Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Updates From Israel 19-May-2021: Netanyahu - No Timeframe For Ending Conflict


‘We’re not standing with a stopwatch’: Netanyahu says no timeframe for ceasefire


The Times of Israel is liveblogging Wednesday’s events 




Islamic Jihad chief: Battle is costly, but it is only road to freedom

The leader the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group says armed factions in Gaza went into the latest battle with Israel knowing it would be “costly but also knowing that it is the only road to freedom and to protect Jerusalem.”

Ziad Nakhaleh says in a televised speech from Beirut that neither nuclear weapons, warplanes nor peace agreements with some Arab states can bring Israelis security and peace.

He adds that armed groups in Gaza have “made miracles that you can see with your own eyes and you live them every moment when you run to shelters.”


TV: Israel tells US pressure to reach ceasefire only pushing off truce

Israeli officials have told US leadership that their pressure to reach a ceasefire quickly is only pushing off the possibility of a truce, Channel 12 reports.

Meanwhile, rockets have once again been launched at southern Israel.


Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has drafted a resolution aimed at blocking the $735 million sale of precision-guided missiles to Israel that was approved by the Biden administration.

The joint resolution of disapproval (JRD) is almost certain not to pass given strong support for Israel in both the House and Senate, but the legislation will also spark further debate on the issue of Israel in Congress, where a growing number of Democrats have begun taking a more critical stance against the longtime ally.

“The United States should not be rubber-stamping weapons sales to the Israeli government as they deploy our resources to target international media outlets, schools, hospitals, humanitarian missions and civilian sites for bombing,” Ocasio-Cortez tweets. “We have a responsibility to protect human rights.”

The resolution is being led by Ocasio-Cortez alongside Reps. Mark Pocan and Rashida Tlaib.





Revolutionary Guards chief hails rocket attacks on ‘broken, downcast’ Israel

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander hails the Palestinian terrorists who have peppered Israel with rocket fire in the Gaza Strip’s latest conflict.

“Today we are witnessing the birth of a new Palestine… fighting with missiles,” Major General Hossein Salami says at a pro-Palestinian rally in central Tehran’s Imam Hossein Square.






Revolutionary Guards chief hails rocket attacks on ‘broken, downcast’ Israel

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander hails the Palestinian terrorists who have peppered Israel with rocket fire in the Gaza Strip’s latest conflict.

“Today we are witnessing the birth of a new Palestine… fighting with missiles,” Major General Hossein Salami says at a pro-Palestinian rally in central Tehran’s Imam Hossein Square.

“A new Israel has also emerged, one that is broken, frustrated, downcast, that has lost confidence in itself,” says Salami, whose country supports the Islamist groups in Gaza firing rockets at its foe.




65-year-old man moderately hurt as 3 rockets hit Sderot

Three rockets have hit the town of Sderot, the local municipality says.

A 65-year-old man has been lightly-to-moderately wounded by one of the rockets.



Rocket fired from Gaza hits home in Sderot; no reports of casualties

A rocket fired from Gaza hits a home in Sderot.

There are no immediate reports of casualties.




Hamas has tried to send commandos into Israel — army official

The Hamas terror group has tried at least three times to send its commando soldiers into Israel from the Gaza Strip through tunnels that come up to — but do not cross — the border during the current round of fighting, a senior officer in the military’s Southern Command tells reporters.






Gaza terrorists fire some 230 rockets and mortar shells at Israel over 12 hours

Palestinian terrorists fired some 230 rockets and mortar shells from the Gaza Strip toward Israel over the past 12 hours, the Israel Defense Forces says.

Of these, 30 failed to clear the border and landed within Gaza territory, according to the military.

Soldiers operating the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted roughly 90 percent of the incoming projectiles heading toward populated areas, the IDF says.

One person, an IDF soldier, has been injured by rocket fire today, sustaining shrapnel wounds to his arm, and at least 11 more were light injured while running to bomb shelters, medics say.



After Biden comments, Netanyahu says determined to continue Gaza op

Netanyahu says that “every day we are hitting more capabilities of the terror organizations, bringing down more terror towers, hitting more weapons caches.”

He does not comment on US President Joe Biden telling him to move towards de-escalation, as per the White House.

He says only that he greatly appreciates Biden’s support of Israel’s right to defend itself, and adds: “I am determined to continue this operation until its goal is achieved — to bring back peace and security to you, the citizens of Israel.”





Nikki Haley criticizes Biden’s call for Israel to de-escalate

Former US envoy to the United Nations Nikki Haley is criticizing President Joe Biden for pressuring Israel to de-escalate in Gaza,

“It would be unacceptable if one of our allies called for de-escalation if Washington DC were targeted by rockets,” she tweets. “We must stand with Israel against terrorism.”


German FM heading to Israel, Palestinian territories for talks

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories for talks tomorrow on the escalating conflict in the Middle East, a ministry spokeswoman says.

“The political talks will focus on the current escalation in the Middle East and the international efforts to end the violence,” the spokeswoman says.







IDF says it struck Gaza apartment used by Hamas’s cyberwarfare effort

The IDF says it struck a Gaza apartment overnight used by Hamas’s cyberwarfare effort.

They say three operatives were inside at the time, and that the location had been used for cyber attacks against Israeli targets.




Sirens sound in cities in Haifa area as rockets fired from Lebanon

In this file photo taken on May 14, 2021, supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah lift its flags (C) alongside those of Iran (L) and Palestine, during an anti-Israel protest in the southern Khiam area by the border with Israel, facing the northern Israeli town of Metula (Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)
In this file photo taken on May 14, 2021, supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah lift its flags (C) alongside those of Iran (L) and Palestine, during an anti-Israel protest in the southern Khiam area by the border with Israel, facing the northern Israeli town of Metula (Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)

Sirens have sounded in cities in Israel’s north, in the area of Haifa and its surroundings, including Shfaram, Acre and the Krayot region.

The Israeli military says four rockets were fired from Lebanon.

According to the IDF, one rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, one landed in an open field and two landed in the Mediterranean Sea off Israel’s coast.

No direct injuries have been reported following the rocket attack, medics say.

Two people are lightly injured after they fell while running to bomb shelters, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service.





TV: Security officials believe Palestinian groups in Lebanon fired rockets

Security officials believe Hezbollah was not involved in the latest rocket fire at Israel, Channel 12 reports.

Rather, Palestinian groups in Lebanon are believed to be behind the attack.



Sirens sound in northern cities in the Haifa area

Sirens are sounding in cities in Israel’s north, in the area of Haifa and its surroundings, including Shfaram, Acre and the Krayot area.

It is not yet clear what caused the alerts.

There are no immediate reports of injuries.

Residents of the area report hearing the sounds of explosions in the air, likely indicating interceptions by the Iron Dome missile defense system.








More rockets hit southern Israel; some spark fires

Several fires have erupted in southern Israel as a result of rocket strikes, firefighters say. Teams are working to douse the flames.

Fresh rocket sirens sound in Israeli communities north of the Gaza Strip, around the town of Kiryat Malachi.

Fresh rocket barrage targets Ashdod, Ashkelon, Beersheba, Rehovot

A fresh rocket barrage is launched against the south from Gaza, targeting Beersheba, Rehovot, Ashdod and Ashkelon.

Several rockets are said to hit Ashdod and Ashkelon. There are no reports of casualties so far.




PA chief says Israel carrying out ‘state terrorism, war crimes’ in Gaza

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says Israel is carrying out “organized state terrorism and war crimes” in Gaza that are punishable under international law.

In a televised address, he says the Palestinians “will not hesitate to pursue those who commit such crimes in front of international courts.”



IDF strikes Hamas outpost with tunnel entrance shaft

The IDF says it struck a Gaza outpost with an entrance shaft to a tunnel dug by the Hamas terror group.



IDF strikes terrorists attempting to launch rockets into Israel

The Israeli military says it struck four Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists attempting to launch rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip.




Netanyahu: No timeframe for end of Gaza fighting, ‘we’re not standing with a stopwatch’

Briefing foreign journalists on the efforts to end the fighting in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says: “We’re not standing with a stopwatch. We are taking care of the operation’s objectives.”

No timeframe can be announced for an end to the armed conflict, Netanyahu says.

Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi also speaks, saying that the recently announced International Criminal Court war crimes investigation against the Jewish state will prevent Israel from advancing trust-building steps with the Palestinians.





Likud minister says ‘no way to avoid temporarily taking over Gaza’ to disarm Hamas


Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, says that in his view, there “will be no way to avoid temporarily taking over Gaza” to disarm the Hamas terror group.

“Nobody will disarm Hamas unless we do it by force,” Steinitz tells the Ynet news site, suggesting what would be a significant escalation of the conflict.


1 comment:

  1. To Israel, "Get her done", no one that knows the truth will blame Israel's actions to protect themselves!!! Prayers for message sent to those that sought evil against Israel, may Israel prevail! Hamas needs to know not to do this evil again, in my opinion!

    ReplyDelete