News from the Middle East

[jje1000]

The one thing the US can agree on bilaterally is support for Israel. If it comes down to it, Israel will get the full support of the US.

Wonder if they'll need these back...

U.S. redirecting Israel-stored munitions to Ukraine - New York Times​

January 18, 20234:25 AM EST

The United States is diverting munitions stored in Israel to Ukraine for use in the war against Russia, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, saying the decision was made last year.

An Israeli official confirmed the report to Reuters, saying that then-Prime Minister Yair Lapid approved the transfer although the United States does not formally need such consent.

For decades, the Pentagon has stored munitions in Israel to serve as emergency resupplies for the country in wartime - or for handover to other U.S. allies.

According to the New York Times, the munitions Washington decided to move from Israel to Ukraine are around 300,000 155-millimetre artillery shells. Around half of that has been sent to Europe for redistribution to Ukraine, the newspaper said.

U.S. redirecting Israel-stored munitions to Ukraine - New York Times

The United States is diverting munitions stored in Israel to Ukraine for use in the war against Russia, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, saying the decision was made last year.

www.reuters.com

Israel's war with Hamas could increase competition for the US artillery shells needed by Ukraine​

Charles R. Davis
Oct 7, 2023, 12:44 PM EDT

The outbreak of another war in the Middle East could force the United States to make tough decisions about which ally gets its already-limited supplies of ammunition.

After militants from Gaza launched a surprise attack on Israel early Saturday, killing dozens and wounding hundreds more, the Biden administration pledged steadfast support.

"Over the coming days the Department of Defense will work to ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself and protect civilians from indiscriminate violence and terrorism," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

In that 2014 war, the IDF fired at least 32,000 artillery shells at Gaza, Haaretz reported.

Israel's war with Hamas could increase competition for the US artillery shells needed by Ukraine

Earlier this year, the United States sent 155mm artillery ammunition to Ukraine from a large stockpile in Israel.

www.businessinsider.com

 

[lenaitch]

The US has warstocks scattered all over the world. They also have a domestic munitions industry that can re-stock them.

 

[Bjays92]

The US has warstocks scattered all over the world. They also have a domestic munitions industry that can re-stock them.

Our stocks are running ridiculously low. It’s one thing China is keeping a very close eye on

We are already having difficulty supplying Ukraine with what they need and this is a further wrinkle. I saw today that it will take till the end of 2025 for US to ramp up to 100,000 shells a month.

This is yet another example of why the west urgently needs to get on a war time footing. We cannot pretend that we still live in the peaceful, rules based, post Cold War unipolar era. That era is dead and gone.

 

[Admiral Beez]

3). Secure releases on thousands of Palestinian militants. Last time Israel gave up a thousand prisoners for half a dozen hostages. This time Hamas has dozens to hundreds.

I’d give them their militants to get the civilians released, and then build a wall across Gaza and the West Bank with a 2 km deep dead man zone on the Gaza side. And once and for all, cancel all permits for Arabs to enter or work in Israel. Cancel all trade. Let the UN feed them.

 

[ushahid]

I’d give them their militants to get the civilians released, and then build a wall across Gaza and the West Bank with a 2 km deep dead man zone on the Gaza side. And once and for all, cancel all permits for Arabs to enter or work in Israel. Cancel all trade. Let the UN feed them.

or may be give them their rights and stop building illegal settlements, this wont happen.

 

[Northern Light]

or may be give them their rights and stop building illegal settlements, this wont happen

As I recall, the Oslo Accords would have done just that, and the PLO (Arafat) pulled the plug at the last moment.

Israel does not have clean hands, but since Hamas has refused to recognize Israel's right to exist or to renounce violence.....

There's something of a mutual aggression pact here.

Suffice to say, massacring civilian youth attending a music festival doesn't seem like a good PR strategy or good military one for achieving a better political outcome.

 

[kEiThZ]

Our stocks are running ridiculously low. It’s one thing China is keeping a very close eye on

We are already having difficulty supplying Ukraine with what they need and this is a further wrinkle. I saw today that it will take till the end of 2025 for US to ramp up to 100,000 shells a month.

This is yet another example of why the west urgently needs to get on a war time footing. We cannot pretend that we still live in the peaceful, rules based, post Cold War unipolar era. That era is dead and gone.

Any conflict over Taiwan will be an air and naval war. Shell production is not very relevant to such a conflict.

or may be give them their rights and stop building illegal settlements, this wont happen.

What settlements are there in Gaza? List them. And you should look up who actually governs Gaza.

 

[ShonTron]

When has conceding to militant Islam ever stopped terrorism from happening? Can you cite one example? The Palestinians demanded that Israel leave Gaza, and so they did, with every Israeli abandoning their settlements and returning to Israel proper. Did that placate the Palestinians and make Israel safer? Of course not.

And what rights are the Palestinians demanding of Israel? The right to travel and work in Israel? Well, they can forget that now. Is Israel supposed to abandon the Occupied Territories and return all the lands taken from 1948 to today back to the Palestinians? Would that finally placate Palestinians and make Israel safer? Of course not.

The only thing that will make Israel safer is to ensure that no Palestinian can enter Israeli held territory, ever, not for work, worship, nothing. Build a barrier, cut them off. If the Palestinians want to be perceived as monsters, so be it.

And for goodness sake, allow every Israeli to protect themselves. Had every IDF-trained adult at that concert been armed, the raid would have failed.

‘Too little, too late’: Israel issues emergency directive to ‘allow’ citizens to arm themselves

Response to Hamas attacks included loosening restrictions for Israeli's to obtain firearms some considered "too little, too late."

www.bizpacreview.com

So lock the Palestinians into tiny ghettos without any hope of bettering their lives or their children’s lives for the crime of being born Palestinian. Great strategy there.

 

[Towered]

When has conceding to militant Islam ever stopped terrorism from happening? Can you cite one example? The Palestinians demanded that Israel leave Gaza, and so they did, with every Israeli abandoning their settlements and returning to Israel proper. Did that placate the Palestinians and make Israel safer? Of course not.

And what rights are the Palestinians demanding of Israel? The right to travel and work in Israel? Well, they can forget that now. Is Israel supposed to abandon the Occupied Territories and return all the lands taken from 1948 to today back to the Palestinians? Would that finally placate Palestinians and make Israel safer? Of course not.

The only thing that will make Israel safer is to ensure that no Palestinian can enter Israeli held territory, ever, not for work, worship, nothing. Build a barrier, cut them off. If the Palestinians want to be perceived as monsters, so be it.

And for goodness sake, allow every Israeli to protect themselves. Had every IDF-trained adult at that concert been armed, the raid would have failed.

‘Too little, too late’: Israel issues emergency directive to ‘allow’ citizens to arm themselves

Response to Hamas attacks included loosening restrictions for Israeli's to obtain firearms some considered "too little, too late."

www.bizpacreview.com

I'm a bit shocked by that article. I had always assumed that citizens of Israel were allowed to bear arms simply due to the ever-present threats of violence by their hostile neighbours. I'm stunned that that isn't the case because if it makes sense anywhere, this would be THE place.

 

[picard102]

So lock the Palestinians into tiny ghettos without any hope of bettering their lives or their children’s lives for the crime of being born Palestinian. Great strategy there.

Don't worry, Israel is set to make sure the "human animals" in Gaza are either eradicated or so impoverished they never rise up again. Never mind they helped create Hamas to destabilize the region.
Certainly not going to radicalize anyone further for the next 100 years anymore than any of their other crimes.

 

[picard102]

If the Palestinians want to be perceived as monsters, so be it.

300 Palestinians (protesting peacefully, mind you) were killed by Israeli soldiers - with 29,000 more injured. https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/pres...cores-people-killed-and-injured-over-one-year

https://twitter.com/x/status/1711388957903053005

https://twitter.com/x/status/1711389008264073616

https://twitter.com/x/status/1711389012353589683

https://twitter.com/x/status/1711389015666987266

https://twitter.com/x/status/1711389060080517616

https://twitter.com/hmz290/status/1711389064887226654?s=46&t=c_92H6Cx3VntowCAJ83Iog
https://twitter.com/hmz290/status/1711389072982217026?s=46&t=c_92H6Cx3VntowCAJ83Iog
https://twitter.com/hmz290/status/1711389086743691408?s=46&t=c_92H6Cx3VntowCAJ83Iog
https://twitter.com/hmz290/status/1711389094679351701?s=46&t=c_92H6Cx3VntowCAJ83Iog
https://twitter.com/hmz290/status/1711389098114425183?s=46&t=c_92H6Cx3VntowCAJ83Iog
https://twitter.com/hmz290/status/1711389101495140863?s=46&t=c_92H6Cx3VntowCAJ83Iog
https://twitter.com/hmz290/status/1711389108365341036?s=46&t=c_92H6Cx3VntowCAJ83Iog
https://twitter.com/hmz290/status/1711392686110822402?s=46&t=c_92H6Cx3VntowCAJ83Iog
https://twitter.com/hmz290/status/1711397814972879081?s=46&t=c_92H6Cx3VntowCAJ83Iog
https://twitter.com/hmz290/status/1711398260684783692?s=46&t=c_92H6Cx3VntowCAJ83Iog
https://twitter.com/hmz290/status/1711399775872991692?s=46&t=c_92H6Cx3VntowCAJ83Iog
https://twitter.com/hmz290/status/1711401050756796877?s=46&t=c_92H6Cx3VntowCAJ83Iog


If Israel want to be perceived as monsters, so be it.

 

[Northern Light]

There is a pure hatred of Jews by the Muslim population in the Middle East.

You're overreaching here, and in this case, its really quite harmful; generalizing to an entire region/religion of people is not constructive, nor accurate.

****

You realize there are Israelis who vacation in Egypt and not a few mind you, but many, and the locals are quite happy to see them come.

That's but one example, hatred is far from universal, though it is too common.

 

[Northern Light]

 

[ShonTron]

View attachment 512156

I put almost no faith in the accuracy of Xitter posts anymore – especially when they have a blue checkmark.

 

[afransen]

Frankly, I don't think the West should be distracted from Ukraine. The situation in Israel and Palestine is not going to be resolved with this conflict, nor by peaceful means. Both sides are uninterested in peaceful coexistence. The geopolitical significance of this conflict is much lower than Ukraine.