First Time Here? Readers suggest starting with the expanded Gaza Explainer in #133 and #120.
Tags: 3 Min Read; Big Relief Area
Good News Dept: Taboo of Arabs in the IDF is slowly crumbling
(I don’t need to write yet more about the military, but this is reflective of broader Israeli society, and that's a good thing.)
Background:
While military service in Israel is compulsory for Jewish young men and women, and for young men from the Druze and Circassian minorities, it is optional for all other communities. Hundreds of Bedouin enlist voluntarily each year, but other Arab Israelis — Muslim and Christian — have historically shunned the army, primarily out of solidarity with Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
The Times of Israel published a lengthy piece about the growing phenomenon of Israeli Arabs, in addition to Bedouin, enlisting in the IDF, including in combat units. (PDF here.)
“On October 7, the penny dropped among Arab Israelis. They saw that Hamas opened fire on everyone, and did not distinguish between Jewish and Muslim citizens,” Abu Raya [Israeli Arab officer in the IDF] said. “And there are still Muslim hostages in the hands of Hamas. It was the same during the 2006 Second Lebanon War — nearly half of the civilian victims in Israel were Arabs. Rockets don’t distinguish between Moshe and Ali.”
Israeli Arabs serve on the supreme court, as CEOs of banks and other institutions. The broader participation is, the more solid the society.
One View of The War
Hamas hangs out in tunnels and in tents inside Humanitarian Zones. It doesn't make American news but guess what? Yup. Hamas still fires rockets at Israel. From within tent cities in Humanitarian Zones. So the IDF is still at work digging out Hamas. Here is the 16th Division operating in Zeitoon this week:
Which leads to discoveries like this:
And this: Machinery for making weapons:
New Book by Bernard-Henri Levy: Israel Alone
Newly available (as of September 10) in English. It proposes that October 7 “breaks history in two.” E.g. That we cannot look at the world the same way. At multiple levels: The brutality of the terrorists; Denial/minimization of their crimes by Western leaders (including those near the top of England and America); and, Unbridled antisemitism (such as on college campuses).
Postmark
Gaza: Tunnels: Where The Murdered Hostages Were Found
3 Min; in English
Gaza: Polio Vaccination Program
Is apparently finished in most of the strip and is now operating in the last (afaik) zone, the northern area.
Gaza: Soap & Shampoo
A few months ago, a theme on social media was a lack of hygiene products in the Strip. In recent weeks, soap, shampoo and the like have been arriving in such quantity that the prices are heading lower than in Israel.
Jenin
Gunfights between PA security forces and Palestinian militants. Over the past few months, PA security forces have been fighting Hamas and other militants in the West Bank, including with controlled explosions of the bombs these groups plant under main roads. (One of these efforts sent a PA bomb squad member to the hospital.)
Egypt
(Turn on subtitles, then turn on auto-translate to English.)
The Egyptian Foreign Minister presents the Egyptian position regarding the Hamas tunnels in the Philadelphia Corridor:
Over the past decade, Egypt has destroyed thousands of tunnels that reached its territory from the Gaza Strip.
Relief Area
Alef: The Sand Incident
Minister Ben Gvir, an extremist, visited a Tel Aviv beach. A woman threw sand in his face. She was arrested. Reactions:
Even cats throw sand on shit.
Ben Gvir is the Minister in charge of the police....
Reference to The Matrix [First time Raf is seeing this as a meme RE Israel or the Middle East... I'd like to see it of Sinwaar or Hamas dodging blame for repressing Palestinians worse than a Soviet police state....]
Bet
Gimmel: 1997: The Simpsons predict October 7th?
Dalet
(Relating to the Israeli Beduin hostage Farhan Al-Qadi freed two weeks ago after 300+ days in Hamas captivity.)
Hey: Billboard in Manhattan
Vav
"Don't let me bother/interrupt you."
[Minister of Justice Yariv Levin, who has been moving forward with the judicial "reform" (aka deconstruction of the judiciary) during the war.]
Zayin
Actually, it's closer to 74 [his age]...
After a month+ of travel, I am back in Tel Aviv. It is great to be here! Your responses, questions and input can be sent to me directly or by replying to these emails.
To Peace,
Raf
(Thank you A.K.)