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
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.
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