Return to flip book view

ARI SHAVIT ISRAEL AT WAR V THE WAR AGAINST HAMAS The fierce war being waged in the entire Middle East in the last few weeks is not a struggle between the State of Israel and the Palestinian people It is a war between the free world and the extremist forces determined to destroy it led by Hamas Thus it is crucially important to understand what is Hamas what are its objectives and how it intends to achieve them Hamas is an Islamicfundamentalist militant group that emerged in 1987 The United States the European Union Great Britain Canada and Australia designate Hamas as a terrorist organization Hamas is determined to destroy the State of Israel Hamas believes all Jews should be annihilated Hamas denies the Holocaust happened Hamas believes in a total war Jihad that will lead to Islamic world rule Hamas is passionately opposes to the idea of peace Hamas sees Al Qaeda and ISIS as its allies Hamas opposes women s liberation and the idea of gender equality Hamas sees Christianity as a traitorous religion and persecutes the Christian minority in the Gaza Strip Hamas sees homosexuality as a sin and sentences LGBTQ people to death Hamas believes that the only education young people require is strictly Moslem religious NOVEMBER 1ST 2023 ARI SHAVIT

ARI SHAVIT ISRAEL AT WAR V In the 1990s Hamas orchestrated over twenty suicide bombings killing 165 people most of them innocent civilians who lost their lives when the buses they were riding in were blown up In the 2000s Hamas orchestrated well over a 100 suicide bombings aimed at cafes shopping malls and night clubs killing 550 people In 2007 Hamas brutally executed dozens of moderate Palestinians who opposed its reign of terror in Gaza Since 2008 Hamas has launched more than 25 000 rockets at cities towns and villages situated in the sovereign land of Israel On October 7 2023 Hamas carried out an unprecedented grisly massacre of some onethousand Israeli civilians Its terrorists raped women tortured children slaughtered grandparents and burned whole families alive Many of the victims were decapitated and their bodies dismembered Hundreds were set alight after they had been shot to death At this time Hamas is holding some 240 individuals while not letting the red cross from visiting them and withholding any information regarding their condition Among the hostages there are nearly 20 elderly and over 30 children one of them a 9month old baby NOVEMBER 1ST 2023 ARI SHAVIT

ISRAEL AT WAR IVARI SHAVITDuring the withdrawal, Israel handed thePalestinians the cutting-edge agriculturalgreenhouses it had built in the north of the Strip,in the hope that these would aid in thedevelopment of a modern economy in Gaza.Palestinian mobs burned the greenhouses to theground.In 2007, the fascist-Islamist Hamas organizationtook control of Gaza in a brutal military putsch,during which dozens of moderate Palestinianswere brutally executed.The Hamas Charter is a blatantly anti-Semiticdocument, that calls for the annihilation of theState of Israel. Hamas believes that the Holocaustnever happened, and that in the future, theentire world will be ruled by Islam.Hamas tyrannizes the shrinking Christianpopulation of the Gaza Strip, and believes thatChristianity is a traitorous religion. At the sametime, Hamas persecutes homosexuals, and incertain cases has sentenced them to death.On November 29, 1947 the United Nationsvoted to partition the Promised land into twostates: Jewish and Arab. Israelis accepted thiscompromise, the Palestinians rejected it — andlaunched a war.In the summer of 2000, at the Camp DavidSummit, President Bill Clinton proposed thatIsrael withdraw from 92% of the West Bankand the whole of the Gaza Strip, so that anindependent Palestinian state could be foundedin these two regions. The Israeli governmentagreed. The Palestinians declined.In the summer of 2005, Israel withdrew fromthe Gaza Strip, dismantling settlements andreturning to the 1967 borders. As a result, forthe first time in history, Palestinians had anautonomous region of their own, free fromsuccessive Turkish, British, Jordanian, Egyptianand Israeli rule. But rather than turning thisliberated land into an independent, thrivingand peace-seeking state — they chose anotherway. Soon after the withdrawal was completed,Palestinians began to launch mortars androckets into sovereign Israel.Less than three weeks after the barbaric attack on20 kibbutzim, two towns and an outdoor musicfestival in southwestern Israel, an ugly campaignhas been mounted around the world to justify thecrimes-against humanity committed by Hamas onOctober 7, 2023. Despite the fact that childrenwere taken hostage, women were raped and entirefamilies were burned alive, there are still thosewho support this murderous terrorist organization.In the face of the upswell of vicious propagandaagainst Israel, here are some incontrovertibletruths about the history of the Israeli-Palestinianconflict and the tortuous relationship between theJewish-democratic state and the Gaza Strip.Edition #424 October 2023

UPFATES FROMISRAELHamas believes in a patriarchal rule. It deniesthe legitimacy of gender-equality, and does notaccord women basic rights.Hamas regularly uses civilians as humanshields. It houses its central command postsunderneath hospitals, thus intentionallyendangering the lives of both patients andmedical staff.Hamas has used the billions of dollars in foreignaid sent to Gaza in the last few years not toimprove the lives of the Strip’s residents, but tobuild one of the world’s most deadly terrormachines. Water pipes have been convertedinto rocket launchers. Homebuilding had beenreplaced by the digging of a labyrinth of terrorEdition #4THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT HAMAS By Ari Shavittunnels. While the Gazan population yearns for even aslight improvement in its abysmal standard of living,Hamas leaders have invested vast funds in weaponrydesigned to sow death and destruction.The bottom line is clear: not only the citizens ofIsrael, but also the residents of the Gaza Stripdeserve to be freed from Hamas’ reign of terror.True: this anti-Semitic organization is imperilingthe very existence of the State of Israel. Butthis misogynistic, homophobic and anti-Christianorganization — which defies basic principles ofIslam — is also threatening the most cherishedvalues of liberal democracy and the free world.The fight against Hamas is the quintessentialfight of liberty against tyranny and life againstdeath.

ISRAEL AT WAR IIIARI SHAVITlimbs were torn from their bodies. An unholyrampage of rape, torture, murder and mayhem. Adiabolical blend of ISIS-like barbarity and Nazi-likesadism. As I walk the paths of what was once utopia and seethe inferno it has become, I grasp what this war istruly about. It is not about territory. Nor is it a conventionalconflict between two adversarial nations. Here, inKfar Azza, Israel did exactly what the internationalommunity demanded: It withdrew to the 1967borders, ended occupation and dismantledsettlements. In this region of the country, Israel isliberal, moral and peace-seeking. And yet, evil camefor this humane and caring community with aninhumane savageness, with unfathomable brutality.This evil has made abundantly clear that this is a warfor the nation’s very existence — for the future of thefree world and human civilization.The welcome sign says that Kibbutz Kfar Azza wasfounded in 1951, alongside a quaint drawing of anidyllic village, with a central water tower, verdanttrees and white-washed, red-roofed dwellings.Utopia. An endeavor to fulfill the Jewish-democraticdream, to attain the social-democratic ideal, here, inthe western Negev Desert, a few miles across fromthe border with Gaza. A thriving, peace-lovingcommunity aspiring to live a life of honor andharmony.Crossing the yellow entrance gate, Kfar Azza stillseems like a utopia. Modest one-story homes, greenlawns, pastoral walkways, bicycles, strollers, flowergardens. Even the signage is heartwarming: to thepool, to the gym, to the senior living facility. Underthe azure October sky, Kfar Azza looks like a tranquilhamlet where humankind was able to realize its bestself.But as I approach the young families section of thekibbutz, a putrid stench rises in the air. And flies, somany flies. In the car park, the carcass of anautomobile, twisted and burned almost beyondrecognition. A blackened, scorched house, thenanother. A door riddled with bullet holes, a home thathas lost its tiled roof, and now stands gaping to theheavens, as if in a silent scream. There is more devastation ahead: homes whose safetyrooms, designed to protect their inhabitants, werepierced by RPG missiles. Homes whose safety roomswere incinerated, burning whole families alive. Livingrooms suddenly infiltrated by death and destruction.Beds drenched in blood. An almost incomprehensiblecarnage wrought by a hurricane of evil — man madeevil.Witnesses describe the depravity to me: a mother shotto death while holding her one-year-old son. Eightyoung children, no more than seven-years-old, cuffedand slain. Kibbutz members beheaded, others whose Edition #3 20 October 2023

ISRAEL AT WAR IIARI SHAVITPresident Joe Biden and Secretary of State AnthonyBlinken.But in the short time between the first and secondstages of this war, we should consider the twostriking human phenomenon that defined the initialphase: barbarity and bravery. The barbarity is almost incomprehensible. Theoutdoor music festival held near Kibbutz Re’im wasrampaged by dozens of terrorists disguised as Israelisoldiers and police officers, killing 260 youngsters incold blood. The tranquil, thriving Kibbutz Be’eri wasinfiltrated by some 100 Hamas murderers, who wentdoor-to-door, tossing grenades, setting fires tohomes and burning entire families alive. The first days of this War (2023) were horrifying. Thebrazen Hamas attack came as a complete surprise.The intelligence failure was colossal, the tragedyincomprehensible. In a short time, Israel was hurledback from the its relatively calm and prosperousexistence of the 21st century to the harrowing days of1948. Long-dormant images of pogroms and theHolocaust emerged from our collective unconscious,together with feelings of terrible pain, outrage andangst.But soon after, Israel began to rebound. The armyfreed the kibbutzim and regained control of thesouthern front. More than 350 thousand reservesoldiers were called up, the United States expressedits unequivocal support for the Jewish State, and inJerusalem, an emergency unity government wasconvened. Both on the war front and the home frontIsrael’s formidable strength of spirit was plain to see.ONE AGAINST THE OTHER ARE THE FORCES THAT WILLDETERMINE THE OUTCOME OF THIS WAREdition #2 16 October 2023Now, two questions require our attention: will theimpending Israeli ground offensive in the Gaza Stripyield a forceful, decisive and emphatic victory, andwill the limited confrontation in the north turn into afull scale war. On the one hand, it is clear that what iscurrently deterring Hezbollah from launching an all-out attack is both the stern warning delivered by theUS and Israel’s military deployment and readiness.On the other hand, it may very well be that Iran’sgrand strategy is to convince Israel that it canconcentrate on the southern front so that Hezbollahand other Shiite militias can launch a surprise attackin the north. Therefore, what is required of Israel isnot only to act resolutely, but to plan ahead —shrewdly, creatively and levelheadedly. And it mustconsent to the important initiatives proposed by

UPFATES FROMISRAELIn the neighboring Kibbutz Kfar Aza, babies werebutchered, residents were beheaded and women andchildren were brutally kidnapped. Similar atrocities befellKibbutz Nir Oz and a dozen other communities. For severallong hours, Israeli families experienced unspeakable horroras they hid in safe rooms, while sadistic killers attempted tobreak in and massacre them. Agents of evil sowed deathand destruction wherever they went.The nightmare continues even now. More than 200 Israeliswere kidnapped in the most cruel way possible anddisappeared into the dark tunnels of Gaza. Most of thehostages are civilians: the elderly, mothers, youngsters,children — entire families. Avichai Brodetz, for example, isan agronomist in his forties from Kfar Aza. His wife Hagar,together with his daughter Ofri (10) and sons, Yuval (8) andUriah (4) were mercilessly abducted and are now in the evilhands of Hamas. Edition #2ISRAEL AT WAR IICurrently, there is little hope that this vicious organizationwill free them. As barbaric as ISIS and as sadistic as theNazis, Hamas has shown no compassion whatsoever forany human being who happens to be Jewish.But in the face of barbarity rose bravery. A 25-year-oldwoman by the name of Inbal Lieberman, who serves as thesecurity coordinator for Kibbutz Nir Am, helped save hercommunity, when she realized that an attack was imminent,and recruited her fellow kibbutzniks to thwart theonslaught. A young police officer by the name of Amit Levyorganized his friends into a small and effective unit, whofought alone, killing some 20 terrorists and saving the livesof many in Kibbutz Nirim. Eliya Ben Shimol of KibbutzKerem Shalom led a group of nine men who waged a fiercebattle against 22 terrorists on motor-bikes and eventuallyrepelling their assault. Retired Major-General Noam Tibon(62) rescued the family of his son in Nahal Oz, and then c By Ari ShavitThese events bring to light the dramatic contrasts exposed during the first faze of the current War: on the one hand, war crimesof unimaginable brutality and hate, on the other heroic acts of bravery and ingenuity. Here, one against the other are the forcesthat will determine the outcome of this war: the monstrous evilness of our enemies against the exceptional and inspiring spirit ofour fellow Israelis. This is War.

ISRAEL AT WARARI SHAVITthe Golan Heights, not on its own sovereign land.Fifty years ago, Israeli villages were not infiltrated.Israeli citizens were not slaughtered. There were nopogroms, no massacres. Despite the initial failure ofthe national and military leadership — in October of1973 the state and the army functioned well enoughto ensure that Israel went from almost-defeat toheroic victory within two weeks.But in a certain sense, this is the new Pearl Harbor.Not only because of the shocking intelligencedebacle, and not only because the attacking forcesmanaged to hit the defensive forces and throw theminto disarray. But because what happened onOctober 7th, 2023 in Israel is exactly what happenedon December 7, 1941 in Hawaii. A cruel andtotalitarian political entity succeeded in momentarilydebilitating a Western democracy with the surprisingmilitary and technological capabilities it had amassed.Is this the new 9/11? No, it is not. In the atrocious Al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington inSeptember 2001, 3,000 of some 285 million Americanswere killed. In the atrocious Hamas attacks onsouthern Israel in early October 2023, over 1,300 ofsome 9.8 million Israelis were killed. In relative terms,the number of casualties in the kibbutzim and villagesof the western Negev Desert was 13 times greaterthan the lives cut down by the planes that flew intothe Twin Towers and the Pentagon 22 years ago. Andwhat lies ahead is the suffering of the more than 100hostages, mostly civilians being held in Gaza. Aterrible war to be fought. The tragedy has just begun.Is this the new Yom Kippur War? No, it is not. This is amuch more massive contest. Fifty years ago, Israelwaged battle on the banks of the Suez Canal and in “THE WAR BEING WAGED IS ABOUT ISRAEL’S VERY EXISTENCE.”Edition #1 October 2023

UPFATES FROMISRAELBut in one important sense, Israel’s Pearl Harbor is differentthan America’s Pearl Harbor. This time, it was not a militaryforce that attacked another military force, but a murderousorganization that butchered citizens — the elderly, womenand children. Its barbarity is no less vile than that of ISIS, itssavagery no less appalling than that of the Nazis. Thereforethe victory over Hamas must be no less resounding than thevictory over Japan in World War II. Without a Hiroshima ora Nagasaki, Israel must defeat this evil — deprive Hamas ofall of its military capabilities and drive it out of power,freeing Israel from the new existential threat it faces.The first days of the campaign were almost unbearable. Toomuch time elapsed before the Israeli army recovered itsfocus, freed the kibbutzim and secured control of theborders. The shock, anger, despondency and chaoshampered this recovery. But on October 9th, it was alreadyclear that the mobilization drive of over 300 thousandreservist soldiers was at over 100 percent. Civil societycame together in a forceful, heartwarming show ofsolidarity, assisting survivors, the newly homeless andsoldiers alike. On October 10th, the United Statesdemonstrated its unequivocal support for Israel.Edition #1ISRAEL AT WAR President Biden’s passionate speech, the deployment ofaircraft carriers from the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to theeastern Mediterranean, and the arrival in Israel of the firstUS shipment of weapons demonstrated just how strong thealliance between the great American democracy and theIsraeli democracy. And on October 11th, an emergencyunity government was finally convened in Jerusalem,headed by a war cabinet strengthen by former generalsBenny Gantz and Gadi Eizenkot.The objective of the coming days is clear: continuing themassive air strikes on Hamas strongholds and setting thestage for a comprehensive ground offensive in the GazaStrip — without opening a second front in northern Israel.The resilience of Israeli society, the prowess of the Israeliarmy and the strength of the Israeli spirit should allow theJewish state to accomplish its mission. But the support ofthe international community is crucial. Every upstandinghuman being around the world must understand that thistime the war being waged is not about territorial gains orpolitical interests, but about Israel’s very existence. In acertain sense, it is a war for the future of the free world.That is why we must all ensure that the Israeli frontierdemocracy will prevail. By Ari Shavit