Jeremy Corbyn Won’t Take Anti-Semitism Seriously

After meeting with Jewish leaders about the problem of anti-Semitism in the British Labor party, its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, announced that he is “absolutely committed to rooting out anti-Semitism from our party and our society.” But Stephen Pollard, judging Corbyn by his deeds rather than his words, argues that the Labor leader will continue to do nothing about the problem. He explains why:

[A]nti-Semites hate Jews because they see them as clever, sly, and wily. They think Jews secretly run the world. Hence the constant references to the supposed Rothschild control of the world’s banks, Jewish control of the media, and wars fought to further Jewish interests. This is where left-wing and right-wing anti-Semitism meet. The hard left regards the world as being run by a Western elite and by powerful interest groups, which need to be broken up by revolution. See how the anti-Semitic idea of the Jews fits into this?

[Such thinking] also explains part of the visceral hatred of Israel on the hard left. As a Westernized capitalist democracy, they regard it as another arm of oppression to be smashed. This is the milieu in which Jeremy Corbyn has existed for decades. He may not hold these views himself but he still doesn’t see anti-Semitism as a real form of racism. That is why the idea that Corbyn could ever act as a “militant ally against anti-Semitism,” as he put it recently, is so much hot air. . . .

Next week, one of Corbyn’s closest allies, the parliamentarian Chris Williamson, is due to speak at a meeting alongside Jackie Walker, who is currently suspended from the Labor party for alleged anti-Semitism. . . . All [Corbyn] need do is say to Chris Williamson: “If you go [to that meeting], I will denounce you.”

When [doing] that was put to him at the meeting [with Jewish leaders], Corbyn shrugged.

Read more at The Sun

More about: Anti-Semitism, Jeremy Corbyn, Labor Party (UK), Politics & Current Affairs, United Kingdom

Hizballah Is Learning Israel’s Weak Spots

On Tuesday, a Hizballah drone attack injured three people in northern Israel. The next day, another attack, targeting an IDF base, injured eighteen people, six of them seriously, in Arab al-Amshe, also in the north. This second attack involved the simultaneous use of drones carrying explosives and guided antitank missiles. In both cases, the defensive systems that performed so successfully last weekend failed to stop the drones and missiles. Ron Ben-Yishai has a straightforward explanation as to why: the Lebanon-backed terrorist group is getting better at evading Israel defenses. He explains the three basis systems used to pilot these unmanned aircraft, and their practical effects:

These systems allow drones to act similarly to fighter jets, using “dead zones”—areas not visible to radar or other optical detection—to approach targets. They fly low initially, then ascend just before crashing and detonating on the target. The terrain of southern Lebanon is particularly conducive to such attacks.

But this requires skills that the terror group has honed over months of fighting against Israel. The latest attacks involved a large drone capable of carrying over 50 kg (110 lbs.) of explosives. The terrorists have likely analyzed Israel’s alert and interception systems, recognizing that shooting down their drones requires early detection to allow sufficient time for launching interceptors.

The IDF tries to detect any incoming drones on its radar, as it had done prior to the war. Despite Hizballah’s learning curve, the IDF’s technological edge offers an advantage. However, the military must recognize that any measure it takes is quickly observed and analyzed, and even the most effective defenses can be incomplete. The terrain near the Lebanon-Israel border continues to pose a challenge, necessitating technological solutions and significant financial investment.

Read more at Ynet

More about: Hizballah, Iron Dome, Israeli Security