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https://www.israel365news.com/265345/biden-refuses-to-acknowledge-texas-synagogue-terrorist-was-anti-semetic/?
BIDEN REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE TEXAS SYNAGOGUE TERRORIST WAS ANTI-SEMETIC
BY ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ | JAN 17, 2022 | ANTISEMITISM, US-ISRAEL RELATIONS

A ruler who listens to lies, All his ministers will be wicked. Proverbs 29:12 (The Israel BibleTM)


Democratic nominee Joe Biden made an abbreviated campaign visit to Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Friday, hours after he tested negative for the coronavirus in two separate tests (Shutterstock)

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The terrorist attack targeting a Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Texas on Shabbat elicited a flurry of responses and declarations, many of them, most notably from President Biden, diverting attention away from the blatant anti-Semitic motives. 

BIDEN: “NOT ENOUGH INFORMATION” 
President Joe Biden released a statement about the attack soon after the release of the hostages referencing the blatant motives behind the attack targeting a synagogue on Shabbat.

“There is more we will learn in the days ahead about the motivations of the hostage-taker,” the statement read. “But let me be clear to anyone who intends to spread hate—we will stand against anti-Semitism and against the rise of extremism in this country.”

In his address to the media on Sunday, the president emphasized that the attack was an “act of terror”, repeating the phrase several times while identifying the motive as being connected to gaining the release of a Pakistani terrorist. 


The president was asked about the weapon used in the attack and noted that the availability of weapons in the US was problematic.

When asked for details on the motives of the terrorist, Biden tried to deflect. The reporter pressed on, asking why the gunman targeted the specific synagogue but the president continued to deflect:

“We don’t have — I don’t think there is sufficient information to know about why he targeted that synagogue or why he insisted on the release of someone who’s been in prison for over 10 years, why he was engaged — why he was using antisemitic and anti-Israeli comments.  I — we just don’t have enough facts,” Biden said.

FBI: ONE ISSUE, NOT RELATED TO JEWISH COMMUNITY
The FBI identified the hostage-taker as Malik Faisal Akram, 44. While Akram was described in the media as a British citizen who was homeless and had a history of mental illness, his religion, ethnicity, and national origin are not being reported. 

This presidential deflection away from the obvious anti-Semitic element of the attack was echoed by the FBI. 

“We do believe from our engagement with this subject that he was singularly focused on one issue, and it was not specifically related to the Jewish community,”  FBI Special Agent Matthew DeSarno said from the scene on Saturday night. 

When pressed by the media, he made an astonishing statement that the attack should not be perceived as a threat to the Jewish community.

“I’m not ready to add any more about the demands set, except that they were specifically focused on one issue that was not specifically threatening to the Jewish community,” he said.

The insistence that the attack was not anti-Semitic in its essence but was, instead, focused on the release of the Pakistani terrorist, Aafia Siddiqui, only underscores the Jew-hating focus of the incident as she was notoriously anti-Israel and anti-Semitic. During her trial, she told the judge that she didn’t want Jews in the jury “if they have a Zionist or Israeli background,” adding: “I have a feeling everyone here is them, subject to genetic testing.” After her conviction, she said, “This is a verdict coming from Israel and not from America. That’s where the anger belongs.”

PRESIDENT OF THE SYNAGOGUE: “RANDOM VIOLENCE”
This misdirection was furthered by the synagogue itself which released a statement saying:

“We know that a situation of this magnitude could increase the concern many of us live with on a day-to-day basis due to antisemitism,” president of Congregation Micahel Finfer said. “It is important to note that this was a random act of violence. Indeed, there was a one in a million chance that the gunman picked our congregation. Further, the FBI is confirming that the attacker appeared to be working alone.”

The head of the Reform Judaism movement, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, strongly disagreed. 

“There’s no doubt that the underlying whole premise of yesterday was antisemitism,” Rabbi Jacobs told MSNBC in a Sunday interview. “The hostage-taker didn’t go to McDonald’s, didn’t go to some random place, and that is part of the story of antisemitism, to single Jews out.”

“I don’t know one Jewish person who’s in the dark about yesterday’s antisemitic attack,” Jacobs continued. “Obviously it’s important to know what we’re discovering about the hostage-taker, but the truth is, on a Sabbath morning, a community gathered in prayer… somebody come in bent on harm. That is hardly something we would call just an incidental detail. That is a focal point.”

Even the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) noted the anti-Jewish element of the attack in a tweet calling it the “latest antisemitic attack on Jewish Americans”

Media watchdog Honest Reporting slammed this obfuscation:

“Overall, the attack on the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue did not occur in a vacuum, having followed deadly shooting incidents at synagogues in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Poway, California in 2018 and 2019, respectively,” Honest Reporting wrote. “Rather, it comes against a backdrop of rising antisemitism — at a time when the vast majority of religiously-motivated hate crimes in the US target Jews.”

DOMESTIC TERRORISM
Donald Trump Jr. posted a derisive tweet ridiculing the FBI’s statements. “Oh good, for a second there I was worried that Islamic Extremist Terrorists may have targeted a synagogue on purpose,” the former president’s son wrote.

Trump Jr. went on to criticize the FBI by making an oblique reference to tactics used by the law enforcement agency when dealing with “domestic terrorism” that blurred the line between investigation and complicity.

“How long has the FBI been watching/working with the synagogue terrorist?” Trump Jr. wrote. “Must be a while now considering how slow they have been to give us anything other than the bs ‘TX synagogue hostage taker’s demands were specifically focused on issue not connected to the Jewish community’.”

This was echoed by Pamela Geller, a right-wing activist, who tweeted, “So ask yourself, who is this new department of ‘domestic terrorism’ going to target?”

These concerns are over a new unit formed by the Justice Department to combat domestic terrorism. 

“The threat posed by domestic terrorism is on the rise,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “The number of FBI investigations of suspected violent extremists has more than doubled since the spring of 2020.”

It should be emphasized that there is no federal domestic terrorism statute. US law defines domestic terrorism as violence intended to coerce or intimidate either a civilian population or government policy. Prosecutors have alleged that the riots on January 6 have been classified as domestic terrorism. Attorney General Merrick Garland was called to testify before Congress after he issued a memo at the behest of the White House comparing disgruntled parents at school board meetings to domestic terrorists.

https://unitedwithisrael.org/lebanon-to-buy-gas-from-israel-why-this-is-a-big-deal/?
Lebanon to Buy Gas from Israel? Why This is a BIG Deal
Jan 16, 2022
Will indirect gas transfers via Jordan and Syria counterbalance Iran’s influence over Lebanon?
By Pesach Benson, United With Israel
Israel has signed U.S.-brokered agreement to supply Lebanon with natural gas to reduce Iranian influence over Beirut, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported on Saturday.

According to the report, gas from Israel’s offshore Leviathan gas field will be transferred to Lebanon via Jordan and Syria. However, transfers may not begin for several years pending the repair and extension of an existing Syria-Lebanon gas line.
The unsourced Channel 12 report said the agreement was brokered by Amos Hochstein, Washington’s Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs. Hochstein has been mediating Israel and Lebanon’s maritime border dispute, and in November, he notified Jerusalem and Beirut that he would cease his efforts if no agreement was reached by March 2022, when Lebanon is scheduled to hold elections.

The American mediation goes back through the presidencies of Barack Obama and Donald Trump. At stake is natural gas in a 856 sq km area of the Eastern Mediterranean.

It’s not believed that this weekend’s agreement addressed the border dispute.

The Lebanese pound has lost 90 percent of its value in the last two years. As a result, the government unable to provide fuel to power plants for the last six months, leaving the country with two hours of electricity a day. Filling up a gasoline tank now costs more than the monthly minimum wage.

The ruling class, which has run Lebanon into the ground, has proved unwilling to reform and has done almost nothing to try to pull the country out of its meltdown, rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement.
Amid the paralysis, Iran delivered one million gallons of diesel to Lebanon via Hezbollah in September. Lebanese state agencies that would normally oversee fuel imports were not involved in that transfer, raising criticism that Iran was undercutting Lebanese sovereignty. Since then, fuel deliveries reach Hezbollah over land through Syria, skirting Beirut’s oversight.


https://www.israelunwired.com/joe-bidens-presidency-came-to-a-collapse-with-this-incriminating-new-statistic/?
JOE BIDEN’S PRESIDENCY CAME TO A COLLAPSE WITH THIS INCRIMINATING NEW STATISTIC
written by Phil Schneider January 17, 2022 1848 views
There are very few things that unify the American people more than an economy that begins to tank. That is exactly what is going on now. The inflation statistic is not something that will surprise nearly anybody. Almost every American goes shopping for food and fills their car with gas. It is plan to see for anyone that lives by any level of a budget that they have less money in their accounts at the end of the month.

Inflation Hits FASTEST RATE Since 1982
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBTfYrRcwDI

But worse than the situation seems today is the general feeling that so many have that their is no real skipper at the helm of the ship. That is because the United States of America is being run by a committee of people that guide the aging Biden to make more and more woke-friendly decisions, no matter what the consequences are.

Well, now the United States of America has the Virginia gubernatorial election to learn from. But it seems that on the Democrat side, only James Carville alone seems to understand what is really going on. Yes, it is the economy stupid. It is actually more than just the economy. But the economy is the #1 issue. And when Americans – from Arizona, Georgia, Virginia, Michigan, and other battleground states feel they have no serious leader at the helm, they will vote for a change.

November 2022 will not just see a major sweep to the right. It will feature a record number of Democrats who decide to NOT run for reelection when their internal polling tells them they have little chance of winning. That will lead 2023 and 2024 to be years of lack of progress and gridlock in Washington. Joe Biden will probably step down or be helped out of the Oval Office as he may not know how to get out on his own.

But that will leave the big question open about 2024. Will Donald Trump run again? At this point, all signs indicate yes. But in two years, much may occur to change that. Either way, Joe Biden’s days in the Oval Office are numbered. The damage control is already beginning in Virginia and will soon grow to the rest of the United States that wakes up from it’s bad dream of woke policies that lead to record setting levels of crime and inflation.


https://unitedwithisrael.org/israeli-technology-allows-us-shoppers-to-buy-food-without-checking-out/?
Israeli Technology Allows US Shoppers to Buy Food Without Checking Out
Trigo’s touchless checkout technology is making its first foray into the U.S.
By CTech
Trigo, an Israel-based computer vision company developing frictionless checkout technology, and Wakefern Food Corp., the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the U.S., announced on Thursday an agreement to pilot an autonomous supermarket making use of Trigo’s AI-based frictionless checkout technology.

Wakefern, the logistics, distribution and merchandising arm for ShopRite stores, is comprised of nearly 50 member companies that independently own and operate close to 360 retail supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage and Fairway Market banners.

Following numerous successful launches with some of the top 10 ranking European industry partners like the UK’s Tesco and Germany’s REWE, Aldi NORD and Netto, owned by The EDEKA Group – the Wakefern announcement marks Trigo’s first foray into the U.S.


Winter Strikes Israel, Causing Unique Phenomena
 https://unitedwithisrael.org/winter-strikes-israel-causing-unique-phenomena/?
Israel is a country that is used to the warm summer weather. So, when winter strikes, it catches many Israelis off-guard.
By Zevi Pilzer, United with Israel
Located in the southwest of the Middle East and with about 60% of its land being desert, Israel is a warm country. Some might even claim that winter in Israel lasts during the months of December and January alone.

However, one thing cannot be taken away from the Israeli winter: When it strikes, it strikes hard.
Since last Thursday, heavy rainfall has been felt across the country, accompanied by strong winds, thunderstorms, low temperatures and snowfall at Mount Hermon. And while this may sound like a normal winter day in most countries around the world, in Israel this causes several interesting and unusual phenomena.
First, Israel is home to the lowest point on Earth – the Dead Sea – measuring at 401 meters (1315 feet) below sea level. When the Judean mountains – which sit above it to the west – experience heavy rainfall, it is common to see some truly unique: flash floods rushing through the Judean Desert on their way down towards the Dead Sea.

Secondly, being a country that is not used to large amounts of rain, the sewer infrastructure in certain areas in Israel is not always up for the challenge. This often results in serious floods across several cities in central Israel, which lead to roads becoming rivers and underground parking lots becoming indoor lakes.
While many Israelis love the winter, which is rather scarce in comparison to the summer, others suffer from its occasional results. When parking lots are flooded, drivers cannot reach their cars, and when roads are blocked, pedestrians have a hard time even crossing the street.

However, despite causing seasonal discomfort, Israel cannot afford to complain that winter has arrived. The Jewish state has indeed been a global pioneer when it comes to maximizing water usage, whether through desalination plants or inventing the drip irrigation system. But while that is all good and well, one historic truth remains unchanged: Israel, like any other dry country around the world, needs the rain.




https://www.israelunwired.com/thousands-celebrate-in-samaria-yeshiva-that-left-wing-politicians-are-trying-to-destroy/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_conten
written by Leah Rosenberg January 17, 2022 215 views
The Samaria Yeshiva in Homesh has been a hot topic recently. Former late Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had the Jewish community of Chomesh destroyed as part of the 2005 disengagement plan to try to appease our enemies to achieve peace. Since that time, a group of Jewish men have maintained a constant presence at the place of that destroyed community with the Homesh educational Yeshiva. Unfortunately, over the past few weeks, the left-wing politicians in Israel under the leadership of Defense Minister Benny Gantz, have now been trying to have this Yeshiva destroyed as well.

The thousands of people in the video celebrating the Jewish holiday of Tu B’shvat in Homesh, overcame the government and army obstacles to reach the Yeshiva and celebrate.

Thousands of Jews Come to Celebrate in Homesh Yeshiva in Samaria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Dlp5PA91KI

One month ago, an innocent Jew named Yehuda Dimentman was murdered at just 25 years old. He was a loving husband and father of one. And he was one of the proud Jews who learned in the yeshiva in Homesh to maintain a Jewish presence there. Arab terrorists shot at the car he was in and murdered him for no reason other than the fact that he was a Jew, and in response, Defense Minister Benny Gantz has been giving the terrorists an additional prize by destroying the Yeshiva as well.

Homesh was evacuated and destroyed in 2005 along with Gaza. The communities of Gaza and Homesh were legal and flourishing – despite what the world might want you to believe. Since the 2005 disengagement plan was a total failure, only bringing more terror and bloodshed with no peace, many Jews have been trying to get the government to rebuild Homesh. However, the government has yet to approve it. Instaed, today the government is trying to get rid of the remaining Yeshiva presence as well.

https://www.israelunwired.com/has-the-bedouin-intifada-begun/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Has+The+Bedouin+Intifada+Begun%3F&utm_campaign=Has+The+Bedouin+Intifada+Begun%3F
HAS THE BEDOUIN INTIFADA BEGUN?
written by Micha Gefen January 16, 2022 1782 views

Violent demonstrations have begun sweeping the bedouin communities in the Negev, supposedly over the planting of a new forest in the desert.
GET THIS VIDEO SEEN BY THOUSANDS
In the past, the intifada has been associated with arabs occupying Judea and Samaria, the bedouins have been involved with land theft in the Negev for almost as much time as the arabs. The latest violence is especially alarming, because it has been instigated by members of the coalition who belong to the Muslim Brotherhood associated Raam party.

Mansour Abbas has threatened to leave the coalition unless Bennett orders a halt to the planting. So far that has not happened. Abbas has answered by stirring up violent protests over the new forest.
For Abbas he does not need the coalition anymore. He got he budget he wanted and now he can break Bennett’s coalition, becoming the hero once again for the arab street.

https://www.israelunwired.com/pakistani-muslim-gunman-holds-hostages-in-reform-synagogue-for-10-hours/?
PAKISTANI MUSLIM GUNMAN HOLDS HOSTAGES IN REFORM SYNAGOGUE FOR 10 HOURS
written by Leah Rosenberg January 16, 2022 2317 views
Four hostages were held by a Pakistani Muslim gunman in a Reform Synagogue for hours and hours. Thank G-d this didn’t end in a tragedy.
Friend of rabbi believed among Colleyville synagogue hostages says he promoted interfaith peace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlQRV3U591E

Reform Synagogue Held Hostage by Pakistani Muslim Gunman
This was an extremely long stand-off, but thank G-d, the hostages were all saved. The only one dead was the gunman himself, a Pakistani Muslim. The gunman walked into the Beth Israel Reform synagogue in Colleyville, Texas on the Sabbath morning. Included in the four hostages was the Rabbi of the synagogue, Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker.

There was a Bar-Mitzvah taking place when the hostage crisis began. The gunman claimed he wanted his terrorist “sister” to be released from an 86 year prison sentence. It was later discovered she was not his blood sister, and she was in prison for multiple things including trying to kill US service members.

The sad irony is that the Rabbi of this synagogue was one of the leaders of the US Reform movement both downplaying the danger of Islamism in America and active against Israel applying sovereignty in our ancestral lands in Judea and Samaria. And now, his place of worship was attacked by the thing that he so strongly claimed is not an issue.


Once again, this proves how trying to appease our enemies not only does not help but makes matters worse.

Hopefully, this will never happen again.

THE VIDEO THAT PALESTINIAN ARAB LEADERS WANT DELETED FROM THE INTERNET
written by Phil Schneider January 16, 2022 2859 views
Nitsana Darhsan Leitner is at the forefront of the legal battle for the safety and security of the State of Israel. She has steadfastly made it clear via legal battles that she has led that Israel is constantly in the right, and that the pro-terrorist Palestinian Authority not only supports but abets terrorism in the State of Israel.
WATCH VIDEO
https://www.israelunwired.com/the-video-that-palestinian-arab-leaders-want-deleted-from-the-internet/

One of the most important aspects of what she does is that she makes sure that even if the United Nations won’t stand on the side of innocent victims of Ara Terror in the Land of Israel, she wiull. Via her organization, Shurat Hadin, The Israel Law Center, terrorists find themselves being hit hard with lawsuits in courts around the world. They don’t play defense as much as they go on the offense.

They use Western intelligence agencies, and other means to gather information and take the fight to the terrorists via network of volunteer lawyers all around the globe. One of their main accomplishments has been the halting, or at least hindering of money getting into the hands of terrorists through civil suits. The lifeblood of so many terrorists is the money that flows into their bank accounts. This is critical.

The Israel Law Center is one of many amazing organizations that is fighting back and not merely accepting Islamic terrorism as a fait accompli that we must learn to live with.

The Texas Synagogue Attack
Jan 16, 2022  |  by Dr. Yvette Alt Millerprint article
The Texas Synagogue Attack
Four lessons in the aftermath of the synagogue hostage stand-off.
Thank God, they are safe. Late Saturday night, all remaining hostages from Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, were rescued. The armed kidnapper who’d kept them hostage for over ten grueling hours was dead, apparently after a shoot-out with police.
https://www.aish.com/jw/s/The-Texas-Synagogue-Attack.html?src=ac-txt
The assault began soon after the synagogue began its Shabbat morning service at 10 AM. According to an apparent phone conversation that the attacker had during the siege – captured on the synagogue’s live-stream on its Facebook page – the armed man gained entrance to the synagogue by asking for help. “They let me in. I said ‘Is this a night shelter?’ and they let me in and they gave me a cup of tea, so I do feel bad,” the attacker can be heard saying.

At 10:41 am, the Colleyville Police Department received an emergency call reporting the attack. They dispatched a SWAT team and were soon joined by officers from other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI. A long, tense standoff ensued, lasting for 11 hours. The attacker claimed to have explosives and other weapons.

For much of the stand-off, it seemed that the attacker was determined to kill his hostages. “I’m going to die, don’t cry about me,” the attacker could be heard saying at one point on the live-stream. At about 2 PM, he was heard saying to someone on his phone: “Don’t cry on the (expletive) phone with me…I have six beautiful kids… There are hostages in the synagogue who are going to die.”

He demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a convicted terrorist who is serving an 86-year prison sentence at Carswell Air Force Base, about 15 miles from Colleyville. Dubbed “Lady al-Qaeda,” Siddiqui was convicted by a New York City federal court in 2010 of attempted murder of US military personnel. Her case has become a cause celebre among Islamist terrorists, and she has been championed by ISIS and al-Qaeda as a heroine.


Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker
After six hours of negotiations, one hostage was released. The three remaining hostages were finally freed after a SWAT team stormed the building.

As the world processes the intense terror and horror that we all experienced as we watched and waited and prayed for the hostages release, here are four crucial lessons we can learn.

1. The attack on the Texas synagogue was an attack on all of us.
The siege of Congregation Beth Israel could have been a siege on any synagogue anywhere in Texas, or indeed anywhere in the world. Nothing at all connects the Jews worshipping there with the terrorist Aafia Siddiqui, except the fact that Siddiqui and her supporters are seemingly obsessed with and harbor intense hatred of all Jews, everywhere.

Throughout her 2010 trial, Saddiqui ranted about Jews and insisted that she didn’t want any Jews to be jurors. Her supporters share her anti-Jewish obsession. This was not an attack on any specific synagogue or specific Jew – it was an attack on all Jews everywhere. Any one of us could have been targets.

2. All Jews are responsible for one another.
It’s a core Jewish tenet that all Jews are responsible for each other: Kol Yisrael arevim zeh b’zeh (Talmud, Shevuot 38a). When one of us is threatened or in harm’s way, we each have the obligation to come to help.

In the case of the siege in Texas, Jews across the world put this dictum into action. I saw this in my own personal community as soon as Shabbat ended and I learned the terrible news that the attack was still going on. Within minutes, my synagogue and others across Chicago had organized a communal event to recite Psalms together and pray for the hostages’ release.

This call to action was repeated across the Jewish world. “We call on all congregations to pray for the welfare of those inside Beth Israel and the federal and local law enforcement officers on the scene,” the Orthodox Union said in a Saturday evening statement.

“Praying for the safety of our brothers who are being held hostage in Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, TX,” was the message from Agudath Israel of America, soon after Shabbat ended.

“What affects one of us, affects us all…Our prayers are with the families of Beth Israel…” said Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, CEO of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

As the hostage situation unfolded, the prayers of countless Jews across the world were joining with those of the hostages inside the building. Throughout their terrifying ordeal, the hostages inside Congregation Beth Israel were our brothers and our sisters. We prayed for them with the same intensity we’d pray for our own family members. They were not alone.

3. Terror cannot be justified.
The Texas attack is a reminder that antisemites hate us for who we are, not for anything we’ve done. Terrorists and their apologists sometimes claim that it’s we Jews or the Jewish state who are provoking their ire with our actions. That’s nonsense: seeking to harm Jews is never justified.

In the case of the Texas siege, the attacker himself was caught on tape telling someone on the phone that he liked the rabbi he was threatening to kill. “I like the rabbi, he’s a good guy, I bonded with him, I really like him…” the terrorist can be heard saying. “I’ve only been here for a couple hours but I can see he’s a good guy.”

Yet the attacker was prepared to slaughter him. For antisemites, any Jew is fair game. Jews are hated and reviled not for anything we have done, but because of who we are.

4. We’re stronger when we’re together.
During the terrible, anguished hours of the siege in Texas, Jews all around the world stood together proudly and with a common aim: praying for the release of the hostages. Let’s not lose that solidarity. Let’s continue to stand together, continue to support each other. Let’s continue to overlook the differences and divisions within the Jewish community, and stress our commonality instead.

In the aftermath of the terrible attack in Texas, let’s remember that all Jews are responsible for one another. We’re all connected, we’re all family.

Today, as we thank God for the safe release of the hostages in Texas, it’s my hope that we continue to pray for one another, and that we continue to look out for each other and proudly proclaim our identity as Jews.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-deadly-trash-trade-is-poisoning-palestinians-in-the-west-bank/?utm_source=The+Weekend+Edition&utm_campaign=weekend-edition-2022-01-16&utm_medium=email
BEIT AWWA, West Bank — When Israa’s four-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia, she spent little time wondering why. The answer was all around her: the acrid, toxic smog created by Palestinians burning Israeli electronic waste to extract valuable raw metals.

“There isn’t a house on our street without someone who’s had cancer or passed away,” said Israa, who lives in Beit Awwa, a small town near Hebron.ADVERTISEMENT

In the rolling hills west of Hebron, Palestinians live amid clouds of billowing black smoke caused by their neighbors setting fire to discarded waste, almost all of it from Israel, in order to glean the prized copper within.

The lucrative industry supports thousands of Palestinians and their families, bringing millions of shekels into the local economy. But Palestinians also pay a high price for the burners’ pollution.

Cancer rates in nearby towns are sky-high, with children falling ill with the destructive disease at four times the rate of the rest of the West Bank, according to research by Israeli environmentalist Yaakov Garb.

Beit Awwa, with a population of 8,000, buried four cancer victims in just one week in mid-November, most of them young, a local health official said.

“We’re living on poisoned ground,” said Shadi Sweity, a resident of the small town. His brother, Mohammad, died from liver cancer in late November, at the age of 48.


Shadi Sweity, whose brother Mohammad died of cancer in late November, in front of his house in Beit Awwa on December 22, 2021 (Aaron Boxerman/The Times of Israel)
Israa, who asked not to be publicly identified, tries to protect the rest of her children by shutting the windows when the air outside fills with acrid smoke. She places green, leafy plants throughout her house in an attempt to counteract the pollution.

If I could, I would take my children and flee this place

“If I could, I would take my children and flee this place. I’m scared that they will someday get sick too, God forbid,” she said.

The poisonous black smoke drifts across the West Bank security barrier into Israel’s southern Lachish region, leaving Israelis fearing for their children’s future as well.

“We haven’t seen any effects yet, but we know it’s only a matter of time. We keep breathing in this smoke, and it’s terrifying,” said Timna Idan, a resident of Eliav, a quiet Israeli town two kilometers from Beit Awwa.

Israel and the Palestinian Authority have both vowed to crack down on the toxic burning. But Palestinians live under a series of overlapping regimes, making enforcement seem like a nearly impossible challenge.

Attempts to end the burning have fallen apart, mired in disputes between Ramallah and Jerusalem. So, for now, the toxic practice continues.

‘For a few shekels’
Most of the world’s waste is not recycled. Wealthy nations around the world instead ship their trash to poor countries. The same dynamic plays out between Israel and the Palestinians — a rich state alongside impoverished communities.

Israel generates about 130,000 tons of electronic scrap per year, according to official estimates. Much of it is smuggled into the West Bank, where it is resold or stripped by Palestinians seeking the valuable raw metals within.

“We see this phenomenon all over the world, but Israel’s ‘Third World’ is just 10 to 15 minutes’ drive away from central Israel,” said Garb, a professor at Ben-Gurion University who has spent years studying the industry and its impact.


Tamer Abu Jhaisheh, co-owner of Safa Recycling, holds ground plastic peeled away from electronic cables by his factory’s machines. Cables are often burned for their valuable raw materials in the West Bank, and the toxic waste fires lead to high rates of cancer (Aaron Boxerman/The Times of Israel)
Both Israeli and Palestinian law bars the transfer of Israeli waste to the West Bank, but the shipments continue apace. Some Israeli companies and individuals save thousands of shekels, or even turn a profit, by sending their waste to smugglers, who sell it to Palestinian scrapyards.

“Disposing of a ton of electronic waste or other trash can be hundreds of shekels cheaper in the Palestinian Authority than in Israel. There’s a very powerful economic incentive here,” said former Environmental Protection Ministry director-general Yisrael Dancziger, who held the post from 2015 to 2018.


A burn disposing of e-waste scraps and garbage in Deir Samet on Jan. 11, 2019 (Tamir Kalifa)
The towns of Beit Awwa, Idhna and Deir Samet have emerged as the center of the West Bank’s waste trade. The three villages are bound together by a winding, half-paved road lined by work yards filled with towering heaps of scrap metal.

On the outskirts of Idhna, verdant olive groves melt away, replaced by pockets of charred earth. Local farmers say the ground used to be fertile and cultivated; now, riven with lead, it yields only sour, wizened crops. Once-prized olives now provide bitter and useless oil.

The West Bank barrier looms over the landscape. The concrete slabs are black with ash and charcoal from late-night burning sessions conducted near the wall. The husks of refrigerators, stripped of steel and emptied of Freon, are strewn in the soot.


Palestinians burn trash near the security barrier in towns west of Hebron (Tamir Khalifa)
The rampant pollution has left few families unscathed. Researchers have found dangerously high levels of lead in local children, which can cause long-term neurological damage. Other Palestinian residents have suffered sudden, debilitating respiratory diseases after being exposed to burning waste.

Idhna Mayor Muammar Tmeize blames the toxic smog for the cancer deaths of his two brothers, both of whom were in their mid-40s.

“Soon, every house in Idhna will be touched by this,” said Tmeize. “All for a few shekels.”

Tmeize said he sympathizes with his Israeli neighbors across the barrier, who also suffer the effects of the pollution. “Poor people. They got screwed,” he said.

Every day, Jewish and Arab Israeli smugglers purchase discarded electronics from Israeli companies and scrapyards. Driving vans bearing old cables and appliances, the traders pass through Israeli checkpoints into the West Bank, where they unload their cargo

Before the Second Intifada, Palestinians from the towns mostly trekked down the dirt road that led into Israel and worked as day laborers for cash. But after dozens of Palestinian suicide bombings in the early 2000s, Israel built the security barrier and cracked down on Palestinians seeking to cross the border without permits.

At the same time, spurred by the global revolution in communications, the price of copper soared from $2,200 to $8,800 per ton. Thousands of Palestinians, lacking prized Israeli work permits, turned to sifting through scrap for the precious metal. The trade now supports a majority of the area’s households, according to Garb.

Every day, Jewish and Arab Israeli smugglers purchase discarded electronics from Israeli companies and scrapyards. Driving vans bearing old cables and appliances, the traders pass through Israeli checkpoints into the West Bank, where they unload their cargo.

In Beit Awwa, hundreds of shopkeepers attend a nightly scrap auction. Dozens of trucks stand by, piled high with old appliances. Some are sold to shopkeepers, who hope to refurbish the goods and turn a profit. The rest are sent to junkyards, where Palestinians tear away plastic with hammers, seeking to squeeze out every gram of precious metal.

The average day laborer in Hebron brings home around NIS 110 per day, according to PA figures. But working in waste is far more lucrative: a worker who dismantles and resells old Israeli goods can make between NIS 200 and NIS 250 — salaries comparable to working in Israel.

The big money, however, lies in burning. Old electronic cables are dirt cheap, but searing away their plastic coating for the copper within can earn an ordinary laborer around NIS 500 for a day’s work, those familiar with the trade say.

Some Palestinians purchase cables themselves and burn them. Others work as well-oiled teams — one Palestinian security official called them “organized gangs” — who split the proceeds. Still others work for a single boss, burning his cables for a small share of the loot.

“Our problem is that the laws are simply not enforced. The names of those who burn are well-known, but we live in a state of lawlessness,” said Tamer Abu Jhaisheh, the co-owner of Safa Recycling, a factory in Idhna that aims to cleanly recycle cables into copper.


Idhna mayor Muammar Tmeize during an interview in his municipal office on November 27, 2021 (Aaron Boxerman/The Times of Israel)
Safa’s warehouse is full of impressive, expensive machinery — but the facility struggles to compete with the burners. Israeli scrapyards prefer working with smugglers, who pay no taxes and leave no paper trail at Israeli checkpoints, Abu Jhaisheh said.

‘No stable system’
The burns lead to raging fires and towering pillars of smoke visible for miles around. But the polluters are rarely caught, as their activities fall between the cracks of different regimes in the West Bank.

Since the Oslo Accords in the 1990s, the West Bank has been divided into three administrative regions. Israel withdrew from major Palestinian cities and towns in Areas A and B, allowing the Palestinian Authority to assume some responsibility.

In Area C, which comprises 60 percent of the West Bank, Israel maintained direct control. But Israeli law enforcement mainly focuses on settlements and Palestinian police cannot freely enter, meaning neither holds sway in Palestinian communities.

Palestinian burners often live in PA-administered areas, but when they want to sear the plastic off a haul of freshly smuggled cables, they head to Area C to carry out the burn. Palestinian police cannot pursue them without Israeli approval.

“These gangs have learned to exploit the fact that our security forces and police cannot go there without coordination with Israel. Moreover, there’s no knowing how long that will take, there’s no stable system — it could be quick or slow or even a refusal,” said Hebron deputy governor Khaled Dodin.

Under the Oslo system, local Palestinian officials must first call the PA regional coordination unit, which then calls Israeli authorities, who examine the request and grant permission. By the time PA police or the Israeli army arrive — hours or even days later — the polluters are long gone, leaving behind nothing but ash and dying embers.

In both Jerusalem and Ramallah, officials say that Israel must prevent the truckloads of electronic scrap from entering the West Bank in the first place. The waste mostly enters the territory through Israeli checkpoints, under the watchful gaze of Israeli soldiers.

“It’s against international law. It’s against Israel’s responsibility as an occupying power. We will not become a dumping ground for hazardous Israeli waste,” said a Palestinian Authority environmental regulator, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity.


Idhna, a town in the hills west of Hebron that specializes in dealing with Israeli scrap (Aaron Boxerman/The Times of Israel)
Israeli regulators have pledged for years to crack down on trucks carrying waste and slap sanctions against junkyards that do business with the smugglers. But Dancziger, the former ministry official, warned that tighter enforcement alone was unlikely to end the smuggling.

“As long as the economic motivation isn’t removed, you’ll be left chasing your own tail,” Dancziger said.

Palestinians living in the towns say ending the waste shipments entirely would mean the destruction of their livelihoods. Many of the scrapyards do not engage in burning and make good money by dismantling or refurbishing Israeli electronic waste.

‘We have little land left for agriculture, and what land and water we have is contaminated. The scrap industry creates some prosperity and self-reliance.’

“This sector needs to be properly regulated, not eliminated. We’re speaking about an industry that employs tens of thousands of people across the West Bank,” said Abu Jheisha, the owner of the Safa recycling facility.

The Palestinian Authority regulator dismissed concerns that multitudes of Palestinians would be out of work if the trade suddenly screeched to a halt.

“The people of these villages once made a living in agriculture. It’s not a big deal — once this dangerous waste is gone, people will return to cultivating their land. No one will die of starvation,” the official said.

But Palestinians in the poor, rural towns criticized that attitude as detached. When the security barrier swept past the villages, they say, it also cut off land once cultivated by Palestinian farmers, making scrap the only game in town.

“We have little land left for agriculture, and what land and water we have is contaminated. The scrap industry creates some prosperity and self-reliance. Do they want us to return to the Stone Age?” asked Abu Jheisha.

A thwarted success story
In 2017, Palestinians, Israelis and international donors devised an ambitious project that stilled the burning for a few months, while allowing locals to still prosper from dismantling electronic waste.

The idea was simple: instead of seeking to eliminate the waste trade, authorities would transition the community to recycling. Garb, the environmentalist, designed the effort alongside Palestinian local leaders; Israeli authorities acquiesced.

With Swedish funding, mayors drafted dozens of local first responders to enforce a ban on burning. They established a direct line of communication with the Israeli army — bypassing the PA’s coordination bureaucracy — allowing them to apprehend burners in minutes. Subsidies were provided to allow burners to recycle their cables instead, while teams cleaned up toxic burn sites.


A boy stands near a rubbish burn on a hillside facing a school in Beit Awwa on Nov. 26, 2017. (Tamir Kalifa)
The project paid off: for one memorable spring, the skies cleared of smoke even as people kept their jobs in the scrapyards. Both Idhna Mayor Tmeize and Abdullah Sweity, the mayor of Beit Awwa at the time, began to hope that the future would be a little brighter.

“We were catching the burners, seizing their cables. We turned them over to the police, with evidence proving their crimes, and saw some prosecuted,” Sweity said.

This is a war against every living thing. Jews and Palestinians have to cooperate, and if we let the political issue get in the way, we’ll just keep dying

Sweity is an unlikely figure to push for direct contact with Israel’s military government. He served several years in Israeli prison during the First Intifada for participating in violent clashes with soldiers and says there can never be true peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

But on the burnings, Sweity said: “This is a war against every living thing. Jews and Palestinians have to cooperate, and if we let the political issue get in the way, we’ll just keep dying.”

All sides agree that the initiative successfully stopped the pollution. The Swedish development agency pledged another $3 million to expand the program and give the local Palestinian rapid-response teams additional resources. With the burning brought to halt, thousands of tons of toxic-ridden soil would be sent to an Israeli facility in Ramat Hovav to be treated.

But the plan collapsed following political squabbles between the PA, Israel and the local mayors, according to former officials and observers familiar with the project.

The PA’s Environmental Quality Authority insisted that the millions in aid be funneled through its coffers. Sweity and Tmeize fired back that if the cash went to Ramallah rather than to the towns, rampant corruption would ensure they never saw a shekel.

During talks with the Israelis, the PA demanded that Israel sign an international convention stating the waste was crossing the borders of a neighboring state. Israel, which does not recognize a Palestinian state, refused.

“If Israel had gone along with this, it would have been a recognition of Palestine in a way we haven’t seen. And the PA, in their dealings with this, were not willing to make informal or tacit agreements that could allow this to go ahead without it,” said Johan Schaar, a former Swedish development official who managed the project.


Israeli environmentalist Yaakov Garb, left, and then-Beit Awwa mayor Abdullah Sweity spot a nearby e-waste burn from town hall on Nov. 26, 2017 (Tamir Kalifa)
According to Sweity, this stance extended even to tiny details, such as whether the receipts for the soil would say “the State of Palestine” or “the Palestinian Authority” after it was sent to Israel.

Others familiar with the project say that Ramallah’s true concerns lay elsewhere. Under the Oslo Accords, only the Palestinian Authority can deal with Israel. But the project opened a direct channel between Palestinian mayors and the Israelis, completely circumventing the PA, they said.

Garb conducted intensive shuttle diplomacy and managed to reach tentative agreements between mid-level officials. But when the deals reached higher Palestinian echelons for approval, there was deadlock.

With talks at a dead end, the Swedish government suspended their involvement. The burning soon resumed, darkening the skies over the towns.

The PA’s environmental watchdog declined to comment.

Every joint Israeli-Palestinian environmental project in the West Bank is “extraordinarily sensitive,” with “political struggles over independence, and over the appearance of independence,” said Dancziger.

In the absence of a peace process, Israel and the Palestinians are caught in a tug-of-war in which players on both sides seek to push toward their preferred solution to the conflict. Fighting shared threats inevitably falls into the maelstrom of politics, Dancziger said.

“There are countless examples of initiatives that got stuck by the Palestinians’ desire to prove their independence from Israel and by Israel’s desire to say that there’s no border, that it’s not two separate states,” Dancziger said.

‘There’s no border’
The toxic waste impacts both Palestinians and Israelis, on both sides of the West Bank barrier. Eliav resident Timna Idan hopes they can come together to fight it.

“The wall doesn’t keep anything out. There’s no border, we live right next to each other: there’s a town here with children and over there, on the other side, the same thing,” Idan said.

Ordinary Israelis and Palestinians have held meetings in Eliav to discuss their shared problem; the Palestinians had to receive special military permits to cross over.


Timna Idan, a resident of the Israeli town of Eliav, at her home on November 27, 2021 (Aaron Boxerman/The Times of Israel)
“We really felt that we were all in this together, that we had a common fate. We finished with an embrace,” said Idan.

In a phone call with The Times of Israel, Blue and White parliamentarian Alon Tal said his party chief — Defense Minister Benny Gantz — was following the matter.

“If they figure out where the waste is coming from, hammer them hard with administrative enforcement, or criminal proceedings if necessary — the problem could go away in six months,” said Tal. “This is not an issue that will last forever.”

Abdullah Sweity, the former Beit Awwa mayor, is less optimistic. After the Swedish-funded project collapsed, he publicly railed against the Palestinian Authority at town meetings and on social media.

The PA responded by freezing the municipality’s funds and arresting his brother Mohammad. An armed convoy of PA forces sought to storm the town and clashed with Beit Awwa residents. Facing mounting pressure, Sweity tendered his resignation in late 2017, just eight months after he took office.

Ramallah appointed its own mayor, a PA intelligence officer from outside Beit Awwa, to run the town. Sweity returned to his previous job as a construction worker in Israel.

“Everything here gets wrapped up in everything else. You try to do something good for your hometown. But you find yourself talking politics and borders and statehood and everything else,” reflected Sweity.

“And on those issues — there can never be an agreement. There’s no solution.”

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Israel & the Region Hebron PA Palestinian Authority West Bank pollution cancer Environmental Protection Minister toxic waste


https://www.timesofisrael.com/why-tree-planting-in-the-negev-sparked-protests-riots-and-a-coalition-crisis/?utm_source=The+Weekend+Edition&utm_campaign=weekend-edition-2022-01-16&utm_medium=email
Why tree planting in the Negev sparked protests, riots and a coalition crisis
In JNF forests, Bedouin see ‘soft expulsion,’ environmentalists see a key ecological interest, and right-wing politicians see a weapon against ‘illegal squatters’
Aaron Boxerman
By AARON BOXERMAN
12 January 2022, 6:04 pm  
Israeli police detain a man as Bedouins protest in the southern Negev Desert against a forestation project by the Jewish National Fund (JNF), on January 12, 2022. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
Israeli police detain a man as Bedouins protest in the southern Negev Desert against a forestation project by the Jewish National Fund (JNF), on January 12, 2022. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
The slender saplings, placed into soil churned up by tractors, seem far too innocuous to spark a coalition crisis. But where and how they’re planted turns out to matter on a national scale.

The Jewish National Fund, a quasi-governmental body that oversees 13 percent of Israel’s land, began several days of planting trees on disputed land in the Negev on Sunday. The response was immediate: protests by Bedouin residents that escalated into clashes.
Many Negev Bedouin live in unrecognized townships scattered across Israel’s southern desert. The government has sought to relocate them into planned, recognized cities, but most Bedouin have refused, insisting on the right to stay where they are.

State of Jerusalem: The Maqdasyin
Keep Watching
Bedouin leaders have called the forestation work the beginning of an attempt to expel some of those living in the unrecognized villages and take over disputed land. Although this week’s planting has been limited to a small area of farmland, they see it as part of a larger plan to depopulate the area of Bedouins.

“Planting trees in this manner has a twofold effect: it prevents our towns from expanding and it means those living on the land are expelled,” said Yaqoub Dreijat, a Bedouin official in the Al Kasom Regional Council.

The JNF, also known as the Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael, says it is simply planting trees on state land.Some environmental experts see afforestation of Israel’s national lands as a key ecological goal — although planting trees in the desert is a highly delicate process.
“There’s no expulsion. These are national lands; we have a right to protect them for all citizens, and one way to do that is by planting trees,” said Blue and White parliamentarian Alon Tal, a long-time environmentalist who formerly oversaw forestry for more than a decade at the JNF.
Demolished homes in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran in the Negev desert, in the in southern Israel, January 18, 2017. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
By Tuesday night, the situation had spun out of control. At least 18 Bedouins, including seven minors, had been arrested. Young Bedouin teenagers set a journalist’s car ablaze near Segev Shalom and hurled stones at a passing train.

LIVE UPDATES
LIVE: ‘I am grateful to be alive,’ says Texas synagogue rabbi after hostage crisis
BY MICHAEL BACHNER
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker thanks law enforcement, Jewish community and others; unnamed captor dies during rescue operation; all hostages freed unharmed

 
All hostages released from Texas synagogue after 10-hour standoff
BY JACOB MAGID AND AGENCIES
Attacker dies during rescue op after gunshots heard; hostages seen running from building: FBI: He ‘focused on one issue’ – apparently seeking release of ‘Lady Al-Qaeda’ convict

Top articles on The Times of Israel
UK government confirms Texas synagogue attacker was a British citizen

INSIDE STORY
JACOB MAGID
‘Calm, collected’ synagogue rabbi wowed FBI through 10-hour Texas hostage crisis
Dallas police chaplain says law enforcement impressed by Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker’s composure during Colleyville attack, notes how faith leaders immediately sprang into action
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, the ‘mensch’ liked even by the man who took him hostage

https://www.timesofisrael.com/rabbi-charlie-cytron-walker-the-mensch-liked-even-by-the-man-who-took-him-hostage/?
BY ANDREW LAPIN
 Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, the ‘mensch’ liked even by the man who took him hostage
Friends and acquaintances describe a Jewish leader in Texas whose wholehearted dedication to community life and interfaith work has earned him friends everywhere
By ANDREW LAPIN
Today, 2:43 pm  

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who was held hostage inside Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, January 15, 2022. (JTA)
JTA — Over the course of a harrowing 12 hours on Saturday, the entire world found out just what the Jews of Colleyville, Texas, think of their hometown rabbi.

“Our rabbi is a wonderful human being,” Ellen Smith, who grew up at Congregation Beth Israel, said about Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker during an online vigil while he was being held hostage inside the synagogue building.

Cytron-Walker was leading services on Saturday morning when a man took him and three others hostage, reportedly in an effort to free a woman who was convicted of attempting to kill American military personnel. The crisis, which streamed online for some time before being taken down, drew the world’s attention to a rabbi who is in many ways synonymous with the synagogue he leads.
He has made friends everywhere he has gone, locally and across the extended network of Reform and Conservative rabbis who poured out their recollections of studying and working with him over the years. Colleyville’s police chief called Cytron-Walker a close personal friend. Even the man who attacked the synagogue praised him, saying on the live-streamed audio that the rabbi had welcomed him into the building when he knocked on the door asking whether the synagogue was a shelter. “I bonded with him,” the man said. “I really like him.”

Cytron-Walker is married to Adena Cytron-Walker, a vice president of a Fort Worth organization focused on diversity; the couple has two daughters.

Cytron-Walker grew up in East Lansing, Michigan, where he leaned into Jewish life at an early age. His family belonged to Congregation Shaarey Zedek in East Lansing, and he attended Camp Tamarack, a popular summer destination for young Michigan Jews. While in high school, he was president of both Lansing’s temple youth group and the National Federation of Temple Youth’s Michigan region. At the end of every regional NFTY convention, he would show up wearing the same outfit: a T-shirt riddled with holes, adorned with the words, “Oh No… Acid Rain!”


Congregation Beth Israel was founded in 1998 as an informal community in a rapidly growing suburb of Fort Worth, located just miles from the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. Cytron-Walker, who joined the Reform congregation in 2006 after graduating from rabbinical school, has been its only full-time rabbi.

In that role, he has tackled the everyday challenges of synagogue leadership — seeking out a virtual program when COVID-19 forced Beth Israel’s Hebrew school to go online, for example — while also becoming well known in the area for his interfaith and social justice work.



As Texas synagogue hostage crisis unfolded, many Jews prayed for captives’ release
BY PHILISSA CRAMER
 https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-texas-synagogue-hostage-crisis-unfolded-many-jews-prayed-for-captives-release/?utm_source=The+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=daily-edition-2022-01-16&utm_medium=email
Individuals and Jewish communities recited prayers designed for times of danger as worshipers at Congregation Beth Israel of Colleyville were held hostage
By PHILISSA CRAMER
Today, 4:49 pm  
Texas Christian University professor Adam McKinney, upper left, organized an online vigil in support of Congregation Beth Israel of Colleyville, Texas, where an attacker took several congregants hostage, January 15, 2022. (Screenshot via JTA)
Texas Christian University professor Adam McKinney, upper left, organized an online vigil in support of Congregation Beth Israel of Colleyville, Texas, where an attacker took several congregants hostage, January 15, 2022. (Screenshot via JTA)
JTA — Jews who pray according to traditional liturgy each morning recite a line that is usually symbolic: “Blessed are you, God, who frees the captives.”

On Saturday that line became painfully meaningful as a number of Jewish worshipers were taken hostage during Shabbat services at their Texas synagogue. And as the afternoon stretched into evening, Jews and Jewish communities across the country came together online to pray for the release of the captives, including the rabbi, of Congregation Beth Israel of Colleyville.

A dance professor at Texas Christian University, located in Fort Worth, organized an online vigil attended by hundreds of people from across the country. More than 900 people joined an online vigil organized by a Jewish federation in New Jersey. And a synagogue in Toronto brought its community together to recite psalms, a traditional practice for Jews facing crises.

Thousands of Bedouin Arabs Riot, 12 Injured During Tree-planting in Negev Desert
Israel Police: “We will allow the freedom of protest as long as it is conducted in a legal manner; we will act with zero-tolerance against disturbances.” 
MORE THOUSANDS OF BEDOUIN ARABS RIOT, 12 INJURED DURING TREE-PLANTING IN NEGEV DESERT
BY JNS | JAN 14, 2022 | JERUSALEM
Israeli Police clash with Bedouin during a protest against tree-planting by the Jewish National Fund-Keren Kayemet LeIsrael outside the Bedouin village of al-Atrash in the Negev Desert on Jan. 13, 2022. Photo by Jamal Awad/Flash90.
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More than 2,000 people took part in violent protests in the Negev Desert on Thursday against the planting of trees by the Jewish National Fund-Keren Kayemet LeIisrael (JNF-KKL).
Bedouin rioters threw stones at police and blocked a road, reported Arutz 7. The police had to push the crowd back from the road.
Twelve protesters were injured in the melee.
MORE https://www.israel365news.com/265253/thousands-of-bedouin-arabs-riot-12-injured-during-tree-planting-in-negev-desert/?


“The officers were misidentified and mistakenly killed by IDF fire,” the IDF said in a statement on Thursday.
The two officers, Maj. Ofek Aharon and Maj. Itamar Elharar, served in the elite Egoz unit that specializes in guerrilla warfare and special reconnaissance.Commander of the Central Command, Major General Yehuda Fuchs said Wednesday that the two officers apparently shot each other when they attempted to catch infiltrators smuggling weapons from the Nabi Musa training base in the Jordan Valley in which the incident took place. Night vision equipment was stolen from the troops inside the base while they were on a training exercise. The officers led a patrol around the base in an attempt top recover the stolen equipment. The two groups were uncoordinated and without helmets, vests or radios which may have contributed to the deadly confusion. One patrol consisted of three company commanders and a soldier, while the second was an officer acting alone.
As they were walking, the team with the two officers spotted a suspicious figure walking about 200 meters away on a mound, flanked him until they were just several meters away, and yelled at him in Arabic to halt.The suspewct was, in fact, another IDF officer. The lone officer  the two officers, misidentifying them as possible terrorists and fatally wounded them. Despite being only 10 to 15 meters away from each other and all being equipped with noight vision, they did not recognize that they were all from the same unit.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/265244/two-idf-officers-killed-in-friendly-fire-incident/?





Court Issues Demolition Order on Jerusalem's "Other Gold-Domed Mosque"
The mosque, built in 1948, was drastically enlarged during renovations and the dome was painted gold.
Y ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ | JAN 14, 2022 | JERUSALEM
You shall not move your countryman's landmarks, set up by previous generations, in the property that will be allotted to you in the land that Hashem your God is giving you to possess. Deuteronomy 19:14 (The Israel BibleTM)
The Jerusalem Municipality has issued a demolition order for the “Golden Dome” building in the Beit Safafa neighborhood of Jerusalem. “This is a huge construction, on a very large scale, built without a permit, without planning, while placing a finished fact on the ground, while violently and blatantly disregarding the rule of law,” the demolition order said. Construction of the building was completed several months ago. The demolition order reads: “There is public in issuing the demolition order against the prohibited works due to the fact that the designation of the land is an area designated for a public building. This is a prohibited construction in an area of ​​about 760 meters.”
“This is a huge construction, on a very large scale, built without a permit, without planning, while establishing facts on the ground, with violent and blatant disregard for the rule of law,” read the order that was published in the “Mynet Jerusalem”.

The Al-Rahman Mosque in Beit Safafa, noe of four mosques in the neighborhood, was built in 1948 but was recently refurbished and dramatically enlarged. Unlike the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, the dome of the Al Rahman Mosque is painted with a reflective gold colered paint.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/265269/court-issues-demolition-order-on-jerusalems-other-gold-domed-mosque/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Two+IDF+Officers+Killed+in+Friendly-Fire+Incident+and+Today+s+Top+Stories&utm_campaign=I3N+-+AM+-+January+14%2C+2022



https://www.israel365news.com/265266/the-war-for-the-desert-of-israel/?
[WATCH] The War for the Desert of Israel
The Israel Guys explain the growing violence in the south of Israel that is focused on planting trees.Israel’s government passed a law to legalize more than a hundred thousand illegal Arab Bedouin structures in the Negev Desert and hook them up to electricity. At the same time, Israel is cracking down on Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria. Homesh, where Yehuda Dimentman was murdered several weeks ago, is currently in process of being destroyed. JNF, who has been planting trees in Israel for more than a hundred years, tried to plant trees in the Negev recently and the Arabs rioted. Mansour Abbas, leader of the Arab party in the government, pushed for the tree planting to stop, and Israel caved to the pressure. Israel’s un-unified government is facing pressures from within themselves, and from the international community. How long will they hold up?
WATCH https://www.israel365news.com/265266/the-war-for-the-desert-of-israel/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Two+IDF+Officers+Killed+in+Friendly-Fire+Incident+and+Today+s+Top+Stories&utm_campaign=I3N+-+AM+-+January+14%2C+2022

A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND EXPLODING STAR WAS RECENTLY DISCOVERED BY ISRAELI ASTROPHYSICISTS
BY JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH | JAN 12, 2022 | MEDICAL/SCIENCE

A star rises from Yaakov, A scepter comes forth from Yisrael; It smashes the brow of Moab, The foundation of all children of Shet. Numbers 24:17 (The Israel BibleTM)
A Wolf-Rayet star and the nebula surrounding it captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Gal-Yam and colleagues are the first to discover a rare-type supernova originating from this star Photo credit NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
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Have you ever wished upon a star? In the not-so-distant past, the discovery of a supernova – an exploding star – was considered a rare occasion. When Prof. Avishay Gal-Yam of the particle physics and astrophysics department at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot was a doctoral student, he located seven of them over the course of four years. Today, advanced measuring instruments and analysis methods make it possible to detect 50 such explosions on a daily basis. 
MORE https://www.israel365news.com/265159/a-first-of-its-kind-exploding-star-was-recently-discovered-by-israeli-astrophysicists/?




https://www.israel365news.com/265205/hamas-meets-with-iran-calls-for-all-islamic-arab-countries-to-unite-in-war-against-israel/?
HAMAS MEETS WITH IRAN; CALLS ON ALL MUSLIM, ARAB COUNTRIES TO UNITE IN WAR AGAINST ISRAEL
BY DAVID SIDMAN | JAN 13, 2022 | IDF

O mortal, turn your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him Ezekiel 38:2 (The Israel BibleTM)

Islamic Republic of Iran Army soldiers and pilots marching on Iran's Army Day. (Wikimedia Commons/Hosein Velayati)

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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Doha on Tuesday.

According to a report published in Iran’s Mehr News Agency, the foreign minister said Tehran condemns “the child-killing Israeli regime” that the West supports.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh met to speak about Israel and the Palestinians, among other Mideast issues, in Doha, Qatar, on Jan. 11, 2022. Credit: Mehr News Agency.

Amir-Abdollahian also slammed Israel for what he said were “brutal crimes of the Zionist occupiers in Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.”

He also stressed Tehran’s complete support for the legitimate defense of the Palestinian people and resistance groups against “the occupation of the Zionist regime.”

Haniyeh thanked Iran for its support for the Palestinians and called for a united front of Islamic, Arab and other countries against Israel.

This type of call is eerily similar to that of Israel’s War of Independence when all Arab armies united to destroy the newly reborn nation of Israel. It also mirrors Ezekiel’s prophesy whereby the 70 nations will unite in a final war against Israel.

O mortal, turn your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him (Ezekiel 38:2)


FIVE ISRAELIS CAUGHT SPYING FOR IRAN
BY JNS | JAN 13, 2022 | MIDDLE EAST
When you take the field against your enemies, and see horses and chariots—forces larger than yours—have no fear of them, for Hashem your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt, is with you. Deuteronomy 20:1 (The Israel BibleTM)

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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned Israeli citizens on Wednesday to be “vigilant” against possible attempts by Iranians to “influence the citizens of Israel, Israeli society, to sow polarization and controversy, to undermine political stability in Israel and to damage public trust in the government.”

He made the statements after the Shin Bet security agency and the Israeli Police revealed that they had discovered a secret Iranian espionage network that was recruiting Jewish-Israeli women to spy on its behalf.

A handful of suspects have already been indicted.
MORE https://www.israel365news.com/265221/five-israelis-caught-spying-for-iran/?

https://www.israelunwired.com/bedouin-violence-continues-after-israeli-government-appeases-arab-terror/?
BEDOUIN VIOLENCE CONTINUES AFTER ISRAELI GOVERNMENT APPEASES ARAB TERROR
written by Leah Rosenberg January 13, 2022 1556 views

This is the police station in Israel’s Negev in Tel Sheva. Bedouin violence continued here with massive stone throwing.
WATCH Video
Bedouin Violence Continues After Israeli Government Caves to Pressure
Take a look at more Bedouin violence down South. And when did this happen? After the Israeli government appeased their violence yesterday and stopped the tree planting on land in Southern Israel. The Bedouins acted violently in response to the JNF planting trees, and instead of standing strong against the violence and planting more, the Israeli government stopped planting.

So yes, this is what appeasement brings: Not a stop to the Bedouin terror and violence, but a direct lead to its continuation.

Why did the Israeli government stop the tree planting? Because the Islamic Ra’am party, which is part of the coalition, acted on a threat to stop voting with the government on Knesset votes, if the planting would not be stopped. The government capitualted and stopped the planting. This is what happens when you have terror supporters as part of your coalition…


When will the people in charge learn? And why haven’t they learned yet? They need to start caring about the Israeli people and the state of Israel more than the Arabs in the government who are trying to destroy the Jewish state of Israel.



https://www.israelunwired.com/the-monty-python-sketch-that-predicted-leftist-insanity-40-years-ago/?
THE MONTY PYTHON SKETCH THAT PREDICTED LEFTIST INSANITY 40 YEARS AGO
written by Phil Schneider November 24, 2021 18361 views

40 years ago, this was insanity. Today, this is normal. Yes, this may seem completely absurd. But this is the reality in today’s day and age. Woke radical progressive ideology has swept through the Western world and is wreaking havoc on the minds of so many people – especially the young people on college campuses.

Monty Python's 42 yrs old Prediction of Nowadays Insane Public Discourse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b6-oE55vdM

The ideologies of the radical left has become the norm in today’s world for so many young people. Bathrooms are now places that are no longer safe for people to walk in to. All definitions of right and wrong have been hijacked by feelings that are ALL legitimate. If a person feels like being a woman, they have the freedom to choose to be a woman. If a woman feels like being a man, they can choose to be a man. This is now the new norm for so many people. But, as few outside of Ben Shapiro and a few other brave people have pointed out, this is completely disconnected from reality. A man never has nor ever will give birth to a baby.

The breakdown of the family is just one of many of the horrible results of the radical ideologies that espouse a world based on moral relativism and no absolute rules of morality.

This all leads to one thing – chaos and a world that is one big mess. Will the Western world stand up and say enough is enough? These days, it seems more probable that Monty Python will become the norm rather than a serious warning as to how absurd things have developed over the last few decades.

https://www.israelunwired.com/progressives-now-say-criminals-should-be-freed-and-given-woke-therapy/?
PROGRESSIVES NOW SAY CRIMINALS SHOULD BE FREED AND GIVEN…WOKE THERAPY?
written by Phil Schneider January 12, 2022 1214 views
Freedom of Speech may be the #1 issue that progressives are attacking today. But there is another issue which one could argue is even more acute – dealing with crime.
Woke prosecutors and woke therapy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RGP8AJAmW0

Until recently, there had been a consensus among more than 90% of the world that crime required punishment. If there was no disincentive to committing a crime, the criminals would run rampant. Well, that is as true today as it is ten or twenty years ago. But in today’s woke culture, the norm has been to try to limit punishment as much as possible. This is already being implemented in several locations and it is proving to be a disaster.

Seattle and Minneapolis are two cities that have voted to defund the police. That means that the city councils actually voted to not punish crime. They voted to have social workers be the crime busters of their cities. This is not just patently absurd. Any criminal will tell you that this just won’t work.

Yes, many criminals need social workers. But they need the social workers before they commit the crime, and after they commit the crimes – behind bars. But if crime is allowed to become the norm so as to not punish criminals, and policemen are not defended by the elected mayors and city officials, the criminals will take over the streets.


The core problem behind crime is the breakdown of the modern family. It is not about the feelings of criminals not being addressed.

CRIMINALSJAILTHERAPYWOKE



https://www.israelunwired.com/bedouins-riot-attempt-to-derail-train-over-planting-in-southern-israel/?PLANTING IN SOUTHERN ISRAEL
written by Leah Rosenberg January 12, 2022 1842 views
Southern Israel has been the place of many Bedouin riots and much destruction. What are they angry about this time? Planting trees
video
Bedouin Riots in Southern Israel Over Planting Trees
This is just horrific! More unrest and more riots from the Bedouins in Southern Israel. They put rocks on a train track, attempting to derail it. They stoned cars and buses, burned tires, and acted barbarically. Why? Because they are angry that the JNF, the Jewish National Fund, planted trees. The Bedouins claim that their land is being planted on. THEIR land? It most definitely does not belong to them. It is Jewish land and it is land that is having TREES planted on it. And therefore, they feel the need to destroy, stone innocent people on buses and in cars, and try to derail a train? Do people not realize how absurd this is?

Some rioters have been arrested, but is it really going to help bring an end to the madness?

Obviously, The Islamist Ra’am party, which is part of the current coalition in the government, was against tree planting and supported the violent Arab rioters. No one in the government should be supporting violence like this! They should be kicked out of the government!


The planting of trees did not stop, and there are no plans for it to stop. We must NEVER give in to terrorists or terrorism.





https://www.israelunwired.com/amazon-is-distributing-nazi-propaganda-worldwide/?
AMAZON IS DISTRIBUTING NAZI PROPAGANDA WORLDWIDE
written by Leah Rosenberg January 13, 2022 1860 views
You can buy the worst form of propaganda on the Internet today! Really? Yes. There is no limit to what one can buy on Amazon today. One may argue that in the interest of freedom of speech, this should be allowed. Well, no. Not everything should be allowed under freedom of speech. On the one hand, we need more freedom of speech today, but we should not support unbridled racist hatred online.

Putting boundaries on freedom of speech is indeed a very slippery slope. But featuring films from Nazi Germany for sale is clearly past whatever that boundary ought to be. The most important aspect of cutting back any freedom should be anything that directly threatens the physical well-being of a specific group.

Is there anything that falls more into this category than the films that were used in Nazi Germany before World War II to rile up the masses to hate Jews and blame them for all of the ills of society. It is clear that a line must be drawn.

What is more dangerous? Nazi films or people who are not allowed to feature posts that hurt the feelings of other people? Amazon needs to work on their red lines – and fast.


https://www.israelunwired.com/iran-noose/?
THIS IS HOW IRAN IS TYING A NOOSE AROUND ISRAEL
written by Micha Gefen January 12, 2022 2374 views
Iran has always desired a corridor to the Mediterranean Sea. While Israel’s existence is an anathema to the radical Islamic Republic, its leaders often times use their religious ideology as a means to spur the country to support its empire building desires, but what is their game plan?
Iran’s Grand Strategy: A Look From Israel’s Golan Heights | Watchman Newscast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FowAFy11jY&t=164s
GET THIS VIDEO SEEN BY THOUSANDS

Iran has always understood that it needed to find an effective way to occupy strategic areas across the Middle East. Most countries send whole armies or create economic pacts in order to build regional hegemony. Not Iran.

Instead, Iran creates pseudo states within Arab regimes that are entirely answerable to Iran’s leaders. These pseudo states are meant to provide Iran the strategic depth in order to push Israel into a corner and eventually wipe it out.

From Hezbollah in Lebanon to the Houthis in Yemen, Iran has achieved reaches no one thought possible and is now on the verge of achieving nuclear breakout.


Is Israel ready?

https://www.israelunwired.com/attack-iran-nuclear-breakout/?
NUCLEAR DEAL FROZEN – ISRAEL READIES FOR ATTACK
written by Micha Gefen January 11, 2022 95 views
With negotiations concerning Iran’s nuclear deal frozen in place, Israeli PM Naftali Bennett appears ready to launch an attack on Iran to prevent them from achieving nuclear breakout.
Israel talks tough in Iran nuclear deal talks | WION | International News | World News |English News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmbjCiGSHrw
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All participants in the nuclear negotiations agree that they are going no where. Israel’s worry is that Iran is so close to breakout that they have no real reason to sign a deal and are only stalling to achieve their goals.

Given thats the case, PM Bennett appears ready to move forward in a more aggressive way – possibly launching a direct attack. Two calculations are factoring into his decision. The first is the need to keep Iran from breakout and the second is the shadow of former PM Bibi Netanyahu looming over his moves. If Iran would achieve nuclear breakout, Bibi would be receive a boost and Bennett would be seen as a failure.

The Prime Minister is doing everything in his power to try to keep his former mentor turned enemy out of power for good. If this means launching an attack on Iran then so be it. Essentially, the world is a mere months away from the ultimate trigger event for World War Three – an Israeli attack on Iran.

CLAY SEALS FROM FIRST TEMPLE TREASURY DISCOVERED IN RUBBLE FROM TEMPLE MOUNT
BY DAVID SIDMAN | JAN 10, 2022 | BIBLICAL NEWS

Pashhur son of Immer, the Kohen who was chief officer of the House of Hashem, heard Yirmiyahu prophesy these things. Jeremiah 20:1 (The Israel BibleTM

Seal bearing the inscription "to Elihana Bat Gael" (Photo: Clara Amit, courtesy Israel Antiquities Authority
https://www.israel365news.com/265118/clay-seals-from-first-temple-treasury-discovered-in-rubble-from-temple-mount/?+Stories&utm_campaign=I3N+-+AM+-+January+10%2C+2022
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In a study that will appear in the upcoming edition of the Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology, Zachi Dvira and Dr. Gabriel Barkay of the Temple Mount Sifting Project analyzed dozens of clay seals, known as bullae, dating back 2,600 years and uncovered in the area of the Temple Mount. 

The bullae, pieces of unfired clay inscribed with symbols, were used to secure storerooms, doors, and openings of storage vessels. A lump of clay was first pressed over the knot of a cord securing a doorknob or the covering of a vessel. The administrator of the treasury would then impress the seal upon the clay. This method of sealing prevented unauthorized persons from opening a storage area without leaving signs of tampering, since they would have had to either sever the cord or break the sealing.

This was hinted at in the Bible when Pharaoh gave his own signet ring to Joseph.

And removing his signet ring from his hand, Pharaoh put it on Yosef‘s hand; and he had him dressed in robes of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck. Genesis 41:42

“Scholars usually don’t consider the back of the seals, but by doing it, a lot can be learned, especially about the type of objects they were attached to,” said Dvira. The researchers discovered that about 21% of the reverse sides of the seals carried impressions of woven fabrics, indicating that they were used to seal small bags. The bags likely contained pieces of silver, while sealings with flat reverses and fabric impressions probably sealed containers whose openings were covered with woven cloth and in which agricultural produce was stored.

“Evidence has been found that the remains of the broken sealings were saved in order to document the number of times that the storage area was opened,” the researchers wrote. “Thus, this method of securing commodities also served as a system of “bookkeeping”. In addition, by examining the names of the officials appearing on this type of sealings, it is possible to ascertain the names of the chief administrator of the treasury as well as to establish the fact that those who assisted him were generally members of his family.”

Among the sealing recovered from the Temple Mount soil, one was discovered bearing an inscription reading הִצִלְיָהוּ בן אִמֵר (Hiṣilyahu son of Immer) written in the Paleo-Hebrew script used during the latter First Temple period. Immer is the name of a priestly family which served in the Temple in the 7th or early 6th Century BCE, in the period of the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 20:1-6) who describes a prominent priestly figure by the name of Pashḥur son of Immer. 

“Pashhur son of Immer, the priest who was chief officer of the House of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesy these things. Pashhur thereupon had Jeremiah flogged…For thus said the Lord: I am going to deliver you and all your friends over to terror. And I will deliver all the wealth, all the riches, and all the prized possessions of this city, and I will also deliver all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hands of their enemies: they shall seize them as plunder and carry them off to Babylon. Jeremiah 20:1-5

“Hisilyahu could have been his brother,” said Dvira, noting that at that time “paqid” and “nagid,” the titles used in Jeremiah to describe Pashhur, referred to Priests and Levites who were appointed over the treasuries. It was common for several family members to share the task.

Many of the bullae were recovered at the Ophel excavations, some 50 meters between the City of David and the Temple Mount’s southern wall, revealing evidence of the existence of the Royal Treasury at the site  adjacent to the public structure in which a large number of storage jars were discovered. The Ophel was built by King Solomon in the 10th century, and it was the biblical equivalent of an acropolis in Jerusalem where royalty ruled from. The inscriptions on many of these sealings mention the name of a common patriarch named Bes who apparently managed the treasury. Upon another seal the name of ‘Hezekiah King of Judah’ appeared.`

The Egyptian origin of the name ‘Bes’, and the Egyptian origin of the name ‘Pashḥur’, the manager of the Temple Treasury, raised questions for the researchers.

“It appears that one of the reasons for this phenomenon is that the Kingdom of Judah adopted accounting, measuring and administrative systems originating in Egypt,” the researchers concluded. “It is therefore plausible that officials educated in Egypt were employed in the treasuries and they were influenced by its culture – or perhaps Egyptian-born officials took part in the administration of the Kingdom of Judah.

“The assemblage of sealings revealed in the Temple Mount soil and in the Ophel Garden constitute concrete evidence for the existence of two central Treasuries in Jerusalem, which managed the economy of the Kingdom of Judah,” the researchers concluded. “Since, at present, it is not possible to conduct orderly archaeological excavations on the Temple Mount, this inscription remains the only epigraphic evidence originating from the Temple Mount enclosure which casts light on the economic-administrative activity that took place in this governmental, religious and administrative center of Judah during the First Temple period.”

 

The Sifting Project began in 1999 when the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement conducted illegal renovations on the Temple Mount and disposed of over 9,000 tons of dirt mixed with invaluable archaeological artifacts. Though Israeli antiquities law requires a salvage excavation before construction at archaeological sites, this illegal bulldozing destroyed innumerable artifacts: veritable treasures that would have provided a rare glimpse of the region’s rich history. The earth and the artifacts within were dumped as garbage in the nearby Kidron Valley. In a bold move, archaeologists Dr. Gabriel Barkay and Zachi Dvira retrieved the matter from the dump, and in 2004, they started sifting it. Their initiative became the Temple Mount Sifting Project (TMSP) with the goal of rescuing ancient artifacts and conducting research to enhance our understanding of the archeology and history of the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount Sifting Project’s finds constitute the   archaeological data originating from below the Temple Mount’s surface.

https://www.israelunwired.com/hamas-claims-israel-uses-killer-zionist-dolphins-to-spy/?
HAMAS CLAIMS ISRAEL USES “KILLER ZIONIST DOLPHINS” TO SPY
written by Leah Rosenberg January 11, 2022 440 views

Hamas has been mocked for this strange claim against Israel. How can people not mock this terror group for making such allegations?
Hamas Makes Absurd Claim Against Israel
There is always something else that Hamas is claiming against Israel. But at the end of the day, what the world needs to know is that Hamas is a terror organization, and the Jewish state is not. It’s that simple. Israel is a democracy; a flourishing and vibrant country. Hamas rules over the Gaza strip, oppresses its own people, uses money for terror instead of food, kills its own, and the list goes on and on. The Israeli government definitely has its issues and needs to improve, but you can be sure they are not doing what Hamas – a terror organization – is doing. Israel protects and defends its citizens from rockets; Hamas uses humans to protect its rockets.

Whether the claims Hamas makes against Israel are as absurd as this one or not, it is hard to believe and listen to anything a terrorist organization says. You can never trust them, and people need to realize that. They are not a government to make peace with. They are terrorists. Period.
DOLPHINSHAMAS

ISRAEL TO CLASSIFY CHRISTIAN CITIZENS AS ‘JEWISH BY EXTENSION’
BY ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ | JAN 11, 2022 | CHRISTIAN ZIONISM
The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I Hashem am your God. Leviticus 19:34 (The Israel BibleTM)
Christian immigrants from the USSR celebrate Christmas in Israel. Nearly 1/3 are not considered Jewish according to Jewish law (courtesy: screenshot)
https://www.israel365news.com/265150/israel-to-classify-christian-citizens-as-jewish-by-extension/?
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Israel’s Census Bureau is amending its system of classification to include non-Jews who are not Arab to be included under the heading of  “extended Jewish population”. Until now, people who fall under this classification have been defined as “other.” This will include people who gained citizenship by marrying Israelis, or immigrated under the law of return, which extends citizenship to anyone with a single Jewish grandparent. Many such immigrants hail from the former USSR where nearly 1/3 are not Jewish according to Jewish law. Of them, many are practicing Christians. This will also include non-Arab Muslims, such as the Circassian community.

 The new classification came as the result of an appeal by Intelligence Minister Elazar Stern (Yesh Atid) to the chief statistician and director-general of the CBS, Professor Danny Pepperman. Stern claimed that implicit in listing these people as other was the goal of converting non-Jews who immigrate. He argued that placing them in an “other” category could push them away. 

“The current situation hurts immigrants who came to Israel under the Law of Return, and feel they are part of the Jewish people,” said Minister Stern. “Our goal is for these people to join the Jewish people, and not be separated from it by all sorts of preliminary actions, including the unjustified division that exists today in the CBS.”

At the end of 2020, 415,147 Israelis, or 4.6% of the population were categorized under “other.”According to the data in the population registry, 60.4% of the group are entitled to citizenship under the Law of Return; most of the rest immigrated to Israel as part of a family reunification. The majority of these people are Russian-speaking immigrants who came to Israel in the 1990s, and their children.

The new classification will not solve any real-world difficulties as the changes will be instituted in the Census bureau but will not be incorporated into the Ministry of the Interior. 

Sergio DellaPergola, an expert in demography and statistics,  said that if adopted, the change would be “more cosmetic than anything else.”

“If you ask these nearly half a million citizens if they are Jewish, a good half would say ‘yes,’ while the others would probably say, ‘I’d like to be, but I’m not allowed in.’”

Eliahu Ben Moshe, a demographer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, told Haaretz that the designation of “others” was “demeaning and problematic.”

Those who are classified as not “religiously Jewish” cannot legally marry in Israel nor be buried in Jewish cemeteries in the country.

HonestReporting.com
Tue 11/01/2022 16:16
Fourth Nationwide Lockdown Coming? COVID Cases Skyrocket; Jerusalem: New Sheikh Jarrah Eviction Battle Looms
JANUARY 11, 2022
1.
A fourth COVID-19 lockdown may be unavoidable if the number of severe hospitalized cases exceeds 1,200, Israel's coronavirus czar warned at a press conference.
37,887 new cases »
2.
Eight months after Hamas used an eviction battle in Jerusalem as a pretext to start a conflict with Israel, another Palestinian family in Sheikh Jarrah has received an eviction notice.
Property once owned by Jewish family »
HONESTREPORTING'S TAKE
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Media Abet Palestinian Squatters in Transforming Real Estate Dispute into International Incident
3.
A 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit off Cyprus’ west coast early Tuesday, the US government's Geological Survey announced.
Shockwaves felt in Israel »
4.
A bipartisan group of American lawmakers announced a new caucus to support the Abraham Accords.
Members from House and Senate »
HONESTREPORTING'S TAKE
The Intercept Ignores Pro-BDS Congresswoman's Checkered History on Israel
Recommended Reading
It's Time for the UN to Battle Holocaust Denial – Opinion |  Emily Schrader, Jerusalem Post
Doubled in 2021: Online Visits to National Library of Israel in Arabic Top 2 Million Globally |  Jewish News Syndicate
The Answer to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Is All in Your Eyes |  Brian Blum, Israel21C
Tu B'Shvat's Evolution From Tax Day to Earth Day |  Marcos Roca, Algemeiner

https://www.israelunwired.com/this-might-be-the-most-absurd-new-york-times-op-ed-to-ever-be-written/?
THIS MIGHT BE THE MOST ABSURD NEW YORK TIMES OP-ED TO EVER BE WRITTEN
written by Phil Schneider January 11, 2022 959 views
Ben Shapiro rips apart the argument that in order to save democracy what is needed is to stifle freedom of speech. It is patently amazing that an op-ed in the New York Times newspaper would actually support the stifling of one side of a most important argument in today’s politics. But it is as absurd as it is predictable. The radical left is so illiberal today that it doesn’t come as a surprise at all that the ideals of liberalism and protecting the first amendment have been thrown out the window by so many supposed Liberals who masquerade as caring about the rights of others.

New York Times Op-Ed Makes ABSURD Claim — Shapiro Reacts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DPpIEI_T1g

What is actually going on today is a direct attack on democracy itself by a radical fringe that is becoming much more than a fringe. Bernie Sanders was the presidential candidate that embodied the ideas that they support. The key word is socialism. The key concept is a big and controlling government. Whether or not the ultimate goal that they have is to be Communist or not is not the point. What is clear is that the goal is to use government as the solution to deal with all of societal ills.

What is needed today is a clear voice that enunciates the basic values that Ronald Reagan espoused. The solution to our problems is not more government. The problem more often than not IS government. When the government is reigned in and the free market is allowed to dominate, freedom grows. Where freedom grows, prosperity grows.

But today’s Oval Office is dominated by ideas that curb our freedoms and try to steward the economy out of the pandemic mess via massive spending, meaning massive government overreach. The results are clear to see for anyone to see. Inflation, empty store shelves, and less freedom. This coupled with irresponsible and dangerous decisions to defund the police in various cities has led to massive crime waves. We need more police and more freedom of speech, not less police and less freedom of speech

https://www.israelunwired.com/local-arabs-torch-israeli-car-in-jerusalem-neighborhood-where-are-the-police/?
LOCAL ARABS TORCH ISRAELI CAR IN JERUSALEM NEIGHBORHOOD…WHERE ARE THE POLICE?
written by Leah Rosenberg January 10, 2022 713 views
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This is the eighth time that this family’s car has been set on fire by Arabs in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Shimon Hatzadik.


It is enough.

Although this time they arrested three Arabs for the attack, that does not serve justice. They must STOP these attacks. What are they waiting for? More Jews to G-d forbid be killed by these same Arabs who are setting fire to Jewish-owned cars? It is truly outrageous.

https://www.israelunwired.com/watch-vp-harris-shockingly-compare-january-6-riot-to-pearl-harbor-and-9-11/?
WATCH VP HARRIS SHOCKINGLY COMPARE JANUARY 6 RIOT TO PEARL HARBOR AND 9/11
written by Phil Schneider January 10, 2022 852 views
There have been many traumatic days in US history, and Jan. 6th was indeed one of them. But any attempt to equate the post-election riot of Jan. 6th to Pearl Harbor or 9/11 displays a pitiful understanding of the difference between a major worldwide shifting event and an important historical event.
Bret Baier: Kamala Harris comparing Jan. 6 to Pearl Harbor, 9/11 may be 'insulting'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CDCanzyp0E&t=2s

The United States unwillingly got involved in World War I despite Woodrow Wilson’s attempts to stay out of the fray. But the decision was made that without US involvement, things would get worse and ultimately involve the United States anyway. Historians will continue to debate this matter, and it is not 100% clear to this day whether the United States involvement was the right policy decision and whether or not it came too late or too early.

However, as far as World War II and 9/11, the story is completely different. FDR probably understood years before the outbreak of World War II that the United States would need to get involved – with boots on the ground – if Germany, under the leadership of Hitler, were to be stopped. Winston Churchill certainly did everything he could to beg and persuade FDR to join in. But FDR had domestic pressure working against getting involved in the War. One of the many results of World War I was a strong anti-involvement attitude throughout the United States. Most people, rightly or wrongly, thought that the massive cost in US lives in World War I was not justified. And they were not interested in getting embroiled in another foreign conflict.

So FDR came up with the brilliant idea of getting involved without sending troops that was widely approved of by Americans – the lend-lease program. That basically meant that America would provide the weaponry that the British and other troops would use to keep the German Army at bay. This worked, but also failed to keep the German Army out of everything but England. They could not conquer England, but they bombed them constantly for years.

But in June 1941, when Germany invaded Russia, it became clear that the United States needed to do more or else, the German tentacles could spread too wide and far to contain. But the United States still did not get involved more than supplying Russia with a seemingly endless number of trucks and weapons. Yet that also did not do enough to stem the tide of the war.

But when Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japan, FDR realized that it was now his chance to do what really needed to be done earlier. He sent American troops, warships, and airplanes into the various theaters of war. That turned out to be one of the main turning points that saved the war and the free world. The bravery of Russian soldiers and and the British Air Force were no less important. But, what did the German Army in more than anything else was what Joseph Stalin demanded – a second front on the coast of France that forced the German Army to split up it’s resources. That is what ultimately saved the free world from Germany totalitarianism.

Jan. 6th was a chaotic mess that Donald Trump and some of his angry followers wrought. But, it was nothing more than a fitting messy nuisance of an ending to the Trump Presidency that will cloud over many of the important accomplishments of the often chaotic Trump administration.

https://www.israelunwired.com/legal-scholar-exposes-the-truth-about-the-arabs-and-the-international-world/?
LEGAL SCHOLAR EXPOSES THE TRUTH ABOUT THE ARABS AND THE INTERNATIONAL WORLD
written by Leah Rosenberg January 9, 2022 815 views
Does the international community care about the Arabs? Are the claims against Israel based on anything legal?
Eugene Kontorovich : The International Community Never Cared about the Arabs | Top Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVy7NETCMQQ
Israel and the Arabs

The international community doesn’t care how the Arabs are treated – because if they did, they would slam the Arab world itself for the way it treats its own people. The Jewish state is not the problem. Israel is what is RIGHT in the Middle East; Israel is the state that treats the Arabs properly.

The world loves to talk about Israel and claim it violates international law. That cannot be farther from the truth! The international community pressures Israel in every area. They claim Israel evicts innocent “Palestinians;” they claim Israel cannot build in their ancient homeland in Judea and Samaria. The list of claims is never-ending, and they are all based on nothing but antisemitism.

What is absolutely ludicrous is that the so-called “Palestinians” will cause themselves suffering in order to gain the attention and sympathy of the international world. Even they themselves don’t care about themselves….

There are so many aspects to how the world views Israel and the Arab world. There is also so much misleading information that circulates throughout the world – some willingly spread that information and some are just unaware of the facts. Either way, these conversations are important to share so that people know the truth about the legal aspects of Israel and the Middle East.

https://www.israelunwired.com/russia-refuses-to-back-down-from-its-demands/?
WAR DRUMS: RUSSIA REFUSES TO BACK DOWN FROM ITS DEMANDS – CHANCE OF INVASION INCREASES
written by David Mark January 9, 2022 1222 views
In current negotiations between Russia and NATO and the US, the Russian side has insisted in NATO pulling its troops back to the boundaries that existed before the end of the Cold War.

Russia rules out any concession over Ukraine in talks with US • FRANCE 24 English
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcf4TVPz-M4
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To the US and NATO’s dismay, Russia has been busy massing tens of thousands of troops on the Ukrainian border over the past two months. This has sparked emergency negotiations between the West and Russia over trying to force Putin to pull his troops back and prevent him from invading Ukraine.

The challenge is, Putin is willing to play ball and has made demands he knows NATO could never accept, which is to essentially retreat far to the West.

Putin is a master chess player and he knows he is playing against a decaying West led by a USA that seems past its prime.


WHAT WILL BIDEN DO?

The current assumption is that Putin will attempt to invade Ukraine. While this appears to be a recipe for war between Russia and the West, more than likely Biden will attempt to slap sanctions on Russia – especially the oligarchs. However, this is not the Cold War. Russia has done a good job building international alliances that are based on the need for gas and weapons. Putin has raised his stature as an intelligent and carefully thought out leader. Any Western sanctions on Russia would not have the effect that NATO or the US intended.

Any response that is less forceful than placing NATO troops in Western Ukraine, would invite China to invade Taiwan. Unfortunately for Biden, the ghosts of the fall of Kabul are still haunting his strategy across the globe. And if he doesn’t play his cards correctly he may be looking at the fall of Kiev or worse.

https://www.israelunwired.com/ted-cruz-gets-unexpected-interruption-while-bashing-big-tech/?
TED CRUZ GETS UNEXPECTED INTERRUPTION WHILE BASHING BIG TECH
written by Leah Rosenberg January 9, 2022 1097 views
It cannot be said enough. Big Tech is the most powerful controlling force in the world today. There are not just hundreds of millions of users of Facebook, Google, and Twitter. There are more than a billion people who use these services and a major part of them are addicted to these services. There are not just hundreds of millions of buyers on Amazon. There are millions of people who are addicted to Amazon purchases. And that is just the beginning of the story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6wqOoniuEo
The main aspect of the power of big tech is their tremendous hold on the minds and opinions that spread across the world with lightning speed. If Joe Biden or Nancy Pelosi want to shift public opinion, they need to make sure that Facebook and Twitter are covering the matter properly. But if Facebook, Twitter, or Google want to shift public opinion on a matter, they don’t need Joe Biden or Nancy Pelosi. They can simply “promote” the stories that will boost their opinions with a few simple content decisions.
The issue is that there is no easy way to fix this problem outside of building a formidable competitor to Facebook, Twitter, and Google. The competitor does not even need to have more than 5-10% of market share to change everything. The problem is that getting to 5% is nearly impossible.

https://www.israelunwired.com/donald-trump-afghanistan-was-the-turning-point-for-america/?
DONALD TRUMP: “AFGHANISTAN WAS THE TURNING POINT FOR AMERICA”
written by Gavriel Dan January 8, 2022 816 views
Former President Donald Trump sat down and spoke about his views on where America is going.
RUMBLE VIDEO
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Limping forward from every disaster, the Biden administration has seemed to quickly transform America from a global leader to a country on retreat. No one has more to comment on this than former President Trump who believes that the turning point for America was the disastrous retreat from Afghanistan. Trump views that event as the single most pivotal moment for America and the one that opened its citizens’ eyes to just how bad the Biden administration is.

Trump also believes that America is heading towards communism. From rigged elections to censorship he believes America will eventually be like Venezuela.

With the January 6th Committee in congress attempting to paint the protest last year at the capital as an insurrection, more and more Americans appear ready to hand Democrats a serious defeat in the midterm elections. This maybe the last chance America has to keep itself from slipping away.

https://www.israelunwired.com/democratic-rep-goes-off-at-rashida-tlaib-in-fiery-speech-about-israel/?
DEMOCRATIC REP GOES OFF AT RASHIDA TLAIB IN FIERY SPEECH ABOUT ISRAEL
written by Phil Schneider September 26, 2021 15543 views
Rashida Tlaib, AOC, and Ilhan Omar are all together and united in their opposition to the very existence of the State of Israel. They couch it as if they truly care about the rights of the so-called “Palestinian people.” But in truth, they only care about one thing when it comes to Israel – they want to bring it down.

Dem Rep Ted Deutch Excoriates Rashida Tlaib For Anti-Israel Speech
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6aZH4egHCg

This is not really something new – but it must be said. Ted Deutsch stood up and said it loud and clear. There is a growing movement in the weak underbelly of the Democrat Party that wishes that the State of Israel would be destroyed. And there are people like Bernie Sanders, a formidable force in the Democrat Party, that share similar views. These people are against Israel defending itself against missile attacks from terrorists and they dismiss attacks on America also.

Those who share weak views on foreign policy also share socialist views on the United States of America. Ilhan Omar’s line that on 9-11, “something happened,” should be a wake-up call to all Democrats who are concerned about the direction of their party. Republicans have to deal with their outer fringe members too. But they are not a growing number as they are in the Democrat Party. If AOC runs for the Senate in NY, she actually has a fairly good chance of winning, even though she is a lightweight on nearly every issue that exists. There are enough people today who vote based on gender, color of the skin, and party affiliation. She would start off with nearly 45% of the vote definitely going in her favor, and would only need to sway little more than 5% of the voters.

New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and other major cities are becoming crime-ridden, tax-the hell-out-of-the-rich, entitlement-heavy centers that are chasing people out to the suburbs or other States. Middle America does not feel the negative impact as much as the right and left coasts do. But, some of the most populous cities in America are fast becoming places that are not hospitable for the middle class and entrepreneurial-oriented people. That means that jobs will dwindle and local economies in some big cities will suffer. The AOC’s and the Rashida Tlaibs of the world don’t only want to weaken Israel. They are anti-American forces within the walls of Congress

JOE BIDEN’S MIND IS RAPIDLY DETERIORATING – WHAT’S NEXT?
written by Gavriel Dan October 24, 2021 13418 views
President Biden’s recent town hall event hosted by CNN has many people wondering if Joe Biden’s mental faculties are in rapid decline.

Biden's Mental Health Questioned After BIZARRE "Cornholio" Pose On CNN Leaves Everyone Confused

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGty92fuXkg&t=236s

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While one can spend most of the day dissecting the bizarre moments in this town hall, it is a better use of tie to try to figure out how America will drag itself out of this mess. The mess being a president who is having rapid cognitive decline and a vice president who is so unqualified to take over – there maybe for the first time in modern American history a real threat to the republic.

The surprising thing is that a good portion of the American public could see that Biden’s mental health was a serious issue during the Presidential campaign. However, the main stream media covered up Biden’s mental decline until now when it has become impossible anymore.

So what will happen?

China is sure to take advantage of this near leaderless situation but attempting to take Taiwan or at least put tremendous pressure on it to capitulate. This will challenge US hegemony in the region which will result in Biden pulling back. So is America finished? Maybe not, but it certainly seems like the USA is about to see some serious turbulence.

https://www.israelunwired.com/did-the-left-really-withhold-the-vaccine-until-trump-was-out-of-office/?
DID THE LEFT REALLY WITHHOLD THE VACCINE UNTIL TRUMP WAS OUT OF OFFICE?
written by Leah Rosenberg January 6, 2022 1250 views
How can anyone trust the Left after hearing this? And everything else they have done? They used the vaccine as a political tool!

The Left and the Vaccine
You might not want to believe it, but sadly, it’s true. The Left cares more about politics than about people’s lives. And they have shown that time and time again. They didn’t want the COVID-19 vaccine to be distributed until after elections; until after Trump was potentially out of office. And so, they played with lives. Real, human lives. They chose to ensure that the vaccine would not be available to the public – because of politics. They are responsible for deaths – because of politics.
Leftists Wanted to HOLD VACCINE Until After Trump's Presidency
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B3w-sjDwMk&t=3s

Our medical care is being politicized. That is the point that we have come to, and it’s terrifying.

The Left blames Fox News for everything. Hearing the MSNBC clip in this video is disturbing, to say the least. And then you hear the truth about what THEY have done.

The world is backwards right now. Things are so twisted. People cannot distinguish between moral and immoral; right and wrong. How much longer can people survive living off of lies and perpetrating those lies? Have they come to a point that they don’t even know they are lying anymore? When will it end?


https://www.israelunwired.com/republican-rep-blasts-democrats-with-a-comment-most-are-afraid-to-say/?
REPUBLICAN REP. BLASTS DEMOCRATS WITH A COMMENT MOST ARE AFRAID TO SAY
written by Phil Schneider January 6, 2022 2843 views
Is the Democrat Party a Communist Party? The Democrat Party in the United States is filled with many different opinions. On the one hand, their are moderate Southerners like Joe Manchin who refuse to blindly take money from future generations in order to fund the lifestyles of those who insist on receiving handouts. But Manchin is a rare breed today – even if he represents much of the American electorate who voted in Joe Biden into office.

MTG Calls Dems "Communists" to Their Face and Internet EXPLODES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aWoyjreq5M&t=7s

On the other hand, there is a vocal, yet growing minority that openly uses the word socialist in order to describe their opinions on economic matters. Their leader is Bernie Sanders, but their average age is under 30. It is this growing group that is sowing discord in the Democrat Party. If things do not change, the fringe will not be a fringe much longer, and the Democrat Party will be overtaken by a group that can properly be labeled as Socialist in mindset. This is a big deal and should worry the moderates in the Party.

Even Donald Trump could retake the White House in 2024 if the Party allows themselves to be so radical as to elect the likes of AOC and The Squad into more important seats of power in Congress.

The likes of Bill Clinton and other moderate Democrats are losing ground fast. This is not good for the United States. But the radical Republicans who call Democrats Communists and use anti-semitic diatribes against the Jewish people are no better. The difference is that the Republican fringe is not growing – it is being drowned out. But the Democrat fringe is taking over the Party.


https://www.israelunwired.com/arabs-stone-bus-in-judea-and-samaria-babys-scream-heard-in-background/?
ARABS STONE BUS IN JUDEA AND SAMARIA; BABY’S SCREAM HEARD IN BACKGROUND
written by Phil Schneider January 5, 2022 1962 views
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There are attempted attacks in Judea and Samaria nearly every day. There are soldiers stopping terror attacks against Jewish civilians nearly every day. This one was caught on camera.VIDEO

Terror Attack in Judea and Samaria
An attack like this one is terrorism. These are not harmless pebbles (which still should not be thrown at innocent Jewish people or anyone). These are stones. Boulders. Large rocks that can kill and have killed innocent Jews in the past. The Jews riding on this bus on a road in Judea and Samaria have done nothing to deserve being attacked. Their “crime” is living in their ancient Jewish homeland.

The norms of curbing terror attacks need to change in order to make sure that perpetrators understand that they have much to lose via terror attacks. If the result of every attack is that the army takes over the land from which the attack were perpetrated, would-be terrorists will think twice. This was actually the way that the State of Israel handled terrorism in the early days of the State.

The problem today is that terrorists are not only not scared of the death penalty that they won’t receive. They are not even scared of going to jail as Israel has freed thousands of terrorists in prisoner exchanges. So, the terrorists know that the Palestinian Authority will reward their family and they probably won’t even have to sit more than a year or two in prison. This must change.