world news
Strong majority of Americans support Israel-Hamas hostage deal
Nearly three-quarters of the American public supports short-term humanitarian pauses in the fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in order to allow for the release of hostages, a survey from the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) found.
Some 72% of respondents favored humanitarian pauses, as did 69% of Jewish Americans.
On the other hand, 20% of respondents were in favor of an immediate, unconditional ceasefire, an outcome favored by 16% of Jewish Americans.
60% of all respondents and 64% of Jewish respondents said that the release of all hostages held by Hamas should be a precondition for a long-term ceasefire. Hamas being removed from power was viewed as a precondition to a long-term ceasefire by 51% of Americans and 58% of Jewish Americans. In a similar vein, 46% of the general public, and 61% of Jewish Americans identified Hamas’s “disarmament” as a precondition for a ceasing of hostilities.“It’s clear that the vast majority of Americans understand that an end to the fighting must be tied to releasing the hostages and making Israel safer by removing Hamas from power,” said Mimi Kravetz, the Chief Impact and Growth Officer for Jewish Federations of North America. “Understanding these fundamental and widely held views is critical for our policymakers as they work to represent their communities.”
The researchers surveyed 1,290 American adults, 843 of whom were Jewish, on November 19 and 20, 2023.
The respondents consisted of a random subset of those who participated in a previous JFNA survey of 3,777 Americans including 2,199 Jewish Americans, which was conducted between October 29 and November 1.
The war’s strong emotional impact on American Jews
JFNA reported new data from that survey, revealing additional support for Israel’s war effort as well as that the war had a strong emotional effect on Jewish respondents. That survey found that Hamas deserved the greatest amount of blame for obstructing peace according to 39% of Americans and 50% of Jewish Americans. 10% of Americans and 13% of Jewish Americans blamed other Middle Eastern countries such as Iran, while 15% and 4% respectively said Israel deserved the brunt of the blame.
On the question of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, 76% of respondents and 91% of Jewish respondents replied in the affirmative, 13% and 4% respectively said Israel did not have the right to exist as a Jewish state, and 11% and 5% respectively said they did not know or were not sure.
The emotional effect of Hamas’s shocking attack on October 7 and the subsequent war has been significant, with 88% of Jewish respondents saying they had been emotionally affected by the war – 57% by “a great deal.”
Roughly half of American Jews said that there are two or fewer degrees of separation from someone who had been killed, injured, or displaced due to the war. About 30% of Jewish participants said the war has made it harder for them to feel comfortable sharing their views with non-Jewish friends.
When asked how they would best describe Hamas’s initial attack, all respondents most commonly replied with “terrorism,” “barbaric,” “massacre,” and “war crimes.” In contrast, the terms most associated with Israel’s response were “justified” and “self-defense.”
While the research reveals strong levels of support for Israel among the American public, more demographic-specific research has found that support for Israel among young people is far weaker. A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll in October found that over a quarter of Americans aged 18-24 believed that the best solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict would be for Israel to be “ended and given to Hamas and the Palestinians.”
Special forces killed four terrorists in a vehicle during an operation in Nablus in the West Bank, army radio reported on X/Twitter Wednesday evening.
They were seen armed moments before they were killed, footage published by army radio showed.
A source told Kan that the terrorists killed in Nablus were a squad of terrorists from the Balata Camp that were preparing to carry out an attack against Israelis.4 מחבלים חוסלו ברכב במהלך פעולה של כוחות מיוחדים בשכם, כך הם תועדו רגע לפני שנהרגו pic.twitter.com/mFUGTHFqYg
— הוד בראל Hod Barel (@hod_barel) October 9, 2024
Riots in Nablus
Riots broke out on Wednesday afternoon, during which the IDF killed four terrorists following intelligence provided by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), Maariv reported.
Commander of the Balata Battalion of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade (which is aligned with Fatah) Issam a-Salaj was allegedly eliminated in the operation, Walla noted.
This is a developing story.
Following Hezbollah’s success at striking the Haifa area on Tuesday, the IDF later Tuesday and early Wednesday significantly increased its pace of airstrikes to try to roll back the groups’ rocket attacks.
The IDF announced on Wednesday that it had upped its airstrikes over the last 24 hours to 185 targets across all of Lebanon.
This was a significant increase compared to days when the strikes were in the dozens or even from Monday when the air force struck around 120 targets, but almost exclusively in southern Lebanon.
IDF strikes in southern Lebanon (Credit: IDF’ Spokesperson’s Unit)
Also, the targets were once again more spread out as opposed to being focused on the south, which had been the trend since the IDF invasion started on September 30. These changes could also mark a shift in strategy as the IDF possibly moves into a third phase of its major moves against Hezbollah, which started in mid-September.
The phases in question
The first phase saw two days of Hezbollah operatives and communications being torn apart by beeper and walkie-walkie explosions. It also included the killing of Ibrahim Aqil and around 20 of his top sub-commanders of the Radwan special forces. On September 23, it included the air force hitting 1,300 targets in only one day. Finally, on September 27, it included the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah as well as a number of other top Hezbollah officials, like Ali Karaki.
IDF officials have said that the strategy for Phase I was to disable Hezbollah’s capability to harm the Israeli home front in a devastating way as well as to lay the groundwork for a potential invasion if needed.
Phase two saw the invasion of southern Lebanon to take apart Hezbollah’s Radwan potential invasion weapons, tunnels, and positions. The air force, likewise, since September 30, has focused much more on southern Lebanon, especially providing real-time support to maneuvering ground forces facing ambushes from Hezbollah.
Every few days, the IDF sent in an additional division: first Division 98, then Division 36, then Division 91, and on Tuesday, Division 143, with more increases expected. They have increased the pace of destroying Hezbollah infrastructure in certain southern Lebanon villages, such as Mavarchin.
However, in what might be Phase 3, Division 98 is already receiving new maneuvering orders and IDF sources have said that they believe some initial missions of clearing Hezbollah positions will soon be taken care of sufficiently to move on to additional missions.
In turn, the air force may be refocusing on wider rocket threats throughout Lebanon.
If by September 30, it was assumed that Hezbollah’s failure to fire deeper into Israel and cause serious damage had shown they were truly losing that capability, Tuesday’s attacks on the Haifa area may have convinced top defense officials to return to striking beyond southern Lebanon to cause greater damage to those long-range capabilities.
All of this could be a prelude to the IDF shifting its focus from merely clearing southern Lebanon of Hezbollah’s presence to also trying to truly get the longer-range rocket threat under control.
These new efforts come with as the military also faces increased time pressure to succeed in restoring security for 60,000 northern border residents as Lebanon’s mountainous winter and the November 5 US presidential election both bear down on the timing calculus.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. Announced on Tuesday that it will be showcasing its latest defense capabilities at the defense AUSA exhibition October 14-16 in Washington D.C., including a new Lite Beam laser-based interception system integrated into the Trophy multitasking defense platform.
While not as much of a watershed moment as when Israel can finally deploy its Iron Beam laser defense system, the Lite Beam is still a powerful example of Israel succeeding in using layers, at least for short-range defense.
Defense sources told the Jerusalem Post that the Lite Beam’s operational capabilities have been proven, though they declined to disclose exactly when and how the IDF has used such capabilities in the field in Gaza or Lebanon.
The implication was that the Lite Beam would be effective against drones and possibly against mortars but would not shoot down most rockets or long-range missiles, which Israel eventually hopes the Iron Beam will do.In general, laser defense technologies are viewed as a major part of future air defense because they would end the arms cost race in which Israel and other wealthy countries constantly waste huge amounts of money to protect themselves from weaker adversaries using low-attack cheap forms of threats.
The sources added that the Lite Beam has hard kill neutralization capabilities which can be integrated on any vehicular platform and operational capabilities, and that it also can be a component of the drone dome which utilizes both soft kill and jamming.
The advantage of Lite Beam
Rafael said that Lite Beam “offers advantages such as engagement at the speed of light, an unlimited magazine, and negligible cost per interception.”
Further, Rafael stated that its “latest modular C-UAS solutions for force protection can operate alongside the Trophy Active Protection System (APS) in a combat formation to enhance ground maneuver capabilities across the battlespace.”
Moreover, it said, “The C-UAS Drone Dome solution, with its laser interception capability, can be integrated on 4×4, 6×6, and 8×8 wheeled and tracked vehicles to support counter-drone missions as well as other force protection missions.”
As part of its display, Rafael will introduce a unique modular Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) concept, combining advanced detection and interception technologies.
One of the defense systems on this platform is the Lite Beam laser-based interception system, but it also includes “the Samson 30mm Remote Weapon Station (RWS), on a 4-wheeled platform. These solutions provide maneuvering forces with robust force protection and flexibility against a wide range of airborne threats, including UAVs.”
Also, the Trophy’s “cutting-edge technology is operational on over a dozen platforms worldwide, including Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs), Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs), and Main Battle Tanks (MBTs). It has consistently demonstrated its adaptability and reliability in complex combat scenarios, providing comprehensive protection for vehicles and crews,” said Rafael.
“This latest presentation at AUSA highlights RAFAEL’s ongoing commitment to delivering advanced battlefield defense solutions. As global threats evolve, we continue to equip armed forces with cutting-edge technologies to ensure their operational superiority in diverse and challenging environments,” said Mr. Tzvi Marmor, EVP & General Manager of the Land & Naval Systems Division.
-
Solar Energy3 years agoDLR testing the use of molten salt in a solar power plant in Portugal
-
world news11 months ago
Gulf, France aid Gaza, Russia evacuates citizens
-
Camera11 months agoDJI Air 3 vs. Mini 4 Pro: which compact drone is best?
-
Solar Energy11 months agoGlencore eyes options on battery recycling project
-
Camera3 years agoCharles ‘Chuck’ Geschke, co-founder of Adobe and inventor of the PDF, dies at 81
-
Camera11 months agoSony a9 III: what you need to know
-
TOP SCEINCE6 months agoCan animals count?
-
Camera3 years ago80,000MP panoramas: EarthCam announces world’s highest-resolution robotic webcam
