JERUSALEM-ON-THE-LINE

(Source: jnnnews.com)

Israel Today:

Terrorist missiles hit Eilat

Wednesday, April 17, 2013 | Israel Today Staff

Two missiles slammed into the southern Israel resort town of Eilat early Wednesday morning, causing damage to a residential area, but, miraculously, no injuries.

Area children, who had only recently arrived for school, were rushed to bomb shelters.

Israeli forces said the missiles were fired from the Sinai Peninsula, where various regional terrorist groups including Hezbollah and Al Qaeda are known to have set up shop in recent years.

Egypt initially rejected reports that the attack had emanated from Sinai, but later Egyptian forces began searching the area for possible launch sites.

Israeli Water and Energy Minister Silvan Shalom spoke for the government when he issued the following statement:

“Yesterday we celebrated Independence Day and this morning we received a painful reminder of the reality in which we exist. The shooting highlights our need to protect ourselves and not put our fate in the hands of others.”

Later in the day a Salafi Muslim group calling itself the Mujahedeen Shura Council claimed credit for the attack, announcing on its website that its fighters had managed to “target occupied Eilat with two Grad rockets.”

US Senate vows to back Israeli strike on Iran

Wednesday, April 17, 2013 | Israel Today Staff

The US Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted in favor of adopting a resolution stating that America will support Israel should the latter decide it is necessary to attack Iran’s nuclear program.

Senate Resolution 65 reaffirms America’s unwavering support for Israel’s security and continued existence, and calls upon the White House to provide military, diplomatic and economic backing should Israel feel compelled to strike Iran as an act of preemptive self-defense. Seventy out of 100 senators voted in favor of the motion.

Israel had grown concerned that should it become necessary to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Obama Administration would not lend its support, either morally, logistically or materially. Obama’s appointment of John Kerry and Chuch Hagel as secretaries of state and defense, respectively, had only deepened that concern, as both men are on record as opposing military action against Iran under any circumstances.

Israel’s new defense minister on Tuesday delivered an Independence Day speech in which he said Israel hoped the international community would succeed in halting Iran’s nuclear drive, but that Israel must be prepared to act alone.

“The world must lead the battle against Iran, but Israel must take into account the possibility that it may be forced to defend itself, by itself,” said Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon.

Ya’alon noted that Iran firing a missile at Israel is not the only danger in allowing the Islamic Republic to go nuclear.

“A nuclear Iran could launch an arms race in the Middle East and spread nuclear weapons among terror groups. This could be the western world’s nightmare,” he said.

Israel stands with, helps Boston in hour of need

Wednesday, April 17, 2013 | Israel Today Staff

Israel on Tuesday sent its deepest condolences to the people of Boston after two terrorist bombs killed three people and wounded 183 others at the finish line of the Boston Marathon a day earlier. There were many children among the casualties.

“Yesterday, a day of enjoyment in Boston was turned into a day of terror,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We send our condolences to President Obama, the American people and the bereaved families. On this day and on any day, Israel stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the American people. We are partners in freedom and in seeking a better future for all humanity.”

Israeli humanitarian aid organizations offered to dispatch assistance, and Israel Police Chief Yohanan Danino and his senior staff departed for a scheduled visit to Boston to meet with FBI and other US law enforcement officials. Danino will work to further law enforcement cooperation between the two nations and provide Israeli expertise in the investigation into the marathon bombing.

By contrast, members of the Palestinian organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad reportedly danced and handed out candies in the streets of Gaza after hearing about the spilling of American blood. Islamists in neighboring Jordan told local media that the Americans deserved such terror.

Many Muslims were “happy to see the horror in America,” Mohammad al-Chalabi, the leader of a Salafi group in Jordan, was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, the chief of emergency services at Massachusetts General Hospital, the hospital that treated the bulk of those wounded in the Boston Marathon bombing, credited Israel with preparing his staff to effectively deal with such an scenario.

Dr. Alasdair Conn said that two years ago, he had invited Israeli experts to train his staff on handling mass casualty situations. That training was put to good use on Monday, and Massachusetts General was widely praised for the way it handled the situation.

Happy Birthday, Israel!

Tuesday, April 16, 2013 | Israel Today Staff

Hours after honoring and remembering those who gave their lives in defense of the Jewish state, Israelis on Monday evening burst into celebration for the 65th anniversary of their ancient nation’s modern rebirth.

Fireworks were on display across the country and young and old alike donned festive costumes and gathered to mark Israel’s Independence Day.

According to Jewish tradition, days start at sunset, so Independence Day was still in full swing come Tuesday morning, when nearly every Israeli across the country set out for the nation’s numerous parks to enjoy a day of BBQs and fellowship.

JERUSALEM-ON-THE-LINE

News Update April 8^th 2013

JNN NEWS, P.O. Box 7411, Jerusalem 91073, Israel

“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.’” Isa 35: 3-4

NETANYAHU: WE CANNOT FORFEIT OUR SECURITY TO OTHER NATIONS: Holocaust Remembrance Day memorial activities began Sunday evening with the state ceremony at Yad Vashem’s Warsaw Ghetto Square. PM Binyamin Netanyahu spoke at the main event during which he quoted antisemitic statements by Iranian heads as evidence the hatred against the Jews that existed during the Holocaust is still in existence. Netanyahu quoted Iranian religious leaders as recently saying, “The Zionists are bacteria, the Jews are polluted people that spread disease.” The prime minister continued: “That was not just said then, it is said today. They call us ‘a cancerous growth which must be removed from the Middle East.’” Netanyahu stated that antisemitic hatred “has not disappeared, it has been switched with murderous hatred against the state of the Jews. What has changed is our ability to defend ourselves.” The prime minister added that while Israel appreciates the efforts of the world to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Israel cannot forfeit its security to other nations, not even to its closest allies. President Shimon Peres addressed the  ceremony prior to Netanyahu, saying the world must ask itself how a regime such as that in Iran can deny the Holocaust and threaten a new Holocaust so soon after six million people lost their lives. “The threat of a Holocaust against one people is a threat of a Holocaust on all people,” Peres stated. “The Holocaust will not be lost in the depths of history,” Peres told the audience, “It is right here with us, burning and tangible.” (J.Post)

‘COLOR RED’ INTERRUPTS HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL CEREMONY: Hamas terrorists, the modern heirs of Nazism, who declare openly their wish to commit genocide against the Jewish people, marked Holocaust Remembrance Day their way Sunday – with a salvo of rockets fired at Jewish civilians. Three rockets were fired, the action timed, to coincide with the official Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony taking place in Jerusalem at the same time. One rocket exploded in an open space within the Shaar Hanegev Regional Authority’s jurisdiction, causing no injuries or damage. A Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in the targeted area was interrupted by a “Color Red” warning, giving residents a few seconds to reach shelter from an incoming rocket. Two other rockets fell short and exploded inside Gaza. (Arutz-7) “’Comfort, yes, comfort My people!’ says your God.” Isa 40:1

EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF SAYS NUCLEAR TALKS WITH IRAN HAVE FAILED: Iran and six world powers failed to reach agreement Saturday on how to reduce tensions that Tehran might use its nuclear technology to make weapons. The breakdown extended years of inconclusive talks and added to concerns the diplomatic window with Tehran may soon close. “What matters in the end is substance, and we are still a considerable distance apart,” Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s head of foreign policy, said at the end of the two-day meetings. She made no mention of plans for new talks. While no breakthrough had been expected, the lack of forward movement in international negotiations that started a decade ago has increased concerns diplomacy is ineffective as a tool to stop Iran from moving toward nuclear-weapon making capacity. Israel maintains Iran is only a few months away from the threshold of having material to turn into a bomb and has vowed to use all means to prevent it from reaching that point. The US has not said what its “red line” is. (Fox News)

ISRAEL: ‘IT’S TIME FOR A FIRMER STAND ON IRAN’: Israel again warned it was time for world powers to adopt a “firmer stand” with Iran on its controversial nuclear program after their latest round of negotiations closed on Saturday without any breakthrough. “It is time for the world to tell the Iranians in no uncertain terms that the masquerade of negotiations is about to end,” Strategic Affairs and Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz said. “Israel has already warned that the Iranians are using the rounds of negotiations to win time to advance their uranium enrichment to the stage of acquiring a nuclear weapon,” he said. “Without a tangible and significant threat, together with a short, clear and definitive timetable, it will not be possible to dismantle the nuclear program,” the minister said. (AFP)

NORTH KOREA SHOULD BE AN ALERT REGARDING IRAN: North Korea’s warning that its military has been cleared to launch a nuclear attack against the US should be on everyone’s mind as the Western powers sit down again with Iran on Friday in Kazakhstan, Israeli leaders stressed on Thursday. “Today it is more clear than ever that we simply cannot allow a situation in which a regime that calls for our annihilation obtains the weapons of annihilation,” PM Netanyahu – alluding to the North Korean threats – said before a meeting with a five-member US Senate delegation. “This must be prevented at all costs.” (Fox News)

EXPERT: IRAN AND NORTH KOREA DEAL TO WORK TOGETHER INCLUDES NUKES: North Korea’s repeated willingness to ignore the demands of the international community to desist from testing nuclear weapons testing can only send the worst signals to Iran, which is that the UN will have meetings and denounce actions, but will not prevent further tests. Two of the world’s most brutal regimes, Iran and North Korea, each bent on intimidating any country which dares to challenge it, signed an agreement last September to cooperate on science technology and education. In other words, North Korea is officially helping Iran move forward on its path to nuclear weaponization. Both countries are the subject of numerous sanctions by the UN, and under strong US pressure. North Korea is rich in raw uranium and other natural resources necessary for building nuclear weapons. It also has the scientific know-how and centrifuge technology to share with its partner Iran. On February 12, North Korea conducted its third and most successful nuclear test thus far. It later declared it had made progress in securing a functioning atomic arsenal. In response, the UN unanimously expanded sanctions on North Korea. (Jewish Express)

FIVE DIE IN CLASHES BETWEEN CHRISTIAN, MUSLIMS IN EGYPT: Five Egyptians were killed and eight wounded in clashes between Christians and Muslims in a town near Cairo, security sources said on Saturday, in the latest sectarian violence in the most populous Arab state. Christian-Muslim confrontations have increased in Muslim-majority Egypt since the overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 gave freer rein to hard-line Islamists. Four Christians and one Muslim were killed when members of both communities opened fire on each other outside the Egyptian capital, sources said. The violence broke out Friday when a group of Christian children were drawing on a wall of a Muslim religious institute. No further details were immediately available. A Christian official said unidentified assailants had attacked a local church during the clashes and set parts of it on fire. Police stepped up security at the church after Muslim youths began gathering in the area. (Ha’aretz) Pray for the empowering of the Holy Spirit for the Christian community in Egypt that they may be a light in the midst of Egypt’s growing political and religious darkness. Pray for protection against Islamist violence.

ISLAMIST ‘CLEANSING’ OF CHRISTIANS IN MIDEAST: Islamist terrorists and fanatics are methodically exterminating the 2,000-year-old Christian civilization of the Middle East through oppression, threats, appropriations and deadly violence. Christianity’s greatest thinkers, greatest monuments and greatest triumphs for its first 1,000 years rose in the Middle East. But today, the end is in sight. In Iraq, the country’s Christian population, estimated at up to 2 million a decade ago, has fallen by half - perhaps by three-quarters. Over 2 million Christians in Syria dread Islamist terror and religious cleansing. Multitudes have fallen victim to violent deaths and persecution in Syria even during the past two years. Two-thirds of the West Bank’s and more of Gaza’s Christians have been driven out. They’re now a small minority even in Bethlehem. Christians in Iran? Suffering. Turkey? Almost gone. Saudi Arabia? Once-thriving Christian and Jewish populations have long been finished off. Egypt has the region’s largest remaining Christian population, at least 10 million Copts. With rare exceptions, they’ve long been confined to squalid quarters and treated as third-class citizens. Things have gone from bad to worse now the Muslim Brotherhood and other extremist groups have been unleashed. (NY Post) IslamicTerror groups have had a favorite taunt for several decades which says, “First the Saturday people, then the Sunday people.” This means of course, first the Jews then the Christians will be targets for terrorist persecution, subjection and elimination. Pray for Christian communities across the Middle East undergoing ever increasing persecution and violence. May they know His protection and comfort and stand strong in faith through evil times.

MINISTRY: ALL GOVERNMENT SITES UP AND RUNNING: Israeli government web sites came under heavy attack by anti-Israel hackers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Sunday afternoon. However, the hackers failed to bring down any Israeli sites, the Ministry said in an official announcement. Anti-Israel cells, among them international hacker group Anonymous, had threatened to carry out a major hacking attack against Israeli sites on Sunday. According to the Ministry, Israeli experts had successfully fought back the attacks, with the cooperation of Internet service providers. The Ministry said that it expected the attacks to continue Sunday night, but was confident that government technology staff would be able to deflect that attacks. (INN) Answers to prayer!

(Source: jnnnews.com)

Police nab Temple Mount terrorists

Sunday, April 07, 2013 | Israel Today Staff

Israel on Sunday revealed that its security forces recently captured a Hamas terrorist cell operating out of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.

The five-man cell had been behind a string of recent stone and firebomb attacks on and around the Temple Mount. Nine Israeli police officers were wounded last month in one of the firebomb attacks.

Materials to make the firebombs were smuggled onto the Temple Mount by Arab children, whom the terrorists knew were less likely to be searched by Israeli security.

The terrorists said they were motivated by alleged Israeli efforts to “Judaize” the Temple Mount (hint: it is already Judaism’s holiest site for well over 3,000 years).

They also took issue with so-called desecration of the Koran at the Temple Mount. The incident they were referring to involved an Israeli police officer who last month moved a chair, causing a Koran to fall onto the floor. (That last sentence is not a joke.)

Israelis angered that yeshiva vandalism goes unnoticed

Sunday, April 07, 2013 | Israel Today Staff

Israeli residents of Mitzpeh Yericho, a small community between Jerusalem and the biblical town of Jericho, are angered by the government’s silence over the recent desecration of a local synagogue and study hall.

Last Thursday, locals woke to find that their synagogue and yeshiva had been broken into. The vandals destroyed books and furniture and defaced a Torah scroll.

The police and army believe that youth from a nearby Palestinian Arab village or Bedouin encampment were responsible.

A spokesperson for the community told Israel National News that there is a lot of anger over the fact that the government has all but ignored the incident, while it goes to such great lengths to express regret any time Jews are suspected of vandalizing mosques.

Israeli hackers strike back

Sunday, April 07, 2013 | Israel Today Staff

Last week international computer hackers operating under the umbrella group Anonymous threatened to “erase Israel from the Internet” in a massive coordinated attack scheduled for today. By mid-morning Sunday, that attack had largely failed, and Israeli hackers had scored some blows of their own against the foreign assailants.

There was an increase in cyber attacks against Israeli government computer systems and the websites of local banks, as well as numerous smaller websites and networks. But nearly all of those attacks were repelled by Israel’s growing network of cyber defenses.

“There is hardly any real damage,” Yitzhak Ben Yisrael of Israel’s National Cyber Bureau told the Associated Press. “Anonymous doesn’t have the skills to damage the country’s vital infrastructure.”

A number of smaller Israeli websites were defaced temporarily, and in retaliation Israeli hackers defaced the websites of Islamist groups across the region.

More impressively, Israeli hackers penetrated the website associated with the Anonymous campaign against Israel - opisrael.com. Instead of reading about Anonymous’ anti-Israel views, those visiting opisrael.com on Sunday morning were instead presented with a pro-Israel banner and a long list of facts regarding the legitimacy of Israel and the history of the Jewish people.

The Israelis were operating under the newly formed banner of the Israeli Elite Strike Force.

Palestinians: No comparison between Holocaust an ‘occupation’

Friday, April 05, 2013 | Israel Today Staff

Palestinian Arabs visiting Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust museum as part of a program called “Combatants for Peace” said it was a gross error to compare the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict with what the Nazis did to the Jews.

Many Palestinian propagandists and their apologists abroad like to claim that Israel’s so-called “occupation” of Judea and Samaria is a new holocaust, and that the Jews, of all people, should refrain from such behavior.

One of the Arabs visiting Yad Vashem said such comparisons are made out of angry ignorance. He and other Arab participants said they can now more clearly understand why Israel bears scars and is so focused on the security of its people.

“When you look at the background of the Jewish nation, we can try to understand your anxiety and fears. A nation that went through something like this cannot live without scars,” Ahmed al-Jaafari told Israel’s Ynet news portal. “I don’t agree with the comparison between the Holocaust and the situation in the territories, and people who make this comparison make it out of pain and anger.”

Another Arab who lost a daughter in the current conflict said it was a grave mistake and a disservice to the “Palestinian cause” to make comparisons with the Holocaust, which was a tragedy on an entirely different level.

Such statements will no doubt anger many Palestinians and be ignored by media outlets and organizations biased against the Jewish state. But most Israelis would agree that until these historical backgrounds are acknowledged and understood, there is no basis for genuine dialogue, reconciliation and coexistence.

Israel hopes world doesn’t fall for Iran nuclear ploy

Thursday, April 04, 2013 | Ryan Jones

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered that his nation’s nuclear program slow down a bit in order to remain under any “red lines” that might spark a harsh reaction by the international community.

That according to US and Israeli officials cited by the Wall Street Journal this week. According to those officials, Khamenei wants to avoid any external distractions ahead of Iran’s presidential election in June, when he hopes to replace President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with someone even more in line with the thinking of Iran’s Islamic overlords.

Despite this order, UN officials this week reiterated that they believe Iran does indeed seek to build an atomic weapon.

Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was quoted in several media outlets recently as saying that Iran continues to work in secret toward the goal of fielding a nuclear bomb.

Israel is again urging the world to not fall for Iran’s ploy, which is a stalling tactic Tehran has put to great use in order to reach the point it is at now with its nuclear program.

Unfortunately, the international community seems to be itching to “fall” for such a ploy, with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton quickly declaring her “cautious optimism” over the ayatollah’s reported move.

Should the world continue to drag its feet as Iran comes closer to attaining the nuclear arms that even the UN now admits it is after, Israel might have no choice but to attack alone.

In an interview with Messianic author Joel Rosenberg, former CIA Director James Woolsey said he doesn’t believe Israel has enough sustained firepower to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program entirely, but that it could feel compelled to try if the international community continues to do next to nothing.

Should it come to that, Woolsey said that Israel has unprecedented human assets among its top national leaders who will certainly have a trick or two in mind to effectively deal with Iran.

“The one thing that gives me a little bit of optimism is that [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] and [former Defense Minister Ehud] Barak are the two most experienced men in the art of unconventional warfare serving in the leadership of any country anywhere in the world,” said Woolsey.

The former CIA director continued: “These two guys are used to thinking about the art of war the way Sun Tzu told us to.”

JERUSALEM-ON-THE-LINE

News Update April 6^th 2013

JNN NEWS, P.O. Box 7411, Jerusalem 91073, Israel

“Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.” Ps 16:1

NO BREAKTHROUGH IN IRAN NUCLEAR TALKS…AGAIN: Iran and world powers once again failed on Friday to reach a breakthrough in the Iranian nuclear crisis. The latest talks in Kazakhstan saw Tehran being criticized for failing to give a clear response to a proposal aimed at breaking the deadlock, the report said. The powers are seeking answers about a nuclear program they fear may hide military dimensions. The onus is now on Iran to accept a series of demands that include curbing enrichment activities in exchange for concessions which would ease UN sanctions that have choked the Iranian economy and seen its currency’s value plummet. Iran said its chief negotiator Saeed Jalili opened the negotiations in the city of Almaty with goodwill by presenting a three-point outline of its own vision for how the dispute may be resolved. Western officials, however, said the plan was just a rehash of old ideas that had already been cast aside at a meeting last year in Moscow. “Their presentation was pretty much a repetition of what they put forward in Moscow. There were some not fully explained general comments on our ideas,” said the official on condition of anonymity. (Arutz-7) No surprises here. Meanwhile, Iran has once again successfully stalled for needed time to advance its nuclear development program.

UNRWA SUSPENDS GAZA DISTRIBUTION OVER RIOT: The main UN humanitarian agency for Palestinians said on Thursday it was suspending operations in the Gaza Strip after demonstrators angered by aid cutbacks stormed its headquarters. Some 800,000 Palestinians, two-thirds of Gaza’s population, look to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for aid. Citing budget shortfalls, UNRWA said it had suspended some of its cash handouts and that this provoked violent protests this week, culminating in Thursday’s breach of its Gaza headquarters. “What happened today was completely unacceptable: the situation could very easily have resulted in serious injuries to UNRWA staff and to demonstrators. The escalation, apparently pre-planned, was unwarranted and unprecedented,” said Robert Turner, head of the agency’s Gaza operations. Turner said that despite the trimming of cash disbursements, UNRWA’s food distribution in Gaza “will continue unchanged.” (Arutz-7) Since 1950, US taxpayers have provided billions of dollars for the United Nations Relief and Works. Reports from the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) have claimed that UNRWA actually helps promotes terrorism and holds Palestinians back from building their lives. It charged UNRWA schools with being hotbeds of anti-American, and antisemitic indoctrination and recruiting offices for terrorist groups. It said also UNRWA facilities are used to store and transport weapons, actually serving as terrorist military bases. Pray for permanent changes in UNRWA’s policies that will lead to greater self-improvement and independence among Gazans. Pray for the right use of venues that continue to be centers for antisemitic and anti-American activities and that promote terrorism.

PROSOR CALLS ON UN TO CONDEMN GAZA ROCKETS: Israeli UN envoy Ron Prosor called on the UN Security Council to condemn the recent rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel on Thursday. In a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Prosor wrote, “While children were on their way back to school from the Passover vacation two rockets landed near Sderot. Instead of rushing to classrooms, these children and their families were forced to rush to bomb shelters.” Prosor called on the Security Council to condemn the attacks before the situation escalates. “The time has come for the Security Council to begin to worry for the safety of Israeli citizens as well.” A Gazan mortar shell exploded in the Eshkol region in the South early Thursday morning. The shell triggered the Color Red alert before striking a field, and did not cause injuries or damages. Two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel landed in open areas near Sderot on Wednesday morning. PM Netanyahu responded to this week’s rocket fire assaults from Gaza by warning that if the quiet continues to be violated, Israel will respond strongly. “The security of Israel’s citizens is my chief concern and we will know how to defend the security of our people.” (J.Post) Pray terrorist rocket fire on Israel’s southern communities - violating yet another truce agreement on the part of Gaza’s ruling terrorist group Hamas - will not escalate once again.

WE’LL HAVE TO DEFEND OURSELVES: Minister of Economics and Trade, Naftali Bennett, told Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Eide this week that Israel will have to defend itself against terrorism from Gaza. The meeting between took place against the backdrop of rocket fire from Gaza against Israeli civilian targets. Bennett presented “new approaches” to managing the Middle Eastern conflict and suggested to the Norwegian minister that Oslo rethink its own positions in view of the regional developments. “The thousands of missiles that fell on Israel from Gaza crushed the remainders of the Israeli public’s trust in ceding land in return for peace. Now we will have to defend ourselves through our own actions,” he said. “Children in Israel deserve to go back to school after the holiday vacation without fearing a rocket will fall on their classroom.” Earlier in the day, Bennett cautioned against making territorial concessions to the enemies. “Last time we made these experiments it resulted in Oslo and well over a thousand Israelis murdered, so this time around we will not make the same mistakes.” (INN)

AMIDROR: UNIFIL FAILING TO TRACK HIZBULLAH ARMS: UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have failed to report on Hizbullah terrorist armaments as required, a senior Israeli official said Thursday, arguing that Israel could not rely on foreign intervention for its security. The remarks underscored the conservative strategies of PM Netanyahu as instability rocks Israel’s neighbors and world powers urge it to evacuate its Judea and Samaria settlements to make way for a Palestinian state. “Under pressure, a multi-national force is like an umbrella that gets folded up on a rainy day,” Yaakov Amidror, Netanyahu’s national security adviser, said. He continued that the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hizbullah terrorist group has been building its arsenal despite the 35-year presence of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in its heartland. “Has Hizbullah avoided bringing any kind of rocket, missile or other arms into southern Lebanon because UNIFIL is there?” he said. Israel believes Hizbullah has amassed 60,000 rockets, including 5,000 with heavy warheads capable of hitting Tel Aviv. (J.Post) “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” Ps 118:8

UN: 4 MILLION PEOPLE ARE DISPLACED INSIDE SYRIA: The UN is hiking its estimates of people trapped in Syria after fleeing their homes. Sources said Wednesday some four million are now displaced inside the country and in dire need of international help. The figure is a dramatic increase on earlier estimates of some 2.5 million displaced put forward by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for the period from January to June. Aid workers have struggled to reach those in most need, braving dangerous situations to get shelter, food and help to those fleeing the fighting. According to the report, health services, bakeries, schools, vital components of normal life are teetering or have shut down, leaving a population in distress. “What we’re presently seeing is that now it is not just violence that is driving flight,” UN sources explained. “It is also just a decline in livelihoods, a decline in the economic means for families to be able to support themselves, it’s disruption to services, it’s kids not being able to go to school, it’s water systems that have been either cut off or somehow affected.” (Arutz-7)

SHIP SEIZED BY EGYPT ‘CARRIED 40 TONS OF WEAPONS’: Egyptian maritime authorities have seized a ship with a crew of 14 and a cargo of 105 crates of unspecified weapons and ammunition which belonged to an African security company, Egyptian security officials have disclosed. Israel’s Channel 10 television reported the boat was carrying 40 tons of Iranian weapons destined for Syria or Gaza. Egyptian sources said the vessel would be held while authorities investigate whether it was carrying smuggled weapons (Arutz-7)

ISRAEL BRACES FOR MASSIVE CYBER-OFFENSIVE: Hackers around the world are plotting to strike Israel’s online presence in a coordinated cyber-attack later this week. The effort, known as “OpIsrael,” which is being organized by hacktivist group Anonymous, aims to target the 100 largest websites in the country, especially those of banks, credit card companies, and communications firms. The attack is scheduled to take place Sunday, April 7. That evening, Israel begins to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day. According to “Mauritania Attacker,” who leads a group of hackers called AnonGhost, “the hacking teams have decided to unite against Israel as one entity, and Israel should be getting prepared to be ‘erased’ from the Internet.’” (Times of Israel) Pray this malicious plot and its hateful timing will fail to accomplish its intentions.

IDF PERFECTS SELECTIVE HEARING WITH COMBAT EARPLUGS: The IDF is planning to give its top combat soldiers new earplugs that allow for selective hearing. The specialized earplugs can block outside noise while allowing soldiers to continue to hear human voices. They will be given to soldiers in elite units in Judea and Samaria. The devices reduce background noise and completely block anything louder than 80 decibels. They are tuned in to communications devices, allowing soldiers to continue to hear orders. Major Yuval Yaron, head of the Central Command branch for technology and combat equipment, said currently soldiers face a dilemma, “If they shoot without earplugs, their hearing is likely to be damaged. If they use the existing earplugs, they cannot speak to or hear the other members of their team or the commanders. The new earplugs solve the problem and allow them to talk to one another with no problem,” he said. (INN)

RACE CARS AND DRIVERS COMING TO JERUSALEM: For the first time, Formula 1’s internationally renowned race cars and drivers will traverse the capital’s streets. The event, scheduled for June 13 to 14, is part of Formula 1’s “Peace Road Show” and will feature world-class cars and drivers representing Ferrari, Mercedes and Audi, among others. The cars will be exhibited before the show at the Old Train Station from June 9 to 13. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said he was delighted the city had been chosen by Formula 1, joining the ranks of Monaco, New York, Moscow, Rotterdam and Sao Paolo. “Jerusalem joins other leading cities in the world which hold motor events attracting hundreds of thousands of spectators, who contribute greatly to the city’s economy, tourism and world image,” Nir said. (J.Post)

(Source: jnnnews.com)

New York Times: C.I.A. helping Syrian Rebels via Turkey (Iran can’t be happy)

When viewed through the prism of the Benghazi Consulate Special Mission Compound and C.I.A. annex, this news is indeed interesting.

Via New York Times:

With help from the C.I.A., Arab governments and Turkey have sharply increased their military aid to Syria’s opposition fighters in recent months, expanding a secret airlift of arms and equipment for the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, according to air traffic data, interviews with officials in several countries and the accounts of rebel commanders.

The airlift, which began on a small scale in early 2012 and continued intermittently through last fall, expanded into a steady and much heavier flow late last year, the data shows. It has grown to include more than 160 military cargo flights by Jordanian, Saudi and Qatari military-style cargo planes landing at Esenboga Airport near Ankara, and, to a lesser degree, at other Turkish and Jordanian airports.

As it evolved, the airlift correlated with shifts in the war within Syria, as rebels drove Syria’s army from territory by the middle of last year. And even as the Obama administration has publicly refused to give more than “nonlethal” aid to the rebels, the involvement of the C.I.A. in the arms shipments — albeit mostly in a consultative role, American officials say — has shown that the United States is more willing to help its Arab allies support the lethal side of the civil war.

From offices at secret locations, American intelligence officers have helped the Arab governments shop for weapons, including a large procurement from Croatia, and have vetted rebel commanders and groups to determine who should receive the weapons as they arrive, according to American officials speaking on the condition of anonymity. The C.I.A. declined to comment on the shipments or its role in them.

The majority of arms shipments to Turkey came from Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The intent of these shipments is beyond crystal clear; they were intended to be used to aid the Syrian, Muslim Brotherhood rebels. This means that Qatar and Saudi Arabia are acting against the interests of Iran.

Any guesses as to what Iran thinks about this?

“The Jews Have A Look Of Settled Melancholy”: A Whiff Of Old Persia

Jews in Persia

From the Jewish Chronicle (16 September 1872) following famines in Persia:

‘The Jewish Intelligencer, a Conversionist Magazine, contains the following extracts from a letter received by Canon Fremantle from Rev. M. Gordon of Ispahan:

As you are a great friend of the Jews, I think it would interest you to hear a lttle about the Jews in Persia.  There are about 1,500 here in Ispahan, and about 5,000 in Shiraz, where we went lately.  I found that at Shiraz they were supplied with funds by the patriuotic spirit of Sir Moses Montefiore, so that few of them (if any) have died of famine, while thousands of Mussulmans perished.  I visited them in one of their synagogues, and conversed with their Moollahs [sic] in Persia.  They said they had eight synagogues there, one of which was in ruins, and they wanted money to rebuild it.  I asked to see a distribution of the money which Sir Moses Montefiore had sent, and was told to go to the synagogue before breakfast.  I sat by the Moollah, while he gave the money; or a small portion of it; but the people made such a noise, and were allowed to press upon us so closely, that he was obliged to stop and send them away.

I went last night with Mr Bruce to Ispahan to help him to distribute the monthly allowance to the Jews there.  The contrast was remarkable.  We dismounted from our horses at the door of a large courtyard.  The Jews were all ranged in rows, seated in the shade according to their “Mahullas,” (i.e., the quarter where they live), families, and names.  Then we went round with two lists, he taking one Mahulla and I another, reading the names and distributing “krauns,” i.e., frane, to each according to the figures on the list, which answered to the number in each family.  Each man (or woman) kept his place, and rose and went away as he received his money, and the whole thing was done in less than a quarter of an hour.  In this way we are sure that each Jew gets his share, and that it does not go into the pockets of the Moollahs.

 I could see a marked improvement in their appearance since former distributions during the late severe winter, and though some have died of famine, in nothing like in the same proportion as among the Mussulmans.  Mr Bruce has several times had money from Sir Moses Montefiore for Ispahan through our Mission at Teheran, but he has had such large sums from England and India for the relief of distress that he has been able to help all denominations, Jews, Armenians, and Persians alike.  I imagine he cannot have received less than £1,200 or £1,500 from all sources this winter….
There is no doubt that they (the Jews) are a very downtrodden race in Persia, even compared with other lasses in this land of oppressions.

It is very difficult to collect statistics of any sort here, but while I was at Shiraz I made inquiries respecting them, both in English and Persian quarters.  I was told that a tax of 50 “tomans” (a toman corresponds to the half-napoleon) was levied upon them by “firman” from the Shah.  This is not considerable, but the Governor of Shiraz makes it 1,000 tomans.  I was told also that a tax of 1,600 tomans is levied upon them for making wine, which is one of their trades.  And that an additional 1,000 tomans was exacted in consideration of their receiving relief from England.

The British agent at Shiraz informed me that he had succeeded in stopping this last tax.  Of course the Persian authorities would deny the charge, but bribery and corruption are so prevalent that such a thing might easily be done with or without the governor’s cognizance.  Everyone thinks himself at liberty to insult a Jew in Persia.  In Shiraz, no Jew is allowed to ride in the streets.  The women are forbidden to veil, like Persian women, and if any possesses unusual attractions they are appropriated by some Persian for his harem.  This is mentioned in H. Martyn’s Journal sixty years ago.  I myself have seen a boy strike a Jewess as she passed in the street, and she dared not complain.  The Jews have a look of settled melancholy, which seems in a measure to identify them in spite of their conformity to Persian dress….’

(A scholarly historical account of the status and socio-economic condition of Iranian Jewry can be found here)

Daphne Anson.

Israel successfully tests shield against Iran missiles

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Israel on Monday celebrated the successful test of its new Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile system. The Arrow 3 is being jointly developed with the American Defense Department, and US officials were said to be shocked that the Israeli-built system lodged a perfect score on its very first test.

The Arrow 3 is capable of reaching the upper atmosphere and intercepting long-range ballistic missiles long before they have a chance to strike Israel. It is primarily seen as a shield against an Iranian missile threat.

While the existing Arrow anti-missile system is a highly praised and effective defense, the Arrow 3 will enable Israel to destroy non-conventional enemy warhead at such an altitude that any biological, chemical or nuclear material would disintegrate safely before reaching earth.

The Arrow 3 “demonstrates the State of Israel’s high technological capability, the State of Israel’s high defense capability … and our cooperation with the US,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stressed that “Israel’s hand is always extended in peace, but we are also always prepared for other possibilities.”

Israeli media noted that the Arrow 3 will not be fully operations for another three years.

Netanyahu: Iran will get nukes if indulged like North Korea

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday warned that if the West takes the same flawed approach as it did with North Korean in dealing with Iran’s defiant nuclear program, then the Islamic Republic will, like North Korea, invariably manage to attain atomic weapons…. read more.

Israeli hospital treats Syrian rebel fighters

Israel on Saturday came to the rescue of seven Syrian nationals found wounded along the border fence in the Golan Heights. The men turned out to be Syrian rebel fighters who were injured in clashes with government forces.

One of the men was found in critical condition with shrapnel wounds to his abdomen. He and several of the others underwent surgery at Ziv Hospital in the northern Israel city of Safed overnight…. read more.

Purim, Obama and the Jews

Once again, another inexplicable, perhaps even divine spin of events, will bring President Obama to Israel around Purim. Some see this is an opportunity for Obama to press for a renewed peace initiative on the newly elected Knesset. Others, a politicized Obama trying to get himself into the spotlight for some lame foreign policy legacy…read more.