Israel and Middle East News Update Wednesday, May 12 Headlines: ● 35 Killed in Gaza, 5 in Israel, as Violence Escalates ● Egypt Concerned Over Israel’s Disinterest in Mediation ● Israel Declares State of Emergency in Lod ● PM Says Israel to Continue Operation, Warns Hamas ● US Top Diplomat Says ‘All Sides Need to de-Escalate’ ● UNSC to Hold Meeting on Recent Escalation ● Ra’Am Hopeful Coalition Talks Can Resume ● Thousands of Pro-Palestinian New Yorkers Protest Israel Commentary: ● Yedioth Ahronoth: “This is War’’ - By Alex Fishman ● Ma’ariv: “We’ve Created a Monster’’ - By Ben Caspit S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 1725 I St NW Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006 The Hon. Robert Wexler, President News Excerpts May 12, 2021 Reuters 35 Killed in Gaza, 5 in Israel, as Violence Escalates Hostilities between Israel and Hamas escalated with 35 Palestinians killed in Gaza and five in Israel. Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes in Gaza as the Islamist group fired multiple rocket barrages at Tel Aviv and Beersheba. Israel said it attacked Hamas targets, including intelligence centers and rocket launch sites. It was the heaviest offensive between Israel and Hamas since a 2014 war in Gaza and prompted international concern that the situation could spiral out of control. The violence followed weeks of tension in Jerusalem during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, with clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in and around Al-Aqsa Mosque, on the compound revered by Jews as Temple Mount and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. These escalated in recent days ahead of a (now postponed) court hearing in a case that could end with Palestinian families evicted from East Jerusalem homes claimed by Jewish settlers. Dig Deeper ‘‘In Photos: Dozens Dead as Israel and Hamas Intensify Aerial Bombardments’’ (Axios) Ynet News Egypt Concerned Over Israel’s Disinterest in Mediation Israel will intensify its airstrikes in the Gaza Strip despite efforts by Egyptian mediators to bring about an end to violence, a senior political source told Ynet. The source said that "the Egyptians were told that Israel was augmenting its deterrence against Hamas" and that the government has authorized the IDF to target and kill high-ranking military officials in Gaza. The source added that the security cabinet believed that Egypt and the international community will allow Israel to keep responding to the offensive of the Gaza terrorist factions until the beginning of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr this week. The IDF and the Shin Bet announced that a senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist group in the Gaza Strip has been assassinated in a joint operation. Dig Deeper ‘‘What is Hamas Trying to Achieve by Fighting Israel?’’ (Jerusalem Post) Jerusalem Post Israel Declares State of Emergency in Lod Fierce rioting continued in the mixed Jewish-Arab city of Lod and a state of emergency was declared, with Defense Minister Benny Gantz announcing the deployment of several Border Police units to help quell the violence that saw the burning of three synagogues and dozens of cars. Israel Police Chief Kobi Shabtai announced "We have not seen this kind of violence since October 2000," he said in reference to Arab riots that took place at the beginning of what would later become the Second Intifada. Escalations began as hundreds of Arab residents protested in solidarity with Palestinians in east Jerusalem and Gaza by throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails around while marching toward the Jewish neighborhood of Ramat Eskhol. A 33-year-old Lod resident and father of three named Musa Hassuna was shot dead during the riots. Israeli Police arrested two Jewish suspects. 2 Israel Hayom PM Says Israel to Continue Operation, Warns Hamas Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says an Israeli military operation has dealt a tough blow to Gaza terrorists but added that the fighting will continue for some time. In a nationally televised speech, he said Hamas and the PIJ terrorist groups "have paid, and will pay a heavy price." IDF chief Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi said the IDF attacked more than 500 targets over the first day of Operation Guardian of the Walls (dubbed by Hamas as Operation Sowrd of Jerusalem). "Dozens of terrorists were killed," he said, before adding that "the IDF is deployed along the border and acting in coordination with our air defense disposition to intercept the rockets." The comments by Kochavi and Netanyahu were made after the rocket fire extended to Tel Aviv. A woman in her 50s was killed in Rishon L'Zion and the outgoing volleys set off air raid sirens across central Israel and beyond, and the Ben Gurion International Airport halted flights briefly. One rocket struck a bus in the central city of Holon, just south of Tel Aviv. Dig Deeper ‘‘Gaza: Hamas, Islamic Jihad Vow to Step up Rockets Against Israel’’ (Jerusalem Post) Times of Israel US Top Diplomat Says ‘All Sides Need to de-Escalate’ Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged both Israel and the Palestinians to lower tensions and pressed for an immediate end to rocket fire by Hamas. “All sides need to de-escalate, reduce tensions, take practical steps to calm things down,” Blinken said as he met his Jordanian counterpart in Washington. Blinken strongly condemned rocket fire by Hamas and backed Israel’s right to respond. He also praised steps taken by Israel over the past day partly in response to concerns led by the US, including rerouting a flashpoint parade meant to celebrate Israel’s reunification of Jerusalem, the postponement of a decision on the eviction of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah, which has been described as a trigger for the violence. “But it’s imperative for all sides to take steps to de-escalate the situation,” Blinken said. Dig Deeper ‘‘Violence Upends Biden’s Israel-Palestinian Outlook’’ (Associated Press) I24 News UNSC to Hold Meeting on Recent Escalation The UN Security Council will hold an urgent meeting on the escalation between Israel and Palestinians, in its second such session in three days, according to diplomatic sources. The closed- door meeting has been requested by Tunisia, Norway and China. The first ended without a joint statement, with the US expressing reluctance to adopt a draft statement proposed by Norway. "We want to see to it that steps, whether they emanate from the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority or the UN Security Council, serve, not to escalate or provoke, but to de-escalate," State Department spokesman Ned Price said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the escalation must stop. "Israeli security forces must exercise maximum restraint and calibrate their use of force," he said in a statement, adding that "the indiscriminate launching of rockets and mortars towards Israeli population centers is unacceptable." Dig Deeper ‘‘Arab States, Turkey Condemn Israeli Action in Jerusalem, Gaza’’ (Ynet News) 3 Times of Israel Ra’Am Hopeful Coalition Talks Can Resume Coalition talks on forming Israel’s next government remained frozen as the Islamist Ra’am party refused to continue negotiations amid escalating Arab-Jewish violence within Israel and the escalating rocket barrages from Gaza. But sources within the political parties opposed to Prime Minister Netanyahu told Hebrew media they hoped the talks would resume when the violence subsides. Ra’am announced it had suspended coalition talks with the so-called “change bloc,” potentially dooming efforts by the parties to form a government that removes the longtime premier from office. A Ra’am source told the Kan that it was unclear if the party would again hold talks with Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid — who is currently tasked with forming a government — before his mandate to assemble a coalition ends on June 2, as the resumption of negotiations would depend on the scope of the violence. Likud sought to use the situation to pry right-wing anti-Netanyahu parties Yamina and New Hope out of any anti-Netanyahu coalition, sources from those parties noted that more than three weeks remain of the negotiations window, and insisted the talks could go ahead if the violence ends quickly. Unnamed officials close to Ra’am reportedly told media sources that Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas shared that view. Dig Deeper ‘‘Would Escalation with Hamas Benefit Netanyahu?’’ (Al-Monitor) Times of Israel Thousands of Pro-Palestinian New Yorkers Protest Israel Thousands of pro-Palestinian New Yorkers packed the streets of Midtown Manhattan at a protest against Israel amid ongoing violence coming in and out of the Gaza Strip. The protest, titled “rally to save Palestine,” commenced near the Israeli Consulate in New York, where internal security ordered staff home early to ensure their safety, a spokesman for the mission said. Several dozen pro-Israel demonstrators also rallied nearby and a part of the massive police presence at the scene was used to separate between the two sides as they shouted at each other. Local news outlets said police made a number of arrests, adding that the tense demonstration concluded without any other major incidents. A pro-Israel rally is scheduled for Wednesday evening at Times Square and is expected to bring large crowds. Dig Deeper ‘‘Trump Slams Biden’s ‘Weakness,’ Lack of Support for Israel’’ (Times of Israel) 4 Yedioth Ahronoth – May 12, 2021 This is War By Alex Fishman ● This is war. It isn’t a “round” and it isn’t “days of fighting.” The paralyzed airport, the strike on the strategic Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline, the massive shelling of population centers—this is war between Israel and Hamas. Up until late in the evening yesterday Israel rejected all of the offers that it had received from around the world to begin mediating a cease-fire.