US Sends Massive Bombs and Artillery Shells,
Urges Israel to ‘Limit Civilian Casualties’
Jared Malsin and Nancy A. Youssef / Wall Street Journal
(December 1, 2023) — The surge of arms, including roughly 15,000 bombs and 57,000 artillery shells, began shortly after the Oct. 7 attack and has continued in recent days, the officials said. The US hasn’t previously disclosed the total number of weapons it sent to Israel nor the transfer of 100 BLU-109, 2,000-pound bunker buster bombs….
Among the munitions the US has transferred to Israel are more than 5,000 Mk82 unguided or “dumb” bombs, more than 5,400 Mk84 2,000 pound warhead bombs, around 1,000 GBU-39 small diameter bombs, and approximately 3,000 JDAMs, which turn unguided bombs into guided “smart” bombs, according to an internal US government list of the weapons described to The Wall Street Journal by US officials….
The US has also sent Israel roughly 57,000 155mm artillery shells — a key munition the US has also provided Ukraine since the 2022 Russian invasion — along with thousands of other artillery shells and various small arms….
The U.N., humanitarian agencies, and Arab countries mediating negotiations between the two sides have called for a permanent cease-fire. The Biden administration has rejected calls for a long-term cease-fire and expressed support for Israel’s fight to ultimately uproot Hamas from power in Gaza.
Dropping ‘bunker busters’ (which can not bust Hamas’ real command bunkers) onto the densely populated Gaza strip is mass murder. Moreover doing so based on faulty ‘artificial intelligence’ decisions is dumb.
A Hebrew paper says there are new plans to push Gazans out but that these are controversial even within the war cabinet.
US to give Israel more than 5,400 2,000-pound Mk84 “dumb”bombs.
Prime Minister’s Plan for Gaza Citizens:
The Direction-Out
Israel Hayom / The Limited Times (Slightly edited machine translation)
(December 1, 2023) — The emergency government is broadcasting uniformly about the resumption of fighting, but as for the day after, the story is different. There is expected to be controversy over a plan formulated by Ron Dermer at Netanyahu’s request, examining ways to dilute the population of Gaza to a minimum.
The issue of the day after is one of the most sensitive today, and the issue is not dealt with in any official forum but only in internal consultations. If there is a significant point of contention with the Biden administration on the Gaza issue, it is this one.
Other things can be manipulated. Bring in humanitarian aid at the request of the American president, and even fuel. Even the new demand not to cause harm to the displaced people in the southern Gaza Strip when the IDF starts operating there can be met with a non-binding statement that “we will try”.
But getting Abu Mazen into Gaza to replace the IDF forces in the territory is a different story altogether. Benny Gantz and Gadi Eizenkot would have happily done so. Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Galant less so. The commonality is that they all send a message that Israel has no intention of controlling the territory itself from a civilian standpoint. Gallant means it in all seriousness.
As for Netanyahu, I’m not sure. His clear statements that a terrorist-supporting authority that transfers salaries to terrorists and educates its children to incitement against Jews will not rule Gaza and the Ramallah gang will not allowed to enter Gaza. There is no other replacement. Hence, the IDF will continue to control Gaza, military and civilian, at least for the foreseeable future.
This is followed by another plan. Most cabinet ministers don’t know about it. Nor are the War cabinet ministers. It was not discussed in these forums because of its obvious explosive effect: diluting Gaza’s population to the bare minimum.
Biden is strongly opposed, as is the entire international community. Galant, the Chief of staff and the IDF Chief of Staff claim that there is no such possibility. But Netanyahu sees it as a strategic goal. He even tasked his War Cabinet trustee, Minister Ron Dermer, to formulate a staff paper on the matter.
This is a plan that will bypass the American resistance without confrontation, the resolute resistance of the Egyptians without starting to shoot the refugees entering their territory through the Philadelphia axis, and the general global resistance that will arise when the first Gazans leave their homes and migrate elsewhere.
Refugees in war zones are common. Tens of millions of refugees have left war zones across the globe in the past decade alone. From Syria to Ukraine. All had addresses in countries that agreed to accept them as a humanitarian gesture. So why should Gaza be any different?
This is not about the transfer, but the release of the chokehold within Gaza’s borders. While the crossings to Israel remain sealed, there are other options. Rafah is one of them, despite Egypt’s fierce opposition. This transition, at times, has been open. Today, there is also an underground crossing between Rafah in Gaza and an Egyptian route with the dimensions of a highway. The sea is also open to the Gazans. In its will, Israel opens the sea passage and allows mass escape of Palestinians to European and African countries.
In the context of Gaza emigration, the gaps between members of the government are vast. While Smotrich, Ben Gvir and quite a few Likud ministers see this as a necessity, others like Galant, Gantz and Eisenkot see it as something between an unrealistic fantasy and a despicable and immoral plan.
With every new daily report about blocked aid and more death in Gaza more US voters will reject such brutal policies. Few outside of Israel support such plans. Most Biden voter wont. If Biden does not pressure Netanyhoo to end the slaughter he will very likely lose the election.
So if Joe Biden really wants to have another presidency, he will have to stop Netanyahoo from pursuing a long war in Gaza and from pushing the Palestinian population out of the strip. Netanyahoo does not care if Biden stays in office. He can live well with Donald Trump replacing him. The only way Biden can really stop Netanyahoo is by denying him weapons, ammunition and financial support.
How long will it take him to do so?
Israel Planning for Gaza War To
Expel Palestinians Will Last Over a Year
Kyle Anzalone / Antiwar
The Financial Times reported speaking with sources who said that Israel plans to wage war on Gaza for over a year. In a little less than two months, Israel has killed at least 15,000 people, damaged 100,000 buildings, displaced 1.7 million Palestinians, and destroyed most of Gaza’s medical facilities.
On Friday, FT reported sources said Israel was preparing for a multi-phase conflict in Gaza that will last at least a year. “This will be a very long war…We’re currently not near halfway to achieving our objectives,” said one person familiar with the Israeli war plans.
According to the sources, Israel’s goals include “killing the three top Hamas leaders — Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Marwan Issa — while securing a decisive military victory against the group’s 24 battalions and underground tunnel network and destroying its governing capability in Gaza.” …
Trump’s Middle East plan ignores the plight of the Palerstinians.
The first phase of the war, an intense bombing campaign and ground invasion, is expected to last well into 2024. One source said the first phase of the war is about 40% complete. “Gaza City isn’t finished yet, nor fully conquered. It’s probably 40% done,” the person explained. “For the north as a whole, it will probably require another two weeks to a month.”
The second phase will be an operation with fewer military operations aimed at stabilizing Gaza. While the sources told FT that the second phase is projected to continue until late 2024, Israeli officials say they cannot predict a firm endpoint to the conflict.
A long war means that Israel will lose more and more international support.
The trend will become even stronger when Israel starts to kill all ‘Hamas people’ across the world.
The Biden administration claims to have pressured Israel to murder less people. But it then turns around and delivers more and bigger weapons.
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