Photostream : One year for Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Search and Rescue soldiers since joining Haiti aid team

IDF Delegation Arrival in Haiti : The Israel Defense Forces aid delegation getting off the plane upon arrival at Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Israel sent a team of over 250 personnel to help in the rescue and medical efforts after Haiti was struck by a devastating earthquake in January 2010.  Following a devastating 7.0 earthquake which ravaged Haiti on Tuesday, 12 January 2010, the IDF sent an aid delegation to assist rescue efforts and establish a field hospital to treat survivors.  The delegation successfully set up the largest field hospital in Port-au-Prince and were able to treat 1,111 patients, perform 317 surgeries, and facilitate 16 births. The IDF search and rescue team was able to pull four Haitians out from collapsed structured including one man who who had been trapped under the rubble for ten days. (Photo : IDF’s FLICKR, January 16, 2010)   To watch all the footage of the IDF's rescue efforts in Haiti check out the Youtube playlist: www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=BD5BD99 44F32CBAB

Rescue of a Haitian Man from Government Building, Jan 2010 : The Israel Defense Forces Search and Rescue team extracted a 52 year old Haitian government employee, trapped in the ruins of the customs office in Port-au-Prince after 6 hours of work. The man was trapped under the rubble for 125 hours before being rescued by the team and was then taken to the IDF field hospital for treatment. The man was able to communicate his location via SMS. After the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti in January 2010, Israel sent an aid delegation with over 250 personnel to help with search and rescue efforts and establish a field hospital. (Photo : IDF’s FLICKR, January 2010)

IDF Search and Rescue Team at Port-au-Prince University , Jan 2010 : A rescue team, led by Israel Defense Forces Search and Rescue platoon commanders, enters the university in Port-au-Prince, in order to assist in the evacuation of survivors and victims. One of the buildings on the campus collapsed while classes were in session. After a devastating earthquake hit Haiti in January 2010, Israel sent a team of over 250 personnel to help in the rescue and medical efforts.  (Photo : IDF’s FLICKR, January 16, 2010)

Rescue of a Haitian Man from Government Building, Jan 2010 : The Israel Defense Forces search and rescue team extracted a 52 year old Haitian government employee, trapped in the ruins of the customs office in Port-au-Prince after 6 hours of work. The man was trapped under the rubble for 125 hours before being rescued by the team and was then taken to the IDF field hospital for treatment. The man was able to communicate his location via SMS. After the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti in January 2010, Israel sent an aid delegation with over 250 personnel to help with search and rescue efforts and establish a field hospital. (Photo : IDF’s FLICKR, January 2010)

Dr. Col. Kryce Transporting Injured Girl, Jan 2010 : Doctor Colonel Itzik Kryce, the commander of the Israel Defense Forces field hospital in Haiti helps transport a wounded girl with a severe leg injury for treatment. After the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti in January 2010, Israel sent an aid delegation of over 250 personnel to help with search and rescue efforts and establish a field hospital in Port-au-Prince. (Photo : IDF’s FLICKR, January 2010)

Doctors Check on Premature Baby, Jan 2010 : Dr. Maj. Yuval Levi and Nurse Captain Margarita Memdov are pictured treating a premature baby weighing 1.8 kg delivered in the IDF field hospital in Haiti. In total, 16 babies were successfully delivered at the field hospital during the time the IDF was in Haiti. The hospital features a special ward maternity ward and was equipped to handle complicated births and premature deliveries. After the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti in January 2010, Israel sent an aid delegation of over 250 personnel to help with search and rescue efforts and establish a field hospital in Port-au-Prince. (Photo : IDF’s FLICKR, January 18,2010)

IDF Medical Aid Team Performing Surgery in Haiti Field Hospital, Jan 2010 : Then-Chief Medical Officer, Col. Dr. Ariel Bar, and Lt. Col. Dr. Chaim Levon performing surgery in the IDF field hospital in Haiti. After the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti in January 2010, Israel sent an aid delegation of over 250 personnel to help with search and rescue efforts and establish a field hospital in Port-au-Prince. (Photo : IDF’s FLICKR, January 19, 2010)

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) installs new information security safeguards

FILE : Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands with naval commandos during his visit to the Atlit naval base near the northern city of Haifa October 26, 2010. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Dan Balilty/Pool )

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Measures aim to prevent Wikileaks-type revelations; one safeguard: alarm will go off when disc-on-key inserted in IDF computer.

November 29, 2010 (KATAKAMI / JERUSALEM POST) --- The IDF has instituted a number of new security measures over the past year aimed at preventing major leaks of sensitive information like what was published by Wikileaks on Sunday.

The new safeguards were developed by the IDF's Information Security Unit and include a system that will track every document, classified as top secret by the military, who it is sent to, who printed it and who burned it onto a CD.
 
The new system will not allow a document that is classified as top secret, for example, to be transferred to someone who does not have security clearance to view documents classified as top secret.

"This does not mean that something like Wikileaks cannot happen in Israel but it would be more difficult," a former officer involved in information security said on Monday.

The tightening of regulations has taken place over the past year and gained importance after Anat Kam was arrested for leaking thousands of top secret and classified documents to a Haaretz reporter.

Kam, who served as an assistant to OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Yair Naveh's bureau chief during her IDF service, was exposed to classified and sensitive military information and over a period of what appears to be a year, she allegedly copied the documents into a folder she had created on a computer in the office and then burned it onto a CD during her last week of service.
 
Other steps taken by the IDF have included thorough background checks of soldiers serving in sensitive positions and the cataloging of every IDF soldier according to their level of clearance. Sources said on Monday that the IDF has increased the number of polygraphs it conducts on soldiers and officers by 50 percent in the past year.


In addition, if a disc-on-key is attached to an IDF computer it will immediately set off an alarm at the IDF Information Security Unit alerting soldiers there of a possible infiltration. (*)

Photostream : IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi meets US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen

The IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi continued his work visit to North America and was hosted (Wednesday, Nov 17, 2010) at the Pentagon by the United States chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Admiral Mike Mullen. The photo show Navy Adm. Mike Mullen and Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi during the respective playing of their national anthems at the Pentagon ceremony welcoming Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, after which both leaders addressed the media during a press availability. ( IDFSpokesperson.com / DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley/Released)

The IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi continued his work visit to North America and was hosted (Wednesday, Nov 17, 2010) at the Pentagon by the United States chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Admiral Mike Mullen. The photo show Navy Adm. Mike Mullen and Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi during the respective playing of their national anthems at the Pentagon ceremony welcoming Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, after which both leaders addressed the media during a press availability. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley/Released) ( IDFSpokesperson.com / DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley/Released)

IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi (left) and United States chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Admiral Mike Mullen at the Pentagon, Nov. 17, 2010. Photo by: Embassy of Israel Press Office )

IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi (left) and United States chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Admiral Mike Mullen at the Pentagon, Nov. 17, 2010. Photo by: Embassy of Israel Press Office )

Top US, Israeli Military Leaders Meet Amid Iran Controversy

Chairman of the U.S.Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen (left) and IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi

November 17, 2010 (KATAKAMI / VOA) --- The top U.S. and Israeli military officers met Wednesday amid some disagreement among senior leaders of the two countries on how best to pressure Iran to abandon its alleged nuclear weapons program.  The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, hosted his Israeli counterpart, General Gabi Ashkenazi at the Pentagon

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a "credible military threat" from the international community to convince Iran's leaders to abandon their nuclear program.  But U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates disagreed, saying in a separate appearance that international sanctions are having more impact than had been expected, and should be given more time to work.

On Tuesday at the Pentagon, Netanyahu's military chief, General Ashkenazi, agreed that the sanctions are having an impact, but questioned whether that will be enough.

"The real question here [is whether] it's sufficient enough to persuade the Iranians to change the course of action in terms of the nuclear program," said Ashkenazi. "And that has to be determined.  And we still have some time to watch it and see what will be the final outcome."

General Ashkenazi would not say how long he thinks the international community can wait before threatening or taking military action.

The top U.S. military officer, Admiral Mullen, said the military option has never been abandoned, but he echoed Secretary Gates' view that the sanctions are having a significant impact and should be given more time.

"I've certainly seen a body of evidence that indicates that the sanctions are taking their toll, much more rapidly than some had anticipated, more deeply," said Mullen. "They're very broadly supported.  These aren't just U.S. sanctions, they're UN sanctions."

Admiral Mullen said he has no doubt Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon, and said that would be a "disaster for the region," and an "incredibly destabilizing" development.

Iranian leaders consistently deny charges they are trying to develop a nuclear weapon. (*)

IDF chief backs up soldiers accounts before Turkel Committee

FILE - In this Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010 file photo, Israel's military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi sits before testifying in front of a state-appointed inquiry commission into the Israeli naval raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, in Jerusalem. The Israeli commission looking into a deadly raid on a pro-Palestinian flotilla last May has summoned Ashkenazi to testify for a second time Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Gali Tibbon, Pool, File)

October 24, 2010 (KATAKAMI / JERUSALEM POST) --- IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi appeared a second time in front of the Turkel Commission on Sunday to continue his testimony regarding the Mavi Marmara affair. He took great pains during his time before the committee to reiterate previous statement's that the naval commandos who boarded the ship took extraordinary measures to minimize the violence on the ship and that the blame for the fighting that broke out on the ship rested squarely on the activists' shoulders.

"The soldiers [upon reaching the ship] did not immediately open fire and even placed themselves at great risk. One [of the activists] tried to choke a soldier, who then threw a stun grenade to escape from the situation."

Ashkenazi repeatedly emphasized that the soldiers acted in a measured manner and only hurt those whose behavior necessitated physical force. "There was no demonstration of peace activists [on the Mavi Marmara]. Peace activist do not know how to operate a weapon or to operate with gas masks and bulletproof vests in the middle of the night," Ashkenazi said.

Also on Sunday, the Turkel Commission announced that it would welcomed testimony from any passenger who was on the Mavi Marmara on the night of May 31, 2010 and who has relevant information that could shed light on the incident.

In September, Ashkenazi warned that any resistance on board flotillas bound for Gaza could lead to more casualties.

Speaking at a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting, Ashkenazi said "this is a challenge for the IDF and for Israel."

"If we see large ships bound for Gaza and force is used then we do not dismiss the possibility of casualties," he said.

IDF Chief to Gaza flotilla probe: Israeli commandos fired 308 bullets aboard Mavi Marmara

Israel's chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi speaks during a large military exercise at the Shizafon Armored Corps Training Base in the Arava desert, north of the city of Eilat, southern Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010. (Getty Images / AP Photos/Dan Balilty)

October 24, 2010 (KATAKAMI / HAARETZ) --- Ashkenazi testifies before Turkel Commission, defends IDF decision to rappel commandos onto deck of Gaza-bound Turkish aid ship where 9 activists were killed.

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi once again on Sunday defended Israel's decision to rappel Israeli commandos onto the deck of a Gaza-bound aid ship on May 31, where ensuing clashes resulted in the deaths of nine Turkish activists. 

Testifying before an investigations committee probing the deadly events, Ashkenazi said that Israeli commandos had fired 308 live bullets aboard the ship to repel passengers who attacked them with lethal weapons, including a snatched Uzi machine pistol. 

In a sometimes testy second round of testimony before the state-appointed inquest, the Lieutenant-General insisted the navy's killing of nine Turks on the converted cruise ship Mavi Marmara had been unavoidable. 

The Mavi Marmara was one of several boats, laden with supplies, aiming to violate Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip. Israel informed the organizers of the flotilla that the ships would not be allowed to reach the Gaza shores, and soldiers boarded all the ships to compel them to change course. 

Ashkenazi told the six-member Turkel Commission on Sunday that navy commandos who boarded the Mavi Marmara were equipped with riot-dispersal gear, but quickly switched to live fire to confront armed passengers because "if they had not done this, there would have been more casualties." 

Ankara, which wants compensation and an apology from Israel, has dismissed the Turkel panel as too lacking in scope. 

The probe commission has solicited testimony from Mavi Marmara passengers - many of whom insist the commandos' onslaught was unprovoked - and signaled it may probe Israel's navy deeper. 

Ashkenazi said 308 live rounds were fired by the troops. A top aide to the general told Reuters 70 of these were aimed to cause injury, while the rest were warning shots. 

That appeared consistent with Turkish forensic findings that the nine dead activists were shot a total of 30 times, and there were gunshot wounds among another 24 passengers who were hurt. 

"Those who are asking questions [about tactics] should propose an alternative solution," Ashkenazi said.
Ashkenazi said passengers grabbed three Glock handguns and an Uzi machine pistol from commandos whom they overpowered. The troops had been dropped from helicopters onto the crowded ship as it ploughed through Mediterranean high seas at night. 

"We have testimony of one activist running at them [commandos] and firing with a mini-Uzi, and them shooting him," he said. "They hit those who were clearly involved in the attack on them, and not those who were not." 

Mavi Marmara activists have said any guns taken from the troops were disposed of, rather than used.
Ashkenazi said commandos had fired some 350 beanbag rounds and non-lethal paintballs, all according to "protocol." The navy opted against rubber bullets - a mainstay of Israel's tactics against Palestinian demonstrations on land - because of a lethal risk within the Mavi Marmara's confines, Ahkenazi added.
Ashkenazi, who is scheduled to retire early next year, made clear that he had returned to testify in order to spare scrutiny from subordinates, including the admiral in charge of the navy. 

Bristling at Turkish and other foreign fury over the Mavi Marmara raid yet wary of international war crimes suits, Israel set up the Turkel Commission to help prepare its submission for a separate probe under United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. 

Ashkenazi, a career infantryman, said the commission had received "word for word" accounts from marines, including two who were shot and wounded upon boarding. 

Commission members asked Ashkenazi if lowering soldiers into a crowd on the ship's deck was wise. He said there was no better way to stop the ship. "If we had a special trick to stop the flotilla, we would have used it. We maintain intimate cooperation with other armies, and we haven't heard of another solution."
Endorsing the commandos' recollection, Ashkenazi said they were combat veterans who "know when they are being shot at." 

But he also seemed to make allowances for the haze of melee. 

"I won't take issue with a soldier who might confuse a slingshot, and the whizz its missile makes as it flies past, with a pistol, during night-time," he said.