DEBKAfile Special Report January 8, 2011,
Since Friday night, Jan. 7 – when Israeli paratrooper, Sgt. Nadav Rutenberg, 20, from Moshav Ramot Hashavim, died and four others were injured during an ambush from the Gaza Strip – Palestinian terrorists have been on the offensive – both in Gaza and the West Bank, debkafile’s military sources report.
Saturday, a would-be suicide bomber from Jenin armed with two pipe bombs shouting Allah is Great! jumped out of a taxi at the Israeli checkpoint at Beqaot in the northern Jordanian Valley and tried to rush the soldiers. They called him to stop and shot him when he kept going. The other passengers fled.
It was the first attack by a Jenin inhabitant in the four years of relative peace prevailing on the West Bank since Israel beat back the Palestinian uprising.
Friday, another Palestinian was shot on the West Bank; he was running at an Israeli roadblock with what looked like a bottle bomb.
Thursday, Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas ordered the release of five Palestinian Hamas terrorists responsible for murdering four Israeli civilians on a road near Bet Haggai on Aug. 31, 2010.
Abbas had pledged to keep captured terrorists behind bars after Israel handed Palestinian Authority responsibility for security in West Bank cities. However, for the sake of a gesture to please the Emir of Qatar, the Palestinian leader reverted to the infamous revolving door policy the PA had exercised in former years.
An Israeli squad was sent out to Hebron forthwith to re-arrest the Hamas killers. A 66-year old man was shot by mistake and the wanted men got away.
Saturday saw a resumption of attacks on the Gaza Strip front: A volley of four mortar shells hit foreign laborers’ lodgings at a kibbutz in the Shear Hanegev district. Three of them were hurt, one seriously, and were evacuated to hospital.
debkafile’s military sources report that Hamas and Jihad Islami have improved the aim of their mortars with the help of recently-delivered Iranian devices. They are now able to achieve more direct hits instead of their usual hit-or-miss performance.
Saturday, Palestinian organizations in Gaza let loose with mortars apparently signaling that further escalation lay ahead should Israel retaliate for the Gaza ambush of Friday night, in which Sgt. Rutenberg was killed.
Responding to reports that Palestinians were again laying explosive devices on the border fence, they ran into an ambush of heavy automatic, mortar and anti-tank rocket fire from Palestinian positions. Tanks and assault helicopters had to be brought in to douse the attack.
As the firefight raged, a stray Israeli mortar shell hit the paratroops in mid-battle, killing the Israeli sergeant and injuring four members of his unit, one of them an officer who is in serious condition in hospital. Brig. Tal Russo, OC Southern Command has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
In recent weeks, Palestinian terrorist activity from the Gaza Strip has become increasingly bold, ranging from explosive devices planted on the border fence to missile and mortar fire on Israeli towns and military patrols.
debkafile’s military sources report that Israel’s responses have been too restrained and cautious to stem the escalation. Indeed, Hamas, Jihad Islami and the Islamist groups operating in Gaza under the al Qaeda-linked Jalalat umbrella have taken encouragement from Israel’s military restraint and redoubled their assaults.
The Hizballah militiamen and Al Qaeda militants who fought in Iraq who have arrived in Gaza studied IDF responses and its mode of operation and decided to switch tactics. Friday night, instead of another attempt to plant explosive devices on the fence – like the many which ended in the Palestinian assailants’ deaths – they set up an ambush.
The data above is out of date today the disparity between haves and have-nots has increased substantially. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer
We have come to the end of the viability the the Global economic system and a major upheaveal (CRASH) is all but inevitable. It’s on life support already. In a small country like Israel the distribution of wealth is seen felt on every level of our social, economic and political lives.
We have in Israel, 12 families that control 80% of the wealth of the country, ergo Banana Republic terminology.
The world has gone crazy. Everywhere I look I see situations that could explode into very serious situations. I hope Southern Sudan gets its new country. They have to separate from the Arab Muslims who took over the northern part of the country so they can have peace.
“They” say at the beginning of every century people go nuts. More so with the beginning of a millenium. Somebody wrote a book about the year 1000 when people allegedly went really nuts. And now we’ve got the bomb.
What we can do is take care of business every day, including defending against threats of violence. Slug back when slugged. So the Emir of Qatar wants a say in Israeli/Arab Palestinian matters? Tell him to bring his fighting duds when he comes to visit.
I doubt it you wouldn’t like the real me.
Easy enough to prove just do enough specific Google searches and it’s all there. I haven’t invented the wheel.
Why not do you think we are special a different sub species of humanoid?
Never Again was coined by Kahane to mean we will never go like sheep again and not to mean what is commonly believed that there would be no more Jewish Holocausts. There is likely to be more at least there are enough forces that would like to see another. In the end it’s in our own hands.
I would like to know who this “Yamit82” is? I think what he is saying is a bunch of s–t, but I like to learn. Everywhere a small percentage of the population owns a lot and does some controlling. HOWEVER, I cannot believe that Israelis of all people would abandon their country for even more money. I would love to hear from others that know.
I agree completely with Kay. Let’s go for it. “NEVER AGAIN!”
Question: A- Who is Israels 2nd largest trading partner? B- Who owns Israels specific monopolies that service that trading Partner?
C-Who controls our politicians?
A- PA
B- Most of Israels 5% who own 80% of all of Israels liquid and non liquid assets.
C- Those who control most of the money also own the banks and all financial institution, insurance Co’s., stock exchange, refineries, Zim Shipping, El-Al The list is long but they also own the media news papers and TV and cable and Bezek our national Telephone distributor.
These oligarchs have partnered up with their terrorist opposites to fleece both Israelis and Arabs, pile up obscene profits with no oversight no control and they charge accordingly. They do not want any change to the basic Business status quo and restrict the decision making against that status quo. They own the media, the courts and prosecution and fund most of the universities above what the government provides.
Israel has the most concentration of wealth and power of any nation in the west. They want money and then more. They control both the right and the left that’s why we never see any significant policy change and many time what seems to be incompetency by our officials can be laid at the door or these same puppet masters. Banana Republic might be a tame term when applied to Israel
I realize the situation in Israel is like a powder keg…but I also wonder what “Never Again” means. Doing nothing while the enemy picks you off from all sides? How has that been working for you?
You’re damned if you don’t and you’re damned if you do….so why not DO?