Monthly Archives: July 2011

The Story of an Israeli Hero

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During the battle of Bint Jbeil, one of the main battles of the Second Lebanon War, Captain Yoni Roth (then Sergeant), a soldier in the 51st Battalion, 1st Infantry (“Golani”) Brigade, was shot three times in the back. One of the Hezbollah bullets ripped through his back, puncturing his lung and leaving a hole that could not be surgically repaired.

I remember the terrorist shooting at me with a machine gun, while throwing a few grenades, and then, at some point, I could hear him firing rounds from three hundred meters. In a split second, I understood that the terrorist is about to shoot me. Then I felt the bullet hit. I fell to the ground. My gun dropped. I understood that the initial bullet had struck my back, thinking that the next bullet will hit my head.

Capt. Roth was able to get himself out of the terrorist’s shooting range. He then laid on his stomach, waiting to be evacuated and feeling his breath shorten. Recalling his thinking at the time, Capt. Roth said,

When the enemy is firing at you and wounded soldiers are screaming for help, you are presented with a dilemma: To whom should you run first? And if you are going to save the wounded, rather than strike back at the enemy, then whom do you save first? The wounded soldier that is screaming the loudest or the quieter ones?

Capt. Roth explains his recovery from near-death:

The battle of returning to normalcy is more difficult than the battlefield—it is a long-term struggle with more weakness points.

In the aftermath of Bint Jbeil, I not only worked on repairing my body and improving my fitness level, but also filling my soul with courage, overcoming my fears and returning to the line of fire. I had flashbacks from the battle of Bint Jbeil.

I feel triumph on a personal level. The story of my life was cut off abruptly, in battle, and I came back. At first I could not move, sitting planted in a wheelchair. Then, I forced myself to take a few steps, eventually I was able to walk. Those initial steps evolved into short runs. One day I ran 50 meters and afterwards rested for a full day. Today I run half marathons.

Following his recovery, Capt. Roth returned as an officer and continued to pursue his military career, earning a citation for his bravery by the head of the Northern Command, serving as a platoon commander for the Golani Brigade, and later as a deputy company commander of the brigade’s anti-guerilla unit. Recently promoted to the rank of captain, Capt. Roth is currently studying at the IDF’s Command Academy and will graduate with an undergraduate degree from Hebrew University and a junior officer ranking. He plans to be a company commander of the anti-guerilla unit.

The full story can be found on the IDF website.

Israel Marks Five Years since the Second Lebanon War

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Today, Israel marks five years since the start of the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

SFC (res.) Eldad Regev and Master Sergeant (res.) Ehud Goldwasser

Israeli Fallen Soldiers Sergeant First Class (res.) Eldad Regev and Master Sergeant (res.) Ehud Goldwasser. Source jfedsrq.org.

On July 12, 2006, Hezbollah terrorists killed three Israeli soldiers during an attack on an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) vehicle patrolling within Israeli territory alongside the Israel-Lebanon border. Two of the soldiers killed were taken into captivity by Hezbollah, whose attack instigated the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War—during which Israel significantly impaired Hezbollah’s military capabilities.

The war lasted 34 days and ended with the signing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. Although a partner to the resolution, Hezbollah has directly violated UN Resolution 1701—rearming and strengthening itself with weapons and training from the Syrian and Iranian regimes. Five years later, Hezbollah has returned to full, routine militant activity in southern Lebanon.

The IDF has produced an infographic presenting Hezbollah’s gross violations of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. The resolution calls for Hezbollah to remain disarmed and bans paramilitary activity south of the Litani River.

Hezbollah has blatantly disregarded UN Res. 1701, for example, in September 2010 Hezbollah operatives were caught transferring weapons from a weapons storage facility to a mosque in a neighboring village, following an explosion at the site.

Infographic: Hezbollah's Arsenal

 

New Flickr Set: Hezbollah Weaponry and Tactics in Lebanon

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Photos showing captured Hezbollah weaponry and tactics from 2004-2009 are now available on the IDF’s official Flickr account, as today the IDF marks five years since the Second Lebanon War broke out.

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The captured weapons further highlight Hezbollah’s connection to Iran, as an RPG launcher depicted in the album bears the insignia of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Iran not only supplies Hezbollah with the means to fight Israel, but it also trains Hezbollah forces as forces are flown to train in Iranian bases. Hezbollah is an immensely dangerous enemy: it is an active violator of human rights and will stop at nothing to destroy Israel.

On July 12, 2006, two Israeli soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were kidnapped by Hezbollah, one of many terrorist acts committed by Hezbollah at that time, leading to the Second Lebanon War. The war came to an end following UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which called for the disarmament of Hezbollah and the release of abducted IDF soldiers.

Since the war, Israel has fully withdrawn from southern Lebanon, which Hezbollah has taken advantage of in order to violate Resolution 1701, strengthen its grip on the Lebanese civilians of the area, and to instill intimidation in the minds of Israelis.

  • On September 3rd, 2010 Hezbollah operatives removed weapons from the site of an explosion in a weapons storage facility in southern Lebanon.
  • On July 14th, 2009 a building in southern Lebanon used by Hezbollah exploded, exposing vast amounts of munitions stored, thereby violating Resolution 1701.
  • Hezbollah uses the civilian village of al Khiam, and many more villages to store weapons, thus effectively turning it into a military base.

This album outlines the various techniques and weaponry that Hezbollah has employed against Israel. Hundreds of rockets, grenades and rifles which were captured by the IDF were to be used in guerrilla warfare tactics and constant rocket fire at Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers as Hezbollah did everything it could to inflict maximum damage on the state.

First IDF Officer from Guinea Began Life in Israel as Refugee

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Second Lieutenant Avi Bari, first IDF Officer from Guinea

Second Lieutenant Avi Bari

<Cross posted from the IDF French Blog> Arriving illegally from the Republic of Guinea to Israel in 2005, Avi Bari overcame all obstacles that once stood in his path and became an officer in the IDF. He tells of his journey passing through Morocco to the Egyptian Sinai desert, to a brief stint in prison, to Tel Aviv and finally to an IDF base.

Second Lieutenant Avi Bari, known to his family who all remain in Guinea as Ibrahima, already enjoys a certain notoriety that he owes to his self-proclaimed status of “the first illegal immigrant to become an officer of the IDF.”

Born in February 1990 in the city of Labé, the Republic of Guinea to Muslim parents, 2nd Lt. Bari was orphaned at a very young age and adopted by his uncle when he was 11. At age 15, armed only with his will to “live a better life”, he decided to travel the 5,500 kilometers from his native Guinea to Israel, his now adopted country.

Crossing the desert in pursuit of good fortune

In 2005, Avi decided to leave his home along with a group of other Guineans. “In Africa, there is no work. I decided to change my life and go to another country,” he explains in the simplest way he can. After a brief stop in Morocco, he arrived at the Egyptian capital of Cairo, where he spent a few days before being driven to the Sinai desert. He then waited for the rest of his group to arrive to Sinai so that they could cross the Israeli border.

“I remember very well the desert. We were in a tent, two boys aged 15 stood guard. It was forbidden to get up the day. We were sent tomatoes, tuna, rice by the smugglers. We made a water filter, because the water was full of earthworms. I will never forget this point in time.

The wait was very long. At one point I started to panic, believing that I was ripped off. But the long-awaited day of crossing the border finally arrived. The smugglers packed us like sardines in a car. Once we got to the Israeli border, the car stopped. We got out and started running. Israeli taxis were waiting on the other side, which drove us directly to Tel Aviv.

First impressions and first steps in Israel

Upon his arrival to Tel Aviv, he established contact with other illegal immigrants who taught him about Israel, a country virtually unknown to him. They also helped him take steps to acquire official political refugee status.

At first I was just in shock. I had 700 dollars in my pocket. I did not speak the language and it was the first time I saw so many people with white skin in a country.

However, he managed to enroll in the Beit Shanti school which specializes in educating children of illegal immigrants and Israeli children in need. There, he obtained the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree in Israel, studying agriculture in French and simultaneously trying to get a work visa. He was initially denied a work visa under a child labor law because he was a minor at the time. Meanwhile, he became friends with Abraham, one of the volunteer teachers from the school, who became a key figure in his career. Indeed, it was Abraham, a French man of Algerian origin, who helped him by finding a host family in March 2007.

Life in the Israeli army as a catalyst for integration

It was Abraham who helped make every effort for Second Lieutenant Bari to acquire Israeli citizenship. In 2008 he was officially adopted by an Israeli family living in northern Israel and finally fulfilled all the conditions necessary to obtain Israeli citizenship. His status was legalized at the end of that year.

My family celebrates Jewish holidays and makes Kiddush on Friday nights. Now I think in Hebrew, I eat Israeli food, I am used to the rhythm of life. I feel 90% Israeli. It took time.

His assimilation was catalyzed when he joined the IDF in October 2009. From the outset, the IDF offered 2nd Lt. Bari to fill a role as an officer responsible for managing human resources, however, he preferred to train as an IDF truck driver. After being disqualified from driving for health reasons, 2nd Lt. Bari decided to take on the initial opportunity offered to him by the IDF.

It was in the army that I started to feel Israeli. I learned the culture and history of Israel. We organized trips to Masada and elsewhere, and that made me love the country. In the army, I made friends for life. During my classes, I vowed that I will defend this country. I would do everything to defend Israel, my life is here.

The issue of discrimination and racism

Personally I did not feel that I had to be Jewish to succeed in Israel. The first time I was called a derogatory racial term, it was during my officer training. This hurt me because I’m here like everyone else, a member of a large family. I complained to my commanders who immediately fixed the problem. It warmed the heart and it never happened again.

I also once thought that being Jewish meant being a genius like Einstein. I realized later during officer training school that Judaism is a religion.

Today, 2nd Lt. Bari acts as bridge between the two peoples. He tells his family in Guinea about his new life. He wishes to visit his family at the end of his military service. And the future?

I want to work on the diplomatic relationship between Guinea and Israel. There are no diplomatic relations between the two countries. I want to be the first to do this.

Once again, the first.

Civil Administration, Hadassah Hospital Coordinate Trip for Palestinian Children to the Zoo

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Last month, a group of Palestinian children from the West Bank along with their parents traveled to the Jerusalem Zoo for a day. Their trip was organized by the Civil Administration and Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. Many of the children had previously underwent open heart surgery at Hadassah, a procedure which was paid for by the hospital itself and the A Heart for Peace organization. The trip was designed to provide relaxation, learning, enjoyment and a positive experience for the children who cope with health difficulties.

Ms. Dalia Bassa, the Health and Welfare Coordinator for the Civil Administration, played an instrumental role coordinating the children’s treatment at Hadassah and during their leisure trip to Jerusalem on June 16th.

The Civil Administration, a unit under the IDF and the Israeli Ministry of Defense, is responsible for administering and coordinating civilian needs in the West Bank, and is comprised of various staff offices working alongside the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian population, IDF and Israeli authorities, as well as with international organizations and NGOs to fulfill these needs.

Female Combat Hummer Operators Train at the Urban Warfare Training Center

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The female soldiers who serve in the Hummer Operators’ Unit – there are no male Hummer Operators – spend their days in the field, training other soldiers how to use military Hummer vehicles in real-life combat scenarios. The training they provide includes how to drive a Hummer on various surfaces and landscapes, avoiding the enemy line of fire, and operating the Hummer using various systems.

Every week, the Unit receives a new group of combat soldiers, mostly reservists and some active-duty soldiers. The Operators use their Hummers to demonstrate how to drive the military vehicles while the group of soldiers participates in the simulated combat drills. The Operators take part and participate in the battalion and brigade exercises just like any soldier.

In order to show the soldiers what real combat is actually like in the field, without exposing them to the danger of real ammunition, the instructors use a sophisticated system of lasers and laser-sensitive sensors, called the “MILES System” (“Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System”).

Rather than being loaded with ammunition, the MILES System is connected to lasers. Laser-sensitive sensors are then placed at strategic points around the Hummer and are connected to a computer.

Different colors signify if a vehicle has “hit” or has been hit. “Red” means that the vehicle has been struck severely (for example, if the vehicle has been shot in the motor), and “green” means lightly hit (for example, if the vehicle has been hit in the wheel). Through this laser system, the Operators are able to effectively simulate a combat experience as closely as possible.

The IDF’s Hummer Operators’ Unit is the only all-female unit of Hummer Operators in any army in the world.

FoIlowing Rocket Fire, Israeli Air Force Targets Terror Tunnel

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In response to recent rocket fire emanating from the Gaza Strip into Israeli communities over the weekend, an Israeli Air Force aircraft targeted overnight a terror tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip. A direct hit was confirmed.

Tunnels such as this one are intended for infiltrating into Israel and executing terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.

This incident happened only three days after the last rocket firing incident. The IDF will not allow southern Israeli communities to live under constant threat of rocket fire, and will continue to respond with determination in any attempt to use terror against the citizens of Israel. The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist organization solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip.

An Israeli Soldier Shares His Story of the Gaza Flotilla

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Israel Navy Ship

Shlomi leapt from surfing the waves of the Mediterranean to living aboard a ship of the Israel Navy.

First Sergeant Shlomi was aboard the Israel Navy Ship (INS) Lahav as a senior electrician when it assisted in the interception of the 2010 Gaza flotilla.

My name is Shlomi. My family and I live in central Israel. These days I am a senior electrician on the INS Lahav.

My love of surfing brought me [to the Israel Navy]. Five years later, I still love it. We have a unique tradition—the language of the Israel Navy is only spoken and understood here.

I love serving in the Israel Navy and living aboard one of its ships. There is a sense of brotherhood on the ship—all of us sit together for weekly Friday night dinners. Also, you know that you are doing something important—something for the security of the state of Israel. And you see things that other soldiers in the Israeli army never get to see.

Shlomi’s personal encounter with the 2010 Gaza flotilla:

Last May, I was stationed in the Lahav’s machinery control room. The room has several black-and-white monitoring screens, allowing us to see what is happening outside of the ship. I had heard the conversation over the radio transmission between an Israeli officer and the Mavi Marmara crew. The officer explained to the Mavi Marmara captain that it was illegal to enter Gaza’s maritime territory; that is when the crew started to swear into the radio transmission, saying “Shut up, go back to Auschwitz.” The officer made a second attempt, requesting them to dock in Israel’s Ashdod port. After they objected to our request and we saw that they were getting too close to Gaza’s maritime territory, it was decided that we must take over the ship.

From there, in the early hours of May 31st, I saw Mavi Marmara passengers throw one of our naval commandos overboard. They hung him in the air by his feet. After they let go of him, he fell onto the bottom deck. I was in complete shock.

As the naval commandos lowered themselves onto the ship, many of the passengers joined the mob in attacking the [Israeli] soldiers with knives and metal rods; hosing them with water; and throwing empty food containers and plastic chairs at them. It was like watching a movie—but a horrible one. Everyone was silent, as we watched the mob of passengers attack our soldiers.

Initially we received contrary information from [Israeli] intelligence—they said that the passengers were peace activists—no one thought that they would carry out such a violent act.

His thoughts on the 2011 Gaza flotilla:  

The state of Israel has determined that it is illegal to enter Gaza’s maritime territory, and as part of the IDF, we must carry out this order. I really hope it will be a smooth operation because if we are met with violence, we will be forced to respond.

A Few “Nonviolent” Tactics Planned by Passengers on Last Year’s Flotilla

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Despite the repeated commitment of flotilla organizers to nonviolence, their instructions to activists on board reveal that they interpret this broadly enough that these same tactics are liable to cause significant injury to IDF soldiers.

Both the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and the Free Gaza Movement (FGM), prominent organizers of the recently attempted flotilla and the “flytilla”, have adopted a form of confrontation that they call “direct action” which was implemented during last summer’s flotilla.

Tactics they included in the previous flotilla under “direct action” are:

• Recklessly steering the flotilla’s ships in order to endanger the soldiers aboard Israeli Navy vessels.  When Navy vessels attempted to prevent ships in the flotilla from breaching the blockade, the flotilla’s crew, in particular the Challenger (owned by the Free Gaza Movement) and Sfendoni (owned by the ECESG) ships steered dangerously close as to put the soldiers at risk for serious injury. The Challenger’s crew steered the boat straight into the direction of one of the IDF speedboats, attempting to run it over. The speedboat had to perform a maneuver to escape. The Sfendoni, too, maneuvered itself so close to an IDF speedboat that it was “on a collision course”, according to a soldier who testifed to the Turkel Commission (pages 180-182). Only by making a quick, sharp turn was the speedboat able to get in back of the ship.

• Throwing objects at IDF soldiers

• Shoving soldiers down flights of stairs

• Verbal abuse such as antisemitic slurs directed at Israeli soldiers. Last year, after IDF naval forces warned flotilla passengers via radio that their boat was approaching a blockaded zone as part of the legal protocol, the response from one of the ship’s leaders was “Go back to Auschwitz!”

• Bringing relatively well known people onto the upper deck to serve as human shields.  Organizations such as ISM and FGM purposefully place participating individuals with the most name recognition in direct confrontation with Israeli soldiers. The organizations are cognizant that these are people who already have an audience to which they can distribute inflammatory information, incitement against the IDF and false claims.

These “direct action” tactics, though far milder than the extreme violence employed by passengers of the Mavi Marmara, are not considered nonviolent according to the accepted legal definition of the term. For instance, in the US, verbal assault (coined as “fighting words” by the US Supreme Court and defined as remarks that “by their very utterance inflict injury”) can be prosecuted.

It is important to take these past actions by last year’s flotilla passengers into consideration. These tactics contradict claims of nonviolence made by flotilla organizers.

In Response to Rocket Fire, Israeli Air Force Targets Terrorist Tunnel

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Last night, an Israeli Air Force (IAF) aircraft targeted an operational tunnel used for terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip. A direct hit was confirmed.

Terrorists intend to use such tunnels to infiltrate into Israeli territory and execute terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.

The incident follows the recent firing of Qassam rockets into Israeli communities in close proximity to the Gaza Strip. The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist organization
solely responsible for maintaining the calm in Gaza and for any terrorist activity emanating from it. It will continue to respond with strength and determination to anyone engaging in terrorist activity targeting Israeli civilians.