RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://www.spiked-online.com/2024/12/21/israel-is-winning-the-war-while-the-west-retreats/

It’s now clear that, given a free hand, Israel can handle its mortal enemies in the Middle East. It’s their so-called friends in the West and the ‘international community’ that the Israelis have to worry about.

In 2024, Israel has achieved remarkable military successes on every front. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have hammered the genocidal pogromists of Hamas in Gaza, devastated their fellow Islamist terrorists of Hezbollah in Lebanon, and shaken their sponsor, the Islamic Republic of Iran, to its tyrannical roots. All of which, as Brendan O’Neill recently argued on spiked, also facilitated the collapse of the brutal Assad dictatorship in Syria.

By the year’s end, nobody could seriously doubt Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration that ‘We are winning’. Moreover, anybody who believes in freedom should surely be celebrating the success of the only Western-style democracy in the Middle East as a blow struck for civilisation against barbarism.

Instead, Israel’s traditional Western allies have spent 2024 retreating from its side almost as quickly as Hamas and Hezbollah fled before the IDF. For every military advance Israel has made over the past year, it has seemed to suffer more political setbacks on the international battlefield.

At the end of 2023, Israel was accused of committing ‘genocide’ in Gaza before the International Court of Justice – a perverse claim put forward by South Africa, supported by other states and recently endorsed by Amnesty International.

Worse, as 2024 ends, the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu for allegedly committing crimes against humanity in Gaza – the first leader of a Western-style democracy to be charged with war crimes. Forget all the tyrants on Earth, the prime minister of the world’s only Jewish state must apparently be singled out for punishment. And worse still, several Western states – including, shamefully, the UK Labour government – have declared their willingness to execute the warrant and arrest him.

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com

Can one name a single example of a democratic nation beset by a war against its existence on almost every front that continues its 24/7 outsize research and technology to benefit all humanity? Here, thanks to Michael Ordman, is a handful of examples of one week’s science and medicine that illustrate how Israel does it.

Detecting 250 genetic diseases. 

Decoding rare brain disease. 

 US & Europe approve focused ultrasound scanners. 

Transporting greener vegetables. 

 Recycling organic waste. 

How iron dome tech extinguishes fires

More integrated data for farmers. 

Read it all….rsk

POSITIVE NEWS IN A WAR
 
Thousands help farmers rebuild. The HaShomer HaChadash (“The New Watchman”) agricultural volunteer organization aims to bring at least 100,000 volunteers to help farmers in the north repair hundreds of acres of orchards. The nonprofit has already mobilized some 300,000 volunteers to help farmers in the south.
https://www.jns.org/seeds-of-hope-volunteers-help-farmers-rebuild-northern-israel/
 
Eyeglasses for soldiers & evacuees. Since Oct 7 2023 Israeli nonprofit RE-SPECS has assisted thousands of evacuees from southern and northern Israel as well as soldiers with subsidized corrective eyewear. RE-SPECS takes inquiries via WhatsApp and after processing, the spectacles are sent to a local volunteer for collection.
https://www.jns.org/re-specs-helping-israeli-soldiers-evacuees-see-light-after-darkness/
https://www.respecsframes.com/english
 
Mother of two IDF soldiers, enlists. (TY Yanky) Liora Lubovitz Batan has a daughter and a son in the IDF.  Instead of sitting home and worrying, she enlisted in the IDF reserves, decades after completing her army service. she has since served 14 months in logistics positions and in combat support in the northern sector.
https://haipo.co.il/en/item/549196
 
Religious Zionist towns lead reserve duty. The IDF has reported that residents from religious Zionist towns in Judea, Samaria, and The Golan were leaders in the average number of days of military reserve duty served in 2023. Moshav Ramat Magshimim in the Golan Heights led with 53.94 days per resident on average.
https://www.jns.org/religious-zionist-towns-lead-in-idf-reserve-duty/
 
Finding hi-tech jobs for wounded IDF soldiers. Israeli nonprofit Atidim (see here previously) has established the “Warriors for High Tech” program to help IDF veterans transition to technology careers. It is especially attentive to the employment requirements of ex-soldiers who have suffered physical injury or trauma.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/y3zcammov  https://atidim.org/en/ 
 
NIS 200 million for victims of Hamas. Israel’s Merit Spread Foundation has raised over NIS 200 million in US-tax-exempt donations since the Oct 7 2003 Hamas invasion. It advertises as having unprecedented zero cost overheads and the fund has financed various projects covering multiple social benefit causes relating to the war.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/400602  https://meritspread.com/
 
Teen Oct 7 survivors play basketball in LA. 15 Israeli high-schoolers from Gaza envelope kibbutzim went on a week-long trip to Los Angeles to watch NBA games, tour Universal Studios and play against a local Jewish day school. The program was organized by Project 24, connecting Israeli and North American communities.
https://www.jns.org/they-survived-oct-7-now-theyre-playing-basketball-in-los-angeles/
https://www.project24israel.org/
 
Baby shower for 40 pregnant army wives. Forty wives of IDF reserve soldiers gathered in Modi’in, between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, recently for a collective baby shower (pre-birth party). They received hundreds of gifts from companies and individuals, including essentials for the hospital. Most of all, they made new friends.
https://www.jns.org/our-jewish-revenge-pregnant-army-wives-throw-massive-baby-shower/
 
 
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
 
Detecting 250 genetic diseases. The non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) technology from Israel’s IdentifAI (see here previously) can detect any of 250 hereditary genetic disorders from a maternal blood sample. It isolates and performs full genetic sequencing of fetal DNA as early as nine weeks of pregnancy.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hj8wgtmnkx
 
Decoding rare brain disease. Researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed an research model to decode the mechanism underlying a severe and rare neurological disease. A mutation in the protein TIMM50 causes epilepsy, developmental delay, and intellectual disability. It could lead to new treatments for many diseases.
https://english.tau.ac.il/research/decoding-brain-disease
https://elifesciences.org/reviewed-preprints/99914#tab-content
 
US & Europe approve focused ultrasound scanners. Israel’s Insightec has received both FDA approval and the CE mark for its Exablate Prime focused ultrasound system integrated with MR scanners from medical equipment giant Philips. It extends Insightec’s treatment of essential tremor and Parkinson’s patients.
https://www.ourcrowd.com/startup-news/insightec-secures-fda-approval-and-ce-marking-for-exablate-prime-on-philips-mr-systems
 
New private medical school. (TY Atid-EDI) The Council for Higher Education in Israel has granted approval to the independent Reichman University in Herzliya to establish a Medical School.  Eighty medical students will be enrolled in the first four-year program, which will begin in February 2025.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-medical-school-approved-for-reichman-university-1001493862
 
First-ever MedEx LA event. Dozens of Jewish doctors, many planning to make Aliyah in the near future, gathered in Los Angeles for the inaugural MedEx LA fair. It follows recent MedEx events in London, Paris, Buenos Aires, and New Jersey, addressing Israel’s shortage of doctors plus easing the Aliya process for them.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/400544

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21234/israel-saving-the-world-defending-freedom

When it comes to national security, appeasement is not an option. Bribing aggressors only finances their militaries for attacks on the West in the future. Israel’s approach to combating terrorism has always been characterized by thoroughness and determination — for which is usually put through the tortures of hell by the very countries it is working to save.

With a vision of ultimately fostering peace, harmony, security and prosperity throughout the region, as in the Abraham Accords, Israel expanded its military operations beyond Hamas… reshaping the Middle East into a region free of the grip of terror… Make Persia Great Again!

So long as Iran’s regime remains in power, brutalizing its people and making plans for global expansion, there can be no chance for peace in the region.

Removing the regime… would bring lasting security and prosperity to the Middle East and beyond…. One could then set about subduing Turkey and its terrorist proxies in Syria.

After Hamas carried out its horrific October 7, 2023 massacre by invading Israel, murdering hundreds of people and kidnapping individuals from various countries, Israel reached a breaking point. This act of terrorism ignited a wave of decisive actions across the Middle East that catalyzed remarkable developments, aimed at countering and eliminating terror networks.

For decades, the region has been plagued by violence and instability, but Israel’s response marked a significant turning point, showcasing its resolve to confront terrorism head-on and help usher in a new era of security.

Israel has consistently demonstrated its commitment to thorough and resolute action. When it comes to national security, appeasement is not an option. Bribing aggressors only finances their militaries for attacks on the West in the future. Israel’s approach to combating terrorism has always been characterized by thoroughness and determination — for which is usually put through the tortures of hell by the very countries it is working to save.

Entries identifying men as women, adults as children among errors noted by research team in conflict numbers widely cited by media

A new report cites a laundry list of alleged errors in the casualty tallies that the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health has issued during the conflict in Gaza, and found that worldwide media widely report the inflated numbers with little or no scrutiny.

The Henry Jackson Society (HJS), a U.K. based think tank, found “widespread inaccuracies and distortion in the data collection process” for the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health (MoH) which has resulted in a “misleading picture of the conflict.” The study also analyzed how journalists worldwide have spread misleading MoH data without noting its shortcomings or offering alternative information from Israeli sources.

The report’s author, Andrew Fox, a fellow at HJS said his team’s research is based on lists of casualty figures that the MoH has released through Telegram as well as lists released by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Fox said he and his team have been able to examine segments of the reporting, despite changeable MoH data being “really hard to interrogate.” 

On Tuesday, Gaza health authorities updated its number of dead to what it said was more than 45,000.

The report said the ministry’s reporting long indicated that women and children made up more than half of the war dead, leading to accusations that Israel intentionally kills civilians in Gaza.

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-833420

Is there a humanitarian and holistic option that would protect Israel from future attacks originating in Gaza? This is the most important security consideration behind proposals to extend Israeli control of and sovereignty in Gaza.

With a new regime in Syria, what happens in Gaza is a vital concern throughout the region. We need to think realistically, practically, and very carefully. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s recent proposal for applying Israeli sovereignty to Gaza has broken a taboo and given legitimacy and relevance to a critical, albeit controversial, idea. Although not government policy, it could be used to extend Israel’s sovereignty to consensus areas, such as Gush Etzion, Maale Adumim, Shilo, Ofra, Bet El, Hebron, the Jordan Valley, etc.

Israeli control of Gaza is critical for its security and the future of the entire region. Allowing Israel’s enemies to resume their control of the area – directly and indirectly, actively and passively – cannot be the basis for its future after the war.

Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and other terrorist organizations turned Gaza into a vast underground system for hiding weapons, moving terrorists, and attacking Israel. Except for tribal clans in Gaza, the population overwhelmingly supports Hamas.

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm-plus/world-court-targets-the-jewish-state-of-israel-for-defending-its-citizens/

The globalist ideal of international courts such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (“ICC”) adjudicating disputes under “international law” impartially and fairly is at odds with their disgraceful decisions. Both international courts have turned into Kafkaesque tribunals that Israel-haters exploit to demonize, delegitimize, and discriminate against the Jewish state.

This article discusses how the ICJ, which is part of the United Nations system, has become a linchpin in the reprehensible lawfare strategy to handcuff Israel from defending itself against ruthless terrorists bent on its destruction. A subsequent article in this series will focus on how the International Criminal Court has been similarly weaponized for malicious purposes against Israel.

The International Court of Justice kicked off 2024 by issuing its scurrilous January 26th provisional ruling, which allowed South Africa’s complaint it filed accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians living in Gaza to move forward. The ICJ ruled that it had jurisdiction to hear South Africa’s accusations against Israel that it is violating the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide:

“The Court considers that, by their very nature, at least some of the provisional measures sought by South Africa are aimed at preserving the plausible rights it asserts on the basis of the Genocide Convention in the present case, namely the right of the Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide and related prohibited acts…and the right of South Africa to seek Israel’s compliance with the latter’s obligations under the Convention.”

By allowing South Africa to regurgitate anti-Israel propaganda advanced by Hamas and its supporters, as if these smears had any basis in fact or law, the ICJ has made a mockery of true justice.

Article II of the Genocide Convention prohibits its member states from committing certain acts with the “intent to destroy in whole or in part a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such.” (Emphasis added)

https://www.jns.org/israels-golden-opportunity-to-wean-itself-off-us-military-aid/

“The advantages of independence clearly outweigh the benefits of continuing the status quo,” Misgav Institute fellow Raphael BenLevi tells JNS.

On the one hand, the Ministry of Defense has made unprecedented purchases—more than $10 billion during 14 months of war—but on the other, Washington has leveraged that dependence to induce Israel to make decisions counter to its interests.

U.S. governments have tried to leverage weapons supply before, according to Raphael BenLevi of the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, a Jerusalem-based think tank. However, he tells JNS, “it’s been acute and extreme in the past year.”

Recent events have bolstered the argument of those who say that Israel’s long-term interests are not served by the current aid framework.

Under the U.S. Foreign Military Financing program, Israel receives about $3.3 billion in aid each year, provided as grants. Israel must use those funds to purchase American military equipment and services. Israel also receives $500 million annually for cooperative programs for missile defense.

“We’ve dug ourselves into this dependency. It’s like welfare. People on welfare get used to having a certain amount of external aid. A day comes when they have to rearrange their affairs in order to manage without it,” says BenLevi.

In September, BenLevi published a position paper for Misgav titled “The future of American military aid to Israel,” detailing the reasons for rethinking that assistance. There is an “unhealthy dynamic,” in which the U.S. gives and Israel takes, he argues, leaving Israel “beholden.”

“At the strategic level, the advantages of independence and moving to a more reciprocal relationship with Washington clearly outweigh the benefits of continuing the status quo of dependence and receiving aid, which are mainly on the immediate economic level,” he writes.