Knesset Turns Raucous Over Katz Appointment

Members of the Israeli opposition and the ruling right-wing coalition government exchanged insults and curses, Thursday, during the swearing-in ceremony of Yisrael Katz as Minister of Defense, succeeding Yoav Galant, who was dismissed by the occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Knesset approved new government appointments in a rare session as Yisrael Katz was appointed Minister of Defense, and Gideon Sa’ar as Foreign Minister. This is in addition to the appointment of Ze’ev Elkin as a minister.

According to the English Jerusalem Post, the session witnessed the exchange of insults and attacks between Knesset members from all parties.

Ultimately, opposition members left the Knesset hall in protest of Galant’s dismissal, which was met with severe criticism and protests in Israel.

During Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s speech against the opposition, opposition leader Yair Lapid shouted at him, describing him as “poison, and a draft evader.”

While Likud MK Tali Gottlieb attacked Galant on social media after news of his dismissal broke out, she supported Netanyahu’s choice.

In total, 58 MKs supported the new appointments without protest, while the opposition walked out of the session in protest at Galant’s dismissal.

Netanyahu justified Galant’s dismissal, Tuesday, by citing a breakdown in trust, while his statements were said to be shaky and weak.

Galant has repeatedly called for a diplomatic solution to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and has also called for the conscription of ultra-Orthodox men into military service.

This has angered Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox and far-right coalition partners, on whom he relies.

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Israeli Army Turns to Teachers to Plug Shortage

The Israeli media reported the occupation army is resorting to summoning hundreds of school teachers in Israel to serve in its army to address its manpower crisis in light of the acute shortage in the number of soldiers after thousands of them were killed and wounded in the Gaza and Lebanese battles.

The Hebrew Ynet website showed in recent months, the army recruited hundreds of teachers in schools to serve in its ranks and pushed in  repeated rounds of fighting in Gaza and Lebanon.

It added this measure has “put schools in Israel in great distress, leading to the cancellation of classes with schools appearing empty and students not finding anyone to help them.”

It pointed out in an attempt to fill the classes, invitations and appeals have been sent to retired teachers, parents and graduates – to enter the classrooms.

 “A large number of our best teachers have been called up for reserve service, and we are trying to help administrators in their distress, which is why we have turned to retired teachers, parents and school graduates who are willing to dedicate a few hours to replace teachers on the front lines,” Rabbi Rafi Maimon, director of the Amit school network, told Ynet.

“We are facing a major challenge here, and in my opinion, the army must take into account the situation and understand that teachers have a vital role. For more than a year, students have been studying in a shaky reality,” he added.

He pointed out the war on the Lebanese and Gaza fronts exacerbated the IDF’s crisis, due to the severe shortage of manpower and following the heavy losses it suffered in soldiers and officers in the ground battles, which requires the immediate recruitment of thousands of soldiers.

To avoid this predicament, the now-dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Galant had announced the recruitment of 7,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews, starting next week, which threatened to dismantle Benjamin Netanyahu’s government coalition, who was quick to sack him. Galant was replaced by Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz, who has no military background.

The Israeli occupation army, supported by the United States and Europe, continues its aggression on the Gaza Strip for the second year, where its warplanes bomb hospitals, buildings, towers and homes of Palestinian civilians and destroy them over the heads of their residents, and prevent the entry of water, food, medicine and fuel.

The Israeli aggression left about 146,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and famine that killed dozens of children and elderly people, in one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world according to Jordan24.

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Expert: Israel Army Suffers as it Fights on 2 Fronts

Military expert Dr. Nidal Abu Zeid confirmed that the Israeli occupation army has begun to suffer from problems related to ammunition and manpower, as a result of fighting on two fronts simultaneously. He added this contradicts its combat doctrine. 

Abu Zeid added to Jordan24 that the issue of manpower shortage came as a result of the heavy losses suffered by the occupation forces on the southern Lebanon front. 

This is in addition to the fact that only one in three males joins the army plus the fact that 15% of soldiers drop out during military service and do not serve in the reserves while the number of those who obtained exemptions from conscription for medical and psychological reasons has jumped from 4 to 8%, according to figures published by Israeli websites.

Abu Zeid pointed out Hezbollah’s success in bombing the Tzrifin military base, which is 120 kilometers from Lebanon with the Fateh 110 missile, which was used for the first time, is a step that falls within the framework of the equation of proportionality. 

He added the base includes camps for training and military education and headquarters for senior officers in the artillery and communications corps and the military unit affiliated with the spokesman for the occupation army. Unit 108, which specializes in maintaining electronic and technical systems and equipment in the air force of the occupation army, also operates in the base.

Regarding the developments in the Gaza Strip, Abu Zeid pointed out that the occupation army withdrew its 252 Reserve Division, which was deployed in two brigades in the Netzarim axis, and returned its 99 Infantry Division (reserve) to the Netzarim axis, which indicates that the occupation no longer has the luxury of military options.

He added that so the Israeli army is returning the divisions it withdrew from months ago to the same combat axes after restoring some of its losses, and this is something that has operational caveats as it ultimately leads to the construction of fragile military units and leads to the soldiers losing their fighting spirit, which explains the low level of combat operations in the Gaza Strip.

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Katz: Hardened Loyalist in Netanyahu’s Pocket

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in the middle of a war slaughter on Gaza and south Lebanon. This is regarded as an unprecedented move especially during wartime.

He cites a “crisis of trust,” between the two men that has brewing long before the war after 7 October, 2023.

Netanyahu finally took the plunge and appointed in his place, Israel Katz amid public outrage within the occupation state and increasing involvement in war crimes in Palestine and Lebanon.

Israel Katz has stepped up and previously served as Israel’s Foreign Minister and was formerly criticized as being weak and ineffectual. But maybe this is what Netanyahu wants for Katz is already a hardened “Bibi supporters” who can obviously be controlled.

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A Palestinian in Congress

Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib defeated her Republican opponent in Michigan’s 12th congressional district election, securing a fourth term as the only Palestinian-American woman in the US Congress.

Her victory comes amid the backdrop of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians so far and has been diplomatically and militarily supported by the Biden-Harris administration for more than a year.

Tlaib has been a vocal critic of the war, calling for the US to withhold weapons from Israel.

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