Palestinians: What do you know about the Holocaust?

The short answer to the above question is in essence, very little. It's one thing to lack knowledge about the Holocaust, that can be excused. However, blatant antisemitic and genocidal statements such as those praising Hitler are as clear of an example as any that one will find regarding the true face of the enemies we are up against. Unfortunately, this is the reality of the Palestinian street. A reality that echoes back in history to the days of the Grand Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini and the Palestinian nationalist movement's alliance with the Nazis in World War II. Sadly, little has changed.

Palestinian supporters of the Nazis. Tapuz.

This is What "Victory" Looks Like

The Palestinian national movement in Gaza led by Hamas and Islamic Jihad once again has shown their true colors to the world at their latest "victory" celebration. Despite suffering innumerable losses in their 50 day conflict with Israel, Hamas leaders are doing their best to spin their mere survival into a perceived victory. Regime officials have gone on to declare their intent to "liberate" Jerusalem and all off the land "from the river to the sea", as is stated in the official Hamas charter. Pro-Hamas rallies were also held today in the West Bank in cities like Hebron, where revelers were seen clad in Hamas gear and brandishing fake rockets. One thing is for certain, this is certainly not what peace looks like.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad "victory" rally in Gaza City.

Masked PIJ fighters and Palestinian children in Gaza.

Islamic Jihad gunmen parade through central Gaza.

al-Qaeda on the Golan

Jabhat al-Nusra fighters fire a mortar next to a UN facility near the Quneitra Crossing in the Golan Heights. The al-Qaeda linked group has consolidated its power in southern Syria in recent months and is now in nearly complete control of the border area with Israel. It was reported yesterday that the group had captured over 40 UN peacekeepers near the Quneitra Crossing as well.

Jabhat al-Nusra fighters fire a mortar next to a UN facility. Oren Kessler.

Elmahdy vs ISIS

Here is something that won't be found in the Arabic media. Aliaa Magda Elmahdy, the notorious and hugely controversial Egyptian feminist is at it again. This time, Elmahdy and a partially veiled colleague have taken to protesting ISIS by being photographed menstruating and defecating on an ISIS flag while being hardly clothed. Ms. Elmahdy happens to be wearing shoes. Of all the actions taken so far by Ms. Elmahdy, this might be the one that clearly takes it all.

Aliaa Magda Elmahdy shows off her true feelings towards ISIS. FB.

מבצע "צוק איתן" עד כה

Assuming that this is the end of Operation Protective Edge. Here is the complete breakdown from the IDF of all the forces, all the troops, and all the arms deployed during the mission.

מבצע "צוק איתן" עד כה - כל הכוחות, כל החילות, כל הזרועות

15 Hamas Rockets Simultaneously Intercepted by Iron Dome

This is an amateur video shot from southern Israel at an army base which shows up to 15 incoming Hamas rockets being engaged by Iron Dome anti-missile systems and subsequently intercepted over the skies of Israel.

And Here it is...

This is what "victory" apparently looks like from the streets of Gaza.

Scenes of jubilation from Gaza. Haaretz.

Palestinian children in Gaza celebrate ceasefire "victory" with Israel. Haaretz.

Hamas militants lead Gazan crowds in celebrations. Haaretz.

Propaganda Push

This is what Hamas perceives to be the Israeli mentality behind the decision to consent to today's ceasefire deal. Everyone knew that it wouldn't take long for images of victory to be presented by both sides. Incoming reports have already detailed celebrations taking place on the streets of Gaza. While the IDF notched many significant achievements, from the Israeli perspective, this is not the lasting image of what deterrence is supposed to look like when all is said and done..

pic.twitter.com/jyz0VfsV9m
— Qassam_Arabic@ (@qassam_arabic1) August 26, 2014

Day 50 of Operation Protective Edge

As we reach Day 50 of Operation Protective Edge, a time frame no one imagined would be approached, it seems more evident than ever that the current military strategy being employed by Israel against Hamas in the Gaza Strip is in need of an alternative approach. It has already been proven time and again that terrorist groups like Hamas cannot be deterred by punitive strikes and limited operations alone, including the assassinations of their leaders. The only way to stop Hamas terror from continuing is to definitively go all the way. This is a realization that the Israeli government must have internalized by now.

With a complete lack of regard for all tenets of basic humanity, Hamas has shown it doesn't care how many Palestinians are killed or how much the IDF destroys Gaza. However, here is where one of the more troubling dilemmas stands. Despite its limits in scope, the IDF's ground campaign directed at dismantling Hamas attack tunnels emanating from Gaza was unquestionably very costly from the Israel side. The results of which were 64 soldiers being killed. If anything though, now it appears as if Hamas has turned the tables on Israel. It is now in the position of deterring a further IDF ground operation by its refusal to capitulate, and more so, by its ability to continue to launch deadly attacks against Israel. This is what's most dangerous. The initial goal of Operation Protective Edge was to restore IDF deterrence against Hamas, now it appears things are the other way around.

The results of a direct hit from a Hamas rocket on a home in Ashkelon. AFP.

To unequivocally stop Hamas, what's needed is to go straight to the center of the matter and destroy the Hamas military capacity to inflict harm on Israel. This means eliminating their command and control centers deep in the Gaza Strip and wiping out Hamas rocket producing facilities and launching sites from the ground. It won't be easy, but if Israel wants to eliminate the terror threat from Gaza, it's undeniable that this is what needs to be done.

As long as Hamas still maintains the ability to fire rockets and mortars and cause harm to Israel while disrupting life for millions of Israeli citizens, it's obvious that a new approach is needed. A reported 70% of residents of Israeli communities surrounding the Gaza Strip have now abandoned their homes and fled. The economy of southern Israel is in tatters. It is simply an unsustainable situation.

Hardly anyone would have expected that we would now be in Day 50 of this operation, with Israel now being dragged into exactly the type of war of attrition Hamas wanted all along. This is something that the Netanyahu government swore to avoid from the beginning. It's painfully clear that Hamas is not going to disarm through any diplomatic agreement. It will only be done when they are brought to their knees by force. To do so, Israel must be prepared to take the necessary steps to act or we will only continue to see the terror threat from Gaza increased in the coming years.

The remnants of a Hamas rocket following an impact on a kindergarten playground. Haaretz.

With his polling numbers plummeting fast, it seems that Prime Minister Netanyahu is left with no good options. Either reach a ceasefire agreement with Hamas that will undoubtedly result in concessions from the Israeli side and would give the appearance of a Hamas victory, or conduct not another limited operation, but a broad military campaign aimed at crippling Hamas' ability to wage war on Israel. No matter what, we can be sure that if any ceasefire agreement is in fact reached in the next upcoming days, both sides will be nonetheless clamoring to claim victory.

UPDATE: Reports are coming in that Israeli cabinet ministers have been informed that Israel has accepted the latest Egyptian ceasefire proposal. A proposal which has already reportedly been accepted by Hamas and other Gaza militant factions as well. This news comes just as an IDF soldier has been rumored to have been killed in a mortar attack down south, with several others critically wounded. If a ceasefire agreement is truly reached at this juncture, it will certainly only leave us with many more questions than answers. 

Paris: Liberation. 70 Years On.

As Paris celebrates 70 years of liberation from the evil tyranny of Nazism, we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of freedom, liberty and humanity.

Free French forces battle in the heart of Paris. August 1944. AP.

 "La Nueve" by Paco Roca. France 24.

Massive crowds celebrate liberation at the Place de la Concorde. BBC.

Golani Boot Camp Documentary

Here is episode 1 of the behind the scenes documentary into Tironut (boot camp) with the 51st Battalion of the IDF's Golani Brigade that appeared on Israeli TV last year. For those unfamiliar with the culture and ethos of Golani, it doesn't take long to see grasp the unique place the Golani Brigade holds within the IDF and Israeli society as a whole. The doc is subtitled into English. Overall, it's one of the more eye opening looks into life in the IDF. Obviously, the Kirya isn't a college campus, but the comparison isn't entirely all that far off.

Antalya Protests

Men and Women swim together in Antalya, Turkey to protest the city's opening of a women's only beach. It should be mentioned that even in Tel Aviv, the most liberal and secular of Israeli cities, a special gender segregated beach exists for religious bathers. Sometimes things are more relative than we think.

Hurriyet Daily News

Note to Leo Messi

Post by Liran Cohen.

שבת שלום

Shabbat Shalom from Heyl Ha'Yam and Patrol Boat Squadron 916 out of Ashdod.

Confirmed

Yesterday at a Muslim scholars' conference in Turkey, senior Hamas leader, Salah Al-Aruri officially claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens in June. At the conference, he openly boasted about the murders as being "heroic" and laid credit to the Hamas Al-Qassam brigades for the operation.

It has already been widely known in Israel that Hamas has been responsible for these heinous crimes since the beginning of the investigation. Now, I can only hope that the international media will finally do what is right and acknowledge these terrorist acts committed by Hamas as facts. More than anyone, I am expecting Sheera Frenkel and Buzzfeed to issue a swift recanting of their original false story, which had deflected blame from Hamas. For the sake of accuracy and integrity, they really won't have any choice but to finally report the truth.

The Face of Terror

In case there has ever been any doubt regarding the true intentions of Hamas, here is the proof.

Post by Israel Under Fire.

Enough is Enough

By breaking another ceasefire and launching rockets indiscriminately deep into Israel, including to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Hamas has made their choice clear. They've chosen war, and now they will get everything they have coming.

incredible shot of 3 rockets launched at Israel from #Gaza, captured by @fingfotog ...video at 6p @specialreport pic.twitter.com/RdjQxmhbRj
— RickLeventhalFoxNews (@RickLeventhal) August 19, 2014

Shifting East

Meanwhile in Iraq, after days of heavy fighting, Kurdish Peshmerga forces along with Iraqi "Golden Division" special forces units are now once again in control of the strategic Mosul Dam after having driven out ISIS fighters there who had captured the dam a few weeks earlier.

Iraqi "Golden Division" special forces. Carol Malouf.

Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers in control of the Mosul Dam. Carol Malouf.

Israel Navy in Operation Protective Edge

Israel Navy operating off the coast of Gaza. Israel Navy FB.

Navy forces patrolling the Gaza coast during Operation Protective Edge.

ביגועים?

After realizing I've never posted the original Hamas viral video for "תקוף ,תעשה פיגועים", here it finally is, complete with Hebrew misspellings and all. For a little background context, this is the Hamas propaganda video that went viral during the peak of Operation Protective Edge and resulted in countless parodies made by Israelis. 

Southern Frontier

It's still too early to tell just what the final end game will be. One thing is for certain though, after over a month of heavy fighting between Israel and Hamas, from the Israeli perspective, Operation Protective Edge cannot be classified as a definitive victory at this stage. While the IDF has done significant damage to the Hamas terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, just the simple fact that Hamas has yet to yield and has shown the willingness and military capability to continue the battle is something that should be very concerning. 

Apart from the destruction of Hamas attack tunnels, the prime objective of this campaign from the beginning was the restoration of Israeli deterrence. Frankly, it's hard to argue that this has been accomplished. As long as Hamas is displaying the capacity to launch new attacks into Israel, be it via tunnels or through rockets or mortars, or otherwise, it has to be stated that a new Israeli approach to the overall military strategy in Gaza must be in order. This is essential to ensure that the overriding goal of achieving security for the citizens of Israel is something that is capable of being met.

Posh Life

Some of the world's most vintage tennis posters just recently went on sale, with certain items fetching up to $20k. The auction was held at Swan Auction Galleries in New York City on August 6th.

1930 piece by French artist Roger Broders

Harrogate by Tom Purvis. Circa 1930.

שמעתם את זה

"When Israelis hear siren-esque sounds"

I guess the surprise here is that this isn't strictly focused on Tel Avivim, who've gotten a real taste of what it is like to live under the threat of consistent rocket attacks in this latest conflict. Truthfully, it is a reality that practically all Israelis are now facing. However, I can attest that there are more than a few us who will openly admit to having just slept through many sirens without batting an eye

Ghada Owais: Hamas Spokeswoman

It goes without saying that the overall Arab world is hostile to Israel, and more so, judging by the near constant displays of antisemitism on the Arab street, to Jews in general. When it comes to the media, unfortunately, this bias is painfully clear for all to see as well. In this latest rounds of conflict, there has been no party guiltier than Al Jazeera, who has done nothing less than act like a direct mouthpiece for Hamas, while trampling all core, fundamental ethics of journalism .

Ghada Owais of Al Jazeera

Carton of Owais with IDF Arabic Spokesman Avichay Andraee. Ynet.

Faces of the IDF

A proud Arab mother and her two sons from the IDF's Desert Reconnaissance Battalion.

Adam Abu FB

Frontier Life

An Israeli reservist soldier patrols the grounds of Kibbutz Nahal Oz just over the border with the Gaza Strip. Due to the ongoing conflict, the kibbutz has been abandoned by its residents until the improvement of the overall security situation in the south.

Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Flash 90.

Proper Summer

Greece sounds quite nice right about now.

Lonely Planet

Lapid Hits Back. Again.

Yair Lapid has once again minced no words when it's come to Hamas, and has made it clear that no Hamas leaders are immune from being targeted by Israel:

"We have accepted ceasefires five times- and five times Hamas has broke the ceasefire and has gone back to doing what it does, which is firing rockets and trying to kill our children while tying its own children to the alter and using them as Human shields."

On the topic of "pro-Palestinian" protests taking place all across Europe and the rest of the world, he added:

"The world must ask itself this, why is it that Hamas won't renounce terror? In order to get peace and rehabilitation (for Gaza), Hamas only needs to do one thing, and that is renounce terror.Why is it that they don't?"

And from the always pragmatic and insightful Gershon Baskin, who likely knows Hamas better than anyone:

"Hamas considers Sderot, Kiryat Gat and Tel Aviv "settlements". When they speak about ending the occupation, they mean ending the State of Israel."

Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid. Flash 90.

"Pro-Palestinians"

Meanwhile in the UK things continue to get worse. If this isn't an example of having crossed all legitimate lines, I don't know what is. Because nothing says "anti-Zionism" more than the deliberate targeting of all Jews. It's time to just call it what it is. Blatant antisemitism.

Pro-Palestinian demonstration proposed outside a Cambridge synagogue on Shabbat. Very close to, if not anti-Semitism pic.twitter.com/aacR9jydKk
— Daniel J. Levy (@danielhalevy) August 8, 2014

Nothing but Hate

The world has officially gone mad. Just 24 hours after Hamas blatantly rejected the extension of another ceasefire and subsequently resumed their indiscriminate rocket attacks on Israel, the international community has nonetheless come out once again to not just condemn the Jewish state, but to call for its eradication entirely. As if the world prior to the establishment of the State of Israel was a warm and welcome place for the Jewish people.

There's literally nothing I expect at this point from ignorant, brain washed antisemites in the Muslim world. Still, every time I see something like this it only hardens and reinforces my belief of the steadfast necessity of maintaining a strong and robust Israel that is capable of defending herself on all fronts. There is no other place in the world where Jews are free from persecution and all manifestations of the type of age old hatred that unfortunately has never been extinguished. And it is of the utmost importance that it remains the undeniable true safe haven for the Jewish people.

Pro-Palestinian protest in Bangalore. AFP

In addition to protests all over Europe, the Mideast responded in kind. EPA

Iraqi soldiers take positions in the village of Jurf al-Sakhr, west of Baghdad, after regaining control of the area from jihadists - AFP

AFP

Al Jazeera Embedded with Hamas

The current 72 hour Egyptian brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has come to an end. This is due to Hamas leaders' insistence on renewing hostilities if their demands were not met, and as of this morning, they have already done as such. Despite Egyptian and Israeli offers to extend ceasefire talks and negotiations, Hamas has shown no sign of moving from their demands or deviating from their core platform, which includes the ultimate goal of the physical destruction of Israel. So far more than 30 rockets have been fired on Israel since 8 am when the agreement officially elapsed. 

In the midst of all this, Al Jazeera has managed to get an inside look at the fighting methods of Hamas. The video report, in Arabic details current Hamas military positions, including footage of a sniper reportedly observing an Israel army post across the border and that of a senior Hamas commander stationed near a rocket launched. Most startling though is the tour the journalist is taken which shows an apparent undiscovered, active tunnel supposedly connecting Gaza and the Israeli communities just over the border.

טירוף

Here is some unprecedented rare footage of IDF soldiers in combat in Gaza as viewed from GoPro cameras attached to their helmets during the course of operations against Hamas.

Post by ‎הצינור‎.

France24 Report Confirms Hamas Rockets Launched from Civilian Areas

For anyone who has been closely following this conflict, tactics such as this by Hamas should not be coming as much of a surprise. Three times so far rocket stockpiles have been found hidden on the premises of UNRWA schools in Gaza, and that's just the beginning. 

Now that an unsteady 72 hour ceasefire is in effect, much of the international media is finally leaving Gaza. Currently free from the Hamas threats and intimidation directed against them while reporting, journalists are now exposing the crimes of Hamas, including evidence of the blatant firing of indiscriminate rockets at Israel from deep within civilian areas in Gaza. Such as this example of a rocket launch pad situated right next to an official UN building in this France24 report.

ISIS Savagery

ISIS has stated that they will wipe out all Yazidis. I think it's about time that the international community starts taking their threat seriously.

pic.twitter.com/BEajDbCWZu shocking images of Iraqi Yazidis being massacred by ISIS. No international outcry & for them. #TwitterKurds
— Daniel J. Levy (@danielhalevy) August 6, 2014

Hero

The family of IDF Lt. Hadar Goldin met today with the Givati officer, Lt. Eitan who chased Hamas terrorists into a tunnel in Gaza in an attempt to save their son. Lt. Eitan presented Lt.Goldin's family with his personal effects including his prayer book and phylacteries.

I don't throw the word hero out very often, but this young officer fits the title more than anyone.

Lt. Eitan with the parents of Lt. Hadar Goldin. Walla

פעילות כוחות מיוחדים בסג'עיה

IDF special forces units engage in operations in the Shuja'iya district of eastern Gaza during Operation Protective Edge.

All Lines Crossed

Former Head of Mossad Danny Yatom: No more Ceasefires. They crossed all the lines.

2nd Lt. Hadar Goldin, 23 from Kfar Saba.

Game Changing Escalation

This is the scene right now in Rafah in southern Gaza amid reports of an attempted kidnapping of a soldier after an ambush on IDF troops in the area. This followed an earlier mortar attack by Gaza militants that marked the end of a short lived, or should I say more appropriately, non-existent "ceasefire". Unprecedented numbers of IDF units are now streaming into the Rafah area, including two of the most elite forces in the entire army.

Update: The IDF has now confirmed that an IDF soldier has been abducted following an attack by a suicide bomber on Israeli troops in east Rafah while they were working to decommission a tunnel. The attack by Hamas reportedly occurred two and a half hours into the agreed 72 hour ceasefire.

Via Gr8_guy. Twitter.