Israel re-arrests 51 Palestinians freed under public pressure for Gilad Shalit

Netanyahu: IDF actions ‘send an important message’; West Bank civilian population ‘beginning to realize’ the consequences of the kidnapping, top defense official says in The Times of Israel by Aron Donzis and Spencer Ho 

Israeli soldier looks at Palestinians inside a car near the West Bank city of Hebron June 14, 2014. Reuters. Jerusalem

With no sign of life from three kidnapped Israelis teens six days after their disappearance, the IDF pressed on with its comprehensive West Bank operation Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, arresting 65 Palestinians, 51 of whom were Hamas members released as part of the 2011 deal for captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

The army also raided the facilities of Radio Al-Aqsa in Ramallah and Hebron.

In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the IDF’s actions.

“The activities of the IDF and the Shin Bet last night, during which Hamas terrorists released in the agreement for the return of Gilad Shalit were arrested, send an important message and are a critical component in a series of operations whose purpose is to return the kidnapped boys, and damage Hamas’s infrastructure in Judea and Samaria,” he said.

Israeli forces have been engaged in a widespread crackdown on Hamas in the West Bank since the kidnapping Thursday night of Eyal Yifrach, 19, Gil-ad Shaar, 16 and Naftali Frankel, 16.

According to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, 240 Palestinians, including 180 members of Hamas, have been arrested as part of Operation Brother’s Keeper, and 800 buildings have been searched, including 10 operations against da’wa institutions where Hamas recruits, disseminates information and transfers finances.

Welcoming Palestinian terrorists exchanged for kidnapped Gilad Shalit

“Last night’s activities took place across the West Bank,” a senior military official said. “We operated in Jenin, Qabatia and Samaria, Tzurif, Yatta and Samua. In Jenin there was a little friction during the arrests, but the rest occurred without incident. Additionally, we tested the defensive perimeters surrounding Jewish communities in the West Bank and the security fence as part of our efforts to prevent illegal breaches.

“Three hundred thousand people are under curfew, and after eight years of relative prosperity they are beginning to realize [the implications].”

The military source added that out of the hundreds of thousands of citizens in Hebron, “thousands, each of whom support six or seven family members, possess permits to work in Israel. Because of the curfew, they can’t work, and this has a visible impact on the population. With two weeks left before Ramadan, the population’s preparations for the holiday have taken a hit.”

Palestinians hand-out pastry celebrating kidnapping Israelis 

Home Front Defense Minister Gilad Erdan, a member of Netanyahu’s security cabinet, said that Israel is “well aware” of the identity of the Hamas cell that kidnapped the youths.

“The Shin Bet and intelligence officials are interested in investigating as many Hamas operatives as possible to find any leads on the whereabouts of the boys,” he told Israel Radio Wednesday morning. “The end result of any military operation should be the eradication of the Hamas movement.”

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz toured the Gush Etzion area overnight, and met with senior security personnel. The senior defense official said the chief of staff signed off on the continuation of activities.

“There is a lot of determination and we learn from arrest to arrest,” he said.

Finance Minister Yair Lapid took to Facebook Wednesday morning to praise the IDF’s efforts.

“It will not stop here,” his message read. “Hamas will learn the hard way, and even if it takes time, we will pursue the organization everywhere, day and night, just when they least expect it. Until they return the boys.”

Although Hamas welcomed news of the kidnapping, and has been held responsible by Israel and much of the international community, officials of the organization have denied any connection to it.

Video Simulcast of Jerusalem Conference in Israel

Benjamin Netanyahu addresses global and local defense strategies against militant Islamism, starting with deferring the potential establishment of a Jihadist, Palestinian state. He warns that carving-up Jerusalem to permit Palestinian authority would create 'a Mecca for all the world's terrorists.'

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Watch Video: Herzliya Policy Conference on Israel's National Policy - Featuring Bolton & Podhoretz

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Regarding the Israel Air Force's Syrian nuclear weapons raid, US Ambassador John Bolton said: "The daring and successful Israeli military strike… has obvious significance for the potential of a military strike against Iran's nuclear program. I think, given the debacle caused by our National Intelligence Estimate, that it's close to zero likelihood that President Bush will authorize use of military force against Iran's program before he leaves office, absent some dramatic new development."

He concluded: "Certainly in Teheran you can bet that they took careful notice of what the Israeli Defence Force did. Penetrating Russian supplied radars very similar to the air defenses that Teheran has; using techniques that could be very useful for a long range strike against Iran; this is the kind of operation that the Iranians needIran may be leading in points but the final whistle is still far ahead. to continue to worry about. Because I think with the collapse of American policy, the Israeli strike against the Syrian / North Korea facility is the harbinger of what may be – absent regime change in Teheran – the last resort… Unless you are prepared to see Iran proceed unmolested toward a nuclear weapons capability, which this NIE has given them free rein to do in my judgment, you are coming very close to a decision point in this country of whether you will use military force to stop Iran."

He believes that North Korea is assisting 2 members of the US' list of State Sponsors of Terrorism in nuclear weapons development, Iran and Syria, which the US State Department wishes to keep hidden to protect the failure of their treaty agreement which removed North Korea from the Terror Sponsors list.

Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz hinted Tuesday that the probability of an Israeli military strike against Iran has increased given "the deterioration of efforts to stop Iran diplomatically."

"The diplomatic timetable is running short and thus the next two years are critical for stopping Iran through diplomatic means."

Mofaz, who also served as defense minister as well as chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, was quoted in Ha'Aretz newspaper as saying, "Reality is complex but the picture is very clear: Iran may be leading in points but the final whistle is still far ahead… It is clear that the current trend must be reversed; and all the means are justified. This is a historical time… This time, no leader will be able to say 'we didn't know, we didn't understand the importance of this time.' The world must do everything that is necessary in order to assure a future of peace and prosperity for the next generations as well."