I am enthralled w #ghostsofbeirut, but a tinge of PTSD.
I was in Beirut in 1982. Alexander Hotel (Bob Simon's room). It had a nice outdoor cafe (used to be indoors til a bomb). Watched the IDF missile shooting down a Syrian jet, Syrian troops evacuate, Arafat & crew sail off. 1/
#Beirut 2/ Silly me. I bought a postcard & went to a post office to buy a stamp. Everyone howled. No service in yrs.
Went to Bashir Gemayal's office to talk with an aide about the president-to-be's PR in DC.
Not to be: the office & Gemayal were blown to smithereens 2 wks later.
#GhostsofBeirut@issacharoff 3/
PTSD? I still have rolls of film, developed but not viewed. Mental pic of the entrance to huge PLO cave/armory & a Saiqa soldier sitting as a guard, his skeleton in full uniform.
A mortar (no warhead) as a paperweight. Shrapnel was everywhere.
4/ #GhostsofBeirut@issacharoff
For yrs, I've investigated MughniyehS and Soleimani. Imad's legacy can be seen in his son, Jihad. Jihad was "adopted" by Nasrallah, Soleimani, and Supreme Leader Khamenei.
4/ Jihad Mughniyeh - with such godfathers, Jihad rose in the Hizbullah organization. He was chosen to lead a Hizb-Iranian unit to recon the Syrian side of the Golan to set up launch area to attack Israel. An Israeli plane took him out and his unit in 2015.
5/ How embedded was Imad Mugh w the Iranians? Wasn't he in Arafat's Force 17 guards? Yes, but the arch-terrorist was up to his neck w IRGC & Khamenei himself. 1. A pic of his receiving gift (Koran?) from SLeader. 2. In 2006 Leb War, Mugh, Nasrallah & Soleimani shared command.
6/ Imad Mughniyeh sat bw Qassem Soleimani & Hizb's Hassan Nasrallah. They were briefing the son of Islamic Iran's founder Khomeini about how they defeated the Zionists in 2006 war.
2 y.a, I discovered Khamenei published Soleimani's manifesto, where he wrote of 33 days of the war.
7/ Qassem Soleimani’s final interview shed light on Iran’s war on Israel from #Beirut & his love for Mugh.
He and Mughniyeh shared foxholes hiding from Israeli drones. His praise of Mugh was almost a hymnic.
Analysts need to focus more on his manifesto. jpost.com/middle-east/ir…
#beirutghosts correctly said there were not lots of pics of Imad Mughniyeh. This is an enlargement with his son, Jihad, on the Supreme Leader poster.
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The @washingtonpost and reporter @John_Hudson have gone rabid in their attacks on Israel. See the #1 story in the paper yesterday. 1/ Hudson must be challenged on every fact: 1. Biden never accused Israel of a "scorched earth" invasion. The term is used by Hudson and some of his colleagues. Biden also "walked back" the term "red line." (DeYoung) 2. Hudson lists quantities of 2,000-pound bombs transfered to Israel that "have been linked to previous mass-casualty events." Hudson DID NOT list the $320 million of JDAM and SPICE guidance kits which transform unguided bombs to precision guided munitions. 3. The "mass casualty" events he cites were discredited. Why? Because he couldn't recognize bunker buster bombs were used so that they would explode meters underground.
2/ Hudson and WaPo must be challenged on every fact:
4. Details and video on Israel's JDAM & Spice bomb kits were published in WSJ. The kits are expected to decrease collateral damage. When "dumb bombs" have been used, the IDF dive bombs to release close to target. wsj.com/video/series/e…
3/ Hudson and WaPo must be challenged on every fact:
5. "A Coordinated Media Attack on Israel by the New York Times, Washington Post, and CNN" details the newspapers' ignorance about dumb bombs, bunker busters, and precision guide munitions. jcpa.org/article/a-coor…
The US raises treatment of imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti and not allowing Int'l Red Cross reps to see security prisoners in Israel.
Now this? The US is seeking the death of Israel by a thousand cuts.
Barghouti is a thug in prison for life after ordering bomb attacks during the Intifadas that killed 5, including a Greek Orthodox Priest. He was a leader of the Al Aqsa Brigade terrorist group.
It's claimed that Barghouti, now a #Hamas fan, is a potential successor to Mahmoud Abbas. Is that why the #Biden Admin is supporting him? @JakeSullivan46 @NSC_Spox
As far as the Int' Red Cross visiting Pals in prison, how dare @SecBlinken make that demand when they do not see Israeli civilian hostages?! wapo.st/3xh0r2s
2/ You can tell a lot about a person by his friends.
Here's Marwan Barghouti with his prison pals -- Samir Kuntar, who smashed a baby's skull with his rifle butt during a terrorist attack, and Ahmed Saadat, who ordered the shooting of Israeli Minister Rehavam Ze'evi.
Kuntar was released in an exchange & joined Hizbullah. He was killed in an air strike while planning a terrorist attack on the Golan.
3/ You can tell a lot about a person by his WIFE's friends. Here's Mrs. Barghouti, Fadwa, with #Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
"3D analysis shows how Israeli troops fired into group of civilians."
WaPo deep dive is a classic case of JOURNALISTIC MALPRACTICE by Evan Hill who just left NYT where he crucified Israel for the May 2021 war in Gaza, He lied hid evidence, old clips. 1/ washingtonpost.com/investigations…
Journalistic Malpractice 2/ @EvenHill, formerly from NYT, Al Jazeera, Human Rights Watch. He wrote civilians were killed in Israeli raid that nabbed "several Palestinian fighters." At least 8!, including commanders.
The civilians - & all of Nablus - are used as human shields.
J Malpractice 3/
Hill was behind a NYT hit job, “Gaza’s Deadly Night” It claimed Israel collapsed Gaza apt buildings, killing many.
Hamas had a massive tunnel network UNDER residential areas. Hill ignored the fact & pics.
My indictment of Hill is here: jcpa.org/article/the-me…
#Purim's over; costumes are in the attic. With some trepidation, many Jews see the #Passover preparations & cleaning ahead.
Traditionally, this is a time to get Matza for the holiday.
125 y.a. students at Mikve Yisrael ag school were harvesting wheat. Why was a Rabbi there? 1/
Making of Matza is very meticulous. No water can enter the process until the last minute, lest the grain, flour, or matza becomes leavened. Must complete the process from the second H2O is added to the flour, kneaded, rolled out & baked in under 18 minutes.
Rabbis supervise.
2 types of Matza made in the Ashkenazi world -- machine-made & hand-made. Below: Round hand-made baked in the UAE & machine-made in Haifa ~ 1920.
Workers had signs up to remind them to have intention to fulfill the mitzva of matza; it's not automatic.
Also a sign: don't smoke.
This is outrageous on so many levels. 1/ 1. The Palestinians deny the existence of the Jewish People in Biblical time, even the existence of the Temple. 2. Palestinian looters & grave diggers plunder archeological sites constantly. 3. Most Pals aren't... nytimes.com/2023/01/05/art…
2/ "Palestinian relic" 3. Most Arab residents did not show up in Palestine until maybe 1400 yrs ago & many only in last 150 yrs. Erakat's claim to have been a Canaanite is bunk. 4. Dangerous precedent by US. Imagine US Embassy trucks emptying Israel Museum, Shrine of the Book...
3/ Pal relic.
...4. Pals claim the contents as well of Bible Lands Museum, Rockefeller Museum... 5. Pals strategy is to delegitimize the Jewish State any way it can, including religiously. Therefore, destruction of JEWISH RELICS on the Temple Mt.
.@USAmbIsrael Thomas Nides is upset that an Israeli visited the holiest Jewish site, the Temple Mt.
We have been "very clear in conversations w the Israeli gov'f on the issue of preserving the status quo in Jerusalem’s holy sites. Actions that prevent that are unacceptable.”
1/
2/ Amb Nides, the position of the High Commissioner of the Palestine Mandate ended in 1948.
Since Min Ben Gvir's visit took place during the middle of night DC time, I presume you got no guidance from DC, which would have been much tougher, like calling for an FBI interrogation.
3/ Amb Nides
It's probably better Ben Gvir got his visit to the Temple Mt out of the way early. Imagine the outcry the Palestinians & State Dept would have ginned up if the visit came in 2-3 wks.
Did USG issue anything to condemn the threats Hamas issued to deny freedom to pray?