Israel

Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry reacted to the tragedy on Tuesday morning, tweeting: “I learned, with desolation and emotion, the sad news of the explosion, last night, in CapHaitien, of a tanker truck transporting gasoline, and which caused, according to a partial report, about forty dead, dozens injured, as well as extensive material damage.”

Local officials say rescue efforts are ongoing and that the death toll is expected to rise.

Henry later declared three days of national mourning in the wake of the explosion.

Americans Still Jailed in Venezuela

The family of an American citizen jailed in Venezuela together with five other executives from Citgo for the past few years told reporters they were “surprised but grateful” for a top Biden official’s visit to Venezuela last week.

Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens spoke on Friday to the former executives’ families about the “wellness check.”

Carlos Añez, whose father Jorge Toledo is detained, said that Carstens “said he was impressed at how strong they maintained themselves throughout these four years. I think it’s a very important step.”

In a phone call with his family following the visit, Toledo said he was in “complete shock” when he saw Carstens.

Añez added, “My dad’s spirits were lifted a little bit by the visit, which is great because he had been quite down for a while.”

Nine Americans are currently being held in Venezuela: the six former Citgo executives, who have been jailed since 2017 on corruption charges; two former U.S. Special Forces soldiers who were sentenced to 20 years for participating in a failed beach attack aimed at overthrowing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro; and a retired Marine who was arrested and charged with terrorism in September 2020 for allegedly having an arsenal in his car.

Carstens’ trip was the first by a senior U.S. government official to the South American country in two years.

A State Department spokesperson said, “We can confirm that the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens traveled to Caracas for discussions about the welfare and safety of U.S. nationals in Venezuela.”

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Tel Aviv Neighborhood Evacuated

Residents of Givat Amal Bet, a neighborhood in Tel Aviv, have been evacuated from their homes to allow high-rises to be built at the site instead.

The neighborhood was once a tight-knit enclave of approximately 120 working-class families, but since 2014 has been destroyed and its residents evicted bit by bit to allow for the construction of six luxury towers. On November 15, 2021, the last 32 of the neighborhood’s families were evicted from their homes.

Former resident Chani Smucha, 59, whose parents, siblings, and siblings’ families were recently evicted from the neighborhood, told the Times of Israel, “They never invested in this area. We made our own post office boxes. They never even installed a park bench for an old person to sit on.”

After the first 80 families were evicted in 2014, authorities refused to clean up the piles of debris and refuse. “The trash was left where it was so people would suffer and leave,” Smucha explained.

Founded in 1947 by a group of immigrants who had been asked by David Ben Gurion to settle the area, the neighborhood’s residents included mostly the original settlers and their descendants. After the war, the neighborhood’s residents sought to purchase the land, but they were ignored, and the State instead sold the land to developers in 1961. In 1992, a deal was reached to evacuate the western portion of the neighborhood, Givat Amal Alef, to allow the construction of three towers. The rights to Givat Amal Bet changed hands until 2005, after which a legal battle ensued.

In April, a court ruling ordered the developer to pay three million shekel for each of the 11 plots which had been occupied in 1961. The sum was to be divided among the remaining families. But residents say the money – which amounts to 1-2 million shekel per family – is not enough to purchase suitable housing in the area.

“We have the compensation, but we’re still deciding what to do with it — to rent, to buy?” Smucha asked. “With this kind of amount, what can we do? Where will I take [my parents] — to Dimona, to Beersheba? Where will I take them? These are people who’ve lived in Tel Aviv their whole lives.”

The sum has also been reduced by legal fees and deductions for overstaying their time on the land.

Residents were only told they would be forcibly evicted on November 14, one day before it occurred, they said. According to Smucha, on November 15, approximately 1,000 police officers arrived to evict the 32 families.

Some families left on their own, but others were removed in what two residents said was a “violent” fashion.

She emphasized, “We were in shock over the amount of police. We didn’t understand why all of this was necessary. Good people, salt of the earth. Not criminals, not squatters, not causing trouble.”

U.S.: No Tankers Early

The United States has rejected Israel’s request to deliver two tanker planes ahead of schedule.

Israel has ordered four KC-46 advanced tanker planes from the U.S., but the aircraft are only scheduled to arrive in Israel in four years. Senior Air Force officers have requested that two of the craft be delivered within the next few months, and the other two be delivered within two to three years.

According to Ynet, the IDF hopes to convince the U.S. within the next year.

The tankers will replace Israel’s Re’em (Boeing 707) tankers, which are used for long-range missions, but which were grounded last year due to age.

The KC-46s can remain in the air for 11 hours and travel over 11,830 kilometers.

Western Wall Plan Shelved – For Now

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) on Monday said he supports shelving the Western Wall plan, which would have included the creation of a pluralistic prayer section at the Western Wall.

On Sunday, Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana (Yamina) and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett decided to delay the implementation of an agreement frozen in 2017. Earlier this year, Lapid promised to unfreeze the plan.

Speaking at a Yesh Atid party meeting, Lapid said, “I support the [Western Wall] compromise [agreement], but not everything can be done at once. We have four years during which we will advance many great things.”

Meanwhile, Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman Shai (Labor) and MK Gilad Kariv (Labor) both said on Sunday that Kahana does not have the authority to shelve the plan.

According to Shai, “A government that wants to last is first and foremost advised to learn to respect coalition agreements. The government of Israel will continue to strive for the implementation of the Western Wall compromise. As long as [the Labor party] sits in government, we will push for equality for all streams of Judaism.”

Israel Struck Syria Chemical Weapons Facility – Twice

Israel hit chemical weapons facilities in Syria twice over the past two years, The Washington Post reported on Monday.

The strikes were aimed at preventing Syria from renewing its chemical weapons production. Syria promised to surrender its chemical weapons in 2013 and claims it has kept its promise.

According to the report, on June 8, Israel hit three military targets near Damascus and Homs, all of which were connected to the Syria’s former chemical weapons program. And in March 2020, Israel targeted a villa compound connected to the procurement of a chemical used in nerve agents.

In the past, Israeli officials have expressed concern over the possibility that Syria’s chemical weapons might fall into terrorists’ hands.

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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday met with Emirati Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the prince’s palace in Abu Dhabi. The visit marks the first-ever official visit by an Israeli prime minister to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Following the meeting, the UAE’s official news agency WAM quoted bin Zayed as expressing hope that the meeting would “contribute to further cooperation for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries and the peoples of the region.”

The two leaders “reviewed bilateral cooperation and means to further develop them” in various fields, WAM added. The Crown Prince “highlighted that the UAE’s foreign relations are based on firm principles of mutual respect, cooperation and upholding the values of coexistence and peace… expressing his hope that stability will prevail in the Middle East.”

It added, “Concluding the meeting, the two sides highlighted the keenness to boost bilateral cooperation and joint action in an endeavor to enhance mutual interests and contribute to the consolidation of stability, security and development in the region.”

Bennett said that the Abraham Accords signed last year established “new, deep and solid structure for diplomatic, economic and cultural relations” in the Middle East.

The Israeli leader added, “The relations between the two countries have strengthened in all fields, and I am very satisfied with that, as many cooperation agreements were concluded in the fields of trade, research and development, and cybersecurity, health, education, aviation and more, and I look forward to the continued development and consolidation of relations.

“Our cooperation provides unprecedented economic opportunities not only for us, but for more countries, which is another element for enhancing stability and prosperity in this region,” Bennett said. “The message that I wish to deliver to the UAE leaders and Emirati citizens is that mutual partnership and friendship are natural. We are neighbors and cousins.

“We are the grandchildren of Prophet Abraham,” Bennett added, concluding that the warming of ties over the past year “is the best evidence that developing bilateral relations is a precious treasure for us and the entire region.”

Israel Consulted with U.S. Before Iran Strike

Israel consulted with the Biden administration before striking Iran, The New York Times reported.

The two attacks were carried out in June on a factory building centrifuges and in September on a missiles base.

According to the Times article, which was based on discussions with over a dozen officials in the U.S. and Israel who spoke on condition of anonymity, the phone call last week between U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett “left officials in both countries frustrated.”

Israel is concerned that the U.S. has a secret communications channel with Iran and that the Biden administration will agree to a flawed nuclear deal, allowing Iran to freely continue its nuclear enrichment program.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government said this week that Biden two months ago asked national security adviser Jake Sullivan to review the revised Pentagon plan for military action against Iran. Administration officials also outlined new efforts to tighten sanctions on Iran.

According to the Times, U.S. officials say that Israel’s concerns are unfounded because a partial deal is “not actively being considered, at least for now, because of Iran’s unwillingness to engage.”

Still, the Times emphasized, Israeli officials are not satisfied, and instead worry that the U.S. and Iran will reach a deal – and then seek to block Israeli intelligence services from carrying out attacks. The Israelis now want a guarantee from Washington that there will be no restraints on their actions, even if a deal is reached between Iran and the U.S.

College Students Arrested for Supporting Hamas

Israeli security forces have arrested 11 students from An-Najah National University in Nablus who are suspected of supporting the Hamas terror group on campus.

According to the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesman, the 11 suspects were members of the university’s Islamic Bloc, a Hamas-affiliated organization that exists on many Palestinian campuses.

The spokesman, Lt. Col. Avihay Adraee, said the students were suspected of transferring funds to Hamas, organizing pro-Hamas rallies, and spreading propaganda for the terror group “under the supervision and guidance of senior Hamas officials.”

Israeli security officials have expressed increasing concern that Hamas may be gathering strength in the West Bank as the Palestinian Authority faces rock-bottom approval ratings and rapidly dwindling legitimacy.

Israel and the PA – which exercises limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank – cooperate to crack down on Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups. Hamas avowedly seeks Israel’s destruction. It fought a bloody civil war with the PA’s dominant Fatah faction in 2007.

The West Bank has recently seen an uptick in violent clashes between Palestinians on the streets and PA security forces. The PA has sought to disperse events at which Hamas flags were raised over the past few days, clashing with Palestinians in Tulkarem on Sunday when supporters gathered to greet a Hamas member who had just been released from Israeli prison.

Palestinian Authority forces also clashed with locals during the Monday funeral of Nablus resident Jamil Kayyal, who was allegedly killed by Israeli forces during a raid the previous night. The Israeli army said that Kayyal, 31, had been part of a group that had thrown Molotov cocktails at troops as they entered the city.

After the attempted dispersal, a few hundred Palestinians were seen marching through the streets calling the Palestinian security forces “snitches” for Israel.

Israeli forces also arrested senior Hamas official Hassan Yousef, one of the terror group’s West Bank leaders, on Monday morning, according to the Shin Bet security service. Yousef has been in and out of Israeli jail for years; he had just been released in July after spending nearly a year behind bars without charges.

A spokesperson for the Shin Bet said that Yousef had been arrested on Monday for “renewed terror involvement.”

Hamas: We Won’t Give Up an “Inch” of Land

A Friday rally celebrating the 34th anniversary of the founding of the Hamas terror group saw the terror

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