IMRA Middle East News Updates

Transcript - Israeli Radio spreads and bolsters "Hamas' Psychological Terror"

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 04:24:52 -0500

Transcript - Israeli Radio spreads and bolsters "Hamas' Psychological Terror"
Dr. Aaron Lerner 23 February 2025

Kan Reshet Bet - an Israel Government radio station, identified a recording
it was about to broadcast as being " part of Hamas' psychological terror".

They then proceeded to bolster the impact of this "psychological terror" by
featuring recordings supporting the goals of the "psychological terror",
namely for Israel to accept any and every Hamas demand.

The following is a translation of an excerpt from the transcript - Kan
Reshet Bet 07:00, February 23, 2025 news bulletin:

.As part of Hamas' psychological terror, the hostages Gai Gilboa-Dalal and
Evyatar David, who are still being held captive by Hamas, were brought
yesterday to the site where Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen, and Omer Wenkert
were released. They were forced to watch the event from inside a vehicle.

In a video released by Hamas, the hostages addressed Prime Minister
Netanyahu, saying: "We saw our friends being released after 500 days; we
just want this to end. Please, I am asking the government- you started
something, now finish it, please."

The families of Gai Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David approved the publication
of the video. Ilan Gilboa-Dalal, Gai's father, told Yair Weinerberg on Kan
11:

"I am seeing my son for the first time in 16 months, hearing his voice for
the first time. For me, it gives me some air, knowing that he is okay, that
he doesn't appear injured. I think people need to see this, to witness the
abuse they are enduring - being taken to see their friends being freed, only
to be sent back to the tunnels."

Einav Tsangauker, the mother of Matan, who has been held captive in Gaza for
506 days, demanded last night that the Prime Minister fully implement the
hostage return agreement and bring them all home. She made these statements
at a protest near the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv.
________________________________________
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis

Since 1992 providing news and analysis on the Middle East with a focus on
Arab-Israeli relations

Website: www.imra.org.il

Weekly Commentary: No Hamas Means No Hamas. Period

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 14:04:16 -0500

Weekly Commentary: No Hamas Means No Hamas. Period
Dr. Aaron Lerner 20 February 2025

We have an example of an evacuation:
###
https://www.palquest.org/en/historictext/9658/plan-departure-lebanon-plo-lea
dership-offices-and-combatants-beirut
DEPARTURE PLAN
Plan for the Departure from Lebanon of the PLO Leadership, Offices, and
Combatants in Beirut

20 August 1982

1. Basic Concept. All the PLO leadership, offices, and combatants in Beirut
will leave Lebanon peacefully for pre-arranged destinations in other
countries, in accord with the departure schedules and arrangements set out
in this plan. The basic concept in this plan is consistent with the
objective of the Government of Lebanon that all foreign military forces
withdraw from Lebanon.

###

They all left.

Period.

And that's what needs to happen in the Gaza Strip with Hamas and the other
terror groups.

They ALL leave.

ALL the combatants.

ALL the leadership, be it military or political.

ALL the staffs, military, political or otherwise.

No playing games that any of them can stick around in the Gaza Strip while
others ostensibly are in charge.

Because we cannot afford to play any more games.
________________________________________
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis

Since 1992 providing news and analysis on the Middle East with a focus on
Arab-Israeli relations

Website: www.imra.org.il

Technical note: Are 5 IDF Positions Inside Lebanon To Placate Israelis?

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 06:53:03 -0500

Technical note: Are 5 IDF Positions Inside Lebanon To Placate Israelis?
Dr. Aaron Lerner 17 February 2025

#1. We found stores of weapons hidden in basically every home in the Lebanese villages bordering Israel.

#2. So for all practical purposes every one the villagers who is about to return to the border is a Hezbollah agent. I say “agent” rather than “supporter” because they won’t just wave flags and chant chants. They will do everything in their power to expedite the re-stocking of weapons in the villages.

#3. Even under the best of circumstances, it is virtually impossible to effectively inspect the huge number of trucks which will supply building materials for reconstructing the Lebanese border villages. And the “circumstances” are hardly ideal. There are elements within the Lebanese army which support Hezbollah and the UN observers have already “earned” their “worthless” status many times over. Again - even if all the inspecting actors actually wanted to screen out the weapons pouring into the villages they would fail because of the sheer volume of traffic.

#4. In the coming days, the IDF will retreat from the villages and the re-stocking of weapons will begin.

$5. These villages enjoy line-of-sight targeting of the Israeli communities across the border.

#6. The Netanyahu Government wants to have five “IDF positions” on the Lebanese side of the border.

$6.1 These “IDF positions” will not block the Lebanese villager’s line-of-site targeting of Israeli communities.

#6.2 These “IDF positions” will not be equipped with magic gizmos which can detect the deployment of weapons in the Lebanese villages.

So the question is: what is the actual reason we want these five “IDF positions”?

Answer #1: Somehow Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu genuinely believes that the five IDF positions can offset the retreat from Lebanon

#1.1 They will serve to deter the villagers.

OK, you can stop laughing. Here’s some explanations that makes more sense

#2.1 The Lebanese will reject the deployment of the five IDF positions thus freezing the situation as it is today and the villagers will not return to the border.

#2.2 The five IDF positions are tripwires which will, when attacked in the very near future, allow us to retake the entire area with the support of President Trump.

Answer #3: The five IDF positions are a fig leaf for the retreat from Lebanon. The “Bibistim” will flood social media with messages that the five IDF positions are a huge victory for Netanyahu.
________________________________________
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis

Since 1992 providing news and analysis on the Middle East with a focus on Arab-Israeli relations

Website: www.imra.org.il

Do Not Bar Thinking - Chikli Should Address Conference of Presidents

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 03:49:59 -0500

Do Not Bar Thinking - Chikli Should Address Conference of Presidents
Dr. Aaron Lerner 16 February 2025

Last Friday, David Schocken, grandson of Gershom, the longtime
editor-in-chief of Haaretz, stunned Haaretz readers with an op-ed in the
Hebrew edition of the paper titled "Not All the Wisdom", in which he slammed
his left-wing camp for turning their backs on any alternative views rather
than contending with them.

The call below is to prevent Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli
from addressing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish
Organizations because he voted against the hostage deal.

Chikli voted against the deal because he believes that the deal endangers
the lives of ten million Israelis.

You can disagree with his assessment.

But you have absolutely no right to try to silence him.

A technical note: The rabbis who rule that the consequences of the hostage
deal are irrelevant, are following the principle which guided the late Rabbi
Ovadia Yosef when he initially supported Oslo: that any future disastrous
consequences of the move, no matter how disastrous, are not relevant if they
do not transpire within the immediate future - days, weeks or perhaps
months.

I'm not here to argue if the late chief rabbi of Israel was wrong to rule
that a disaster a half a year in the future is not relevant to the
decision-making process, only that it is important to keep this in mind
when relating to such rulings.

Because it is certainly legitimate for others to be concerned about the
consequences of actions beyond six months.

I can think of no greater irony than that Jews from what was once a vibrant
democracy, which held free speech as one of the most cherished values of the
"land of the free", should participate in calling for barring views they
disagree with.

We are facing extremely challenging days.

And the very last thing which we can afford is to navigate them with
blinders on.
=====
Text of the online letter:
info@conferenceofpresidents.org

A Call to the Conference of Presidents: Cancel Minister of Diaspora Affairs
Amichai Chikli's Speech
Dear Conference of Presidents Leadership and Attendees,
William Daroff - CEO,
Harriet Schleifer, - Current chair,
Betsey Korn - Incoming chair

Freed hostages Alexander Troufanov, Iair Horn, and Sagui Dekel Chen have
returned to Israel after 498 days in Gaza captivity, thanks to a hostage
deal that Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli voted against.

I am writing as a deeply concerned member of the Israeli and Jewish American
community regarding the scheduled meeting with Minister of Diaspora Affairs,
Amichai Chikli this Sunday. I urge you to cancel this meeting immediately.

Inviting Minister Chikli-a member of the Israeli government who voted
against the hostage deal and supported keeping 96 men, women, and children
in Gaza-to be your guest of honor is a grave disservice to our Jewish values
of Pidion Shvuiym. This issue goes far beyond political differences; it is
about the very lives of human beings.

Consider this: would you ever welcome a politician in your own country who
opposed the release of hostages? Of course not. Similarly, no American
Jewish community would honor an elected official who stood against the
hostage deal. We must not bestow any form of welcoming to someone whose
actions undermine the urgent mission to secure the safe return of our loved
ones.

With seventy-six hostages still held in Gaza, our commitment to redeeming
captives compels us to act decisively. A meeting with Minister Chikli not
only sends a dangerous message, but also undermines the trust and integrity
of our collective mission. Wearing a yellow ribbon and offering prayers,
while important, are not enough. If you truly care about the hostages, you
must take concrete action-refusing to meet with those who oppose their
release and demanding that President Trump and the Israeli government do
everything in their power to implement the deal and accelerate the return of
all hostages.

By canceling this meeting, you will stand on the right side of history and
join 80% of Israelis who call to end the war and secure a deal that brings
all hostages home immediately. This decisive action would demonstrate
unwavering support for the safe return of our loved ones.

I respectfully ask you to cancel this meeting immediately and reaffirm your
dedication to the redemption of captives. Let us stand together and fight
for the safe return of the hostages whose lives depend on our resolve.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this critical matter.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
Then, please add your name below to be listed.
(Note: Emails are being collected only to confirm signer identity. They will
not be published.)
________________________________________
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Significant? US Silent After Russia Attacks Chornobyl Reactor

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 16:17:09 -0500

Significant? US Silent After Russian Attack Breaches 1st Layer of Chornobyl
Reactor Structure
Dr. Aaron Lerner 15 February 2025

A Google, Grok and ChatCPT0 search finds no official USA comment on the
early morning February 14th Russian drone attack which breached the outer
layer of the structure which prevents the release of radiation from the
damaged Chornobyl reactor unit 4.

The IAEA team on site reported hearing the explosion and seeing the damage
and the IAEA issued a press release documenting the incident.
https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/update-275-iaea-director-gener
al-statement-on-situation-in-ukraine

"It clearly shows that [the Russians] don't want peace," EU foreign policy
chief Kaja Kallas told journalists on the sidelines of the Munich Security
Conference. "All these other talks have been totally obsolete because of the
bombing of the nuclear station, bombing of civilians, bombing of civilian
infrastructure. "

VP Vance, who attended the conference, did not mention the attack in his
address.

________________________________________
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis

Since 1992 providing news and analysis on the Middle East with a focus on
Arab-Israeli relations

Website: www.imra.org.il

"All Hell Breaks Loose" = Annex Jordan Valley

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 09:59:41 -0500

"All Hell Breaks Loose" = Annex Jordan Valley
Dr. Aaron Lerner 14 February 2024

Hamas does not value life, it values land.

This Saturday night, if all the hostages are not released, Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu can hold a snap meeting of his cabinet and annex the
Jordan Valley.

For years now Netanyahu has had a map in his drawer for this vote.

For Hamas the move would indeed be "all Hell breaking loose".

But since the Jordan Valley has absolutely nothing to do with the agreement
Hamas has with Israel, Hamas would have no grounds to stop the deal from
continuing.

And President Trump can warn "I said all Hell would break lose and it did.
Today Hamas felt a pain a million times more than the pain of death -
because they don't value lives."
===
Weekly Commentary: PM Netanyahu - Don't Jeopardize Iran Attack by
Embarrassing Trump on Saturday
Dr. Aaron Lerner 13 February 2025

Prime Minister Netanyahu,

You will jeopardize the planned coordinated attack on Fordow and Natanz if
this Saturday, all hell does not break loose if all - and I mean ALL- the
hostages aren't released by Hamas.

It is as simple as that.

As someone who was in Mr. Trump's doghouse for years for congratulating
Biden on his victory, you know what you are facing.

And I don't need to remind you of Mr. Trump's disdain for your sluggish
operations over the course of almost a year after October 7th.

If you embarrass President Trump on Saturday, you will be the first world
leader to publicly show your behind to this President of the United States
of America.

The plans we have to destroy Fordow and Natanz apparently hinge on various
forms of American participation.

The Americans won't be dropping bombs, but they will be doing a lot more
than cheering from the bleachers.

If you cross Trump on Saturday, he won't be game for cooperating in such an
operation.

And he can explain to the Israel supporters on his team: "I don't think Bibi
has the balls to really pull off the operation -h e will call it off at the
last minute, and I will look like a fool when the press gets wind of the
preparations I authorized our forces to carry out."

Mr. Netanyahu, for years you have been whispering "Iran" to people to
explain why we can't do this, that, or the other.

So this time, I'm not going to whisper "Iran" - I am going to shout it out:

"IRAN!!!!!"

This isn't politics.

A nuclear Iran is definitely an existential threat to the Jewish State.

Don't screw up this Saturday.

________________________________________
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis

Since 1992 providing news and analysis on the Middle East with a focus on
Arab-Israeli relations

Website: www.imra.org.il