Israeli Army Struts Desert Fighting Prowess

Thudding Israeli artillery shells and a dramatic F-16 jet and Apache helicopter-aided tank assault on a mock enemy desert encampment concluded a recent three-day conference on how digitally wired armies can process immense amounts of battlefield data, in real time, in order to win.

All photos: Dave Bender - All rights reserved

An Israeli Army MLRS rocket streaks across an open desert plain, as it homes in on an enemy stronghold in a mock assault display held at the Shivta Field Artillery Base, in southern Israel, Thursday, May 24, 2012.
(All photos: WWW.DAVEBRIANBENDER.COM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Israel Air Force Apache Longbow attack helicopter takes a "nap-of-the-earth" shortcut, flying only meters above a wadi, in a mock assault on an enemy stronghold at the Shivta Field Artillery Base, in southern Israel, Thursday, May 24, 2012.
(All photos: WWW.DAVEBRIANBENDER.COM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

An IDF soldier hitches a ride on an "Alfa" artillery transporter heading back to base after taking part a mock assault on an enemy stronghold at the Shivta Field Artillery Base, in southern Israel, Thursday, May 24, 2012.
(All photos: WWW.DAVEBRIANBENDER.COM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Two Israel Air Force Apache Longbow attack helicopters open machine gun fire, in a mock assault on an enemy stronghold at the Shivta Field Artillery Base, in southern Israel, Thursday, May 24, 2012.
(All photos: WWW.DAVEBRIANBENDER.COM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

An Israeli Army mobile howitzer artillery piece heads back to base, after an assault on a mock enemy stronghold in a display held at the Shivta Field Artillery Base, in southern Israel, Thursday, May 24, 2012.
(All photos: WWW.DAVEBRIANBENDER.COM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Israel Air Force Apache Longbow helicopter goes in for the kill, in a mock assault on an enemy stronghold at the Shivta Field Artillery Base, in southern Israel, Thursday, May 24, 2012.
(All photos: WWW.DAVEBRIANBENDER.COM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

An Israeli soldier sits atop the open hatch of a mobile howitzer artillery piece headed back to base, after an assault on a mock enemy stronghold in a display held at the Shivta Field Artillery Base, in southern Israel, Thursday, May 24, 2012.
(All photos: WWW.DAVEBRIANBENDER.COM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

What Israeli Reserve Duty Maneuvers Are Really Like

Author's view from the driver's seat... (Photo: Dave Bender. All Rights Reserved)

I wrote this almost a decade ago, and still think it resonates. Comments (constructive, mind you...) welcome.

"Soaked to the skin despite a two-piece rain slicker, I try to pilot my open, windshield-less jeep through the downpour, stiff winds, and lowering clouds. With helmet and oversized driving goggles, I feel like Snoopy taking on the Red Baron - minus the doghouse.

"A recent call-up notice from my army unit once again invited me to join up with brothers - in - arms for exercises somewhere among the dramatic wadis in the sprawling southern Negev Desert.

"I was asked to drop everything I was doing at the moment, pick up an oily rifle and a heavy tan duffle bag, and spend some quality time practicing for the big one."

Read the rest.

My Kinda' Bloodthirsty Israeli Killing Machine!

At the :25 mark: "No More War. No More Bloodshed" (Quoting late Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin)

"His name is Dror Gomel, he’s 36 years old, has three children, lives in Kibbutz Beit Kama in the Negev, has a degree in special education, and has been drumming since he can remember.

"'I play on anything. Everywhere I go, I immediately start drumming,' says Gomel, and his fellow infantry reservists can testify."

Read the rest here.

You Say 'Nakba,' I Say 'Naksa;' Let's Call The Whole Thing Off

To all my media colleagues who take issue with my constant critique of our profession, it's because of abysmal coverage of events like "Nakba" and "Naksa" Day. You know, there's good reasons why the public largely thinks we're a bunch of media whores. Here are a few:

Simon Plosker over at Honest Reporting gives a good overview of bad news coverage of the so-called "Naksa Day" events along the frontier between Israel and Syria.

"Once again a flood of headlines present Israel as an aggressor responsible for the deaths of dozens of unarmed civilians. Was this really a peaceful protest or another Syrian-engineered attempt to breach Israel’s border? Where did the media get it right and where did it go wrong?"

Make sure to read the rest:

The following video is a warning issued by an IDF soldier to rioters approaching the Syrian-Israeli border near Majdal Shams, one which I heard broadcast live on the day in question:

Translation to English: "Stop! You are breaching an international border. We warn you not to damage security infrastructure. Whosoever attempts to violate Israel's sovereignty or security infrastructure puts himself in jeopardy. Please return to Syria."

Got that. Good, Now, here's a map of the area in question, courtesy of EoZ, who wonders, "So where was UNDOF on Sunday?":

UNDOF is the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force in Syria. This is its mandate:

• Maintain the ceasefire between Israel and Syria;
• Supervise the disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces; and
• Supervise the areas of separation and limitation, as provided in the May 1974 Agreement on Disengagement.

Here is a map showing its area of operations. I have highlighted Majdal Shams, where the riots were yesterday and on May 15th.

(Click on map to embiggen)

The map shows that the Arab rioters passed through miles of UNDOF areas patrolled by the Austrian contingent of UNDOF.

The entire UNDOF forces consist of around 1200 lightly armed peacekeepers.

So what did they do on Sunday to defuse tensions on the border?

Be sure to read the rest, and maybe you can provide an answer to his questions.

(Exclusive Audio) Gaza Flotilla: Catching the Next Wave

So-called activists from Iran, Turkey, Lebanon, Germany and several other countries are planning on sending waves of blockade-busting sea craft towards Gaza in coming days and weeks.

In an exclusive interview, Dave Bender speaks with an American-Israeli maritime security expert who says Israel must take a harder, clearer tack in averting a humanitarian disaster in the Hamas-led Palestinian enclave - and a possible military one on the high seas between Israel and its sworn enemies.

Listen in: http://www.davebrianbender.com

Gaza flotilla: both sides vow new confrontations

By Dave Bender, Gur Salomon, Yuan Zhenyu

JERUSALEM, June 1 (Xinhua) -- A day after the Israeli commando' s deadly raid on the Gaza aid convoy, there is no sign of an end to the hype. Both Israeli officials and international activists are standing their ground and say they're preparing for the next round.

Israeli government on Tuesday began dealing with repercussions of the incident. While most of the pro-Gaza activists are still under detention, Israeli military, after strict security check, delivered several trucks of aid unloaded from the flotilla to the coastal enclave.

Read more.

Israel and Palestinians Grapple Over Restarting Talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu ponders his government's initiatives during its first year in office, at a press conference in Jerusalem , April 7, 2010. (Photo: Dave Bender - All Rights Reserved).

by Dave Bender

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak are set in Cairo on Monday, Israelis and Palestinians are grappling over what restarting talks actually means.

"We're talking about a complex decision," Netanyahu said on Saturday night of the Arab League foreign ministers' call that day in the Egyptian capital suggesting the Palestinians renew negotiations.

However, Netanyahu cautioned, "Israel still awaits the official Palestinian announcement of their willingness to begin talks.”

Read the rest: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-05/03/c_13276185.htm

(Photo) Netanyahu: 'Sanctions With Teeth' Against Iran (UPDATED)

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu striding towards the podium at the seventh annual Jerusalem Conference, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010. (Photo: Dave Bender - All Rights Reserved).

By Dave Bender

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for “sanctions with teeth,” against the government of Iran, including imports of gas, and energy exports, in an address to a packed seventh annual Jerusalem Conference.

"'The argument is over,' Netanyahu said of the possibility that Iran was trying to make a nuclear weapon, and added that Iran was a threat to world peace, and to Israel...."

Meanwhile, in a related item, The Jerusalem Post's Sarah Honig, commenting on the Dubai Hamas hit (that, just to keep in mind, was aimed at stopping a Hamas/Iranian attempt to get even more, longer-range weaponry to use against Israel), says pretty much what I've been telling many over the years - often, unfortunately, to little avail:

"'dam butlab dam' (blood begets blood– but only for some)'

"As in yesteryear, so in the 21st century, it’s axiomatic that Arabs have the right to inflict incalculable harm on Jews, but the Jews’ attempts to deflect such blows are evil, outrageous and deserving of merciless punishment."

---

Other conference updates, audio and photos will be posted here: http://www.davebrianbender.com

Haiti: Israeli Field Hospital Delivers 2nd Baby (UPDATED)

Mazal Tov! Lt. Col Dr. Avi Abergel, IDF Gynecologist.

Haiti Earthquake: Mother Delivers Baby In Disaster Zone - ABC News

In the wake of the worst humanitarian disaster in years, post-quake Haiti could be one of the most hostile places on earth to give birth.

I have a question for the world so-called "community": If Israel, with its political, diplomatic and economic constraints, can get out there on the ground, set up and save lives - literally - within mere hours, why is so much of the aid sent by others not getting out there to people in the street as soon?

And if that's not enough, the "racist, apartheid" state of the Jews is sending even more:

In order to assist in the ongoing rescue efforts, an additional IDF aid delegation is scheduled to depart to Haiti on Monday night (Jan. 18). The delegation will deliver relief reinforcements that include medicine and additional equipment. Upon its arrival, the delegation will examine the needs of the IDF medical staff on the scene: http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News/today/10/01/1803.htm

Well said:

"The international agencies that condemn Israel for its "disproportionate response" when it is attacked are not mentioning Israel's disproportionate response to human suffering. The U.S. has pledged 100 million and sent supplies and personnel. The U.K. pledged $10 million and sent 64 firemen and 8 volunteers. China, a country with a population of 1,325,639,982 compared to Israel's 7.5 million sent 50 rescuers and seven journalists. The 25 Arab League nations sent nothing."

CNN video:
http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2010/01/18/dnt.cohen.haiti.patients.dying.cnn.html

CNN: "How has Israel, a small country on the other side of the world, set up an operating field hospital in Haiti while the United States has not?" "It's a frustrating thing that I really can't explain," Harvard Medical School's Dr. Jennifer Furin said: "No one except the Israeli hospital has taken any of our patients."

As I posted on my FB page: I just don't get why this has to be so damned slow. I've reported and worked a lot with the US Army up close at Ft. Benning: Not to detract an iota from Israel - we're all damned awed and proud of them - but the US troops are also a "get it done, right, yesterday" group.

I think it's just the federal bureaucrap poseurs, and officious little protocol drones that infect the distribution system for so large a logistical operation.

CNBC on Israeli Biz Model: 'It Just Works'

"Dan Senor, co-author of 'Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle,' discusses with CNBC how Israel has managed to become a leader in business innovation."

(Video) Israeli Flying car: Iraq medivac demo

"Foxnews reported on the X-hawk a year and a half ago, and the IDF insists that the prototypes are not far away (as close enough as 2010).

"Like a similarly sized helicopter, X-Hawk will be able to take off vertically, fly up to 155 miles an hour and as high as 12,000 feet and remain aloft about two hours, Urban Aeronautics says.

"But encased fans will replace the exposed rotors that keep helicopters from maneuvering effectively in urban areas or dense natural terrain because they have to stay clear of walls, power lines and mountain ridges. And a patented system of vanes is designed to afford the vehicle greater stability.

Urban Aeronautics says vehicles will be able to sidle right up to a building."

Is it just me, or does this remind you of the old Gerry Anderson British "Supercar," tv show...



(H-T: Double Tapper)

Video Profile: Women in The Israeli Army ('Current TV')

Current TV (yes that Current TV of North Korean-reporter "fame") take a close-up look at two female soldiers serving in the Israel Defense Forces: one, a combat ground forces medic, and the second a UAV operator in the Air Force:

Invisible 'Force Field' Shields Israeli Tanks

From The Jerusalem Post:

"The IDF Ground Forces Command has declared the Trophy anti-tank missile defense system operational, following a series of tests last week that surpassed expectations for the system's capabilities, it was revealed on Thursday.

"The Trophy system, developed by Rafael, creates a hemispheric protected zone around armored vehicles such as the Merkava tank, which operated prominently in Lebanon. The system is designed to detect and track a threat and counter it with a launched projectile that intercepts the anti-tank missile."

Israeli Army Recruiting Overseas, Interested?

From the IDF website:

IDF Volunteer Programs MAHAL GARIN TZABAR MARVA SAR-EL Volunteer Program		General Information Lone Soldiers (Chayalim Bodedim) Academic & Immigrant Reserve (Atuda) Town Majors

And if you're wondering about those allegations of misconduct against IDF troops in the Gaza assault against Hamas, or elsewhere, watch them them describe their experiences: http://www.soldiersspeakout.com/

Jes' sayin', that's all.

A Video Postcard from Hell: The Gaza War Up Close and Personal

Ariel Siegelman, whose family lives in Atlanta, was an infantryman with the Israel Defense Forces and fought in Gaza against Hamas last winter.

In a film prepared for Aish, he movingly and succinctly describes his experiences and personal revelations during the hellish house-to-house fighting.

I have met Ariel, and interviewed him for a story for my website. I trust his account.

The Aish video embed code is broken, so go watch it there.

Speaking with him during a recent visit with his family, he talks about his experiences as a professional seaborne Israeli security guard on international shipping lanes:

At first glance, 30-year-old former Atlanta resident Ariel Siegelman doesn't strike you as someone who's used to facing off against pirates and gunmen. But then, the soft-spoken, observant Jew starts describing hair-raising experiences as a professional Israeli security chief guarding passenger vessels and freighters plying the treacherous waters of the Gulf of Aden.

"One day, his ship was in the sea lanes alongside the Maersk Alabama, and the pirates' motorboat first headed for him..

"With some coaxing, the nominally taciturn Siegelman allows us into a secretive world on a little-seen front line, and how the violent contours of such daily skirmishes affect him, and his family.

"We talk about his recent visit to the United States, primarily to train urban SWAT teams, and his heartfelt recommendations for the Jewish community, in the wake of recent terror threats.

Go take a listen. I'm editing more tape and will upload there soon, so stop back.

'Breaking The Silence;' So Shut Up Already, Will'ya?

Past JPost colleague, news editor Amir Mizroch takes the "Breaking The Silence" NGO to the woodshed over allegations of IDF abuse of Palestinians during the Cast Lead op in Gaza in January.

Personally? My money's on Amir's take - but what do I know? I just worked with the guy, and know his reputation for integrity as a solid newsman...

My other straight news and multimedia production site is here: www.davebrianbender.com

OMG - This Is So True About The Israel Army! (No Kidding - Really...)

Pals of yours truly, in one of my last IDF reserve duty maneuvers deep (and I mean no kiddin' deep) in the heart of the Negev Desert. (Photo: Dave Bender)

A wonderful item showing the reality of life in Israel and the Israeli Army, behind the headlines:

"This picture really doesn't have a lot to do with Independence day, this is just so significant a part of the military lore that every soldier (or ex-soldier) feels his/her heart warming up at the sight of this scene, as inevitable as it is unbelievable. To explain: imagine that your unit is going through an action-packed week or two of training on one of the most deity-forsaken pieces of real estate somewhere in the middle of nowhere. You breath dust, sleep in dust and eat dust, mixed with some barely bearable elements of combat rations and machine oil. Black coffee (with some dust) is the best you are able to get in the way of delicacies. The water you drink from twenty liter plastic jerrycans is warm and somehow contains more dust than water. You run, you schlep heavy hardware built mostly of sharp corners, you crawl, you shoot and sometimes (by mistake) get shot upon. You are not getting enough sleep, enough rest and you wonder when the heck it will come to an end. And then, when your unit commander declares a half an hour break and you turn your back to your tank or your APC to take a look at some non-military part of the environment, what you suddenly behold is a miracle. In the middle of nowhere, access to which is prohibited to civilians due to this nowhere being a fire zone, besides the said nowhere being totally inaccessible physically to any vehicle less robust than an APC, you see a dilapidated van, full of things you will normally pass on the street without giving them a second glance but here, in the... you know, being more attractive, seductive and debilitating then any wonder of paradise."
Read the rest.

More, maybe, all too personal accounts of IDF reserve duty, are here.

(H-T: Snoopy The Goon)

The Apology That Will Never Come

"We Have Love And It Will Win/Gush Katif and Samaria." (Photo: Dave Bender)

The sticker in the photo above was put out by opponents of Israel's Disengagement from the Gaza Strip and parts of Samaria in the summer of 2005. Jewish residents of the aforementioned areas tried to "market" their opposition to the traumatic national step not with anger and rancor, but via a message of faith, trust, hope and love. So much for that in a world ruled by money, guns and realpolitic.

By the way, go on and guess where and when I shot that photo. Go on, I'll wait...

It's the door of an shrapnel-riddled civilian apartment building in a poverty-stricken area of Israel's northern coastal city of Nahariya, just south of Lebanon.

The holes in the wall are from an exploded Katyusha rocket that Hizbullah fired at the town. A dozen feet away from the building is a synagogue that also sustained damage in the barrage - one of some 4,000 that hit the city in the summer of 2006.

I'm reminded of that photo by what Nadav Shragai, writing in Haaretz. He gives vent to what I, and I am certain many others, are feeling more and more deeply these last few weeks: 
Now, after the war and just before the election whirlwind sucks in our politicians once again, it would be appropriate for many of them to go out of their way and visit the mobile-home sites where those uprooted from Gush Katif live. This way they can tell them one small thing: I'm sorry.  

Tzipi Livni, Ehud Olmert, Shaul Mofaz and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israel Defense Forces and the police should do this - they, their agents and everyone else who initiated, implemented and aided in using force to uproot 10,000 people from their homes in Gush Katif and Northern Samaria, maliciously and without any real purpose.

Everyone who saw some good in the evil of the disengagement and evil in the good of Gush Katif has turned light into darkness and darkness into light. At the very least, they are obligated to make this small apology. 
Read the rest.

And I add my own mea culpa for placing my trust in all the military, academic and media "experts" I've interviewed over the years, leading up to and following the expulsion in the summer of '05 that confused black with white. Truth with lies, and honor, love, valor and elemental human decency, with squalid greed, fear and baseless hatred.

And you, dear reader?

The Gaza Riviera and What Might Have Been

Sderot billboard: "Who's next in the lottery?" sits above "Eli's steakiya," and across the street from the beleaguered town's City Hall - also the target of hundreds of Kassam rocket strikes. The red words between the Coke caps: "Lucky corner." Eh... maybe not so much. (Photo: Dave Bender)

David Suissa is an LA PR maven, who also happens to be pretty credible teacher and commentator on the Jewish mysticism front.

Here's a sad "parallel history" musing, about what might have been the future of the Gaza Strip, had the Palestinians taken the high road after Israel's pullout in 2005:

"...the other day, as my mind was numb from yet another report from the Gaza war zone, I saw something that made me go off on a wild dream. It started with the sight of two Israeli soldiers as they drove into Gaza in an armored personnel carrier, and as I watched the soldiers, I recalled how much Israelis love to go to the beach.

"As if I was hallucinating, I then imagined the same two soldiers in their beach clothes, in a convertible roadster, with a surf board sticking out and the music blasting, and instead of going to war, they were going to meet their buddies for a day of partying on the beach.

"They were going to the jetsetters' newest fun spot: the Gaza Riviera.

"By now, my mind was losing control. Images started flooding in. I saw this fabulous strip of hotels and casinos right by a sparkling ocean. I imagined thousands of proud Palestinians working with smiles on their faces to serve the thousands of tourists from around the world who were coming to their little strip of ocean paradise.

"Behind this paradise, I saw a bustling economy, where the highest quality produce was grown and exported; where entrepreneurs built software companies, banks and advertising agencies; where a university attracted students from around the world; where local culture and the arts thrived; and where you could take the Orient Express train to Beirut, Cairo and, yes, even Tel Aviv."

But that would have assumed they ever stop missing a chance to miss a chance.

This, by the way, is no idle wishful thinking. The average Israeli is "game" in more ways than one (sorry) to work and fork over millions of dollars into Palestinian coffers, both for goodwill, and for a "normative" life.

Not that I personally supported the venture - financially or ideologically - but the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government did. So the PA opened and ran the Oasis Casino in Jericho (yes, THAT Jericho, where the dice were to have been tumblin' down, instead of walls) - until, of course, the bloodlust for dead Jews got the better of them:

"The Oasis Casino, which sometimes had a daily turnover of close to a million dollars, was built in Jericho after the signing of the Oslo Accords, over ten years ago. In 1999, it made a profit of $54 million from the close to 2,900 people who visited the casino daily - 99% of them Israelis.

"The casino shut down in late 2000, a month after the PA started the Oslo War, after its roof was used for terrorist gunfire attacks at Israeli targets. The building was heavily damaged by Israeli retaliatory fire, and though it was later refurbished, it has never re-opened.

Here's a WaPo travel article on the place.

Gaza: The Downside of Firing Mortars at Israel (Shocking 'Darwin's Surprise' Video)

The downside of firing mortars at Israel? That'd be when they stop going up: