JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS, OTHERS, RESPOND (SEE COMMENT SECTION BELOW ARTICLE)
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Jeffrey Heller GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel said it killed 16 members of the Hamas armed wing in Gaza in a barrage on Wednesday and Palestinian militants rained rockets into Israel as Washington said it would send an envoy to try to calm their most intense hostilities in years. At least 56 people have been killed in Gaza since violence escalated on Monday, according to the enclave’s health ministry. Six people have been killed in Israel, medical officials said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the brigade commander for Gaza City was among senior membe…
REPEATING INFORMATION ON THE GRAPHIC ABOVE:
Informational Sessions on the Current Situation in Israel
Thursday, May 13th, 12:00 noon
with Cantor Hanan Leberman
Live from Jerusalem
Friday, May 14th, 12:00 noon
with Yoni Saadi
AIPAC Regional Synagogue Initiative Director • Southern Pacific
Yoni Saadi is AIPAC’s Southern Pacific Regional Synagogue Initiative Director. In this capacity, Yoni manages AIPAC’s relationships with rabbis and congregations throughout Southern California, Arizona, Las Vegas and Utah. Having worked at AIPAC for nine years, Yoni has served in a variety of roles, most recently managing the organization’s work throughout San Francisco to Napa Valley – including, but not limited to – promoting political activism, leadership development and fundraising.
Born in Israel, and raised in Minnesota, Yoni is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, where he studied Political Science and Psychology.
Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and is Chair of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Airland Subcommittee, released the following statement in the midst of ongoing and escalating violence in Israel:
“I fully support Israel’s right to self-defense, condemn the attacks from Hamas terrorists and am sickened by the ongoing, escalating violence in Israel—as well as the Palestinian territories—that needlessly puts the lives of innocent civilians on both sides at risk.
“The eviction of Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem despite the pandemic and ongoing court case, reports of possibly dozens of civilian casualties including children in Gaza and scenes of violent confrontation between Palestinian protestors and Israeli police are heartbreaking.
“Escalations of violence are counterproductive to any conversations about peace in the region and renewed fighting will bring nothing but suffering to Israelis and Palestinians alike. Now is the time for all sides to show restraint before this situation spirals even further out of control, and I urge the Biden Administration to continue to work closely with all parties to bring this conflict to a resolution.”
In response to the escalating cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem that has led to Hamas firing rockets indiscriminately into Israel, including several toward Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) condemned attacks on civilians, and called for renewed efforts toward a lasting peace. Menendez is Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Cardin is Chair of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, and Wyden is Chair of the Senate Finance Committee.
“Ongoing rocket attacks from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are terrorism and no country should have to tolerate this kind of threat against its population. Israel has every right to self-defense and we mourn all the innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians who have lost their lives.
“Israeli and Palestinian political and military leaders must actively discourage any actions that provoke more violence, and the Israeli Police must take steps to lower tensions throughout Jerusalem. Unilateral actions by any party that take us further away from the prospect of a durable peace through direct negotiations must cease. We applaud the decision of the Supreme Court to delay the hearing regarding potential eviction of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighborhoods of Jerusalem.
“We are committed to sustaining a U.S.-Israel relationship based on shared democratic values and our vital security partnership. We are also committed to continuing to engage Israelis and Palestinians to find ways to live together with peace, freedom, security and dignity; and achieve a two-state solution, as the Biden administration has set out to do following decades of consistent US policy. A sustainable peace that ensures the long-term security of Israel and self-determination for Palestinians is the only viable outcome for the region.
“As supporters of last year’s Abraham Accords as a way to cement Israel’s permanent place in the region and halt unilateral annexation, we call on all responsible parties to take steps to de-escalate and find ways back to negotiations.”
– Following recent attacks on Israel by Hamas, U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) issued the following statement after the Foreign Affairs Committee decided not to schedule a vote during next week’s committee markup on legislation to sanction financial backers of Hamas:
“It’s a dark day in our nation’s history when Democrat leadership of the House Foreign Affairs Committee seemingly sides with Hamas over our ally Israel. My bill to sanction financial supporters of Hamas passed unanimously last Congress, but under the control of new Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks, the bill has been sent to legislative purgatory,” Rep. Mast said. “Hamas’s recent attacks on Israel again show why this bill is so necessary. These sanctions are needed to send a strong message the United States will not tolerate anybody who supports these radical Islamic terrorists.”
Earlier this week, Rep. Mast sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA-12) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Gregory Meeks (NY-5) urging them to expedite consideration of The Palestinian International Terrorism Support Prevention Act of 2021. This request has been ignored, despite Hamas’s ongoing attacks on Israel.
BACKGROUND:
• The Palestinian International Terrorism Support Prevention Act requires the President to submit to Congress an annual report for the next three years identifying foreign persons, agencies or instrumentalities of a foreign state who knowingly and materially assist Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or an affiliate or successor of one of those organizations.
• After identifying the organizations, the President must impose two or more sanctions, including denying a) Export-Import guarantees, b) defense support under the Arms Export Control Act, c) export of munitions to any agreement to which a person identified is a part, d) export of goods or technology controlled for national security reasons, e) loans more than $10 million, or f) seizure of property held within the United States.
• The bill also requires the President to report to Congress on each government that provides support for acts of terrorism and provides material support to Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or any affiliate or successor organization, or the President determines to have engaged in a significant transaction to knowingly and materially provide support to Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad or any affiliate or successor organization.
• After identifying the governments, the President must suspend U.S. assistance to that government for one year, instruct the executive directors of each international finance institution to vote against any loan or technical assistance to that government and prohibit any munitions export to that government for one year.
• Additionally, the President must prohibit that government’s transactions in foreign exchanges that are subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and prevent that government’s transfers of credits or payments between financial institutions subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.
Magen David Adom provided the following report:
An Israeli soldier died this morning when his jeep was destroyed by a Hamas anti-tank missile on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza. He is the sixth Israeli killed since the war in Israel began Monday.
Magen David Adom continues to provide lifesaving medical treatment in the field to the dozens of Israelis injured in this conflict. MDA’s treatment makes the difference between a recovery and a funeral.
We have the skills to save lives. But we urgently need your support to provide the ambulances, medical supplies, and critical equipment that makes the difference.
Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) issued the following statement:
As Israel continues to address the massive barrage of incoming missiles and rockets by adding thousands of soldiers to the Gaza border as part of Operation “Guardians of the Walls”, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) has authorized emergency funds to be sent to provide for these soldiers and deliver support packages to them. This authorization is in response to the IDF’s request for increased support from FIDF – the sole official organization designated by the IDF to collect charitable donations on behalf of the soldiers in the United States – who put their lives on the line 24/7 to serve and protect Israel – and the Jewish people worldwide.
“As active soldiers risk their lives to safeguard Israel—and reserve soldiers prepare to protect their country at all costs –we must intensify our efforts to look after them,” said FIDF National Director Steve Weil. “It is a core Jewish value that we care for each other in times of tragedy and need. As Israel and its people are facing existential threat, we need to be ready to support each and every soldier. In these times, when millions of people living in the Jewish homeland are under direct life threat, FIDF will do everything possible to support the IDF soldiers through this extremely trying period.”
FIDF continues to monitor the dynamic situation in Israel and remains in constant communication with the IDF to best respond to their immediate needs. As of May 11, FIDF will also conduct daily evening emergency briefings with IDF officials which can be watched at this link. http://support.fidf.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=1441.0&dlv_id=5181&pgwrap=n
StandWithUs Opens Situation Room
StandWithUs Opens Situation Room Amid Escalation of Hamas Attacks on Israeli Civilians
(Jerusalem – May 12, 2021) – Due to the current escalation of violence and aggression by Hamas, with hundreds of rockets fired from the Gaza strip on Israeli civilians, StandWithUs has opened an emergency digital Situation Room. With a large worldwide social media reach, StandWithUs has established and managed such Situation Rooms during times of conflict since Operation Cast Lead in 2009. This will increase the reach StandWithUs has to counter deliberate misinformation propagated by anti-Israel groups as well as mistakes in media reports.
The content created will be disseminated and made available across the world and in multiple languages. It will focus on Israel’s right to defend itself while exposing the actions and ideology of Hamas. The Situation Room is based at the StandWithUs Education Center in Jerusalem and led by the StandWithUs’ professional team, joined by volunteers from around the world based in Israel. Israeli students and youth from the various StandWithUs leadership programs will put their training into action and take on a central role in leading this initiative.
StandWithUs has also launched a channel utilizing messaging app Telegram to provide people with updates around the clock on their phones, tablets or computers – which can be accessed here: https://t.me/joinchat/UoYhFGYAIbiTRYlk
“Firing missiles from civilian neighborhoods in Gaza into Israeli cities and towns deliberately puts defenseless civilians on both sides at risk and is a double war crime,” said Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs. “The blame for the escalation into open military conflict rests solely with Hamas and we will make sure that the full story is told.”
Michael Dickson, Executive Director of StandWithUs Israel: “At times like this, people around the world can depend on StandWithUs to bring them accurate and useful information and resources that they can share with others on social media and with their networks. This Situation Room will enhance our efforts to bring the truth of what is happening on the ground in Israel, to the world.”
Content created by the StandWithUs team has already been shared widely and directly by celebrity figures and influencers, including professional NBA Basketball players Deni Avdija and Omri Casspi, as well as footballers Yossi Benayoun (UK), Eran Zahavi (Netherlands), Shon Weissman (Spain) and Manor Solomon (Ukraine).
U.S. Defense Department Announces “Ironclad” Support for Israel:
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby provided the following readout:
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke today with Israeli Minister of Defense Benjamin “Benny” Gantz. Secretary Austin conveyed the Department’s ironclad support for Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself and its people, and he strongly condemned the launching of rockets by Hamas and other terrorists groups that targeted Israeli civilians. He reiterated the importance of all involved parties to take steps to restore calm.
United Hatzalah issued the following report from Israel:
A six-year-old boy was killed when a rocket fired from Gaza struck a residential building in Sderot. United Hatzalah volunteers who responded to the incident were unable to save the child due to the severity of his injuries. In addition, the volunteers treated four other people who were injured, a woman in serious condition and three other people who were in moderate to light condition.
United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Yaakov Bar Yochai who was one of the first responders at the scene relayed: “We arrived at the scene of the rocket strike together with a mobile intensive care ambulance from United Hatzalah and we found the boy in critical condition and the woman in serious condition. Unfortunately, the boy was pronounced dead at the scene due to the severity of injuries that he suffered. We provided medical treatment to the woman and a number of other people injured at the scene.”
StandWithUs issued this notice:
YOU CAN HELP!
As you know, deadly Hamas rockets have been raining down on Israel, and our family members and friends
have been in and out of bomb shelters.
What can YOU do?
You can personally stand against terrorism and stand up for Israel.
Here are three critical ways that you can get involved NOW:
One: Attend Rallies
If there are rallies in your are, please attend!
There are signs available for your local rallies HERE. https://www.standwithus.com/rally-signs
Two: Correct Media Misinformation
The media often leaves out the fact that Hamas is engaged in terrorist rocket launching, putting Israeli and Palestinian civilians at risk of death. Many, like Reuters, will only focus on Israel’s response to the barrage of rockets. You can help write letters and inform journalists of the facts.
Please see the talking points: https://121a6a94-37d0-4344-8957-8394c526443e.filesusr.com/ugd/46fc49_eae78ac9c20548e1a2ca1da49deae7ef.pdf
Three: Engage On Social Media
As you know, social media is a mixed bag. You can get good information, and you can post important information, but you can also see misinformation being posted and shared. Please get involved, use the talking points, and help educate people about Hamas terrorism. Share films and stories to make your points clear.
Thank you in advance for your critical participation!
The Israeli-American Council issued this news release on May 12:
LOS ANGELES, May 12 – With Israel’s citizens under massive Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist rocket attacks, the Israeli-American Council (IAC) and other American Jewish groups are organizing today rallies across America in solidarity with Israel and its people.
Rallies are scheduled for major cities including in New York City’s Times Square at 5:30 pm, at the Red Stairs, 47th St. & Seventh Ave.; in Boston at 5 pm, in Copley Square off Boylston Street; and in Los Angeles at 3 pm (PT), at the West LA Federal Building, 11000 Wilshire Blvd. Other rallies are set for Atlanta at 6 pm, City Spring in Sandy Springs; Austin at 5:30 pm, the Dell Jewish Community Campus, 7300 Hart Lane; Cleveland, at 5 pm, Richmond & Science Park Dr., Beachwood; Denver, at 5 pm, Civic Park by Lincoln and Broadway Street; Houston at 6 pm, the United Orthodox Synagogues, 9001 Greenwillow St.; Irvine, CA (Orange County), at 5 pm, the corner of Culver & Alton; Las Vegas at 6 pm, outside the Venetian Hotel, 3355 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; Orlando, FL at noon, Lake Eola, Robinson & North Eola Drive; Philadelphia at 4:30 pm, the Museum of Art’s “Rocky Steps”; Redwood City, CA (Silicon Valley) at 6 pm, Courthouse Square; Seattle, at 5:30 pm, in Bellevue; Scottsdale, AZ at 5:15 pm, 6140 E. Thunderbird Road; St. Louis at 6 pm, Schuetz Road across from the Staenberg Family Complex; Walnut Creek, CA (East Bay of San Francisco) at 5:30 pm, the Walnut Creek Library; Washington, DC, at 5:30 pm, the Israel Embassy, 3514 International Drive NW; and West Palm Beach at 4 pm, I-95 & Okeechobee Blvd., North Side. All times are local.
As the violence in Israel worsened, the IAC issued an “emergency call to action” to “Stand with Israel” and “stand up against terror.”
“We need to be there for Israel, and for our brothers and sisters, who are under brutal attack by terror organizations,” said IAC Co-founder and CEO Shoham Nicolet.
Christians United for Israel issued the following briefing:
In the past 48 hours, the terrorist group Hamas has fired a barrage of over 1,300 rockets at Israel. The violence, which was instigated by the de-facto rulers of the Gaza Strip, has continued to escalate as Israel defends herself from attack. Here’s what you need to know:
In its reports, the anti-Israel media has framed the events of recent days largely in light of violence which erupted in Jerusalem on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in which hundreds of Palestinians rioted, throwing stockpiled rocks, stones, fireworks, and slabs at Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldiers. Over 17 IDF soldiers were wounded, and half were hospitalized.
To the call of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s ruling party, Fatah, to “continue the uprising” and “raise the level of confrontation,” as well as statements from Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei encouraging Palestinian violence, Hamas simply wielded rising tensions to its advantage and took the opportunity to attack Israel.
Hamas launched an attack on Monday night, firing four rockets into Sderot, a city in southern Israel, as well as incendiary balloons which caused damage to Israeli fields. The IDF responded by targeting Hamas positions in Gaza.
On Tuesday, Hamas launched over 200 rockets overnight into Israel, hitting numerous Israeli cities including Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Tel Aviv. Homes were destroyed, as well as a school and hospital, as Hamas intentionally targeted civilian-populated areas. Mothers, fathers, and children bunkered down and prayed for safety as rockets rained down. In response, the IDF hit over 300 key Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza, killing a Hamas battalion commander and a military intelligence building.
This morning [May 12], rocket sirens sounded once again in communities in southern Israel as Hamas continued to attack innocent Israelis. Meanwhile, attempted terror attacks have been thwarted by the IDF, and violent unrest in Jewish-Arab cities, significantly in Lod, resulted in the evacuation of Jewish residents as synagogues, shops, and cars were lit on fire by Palestinian rioters.
Despite the IDF’s swift and strong response, six Israelis have died from the attacks instigated by Hamas, including one IDF soldier named Staff Sgt. Omer Tabib, and dozens more have been wounded.
Indiscriminate rocket fire is unconscionable, and Hamas is responsible as both Gazans and Israelis suffer from this escalation of violence. Of the 1,300+ rockets fired at Israel, 200 mistakenly landed in Gaza, hurting innocent Gazan civilians, with one misfired rocket killing three children. Hamas’s vendetta against Israel hurts both Israelis and Palestinians, and Hamas must be held responsible for its acts of terror.
As watchmen on the walls, it is our duty and privilege to both pray for and speak out in support of Israel and her people as she defends herself from attack. The Jewish state, like every other country, has a right to defend her people, and we stand with Israel as she does so.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). Lift up both Israelis and Palestinians in prayer, and may the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob keep watch over His People and fight against those bent on her destruction.
American Jewish Congress Condemns Terror Attacks Against Israeli Civilians
The American Jewish Congress condemns in the strongest possible terms the rocket attacks being conducted against Israeli civilians from the Gaza Strip by the terrorist organizations Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Hamas and the PIJ are to blame for this dangerous and unprovoked aggression. We stand with Israel and strongly support its inherent right to defend itself and its citizens against these unprovoked attacks.
We therefore call on both the Biden Administration and the international community to assign clear blame for this violence onto these terrorist organizations while making every possible effort to deescalate the situation.
These cynical attacks have taken advantage of a political vacuum in Palestinian politics and are inflicting severe material damage and loss of life on blameless civilians. More than 1,100 rockets have been fired from Gaza towards Israeli civilian population centers. Of these, nearly 200 have landed inside Gaza itself, directly harming the Palestinian civilians that Hamas and PIJ claim to defend. Every effort should be made to return life to normal for the millions of Israelis and Palestinians affected by this senseless violence.
We are also grateful to successive American administrations – Democratic and Republican – for their commitment to the Iron Dome air defense system, which was begun during the Obama-Biden Administration with strong bipartisan Congressional support. This system has successfully destroyed 90% of the missiles emanating from the Gaza Strip, saving countless civilian lives of both Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel. We call on Congress to pass emergency funding for the additional production of Iron Dome systems so that Israel can be fully protected across the entirety of its country.