Iran ’wants chaos in Israel,’ says retired British military official

Airstrikes continued in Palestine and Israel, as President Joe Biden expressed support for a ceasefire in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “The cause of it, in effect, is internal Palestinian power struggles,” said retired British Colonel Richard Kemp to The National Desk’s Jan Jeffcoat. “It involves more than just Israel and Hamas, it involves also Israeli clashes with Palestinians inside Israel itself, and in the West Bank, and also attempted rocket attacks being launched from Lebanon and Syria into Israel, as well as the massive bombardment from Gaza.” Col. Kemp says the most recent violence was set in motion by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas canceling “long overdue” elections. “Canceling them because he knew he was going to lose, and then blaming Israel,” said Col. Kemp. “That, in turn, helped to fuel riots in Jerusalem, which were perpetrated by Palestinians.” According to Col. Kemp, Hamas “saw itself as a defender of Jerusalem, and launched the rock