Conflict Blotter

Tired Israeli soldiers on leave wait for the bus in Dimona.

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Israel blames Hamas for firing a longer range Katyusha into southern Israel yesterday. The Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility for the attack, and it’s a matter of debate to what extent the PRC and Jihad and other factions are firing rockets with a nod from Hamas. In past weeks, there have been several reports of […]

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Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon in yesterday’s cabinet meeting as quoted in today’s Maariv:
We have to talk to the Palestinians about handing over the neighborhoods in East Jerusalem to them. Anyone who thinks that it is possible to go to the conference and talk about a National Insurance Institute in the Palestinian state does not […]

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Reuters’ Adam Entous has the fascinating back story on why Israeli banks decided to sever ties with banks in the Gaza Strip. Bank Hapoalim, the first bank to decide to cut off Gaza, said it was doing so simply because the government had declared Gaza an “enemy entity.” But that now seems to be only […]

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From today’s Yediot:
Sensitive installations, Air Force bases with their planes and helicopters, missile bases and even the nuclear reactor in Dimona have never been photographed better. A recent Google Earth update shows satellite pictures that make it possible to see clear, sharp pictures of military and civilian targets all across Israel.
Up until recently, the […]

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This is bad news for those of you who oppose the expansion of settlements and favor a two-state solution.
The Samaria and Judea (Shai) District Police will move its headquarters to the controversial E-1 area, which links Jerusalem with the West Bank settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim, by the end of this year, regardless of whether or […]

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There’s a rumor circulating throughout Gaza that Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad and Ismail Haniya advisor Ahmed Yussuf held direct talks with Israel’s deputy defense minister Matan Vilnai to discuss relaxing the siege and expanding the ceasefire. It’s been reported here and here on the Fras Web site, which I’m not familiar with, but which I […]

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The Kuwaiti press claims a pair of scoops on the September 6 Israeli air strike in Syria.
The Al Jerida newspaper reported Friday that retired Iranian general Ali Reza Asgari, who defected in February, gave Israel the intelligence on Syria’s missile program used in the Syrian airstrike. After the former deputy defense minister and Revolutionary Guard […]

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Haaretz’s always provocative Bradley Burston’s offers a fresh Israeli take on Ahmadinejad:
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is simply one of Israel’s premier diplomatic and security assets. His expressed views make Israel look pragmatic, clear-eyed, non-paranoid.
He has denied away the Nazi Holocaust as a myth. He has, as well, denounced Israel for Nazi-like actions. Referring to last year’s […]

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Asharq Alawsat reports today (arabic) that Hamas has announced a new plan to share control over the security services in Gaza. The short of it: Hamas will temporarily transfer responsibility for the security services, presidential headquarters and all the crossings into Gaza to the Egyptian government, until the security services can be reconstituted along national […]

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