UNITED WITH ISRAEL

Palestinian Terrorist Shoots 9-Year Old Girl In West Bank
Posted by: Doni Kandel October 6, 2013 , 11:33 am

"The angel who hath redeemed me from all evil, bless the young; and let my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.’ (Genesis 48:16)

A 9-year old Jewish girl who was shot by a Palestinian sniper in the Jewish settlement of Psagot, seen brought to Shaare Tzedek hospital in Jerusalem on October 5, 2013, The girl is in serious but stable condition, she was shot in the balcony of her home in Psagot. Security forces are scanning the location. (Photo: Flash90)

A Palestinian gunman who shot a 9-year old girl in the Israeli West Bank town of Pisgaot is still at large and has likely fled the area the IDF reported early Sunday, according to The Times of Israel. The search was set to continue throughout the day, and Psagot residents were told they could return to their normal routine, after overnight fears that the attacker was still hiding out in the settlement.
The child, Noam Glick, was reportedly shot by a Palestinian at close range while playing in her front yard. “I went outside, and Noam told us there was an Arab there,” the victim’s father, Yisrael Glick, told Army Radio on Sunday morning. “I understood this was a security situation, dangerous to our lives, the most frightening thing that can happen to a family — that a terrorist came into the house.”
He said that he heard gunshots and was able to pull his daughter into the house. By the time he emerged from the house again with his weapon, he said, the attacker had fled.
Glick said that the attacker was “startled” by the girl playing in the yard, “so instead of entering the house he shot her.”
Doctors at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek medical center said the girl, who did not lose consciousness during the incident, had sustained light injuries and was in good condition. It was “not clear” whether she had been shot or stabbed, according to hospital physician Dr. Danny Fink.
“The girl’s survival is a miracle,” Fink told Maariv Sunday. The victim, who underwent surgery overnight, had a deep gash along the base of her neck and her upper chest area and was wounded in one ear, he said.
Officials have said that they do believe this was a terror attack. Authorities said a breach in the Psagot fence was discovered overnight, with signs of forced entry and footprints nearby. An “improvised weapon,” believed by officials to be the one used in the attack, was found outside the settlement.
Shortly after the incident, Israeli forces numbering in the hundreds entered the neighboring Palestinian town of al-Bireh, where the shooter was thought to have come from. Security forces, said to include troops from elite IDF units, began the search on the outskirts of the town, near a soccer stadium, and Palestinian security forces had been called in to clear the area.
The Palestinian Ma’an news agency reported two Palestinians were lightly injured by rubber bullets in an altercation with troops that erupted during the incursion.
Shortly after the Psagot attack, shots were reportedly fired at a motorcyclist on the road between Psagot and the nearby settlement of Kochav Ya’akov. No injuries were reported. A police official also said rocks were thrown at vehicles on the road leading into Psagot after the child was shot.
Psagot residents were told to stay in their homes past midnight Saturday; those with firearms were instructed to keep them by their side. Soldiers conducted a house-to-house search of the settlement. Residents were informed via text message to anticipate a knock on the door, to answer in Hebrew, and to await identification.
Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon on Saturday urged Israeli peace negotiators to rethink current talks with their Palestinian counterparts, following the shooting of an Israeli child in the West Bank, according to the Jerusalem Post.
He insisted that the Saturday shooting of a nine-year-old girl in the settlement of Psagot proves “those who support terrorism” can not be trusted partners in peace.
He then vowed to catch the alleged Palestinian shooter, saying “If a person shoots a nine-year-old girl, their blood is on their own head.”
“We must put an end to hypocrisy of the Palestinian leadership,” Danon added.
Meanwhile, Deputy Transportation Minister Tzipi Hotovely said “The rise in terrorist attacks requires Israel to stop negotiations”.
“This is a result of the Palestinian Authority’s system of incitement and two-faced policy. On the one hand, they say they want peace, and on the other hand they incite against Israel.”
According to Hotovely, “nothing has changed since Arafat; there was no partner and there is no partner for peace.”

Jews From All Over the World Buying Homes Throughout Israel
Posted by: Jonathan Benedek October 6, 2013 , 3:30 pm
http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/jews-around-world-buying-homes-throughout-israel/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jews-around-world-buying-homes-throughout-israel

"And it shall be that after I uproot them I will pity them again, and I will return each man to his heritage and each man to his Land. JEREMIAH (12:15)

While much of the world feels the pinch of a housing crunch, all signs point to a continued increase in demand for real estate in Israel, according to Tzvi Shapiro and Chaim Friedman, co-founders of the First Israel Mortgage company. In a recent interview with Breaking Israel News affiliate Yishai Fleisher, Shapiro and Friedman explained where the recent growth in the Israeli housing market was coming from.
Friedman and Shapiro are both immigrants to Israel from the United States. They opened the First Israel Mortgage Company in order help other immigrants navigate the system of Israeli bureaucracy and enable more Jewish families to purchase homes in Israel. What they encountered once opening their company surprised the two founders. According to Shapiro, it is not just Jewish families from New York or Los Angeles who are buying property in Israel for purposes of visiting during the summer or over the Jewish holidays. There are also many Jews from places such as Mexico City, Panama, and Europe, who are buying property in Israel just in case they need it as an “insurance policy.” Anti-semitism in these countries has led to an increased interest in immigration to Israel from Jews in these countries.
Jews are not the only buyers of homes in Israel. There are a good number of non-Jews who are buying property in Israel as well, said Shapiro. In recent years, a number of Chinese Christians have purchased homes in Israel for reasons over than as an investment opportunity. Many have bought property and donated the homes to provide housing for Israeli soldiers whose families are overseas. “Lone Soldiers” often have to rent rooms or find other less than ideal housing accommodations, and as a result of the demand from Jewish and non Jewish sources from all over the world, Israel has escaped the global housing bubble.
While there are certainly universal aspects to the Israeli mortgage industry, there is one particular reason to be optimistic about the housing market in Israel. First Israel’s Friedman stated that “if you look at what’s going on now, and how much it’s Israel’s been built up and how much it’s blossomed, it would be very hard for me to believe that God did all this just for it to all go away.”

Netanyahu Blasts PA For Refusing To Recognize Jewish State
Posted by: Doni Kandel  October 7, 2013 , 5:13 am

"For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be His own treasure, out of all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 7:6)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, on October 6, 2014. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the 2020 Vision for Israel Conference in Bar Ilan University that “the Palestinians must recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people.” ({hoto: Reuven Kastro/Pool/Flash90)

Four years ago newly elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a speech at Bar Ilan University fully endorsing the two-state solution. Four years later, Netanyahu took the podium at the central Israel university with a changed tone.

Speaking at the 20th anniversary of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, the Israeli primer blamed the stagnation of the peace process on the Palestinian Authority’s refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish State and expressed serious doubts about the two-state solution, according to The Times of Israel.

“The Palestinians must abandon their refusal to recognize the right of the Jewish people to have their national state,” he said.

Netanyahu dismissed claims that Israel’s presence in the Judea and Samaria stood at the heart of the conflict, stating instead that as long as the Palestinians don’t internalize the Jewish state’s right to exist, there will not be peace.

“In order for the process in which we find ourselves to be significant… in order for it to have a real chance of success,” he said, referring to the current rounds of negotiations begun this summer, “it’s necessary to hear the Palestinian leadership finally say that it recognizes the right of the Jewish people to a state of its own, which is the state of Israel.”

“I hope that it shall be so, so that we can advance a real solution to the conflict,” continued Netanyahu.

The prime minister also called for Palestinians to give up on their demand for Palestinian refugees and their descendants to return to areas now inside Israel. “The Palestinians must abandon their [demand for a] right of return,” he said.

And he said any agreement would need to address Israel’s security needs. “After generations of incitement, we have no confidence that recognition [of Israel] will trickle down to the Palestinian people. Therefore, we need very strong security arrangements, we need very strong security arrangements,
In 2009, also speaking at Bar-Ilan University, Netanyahu said that “if we get a guarantee of demilitarization, and if the Palestinians recognize Israel as the Jewish state, we are ready to agree to a real peace agreement, a demilitarized Palestinian state side by side with the Jewish state.”

At the time the speech made headlines as being the first time an Israeli PM had openly endorsed the two-state solution.

Netanyahu also addressed the Iranian nuclear issue, reiterating his distrust of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s peace overtures to the West at the United Nations and saying Iran aspires “to rule the entire Middle East” and destroy the state of Israel.

He repeated his insistence that Iran abandon its uranium enrichment capacity and dismantle its plutonium core, saying those apparatuses are “not necessary at all for [civilian] nuclear energy,” and that only a state seeking a bomb would refuse to give them up.

Israeli Christians Declare Affinity for Jewish State
Posted by: Ahuva Balofsky  October 8, 2013 , 10:33 am
“For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land; and the stranger shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.”  (Isaiah 14:1)

At a meeting of the top Christian Arab officials in Israel, Father Gabriel Naddaf said, “The Christian public wants to integrate into Israeli society.” (Photo: Moshe Milner/GPO/Flash90)
At a recent conference in Jerusalem, leading Israeli Christians gathered to set themselves apart from their Muslim counterparts and declare their affinity for the Jewish state in which they reside.  At the conference, entitled “Israeli Christians: Breaking Free? The advent of an independent Christian voice in Israel,” representatives of the community reiterated one by one, “We are not Arabs, we are Christians who speak Arabic.”

Father Gabriel Naddaf of Nazareth, spiritual leader of the Israeli Christian Recruitment Forum, spoke first.  ”I am here to open the public’s eyes,” he said. “If we want to refrain from lying to our own souls and to the general public, we must say clearly and unwaveringly: enough!

“The Christian public wants to integrate into Israeli society, against the wishes of its old leadership. There are those who keep pushing us to the margins, keeping us the victims [of a] nationalism that is not our own, and of a conflict that has nothing to do with us,” Israel Hayom reported.

Naddaf also quoted the founder of the  Israeli Christian Recruitment Forum, Maj. Ihab Shlayan, as saying: “The Christians will not be made into hostages, or allow themselves to be controlled by those who wish to impose their nationality, religion and way of life upon us. We will not agree to hide behind the groups that control the streets. We want to live in Israel — brothers in arms and brothers in peace. We want to stand guard and serve as the first line of defense in this Holy Land, the Land of Israel.”

The Christian community in Israel is the only growing Christian community in the Middle East.  It sees its roots in the Jewish people, and blames the Arab invasions of the 7th century for destroying its unique culture.
“It is unthinkable that our children will be raised on the history of the Nakba and on the hatred of Jews, and not be taught their history,” Naddaf said.

Capt. Bishara Shlayan, founder of the Christian Israeli Party, echoed his sentiments.  ”We were raised on Arab political parties,” he said, “the communists, and then the National Democratic Assembly. In time, I realized where these Arab parties were taking us — only against Israel.

“We need to create a different culture,” he continued. “We need to hand out Israeli flags to every child. Education begins here. You enter a school in Nazareth, and you will not see a single Israeli flag. They don’t recognize it. You will only see Palestinian flags.”

Lt. (ret.) Shaadi Khalloul, the spokesman of the Israeli Christian Recruitment Forum and an officer in the Israel Defense Forces Paratroopers Brigade, also spoke.  ”The typical Christian student thinks that he belongs to the Arab people and the Islamic nation, instead of speaking to the people with whom he truly shares his roots — the Jewish people, whose origins are in the Land of Israel.”  Over the past three years, Khalloul has fought to have his community recognized by the Interior Ministry as Aramaic Christians, a name that would strengthen their ties to the Jewish community.  Prior to the Arab invasion, Aramaic was the common language spoken in Israel, by Jews and Christians alike.  He calls his group “Bnei Keyama”, meaning allies in Aramaic.  He says he has nothing against Arabs, but does not share their identity.  He claims it is problematic that he is associated with the Arab community, because it pulls him into a conflict that is not his own.

“The typical Christian student thinks that he belongs to the Arab people and the Islamic nation, instead of speaking to the people with whom he truly shares his roots — the Jewish people, whose origins are in the Land of Israel,” Khalloul said.
The conference was a joint effort of the Liaison Committee of B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem and the Ecumenical Theological Research Fraternity in Israel.

Israeli Christians Declare Affinity for Jewish State
Posted by: Ahuva Balofsky October 8, 2013 , 10:33 am
“For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land; and the stranger shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.” (Isaiah 14:1)

At a meeting of the top Christian Arab officials in Israel, Father Gabriel Naddaf said, “The Christian public wants to integrate into Israeli society.” (Photo: Moshe Milner/GPO/Flash90)
At a recent conference in Jerusalem, leading Israeli Christians gathered to set themselves apart from their Muslim counterparts and declare their affinity for the Jewish state in which they reside. At the conference, entitled “Israeli Christians: Breaking Free? The advent of an independent Christian voice in Israel,” representatives of the community reiterated one by one, “We are not Arabs, we are Christians who speak Arabic.”

Father Gabriel Naddaf of Nazareth, spiritual leader of the Israeli Christian Recruitment Forum, spoke first. ”I am here to open the public’s eyes,” he said. “If we want to refrain from lying to our own souls and to the general public, we must say clearly and unwaveringly: enough!

“The Christian public wants to integrate into Israeli society, against the wishes of its old leadership. There are those who keep pushing us to the margins, keeping us the victims [of a] nationalism that is not our own, and of a conflict that has nothing to do with us,” Israel Hayom reported.

Naddaf also quoted the founder of the Israeli Christian Recruitment Forum, Maj. Ihab Shlayan, as saying: “The Christians will not be made into hostages, or allow themselves to be controlled by those who wish to impose their nationality, religion and way of life upon us. We will not agree to hide behind the groups that control the streets. We want to live in Israel — brothers in arms and brothers in peace. We want to stand guard and serve as the first line of defense in this Holy Land, the Land of Israel.”

The Christian community in Israel is the only growing Christian community in the Middle East. It sees its roots in the Jewish people, and blames the Arab invasions of the 7th century for destroying its unique culture.
“It is unthinkable that our children will be raised on the history of the Nakba and on the hatred of Jews, and not be taught their history,” Naddaf said.

Capt. Bishara Shlayan, founder of the Christian Israeli Party, echoed his sentiments. ”We were raised on Arab political parties,” he said, “the communists, and then the National Democratic Assembly. In time, I realized where these Arab parties were taking us — only against Israel.

“We need to create a different culture,” he continued. “We need to hand out Israeli flags to every child. Education begins here. You enter a school in Nazareth, and you will not see a single Israeli flag. They don’t recognize it. You will only see Palestinian flags.”

Lt. (ret.) Shaadi Khalloul, the spokesman of the Israeli Christian Recruitment Forum and an officer in the Israel Defense Forces Paratroopers Brigade, also spoke. ”The typical Christian student thinks that he belongs to the Arab people and the Islamic nation, instead of speaking to the people with whom he truly shares his roots — the Jewish people, whose origins are in the Land of Israel.” Over the past three years, Khalloul has fought to have his community recognized by the Interior Ministry as Aramaic Christians, a name that would strengthen their ties to the Jewish community. Prior to the Arab invasion, Aramaic was the common language spoken in Israel, by Jews and Christians alike. He calls his group “Bnei Keyama”, meaning allies in Aramaic. He says he has nothing against Arabs, but does not share their identity. He claims it is problematic that he is associated with the Arab community, because it pulls him into a conflict that is not his own.

“The typical Christian student thinks that he belongs to the Arab people and the Islamic nation, instead of speaking to the people with whom he truly shares his roots — the Jewish people, whose origins are in the Land of Israel,” Khalloul said.
The conference was a joint effort of the Liaison Committee of B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem and the Ecumenical Theological Research Fraternity in Israel.

Over 800,000 Pack Jerusalem For Largest Funeral In Israeli History
Posted by: Doni Kandel October 8, 2013 , 10:53 am

In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. (Zechariah 12:11)

Over 800,000 people flocked to the Jerusalem area on Monday to mourn the passing of former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, according to The Times of Israel.The outspoken spiritual leader passed away earlier that day at the age of 93


“We’ve been left orphans,” Aryeh Deri, the political leader of the Shas, the Israeli political party of the Sephardic haredi community that was founded by Rabbi Yosef, steered by Yosef, wailed at a funeral ceremony. “We have no father. We have no leader.”

In addition to his political accolades, Rabbi Yosef was remembered as a giant of Torah learning who had a penchant for bringing thousands closer to Jewish halakhah through lenient rulings.
“His greatness wasn’t measured but rather it was felt as a spiritual wind in every corner, lighting up the darkness in unexpected places. When I met him I sensed he was a great man with an unbelievable memory and the wisdom to share his knowledge with others. His contribution was his love for Israel and he solved problems no-one else could solve using his wisdom and spirituality,” President Shimon Peres said in a eulogy after Yosef’s death.
The city of Jerusalem came to an utter standstill following the rabbi’s passing as nearly 850,000 people, officials said, came to pay their last respects, making it the largest funeral in Israel’s history. 300 attendees required medical attention, including 17 who were evacuated to hospitals and one woman who gave birth.

“The world of yesterday will not exist tomorrow. There was no one like him, and there will not be in the future,” lamented Yosef’s son, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef.

“Father, father,” another son, Rabbi David Yosef, cried out, “you raised us in the Torah, we were fortunate to be your sons. Every time we had a hard question, you brought us in to the world of halacha…Father, who will be ask now? Father, with whom will we speak?”
Batia Siebzehner, an expert on Shas at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said Yosef’s crossover appeal would make it difficult to replace him. She said Shas supporters were divided between ultra-Orthodox followers and working-class Sephardic Jews attracted to his message of ethnic empowerment.
“Shas is a social movement, a political party and a new interpretation of religion,” she said. “Nobody has the capacity to act as a glue between the different groups.”