ISRAEL BREAKING NEWS

South African Radio Personality Sides with Israel Against ‘Hell-bent on Violence’ Palestinians
https://unitedwithisrael.org/south-african-radio-personality-sides-with-israel-against-hell-bent-on-violence-palestinians/?utm_source=pushengage&utm_medium=push_notification&utm_campaign=pushengage
 “What must Israel do? Let it happen? Let their citizens be killed by a bunch of people who are clearly hell-bent on violence? Tell me how that’s an equal situation for both sides. It really isn’t,” Cliff said.
By: United with Israel Staff
South African radio personality Gareth Cliff declared that Israel is entitled to protect itself from Palestinians rioting on its border, whom he called “clearly hell-bent on violence.”

Cliff’s comments caused a stir in South Africa, which is notoriously pro-Palestinian.

On his Cliff Central online radio show, he also slammed the South African media for “complete bias” in the way it has reported and interpreted the past two plus months of Hamas-led violence on the Gaza border.

“I looked at what was going on over there and I have done quite a lot of reading with quite a lot of the news articles from around the world and this claim that Israel shot demonstrators is just a blatant lie. It’s an absolute falsehood,” Cliff said.

An in-depth analysis by terrorism experts of the Palestinian casualties shows that vast majority of them were Hamas terrorists or Palestinians affiliated with terrorism.

“This was an attempt to invade a sovereign nation and border communities to indiscriminately slaughter civilians,” Cliff charged.

A successful breach of Israel’s border would have resulted in “real carnage on both sides,” Cliff explained.

Cliff’s conclusions are supported by the statements of a Hamas leader who openly stated that characterizing the violence on the border as peaceful protests is “misleading,” as the events were intended to facilitate an armed attack on Israel

Cliff vividly depicted the result of a possible breach of Israel’s border by Hamas, saying that thousands of Palestinians would have streamed through the fence “and there would have been fires set, communities would have engaged in war”.

“What must Israel do? Let it happen? Let their citizens be killed by a bunch of people who are clearly hell-bent on violence? Tell me how that’s an equal situation for both sides. It really isn’t,” he declared.

While some Twitter users applauded Cliff for sharing his views, many criticized him for siding with Israel, which is not the favored side in South Africa.

While many responders’ knee-jerk reaction was to label Cliff, who is white, as a racist, one tweeter commented, “It seems anyone who challenges a black opinion or speaks uncomfortable truths is labeled racist.”

South Africa is infamously anti-Israel and has even chosen to suffer a drought rather than use Israeli water technology.

The African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party, has repeatedly called for boycotts of Israel, accused it of apartheid, and has even fostered ties with the Hamas terror group.

Palestinian Official Calls on Football Celebrity to Boycott Israel
https://unitedwithisrael.org/after-a-failed-campaign-palestinian-official-calls-on-football-star-messi-to-boycott-israel/?utm_source=pushengage&utm_medium=push_notification&utm_campaign=pushengage
A Palestinian official is calling on Arab and Muslim sports fans to burn photos and t-shirts of Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi if he attends a friendly match between Argentina and Israel.

By: United with Israel Staff

Jibril Rjoub, head of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), has called on Argentinean football star Lionel Messi to boycott Israel ahead of the Argentine football game set to be held with the Israeli team in Jerusalem,

Rijoub implored Messi not to “play a role in whitewashing the occupation,” describing the football player’s role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador “a symbol of love and peace.”

Argentina is slated to play Israel’s national football team on Saturday in a friendly match prior to the World Cup in Russia.

The Argentine Committee of Solidarity with Palestine, comprised of several so-called human rights organizations and the anti-Israel BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement, launched a failed campaign to have the Argentinian team cancel their game in Israel.

Rjoub alleged at a press conference, during a demonstration held in front of the Argentine’s Representative Office in Ramallah in protest against holding the football game in Jerusalem, that “the Israeli occupation has turned a friendly football game between the Argentine and Israeli football teams into a political tool.”

He claimed that holding the game in Jerusalem is “in contradiction with United Nations resolutions and FIFA regulations.”

“This is not a game of peace,” Rajoub stated. “It is a political game aimed at whitewashing the face of the fascist and racist occupation.”

He expressed a last-moment hope that the Argentine confederation would call off the game because “they are helping a fascist occupation that refuses to obey United Nations resolutions, whilst Palestinian players are being detained and sports institutions are being attacked by Israel.”

Rajoub said that if Messi does play in Israel, Arab and Muslim sports fans should burn photos and T-shirts of the Barcelona superstar.

Palestinian Anti-Semitism in Sports
This is not the first time Arab and anti-Israel entities have tried and failed to undermine Israel through sports events.

The Palestinians have utilized Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) several times in recent years as a platform for attacking Israel.

Rajoub, who served time in an Israeli prison for acts terrorism, is the driving force behind the Palestinian battle against Israel in the world of sports.

“Any activity of normalization in sports with the Zionist enemy is a crime against humanity,” Rajoub stated in 2014.

In 2012, slamming the idea of organized sports activities with Israelis, Rajoub stated on PA TV that he would bring Arabs by helicopter to events instead of crossing through Israel “so they will see no Jews, no Satans, no Zionist sons of bitches.”

Israel Sends Aid to Volcano-Stricken Guatemala
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israel-sends-aid-to-volcano-stricken-guatemala/?utm_source=pushengage&utm_medium=push_notification&utm_campaign=pushengage
Israel is sending aid to Guatemala after a devastating volcanic eruption killed at least 25 people.

By: United with Israel Staff

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) announced it was sending aid to Guatemala after a fiery volcanic eruption in the country sent lava flowing into rural communities, killing at least 25.

The $10,000 worth of aid includes food, medication and blankets.

Israel will maintain contact with the Guatemalan government and send further support as required, the Ministry said.

“We follow with worry the eruption of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala. Our hearts go to the victims and their families. From Israel we extend solidarity and friendship,” MFA spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon tweeted.

At least 20 people were injured in the eruption, and authorities said they feared the death toll could rise with an undetermined number of people as yet unaccounted for.

The Volcan de Fuego, or “Volcano of Fire,” exploded in a hail of ash and molten rock shortly before noon on Sunday, blanketing nearby villages in heavy ash. Lava began flowing down the mountain’s flank and across homes and roads.

Eddy Sanchez, director of the country’s seismology and volcanology institute, said the flows reached temperatures of about 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit (700 Celsius).

Hundreds of rescue workers, including firefighters, police and soldiers, worked to help survivors and recover
bodies amid the still-smoking lava.

Guatemala’s disaster agency said 3,100 people had evacuated nearby communities and that volcanic ash was affecting an area of about 1.7 million of the country’s 15 million citizens. Shelters were opened for those forced to flee.

“Currently the volcano continues to erupt and there exists a high potential for avalanches of debris,” the disaster agency said late Sunday via Twitter.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said he would issue a declaration of a state of emergency to be approved by Congress and urged civilians to heed warnings from emergency officials.

Israel and Guatemala have recently experienced a significant warming of relations after the Central American country moved its embassy to Jerusalem last month.

“It is not a coincidence that Guatemala is opening its embassy in Jerusalem two days after the US. You are always among the first,” Prime Minister Benfamin Netanyahu said at the opening ceremony.

Guatemala supported the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 and was the second country to recognize it, after the US. “We remember our friends and Guatemala is our friend, then and now,” Netanyahu said.

“We share so many goals and values even though were are so far away,” the prime minister added, saying he would advance the bilateral relationship in “practical ways.”

AP contributed to this report.

ONE FOR ISRAEL - Because the best way to bless Israel is with Jesus
https://www.oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/arab-muslim-evangelism/the-shockwave-of-the-resurrection/
The Shockwave Of The Resurrection
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=41&v=DsA1C-8ec6s
By ONE FOR ISRAEL (Messianic Jews In Israel)
To see English subtitles for the video, click on the small wheel beside the YouTube logo.
The text of the video is transcribed below if you prefer to read it as an article.

The resurrection sent shockwaves throughout all existence, and was a dramatic shock for the prince of this present world: Satan.
Satan wants to lead the global system and humanity towards unprecedented destruction causing man to hate and withdraw from God, the God of truth.
The prophets saw it coming!
We learn from the writings of the prophets that God has an only Son. This Son is the Word of God who fulfills all of God’s purposes. This Son of God came to cancel the effect of sin and so take our sin in His flesh and die…
But He beat death and rose again!
In his death,
“He wiped out the handwritten record of debts with the decrees against us, which was hostile to us. He took it away by nailing it to the cross. After disarming the principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross.” (Col 2:15)

So everyone who believes in the Son of God will be saved.

All who call on the name Yeshua will receive healing for their souls and release from the bonds of death and evil forces that bind us and keep us imprisoned in darkness.

Satan shudders with fear at the concept of the Son of God, and the proof that He rose from the dead, so he tries to erase the death of the Messiah but the truth is found in the writings of the prophets thousands of years before the Messiah came.

His essence, the ministry He would fulfill as the Son of God, the date the Messiah would come the place He would be born, as well as His resurrection from the dead, and the kingdom He would establish on planet earth embodying the Kingdom of God against the kingdom of the enemy – Satan.

Yeshua the Messiah is the legitimate Son, King over all the earth
In order to be born not only as King, but also Savior and the Son of God, He must have a double nature. The Messiah must have a human nature to rule over humanity but in order to reign forever, He must also have a divine nature.

Yeshua is the Messiah, who, being the eternal Word of God, became a servant, became one of us, and was humiliated but was obedient until death – death on the cross. Therefore, God greatly honored Him and placed Him above every power and authority, not only on earth but in the spiritual realm and in the world to come. (Eph 1:20-21)

The day will come when every knee will bow before Yeshua in heaven and on earth. (Phil 2:10)

But we have the opportunity now to come before the legitimate king, to invite Him to be ruler of our lives. He can wash away our sin by his blood and take away our wrongdoings so that we can be made righteous when we stand before God’s judgment. He will give us a new nature – the Holy Spirit who will live in us. We will be be given a new birth, through which we will enter the kingdom of God, right now, in the present.

God will open our eyes to see the truth, to understand that Satan does exist and is controlling the global system. That is why the Messiah is called the Savior, because there is a serious situation we need saving from, we need a redeemer to rescue humanity from this problem. I encourage you to stand in sincere repentance and hold on to faith in the Messiah who said of himself:

“I am the way and the truth and the life! No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

John the Apostle said in 1 John 2:23

“No one who denies the Son has the Father”

So, my friends, God blessed humanity through His Word that became flesh: Yeshua the Messiah. Hated by the prince of this present world, Satan, who tries to deny that God had a Son who died for those he created for every truth, Satan invents a counterfeit.

God be with you.
Photo by Daniil Silantev on Unsplash
ONE FOR ISRAEL (Messianic Jews In Israel)
We are an Israeli ministry composed of Jewish & Arab followers of Yeshua (Jesus) who are all about blessing Israel through sharing the gospel online, educating the new generation of born-again believers through our one and only Hebrew-speaking Bible College in Israel, and helping holocaust survivors by supplying humanitarian aid.

The US vetoed a UNSC resolution that would harm Israel’s security as member countries refused to condemn Hamas for their attacks on the Jewish state. 
https://unitedwithisrael.org/us-vetoes-un-attempt-to-compromise-israels-security/?
By: United with Israel Staff and AP

The US blocked an attempt to harm Israel’s security through the United Nations (UN) on Friday and vetoed a resolution submitted to the Security Council that called for “international protection” for the Palestinian people.

The resolution, proposed by Kuwait, a non-permanent member of the council, called for UN Secretary-General António Guterres to submit a report within 60 days on ways to ensure “the safety, protection and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation,” including recommendations about “an international protection mechanism.”

It “deplored” the recent rocket barrage on Israel without specifying who was behind the attack, though Hamas and other Islamic terror group have openly claimed responsibility.

China, France, and Russia were among the countries that supported the Kuwaiti resolution, with four countries—the United Kingdom, Ethiopia, the Netherlands and Poland—abstaining.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley called the Kuwaiti resolution “grossly one-sided” for not mentioning the Hamas terror group and was “wildly inaccurate in its characterization of recent events in Gaza” by solely condemning Israel for the violence.

The UNSC then voted down a US-written resolution condemning Hamas over the recent escalation of violence in Gaza. The American resolution demanded that Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups cease “all violent activity and provocative actions” in Gaza.

“This resolution rightly places responsibility where it belongs,” Haley said. But some other council members, including Russia, said the US measure was not “evenhanded.”

Danon: ‘Double Standard Against Israel Will Not Stand’
The diplomatic exchange of fire at the UNSC occurred just days after the Palestinian terror groups fired over 100 projectiles at Israeli civilian targets over the course of 22 hours, the worst bombardment Israel has experienced since Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014.

After the UNSC session, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon stated that “the rules of the game are changing in the Security Council. The double standard against Israel will not stand.”

He dismissed that Kuwaiti resolution as “a hypocritical resolution that sought to condemn Israel while failing to even mention the terrorists of Hamas as the root cause of violence and unrest in our region.”

“When Paris was attacked by ISIS, the international community stood with Paris. But when Israel is attacked by Hamas, you blame us, the victim,” he stated.

He thanked the US for vetoing the resolution and commended all the Council members who refused to support it, and by doing so “defended Israel’s right to defend our citizens.”

On the UNSC’s rejection of the US resolution, Danon underscored that “peace and stability will come to our region only when the international community is brave enough to call out the terrorists by name.”

“By proposing this resolution, the US made clear that the rules of the game are changing in the Security Council and that the double standard against Israel will not stand,” he added.

Shame on France
In his address at the UNSC, Danon charged that “despite the rockets fired by Hamas and Islamic Jihad at our civilians, despite the missile that landed in a kindergarten yard, despite the endless mortar shells attacking our southern communities, this resolution tried to give Hamas a free pass… It mentioned Israel five times, yet it could not even mention Hamas at all.”

Turning to the countries that supported Kuwait’s resolution, Danon asked the ambassadors of France and Sweden: “Why did you omit Hamas from this resolution? Did you forget that the EU has designated Hamas a terrorist organization since 2003? Does that designation mean nothing to you?”

“The only way to protect the Palestinians in Gaza is by holding Hamas responsible. Those who supported this resolution, you chose not to protect these Palestinians. Those who did not support the resolution, you voted for justice. You are the ones who really voted for the protection of Israelis and Palestinians,” Danon concluded.

Israel’s Deputy Minister for Diplomacy and former Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren took to Twitter and assailed France for its vote against Israel.

“Praise for the US for vetoing Security Council resolution on Gaza that didn’t mention Hamas and condemned the IDF for defending Israel. Shame on France for supporting it. French government cannot say it’s against anti-Semitism and vote for this anti-Semitic resolution,” he tweeted.

German Intelligence: BDS a Security Threat, Antisemitic
BY PESACH BENSON  JUNE 3, 2018
1. In a precedent-setting move, German intelligence labeled BDS as antisemitic and a security threat, the Jerusalem Post reports. “Labeling BDS as antisemitic could have far-reaching consequences for German politicians and public and private organizations that engage in pro-BDS activity.”

David Friedman
Ambassador David Friedman
2. According to the Associated Press, the Trump administration is mulling giving Ambassador to Israel David Friedman more authority over the US consulate in Jerusalem, which is responsible for US relations with the Palestinians. The practical arguments for the move are technical and bureaucratic, while the arguments against it are more symbolism.
For decades, the Jerusalem consulate has operated differently than almost every other consulate around the world. Rather than reporting to the U.S. Embassy in Israel, it has reported directly to the State Department in Washington, giving the Palestinians an unfiltered channel to engage with the U.S. government.

Meanwhile, Amb. Friedman discussed the embassy move, the Trump administration’s peace plans, bipartisan support American support for Israel and more in a Q+A with the Times of Israel.

3. Is a major American BDS umbrella organization linked to Palestinian terror groups? Tablet takes a closer look:

The US Campaign, which is officially called Education for Just Peace in the Middle East, coordinates the efforts of 329 different pro-BDS organizations “working to advocate for Palestinian rights and a shift in US policy … bound by commonly shared principles on Palestine solidarity as well as our anti-racism principles,” according to the group’s website.

But as Tablet confirmed , the group also helps facilitate tax-exempt donations to a Palestinian coalition that includes Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other groups the U.S. State Department designates as terror organizations.

4. The Village Idiot: Irish Magazine’s Flawed Article: Investigative journalist Frank Connolly demonstrates that he has done very little investigating into the facts.

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Israel and the Palestinians
• Israeli jets launched air strikes on terror targets in Gaza overnight in retaliation for Saturday evening mortar fire and burning kites. More than 500 acres of a nature reserve adjacent to Kibbutz Carmia were devastated by the worst fire yet triggered by the kites. Authorities said about one-third of the reserve was destroyed. By the way, Israeli media reports that Gazans have improved the way they play with fire, going beyond kites:

Today, authorities are battling helium balloons carrying long-burning materials like charcoal. The balloons are capable of flying several kilometers into Israel and sparking fires farther afield.

• Officials in Jerusalem and Damascus denied reports that a deal had been reached to remove foreign fighters — including Iranian and Hezbollah personnel — from near the Israeli-Syrian border.

• Israeli diplomats are upbeat about an emerging US strategy to combat the UN Security Council’s bias against the Jewish state. Whenever a one-sided resolution is introduced — in this case, a Kuwait-sponsored resolution condemning Israel and calling for international protection of Palestinians in Gaza — the US will put forward a counter-measure, or what Ambassador Danny Danon called “a proactive effort to expose the hypocrisy of the council.”

building campaign

• Hamas is in crisis, with no answers for improving Gaza’s quality of life, few regional allies, no leverage to get Israel and Egypt to lift the Strip’s blockade and no means of pressuring the Palestinian Authority on reconciliation. Gazans are questioning if the “March of Return” accomplished anything at all. I’m sure the terror group’s apologists will have what to say about this Washington Post report.

• Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is demanding answers (“assurances” in diplospeak) on whether or not Aussie aid to the Palestinian Authority was used for terror stipends. More on the story at The Australian.

• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blocked a Knesset debate over recognizing the Armenian genocide debate to avoid ‘aiding Erdogan,’ the Times of Israel reports.

• Israel will participate for the first time in a biennial naval exercise held in Hawaii at the end of June. With 27 countries taking part, the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) naval exercise is the world’s largest. More at Israel Defense and Stars and Stripes.

Israeli Navy
• NATO won’t aid Israel if Iran attacks. “Jens Stoltenberg told the magazine Der Spiegel in comments published Saturday that Israel is a partner, but not a member and that NATO’s ‘security guarantee’ doesn’t apply to Israel.'” It’s obvious that Israel isn’t a full member of NATO, so the Jerusalem Post delves into why Stoltenberg stated this now.

• A 21-year old Palestinian medic, Razan al-Najjar, was shot and killed during Friday’s Gaza border clashes. The IDF said it’s investigating the shooting. Her death is indeed tragic. Peter Lerner shed a light on the complexities of the situation by tweeting a photo and a video of a Palestinian in what appears to be a white medic’s coat trying to breach the border fence. Palestinians lit tires, threw rocks and firebombs and flew flaming kites.

Around the World
• Jordan rocked by biggest anti-government protests in years as demonstrators rally against austerity measures.

Jordan’s economy has deteriorated in the last few years for several reasons, among which are the conduct of recent governments and the intake of over a million Syrian refugees. Despite the protests, opposition circles have not called to oust the government or king, who’s is seen as a stabilizing factor and a keeper of the kingdom’s institutions.

Meanwhile, the kingdom’s stability is a supreme security concern from Israel’s standpoint. At this point, officials in Jerusalem are closely following the demonstrations in Jordan as well as the regime’s efforts to halt the protest.

• The Daily Telegraph reports that Jeremy Corbyn’s right-hand man, John McDonnell (shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer), is president of a group campaigning in support of Labour figures accused of anti-Semitism.

• Following BDS protests, a major Japanese department store removed Israeli wines produced in the Golan.

wine

• Kings College London set a precedent by becoming one of the first UK universities to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

Commentary
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .

– Jonathan Marcus: Is Israel driving a wedge between Russia and Iran?
– M.K. Bhadrakumar: Russia censures Iran, expects Israel to help restore ties with US
– Zev Chafets: It’s time to recognize reality on Israel’s Golan claim
– Haviv Rettig Gur: Why Palestinians care what Donald Trump thinks about Jerusalem
– James Kennard: Hamas must be held to account for the failure of the Palestinian dream
– Amb. Mark Sofer: The truth behind Hamas and the Gaza protests
– Eldad Beck: The European media’s Palestinian propaganda
– Maj. Gen. (ret.) Gershon Hacohen: Is toppling Hamas necessary?
– Neri Zilber: Israel and Hamas: Negotiating with rockets and bombs
– Evelyn Gordon: Baby Layla shows what’s wrong with Israel’s PR
– Giora Eiland: Needed: A different Gaza strategy

quill and ink

– Robert Morgenthau: The dangerous perversion of ‘genocide’: Israel’s critics distort a crucial term
– Yossi Beilin: Gaza isn’t a lost cause
– Bassam Tawil: EU and Palestinian illegal ‘facts on the ground’
– Dror Eydar: It’s not the ‘occupation,’ it’s the Jews
– Jonathan Marks: Do Jews get to define antisemitism?
– David May: South Africa adds to its long record of Israel-bashing
– Edwin Black: Why International Farhud Day stymies invented Palestinian history
– Nick Timothy: Britain must make it harder for people to march in support of Hezbollah
– Keith Kahn-Harris: To ask Corbyn to support Israel is an impossible demand
– Spengler: The safest country for European Jews? Try Hungary

 Featured image: CC BY Steve Soblick; Friedman via YouTube/US Embassy Jerusalem; navy via Instagram/israeli_navy; wine CC BY-ND Angelo Amboldi; quill CC0 Pixabay/Ashreila;

U.S. airstrikes against ISIS in Syria increase by 300% in May
June 2, 2018
https://www.conservativeinstitute.org/islam/islamic-terrorism/u-s-airstrikes-against-isis.htm?utm_source=aimtell&utm_campaign=automated_push&utm_medium=push
U.S. airstrikes against ISIS in Syria increase by 300% in May
Airman Magazine / CCL
With the Islamic State weakened, the Trump Administration appears to be increasing military action in an attempt to eliminate the terrorist group once and for all.

The number of airstrikes carried out by the United States and its allies against ISIS was 300 percent higher in May than in previous months. This comes by way of a report released by command officials on Friday.

The surging number of airstrikes
The new figures demonstrate that in the past three months there has been a dramatic increase in the number of airstrikes being carried out by coalition forces against ISIS.

These numbers peaked last month, when during one six-day period, alone, U.S. and allied forces launched 41 airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, hitting 49 enemy targets. Altogether, the month of May saw 225 airstrikes, hitting 280 ISIS targets.

“This demonstrates a 304 percent increase over the 74 strikes conducted in March and a 123 percent increase over the 183 strikes recorded in April,” read the newly released statement.

“Operation Roundup”
Having lost much of its territory, ISIS is now confined to small areas along the Euphrates River near the Iraq-Syria border. Most of May’s airstrikes were part of “Operation Roundup,” a ground campaign being carried out by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces to eliminate these remaining pockets.

“Operation Roundup will continue to build momentum against Daesh remnants remaining in the Iraq-Syria border region and the [Euphrates River Valley],” said officials in Friday’s statement. They continued:

The Coalition remains committed to the lasting defeat of Daesh here, increasing peace and stability in the region and protecting all our homelands from the Daesh threat.

The operation, which began in early May, is significant in that it is the first one being carried out by both the Syrian Democratic Forces and the U.S.-led coalition since 2017 when there was similar cooperation to remove ISIS from its “caliphate” Raqqa in Syria.

Is Trump doing a good job against ISIS?
Yes
No
Next
On Thursday, Joint Staff Director Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie spoke with reporters during a Defense Department briefing. He said that they were seeing good progress on the ground in Syria.

“We’re making progress, and, in concert with our SDF partners, I think that we’re beginning to clear out the final pockets of ISIS,” said McKenzie.

He continued:

We want to leave behind security elements that are going to be able to maintain [security] at the local level. That’s sort of a long-term aim we have, as we push down the Euphrates River Valley, and that progress is continuing.”

It looks like President Trump and his administration, not looking to repeat previous mistakes, are not going to rest on previous success and allow ISIS to rebuild. But, instead, will continue to relentlessly pursue these terrorists until they are “crushed and destroyed.”

ETHIOPIA, UK, NETHERLANDS AND POLAND ABSTAIN
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-set-to-veto-as-proposal-on-palestinians-heads-to-un-security-council/?utm_source=us-set-to-veto-as-proposal-on-palestinians-heads-to-un-security-council&utm_medium=desktop-browser&utm_campaign=desktop-notifications
US vetoes Arab-backed resolution on Gaza at UN Security Council
Four other countries abstain in vote sponsored by Kuwait calling for international protection for Palestinians; US proposal condemning Hamas also fails to pass
By AGENCIES and TOI STAFF
1 June 2018, 11:13 pm  4
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The UN Security Council meets on April 14, 2018, at UN Headquarters in New York. (AFP/HECTOR RETAMAL)
NEW YORK  — The United States vetoed Friday an Arab-backed UN draft resolution calling for protective measures for the Palestinians that won backing from 10 countries at the Security Council. A US resolution condemning Hamas also failed.

China, France and Russia were among the countries that voted in favor of the draft put forward by Kuwait on behalf of Arab countries. Four countries, Ethiopia, the UK, the Netherlands and Poland abstained.

A draft resolution requires nine votes to be adopted in the 15-member council and no veto from the five permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

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US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the council the measure was “wildly inaccurate in its characterization of recent events in Gaza” by condemning Israel for the violence.

The Kuwait-drafted text had called for “measures to guarantee the safety and protection” of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, and requested a UN report to propose an “international protection mechanism.”

The US, meanwhile, brought its own text to the council: A proposal that would condemn Hamas for its role in the escalation of violence in Gaza in the last two months.

The United States was the only country that voted in favor of the draft resolution in the Security Council. Eleven countries abstained while Bolivia, Kuwait and Russia opposed it.

Israeli envoy to the UN Danny Danon lamented the failure of Washington’s motion, saying “Peace and stability will come to our region only when the international community is brave enough to call out the terrorists by name.”


Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon attends a UN Security Council on May 15, 2018, at UN Headquarters in New York. AFP PHOTO / HECTOR RETAMAL)
He condemned Kuwait’s “hypocritical” resolution that did not “even mention the terrorists of Hamas as the root cause of violence and unrest in our region.” However, he asserted that thanks to the Americans’ position, “the rules of the game are changing in the Security Council and that the double standard against Israel will not stand.”

The council met for a closed-door discussion before the vote Friday, after weeks of urgent discussions about the violence.

It was the second time that Haley has resorted to US veto power to block a UN measure on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In December, Haley vetoed a draft resolution that rejected President Donald Trump’s decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem after all 14 other council members supported it.

Haley had vowed Thursday to veto Kuwait’s resolution. She called it “grossly one-sided and morally bankrupt” for demanding that the Israeli military halt “the use of any excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force” while not mentioning Hamas, the terror group that controls Gaza.

A council diplomat told The Associated Press the US proposed extensive amendments that would condemn Hamas for its role in the recent violence.

United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley speaks during a UN Security Council emergency session on Israel-Gaza conflict at United Nations headquarter on May 30, 2018 in New York City. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images/AFP)
The Security Council has been deeply divided and paralyzed over dealing with the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the burst of violence in Gaza.

In two months of mass protests at the Gaza border, some 110 Palestinians were killed and thousands wounded by Israeli military fire. Dozens of the fatalities were members of terror groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad acknowledged. Israel said its troops were defending its border and accused Hamas of trying to carry out attacks under the cover of the protests.

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad also bombarded southern Israel with rockets and mortar shells Tuesday, and Israel responded by striking targets throughout Gaza. Hamas said Wednesday it had agreed to a cease-fire with Israel.

The Kuwaiti draft resolution expresses “grave concern” at the increased violence and deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territories and calls for urgent steps to ensure a “durable and fully respected cease-fire.”

It asks UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a written report within 60 days on ways to ensure “the safety, protection and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation,” including recommendations about “an international protection mechanism.” The measure also urges humanitarian access and seeks “tangible steps” toward reconciliation between different Palestinian factions.

At Kuwait’s request, the council has held multiple emergency meetings on the border clashes. The US called an emergency session Wednesday on the barrage of rockets and mortars the day prior.

Israel and Hamas are bitter enemies and have fought three wars since the Islamic group seized control of Gaza in 2007. Hamas seeks to destroy Israel, and has said the border protests are intended to erase the border and ultimately “liberate Palestine.”

IRAN WITHDRAWING
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday that Iranian advisers and Hezbollah fighters will be withdrawing from the southern Syrian regions of Daraa and Quneitra near Israel's Golan Heights. Israel and Russia have been in constant talks to figure out a way to keep Iran out of the border area. Defense Minister Lieberman visited the Russian Ministry of Defense in Moscow yesterday. One Russian news outlet reported that Russia would like to reach an agreement that would deploy Russian military police and order the pullout of all Iranian forces from the border region. Syrian President Assad has denied that there are any Iranian troops in Syria. 
MORE https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5275778,00.html?utm_source=email
Monitor says Iran to pull out of southern Syria
Iranian troops and fighters of Lebanon's Hezbollah terrorist group have begun preparing to withdraw from Syrian territory adjacent to the country's border with Syria, a Syrian war monitor says.
Ynet reporters and The Associated Press|Published:  05.31.18 , 20:01
A Syrian war monitor says Iranian troops and fighters of Lebanon's Hezbollah group are getting ready to withdraw from southern Syria.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter 
 
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday Iranian advisers and Hezbollah fighters will be withdrawing from the southern regions of Daraa and Quneitra near Israel's Golan Heights.

A Syria-based official with the Iran-led axis of resistance denied the report saying it is “untrue.” The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, gave no further details.
 
Syrian rebel forces near Golan Heights (Photo: Reuters)

Russian news outlets had recently reported that Moscow wants to cut a deal that would see Russian military police deployed to areas near Israel. The agreement would envisage the pullout of all Iranian forces from the area and require Syrian rebels to surrender heavy weapons.

Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin had a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the situation in Syria.

The Kremlin said the conversation focused on "some aspects of the Syrian settlement," which it didn’t specify, following up on the two leaders' talks in Moscow earlier this month.

The Syrian government’s plans to recapture rebel-held areas near the border raised Israeli concerns that its backers—Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah—could take up positions along the frontier. Netanyahu has warned that his government would not allow Iran to maintain a permanent military presence anywhere inside Syria.

Quneitra in ruins, devastated by 8-year-long civil war (Photo: Reuters)

The phone call came as Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman was visiting Moscow Thursday for talks on the situation along Syria’s border with Israel.

The meeting took place at the Russian Ministry of Defense in Russia's capital and took more than an hour and a half. It dealt with security issues concerning the two countries and security coordination between them, the situation in Syria, and Israel's efforts to prevent Iran from establishing itself in Syria.

The report on the Iranian pullout came shortly after Syrian President Bashar Assad rebuffed claims of an Iranian military presence in his country.

In an interview with Russia Today, Assad said Iran's presence in Syria was limited to officers who were assisting the Syrian army. Apparently referring to the May 10 attack by Israel, the Syrian president said "we had tens of Syrian martyrs and wounded soldiers, not a single Iranian" casualty.
 
Syrian President Assad; Energy Minister Steinitz (Photo: Reuters)

However, Iran-backed militias, including Lebanon's Hezbollah terror group, have played a big role in support of Assad during the conflict. Iran's Revolutionary Guards have also deployed in the country.

In response, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz accused Assad of lying, calling his interview "cheap propaganda.

"There are Iranian forces and there is Iranian presence in Syria, everybody knows that. Iranian troops and even a general were killed in Syria, both recently and in the past," Steinitz told Ynet in an interview.

"This isn't the first time Assad has lied. He also said there were no chemical weapons in Syria, and that he never used chemical weapons—and we know the truth behind that," he went on to say. "Assad allowed the Iranians, Hezbollah and the Shiite militias supported by Iran to enter Syria. Furthermore, recently, an Iranian drone infiltrated Israel—coming from Syrian territory—and was shot down. Who operated it? Where did it come from?"
Yoav Zitun, Alexandra Lukash and Nir Cohen contributed to this article.
First published: 05.31.18, 20:01

What Happens When A Muslim Who Hated Jews Comes To Faith In Jesus?
https://www.oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/what-happens-when-a-muslim-who-hated-jews-comes-to-faith-in-jesus/
By ONE FOR ISRAEL (Messianic Jews In Israel)
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They sat in a coffee shop in Berlin. “Your skin is just like mine!” Ali held Joseph’s hand tenderly, caressing the skin with wonder. “You’re just like me!” Ali had come to faith from a Muslim background several months ago, but had never met a Jew before in his life*.

As he sat with Joseph, a Jewish student from Israel College of the Bible, ex-Al Qaeda member, Ali realized that they were not only made of the same material, but that they were actually family. Brothers in the Messiah.

Ali had been raised all his life to hate the Jewish people with great fervor, and to consider them not only enemies, but subhuman. In fact, he used to believe that it was essential to rid the world of the filth of the Jewish people, and so it came as a great shock to see that Jews are just as human as he was!

Ali grew up in a Sunni family in Syria and quickly became a very radical Muslim. He was a judge of Sharia law and joined Al Qaeda, helping to establish branches of Al Qaeda in Syria and Iraq. His brothers were no less radical, one even becoming a member of ISIS and another serving in the Free Syrian Army. They were all opposed to each other! He ended up in a Syrian prison after going there to fight Assad and was in jail there for seven years. To his horror, he found he was having lots of dreams about Jesus and saw the cross several times over the years. He was terrified to death to tell anyone what was happening to him. Eventually, like many other Syrians, he fled and made his way over to Europe. On his journey to Germany, he came across a church and felt compelled to go inside. After an inner struggle, he went in and saw exactly the same cross from his dreams! He heard the Lord telling him, “THIS is where your journey begins!”
Reports are coming in from all across the Muslim world of numbers coming to faith so overwhelming that Christian leaders simply do not know how to handle the need for discipleship.

The surprising truth about Muslim Background Believers
Two conferences have been held in recent months specifically for leaders of Muslim-background believers to discuss this issue. How do we disciple so many new believers who have known nothing but Islam? 

Dr. Erez Soref was invited to these two conferences as a representative of Israel, and of the Jewish people in the Middle East. He was very warmly welcomed as a brother, and the Arab believers were excited to hug and greet him, sharing how they had previously been brainwashed into thinking that Jews were like animals. The transformation in their heart is an amazing testimony to the power of the gospel to change lives completely. 

What is so encouraging to us here in Israel is that many who come to faith directly from a Muslim background come into the Kingdom with a love for Israel!

When the veil of Islam comes off and it becomes clear how much of what they believed was false, they also realize that much of what they have been told about Israel and the Jewish people was also based on lies. It takes great courage to go against the tide of anti-Semitism, but since these Muslim background believers have already given up so much, they have very little else to lose.

As a result, among Arabic-speaking Christians, we are finding that it is actually brothers and sisters from a Muslim background who tend to be more positive towards Israel than those who come to faith from a nominal Christian heritage. Muslim background believers are more likely to reject the theology that God is ‘done with Israel’ that many from traditional Christian denominations still hold to. These brand new believers are reading their Bibles with fresh eyes, and seeing God’s heart for Israel leaping out of the pages. And they believe with simple faith that God still means what he says about his people.

At the same time, we in Israel are feeling the call to serve in these fields that are white for the harvest. Israelis may not be free to travel around the Muslim world, but God has brought millions of Muslims to Europe where they can meet and talk about Jesus in freedom. It’s time for Jewish and Arab Israelis to go out to the nations and take the Word of God from Zion: not only in Hebrew, or even in English, but also in Arabic.
*Names have been changed to protect identities
Photo by Thiago Barletta on Unsplash

https://unitedwithisrael.org/gaza-belt-farmers-to-sue-hamas-at-international-criminal-court-over-kite-bomb-damage-to-crops/?utm_source=pushengage&utm_medium=push_notification&utm_campaign=pushengage
Israeli Farmers to Sue Hamas over ‘Kite Fire’ Damage to Crops
The lawsuit will be the first civilian response to kite fire terrorism, which has caused damages of millions of shekels of crops and irrigation equipment to the Gaza belt farmers.

By Mara Vigevani/TPS 

Gaza Belt farmers declared Sunday that they will appeal to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to indict Hamas Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar and the head of the terrorist organization’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh for damages from Palestinian kite terror.

Burning kites were sent over from Gaza with the aim of setting fields on fire and causing physical and environmental damage.

“Join in Prosecuting Hamas in The Hague!” wrote the farmers in a petition demanding the prosecution of the terror organization for war crimes in the ICC and calling on additional farmers and citizens to join the lawsuit.

“Hamas has organized riots along the Gaza border and urged its population to infiltrate into Israel. They have called on the public to attack Israelis in their homes and threatened to kidnap and murder as many [Israelis] as possible. Youngsters in Gaza are being encouraged to carry out cross-border arson attacks against Israeli farmers using flaming kites. The twisted strategy centers on causing civilian casualties and generating condemnations of Israel. Hamas’s action violates international law and is war crimes.” the farmers wrote.

The farmers plan to get 100,000 signatures on the petition. Since launching it Sunday, they have already gained some 4,400.

The farmers made the announcement a week after the Palestinians declared that they would sue Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague following the death of over 100 Palestinians in violent disturbances along the Gaza border over the past several weeks.

The lawsuit will be the first civilian response to kite terrorism, which has caused damages of millions of shekels of crops and irrigation equipment to the Gaza belt farmers.

Shurat HaDin, The Israel Law Center, a NGO that aims to fight terrorism through legal means and combat boycotts of Israel, will represent the farmers at the ICC.

The farmers intend to sue Hamas for a series of offenses that violate the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the treaty that established the ICC, including the burning of agricultural fields by burning kites, attacking Israel’s borders, using children for combat purposes and using the civilian population as human shields.

“The current situation, in which activists of a terrorist organization burn fields in Israel every day, is unacceptable. It is inconceivable that senior Hamas officials accuse Israel of war crimes while using civilian population, especially children, as human shields We call on the International Criminal Court in The Hague to bring them to justice” said Shurat Hadin director Nitsana Darshan-Leitner.

Darshan-Leitner told Tazpit Press Service (TPS) that she plans to submit the lawsuit within the next few weeks.


https://www.timesofisrael.com/sirens-blare-explosions-heard-in-southern-israel-amid-gaza-border-tensions/?utm_source=sirens-blare-explosions-heard-in-southern-israel-amid-gaza-border-tensions&utm_medium=desktop-browser&utm_campaign=desktop-notifications
Mortar shells strike southern Israel in largest volley since 2014; 1 injured
Sirens blare throughout Sha'ar Hanegev and Eshkol regions during at least 2 separate attacks from Gaza; Iron Dome intercepts most projectiles
By JUDAH ARI GROSS
Today, 7:17 am  9
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More than two dozen mortar shells were fired at southern Israel in at least three separate barrages Tuesday morning as sirens blared throughout the area, the army said, amid heightened tensions along the Gaza border.

One person was lightly injured by shrapnel in his shoulder and was being treated at the Soroka medical center in Beersheba. There were no reports of significant material damage.

The shellings appeared to be the largest attack from the Gaza Strip since the 2014 war, known in Israel as Operation Protective Edge.

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The head of the Eshkol region told Channel 10 news that the army told him the attack was carried out by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, as revenge for the Israel Defense Forces killing three of its members in a cross-border exchange earlier in the week.

The Iran-backed Islamic Jihad did not immediately take responsibility for the mortar attacks, but its spokesperson praised them, saying “the blood of our people is not so cheap that the terrorists (Israel) can do what they want without deterrence.”


Mortar shells fired from Gaza at southern Israel, May 29, 2018 (Twitter)
There were no immediate reports of a significant Israeli military retaliation to the attacks. Massive reprisal raids were expected, following the repeated, highly irregular mortar shellings on Tuesday morning.

Following the Gaza mortar attacks, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman called for a “special situational assessment” from IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and other senior figures from Israel’s security services. They were due to meet in the army’s Tel Aviv headquarters, known as the Kirya, Liberman’s office said.

Palestinian media reported that Hamas and other terrorist groups were abandoning their positions in the Gaza Strip ahead of an expected forceful response by the IDF.

The initial, primary bombardment came at 7 a.m., when approximately 25 mortar shells were toward the Sha’ar Hanegev and Eshkol regions, as parents were beginning to send their children to school, the IDF said.

The army said its Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted the majority of the incoming shells from the first barrage.

One of the shells struck a tree in the yard of a kindergarten in the Eshkol region, less than an hour before students were due to arrive, a spokesperson for the community said.

Exactly one hour later, incoming sirens were triggered for a second time in the Eshkol region, but not in Sha’ar Hanegev, as at least two mortar shells struck an open field in the area, the army said.


The remains of a mortar shell that was fired from the Gaza Strip at an Israeli community near the Gaza border, on May 29, 2018. (Israel Police)
The second attack caused neither injuries nor damage.

Sirens in southern Israel were triggered by a mortar shell for a third time shortly after 9:30 a.m., the army said.

The projectile struck an open field outside a community in the Eshkol region, causing no injury or damage, local officials said.

The military and police refrained from specifying where exactly the mortar shells struck in southern Israel, as the information could be used by terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip to better aim their fire.

The kindergarten that was hit by a mortar shell — along with all other schools in the area — opened as usual on Tuesday, despite the attack.

The commander of the IDF’s Southern (Gaza) Brigade, Col. Kobi Heller, visited the kindergarten and others in the region following the attack.
matan tzuri מתן צורי

@MatanTzuri
 חזרה לשגרה בעוטף עזה: מח"ט חטיבה דרומית, אל"מ קובי הלר, מסייר בין הישובים ונפגש עם ילדי הגן שבו פגעה הרקטה

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“At this point, there are no special instructions for residents of the Gaza periphery. Please continue to listen to the instructions of the Home Front Command,” the army said in a statement.

Pictures and videos were quickly shared on social media apparently showing the launches of the mortar shells and the interceptions by the Iron Dome.

 

نآي .
@AmnaKuhail
 انا كنت بدي اصور صورة واكتب صباح الخير وهيك بس هادا اللي صار

Palestinian leader Abbas leaves Ramallah hospital after 9 days
https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-leader-abbas-leaves-ramallah-hospital-after-9-days/?utm_source=palestinian-leader-abbas-leaves-ramallah-hospital-after-9-days&utm_medium=desktop-browser&utm_campaign=desktop-notifications
PA president, 83, suffered a bout of pneumonia, sparking a wave of rumors about his health
By AVI ISSACHAROFF and AGENCIES
Today, 1:20 pm  0
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas adressess the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank city of Ramallah, May 14, 2018. (ABBAS MOMANI/AFP)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was released from a hospital in Ramallah on Monday where he had been for treated over a week, ending rumors about his medical condition.

Leaving the hospital flanked by his two sons and Palestinian officials, Abbas said he was well and would be returning to work on Tuesday.

Abbas, 83, had been hospitalized with pneumonia during which doctors refused to confirm a schedule for his release.

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Pictures and video of Abbas walking around the wards and reading a newspaper were published last Monday, in an apparent attempt to calm rumors that his condition was worse than officially reported.

Abbas was admitted on May 20 to the Istishari Arab Hospital near Ramallah in the West Bank with complications following an ear operation, including high fever.

Officials later confirmed he was being treated for pneumonia.


Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas walking in the hospital on May 21, 2018 (screen capture/Twitter)
His extended hospitalization led to widespread speculation over his condition, particularly with no successor publicly in line for the PA presidency.

Abbas, who is a heavy smoker and overweight, has a long history of health issues, ranging from heart trouble to a bout with prostate cancer a decade ago.

In February, he underwent what were described as routine medical tests in the United States.

Abbas won a four-year term as PA president in 2005, but he has since remained in office without further elections.

Abbas argues the split between his Fatah party and Islamist terror group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has made elections politically impossible.

A relative moderate, he has been involved in decades of negotiations with Israel but is increasingly poorly regarded by Israelis, including because of several recent anti-Israel and anti-Semitic speeches. He is also unpopular among Palestinians, with the majority wanting him to step down.

Israel’s Mission to the UN held a special event celebrating 70 years of Israeli innovation and global contributions aimed at making the world a better place.  

By: United with Israel Staff

Israel’s Mission to the United Nations (UN) on Thursday hosted a special forum celebrating 70 years of Israeli civil society innovation and the Jewish state’s contributions to the world.

The forum featured presentations from four Israeli NGOs that are working to make the world a better place.

Among the participating organizations were Save a Child’s Heart, an NGO dedicated to improving pediatric cardiac care for children in developing countries; ZAKA, which provides lifesaving search and rescue assistance to mass casualty emergencies worldwide; Innovation Africa, a non-profit using solar energy to provide clean water, light and refrigeration for vaccines and medication to schools, orphanages and medical clinics; and ISRAID, Israel’s life-saving disaster relief organization that offers long-term support for refugees.

“As we mark 70 years since the founding of the State of Israel, we recall with great pride our country’s commitment to helping others live a better life,” Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, stated. “We have committed ourselves to this cause since the birth of our state.”

“We recognize these organizations’ valuable contribution to the work of the UN and the realization of its 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals,” Danon added.

17 Goals to Improve the World
The UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development outlines 17 goals for the international community to implement by 2030 “to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all.”

The project includes Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to which Israel has much to contribute.

For instance, in the sphere of water and sanitation, Israel has experienced much success in combating water scarcity on a global scale through a series of revolutionary technologies such as water desalination and drip irrigation.

Israel, which has been ranked as a world leader in water conservation, continues to share its expertise with countries struggling with water shortages.

Similarly, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV) has trained thousands of scientists and farmers in developing countries such as Swaziland, India, Ghana, and Columbia in water purification methods, helping the UN reach its goal “to ensure access to water and sanitation for all.”

Startups Find Solutions to Global Challenges
On the issue of innovation and infrastructure, with more startups per capita than any other country, Israel continues to use its expertise in science and technology to find solutions to a series of global challenges.

The UN’s ninth goal to “build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation” is present in all facets of Israeli society. From security to health, to transportation, Israeli startups have not only significantly bolstered Israel’s economy, but continue to improve the quality of life for millions around the world.

Speaking at an international conference hosted by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya’s School of Sustainability in December, Roberto Valent, the Special Representative of the United Nations Development Program, informed participants that “Israel is pushing forward and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals in a very practical manner.”

“The UN is very happy that Israel is advanced in not only its own actions towards the SDGs implementation, but in also providing a platform for others in the areas of gender, gender equality, education, and especially in innovation,” he stated.

Doctor says Abbas leaving hospital Sunday after pneumonia bout
https://www.timesofisrael.com/abbas-leaving-hospital-after-pneumonia-bout-doctor-says/?utm_source=abbas-leaving-hospital-after-pneumonia-bout-doctor-says&utm_medium=desktop-browser&utm_campaign=desktop-notifications
However, news site reports release being delayed, day after head of hospital says Palestinian leader in good health
By AP
Today, 11:43 am  0

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas shown recovering in hospital and reading a newspaper, on the back page of which is a cartoon portraying an Israeli soldier poisoning a Palestinian baby, May 22, 2018. (Wafa news agency)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was being discharged from the hospital following a health scare, the 83-year-old leader’s doctor said Sunday.

However, pan-Arabic news site Al-Arabiya reported that the release had been delayed for unspecified reasons, citing a presidential statement.

Abbas was hospitalized last week with a fever, just days after undergoing ear surgery. Palestinian officials said he had pneumonia and was on a respirator, receiving antibiotics intravenously.

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His doctor Yasser Abu Safiyeh said Sunday Abbas was kept a few extra days “to avoid any setback that could be caused by any infection.”

On Saturday, the head of the Istishari Arab Hospital where Abbas is being treated said the Palestinian leader was in good health.

“His state of health is excellent but the doctors have not yet decided the date of his release,” said Saed Sarahna.

Abbas, who is a heavy smoker and overweight, has a long history of health issues, ranging from heart trouble to a bout with prostate cancer a decade ago. Two years ago, he underwent an emergency heart procedure after suffering exhaustion and chest pains.

Abbas has no deputy. His latest health scare and sudden hospitalization revived anxiety over a potentially chaotic or even bloody succession battle.

Recently, a cardiologist moved into the presidential compound in Ramallah to monitor the longtime leader after a mysterious hospital visit in the United States, following Abbas’s address to the United Nations Security Council, in which he appeared weak.

Speaking Tuesday to reporters at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki warned against exaggerating Abbas’s health scare.

“It’s obvious that all of us as humans might have certain health setbacks … President Abbas is not really immune from that,” he said. “Of course we were concerned about his health as anyone should be but you know we should not really take it out of proportion when it comes to his health.”

Pictures of Abbas walking around the wards and reading a newspaper were published on Monday, in an apparent attempt to calm rumors that his condition was worse than officially reported.

Controversy erupted when viewers noticed the newspaper Abbas was pictured reading prominently carried a large cartoon on its back page, facing the camera, showing an Israeli soldier taking a baby’s milk away from her and ramming poison down her throat instead.

The cartoon referred to a claim by Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry that 8-month-old Layla Ghandour died from inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli troops during violent protests on the Gaza border with Israel on May 14.

That claim, which made worldwide headlines, is now disputed and the health ministry has backed away from it.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

US Embassy: Image of Jewish Temple ‘thrust in front’ of envoy Friedman for photo
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-embassy-image-of-jewish-temple-thrust-in-front-of-envoy-friedman-for-photo/?utm_source=us-embassy-image-of-jewish-temple-thrust-in-front-of-envoy-friedman-for-photo&utm_medium=desktop-browser&utm_campaign=desktop-notifications
US ambassador photographed with poster of Temple Mount, without Dome of the Rock; ultra-Orthodox non-profit apologizes for employee's 'cheap political act'
By MICHAEL BACHNER and TOI STAFF
22 May 2018, 10:28 pm  9
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US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman is pictured next to a man holding a poster of the Jewish Temple replacing the Muslim Dome on the Rock on Jerusalem's Temple Mount, at an event for the Achiya educational nonprofit in Bnei Brak, May 22, 2018. (Courtesy: Kikar HaShabbat)
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman is pictured next to a man holding a poster of the Jewish Temple replacing the Muslim Dome on the Rock on Jerusalem's Temple Mount, at an event for the Achiya educational nonprofit in Bnei Brak, May 22, 2018. (Courtesy: Kikar HaShabbat)
The US Embassy in Jerusalem on Tuesday said a doctored aerial image of Jerusalem, in which a major Muslim shrine was replaced by a depiction of the Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount compound, was unknowingly “thrust in front of” US Ambassador David Friedman for a photograph during a visit to a non-profit.

Friedman was visiting the Bnei Brak headquarters of the Achiya organization — an ultra-Orthodox non-profit that works to empower and integrate children with learning disabilities and is supported by the US embassy — when a member of the group handed him a large poster showing the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, but with a Jewish Temple standing in place of the Muslim Dome of the Rock shrine at the site. The Al-Aqsa Mosque was in the photo.

“Ambassador Friedman was not aware of the image thrust in front of him when the photo was taken,” the US embassy in Jerusalem said in a statement. “He was deeply disappointed that anyone would take advantage of his visit to Bnei Brak to create controversy. ‎The US policy is absolutely clear: we support the status quo on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount.”

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The event was first reported by the ultra-Orthodox website Kikar HaShabat. The website identified those who presented the poster as managers of Achiya, although the NGO said later the act wasn’t sanctioned by the group.

The report also quoted participants at the event as saying that “you could see the excitement on the US ambassador’s face” when he received the poster.

The US Embassy in Israel, according to Hebrew-language reports, had demanded an apology from Achiya “for allowing one of its employees to present this controversial image to the ambassador during his visit.”

The Temple Mount houses the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque, and is considered Islam’s third-holiest site. It is the holiest place in Judaism, revered by Jews as the location of the biblical Jewish temples.

Under the present arrangement instituted by Israel after it captured Jerusalem’s Old City in the 1967 war, the site, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, remains under Jordan’s religious custodianship. Jews are allowed to visit the compound but are barred from religious worship or prayer. The sensitive site has been at the heart of several upticks in Palestinian violence in recent years, over claims Israel was seeking to change the arrangements at the site.

The Achiya organization subsequently apologized “from the bottom of our heart” for the incident, saying the “cheap political act” of an employee “overshadowed” Friedman’s attempt to highlight its good work.

“The management of Achiya wishes to apologize to the American Ambassador in Israel, Mr. David Friedman, and to the US Embassy in Israel,” it said in a statement. “An employee from the Achiya organization handed the ambassador a poster that was not approved by Achiya, the embassy, or the ambassador.”

“We wish to thank Ambassador David Friedman and the embassy staff for the professionalism and generosity they showed in the visit to Achiya to highlight the important work we do to change lives for the better,” it added. “To our regret, the event was overshadowed by a cheap political act. The employee responsible for that has been identified and has apologized, and we will deal with the issue internally in the organization.”

Muslim worshippers perform Friday noon prayer near the Dome of the Rock shrine in Jerusalem’s Old City’s al-Aqsa mosque compound on the Temple Mount, December 22, 2017. (AFP Photo/Ahmad Gharabli)
“We want again to thank the ambassador for his time and apologize from the bottom of our heart for this unnecessary incident.”

Friedman last week oversaw the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

In the past, Friedman had made remarks that were rebuffed by Washington as not reflecting official policy.

Last September, he told Israel’s Walla news site he thought “the settlements are part of Israel.” State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert later told reporters that his comments marked no shift in the US position.

The Associated Press reported last month that Friedman has been seeking to adopt the Israeli name for the West Bank, Judea, and Samaria, in his official remarks and statements, but has so far been prevented from doing so by the Trump administration. Last December, it was reported that Friedman had asked the State Department to stop calling the West Bank “occupied.”

Before his confirmation to the diplomatic role, Friedman was a staunch supporter of settlements and a columnist for right-wing Israeli publications.

Over the weekend, Friedman also said evangelical Christians “support Israel with much greater fervor and devotion than many in the Jewish community.”

On Sunday, the US ambassador accused the “liberal media” of “glorifying” Hamas terrorists in its coverage of last week’s US embassy move and concurrent Gaza riots in order to denigrate US President Donald Trump, and appeared to accuse the press of having “blood on its hands” for allowing Hamas to garner front page real estate.

WATCH: Israel is Solving World Hunger with Honey Bees!
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-israel-is-solving-world-hunger-with-honey-bees/?utm_source=pushengage&utm_medium=push_notification&utm_campaign=pushengage

Bees
Israel agriculture
World hunger
While global urbanization has decimated the world’s population of honey bees, which play a crucial role in food production, Israel is doing its part to reverse this trend.
It is estimated that humans would only be able to survive for four years without bees because these creatures’ cross pollination is an essential stage in the production the world’s food supply.
Across the globe, the amount of nectar flowers and honey bees is declining at an alarming rate, a worrying trend.
With 100,000 trees planted and 110,000 active beehives tended to by 510 beekeepers, Israel is helping to protect against world hunger in the most unexpected way!

Hamas Co-Founder: Calling Gaza Riots ‘Peaceful Resistance’ Is ‘Deceiving the Public’
 https://unitedwithisrael.org/hamas-co-founder-calling-gaza-riots-peaceful-resistance-is-deceiving-the-public/?
Senior Hamas official alZahar admitted that calling the violence in Gaza “peaceful resistance” represents “a clear terminological deception.”
By: Shiri Moshe, The Alegmeiner

A senior Hamas leader said on Sunday that recent Palestinian riots on the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip were backed by the Islamist group’s fighters and weapons.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Hamas co-founder Mahmoud al-Zahar called allegations that the terrorist group was employing “peaceful resistance” against Israel “a clear terminological deception.”

“When you have weapons that are being wielded by men who were able to prevent the strongest army in the region from entering the Gaza Strip for 51 days, and were able to capture or kill soldiers of that army — is this really ‘peaceful resistance’?” asked al-Zahhar, whose remarks were translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

“When we talk about ‘peaceful resistance,’ we are deceiving the public,” he said. “This is peaceful resistance bolstered by a military force and by security agencies, and enjoying tremendous popular support.”

Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, has actively encouraged Palestinians to participate in the series of border riots dubbed the “March of Return.” The campaign was launched in March with the aim of pressuring Israel to allow Palestinian refugees of the 1948 Independence War and their five million descendants to enter Israel.

Terrorist-Led Riots
Around 40,000 Palestinians participated in the riots on Monday, when the US opened its embassy in Jerusalem. Sixty people were killed and over 2,500 injured by Israeli forces, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry announced. Some demonstrators were filmed throwing rocks and firebombs, burning tires, and flying flaming kites into Israeli territory. The Israeli military said others opened fire on its soldiers or attempted to place improvised explosive devices along the border.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, “at least 24 terrorists” were among the fatalities. “Most were active Hamas terror organization operatives, and some were active operatives of Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” the IDF announced.

The Israeli military has also released footage of what it said was a thwarted attempt by eight armed Hamas terrorists to cross into Israeli territory from northern Gaza.

Israeli officials have accused Hamas of using the riots as cover to breach the border fence and carry out attacks in Israel. Yet a number of governments have raised concern about the IDF’s use of force on the Gaza border, with Turkey and South Africa recalling their ambassadors and others requesting an international probe.

UN Chief António Guterres said on Tuesday he was “profoundly alarmed and concerned by the sharp escalation of violence and the number of Palestinians killed and injured in the Gaza protests.”

While the riots were originally planned to end on May 15, Gaza officials have promised that they would be extended. “We will continue with the protests, and it is the Palestinian people who will decide the situation on the ground,” Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ top political leader, said Tuesday.

Rocket sirens blare in Golan Heights; IDF investigating
https://www.timesofisrael.com/rocket-sirens-blare-in-golan-heights-idf-investigating/?utm_source=rocket-sirens-blare-in-golan-heights-idf-investigating&utm_medium=desktop-browser&utm_campaign=desktop-notifications
Residents say they heard explosions, saw signs of missile interception in north, weeks after battle between Israel and Iran in Syria
By JUDAH ARI GROSS
Today, 5:23 pm  0
An Iron Dome missile defense system, designed to intercept and destroy incoming short-range rockets and artillery shells, is deployed in northern Israel on May 7, 2018. (Jalaa Mary/AFP)
An Iron Dome missile defense system, designed to intercept and destroy incoming short-range rockets and artillery shells, is deployed in northern Israel on May 7, 2018. (Jalaa Mary/AFP)
Incoming rocket alert sirens sounded throughout the Golan Heights on Thursday, just over a week after Israeli and Iranian forces clashed in Syria.

Residents of northern Israel reported hearing explosions and seeing signs of a possible rocket interception by the Iron Dome missile defense system.

The Israel Defense Forces said it was investigating what set off the alarm system, which sent residents of northern Israel to bomb shelters.

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There were no immediate reports of impacts or injuries.

The sirens were reported in communities across the Golan Heights, including the area’s largest town, Katzrin.

Israeli Innovation Provides Big Boost to Farmers in India
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israeli-innovation-provides-big-boost-to-farmers-in-india/?utm_source=pushengage&utm_medium=push_notification&utm_campaign=pushengage
Israeli agricultural innovation
Israel is developing agricultural projects in India, helping farmers there adopt sustainable practices for greater food security.

By: United with Israel Staff

Tel Aviv University (TAU) and the Indian philanthropic organization TATA TRUSTS have launched the Indian Centre for Agri & Allied Tech (I-CAT) whose objective is to bring Israeli expertise and innovation to farmers of the state of Andhra Pradesh in southern India.

The initiative, supported by the local government, will include an advanced research and development center, as well as agricultural experts working in villages and farms.

The objective of the initiative is to overcome various technological, agronomic and economic barriers the Indian farmers are dealing with, and to promote sustainable agriculture and food security.

There are plans to extend the program to all parts of India.

Assisted by TAU’s Boris Mints Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions to Global Challenges, the program will operate a joint TAU-TATA steering committee, collaborating with Israeli and Indian experts, in order to identify problems in rural India and find potential solutions in Israel.

Israeli research institutes will adapt existing technologies and will develop new solutions to meet the needs of Indian agriculture, while the R&D hub in Andhra Pradesh will test the various solutions under local conditions and train local workers to operate new technologies.

Farmers in each of the hundreds of villages throughout Andhra Pradesh will implement and test the new technologies in their own fields, while business models will be developed to support wide diffusion of the innovative solutions among the broader Indian farming population.

Israel’s Long History of Aid to Indian Farmers
Israel has a long and proud history of providing aid to Indian farmers.

In October 2017, thanks to Israeli drip irrigation, 15,000 farmers in Karnataka, southwestern India, harvested their first monsoon season crop in years.

Similarly, Israeli biotech company, BioFeed, developed a “no-spray” solution to kill the fruit flies that have devasted mango plantations in India.

In 2016, the Indian state of Haryana initiated micro-irrigation projects based on Israeli expertise at 14 sites. Israeli agricultural professionals work extensively in Haryana and neighboring Punjab, as well as around the country.

In December 2015, The Indo-Israel vegetable center of excellence in Haryana boosted the annual number of seedlings grown by state farmers from half a million in 2011 to six million in 2015. Farmers from Punjab, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh are also using the facility.

In April 2015, India signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel to set up a dairy development center in Haryan. It includes a model dairy farm with 110 cows to teach Indian farmers about Israeli technology to increase milk production.

https://www.rt.com/usa/426607-pastor-islamophobic-hate-speech/
Infamous Islamophobe pastor picked to pray at US embassy opening in Jerusalem
Published time: 14 May, 2018 02:50
Edited time: 14 May, 2018 07:07
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Infamous Islamophobe pastor picked to pray at US embassy opening in Jerusalem
Ronen Zvulun / Reuters
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The man picked to lead a prayer at Donald Trump's much-vaunted opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, is a militant Baptist preacher, known, among other things, for calling Islam's Prophet Muhammad "a bloodthirsty warlord."
As if Monday's relocation of the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem needed more controversy, the priest picked to lead a prayer at the unveiling ceremony is Dr. Robert Jeffress, a megachurch Baptist preacher from Dallas and long-time supporter of Donald Trump. Jeffress, who is also a Fox News contributor, announced that he was picked for the occasion in an recent interview with Fox&Friends.

Jeffress has quite the track record of extreme religious intolerance and is known for labeling just about any religion other than his own as heresy. While the pastor has targeted almost every religion, the most scathing of his numerous attacks have taken aim at Islam. Arguing that Islam as a religion is inherently violent, Jeffress said during one TV debate that prophet Muhammad "was nothing but a bloodthirsty warlord who beheaded 600 Jews who would not follow him into battle."

"Jesus, the founder of our faith, didn't kill anybody. He was crucified, but you look in the Quran, you can find 35 sword verses," he told an imam during a debate hosted by Fox News in 2016.

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RuptlyJerusalem Day: Israelis clash with Palestinians on Temple Mount ahead of charged week (VIDEO)
During a sermon at a First Baptist Church in 2015 in the wake of the Paris terror attacks, the pastor said that the time had come to "lay aside political correctness and identify the belief system that is responsible for these horrific acts. And that is the evil, evil, evil religion of radical Islam." Jeffress continued his tirade before ultimately saying Islam was a " false religion inspired by Satan himself."

Non-Baptist Christian denominations haven't escaped Jeffress' castigations either. He once compared the Catholic Church to a "cult" which was the result of the "corruption" of an early Christian church by "a Babylonian mystery religion." He attributed its rise to none other than "the genius of Satan." 

His apparent grudge against Catholics forced White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders to defend Jeffress after she was asked as to why a "viciously anti-Catholic" pastor's book gets an endorsement from President Trump.

Trump used his Twitter handle last October to promote a new book by Jeffress, calling him "a wonderful man."

Jeffress, who was involved with Trump campaign since 2015, has been a part of Trump's inner circle and addressed his family in private just before the inauguration.

The pastor's less than favorable views of the Mormon religion have also been widely publicized. Opposing Mitt Romney's nomination, Jeffress said in 2011 that he sees Mormonism as a "theological cult," and not a real religion, as he was rallying behind governor Rick Perry during 2012 presidential race.

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FILE PHOTO: Israeli Policemen stand guard in Jerusalem  Pedro UgarteIsraeli police use stun grenades against ultra-Orthodox rioters in Jerusalem
He also complained about how the "consumer mentality of the church" betrays its core beliefs for the sake of luring more people. The pastor argued that if one abides by the Bible, "every other religion in the world is wrong" – including Judaism.

"Islam is wrong, it is a heresy from the pit of Hell; Mormonism is wrong, it is a heresy from the pit of Hell; Judaism, you can't be saved being a Jew, you know who said that by the way, the three greatest Jews in the New Testament, Peter, Paul, and Jesus Christ, they all said Judaism won't do it, it's faith in Jesus Christ," he said in a televised interview in 2010

Jeffress has been widely known for his anti-gay and anti-abortion views. He even once suggested that the 9/11 terrorist attacks might have been God's punishment for abortion laws in the US.

"Just read the Bible, God will not allow sin to go unpunished and he certainly won't allow the sacrifice of children to go unpunished," he said in 2015.

The choice of the divisive pastor for the mission ignited a firestorm on Twitter, with many voicing their outrage over the move. Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney became one of the people to take issue with Jeffress' incendiary remarks.

“Such a religious bigot should not be giving the prayer that opens the United States Embassy in Jerusalem,” he wrote.
Mitt Romney

@MittRomney
 Robert Jeffress says “you can’t be saved by being a Jew,“ and “Mormonism is a heresy from the pit of hell.”  He’s said the same about Islam. Such a religious bigot should not be giving the prayer that opens the United States Embassy in Jerusalem.

2:42 AM - May 14, 2018
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Omar Suleiman

@omarsuleiman504
 Dallas Pastor Robert Jeffress will be leading the prayer at the declaration of the new Jerusalem embassy tomorrow. Waiting for all you woke Dallas folk and progressives to be outraged.

11:01 PM - May 12, 2018
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Laurence Tribe

@tribelaw
 Robert Jeffress, the extremist  pastor Trump has chosen to open the ceremonies for our new embassy in Jerusalem, has called Mormonism and Islam “cults from the pit of hell.” What could possibly go wrong?
11:25 PM - May 13, 2018

‘Terrible massacre’: Israel kills 52, injures 2,410 Gaza protesters as US embassy opens in Jerusalem
Published time: 14 May, 2018 08:30
Edited time: 14 May, 2018 16:44
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‘Terrible massacre’: Israel kills 52, injures 2,410 Gaza protesters as US embassy opens in Jerusalem
Protests against the US embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba at the Israel-Gaza border on May 14, 2018. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem / Reuters
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Fifty-two Palestinian protesters have been killed by Israeli fire during demonstrations on the day of the US embassy's inauguration in Jerusalem, the Palestinian health ministry said Monday.
More than 2,400 protesters have been injured in Gaza on what has been the most violent day of the six week long Great March of Return. Those wounded on Monday include 203 children and 78 women, according to the ministry. 

The Palestinian government denounced Monday’s violence as a “terrible massacre” perpetrated “by the forces of the Israeli occupation”, and called for an immediate international intervention to prevent further deaths. A day of national mourning has been declared by the government in Ramallah, to be held Tuesday.


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@press221
 *حصيلة إصابات مسيرة العودة الكبرى السلمية الناتجة عن إعتداءات الإحتلال الإسرائيلي*

Storm exposes 70-year-old copy of independence declaration
https://www.timesofisrael.com/storm-exposes-declaration-of-independence-hidden-70-years-ago/
Scroll rolled into sealed taxidermist's jar remained in pristine condition between tree roots at northern kibbutz; last month, winds knocked tree down
By SUE SURKES
8 May 2018, 10:26 am  5
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The jar containing a 70-year-old copy of Israel's Declaration of Independence came to light when a storm uprooted a tree at Kibbutz Degania Alef in the Jordan valley, April 2018. (Jordan Valley Regional Council).
The jar containing a 70-year-old copy of Israel's Declaration of Independence came to light when a storm uprooted a tree at Kibbutz Degania Alef in the Jordan valley, April 2018. (Jordan Valley Regional Council).
A copy of Israel’s Declaration of Independence dating back to the year that the State of Israel was born was discovered Monday during efforts to remove an old tree damaged during surprise storms two weeks ago.

Perfectly preserved in a sealed taxidermy jar, normally used for keeping creatures that have been stuffed, the scroll was originally placed between the roots of a cypress tree on Kibbutz Degania Alef in the Jordan Valley, east of the Sea of Galilee.

The tree fell during unseasonable storms two weeks ago.

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Two kibbutz members were spraying clumps of dirt off its roots before removing the tree when they noticed something round and un-tree-like poking out.

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 נמצאה בדגניה א' מגילת המדינה, שהיתה טמונה שם מאז 1948 בתוך מבחנה אטומה. המגילה נשמרה במצב מצויין בזכות העובדה שהיתה סגורה בתוך אחת הצנצנות שנהגו לשמר בהם בעבר פוחלצים במוזיאון בית גורדון @10elilevi 
(צילום: יעל עבאדי)

2:57 PM - May 7, 2018
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The kibbutz will keep the new find enclosed in its special jar, as it already has a copy of the declaration in its archives.


David Ben-Gurion, flanked by the members of his provisional government, reads the Declaration of Independence in the Tel Aviv Museum Hall on May 14, 1948 (photo credit: Israel Government Press Office)
Degania Alef was established in 1909 during Ottoman times and was home to several icons of early Zionism, among them poet Rachel Bluwstein (known simply as Rachel the Poet), soldier-politician Moshe Dayan, and Zionist leaders A.D. Gordon and Joseph Trumpeldor.

IRAN PLANNING TO LAUNCH A BARRAGE OF MISSILES AGAINST ISRAEL
https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Report-Iran-planning-to-launch-a-barrage-of-missiles-against-Israel-553644
Military analyst Roni Daniel said the intelligence suggested Iran would use Shiite militias already deployed in Syria, along with experts from Hezbollah.
BY ANNA AHRONHEIM   MAY 6, 2018 20:26  
3 minute read.
> Rouhani says plans in place for any Trump decision on nuclear deal
> Netanyahu: Israel must keep Iran from Syria even if it means a 'struggle'
A still image taken from footage shot on June 18, 2017 and broadcast on Iranian Television IRINN, purports to show missiles being fired from Iran into eastern Syria.. (photo credit: IRINN VIA REUTERS TV)

Israel is bracing for a barrage of missiles to be launched toward military positions along its northern front from Syria by Shi’ite militias trained and funded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran is reportedly very determined to carry out an attack. Intelligence reports have indicated such an attack is in the advanced planning stages and might soon be executed as Iran vowed to do in retaliation for an alleged Israeli air strike against the T4 airbase near Homs used by the IRGC two months ago.

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Israel has allegedly uncovered involvement by Hezbollah commanders and senior operatives from Shi’ite militias in the planning of the retaliatory strike. It is believed these militias, along with experts from Hezbollah under the command of the IRGC’s Quds Force Commander Maj.-Gen. Qassem Soleimani, will launch precision-guided missiles or armed drones from a base in Syria.

“The idea is to use heavy Iranian missiles, including the Fateh-110 under the command and with the advisory work of Hezbollah but without an IRGC presence,” Channel 10 reported on Sunday night, adding that Hezbollah members from Lebanon have been brought to Syria to train Shi’ite militia members for the attack.

While military officials have briefed mayors across the country on the latest developments, the heads of local councils in northern Israel have told residents there have been no special instructions or precautions issued.

While Hezbollah and the IRGC are the only groups that have the weapons and know-how to launch such an attack, it is believed the missiles will be launched by one of the many Shi’ite militia groups deployed in Syria to give Tehran the ability to deny their role.
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14 killed in alleged Israeli airstrike on Syrian airbase, April 10, 2018 (Reuters)

According to Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, a research fellow at the Middle East Forum, there are several key candidates who might launch the missile barrage for Iran.

“The Syrian civil war has led to the expansion of the IRGC’s network of regional clients,” Tamimi told The Jerusalem Post. “[There are] a variety of groups that could possibly strike Israel on its behalf, such as one of the many new ‘Syrian Hezbollah’ groups integrated into the registers of the Syrian armed forces, or one of the Iraqi groups that emerged during the war, like Harakat al-Nujaba and its ‘Golan Liberation Brigade.’”

Another possible group, Tamimi said, was a Palestinian organization linked to Hezbollah and the IRGC, such as the “Force of Return,” which is currently fighting for the regime of Bashar Assad in the Yarmouk camp outside Damascus.

“But it still remains the case that Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which maintains some bases in Syria, is the most likely and capable of carrying out an attack,” Tamimi said.

According to Michael Horowitz, senior regional analyst at Le Beck, a Middle East-based geopolitical consultancy group, having Hezbollah carry out the attack would go against the plans by Tehran, which is said to be trying to avoid full-fledged war with Israel.

“This would defeat the purpose of using Shi’ite militias, which in my opinion was meant to enable Iran to respond without actually provoking an escalation,” Horowitz told the Post.

In recent months, Israel has have identified and released pictures of several air bases throughout Syria it said are being used by Iranian forces. The pictures have been released to the media in an effort to deter Iran from carrying out their strike, as those bases would likely be targeted by Israel in response.

According to Horowitz, “Israel chose to publish such threats to send the message that it will see any attack coming from an Iranian-backed group as one actually coming from Iran, and thus will respond in kind.”

Tensions have risen dramatically between the two arch-enemies recently. In late April, Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon told the UN Security Council that there were “over 80,000 extremists from all over the Middle East who are members of Shia militias in Syria under Iranian control.”

Israeli officials have been warning of Iranian entrenchment on the Golan Heights, an area of key strategic importance for the Jewish state. They have stressed that such activity is a red line for Jerusalem. Officials have also said the northern border is no longer considered two separate entities, but one continuous front.

In February, OC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Amit Fisher warned not only of the Iranian entrenchment across the border, but also of the return of Syrian troops to an area which was relatively quiet for close to six years while under the control of rebels.

“We must prepare ourselves operationally and in terms of intelligence for the growing threat: the return of the Syrian Army and Iranian forces, Hezbollah and others,” he said.


Iranian lawmakers burned a US flag and chanted “death to America” in parliament after Trump’s nuclear deal pullout.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/iranian-lawmakers-burn-us-flag-in-parliament/?utm_source=pushengage&utm_medium=push_notification&utm_campaign=pushengage
By: AP

Iranian lawmakers lit a US flag on fire at parliament Wednesday after President Donald Trump’s nuclear deal pullout, shouting, “Death to America!”

The impromptu demonstration reflected anger in Iran after Trump’s decision, which threatens to destroy the 2015 nuclear accord. While Iranian officials, including the parliament speaker, say they hope Europe will work with them to preserve the deal, many are pessimistic.

The lawmakers, including a Shiite cleric, held the flaming flag alight as their colleagues joined their chants. They also burned a piece of paper representing the nuclear deal and stomped on the papers’ ashes.

While US flag burning is common in Iran and harsh criticism of America has been a staple of Iranian parliamentary politics for years, it was the first time political observers could remember anything being burned inside the parliament itself.

Late Tuesday night, President Hassan Rouhani made a point of stressing that Iran, at any time, could resume its nuclear program.

“So if necessary, we can begin our industrial enrichment without any limitations,” the Iranian leader said. “Until implementation of this decision, we will wait for some weeks and will talk with our friends and allies and other signatories of the nuclear deal, who signed it and who will remain loyal to it. Everything depends on our national interests.”

Wednesday morning after the flag burning, parliament speaker Ali Larijani urged the country’s nuclear department to prepare for “resumption of all aspects of nuclear activities.”

The Dead Sea Scrolls, one of the most important archeological finds unearthed in Israel, were found some 70 years ago in the Judean Desert. The new findings were presented Tuesday evening at a conference marking 70 years since the scrolls' discovery held at Jerusalem's Israel Museum.
The scrolls before their examination through the special technology (L) and after (Photo: Shay Halevi, Israel Antiquities Authority)
In the seven decades that have passed since the discovery of the scrolls by Bedouin and archeologists near the remains of the ancient community of Qumran in the Judean Desert in the early 1950s, they have continued to astound researchers.
The thousands of passages, written on parchment and papyrus paper more than 2,000 years ago—during the period of the Second Temple—are still considered the oldest Hebrew manuscripts ever found.
One of the newly discovered writings (Photo: Shay Halevi, Israel Antiquities Authority)
While researchers were able to piece together some of the more prominent writings, many of the scrolls had to be placed in boxes without being sorted or studied due to their minute size and poor condition.
Recently, as part of a digitization project, select samples from the unsorted boxes were viewed using state-of-the-art photographic equipment, and turned up new markings understood to be handwriting on some parchments that seemed to the naked eye to be completely blank
The digitization project, carried out by an Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) unit designated to work on the scrolls, was put in motion to track the preservation process of one of the 20th century's preeminent discoveries, and to make it more accessible to the public at large in the best possible quality.
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GAZA BORDER
IDF soldiers killed 3 terrorists who were attempting to infiltrate into Israel from Gaza. A fourth terrorist was wounded. The incident took place at Khan Younis when troops from the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion opened fire on the four suspects. An IDF investigation subsequently revealed that the group was planning to carry out terror attacks against Israelis. The group was under military surveillance and was spotted while “moving suspiciously and hitting the perimeter fence and crossing while crossing it,” the IDF said.

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https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5252848,00.html?utm_source=email

HEZBOLLAH VICTORY
According to preliminary results from Lebanon’s elections, Hezbollah and its allies have won at least 67 out of the country’s 128 parliamentary seats, giving it effective control over the governing body. Hezbollah’s allies include the Shiite Amal Movement led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the Christian Free Patriotic Movement established by President Michel Aoun and other groups and individuals that view its weapons as an asset to Lebanon. On the bright side, Hezbollah and its allies are not on course to win the two-thirds majority that would allow them to pass big decisions such as changing the constitution. But having an Iranian backed terror group with that much power over a country on Israel’s border is clearly problematic, to say the least.

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https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5253447,00.html?utm_source=email


RUSSIAN INVITE
Russian President Putin has invited PM Netanyahu to join him in an annual march in Moscow on Wednesday marking Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany in WWII. After the march the two will meet in the Kremlin to "discuss regional developments,” including the Israeli airstrikes against Iranian bases in Syria and the possible sale of the Russian-made S-300 aerial defense system to Syria. This will mark the two leaders' eighth meeting in the past two years.
On Tuesday Netanyahu will be in Cyprus for a meeting with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.  
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https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5252049,00.html?utm_source=email

OVERRIDE LAW
The ministerial legislation committee today approved a bill introduced by MK Bezalel Smotrich (Bayit Yehudi) giving a majority of 61 MKs the power to ratify a law struck down by the Supreme Court. The bill is an amendment to the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty.
Minister of Education and Diaspora Affairs Naftali Bennett and Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked said, "The government today began building a wall separating the three branches of government. The High Court's interference in legislation and the government's decisions long ago deviated from the accepted norm. The override clause will restore the public's confidence in the High Court and restore the original functions to the three branches: the Knesset legislates, the government executes, and the court interprets. No branch should interfere with another one. As the representative of the people, the Knesset is sovereign, as in any proper democracy."
The bill was opposed by members of the Kulanu party and the Attorney General. The Supreme Court judges as well as members of the opposition have strongly criticized the bill as a threat to democracy.
For further reading click here. 
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-ministers-approve-bill-to-override-israels-high-court-1001234682?utm_source=email

Ignoring BDS, Shakira Will Perform in Israel
May 7, 2018
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Shakira will perform in Israel for the first time, despite anticipated pressure from BDS. 

Shakira, the world-famous Latina singer, will perform in Israel, despite anticipated pressure from the anti-Israel BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement.

The superstar is slated to hold her first ever concert in Tel Aviv this July, Israel’s Hadashot TV reported on Saturday.

The report said that Shakira is aware she will likely come under pressure from anti-Israel elements to cancel her Tel Aviv gig, but has chosen to perform in Israel just the same.

“I respect and have great affection for this country [Israel] and the people of this country,” Shakira said in an interview with the Associated Press in 2011 while participating in Shimon Peres’ presidential conference on the Jewish state.

“I’m happy to be in Israel, the land which has been the mother of cultures and spirituality for so long,” said the two-time Grammy Award winner, according to the Times of Israel.

The BDS movement promotes financial, academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, ostensibly as a nonviolent protest against the so-called “Israeli occupation.” Critics say its activities are a modern form of anti-Semitism and that its true objective is to destroy the State of Israel.

The BDS movement, including anti-Israel activist and musician Roger Waters, consistently calls on artists to cancel events in Israel, a tactic that has worked on a few performers, including Stevie Wonder and most recently Lorde.

Most artists ignore the movement, including Radiohead, which performed in Tel Aviv in July, Steve Vai, who performed in Israel in March, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, who will perform in June.
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