Just last week we started our “Faces of the IDF” series on a positive note, highlighting the first female Arab-Israeli paratrooper. Our goal is to show that Israel truly is a “citizen’s army,” represented by men and women of great diversity.

Yesterday, July 26th, 2010, Israel lost six of its finest in a helicopter crash in Romania. The flight was part of an 11 day Israeli-Romanian joint training exercise held in a mountainous region of central Romania, designed to simulate a search and rescue operation in hostile regions. Working with Eastern European countries for training exercises is nothing new for Israel. In 2006, Israel and Romania signed a military exercise and cooperation deal which they had extended last year. The CH-53 helicopter, carrying 4 IAF personnel, 2 aerial engineers, and a Romanian Air Force Servicemen, crashed leaving no survivors.

For a country with such a small population, in which most spend years of their lives in the army, this tragedy hits especially close to home.

We would like to take this opportunity to offer our most heartfelt condolences to the Israeli and Romanian families of the victims. As part of our “Faces of the IDF” series, we honor the memories of those fallen.

Lieutenant Colonel (res.) Avner Goldman just turned 48 last week and got to celebrate it with his wife, Orit. His wife said, “He was a smart man, a good person, the best husband I could have asked for. I told the kids, ‘At least he didn’t suffer. Until the very last moment, he had a smile on his face.’ We were privileged to have a wonderful husband and father, an amazing person.” Avner also leaves behind him four children, ages 22, 18, 16, and 13.

Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Shipenbauer was born in Uruguay and made aliyah to Israel with his family when he was 6 yeas old. As he kid he was an enthusiastic soccer player  and stayed a devoted fan, taking his children to matches every week. During the second Lebanon war he was promoted to head of his squadron. His friends describes him as a very honest, modest, and hard working individual that despite his tough exterior was a very sensitive soul. Having been in the squadron for the last 20 years, he had the chance to mentor almost every new pilot that was trained.  Daniel is survived by his wife, Yael, and three children – Amit, 16, Roee, 12, and Yonatan, 8.

Major Lior Shai was born and raised in Ramat Hasharon near Tel Aviv. According to his mother, he never seriously thought he would be a pilot, being just as interested as studying electrical engineering at Tel Aviv University as remaining with the Yasurim squadron. Still, he was ecstatic for the opportunity to fly. He leaves behind his wife, Tamar, and their four-month-old baby.

Major Yahel Keshet was born and raised in the moshav  Sharona in the lower Galilee, and was currently residing in the Hatzerim air base before the crash. He was the pride of the whole moshav. While he originally wanted to serve in the commandos as his father did, after passing the cadets course he quickly rose the ranks of the Israeli Air Force. He was only two weeks away from being promoted to deputy squadron commander. Yahel is survived by his wife, Hofit, and two children – Harel, 2, and Ofri, two-months old.He was a quiet man, devoted to his family, his wife Hofit and their children, Harel, 2, and Ofri, two-months old. He loved volunteering and helping the community, working to help underprivileged youth and new immigrants from Ethiopia. His hobbies were traveling and tracking, diving, snowboarding and playing guitar.

Staff Sergeant Oren Cohen served in the very same squadron as his father before him. His friends describe him as a brilliant man, he knows his job very well and he picked on new things faster than anyone else” said his friend Oren Dunai. He  said Cohen was a supporting and fun loving friend – “there was not a single thing in the world you couldn’t have talked to him about – rock music or quantum mechanics – Oren knew it all, and he was always fun to be around”

Lieutenant Nir Lakrif “was an example of excellence for many. He completed his studies at Air Force technical school with honors, enlisted, and completed his training as a mechanic, a position he chose together with a select group of people who are the pride of the Air Force and the State of Israel. This was also the position he filled during this exercise,” said his uncle. He would have been celebrating his 25th birthday on August 3rd. August was also suppose to mark his first year anniversary of his marriage to Maggie, who is four months pregnant. He will never get to meet his child.

Captain Stefan-Claudiu Dragnea was a member of Romania’s Air Force. He was 31 years old. His wife is five months pregnant.

Both Israel and Romania have suffered a terrible tragedy. Once again, our hearts and prayers go out to the families of the victims.

To read more about the victims, click here.

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(Communicated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesman)

Over the past few days, the State of Israel repeatedly called to the activists aboard the “Rachel Corrie” vessel, offering that they land at the port of Ashdod, where their cargo will be off-loaded, checked, and transferred to the crossing point into Gaza – accompanied by representatives of the activists and the Government of Ireland.
This offer was formulated in contacts between the Governments of Israel and Ireland.

Unfortunately, the activists rejected this offer, and consequently, the Israeli Navy boarded the ship with full compliance of the ship’s crew members, and redirected it to Ashdod port.

The operation was carried out in a peaceful manner, without incident, as was the case with five of the six vessels of the previous flotilla.

The cargo of the “Rachel Corrie” will be off-loaded in Ashdod.

The activists on board the vessel will be processed by Israeli immigration authorities and will be flown to their countries of origin as soon as possible.

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The policy of transferring merchandise into the Gaza Strip is implemented in accordance with existing Israeli policy, as determined by the Cabinet’s decision of September 19, 2007, following Hamas’s hostile seizure of the Gaza Strip.

The ongoing transfer of goods into Gaza is aimed at providing for the basic needs of the residents of the territories while preventing strengthening Hamas, either militarily or governmentally. Hamas engages in hostile activity against the State of Israel and its citizens and holds an IDF soldier captive without reason or justification.

According to the policy, humanitarian products, are delivered on a daily bases to the Strip. Food products are delivered almost without restriction – with the exception of luxury goods, which the average Gazan cannot afford, but which are purchased by the wealthy and corrupt leaders of Hamas. Additionally, hygiene products, medical equipment, medicine and essential infrastructure products (for water, sewage, electricity and communication systems) are transferred into the Gaza Strip. Raw materials, however, are not permitted since they can be used for military purposes, although exceptions have been made for humanitarian needs.

The entry of “dual -use” equipment (equipment which, while intended for use by civilian systems, can be exploited by terrorists) has been prevented, with the exception of special humanitarian cases.

Requests to transfer goods are received by the Palestinian Civilian Economic Council in Gaza and by the international community. The process of determining the daily entry of goods is made with the Palestinian civilian economic council, and priority is given to the delivery of medical supplies and medication, essential infrastructure equipment and basic products and donations from the international community. The type and range of the remaining goods for any given day are decided by the Palestinian Civilian Economic Council in Gaza.

A forum, headed by a senior officer from the Coordination of Government Activity in the Territories and representatives from international organizations meets weekly to review and expedite unique requests. The variety of food products permitted has expanded recently and changes from time to time, with consideration to the changing needs of the Palestinian population. With the help of various international organizations, a large quantity of products for the welfare of children and adolescents (including educational materials, toys and children’s clothing) has entered the Strip.

The result of the current policies is that theirs a wide inventory and scale of food products, medical equipment and medications. Any allegations to the contrary are baseless; these facts are well-documented in UN agencies’ official reports.

Also, recently, Israel has supported sewage projects in the strip, as a humanitarian gesture for the people of Gaza, in cooperation with the UN and the international community, and in coordination with the Palestinian Authority.

The COGAT system employs hundreds of soldiers and civilians with unique and extensive knowledge of the Gaza Strip, and their main duty is to follow and assess the humanitarian situation in the Strip and respond to any problems. Gaza DCO (District Coordinators Office) personnel work continuously to accomplish their mission, despite the many security threats against DCO facilities and crossings. They face serious threats including rocket fire and terrorist attacks, like the one on June 8th 2009 when terrorists attacked next to the Nahal Oz fuel terminal.

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In Gaza, Hamas continues to govern along the extremes. Moderate voices are being drowned out by the few in power who wish to create a complete Islamic society. In a bizarre piece of legislation announced this week, men have been banned from working in women’s hair salons.

Instead of finding ways to move towards nonviolence and improve the lives of its people, they spend their time on petty measures that many would describe as an unnecessary infringement on human rights. Putting individuals out of work is the exact opposite of what Hamas was “elected” to do.

For the full story on the latest Hamas ruling, click here.

Photo provided by Flickr. Used under Creative Commons License.

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It was The Times that first reported the use of white phosphorus shells during Operation Cast Lead and now it is The Times that is telling the world that Israel has the ability and the morality to investigate itself and take necessary action, if required as “Israel is a nation both keen and able to hold itself to account.”

In an editorial dated February 2nd, The Times writes, “…unlike many of its neighbours, Israel has a strong domestic desire to hold itself to account. The second is that, in this most fraught and nuanced of regions, condemnatory megaphone diplomacy does not work.”

To read more, click here.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the IDF and the Navy for their successful operation to foil an attempt to “harm Israel’s cities.”

To take a look at the massive weapons cache discovered, click here.

“This is another success in the endless struggle against attempts to smuggle weapons and military equipment whose goal is to strengthen terrorist elements who threaten the security of Israel,” Ehud Barak, Israel’s Defense Minister said. “I congratulate the IDF troops for the successful operation.”

Knesset Speaker Reuven said, “This is a reminder that we are in the midst of a constant existential struggle. We must not let terror run our lives. Today’s session on the Goldstone Report makes it very difficult for us and for nations of the free world to lead this struggle….[the weapons ship] shows once again that the terrorists do not take a moment to rest from efforts to undermine Israel’s existence.”

Click here to read more.

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“Dear Judge Goldstone,

My name is Dr. David Zangen.  I am a consultant in Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem.  Over 50% of my patient population is Palestinian from Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.  I speak Arabic and initiated the first training program for Palestinian physicians in the field of Pediatric Endocrinology.  The trained physicians were fully respected and were included as first authors on our studies that we published in the world’s leading professional journals.

But, at the same time, I happened to be the Chief Medical Officer of my brigade during Operation Defensive Shield, in Jenin, 2002.  I was responsible for the medical treatment of our soldiers, but also for enabling the hospital in Jenin to provide full medical services to the civilian population, and I was personally involved in numerous medical treatments that Palestinians (including fighters) received from Israeli physicians.

During and after the operation the director of Jenin Hospital was a source for what has been falsely called the “massacre in Jenin in which 5,000 people were slaughtered.”  This same person, Dr. Abu Rali, has also claimed that one part of the Jenin hospital was destroyed by Israeli tank missiles: “12 tank rockets were shot at the hospital.”

You should know, honorable Judge, that these statements have been proven and documented as outright lies, not only by Israeli sources, but also by the Human Rights Watch and UN organizations, which counted only 52 dead on the Palestinian side and 23 on the Israeli side.  These organizations, and photographs of Jenin Hospital following the operation, showed no evidence of any destruction at the hospital buildings.

This Dr. Abu Rali, a hospital director and physician, lies and incites in the service of the Shahids.  It is hard to believe that a director of a hospital can give such an obviously false testimony.  I cannot understand it.  And you cannot understand it.  But, unfortunately, this is what has happened.  Even people who would normally be considered reliable sources become advocates of blatant lies.  Tragically, moral misbehavior of doctors in the Palestinian Authority is not new.  The pediatrician, George Habash, sent his terrorists to kill children in Israeli schools, as did Hamas’ leader and pediatrician, Dr. Abd al-Aziz Rantisi, as well as pediatrician, Dr. Mahmud Zaher, who continues to encourage the launching of rockets from Gaza against innocent Israeli schools.

Please Judge Goldstone, you should really be careful when such blatant liars serve as the basis for your report.  I am sure that you mean well, but being an eyewitness, both to the events in Jenin and to the subsequent media, and initially false, UN reporting, I do understand what happened to you, how a person of such stature and integrity could become associated with such a faulty report.

Look, Judge Goldstone, at your report on the Al Fakhura incident on January 5-6th 2009 (paragraphs 651-688).  You do report how Israel was accused for directly bombing the UNRWA school.  It took two weeks for this accusation to be withdrawn.  But you, honored Judge, went back to get your testimony only from the same people who spread the blood libel of the school bombing.  Moreover, when analyzing the scene you claim that you could not verify the numbers of 24 dead and 40 wounded, but these numbers are not considered exaggerated.  Finally, in the ‘Factual Findings’ section, you already determine that 24 people were killed and 40 injured!

Did you, by any chance, try to validate any of these invented and inciting details?  Did you look at the Al Jazeera or BBC reports from the same very day of the event?  Did you try to validate your ‘Factual Findings’ conclusions by at least getting emergency room charts on the people admitted to their trauma department on this very day?  Did you go over the ID’s of the “dead” and the place or cemetery where they were supposedly buried?

No, you didn’t!

As a judge I am sure that you did not mean to hurt Israel.  I try to believe that you came to Gaza without prejudice.  But a judge is expected to look, at least, for some evidence and verification (media, emergency room registration, burial places, etc.) of the testimonies and not accept impossible “facts”.  You have allowed yourself to be misled by fabrications made either by terrorists or doctors such as Dr. Abu Rali from Jenin.

I, and my colleagues in Israel, are proud of the medical service that is given equally to every human being regardless of origin; we are also proud to belong to a nation that is identified as having higher moral standards than others.

I call on you, Judge Goldstone.  Take this Al Fakhura incident, look at the media coverage from the very same day.  See the events in their context.  Try to live one day with the responsibility for the existence of this small nation of six million Jews threatened constantly by 300 million Muslims.  I call on you to try and not draw conclusions from such lies and misleading witnesses, even if they come from so-called professionals.  In the modern world, propaganda and lies are definitely a part of the war.  And as a judge, you should not serve as a tool for augmenting hatred and conflicts.

We desire peace.  We love peace.  And we try our utmost to fight for our right to exist while maintaining the highest possible moral standards, even at the cost of our lives.

This letter was written by Dr. David Zangen and appeared in Ma’ariv in Hebrew on 27.10.09, front page. English courtesy of Dr. David Zangen.

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Israel’s Secret War on Hezbollah

Iran’s proxy army in Lebanon will think twice before launching another round of missile attacks.

By Dr. Ronen Bergman

On Monday, a secret Hezbollah munitions bunker in South Lebanon blew up under mysterious circumstances, injuring a senior official in the organization. This is the second such incident in recent months. The first occurred on July 14, when an explosion destroyed a major Hezbollah munitions dump in the South Lebanese village of Hirbet Salim. Hezbollah immediately pointed fingers at the Mossad. Whether or not Israel was to blame, the explosion caused Hezbollah considerable discomfort by proving that it was in flagrant violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which forbids stockpiling weapons south of the Litani River.

The U.N. issued a strongly worded rebuke and sent representatives to investigate. But their efforts were thwarted by Hezbollah fighters, who, with the assistance of Lebanese troops, prevented the foreigners from examining the site. This caused further embarrassment to Lebanon, as it exposed the army’s lack of neutrality and the active aid that it extends to Hezbollah.

The episode also led to heightened tensions on the Israel-Lebanon border. The specter of renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah looms as large today as it has at any time since the end of the Lebanon war in August 2006. Yet senior military officers in Israel’s Northern Command are confident that the embarrassing outcome of the last round will not be repeated.

To read more,visit Israel’s Secret War on Hezbollah on The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Bergman, a correspondent for the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, is the author of the “The Secret War with Iran” (Free Press, 2008)

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What’s really on trial in the Goldstone Report?

By Consul Joel Lion, Spokesperson for the Consulate General of Israel in New York

(JTA) The No. 1 priority of any government is to protect its citizens, whether it be from times of economic instability, crime or foreign threats.

Stimulus packages and rebates are given to constituents to spur the economy. Additional police forces are deployed to counter crime. But what is a country to do when being attacked by a foreign army?

The answer to this question seems simple: defend its citizens by all means possible. But for Israel, doing so means condemnation by the world in the form of the Goldstone report.

For eight years, since 2001 until Operation Cast Lead, 12,000 rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip. Israeli men, women and children were forced to sleep in bomb shelters. Children’s school days were disturbed by “red alert,” an alarm announcing that a rocket had been fired and that they had 15 seconds to find shelter.

The excuse for the rocket fire: occupation.

Taking the unilateral step to bring peace to its citizens, the Land of Israel, under the leadership of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, dismantled every settlement and every military base in Gaza and relocated 10,000 Jewish residents.

The result: 5,426 rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli citizens.

Israel was forced to react and finally curb these attacks. From March 2008 until the end of Operation Cast Lead, I worked in the Israeli city of Sderot, Israel’s hardest-hit community. Even today I can still see the tear-stained faces and hear the cries of fathers, mothers and children as the red alert sounded, and then the subsequent bang from a missile or rocket hitting a school, a home or a street.

To read more, visit What’s really on trial in the Goldstone Report on JTA.com.

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On October 16, 2009 Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of the British forces in Afghanistan, spoke before the UN Human Rights Council regarding Israel’s actions during Operation Cast Lead.

A full transcript of his speech:

Thank you, Mr. President.

I am the former commander of the British forces in Afghanistan. I served with NATO and the United Nations; commanded troops in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Macedonia; and participated in the Gulf War. I spent considerable time in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, and worked on international terrorism for the UK Governments Joint Intelligence Committee.

Mr. President, based on my knowledge and experience, I can say this: During Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli Defence Forces did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare.

Israel did so while facing an enemy that deliberately positioned its military capability behind the human shield of the civilian population.

Hamas, like Hizballah, are expert at driving the media agenda. Both will always have people ready to give interviews condemning Israeli forces for war crimes. They are adept at staging and distorting incidents.

The IDF faces a challenge that we British do not have to face to the same extent. It is the automatic, Pavlovian presumption by many in the international media, and international human rights groups, that the IDF are in the wrong, that they are abusing human rights.

The truth is that the IDF took extraordinary measures to give Gaza civilians notice of targeted areas, dropping over 2 million leaflets, and making over 100,000 phone calls. Many missions that could have taken out Hamas military capability were aborted to prevent civilian casualties. During the conflict, the IDF allowed huge amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza. To deliver aid virtually into your enemy’s hands is, to the military tactician, normally quite unthinkable. But the IDF took on those risks.

Despite all of this, of course innocent civilians were killed. War is chaos and full of mistakes. There have been mistakes by the British, American and other forces in Afghanistan and in Iraq, many of which can be put down to human error. But mistakes are not war crimes.

More than anything, the civilian casualties were a consequence of Hamas way of fighting. Hamas deliberately tried to sacrifice their own civilians.

Mr. President, Israel had no choice apart from defending its people, to stop Hamas from attacking them with rockets.

And I say this again: the IDF did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare.

Thank you, Mr. President.

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