Israel's Political Class Flirts With Civilian Control Becoming Political Control

Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot (Channel 12 screenshot)

There are moments in the life of a democracy when the greatest danger does not come from an external enemy, but from the temptation of those in power to bend the state's institutions to their own political ambitions. Israel, a nation whose security depends on an independent and professional military, has once again found itself confronting that uncomfortable reality.

The latest controversy erupted after Defense Minister Israel Katz announced during a live television appearance that he was replacing IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, despite lacking the legal authority to make such a decision. Whether one supports or opposes the current government, the episode raises a far more consequential question than the fate of a single general. It asks whether political theater is beginning to eclipse the rule of law in matters of national defense.

Opposition leader and former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot wasted little time condemning the move.


"The spectacle that took place on [Channel 14] was an unprecedented lowpoint in relations between the political and military echelons, an improper and unlawful act," Eisenkot wrote on X. "The State of Israel is no one's private property, and the IDF is not a tool to be used in primaries by politicians who've lost their way."

His criticism lands at an especially delicate political moment. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party is preparing for August 17 primaries, where more than 100,000 party members will determine the party's Knesset slate ahead of Israel's October 27 general election. Katz is widely viewed as seeking a higher position on that list, making any appearance of politicizing military leadership especially damaging.

Eisenkot did not stop there. He argued that the government "is not fit to safeguard the security of the state," adding that "very soon, the people of Israel will have worthy and responsible leadership, with Israel's welfare and security as its sole concern."

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was equally unsparing, accusing the government of turning against the very institution charged with defending the nation.


"After dismantling the IDF from the outside and paving the way for mass draft evasion, the October 7 government has now decided to dismantle the IDF from within and guarantee complete chaos," Bennett wrote. "Tonight, I say to every citizen of Israel, and to all IDF soldiers and commanders, both active-duty and reservists: Hold on tight, the reinforcements are on their way. Soon, we will replace them, and together we will set things right."

Israel's security has always rested on a delicate constitutional understanding. Civilian leaders rightly command the military, but they do so through established legal authority and institutional restraint, not televised declarations or campaign calculations. Democracies survive because governments change while institutions endure.

Whether this latest dispute proves to be an isolated political misjudgment or a symptom of something more corrosive remains to be seen. But history offers a consistent lesson: once military appointments become instruments of partisan advantage, public confidence in both government and the armed forces begins to erode. That is a price Israel, surrounded by enemies and dependent upon the professionalism of the IDF, can scarcely afford to pay.

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IDF expands control in Gaza by 70%: Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza, November 19, 2024. (MAAYAN TOAF/GPO)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened the weekly Cabinet meeting with the sort of grim clarity that has become necessary in a nation fighting enemies on every border. Bibi reiterated that Israel now controls more than 60 percent of the Gaza Strip and will soon control 70 percent, a reality that underscores both the scale of the campaign and the determination behind it.

Israel, he said, is engaged in a war against terrorism on multiple fronts, not as a matter of political theater, but as a matter of national survival.

“In the Gaza Strip, we are clinching Hamas from all sides. … We don’t allow them to arm themselves or harm us, and we also eliminate their senior commanders,” he said. [Notice how their leaders are getting younger and younger.]

It is worth pausing on what such statements would sound like if uttered by almost any Western nation after enduring years of rocket fire, massacres, kidnappings, and relentless terror. Yet Israel alone is routinely expected to prosecute a war while simultaneously apologizing for waging it.

Netanyahu continued by detailing Israel’s operations in Lebanon, where Israeli forces killed 350 terrorists in “the past week alone.” The Israel Defense Forces, he noted, captured Beaufort Ridge, uncovered extensive underground terrorist infrastructure, and is completing the eradication of terror villages near the border.

“We are hitting them very hard, and we know that Hezbollah is on the run. We will not allow firing on our territory or on our communities, and we will act accordingly,” Israel’s leader said.

The language is direct because the reality is direct. Hezbollah is not a misunderstood social movement. Hamas is not a humanitarian organization with unfortunate side interests. These are terror entities whose stated objective is the destruction of the Jewish state and the murder of its citizens.

And still there are brainless anti-Zionists who either lie or believe that Israel is lying about the October 7 atrocities committed by Hamas in spite of the video evidence provided by the terrorists themselves.

Netanyahu also addressed the situation in Judea and Samaria, where Israeli security services continue to prevent attacks with relentless frequency.

“In Judea and Samaria, along the seam line, the IDF, the Shin Bet and the Israel police thwart hundreds of terror attacks a year,” he said.

But even the most vigilant security apparatus cannot stop every act of barbarism. Netanyahu acknowledged this painful truth while referring to Sunday morning’s terrorist attack in central Israel, which killed one civilian and wounded several others.

According to Channel 12, the attack was carried out by a lone terrorist identified as Omar Yassin, a 21-year-old resident of Taibeh, an Arab city in central Israel. Israeli forces subsequently raided his home.

Netanyahu thanked the security forces who acted swiftly to eliminate the terrorist and capture his associate, a reminder that in Israel, the distance between ordinary life and sudden atrocity is often measured in seconds, and that the burden placed upon its security services is one few other democracies could endure for long.

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Only 25% of Hamas' tunnels destroyed

It’s been a wild eighteen months since the Swords of Iron War kicked off, and security sources dropped a bombshell on Wednesday that’s got me shaking my head harder than a bobblehead in an earthquake.

According to Channel 12, the IDF has only managed to take out about a quarter of Hamas’ tunnels in Gaza. One quarter! 

That’s anemic. 

The report claims the defense establishment is convinced there’s a whole mess of smuggling tunnels snaking across the Egyptian border. This comes as Israel digs its heels in, refusing to budge from the Philadelphi Corridor, even though the so-called experts keep saying that holding it won’t stop the under-the-table—or rather, under-the-sand—smuggling game. 

Arms are flowing to Hamas like cheap beer and box wine at a frat party, and everyone’s got an opinion.

Defense Minister Israel Katz isn’t buying the naysayers’ line, though. 

Earlier this year, at some fancy conference for regional council bigwigs, he doubled down. “I saw with my own eyes quite a few infiltrating tunnels in Philadelphi,” Katz said. “Some of them are closed, and some are open! We had intelligence that Hamas, during the ceasefire, planned to attack soldiers and towns.” 

Sounds like he’s ready to turn that corridor into a buffer zone tougher than a two-dollar steak, just like they’ve done in Lebanon and Syria.

Meanwhile, the IDF’s still pounding the pavement—or what’s left of it—in Gaza, with plans to ramp up the ground game unless some miracle pops up in the negotiations. Good luck with that--there's a better chance of being struck by a meteor in Times Square at noon on a Tuesday.

Here’s where it gets weird, though. Channel 12 says that since the fighting flared up again, Hamas operatives have turned into the Road Runner, hightailing it out of IDF zones and dodging soldiers like they’re allergic to a fair fight. The defense establishment says the combat’s gone all decentralized, with barely any face-to-face showdowns. Maybe that’s why there’s still a giant web of tunnels down there the IDF hasn’t even sniffed out, let alone blown to kingdom come. 

It’s like Hamas is playing whack-a-mole, and we’re still looking for the mallet.

Thoughts?

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Caught! Incompetent terrorist behind Tel Aviv bus bombing and Jewish Israeli driver arrested

The terrorist who didn't know A.M. from P.M. and placed a bomb on a bus in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv two weeks ago, has been caught and in Israeli custody. The Israeli bus driver who transported him was also arrested and charged on Thursday.

The suspect, who was inside the Green Line illegally, was arrested shortly after the failed February 20th attack.

A Jewish Israeli from Holon transported the terrorist to the scene, authorities revealed and is possibly a self-loathing individual who was willing to kill Jews. However, he claimed that he was unaware of the terrorist's intentions and simply drove him for payment. It seems likely to me, however, that the terrorist would have killed him to keep him from blowing his plot, but then again, the terrorist isn't Mensa meeting material.

 Another suspect, a Bat Yam taxi driver, has been released to house arrest.

The main suspect was initially held in an Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) facility and later transferred to the Israel Prison Service. He has complained about harsh detention conditions, claiming he is held in darkness and denied proper treatment, much like a Hamas hostage. But at least he isn't being raped and later killed for sport.

Authorities continue to investigate possible accomplices. Bomb maker, "Two-finger Farhan," may be involved but this is not certain. However, "One-Arm Ahmed" is a better possibility.

Three buses exploded near Tel Aviv and bombs were found on two others on the night of Feb. 20 in what is being investigated as a coordinated attack. Had it not been carried out by a veritable moron, many Israelis would have likely perished in the carnage.

All of the explosions occurred in parked, empty buses across Bat Yam. There were no injuries thanks to the incompetence of the terrorist.

At least one of the bombs bore a note, in Arabic and Hebrew, that stated “Revenge from the Tulkarem refugee camp,” a reference to the town in the West Bank where Israeli security forces have been conducting operations.

Five explosive devices, all with timers set to go off simultaneously, were found in what was intended to be a “strategic terrorist attack,” Channel 12 cited security sources as saying.

Two additional buses in nearby Holon were discovered with identical bombs that thankfully failed to detonate.

An Israeli commuter—26-year-old Adi Jegna—notified the driver of a suspicious package on her bus to Bat Yam, which turned out to be a bomb. He let the passengers off, drove to a safe place, and exited the bus. Moments later, the bomb exploded, destroying the bus.

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Bibi orders "massive" counter-terror operation after bus bombings

We can thank G-d anti-Israel terrorists don't know how to tell time very well. 

Explosive devices went off on Thursday night around 9 p.m. local time in the central city of Bat Yam, a little south of Tel Aviv. Thankfully, the person or persons who set the devices had planned on them exploding during the morning rush hour before the Sabbath at 9 a.m., but set them 12 hours earlier. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu ordered on that night for the military to conduct a “massive” counter-terrorism operation in Judea and Samaria, after the buses exploded and bombs were found on two others in what is being investigated as a coordinated attack.

It appears the terrorists were planning a second October 7 attack but their mistake, an actual miracle, probably saved countless lives. 

Bibi also instructed the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israel Police to step up “preventive activities” against possible future attacks across the Jewish State.

Following a situational assessment on Thursday, the IDF said its operations in Judea and Samaria were ongoing, and that areas within the territories have been closed off.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi instructed the military to assist the Israel Police as necessary.

The IDF also announced the deployment of three additional battalions to reinforce security in Judea and Samaria, adding that it was “prepared to expand the offensive operations.” An IDF battalion has about 400 troops, so that would be 1,200 in total, about the same number of people that were slaughtered by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Payback is a bitch, they say.

All of the explosions on Thursday occurred in parked, empty buses across the central city of Bat Yam, located just south of Tel Aviv. There were no injuries in the attack because the terrorists are low-functioning.

At least one of the bombs had a note, in Arabic and Hebrew, that stated, “Revenge from the Tulkarem refugee camp,” a reference to the terrorist hotbed in Samaria where security forces have been conducting operations, Channel 12 News reported.

Five explosive devices, all with timers set to go off simultaneously, were found in what was intended to be a “strategic terrorist attack,” Channel 12 cited security sources as saying.

The Shin Bet was called to the scenes, and all bus drivers in the Tel Aviv metropolitan were instructed to search their vehicles for bombs.

Israeli transport minister Miri Regev instructed the National Public Transport Authority to “stop and inspect all buses, trains and light rail cars and act in accordance with the instructions of the Shin Bet and the police.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz directed the IDF to increase “the intensity of activities to thwart terrorism in the Tulkarm refugee camp and in the refugee camps in Judea and Samaria in general,” following what he called “attempted serious terrorist attacks.

“We will pursue the terrorists to the bitter end and destroy the terrorist infrastructure in the camps that serve as a frontline for the Iranian axis of evil,” Katz said.

It's time for Israel to get violent and release their shock and awe with the same fury the Palestinians, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad did on October 7th. But unlike them, Israel should take no hostages.

Am Yisrael Chai.

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No more Coca Cola for Hamasshole who murdered father in front of his sons on Oct. 7

The aftermath of Hamas's attack on Netiv Ha'asara in the Negev

The IDF in Gaza have killed the Hamasshole who spearheaded the October 7 massacre on the northwest Negev moshav of Netiv Ha'asara, they reported on Tuesday. And while it cannot bring back the man he killed in front of his children while drinking a Coke afterward, it at least sent the cruel POS to where he belongs: straight to Jahannam.

Ahmed Wadia appeared in video footage from the October 7 attack, seen drinking a Coca-Cola can from the fridge of the Taasa family home. This occurred just moments after he had murdered Gil Taasa, 46, in front of his two youngest sons, Koren, 12, and Shai, 8.

The cruel, sadistic piece of human excrement sipped the Coke in front of the bleeding children before leaving the home. Koren and Shai then ran next door and hid in the safe room for hours before being evacuated.

Israeli fighter jets targeted a Hamas compound close to the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, resulting in the deaths of eight Hamassholes from the Daraj Tuffah Battalion, as stated in a joint announcement by the IDF and ISA. Among those killed was the Coke sipper, Ahmed Wadia, a member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force, who had led the invasion of Netiv Ha’asara, a location situated right next to the Gaza border fence.

Another terrorist killed in the strike, as reported by the IDF, was responsible for several combat specialties within the Daraj Tuffah Battalion, including engineering, sniping, and anti-tank operations. This individual also supplied the explosives used to breach the security fence in the Daraj Tuffah Battalion's area during the massacre.

On October 7, Wadia, who was active in Hamas's parachute unit, infiltrated the community using a paraglider. He directed the massacre of 21 residents and orchestrated the kidnapping of one person to Gaza.

Wadia alive

Gil Taasa, 46, a senior firefighter at the Ashkelon fire station, was murdered on October 7. That morning, Taasa was at home with his two youngest sons, Koren and Shai. After exhausting his ammunition, terrorists threw a grenade into the shelter where they were hiding. Taasa leaped onto the grenade to save his sons, who were wounded but survived.

Taasa's oldest son, Or, 17, was also murdered by Hamas terrorists at Zikim Beach, where he had gone early in the morning to surf with friends.

“My sons are happy and that’s the most important thing,” said Gil’s widow, Sabine Taasa, after receiving the news of Wadia’s death, according to Israel’s Channel 12.

“My son Koren told me he wanted to see a picture of [Wadia] dead. I personally will close the circle only after I know that all Hamas members and [Hamas leader in Gaza Yayha] Sinwar have been eliminated,” she added.

Wadia dead

Scum like Wadia have been taught as babies growing up, to hate Jewish people for no other reason that the fact they're Jewish. And still there are anti-Semites in the West who should know better, who have an education, and who pretend to love mankind [except for you know, the Jews]. 

When Jews were poor, they hated us. When we had no place to live and roamed the world, they hated us. When we are wealthy, they hate us. When we have our historical homeland, they hate us and want to take it from us.

Jews have been living in Israel before Islam was ever conceived by the terrorist warrior and pedophile, Mohammed. They don't want a 2-state solution or any solution other than getting rid of the Jews. Some of it may be envy, some of it is clearly hate.

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IDF says 6,000 terrorists, twice as many originally believed, invaded on Oct. 7

It was originally believed that there was 60 breaches made in the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip on October 7, however after an intense investigation by the IDF, the number was found to be 119, Channel 12 News reported last Saturday evening. So while it was thought that about 3,000 terrorists entered Israel that morning, the number has been increased to about 6,000.

Of them, 3,800 were part of Hamas' elite Nukhba forces, while an additional 2,200 were militants from other Palestinian terror groups, accompanied by Gaza civilians who entered Israeli border towns to loot the homes of those who had been killed.

Originally reported as 60 breaches in the fence, an in-depth investigation has revealed that the terrorists succeeded in creating a total of 119 openings in the billion-shekel barrier.

According to the report, approximately 1,000 additional Hamas militants fired 4,300 rockets from the Gaza Strip towards Israel to provide cover for the invasion. This total far exceeds initial estimates. Remarkably, 3,000 of these rockets were launched within the first four hours of the attack, targeting villages, towns, and cities across southern and central Israel.

Omri Maniv of Channel 12, who disclosed these startling new statistics, commented on X, “These numbers are simply inconceivable. They are double what we previously knew and highlight both the magnitude of the failure and the strength of Hamas’ assault.”

The probe was carried out by the Gaza Division and submitted to IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi.

On the day known by Israelis as "Black Sabbath," terrorists murdered 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, with the vast majority of the victims being civilians, including dozens of children.

This incident is regarded as the worst failure to protect the citizens of Israel in the state's history.

The terrorists targeted residents of Gaza envelope kibbutzim and moshavim, setting entire neighborhoods ablaze with flamethrowers during their rampage. They also penetrated towns as far as Ofakim, 26 kilometers (16 miles) from the border, seizing complete control of the roads in between for hours and shooting anyone who drove by.

Their largest rampage took place at the Nova dance festival just a few kilometers from the border, where 364 mostly young revelers were shot, raped and burned to death, as reported by World Israel News.

The terrorists kidnapped a total of 251 people, with 101 still in captivity. However, Israeli authorities have evidence that at least 35 of these captives are no longer alive.

The 101 reported captives do not include six hostages who were recently killed by their Hamas captors. These six bodies were discovered on Saturday by IDF forces in a tunnel in Rafah, just a kilometer from the location where one hostage, Farhan al-Qadi, was rescued last week.

In response to the report, the IDF issued a straightforward statement: “The operational investigation has not yet been concluded and continues in accordance with the assessment of the situation and operational constraints. Once it is completed, the findings will be presented to the public transparently.”

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Crazed Palestinian mob attack Israelis after wrong turn into their village but they escape with their lives

Rami and Inbal Orpaz

Sometimes it pays to have a good GPS in your car because if you live in Israel or Chicago, it can help you avoid making a wrong turn and thereby save your life.

A father and daughter were driving in the West Bank on Sunday and made a wrong turn which led to a village populated by Palestinians, people who don't abide by Jews, with their fancy cars and perfume and clean teeth, and being all gussied up, coming into their town like they own the place.

Father and daughter Rami and Inbal Orpaz told Channel 12 news that they were traveling to Mount Hazor, to see the snow that fell there last week. The hill is a tourist hotspot for Israelis in the central West Bank and snow is as common as a brilliant insight by Whoopi Goldberg, co-host of "The View."

According to the pair, they got lost and tried to use a navigation app to get back onto their route, but ended up in the Palestinian village of Dayr Jarir, about a four-minute drive from their destination and loaded with anti-Zionist and anti-Semites . . . but I repeat myself.

“When we got into the village, it looked quiet and we didn’t see anything suspicious,” Inbal said.

They soon found themselves in a traffic jam, when a group of young local turds began hurling stones at their car.

“They yelled at us ‘Jish’ [Arabic for army] and people started pointing at us to turn around,” Inbal said. “Someone moved their car forward to block off the group so we could turn around and get out of there.” That was very humane and whoever did that deserves credit.

Rami said he tried to drive away but couldn’t. “They were pointing at my shoulders, referring to military ranks, and at that moment we were pelted with a barrage of stones and some tried to open the car doors,” he said.

Fortunately, they both managed to drive away without being dragged out of the car and being killed for being the wrong religion.

“There are rocks weighing 6-7 kilos that landed inside the car. One rock stopped at the door frame of the car that was 2 centimeters away from me. It was just crazy,” Rami said.

However, they weren't completely out of the proverbial woods.

“For more than two hours no one at the [Ariel police] station talked to us — the only thing that bothered them is that we came in with our dog, which is somehow illegal without a certain procedure,” Inbal said.

[Dogs are haram in Islam. Perhaps Mohammed had a bad experience with a pooch back in the day.]

“They did not ask if we needed dry clothes or mental health assistance. We went through a very difficult, traumatic event, and no one talked to us for hours. When a police investigator finally came and took the rocks out of the car, he just couldn’t believe it and asked, ‘How did you get out of there alive?'”

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The Israel Police said in response: “This is an incident that took place while dealing with dozens of other incidents simultaneously following the storm that affected the entire West Bank. We know that as part of addressing [the complaints], some of the complainants had to wait before seeing an investigator and giving testimony, and we apologize for that. The investigation of the case continues.”

So take it from me, guys and gals, if you're out galavanting around in a strange town along the West Bank, and you happen to be Jewish, Christian, Hindu, or atheist, galavant the hell out of there lickety-split. And splurge on a good GPS.

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