The flap about UNRWA employees being also Hamas members and taking an active part in the October massacre continues to be major news. The portion of it that tries to make excuses for UNRWA shouldn’t be. There are real alternatives to UNRWA in every field. The best alternative in all of them is actually the … More Gaza War 31 Jan
While the IDF continues to slowly go about the business of rooting out Hamas terrorists and destroying their underground tunnel network, there is still some kind of 3 way discussions going on about freeing the remaining 136 hostages that Hamas is holding. Don’t expect any news of major progress from these talks. Hamas is holding … More Gaza War 30 Jan
More countries are suspending funding for UNRWA. Estonia, France, and Japan joined the party. Meanwhile, the UN (and UNRWA in particular) went into damage control mode. They claim to be shocked by the revelations and claim that a dozen individuals shouldn’t be enough to blacken the reputation of the thousands working for UNRWA. Well, that … More Gaza War 29 Jan
The ICJ issued an interim report that ordered Israel to take more care to avoid harming civilians in Gaza. They did NOT order Israel to put a halt to the IDF campaign on the ground. Israel will have to supply the court with reports of measures taken to avoid civilian casualties. That will probably be … More Gaza War 28 Jan
The International Court of Justice in the Hague will release its decision later today. I won’t be able to comment about it until Sunday. What I can comment about is the war. CNN, in particular, spends an inordinate amount of time talking about Gazan casualties. They also view the conflict threw a seriously distorted lens. … More Gaza War 26 Jan
I’m still hearing about hostage release talks, but the reported red line positions of both Hamas and Israel seem just as far apart as ever. Hamas wants to survive and stay in power and Israel wants them gone. It doesn’t seem to me that there is much room for negotiations. In the north, Hezbollah fired … More Gaza War 25 Jan
The media is full of speculation about possible hostage release deals today. Part of it is fueled by some official statements from parties who seem to have a special interest in putting an end to the fighting. It’s an admirable desire, but the rumors, so far, don’t appear to have much substance to back them … More Gaza War 24 Jan
Late yesterday the IDF suffered the worst single event loss during the ground war. A reservist unit was preparing 2 buildings for demolition when an RPG (Rocket propelled grenade) was fired at a tank that as covering the team. It apparently missed, detonated inside a building, and set of sympathetic explosions of all the freshly … More Gaza War 23 Jan
This morning it’s time for a comparison. How does the UN handle the crises in Gaza and Sudan? The Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has been making daily statements calling on Israel to stop the war, and to grant Palestinian statehood. He hasn’t mentioned Hamas as being responsible for initiating the hostilities. He has also barely … More Gaza War 22 Jan
Over the weekend the IDF has been continuing the methodical exploration of the underground tunnel system beneath Khan Yunis. Yesterday one of the discoveries was an underground prison where hostages had been held. There were iron bar cells and lots of detritus that pointed to prior occupation by hostages although none were present now. There … More Gaza War 21 Jan
Wetherhorn 