ISRAEL BREAKING NEWS

This Ancient Hebrew Discovery is About to Rewrite History as We Know it
By Tsivya Fox December 30, 2016 , 8:00 am
“And Pharaoh called Yosef’s name Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On. And Yosef went out over the land of Egypt.” Genesis 41:45 (The Israel Bible™)
image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/egyptian-hieroglyphics.jpg
Murals of Egyptian soldiers accompanied by ancient hieroglyphics. (Aleksandr Denisyuk/Shutterstock)
After years of intense study, Dr. Douglas Petrovich has gathered sufficient evidence to claim that the ancient Israelites took Egyptian hieroglyphics and transformed it into a writing system of 22 alphabetic letters which correspond to the widely recognized Hebrew alphabet used today.
Archaeologist, epigrapher and professor of ancient Egyptian studies at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada, Dr. Petrovich used Hebrew and the Bible to translate inscriptions found on 18 ancient stone slabs. His findings have truly rocked Bible critics to the core.
image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/douglas-petrovich-300x300.jpg
Dr. Douglas Petrovich (Photo: Twitter)
“Judaism has always believed that ‘God looked into the Hebrew Bible and created the world’ making Hebrew the oldest known language,” noted Roni Segal, academic adviser for The Israel Institute of Biblical Studies, an online language academy specializing in Biblical Hebrew, to Breaking Israel News. “However, to find an archaeologist making a similar claim is fascinating.”

It is generally accepted that hieroglyphics are one of the oldest forms of written communication. Following Petrovich’s study of the inscribed Egyptian stone slabs, he asserted that the writings are actually an early form of Hebrew. He believes that the stones recall the Bible’s descriptions about the Israelites living in Egypt and concludes that they transformed Egyptian hieroglyphics into Hebrew more than 3,800 years ago.

Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt with Yaakov; every man came with his household: Reuven, Shimon, Levi, and Yehudah; Yissachar, Zevulun, and Binyamin; Dan and Naftali, Gad and Asher. And all the souls that came out of the loins of Yaakov were seventy souls; and Yosef was in Egypt already. And Yosef died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.” (Exodus 1:1-6)

Petrovich’s theory is that the Israelites sought to communicate in writing with other Israelites in Egypt. They therefore simplified Pharaoh’s complex hieroglyphic writing system into a 22 letter alphabet.

“There is a connection between ancient Egyptian texts and preserved alphabets,” Petrovich stated recently while promoting his forthcoming book on the subject. “I absolutely was surprised to find [a reference to] Moses, because he resided in Egypt for less than a year at the time of his provoking of astonishment there.”

Petrovich’s big discovery came in January 2012 while conducting research at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. He deciphered the word “Hebrews” in a text from 1874 BCE, which is the earliest known alphabet to date. The Bible notes that the Israelites spent 434 years in Egypt, from 1876 BCE to 1442 BCE.
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Petrovich explains that only an early version of Hebrew, which he calls “Hebrew 1.0”, works at translating the Egyptian inscriptions. “There were many ‘A-ha!’ moments along the way, because I was stumbling across Biblical figures never attested before in the epigraphical record, or seeing connections that I had not understood before,” he divulged.

While Bible critics claim that the dates the Israelites’ resided in Egypt are unreliable, Petrovich is proud to use the Bible as his source for proving his translations. He also found the Biblical figure Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his half-brothers and became the most powerful leader of Egypt after Pharaoh, as well as Joseph’s wife Asenath and their sons Manasseh and Ephraim.

Additionally, Bible-esque statements have also been deciphered. The statement, “Wine is more abundant than the daylight, than the baker, than a nobleman,” was found inscribed on a slab dating back to 1834 BCE. This most likely refers to a time when drink was plentiful but food was scarce. The Bible notes that the Israelites, including Joseph and his family, moved to Egypt because of a famine in the Holy Land.

Another sentence reads, “The one having been elevated is weary to forget,” which reflects on the Biblical verse:

And unto Yosef were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On bore unto him. And Yosef called the name of the first-born Manasseh: ‘for God hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.’ (Genesis 41:50-51)

Hebrew, as the world’s oldest alphabet, was first claimed in the 1920’s by German scholar Hubert Grimme. “Although Grimme identified some of the Egyptian inscriptions as Hebrew, he was unable to identify all of the alphabet correctly,” explained Segal. “Petrovich’s translation along with his connecting the texts to the Bible are a very exciting discovery.”
Using Hebrew 1.0, Petrovich translated inscriptions from four different sites in Egypt and the Sinai. “My discoveries are so controversial because if correct, they will rewrite the history books and undermine much of the assumptions and misconceptions about the ancient Hebrew people and the Bible that have become commonly accepted in the scholarly world and taught as factual in the world’s leading universities,” he said. “Truth is un–killable, so if I am correct, my findings will outlast scholarly scrutiny. I have no doubt whatsoever that Hebrew is the world’s oldest alphabet.”
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/81129/a-hebrew-discovery-that-will-shake-bible-critics-to-the-core/#C8r0tpiMc0KdBbcF.99

By Tsivya Fox December 30, 2016 , 8:00 am
“And Pharaoh called Yosef’s name Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On. And Yosef went out over the land of Egypt.” Genesis 41:45 (The Israel Bible™)

image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/egyptian-hieroglyphics.jpg
Murals of Egyptian soldiers accompanied by ancient hieroglyphics. (Aleksandr Denisyuk/Shutterstock)
After years of intense study, Dr. Douglas Petrovich has gathered sufficient evidence to claim that the ancient Israelites took Egyptian hieroglyphics and transformed it into a writing system of 22 alphabetic letters which correspond to the widely recognized Hebrew alphabet used today.

Archaeologist, epigrapher and professor of ancient Egyptian studies at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada, Dr. Petrovich used Hebrew and the Bible to translate inscriptions found on 18 ancient stone slabs. His findings have truly rocked Bible critics to the core.

image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/douglas-petrovich-300x300.jpg


Dr. Douglas Petrovich (Photo: Twitter)
“Judaism has always believed that ‘God looked into the Hebrew Bible and created the world’ making Hebrew the oldest known language,” noted Roni Segal, academic adviser for The Israel Institute of Biblical Studies, an online language academy specializing in Biblical Hebrew, to Breaking Israel News. “However, to find an archaeologist making a similar claim is fascinating.”

It is generally accepted that hieroglyphics are one of the oldest forms of written communication. Following Petrovich’s study of the inscribed Egyptian stone slabs, he asserted that the writings are actually an early form of Hebrew. He believes that the stones recall the Bible’s descriptions about the Israelites living in Egypt and concludes that they transformed Egyptian hieroglyphics into Hebrew more than 3,800 years ago.

Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt with Yaakov; every man came with his household: Reuven, Shimon, Levi, and Yehudah; Yissachar, Zevulun, and Binyamin; Dan and Naftali, Gad and Asher. And all the souls that came out of the loins of Yaakov were seventy souls; and Yosef was in Egypt already. And Yosef died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.” (Exodus 1:1-6)

Petrovich’s theory is that the Israelites sought to communicate in writing with other Israelites in Egypt. They therefore simplified Pharaoh’s complex hieroglyphic writing system into a 22 letter alphabet.

“There is a connection between ancient Egyptian texts and preserved alphabets,” Petrovich stated recently while promoting his forthcoming book on the subject. “I absolutely was surprised to find [a reference to] Moses, because he resided in Egypt for less than a year at the time of his provoking of astonishment there.”

Petrovich’s big discovery came in January 2012 while conducting research at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. He deciphered the word “Hebrews” in a text from 1874 BCE, which is the earliest known alphabet to date. The Bible notes that the Israelites spent 434 years in Egypt, from 1876 BCE to 1442 BCE.

image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/useful_banner_manager_banners/476-Banner_Bell_600x150.jpg

Petrovich explains that only an early version of Hebrew, which he calls “Hebrew 1.0”, works at translating the Egyptian inscriptions. “There were many ‘A-ha!’ moments along the way, because I was stumbling across Biblical figures never attested before in the epigraphical record, or seeing connections that I had not understood before,” he divulged.

While Bible critics claim that the dates the Israelites’ resided in Egypt are unreliable, Petrovich is proud to use the Bible as his source for proving his translations. He also found the Biblical figure Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his half-brothers and became the most powerful leader of Egypt after Pharaoh, as well as Joseph’s wife Asenath and their sons Manasseh and Ephraim.

Additionally, Bible-esque statements have also been deciphered. The statement, “Wine is more abundant than the daylight, than the baker, than a nobleman,” was found inscribed on a slab dating back to 1834 BCE. This most likely refers to a time when drink was plentiful but food was scarce. The Bible notes that the Israelites, including Joseph and his family, moved to Egypt because of a famine in the Holy Land.

Another sentence reads, “The one having been elevated is weary to forget,” which reflects on the Biblical verse:

And unto Yosef were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On bore unto him. And Yosef called the name of the first-born Manasseh: ‘for God hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.’ (Genesis 41:50-51)

Hebrew, as the world’s oldest alphabet, was first claimed in the 1920’s by German scholar Hubert Grimme. “Although Grimme identified some of the Egyptian inscriptions as Hebrew, he was unable to identify all of the alphabet correctly,” explained Segal. “Petrovich’s translation along with his connecting the texts to the Bible are a very exciting discovery.”

Using Hebrew 1.0, Petrovich translated inscriptions from four different sites in Egypt and the Sinai. “My discoveries are so controversial because if correct, they will rewrite the history books and undermine much of the assumptions and misconceptions about the ancient Hebrew people and the Bible that have become commonly accepted in the scholarly world and taught as factual in the world’s leading universities,” he said. “Truth is un–killable, so if I am correct, my findings will outlast scholarly scrutiny. I have no doubt whatsoever that Hebrew is the world’s oldest alphabet.”

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Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/81129/a-hebrew-discovery-that-will-shake-bible-critics-to-the-core/#C8r0tpiMc0KdBbcF.99

WATCH: Netanyahu blasts Kerry speech, cites ‘incontestable evidence that US brought UN resolution’
December 28, 2016
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fires back at US Secretary of State John Kerry, calling his speech Wednesday at the State Department “almost as unbalanced as the anti-Israel resolution passed at the UN.”

Israeli Prime Minister responds to Kerry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vma6Bo82DIE

Netanyahu Enraged, Kerry Ignorant, Trump Prepared; Politicians Trade Harsh Words
He delivereth me from mine enemies; yea, Thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me; Thou deliverest me from the violent man.” Psalms 18:49 (The Israel Bible™)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry slammed the Israeli government over settlement building, warning that the two-state solution is “in jeopardy,” in a lengthy speech Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly called “almost as unbalanced” as the United Nations Security Council’s recent anti-settlement resolution.

“If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or Democratic, it cannot be both, and it won’t ever really be at peace,” Kerry said in his speech, which lasted an hour and a half and detailed the outgoing Obama administration’s vision for Middle East peace.

With less than a month left in President Barack Obama’s term, Kerry defended Obama’s decision to abstain from the vote on U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334, allowing the measure to pass and breaking from the longstanding U.S. policy of vetoing one-sided U.N. resolutions targeting Israel. The secretary of state laid out the case to continue to push for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while questioning Netanyahu’s commitment to Palestinian statehood and calling the Israeli leader’s current government “the most right-wing in Israel’s history.”

The reaction from Jerusalem was immediate and searing. At a press conference, Netanyahu expressed “deep disappointment” in how Kerry blamed Israeli policy for the conflict and merely “paid lip service” to the unrelenting terrorism waged against the Jewish state since it declared independence in 1948.

“Israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders,” Netanyahu said. “No one wants peace more than the people of Israel.”

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The prime minister said he looks forward to working with the incoming Donald Trump administration to “mitigate” the fallout from the U.N. resolution and to “repeal” it. He predicted that stemming from next month’s international peace conference in Paris, France or Sweden could bring another devastating U.N. resolution against Israel, emphatically saying that the U.S. should not enable more harmful resolutions against the Jewish state and calling on Obama to “stop this game, the charades.”

Netanyahu went on to say, “My vision is that Israelis and Palestinians both have a future of mutual recognition, of dignity, mutual respect, co-existence. But the Palestinian Authority tells them that they will never accept, should never accept the existence of a Jewish state. So, I ask you, how can you make peace with someone who rejects your very existence?

“The persistent Palestinian refusal to recognize a Jewish state remains the core of the conflict and its removal is the key to peace.

“Palestinian rejection of Israel and support for terror are what the nations of the world should focus on if they truly want to advance peace, and I can only express my regret and say that it’s a shame that Sec. Kerry does not see this simple truth.”


President-elect Trump took to social media before Kerry’s speech, tweeting, “We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect.” He added, “Israel used to have a great friend in the U.S., but…not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (U.N.)! Stay strong Israel, Jan. 20th is fast approaching!”
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/81050/do-america-israel-really-stand-united/#DjsmoscpO4vfG1ob.99

Jerusalem Now & Forever: Knesset Inaugurates Jerusalem Jubilee Celebration
By JNI Media December 29, 2016 ,
“And the king made silver to be in Yerushalayim as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore-trees that are in the Lowland, for abundance.” I Kings 10:27 (The Israel Bible™)

image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/jerusalem-now-forever-glick-sharon-gabay.jpg


MK Yehuda Glick with artist, Sharon Gabay / Photo Credit: Ezra Landau, Courtesy Im Tirtzu
The Knesset Education Committee on Tuesday held the inauguration of “Jerusalem Now & Forever,” a photo exhibition celebrating the 50th year of the reunification of Jerusalem. The exhibition features photos from the renowned “Photographer of Jerusalem,” Sharon Gabay, who captured the beauty, diversity and tolerance of the Holy City. The images are printed on glass, representing the fragility of the holy city in the reality of today’s Middle East.

The images will be displayed at the Knesset over the next two weeks, and then travel around the world in 2017, providing people everywhere with the opportunity to celebrate 50 years of a unified Jerusalem. It will make stops in 50 global cities, landing finally in New York City.
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Jerusalem Now & Forever / Photo Credit: Ezra Landau, Courtesy Im Tirtzu
The project is an initiative of Israel’s grassroots Zionist movement, Im Tirtzu, which teamed up with Sharon Gabay to reveal the beauty of Jerusalem to the world. According to Im Tirtzu, the exhibition will serve not only as a tribute to the City, but be an answer to those who would use the 50th year of Jerusalem’s redemption to attack the State of Israel.

MKs Yehuda Glick (Likud), Ilan Gilon (Meretz), Yakov Margi (Shas), Haim Jelin (Yesh Atid), Zouheir Bahloul (Zionist Camp), Oded Forer (Yisrael Beitenu), Meirav Ben-Ari (Kulanu), and Benny Begin (Likud) attended the Tuesday opening.

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MK Glick, who had invited the exhibition to the Knesset, delivered the opening remarks, saying, “A picture, as is known, is worth a thousand words. These pictures deliver a clear message that Jerusalem is a beautiful city, alive and well; a city in which millions of residents of different colors and beliefs live in harmony. Jerusalem at its essence, and as evidenced by its name, is a city of peace. In the words of the Prophet Isaiah, ‘for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations.’”

Sharon Gabay said, “There are many people here who see the photos and are surprised. I am not surprised: whoever would take a camera and walk around the city – this is what he would see. When they talk about Jerusalem in the news, we only see wars, checkpoints, fire and smoke. But I want to photograph the truth, and the truth is that Jerusalem is a pluralistic city that accepts everyone.”

Im Tirtzu CEO Matan Peleg talked about the deep connection between the Jewish People and Jerusalem: “The Jewish nation is the only nation in history that under the wedding canopy makes a declaration to remember their eternal capital. ‘If I forget thee, O Jerusalem [let my right hand forget her cunning]’ is not just a territorial promise, but part of the very essence of the nation. Displaying this exhibition throughout the world will enable the Jewish People to experience the joy of Jerusalem.”

Education Committee Chairman MK Yakov Margi also gave his blessings to the exhibition, which “expresses the message of Jerusalem: coexistence and peace. This is an exhibition that needs to travel the country and the world, and go to places that only receive a very selective Israeli experience.”

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read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/81083/proper-zionist-response-knesset-inaugurates-jerusalem-jubilee-celebration/#gbfjEIXx8EeaWWQ7.99

Christians, Jews Vow to Stand Together at Trump’s Inauguration
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz December 29, 2016 , 1:30 pm
“And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Yisrael and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.” Ezekiel 37:22 (The Israel Bible™)

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Photo: Facebook
In the wake of deteriorating relations between Israel and the US culminating in the disastrous UN vote last Friday, Tommy Waller, a Christian from Tennessee, is bringing a delegation of Israeli Knesset members to Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20th.

A spiritual Christian, Waller describes himself as deeply connected to the land and agriculture of his native Tennessee. When he came to Israel 13 years ago and saw the vineyards bearing fruit in Mount Bracha near Shechem, he realized he was witnessing the fulfillment of prophecy right in front of his eyes.

Again shalt thou plant vineyards upon the mountains of Shomron; the planters shall plant, and shall have the use thereof. Jeremiah 31:4

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Tommy Waller, Founder of HaYovel (Photo: HaYovel)
Waller did not set out to make a political statement when he founded HaYovel, a non-profit organization that brings Christian volunteers to Israel to experience the wonder of the Holy Land for themselves. However, he realized that even his religious project would include unavoidable political implications, and accepted it as part of the process.

After the recent UNSC vote in which the administration of outgoing President Barack Obama chose to abstain from voting thereby abandoning Israel, Waller felt determined to ensure such an occurrence would not happen again.

HaYovel is therefore bringing two members of Israel’s Likud political party to America where they will attend the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States. Waller believes this inspiring sight of Jews and Christians standing together will help Israel, but he believes it is necessary for America as well.

“We want Trump’s administration to start out right, We are bringing the Knesset members that are connected most strongly to the Biblical promise to Israel,” Waller explained to Breaking Israel News. “This is unprecedented. There have never been representatives from Israel at a presidential inauguration.”

The Israeli delegation will consist of MK Yehuda Glick, MK Sharren Haskel, and the organization’s representative to the Knesset, Tsofia Nahon. They will attend the inaugural ball, seminars on Capitol Hill, congressional meetings, receptions, and rallies during the week of the event.

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Waller believes it is important for Israel to be represented at the inauguration because most Americans support Israel. This is born out of their belief in the Bible and God’s promise to the patriarchs, the HaYovel founder conveyed.

“What happened at the UN was an attempt by the leaders of certain nations to undo the miracle, to say they are bigger than God, and these miracles aren’t really miracles. Israel got slapped at the UN, but that was also an attack against the American people who believe in God and support Israel,” Waller said. “Unfortunately, the political environment is also going through a spiritual change.”

After witnessing the blessing of God’s promise to return the bounty to the Holy Land, Waller believes supporting Israel will bring bounty to America as well.

“We want to see this blessing also come to America, and that is dependent on our support of the Jewish people in the Promised Land,” Waller said. “Not from our financial aid, but from our actually blessing Israel and supporting Israel from our hearts.”

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HaYovel founder Tommy Waller, CryForZion co-founder John Enarson, and Yehuda Glick at Pastor Doron Keidar’s CryForZion Sukkot event (Photo: Facebook)
Israel is, in a very real sense, protecting its more powerful ally, and the phrase ‘peace process’ is a misnomer that threatens America, expressed Waller.

“We need to stand against the two-state solution. Judea, Samaria,and the Golan are enormously important,” he explained. “Everything east and north of them is problematic for Israel, but even more so for America and Christianity. America needs Israel to have this buffer zone.”

Waller sees the Jewish-Christian delegation as a prelude to future events bringing American Christians and Israeli Jews together. He is beginning to advocate international recognition by Christians of the Jews’ return to a unified Jerusalem in 1967 as a miraculous revelation of God’s promise.

Thus saith Hashem: I return unto Tzion and will dwell in the midst of Yerushalayim; and Yerushalayim shall be called the city of truth; and the mountain of Hashem of hosts the holy mountain. Zechariah 8:3

“We are in the 50th year, the jubilee,’ Waller noted. “On June 7, the anniversary of that miracle, we want to challenge every pastor to preach about the liberation of Jerusalem in 1967 as God acting in the world. We want to have an international celebration in churches around the world. It’s in the Bible. It will preach!”
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/81107/ahead-trumps-inauguration-jews-christians-vow-stand-united/#fhmc4vVeblcX2UQM.99

'Righting a Historical Wrong' Israel Discloses Information on Missing Yemenite Children
By Ilana Messika December 29, 2016 , 12:30 pm

“And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth; so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.” Genesis 13:16 (The Israel Bible™)

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference exposing the State archive on the “Yemenite Children Affair”, now open to the public online, at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on December 28, 2016. Families from Yemenite and North African Jewish communities maintain the Israeli government systematically kidnapped their children from Israeli hospitals and put them up for adoption during the immigration wave in the 1950s. (Photo by Ohad Zwigenberg/POOL)
Yechiel Levi (Ahmar) turned in 1996 to the Cohen-Kedmi commission for investigating the disappearance of Yemenite children to find out what had happened to two brothers and one sister who disappeared in 1950. The family had been notified of their deaths though no actual bodies were ever brought for funerals.

“I ask of the honored committee to investigate what happened to my two brothers and my sister and uncover what was their true fate. My parents are now elderly people but me and my sister cannot find respite from the tragedy that befell us despite the 40 years that have passed since,” Levy wrote in his request.

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Yeminite Jews en route to Israel from Yemen in Operation Wings of Eagles, also known as Operation Magic Carpet. (Photo: Wiki Commons)
Yechiel’s story is one of many documents released by the website launched by the Israeli government on Wednesday within the online State Archives uncovering some 200,000 documents related to accusations that the State of Israel had abducted Yemenite and Sephardic children during the early years of the country’s independence to be adopted by Ashkenazi (European) families.

Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed during the launching ceremony of the website that the state aimed at “righting a historical wrong. We are not willing to let this matter continue and so we decided on the principles of transparency and justice.” The ceremony was also attended by Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, MK Nurit Koren and State Archivist Dr. Ya’akov Lazovik.

The material to be released includes previously classified hearing protocols and evidence that was given in closed-door hearings before the Kedmi Commission in 2001, which originally rejected claims of state conspiracy. In June 2016, Minister Tazchi Hanegbi, in charge of National Security and Foreign Affairs, was appointed by Prime Minister Netanyahu to reopen the files for investigation.

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The volume of material uncovered contains hundreds of thousands of pages. Every document is scanned, examined, cataloged, and rose to the website of the State Archives, accompanied by search tool.

“It’s just hard to imagine that for sixty years people did not know what had happened to their children,” claimed Netanyahu

“What will happen in a few minutes is that I will click on that keyboard and anyone will be able to reach hundreds of thousands of pages that contain all the information at the hands of the government of Israel, to permit to trace the fate of those children.”

According to Rivki Dvach, Head of the Justice Ministry’s Governmental Unit for the Freedom of Information, the website contained three main types of documents. The core material of the different commissions (protocols and personal files) who are to be fully released. Raw material are fully released given that they do not relate to particulars. Finally, documents relating to adoptions are to be released in accordance with authorizations given by the Court to protect the right to privacy.

Chairwoman of the Knesset Lobby for the Investigation of the Truth of the Missing Yemenite Children Affair, Likud MK Nurit Koren claimed: “ I welcome these opening minutes after months of struggle to expose the truth. I’m operating from within my blood , stories of children abducted from their families that won’t let me sleep, I feel obligated to every family as if they were my own family.”
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/81099/israel-discloses-200000-documents-missing-yemenite-children-affair/#or08EOsyErBQWEef.99

Ahead of New Year, President Rivlin Affirms Jerusalem Sovereignty
"United Jerusalem is the Eternal Capital of Israel and it Will Remain So," Affirms Rivlin
By JNI Media December 28, 2016 , 1:30 pm
“A Song of Ascents; of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psalms 133:1 (The Israel Bible™)
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President Reuven Rivlin speaks during a ceremony for excellency in the Mossad, at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, on December 25, 2016. (Photo by Kobi Gideon / GPO)
President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday morning marked the civil New Year welcomed with the traditional annual reception for leaders of Christian communities in Israel, and wished all the Christian leaders and their congregations “a year of mutual understanding and respect. A year of justice and fairness.”

The reception, held in cooperation with Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, was attended by the Greek Patriarch Theophilos III, the Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem Nourhan Manougian.

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Israeli President Reuven Rivlin with Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III as Rivlin hosts leaders of the Christian communities at his residence in Jerusalem, in celebration of the upcoming New Year. December 27, 2016. (Photo by Mark Neyman/GPO)
President Rivlin noted that “Looking back on the last year, there is a lot we should be proud of. We have continued to build good relations between the Jewish and Christian communities.” He added that “we may have different faiths, but we share many common values. We share a deep respect for mankind, created in God’s image. We share a commitment to love our neighbor. We share a hope for peace. And in this city, we all, the children of Abraham live together, side by side.”

“I see my role, and the role of the State of Israel, as guardians of this city,” the president continued. “As guardians, our sovereignty over Jerusalem will never compromise the freedom of worship and religion for all believers. United Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel and it will remain so. There is no international body with the power to revoke this. And as sovereigns of the city, I stand here today to repeat in the clearest way: the State of Israel is deeply committed to ensure the religious rights of all faith communities in Jerusalem and throughout Israel.”
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80987/ahead-new-year-president-rivlin-affirms-jerusalem-sovereignty-2/#vtM0pDqfHh0lB4GM.99

US Vice-President Told Ukraine to Vote Against Israel at UN, Reports Say
https://unitedwithisrael.org/us-vice-president-told-ukraine-to-vote-against-israel-at-un-reports-say/?utm_source=pushengage&utm_medium=push_notification&utm_campaign=pushengage
Joe Biden, America’s second-in-command, reportedly convinced Ukraine to vote for the anti-Israel UN resolution passed Friday.

US Vice-President Joe Biden personally interfered in order to persuade Ukraine to vote for the anti-Israel resolution passed Friday at the UN Security Council, reports indicate.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a visit to Jerusalem by Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, scheduled for this week, after his country, a supposed ally, voted in favor of a UN Security Council resolution that delegitimizes Jewish communities in eastern Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. The passing of the resolution, Israel maintains, weakens the Jewish state, strengthens terrorists and destroys any chances for a resumption of peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.

Ynet reported on Monday that according to Israeli officials, “Groysman, a Jew who is thought of as one of Israel’s main supporters, wanted that his country not be involved in the consultations held on the resolution. However, Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko decided to vote in favor of its passage following a telephone conversation with US Vice President Joe Biden.”

Also on Monday, Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Ze’ev Elkin told The Jerusalem Post that Biden intervened ahead of Friday’s vote at the UN, persuading Ukraine to support it.

“Elkin said openly that Biden spoke to the Ukrainians, and that they would have abstained had he not intervened,” the Post reported. “A source said Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s office confirmed that Biden called, but would not confirm nor deny that the conversation had to do with Israel.”

Biden’s office vehemently denies the accusation, saying the call focused on issues specific to the Ukraine and had nothing to do with the UN resolution.

Revoking the invitation to Groysman was only one in a series of retaliatory measures taken by the Netanyahu government in response to the UN vote, conveying that Jerusalem does not take these diplomatic attacks lightly, particularly when supported by countries that are recognized as friends, including Ukraine.

At the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu criticized the Obama Administration for assuming a major role in the passing of the resolution. “From the information that we have, we have no doubt that the Obama administration initiated it, stood behind it, coordinated on the wording and demanded that it be passed,” he stated.

By: United with Israel Staff

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/222384
King David's response to the UN's anti-Israel resolution
Yeshivat Beit El hosted President Rivlin on Hanukkah, and Yeshiva Dean Rabbi Melamed read aloud Psalms apparently composed for the occasion.
Contact Editor Hillel Fendel, 28/12/16 02:12

President Reuven Rivlin and Rabbi Zalman Melamed in Beit ElPresident Reuven Rivlin and Rabbi Zalman Melamed in Beit ElAryeh Minkov
"I wish to bring before you King David's response to the Security Council's recent resolution regarding Judea and Samaria." So said Rabbi Zalman Melamed on Monday, speaking before hundreds of students and guests at a Hanukkah candle-lighting in the presence of Israel's President Reuven Rubi Rivlin.

With a hint of a smile betraying his delight at the eternal inter-generational connections, Rabbi Melamed said:

"King David spoke, in his prophetic spirit, about future events. He wrote about Israel sitting by the rivers of Babylon, and about b'shuv Hashem et shivat Tzion, how G-d would return us back to the Holy Land, and more… And he also foresaw the current situation in which the United Nations discusses and votes on issues relating to the Land of Israel, and seeks to steal from us parts of our homeland. Let us read from Psalm 2:

"Why have nations gathered, with the kingdoms planning in vain? Why do kings of the land stand, and nobles take counsel together against G-d and against His anointed? This anointed one is Israel – what could be more fitting to our situation today than these verses?

"… He Who dwells in Heaven laughs; the Lord mocks them. For we know that G-d is He Who rules over the world."

Rabbi Melamed then turned to Chapter 83:
"Your enemies stir, and those who hate You raise their heads. We know that G-d's enemies are Israel's enemies.

"Against Your people they cunningly plot, taking counsel against Your protected ones. They said, 'Come, let us destroy them, and the name of Israel will no longer be remembered.' Does this not refer to Iran, Syria and others around us who declare this openly?

"For they have taken counsel with one accord - All the nations in the Security Council joined together. Against You they form a pact. And then King David lists all the nations: The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites. G'val, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre. Assyria, too, joined up with them…

"King David then continues: Do to them as to Midian, as to Sisera, and as to Yavin in the Kishon brook. And in fact, with G-d's help, our enemies of today, as well, will end up being defeated, with G-d's help."

Jewish Woman’s Emotional Retelling of Her Vision of the Three Final Hours Before Messiah
By Dr. Rivkah Lambert Adler December 26, 2016 , 11:30 am
“O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the cliff, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.’” (Song of Songs 2:14)
Earlier this month, an Israeli organization with a mission to connect Israeli Jews to God, released a dramatic video, purporting to describe what will happen in the final three hours before the arrival of the Messiah and the construction of the Third Temple.

The 30-minute video is narrated by a 31 year-old Haredi (fervently Orthodox Jewish) woman named Caroline who explained that, “I experienced a sort of out of body experience.”

In emotional Hebrew, the tone of which can be understood behind the English subtitles, Caroline related how, on several occasions while struggling with postpartum depression, she experienced the presence of an unseen entity in her home which she called “something creepy”. After a particularly stressful week, she experienced a dream or a vision or an out of body experience. She didn’t know quite what to call it.

image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/video-image-1-300x154.png


Screenshot from the video (YouTube screenshot)
The vision opened with a chariot, much like the one in Ezekiel 1. Through much of the narration, Caroline had trouble finding words to describe what she experienced because her experience transcended normal life. She described herself as being in “another world”.

At this stage, the video becomes quite disturbing. She described crowds of people in some kind of transparent hall, getting “terrible beatings, they are getting tremendous whippings, afflictions. Impossible!”

There is a fairly long personal narrative during which she tells how her soul was judged and the tremendous, burning shame she felt. Approximately 18 and a half minutes in, she mentions a prophecy about the imminent arrival of the Messiah.

Then Caroline shared another, more universal, dream-like vision she had a few weeks later. In it, she saw a worldwide tsunami, everywhere except for the Land of Israel. The narrative of the destruction brought on by the tsunami is illustrated with clips from science fiction, horror and action films, adding powerful images to her chilling descriptions.

Within Israel, she described people running and running, while thousands of rockets and scuds passed overhead and “sirens and indescribable chaos”. In extremely violent and unsettling visions, she saw ISIS at work, beheading, stabbing and slaughtering people.

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Then she heard a voice tell her, “This will be 3 hours before the arrival of Moshiach (Messiah).”

Shortly after, her vision turned to the spiritual building of the Third Temple. She related being aware of the Shechina (Divine Presence), which was so strong, people had to turn away because, “It is impossible to gaze at the Divine Presence, but we could surely feel it. Such radiance!”

Caroline heard a voice from Heaven declare, “Nation of Israel the time for your redemption has arrived!” She summarized her vision of the final three hours and the beginning of redemption by saying, “And this was the most beautiful experience of my life.”

Breaking Israel News asked prolific author and end of days expert Rabbi Pinchas Winston about the likelihood that the scenario described in the video was possible, based on Jewish sources. He called the presentation “riveting” and said it was “hard NOT to watch. It is the best I have seen so far.”

image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/pinchas-winston-300x250-300x250.jpg

Rabbi Pinchas WInston (Photo: Courtesy)
Without confirming that the events of the video are prophetic or will definitely happen, he told Breaking Israel News, “Everything she said could be 100 percent true.There are prophecies like that.”

Rabbi Winston suggested that, rather than dismiss the video out of skepticism, people should “Live like it could be true, because it is based upon ideas and principles that we know are true. Whether she really had all this vision is irrelevant in the end… its message is a good warning.”

The name of the organization that produced the film is B’hagvei HaSela. Their name comes from a Biblical verse in Song of Songs and means “in the clefts of the rock”.

O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the cliff, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.’ (Song of Songs 2:14)
VIDEO 31.29 mins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UliPnDU7qJk
3 Final Hours By 'Bechagvei Hasela' Organization

Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80829/new-dramatic-video-predicts-destruction-in-the-last-three-hours-before-redemption/#WRaE2a5xycUekYa5.99

http://www.thetower.org/article/christians-in-the-holy-land-dont-call-us-arabs/
Christians in the Holy Land: Don’t Call Us Arabs
Long identified as part of the country’s minority Arab population, Israel’s Christian community has recently begun asserting its own unique identity—one that is deeply tied to the Jewish State of Israel. Meet the Arameans.
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strode into a banquet hall in the northern Galilee town of Upper Nazareth on a mid-December evening in 2014, approximately 1,000 people rose to their feet and gave Netanyahu a standing ovation. Was this typical election-year enthusiasm?
It was enthusiastic for sure. But it was hardly typical. The crowd consisted of Arabic-speaking Christians who insist that they are not Arabs. Instead, they consider themselves “Arameans,” and the event, hosted by the Forum for Christian Enlistment in the Israel Defense Forces, was a Christmastime coming-out party for a community that is celebrating a recent Israeli decision to legally recognize their old-new identity.
Thanks to that recognition, Israeli-Arameans are now on the same
ooting as other Israeli minorities, such as the Druze and Circassians. And like them, Aramean Christians want their sons to join the IDF. Indeed, Arameans who spoke at the Upper Nazareth event (only a minority of whom actually speak Aramaic, although the aspiration is to revive the language) repeatedly emphasized their desire to defend what they believe is the one state in the Middle East that protects Christians and allows them to practice their religion in peace.
The movement to recognize a separate Israeli-Aramean identity is not new. It began modestly enough in 2007, when a member of the Maronite Church from the Northern Israeli town of Gush Halav, IDF Major (res.) Shadi Chaloul, met with a soon-to-be Knesset member from the Likud, Yariv Levin. Chaloul persuaded Levin that Arameans should be considered a distinct minority in Israel. Until then, almost all Israeli Christians simply self-identified and were considered to be “Arabs.”
Their argument in favor of a distinct Aramean national identity was surprisingly easy to make, and seized with greater urgency in the Christian community, as Israeli Christians have seen the fates befalling their co-religionists and other minority groups across the Middle East as the promise and peril of the Arab Spring has unfolded. From Copts in Egypt, and Christians and Kurds and Chaldeans in Syria and Iraq and beyond, nowhere are Christians and other minorities of all faiths more secure or free, than in the Jewish State.
READ MORE http://www.thetower.org/article/christians-in-the-holy-land-dont-call-us-arabs/

Christians Fighting for Survival in War-Torn Middle East
By JNS December 25, 2016 , 7:30 am
“And Avraham drew near, and said: ‘Wilt Thou indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” Genesis 18:23 (The Israel Bible™)

image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/church-middle-east.png
The St. Moussa Church in Egypt after the Muslim Brotherhood set the site of worship aflame. (Photo: YouTube screenshot)
By Sean Savage/JNS.org

The recent military victory of Syrian government forces in Aleppo could prove to be a major turning point in the country’s bloody civil war, which has lasted nearly six years. Similarly, in Iraq, government forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition and Kurdish allies have been engaging in an operation to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State terror group.

Yet the major military operations in Syria and Iraq have come with the costs of devastation and immense human suffering. This has been especially true for the region’s minority groups, such as the Christians, who have been targeted for genocide by Islamic extremists while getting caught in the crossfire between more powerful Sunni and Shi’a Muslim governments and armies.

As such, upon the arrival of this year’s Christmas season, the ancient and dwindling Mideast Christian community still finds itself fighting for survival.

“Christianity is a Middle Eastern religion, and it should be our goal to see Christianity preserved in the Middle East as much as possible—not just for our benefit, but because more Christians in the Middle East means a better, more pluralistic and more peaceful region,” said Robert Nicholson, executive director of the Philos Project, an organization that promotes “positive Christian engagement in the Middle East.”

“This Christmas I pray we are meditating on that truth, thinking and praying for our brothers and sisters over there, and using our time with family to spread the message,” he told JNS.org.

image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/download-300x224.jpg


Damage to the Christian quarter of Aleppo, Syria, in January 2016. (Photo: Aid to the Church in Need)
Nicholson explained that while Christianity “has been an integral part of Upper Mesopotamia for 2,000 years,” the current combination of persecution, war, extremism and economic challenges “have left Syrian and Iraqi Christians at a crossroads, asking, ‘Should we stay or should we go?’”

The decline in the Christian populations of Syria and Iraq is stark. In Iraq, there were roughly 1.5 million Christians in 2003, and now there are only 300,000. Prior to the Syrian civil war in 2011, there were roughly between 1.5 and 1.7 million Christians in Syria, or roughly 10 percent of the country’s population. Now, Christian leaders in Syria estimate that roughly two-thirds of that minority population has fled and only about 500,000 remain, Chaldean Catholic Bishop of Aleppo Antoine Audo said earlier this year.

In war-torn Aleppo, which once had a Christian community of 250,000 people, only about one-eighth of that total remain.

“There were about 250,000 Christians and 45 churches in Aleppo prior to the siege. Today there are only about 30,000 Christians taking refuge in the western, [Bashar] Assad-controlled side of the city,” Nicholson said prior to Assad’s forces retaking the eastern half of the city.

Edward Clancy—director of outreach at Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), an international Catholic charity that assists people in need throughout the world, including in Syria and Iraq, where the group has provided more than $20 million through the auspices of the Catholic Church—told JNS.org that many of the remaining Christians in Aleppo “are stranded; many of them either can’t leave due to injuries, illness or age; or are stuck because of the constant warfare and devastation.”

“The reports we get from Aleppo are lack of power, food, water, basic sanitation and shelter. These are all things they are dealing with,” Clancy said. Aleppo, he added, was “one of the major commercial cities in the world in ancient times and on the Silk Road. It has long history with Christianity.”

Roots of Christianity in Syria

Indeed, the roots of Christianity in Syria go back to the earliest days of the faith, with the conversion of St. Paul on the road to Damascus between 33-36 AD, according to the New Testament. Even today, some Christians in Syria still speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus. There is a rich mix of Christian denominations in Syria, with the Greek Orthodox Church being the largest, followed by the various Catholic and Armenian traditions.

Despite having constituting only 10 percent of the nation’s population, Syrian Christians played an outsized role in modern Syria and were long among the country’s elite. The founder of President Assad’s Ba’ath Party was a Christian, and Christians have served in numerous senior positions in the government and military forces. The strong position of Christians in Syria prior to the war was largely attributed to the fact that the last two governing regimes, of Bashar Assad and his father Hafez Assad, have been largely based on secular Arab nationalism and socialism.
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As such, many of Syria’s Christians, despite the brutality of the current Assad government, have sided with the government during the civil war out of fear that the rebel forces, which include jihadist groups like Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliates, would bring even greater suffering.

“The coming victory of Assad is being publicly welcomed by most Christian leaders who see him as a defender of Christians and other minorities against the forces of violent Sunni forces like ISIS and al-Qaeda,” the Philos Project’s Nicholson said.

“But that doesn’t mean they like him,” he said. “Private conversations reveal a deep concern about increasing Islamist sentiments around the region, both Sunni and Shi’a. Forced to choose between ISIS and Assad, Syrian Christians are simply choosing the least-bad option.”

image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/download-1-300x225.jpg


A Maronite Christian church in Aleppo prior to the Syrian civil war. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Indeed, while the Assad government has been relatively tolerant of Christians, the civil war involvement of radical Shi’a groups like the Iranian-backed Lebanese terror organization Hezbollah—which has supported the Assad government—could be a future concern for Syrian Christians.

“There is a common saying among some Middle Eastern Christians that goes, “Hassan aho Hussein.’ It means, ‘Hassan is the brother of Hussein,’ referencing two pivotal figures in Islamic history and implying that Sunnis and Shi’as are, at the end of the day, two sides of the same coin. Neither have historically been good for Christians,” Nicholson said.

Message to Americans

In Nicholson’s estimation, American Christians “are largely disinterested in the plight of Christians in the Middle East. Recently, there has been growing interest, but by and large the American church—like the church worldwide—has been silent.”

Similarly, on a political level, the American government has been slow to respond to the crisis. Under pressure from Christian advocacy groups, Congress and later Secretary of State John Kerry in March officially recognized Islamic State’s atrocities against Christians, Yazidis and other regional religious minorities as genocide.

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), chair of the House of Representatives panel on global human rights and international organizations, visited Iraq right before the Christmas holiday to meet with families and Christian leaders.

“I met with Christian families who survived the ISIS genocide and have been ignored for two years by the Obama administration. I hope that President-elect [Donald] Trump will act urgently to make sure his administration helps these Christians with the funds Congress has approved for survivors of ISIS atrocities,” Smith said, referring to the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act of 2016 that he helped introduce.

ACN’s Clancy said he has been constantly “amazed at the resilience of the people” in Syria and Iraq. “They have gone through things that here in the U.S. we couldn’t even imagine or want to exist,” he said.

“In a conversation I had with the archbishop of Erbil, Iraq, I asked him why should we help these Christian people to remain with all this persecution. He said there was only one answer: It is a matter of faith,” said Clancy, recounting his talk with Archbishop Bashar Warda.

The archbishop, continued Clancy, noted how many Iraqi Christians are highly educated and would have strong career opportunities in the West, but still wish to stay in Iraq because it is their home.

“I think that is the kind of resilience we need to fortify in these people,” Clancy said. “I hope that they will be there for when the rebuilding starts, because these [Christian] communities are vital for the future of Iraq, Syria and all of the Middle East.”
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80749/christians-fighting-survival-war-torn-middle-east/#FuBXVfU3wksx0mSu.99

Can Trump Construct a New World Order?
By Dr. Efraim Inbar December 20, 2016 , 8:00 am
US President-Elect Donald Trump lacks foreign policy experience, and during the election campaign did not proffer any comprehensive outlook on global affairs. He offered bits and pieces of ideas (building a wall along the Mexican border, moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, disparaging NATO, and demanding that allies raise their defense expenditures). Overall, he expressed isolationist sentiments alongside inconsistent and unpredictable thoughts. In any case, his focus is likely to be on domestic affairs.

Still, Trump might surprise observers. It is already emerging that he does, in fact, have clear preferences in global affairs. It seems he likes Russia (or, specifically, Vladimir Putin) and dislikes China, the two most powerful international actors other than the US. Trump probably admires Putin as a strong, charismatic leader who is intent on making Russia great again. Trump’s nomination of Rex Tillerson, a man with excellent contacts in Moscow, as Secretary of State signals a planned thaw in American-Russian relations.

In contrast, when Trump looks at China, he sees an economic rival that needs to be cut down to size. Trump feels that American industries and jobs have been stolen by China, and that Beijing is playing unfairly with its currency and taxes on US-made products. Significantly, Trump has already departed from America’s qualified “One China” policy (dating back to 1979) by taking a phone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. This, together with the presence of strong Taiwan backers in the incoming administration, and with Trump’s recent meeting with Prime Minister Abe of Japan, hint that Trump might be heading towards a policy of confrontation with China.

It is possible that these moves are purely tactical, and are aimed at securing a better opening position in negotiations over elements of the US-China bilateral relationship. But Trump will soon hear from his foreign policy and defense advisers that a rising China is a major challenge to “making America great again” in a geopolitical sense.

Acting on his basic instincts, Trump may well be capable of grand Kissingerian diplomacy, without possessing Kissinger’s historic, intellectual and strategic baggage. Trump could be aiming for détente with Russia and the enlistment of Putin against China.

image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/BIN-OpEd-Experts-300x2501.png


If this happens, it would constitute a radical shift in the global balance of power, considerably enhancing American leverage in international affairs. Moreover, it holds the potential for Russia’s integration into the West. After all, Russia is culturally part of Western civilization in many ways. Obvious examples are Russian literature, music and ballet, and of course its Christian heritage.

The American post-Cold War stance regarding Russia was very problematic. In the 1990s, there was an opportunity to bring Russia into the Western architecture. A Russia characterized by a resurgent Christianity and a desire to modernize could have become an integral part of the Western world, ending a millennium-long schism – or, at least, a valued ally.

But the expansion of NATO and the EU eastward, which ignored historical Russian sensibilities, heightened the threat perception of the Russian leaders who had lost the Cold War. Western attempts to politically engineer Ukraine, so close to Moscow’s heartland, and the subsequent imposition of economic sanctions on Russia’s moves in Crimea and Ukraine are the most recent examples of Western geopolitical mistakes that pushed Russia away.

Western pressure on Russia also led to a partial Chinese-Russian entente. The Chinese demographic threat in Siberia and the struggle over central Asia were put aside to form an anti-American front.

Trump seems ready to move in a different direction.  In July 2016, candidate Trump defied political correctness by saying he would consider recognizing Crimea as Russian territory and lifting sanctions against Russia. He may well accept the return of Ukraine to Russia’s sphere of influence.

Trump also seems to have little patience with European allies who prefer that the US bear most of their defense burden. It remains to be seen whether Trump will be able to overcome anti-Russian and anti-Putin sentiment in Congress, particularly among Republicans. Many of them are unforgiving regarding human rights violations by Moscow (while more forgiving about those committed by Beijing).

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The big question, of course, is whether there will be a Russian quid pro quo. Trump is a businessman and is likely to expect something valuable in return. He will need visible benefits with which to market any grand deal with Russia to Congress and the American people.

Will Russia be ready to end its cozy relations with the radical regime in Iran to become a true US ally in the fight against militant Islam? Will it settle for a small, Assad-ruled Syria without Iranian and Hezbollah control? Will Russia be flexible enough to end its territorial conflict with Japan over the Kurile Islands to buttress the anti-China realignment?

Trump probably expects Russia to take these steps. Will Putin take a historic gamble and align with the West, as did Peter the Great?

There are no clear answers yet. For its part, Israel should be cognizant of the fact that a Trump administration will be capable of radical change in global affairs. The changes to the big picture that Trump might produce could have fateful implications for the Jewish state. Israel should work assiduously to promote its interests in this new environment, capitalizing on its strong strategic partnership with the US and good working relations with Russia.

Reprinted with author’s permission from Israel National News


Read more at https://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/19925#PDBfEJC8VVBolhBr.99

The Seeds of Messiah Planted in the Ruins of Amona
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz December 23, 2016 , 8:00 am
“And Chephar-ammonah, and Ophni, and Geba; twelve cities with their villages” Joshua 18:24 (The Israel Bible™)

image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/amonda-distraught-girls-settlement.jpg
Young Jewish girls react as they hear the news that the residents of Amona accepted a government proposal to evacuate the outpost and move to a nearby location. (Photo: Miriam Alster/Flash90)
On Sunday, December 25th, when Jews and Christians around the world will be celebrating their respective holidays, the 42 families of Amona will watch as police and soldiers come pouring into their town to remove them from their homes. Ironically, some rabbis are seeing great, even Messianic beginnings in what appears at first glance to be an onslaught of unnecessary destruction.

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the Chief Rabbi of Tzfat (Safed), published an article in Israel National News on Thursday about the Amona episode, citing the admonishment by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai, a second century sage quoted throughout the Talmud, that the Land of Israel is only acquired through suffering.

“Our sages teach that one of the ten trials of Abraham entailed acquiring the Cave of Machpela (Cave of the Patriarchs),” wrote Rabbi Eliyahu. “Why was the transaction with Ephron considered a trial? Because Abraham had to pay an exorbitant price and beg the Hittites to sell him the cave, after G-d [Himself] had promised Abraham the entire land.”

“[Abraham] wasn’t interested in his honor or pride when appearing before the Hittites,” continued the rabbi. “We, too, must remind ourselves that our goal is settling the Land. It is a positive commandment whose value is worth the entire Torah, and if, for this, we must sign for the Supreme Court – we will do this too to fulfill the commandment.”

image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/berger.png
Rabbi Yosef Berger. (Courtesy David’s Tomb)
Rabbi Yosef Berger, the rabbi of King David’s Tomb on Mount Zion, told Breaking Israel News that, as Rabbi Eliyahu explained, suffering always precedes great achievements for Israel.

“It is difficult to understand and forbidden to state with certainty, but it is for this reason the Holocaust preceded the State of Israel,” Rabbi Berger said, quoting Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, an 18th century Italian kabbalist known by the acronym Ramchal. “The Ramchal stated that rotting and descent are always necessary for growth. It is like a fruit that falls to the ground and rots before it puts out roots in order to create a tree.”

Rabbi Berger noted this is a trait of Israel, as written in the Torah.

Behold a people that riseth up as a lioness, and as a lion doth he lift himself up; he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain. Numbers 23:24

Rabbi Berger stated that the destruction of Amona on the first day of Hanukkah was connected to the beginnings of Geula (redemption), citing “Bnei Yissaschar”, a kabbalistic book written by Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov in the late 18th century.

“The hidden light of Messiah will begin to be revealed during Hanukkah,” Rabbi Berger divulged. “It is the light that comes from darkness, which is what we are seeing in the destruction of Amona.”

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Rabbi Eliyahu concluded with a blessing for the families of Amona: “Lovers of the Land of Israel everywhere salute you with love, and pray that you will merit to settle the entire land on which Abraham our forefather established an altar and called out to G-d. Amen.”

The battle for Amona began twelve years ago, when Palestinians, aided by left-wing foreign funded NGO’s, petitioned the High Court claiming the community was built on Palestinian-owned land. Despite numerous appeals and delays, the final date to demolish the settlement was set for this coming Sunday.

Earlier this week, the families of Amona accepted an offer from the government in which they would voluntarily leave their homes in exchange for financial compensation and a guarantee that 24 families would be allowed to build new homes on a nearby plot of land. The rest of the families will be given plots to rebuild in the nearby city of Ofra.

Though this seems to have defused the situation, Israelis are watching events unfold, praying that this time will not be a reenactment of the violence that occurred in Amona ten years ago. In 2006, nine houses had been ordered destroyed by the Israeli high court. On the day of the evictions, 10,000 Israeli Police and IDF troops faced an estimated 4,000 protesters. By day’s end, the houses had been demolished but more than 300 people were injured, including about 80 security personnel.

Despite the signed agreement, tensions are still high as the government and settlers eye each other with caution and more than a bit of mistrust. The High Court is aware of this and on Wednesday night issued a demand that residents sign a declaration they will leave peacefully.

Israeli police are also preparing for the eviction. Channel 2 news reported on Saturday that prison authorities had emptied entire wings in preparation for mass arrests.

A confrontation between Israelis and their own soldiers would be painful for both sides. On Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video, calling on protesters “not to harm IDF soldiers and security forces under any circumstances. They are our sons, the apples of our eye, they are dear to all of us and keep all of us safe.There is no place for violence.”

The rabbi of Amona, Rabbi Yair Frank, released a statement on Saturday, asking protesters to refrain from harming security forces. “Our complete opposition to the destruction of the town of Amona must be expressed in a passive and nonviolent protest only. It is clear to us no one, in no situation, will raise a hand against the soldiers and policemen, who are our brothers,” he said.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80672/seeds-messiah-planted-ruins-amona/#SviDCIpR6M37Apmq.99

[WATCH] PM Netanyahu’s Christmas Message from the Christian Embassy
December 22
By Staff Writer December 22, 2016 , 12:30 pm
And Yehonatan said to David: ‘Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of Hashem, saying: Hashem shall be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed, for ever.’ I Samuel 20:42 (The Israel Bible™

PM Benjamin Netanyahu sends his best wishes outside the Christian Embassy. (YouTube screenshot)
To all of our Christian friends around the world, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I send you these greetings from Jerusalem. I’m standing in the courtyard of this magnificent International Christian Embassy. I’m so proud of our relations with our Christian brothers and sisters. I wonder for many of you if you remember the experience you had when you first visited Israel, when you saw the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or the Via Dolorosa or the Sea of Galilee or Nazareth. I’m sure it moved you deeply.

And it moves us deeply to have this bond with you because we all know that this land of Israel is the land of our common heritage. It changed the story of humanity, it changed civilization. What a magnificent heritage it is. Yet, we also know that it is under attack these days, that the forces of intolerance, of barbarism that attack all religions attack Christians with particular vehemence. We stand with you and I’m proud of the fact that in Israel, this is the one place in the Middle East that the Christian community not only survives but thrives and it’s no accident. It’s because of our commitment to religious freedom; it’s because of our embrace of our heritage; it’s because of our embrace of our common future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oIQXIZbxg0
PM Netanyahu's Greeting for Christmas and the New Year
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80641/watch-pm-netanyahus-christmas-message-christian-embassy/#7ivkwfTEMlWAK4QM.99


Disrespect, Contempt from Obama Administration Compels Israel to Explore Beneficial Ties With International Community
“Thou knowest my reproach, and my shame, and my confusion; mine adversaries are all before Thee.” (Psalms 69:20)
Scorned By Obama, Israel Forges Beneficial Ties with Russia, Expert Says
By JNS December 22, 2016 , 8:30 am
Thou knowest my reproach, and my shame, and my confusion; mine adversaries are all before Thee. Psalms 69:20 (The Israel Bible™)
Obama Abandons Israel
(Photo: Press-TV/Facebook)
By Rafael Medoff/JNS.org
WASHINGTON—Although Israelis were distressed by the tension in their relationship with the outgoing Obama administration, that state of affairs has compelled Jerusalem to forge ties elsewhere that have greatly benefited the Jewish state, according to a leading expert on the Middle East, Russia and international security.
Dr. Ariel Cohen, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and director of the Center for Energy, Natural Resources and Geopolitics, analyzed Israel’s growing relationship with Russia and other countries in a Dec. 20 conference call sponsored by the Endowment for Middle East Truth, and in a subsequent interview with JNS.org.
“With President [Barack] Obama and the left wing of the Democratic Party turning against Israel, Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu has made a great effort to build better relationships with Russia, India, African countries and others,” Cohen said. Netanyahu’s recent visits to Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan illustrate Israel’s ability to find allies in unexpected corners of the globe, including some majority-Muslim countries.

Israel’s growing relationship with Russia is “complicated, but clearly a tremendous improvement over relations between the Jewish state and the old Soviet Union,” Cohen noted.
“One the one hand, Russia has allied itself with enemies of Israel such as Iran and the Syrian regime of [Bashar] Assad, and the Russians consistently vote against Israel at the United Nations and other international forums,” he said. But at the same time, Cohen pointed out, “Russia and Israel have significant trade relations, tourism and medical ties, with thousands of Russians going to Israel every year for medical treatment and teams of Israeli doctors visiting Russia to share their expertise and advice.”
One important practical benefit of Israel’s relationship with Russia, Cohen told JNS.org, is that the Russians have refrained from activating their anti-aircraft batteries in Syria when Israel has bombed weapons convoys traveling from Syria to Hezbollah bases in Lebanon. “The Russians have not interfered even though the casualties of the Israeli strikes included an Iranian general,” Cohen said.
Russia continues to support the Palestinian cause, “but at nowhere near the levels of backing that were provided by the old Soviet regime,” Cohen said. “In those days, the USSR was the main supporter and funder of Palestinian terrorism, as well as providing diplomatic and political support.”

By contrast, he said Russia today “does not actively support Hamas or other Palestinian terrorist groups,” and most of Russia’s sympathy for the Palestinian cause is expressed through votes at the United Nations. “This is a very significant change,” Cohen told JNS.org. “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin is not going out of his way to push Israel toward accepting a Palestinian state. He has much bigger fish to fry in the Middle East.”

While cautioning that the Russians are somewhat unpredictable and changing circumstances could alter Moscow’s strategy, Cohen emphasized that Russia’s main interest in the Middle East is to expand its regional influence. In pursuit of that goal, Putin is not limiting himself to the avenues that his Soviet predecessors utilized and is constructing temporary alliances of convenience. Russia’s attitude toward Iran, for example, “is not based on any shared values—the Iranians are Muslims and the Russians are mostly Orthodox Christians—but on their mutual hostility toward the United States,” according to Cohen.
Humanitarian considerations are completely irrelevant to Putin in his effort to expand Russian influence in the region. “In Syria, he will not hesitate to fight to the last Syrian,” Cohen said. “Russian foreign policy is deeply cynical.”
It was the Obama administration’s coldness toward Israel and retreat from the region in general that forced Israel to look for ways to fill the vacuum by developing new relationships, Cohen believes. “Israel became just one in a long line of traditional American allies in the Middle East whom the Obama administration distanced itself from, including the [Abdel Fattah El] Sisi regime in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states. So naturally Israel has had to look elsewhere for allies, even temporary ones,” he said.

As for U.S. policy under President-elect Donald Trump, Cohen said that in the short run, “the Trump administration will undoubtedly focus on the threat from ISIS (Islamic State) rather than have a confrontation with Russia.” Once Islamic State is defeated, Trump will need to address larger strategic issues in the Middle East, and he is likely to find that Putin “is a really tough customer,” Cohen said.
For Israel, based on Cohen’s assessment, the year ahead will be a period of carefully watching, waiting and being prepared to adapt to new regional circumstances.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80602/scorned-by-obama-israel-forges-beneficial-ties-with-russia-expert-says/#LFsqIlBFAIYpeu1h.99

Lives of Orphans, Widows Light Up at Jerusalem Hanukkah Retreat
“We are become orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.” (Lamentations 5:3)
The holiday season is a particularly hard time for families who have lost a loved one. Colel Chabad, Israel’s longest-running social services organization, is once again treating over 400 orphaned children and about 130 widows to a three-day Hanukkah retreat at the Ramada Hotel in Jerusalem
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80607/light-brought-orphans-widows-hanukkah-retreat/#5szyJ4ar67CfvZmt.99


Missing Israeli Woman Found Dead After Berlin Attack
“And Yaakov rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.” (Genesis 37:34)
By Ilana Messika December 22, 2016 , 7:30 am
And Yaakov rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. Genesis 37:34 (The Israel Bible™)
Candles, flowers and condolence messages at Christmas Market in Berlin, the day after a truck drove into crowd of people. (Shutterstock)
The body of Dalia Elkayam, the Israeli woman who had been missing since the terror attack at a Berlin Christmas market was found early Thursday after a two-and-a-half day search by German authorities in cooperation with the Israeli embassy.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80597/missing-israeli-woman-found-dead-after-berlin-attack/#ZhkZ0OVCG5cCEzFx.99


Reclaiming the Land of Israel: IDF Establishes a ‘City’ of Military Training Bases
“And all those that were numbered of B’nei Yisrael by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Yisrael.” (Numbers 1:45)
A not-so-quiet demographic and geographic revolution is taking place in Israel these days. After years of planning, concrete efforts are underway to shift populations—particularly educated and younger sectors of Israeli society—away from the overcrowded and overpriced center of the country. The new destination is the southern Negev region and its wide-open spaces, ushering in the 21st century version of pioneering Zionism.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80619/city-military-training-bases-israels-south-an-idf-game-changer/#zj1GPxVglxzsQUQK.99


UN to Vote on Draft Resolution, Demands Israel "Immediately Cease All Settlement Activities"
By Ilana Messika December 22, 2016 , 1:30 pm
And as for you, ye meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Genesis 50:20 (The Israel Bible™)
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the opening of the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. (Photo: Shutterstock)
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is expected to vote on Thursday afternoon, New York time, on a draft resolution presented by Egypt demanding that Israel “immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.”
The draft resolution further stipulates that the construction of Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem has “no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.”
Spokespeople for Israel’s foreign ministry refused to comment on the resolution, but anticipating the vote, Education Minister and Jewish Home MK Naftali Bennett released a video statement Thursday saying ““Here in Israel we are at the forefront of the battle between radical Islamic terror and freedom […] we are out there fighting for you, for the free world. Whoever today supports a resolution against Israel is in effect raising his hand for the forces of evil.”
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon. (Hillel Maeir/TPS )
Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Danny Danon similarly criticized the “anti-Israeli resolution” and described it as “the peak of hypocrisy.”
“It is absurd that at a time when thousands are being massacred in Syria, the Security Council is devoting time and energy to convene and discuss condemning the only true democracy in the Middle East. This resolution will do nothing to promote a diplomatic process, and will only reward the Palestinian policy of incitement and terror,”
At least one legal expert told Tazpit Press Service (TPS) that the vote could present significant problems for Jerusalem – whether or not the resolution is binding.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80686/un-set-vote-settlement-activity-resolution/#uK2SaGajbQ4aGxTb.99

2,000-Year Old Hasmonean-Era Coin Discovered, Bringing Hanukkah Story to Life
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz December 22, 2016 , 11:30 am
“For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” Proverbs 6:23 (The Israel Bible™)
A relief etched in the Arch of Titus in Rome depicting the Jews carrying the menorah from the Holy Temple after the siege and destruction of the city of Jerusalem. (Shutterstock)
Nearly 30 years after archaeologists finished their excavations, representatives from Jerusalem’s Tower of David announced on Tuesday the unexpected discovery of a 2,000-year old bronze coin.
Orna Cohen, chief conservation officer at the Jerusalem’s Tower of David, was inspecting some minor damage in the tower’s courtyard when she was surprised to see the glint of metal amongst the tumbled rocks. What she had discovered was a pruta, a bronze penny from the Hasmonean Era, when the Jewish Maccabees defeated the Greeks in a battle that is now commemorated during the holiday of Hanukkah.
The face of Antiochus IV Epiphanes appears on the front of the bronze penny, and the reverse side portrays the Greek goddess Hera holding a torch and scepter in her hand.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80633/2000-year-old-hasmonean-era-coin-discovered-bringing-hanukkah-story-life/#KJjhQmjl2hJjXKWR.99

Christmas Spirit Arrives in Jerusalem as Free Trees Distributed in Festive Annual Event
“He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the ilex and the oak, and strengtheneth for himself one among the trees of the forest; he planteth a bay-tree, and the rain doth nourish it.” Isaiah 44:4 (The Israel Bible™)
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A man dressed up as Santa Claus at Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City as free Christmas trees are distributed for the upcoming holiday, December 20, 2016. (Flash90)
The Jerusalem Municipality distributed 150 complimentary Christmas trees on Tuesday to the city’s Christian residents in preparation for the holiday, which this year falls on Sunday. It was the continuation of a celebrated annual tradition which sees the city, holy to the three major religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, honoring its multifaith heritage.
The giveaway took place at the Jaffa Gate entrance to Jerusalem’s Old City, where trucks unloaded dozens of pine trees for the choosing. With the presentation of an ID, residents were invited to pick out a tree and take it home for the holiday.
In an amusing display of the religious and cultural juxtapositions which have come to define Israel, a fully outfitted Santa Claus riding a camel made an appearance at the event.
“I wish health, safety, and peace all around the world!” Santa told the crowd. “From Jerusalem, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! HO HO HO!”

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Some “customers” came all the way from Bethlehem to pick up their trees, Arizona Cypresses grown in Israel by the Jewish National Fund (JNF). Other takers were local Jerusalem residents, tourists, and clergy. One monk who came to collect a tree for an ill parishioner told i24 News that Christmas is especially important in Israel because it is a holiday which celebrates peace, a much-needed commodity in the region.

“Christmas is a feast of joy, of holiness, of peace,” he said. “We need this peace, especially here in the Holy Land. We need unity.”

The annual tree giveaway is only part of Jerusalem’s comprehensive preparation for the Christmas holiday. The city also hangs festive lights and flags in areas where the holiday is widely celebrated, such as the Christian Quarter of the Old City, and sends special cleaning crews to spruce up local churches.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80560/spreading-holiday-cheer-jerusalem-distributes-150-free-christmas-trees/#fr5mb55ECdsCuksF.99


King of Morocco Inaugurates Historic Casablanca Synagogue and Jewish Museum
By JNS December 21, 2016 , 8:30 am
“And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places, thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.” Isaiah 58:12 (The Israel Bible™)
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI attended the inauguration of the historic Ettedgui Synagogue and the adjacent El Mellah Jewish Museum last week in Casablanca.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI attended the inauguration of the historic Ettedgui Synagogue and the adjacent El Mellah Jewish Museum last week in Casablanca.
The ceremony to rededicate the synagogue museum is part of an effort by the Moroccan government to restore Casablanca’s Old Medina. A grant by the government of about $844,000 funded most of the restorations.
Serge Berugo, head of the Council of Moroccan Jewish Communities, told the Maghreb Arab Presse (MAP), that the restoration of the synagogue and the museum “where there are exhibited paintings retracing the history of Judaism in Morocco will also preserve the authentic Moroccan identity.”
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“The synagogue and museum’s restoration display the King’s commitment to conserving spaces of cultural dialogue and coexistence,” Berugo added.
Morocco was once home to more than 250,000 Jews, many of whom immigrated to Israel in the mid-20th century. However, recent efforts have been made by Morocco to protect its Jewish history and to encourage Jewish tourism.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80529/moroccan-king-attends-historic-synagogue-inauguration-casablanca/#tIDPoJ3ugEfv2QEl.99

Recreation of Temple Showbreads Latest Step Towards Building Third Temple [PHOTOS]
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz December 21, 2016 , 12:30 pm

“And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto Hashem.” Leviticus 24:7 (The Israel Bible™)
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The 12 Shabbat showbreads, or “lechem panim”, on their special gold rack. (Courtesy Women of the Mikdash)
Last Saturday, a Shabbat reenactment of a Temple ritual took place in the holy city of Hebron, giving participants a taste of the Temple service as it was in Biblical times while taking a practical step towards preparing for the Third Temple.
More than 80 participants were greeted in Hebron Friday afternoon by the lighting of the Temple Menorah, lit by Shimshon Album and Rabbi Yaakov Hayman, the newly-elected chairman of the Temple Movement.
Facing the Menorah was the special rack holding the 12 lechem panim (show breads).
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The special flat showbreads are placed in their rack. (Courtesy Women of the Mikdash)
The lechem panim is unleavened bread, similar to the matzah eaten on Passover, and the 12 loaves are required by Biblical commandment to be on display inside the Temple sanctuary at all times. Cups of frankincense mixed with salt were placed on the bread.
And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. Leviticus 24:5
In the times of the Temple, Kohanim (men of the Jewish priestly caste) were separated into family groups that came to Jerusalem to serve in the Temple one week out of every year. The incoming group of priests would arrive on Friday to begin their service on the Sabbath. On Saturday afternoon, the outgoing priests would remove the showbread that had been on display for a week, replacing it with newly-baked bread.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80564/third-temple-way-priests-prepare-ritual-shabbat-showbreads-photos/#u5HXXQoQc1hu13zF.99

Neo-Nazis Defile Jewish Tomb With Pig’s Head, Attack Worshipers With Tear Gas
“The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her treasures; for she hath seen that the heathen are entered into her sanctuary, concerning whom Thou didst command that they should not enter into Thy congregation.” (Lamentations 1:10)
A group of neo-Nazis attacked the tomb of revered spiritual leader Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in the Ukraine, defiling the gravesite with fake blood and the head of a pig and physically assaulting Jewish worshipers with tear gas overnight on Tuesday.
Two Israeli nationals were taken to a hospital for treatment following the attack, which took place at around 2 AM on Wednesday morning in the city of Uman.
Rabbi Nachman, a very significant Jewish figure who founded the Hasidic movement, is buried in Uman. His grave is a popular pilgrimage site for religious Jews, drawing thousands of visitors during the Jewish New Year.
Rabbi Yisrael Elhadad, the sexton of the synagogue located on the tomb site, described the two attackers as neo-Nazis. The men entered the synagogue’s main hall with bottles of paint and sprayed tear gas at the five or six Jewish worshipers there, he told Ynet News.
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While the blood was fake, the pig’s head, which had a swastika carved into it, was real. As pigs are considered an unclean animal, a pig’s head in a synagogue is a serious desecration.
Religious Jews who arrived in the morning for prayers were greeted by the gruesome scene.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80541/holy-tomb-revered-rabbi-desecrated-pigs-head-fake-blood/#HRxaOMsdSuDaXKoJ.99

Israel Opens Arms to Syrian Wounded From Aleppo
By JNS December 21, 2016 , 7:30 am
“For Thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat; for the blast of the terrible ones was as a storm against the wall.” Isaiah 25:4 (The Israel Bible™)
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Wounded civilians arrive at a hospital in Aleppo during the Syrian civil war, October 5, 2012. (Wikimedia Commons)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the foreign ministry is exploring ways to provide assistance to Syrian civilian casualties from the fighting in Aleppo.
“We see the tragedy of the terrible suffering of the civilians,” Netanyahu said an end of the year event Tuesday with foreign press.
“We are prepared to take in wounded women and children, and also men if they are not combatants. Bring them to Israel, [we will] take care of them in our hospitals as we have done with thousands of Syrian civilians. We are looking into ways of doing this. It is being explored as we speak.”
While Israel has treated over 2,000 Syrians in its hospitals since the war began, most of those injured Syrians were from areas close to the Israeli-Syrian border in the Golan Heights. According to one Israeli government official, Israel is attempting to determine how to transfer civilians from Aleppo, which is a much more complicated logistical issue, the Jerusalem Post reported.
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Netanyahu added that he does not believe there is a clear solution to the situation in Syria right now and that the country is likely to be fractured for the foreseeable future.
“Will it come together and be a unified Syria? I doubt it,” Netanyahu said.
“I think you have enclaves there and they are not about to disappear, but the suffering is great, and the one initiative we took is to help – as I said – thousands of Syrians who are sometimes mutilated beyond belief. We help them. I offered to do more today. I don’t know if we can resolve [the crisis in] Syria, but we can help mitigate some of the suffering. That is the best that Israel can do.”
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80526/israel-opens-arms-syrian-wounded-offers-treatment/#y3RTwf7qCXyhEhB4.99

http://www.timesofisrael.com/coin-struck-by-vilified-king-from-hanukkah-story-found-in-jerusalem/
Coin struck by vilified king from Hanukkah story found in JerusalemConservator stumbles upon bronze penny bearing face of Antiochus IV Epiphanes during routine cleaning at Tower of DavidBY ILAN BEN ZION December 20, 2016, 4:26 pm 3
The visage of Antiochus on the observe of a bronze coin found at the Tower of David Citadel courtyard (Courtesy Tower of David)The visage of Antiochus on the observe of a bronze coin found at the Tower of David Citadel courtyard (Courtesy Tower of David)
ronze penny minted by the Greek tyrant from the Hanukkah story was recently stumbled upon by archaeologists amid the ruins of Jerusalem’s Tower of David during routine cleaning of the site, the museum said in a statement Tuesday ahead of the commencement of the eight-day festival on Saturday night.
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Orna Cohen, chief conservation officer at the iconic Jerusalem landmark, found the small bronze coin a few weeks ago during routine conservation work after a section of the Hasmonean-era city wall that runs through the citadel’s courtyard suffered minor damage (from either recent stormy weather or schoolchildren, nobody’s really sure).

The head of Antiochus IV Epiphanes appears on the front of the bronze penny, and the reverse has a goddess holding something — perhaps a torch — in her hand.
Antiochus IV was a Seleucid monarch remembered in Jewish history for his promotion of Hellenization and suppression of religious observances. While he was battling the rival Ptolemaic kingdom in Egypt for control of the Levant, Jewish zealots rose in revolt against Antiochus and the Hellenized high priest installed in the Jerusalem temple.
Archaeologist Orna Cohen with the ancient coin found in the Tower of David courtyard (Courtesy Shay Amiran)
Antiochus returned from Egypt and attempted to quell the uprising. After his death on a subsequent campaign in Persia, Hasmonean rebels lead by Judah Maccabee and his clansmen succeeded in wresting control of Judea from the Seleucid Greeks, restoring the Jewish temple and forming a Jewish kingdom that ruled for a century. The Hanukkah holiday celebrates the Maccabees’ victory over the Greeks and Hellenized Jews.

Last year archaeologists said they may have found the remnants of a fortress Antiochus’s army used to besiege Jerusalem in 168 BCE.

The Tower of David sent the coin to the Israel Antiquities Authority for authentication.

The coin’s precise date wasn’t clear, but thousands of others of the same type were minted at the port of Acre, then called Antiochia Ptolemais, between 172 and 168 BCE, during Antiochus IV Epiphanes’s reign.

The reverse of a Seleucid bronze coin found at the Tower of David dated to the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the king from the Hanukkah story (Courtesy Tower of David Museum)
The reverse of a Seleucid bronze coin found at the Tower of David dated to the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the king from the Hanukkah story (Courtesy Tower of David Museum)
Its serrated edge helped pinpoint it to a 50-year window when that style was in vogue among Seleucid kings.

“Acre seemed to like the idea of serrated coins,” IAA Coin Department head Donald Ariel told The Times of Israel.
The coin may have been struck by the Seleucid army to pay troops used to quell the Maccabee revolt, he said. Such coins were used as small change by soldiers in the employ of the Greeks.
The coin was of little value then, and not too rare nowadays either. Ariel said there are at least 2,000 coins minted by Antiochus IV minted at Acre in the IAA collection. This is “the second most common coin type from the Seleucids,” he said, and is only outnumbered by coins minted by Antiochus III, Antiochus IV’s father.
Jerusalem under the snow: Tower of David snowstorm (photo credit: Noam Chen)
Because the Tower of David isn’t an active archaeological dig, however, the museum management didn’t expect a new original finds, director Eilat Lieber told The Times of Israel. Israel captured the Old City from Jordan during the 1967 Six Day War, and archaeologists first excavated the citadel a year later. The last archaeological digs at the Tower of David were wrapped up in 1988.

“It was really a big surprise for us,” Leiber said, noting most Hasmonean artifacts tend to be from later in the period. Moreover, they were “surprised by the timing” just before Hanukkah.
But if you’d like a coin minted by the vilified Antiochus of your own for Hanukkah, there are several for sale online, including these on eBay

Tampa, FL
Bible Classes Mandated for Convicted Ex-President Katsav as Condition for Early Release
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz December 20, 2016 , 1:30 pm
“The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because Hashem hath anointed me to bring good tidings unto the humble; He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the eyes to them that are bound.” Isaiah 61:1 (The Israel Bible™)
In a move which reflects the deeply Jewish values of even Israel’s most secular institutions, the Prison Parole Board has prescribed a daily dose of Bible study for Moshe Katsav, former president of Israel and convicted criminal, as one of the conditions for early parole from prison.
Katsav was convicted in 2010 of rape and sexual harassment and was sentenced to seven years behind bars. Initially, he was offered a plea bargain but later rejected the deal, claiming he would be vindicated in court. He also refused to take part in rehabilitation programs. Parole officials cited this and other statements he made as indications Katsav was unrepentant, leading them to reject his previous petitions for early release.
However, the Parole Board ruled on Sunday that Katsav will be released after serving only five years of his sentence. As part of his rehabilitation program, Katsav will be required to attend daily Torah lessons and attend weekly meetings of a religious treatment group.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80508/light-torah-guides-convicted-israeli-ex-president-jail/#JykmUmW8AWfoWcZR.99

Largest-Ever Terror Weapon Factory Uncovered in Hebron
“He revealeth the deep and secret things; He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him.” Daniel 2:22 (The Israel Bible™)

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The IDF uncovered an illegal underground weapons mill in Hebron, December 17, 2016. (Video screenshot)
Israeli security forces uncovered what they are calling the largest illegal weapons factory ever discovered underneath a Palestinian home in Hebron overnight Sunday.

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), security forces discovered more than 100 Carl Gustav m/45 barrels, Russian 7.62 sniper rifles and M16 rifle parts with assembly instructions. Forces also seized 15 lathes (a machine for shaping metal) and other production materials used for making illegal homemade weapons.
The IDF deemed the discovery “the biggest weapons factory ever discovered in the West Bank,” Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
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The raid, which involved hundreds of soldiers from several IDF units and the Israeli Border Police, is part of an ongoing campaign by security forces to uncover and destroy illegal weapons production facilities in the West Bank that have been used in terror attacks against Israel.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80470/largest-ever-terror-weapon-factory-uncovered-hebron/#580gDAoRSeSwxiSG.99

Bible Codes Reveal Eerie Details of Russian Ambassador’s Terror Assassination
Russia-Turkey Terror Assassination Found in Bible Codes in Stunning Detail
By Dr. Rivkah Lambert Adler December 20, 2016 , 12:30 pm
“The law of Hashem is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of Hashem is sure, making wise the simple.” Psalms 19:8 (The Israel Bible™)
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(Breaking Israel News)
A new Bible codes video contains all the significant elements of the assassination of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey in shocking detail, proving once again, in the words of international Bible codes expert Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson, that “Torah is the blueprint of creation and everything is in the Torah.”
Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov was murdered by 22 year-old Mevlut Mert Aydintas, who worked as a member of the Ankara riot police, on Monday night in Ankara, Turkey. Brandishing a gun, Aydintas proclaimed that the assassination was an act of jihad in protest against Russian involvement in Aleppo, Syria and against recent cooperation between Russia and Turkey.
As news of the assassination broke, Rabbi Glazerson found a table that contained all of its major elements, including the date, the location, the name of the victim and even the terror motive, encoded in the Torah. All these codes were found in a single book of the Bible, Leviticus, and primarily in chapter 13. According to Rabbi Glazerson, the proximity of all these codes to one another makes the table especially significant.
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Rabbi Glazerson points out the code for hashagrir which is Hebrew for “the ambassador” and haRusi, which is a Hebrew adjective meaning “the Russian.” He also points to the last name of the victim, Karlov, spelled in Hebrew letters. Nearby, he shows the codes for Turkey and Ankara spelled in Hebrew letters.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80496/terror-assassination-found-in-bible-codes-in-stunning-detail/#ePxEt7HEbK4tG0dj.99


Terror Attack on German Christmas Market Kills 12 as Truck Plows Through Crowds
“Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them; for Hashem thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
German police examine the truck used to attack a Christmas market in Berlin, December 19, 2016. (Video screenshot)
In what authorities have termed a “probable terror attack,” twelve people were killed and 48 injured when a tractor trailer plunged into a crowd of holiday shoppers at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday night. Among the injured was an Israeli man, whose wife, also at the attack, is still missing.
Witnesses said the driver of the truck, which was thought to have been hijacked by an asylum seeker from Afghanistan or Pakistan, did not attempt to slow down and appeared to aim intentionally for the crowds as shoppers screamed and ran.
“I just saw this huge black truck speeding through the markets crushing so many people and then all the lights went out and everything was destroyed. I could hear screaming and then we all froze. Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there,” Australian tourist Trisha O’Neill told the media.
There was “blood and bodies everywhere,” she said.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80487/christians-targeted-germany-truck-terror-attack-christmas-market-kills-12/#vdbHAfGGmqVqLvww.99

WATCH: Trump will not force a solution on Israel, says incoming US ambassador
December 18, 2016
David Friedman, the US President-elect’s pick for US ambassador to Israel, said during the election campaign that Trump would respect the democratic process in the Jewish state, elaborating on his respect for the only democracy in the Middle East.
Trump adviser to Israeli Channel 10: He won't force a solution on Israel
VIDEO 2.5 mins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh_hjvvk2aQ

IDF Destroys Hamas Outpost After Taking Fire From Gaza Border
By Abra Forman December 19, 2016 , 12:30 pm
“Hashem is my strength and my shield, in Him hath my heart trusted, and I am helped.” Psalms 28:7 (The Israel Bible™)

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IDF artillery Corps operate near the Gaza border (IDF)
Shots were fired at IDF troops stationed near the southern part of the Gaza-Israel border on Monday morning, prompting the IDF to respond aggressively by shelling and destroying a Hamas military post with tank fire.

The Israeli soldiers came under fire while guarding a civilian engineering crew working near the border fence. No one was injured, and no damage was reported.
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The IDF quickly retaliated, firing three tank shells at a Gaza military post held by the Hamas terror organization and demolishing it.
Other than a warning to farmers working in the area to briefly leave their fields and remain inside, no disruptions were reported.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80434/idf-destroys-hamas-outpost-taking-fire-gaza-border/#yGRVZY0DkKaSVy46.99


Ivanka Trump Scopes Out DC-Area Synagogues Before Washington Move
Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner Shop DC Synagogues Before Inauguration Day
By Abra Forman December 19, 2016 , 10:30 am
“I will declare Thy name unto my brethren; in the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee.” (Psalms 22:23)
Ivanka Trump, the Jewish daughter of President-elect Donald Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner are reportedly looking into which Washington, DC synagogue congregation to join before they move to the capital for the tenure of Trump’s presidency.

A representative for the Orthodox family of five – Kushner and Ivanka have three children together – inquired at the Ohev Sholom synagogue, located in DC’s Shepherd Park neighborhood, about a possible membership, the New York Post reported on Sunday.

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The Ohev Sholom synagogue. (Wikimedia Commons)
Ohev Sholom (“Lovers of Peace” in Hebrew) is the district’s oldest modern Orthodox synagogue, first established in 1886. Congregant Diana Furchtgott-Roth, a member for 12 years, calls the community “politically diverse” and welcoming.

“We are open to everybody,” Furchtgott-Roth said. “We have a summer camp, excellent lunches on Shabbat, we are politically diverse, and there are plenty of nice homes in our neighborhood.”

However, the synagogue is not without controversy. The congregation’s leader, Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, is an outspoken critic of the Ivanka’s father. At last year’s AIPAC conference, Rabbi Herzfeld interrupted Trump’s address to warn, “Do not listen to this man. He is wicked. He inspires racists and bigots.”
He wrote on Facebook after the incident that he “felt the obligation as a rabbi to declare [Trump’s] wickedness to the world.”

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The inquiry at Ohev Sholom suggests that the family is looking to relocate nearby. Orthodox Jews may not drive on the Sabbath or holidays, so observant families must live within walking distance of their synagogues.

Currently, the Trump-Kushner family belongs to the Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. They can be seen on the Sabbath walking back and forth between the synagogue and their home.

Both Ivanka and Kushner are expected to take on significant roles in Trump’s White House administration, necessitating a family move to the Washington.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80410/ivanka-trump-scopes-dc-area-synagogues-washington-move/#STZHLpFaDWUXGDL6.99


After Soccer Victory, Israeli Athlete Reveals T-shirt Proclaiming "Hashem is God" in Hebrew
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz December 19, 2016 , 1:30 pm
“But they that wait for Hashem shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 (The Israel Bible™)
Reveling in his joy at scoring the game-winning second goal for his Bavarian soccer team on Sunday night, Almog Cohen, a native Israeli, surprised the crowd by revealing who was really behind his victory. He lifted his red team jersey and uncovered a t-shirt proudly displaying the Hebrew words, “השם הוא האלוקים” – Hashem is God.

When asked about the shirt after the match, Cohen explained, “I am a person with a lot of faith. I have to thank Shalev Menashe (a retired Israeli soccer player). It is his shirt. He visited me and I promised that if I got a goal, I would show it.”


Cohen’s t-shirt became a social media hit. Israeli news site Yediot Ahronot featured the photo on its Facebook page and garnered hundreds of positive comments, with many calling it a kiddush Hashem (a sanctification of God’s name) and labelling Cohen a tzaddik (holy man).

“Long live Israel! It is very exciting because there is nothing like a strong belief in the Creator. Even if you are surrounded by enemies, never doubt there is someone who protects you,” wrote Norit Ifergen in Hebrew.

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Also in Hebrew, Tzion Ezrad noted that the action was all the more meaningful for its location. “On German soil, we need to give them this response, that despite everything, Israel is still alive,” he wrote.

One anonymous comment on Sport 5, a Hebrew language sports site, read, “It is important to show that we accept the rule of Heaven, even in front of the non-Jews, so that they will accept it without hate. More power to you, Almog!”

Another anonymous Hebrew comment on the site said, “It is a pleasure to see a Jew proud of his Judaism.”

Cohen played for Maccabi Netanya in Israel from 2006 until 2010, and was the Israeli Premier League Runner-up in 2006. He began been playing in the German Bundesliga soccer league in 2010, and for Ingolstadt in 2013.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80437/israeli-soccer-star-reveals-divine-secret-success/#65g50UmyCoI0Ywjm.99

Outgoing Ki-Moon Admits: Yes, UN is 'Disproportionately' Biased Against Israel
By JNS December 18, 2016 , 8:30 am
“How long will ye judge unjustly, and respect the persons of the wicked?” Psalms 92:2 (The Israel Bible™)
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses his final press conference, at UN headquarters Dec. 16, 2016. (UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe)
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is stepping down at the end of the year, acknowledged in a departing speech that there is “disproportionate” bias against Israel at the world body.

“We must never accept bias against Israel within U.N. bodies,” Ban said Friday.

Ban went on to admit that the U.N. has a “disproportionate volume of resolutions, reports and conferences criticizing Israel,” and that “in many cases, rather than helping the Palestinian cause, this reality has hampered the ability of the U.N. to fulfill its role effectively.”

Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon commended Ban’s statement and noted the disproportionate number of anti-Israel resolutions passed at the U.N. in recent years.

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“The secretary-general admitted the clear truth—the U.N.’s hypocrisy towards Israel has broken records over the past decade. During this time the U.N. passed 223 resolutions condemning Israel while only eight resolutions condemning the Syrian regime as it has massacred its citizens over the past six years. This is absurd,” said Danon.

At the same time, Ban urged Israeli lawmakers to reconsider the controversial outpost bill, which would legalize Israeli settlements on private Palestinian land.

“I strongly urge legislators to reconsider advancing this bill, which will have negative legal consequences for Israel and substantially diminish the chances for Arab-Israeli peace,” Ban said.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80352/un-head-ban-ki-moon-admits-anti-israel-bias-departing-speech/#Id5XI48Aeb45kt6D.99


Significant Drop in Terror Attacks Reported In November
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz December 16, 2016 , 1:47 pm
“A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:8 (The Israel Bible™)
A young Israeli holds a tear gas gun he just bought in a Jerusalem store for self protection, as many israelis grow afraid for their safety following a wave of terror attacks across the country, on October 15, 2015. (Photo: Hadas Parush/Flash90)
The Israeli Security Agency (Shabak), also known as the Shin Bet, reported a 38 percent drop in terror attacks in November when compared to the previous month. This was largely due to a 72 percent drop in the attacks in the capital, Jerusalem.

A total of 95 attacks, including 72 firebomb attacks, were reported in November compared to 153 in October. The drop in the number of attacks was most evident in Jerusalem, where there were nine attacks, compared to 48 in October. In Judea and Samaria, 84 attacks were reported in November, as opposed to 103 in October.

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There were no rocket or mortars fired at Israel in November as compared to two attacks that originated from the Gaza Strip in October.

The November attacks resulted in one casualty. A security officer was slightly injured in a shooting attack at an IDF checkpoint near Tulkarm on November 3. This was a significant improvement over October, when 23 Israelis were wounded and two were killed.

According to Israeli government statistics, since 13 September 2015, 42 people have been killed in terrorist attacks and 577 people (including 4 Palestinians) injured.

According to recent article in Ma’an News, the Palestinian news service, 235 Palestinians were killed in the last year. Out of this number, two Palestinians were killed in attacks by Palestinians. Two more were killed by themselves while carrying out attacks, so their deaths cannot be attributed to Israeli security.

The statistics do not include rock-throwing or arson attacks.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80317/significant-drop-terror-attacks-reported-november/#DpgJ2z7HPoixXXir.99



Israel’s Top Spy Travels to New York to Brief Trump on Middle East
By Valerie Locke December 18, 2016 , 11:30 am
“Where no wise direction is, a people falleth; but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” Proverbs 11:14 (The Israel Bible™)

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Yossi Cohen, the head of the Mossad, at a committee meeting at the Israeli parliament behind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The head of the Mossad, Israel’s international intelligence agency, traveled to New York to meet with President-elect Donald Trump’s staff for an intelligence briefing on Middle East issues last week, reported Ynet News.

Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, accompanied by a high-ranking security delegation from Israel, briefed Trump’s team on the Iranian nuclear deal, Syria’s civil war, terror threats in the region, and the Palestinian conflict. The meeting, not highly publicized, was discreetly arranged by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer was also present at the briefing, which took place at Trump Tower in Manhattan.

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Also on the agenda was an appeal by the Israeli delegation requesting Trump help oppose a UN Security Council resolution due to come up for a vote before Trump’s inauguration. The resolution labels communities in Judea and Samaria illegal and in effect calls on the international community to boycott Israel.

Israeli officials and pro-Israel American lawmakers, concerned that President Barack Obama will chose not to veto the proposal as he has in the past, have urged the White House to continue upholding Israel’s interests at the UN in the administration’s last days.

Many pro-Israel groups believe the future Trump administration will represent a sea change for US-Israel relations, which, while always close, cooled during Obama’s tenure. Trump has already signaled that he is serious about his campaign promise to move the American embassy to Jerusalem and has appointed as ambassador David Friedman, a religious Jew expected to strongly support hardline measures in favor of settlements and a Jewish Jerusalem.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80382/israels-top-spy-travels-new-york-brief-trump-middle-east/#3zB7vEwJqrpgPCKg.99

Trump’s New Israel Ambassador Looks Forward to Serving From “Israel’s Eternal Capital, Jerusalem”
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz December 16, 2016 , 10:43 am
“When the righteous are increased, the people rejoice; but when the wicked beareth rule, the people sigh.” Proverbs 29:2)
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PM Benjamin Netanyahu with Republican President-elect Donald Trump in New York, Sunday, September 25, 2016. (GPO/Kobi Gideon)
President elect Donald Trump announced on Thursday evening that he will nominate David Friedman to be the US Ambassador to Israel.

Trump made the announcement on his transition team website.
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David M. Friedman has been named as one of Trump’s Israel advisors. (Kasowitz Law Firm)
“The bond between Israel and the United States runs deep, and I will ensure there is no daylight between us when I’m President,” said President-elect Trump. “As the United States’ Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman will maintain the special relationship between our two countries. He has been a long-time friend and trusted advisor to me. His strong relationships in Israel will form the foundation of his diplomatic mission and be a tremendous asset to our country as we strengthen the ties with our allies and strive for peace in the Middle East. Nothing is more critical than protecting the security of our citizens at home and abroad.”

“I am deeply honored and humbled by the confidence placed in me by President-elect Trump to represent the United States as its ambassador to Israel,” Friedman said in statement on Thursday. “I intend to work tirelessly to strengthen the unbreakable bond between our two countries and advance the cause of peace within the region, and look forward to doing this from the US embassy in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem.”

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Friedman reportedly does not see Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria as obstacles to peace.In an interview with Haaretz in June, Friedman stated the Trump supports Israel annexing parts of the areas.

Last month , Friedman and Jason Greenblatt, the other Israel-US adviser to Trump, released a a 16-point position paper which included:

Israel is the state of the Jewish people, who have lived in that land for 3,500 years.

Israel is a staunch ally of the U.S. and a key partner in the global war against Islamic jihadism. Military cooperation and coordination between Israel and the U.S. must continue to grow.

The U.S. should veto any United Nations votes that unfairly single out Israel and will work in international institutions and forums, including in our relations with the European Union, to oppose efforts to delegitimize Israel, impose discriminatory double standards against Israel, or to impose special labeling requirements on Israeli products or boycotts on Israeli goods.

The U.S. should cut off funds for the UN Human Rights Council, a body dominated by countries presently run by dictatorships that seems solely devoted to slandering the Jewish State. UNESCO’s attempt to disconnect the State of Israel from Jerusalem is a one-sided attempt to ignore Israel’s 3,000-year bond to its capital city, and is further evidence of the enormous anti-Israel bias of the United Nations.

The U.S. should view the effort to boycott, divest from, and sanction (BDS) Israel as inherently anti-Semitic. The BDS movement is just another attempt by the Palestinians to avoid having to commit to a peaceful co-existence with Israel. The false notion that Israel is an occupier should be rejected.

A two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians appears impossible as long as the Palestinians are unwilling to renounce violence against Israel or recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.

The U.S. should support direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians without preconditions, and will oppose all Palestinian, European and other efforts to bypass direct negotiations between parties in favor of an imposed settlement.

The U.S. will recognize Jerusalem as the eternal and indivisible capital of the Jewish state and Mr. Trump’s Administration will move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80307/trumps-new-israel-ambassador-looks-forward-serving-israels-eternal-capital-jerusalem/#iRIB57FSi7Kch3U0.99



12-Year-Old Muslim Boy Plants Bomb at German Christmas Market
“Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.”
(Proverbs 20:11)
It was announced on Friday that a 12 year old German-Iraqi boy was detained by police for planting two bombs in Germany, making him the youngest person accused of terror related crimes in Europe to date.

Focus Magazine reported on Friday that first incident occurred when the boy placed a bomb at the Christmas Market in Ludwigshafen on November 26. The boy placed a backpack near the market containing a homemade bomb composed of gunpowder surrounded with nails and screws. The bomb failed to go off. He made another attempt on December 5, placing a similar bomb near the city hall. A passer-by reported the suspicious object to police and the bomb-squad set off a controlled explosion, destroying the bomb. The boy was taken in by police on the same day.

The boy was allegedly radicalized by an unknown member of the Islamic State (ISIS) and is being held in a juvenile detention center.

In an ironic twist, the announcement came two days after a story in Reuters with the headline, “Refugees bring a taste of Syria to German Christmas market”.
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The boy is the youngest suspect to be arrested for terror related crimes in Europe, but Israel has been coping with this phenomenon since the beginning of its present wave of violence over one year ago, becoming the focus of international criticism when the Knesset passed a law permitting terrorists as young as 12-years old to be jailed.
In October 2015, a 13-year old Palestinian and his 15-year old cousin armed with knives attacked a 13-year old Israeli and a 25-year old Israeli. The younger Israeli was wounded critically.
On year ago, an 11-year old Palestinian and his 14-year old cousin armed with knives attacked a security guard on the light rail system, wounding him multiple times. The 11-year old was released without being charged.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80311/12-yr-old-boy-plants-bomb-german-christmas-market/#R0CgiMoJAMQBD7es.99

The Election Results Deniers
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz December 15, 2016 , 12:30 pm
“And after this, Avraham buried Sara his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre–the same is Chevron–in the land of Canaan.” Genesis 23:19 (The Israel Bible™)
The opening to the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. (Video screenshot)
To combat the recent United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) resolution declaring Judaism has no connection to the holy sites in Israel and educate the growing wave of Bible deniers, the Jews of Hebron have made a simple video with a powerful message: the story of Abraham’s purchase and his covenant with God stand as solid as the stones surrounding the cave.

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Yishai Fleischer (Screenshot)
Hebron is the city of the patriarchs as written in the Bible. This claim should be obvious, but a global trend is developing in which history is being rewritten, and basic tenets of the Bible are erased. Yishai Fleisher, the international spokesman for the Hebron Jewish community, explained how this happened.

“100 years ago, everyone knew the stories of the Bible,” Fleisher told Breaking Israel News. “There was no way anyone could say these lies back then. Because the Bible has lost its media presence, it is now possible to pull the wool over people’s eyes about these basic truths.”

For those who accept the Bible, the Jewish claim to Hebron is self-evident. For those who reject it, this basic truth is not so clear.

“Outside of the Bible, there is very little clear information about the holy places,” noted Fleisher, “Which allows organizations like UNESCO to create a false narrative. UNESCO is a legitimate arm of the jihad.”

Though Fleisher’s claim against the UN seems harsh, it is difficult to refute. In September, the day after Yom Kippur, UNESCO passed a resolution proposed by Arab states which granted Islam sole religious claim to the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, Rachel’s Tomb, Bethlehem, and Hebron. Raising international fury, the resolution is seen as pure farce in Israel.

Secrets of the Tomb

The Hebron video graphically illustrates Judaism’s Biblical claims to Hebron. Fleisher introduces Noam Arnon, a resident of Kiryat Arba and Hebron for 36 years and a leader of the movement for the renewal of Jewish settlement in Hebron. The two walk down a stone stairway leading to the ancient gate of the city. Arnon explained the stairs were built over 4,500 years ago, 700 years before the patriarch Abraham set foot in Hebron. This gate was the setting for Abraham’s purchase of the Machpela, the cave in which he buried his wife, Sarah.

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The impressive structure, built by Herod 2,000 years ago with the same distinctive stones he used to upgrade the Second Temple, marks the entrance to the cave that lies underneath. Arnon describes how 30 years ago he was among a privileged few to descend five stories into the passageway beneath the large shrine. According to Arnon, he and his companions found a cave filled with human bones and artifacts dating back to the First Temple period. He also says that upon exploring deeper, they discovered a second cave with even older artifacts he claims date back to the time of Abraham.

Despite a plethora of archaeological proof and historical accounts, the movement to deny these basics of the Bible is growing stronger. In an obscene twist, Hebron itself is being used to disprove Jewish claims to the Land of Israel.

“It is shocking how many people fully believe that Jews are appropriating the Palestinian culture, stealing the tombs of our own fathers,” Fleisher said. “Anti-Zionist organizations in conjunction with the Jihad have begun to use Hebron as a platform, running tours that teach the ‘Occupation narrative’.”
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Hebron Cave of the Patriatchs
Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron (Photo: Wiki Commons/ Travail)
“With unbelievable audacity, the European funded NGOs (non-governmental organizations) bring naive people into the city that Jews have lived in for 4,000 years and tell them that we are foreign occupiers,” Fleisher said. “It is an incredible testament to how much they can warp the truth and how vigilant we have to be about the truth.”

The video is part of a campaign to combat this wave of misinformation and propaganda. But Fleisher sees a more powerful way of combatting the growing plague of misinformation: visitors coming to Hebron to bear witness for the patriarchs. On the Sabbath when the Torah portion describing Abraham’s purchase in Hebron was read, 25,000 people gathered to proclaim that the covenant God made with Abraham was still strong.

“The small group of Jews who live in Hebron are holding the portal open for the 700,000 visitors who come every year to bear witness to the truth that this is the plot of land that Abraham bought,” Fleisher said.

The UNESCO vote shocked many, and with Hebron on the front-lines, Fleisher knows exactly what is as stake.

“We know what will happen if the Jews lose control of the site,” he explained to Breaking Israel News. “From 1267, when the Mamaluks conquered the region, until 1967 when the Jews returned, we were barred from entering the Machpela, or going up to the Temple Mount.”
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80274/ancient-hebron-bears-witness-unesco-jihad-video/#9ImHriUB16flueZr.99
Secrets of the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron [VIDEO]

Biblical Language Brings You Closer to God, Says Hebrew Roots
By Dr. Rivkah Lambert Adler December 15, 2016 , 10:30 am
“And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech.” Genesis 11:1 (The Israel Bible™)

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Christians and members of the Hebrew Roots movement are united in their view that learning Hebrew is an important part of understanding the Judaic origins of their faith.
Speaking to Breaking Israel News, Bob O’Dell, pro-Israel Christian, author and co-founder of Root Source, described his interest in Hebrew as two-fold. As a frequent traveler to Israel, O’Dell recognizes that learning modern, conversational Hebrew could help him “to fit in a bit better when visiting Israel.”
However, his primary interest is “to understand the Bible better. What motivates me here is the absolute conviction that I am not ‘seeing’ but a small fraction of the potential insights in the various passages by reading an English translation.”
Expanding on this idea, O’Dell expressed his belief that Christians can benefit from learning Hebrew because it will give them “the ability to look at the Biblical text without being fully dependent on previous translators.”
For O’Dell, seeking truth is an important part of his spiritual journey. As a result, he is motivated to understand the Bible in its original language. “I want to get the words directly no matter how difficult they are to hear,” O’Dell stated.
Asked how Jewish people can help Christians learn Hebrew, O’Dell said that, beyond teaching the basics of Hebrew reading, “I think that Jews need to help Christians learn how to study with the Jewish learning methods of interactive, respectful debate. It is not enough to learn Hebrew. We [Christians] need to learn how to perceive the scriptures in a more Jewish style,” he said, referring to the use of ancient Jewish commentaries.
Israel365’s Director of Christian Relations Donna Jollay spoke to Breaking Israel News about her emotional and spiritual connection to Hebrew.

“When I was literally and radically saved by God 20 years ago, He gave me a Jewish heart and I started being drawn to the most unusual things. After that happened, I can remember being in church regularly for the first time in my life and it still tickles me when I remember how excited I got when I learned that ‘Amen’ was Hebrew. Then I learned that ‘Halleluyah’ was Hebrew, too! And I was even more excited to learn that it meant ‘Praise the Lord.’
“It feeds my soul to learn Hebrew. Every nuance is a revelation of God and His awesomeness and love. Learning it knits me together even more with Him and His beloved Hebrew/Jewish people,” Jollay expressed with great enthusiasm.

On a more practical level, she explained that Hebrew is “the language of the Hebrews who are the overwhelming majority of God’s focus in [the Bible] and throughout history. It’s the language of the God of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yakov and I believe it’s the language we’ll all be speaking [in Messianic days].”
For Al McCarn, a member of the Hebrew Roots movement and Executive Director of B’ney Yosef North America, Hebrew is connected to his very identity. “My primary motivation for learning Hebrew is because I have come to think of it as the language of my people. I believe the Torah awakening among those of us who have come from Christian backgrounds is the prophesied restoration of the House of Yosef/Ephraim, which means I identify as a Hebrew. That’s why I want to become competent in the language of Israel, the Hebrew nation.”
“Also, I want to learn the Bible in the its original language so I have a better understanding of the Word of God and the people of God,” he added.
McCarn discussed how Jewish people can help those who come from the Hebrew Roots movement. “What I have found is that the knowledge and understanding Jews possess regarding the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and the Hebrew language in which much of it was written, is something we are sorely lacking.
“If we begin to study Hebrew (either ancient or modern) with any degree of seriousness, we will learn that the best teachers are Jews, and that we do have much that we can contribute to one another.”

Mikell Clayton, President of the Joined to Hashem Hebrew Roots ministry, sees learning Hebrew as a means to an end. “Learning Hebrew is not my focus, but rather learning Torah as the way of life given to those who desire to worship the one true Elohim (God), the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

“Since the Torah was written in Hebrew, the more familiar I can become with the language, the closer I can come to the original meaning of a life lived by Torah instructions.” Clayton encouraged Jewish people to help “in this experience of drawing near to HaShem (God) through His revealed Torah by opening their hearts to people who have open hearts.”

Jonathan Lipnick, a Biblical Hebrew professor at the Israel Institute of Biblical Studies, has been teaching Biblical Hebrew for years and yet says, “With all of my experience and knowledge, I still find that there is more to uncover and learn every day.” In his live video sessions with students, Lipnick reveals the meanings behind Hebrew Scriptures and texts that are completely missed when reading their translations. “Many words in Hebrew have double or even triple meanings, and when you translate a phrase, you need to choose one of those meanings. It is amazing to me every time to see my students so excited when they discover something new about scriptures they thought they knew so well.”
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80250/biblical-language-brings-closer-god-says-hebrew-roots/#1XUEmXFCD6U9D6vd.99



Russia Will Conquer Israel Before Messiah, Predicts Missing Piece of 400-Year-Old Prophecy
Newly Revealed Prophecy: Russian Army Has Come to Mid-East to Conquer Israel
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz December 14, 2016 , 12:30 pm
“And thou son of man prophesy against Gog and say: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold I am against thee O Gog chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.” Ezekiel 39:1 (The Israel Bible™)
image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/russian-army-2.png
Russian army parade on Victory Day 2015 in Moscow. (Video screenshot)
Though relations between Russian President Vladmir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appear friendly, the recently-revealed missing piece to a 400-year-old prophecy warns that Russia’s pre-Messianic intentions towards Israel might be far more aggressive than anyone suspects.

The prophecy, attributed to the Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, the leading Torah scholar of the 18th century known as the Vilna Gaon, states, “If the ships of the Kingdom of Russia cross the Bosphorous Straits (in Northwest Turkey), we need to put on our Shabbat clothes, because this is telling you that the coming of the Messiah is very close.”

The Vilna Gaon (Wikimedia Commons)
When Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in November 2015, nearly igniting a war between the two countries, the prophecy seemed to be materializing. Two months ago, the Russian Navy sailed for the Mediterranean, bolstering their already formidable military presence in the region and setting the stage for the prophesied confrontation to occur at any moment.

In a lecture last week, Rabbi Yekutiel Fisch, author of the Kabbalistic book Sod Hachashmal (“Secret of the Electricity”), noted that most people familiar with the prophecy credit it to the Gaon, but claimed that the teaching has even more ancient roots. Rabbi Fisch’s teaching was picked up by Yeranen Yaakov, a Jewish end-times blogger, who made the connection.

Rabbi Fisch attributed the original prophecy to Samson ben Pesah Ostropoli, a noted mystic who was killed in a pogrom in Poland in 1648. In his book Mahaneh Dan (“The Camp of Dan”), which has since been lost, Rabbi Ostropoli made the same claim about Russia conquering Turkey. But unlike the prophecy attributed to the Vilna Gaon, Rabbi Ostropoli’s original prophecy adds that Russia will do so with the true intention of conquering Israel.

Thus far, Israel seemed to be uncharacteristically unentangled in the growing Middle Eastern conflict centered around Syria, and the friction between Russia and Turkey doesn’t appear to involve Israel at all. But Russia has never been neutral in the region and all of Israel’s regional enemies bear Russian arms.

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In Syria, the Russian military is currently assisting its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a long-time declared enemy of Israel, to overcome rebel forces in a bloody civil war. And in nearby Iran, which has vowed to wipe Israel off the map, Russia recently supplied the Iranian Revolutionary Guard with the state-of-the-art S-300 anti-air weapons system.

As to the diplomatic ties between Israel and Russia, Professor Efraim Inbar of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies told Breaking Israel News that relations may not be as warm as they appear.

“These relations are based on specific and narrow understandings in order to prevent clashes,” Professor Inbar explained. “With Russian warplanes operating so close to the Israeli border this is necessary, and it is in Israel’s interest not to have any disputes with Russia. But there is no signed treaty or formal agreement.

“It should be remembered that Russia sides with Iran, supports Hezbollah, and even has relations with Hamas,” Professor Inbar warned.

In a lecture given last year, Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, chief judge of the Edah HaChareidis in Jerusalem, discussed this prophetic teaching, asking why Turkey would antagonize Russia, since Russia is far superior militarily.
Russian long-range surface-to-air S-300 missiles were sold to Iran. (Luchezar Stoilov/Flickr)
“We see in this the fulfillment of the teaching of our Sages that when Moshiach should come, God pits kingdoms against one another and they start war against their own will,” explained Rabbi Sternbuch.

The original version of the prophecy written by Rabbi Ostropoli notes that Israel will undergo many processes. At first, Israel will be under Turkish rule, after which it will be under British rule, and, in the end, Israel will be under the rule of Russia.

The Ottoman Empire ruled in Israel at the time Rabbi Ostropoli wrote his book, but the British Mandate in Palestine was still almost 300 years in the future when he predicted they would rule over Israel. Russia has never ruled Israel, but the Russian Army has never stood as close to Jerusalem as it does today.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80192/missing-piece-400-year-old-prophecy-portends-russian-conquest-israel/#t40aIbxGKFrKYUxk.99

Muslim Country Asks Expert Israel for Help Fighting Terror
By Abra Forman December 14, 2016 , 11:30 am
“Have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us?” Malachi 2:10 (The Israel Bible™)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, at the President’s Palace, on December 14, 2016. (Haim Zach / GPO)
Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday that he had requested Israel’s assistance in training its special forces to fight terror, a field in which the Jewish state is an expert.

The request follows several terror attacks in Kazakhstan which highlighted the country’s need for a more sophisticated approach to security threats. Israel, as the world leader in counter-terrorism measures and training, was a natural choice for help.

On a state visit to the Muslim-majority country, Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s desire to work and cooperate with Kazakhstan. He asked Nuzarabh for help in getting Israel accepted as a member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) in 2019, a position Israel has never held.

“My hope is, and I say this to all our friends, that the great partnership that we are building here will also be reflected in international forums like the UN. That’s beginning to happen. The ship doesn’t move overnight; we understand that, it’s a big ship. But it’s going to change, it’s changing already,” he said, noting that Israel had supported Kazakhstan’s successful bid for UNSC membership, which will begin in January 2017.

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“Now, if you want a real change in the world, image the State of Israel on the Security Council of the United Nations,” Netanyahu said. “I think it’s possible and with your help it will be realized.”

The conversation, which took place at the presidential palace in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, represented a strengthening of ties between the Jewish state and the majority Sunni Muslim country. It followed a Tuesday visit by Netanyahu to neighboring Azerbaijan, where President Ilham Aliyev announced that he had signed contracts worth nearly $5 billion to buy defense and security equipment from Israel.

Kazakhstan and Israel also enjoy strong economic ties. Kazakhstan provides Israel with about 20 percent of its oil at a cost of about $700 million per year. Netanyahu wants to open up cooperation even more, he told a group of Kazakh business leaders, inviting them to discover Israel’s business potential.

The meeting marked 25 years of diplomatic ties between Kazakhstan and Israel. “The fact that Muslims and Jews are working together for the betterment of both our societies and our peoples is something that is important to us, but I think today for the world it’s important, for our region,” Netanyahu declared.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80174/muslim-country-asks-expert-israel-help-fighting-terror/#6YyCD4ta7V8gzKZ3.99

Does Joel 3:4 End of Days Prophecy Refer to Deadly Electromagnetic Pulse Attack?
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz December 12, 2016 , 12:30 pm
“The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and terrible day of Hashem come.” Joel 3:4 (The Israel Bible™)
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An end-of-days scenario that was impossible, even irrelevant, not so long ago is now being developed by America and Israel’s enemies in a manner that fits perfectly into Biblical prophecy. Experts predict it could wipe out 90 percent of America’s population and render the military ineffective, but if used against our enemies, it might even go unnoticed.

An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a powerful burst of electromagnetic energy capable of destroying susceptible electronic equipment over a wide area. EMPs do not harm living organisms or physical structures, but a single pulse can entirely disable a modern country by rendering all electronics useless. This would include disabling computers and permanently wiping out memory.
Shutting down electronics is more than an inconvenience. In its first report eleven years ago, the Congressional EMP Commission warned that one EMP attack could kill up to 90 percent of America’s civilian population within one year through starvation, disease, and societal collapse.
This scenario conforms to how the Prophet Joel described the end of days.
The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and terrible day of Hashem come. Joel 3:4
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80072/electromagnetic-pulse-high-tech-portal-end-days/#LCkfHIISo3p7mevo.99


Netanyahu Rival Lapid: Build a Wall to ‘Get Palestinians Out of Our Lives’
By Abra Forman December 12, 2016 , 1:30 pm
“Do good in Thy favour unto Tzion; build Thou the walls of Yerushalayim.” Psalms 51:20 (The Israel Bible™)
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MK Yair Lapid (L) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekly cabinet meeting. (Marc Israel Sellem/POOL/Flash90)
Arguing in favor of a two-state solution, MK Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) said on Saturday that Israel should make the Palestinians “disappear” by erecting a wall to separate the two populations completely.
“We need to remove the Palestinians from our lives – we need to do this by building a high wall and making them disappear,” he told Channel 2 news. “Otherwise, there will be no peace. We do not want the two countries to be packed into a single state.”
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80087/netanyahu-rival-lapid-build-wall-get-palestinians-lives/#YRJuZ7WsUO1sJwke.99


Arrival of New F-35 Fighter Jet Heralds Huge Advancement in IAF Capacity
By Andrew Friedman December 12, 2016 , 11:30 am
“As birds hovering, so will Hashem of hosts protect Yerushalayim; He will deliver it as He protecteth it, He will rescue it as He passeth over.” Isaiah 31:5 (The Israel Bible™)
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The F-35 Adir Fighter plane. (U.S. Department of Defense)
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot and other military officials will welcome the newest addition to Israel’s air force fleet, the F-35 fighter jet, known in Hebrew as the “Adir.”
The planes are scheduled to arrive at the Nevatim Air Base, in southern Israel, at 2 p.m. Monday.
IAF officials told Israel Radio that the the new arrivals indicate the beginning of the biggest development in Israel’s air capacity for the past 40 years. They say the planes’ stealth technologies and advanced combat features will ensure Israel’s military superiority in the region for decades to come.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80046/iaf-readies-arrival-top-line-f-35-fighter-jets/#HY8KgXuA33x3PRzm.99



Trump Team Scouting Jerusalem Locations for US Embassy
By Valerie Locke December 13, 2016 , 10:30 am
“Thus saith Hashem: I return unto Tzion and will dwell in the midst of Yerushalayim; and Yerushalayim shall be called the city of truth; and the mountain of Hashem of hosts the holy mountain.” Zechariah 8:3 (The Israel Bible™)
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The American Consulate General in Talpiot, Jerusalem. One of the possible locations for the new embassy would be adjacent to the consulate compound. (Google Earth)
Moving the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is a “very big priority” for President-elect Donald Trump, said top aide and campaign manager Kellyanne Conway on Monday. According to a report by Israeli media, the Trump team is already scouting sites in Jerusalem for the new building.
“That is very big priority for this president-elect, Donald Trump,” Conway told radio host Hugh Hewitt in an interview on Trump’s White House transition.
“He made it very clear during the campaign, and as president-elect, I’ve heard him repeat it several times privately, if not publicly.”
Trump had promised make the controversial move several times during his presidential campaign, exciting Israeli leaders who anticipate an America which recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80108/trump-team-scouting-jerusalem-locations-us-embassy-report/#AYO0OUTWfi5aMrT1.99


Doomsday” in Syria as Assad’s Forces Execute 82 Civilians in Cold Blood
“Keep me, O God; for I have taken refuge in Thee.” (Psalms 16:1)
Pro-government forces in Aleppo, Syria are now entering homes and shooting civilians in cold blood, the UN human rights office said on Tuesday. At least 82 civilians have been killed so far.
The military forces, who support President Bashar Assad, are currently taking the city of Aleppo over from rebel forces, making their way into the last of the rebel-held neighborhoods. Anyone with ties to the rebels who seized control of Aleppo in 2012 is being hunted and executed, say activists, including women and children.
“We have received reports of pro-government forces killing at least 82 civilians in four different neighborhoods – Bustan al-Qasr, al-Ferdous, al-Kallaseh, and al-Saleheen,” UN spokesman Rupert Colville said at a press conference on Tuesday. He called the reports “deeply disturbing.”
Another UN spokesman, Jens Laerke, said that the situation looked like “a complete meltdown of humanity in Aleppo.”
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Of those killed, at least 11 were women and 13 were children. Reports from the scene say that bodies are left lying in the streets.
Terrified civilians are trapped and have nowhere to flee, leading some to begin bidding the world goodbye on social media from inside the chaotic ruins of Aleppo, still under constant bombing attacks.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80137/doomsday-syria-assads-forces-execute-civilians-cold-blood/#zG7uA7uDPTGuId2z.99

Jimmy Carter Spreads Anti-Israel Venom Like Cancer
By Jonathan Feldstein
It’s always interesting when Jimmy Carter raises his head from the depths of his presidency in exile, like a perennial groundhog. The main difference is that when groundhogs raise their head, it forecasts either more winter or an early spring. In Carter’s case, it’s always gloom and blame of Israel As President Reagan famously and appropriately quipped, “There you go again.”
It’s novel for Jimmy Carter to use the anniversary of the UN Partition vote to be heard from most recently. He’s too smart to make errors of the magnitude that he has in his NY Times Op Ed, so I must write it off to his willfully misleading the reader. Let’s address some of his misrepresentations.
For starters, if on November 29, 1947 the Arabs (the only ones referred to as “Palestinians” then were Jews) had accepted the UN Partition Plan, they’d have a state today, side by side with Israel.
Carter disingenuously denies, this asserting that “peace is in danger of abrogation” as if Israel is the sole cause for the lack of peace. The fact is that if the Arabs laid down their weapons and stopped their rhetoric and incitement against Israel, they’d have peace tomorrow. He writes with arrogance as if only his voice is valid, but the truth is many former presidents and world leaders have spoken the truth which Carter conveniently ignores.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/79589/jimmy-carter-spreads-anti-israel-venom-like-cancer-opinion/#yoE8RtOjmp2xOWhT.99


Germany Submits to Sharia Law
By Soeren Kern
A German court has ruled that seven Islamists who formed a vigilante patrol to enforce Sharia law on the streets of Wuppertal did not break German law and were simply exercising their right to free speech. A German court has ruled that seven Islamists who formed a vigilante patrol to enforce Sharia law on the streets of Wuppertal did not break German law and were simply exercising their right to free speech. The “politically correct” decision, which may be appealed, effectively authorizes the Sharia Police to continue enforcing Islamic law in Wuppertal.
The self-appointed “Sharia Police” distributed leaflets which established a “Sharia-controlled zone” in Wuppertal. The men urged both Muslim and non-Muslim passersby to attend mosques and to refrain from alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, gambling, music, pornography and prostitution.
Critics say the cases — especially those in which German law has taken a back seat to Sharia law — reflect a dangerous encroachment of Islamic law into the German legal system.
In June 2013, a court in Hamm ruled that anyone who contracts marriage according to Islamic law in a Muslim country and later seeks a divorce in Germany must abide by the original terms established by Sharia law. The landmark ruling effectively legalized the Sharia practice of “triple-talaq,” obtaining a divorce by reciting the phrase “I divorce you” three times.
A growing number of Muslims in Germany are consciously bypassing German courts altogether and instead are adjudicating their disputes in informal Sharia courts, which are proliferating across the country.
Read more at https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9461/germany-sharia-law#kLhGJXqEhRieuiyE.99


The Present and Future With Donald Trump
By Ira Sharkansky
Donald Trump is sending mixed messages, some of them more troubling than others. Americans might wonder why others are paying attention.
The answer is simple. The US aspires to influence the world, or at least large parts of it. And large parts of the world aspire to be helped, protected, left alone, or be led by the US example. Those feelings may not reflect any great admiration of the US, but just that it is likely to be a more responsive actor on the world stage than likely competitors.
Soothing words heard from Trump reflect his winding down from the shrill rhetoric of the campaign. He won’t bother with criminal charges against Hillary Clinton, and thereby he removes one potential political and media circus that could get in the way of other matters.
He’s also been talking about repairing the Affordable Care Act (i.e., Obamacare) rather than doing away with it altogether.
Repair won’t be easy. He’ll be wrestling with insurance companies, as well as physicians who oppose regulation and Americans who don’t like to pay for someone else’s care. However, the effort recognizes that the program, while far from ideal, has brought some degree of medical care to lots of people. Like Social Security from the 1930s onward for several decades, the program will continue to provoke die hard individualists, but it will resist efforts to reduce benefits that it provides to many voters.
One can wonder about the efforts of the tiny Green Party, led by an anti-Israel Jew, to count again some of the votes in key states, and the association of Clintonites to the effort. Also in the wind are hopes to convince some Republican electors to vote against Trump.
Should none of that change what’s scheduled for January 20th, the bizarre elements of the Trump persona seem likely to assure periodic proposals to impeach him for something or other.
Read more at https://www.jpost.com/Blogs/Window-on-Israel/The-present-and-future-with-Donald-Trump-474133#ihTPY34DUK5qfGky.99


Ethiopian Traditions ‘Nearly Identical’ to Dead Sea Scrolls From Second Temple Era
By Abra Forman December 11, 2016 , 11:30 am
“Ye shall walk in all the way which Hashem your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.” Deuteronomy 5:29 (The Israel Bible™)
Thousands of Ethiopian Jews take part in a prayer of the Sigd holiday on the Armon Hanatziv Promenade overlooking Jerusalem on November 30, 2016. (Photo by Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Many of the religious rituals and customs of the Ethiopian Jewish population are almost identical to the type of Judaism practiced in the period of the Second Temple, researcher and professor Dr. Yossi Ziv recently revealed.
While the differences between Ethiopian Judaism and the Judaism practiced by religious Jews today have led some to disparage the Ethiopian connection to the Jewish people, Dr. Ziv said that many Ethiopian customs align perfectly with descriptions of Jewish life and laws found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which date from the Second Temple.
“They have been curating ancient customs that have disappeared from the world,” he said, speaking at a seminar at the Kfar Etzion Field School before the Ethiopian holiday of Sigd last month. “They provide examples of how the leaders of the nation of Israel would have behaved during the time of the Second Temple.”
Totally isolated from mainstream Judaism and the evolution of Jewish teachings through the Oral Law (Talmud), Ethiopian practice remained true to its purely Biblical roots, the professor explained. His findings persuaded him that Ethiopian Jews are in fact an offshoot of the Biblical Israelites.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80005/ethiopian-judaism-nearly-identical-second-temple-practice/#PIZMaL6SKcrMhF5G.99


Israel Signs Trilateral Research and Development Pact With Greece, Cyprus
By JNS December 11, 2016 , 7:30 am
“Now Chiram the king of Tyre had furnished Shlomo with cedar-trees and cypress-trees, and with gold, according to all his desire—that then king Shlomo gave Chiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.” I Kings 9:11 (The Israel Bible™)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Jerusalem Thursday, with the three nations signing a trilateral research and development agreement to advance joint ventures and projects.
It was the three leaders’ second meeting, which Netanyahu said “reflects the close and tightening relations between the countries. Relations between our three countries are strategically important for strengthening stability and establishing a regular framework for countries with common interests.”
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/79965/israel-signs-trilateral-research-development-pact-greece-cyprus/#O6KyD1TblMHgBZL0.99

On Friday, Auspicious
9-Minute Prayer Window Opens for First and Last Time in 28 Years
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz December 9, 2016 , 9:00 am
“Hashem is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth.” Psalms 145:18 (The Israel Bible™)

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A prayer shawl, shofar (ram’s horn) and prayer book. (Shutterstock)
On Friday, a group of 30 prominent rabbis are gathering for a special prayer session at a specific hour that a 700-year-old book of Kabbalah describes as auspicious for having prayers answered.

This Friday, December 9, is the ninth day of Kislev, the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar. At precisely nine hours after sunrise, the rabbis will gather in a special prayer event for nine minutes, from 1:44 PM until 1:53 PM Jerusalem time (6:44 AM – 6:53 EST), to raise money for charity.

Halachic (Torah law) hours are calculated by figuring the amount of time between sunrise and sunset and dividing by 12. At this time of year in America, a Halachic hour ranges from 40 minutes in northern states to 55 minutes in southern states. To pray in the ninth hour after sunrise tomorrow, multiply the halachic hour by nine and add the to the local time of sunrise.

The rabbis have understood this to be an auspicious time for prayer according to a 14th century kabbalistic book. In Sefer Brit Menucha, Rabbi Abraham ben Isaac of Granada wrote that the number nine was an important element for prayers to be answered. In Judaism, this is referred to as Eyt Ratzon (a time of will), when God is especially open to supplicants. The rabbi specified the ninth year of the Jubilee cycle, the ninth month, the ninth day, and the ninth hour after sunrise.

According to the rabbi, it was in the ninth hour that the Children of Israel were answered on the shores of the Red Sea.

And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians were marching after them; and they were sore afraid; and the children of Israel cried out unto Hashem. Exodus 14:10

Rabbi Abraham also noted that it was in the ninth hour that Elijah’s prayers were answered on the Carmel and God sent fire down from heaven.

And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening offering, that Eliyahu the Navi came near, and said: ‘O Hashem, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Yisrael, let it be known this day that Thou art God in Yisrael, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy word. I Kings 18:36

Though Rabbi Abraham specified each manifestation of nine as auspicious in its own right, the 30 rabbis have taken this one step further and announced that a combination of nines is even more auspicious for prayer. This Friday is the ninth day of the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar. Though it is not the ninth year of the Jubilee cycle, it is the ninth year of the Birkhat HaChama cycle.

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Birkhat HaChama (blessing of the sun) is said once every 28 years, thanking God for creating the sun. According to Jewish tradition, the sun has a 28-year solar cycle. At the end of this cycle it returns to the position it was in when the world was created. The last time that it was recited was nine years ago, on April 8, 2009 (14 Nisan 5769).

The announcement of the prayer event has caused some consternation. The advertisement for the charity declares with some urgency that the “ancient and auspicious” window of opportunity comes around once every 28 years. Rationalist Judaism, a blog commenting on the religious Jewish world, noted that a similar announcement three years ago declared the opportunity was even more rare, occurring once every fifty years. Prayer campaigns were also run in 2011 and 2009, when this special Eyt Ratzon was reported to occur once every seven years.

Rabbi Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman, one of the most prominent Ultra-Orthodox rabbis today, admitted he was unfamiliar with this particular Eyt Ratzon, but approved of the event. “Charity alone is also a segula (benevolent ritual),” he said.

Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, another prominent rabbi, did not support the event, saying, “I have not heard of this. One who wishes for salvation via praying, it is possible to always pray, whenever one wishes.”

Other rabbis object to the entire concept of Eyt Ratzon. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, head of the Ateret Kohanim Yeshiva in Jerusalem, delivered a lecture in his yeshiva (seminary) in which he condemned the “Four Nines” as an attempt to use magic and shortcuts in place of genuine spiritual growth.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/79908/friday-auspicious-9-minute-prayer-window-opens-first-last-time-28-years/#62pD3klJF1QdrjJy.99


UN Voting Against Jewish Businesses in Judea and Samaria
Tidal Wave of UN Resolutions Against Israel
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz December 9, 2016 , 12:41 pm
“Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers that write iniquity.” (Isaiah 10:1)
The row of flags of United Nations member countries in front of the U.N. General Assembly building in New York City. (Photo: Yerpo/ Wiki Commons)
The United Nations will vote next week to allocate funds, implementing a resolution for a “blacklist” of companies operating directly or indirectly in Judea, Samaria, the Golan, and East Jerusalem. This motion, passed in March with no opposing votes, only targets businesses owned by Jewish Israelis.

Israel’s UN Ambassador, Danny Danon reacted strongly to the impending vote.

“We will not be silent in the face of this shameful step,” Danon said, “The UN’s will to blacklist Jewish businesses and businesses connected with Israel and to boycott them, is reminiscent of dark periods in history,” he added.

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“It is known that the Human Rights Council has become an anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli body, but it can not be that the UN is continuing to assist in this surreal process.”

Danon’s claim against the UN comes after six anti-Israel resolutions were passed last Wednesday. The resolutions included a call to “intensification of efforts…towards the conclusion of a final peace settlement“. Another resolution referred to Israeli actions, “as the occupying power, to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the Holy City of Jerusalem“, calling these actions “illegal”. Yet another resolution called for Israel to withdraw from the “Syrian Golan” and return “the occupied territory to the line of 4 June 1967”.

The UN also criticized a vote on Wednesday in the Knesset. In a hotly contested vote, the Knesset passed a bill on Wednesday by a vote of 58-51 the Regulation Bill which will legalize 4,000 Jewish homes that have already been built in Judah and Samaria. The bill needs two more votes before it becomes law.

“I strongly urge lawmakers to reconsider their support for this bill, which if enacted, would have far-reaching consequences and would seriously damage the reputation of Israel around the world,” said UN high commissioner for human rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein. “Israel as the occupying power, must respect the private property of Palestinians, regardless of whether or not compensation is provided,” he said in a statement.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/79919/un-voting-jewish-businesses-judea-samaria/#6TdxW0cCw5Fgh6h2.99