Monday, July 24, 2006

Monday in Israel. July 24rth.

12:12 AM A picture, and a goodnight.



I took this picture on Friday morning in Petach Tikva. It says in the middle:

Government of Israel and Security Forces:

Chazak veEmatz (Be Strong and Be Brave)

On the right hand side it says,

"Am Yisrael Chai" -- The Jewish People [continue to] Live.
On the left hand side, "We Will Win"

Sorry updates were a bit sparse this evening - blogger was having a bad night as well...it took an hour just to upload this picture (perhaps Hizbolla has hijacked Blogger?).

The IDF is now investigating the possibility that friendly fire may have taken down the IDF helicopter. Five of the wounded IDF soldiers were from an IAF drone's friendly fire as well.

We need a better day tomorrow.

Good night from Israel.

--Jameel

11:10 PM Some Personal News and thoughts...

A senior level officer, who was interviewed on YNET yesterday, "Magad" Oded Bisyok, was injured today while fighting in South Lebanon, losing his hand. I read the article yesterday, where he said "Nothing will stop us from continuing", and he praised his soldiers, "After the kidnapping, my soldiers immediately ran in after their friends [in their tank, into South Lebanon]...they are heroes."

On my way home this evening, I stopped at a hardware store, where I found a soldier firmly talking on the phone to his wife/girlfriend, "Listen, I'm buying batteries for my flashlight now, I have to be up north in Lebanon in a few hours..." It was very surrealistic.

On Wednesday and Thursday I won't be blogging at all during Israel daylight time, as I have IDF reserve duty. I'm trying to find a replacement to keep things going on the blog.

All around Israel, there are posters and billboards with patriotic messages. I asked my friend Steg to take a picture of one, and here it is...





"Chazak ve'Ematz" -- Be Strong, and Be Brave -- a message to the Israeli people on a bus shelter.

More updates soon.

10:48 PM Blogger is now working better, and Im home, and back from shiur. Updates and pictures coming very soon.

10:45 PM Katyusha lands in Central Galilee, Katyusha lnads in Kibbutz Dovev.

10:34 PM Breaking News: Released for Publication by IDF Censor...

1. IDF officer and Soldier killed in battle this morning in Bint Jebail, South Lebanon and 16 wounded (2 serious, 5 moderate, 9 light). Mostly by friendly-fire.

2. The 2 pilots in the Apache Helicoper that crashed near Tzefat today, died.

5:54 PM Blogger Technical Issues causing infrequent updates.

1. Two seriously Wounded Near Maalot from Katyusha strikes
2. Air Raid Sirens sounding in Meiron, Tzefat, and Chatzor.

5:29 PM Pictures from Pro-Israel rally yesterday in San Francisco. (Hat-tip: Jeff D.)




What's a rally in SF without an anti-Israel rally? (someone should tell these people they have the flag upside-down)


5:38 PM 17 wounded in past hour's rocket attacks up North. 11 are shell-shocked, 2 serious, the rest moderate-light.

4:38 PM Direct hit on home in Nahariya. No reports of wounded. Rockets now falling in Maalot as well.

4:19 PM Rockets land in Nahariya. MDA responding. Air Raid siren in Teverya...

4:13 PM Over 30 rockets land in Kiryat Shmona, Rockets land in Carmiel. No wounded reported in Kiryat Bialik (Haifa area) which was hit by rockets a few minutes ago.

3:55 PM Air Raid Sirens in Carmiel.

3:54 PM Air Raid Sirens throughout the Haifa area. All Northern residents MUST be in bomb shelters, including the Golan Heights.

3:43 PM At least ten rockets fell in Naharia at 3:00 PM. No reported injuries.

3:39 PM MDA reports one lightly wounded in the village of Shlomi (by rocket shrapnel). Additional rocket strikes in Akko.

3:34 PM At least 12 IDF soldiers wounded in South Lebanon fighting since this morning. One soldier notified his parents via a cellphone SMS message that he was wounded. (YNET in hebrew)


Evacuation of wounded soliders -- YNET.

3:30 PM All Northern Residents, including the Golan Heights ordered into secure bomb shelters.

3:14 PM Rockets land in Haifa and surrounding areas. No reports of injuries

2:50 PM Katyusha rockets land in Nahariya and other Northern cities.

2:41 PM Pictures of IDF Soldiers putting on Tefillin before going into South Lebanon through Avivim. (courtesy of Chabad)








2:40 PM Historic Day for the Muqata Blog.

I'm now linked on the BBC arabic website (they grouped me with all the Lebanese bloggers). I guess they didn't read much of the content....



2:30 PM Electrical blackouts in Tzfat and surrounding areas -- result of Helicopter crash.

2:15 PM Reports of Katyusha Rockets landing in area of downed Helicopter.

2:05 PM Reports that two soldiers were seriously wounded in the Apache Helicopter crash near Tzefat. (UPDATED)

1:56 PM Helicopter crash result likely result of hitting high tension power line/technical issue...Not anti aircraft fire or Katyusha rocket.

1:42 PM IDF declares Metulla, "Closed Military Zone" and orders residents to leave in light of intelligence information.

1:38 PM Qassam Rocket lands near strategic location in Ashkelon. No reported injuries.

1:21 PM Reports of crashed IAF helicopter near Tzfat, 2 wounded, (one of them seriously) MDA, IAF Rescue forces at the scene. Unconfirmed reports of overturned IDF tank in South Lebanon near Bint Jbeil.

1:12 PM Unconfirmed Report of IAF helicopter crash in Northern Israel (South Lebanon?)

12:57 PM WarTime Bumper Stickers...(satire of current Israeli ads)




Deliveries...(incoming)...right to your home.








(courtesy of Reuveini-Pridan IPG advertisers).

12:33 PM Unprecedented: Channel 2 Israel TV reports that IDF is ordering recommending residents to leave the Israeli village of Metula. (confirmed on YNET. Community workers going from house to house to update residents)

12:06 PM Dan Halutz, IDF Chief of Staff says that IDF has photographic proof of Hizbolla rockets that can hit Tel Aviv and central Israel.

12:00 PM Rafi G. in JBlogger "face off with a Lebanese blogger, Mustafa.

10:56 AM Air Raid Sirens a few minutes ago in Kiryat Shmona...no rockets reported landing.

10:52 AM After 12 days of fighting, Israel has 37 casualties. 19 soldiers, 18 civilians.

10:30 AM Heavy fighting in Bint Jibeil

Nine soldiers were injured in heavy exchanges of fire that took place Monday morning between IDF ground forces and Hizbullah operatives in the area between the village of Maroun al-Ras and the town of Bint Jebeil in southern Lebanon. (YNET)




Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

25 comments:

westbankmama said...

Jameel - where are you getting your info about Metulla? I don't see this anywhere...(not that I am doubting you...)

Jameel @ The Muqata said...

WBM: It's a lead story on YNET, but just lowered one notch because of the downed apache. Story in hebrew here:
http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3280557,00.html

This article is a bit slow (I reported this an hour before this was printed) so the "closed military zone" update hasn't gone out yet. This story appears all over thw internet in Hebrew...

Anonymous said...

B"H
Ahalan wa'sahlan, Jameel! The visit to Muqata was fantastic, and I loved the bumper stickers, but where's the coffee? B'sorot tovot and regards from Ashdod.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
kasamba said...

If they wouldn't be so true- they'd be incredibly funny!

Thanks for the updates!

Unknown said...

Jameel @ The Muqata - I see you got the map (and not from google earth) :)

I will try to work on that GoogleE map of the area, however I'm really on tight schedule here.

Thanks for posting those adver. banners.

Hilarious.

I just posted few scenarios " The End of War"

Anonymous said...

I want to see some Achmed post because of the link, this is so funny!

Jameel @ The Muqata said...

Jew in Galut: Glad you like it :)

Salaam!

Ilan: Thanks for the links...

QassamBa: My pleasure!

Lazer: You keep up the good work as well!

Anonymous said...

I'm glad to see you have finally made it-next will be the Iranians.Our own spy.

Anonymous said...

Yay for Chabad!

Oh wait... it looks like they put "our dead rebbe is the messiah" yarmulkas on the guys they were giving tefillin to. Who wants to bet they also instructed them to recite the messianist credo?

Stop sabotaging the war effort, heretics. Go back to Natzrat.

AMSHINOVER said...

וְלֹא יִנָּתְשׁוּ עוֹד, מֵעַל אַדְמָתָם אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לָהֶם--אָמַר'ְהָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ

Fern @ Life on the Balcony said...

Oh wait... it looks like they put "our dead rebbe is the messiah" yarmulkas on the guys they were giving tefillin to. Who wants to bet they also instructed them to recite the messianist credo?

Stop sabotaging the war effort, heretics. Go back to Natzrat.


All righty then. I can feel your love for your fellow Jew all the way over here in California. :-/

stillruleall said...

I just added you to wikipedia. The entry on the Muqata was a bit dry so I took he liberty of adding you. Check it out! If you don't like it, tell me and I'll delete it... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukataa

tony said...

Greetings From England

Fern @ Life on the Balcony said...

I do love my fellow Jew. Jews for Schneersohn, like Jews for Jesus, however, don't count.

This doesn't even deserve a response. Have a nice night.

AB5SY said...

Israel is foremost in my prayers, fight well my brother.I have demanded my Government provide what ever Israel requests to crush our attackers.

Anonymous said...

Thoughts of a diaspora Jew in New York -what we have been doing every day: We pray. We follow the news carefully. We take biased news reports and editorials to task. We speak with our coworkers and acquaintances to try to make them understand. We pray some more. We are distracted at work. We check the internet for updates. We feel guilty because we are not doing enough. We pray some more. Our eyes well up with tears when we see a picture of a fallen Jew, chayal or not. We incessantly discuss the matzav. We pray some more. We hate Hezbollah. We despise the two faced statements of some of the European governments. We cheer when we hear Bush or Rice or some conservative commentator or the Israeli ambassador get it right. We grimace when we hear the Syrian ambassador or some no doubt well meaning but clueless "peace activist" vilify Israel, naively playing into the hands of the terrorists. We pray some more. We learn some Torah, and we think it should be a zechus for our brothers and sisters in harms way, and we feel impotent, because as important as we know it is, we feel we are not doing enough. We send some money to Israel. We buy some stock in an Israeli company or an Israel bond. We learn more Torah. We pary some more. We watch more news and pray some more. Am Yisrael Chai! My eyes are filling with tears now . I'm going to pray some more and go to bed.

AMERICA~LAND OF THE FREE said...

So glad I came across your blog. God bless Israel. You are in our thoughts and prayers here is the USA. Keep up the good work.

Anonymous said...

Keep up the great job Jameel, your blog ends up so long, and I want to say thank you for the updates so often, I lose place of how many times to say thanks, I've been reading your blog roll everyday,I really appreciate the effort.
and...er congrats on the Arab blog role thingy?? [lol]
thoose jooz are tricky!

P.S. I've written an open letter to The Guardian:(take a quick look)

http://bagelblogger.blogspot.com/2006/07/open-letter-to-guardian-is-guardian.html

best regards Aaron

Lion of Zion said...

Have been mobilized with a tzav shemonah or is this yout regular reserve duty? In any case, we hope you and all the soldiers come home safe.

Lion of Zion said...

can i write to peretz requesting that he release you from the reserves so that you can continue operating your hasbarah machine.

Jameel @ The Muqata said...

Ari: Regular reserve duty - not a tzav-8. This was planned a while ago...

In terms of the Hasbara machine - I'm still looking for volunteers to help!

Bagel: Thanks!

wandering jew: You should know -- everything you are doing is very much appreciated!

Fern: Some people just don't get it. *sigh*

StillRuleAll: You crack me up! Thanks for the Wiki entry ;-)

OK...back to the blog.

Anonymous said...

Sorry Jameel,Fern and anyone that has a problem with what that other guy said about Chabad he has a good point but I will say that they are not all like that but alot of them are and it is a big problem!!

Jameel @ The Muqata said...

Jew In Galut: His good point deserves its own time and response. This isn't the time or place.

And no, Chabad didn't make anyone say the Rebbe Mantra before putting on Teffilin.

(So therefore, his point is totally out place)

Anonymous said...

I do not want to get into an argument about it, Jameel, but considering that those kippot the soldiers are wearing say "long live our master, teacher and rabbi, the King Messiah for ever and ever", I think it's safe to say that these Lubavitch messengers are messianic. Who knows what kind of nonsense they're telling the soldiers? "Pray to the Rebbe Messiah and you won't die in battle"?

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