Operation Iron Swords – Day 143 | GLOBAL SECURITY ORG

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Avi Melamed’s insights quoted by Global Security.org in their article page about the Operation Iron Swords – Day 143 | Last update February 26, 2024.


The biblical holidays for the Jews this year intersect with the second week of Ramadan and Tarawih prayers, which may open the door to a new battle in Al-Aqsa Mosque. Ramadan is celebrated Mar 10, 2024 – Apr 9, 2024. Tarawih, also known as Taraweeh, is a voluntary (nafl) night prayer performed by Muslims during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Tarawih prayers are a sunnah of the Prophet, which means that it was his practice to perform them. Purim is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the survival of the Jewish people from annihilation in the 5th century BCE. The story is told in the Book of Esther and is known as the Feast of Lots. Purim dates are March 23–24, 2024.

Biden administration officials say they want to reach an agreement before the start of Ramadan, that is, more than two weeks from now. An Israeli official told the Hebrew Channel 12: Our goal is to reach a prisoner exchange deal before the month of Ramadan.

President Biden in an interview with Seth Meyers’ tonight show said as he left the NBC studio: “The national security adviser told me that we are close, we are not done yet, but my hope is that by next Monday we will have a ceasefire.”

Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh announced Monday 26 February 2024 the submission of his government’s resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas, in view of the political, security and economic developments related to the situation in the Gaza Strip and the unprecedented escalation in the West Bank. Shtayyeh delivered his speech during the weekly government session in the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, where he stressed that his government was able to achieve a balance between the needs of the Palestinian people and confronting the political challenges and changes in the region.

According to Former Israeli Intelligence Official and regional analyst Avi Melamed, while the resignation of the PA government is capturing international headlines, the government itself was meaningless vis-à-vis the local, strategic partner that will be required for governing post-war Gaza.

Melamed shared: “The resignation of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh and his government today, while it has captured international headlines and even hints towards the development of a technocratic government, still won’t immediately bring about the reform and the revitalization at the helm of the Palestinian National Movement that the U.S. and other partners have pressured PA President Abbas for as the world prepares for Gaza’s post-war reconstruction and governance.

“Ultimately, given Hamas’s ability to dictate the trajectory of the Palestinian struggle completely independent of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, the government itself was meaningless vis-à-vis the local, strategic partner that will be required for governing post-war Gaza.

“The Palestinian inner political struggle between Abbas’ Fatah and those who support Hamas, is a deep-rooted battle that will ultimately need to be overcome lest history repeat itself in Gaza where the previous Palestinian Authority rule was violently removed by Hamas less than two years after its establishment of sovereignty. At the core of Israel’s diplomatic mission in this extremely complex war, is the need to change the trajectory of violence — both for Israelis and Palestinians — and to ensure that history ceases to repeat itself in endless cycles of violence.”

As the hunger-stricken people of southern Gaza were waiting for aid deliveries set to be airdropped by Jordan and France in the blockaded strip, three Jordanian C-130H Hercules transport aircraft and a French one made their way over Gaza and conducted several airdrops into Gaza’s south in coordination with the Israeli air force bombing the strip. Jordanian forces made “four air drops carrying aid for the people of Gaza”, under the directive of Jordanian King Abdullah II, a statement issued by the Jordanian army said.

Jordan had thus far carried out 16 airdrop operations since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza in October in coordination with the Israeli air force after the Israelis themselves blocked the entry of aid into the blockaded strip. Previously announced airdrops, including a joint operation with the Netherlands, sent medical and other aid to the Jordanian field hospital in northern Gaza.

The operation was “aimed at delivering aid to the population directly and drop it along the coast of the Gaza Strip from north to south”. It comprised “relief and food supplies, including ready-made meals of high nutritional value, to alleviate the suffering of the people of the Gaza Strip”, the statement added.most of the supply drops were swimming with the fish before they made it to the hands of the people of Gaza as they were dropped straight into the Mediterranean Sea instead of on the coast of southern Gaza.

Jordan’s supplies included dates, flour, rice, and meat, all of which were rendered inedible due to the water. However, there were MREs (military-dispatched Meals Ready to Eat) that were unaffected. The cargo, which floated down via parachutes, was not dropped using any sort of GPS technology and was scant compared to the amount of people in dire need in southern Gaza.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said that the behavior and statements of some ministers of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government caused the Hamas attack on October 7th. The newspaper’s writer, Rogel Elver, said in an article that extremist Israeli Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich caused the Hamas attack and the outbreak of war in Gaza.

The writer referred to the statements of former occupation Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in which he said that the goal of Ben Gavir and Smotrich before the war was to cleanse the West Bank of Palestinians, cleanse Al-Aqsa Mosque of Muslim worshipers, and annex many areas to the Israeli entity, describing this goal as “saturated with Jewish and Arab blood.” According to his description.

Elver pointed out that Olmert and many political analysts in the occupation believe that this duo took control of the occupation government and made its president their servant. The Israeli writer said that Ben Gvir’s behavior in Al-Aqsa Mosque during the months preceding the war provided the pretext for the Hamas attack, noting that the intelligence services had become clear to them about the reasons that prompted Hamas and Sinwar to carry out the October 7 attack.

He added in his article: “Sinwar and those close to him read from the behavior and statements of the extremist ministers that the situation in Al-Aqsa Mosque had become a great danger due to the extreme right in the government.”

He continued: “Sinwar and those close to him were not the ones who convinced themselves that the current situation in the Temple Mount was in danger. Rather, it was Ben Gvir and Smotrich who convinced him of that. It seemed clear that Sinwar was right, and the name “Al-Aqsa Flood” reflects the true goal of the October 7 attack, which stemmed from “There is a well-founded fear that the interests of Muslims in Al-Aqsa Mosque are in danger.” (…)


Avi Melamed’s insights quoted by Global Security.org in their article page about the Operation Iron Swords – Day 143 | Last update February 26, 2024

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Avi Melamed
Avi Melamedhttps://insidethemiddle-east.com
Avi Melamed is an expert on current affairs in the Arab & Muslim World and their impact on Israel & the Middle East. A former Israeli Intelligence Official & Senior Official on Arab Affairs, Fluent in Arabic, English, and Hebrew, he has held high-risk Government, Senior Advisory, Intelligence & Counter-Terrorist intelligence positions in Arab cities & communities - often in very sensitive times - on behalf of Israeli Government agencies. He is the Founder & CEO of Inside the Middle East | Intelligence Perspectives - an apolitical non-partisan curriculum using intelligence methodology to examine the Middle East. As an Author, Educator, Expert, and Strategic Intelligence Analyst, Avi provides Intelligence Analysis, Briefings, and Geopolitical Tours to diplomats, Israeli and foreign policymakers, global media outlets, and a wide variety of international businesses, organizations, and private clients on a range of Israel and Middle East Affairs.

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