What happened on Day 157?

Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian was suspended from teaching at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on grounds of inciting comments she made amid the Israel-Hamas war, the university announced on Tuesday.

In a letter sent to MK Sharren Haskel, the University president, Professor Asher Cohen, and the university Rector, Professor Tamir Sheafer, explained the reason behind the decision. 

“There is so much love in Palestine" w/ Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian

The brothers talk with Dr. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian about life under occupation in East Jerusalem and the affirmation of life and love at the heart of the Palestinian struggle for freedom. pic.twitter.com/egweIHQC5v

— Makdisi Street (@MakdisiStreet) March 9, 2024

On October 29, 2023, the university issued a letter condemning Shalhoub Kevorkian’s “alignment with a petition characterizing Israel's actions in Gaza as genocidal and labeling it an occupying force since 1948. The university management suggested that she consider resigning from her position at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.”

Professor did not resign after October letter

However, the law professor did not heed its words “and her divisive statements continue to bring embarrassment to our esteemed institution both nationally and internationally,” the letter to the MK read. 

“While the Hebrew University cherishes freedom of expression and academic freedom, Prof. Shalhoub-Kevorkian has pushed these principles to the limit by utilizing these principles for incitement and to create division,” the letter added. 

“As a proud Israeli, public, and Zionist institution, the Hebrew University strongly condemns Prof. Shalhoub-Kevorkian’s recent shocking and outrageous statements. The university's leadership reiterates its previous call for Prof. Shalhoub-Kevorkian to seek an academic home aligned with her positions,” the letter noted.

Last week, speaking in a podcast entitled Makdisi Street, the professor said that the State of Israel is “dishonest,” adding, “They will use everything to kill further.” “It's a killing machine, a necropolitical machine that can survive only on the erasure of Palestinians.”

“The will use any lie, they started with babies, they continued with rape, they will continue with million other lies.”

"Every day with another story, we stop believing them. I hope the world will stop believing them."

She also cast doubt on the October 7 massacre, saying, "If things like this happened."

The IDF announced on Tuesday that it has attacked Hezbollah around 4,500 times in Lebanon and Syria since the start of the war.

As part of those attacks, the IDF has killed over 300 Hezbollah terrorists as well as injured over 750 of them, though most of the attacks have been against the organization’s weapons and assets, such as nearly all of its border lookout posts.

In fact, the IDF said it had destroyed 150 lookout posts, which is dozens more than the number that was on the border, suggesting that its attacks have proceeded deeper into Lebanon.

These attacks have also eliminated around 90% of the approximately 6,000 Radwan forces that Hezbollah had placed in southern Lebanon around October 7.

Also, the IDF said that around 50 platforms for more powerful rockets have been destroyed, and around 70 sub-command centers have been destroyed.

Sources of the attacks

Breaking down the sources of attack, the IDF’s artillery and tank units have carried out more than 3,100 attacks, while the air force, whether fighter jets, drones, or helicopters, has carried out more than 1,200 attacks.

War by the numbers: IDF struck 4,500 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, Syria (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

A graphic showed a flood of yellow circles all along the Israel-Lebanon border, signifying all of the spots where the IDF has attacked within Lebanon.

Besides general targets, the IDF has killed five senior Hezbollah commanders and has attacked dozens of cells that were preparing to fire on Israel with rockets or anti-tank missiles.

The IDF said it is constantly working on cleaning out the remaining Hezbollah Radwan forces from southern Lebanon as well as eliminating portions of its military leadership.

Further, the IDF said it recognizes the challenges of northern resident evacuees (over 50,000, down from 80,000) and expressed its commitment to establishing a new level of security and stability in the North.

The IDF did not provide an update on Hezbollah's attacks on Israel, but based on past estimates put out by the IDF, Hezbollah has likely attacked Israel close to 5,000 times.

Despite the number of Hezbollah attacks, the number of Israeli dead from those attacks is in the low dozens, since so many Israelis evacuated from the northern border in October.

IDF Northern Command Chief Maj. Gen. Uri Gordon said that the attack machine that the IDF has been running against Hezbollah is regularly achieving powerful results against the organization.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir slammed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday after Hezbollah fired over a hundred rockets at Israel's North, calling for a "war now" against the Lebanese terror organization.

"Gallant, the military is your responsibility. What are you waiting for?" Ben-Gvir said in a statement. "Over 100 rockets launched at the State of Israel, and you sit quietly? 

"We have to start responding, attacking - war, now!"

It started with “mere” airdrops.

But when will there be actual US boots on the ground in Gaza?

Everything is being framed in terms of humanitarian aid, but US air force assets entered Gaza air space not just once but repeatedly, carrying out significant operations to supply food and medicine.

That part of the US physical entrance into Gaza seemed more coordinated between Washington and Jerusalem.

Then suddenly, last Thursday, US President Joe Biden announced that the US would also supply maritime aid to Gaza, including building a makeshift artificial port off the coast.

This already imposes a long-term US military footprint in Israeli-Gaza territorial waters rather than a “mere” series of fly-throughs.

And it was truly sudden for Israel.

WASHINGTON, DC - The winds off the Potomac reached gusts of 30 knots over the weekend. It was a transition from a relatively warm series of march days to drizzle and then biting wind and cold. Nevertheless, spring is in the air. At the Waldorf Astoria in the atrium, the cherry tree is in bloom. 

The transition to spring brings with it the nagging concerns of what comes next in this town and on the global stage. The two are connected. An election campaign is coming. US President Joe Biden will be facing former US President Donald Trump, barring some unforeseen event. 

October 7, the Hamas massacre and attack on Israel, is not the first issue on everyone’s mind. But it is present. It’s present because the ongoing war in Gaza is a central feature of media focus and there have been protests against Israel and signs calling for ceasefire or graffiti about Gaza. Outside the Israeli embassy, for instance, the sidewalk is festooned with Palestinian flags. 

I spent several days in Washington and discussed both October 7 and other regional and global issues with a variety of people. The overall sense I got is that there is some desire for normality after years of crisis. It’s important to remember that the Covid crisis was only a few years ago. The possible return of Donald Trump conjures up memories of that era between 2016 and 2020. It’s getting harder to recall now how, every day during those years, there was endless news coverage of every event of the US president, feeding a news cycle of endless consumption for the chaos of the time.

Sergeant (Sgt.) Itay Chen, 19, from Netanya, was killed on October 7 with his body taken by Hamas, the IDF confirmed Tuesday.

Chen was a soldier in the 75th Batallion. His body remains in the hands of terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

At least 31,184 Palestinians have been killed and 72,889 wounded since October 7 in Israel's military offensive on the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run health ministry there said on Tuesday.

The numbers cannot be independently verified, and they do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Israel says it has killed at least 12,000 Hamas operatives, suggesting a civilian-to-combatant casualty ratio of about 2:1. 

European Union leaders will demand an "immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire" in Gaza and urge Israel not to launch a ground operation in Rafah, according to draft conclusions of a summit to take place next week.

"The European Council urges the Israeli government to refrain from a ground operation in Rafah, where well over a million Palestinians are currently seeking safety from the fighting and access to humanitarian assistance," says the draft text, seen by Reuters.

The text will require the approval of all the EU's 27 national leaders to be adopted at the summit on March 21 and 22.

European Union leaders will demand an "immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire" in Gaza and urge Israel not to launch a ground operation in Rafah, according to draft conclusions of a summit to take place next week.

"The European Council urges the Israeli government to refrain from a ground operation in Rafah, where well over a million Palestinians are currently seeking safety from the fighting and access to humanitarian assistance," says the draft text, seen by Reuters.

The text will require the approval of all the EU's 27 national leaders to be adopted at the summit on March 21 and 22.

As battles continued in central Gaza, the IDF killed a Hamas terrorist who fired rockets toward Israel after exiting the site he used to launch the rockets. Additionally, rocket launchers were dismantled, the IDF reported Tuesday.

In the Hamad neighborhood of Khan Yunis, IDF soldiers from the Egoz Unit continue to operate and conduct targeted raids. The troops located a military compound filled with a variety of military ordnance, including AK-47 rifles, vests, and explosive devices. 

Over the past day, IDF troops and fighter jets struck a terrorist who fired mortar shells at Israeli territory. The troops monitored the source of the mortar shell fire, identified the terrorist who exited the launch site, and directed an aircraft that killed the terrorist. 

In response to the rocket launches, IDF fighter jets also struck military compounds and terrorist infrastructure.

Additional Hamas terrorists eliminated

Furthermore, also in the area of Hamad, four terrorists attempted to plant an explosive device next to IDF troops at a military compound. The Givati Brigade combat soldiers directed an aircraft to eliminate the group of terrorists. 

IDF tank and soldier operating in central Gaza, March 12, 2024. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Additionally, the 162nd Division continued to operate in northern and central Gaza. Over the past day, combat teams of the Nahal Brigade used IDF intelligence to locate rocket launchers that were used to fire at Israeli territory. 

The troops cleared weapons from the area and dismantled the rocket launchers. In addition, after two rockets were fired at IDF soldiers, they located the terrorists that exited the launch site that was used to fire at them. In response, an aircraft killed the terrorists. There were no reported IDF injuries.