By: JV Staff

No region in the country has been harder hit economically than the Greater New York City Metropolitan area as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. With unemployment skyrocketing and many small businesses collapsing under the weight of the economic downturn. New Yorkers are looking to cut costs and save a dollar anywhere they can. Some larger businesses have proven to be strong community partners by finding ways to accommodate or assist their customers during these difficult times.

Some companies, however, are doing business as usual. For one cable company that serves the Northeast region of the United States, business as usual translates into gouging their customers for every possible cent as often as possible. This shady practice usually does not come with a warning and the product one receives is of poor quality. And let’s not forget that the lackluster customer service can generate a huge amount of frustration. According to many local customers, these business practices have continued throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.

RCN Corporation, based in New Jersey, is a major regional cable provider that primarily serves the Boston-New York-Philadelphia-Washington, D.C. corridor. In 2014, the company reported that their network provided cable internet access to nearly four million people.

A number of RCN subscribers, both here in New York City and beyond, are not happy with the service. On the Better Business Bureau’s website, which allows customers to rate businesses on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best, and 1 being the worst, RCN’s customer review-based rating is 1. The Better Business Bureau features hundreds of complaints that have been filed against the company in just the last three years alone. The majority of these complaints allege that the company engages in unfair billing practices, routinely overcharges customers and somehow manages to sneak hidden fees into their bills. Customers were never made aware of these hidden charges and rate hikes when dealing with customer service representatives that, according to many complaints, are highly ineffective and in some cases, quite rude.

The reviews aren’t any better on the website consumeraffairs.com, another forum where consumers can post their gripes and issues they have with businesses. Consumer Affairs also offers contributors the opportunity to review a business on a similar 1 to 5 scale. RCN’s rating of 1 at Consumer Affairs matches its rating at the Better Business Bureau. Many of the reviews that RCN customers have left about their cable/internet provider on the Consumer Affairs website have been posted recently, during the COVID-19 crisis.

On April 17^th, one New York, NY based RCN customer said:

“My RCN bill for cable & internet increases in price almost every month. I’ve tried several times to call to speak to customer service and cannot get through to anyone. I have one of the most basic packages and it has increased from a little over $100/month at the beginning (2 1/2 years ago) to over $200 now. Beware of this company and the advertised prices at the beginning of the service. Very dissatisfied with this company.”

A May 1, 2020 post from a consumer who lives in Long Island City said:

“As a lot said, the bill goes up time by time without informing the customers and it’s off the chart! If I can live with these all, there’s one thing that really frustrates me. I cancel the service last month due to moving and I made a call to their customer service. The lady told me the last bill of $73 will be refunded to me in full. Yet I waited about a month it’s not refunded at all.

“I made a dispute to Chase Bank who refund it for me. Then I received a letter telling me I did not pay the balance owed and threaten me to incur related cost to collect this debt and report to Credit Bureaus. I chatted online with their customer service again and being told I received the wrong message when I cancel the service. Then I received a bill of the last month which is $86.36. This company is not consistent with their own customer service.”

At fairshake.com, the top three complaints against RCN include the raising of monthly rates without prior notification, promotional rate offers that are not honored by the company, and poor service.

Fair Shake is a company which offers to help consumers lodge legal complaints against businesses.

According to fairshake.com, “Customers complain that their monthly rates are raised by RCN without their knowledge. Some people have seen their charges go up by as much as 50% of their fees are noted when they review their bills. While you may be able to get a lower rate if you call their customer service, you will get a rate that is still higher than what you were paying. And if you are an existing RCN customer, you can’t get these great promotional rates that they give to new customers.”

Fair Shake also states: “When new customers review their bills they often find that the special rates are often higher than what was advertised online. Fees, taxes, and other charges increase the monthly fees considerably more than what they were expecting. Other customers claim that they cancelled their service within the advertised 30-day guarantee, only to be charged for equipment or other fees.”

During these times of economic hardship for many New Yorkers and Americans, consumers are encouraged to thoroughly research before contracting with any cable/internet service provider.

The Samaria Regional Council has filed a libel lawsuit against left-wing political Zehava Galon after she said on social media that the Council’s actions were “giving legitimacy to terrorism.”

In April 2019, a terrorist attacked Yehoshua Sherman and his 14-year-old daughter on their way to their home to Elon Moreh, in Samaria. Sherman neutralized the terrorist with the help of Yosef Ben-Gossi, another resident who was driving behind him.

The B’Tselem organization tried to discredit Sherman and published a supposed investigation in which it claimed that the terrorist was shot after lying on the ground. However, authorities announced that the two had acted as expected of them and in self-defense.

Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan supported the two and gave them a civil certificate.

“This is our answer to the hypocritical B’Tselem organization that is trying to tarnish a father who protected his daughter from murder,” Dagan stated at the time.

Galon, who was also one of the founders of B’Tselem and a former chairman of the extreme left-wing Meretz party, told her 100,000 followers on Twitter that the award was “giving legitimacy to terrorism.”

Dagan demanded that she apologize.

The Samaria Council’s stance on the terror attack was backed by Deputy State Attorney Nurit Littman, who rejected B’Tselem’s investigation and reprimanded the organization and Galon.

“It would have been better for B’Tselem’s investigators to exercise caution before stating that ‘settlers executed [the terrorist] and the army whitewashed their actions.’ It would have been better to wait for the results of the investigation before reaching the said conclusion. Moreover, B’Tselem did not pass on to the police any evidence that could support the allegation,” she wrote.

Galon refused to apologize, and in response, the Samaria Regional Council filed a lawsuit against her for defamation and libel in the amount of NIS 150,000.

“This method, in which elected officials have a light hand on the keyboard and they mistakenly think that the heroic residents in Judea and Samaria will be a punching bag, will be discontinued,” Dagan declared. “Anyone who dares to continue to discredit the residents in Judea and Samaria will pay not only a public but also a personal fee for this. We are done remaining silent.”

“Even though Galon knew that her words were deliberate defamation of the victim which were meant to harm the settlement enterprise, she did not back down from her words, did not apologize to the father who protected his daughter and hinted that he was a terrorist,” he added.

(TPS)

The government is looking to shut down all potential virus hotspots to prevent the need for a national closure.

By: David Isaac

Israel is doing all it can to avoid a nationwide lockdown and all the economic ramifications that entails as Covid-19 once more raises its ugly head.

The government’s latest move is a Ministry of Finance proposal to ban private gatherings, including in homes, as a stopgap measure to prevent the spread of the disease. Israelis have taken their celebrations private as event halls are shut down.

As footage of these events emerge, it’s clear that health guidelines are not being followed. Sometimes big name entertainers appear at these parties. At one, the entertainer, singer Idan Raichal, refused to perform until the crowd followed the corona rules. But he was the exception that proved the rule.

Even as the government attempts to curb the virus, it’s under tremendous pressure to avoid further damage to the economy. A massive protest against the government’s failure to address the economic crisis on Saturday night in Tel Aviv turned violent as protesters clashed with police. That same night in Jerusalem, haredim, or ultra-Orthodox Jews, battled with police over a targeted closure on their neighborhood.

On Tuesday, 637 new cases have been reported. There are 151 classified as serious and 47 on ventilators. There are a total of 19,300 active cases in the country. That number just passed the number of recovered cases – 19,008.

Pubs, bars, event halls, gyms and pools have been closed. Restaurants remain open but with limits on the number of patrons.

An intergovernmental fight may be brewing over gyms and pools. The Knesset corona committee decided to reopen them on Tuesday against government instructions not to do so. The committee had reportedly requested statistics from the Ministry of Health as to why it demanded that exercise centers be shuttered. The committee was said to be unsatisfied with the statistics provided.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the head of the committee, Yifat Shasha-Biton, a Likud party member, that if she didn’t follow the government’s directives to close gyms and pools, she would be replaced.

Shasha-Biton told Kan public broadcasting, “I’m willing to pay the price to do the right thing. The decisions are made by virtue of data, the decisions are professional. We have a very heavy responsibility on our shoulders toward the public – both in the health aspect and the economic aspect.”

Likud Minister and coalition chairman Miki Zohar said to Shasha-Biton after the decision: “Have a nice life – your story in the Likud is at an end.”

(World Israel News)

Read more at: www.worldisraelnews.com

By: Baruch Yedid

Sheikh Akrameh Tsabari, head of the Supreme Muslim Council and one of the most important Muslim clerics in Jerusalem, declared that the prayer compound recently established at the Sha’ar HaRachamim (Golden Gate) area will remain open, despite the Israeli court’s decision to close it immediately.

The Golden Gate area, known by the Muslims as the Bab al-Rahma, remains open despite Israeli attempts to close it.

“We do not recognize the Israeli court’s decision to close the Bab al-Rahma prayer compound,” Tsabari stated.

The head of the Muslim Council also said that “Muslims do not recognize the authority of an Israeli court to rule on mosques in the city, although it is clear that Israel seeks to expand its hold on the mountain [Temple Mount] at the expense of the Muslim Waqf and establish a synagogue at the Gate of Mercy.”

The area was first closed by the courts in 2003 following the activities of a Hamas charity in the compound.

The prayer compound was opened by the Waqf in February 2019, despite attempts by the Jerusalem police to close it.

Tsabari also said that Israel has recently banned 250 people from the mosque area, including Waqf guards and Muslim clerics, and he now threatens that “the pressure will lead to an explosion” and has called on all Muslims to arrive at the Temple Mount compound, stay there and face any Israeli force.

He further called on Muslims around the world to regain and strengthen their hold on mosques and resume construction in them.

The opening of the compound in 2019 led to tensions in Jerusalem and Tsabari now says that the opening of the mosque in 2019 proved once again that sovereignty at this is Muslim.

On July 2, the Waqf management received a letter from the Jerusalem police which was attached to the court’s decision ordering the closure of the compound.

The Waqf, which is part of the Jordanian government and has recently added Palestinian Authority Arabs to the body, has said on several occasions that Israeli courts have no jurisdiction over the All-Aqsa Mosque.

In other developments, Security prisoners from several wings of the Ofer Prison on Monday evening attempted to riot and threw objects from the cell windows while banging on the doors and shouting.

The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) guards deployed rapidly and brought order to the wings within a short time.

The reason for the prisoners’ riot is the transfer of a prisoner from one of the wards to another prison and their demand to scale back the searches that are frequently carried out by the IPS in the wards.

Commander of the Ofer Prison Haim Cohen stressed that “discipline in prison cannot be violated by any factor. Order will be maintained in every situation and a strong hand will be taken against any attempt to harm the security of the prison and the security of the state.”

The IPS stated Tuesday that its activity in security prisons continues at all times, including searches, operational and intelligence activities, along with the continued conduct of IPS guards and fighters during the “complex Coronavirus period.”

(TPS)

Ultra-Orthodox leaders meet Netanyahu, demand the government stop the selective lockdowns and police brutality.

By: Paul Shindman

Knesset members from the ultra-Orthodox parties met Monday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding that he take action to stop focusing on their communities with lockdowns and a heavy police presence, Israel Hayom reported.

Shas Party leader Arye Deri slammed the government’s decision to impose closures on ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods where there had been coronavirus outbreaks, saying the lockdowns came with no financial compensation for those kept from work and no policy of moving those infected out of the neighborhoods and into special quarantine hotels.

“The closure, which has no aid package, does not achieve its purpose and harms the entire public. If patients cannot be evacuated, there is no reason to close,” Deri told Netanyahu.

Deri was also angry with the police after videos showed officers beating protesters Saturday night.

“The [heavy] hand against the ultra-Orthodox must stop,” Deri said.

Following the meeting, Netayahu’s office issued a statement that in future ultra-orthodox representatives would be consulted and updated before any lockdowns.

“I asked to meet here in order to hear from you and so that we could answer the distress, which I know is genuine and which touches our hearts. We want to help; nobody wants to harass, the opposite is true and I am open to listen,” Netanyahu said.

Police said one officer had been removed from duty after he was recorded punching a protester in the face after the haredi man asked the policeman why he was not wearing his mask. After being punched, police arrested the man, Yitzhak Bleyer, 22.

During the protests Saturday night some of the haredi demonstrators got violent, throwing objects at the police and calling them “Nazis,” evoking criticism from right-wing Yemina Party member Bezalel Smotrich, who on Sunday had himself criticized the police for what he called disproportionate force against the haredi protesters compared to how they handled secular protests in Tel Aviv.

“My haredi brothers, violence, vandalism, cursing and screaming must be off limits,” Smotrich tweeted. “It’s bad on its own and it’s harmful. The difficulty and distress are real, but we must not drag the State of Israel into anarchy in the face of one of the most difficult challenges we have ever known.”

The religious legislators pointed out that the closures imposed on haredi neighborhoods were done without consultation.

“Unfortunately there is no transparency and the public does not know what is happening,” said Uri Maklev of the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party, adding that the “system is not doing what’s it is supposed to do.”

On Sunday, UTJ Knesset member Yisrael Eichler was detained by police, who refused to let him pass from his locked-down Jerusalem neighborhood of Kiryat Sanz to go to a doctor’s appointment, even after identifying himself as a Knesset member, which gives him unrestricted passage.

“It is further proof of the hostility to the ultra-Orthodox public that negates human rights for ultra-Orthodox people,” Eichler told the Kol Hazman news website, noting that the police couldn’t even differentiate between a haredi citizen and a Knesset member who has immunity from the restrictions.

(World Israel News)

Read more at: www.worldisraelnews.com

Israeli nurses threaten a general strike, claiming they are understaffed and suffering under heavy workloads.

By: Lauren Marcus

Israeli nurses are threatening a general strike due to manpower shortages, reported Ynet on Monday.

Last month, the National Nurses Union declared an official labor dispute, triggered by what they call “impossible working conditions” for Israeli nurses during the second wave of coronavirus infections.

Before the coronavirus crisis, Israeli nurses complained about a manpower shortage and heavy workloads, and held a modified strike last July. The understaffing and workload issues have been exacerbated by the large uptick in emergency room and coronavirus ward admissions.

“Whoever thinks patients are receiving proper treatment today is mistaken,” Ilana Cohen, Chair of the National Nurses Union, told Ynet. “The nurses are collapsing, the system is crashing. This [the strike] is not an empty threat.”

Yesterday, Cohen sent a letter to Finance Minister Israel Katz, demanding a meeting to prevent a strike.

“I don’t need public support to make this move, I’m not running for office,” Cohen said. “We need manpower. The government is abandoning the patients and nurses, and the healthcare system is drained.”

Speaking to Ynet, Cohen described the mismanagement she says is currently taking place in Israeli hospitals. “They’re purchasing respirators, but not training nurses how to operate them. Resuming hospital services without adding manpower, and opening coronavirus wards without enough staff.”

“It’s time for the health system to be a priority. Before the election everyone was talking about the healthcare system. Where are all the promises now?” asked Cohen. “Until you use force, nobody pays attention. We will strike. Period.”

Seven-hundred-fifty-nine nurses are currently in quarantine due to exposure to coronavirus carriers. According to the Ministry of Health, last month just 124 nurses were quarantined. The 500 percent increase in nurses taken out of the workforce has dealt a serious blow to a staff that’s already spread thin.

“We’re talking about hundreds and maybe even more than a thousand missing staff,” Professor Arnon Afek, Chairman of the Israeli Hospitals Association told Ynet. “There is a great shortage in the number of nurses compared to the number of beds we operate within hospitals.”

The Histradrut released a statement supporting the nurses, saying, “Despite the decision to allocate the budget to recruit more nurses for the treatment of coronavirus patients, this was never implemented.”

“Hospitals have taken nurses from other departments, which are already busy. This means nurses are forced to work in understaffed departments with heavy workloads, which impairs their ability to provide proper care to all patients.”

The Finance Ministry responded with a statement promising “the allocation of about 10 billion shekels to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.” It said, “800 nursing positions have been added in recent months to strengthen hospitals and the public health system.”

(World Israel News)

Read more at: www.worldisraelnews.com

As infections spread and the economy stagnates, public opinion is turning negative on those in charge.

By: Paul Shindman

A public opinion poll released Sunday evening showed Israelis are unhappy with the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis and support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party is dropping.

The poll, conducted by Channel 13, showed that if elections were held this week, the Likud would win 33 seats in Israel’s 120-seat Knesset, a drop of three seats from a previous poll conducted by the Maariv newspaper on July 10 and reflecting a downward trend in support for Netanyahu from a peak of 41 seats in a June 17 poll.

Likud won 36 seats in the March 2 election. As Israel continues to be battered by a second wave of coronavirus infections, the poll shows that 75 percent of respondents said the government is not doing a good job of handling the economic crisis and 61 percent are not satisfied with the job Netanyahu is doing to manage the country.

Asked about their concern for their personal economic stability and that of their families, 83 percent said they are worried, with 38 percent being very worried.

“These figures indicate a loss of confidence, apprehension and instability,” Channel 13 reported.

Netanyahu announced last week a new relief package for those in financial distress, but there were large protests in Tel Aviv over the weekend by self-employed and others hard hit by continued closures and restrictions, especially in the entertainment industries. They said that the support is not enough or hasn’t shown up at all.

“Despite frequent promises, around half of the 80 billion shekels ($23 billion) previously promised to economic victims of coronavirus has not reached its intended recipients due to inefficient government bureaucracy,” wrote Jerusalem Post columnist Jeff Barak.

With coronavirus infections climbing and hospitals filling up with patients, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz called for an immediate 10-day national closure, Ynet reported.

“It is better to have an immediate treatment of ‘bang and we’re done’ and end this situation,” Steinitz said, adding people would still be allowed to go to work, but that Israel had to get into a position to fully reopen its skies saying the “the air (travel) cutoff from the world is an economic danger.”

Netanyahu’s government won praise for successfully navigating the first wave of infections, but since reopening the economy two months ago the infection rate has increased and the second wave of infections has left more people sick with the virus than the first wave.

Health Minister Yuli Edelstein warned that if daily infections, currently averaging around 1,200, reach 2,000 per day, there would be no choice but to impose a national lockdown to prevent the health system from collapsing.

(World Israel News)

Read more at: www.worldisraelnews.com

By: Aryeh Savir

Saeb Erekat, Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and chief negotiator with Israel, called on Israeli authorities to “immediately and unconditionally” release imprisoned terrorist and cancer patient Kamal Abu Wa’ar, who tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Israel Prison Service (IPS) stated Sunday that Abu Wa’ar was sent on Wednesday to the Ha’emek Hospital in Afula for testing. After being examined in the hospital due to his cancer, he also underwent a Corona test which returned negative.

The next day, on Thursday, he was returned to the Gilboa prison, and after a few hours, he was transferred to the IPS Medical Center before being admitted to the Asaf HaRofeh Hospital for surgery.

On Friday, July 10, the prisoner was referred to Assaf HaRofe Hospital for surgery, where he was again tested for COVID-19, as per pre-operation procedures. This time he tested positive for the virus.

An epidemiological investigation is underway. Detainees and staff who came in contact with him underwent testing and were sent into quarantine in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s guidelines.

Abu Wa’ar participated in several terrorist attacks on Israelis in the early 2000s and is responsible for the death of nine civilians and soldiers.

He was a member of a seven-member Fatah squad that carried out shooting attacks over the course of three years. He was arrested in 2003 and admitted to his involvement in carrying out serious attacks and in designing bomb attacks against Israeli targets. He admitted that he received NIS 80,000 in advance from arch-terrorist Marwan Barghouti for the attacks.

Abu-Wa’ar also admitted that he took part in the mass shooting at Yosef’s Tomb in Shechem Nablus in October 2000 during which Border Police officer Madhath Yousef was killed. He used the Kalashnikov rifle he was given during his service in Arafat’s presidential security.

Abu-Wa’ar also admitted that he was among the participants of the shooting attack on a group of Israeli hikers in Mount Ebal in October 2000. Rabbi Benjamin Herling, a Holocaust survivor, was murdered and four other Israeli civilians were injured.

In May 2001, Abu-Wa’ar committed the murder of Arganino Orlando. Abu-Waar was also involved in a shooting attack on an Israeli vehicle in Samaria, in which two Israeli civilians were wounded.

He was also involved in the murder of Aliza Malka in August 2001 when Fatah members fired at a passing vehicle. Three passengers were injured in the shooting incident.

Last year, he was diagnosed with throat cancer and started receiving radiotherapy in Israeli medical facilities.

Erekat stated Sunday that the Palestinian leadership has been reaching out to “all relevant international bodies” to exert pressure on Israel to release “sick prisoners, the elderly and women,” in light of a supposed danger of an outbreak of Coronavirus in Israeli prisons.

It is of significance to note that it has so far nor been proven that Abu Wa’ar contracted the virus in prison, and the IPS has employed extreme measures to ensure that prisons remain clean of COVID-19 and regularly update on related occurrences.

However, Erakat said that “Israel’s disregard to Palestinian and international demands, its lack of compliance with international humanitarian law…means that the international community shall not stand by, but to intervene immediately to hold Israel accountable for its violations.”

(TPS)

By: Baruch Yedid

Sources in the Gaza Strip report feverish activity by Hamas’ intelligence services following the arrest of an Islamic State (ISIS) cell that was allegedly activated by Israeli intelligence and the smuggling of a Hamas officer into Israel who was exposed to valuable information.

Muhammad Abu Ajawa, a senior member of the Eastern Brigade in the Gaza Strip, an intelligence expert who is familiar with communications systems and cameras, was arrested by Hamas.

Izz a-Din Badr, a senior member of Hamas’ Naval Commando unit, fled to Israel with valuable intelligence.

The entire squad thought it was working for ISIS, and its commanders concealed that it was operating for Israel.

Hamas’ intelligence mechanisms, shocked by the depth of the intrusion attributed to Israel, are trying to estimate the intelligence damage and detect a leak at the top of the organization and especially in the Naval Commandos and the Eastern Division units.

Last week, sources in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon reported that an ISIS cell had recently been detained in the Gaza Strip. During the investigation, it became clear that while its members thought they were being operated by ISIS, it was determined that they were actually being used by the Israeli intelligence to infiltrate into Hamas.

Sources in Gaza and media outlets reported that Badr has been smuggled out of the Gaza Strip by the IDF in recent days, carrying a laptop with valuable information on Hamas activity.

Those who recruited the leaders apparently did excellent fieldwork and located some of Hamas’s most important activists who are in a position where they are exposed to information of the highest intelligence value.

The Amad agency provides details about ” Abu Ajawa and claims that he is a 32-year-old resident of the Shaja’iya neighborhood, a graduate of computer studies

Abu Ajawa served as a commander in the Izz Din al-Qassam Brigades and in the Hamas internal security apparatus, and it appears that he was recruited as Israeli intelligence in 2009.

“Hamas is now working to assess the damage,” Gaza officials told TPS.

This is the second case in which Israel has succeeded in recruiting senior members of Hamas’ naval commando.

The Amad news agency says, based on Hamas’ sources, that the members of the cell arrested were mostly Hamas operatives who left the organization and moved to serve ISIS following the settling of internal accounts within Hamas’ military wing.

The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported last week that the cell was instructed to place explosive devices in government institutions, courts, and damage Hamas’ high-quality weapons depots.

Squad members were arrested in the apartment with large sums of money, equipment, devices, weapons and motorcycles that were to be used for a series of attacks.

The cell was allegedly responsible for a series of explosions that occurred last October near Hamas police checkpoints in the Gaza Strip.

Following Badr’s smuggling out of the Gaza Strip, Hamas intelligence personnel have begun a wave of arrests and investigations in both the Naval Commando and the Eastern Brigade of the Gaza Strip.

These are now examining cameras, maps and documents, Abu Ajwa served as an intelligence instructor and was exposed to cameras and communications systems.

A few weeks ago, sources in the Gaza Strip reported that Masa’eb Matewa, the nephew of Yahya Senwar, the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, also joined ISIS, after holding positions in the Naval Commando.

(TPS)

Commander of IDF troops who will face Hezbollah: “The next war will be very challenging and I think we are ready for it.”

By: Paul Shindman

Since the 2006 Lebanon war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group, the Israel Defense Forces has been revamping and revising and says it is ready for any future confrontation on its northern border, Makor Rishon reported Monday.

IDF Lt. Col. Yoav Schneider knows first-hand that Israel has to be more than ready to quickly defeat Hezbollah. In 2006 he was seriously wounded and his tank crew was killed by a Hezbollah rocket.

Schneider recovered, and the career soldier has channeled all his energy and the lessons learned along the way into being more than prepared as commander of the 82nd Battalion of the 7th Brigade of the Armored Corps.

In a behind-the-scenes interview, Schneider told Makor Rishon that one of the big changes was how the IDF handles field intelligence.

“In order to understand the picture, we need to see the forward command center located here in the Golan Heights,” Schneider said, explaining that soldiers from all units sit in one room with all data screens visible to everyone, resulting in “a tremendous brainstorming session.”

The nature of a future conflict with Hezbollah will be very different.

“This war will look more like the Yom Kippur and the Six Day War together” in the intensity of the battle, casualties and “great chaos,” said one of his senior officers.

“It’s just that since the Six Day Wars and Yom Kippur, the whole world has changed, and so has the IDF,” he noted.

Schneider pointed out that in the 2006 war “we had the intelligence, it just didn’t move into the field.”

Since then the IDF has developed a new system that connects all units and quickly transfers the relevant information down to fighters in the field.

The new method produces a “synergy between the land forces and the rest of the IDF in the air, at sea and even in space.”

Instead of reporting up and down through a command chain, the new system can connect a pilot with a tank commander on the ground deep in enemy territory.

“In the Second Lebanon War, a lot of events depended on the speed of the intelligence getting down to the [battle] field,” he said. “That is exactly why this [new] system was invented.”

Schneider, 35 and now married with three children, says his near-death experience in combat and his recovery and return to service “makes me get up every morning and prepare my battalion for the next war.”

“I chose to live and fight,” Shneider said. “I did not give up on myself… It was not for closing a circle, or for coming back to take revenge,” he explains. “It was mainly to recover.”

Schneider says the biggest goal in a future war is to damage Hezbollah, destroy the organization’s infrastructure, and eliminate its capabilities to target rockets at Israeli civilians – a standard Hezbollah practice that violates international law.

Hezbollah’s huge arsenal of rockets supplied by Iran has “no hermetic solution, but the threat has grown over the last 20 years and we need to address it.”

“Our capabilities are much higher,” he explained. “We are in a much better place.”

While Israeli air power will be needed, Schneider knows that “feet on the ground of the enemy” will be decisive.

“The IDF can defeat Hezbollah and it depends on battalions like me. It is a combination of many missions of all the battalions. And each battalion has its responsibility to meet this mission,” he said.

He admits that in the 2006 Lebanon War “the enemy knew how to leverage his small successes and say ‘I won,’” but Schneider says that if war breaks out, the IDF will move quickly to inflict heavy casualties on Hezbollah, destroy its infrastructure and give a very different outcome.

“The next war will be very challenging and I think we are ready for it. “

(World Israel News)

Read more at: www.worldisraelnews.com