DAY 198 OF THE WAR: Passover and the 200th Day, Netzach Yehudah Unit, Columbia University

Tel Aviv Diary April 21, 2024

This is the last Tel Aviv Diary entry before Passover. The next update will be posted on Wednesday night, barring any specific newsworthy events. Tuesday, the first day of Pesach, will mark the 200th day since the October 7th massacre, a grim milestone that also signifies 200 days since our hostages were kidnapped to Gaza. How can we celebrate the “holiday of our freedom” when so many Israelis remain captive?

This has been a grueling 200 days of war, with few achievements. Hezbollah continues to launch rockets and missiles at the North, displacing 80,000 people who now reside in hotels and rental apartments. Likewise, residents of communities bordering Gaza remain displaced. Moreover, no efforts have been made to date to repair or rebuild any of the homes on the kibbutzim ravaged on October 7th. These 200 days began with the worst day in Jewish history since the Holocaust. While none of the following days matched the initial horror, we have endured a relentless succession of difficult days—some bad, others worse.

I returned to Israel 10 days ago after a two-week trip to England and the US. Since my return, I’ve been searching for an optimistic friend or acquaintance. So far, I have yet to find one. Despite my lack of success, I stubbornly maintain my optimism. I'm not sure how, but I believe that by next Passover, we will have more to celebrate. We might not resolve all our issues by then, but I believe we will be in a better place. Have a healthy Passover!

WEST BANK

Today, four terror attacks occurred in the West Bank. In three of the incidents, the terrorists were killed, with no casualties on our side. In the fourth attack, one person was lightly wounded by a bomb.

It was announced tonight that Major (res.) Dor Zimel (27) succumbed to injuries sustained from a Hezbollah drone on Wednesday

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US SANCTIONS ON NETZACH YEHUDAH BRIGADE

Since last night, the news in Israel has been dominated by reports that the US is about to impose sanctions on the IDF’s Netzach Yehudah Brigade. Founded in 1999 as the Haredi Nahal unit, Netzach Yehudah was expected to grow with the increased participation of the ultra-Orthodox community, as the unit does not include any female soldiers. However, very few ultra-Orthodox individuals ultimately enlisted, which prompted the inclusion of “Chardalim” (Nationalist Charedis) to fill the ranks of the Netzach Yehudah unit. These recruits are strictly Orthodox, though not quite ultra-Orthodox. Most hail from West Bank settlements and often had backgrounds that made the general combat units hesitant to draft them.

The Netzach Yehudah unit was never regarded as highly effective and, until the current war, was stationed exclusively in the West Bank. Over the years, there have been numerous reports of misconduct by unit members towards Palestinians. Netzach Yehudah garnered attention from the United States when, in January 2022, an 80-year-old Palestinian-American died after being handcuffed, gagged, and forced to lie face-down on his stomach, allegedly causing a stress-induced heart attack. Following US demands for an investigation, the IDF announced that it had conducted its own. The investigation concluded with a reprimand of the Commander of the Netzach Yehudah Brigade by the Head of Central Command. Additionally, the relevant platoon and company commanders were removed from their positions and barred from serving in commanding roles for two years. This limited reprimand did not satisfy the Americans, so they began an investigation of the Netzach Yehudah Brigade under the terms of the Leahy Amendment.

The Leahy Amendments

     (a) IN GENERAL—

1. Of the amounts made available to the Department of Defense, none may be used for any training, equipment, or other assistance for a unit of a foreign security force if the Secretary of Defense has credible information that the unit has committed a gross violation of human rights.

2. The Secretary of Defense shall, in consultation with the Secretary of State, ensure that prior to a decision to provide any training, equipment, or other assistance to a unit of a foreign security force full consideration is given to any credible information available to the Department of State relating to human rights violations by such unit.

(b) Exception.—The prohibition in subsection (a)(1) shall not apply if the Secretary of Defense, after consultation with the Secretary of State, determines that the government of such country has taken all necessary corrective steps or if the equipment or other assistance is necessary to assist in disaster relief operations or other humanitarian or national security emergencies.

(c) Waiver.—The Secretary of Defense, after consultation with the Secretary of State, may waive the prohibition in subsection (a)(1) if the Secretary determines that the waiver is required by extraordinary circumstances.

(d) Procedures.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish, and periodically update, procedures to ensure that any information in the possession of the Department of Defense about gross violations of human rights by units of foreign security forces is shared on a timely basis with the Department of State.

(e) Report.—Not later than 15 days after the application of any exception under subsection (b) or the exercise of any waiver under subsection (c), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report—

(1) in the case of an exception under subsection (b), providing notice of the use of the exception and stating the grounds for the exception; and

(2) in the case of a waiver under subsection (c), describing—

(A) the information relating to the gross violation of human rights;
(B) the extraordinary circumstances that necessitate the waiver;
(C) the purpose and duration of the training, equipment, or other assistance; and
(D) the United States forces and the foreign security force unit involved.

(f) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.—In this section, the term "appropriate committees of Congress" means—

(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and

(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.

The US explicitly stated that it was investigating the Netzach Yehudah Brigade under the terms of the Leahy Amendments and awaited an official Israeli response to the allegations, as well as confirmation that appropriate corrective measures had been taken. However, Israel completely disregarded the issue and did not provide any evidence that corrective actions were underway. This is another example of the complete failure of our government to act.

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Being part of the WhatsApp group for Columbia Jewish students and alumni has been particularly challenging these days, as I witness many of the very disturbing events unfolding there in real-time. I can't look away, especially after the live report on tonight's Israeli evening news. The situation is appalling and hard to believe. Although the police cleared the demonstrators, not only have they returned, but their animosity towards Jewish students seems to have intensified with their numbers. The crisis has escalated to the point where one of the campus rabbis advises Jewish students not to return to campus until their safety can be guaranteed. Meanwhile, in the WhatsApp discussions I have been monitoring, groups of parents are trying to organize private security for the Jewish students.

There is a palpable sense of abandonment among the students, feeling that while the anti-Israel protestors seem well-funded and supported by many outside organizations, the Jewish students on campus are left to fend for themselves. One major problem for Jews on campus, which mirrors Israel’s image and PR problem— i.e., the disorganization among the “alphabet soup” of Jewish organizations— while numerous, these groups are not organized for swift action. They are frequently divided in ways that make coordinated action cumbersome and slow, lacking frameworks for swift and effective responses. The situation is too dangerous to continue in this manner, and I urge the Jewish professional community to set aside their differences and organizational history to reorganize and effectively address this escalating threat.

Tonight, the White House issued the following statement on anti-Israel protests at Columbia University:

While every American has the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly Antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous – they have absolutely no place on any college campus, or anywhere in the United States of America. And echoing the rhetoric of terrorist organizations, especially in the wake of the worst massacre committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, is despicable. We condemn these statements in the strongest terms.

BUSINESS

Wiz has recently completed a secondary fundraising round in which veteran investors sold part of their holdings, valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Valued at $10 billion, Wiz reported reaching an annual sales rate of $350 million in 2023 and projects reaching $1 billion in sales within a few years. The secondary transaction involved some of the company's investors and aimed to streamline its investor list in preparation for a potential IPO. Notably, Wiz's last significant secondary round in 2021 involved major investors like Salesforce's investment fund and Blackstone, purchasing $120 million from Cyberstarts fund.

Wiz has also been active in the mergers and acquisitions market, aiming to expand its cybersecurity product offerings. It recently completed its first acquisition post-fundraising, purchasing Israeli company Gem Security for $350 million, including comprehensive compensation packages for its employees and managers.

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A PIECE OF HISTORY

The Sinai Campaign

At 3:30 PM on October 29, 1956, a group of Israeli transport planes crossed the Egyptian border and headed for the Mitla Pass. Israeli troops parachuted from the aircraft and by 7:30 PM had reached their objective— 1 mile from the entrance to the Mitla Pass. Meanwhile, the more significant part of the Paratroop Brigade, under the command of Colonel Ariel Sharon, crossed into Sinai in a rapid move to link up with the paratroopers near Mitla. It took a day and a half to reach their destination, even though the brigade had to overcome significant resistance in a few instances. By 10:30 PM the following day, Israeli ground forces had arrived at the location where the paratroopers were waiting. The French air-dropped supplies to them. Israel then issued the following statement:

Israel Defense Forces entered and engaged the fedayun units in Ras en Nakeb and Quntella, and seized positions west of the Nakhel crosswords in the vicinity of the Suez Canal. This action follows the Egyptian assaults on Israeli transport on land and see destined to cause destruction and denial of peaceful life to Israeli citizens.

This statement was designed to provide the British and French governments the excuse to intervene. The French and the British then issued demands of both the Egyptians and Israeli governments. Here is what they demanded from the Egyptians:

The governments of the United Kingdom and France have taken note of the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Egypt. This event threatens to disrupt the freedom of navigation through the Suez Canal, on which the economic life of many nations depends. The governments of the United Kingdom and France accordingly request the government of Egypt:

A) stop all war actions on land, sea, and air forthwith;

B) to withdraw all Egyptian forces to a distance of 10 miles from the canal and

C) in order to guarantee freedom of transit through the canal by the ships of all nations in order to separate the combatants to accept temporary occupation by the Anglo forces of key positions at Port Said Ismalia and Suez.

The United Kingdom and French governments request an answer to this communication within 12 hours of its expiration. One of both governments has not undertaken to comply with the above requirements. United Kingdom and French forces will intervene with whatever strength may be necessary to secure compliance.

The Israelis immediately responded, indicating that they would accept the UK and French governments’ demand if the Egyptians agreed.

In the war itself, the Egyptian Air Force was barely able to provide any support to its ground troops, whereas the Israeli Air Force was fully able to support its own. One major setback occurred when Sharon was given permission to send a reconnaissance unit into the Mitla Pass. Sharon, as he did throughout his career, liberally interpreted the permission he received and sent a large force into the Mitla Pass, where they were trapped. Many were killed and wounded before they could be extracted

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On the afternoon of October 30th, the Seventh Armored Brigade entered Sinai, establishing a secondary line toward the Mitla Pass. On the morning of the 31st, the Brigade encountered the fortifications at Abu Ageila. A significant number of tanks were lost in an attempt to capture the fortification, and the order was given to bypass the fortification and continue westward toward the canal.

In the evening of the 30th, General Laskov began an assault on Rafah, which was heavily defended. The fight lasted through the night, but the next morning, thanks to naval and air support, Israeli troops gained control of the fortifications, and the battle was over. Laskov then began a race towards the canal along the coastal highway. He was only slowed by the hundreds of abandoned Egyptian vehicles.

On October 31st, the British and French began bombing Egyptian airfields, destroying much of the Egyptian Air Force on the ground. Nasser turned to the Soviets for help, who stated they were willing to offer moral support but were not prepared to start World War III over Suez. After receiving similar responses from his Arab allies, Nasser ordered a general withdrawal from Sinai.

The campaign's final phase involved moving forces south to capture Sharm el-Sheikh and open the Strait of Tiran. Israeli forces began an arduous journey from the area around Eilat southward across challenging terrains. Simultaneously, a second force advanced south along the Gulf of Suez, reinforced by a paratroop drop at Al-Tur. The Egyptians resisted, but by the evening of November 4th, their resistance collapsed, and they surrendered.

The war concluded swiftly, from this point. Within 100 hours, the Israeli army had conquered all of Sinai, suffering 180 casualties and having four soldiers captured. The Israelis inflicted at least 2,000 enemy fatalities, captured 6,000 prisoners, and took possession of over 1,000 vehicles, including 100 tanks.

Todays Zoom Briefing!