“Operation Guardian of the Walls” -- War Update May 21, 2021
Ceasefire
As of 2 am on May 21, there was a ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas. If Israel had not agreed to the ceasefire, Hamas had threatened to attack large civilian populations like Haifa and Tel Aviv. Although an agreement has been made, Israel remains on high alert. Historically, Hamas does not respect cease fire agreements.
President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu six times and supported Israel’s right to self-defense. He said he wants to “help rebuild Gaza but not fund Hamas.” He wants to give funding to the Palestinian Authority so that the citizens have rebuilding funds. In the past, many funds were given from the US and around the world and the funds were used to build more underground tunnels and to build up weaponry.
During the current war, the Israel Defense Force took out 62 miles of what is referred to as the “terror metro” which is virtually an underground city built to ready Hamas to attack Israel. These tunnels were built at the expense of medical supplies. Generally when money is given to Hamas for rebuilding the city, for medical supplies, etc. it has instead gone to build tunnels. Over $150,000,000 has gone to tunnels alone. The rockets sent into Israel are also expensive. The world has been providing money to the Palestinian people but it has not gotten to them and they suffer. It is now said that “President Biden gave money to the Palestinians that landed in Israel.” (Meaning the money given to aid the people was turned into the rockets that attacked Israel.) 200 Hamas terrorists and 25 commanders were killed during this war. The Iron Dome knocked out 90% of the rockets that were fired into Israel. If it were not for the Iron Dome, the Israeli death toll is likely to have been significantly higher.
Israel’s army is the most ethical army in the world. Every move they make is scrutinized by lawyers to protect Gazan civilians.
Reason for Attack
Typically, Hamas looks for any excuse to attack. However, Jerusalem was the reason for this conflict. To understand this conflict, one must have a historical understanding. 1948 marked Israel’s War of Independence and the dividing of East and West Jerusalem. In addition to the Old City, the Mount of Olives, and many neighborhoods around the Old City, the Jordanians took over the area called Sheikh Jarrah, an Arab neighborhood near the Damascus Gate, outside the Old City. During the period between 1948 and 1967, Jews were forced out of the neighborhood right next to Sheikh Jarrah called Shimon HaTzadik (Simon the Just). Jordan allowed their citizens to move into this neighborhood during those years. After Israel regained Jerusalem during the Six-Day War in 1967, the rightful Jewish owners came to places such as the Shimon HaTzadik neighborhood to reclaim their property. The Israeli courts continued to allow people to rent these properties because of an old law protecting the rights of renters (even though the property had been taken over by an enemy country). They were supposed to pay rent to the Jewish owners and in some cases to vacate, but in most cases, neither happened.
Besides the property ownership, this area is important to the Jewish people because of its history. In the Temple times, the ashes from the altar of the Temple in Jerusalem were deposited there. There are also 2,300 year old Jewish burial tombs there including the tomb of Simon the Just, one of the last members of the Great Assembly, who lived in the time when Alexander the Great conquered the area. There is also a memorial placed in this area on the road that used to lead to the Hadassah Hospital, for the 78 nurses and doctors who were ambushed in April 1948 as part of the War of Independence. This ambush was done by the local Arab neighbors while the British (who were still in charge) stood by and didn’t intervene to protect the Jews. Since the Jews had already been evacuated from the Shimon HaTzadik neighborhood, there was no one to protect the doctors and nurses. There are also memorials to Israeli soldiers who fell in the 6 Day War, fighting for Jerusalem in this neighborhood.
The Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood is named for the tomb of the doctor of Saladin named Sheikh Jarrah who was buried there 800 years ago; the word “Jarrah” is a nickname that means surgeon. These were two distinct neighborhoods that were living side by side until the War of Independence when Jews were forced to flee. Hamas prefers to use the name Sheikh Jarrah for the Shimon HaTzadik neighborhood, in order to try to erase the Jewish connection that dates back 2300 years.
There are hundreds of properties that were taken over by the Jordanians in 1948. Over the years, many Jewish property owners have taken the squatters to court. Properties have been affirmed to be owned by Jews and squatters have been required to vacate or pay rent. Regarding the particular 6 properties that have become the issue lately, a decision was made in February 2021, upholding previous decisions, that the tenants were not homeowners but squatters. They had previously been required to pay rent, but as the renters has refused (over decades) to pay rent, they would be evicted on May 2nd.
Hamas was using this case to incite violence and stir up support for the Palestinian cause by claiming that homeowners were being evicted for no reason.
Another issue was raised by Hamas to stir up Palestinian anger against Israel. Again, Hamas is distorting the true facts of the situation. It’s reasonable to suggest that Hamas was using the battle cry of Jerusalem to try to stir up anti-Israel sentiment in a time when Israel had been normalizing relations with Arab nations and Arab Israelis inside of Israel.
During Ramadan, many Muslim youth typically gather on the stairs just outside of the Damascus gate, causing trouble. However, this year because of the unrest related to the nearby Sheikh Jarrah and in an effort to protect Muslim families who were going to pray on the Temple Mount, the police blocked off the stairs yet still allowing Muslims to enter the Damascus Gate on their way to the Temple Mount. Police were trying to cut down on the loitering during a time when tens of thousands of Muslims were trying to pass through the Gate. This was a safety issue to help with crowd control. It was not a political issue or anti-Muslim action of the police.
What Now?
Historically Hamas has not respected crease-fire agreements. However, Israel has warned that if this cease-fire is broken, Israel will respond harshly. Hamas recognizes that Israel responded to their attack harder than they had expected and the cease fire will finally be respected and Israel will enjoy a peaceful Shabbat. Israel has never broken a cease-fire agreement but if Hamas breaks it, Israel has the right to respond with attacks.
Since the cease fire, there have already been riots on the Temple Mount but so far, no rockets.
Please pray that the cease fire holds and that the riots subside. Please pray that no other uprisings occur and that peace will be lasting.
Meanwhile, we know that there will be future attacks on Israel by Hamas. History proves this. There are not enough bomb shelters to run to once the Red Alert sirens sound. Even though the Iron Dome is taking out 90% of the rockets, still 10% are hitting Israel. More bomb shelters are needed.
How can YOU Help Israel:
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