Around 1:15 PM on Sunday, a reporter for the state-owned Reshet Bet radio complained from the Kerem Shalom Crossing on the Gaza and Israel border that IDF soldiers and Israel Police officers appeared to be allowing, if not outright encouraging the Tzav 9 (named after Order 9, which mobilizes reserves soldiers) protesters to keep up their blockade that was stopping “humanitarian supplies” trucks from entering the Strip.
למרות מאמצי המשטרה: מעבר כרם שלום נחסם.
*עידכון תנועת צו 9: בשעה זו מעבר כרם שלום חסום.*
אחרי הליכה ארוכה בשדות והתגברות על מחסומים רבים לאורך כל הדרך – הגיעו מאות פעילי תנועת צו 9 מכל רחבי הארץ ובני משפחות החטופים למעבר כרם שלום. החל משעה זו המעבר חסום לתנועה ואף משאית אספקה… pic.twitter.com/RXHrOG6CKW
— Ariel Kahana אריאל כהנא (@arik3000) January 28, 2024
The vibe of the reporter’s complaint, which also accused the Netanyahu government, or maybe just the Religious Zionists, or Ben Gvir, of encouraging the protests, sounded exactly like the stuff yours truly and folks on the right were saying about the Tel Aviv police’s reluctance to remove the anti-judicial reform protesters who were blocking Ayalon Highway only four months ago.
Police and IDF Forces on Sunday morning tried to prevent the demonstrators from reaching the border crossing, following the Americans demanded “continuous aid” to the Arabs in Gaza, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s urging at his press conference Saturday night, saying Israel’s ability to win the war depends on its providing humanitarian support. And so, a smattering of trucks was able to enter the Strip early Sunday morning, but in a short time, the Tzav 9 folks managed to reach Kerem Shalom and shut the crossing.
היום החמישי ברציפות לחסימת מעבר כרם שלום: המשטרה חסמה את הכביש המוביל לכרם שלום. עשרות מפגינים בהם משפחות של חטופים, משפחות של חללים ופעילים של צו 9 צועדים ברגל בדרך למעבר: ״אף סיוע לא יעבור עד שאחרון החטופים יחזור״. pic.twitter.com/iax70U9IlQ
— almog boker (@bokeralmog) January 28, 2024
The Reshet Bet guy pointed out that only about 40 protesters had managed to evade police and army barricades, and added that it would have been easy for the security forces to remove them if only to create a corridor through which the trucks could enter.
Remember the nights when ten or so protesters were able to keep tens of thousands of motorists stuck on the highway? Isn’t karma delicious?
So far, the Tzav 9 efforts have been successful, as no more than about a dozen trucks were able to get through each day last week, compared to 200 a day the week before. On Sunday morning, only nine trucks made it through.
Ynet cited a senior government official who said last Friday, “The decision of the police to allow the blocking of the trucks is a political decision of Minister Itamar Ben Gvir which is intended to undermine the cabinet’s decision.”
OK, that explains the police officers, but who meddled with the IDF soldiers? Defense Minister Yoav Gallant?
“In the end, the cabinet’s decision has not been implemented for three days,” the source lamented, adding, “The American messages have started to arrive, they see this as something that needs to be solved immediately and cannot be delayed.”
See how committed the Biden administration is to the defense of democracy? Are they telling Bibi to crack a few heads? I won’t be surprised.
Likud Minister Chikli along with Likud MKs Boaz Bismuth, Moshe Saada, and Dan Illouz called on Netanyahu and Gallant to stop the humanitarian supplies at once, suggesting they allow Hamas to retain its hold on the Strip by delivering the Israeli goods.
They suggested the humanitarian aid would be delivered by international entities that Israel trusts, or, better yet, by the IDF in organized stations.
