Nadene Goldfoot
Israel has been under incessant attack since its inception in 1948 and has learned how to preserve its humanitarian values while protecting its citizens. Israel had already lost 6 million Jews in WWII. They are not about to set their people up to lose anymore lives and will do everything they can to save lives, both theirs and the innocents within the enemy. Do do everything they can during war to save the lives of innocents on the other side. At the same time, the enemy; in this case Hamas terrorists, do everything they can to put their weapons among their own civilians thinking that Israel will not attack there, so Israel gives out warnings before striking if necessary.
Bomb shelters are built into every building. Schools have bomb shelters. In some places in Israel, one has only 15 seconds warning to get to a bomb shelter. People are encouraged to have a bomb shelter made out of one of the rooms, like a safe room. Oldsters are at a disadvantaged if they have to run to a shelter, so most likely, people consider this fact before going to someplace unless there is a shelter close by. This past 11 day war surprised the public in that Central and Southern Israel was hit by rocket fire. That hadn't happened for some time. It happens daily to Sderot and even Ashkelon, cities near to the border of Gaza.
It's an all-too-common occurrence in Israel over nearly a month of conflict with Hamas. People will be carrying out the days tasks, running errands, buying groceries, meeting with friends in a cafe, when a loud siren will blast, alerting citizens off a potential shelling. Everyone rushes to the nearest bomb shelter to wait it out. During these past 11 days, no one could leave their shelter in southern Israel. Food was brought to them by volunteers .
Their most effective and important weapon is its intelligence operations, which allow it to monitor and preempt attacks against its citizens. Mossad is the intelligence gatherers. Mossad's former motto, be-tachbūlōt ta`aseh lekhā milchāmāh (Hebrew: בתחבולות תעשה לך מלחמה) is a quote from the Bible (Proverbs 24:6): "For by wise guidance you can wage your war" (NRSV). During the 1990s, Mossad discovered a Hezbollah agent operating within the United States in order to procure materials needed to manufacture IEDs and other weapons. In a joint operation with U.S. intelligence, the agent was kept under surveillance in hopes that he would betray more Hezbollah operatives, but was eventually arrested
Mossad informed the FBI and CIA in August 2001 that, based on its intelligence, as many as 200 terrorists were slipping into the United States and planning "a major assault on the United States." The Israeli intelligence agency cautioned the FBI that it had picked up indications of a "large-scale target" in the United States and that Americans would be "very vulnerable." However, "It is not known whether U.S. authorities thought the warning to be credible, or whether it contained enough details to allow counter-terrorism teams to come up with a response." A month later, terrorists struck at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the largest terrorist attack in history.
Personally, my favorite books to read are by Daniel Silva who tells about his spy, Gabriel Allon and his life as an Israeli, presumably, Mossad spy.
Israel chose not to use its full military power to eliminate the terrorists in order to limit the loss of innocent Palestinian lives. One strategy was to try to block the terrorists' ability to access Israeli population centers. There are no natural barriers between Israel and the West bank. There were man-made barriers when Jordan occupied the West Bank, but Israel removed them when it gained control of the area in the 1967 War. For the next 33 years until 2000 , people traveled more freely between the 2 regions. However, this free movement ended when the terrorist campaign erupted in 2000. Israel had to prevent terrorists from simply walking or driving into Israeli communities to maim and murder men, women and children.
The long history of terrorism against Jews of Palestine and even before Israel announced itself as a state in 48 has forced it to develop innovative counterterrorism strategies. Israel is now respected as a global expert in the field, and its policies have become a model for other democracies that are also committed to upholding humanitarian standard even while they face terrorists who operate among civilian. In responding to the wars and terrorism since 2000, Israel has sought ways to defend its citizens and, at the same time, protect the lives of innocent Palestinians and Lebanese who were also victimized by those who want to destroy Israel.
An armed terrorist dressed as a woman was captured by the Israeli military. Palestinians do use females as terrorists. Dalal Mughrabi, who killed 38 civilians in 1978, and Fatima Bernawi, who served 10 years for failed Jerusalem bombing, honored in special broadcast on official PA TV.
Attacks on Israel showing disregard for life as been: using suicide bombers in crowded Israeli restaurants that have destroyed restaurant and people within.
Terrorists have smuggled bombs and terrorists into Israel using ambulances. Using an ambulance as an attack modality offers many advantages to a terrorist organization. Ambulances can carry more explosives than most vehicles and can often bypass security. Yet, studies examining how terrorist organizations have incorporated ambulances into their attacks are lacking.
Hospitals go to the border and care for the injured enemy. Helicopters bring in enemy wounded to Israel hospitals. I had plenty of experience seeing that from 1980-85 living in Safed where the hospital was across the street from the school I taught in. This was during 1982.
Rockets were frequently fired from Palestinian areas like Gaza and from Lebanon into Israel. Israel just went through 11 days of shelling that hit the entire parts of Israel, along the border near Gaza where many fell into Gaza itself killing Gazans, as well as Central and Southern Israel. They are being made in Gaza and are from other places. Three were from Lebanon.
Israeli soldiers have uncovered many tunnels used to smuggle weapons and terrorists by 2010, and now have uncovered and hit THE METRO, over 70 miles of tunnel work under Gaza.
Palestinian Militants frequently use women and children as human shields during attacks. They put their rockets launchers in mosques, schools and hospitals, and hide behind them that way knowing that Israel won't hit. Over 4,300 rockets were shot at Israel. At least 243 people, including more than 100 women and children, were killed in Gaza, according to its health ministry. Israel has said it killed at least 225 militants during the fighting. Hamas has not given casualty figures for fighters.
In Israel 12 people, including two children, were killed, its medical service says.
Israeli checkpoints are set up to stop terrorists from reaching Israeli civilians. Here 2 Palestinians were arrested for carrying knives. Knifing attacks have been wildly going on in Jerusalem. Actually the police need reinforcements on the Temple Mount. It's been a bad scene. The Palestinians have been going crazy.
The principals guiding Israel's policies are: (#) Humanitarian: and (X) Defensive
1. Save the lives of Israeli citizens
2. Protect the lives and well-being of innocent Palestinians
3. Uphold civil and human rights with Supreme Court review of contested policies.
A. Stop terrorists and dismantle their infrastructures
B. Prevent the success of terrorist missions
C. Root out terrorist leaders and their supporters
Checkpoints:
All checkpoints are temporary, legal and part of the jointly agreed-upon Oslo Accords. They inconvenience Palestinians and Israelis thought Israel has progressively introduced improvements to ease the transit for Palestinians.
Israel had built highways in the Territories that bypassed crowded population centers, okayed by Oslo agreements.
Israel's tall fence's construction began in 2002. by 2010, THE NUMBER OF TERRORIST ATTACKS HAD DROPOPED BY MORE THAN 90%. 97% OF THE BARRIER IS A CHAIN-LINK FENCE; APPROXIMATELY 3% OR 10 MILES OF IT IS A CONCRETE WALL BUILT TO PREVENT THE SNIPER SHOOTING THAT WAS FR3QUENT IN SELECTED AREAS.
Only 5% to 8% of West Bank land and only 3/10s of 1% of Palestinians will be on the Israeli side of the fence.
Palestinians can bring their grievances about the barrier to Israeli's Supreme Court, which in several cases has ruled in the favor of the Palestinians, resulting in rerouting of the fence. I have read the many article of complaints by Palestinian enthusiasts writing a terrible attack upon Israel, but remember, all these checkpoints and walls are there for a reason, attacks on Israelis. Rules and laws and walls develop from reasons; and here it is the lives of people. People are being defended by these inconveniences. Stop the attacks and someday laws change and walls come tumbling down. Isn't that what happened with the Berlin Wall?
Resource;
ISRAEL 101 Produced by StandWithUs, 2010
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33109290/
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/three-rockets-launched-toward-israel-lebanon-no-damage-israeli-military-2021-05-13/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57205968
https://www.972mag.com/photos-palestinians-cross-israeli-checkpoints-for-ramadan-prayers/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mossad#:~:text=the%20prime%20minister.-,Motto,your%20war%22%20(NRSV).
https://www.jpost.com/international/911-terrorist-pearl-was-mossad-agent
https://www.businessinsider.com/a-look-inside-israels-bomb-shelters-photos-2014-8
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