Escalation of conflict in the north of Israel
Israel’s Security Cabinet has updated its war objectives to include the safe return of 60,000 northern residents evacuated from their homes due to ongoing Hezbollah attacks. The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed this shift in strategy, vowing that “Israel will continue to act to achieve this goal.”
Hezbollah’s relentless rocket and drone attacks since October have forced thousands of Israelis living near the Lebanon border to evacuate. The terror group’s leaders have declared that their attacks will persist to prevent Israeli citizens from returning to the area. So far, these strikes have resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians and 20 soldiers. Since October 8, the group has launched more than 6,700 rockets and drones targeting northern Israel.
The attack on Hezbollah personnel using booby trapped pagers demonstrated Israel’s extraordinary capabilities in inflicting damage on its enemies. It neutralised hundreds of fighters and created disarray regarding the organisation’s ability to communicate. At the time of writing (19 September) we wait to see if this is a prelude to a much bigger Israeli military action against Hezbollah and what response will come from Hezbollah and the allied proxies of Iran in the region. There are fears of a devastating increase in conflict.
Hezbollah has missiles capable of reaching the whole of Israel, and Israel has talked of sending Lebanon back to the stone age if they attempt to fire these missiles at Israel.
UK weapons embargo
The UK government announced that it is imposing an “immediate” weapons embargo against Israel. The statement followed almost a year of relentless attacks on Israel, not only by Iran’s proxies — Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis — but by Iran itself, and tons of unverified propaganda by Hamas that Israel is supposedly committing “war crimes.”
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, in his announcement of the weapons embargo to the House of Commons, assured parliament that “this government’s priority… [is] to advance the cause of peace” — apparently because nothing spells peace more than emboldening terrorists. Lammy ignores the extreme lengths to which Israel has gone to avoid civilian casualties, as well as the huge amounts of humanitarian aid it has facilitated into the Gaza strip.
The British embargo accomplishes one thing only: Emboldening and strengthening Hamas — not only by withholding necessary military equipment from Israel, but by showing Hamas that its propaganda is working exactly according to plan: to isolate Israel, while emboldening and encouraging Iran.
Division weakens Israel
The split between left and right has again broken out in Israel, with demonstrations taking place against the Netanyahu government, for not achieving the release of the hostages and agreeing to a ceasefire. Netanyahu has reacted angrily to this development, saying the opposition are demanding that he gives in to Hamas demands that will ensure that Israel will again face the same situation as they had on October 7th.
A key area of concern is the Philadelphi Corridor, the border between Gaza and Egypt, which Israel currently occupies. Netanyahu says Israel must maintain control of this strip of land, because it has been the main conduit for weapons coming from Egypt into Gaza. The the IDF has uncovered and blocked off 150 smuggling tunnels coming from Egypt and accuses Egypt of failing to take action to prevent this illegal trade.
Israeli opposition leaders have disputed Netanyahu’s stance that Israel must continue to control the Philadelphi corridor. Thousands of Israelis siding with this view have demonstrated against Netanyahu, accusing him of obstructing a hostage deal. Hamas demands a total withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza and will not agree to release the hostages until this is agreed on. Hamas is cynically using this issue to undermine Israeli morale and create division within Israel. The Israeli left is playing into their hands.
South Africa’s Chief Rabbi accuses Pope and Archbishop
South Africa’s Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein has accused Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby of “abandoning” the Bible and failing to protect Christians and Western values. He criticised the two Christian leaders for their “indifference” to the persecution of Christians by jihadist groups and their hostility to Israel’s fight against terrorism, claiming this stance only strengthens extremist forces that threaten global stability. He said they have “abandoned their most sacred duty to protect and defend the values of the Bible. The world is locked in a civilisational battle of values, threatened by terrorism and violent jihad. Now is the time for religious leaders to come to the defence of society, to speak up for Western values and freedoms.”
Rabbi Goldstein attacked the Archbishop of Canterbury for his support for the recent ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which declared Israel an illegal occupier of Palestinian land. He said this support “puts him in direct opposition to the Bible. The Bible is not just a book of theology; it is a book of historical facts. What today the UN and its ICJ calls the West Bank, the Bible calls Judea and Samaria. This lies squarely within the borders of the land that God promised and delivered to the Jewish people. This raises the question: does Archbishop Welby actually believe in the Bible? The rabbi went on:
“Are Jews in his view illegal occupiers in the land of Israel, the same land of Israel that includes the West Bank that is mentioned at least 170 times in the Hebrew Bible? Does he regard the Bible as mere myth?”
South Africa’s Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein
“The head of the Church of England denies the claims of the Bible in order to support the ICJ. This threatens Israel, the UK and Europe,” Rabbi Goldstein added.
“The Jihadi ideology that seeks to destroy Israel is a clear and present danger to the future of Europe. With open-border policies in the UK and across Europe, immigrants have poured into these countries, many brandishing a violent Jihadi ideology deeply hostile to Christianity, liberal democracy and Western values.”
Are Pope Francis and Archbishop of Canterbury Disregarding the Bible? (youtube.com)
Rabbi Goldstein said this had created no-go areas in London and Paris. “Jews feel unsafe in Europe today,” the rabbi deduces. “Jewish children in London, for example, can no longer wear school uniforms with Jewish emblems in public for fear of being attacked. This tells us that something terrible is wrong. Europe’s foremost religious leaders – Archbishop Welby and Pope Francis – do nothing, say nothing, except to echo the narrative of the same Jihadi forces in their barbaric battle against Israel.”
The chief rabbi accused the two Christian leaders of indifference to the plight of Africa’s Christians who have been murdered in targeted killings by Islamist terrorists.
“They stand by passively as their fellow Christians in Africa are butchered by Jihadi groups with direct ties to Israel’s enemies in Gaza and the West Bank. They cannot even name the murderous philosophy of Islamist terror, that drives these killings and abductions. Their cowardice and lack of moral clarity threaten the future of the free world.”
Save Europe (youtube.com)
The chief rabbi urged Archbishop Welby and Pope Francis to
“Fulfil your most basic duty of care. Speak up for and defend Christianity and Christians in Europe and Africa. Stand with Israel in its brave fight for survival against the brutal Jihadists of Hamas and Hezbollah led by Iran. Defend and protect the noble societies of the free world who recognise the equality and dignity of every human being created in God’s image. Go back to the Bible. The answers we need are right there.”
Good news from Israel
This is a website that records the number of good news stories coming out of Israel despite the war. https://verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com . Here are a few examples.
Druze girl recovers after Hezbollah attack. Kai Marai, the 11-year-old Druze girl, most seriously wounded in the July 27 Hezbollah rocket attack on the Golan Heights, regained consciousness on Aug 13 surprising doctors at Haifa’s Rambam children’s hospital. Kai’s mother thanked the medical team for saving her daughter’s life.
Non-invasive cancer treatment. Scientists at Israel’s Technion Institute have developed a sonodynamic cancer therapy – ultrasound that targets sensitive nanoparticles accumulated in the cancerous tissue to treat deep-seated tumours. It destroys tumours without damage to healthy cells.
A better fish farm. Traditional aquatics uses the wastewater from fish farms to grow hydroponic vegetables. Now scientists at Israel’s Ben Gurion University have also made use of the solid waste from fish by means of anaerobic digestion. The new system produces biogas, higher crop yields, using less energy and less water.
Black Jewish Zionists. As a child immigrant from rural Ethiopia, Mehereta Baruch Ron could never have imagined she would one day become Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv. In this interview she shares her powerful story of perseverance, identity, and faith, recounting her community’s ancient connection to Jerusalem.
Promoting IDF service to Muslims. Hisham Abu Raya was the first Muslim officer in the IDF. Immediately after his discharge in 2018, he founded “Ma’an” (meaning “together” in Arabic), to strengthen ties between the Israeli State and young Arab citizens. Today he promotes IDF service as key to their advancement.
Israel’s African Allies. A conference of 40 lawmakers from 20 African countries affirmed Jerusalem is the true capital of Israel and declared an intention to seek partnerships with the Jewish State. They all signed the “Addis Ababa Declaration of Africa-Israel Cooperation and Partnership” declaration.
Economy grows even during the war. Israel’s gross domestic product grew at an annualized 1.2% rate in the April-June period compared to the previous three months. Over the first half of 2024, the economy grew at an annualized rate of 2.5%.
The website ends with a list of organisations that help Israel. Friends of Israel should look this website up and be encouraged. Am Israel chai. The people of Israel live.