Egozi’s Fury: fiasco at the Kerem Shalom border crossing

Egozi’s Fury: fiasco at the Kerem Shalom border crossing

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On the surface, this is merely a crime of treason, the penalty for which, once the perpetrators are convicted, should fit the crime. Nevertheless, this affair of smuggling construction materials and equipment into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom border check point is not less alarming in yet another aspect. How, despite all security measures, the security services did not uncover the smuggling of contrabands right at the onset?

Among those involved, some one hundred suspects, some may have acted unwittingly. Nonetheless, some did know where the prohibited cargo was headed. They also must have known these materials are placing Israelis in harm’s way, and that it will be used to risk many more Israeli lives.

Two Israeli iron merchants are moving the goods to Moshav Mivtahim at Eshkol County, where the contraband is stowed within humanitarian goods and placed on trucks cleared to enter the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom check point. On the Palestinian side, they have a contact person from Gaza waiting to transfer the iron and materials to the Hamas’ military arm. This method garnered the two main suspects millions of Israeli pieces of silver.

This simple, unsophisticated method of smuggling contraband, has shed a ridiculous light on the security means in place at the Gaza checkpoints. If materials were smuggled into Gaza so easily, what could stop arms and ammunition from getting through? Given that all this has been taking place for a long time until someone suspected something was wrong, that we are talking about a shameful, serious fiasco. This calls for a major in-house investigation.

The Gaza border crossings have hundreds of security people on the payroll, complete with directors and chiefs and team heads, on top of screening personnel. How could it have happened, that for such a long time all this equipment and materials went through into the Gaza Strip? With the security means in place, not a single item should have gone undetected. I really hope this aspect will get looked into closely. Otherwise, we are in for another such fiasco.

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Those who had condemned the soldiers for “setting dogs on a Palestinian boy” are showing their true colors as hypocrites cut off from real life.

During an engagement in Judea and Samaria, the youth threw stones at a company of soldiers. The human rights organization B’tselem recorded the soldiers, holding two dogs, taking the 16 year old Palestinian Hamza Abu Hashem. Nevertheless, aside from local eyewitnesses, no evidence was produced the soldiers set the dogs on him. Abu Hashem is known to security authorities from previous, similar events. He was recently sentenced to 18 months in prison.

I would like to see the soldiers’ detractors facing a mob throwing stones and rocks at them. Soldiers are not allowed to use their own personally issued guns, so what would their critics have them do? Give our candy to those stone throwers?

What’s disappointing is the IDF’s response. They said they were instigating an investigating into “the serious incident”. Just to please the critics? Isn’t it time to allow soldiers in Judea and Samaria to defend themselves against life threatening stones?

Last Friday, they said they will cease using dogs in Judea and Samaria altogether. In line with this strange stance, why don’t you take their weapons too? Just issue them sticks. Someone here is out of their minds.

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Yet another spin from the Palestinian Authority. Last Friday, they said they were considering to end security coordination with Israel. Sounds like tough, impressive talk. Well, no. If security coordination ceases, then Hamas will take over the West Bank within one day. Israel is helping Abu Mazen remain in power. So tough talk aside, actions speak louder. This is yet another tall tale from the Palestinians.

Arie Egozi i-HLS Editor-in-Chief
Arie Egozi
i-HLS Editor-in-Chief