DAY 267 OF THE WAR: Heavy Fighting in Gaza, Three Soldiers Killed, Overwhelming Majority of Israelis Want Netanyahu to Retire

Tel Aviv Diary, June 29, 2024

ZOOM BRIEFING: Sunday 6 PM Israel Time, 4 PM Great Britain, 11 AM EDT 8 AM PDT

Albeit early, Friday morning was not a good morning in Tel Aviv. I had woken up at 4 AM to watch the Trump-Biden debate. Presidential elections have always been a subject I write about (I have authored a book on the History of Presidential Elections, which I update every four years). This debate was depressing enough, featuring a congenital liar and someone clearly too old for the job. But then came awful news again: “Hutar le’pirsum” (authorized for publication), another soldier was killed. This time, it was Sergeant Eyal Shynes z" l (19) who fell in a battle in the Rafah area. Unfortunately, I was not surprised, as I had written Thursday night about the heavy fighting that had taken place in Rafah during the day.

IDF attacks on the Shuja'iyya neighborhood began on Thursday morning, with a full encirclement by IDF forces, estimated to contain about 20,000 civilians and hundreds of terrorists. Many Shuja'iyya residents and terrorists fled, some leaving the area and others going underground. The IDF has been operating in a civilian-free zone for the past two days. The remaining terrorists, primarily Hamas’s Shuja'iyya Battalion, are attempting to regroup, bringing in fighters from other areas and recruiting new ones. IDF Division 98 is conducting high-intensity operations with the 7th Brigade and the Paratroopers Brigade due to the significant Hamas resistance still present.

Since the operation began, approximately 40 terrorists have been killed. Yesterday, 30 skirmishes with terrorists were reported. The above-ground area is largely destroyed from earlier maneuvers by Division 36. Currently, the IDF forces are concentrating on dismantling the underground network used by terrorists for movement and concealment, having already located and begun to destroy several underground shafts. This underground destruction is now the primary objective of the raid. The Shuja'iyya raid— an area previously cleared— has taken the lives of two additional soldiers. Tonight, it was announced that in battles in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood, Sergeant First Class (res.) Yakir Shmuel Tatelbaum (21) of Ma’ale Adumim and Yair Avitan (20) of Ra’anana were killed. Additional soldiers were seriously wounded in the fighting.

ARMY SPOKESMAN

The IDF Spokesman released the following statement earlier today:

In Rafah, combat teams from the Nahal and Givati Brigades, under the command of Division 162, have eliminated several terrorists in the past 24 hours and, in coordination with the Air Force, destroyed numerous terror infrastructures, including tunnel shafts.

In the central part of the Gaza Strip, forces from Division 99 have eliminated several terrorists using machine gun fire and directed Air Force strikes. As part of the forces' activities in the area, Air Force aircraft attacked several anti-tank positions from which launches were carried out during the war against the forces in the central Gaza Strip.

Last night (Friday), two launches were detected crossing from the northern Gaza Strip towards the Sderot area. Air defense fighters successfully intercepted one launch, while the other fell in an open area with no casualties. Shortly afterward, an aircraft, led by the Gaza Division and the Air Force, attacked an underground shaft near the position from which the launches were carried out, and the division's forces targeted the source of the fire with artillery.

THE NORTH

Yesterday, there were three separate barrages against the North, including a large barrage of 20 projectiles in the evening. Today, there was only one attack. Israel continues to strike targets in Lebanon. During the last few days, both Defense Minister Galant and Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed their preference for a diplomatic solution over an escalation to war in the North.

Israel is attempting to walk an extremely fine line. In order to secure a diplomatic solution, Hezbollah and Lebanon need to believe that Israel is ready and able to strike. However, Israel does not really want to escalate further, a sentiment Hezbollah recognizes. In addition, Israel cannot initiate the war without US approval and thus must give diplomacy every possible chance. In the meantime, Iran has threatened that if Israel invades Lebanon, it will orchestrate a war to annihilate Israel.

HOSTAGES— 267 DAYS AND COUNTING…

Reports indicate that the U.S. has presented Hamas with a slightly revised hostage release/ceasefire proposal. While the changes are reportedly linguistic and not substantially different from the “Netanyahu” plan, the revision includes some changes in wording that could convince Hamas to agree. The U.S. has been pressuring Qatar to influence Hamas. Will it work? It is unlikely, but it is possible. For the first time in a while, there is a slight sense of optimism in Israel that negotiations might resume. At the moment, this initiative is the only game in town— so let's hope these efforts yield positive results.

DEMONSTRATIONS

Tonight, regular weekly demonstrations took place both at Hostage Square and on Kaplan Street. Afterward, a few thousand demonstrators marched to the Histadrut (Israel’s Labor Union) headquarters to urge the organization to join the protests to demand a new national election.

Kaplan Street

Histadrut Headquarters

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HERZLIYA SECURITY CONFERENCE

After giving a detailed description of all the various sessions at last week’s Herzliya Conference, I’d like to share my overall impression. There was near unanimity among all those present that Israel is facing its greatest strategic challenge since its War of Independence. Regrettably, there was also broad agreement that the current government is clearly not equipped to meet this moment and, even more disconcerting, appears to lack a coherent plan on how to deal with the challenges we face. Furthermore, it’s also evident that so many of our problems stem from Iranian actions. Yet, we have not prioritized Iran as our central focus for far too long. Overall, I came away from the conference feeling even more pessimistic than when I arrived.

U.S. Central Command Update [June 28]

In the past 24 hours, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed seven Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) and one ground control station vehicle in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

It was determined the UAVs and the ground control station presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure.

This continued malign and reckless behavior by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

POLITICS

A Friday night television poll revealed that approximately two-thirds of Israelis believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should leave politics and not seek reelection. This sentiment followed the High Court's historic ruling regarding the military draft of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students. The poll also highlighted strong support for Haredi conscription, with 67% in favor. 85% of Israelis support an investigation into the failures of October 7.

In addition to the broad consensus regarding Netanyahu’s political future, Friday’s poll also delved into specifics regarding potential leadership changes and alliances within Israel’s political landscape. Specifically, 66% of respondents said Netanyahu should not compete in the next elections, while 27% believed he should, and 7% were unsure.

Moreover, Friday’s poll reinforced former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's position as a potential leader of a new right-wing alliance. Despite mixed opinions within Netanyahu's right-religious bloc, with 37% opposing his reelection bid and 53% supporting it, other surveys indicated that a new faction led by Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, Gideon Sa’ar, and former Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen could significantly impact the results of future elections. Polls from Channel 12 and Channel 13 suggested this new alliance could secure the largest number of Knesset seats, with projections of 25 and 33 seats out of 120, respectively. All the polls indicated a continuing weakening of the parties that support the coalition.

A POST BY PALESTINIAN, AMERICAN ACTIVIST Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib

Just when you think the lack of foresight, pragmatism, strategic planning, realistic visions, or sound organizing couldn’t get any worse among some “pro-Palestine” groups, think again. The national umbrella organization of Students for Justice in Palestine is doubling down on support for a group (Within Our Lifetime) that is explicitly pro-Hamas, celebrates October 7, glorifies the armed resistance narrative, and calls Rashida Tlaib, AOC, and Democratic Socialists of America Zionists for not adopting their maximalist, ideological, extremist, and hateful positions. Sometimes, I genuinely wonder if SJP and other such groups are really working for Palestine and an actual resolution or if they’re part of a long-term con psyop that’s meant to discredit Palestinians and their cause in the diaspora.

A historic opportunity to harness and drum up support for Palestinian independence and sovereignty through an occupation/settlement-free Two State/ Two Nation solution continues to be squandered in pursuit of academic theories, extremist rhetoric, far-left ideologies, and theoretical frameworks that will never set the Palestinians free. The issue isn’t that SJP and detrimental groups discredit themselves by acting the way they do; the serious and primary problem is that they harm and undermine the pro-Palestine narrative, which is always framed as being mutually exclusive of any scenario in which Jewish Israelis exist and live side by side with Palestinians. I understand the deep pain and resentment due to the continuous annihilation of Gaza and the death and destruction that has befallen the Palestinians in the coastal enclave. But to ignore the role of Hamas in triggering this catastrophe and to adopt extremist positions that will never create a free Palestine is immensely irresponsible and amounts to a dereliction of duty to represent the best interests of the Palestinian people.

FROM THE TAUB REPORT: ON EDUCATION

Between 2014 and 2022 there was a substantial narrowing of the gaps in per-student budget between high schools in the Hebrew and Arab education systems. The gap in the average per-student expenditure in the Arab State system and the Hebrew State system was halved (from 32% to 16%), and between the Arab State and the Hebrew State-religious system, it narrowed from 39% to 29%. Within the Hebrew system, the data show different trends — until 2019, the gap between state religious and State schools grew, and since then, it has decreased.

Beyond the graph: A possible reason for the changes is the growing recognition in the Ministry of Education of the need to narrow these gaps, and, in particular, the disparity between the Hebrew and the Arab education systems. These data clearly show that when the Ministry of Education is determined to narrow gaps, it has the ability to do so. As shown on the next page, the majority of differences that remain are due to the budgeting formulas, which are mostly universal throughout the system.

The main source is the type of class (regular classes versus special small classes) and the track (academic or technological). The contribution of sector and supervisory authority are quite small and decreased from 14% in 2017 to 9% in 2022. Note the small aggregate influence of the Nurture index and the periphery index on the budget disparity. Nevertheless, not all of the gap can be explained by objective variables. In 2022, about 16% of the variance remained unexplained. There are those who would view this as still being a large and substantial gap.

Although most of the gap in per student expenditure results from objective budgeting criteria, it is important to determine whether these are justified or perhaps deserve to be reassessed. For instance, it may be worthwhile to increase the periphery differential in high school budgeting so that it properly reflects the differences in the socioeconomic backgrounds of the student population

Ministry of Education budget items that increased most significantly is special education, from NIS 10.9 billion in 2017 to NIS 16 billion in 2022, an increase of 47%. This is in contrast to an increase of 24% in the regular education budget. Its share of the total budget rose from 18.7% to 21.4%. The number of students eligible for special education services rose at a much faster rate than the total number of students, although at a somewhat slower rate than the budgetary increases.

Although these numbers imply that the services provided for special education have grown, parents of special education students seem to have been feeling dissatisfied in recent years.

Implications: The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance are voicing deep concern that the continuation of current trends in the special education system will lead to a situation whereby the budget allocation to special education will appropriate an unreasonable portion of the education budget, harming the regular education system.

BUSINESS

Verily Life Sciences, Alphabet's health research and development company, was launched with great excitement in August 2021. However, less than three years later, it is expected to close its operations in Israel, according to a report first published in The Guardian. An Alphabet spokesperson stated that the decision is part of efficiency measures and that the war in Gaza had no part in the decision. Verily Israel was managed by Prof. Ehud Rivlin and employed around 30 workers in offices in Tel Aviv and Haifa. The employees are expected to finish their work by September. Most of the employees are researchers in the field of artificial intelligence who explored the integration of technology in the medical field. "We plan for this critical work to continue in our offices in the United States," Alphabet said.

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A PIECE OF HISTORY

Operation Moses

Mivtza Moshe (Operation Moses), a covert Israeli mission conducted from November 21, 1984, to January 5, 1985, was aimed at rescuing Ethiopian Jews, known as Beta Israel, from famine and persecution in Ethiopia. The operation involved a collaborative effort between the Israeli government, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Mossad, and international organizations such as the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.

The Beta Israel community, which has roots in Ethiopia dating back over two millennia, faced severe challenges during the 1970s and 1980s due to political upheaval, civil war, and famine. Conditions deteriorated under the rule of the Derg, a Marxist-Leninist military junta that seized power in 1974. Many Ethiopian Jews sought refuge in neighboring Sudan, where they became the focus of this rescue operation.

Mossad agents established covert networks and safe houses to facilitate the transport of Ethiopian Jews from remote villages to refugee camps in Sudan. From there, they were taken to Khartoum and airlifted to Israel using Israeli Air Force aircraft, often via European countries to avoid detection. The operation received indirect support from the United States and other international allies.

The initial phase of Operation Moses began on November 21, 1984, with Israeli Hercules transport aircraft conducting night flights from Sudanese airfields to maintain secrecy. However, the operation was abruptly halted on January 5, 1985, when news of the mission leaked to the media, causing the Sudanese government to suspend further flights due to political pressures. Despite this setback, approximately 8,000 Ethiopian Jews were successfully airlifted to Israel during the operation.

First-hand accounts from Mossad agents provide insight into the complexities and emotional impact of Operation Moses. Emmanuel, a Mossad agent, recounts being called for a special humanitarian mission by his superior, Jonathan. The cover story involved establishing a vacation village in Sudan, which served as a front for their covert activities. Jonathan explained the need for a believable cover, as extended stays in Sudan would raise suspicions.

Mossad agent Emmanuel shared:

The Ethiopian Jews undertook a perilous journey of thousands of kilometers from Ethiopia to Sudan, evading army patrols, thieves, and marauders while battling hunger, thirst, and disease.

At the Sudanese coast, Mossad agents set up the vacation village as a staging area. Gadi, another Mossad agent, described how they filled boats with evacuees of all ages, from infants to the elderly, and transported them to ships waiting offshore.

David Ben Uziel, responsible for smuggling immigrants across the Ethiopian-Sudan border, considered this the most dangerous part of the operation due to the proximity to refugee camps and the need for speed. The vacation village became a popular resort for European deep-sea divers, providing cover for the nighttime rescue operations.

Ben Uziel's audio journal entry from November 12th vividly describes the challenging conditions during one evacuation,

With rough seas causing panic and confusion as evacuees were hand-carried to prevent drowning. He noted the high emotions among the team members as they witnessed the refugees' realization that they were leaving their homeland forever.

Operation Moses had a profound impact on both the rescuers and the rescued. Many Mossad agents were moved to tears as they saw the immigrants safely boarding the ships. For the Ethiopian Jews, while the rescue meant survival and the fulfillment of their dream to reach Jerusalem, it also represented a difficult transition. Many families still struggle to recount their experiences during this tumultuous period.

In total, Operation Moses successfully evacuated approximately 8,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel, marking a significant humanitarian effort in the face of complex geopolitical challenges.

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