Israel Weekly News Roundup Oct. 25 2024
5 Things you need to know
Israel at War - Day 385
1. US Secretary of State Blinken Visits Israel and Region in Hope of Restarting Hostage/Ceasfire Deal:
U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken arrived earlier this week for his eleventh visit to Israel and the region since October of last year. The main purpose of Blinken’s visit was to restart cease-fire/hostage negotiations.
With sirens going off in the background due to Hezbollah rocket attacks, Blinken met with PM Netanyahu in Tel Aviv for two and half hours, to discuss hostage/ceasefire negotiations, as well as increased humanitarian aid to Gaza. He also met with President Isaac Herzog and Defense Minister Gallant before continuing to Egypt and Qatar, the two main mediators in negotiations with Hamas.
In his meetings with top Israeli leaders, Blinken urged them to take advantage of the opportunity created by the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and the severe weakening of Hamas’s military capacities, to bring the war to a successful conclusion. In a statement to reporters at Ben Gurion airport, Blinken said: “now is the time to turn those successes into an enduring strategic success. And there are really two things left to do, get the hostages home and bring the war to an end with an understanding of what will follow.”
While in Israel, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the families of U.S. citizens held hostage in Gaza and informed them that the Biden administration is pushing to advance a limited deal for the release of less than 10 hostages, in exchange for a temporary cease-fire in Gaza. This is to test Hamas' commitment to reaching a broader agreement after the killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar.
2. Attack Drone Exploded Near PM Netanyahu’s Private Residence In Caesarea, Causing Minor Damage
The private residence of PM Netanyahu was hit by an attack drone coming from Lebanon, launched by Hizbollah early last Saturday. Sources at the PM office reported that both PM Netanyahu and his wife Sara were not there. The bomb caused some damage to the bedroom window, but the double glazing with added protection was not broken. This report was blocked by military censorship but was released later this week.
Israel immediately announced that it sees Iran as responsible for targeting PM Netanyahu and that Israel will retaliate.
PM Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea has been under public scrutiny for years. The Netanyahu couple have tried time and again to ask the state to renovate and maintain their residence from state budgets, making repeated requests for more budget allocations to finance yet another renovation. There is some criticism claiming that the couple are very demanding, and manipulate the security situation to squeeze more from tax payers money. Every expense has to go through the PM’s office legal adviser, and must be approved by a special committee, but many times the committee is composed of people who are close to PM Netanyahu and therefore tend to approve requests even when renovation is not necessary.
Cabinet members encouraged PM Netanyahu to retaliate strongly against Iran for daring to target him personally.
3. Israeli Air-Force Targets Hezbollah Affiliated Financial Institution
Earlier this week, Israel's Air Force struck numerous Hezbollah command centers and financial institutional assets across Lebanon, including in its capital, Beirut. Among the targets struck by the Israeli Air Force were branches of the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Qard Al-Hassan loan association, which, according to the IDF, served to finance Hezbollah’s operations, including the purchase of weapons.
The airstrikes on offices of the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association (AQAH) sparked some international criticism, since the association also provides small loans and financial services to civilians. Both Israel and the U.S. claim that the association serves as a front for the transfer of funds to Hezbollah.
4. The Movement to Rebuild Settlements In Gaza Held a Public Event On the Border of the Gaza Strip
Tens of people gathered on the border with Gaza Strip in an area defined as a closed military zone to announce again that they have established a movement to encourage and advance the renewal of the settlements in the Gaza Strip. Extreme right wing leaders, including members of PM Netanyahu’s coalition, and even ministers of his government are part of a growing movement that call for Israel to empty northern Gaza of it’s Palestinian population and allow Israelis to build settlements there. Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir renewed his call to transfer the Palestinians, or as they phrase it: “willing transfer”. PM Netanyahu keeps saying that he opposes any settlements in Gaza, and that this is not his government's policy. On the other hand, a few ministers were at the site, including one from his own party, Likud.
Israel maintained a few settlements in the Gaza Strip until the disengagement plan in 2005, led by right wing PM Ariel Sharon. The extreme right demonstrated intensively against the plan, until today they call it “deportation” from Gaza, they continually strive to re-build those settlements, and see the current occupation of northern Gaza as a window of opportunity. It is important to say in this context that all of the tens of existing settlements in the West Bank and in those that were in Gaza were built without any orderly policy plan from any of Israel’s governments over the years. Therefore it is still unclear if their plan to resetlle Gaza will be implemented or stopped by the army.
5. Israeli Security Forces Arrest 14 People Spying for Iran
Israel’s Central Security Service (Shin Bet) reported this week that it arrested 14 people, seven Israeli-Jewish citizens and seven Palestinians from East Jerusalem, for espionage for Iran.
The Shin Bet reported that last month that it arrested seven Israeli citizens, suspected of and arraigned for spying for Iran over the last two years, and carrying out hundreds of tasks at the behest of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The suspects are all immigrants from Azerbaijan and residents of the Haifa district in northern Israel, including a soldier who deserted from his obligatory military service.
A senior police officer of the 433 unit told the media: “this is one of the most severe cases we’ve ever investigated. There is a real possibility that the main charge will be aiding the enemy in wartime, for which the penalty is death or life imprisonment.”
Additionally, the Shin Bet and Israeli police announced, in a joint statement, that they arrested seven Palestinians from East Jerusalem on suspicion of planning to undertake attacks for Iran, under “Iranian direction”, including the bombing of a police station, and the assassinations of a senior Israeli nuclear scientist and a city mayor. According to the statement, the suspects were paid some $50,000.
