Israel’s Home Front Command sets out for Nepal to Aid Search and Rescue
Israel’s famed search and rescue specialists attached to its Home Front Command are flying to Nepal on Sunday to participate in operations following the weekend’s devastating earthquake that left more than 2,000 dead. The initial departure includes some 240 soldiers and medical experts who will set up a field hospital in the capital Kathmandu. As many as 250 Israelis are among the missing and will be the focus of the IDF’s efforts. The Israeli mission is said to be the most comprehensive dispatched in years.
Attack on Missile Shipment believed to be “Drop in the Bucket” of Hizbullah Arms
Israel’s air strike on Friday against elements of the Syrian army and Hizbullah, including presumed shipments of Scud C missiles to Hizbullah in Lebanon via Syrian weapons convoys to the Shiite terror organization’s arsenals are more indicative of the size and growth of Hizbullah’s array of sophisticated weaponry despite Israeli vigilance than a reason for Jerusalem to boast of its most recent mission or the interception of weapons. [Israel, as matter of policy, refuses to confirm or deny such episodes.] Experts believe there has been a constant flow of weaponry to Hizbullah strongholds for years resulting in the accumulation of massive quantities of very modern and very dangerous arms. Interdictions like the one reported on Friday are rare and in the total picture, relatively insignificant. One example being bandied about is the fact that while Friday’s strike was reportedly aimed at a shipment of Scud C’s, Hizbullah is already known to be in possession of a significant quantity of more modern Scud D’s whose range covers the entirety of the Jewish state. Along with a variety of other weapons, the Hizbullah arsenal is believed to be capable of sustaining a 1,500-per day barrage against Israeli targets if – or when – hostilities resume. The intelligence on Hizbullah weapons underscores the futility of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War and which some Israeli politicians in power at the time still cite as an achievement that prevents the re-arming of Hizbullah. While some analysts opine that Hizbullah as a fighting force is taking a beating fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s army and in Iraq and Yemen, others suggest the regional battles are serving as a whetstone, sharpening the real-time battle skills of its fighting force that will no doubt again face-off against Israeli troops.
Chief Negotiator Erakat: “Two Files being prepared for International Criminal Court”
Palestinian Authority Chief Negotiator Sa’ib Erakat reiterated on Sunday that the PA is preparing to pursue prosecution against Israel and Israelis before the International Criminal Court at The Hague. Speaking to foreign press in Jerusalem, Erakat said the issues of settlements – Israeli communities built on land acquired in the 1967 war that the Palestinians claim as the land upon which the state of Palestine will be built – is the primary issue to be put before the ICC. Palestinian officials have repeatedly identified Israeli military actions during last summer’s war between Israel and Hamas as the other. Erakat was asked by a reporter whether the Palestinian Authority had or is planning to offer refuge in the West Bank to Palestinians affected by the siege and devastation of the Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus. Erakat said only that PA officials have donated a portion of their salaries to provide relief to those still in Yarmouk but made no reference to the feasibility of or plans to bring the Palestinians to the PA. Erakat stressed the importance of reconciliation between the PA and Hamas, saying nothing was more important than uniting the West Bank and Gaza Strip under one authority. He said the key to reconciliation is the acceptance by Hamas of a date for elections, pursuant to President Abbas issuing a decree setting it. That, however, is unlikely to happen in the near future given the statement on Sunday of Labor Minister Mamoun Abu Shalah who told the Ma’an news agency that all contact between the PA and Hamas has been cut off in the wake of a disastrous mission by PA ministers to Gaza where Hamas prevented them from accomplish anything because of restrictions in their movement imposed by Hamas.
Palestinian Arrested after Mowing Down Israeli Policemen with Vehicle
In one of many violent clashes on a violence-filled Sunday, Israeli security officials arrested a Palestinian resident of the Shuafat refugee camp after he drove his car into three Israeli police officers, none of whom was seriously injured. The incident occurred near the Mt. of Olives in east Jerusalem. Numerous violent protests had erupted after an incident on Friday when Israeli police shot and killed a 17-year old Palestinian who had tried to stab a policeman. On Saturday, a Palestinian was shot and killed in a separate incident after he stabbed a border policeman. The assailant was a resident of a village near the West Bank city of Hebron.