Articles

Defenceless Ireland couldn’t stop Father Christmas crossing its airspace even if it wanted to

Article published in The Daily Telegraph, 14 December 2023. © Richard Kemp

Speaking in the Dail yesterday, Leo Varadkar confirmed Father Christmas has been given permission to enter Irish air space from December 24 to 25 this year. Perhaps he thinks that will make amends for past misdemeanours, including his admission of pulling Santa’s beard off in a supermarket when he was five.

Although Varadkar thanked the Irish Department of Agriculture and Revenue Commissioners for allowing the necessary exemptions, if we assume the toy-laden sleigh will first touch down in Britain and Northern Ireland before flying on to the Republic, how can this be made to square with the Windsor Framework? In any case, the North Pole is not in the European Union, so the sweetmeats on board will presumably have to be labelled ‘not for EU’. I am sure we will not be witnessing any double standards from the Irish capital.

Even more seriously, I hope Varadkar has been coordinating the arrival of Santa with the RAF. After all, without an air force, Ireland is unable to monitor its own skies, far less police them. Under a once-secret defence pact between our countries that has been in place since the 1950s, the job of defending Ireland falls on the UK. British jets frequently have to get airborne to intercept Russian planes entering Irish airspace. The last thing we need is for the RAF to have to scramble on Christmas Eve to deal with an unidentified flying object over Dublin.

Our aerial assistance comes without any price tag despite Ireland being the second richest country in the EU by GDP per capita. Perhaps as a Christmas goodwill gesture, Varadkar could offer at least some reimbursement for the services of the boys in blue. But maybe that’s expecting too much from such a Scrooge-like figure, who once famously pronounced A Christmas Carol to be his least favourite seasonal movie, saying that Tiny Tim ‘should get a job’.

Articles

Israel is flushing Hamas out of Gaza

Article published in The Daily Telegraph, 13 December 2023. © Richard Kemp

I was inside the Gaza Strip yesterday and witnessed two terrorist tunnels being destroyed with explosives by IDF engineers in Shejaiya. In the same area of Gaza City a short time later, the IDF suffered one of its deadliest single skirmishes since the ground offensive began, with nine soldiers of the Golani Brigade killed in a gun and explosives battle with terrorists.

Heavy fighting continues in the north and south of Gaza, both above ground and in Hamas’s extensive tunnel network, which – to give you a sense of scale – is assessed to be even more extensive than the London Underground’s 250 miles. The tunnels bring yet another incredibly formidable dimension to urban combat, which is itself among the most challenging of battle environments, characterised by particularly high casualty rates, especially among attacking forces.

I’ve been into those tunnels: they are heavily fortified, concrete lined and with lighting, electric power and air supply. Over two decades they have been constructed using vast sums of money, including international aid that should have been spent on civilian infrastructure, and costing the lives of many Gazans including dozens of children sent underground to work on them.

The IDF’s inexorable advance through Gaza both above and below ground has seen rocket launches into Israel dramatically reduced as terrorist freedom of action is choked off. That said, when I was in Shejaiya a volley was launched from further south, but it was knocked down by Israel’s Iron Dome before it could leave the sky over Gaza.

The terrorist command structure, too, is beginning to break down as senior leaders are killed, though the head of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, and his henchmen probably remain underground somewhere in the south, no doubt with an eventual exit planned through tunnels beneath the border with Egypt. An increasing number of terrorists have been surrendering, which is an encouraging sign of plunging morale. Continue reading →

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Hamas is only winning in the minds of idiotic young Westerners

Article published in The Daily Telegraph, 11 December 2023. © Richard Kemp

You may not realise it from social media and much mainstream media, but Israel is winning decisively in Gaza, with Hamas consistently outgunned and outfought. The butchers of 7th October are beginning to lay down their weapons and surrender in droves or just run away.

While still clearing the enemy out of parts of Gaza City, since the ceasefire ended the IDF’s main effort has switched south into Khan Yunis, Gaza’s second largest town and Hamas’s major stronghold. In a stunning operation last week, IDF ground forces rapidly broke through Hamas defences there, encircled the city, drove a wedge between two major fighting formations and are now launching targeted raids into the heart of the terrorist infrastructure.

The tunnels are being cleared out by specially trained soldiers and dogs, along with robots, and destroyed using explosives and imaginative techniques, potentially including sea water and sponge bombs. Meanwhile the air force, as well as directly supporting ground troops with attack drones, helicopters and combat planes, has been striking at Hamas leaders, intelligence operatives and munitions. The last few days have seen some of the heaviest fighting so far.

The consequences have been devastating for the terrorists. Many have been killed, including battalion commanders who cannot be replaced. In my experience even some of the most hardcore jihadists are only too willing to spill the beans after being taken captive and therefore the growing number of prisoners will give up critical intelligence on operational plans and the whereabouts of senior Hamas leaders.

On top of this military ruination there is a growing resentment within Gaza. Ordinary people know their lives have been devastated and loved ones killed and maimed as a result of Hamas’s actions. Sensing the terrorists’ weakening stranglehold, more and more civilians are speaking out against the oppressive regime in a way that has never before been possible, including, it appears, to TV cameras.

All this signals the beginning of the end for Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The fight is not yet over but Israel’s objectives are being met with greater speed and effectiveness than many expected. Wisely, the Israelis took little heed of American and British military experts that urged restraint, advising the IDF not to invade with armoured divisions but instead rely on special forces raids as they themselves had done in Iraq and Afghanistan. That didn’t work there and it wouldn’t have worked in Gaza.

Netanyahu was also right about his strategy for preventing a regional war: go strong and Iran’s proxy terrorist groups will waver. Now Hizballah and its masters in Tehran are clearly shaken as they watch their allies in Gaza being eviscerated. Thus Israel has now Continue reading →

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Houthi militia risk dragging America into a new global war

Article published in The Daily Telegraph, 5 December 2023. © Richard Kemp

The West has allowed a new Al Qaida armed with ballistic missiles to form under its very eyes. After their post-9/11 neutralisation in Afghanistan, the greatest fear of the US and its allies was that it would re-emerge under the protection and with the support of another state, possibly acquiring weapons of mass destruction. Indeed, a potential alliance between Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein was one of the main drivers of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

That same nightmare scenario now exists with the Houthis. They have seized control over much of Yemen’s state apparatus. They are sponsored by Iran, which funds them and has armed them with ballistic and cruise missiles and attack drones, some with ranges exceeding 2,000 kilometres – the operational distance to Israeli territory – as well as anti-ship missiles, remote controlled maritime attack vessels and sea mines.

Since mid October the Houthis have been firing drones and missiles at Israel in ‘solidarity’ with Iran’s other proxies, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. On the 31st a ballistic missile was intercepted by the IDF’s Arrow air defence system above the Earth’s atmosphere, marking the first ever example of warfare in space. Since the Gaza war began the Houthis have been attacking shipping in the Red Sea, some with apparent Israeli links.

This is by no means the first time the Houthis have attacked international commercial shipping: in 2016, they attempted to strike two US warships in the Red Sea. They’ve also launched multiple drone and missile strikes against Saudi Arabia and the UAE, some causing significant destruction.

The most recent Houthi attacks were against the USS Carney and several commercial vessels on Sunday. This was a narrow miss: if the American warship had been hit, the West could have been dragged into further conflict. That of course remains a distinct possibility unless the Houthis can be deterred or de-fanged. And then of course there is the immense damage that these attacks are doing to global trade, with the Red Sea providing a vital maritime transit route connecting the Suez Canal to the Indian Ocean.

All of that brings into sharp focus a wider Western strategic naivety in the region. Much of the blame lies at the door of Joe Biden. Soon after he took office, without any apparent thought for the geopolitical implications, he de-listed the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organisation; largely, it must be assumed, because his nemesis Donald Trump proscribed them in the first place. Continue reading →

Articles

Israel is now attacking the true Hamas stronghold

Article published in The Daily Telegraph, 1 December 2023. © Richard Kemp

After a Hamas rocket launch broke the seven day ceasefire, Israel has now returned to the fight, bombing terrorist targets in Gaza and attacking on the ground. Unless the humanitarian truce is resumed, the IDF has unfinished business to complete in Gaza City and is also attacking Khan Yunis further south.

This city is a major Hamas stronghold. The terrorists will have used the pause in fighting to improve their defences and prepare sniper positions, mines and explosive booby traps. It is likely that Hamas’s leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, is holed up there in the underground tunnel network, along with thousands of terrorists. The IDF also believe that many of the remaining 140 hostages are being held in the city. Along with killing the terrorists, rescuing them will be the highest priority.

This is likely to be a tougher fight than the combat around Gaza city, because many Hamas terrorists, rather than fight a losing battle in the north, retreated there for what may be their last stand. Also because vast numbers of civilians moved south to escape the fighting in the north. The IDF has already made thousands of phone calls and text messages, and dropped leaflets warning them to leave, even air dropping maps showing safer areas to move to. Many however will not leave, and Hamas will do their best to force as many as they can to stay as human shields.

That is going to present the greatest challenge for the IDF. Clearly, as always, for moral as well as legal reasons, they will do all they can to minimise civilian casualties. Not only that, but also the greater the civilian casualties, the greater the pressure from the US to cease hostilities.

The US has also piled yet more demands on the IDF. According to leaked reports from Anthony Blinken’s meeting with the Israeli war cabinet on Thursday, he was told that eradication of Hamas may take months. His extraordinary response was: ‘I don’t think you have the credit for that.’ Blinken’s public remarks also suggested that the clock was ticking for Israel’s war. This puts the IDF in a Catch-22 position. The speedier the operation the greater the likelihood not only of more civilian casualties but also more Israeli military casualties.

The totally unreasonable pressure for a rapid conclusion of hostilities has been applied by the US since the beginning, even in the immediate aftermath of 7th October. A few days ago, Biden perversely tweeted that continuing the war means giving Hamas what they want, and ‘we can’t do that’. He sent Blinken to Israel to try to extend the ceasefire, which he failed to do.

Bringing a so-called peace to Gaza might be politically advantageous for Joe Biden, with both his eyes on the electoral calendar, but it is strategically irresponsible. If Hamas is not destroyed it will continue Continue reading →

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Duplicitous Joe Biden is forcing an Israeli surrender

Article published in The Daily Telegraph, 27 November 2023. © Richard Kemp

Joe Biden is no friend of Israel. His constant appeasement of Tehran and blatant distancing from Jerusalem – even refusing to invite Netanyahu to the White House – as well as his feeble responses to Iranian-sponsored attacks against US forces in the region, have only weakened the Israeli government’s hand in fighting terrorism.

His dispatch of two carrier strike groups to the region to deter Iran was recognition that these blunders had brought the Middle East towards a much wider conflict. It was also an effort to restrain Israel from taking the law into its own hands against Iran and its proxies by trying to give the impression that the US was ready to do the dirty work if needed. Some hope of that!

After his visit to Jerusalem at the start of the war, Biden said: ‘My administration’s support for Israel’s security is rock solid and unwavering.’ It wasn’t long before his actions proved his duplicitousness. While saying publicly that Hamas had to be defeated, he began coercing Israel behind the scenes to stop short of achieving that goal. US collusion with Qatar, which has long harboured Hamas leaders, forced the Israeli war cabinet to agree a ceasefire in return for release of a few hostages.

Now the four day truce is expiring, Biden is pushing for an extension while still claiming to believe that eliminating Hamas remains a legitimate mission for Israel. He knows that the longer Israel’s attack on Hamas is paused for hostage release, the greater the likelihood that it will not be resumed. Hamas is reeling from six weeks of IDF assaults in the air and on the ground and all that can save them now is a permanent halt to Israeli operations.

They will continue to use their only two effective weapons to attempt to bring that about. The first is the hostages, and Hamas will try to drip feed further releases to buy themselves more time. The second is the civilian population of Gaza. If Israel does return to the fight, Hamas will ensure as many civilians as possible die to intensify international pressure on Israel. In that Biden is also their willing Continue reading →

Articles

Too many want to believe Hamas’s hospital lies

Article published in The Daily Telegraph, 20 November 2023. © Richard Kemp

Hamas uses hospitals and other protected places like schools and mosques for terrorist purposes. Since 2006, when the terror group took over the Gaza Strip, we have seen report after report showing just that.

Back then, an American Public Broadcasting Service documentary showed Hamas gunmen prowling the corridors of Al-Shifa Hospital, intimidating staff and denying access to protected areas. In 2014, a Washington Post journalist reported that the hospital ‘has become a de facto headquarters for Hamas leaders’. In 2015, Amnesty International said that Hamas interrogated and tortured prisoners in Al-Shifa.

Yet since Israel launched its ground invasion of Gaza, this has suddenly come into question. IDF explanations for raids into civilian buildings, especially hospitals, have been treated with disbelief and even hostility. This is despite CCTV images of hostages being rushed around the Al-Shifa hospital, and evidence of a tunnel leading underground from within the complex. Captured Hamas terrorists have confirmed the use of hospitals for their terrorist cause and even Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, admitted in a speech in 2021 that the group used civilian infrastructure for military purposes.

Chief among those questioning what ought to be clear facts, inevitably, has been the BBC and its international editor, Jeremy Bowen. After the IDF displayed weapons seized at Al-Shifa, he gave an on-air diatribe implying that this was not convincing evidence that Hamas had a base in the hospital. He even suggested the pile of weapons could belong to the ‘security department’. Perhaps it is a coincidence that Bowen’s claim directly echoed the words of a senior Hamas terrorist on Al Jazeera two days earlier.

US intelligence confirms Al-Shifa has been used as a military headquarters. But terminology used by the White House national security spokesman, John Kirby, that it housed a command ‘node’ rather than a command centre as the Israelis described it, suggests a desire to underplay its significance. It’s hard to understand such Continue reading →

Articles

Sky News’s Kay Burley pushes anti Israel messaging

Article published by Ynetnews.com,  23 November 2023. © Richard Kemp

I’ve never before heard such an outrageous question asked on British mainstream media in any context. On Thursday Sky News presenter Kay Burley put it to Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy that the planned release of 150 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for just 50 hostages shows that ‘Israel does not think that Palestinian lives are valued as highly as Israeli lives’. She claimed that an unnamed ‘hostage negotiator’ had suggested that to her.

Hearing this rubbish reminded me immediately of an account by Israeli writer and former soldier Hen Mazzig, who in 2013 was monstrously told by a female university professor in America: ‘You IDF soldiers don’t rape Palestinians because Israelis are so racist and disgusted by them that you won’t touch them.’

Even if Burley’s hostage negotiator actually exists, why on earth would she repeat such a demented proposition live on national TV? There can only be one explanation and that is a desire to humiliate Levy and sow the seeds of Israeli racism into the minds of her viewers. That would be true to form for this channel, whose reports about the Gaza war have been constantly skewed against Israel.

Examples are too numerous to recount here, but just from memory (and I watch as little of Sky News as I can), earlier this month Burley blatantly misquoted Article 51 of the Geneva Conventions in an attempt to persuade viewers that Israel was guilty of war crimes. And another interviewer categorically denied that some anti-Israel protest organizers in the UK had connections with Hamas despite the fact that such links have been definitively proven.

Sky is of course not alone; Israel derangement syndrome is a common sickness among much of the British media. After an explosion occurred in the parking lot of the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza last month, without evidence the BBC immediately accused Israel of bombing it. Their correspondent in Israel, John Donnison, said he couldn’t think of any other possible cause than ‘an Israeli airstrike or several airstrikes’. Continue reading →

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Armistice Day protests: comment

Article published in The Daily Express, 16 November 2023. © Richard Kemp

The protesters who contemptuously stamped their boots all over the Royal Artillery memorial in London on Wednesday night would no doubt be the first to be outraged if anyone treated with such disrespect the objects and places they hold sacred.

Similarly, at Armistice Day events in London last Saturday, anti-Israel protesters climbed, and hung Palestinian flags on, at least two other war memorials.

This is no coincidence. Their vile behaviour is neither ignorant nor accidental.

It is a deliberate insult to the British values represented by these statues.

These are not just public works of art, they are sacred memorials to honour the best in our society, the men and women who fought and died to preserve our way of life.

People who gave everything they had and everything they would ever have so that others might live in safety and freedom.

They fought against the same fascist ideology that is represented by the pro-Hamas supporters that brandish their flags and chant ‘jihad’ and ‘from the river to the sea’, calling for holy war on our streets and the annihilation of Israel, one of Britain’s democratic allies.

The Home Secretary is talking about changing the law to protect war memorials from such defilement.

We have not needed such laws in the past.

The fact that we seem to need them today is a terrible indictment of the divisions in our society between those who respect British values and those who hold them in such utter contempt.

Clambering over these memorials is only one of the symptoms of these divisions that have been amplified in the weeks following Hamas’s massacre of innocent Israelis on October 7.

Week after week we have seen hundreds of thousands protesting against Israel’s defence of its people from murderous terrorist gangs.

Among their number, there have been supporters of terrorism as well as those who wish to intimidate members of the Jewish community, many of whom are now living in fear.

The Government needs to pay attention to these deeply troubling signs which will require much more far-reaching measures than changing the law on war memorials.