The small cabinet, formed at the urging of National Unity Party Chair Benny Gantz in response to the start of the war in Gaza days after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, will cease to exist and Netanyahu said a new cabinet will not be formed.

The war cabinet had consisted of Gantz, his fellow National Unity Minister Gadi Eisenkot, along with Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affirs Minister Ron Dermer.

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2024/06/17/war-cabinet-Netanyahu-dissolve/2491718633929/

The post Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolves war cabinet first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Israel is plagued by an electoral system that gives disproportionate influence to small parties, which usually are needed to get to the minimum threshold of 61 Knesset members to form a government. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so unfortunate if Israel didn’t have to deal with aggression by Iran and its proxy, Hamas. As Anna Ahronheim writes in the Jerusalem Post, “Israel cannot have both security and political instability. Israel’s enemies, be it in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, or the West Bank, are wide awake looking for an opportunity to strike.”

Israel’s behind-the-scenes wars with Iran in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, and with Palestinian terrorists in the West Bank, are off the radar for most Americans. In the north, Israel has been conducting the “War Between the Wars” to thwart Iranian entrenchment in Syria, stop the transfer of game-changing, precision-guided weapons and drones, and target Iranian-supported missile and drone factories. These operations potentially could spin out of control with a miscalculation, causing regional instability that affects American security interests.

With the resurgence of Hamas-instigated terror operations in the West Bank, Israel has been preemptively conducting its “Break the Wave” operation to counter terrorist activity. But Hamas may see this time of Israeli political uncertainty as an opportunity to increase its attacks.

The political chaos is unfolding as President Biden plans to visit Israel in July. A few days ago, he thought he would be meeting with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, but now he likely will be meeting with foreign minister Yair Lapid as Bennett’s replacement. There is even a possibility that Defense Minister Benny Gantz could defect from the current coalition, swallow hard and rejoin former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom he had a falling out, in a new government to avoid elections. Biden has said that his mid-July trip to Saudi Arabia and Israel will be an attempt to bring “more stability and peace to the Middle East.”

Bennett comes from the Israeli right and Lapid from the center-left. The expectation is that Lapid may be more accepting of the Biden administration’s requests regarding the Palestinian Authority, the “two states for two peoples” solution, limiting settlement expansion, and America’s desire to reopen a Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem. However, the Israeli electorate has leaned right since the Second Intifada, which began in September 2000, and likely would see such concessions as a betrayal. Most Israelis view the Palestinian Authority as a corrupt, unreliable partner, with a history of fomenting anti-Semitic ideology in textbooks, mosques and media. If Lapid makes concessions, he could be savaged by Israeli media and political opponents.

The good news is that Israel’s military and security apparatus is apolitical and has decades of experience coordinating its tactical operations with the United States, even when its government has interim leadership. However, on a more significant geostrategic level, it is hard to make major decisions when you are a temporary prime minister. Israel’s moderate allies — the Gulf states, Egypt and Jordan — who are developing an American-initiated defense plan with Israel in response to Iran’s escalation, most assuredly would feel better if Israel’s political system were more stable.

The messy Israeli democracy is hard for authoritarians to understand. To advance American policy interests, we need the Arab nations to deepen their relationships with Israel — as some have done with the Abraham Accords — as a counterweight to Iranian expansionism.

As Dan Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, points out, U.S. officials “are used to conducting relations with Israel during political crises and election campaigns. The main principle is: Don’t interfere while Israel’s domestic political processes play out. Most normal business, particularly in security cooperation, can continue. While a minority government in Israel is fully empowered, in the case of elections, there may be some decisions a transition government in Israel cannot make.”

The Biden administration reportedly is still trying to salvage an Iran nuclear deal — a reworking of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) forged under President Obama — and is keeping Israel abreast of the negotiations. However, Lapid’s political weakness may force him to take a tougher line with the U.S. Iran, as an enemy to the U.S., Israel and the West in general, seems in no hurry to rejoin the deal now, while U.S. sanctions against it are not fully enforced and the Iranian economy can stay afloat by selling oil to China — though competition with Russian oil exports recently has stepped up.

Without secondary sanctions levied against China, Iran can continue to play hardball and undermine U.S. regional interests. Iran interpreted the U.S. not fully enforcing its sanctions not as a conciliatory gesture but as American weakness to be exploited. Expect Lapid or any Israeli prime minister to ask the U.S. to increase sanctions if Iran continues to develop its nuclear weapons program.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently sanctioned Iran because it refuses to explain uranium found in undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran has removed cameras that were monitoring its nuclear facilities. If Iran reneges on its nuclear program commitments, only snap-back sanctions, as promised in the JCPOA, could possibly pressure Iran to change its behavior. Iran knows that America has no credible military threat, making the Iranians more stubborn in negotiations.

There is broad support across the Israeli political spectrum for confronting Iran if it crosses the nuclear threshold — and it will be challenging for the Biden administration if Israel moves towards a significant military response.

American interests are also affected by Israel’s new confrontation with Russia in Syria. Until recently, Israel coordinated its air campaign against Iranian interests in Syria with Russia to avoid any Israeli-Russian conflict. Russia was working with Israel because it was in Russia’s interest to suppress Iranian entrenchment in Syria, since that could threaten Syrian stability. Last week, however, Israel bombed the Damascus Airport where Iran was transiting weapons, infuriating Russia. Taken to the worst extreme, this could escalate to an Israeli attack on Russian anti-missile systems if they were to be used against Israel, setting the region on fire. And with America’s plate full with the Russia-Ukraine war, the last thing Washington needs is a kinetic conflict between its primary ally in the Middle East and the Russian bear.

The U.S.-Israel relationship will survive this political melodrama; the two democracies have navigated through similar challenges before and continued to coordinate their joint security approach to the region. But the situation is not ideal, by far — especially if an interim Israeli prime minister must make a significant decision that affects American national security interests in the coming months.

Dr. Eric R. Mandel is the director of MEPIN, the Middle East Political Information Network. He regularly briefs members of Congress and their foreign policy aides. He is the senior security editor for the Jerusalem Report. Follow him on Twitter @MepinOrg.

Source: https://thehill.com/opinion/international/3532125-israels-government-collapses-again-so-what-now/

The post Israel’s government collapses — again. So, what now? first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Biden and Bennett met in the White House in late August, but are not believed to have spoken since. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Bennett in early December, Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Blinken in DC two weeks ago and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met with Blinken in DC in October.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan landed in Israel earlier today and is expected to meet Bennett this week, and President Isaac Herzog later tonight.

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/biden-reportedly-hasnt-taken-bennetts-calls-in-several-weeks/

The post Biden reportedly hasn’t taken Bennett’s calls in several weeks first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The Israeli Air Force is currently in the midst of preparations for a broad-ranging exercise in which dozens of airplanes will participate, in preparation for a possible attack on Iran.

According to a report on Channel 11, the exercise will take place in the coming spring over the Mediterranean Sea, and will be held openly. Enhanced budgets have been allotted toward this exercise, which involves, among other things, flights of over 1000 kilometers in length, similar to what pilots would be traveling if they were headed to Iran.

Three months ago, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi announced that the IDF was accelerating its plans for scenarios involving attacks on Iran – the announcement was made partly as a message to the world in order to convey Israel’s intentions and the seriousness with which it regards the current situation.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday night Defense Minister Benny Gantz departed for Washington D.C., where he will be holding talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on possible military options for destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities, in the event that diplomacy fails. The talks between Gantz and Austin follow an October 25 briefing by Pentagon leaders to White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, on the full set of military options available to ensure Iran does not become capable of producing a nuclear weapon.

Gantz is expected to request of the United States that it continue to exert pressure on Iran – via retaining substantial armed forces in the Middle East, as well as taking steps to display its might against the Islamic regime. Israel is working under the assumption that such steps will be seen as more significant if they occur within the timeframe of the nuclear talks in Vienna which are set to resume on Thursday, and that with the talks appearing to have stalled, a show of force could prove effective.

Gantz has also assessed that now is the right time to advance what in the United States is known as “Plan B” – that is, sanctions along with a credible military threat. Prior to leaving for Washington, Gantz met with Kochavi and also with the head of IDF Military Intelligence, in order to be updated on the latest developments with regard to the Iran issue.

Commenting on the aerial exercise, Housing and Construction Minister Zeev Elkin (New Hope) told KanNews, “The aim is for us to prepare for every eventuality. Israel needs to be ready for any scenario; we will not allow Iran to go nuclear. Unfortunately, Israel has shown weakness in the past, and it’s vital that we address the situation alertly now.

“Anyone with eyes in his head can see that the Iranians are trying to entrench themselves in Syria,” Elkin added. “We are doing everything that we can and so far, we have had a large number of successes. I’m not going to relate to anything specific, but Israel has red lines,” he concluded.

Source: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318342

The post Dozens of IAF warplanes to take part in simulated attack on Iran first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Israel’s goal is to persuade the United States to neither return to the original nuclear deal nor conclude a partial interim agreement, but instead to intensify sanctions on Iran and also present an explicit, credible military threat.

Diplomatic sources estimated that Iran’s hard line during the talks in Vienna has prepared the ground to influence Washington’s approach at the talks.

On Monday, Mossad director David Barnea will begin a round of meetings in Washington, including with CIA Director William Burns and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. On Thursday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz will arrive in Washington to meet senior American officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Gantz’s visit was arranged several weeks ago, long before obstacles in the nuclear talks arose. Last week, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke with Blinken and expressed his concern over a possible return to the deal.

The Israeli officials will urge Washington to withdraw from the upcoming nuclear pact and to draw an alternative plan to address the Iranian nuclear program.

Israel also expects that the U.S. will immediately step up both economic and military pressure on Iran so that Tehran will arrive at the next rounds of talks from a significantly weaker position.

–Israel’s reaction to Iran talks: too much bravado, too little sense

–‘Self-delusion’: Former PM Barak slams Bennett and Netanyahu over Iran

–What AIPAC is telling Congress on Biden’s Iran negotiations

Another demand Israel will make is to guarantee that any future deal with Iran will be conditioned upon the withdrawal of its forces from Syria and other countries in the region, to ensure Israel’s aerial superiority.

Iran’s chief negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, presented last week a document with sweeping demands for the removal of American sanctions as a condition for any progress in the talks. It also requested a clear commitment from the U.S. and the other signatory countries not to reimpose sanctions in the future.

Israeli officials expect the U.S. administration to refuse to make such commitments and hope Iran’s uncompromising stance will help them persuade their American counterparts.

Israel views Sullivan as a powerful player who can influence U.S. decision makers and holds relatively hard line positions on the nuclear deal.

As opposed to him, Israel considers the head of the American negotiating team in Vienna, U.S. special representative to Iran Rob Malley, as an enthusiastic supporter of America’s return to the nuclear agreement. Due to Malley’s support for the deal, Bennett decided not to meet with him when he visited Israel prior to the resumption of the talks.

Israel’s assessment is that despite the hardened stance Iran has presented at the talks, it wouldn’t be quick to blow up the negotiations because its stifling economy desperately needs at least some sanctions removed.

Following the first week of talks, Israel is having trouble predicting whether the sides will ultimately reach an agreement. Contrary to the U.S. administration’s initial expectation, the talks didn’t end last weekend, and the parties are pursuing the negotiations this week.

Israel worries that if the talks will not terminate this week, they may drag on for months unless a deadline is set. It also fears that during that time, and with no international pressure, Iran will further advance its nuclear program.

Meanwhile, Mossad’s Barnea is expected to try to convince American officials that Iran has no intention of putting an end to the development of its nuclear program. On Thursday, Barnea made an unusual public statement describing Israeli intelligence’s outlook.

“It’s clear that uranium enriched to 60 percent isn’t needed for civilian purposes, and there’s no need for three facilities with thousands of centrifuges spinning unless they intend to develop nuclear weapons,” he said in a speech at the President’s Residence.

Addressing a ministerial cabinet meeting, Bennett said Sunday that the window between rounds of nuclear talks should be exploited to push the U.S. to “use a different toolbox” with Iran, adding that “Iran must start paying the price for violations.”

President Isaac Herzog also addressed the talks today at the presentation of U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides’ credentials, saying that “Israel will welcome a comprehensive diplomatic solution that can resolve the Iranian nuclear threat once and for all.” However, he further clarified that all options remain on the table, adding that if the international community does not take decisive action, Israel will.

Source: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-iran-talks-israel-presses-u-s-for-more-sanctions-military-threat-1.10442155

The post Iran Talks: Israel Presses U.S. for More Sanctions, Military Threat first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz at a state memorial ceremony marking 7 years since Operation Protective Edge at the National Memorial Hall at the entrance to the military cemetery on Mount Herzl, June 20, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Monday said Israel and the United States had restored intelligence ties and were working to develop a “Plan B” if the stalled talks between Washington and Tehran regarding a fresh Iran nuclear deal sputter out, following a meeting between Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and US President Joe Biden last week.

Gantz warned that if Iran becomes a nuclear state, it will trigger an international arms race in which many other nations, in the Middle East and beyond, will attempt to acquire an atomic bomb.

“The United States and Israel share intelligence information, and the cooperation with the United States in this field is only getting stronger. We are working with them in order to establish a Plan B and to demonstrate that if there is no deal, other activities will begin, as President Biden said,” the defense minister said, speaking to military correspondents ahead of the Jewish New Year next week.

On Friday, the US president told a joint press conference with Bennett that his administration was “ready to turn to other options” if diplomatic talks with Iran failed, likely alluding to the possibility of clandestine operations and military strikes.

The White House meeting came a day after US officials told the New York Times that Israel’s previous administration had downgraded intelligence sharing with the US after Biden took office. Bennett has sought to restore ties with US Democrats after their relationship with former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu became frayed, though Iran was the focus of the Friday meeting.

Gantz did not specify what the “Plan B” could entail, but Israeli officials have signaled a need for a credible military threat to deter Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons.

Gantz’s comments joined a flurry of threats by Israeli defense officials toward Iran in recent days, including Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, who told reporters last week that the military was preparing plans and funding for a potential military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“We are allocating resources in order to strengthen our ability to act against challenges in the region, chief among them Iran,” Gantz said.

US President Joe Biden (right) shakes hands with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett as they meet in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

---

The defense minister made his comments during an extended briefing with reporters at the Defense Ministry’s offices in Tel Aviv’s Kirya military base, focusing on Iran along with his meeting Sunday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, the lingering threats from the Gaza Strip following May’s conflict with terror groups there, the Middle East in general and the ongoing efforts by the government to pass the budget and fund the Defense Ministry’s programs.

“A defense budget allows us to rearm and allows for the operational ability that we need, alongside important social considerations. We are working to improve fortifications in the north and to build the [Lebanese border] barrier that was held up for years,” Gantz said.

Referring to recent efforts by the government to encourage ultra-Orthodox men to perform national service, the defense minister said he was working to expand this in order to get a larger majority of Israelis to enlist, warning that if this is not accomplished within the next decade, Israel will be forced to move to a professional, volunteer military.

“The goal is to get more than 70 percent of people to serve each year, when today we only have roughly 50 percent,” Gantz said.

The defense minister said he instructed the IDF to begin preparing for the possibility that it will have to continue to support the national pandemic response through the end of 2022, after initially planning to scale back the military’s involvement in these efforts following this year’s massive vaccination drive.

Strengthening the PA

Gantz reiterated his support for strengthening the Palestinian Authority, which works closely with Israel on security issues, particularly against Hamas and other terror groups in the West Bank. However, the PA is often maligned in Israel for its financial support for terrorism in the form of stipend to the families of Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli on terrorism charges or killed as they perpetrated terror attacks, as well as for its repeated efforts to gain unilateral recognition as a state in international forums such as the United Nations.

“I told Abbas that we aren’t going anywhere and that the Palestinians aren’t going anywhere. I went to the meeting in order to build confidence and preserve the interests of the State of Israel and the important ties we have with the Palestinian Authority, which I believe we need to strengthen,” Gantz said.

“As the Palestinian Authority gets stronger, Hamas gets weaker, and so long as it has greater governance, we will have more security and we will have to act less,” he added.

The defense minister did not bring up the possibility of renewed peace talks with the Palestinians, and an official close to the prime minister told reporters earlier in the day that “there is no diplomatic process with the Palestinians nor will there be.”

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas delivers a speech regarding the Coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19), at the Palestinian Authority headquarters, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, May 5, 2020. (Courtesy Flash90)

---

Regarding the Gaza Strip, which has recently seen a significant increase in violence along the border, Gantz said Israel was maintaining its policy of making full reconstruction and further development of the enclave contingent upon the release of two Israeli civilians and the remains of two fallen IDF soldiers from Hamas captivity.

The defense minister said the military would also continue to strike more forcefully than it did in the past in response to low-level violence along the border, such as the launching of balloon-borne incendiary devices.

“We said that what had been will not be again, and what had been is not what is happening now. This is in terms of the nature and strength of our retaliations, in the different mechanism through which Qatari funds are being transferred, also on civilian issues and on the dependence of reconstruction on the captives, as I said at the end of the operation,” Gantz said.

Echoing similar comments made recently by IDF chief Kohavi, the defense minister warned that Israel may be at the outset of a fresh round of fighting in Gaza, continuing the campaign from May’s 11-day conflict, known in Israel as Operation Guardian of the Walls, if the violence along the border continues.

“Our strikes in Gaza have been precise and have hit rearmament facilities that are painful for Hamas and that deny it capabilities. I cannot promise that we will not have to continue with a 12th day of Guardian of the Walls,” he said.

Gantz also noted that rocket attacks from Lebanon, which began during Operation Guardian of the Walls, appeared to be the work of Palestinian terror cells linked to Hamas.

During the fighting in Gaza, three rounds of rocket fire were launched at northern Israel, causing neither injuries nor damage. A fourth attack was launched on July 20 and a fifth on August 4 by these Palestinian cells.

Israeli self-propelled howitzers fire towards Lebanon from a position near the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona following Hezbollah rocket fire from the Lebanese side of the border, on August 6, 2021. (JALAA MAREY / AFP)

---

“We have seen that Hamas International is trying to create an infrastructure in Lebanon,” Gantz said.

The IDF does not see these cells as a major threat, but has allocated additional intelligence resources to monitoring them. The main threat in Lebanon remains the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist militia.

After Israel retaliated forcefully to the August 4 attack, Hezbollah fired 19 rockets at northern Israel, the first time the organization has openly launched such an attack since the 2006 Second Lebanon War. These rocket attacks from Lebanon raised the specter of a potential two-front war in the future, in which Israel would have to fight both Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“The humanitarian situation in Lebanon is very worrying, but so are the rearmament efforts of Hezbollah. We are prepared for the possibility of fighting on the northern front, including a situation in which we would be fighting on northern and southern fronts,” Gantz said.

---

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-and-us-working-on-plan-b-if-iran-nuke-talks-fail-gantz-says/

[Disclaimer]

The post Israel and US working on ‘Plan B’ if Iran nuke talks fail, Gantz says first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The coronavirus ward at Hillel Yaffeh Medical Center, Hadera, last month.  Credit: Amir Levy

Israel’s coronavirus cabinet concluded a three-hour-long meeting on Tuesday by announcing a series of new COVID-19 restrictions, as the country plunged deeper into a post-vaccination delta variant wave. The new regulations, including limiting gatherings to those with proof of immunity and encouraging working from home, will go into effect on Sunday.

A “green passport” – a document showing that someone has either been vaccinated, recovered from the virus or recently tested negative for it – will now be required for entry to events with fewer than 100 people.

The coronavirus cabinet also recommended that private companies have employees work from home, while government ministries will have to reduce the number of employees working in the office to 50 percent.

Children, who have exempt from the so-called green passport requirement, will now have to show a negative test result before entering such events. People will have to wear masks even at outdoor events with more than 100 people.

Also on Tuesday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz signed a call-up order for 1,000 reservists to help the army deal with the spread of the virus. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke with the heads of all the parties in the governing coalition and said that additional restrictions had to be imposed now, since otherwise, Israel will likely have 800 seriously ill patients in another 20 days or so.

Earlier Tuesday, the government announced that arrivals from 18 countries would have to quarantine for a week, regardless of vaccination status, beginning on August 11.

New coronavirus cases neared 4,000 on Tuesday, Health Ministry data showed, for the first time since early March. Israel diagnosed 3,818 new COVID cases on Monday, Israel also recorded a four-month high for patients in serious condition, with 221 people. The percentage of positive coronavirus tests is also steadily rising, with 3.78 percent of Monday’s tests returning positive.

• All arrivals to Israel from U.S., Germany, France and 15 other nations to quarantine
• Israel’s public health chief says evidence points to waning COVID vaccine immunity
• Israeli PM: Serious COVID cases to quadruple in 20 days, we must impose new restrictions

Israel is continuing to spearhead its COVID-19 booster vaccination campaign, with nearly 40,000 elderly citizens and people with underlying medical conditions receiving the third jab since the weekend.

Source: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-to-reinstate-masks-outdoors-restrict-events-to-vaccinated-amid-delta-surge-1.10078697

The post Israel to Reinstate Masks Outdoors, Restrict Events to Vaccinated Only Amid Delta Variant Surge first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Gantz is expected to request a $1 billion budget for replenishing the Iron Dome following Operation Guardian of the Walls.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz was slated Wednesday to travel to the United States for a meeting with top U.S. security officials, including National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Gantz’s trip comes on the heels of statements by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel would continue working to thwart Iran’s nuclear program, even at the cost of tensions with the United States.

During a farewell speech on Monday evening for departing Mossad head Yossi Cohen, Netanyahu said that while Israel respects the U.S.’s attempts to stop Iran’s nuclear development through diplomacy, the Jewish State would use any means necessary to protect Israel’s security.

“If we have to choose, [and] I hope it does not happen, between friction with our great friend the United States and the elimination of the existential threat – the elimination of the existential threat prevails.”

On his Twitter account, Gantz appeared to contradict Netanyahu’s approach. “The U.S. has been and will continue to be Israel’s most important ally, protecting Israel’s security and its qualitative edge in the region,” he wrote.

“The Biden Administration is a true friend of Israel, and Israel doesn’t have nor will it ever have a greater partner than the United States,” he added.

“Even if differences arise, they will be resolved through direct dialogue, behind closed doors, not through provocative statements that serve to harm Israeli sec May’surity.”

During Gantz’s trip to the U.S., he is expected to submit a request for $1 billion to replenish the Iron Dome, as many of its missiles were deployed during the 11-day clash between Israel and Hamas-based terror groups.

Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-NC), who is a longtime Israel advocate, said he believed the request would be granted.

“Iron Dome performed incredibly well, saving thousands of Israeli lives and tens of thousands of Palestinian lives,” Graham said. “I would imagine that the administration would say yes to this request and it will sail through Congress.”

Source: https://worldisraelnews.com/gantz-heads-to-washington-for-security-talks-1-billion-request-for-iron-dome

The post Gantz heads to Washington for security talks, $1 billion request for Iron Dome first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Binyamin and Sara Netanyahu – Reuters

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is troubled by one scenario that may come true: a right-wing government with the participation of the Haredi parties and Religious Zionism, along with Naftali Bennett, Gideon Sa’ar, Benny Gantz, and possibly Yair Lapid.

Despite Lapid’s possible participation, it would be difficult to define such a government as a left-wing government. The scenario may become practical only at the last minute if it becomes the only way to avoid a fifth election.

Channel 12 News reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu said in closed conversations: “If Bennett joins – I will be able to form a coalition of 61. If I had 59, I would already have 61, Bennett is not really with me.” People close to Netanyahu raised the possibility of giving up the premiership and running for president, but he, in turn, rejected the proposal for the time being and prefers to continue running for prime minister as Likud chairman.

On the other side of the political map is a power struggle between Bennett and Sa’ar who are on the right and Yair Lapid who leads the center-left. Bennett and Sa’ar are angry with Lapid. According to them, he is collecting recommendations, even though he has no ability to form a government with them in his current situation.

Meanwhile, United Torah Judaism chairman Moshe Gafni is angry with Prime Minister Netanyahu for his reluctance to work with United Arab List chairman Mansour Abbas to form a government.

Gafni said that “Netanyahu, who built up Smotrich, will reap what he sowed. Now Smotrich is the one who decides who can go in the coalition.

At the same time, it is estimated that five of the six members of the Joint List will recommend that President Reuven Rivlin impose the mandate to form the government on Yair Lapid. On the other hand, it appears that UAL chairman Mansour Abbas intends to support Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

Source: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/299336

The post Netanyahu’s nightmare scenario first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Defense Minister says Israel is updating its plans to strike Iranian nuclear sites and Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned Thursday that Israel’s military is updating plans to strike Iranian nuclear sites and is prepared to act independently.

In an interview with Fox News from his office in Jerusalem, Gantz said Israel has identified numerous targets inside Iran that would hurt its ability to develop a nuclear bomb.

“If the world stops them before, it’s very much good. But if not, we must stand independently and we must defend ourselves by ourselves,” Gantz said.

Gantz also warned that Israel is paying close attention to the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, which is financed and armed by Tehran, after intelligence assessments determined that Iran may choose to attack Israel during 2021 using its proxy militias in Lebanon and Syria.

The defense minister showed Fox a classified map of targets in Lebanon showing how many of Hezbollah’s estimated arsenal of almost 200,000 rockets and missiles are placed in the middle of civilians in Lebanon. Hezbollah is known to use the Lebanese population as both as a shield for its weaponry and as an excuse if there are casualties from any Israeli military retaliation against the rockets.

“This is a target map. Each one of them has been checked legally, operationally, intelligence-wise and we are ready to fight,” Gantz said.

In a surprise simulation last month, the Israel Air Force carried out a three-day military exercise simulating a war with Hezbollah in which the Israeli military hit 3,000 simulated Hezbollah targets a day.

Over the past several years Israel has been repeatedly intercepting shipments of advanced weaponry from Iran to Hezbollah by attacking the shipments as they pass through Syria. Since the start of 2020, Israel hit more than 500 Iranian-linked sites in Syria with airstrikes, the Fox report noted.

Both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gantz have warned U.S. President Biden against returned to the Iran Nuclear Deal without changing it to eliminate Iran’s repeated threats to annihilate Israel, including restrictions on Tehran’s ballistic missile program that is widely believed to be the delivery system for nuclear weapons and reigning in Iran’s military aggression in the region through the proxy terror groups it supports.

Speaking to Vice-President Kamala Harris by phone Thursday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s determination to stop the Islamic Republic from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Gantz said the Americans had their own interests to look after, but so does Israel.

“The American policy should be American policy, and Israeli policy should stay Israeli policy,” he said.

Source: https://worldisraelnews.com/gantz-idf-updating-preparations-to-strike-iran-ready-to-fight/

The post IDF updating preparations to strike Iran, ‘ready to fight by ourselves’ first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.