The right Halachic Call --- The Tel Aviv District Court ruled on Sunday in favor of the municipality’s ban on sex-separated prayer on public grounds.

 

A shtiebel (Yiddish: שטיבל, romanized: shtibl, lit. 'little room or house', pl. שטיבעלעך shtibelekh) is a place used for communal Jewish prayer. In contrast to a formal synagogue, a shtiebel is far smaller and approached more casually. It is typically as small as a room in a private home or a place of business which is set aside for the express purpose of prayer, or it may be as large as a small-sized synagogue. It may or may not offer the communal services of a synagogue.

Dizengoff Square Is Not Your Private Shtiebel! (PM)

 

Tel Aviv court OKs city ban on public sex-separated prayer 

 

The court finds the ban nondiscriminatory while it also states that the municipality had applied it to Jews but not to Muslims.

The Passover prayer service held in Dizengoff Square, Tel Aviv, April 11, 2023

 

The Tel Aviv District Court ruled on Sunday in favor of the municipality’s ban on sex-separated prayer on public grounds.

The ruling was on a petition asking the court to order the municipality to allow sex-separated prayers on Yom Kippur on Dizengoff Square.

“On separation, I found no grounds to substitute the municipality’s discretion with my own as I was not convinced that the [municipality’s] decision diverges in the extreme from the realm of what is reasonable administratively. It relies on clear reasoning and I found in it no elements of authoritarianism, discrimination, unfairness or irrelevant considerations,” Judge Erez Yakuel wrote in his 24-page ruling.

In the petition filed last month by 14 residents along with the Rosh Yehudi nonprofit, one of the arguments was that the city’s refusal to allow sex-separated prayer on public grounds was discriminatory in light of its non-interference during multiple Muslim sex-separated religious events on public grounds.

The municipality last month declined to approve Rosh Yehudi’s request to hold its annual Yom Kippur event, which features the separation of the sexes, on Dizengoff Square. The holy day begins this year at sunset on Oct. 11.

Despite stating that the municipality’s refusal was non-discriminatory, Yakuel acknowledged in the same ruling that the municipality failed to treat Jews and Muslims equally. “The municipality clearly did not make the necessary effort to enforce its policy on all residents. It should do so in the future in real time whenever a violation becomes known—including vis-à-vis the Muslim population,” he wrote.  

The events of last year’s Yom Kippur prayer at Dizengoff Square, which Rosh Yehudi held with a permit, shocked Jews and others across the world. Secular activists interrupted the event, tearing down Rosh Yehudi’s dividers—frames made of flexible materials to symbolically separate the sexes while respecting the municipality’s ban on physical barriers. Some activists threw prayer books into the square’s fountain as they harassed and chased away Jews trying to pray on Judaism’s holiest day.

The municipality has insisted it could not allow sex-separated prayer on public grounds because this would discriminate against women, despite arguments to the contrary by multiple religious women, including feminist ones.

Yakuel said the municipality should allow Rosh Yehudi, whose mission statement is to strengthen Jewish identity, to hold the event if it is done without separating the sexes. Yet the subject of the petition and the main bone of contention was that separation.

In a statement, Rosh Yehudi, headed by Israel Zeira, noted that the Orthodox interpretation of Halacha, Jewish law, requires separating the sexes during prayer.

The court “failed to address the central issue,” Rosh Yehudi wrote. “In practice, it delivered an absurd and offensive outcome. It’s difficult to accept that in the Jewish state, Halakhic prayer on Yom Kippur is banned for those who wish to engage in it, even for just a few hours. Painful and regretful.”

Zeira told JNS that Rosh Yehudi is considering appealing to the Supreme Court.

 

https://www.jns.org/tel-aviv-court-oks-city-ban-on-public-sex-separated-prayer/

 

While The Halacha Is Not Clear Explicitly - Rav Moshe Feinstein Does Make A Difference Between Outside & Inside and Permanent Place of Tefillah Versus Temporary Place of Tefillah. (PM)

 

Those interested in pursuing this topic, see Sefer Chassidim 393; Yam Shel Shelomo, Ketuvot 1:20; Levush, Likkutei Minhangim 36; Bach, Even Ha-Ezer 62; and Kitzur Shulchan Arukh 149.  See also Iggerot Moshe OC 1:41 and Seridei Eish 1:77. PM.

The flyer concludes with a question: “Will you be there to save the future of Torah?” For Shame! Tell these midgets they are the ones destroying Klal Yisroel!

WRONG TIME FOR THE SECOND PART! A BISSELE SECHEL IS WARRANTED TO BE MAKIR TOV TO OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS RISKING LIFE AND LIMB FOR US --- AND BE MEKADESH SHEM SHOMAYIM  FOR ALL OF US - DO NOT BREAK YIDDISHKEIT INTO PARTS!

 

Elya Ber Wachtfogel,  of Yeshiva Gedolah Zichron Moshe of South Fallsburg he stated that the entire purpose of the medinah in Eretz Yisroel is to “oiker zein Torah, to uproot Torah.” He said that even for those who are not learning Torah, it is forbidden to join the Israeli army.“[The draft law] is a gezeirah that we cannot compare to any of the gezerios that there have been until now,” Refuah Shleimah To All Mishugoyim!

 Tell these midgets they are the ones destroying Klal Yisroel!

The Mishnah (Sotah 8:4–5 [44b]) explains: “When do exemptions apply? In a milchemet reshut [a discretionary war]; however, in a milchemet mitzvah, [a war that is a mitzvah], everyone must participate, even a chatan from his chamber and a kallah from her chuppah.” Rambam (Hilchot Melachim 7:4) codifies these exemptions for a milchemet reshut, and says that in a milchemet mitzvah there is universal conscription.⁴ The Chazon Ish (Moed 114:3 [p. 167]) asserts that in a milchemet mitzvah all are obligated to participate, even if the war effort does not require them; and in a milchemet reshut, everyone who is needed is required to join.

What defines a milchemet mitzvah? The Gemara (Sotah 44b) gives only one example: the war Yehoshua waged to conquer the Land of Israel. Rambam adds two other examples (Hilchot Melachim 5:1): “What is considered milchemet mitzvah? This is the war against the Seven Nations [to conquer the Land], the war against Amalek, and saving Israel from an enemy who attacks them.”

The Ramban expands the category of milchemet mitzvah. Based on his understanding that Bamidbar 33:53 (“And you shall dispossess the inhabitants of the Land, and dwell therein . . .”) is an imperative and not a promise, the Ramban includes in his list of mitzvot that he believes Rambam omitted a commandment to conquer and settle the Land of Israel (positive mitzvah 4). Because of this, he understands the Gemara’s example of Yehoshua’s war to conquer the Land not as specific, but as paradigmatic, and thus any war to liberate the Land of Israel is a milchemet mitzvah.⁶ The Ramban explicitly says that this applies in every generation, implying that there is no requirement for a king, Beit Hamikdash, Sanhedrin, et cetera.

Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Waldenberg (d. 2006; Tzitz Eliezer 3:9:2:10 and 3:9:2: summary:16) says that based on this Ramban, the wars of the State of Israel to liberate and maintain control of the Land are milchemet mitzvah and (7:48: Kuntrus Orchot Hamishpatim:12) that because Israel is under constant attack, Rambam would agree that Israel’s wars are milchemet mitzvah. Rabbi Waldenberg sees the ability to help in the mitzvah of the war effort as an additional reason, among many.

Rabbi Zevin, in his 1957 revision of his 1946 L’Ohr HaHalachah, added a paragraph (p. 64 in the 2004 reprint) in which he asserted that the 1948 War of Independence was a milchemet mitzvah because it was both saving the Jews from an attacking enemy (Rambam) and conquering the Land of Israel (Ramban).

The ability to force the terrorists off their mobile phones and onto pagers and push-to-talk radios was a flash of brilliance – and extraordinarily audacious. Not only did it injure thousands of terrorists, but also identified them and their commanders

 

Israel has proved it has the most impressive military in the world

 

Whatever one’s views on Israeli operations in Gaza and Lebanon hitherto, from a military and a security perspective the operation to take down the Hezbollah command and control networks is singularly extraordinarily impressive.

This is not some hastily-construed mission in the wake of the genocidal attacks by Hamas as witnessed in the immediate aftermath of October 7, but a highly sophisticated strike clearly coordinated with years of intricate and synchronised intelligence gathering – allowing Israel to map the terrorists from top to bottom.

We will probably never know the full extent of the intelligence behind the dismantling of the Hezbollah military network, but having been involved in similar operations against Al Qaeda, ISIS and the Taliban I know it will be deep, varied and comprehensive. No doubt the “Human Intelligence” operators, spies to you and me, have been embedded in Lebanon for years.

This is the indirect approach to military operations, devised by British tank commander Basil Liddell Hart, as a way to conduct operations and avoid the hideous level of casualties he experienced in WW1. At its heart is doing what the enemy will never expect, attacking weakness and reinforcing success.

The ability to force the terrorists off their mobile phones and onto pagers and push-to-talk radios was a flash of brilliance – and extraordinarily audacious. Not only did it injure thousands of terrorists, but also identified them and their commanders

This knowledge was then used by the Israelis who in the last 7 days have systematically taken out their leaders, culminating today with the announcement that Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah is no more. Equally impressive is the hold that the nation has over the Ayatollahs in Tehran, who have pretty much stood by and thrown Hezbollah under the proverbial Israeli juggernaut. They are no doubt fearful that Israel might take the fight to Iran, which the US would likely turn a blind eye to.

There will be many siren voices from the military academic community asking why, if Israel can manage to virtually obliterate a terrorist organisation, the UK failed to do the same in Iraq and Afghanistan. The answer is threefold. Firstly, the Israelis seem pretty much unencumbered by rules of engagement which always hamstrung our operations in the Middle East. Secondly, the IDF seem to be undeterred by their politicians who appear to accept extraordinary levels of civilian casualties and collateral damage. And thirdly, this is an existential fight for the survival of the Israeli state which was never the case in Iraq and Afghanistan for us.

However, the coalition operation led by the US and including the UK to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria between 2015 to 2017 was not dissimilar, and effectively culminated in the defeat of the jihadists.   This time I was supporting the Iraqi Kurd military, the Peshmerga on the ground, rather than as a British soldier, with the coalition providing precision strikes and intelligence on an industrial scale without having boots on the ground. Again, with generous rules of engagement and all those around ISIS considered combatants, collateral damage and casualties were not significant issues.

The implications of today’s action cannot be understated. Israel has seized the initiative in the most extraordinary manner, and this demonstration of military brilliance may well even convince Tehran to direct its other terror proxy Hamas to release the remaining hostages and sue for peace across the region. We can only hope.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/israel-proved-most-impressive-military-115439222.html

 

Julie Tichon, 37, was arrested late last month for a “series of sexual assaults” against the teen earlier this year while she was a counselor at YULA High School

The Tendlers' Mesorah never left the YULA Building! CLICK ON LINK:

 

 http://theunorthodoxjew.blogspot.com/2008/06/tendler-phenomena.html

 

High school counselor accused of abusing students: ‘Rather than advising them, she was abusing them’

A high school counselor in Los Angeles has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy — with police believing she likely abused other kids.

Julie Tichon, 37, was arrested late last month for a “series of sexual assaults” against the teen earlier this year while she was a counselor at YULA High School, a modern Orthodox Jewish yeshiva, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said Tuesday.

Police revealed details of the arrest while “seeking additional victims and witnesses in a series of sexual assaults in West Los Angeles,” without saying how many are thought to be involved.

 

Julie Tichon is accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old male student. Los Angeles Police Dept

“The suspect used her position of responsibility to gain these victims’ trust, then began inappropriate sexual relationships with them,” LAPD Detective Russ Hess said in Tuesday’s appeal.

“Rather than advising them, she was abusing them.”

So far, Tichon has been charged with three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and one count of oral copulation of a person under 18 and faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

She has pleaded not guilty and was released to her own recognizance, the DA’s office said.

She is expected back in court on Nov. 1.

YULA High School is a modern Orthodox yeshiva in West Los Angeles.

Tichon is believed to have worked at YULA High School for about four years, though she is no longer listed on the school website.

An email that YULA head of school Rabbi Arye Sufrin sent to parents in late May indicated that the school was aware of at least one other victim, according to a report from the Forward.

In the May 28 notification, Sufrin explained that a female staff member on the boys’ campus was accused of having “an inappropriate relationship of a sexual nature” with two male students, the outlet said.

What do you think? Post a comment.

Sufrin claimed the school had reported the allegations to the LAPD and that the staffer was no longer employed by YULA.

YULA did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

 

https://nypost.com/2024/09/25/us-news/high-school-counselor-accused-of-sexually-abusing-students/

. . . If you are uncomfortable with an operation that precisely targeted a group of jihadists who aspire to commit an actual genocide, just what sort of self-defense on Israel’s part would you support?

 

Sometimes, Violence Really Is the Answer

Sam Harris

Sep 21, 2024

∙ Paid

Members of Hezbollah burying their comrades. Beirut, September 19, 2024.

The recent attack against Hezbollah in Lebanon produced the expected bafflement and preening among those who can afford (or think they can afford) to remain confused about the ethics of human violence.  

Thousands of electronic pagers—and later, hand-held radios—exploded simultaneously, killing dozens and injuring vast numbers of jihadists. This attack, the ingenuity of which cannot be denied, has been widely criticized as a dangerous escalation, as a breach of the rules of war, and most ludicrously, as an act of terrorism.

But if this Trojan Horse operation was as precise as it appears to have been, then it ranks among the most ethical acts of self-defense in memory. There are no “innocent” members of Hezbollah—whose only contributions to human culture have been the ruination of Lebanon and the modern evil of suicide bombing. This Iranian proxy has been firing rockets into northern Israel since October 8th, in response to… well, nothing at all. Israel’s occupation of Lebanon ended a quarter century ago.

If the Israelis managed to target members of Hezbollah by turning their personal electronic equipment into bombs—without seeding such bombs indiscriminately throughout Lebanon—then they achieved a triple victory. First, they killed or maimed the very people who have been trying to murder them, and who have displaced 70,000 innocent Israeli civilians from their homes. Second, they marked actual jihadists among the survivors, presumably making them easier to capture or kill in the future—and, one can only hope, reducing their status in Lebanese society. And third, they have stripped away some of the glamour of jihad. The promise of Paradise is one thing; the prospect of living without fingers or eyes is another.

Again, the righteousness of this attack depends on whether it was as targeted as it seems. Tragically, four children are reported to have been killed. However, compared to almost any other military operation, this act of mass sabotage appears to have produced very few unintended deaths. It is an example of exactly the sort of calibrated violence that Israel’s critics claim to support. And it has delivered a profound psychological blow to one of the most ruthless jihadist organizations on Earth.

Of course, many assert that any acts of retaliation, however precise, simply breed more violence. They seem to believe that pacifism, in some form, must be the ultimate answer to Israel’s existential concerns. After all, how else will the killing stop?

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20240921202554/https://samharris.substack.com/p/sometimes-violence-really-is-the

“Excellent is Torah study when combined with a worldly occupation; for the exertion in both causes sin to be forgotten.” Mishnah, Pirkei Avot - Chapter 2, Mishnah 2

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Rabbi Landau calls on all yeshiva students not to show up at draft centers even for routine registration. Even the ones hanging out on the streets of Tel-Aviv looking for trouble!

 Tell these midgets they are the ones destroying Klal Yisroel!

The Mishnah (Sotah 8:4–5 [44b]) explains: “When do exemptions apply? In a milchemet reshut [a discretionary war]; however, in a milchemet mitzvah, [a war that is a mitzvah], everyone must participate, even a chatan from his chamber and a kallah from her chuppah.” Rambam (Hilchot Melachim 7:4) codifies these exemptions for a milchemet reshut, and says that in a milchemet mitzvah there is universal conscription.⁴ The Chazon Ish (Moed 114:3 [p. 167]) asserts that in a milchemet mitzvah all are obligated to participate, even if the war effort does not require them; and in a milchemet reshut, everyone who is needed is required to join.

What defines a milchemet mitzvah? The Gemara (Sotah 44b) gives only one example: the war Yehoshua waged to conquer the Land of Israel. Rambam adds two other examples (Hilchot Melachim 5:1): “What is considered milchemet mitzvah? This is the war against the Seven Nations [to conquer the Land], the war against Amalek, and saving Israel from an enemy who attacks them.”

The Ramban expands the category of milchemet mitzvah. Based on his understanding that Bamidbar 33:53 (“And you shall dispossess the inhabitants of the Land, and dwell therein . . .”) is an imperative and not a promise, the Ramban includes in his list of mitzvot that he believes Rambam omitted a commandment to conquer and settle the Land of Israel (positive mitzvah 4). Because of this, he understands the Gemara’s example of Yehoshua’s war to conquer the Land not as specific, but as paradigmatic, and thus any war to liberate the Land of Israel is a milchemet mitzvah.⁶ The Ramban explicitly says that this applies in every generation, implying that there is no requirement for a king, Beit Hamikdash, Sanhedrin, et cetera.

Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Waldenberg (d. 2006; Tzitz Eliezer 3:9:2:10 and 3:9:2: summary:16) says that based on this Ramban, the wars of the State of Israel to liberate and maintain control of the Land are milchemet mitzvah and (7:48: Kuntrus Orchot Hamishpatim:12) that because Israel is under constant attack, Rambam would agree that Israel’s wars are milchemet mitzvah. Rabbi Waldenberg sees the ability to help in the mitzvah of the war effort as an additional reason, among many.

Rabbi Zevin, in his 1957 revision of his 1946 L’Ohr HaHalachah, added a paragraph (p. 64 in the 2004 reprint) in which he asserted that the 1948 War of Independence was a milchemet mitzvah because it was both saving the Jews from an attacking enemy (Rambam) and conquering the Land of Israel (Ramban).

The Donkey Makes A Comeback....

 

Iran's Guards ban communications devices after strike on Hezbollah, security officials say

 

One of the security officials said a large-scale operation is underway by the IRGC to inspect all devices.

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has ordered all members to stop using any type of communication devices after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon blew up in deadly attacks last week, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters.

One of the security officials said a large-scale operation is underway by the IRGC to inspect all devices, not just communication equipment. He said most of these devices were either homemade or imported from China and Russia.

Iran was concerned about infiltration by Israeli agents, including Iranians on Israel's payroll and a thorough investigation of personnel has already begun, targeting mid and high-ranking members of the IRGC, added the official, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.

"This includes scrutiny of their bank accounts both in Iran and abroad, as well as their travel history and that of their families," the security official said.

Iran's Foreign, Defence and Interior Ministries were not immediately available to respond to the comments made by the security officials to Reuters.

In a coordinated attack, the pager devices detonated on Tuesday across Hezbollah's strongholds. On Wednesday, hundreds of Hezbollah walkie-talkies exploded. The attacks killed 39 people and injured more than 3,000 people.

Lebanon and Hezbollah say Israel was behind the attacks. Israel has neither denied nor confirmed involvement.

The security official declined to give details on how the IRGC force, comprising 190,000 personnel, are communicating. "For now, we are using end-to-end encryption in messaging systems," he said.

According to the same official, there is widespread concern among Iran's ruling establishment. IRGC officials have reached out to Hezbollah for technical assessments, and several examples of exploded devices have been sent to Tehran for examination by Iranian experts.

Nuclear facilities

Another Iranian official said the Islamic Republic's main concern was the protection of the country's nuclear and missile facilities, particularly those underground.

---

---

"But since last year, security measures at those sites have increased significantly," he said in reference to stepped up measures after what Iranian authorities said was Israel's attempt to sabotage Iran's missile program in 2023. Israel has never commented on this.

"There has never, ever been such tight security and extreme measures in place as there are now," he added, suggesting that security has been significantly increased beyond previous levels after the pager explosions in Lebanon.

The IRGC is a powerful political, military and economic force in Iran with close ties to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Set up after the 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect the clerical ruling system, it has its own ground force, navy and air force that oversee Iran's strategic weapons.

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It exerts influence in the Middle East through its overseas operations arm, the Al Quds Force, by providing money, weapons, technology and training to allied groups: Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, Yemen's Houthis and militias in Iraq.

Iran's military uses a range of encrypted communication devices, including walkie-talkies, for secure communication, said the first Iranian source. While specific models and brands might vary, Iranian military communications equipment was often developed domestically or sourced from a combination of local and foreign suppliers, he said.

He said Iran's armed forces have stopped using pagers for over two decades.

Tehran has developed its own military-grade radio transmissions through its defense industry to avoid reliance on foreign imports, especially due to Western sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program, he added.

However, in the past, Iran has imported communication devices from countries such as China and Russia and even Japan.

Iran and Israel have been locked in a shadow war for decades, with mutual allegations of sabotage and assassination plots.

The conflict, including between Israel and Hezbollah, has intensified in the past year in parallel with the Gaza war, which erupted after the Palestinian Hamas group attacked southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7.

Iran and Hezbollah have blamed Israel for assassinating Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah's most senior military commander, Fuad Shukr, in Beirut a few hours earlier in July. Israel said it killed Shukr but it has not confirmed it was behind Haniyeh's death.

Iran does not recognize Israel's right to exist. Khamenei has previously called Israel a "cancerous tumor" that "will undoubtedly be uprooted and destroyed."

Israel believes that Iran poses an existential threat. It also accuses Iran of secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons, though Iran denies seeking to build a nuclear bomb.

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-821316?

“Party of God” Without the Music!

 

How Hezbollah was humiliated

The effectiveness of the Lebanese political and military organization has come into serious question

People gather as fire fighters put out the flames at the scene of a reported device explosion in Saida in southern Lebanon

Explosions ripped across Lebanon Tuesday afternoon as hundreds of old-fashioned pagers stuffed with an ounce or two of explosives blew up, killing twelve and injuring approximately 3,000 more. On Wednesday, the low-tech carnage resumed, with exploding walkie-talkies killing at least another twenty people and wounding an additional 450. 

The targets were militants and allies of Hezbollah, Lebanon’s Shiite Muslim political and military organization which, together with a coalition of political allies, holds a majority in the country’s parliament. Hezbollah and the allied Iranian government, which heavily supports its activities, have blamed Israel, which has been in localized near-daily hostilities with Hezbollah since Hamas’s October 7 attack. Hezbollah backed Hamas in that assault and in the Palestinian organization’s ongoing war with Israel and pledged to continue fighting on its behalf until there is a ceasefire in Gaza. After increasingly frequent escalation in recent months, it has promised “terrible punishment” against Israel in retaliation for this week’s bombings. 

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility, but Tuesday’s pager assault came one day after Amos Hochstein, the Biden administration’s unsuccessful mediator charged with de-escalating tensions between Israel and the militant group, met with Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant, who told him that large-scale “military action” against Lebanon is now unavoidable. On Wednesday, both Gallant and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu made statements suggesting the Israel is starting what Gallant called “a new phase in the war,” shifting military operations from Gaza to the country’s northern border, where the exchange of fire has displaced some 60,000 Israelis from their homes for nearly a year. This week, the Israeli government expanded its official war goals to include the return of the displaced residents to their homes. 

Founded during Lebanon’s civil war in the 1980s, Hezbollah exists as a de facto state-within-a-state, fielding at least 100,000 fighters, an estimated 150,000-170,000 rockets, and other significant military capabilities. Heavily supported by Iran, Hezbollah, whose name means “Party of God” in Arabic, claims to act as a force of national “resistance” against “colonial” powers present or operating within Lebanon. Its broader operations have included the dispatch of fighters to foreign battlegrounds, including Bosnia in the 1990s and Syria from 2012 to 2015. In 2006, it was the main antagonist of Israeli forces invading Lebanon. Two years later, it defeated an attempt by the Lebanese government to take control of its separate communications network and enforced government recognition of de facto veto power over national policies and its continuing authority to offer its brand of resistance. 

Lately, however, Hezbollah’s effectiveness — its only justification for the immense power it wields in a country shared with seventeen other religious sects, many of which bitterly oppose it — has come into serious question. Many Lebanese blame it for the 2020 blast that devasted central Beirut, and it has forcefully thwarted investigations into the causes of that catastrophe. After many years of stonewalling, a UN-backed special tribunal convicted several Hezbollah militants in absentia for the 2005 assassination of Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, the last political figure who offered the country a semblance of unity. The pro-Hezbollah parliamentary majority has failed to repair the severe economic and political crisis that has been ongoing since 2019, a disaster that reduced more than 80 percent of the country to poverty — including many of Hezbollah’s own supporters. Since last October, Hezbollah’s running firefight with Israel has resulted in the displacement of about 100,000 Lebanese citizens from their side of the border, often in conditions of terrible wont in an already deeply impoverished and dysfunctional country. 

No one is entirely sure how the low-grade electronic devices were rigged to explode or by whom, but the fact that they were booby-trapped in such large numbers and to such wide effect has humiliated Hezbollah and made a mockery of its claim to lead the resistance in Lebanon. In addition to its inability to defend its own militants from death and injury on a mass scale, the low-tech means it has long prided itself on successfully using against its hi-tech enemy to the south were themselves weaponized against it in what is shaping up to be a reverse David and Goliath story. “Hezbollah and Iran’s bravado was put to the test and found wanting,” Hicham Tohme, a Lebanese political analyst who now lives in the United States, told me. “Hezbollah is clearly disoriented after [Wednesday’s] strikes… they’re at a loss.” Everyone else,” Tohme says, is displaying “respectful schadenfreude.” How respectful that schadenfreude will remain when Israeli tanks cross the border is anyone’s guess. 

https://thespectator.com/topic/hezbollah-humiliated-pagers-israel/?

This is not just a military victory, but a triumph of the human spirit over the forces of darkness. It is a reminder that as long as we have the determination to defend ourselves, the ingenuity to adapt, and the resolve to never forget the threats we face, we will always emerge victorious.

From beeper to bomb: Hezbollah's pager crisis explained 

 

 Hezbollah Top Brass Coming To The Office Today:

https://x.com/HamasAtrocities/status/1836718739309429216/video/1

 

Discover the breathtaking ingenuity behind the sabotage that turned Hezbollah’s pagers into explosive weapons.

CROWDS GATHER outside American University of Beirut Medical Center after thousands of Hezbollah operatives were wounded when the pagers they use to communicate exploded across Lebanon, on Tuesday.

In the annals of military ingenuity and technological sabotage, few operations can match the stunning attack on Hezbollah terrorists. Reports indicate that thousands of Hezbollah operatives, the vast majority of whom were active in civilian areas, were targeted by the explosive sabotage of their own pagers, with the devices detonating simultaneously in a coordinated strike. This daring operation represents a masterclass in the weaponization of ubiquitous technology against our enemies.

The engineering prowess behind this mission cannot be overstated. Modifying a seemingly innocuous device like a pager is a complex task, requiring a deep understanding of both software and hardware. Even the most basic customizations, such as altering settings to enhance functionality, demand technical acumen.

More advanced modifications, involving the bypassing of manufacturer restrictions through rooting or jailbreaking, necessitate a sophisticated grasp of the device’s operating system. Such actions, which would typically allow for the installation of custom ROMs and grant access to system files, also carry the risks of voiding warranties and compromising device security.

The true brilliance of this operation, however, lies in the hardware modifications. The miniaturized explosive charge that was somehow integrated into the pagers speaks to an unprecedented level of technological expertise. Such a component would have required meticulous planning and execution to avoid detection, ensure reliability, and maximize impact. The fact that these explosives were successfully triggered in a coordinated manner across thousands of devices is a testament to the meticulousness of the planners.

The implications of this sabotage extend far beyond the immediate damage inflicted on Hezbollah. The attack has sent a powerful message to our adversaries: Any device, no matter how mundane, can become a weapon against you. In an era where technology permeates every aspect of life, this operation showcases the potential for that technology to be turned against those who would seek to do us harm.

 

A person is carried on a stretcher outside American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) as people, including Hezbollah fighters and medics, were wounded and killed when the pagers they use to communicate exploded across Lebanon. Beirut, Lebanon September 17, 2024

 

For Hezbollah and its ilk, the era of technological innocence is over. Hezbollah leaders instructed their operatives to stop using cell phones and switch to beepers. At this point, every beeper, every phone, every device now represents a potential threat. The trust Hezbollah placed in these tools has been shattered, replaced with a pervasive sense of unease and suspicion. This is a victory not just in terms of the immediate damage inflicted but in the long-term psychological and operational impact on our enemies.

In a world where terrorism seeks to exploit every advantage, this operation is a powerful reminder of our capacity for technological ingenuity and asymmetric warfare. It is a testament to the brilliance of our engineers, the cunning of our planners, and the resolve of those who would seek to protect us from the forces of hatred and extremism.

Let this be a warning to all those who would seek to do us harm: In the era of ubiquitous technology, every device can become a weapon. And those who would seek to destroy us will always be met with the ingenuity, the resolve, and the technological prowess of the forces of freedom and justice.

This is not just a military victory, but a triumph of the human spirit over the forces of darkness. It is a reminder that as long as we have the determination to defend ourselves, the ingenuity to adapt, and the resolve to never forget the threats we face, we will always emerge victorious.

So let us marvel at this technological miracle. 

Let us honor the brilliance of those who made it possible. 

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And let us never forget the power of our ingenuity in the face of those who would seek to destroy us. For in the end, it is not the devices that make us strong, but the resolve of the people who wield them.

Louis Liblin is an expert in military strategies and innovation, and advises on and teaches military innovation, wireless systems, and emergency communications, at military colleges and agencies; and is founder of a consulting group for emergency management, cybersecurity, IP, and communications.

Dr. Michael J. Salamon is a psychologist specializing in trauma and abuse. He is director of ADC Psychological Services in Netanya and Hewlett, NY, and on staff at Northwell, New Hyde Park, NY. 

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-820757? 

*Al-Jazeera Onion is reporting From The Lebanese Family Court * "In a First Ever - Female Spouse Files For Divorce From Lebanese Male For His Inability To Fulfill His Conjugal Obligations, Israel Named as Co-Defendant!"

DEFENDANT TODAY WITH HIS PAGER

https://x.com/MOSSADil/status/1836136319585849594
 

DEFENDANT AT WEDDING

PLAINTIFF

LEBANESE FAMILY COURT & FALAFEL JOINT

https://x.com/MOSSADil/status/1836136319585849594

Every American has the right to participate in public life without violence, and that includes Donald Trump. Personally, I think he probably belongs in jail, but that is a matter for the justice system.

 

After former President Donald Trump was booked at the Fulton County Jail in August, his campaign plastered the mugshot on mugs, T-shirts, bumper stickers and beverage coolers. 

He is a convicted felon. He can not vote, or own a gun - Nobody ever envisioned a convicted felon would run for President of the USA. He  has to check in with his probation officer monthly. He can not leave the country without permission from his probation officer! He must notify his probation officer of his daily travel schedule! For those that do not understand what all this means - A CONVICTED FELON IS A CONVICTED CRIMINAL!

Trump’s campaign has reported raising millions from gear emblazoned with the former president’s mugshot.

This booking photo shows Donald Trump on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, after he surrendered and was booked at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta.

Not That Kind of Man

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Every American has the right to participate in public life without violence, and that includes Donald Trump. Personally, I think he probably belongs in jail, but that is a matter for the justice system. I also think he is easily the worst president in American history and one of the very worst people in our national life. But my feelings have no bearing on his rights or his safety. He is an American, and I want him to be treated fairly in court. He is my fellow citizen, and I want him to walk our streets without being in danger. He is a candidate for public office in the United States, and I want our government to ensure his safety—I am willing to be taxed to pay for his security.

If only Trump and his homunculus, J. D. Vance, cared as much about the safety of others as so many others care about theirs.

My colleague David A. Graham has already noted the misery that Vance is bringing down on his own constituents in Ohio, using hatred against immigrants to set neighbors against one another, a conflict that has led to the closure of schools and the lockdown of two hospitals. Vance is a product of such a working-class town, but in reality he is an utterly synthetic politician, a power-seeking drone who will do almost anything to further his political fortunes. In this case, he is casting the innocent people of Springfield, Ohio, in his own obscene little drama about migrant savages roaming the streets of the heartland trying to sink their teeth into Fluffy and Fido. Sure, it’s a pack of lies—Vance admitted on CNN that he and Trump are “creating stories”—but it’s all for the greater good, you see, of advancing the career of the Hillbilly Senator.

Trump, meanwhile, is turning the violence against him into fuel for more political hatred. In July, a young man—a loner with no obvious political agenda—tried to kill Trump in Pennsylvania, and almost did. And now another man is under arrest for a possible assassination attempt after being discovered near Trump’s golf course, apparently lying in wait for the former president. Once again, the suspect seems to be something of a weird loner who said on X that he voted for Trump in 2016 but in subsequent elections, according to federal campaign-finance records, began donating to Democrats. One might hope that these brushes with death would bring Trump a moment of reflection and, perhaps, even something like grace. But if Trump were capable of such a response, he wouldn’t be the man he is.

After the attack in July, Trump engaged in a self-indulgent ramble at the GOP convention, but he did not blame the Democrats; he left that for his surrogates in the party. This time, he’s not even bothering with any of that outsourcing and is instead using this latest incident to blame his political opponents, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, for putting him in danger. He also blames the justice system and the charges brought against him—charges in multiple venues that have been filed in the name of the State of Georgia, the People of New York State, and the United States of America—for encouraging others to try to kill him.

He posted this today on Truth Social and X, and I offer it here verbatim and in its entirety:

*The Rhetoric, Lies, as exemplified by the false statements made by Comrade Kamala Harris during the rigged and highly partisan ABC Debate, and all of the ridiculous lawsuits specifically designed to inflict damage on Joe’s, then Kamala’s, Political Opponent, ME, has taken politics in our Country to a whole new level of Hatred, Abuse, and Distrust. Because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse! Allowing millions of people, from places unknown, to INVADE and take over our Country, is an unpardonable sin. OUR BORDERS MUST BE CLOSED, AND THE TERRORISTS, CRIMINALS, AND MENTALLY INSANE, IMMEDIATELY REMOVED FROM AMERICAN CITIES AND TOWNS, DEPORTED BACK TO THEIR COUNTIES OF ORIGIN. WE WANT PEOPLE TO COME INTO OUR COUNTRY, BUT THEY MUST LOVE OUR NATION, AND COME IN LEGALLY AND THROUGH A SYSTEM OF MERIT. THE WORLD IS LAUGHING AT US AS FOOLS, THEY ARE STEALING OUR JOBS AND OUR WEALTH. WE CANNOT LET THEM LAUGH ANY LONGER. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!*

In other words, Trump is blaming two possible attempts to kill him on pretty much anyone who isn’t an open partisan on his side, and that includes Biden, Harris, me, and millions of other Americans.

Self-awareness is not part of Trump’s personality: He is complaining about overheated rhetoric while constantly spewing such rhetoric himself. He has called Harris various names, and he refers to everyone else he doesn’t like as “vermin” and “scum” and other insults. (Today he called the sitting president and vice president of the United States “the enemy from within.”) Many of Trump’s political opponents and public critics have been the targets of plots and threats, including a pipe-bombing campaign. At this point, with two apparent plots against him foiled, a more thoughtful person would consider what he could do to help turn down the temperature in the nation. But again, Trump is not that kind of man.

America, however, has had such leaders. Many of Trump’s supporters on social media, afflicted with short memories and a lack of historical awareness, seem to believe that the attacks on Trump are unprecedented. Two assassination attempts in about two months is indeed horrifying, but it is not unprecedented: In 1975, President Gerald Ford survived two such attempts in fewer than three weeks. One assailant was a woman from West Virginia named Sara Jane Moore. The other was an acolyte of the murderer Charles Manson, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme. Both of them came within feet of killing Ford.

Ford was a decent man and an underrated president, and he certainly had enemies, especially after pardoning Richard Nixon. (Moore was obsessed with the Vietnam War and thought that assassinating Ford would spark a violent national revolution.) But he did not blame his opponents for the attempts on his life. He did not blame America, or the courts, or anyone else. He also did not use the attacks by Moore and Fromme to fundraise: Trump used his attacks to beat the bushes for money within a few hours. Instead, Ford acceded to the Secret Service’s request that he start wearing a trench coat with a zip-in Kevlar vest. (It was very uncomfortable and he disliked wearing it.) He then went back out in public and conducted a presidential campaign, which he lost.

Trump doesn’t deserve to be the target of violence any more than his opponents do, even if his own rhetoric has inspired multiple threats against public figures—and, of course, a seditious riot. 

We are a better country, and a better people, than Trump, and every good American citizen should insist on his protection and his safety. But he and Vance seem unable to insist on ours—a fundamental duty of elected officials—and this makes them unfit to hold any American public office.

Bret Stephens expresses my sentiments exactly:

"If Trump wins the election, I’ll feel sick. If Harris wins, I’ll feel scared. A Trump victory is going to complete the G.O.P.’s transition to a full-blown MAGA party that trades conservative convictions for illiberal ones. A Harris victory puts an untested leader in the White House at a moment of real menace from ambitious autocrats in Moscow, Beijing, Pyongyang and Tehran. A Trump victory means the country is again going to go crazy with all the cultural furies he unleashes, both for and against him. A Harris victory means four more years of misbegotten economic policies, like the threat to put controls on prices some federal bureaucrat deems to be too high. A Trump victory is dreadful for Ukraine. A Harris victory could be terrible for Israel. A Trump victory empowers people who don’t accept the results of an election. A Harris victory empowers a candidate who has never won a presidential primary and whose supporters want to jail their political opponent."