DAY 296 OF THE WAR: Majdal Shams Buries Eleven Children, Israel Plans Its Response, Who Are the Druze? Navy Commissions New Landing Ships
Tel Aviv Diary July 28, 2024
The news in Israel today was dominated by the deadly rocket attack on Majdal Shams last night, which killed 12 children. Israeli television ran special news broadcasts throughout the day, and the funerals were broadcast live
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Thousands attended the funerals, with members of the Druze community from the Golan and beyond all coming together. The twelve initial fatalities have been publicly identified: Ameer Rabeea Abu Saleh (16); Hazem Akram Abu Saleh (15); Alma Ayman Fakher Eldin (11); Milar Muadad Sha’ar (10); Vinees Adham Al-Safadi (11); Naji Taher Halabi (11); Johnny Wadeea Ibrahim (13); Yazan Nayeif Abu Saleh (12); Iseel Nasha'at Ayoub (12); Fajer Laith Abu Saleh (16); Nathem Fakher Saeb (11); and Jifara Ibrahim (11).
Last night, after I posted on “X” suggesting that a larger war might now be imminent, I received a response from someone associated with Hezbollah. The individual claimed the missile was launched by Israel and not by them. He continued, despite their disavowal, Hezbollah was still awaiting an Israeli response. At that time, I was unaware that Hezbollah's official stance was a denial they fired the missile.
Israel promptly asserted that the rocket was launched by Hezbollah and indicated on a map where it had originated. One immediate question was why the Iron Dome system had not intercepted the rocket. The IAF’s initial investigation concluded that the missile's flight duration was only 40 seconds, and because of the geographical layout, interception was impossible. The rocket was launched from a valley, and Majdal Shams is situated relatively high on the foothills of Mount Hermon. Consequently, the rocket's trajectory was very close to the ground, making interception infeasible. Not to let Hezbollah off the hook, my suspicion is that they were targeting a higher location on Mount Hermon, and their missile fell short
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Today, the anger in Majdal Shams was intense and palpable. It was directed equally at Hezbollah and the Israeli government, with residents feeling that the government has not done enough.
Here’s some background on both the Druze community and, specifically, Majdal Shams. The Druze hold a philosophy of strong patriotism towards the country in which they reside. Druze consider the land they live in as paramount. Since the War of Independence, Druze have demonstrated unwavering loyalty to the State of Israel and have served with distinction in the ranks of the IDF.
However, the story of Majdal Shams and the other Druze villages on the Golan Heights is more complex. Israel captured the Golan Heights in 1967 during the Six-Day War and officially annexed the area in 1981, offering citizenship to the residents. Historically, the Druze in the Golan Heights identified as Syrian, and many of their children pursued higher education in Syria. However, following the Syrian civil war that began in 2011, the Druze in the Golan decided to accept Israeli citizenship. Before 2018, only 4% of the citizens of Majdal Shams held Israeli citizenship. While the precise number of Druze in Majdal Shams who currently possess Israeli citizenship is unknown, thousands of Druze in the Golan Heights have obtained citizenship over the past six years.
The Druze community has lost ten soldiers in the war so far, including senior officers. Since the war began, there has been discussion about revising some recently enacted laws that have adversely impacted the Druze. The first is the Nation-State Law, passed in 2018, which gives a certain ambiguous advantage to Jewish citizens. It was only at the last moment that right-wing legislators, who were advocating for the Nation-State Law, recognized the legislation’s potential negative impact on the Druze. However, by then, it was too late; passing the law was deemed too important to abandon. Since then, there have been promises to amend or repeal the law, but no action has yet been taken.
Another contentious piece of legislation is the Kaminitz Law, enacted in 2017. This law permits the destruction of houses built “illegally” without the possibility of appealing to the courts. This law primarily impacts Arab Israelis and Druze Israelis due to the lack of updated municipal plans for their towns, rendering almost any construction illegal. Consequently, some Druze have been called to serve in the reserves, returning to find their homes slated for demolition. Additionally, the Druze community faces further challenges, as the electric company can only provide service to legally recognized houses. As a result, approximately 50,000 Druze reside in homes with illegal electricity connections.
During the course of the war, the Likud coalition leader introduced a bill specifically designed to address the issues faced by the Druze. However, Finance Minister Smotrich ultimately blocked the legislation.
IDF CHIEF OF STAFF STATEMENT ON MAJDAL SHAMS ATTACK
Here’s what the IDF Chief Staff said today about the catastrophic rocket attack last night in Majdal Shams
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We know exactly where the rocket was launched from today. Here, on the wall of the soccer field, we examined the rocket remnants, and we can tell you it's a Fajr rocket with a fifty-three-kilogram warhead. This is a Hezbollah rocket. Anyone who fires such a rocket into a built-up area intends to kill civilians, intends to kill children.
We strongly support the Druze community; they are our brave partners, fully integrated with the rest of Israel's citizens, in the fight for our home, the home of all of us. We strongly support the residents of Majdal Shams, and we embrace the bereaved families and wish all the injured a speedy and full recovery.
I want to tell you, residents of the North, it's been a long time since you've been in your homes. We see the difficulty, and we will use all means to bring you home safely. We are significantly increasing our readiness for the next stage of fighting in the North while simultaneously fighting in Gaza. We have the capability to strike very far from Israel, and as more challenges arise, we will increase our readiness. When required, we will act with strength. Our duty is to bring the residents back home safely to the North, throughout the Galilee and the Golan Heights. This is a full obligation. This is a tough day, but we will strive for better days.
The major question now is how Israel will respond to the attack. The Security Cabinet met tonight and voted to authorize Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant to decide what Israel’s response to this latest attack. Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir abstained. The objective will likely be to inflict substantial damage on Hezbollah without triggering a full-scale war. This will be a very fine line to walk, and only time will reveal the outcome.
YONATAN AHARON GREENBLATT
This morning, it was announced that Sergeant Yonatan Aharon Greenblatt (21), who was injured a week ago in Rafah, passed away yesterday in the hospital.
HOSTAGES
The head of the Mossad came back from a two-hour meeting in Rome with the other negotiators. As anticipated, they reported that there is a very low likelihood of Hamas agreeing to Netanyahu’s new terms, which are additions to the original Netanyahu/Biden plan. It appears that Netanyahu is either trying to delay a hostage deal or completely undermine it.
ISRAEL NAVY COMMISSIONS NEW SHIPS
Last week, an important ceremony was held when the Israeli Navy commissioned two new landing ships. These ships are expected to play a key role in any conflict with Lebanon. To the best of my knowledge, one of the ships is fully equipped and operational, while the second is still being prepared for service.
The ceremony to welcome the two new landing ships, INS Nachshon and INS Komemiyut, occurred last Wednesday at the Haifa naval base. Defense Minister Yoav Galant, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, and Navy Commander Vice Admiral David Saar Salama presided over the event, which was attended by other military commanders, crew members of the new ships, and their families.
The INS Nachshon and INS Komemiyut completed their ocean-crossing voyage from Pascagoula, USA, to Israel, which lasted over three weeks. They have now begun the operational process, which includes testing and installing Israeli-made combat systems at the Navy shipyard. Upon completion of the process, the two landing ships are expected to integrate into the IDF's multi-domain operations across various theaters, thereby expanding the operational range of the IDF. Among other things, these landing ships will be used to transport equipment and transfer fighters in both nearby and distant operational areas.
BUSINESS
Orcam
The Israeli company Orcam, founded by Amnon Shashua and Ziv Aviram, the founders of Mobileye, has decided to stop the development of its flagship devices designed for the blind and visually impaired. The existing stock of devices will continue to be sold through external distributors, but there will be no further development of features or future generations of the technology. Orcam will retain a small team focused on the continued development of an advanced hearing device.
This means that Orcam is effectively shutting down its technological assistance solutions for the blind and visually impaired (Low Vision), burying the vision on which it was founded in 2010 and operated over the years. Orcam's flagship device is “MyEye,” a camera-equipped device designed for the blind and visually impaired. The first generation was launched in 2013. The device attaches to glasses and can describe the surroundings to the user, read texts aloud, and recognize objects. Orcam also sells a pen-like device called “Read,” which scans printed texts from newspapers, books, or smartphone and computer screens and reads them aloud.
These devices have succeeded in improving the lives of many blind and visually impaired individuals worldwide over the years. However, it is a relatively limited market, and despite a series of attempts, Orcam has not succeeded in expanding into other areas.
Medican
Medican X, a technology company specializing in the cultivation of medical cannabis, announced today (Sunday) a fundraising round of 70 million shekels and the launch of an innovative production facility in Tirat Carmel. Medican X utilizes an aeroponic cultivation method, which involves growing cannabis using oxygen. The aeroponic cultivation system is an automated growing system built to a height of four meters, where the cannabis is grown and monitored in unique cultivation rooms. These rooms are controlled by climate systems specifically developed for the company, independent of the outside weather. Medican X was founded a little more than three years ago, in 2020. This year, the company began distributing its products to 190 pharmacies.
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A PIECE OF HISTORY
Opening of the Western Wall Tunnel
Netanyahu faced pressure to demonstrate his nationalist credentials and to assert stronger Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem. On September 24, 1996, he authorized the opening of the northern exit to a lengthy archaeological excavation site that extended the Western Wall tunnel northward, underground. The tunnel exit opened into the middle of the Muslim Quarter of the Old City.
As had occurred previously, this action, though seemingly minor, sparked protests from the Waqf, who manage the Temple Mount, claiming that the Temple Mount was in danger. The opening of the tunnel led to violent clashes across the West Bank, causing the carefully negotiated defense cooperation to collapse. At the time, Netanyahu was traveling in Europe, but he rushed back due to the escalating situation.
Violent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers raged for a second day throughout the West Bank and spread into the Gaza Strip on Thursday, resulting in at least 39 Palestinian and 11 Israeli fatalities. Hundreds from both sides sustained injuries. The deadliest confrontations occurred in the West Bank city of Nablus and in Gaza.
In Nablus, six Israeli soldiers were killed when Palestinian protesters and militia assaulted the Tomb of Joseph, a walled site used by Jewish nationalists for religious studies, which remained under Israeli control when the surrounding city was turned over to the Palestinian Authority. In Gaza, Palestinian Security Forces and crowds attacked Israeli settlements and Army posts throughout the day. Twenty-five Palestinians were killed, and one small Jewish settlement had to be evacuated.
This was the most severe outbreak of violence since the start of the Oslo Accords. By the end of this surge of violence, 60 Palestinians and 15 Israeli soldiers had been killed during four days of violence in September 1996.
