The forty third day of Operation Protective Edge is over.
#Israel Reservists about to be released to go home to their families have received orders to stay in place thanks to latest #GAZA violations
— ASoldiersMother (@ASoldiersMother) August 19, 2014
The Tower today covered the violation of the 24 hour ceasefire by Hamas. Three rockets were fired towards Beersheba and Netivot in southern Israel in the middle of the afternoon. Israel retaliated immediately.
Netanyahu quite correctly does not allow truce breaking to be 'business as usual'. Walks out of talks.
Bravo— (((Margie))) (@MargieInTelAviv) August 19, 2014
The day ended with more rocket fire. Hamas launched a barrage of missiles into central and southern Israel – according to Ha’aretz it was at least 50 – in the late hours of night. According to late reports the barrage may have been triggered by an attempt by Israel to kill terrorist mastermind Mohammad Deif.
With all this boycott talk… pic.twitter.com/4JnVh4eckW
— SussexFriendsIsrael (@SussexFriends) August 19, 2014
Israel21C reports on former Apple executive Eric Sirkin who dreamed of “building a multinational company in Israel.” He hasn’t managed to do that but through his venture capital fund has helped launch a number of startups, including Lab Pixies, which turned out to be Google’s first Israeli acquisition.
More than 50 rockets were fired at #Israel this evening, all during a time in which there was supposed to be a ceasefire. #Gaza
— UK Media Watch (@UKMediaWatch) August 19, 2014
The announcement that Israel had broken up an attempted coup against the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has had repercussions. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced that he will investigate the charges. Elhanan Miller of The Times of Israel wrote later in the day that Abbas reaction showed that he was “intimately acquainted with the evidence,” and apparently convinced by it.
Hamas has proudly announced that it fired a rocket at Jerusalem, home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The silence from the Muslim world is deafening.
— Avi Mayer (@AviMayer) August 19, 2014
The FAA issued a ban on American planes overflying Syria. A possible reason for the ban is a recently released study that claims that there are extremist groups in Syria in possession of hundreds of portable anti-aircraft weapons.
Manhattan borough president shows solidarity with Israel visit http://t.co/Ge5Zaw3rml
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) August 20, 2014
In recent testimony, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process, Robert Serry defied the conventional wisdom that Hamas needs to be disarmed as a prerequisite for peace. Serry called for the rebuilding of Gaza but didn’t say that Hamas needs to be disarmed. Administration officials, European foreign ministers, influential American newspapers and even the Quartet all stipulate that Hamas must be disarmed.
UN statement condemning "breach" of the Gaza ceasefire conveniently fails to mention who breached it (Hamas): pic.twitter.com/YY58ycOciR
— (((Yair Rosenberg))) (@Yair_Rosenberg) August 20, 2014
The Israeli financial website Globes reported that Israel was one of the most sought after investment targets in 2013. Among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member states Israel, based on its foreign direct investment (FDI) to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio ranked behind only Luxembourg, Ireland and Chile as being an attractive target for investments.
Rocket fired from #Gaza hits highway 44 near Tel-Aviv,miraculously with no injuries #IsraelUnderFire (via @Elizrael) pic.twitter.com/SpRZw4Qal4
— (((Ido Daniel))) (@IdoDaniel) August 19, 2014
Writing recently in The New Republic, Alexander Joffe and Asaf Romirowsky argue that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has become “effectively a branch of Hamas.” The two authors say that it’s time dissolve UNRWA and transfer its responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority in the hopes “of strengthening the PA practically, politically, and in the eyes of Gaza’s residents.”
[Photo: Israel Defense Forces / WikiCommons ]