The US elections have begun. We pray that it will result in the United States moving back into a strong friendship with Israel, and pursuing policies that will make it once again the leader of the free world.

For Israelis, this is a life or death issue. With Iranian blood-thirsty Islamic maniacs declaring every five minutes they are going to annihilate Israel, Abu Ali decided to take a poll among Israelis on what they suggest we do about it. Two hours and a thousand votes later, this is the result:

• 60% support a preemptive strike
• 32% said let them strike first and then strike back
• 4% said do nothing and prevent a regional war, and
• 4% don’t know.

That means over 90% support an Israeli attack against Iran.

What do I think? I think we should leave it in the hands of what in my opinion has been a very capable handling of this war by our present IDF and democratically elected government. Except for the colossal miscalculation of both these bodies that led to October 7, in the aftermath, both have been extremely competent given the dire situation. I am certain that the IDF knows exactly what Iran is planning and has prepared for it as best it can. If they decide a preemptive strike is the way to go, I’m sure it will follow that.

That is not to say that it is just dandy to have been cast in the role of sitting duck, which none of us is enjoying, to say the least. But if you live in the land of Israel, you live with faith that you are in sitting also in the palm of His hand. Any strike against His land and His people is a strike against Him. Does Iran really want to start a war with God? It will not end well. For them.

It has been a quiet day for most of us so far. Hezbollah rocket fire was aimed at Nahariya. Twenty missiles. No one was hurt. On the other hand, Israel struck terrorist bases in Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank. A terrorist was killed in Jenin, which is a hotbed of terror activity, and reports are that the IDF has encircled further terror suspects nearby.

It is the hope in Israel that the momentum to release the kidnapped will increase after the US elections, and that Hamas will drop its unrealistic demand for a complete Israeli withdrawal for Gaza (ain’t happening). The Government is prepared to offer 5 million dollars for each hostage, and publicize this in the near future.

What is top of the news today is not the war. It’s the law that will allow the government to do an end- run around the law to draft haredim which has so far denied them any government benefits or subsidies if they don’t do their IDF duty. The new proposed law, the Day Care Center law, allows the government to subsidize day care for families who avoid the draft if one person in the family works (i.e., the wife), thus weakening the pressure on draft-age haredi men. It hasn’t passed yet, but the government depends on the haredi parties for the coalition that keeps the it in power, but many coalition members have said they will vote no. Meanwhile, the army has issued 800 arrest orders for those who have not answered their draft notices.

Another issue that is top of the news is the leaking of a top secret document found in Gaza which apparently showed Sinwar’s propaganda attempts to turn the Israeli public against the government, which his detractors say served Netanyahu. I think the media has inflated this issue as yet another way to bring down Netanyahu, saying he was in cahoots with whoever leaked it to shore up his popularity (if that makes any

sense). I think we have more important things to worry about. Former advisors to Netanyahu have already been arrested over this.

The Iranian Space Agency announced that Iranian satellites Cowthar and Hudhud were successfully launched into space this morning from the launch point in Vostochny in eastern Russia. Let’s add this to our list of worries.

Abu Ali: “This morning, an organized group of civilians is preventing the opening of the stalls in the market of Deir al-Balah in the center of the Gaza Strip, with the aim of forcing the merchants to lower the prices of the various goods that rose dramatically during the months of the war, so much so that many of the residents cannot buy anything. Behind the organization of the civil protest is a group of Fatah supporters opposed to Hamas. These same group was also behind the series of ‘Bidna Na’ish’ (want to live) protests in the last decade in the Gaza Strip, which led to many of them being deported by Hamas.” One Gazan complained that the “negotiations” taking place in Cairo between Hamas and Fatah are not to end the war, but how to distribute the aid. The Palestinian issue has been forgotten! These protests are widening throughout Gaza. If there is actually an independent civilian movement behind it, perhaps there might be some potential to separate them from Hamas, but I’m not holding my breath. And Fatah isn’t any better.

By the way, it’s reported that 40 out of 60 minutes of the press briefing in the State Department each day is devoted to questions about aid to the Gazans. That’s all the media care about, that these murderers and their bad seed offspring have enough cigarettes and sweets. Want food? Want cigarettes? Throw down your arms and surrender and release our hostages. Otherwise, suffer.

We hope this is true: “The newspaper Asharq al-Awsat from researcher Muhammad Shams a-Din, in the ‘International Information Society’ reports that Israel is erasing 29 villages from the map along the 120 km of the border with Lebanon that stretches between Naqoura in the west and Shebaa in the east. According to him, 25,000 housing units were destroyed in these villages. (This would mean that more than 100,000 Lebanese from the south will have nowhere to return after the war. Guess they should ask Khomeini if they can go to Iran.) The Lebanese National News Agency adds to this report that 3 km (1.9 miles) north of the border with Israel, and additional 37 villages and 40 thousand housing units have been wiped out.

When you turn villages into terror depots, you lose, sorry. You’re not coming back. It’s over.

Abu Ali: The Lebanese Christian journalist, Tony Abu Najm (a prominent opponent of Hezbollah) in a televised debate with a Hezbollah supporter: “I don’t want Hezbollah to surrender today. I want them to continue until the end so that none will be left!”

IDF: A short while ago, the IAF conducted an intelligence-based strike on weapons storage facilities used by Hezbollah’s munitions unit in the area of Al Qusayr in Syria. Hezbollah’s munitions unit is responsible for the storage of weapons in Lebanon and has recently expanded its activities into Syria in the area of Al Qusayr, near the Syria-Lebanon border. This is a further example of Hezbollah establishing logistical infrastructure to transfer weapons from Syria to Lebanon through smuggling routes.

Hezbollah, with the support of the Syrian regime, continues to endanger the safety of civilians by establishing its terrorist infrastructure within civilian areas.

New legislation outlawing support for terrorism in educational institutions has passed second and third readings in the Israeli Knesset. Teachers who express support for anti-Israel terrorism will be fired, and institutions that do so will lose government funding.

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