for the first time in history, a global enemy is on her doorstep – Russia [backed by China] and Iran are waiting to pounce from the shared border of Syria.
Politically and socially Israel is currently in turmoil, with factions of many descriptions at each others throats and street protests featuring multiple thousands are bringing many cities to a standstill – the issues are old and new, the current being the Judicial Reform legislation being considered before the Knesset. Thousands have protested outside the Prime Minister’s residence in Jerusalem, and a “Day of Paralysis” took place attracting thousands of protestors. In a moment of unthinkable horror a civil war is being suggested as a possibility and could could well already be in the making. So tense has it become that a military, largely based on reservists, is experiencing strikes, desertions and a refusal to be called up for duty.[see article below]. Growing numbers of Israel’s military reservists, including members of its most important air force squadron, are refusing to attend for service, an unprecedented step that comes as part of the protest movement against the country’s new far-right government.
In an announcement on Sunday, all but three of the 40 reservist pilots in Israel’s elite 69 Squadron said they would not take part in a training exercise later this week, and instead participate in widespread public protests, claiming they were not prepared to serve a “dictatorial regime”.
The F-15I pilots are a strategically crucial squadron capable of flying long-range missions, raising immediate questions about the Israel Defence Forces’ (IDF) operational competence. Security officials are reportedly also worried about refusals to obey orders and insubordination within the serving military’s ranks as opposition to plans to limit the judiciary’s powers increases across swathes of Israeli society.
Around 57% of IDF paratrooper reservists are showing up for duty this week, Numbers dropped significantly in a variety of other units, such as certain commando units, as well.
Never has God’s land been more vulnerable than it is now – and against foes who have combined to blast her out of existence. It is not stretching credulity too far when we say that this is a crisis that dwarfs AD70, and all the other attacks upon her during the last 75 years since her rebirth as a nation.
Those Christians with a correct Biblical worldview who hold to sound eschatological doctrines [and they appear to be few in number] need to pray as they have never prayed before that the God of Israel will show His hand and restrain the ravening enemies from taking this exquisite opportunity to attack and invade the holy land.
We know that troubled times lay ahead for this tiny nation – and that her refining will cost dearly – yet, we are commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the salvation of the Jewish people – it has never been a more urgent duty than it is this day, just days away from the same feast which saw her dispersion all those centuries ago.
The situation has developed slowly – but its outbreak will occur SUDDENLY.
“By myself have I sworn, says the LORD, for because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son: That in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies; And in your descendants shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed my voice”. [Genesis 22;16-18]
“For thus says the LORD of hosts; After his glory has He sent me unto the nations which plundered you: for he that touches you touches the apple of his eye. For, behold, I will shake my hand against them, and they shall be a plunder to their servants: and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me.” [Zechariah 2; 8 & 9]
Defence Minister: Refusal by reservists’ to serve could jeopardize IDF missions……
Yoav Galant [pictured above] reportedly told the prime minister he would quit as defence minister if the government’s judicial overhaul was not modified, since the spreading wave of refusals by reservists to serve, he warned, may cause the IDF to fail to carry out its missions and even “to fall apart.” This reported warning, which was not denied, articulates the most horrendous consequence of the spreading twelve-week outcry across the country against the judicial reform plan and its ongoing legislation. It most likely impelled Binyamin Netanyahu to push the coalition on Sunday to “soften” the judges’ selection panel segment. This in turn Monday sparked a counter-threat of resignations by the plan’s author, justice minister Yariv Levin and his supporters. Israel’s army is the country’s proudest and most unifying force, an iconic people’s army, the guaranteed bulwark of its security and traditionally strictly removed from political, social or other divisions. If it “falls apart” as feared by Galant, the nightmarish scenario is posed of the IDF’s breakup into separate forces vying for dominance – i.e. civil war. Israel’s enemies, scenting their chances are gearing up to exploit a suddenly vulnerable, hitherto unbeatable Jewish state. Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah harps on this gleeful prospect in his recent speeches. In a few years, he says, “I see the end of Israel. People will be thronging to the airports, the seaports and the border crossings.” And he went on to say: “We won’t have to wait forty years for Israel to perish. All the elements of its survival are weakening while the tempest is growing stronger. In the light of current events, some Arabs are saying that Israel is just the same as their own countries with no effective central government, like Iraq, Syria and Libya.” Even Israel’s loyal friends find that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Levin “shot themselves in the foot” by the bad timing and the hasty and misjudged effect of the judicial reform they prioritized in the first month of their return to power, ahead of issues of immediate popular concern One cardinal mistake was to present the plan in one lump to be enacted without delay, without performing the groundwork for preparing the public or even the ruling Likud party itself. While the coalition commands a 64-majority in parliament, it can no longer count on all its members voting for the disputed reform bill. The decision to “soften” the judges’ selection panel composition and postpone the rest of the plan to the Knesset’s summer session is too little and too late to calm the frenzy of hundreds of thousands of protesters out on the streets and making dangerous inroads on military solidity.
Iranian drones and US fighter jets in first ever duel over East Syria……
Iran challenged the US for their first gloves-off duel on Friday, March 24, by hitting back at the Americans for retaliating when their facility in East Syria was struck by armed drones operated by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and their proxy militias on the Syrian-Iraqi border. This military clash between Iran and the US is unprecedented on Syrian soil. The event was set off on Thursday when IRGC-backed Shiite militias launched suicide drones against the US military facility guarding the Al Omar oil field [pictured above] in the east Syrian province of Deir Ez-Zor, killing an American contractor and injuring five US military personnel. US retaliation was defined by Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin as “precision strikes on multiple targets in Deir Ez-Zor.”We name those targets as a militias arsenal which was razed, an intelligence base outside the town of Mayadeen and a third facility near Abu Kamal. At least 10 people were killed, including Iranian officials, according to Syrian opposition sources. The US defence secretary elaborated in a statement: “The airstrikes were conducted in response to today’s attack as well as a series of recent attacks against Coalition forces in Syria by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.” After for the first time addressing the IRGC by name, he emphasized that the airstrikes had been directed by President Joe Biden. “No group will strike our troops with impunity,” he said. On Friday, defiant Iran’s militias nevertheless launched rockets against the US military guard defending the Al Omar oil field, having no qualms about demonstrating that the policy of impunity was not a one-way street. Some straight talk on the subject was heard for the first time in Washington: It came from US Central Command chief General Michael Kurilla, who said: “We are postured for scalable options in the face of any additional Iranian attacks.” Addressing the Armed Forces Committee in Congress, Kurilla said: “Iran’s drone fleet has become the largest and most capable unmanned aerial vehicle force in the region.”This statement must have switched on some red lights in Israel too, given its own highly sophisticated UAV fleet. But even more so, since Tehran has clearly become brazen enough to challenge the US military head-on. This over-confidence may derive from the diplomatic rapprochement Iran recently achieved with its senior Gulf rival Saudi Arabia with China’s backing.
US refusal to bring forward KC-46 refuelling aircraft holds back possible Israeli strike on Iran ……
The Biden administration’s refusal to accede to Israel’s latest requests for delivery asap of the KC-46 Pegasus military refuelling aircraft sets back a potential Israel airstrike for averting a nuclear-armed Iran. It is another hiccup in US-Israel relations with the current Netanyahu government. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin explained that Boeing can’t meet this request now since its hands are full with US Air Force orders. Under its $927m contract with Boeing, Israel will acquire four KC-46 aircraft; the first due by the end of 2025 and the other three in 2016.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Galant underlined as pressing the first Pegasus delivery after Iran was discovered enriching uranium up to 84% grade and needed to be stopped before it jumped the six points up to weapons grade nuclear fuel. Advanced refuelling aircraft are essential for the Israel Air Force to be sure of making the distance to targets in Iran and returning home safely.
Washington sources add that the administration is strongly motivated to deny Israel’s request additionally by consideration of the ramifications of the Chinese-brokered détente between Saudi Arab and Iran.
While reluctant to let Beijing gain a strong foothold in the Middle East, Biden regards this deal as offering the region a spell of stability. Ebbing US influence is a price they are foolishly willing to pay for the sake of calm in this volatile region.
And a potential Israel air strike on Iran is seen as a recipe for major upsets, particularly since relations between Washington and Jerusalem have faced one hiccup after another. Inflammatory remarks by over-aggressive, under-experienced new government ministers have soured the friendship.
Most recently, the State Department chastised Israel for Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s public statement repudiating the existence of a Palestinian people as [correctly] a “fabrication.”
Netanyahu to continue reform legislation. Protesters: We too will carry on…..
In a speech to the nation Thursday night, PM Binyamin Netanyahu rehashed previous arguments in favour of his government’s hotly disputed judicial reform overhaul. Amid violent clashes between protesters and police across the country.Netanyahu told TV viewers that he stood by the government’s commitment to table the reform plan, starting next week with the clause designed to revamp the panel choosing judges. The rest would come later. Protest leaders shouted back that they too would carry on their increasingly destructive campaign against the reform. Netanyahu insisted he was abiding by his pledge to serve “all parts of Israel” and the reform plan served both sides of the dispute. Before he went on the air, Netanyahu summoned Defence Minister Yoav Galant to his office, following which the minister called off the news conference he had called to press for a halt in reform legislation, due to the irretrievable damage being caused to the army and national security.
Netanyahu heads to London on Iran, as domestic turmoil heightens…….
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with his British counterpart Rishi Sunak in Downing Street on Friday, amid controversy surrounding the planned judicial overhaul in Israel. “The two leaders discussed the Iranian nuclear issue. Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked Prime Minister Sunak for his country’s determined position on this issue, and noted that the powers must increase deterrence and pressure on Iran,” the office’s statement said. The prime ministers also discussed “deepening strategic cooperation in security, intelligence and economic fields”.
Netanyahu pledges no new settlements after US slams 2005 law repeal…….
PM Binyamin Netanyahu pledged his government would refrain from building new settlements after the State Department summoned Israeli ambassador Mike Herzog over Knesset legislation repealing the part of the 2005 Disengagement Law applying to the northern so-called West Bank.
This was a clause of the law under which a previous government executed the evacuation of the Gaza Strip.
US officials also advised the envoy of the importance of avoiding steps liable to further inflame tensions at a time of three major festivals Ramadan, Passover and Easter. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s claim earlier this week that the Palestinian people are an “invention” was one example, yet so very true.
Syria Returns to the Arab Fold…..
Syria and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reopen their embassies after cutting diplomatic ties more than a decade ago, three sources with knowledge of the matter said, a step that would mark a leap forward in Damascus’s return to the Arab fold.
Contacts between Riyadh and Damascus had gathered momentum following a landmark agreement to re-establish ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad, a regional source aligned with Damascus said.
The re-establishment of ties between Riyadh and Damascus would mark the most significant development yet in moves by Arab states to normalize ties with Assad, who was shunned by many Western and Arab states after Syria’s civil war began in 2011.
The two governments were “preparing to reopen embassies after Eid al-Fitr”, a Muslim holiday in the second half of April, a second regional source aligned with Damascus.
Iran and Saudi Arabia restore ties after years of tensions………
Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after years of tensions between the two countries, including a devastating attack on the heart of the kingdom’s oil production attributed to Tehran. This previously unheard of arrangement came out of left field – an unthinkable alliance between Shia and Sunni – now joined in their mutual hatred of Israel.
The deal, struck in Beijing amid its ceremonial National People’s Congress, represents a major diplomatic victory for the Chinese as Gulf states perceive the United States slowly withdrawing from the wider Middle East.
It also comes as diplomats have been trying to end a years-long war in Yemen, a conflict in which both Iran and Saudi Arabia are deeply entrenched.
New Nordic Air Defence Alliance Formed…..
To better cope with threats emanating from Russia, the countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have created a unified Nordic Air Defence Alliance, pooling the resources of their air forces. They have upwards of 300 fighter jets between them as well as training, transport and surveillance fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Those four nations on Friday announced they signed the first Nordic Air Commanders’ Intent last week during a meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. While none of the documents mention Russia, the move to integrate the air forces was triggered by Moscow’s full-on invasion of Ukraine, the commander of the Danish Air Force, Major General Jan Dam said.
5 planets will parade across the sky in rare astronomical event, while skyscraper-sized asteroid flies by Earth……
More than half the solar system’s planets will align Monday in a rarely seen spectacle, arcing across a corner of the night sky. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will parade across the sky, accompanied by the moon and a possible star cluster. While the scenario will be visible to the naked eye, astronomers recommend breaking out the binoculars or a telescope for a more detailed view. The planets will be arrayed across the western horizon in an arc about 20 to 25 minutes after Monday’s sunset, according to Space.com, starting with Mercury and Jupiter. However, twilight’s brightness could mask them, Space.com warned, adding that the viewing window is only about 25 to 30 minutes. The planets will also be so close to the horizon that any structure or sightline glitch could obscure them. “Your best option is looking out over a westward-facing shoreline that is perfectly flat and wide open with nothing to block your view,” Space.com said. Slightly higher, but more discernible and with a longer viewing window, will be Venus, and above it to the left will be faint, greenish-hued Uranus. Mars is next on the list, higher up and cosying next to a crescent moon, according to Starwalk. Monday is the best day to observe this phenomenon, but the alignment will be visible in the days leading up to and following the high point. Before that, though, a massive asteroid the size of a skyscraper will whiz by Earth inside the moon’s orbit. Asteroid 2023 DZ2 is three times the size of the one that jangled nerves and blew out windows over the Russian industrial city of Chelyabinsk 10 years ago.
World New Briefing…with Tom Hughes and Pablo Frascini – 23 March 2023
Israel Report Editor; Mike Claydon israelreport@mail.com