Military related items and human-interest stories.

 

“I have never encountered anyone who matched his command of the English language. Sentences poured forth in mellifluous constructions complicated enough to test the listener’s intelligence and simultaneously leave him transfixed by the speaker's virtuosity.”  The remark was made by Henry Kissinger. No, not complimenting Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, whose English leaves a lot to be desired, but to the late Abba Eban, Israeli diplomat and politician, and a scholar of the Arabic and Hebrew languages. During his career, he served as Foreign Affairs Minister, Education Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister of Israel.                          A distinguished graduate of Cambridge University, Abba Eban was fluent in ten languages. Nonetheless, Eli Cohen’s lack of fluency in English, was made up for by the fervour with which he accused UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of trying to absolve Hamas from blame for the horrific’ October 7 attack.                                                                                                                     “I will not meet with the UN secretary-general. After October 7, there is no room for a balanced approach. Hamas must be erased from the world!” Cohen stated.                                                   Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan called on Antonio Guterres to resign.                                                                                                                                                                           “Guterres who shows understanding for the campaign of mass murder of children, women, and the elderly, is not fit to lead the UN,” Erdan said.                                                                                   “There is no justification or point in talking to those who show compassion for the most terrible atrocities committed against the citizens of Israel.”  he added.                                                           Israel is furious that Guterres had suggested the attacks by Hamas could not be seen in a vacuum but followed decades of occupation. Guterres had also accused Israel of clear violations of humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip, and insisted that a humanitarian ceasefire was vital, a position that the US was close to accepting even if it would not use the term ceasefire, but instead a “humanitarian pause”.

Instead of launching a full-scale ground assault on Gaza, which could endanger hostages, civilians, and further inflame tensions in the region, US military advisers are urging the IDF to use a combination of precision airstrikes and targeted special operations raids.

 A few days ago, I had no idea when the IDF would launch a ground assault. At that time, I wrote “If and when the IDF launches a full-scale ground assault on Gaza it will likely be spearheaded by a brigade or more of main battle tanks (MBTs).” Some military affairs experts question the wisdom of this tactic.                                                                                                                         Still, other experts claim that “reports of the demise of the main battle tank (MBT) have been greatly exaggerated.” There was a time when tanks and armoured personnel carriers (APCs) were vulnerable to a variety of light-weight hand-held weapons – rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) and Kornet anti-tank guided missiles (AGTMs).

To counter this threat Rafael Advanced Defence Systems (Israel) devised the ‘Trophy,’ a military armoured vehicle active protection system. Trophy protects against a wide range of anti-tank threats, while also maximising the vehicle's ability to identify enemy location to crews and combat formations, thereby providing greater survivability and manoeuvrability in all combat theatres. The system has intercepted a variety of threats, including the 9M133 Kornet Anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), Rocket propelled grenade (RPG-29,) etc. the U.S Army has reported similar success in tests. “I tried to kill the Abrams tank with ATGM 48 times and failed, despite the fact that some of them were supersonic,” said US Army Col. Glenn Dean.

According to Forbes Business Magazine, Hamas forces have a few innovative ideas for defeating the Trophy. Hamas assumes that firing a rocket-propelled grenade from 50 yards or closer should thwart the Trophy, presumably by giving it too little time to react. Alternatively, an SPG-9 recoilless gun should defeat a Trophy, simply by virtue of its projectile’s high speed. Or Hamas troopers firing several RPG rounds in quick succession and overwhelming the device. As far as I know, Hamas hasn’t employed these tactics.

 In the Summer of 2018, Rafael conducted an extensive series of qualification tests for Trophy MV/VPS in Israel, with the presence of over 130 decision makers and technical experts from over 15 countries. The tests were conducted in extreme scenarios, using both rockets and ATGMs. The reported success rate was over 95%.

In February 2021, the Israeli Ministry of Defence and the  German Federal Ministry of Defence signed a government-to-government agreement to supply the Trophy system to the German military, for its fleet of  Leopard 2 tanks. In addition, the Trophy system is about to undergo integration into the British Army's Challenger 3  main battle tank.

Another Israeli defence industry is marketing a similar product. The ‘Iron Fist,’ a hard-kill active protection system (APS) designed by Israel Military Industries (IMI), with a modular design allowing adaptation to a range of platforms ranging from light utility vehicles to heavy armoured fighting vehicles. The U.S. Army has tested and installed the system on a brigade of M2 Bradley tanks.

 For the purpose of ‘offsetting’ the above-mentioned military hardware and software items I want to conclude with two human-interest stories. There is a preamble to the first narrative dating back to when I ‘made aliya’ in 1961.

 My first home was at kibbutz Nirim where I lived for four years. Nitza Hefetz was one of the ‘pioneers’ who founded the kibbutz. I recall how she casually mentioned that she was born in Ein Harod. At that time, although I had heard of Ein Harod, I didn’t know that I would eventually settle there.

End of the preamble, here is the first human interest story: -

Many local news outlets told how a brave quick-thinking Filipino caregiver, Camille Jesalva saved her own life and the life of 95-year-old Nitza Hefetz, the woman she was taking care of by ‘buying off’ a Hamas terrorist. On October 7, the day Hamas terrorists ferociously attacked many of the Gaza periphery communities, Camille ‘bribed’ a Hamas terrorist who had broken into Nitza’s home by offering him the savings she had prepared for a planned trip to the Philippines two days later. “I opened my wallet and told him to take the $370 I had and begged him not to harm us.” Jesalva locked herself and Nitza in the safe-room, where they spent several hours until help arrived.                                                                                                      Later she cancelled her flight to the Philippines in order to remain with Nitza. But now that Nitza’s family has moved her to an assisted living facility in Jerusalem, Camille hopes to fly home next month.

There is an unconfirmed corollary to Camille Jesalva's story. In the scuffle with the terrorist when he forced his way into Nitza’s home, Camille’s glasses were broken. Later, when she was interviewed on TV channel 13 Camille asked for help in replacing her glasses. I heard that within a few hours Israelis had called the TV channel offering to pay for her glasses and to cover the cost of her trip home.  

 The other human-interest story involves my family in New Zealand. It’s less dramatic, but nevertheless important.

My daughter Daphna’s husband Mark Muller is an active trade union worker. In that capacity he attended the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions biannual conference last week. On the second day of the conference a motion was put against Israel’s actions in Gaza calling for a ceasefire. The people seated at the conference’s executive table weren’t expecting a discussion on the motion. So, there was considerable surprise when Mark stood up and very forcefully spoke against it.  He called out the fact that there was no mention of the atrocities committed by Hamas or the hostages Hamas had taken. The resolution was revised and included something about October 7 and the hostages, but not enough. So, Mark voted against the motion and asked that his vote against it be recorded in the minutes.

While it’s quiet here at Ein Harod I am, concerned for  the safety of family and friends in and near the Gaza Strip.

 

Take Care.

 

Beni,

 29^th of October, 2023.

Safe and sound.

 

With the exception of my daughters Michal in Canada and Daphna in New Zealand, family and friends overseas are concerned for the personal safety of our family in Israel. I hasten to add that both Michal and Daphna are also concerned, but they are more aware of the current situation in Israel.

I’m including the following link to a post that Daphna wrote

.

https://plainsight.nz/despite-the-horror-there-is-hope/

 

 For the purpose of allaying fears that enemies are about to push us into the Mediterranean Sea I’m including here an appraisal of Israel’s military strength posted last week by Agence France Presse (AFP) –

“Israel has one of the best-resourced militaries in the world, hugely supported by Washington. 

In Hamas, it faces a highly-trained armed group with powerful regional allies.

With both sides poised for a ground offensive in the wake of the deadly attack by Hamas on October 7, here is an overview of their military resources:-

According to Britain's International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) number 169,500, of which 126,000 comprise the standing army.

In addition, the IDF has 400,000 reservists, of which 360,000 have been mobilised since the Hamas attack.

Israel has some of the most technologically advanced and sophisticated defence systems in the world, including the "Iron Dome" anti-missile system.

IISS says the IDF has about 1,300 tanks and other armoured vehicles, 345 fighter jets and a vast arsenal of artillery, drones and state-of-the-art submarines.

Washington currently provides $3.8 billion per year to Israel in military aid under a 10-year agreement running until 2028.

According to IISS Hamas’ armed forces, number 15,000 men, though it notes Arabic media have put the figure at 40,000.

They have heavy weapons sourced from across the Middle East -- particularly Iran, Syria and Libya as well as handguns and assault rifles from China and other regions.

It also has a variety of locally-made, improvised explosives and Western sources say enough drones, mines, anti-tank guided missiles, grenade launchers and mortar shells to hold out for a long period, though precise figures are unavailable.

The majority of its rockets are also locally manufactured and technologically rudimentary.

There have already been exchanges across the border between Israel and Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah is based.

"Hezbollah can tie up IDF resources without having to fully commit to the fight, instead relying on occasional rocket or missile strikes to prevent Israel from growing complacent and forcing the IDF to commit manpower and materiel along the northern border," said the Soufan Centre, a US think tank.

In 2021, the group claimed to have 100,000 fighters. The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), an Israeli think tank, says the number is half that.

Independent Middle East expert Eva Koulouriotis estimates Hezbollah has 20,000 highly trained fighters and a reserve of some 50,000 who have received three months of training in Lebanon and three months in Iran.

INSS says the group's arsenal counts between 150,000 and 200,000 rockets and missiles, including "hundreds" of precision rockets.

Hezbollah simulated cross-border raids into Israel in May that involved weapons systems from Iran, Syria, Russia and China

Since its Islamic revolution in 1979, Iran has made support for Palestinians one of the pillars of its ideology.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned in recent days: "No one can guarantee the control of the situation and the non-expansion of the conflicts" if Israel sends its soldiers into Gaza.

Raz Zimmt, of INSS, said Iran currently had "no interest in Hezbollah engaging in an all-out war" that might threaten such a key "strategic asset".

But he added that Iran's hand could be forced by "an Israeli ground invasion, and especially if an Israeli military success threatens the very survival of Hamas and/or its ability to maintain effective control over the Gaza Strip."

 At this juncture I want to add an op-ed posted in another news outlet.

 Reporting for Al Arabiya Yusra Asif commented, “With a vast arsenal bolstered by billions of dollars annually in defence aid provided by the United States, Israel has one of the most powerful militaries in the Middle East.

According to multiple media reports, close to 300,000 Israeli soldiers have been stationed near the Gaza Strip border, as speculations of a possible ground incursion are increasing by the hour.

Israel spent $23.4 billion in military expenditure in 2022, according to data collected by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

This amount equals $2,623 per capita from 2018-2022, making it the second largest military spender per capita after Qatar.

Israel also spent 4.5 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on the military in 2022, the 10th highest in the world.

Israel has been the largest recipient of US military and foreign aid since World War II. To date, the US has provided Israel with $158 billion in bilateral assistance and missile defence funding, according to the Congressional Research Service 2023 report.

The US has provided Israel with military assistance in part due to shared strategic and security goals in the Middle East.

Of the $3.8 billion military aid provided to Israel this year, half a billion is for Israeli missile defence, and the US has also stated that it will replenish Israeli munitions in its war against Hamas.

According to unconfirmed reports, Al Arabiya was founded through investment by the Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC), as well as other investors from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the Persian Gulf states. Through MBC, Saudi Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd and his maternal uncle Waleed bin Ibrahim al Ibrahim own and have control over Al Arabiya

 I’m adding a footnote for the purpose of clarifying that while Israel is the largest recipient of U.S military aid, its defence industries generate considerable economic benefits for U.S military industries.

However, according U.S public opinion surveys Americans are unaware of this contribution.

 In a publication issued by the U.S News & World Report a majority of Americans believe too much of the federal budget is spent on foreign aid. But most Americans overestimate what the share really is. A 2016 Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that respondents estimated foreign aid to constitute 26% of the federal budget on average, but in reality, foreign assistance typically makes up less than 1% of federal spending.

Still, the U.S. gives more money in foreign aid in total dollars than any other country in the world, distributing more than $530 billion globally between 2012 and 2021. In 2021 alone – the most recent year for which data is complete – the U.S. gave foreign countries about $52.4 billion.

Foreign aid obligations by the U.S. include both economic support – which includes humanitarian spending – and military support. The aid can range anywhere from counterterrorism initiatives funded by the Department of State to programmes combating HIV/AIDS funded by the Department of Health and Human Services.

 A website run by the State Department and USAID, ForeignAssistance.gov, tracks international aid from a large number of U.S. government agencies.

In 2021, military aid accounted for 12.5% of all foreign aid spending, a much smaller share than the 23% it accounted for in 2020. Meanwhile, economic assistance made up about 87.5%, much higher than its 77% in 2020.

In 2021 the U.S. gave more than $3.3 billion to Israel, 11% of the year’s entire distribution to specific countries. That year, Israel received more than twice the amount seen by any other country, and nearly all of it was designated as military aid. Ranked by total aid received in 2021, Israel was followed by Jordan ($1.6 billion), Afghanistan ($1.40 billion), Ethiopia ($1.39 billion) and Egypt ($1.29 billion).

While the other recipients aren’t arms exporters, Israel does export arms.

Defence Ministry officials note a surge in demand for Israeli-made weapons due to Russia’s war on Ukraine, uptick in interest from Arab allies; nearly a quarter of exports are drones.

The ministry’s International Defence Cooperation Directorate, known as SIBAT, said defence exports totalled $12.5 billion last year, up from $11.4 billion in 2021 — the previous record high. Between 2011 and 2016, that number hovered between $5.6 billion and $7.5 billion.

Officials cited “geostrategic changes” in Europe as the reason for the sharp increase in demand for Israeli-made weapons, referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Officials also said there had been a significant demand for Israeli weapons by Arab nations that recently normalised ties with Israel.

In my opening remarks I said family and friends overseas are concerned for the personal safety of our family in Israel.

Well, we are all safe and accounted for. Understandably, the younger generation is serving in the standing army and the reserves, defending our borders in the south and the north. I hope and trust that eventually they will all return home safely.

 

Take care.

 Beni,

 26^th of October, 2023.

 

A tale of conflicting narratives

 

The Guardian reported that hundreds of Christians and Muslims were sheltering inside Saint Porphyrius church on Thursday evening when a missile brought down part of the complex, killing at least 16 people.

On Friday their bodies were laid out for a mass funeral in the church courtyard.

A spokesman for the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which runs the church, said many of those inside at the time were women and children, and accused Israel of targeting churches.

“The Patriarchate emphasises that targeting churches and their institutions, along with the shelters they provide to protect innocent citizens … constitutes a war crime that cannot be ignored.” He said.

 Well so much for the venerable gentleman’s impartial observation.

An IDF spokesman said it had damaged “a wall of a church” when it hit a Hamas “command and control centre” nearby, but denied intentionally targeting the church.

It provided a video that showed a missile hitting a building immediately adjacent to the church, and said the incident was under review.

Saint Porphyrius is the oldest active church in the city, dedicated to a bishop who destroyed the city’s pagan temples and converted the city to Christianity. It was founded in the early 5th century, soon after his death.

The Saint Porphyrius church was rebuilt by the crusaders who set up camp in the city 700 years later, and renovated it at a later date. The church is less than 300 metres from the al-Ahli hospital compound I mentioned last week. It has architectural and constructional similarities with a Byzantine era church which was requisitioned after the Muslim conquest in the 7th century and consecrated as the Great Mosque of Gaza also known as the Great Omari Mosque. It is the largest and oldest mosque in the Gaza Strip.

Believed to stand on the site of an ancient Philistine temple the mosque was damaged in an earthquake in 1033. In 1149, the Crusaders built a large church there which was mostly destroyed by the Ayyubids in 1187. The saga of destruction and rededication continued when the  Mamlukes rebuilt the structure as a mosque in the early 13th century.

It was destroyed by the Mongols in 1260, then soon restored shortly afterwards only to be destroyed by an earthquake at the end of the century.

The Great Mosque was restored again by the Ottomans about 300 years later. Some Western travellers in the late 19th century reported that the Great Mosque was the only structure in Gaza worthy of historical or architectural note. The Great Mosque was severely damaged by  Allied forces while attacking the Ottoman positions in Gaza during World War 1. The British claimed that there were Ottoman munitions stored in the mosque and its destruction was caused when the munitions were ignited by the bombardment. If that sounds familiar it’s because Hamas has taken a page from the Ottoman military tactics handbook.

The mosque was restored by the Supreme Muslim Council in 1926-27.

According to tradition, the mosque stands on the site of the Philistine temple dedicated to 

Dagon—the god of fertility.

According to the Book of Judges Samson ‘brought the house down’ there, killing himself and a great many Philistines. Local legend claims that Samson is buried under the present mosque.

Since Samson and his feats are more legend than historical fact, I doubt it very much.

There was a Hebrew and Greek inscription carved on the upper tier of one of the building's columns. It was suggested in the late 19th century that the upper pillars of the building were brought from a 3rd-century Jewish synagogue in Caesarea. However, the discovery of a  sixth century synagogue at  Maiumas,  the ancient port of Gaza, in the 1960s make local re-use of this column much likelier. The relief on the column depicted Jewish cultic objects - a menorah, a shofar, a  lulav and  an etrog - surrounded by a decorative wreath, and the inscription that  reads - "Hananyah son of Jacob" in both Hebrew and Greek. The relief was destroyed sometime between 1973-1996 and the stone has been smoothed over.

The ancient synagogue of Gaza was built in 508 A.D during the Byzantine period and was discovered in 1965.

Egyptian archaeologists discovered the site and announced they had uncovered a church. Later a mosaic of King David wearing a crown and playing a lyre, labelled in Hebrew, was found. The Egyptian archaeologists stated that the mosaic was in fact an Orpheus mosaic , Orpheus being a figure from Greek mythology who was commonly associated with Jesus or David and used in Byzantine art. Shortly after the mosaic's discovery, the main figure's face was gouged out. When Israel captured the Gaza Strip in the 1967  Six-Day War, the mosaic was transferred to the  Israel Museum for restoration.

The mosaic floor of the synagogue is on display at the Museum of the Good Samaritan, located on the Jerusalem-Jericho Road near Ma'ale Adumim in the West Bank.

The best-known panel of the mosaic floor shows King David, who is named in a Hebrew inscription reading "David" (דויד), while sitting and playing a lyre with a number of wild animals listening tamely in front of him. The iconography is a clear example of David being depicted in the posture of the legendary Greek musician Orpheus.

Mosaic floors from synagogues and monasteries that flourished during the same era in the West Bank have been ‘rescued’ and are also on display in the museum.

The parable of the Good Samaritan is told in Luke 10:29–37: A man going from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked by robbers who strip him and beat him. A priest and a Levite pass by without helping him. But a Samaritan stops and cares for him, taking him to an inn where the Samaritan pays for his care.

The Inn of the Good Samaritan is a national park, museum, ancient archaeological site and former inn administered by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority located near Ma'ale Adumim, halfway between Jerusalem and Jericho,

After 1967 Israel developed the ruins as a tourist site officially called the "Good Samaritan Inn.” However, the identification as the "inn of the good Samaritan" is neither of Byzantine, nor of Crusader date, but of a later time, when pilgrims saw in the blood-coloured rocks the symbolic proof that this was the place where the traveller in the parable was beaten by the robbers. Irrespective of the fact that the narrative is no more than a parable.

Incidentally, A caravanserai was a roadside inn where travellers could rest and recuperate from the day's journey. The caravanserai system supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering Asia, North Africa and Southeast Europe, most notably the Silk Road. Alternatively known as a khan, one such facility, Khan al-Tujjar near Mount Tabor is clearly visible from my kibbutz.

In its heyday the khan accommodated many travelling merchants. A traveller who chanced by the khan in the mid eighteenth century remarked -

“The wayfarers are lavishly given a loaf of bread and a tallow candle for each person, and a nosebag of barley for each horse—free of charge.” The last time I passed by the khan it didn’t look too inviting.

 

Take care.

 

Beni,

 

 23^rd of October, 2023