re: Israel–Hamas War Discussion Thread: News Links On First Page

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Re the electricity issue, there are several reports that the biggest concern is for hospitals, especially the ER's. That will be a major problem.

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Also have to take into account that it was a Jewish holiday and places like the IDF base they ran through would be short staffed due to the holiday.

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humans been around long before electricity was around

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If Hamas had spent all that aid money on... Well... Aid... They wouldn't be having this issue

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The holiday was part of it but also a large portion of Israel was protesting Netanyahu and many IDF members were refusing to report b/c has been busy trying to change the laws so he can avoid being prosecuted for corruption.

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Link?

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JERUSALEM (AP) — Thousands of Israeli protesters flooded the streets outside Israel’s Supreme Court in Jerusalem on Monday, a day before it hears a pivotal case against the curbing of the high court’s powers by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government.

Beating drums, waving blue-and-white Israeli flags and brandishing signs saying “Freedom” and “Hands off our Supreme Court!,” thousands of protesters from cities nationwide swarmed the main intersection outside the high court in a mass rally against the government’s deeply contentious judicial overhaul that has triggered one of the biggest domestic crises in Israeli history.

The sea of protesters hoisted up a giant banner that read “The court is supreme.”

On Tuesday, all 15 of Israel’s Supreme Court justices will appear on the bench for the first time ever to hear appeals by rights groups and individuals against the first major part of the overhaul, which the the government pushed through parliament in July. The divisive law cancels the court’s ability to block government actions and appointments using the legal concept that they are “unreasonable.”

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As Israel plunges deeper into crisis after the country’s parliament passed the first bill of a controversial judicial overhaul, thousands of Israeli army reservists – the backbone of the Israeli military – are threatening not to show up for work. And Israel’s leaders are sounding alarms about the country’s readiness for war.

The law that came into effect on Wednesday took away the court’s power to veto government decisions based on them being “unreasonable.” Millions opposed the change, according to opinion polls, which critics said would erode the independence of the courts and harm Israel’s democracy.

“At the current point in time, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is competent,” IDF Chief Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters on Tuesday, but he acknowledged that the country’s military readiness could be affected.

“If reservists do not show up for a long time, there will be damage to the army’s competence. It is a gradual process that will be affected according to the presence of the reservists,” he said.

The threat is unprecedented in its scope, experts say, and the military has pleaded with reservists to remain in their posts.

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Some members of Israel's military reserve are refusing to report for duty, in protest against plans by the ruling right-wing government to weaken the judiciary.

DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE: Omer Dank is in the streets after decades in the sky. Recently retired from the air force, he fought in every major Israeli military campaign since the early '90s. Now he says Israel is fighting him.

OMER DANK: (Speaking Hebrew).

ESTRIN: "The Israeli government has launched a war against its citizens," he said in a speech at a roadside protest. "We are under attack over Israel's basic common denominator - liberal democracy." Israel's government is proposing to weaken the independence of the Supreme Court. Many Israeli reservists have threatened not to serve. Hundreds have already skipped reserve duties.

DANK: It's a real big deal.

ESTRIN: That's Dank speaking to NPR. His job was to sit in the back of an F-16 fighter jet and guide bombs to their targets.

DANK: If the courts won't be independent or won't be considered as independent by the world, by the U.N., by the U.S., every pilot in the Israeli air force will be at risk of being arrested in other countries.

ESTRIN: Israel has already faced allegations of war crimes for its airstrikes on Gaza, killing civilians while fighting Hamas. Some officials have even faced European arrest warrants. But Israel has staved off prosecution, arguing that its judiciary holds the military to account. Human rights groups say Israel doesn't do that enough. Dank says the proposed legal changes could tip the balance.

DANK: No one will be able to give us the assurance that it will be OK.

ESTRIN: The widespread calls for disobedience throughout Israel's military units are unprecedented. In Israel, most citizens must serve in the military, and many volunteer for decades in the reserves. Israel's military depends on reservists for special missions. Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi is worried.

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has been busy trying to change the laws so he can avoid being prosecuted for corruption.

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I said earlier in this thread that the critical thinker could look at some of what Bibi said, look at Egypt emphatically stating that they gave warning prior to the attack, and draw that conclusion.

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