13 May 2024

The Arab Street

On the night of May 6, Israel carried a quick strike in east Rafah, to take control of the Rafah Crossing. Everyone was caught off-guard by this, assuming that an assault by the IDF would come elsewhere. By controlling the Crossing, Israel ensured Hamas was trapped.

Of course, overshadowing this was the Biden Regime’s reprehensible declaration that they would hold-up arms shipments to Israel. Along with the Rafah Crossing operation, it is also instructive to realize what is happening in Judea-Samaria.

Heightened terror activity by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other groups has compelled Israel to deploy forces in the West Bank. A very sophisticated IED was found at Joseph’s Tomb, as Jewish worshippers approached it this week. A bomb squad defused it, but such incidents show that the Palestinians—the Arab Street—are everywhere a beehive of activity. They feel a real kinship with Hamas, and represent yet another front against Israel.

Back in Rafah:

The Palestinian media reported that before the start of the IDF ground operation in Rafah, intensive air force strikes were carried out in east Rafah. After the operation began, Hisham Zaqout, a correspondent for al-Jazeera TV in Rafah, reported on non-stop IDF artillery fire and air force strikes in east Rafah. The focal points of the attack were the al-Janina and al-Salam neighborhoods and the village of al-Shuka (al-Quds, May 7, 2024). Later, it was reported that the IDF continued attacking east Rafah, especially the area of Dahaniya Airport (Wafa YouTube channel, May 9, 2024). According to reports, the IDF’s operation is limited to an area of only three square kilometers, and the targets attacked were tall buildings used by the Palestinian terrorist organizations for surveillance and gathering information about the IDF.

UNRWA, the menacing, pro-Palestinian bureau of the UN, continues to agitate and spread propaganda that Israel is causing a humanitarian disaster.

Other bad actors like PA/PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas joined in with pressure.

Before the start of the IDF operation in Rafah, Abbas tried to prevent it by meeting with Arab and international officials on April 28, 2024. He gave a speech at the recent World Economic Forum meeting in Riyadh in which he expressed concern, and noted that only the United States could stop Israel from carrying out the operation. This last bit is a subtle hint that the Biden Regime is on the side of the terrorists, coordinating responses like that of Abbas.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas, claimed the occupation of the Rafah Crossing, the threat to evict the Palestinians from the shelters and places of residence, and the prevention of the entry of UN workers into the Strip were “war crimes” for which Israel had to be brought to justice. He called on the American administration to prevent Israel, without hesitation, from invading Rafah and expelling the Palestinians.

Another PA official actually blamed Hamas, but I suspect this is jockeying for position, post-war. Remember, Hamas and the PLO are rivals. The PA/PLO wants to rule Gaza going forward, something Benjamin Netanyahu adamantly opposes.

Mahmoud al-Habash, advisor to Mahmoud Abbas, had an unusual reaction, holding Hamas responsible for everything that had happened and would happen in Rafah because, he said, Hamas wanted to continue controlling the Gaza Strip. He added that Hamas provided Israel with all the excuses for continuing the war, and the Gazans were the ones who would pay the price for Hamas’ adventures.

I remain convinced that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians are so indoctrinated with anti-Jewish hate that there is no possibility of a true peace deal. With about 8 million Israeli Jews in the area, along with more than two million Palestinians, no one I’m aware of has a truly workable plan for achieving peace in this volatile area.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

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