ISRAEL BREAKING NEWS

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/271162?fbclid=IwAR0-zqXMCcynMzfjloi1tx4xj94UDIMRpIA66fJW3M_FL9g2fDEGgdVdJIQ
Britain condemns approval of construction in Judea and Samaria
Britain says "settlements" are illegal in response to Israeli approval of more than 2,300 housing units in Judea and Samaria.

Elad Benari, 06/11/19 00:22
Construction (archive)Yonatan Sindel/Flash 90

Britain on Tuesday condemned Israel’s approval of plans to build more than 2,300 housing units in Judea and Samaria.

“Settlements are illegal under international law and undermine the physical viability of the two-state solution. The UK calls on Israel to halt such counterproductive action,” said a Foreign Office spokesperson.

Earlie on Tuesday, a French foreign ministry spokeswoman said her country "condemned the recent Israeli authorities' decision to allow construction of 2,342 housing units in the West Bank."

She added that France calls on the Israeli authorities to withdraw from these plans and all programs that subvert a "two-state solution".

On Monday, the EU denounced the Israeli plans for the new housing projects, calling them illegal under international law.

“In October 2019, Israeli authorities approved the advancement of well over 2,000 housing units in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank,” it said in a statement.

“The European Union's position on Israeli settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territory is clear and remains unchanged: all settlement activity is illegal under international law and it erodes the viability of the two-state solution and the prospects for a lasting peace, as reaffirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 2334.”

“The EU will continue to support a resumption of a meaningful process towards a negotiated two-state solution, the only realistic and viable way to fulfil the legitimate aspirations of both parties,” added the statement.

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Should-we-expect-a-political-breakthrough-this-week-analysis-606718
SHOULD WE EXPECT A POLITICAL BREAKTHROUGH THIS WEEK? - ANALYSIS
Blue and White and Likud have their political reasons for not moving things forward at the moment, but are they taking Israeli citizens into consideration?
BY LAHAV HARKOV  NOVEMBER 3, 2019 19:28 
3 minute read.

Blue and White leader Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet to discuss possible pol
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet to discuss possible political frameworks, October 27 2019. (photo credit: ELAD MALKA)
The Blue and White negotiating teams’ agenda is officially empty this week. With two and a half weeks left to his mandate to form a government, the list’s chairman Benny Gantz doesn’t have any meetings planned with other party leaders this week, either.
This is in stark contrast to last week, when the negotiators or Gantz had meetings every day.

Read More Related Articles
Avigdor Liberman: Israel is in an emergency security situation
Was the corner of God's altar found in Shiloh, West Bank?
 
[Photos] Mini Sub Makes Epic Discovery Under Lake Ontario (Science 101)
Recommended by
And yet, no progress has been made. There hasn’t even really been a hint of things to come.

Blue and White’s busy schedule last week didn’t bring any results, and, if anything, ended with its negotiators along with those in Likud more skeptical than ever that they can work together and avoid a third election.

So many politicians – including the leaders of Likud and Blue and White – have said a third election will be disastrous and Israel needs a stable government already. Therefore, one would think that Blue and White would be trying extra-hard right now.

But there are a couple of factors at play that are slowing things down.
When President Reuven Rivlin tasked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with forming a government, back in September, Netanyahu said that while he will genuinely try to form a coalition while he still has the mandate, he predicted that no breakthrough will take place until the deadline nears.
Latest articles from Jpost
TOP ARTICLES
1/5
READ MORE
IAF hits Hamas targets following rocket barrage
Some in Blue and White have started saying similar things now that Gantz has the mandate. They made a real effort at first, but they don’t expect anything to move until the last minute.

Only when the specter of a third election, which, theoretically, no one wants, becomes a real and imminent possibility will people start to show some flexibility, is the theory here.

But lately, the sides have been accusing one another of actually wanting a third election.

Each side could reasonably want a third election, for entirely different reasons.

A 103FM poll showed last week that if there is a third election, 52% of voters would blame Netanyahu, and only 27% would blame Blue and White’s leaders, Gantz or Yair Lapid.

And while the same poll showed that if an election took place now, the result would be almost identical to what it was in September, New Right leader Naftali Bennett said on Sunday that a third election will be disastrous for the Right.

Blue and White’s leaders could look at the political situation and think to themselves that they might benefit from a third election. If the public truly blames Netanyahu, maybe the Likud will lose votes and Blue and White will have a clearer path to victory.

The Likud in general probably doesn’t have a good reason to want an election. As Bennett said, it’s hard to imagine the Right doing better in a third election. The Right had a clear victory in April, but that was back when Yisrael Beytenu was a reliable member of the right-wing bloc. Without leader Avigdor Liberman, the Right had 61 seats, and Netanyahu wanted a larger majority. Instead, in September, the Right got only 55 seats without Liberman. A third election could mean the continuation of the trend and even fewer seats for a potential right-wing government.

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Third-election-will-be-Netanyahus-fault-Liberman-says-606712
THIRD ELECTION WILL BE NETANYAHU’S FAULT, LIBERMAN SAYS
Bennett: Third election will damage the right-wing bloc.
BY LAHAV HARKOV  NOVEMBER 3, 2019 20:57 
4 minute read.
Third election will be Netanyahu’s fault, Liberman says
Heads of the Blue and White party, Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid. Avigdor Liberman, Head of rightist Yisrael Beiteinu party. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekly cabinet meeting, December 2, 2018. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is leading the country to a third election in less than a year, Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman warned in a Facebook post on Sunday.
 
“The nation will not forgive him,” Liberman wrote.
Liberman pointed out that his party has called for a national unity government since the September 17 election.
 
Netanyahu leads a 55-seat bloc of religious and right-wing parties, and if Liberman were to join them, there would be a governing majority and an election could be avoided. However, Liberman has said he will only be in a government based on Likud and Blue and White, which will push for greater haredi (ultra-Orthodox) IDF enlistment and other bills that the religious parties in Netanyahu’s bloc oppose. He also refused to join a Netanyahu-led government in May, and that refusal was part of the impetus for the second election this year.
 
Liberman blamed Netanyahu for the political impasse, pointing to a plan for a unity government that he presented to the prime minister last month and saying that the Likud has ignored him.
 
In his plan, Netanyahu would be first in a rotation for the premiership with Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, but Netanyahu would not automatically bring the whole right-wing bloc with him.
 
“Netanyahu is holding on to the haredi-messianic bloc for personal reasons only... the attempt to hold both sides of the stick, to negotiate for a unity government with the haredi-messianic bloc and to be first in a rotation shows with certainty that all the responsibility for paralyzing the institutions of the government and a third election will be on Netanyahu, and only Netanyahu,” Liberman said.
 
But Liberman has also ruled out working with Blue and White on some of its policies that it seeks to promote even before there is a government.
 
“Yisrael Beytenu rejected different offers it received for unilateral moves that could harm the negotiations to form a government,” he said, “such as supporting a bill to prevent an MK with an indictment against him to be a candidate for prime minister, or to replace the Knesset speaker in this interim time.”
 
Liberman said he opposes “controversial, unilateral moves” before a coalition is formed, and Yisrael Beytenu does not support “personal” bills, like the one that would target Netanyahu if he is indicted.
 
A 103FM poll showed on Thursday that if there is a third election, 52% of voters would blame Netanyahu, and only 27% would blame Blue and White’s leaders, Gantz or Yair Lapid, while 21% blame Liberman.

UTJ Senior MK Moshe Gafni said a third election would be disastrous, and they would be Liberman’s fault.
Read More Related Articles
Joe Lieberman: I see storm clouds gathering on US support for Israel
Benny Gantz: Renew assassination policy in response to rocket fire
 
17 Beautiful and Breathtaking Places on Our Planet (Amazing and fun pictures : funtof.com)
Recommended by
“The health system is crashing from lack of funds. The country won’t recover from this. It’s a disaster,” Gafni told Army Radio.

As for Liberman, Gafni said: “For a year, Liberman hasn't gone [to the] Left or Right. He is on the fence and in the meantime, the country is paralyzed. It’s too bad that the media is afraid to talk about the person to blame for this situation. His name is Liberman.”


As for calls for the haredim to be flexible, Gafni said that he could compromise on jobs – he has long been Knesset Finance Committee chairman - but not on matters of ideology.

ALSO SUNDAY, New Right leaders Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked warned that a third election would damage the Right.
“A third round of elections would crush the right-wing bloc at historic levels,” Bennett warned on Army Radio.
 
The comments came the day after Bennett said he would free Netanyahu of any obligation to him and the New Right to avoid another election.
 
Similarly, Shaked told Army Radio that another election is “terrible for Israel, and it’s also bad for the Right. In the last election, [the Right] had 61 seats without Liberman, now we have 55. The polls show the public doesn’t want a third election and if, God forbid, we get there, the Right is in danger.”
 
As such, Shaked added, the only possibilities are a unity government, in which Gantz and Netanyahu reach an agreement on who goes first in a rotation, or that Liberman returns to the right-wing bloc, to “bring great achievements for his voters and the haredim will have to compromise.”
 
Shaked also said that Netanyahu and Bennett spoke often in recent weeks, but that Netanyahu isn’t talking to her. She and Bennett worked for Netanyahu when he was opposition leader, and they left on bad terms with him, which has colored their political relationship ever since.
 
“It’s better that he talks to Bennett than not talk at all,” she said.
 
Culture Minister Miri Regev took umbrage with Blue and White seeking her portfolio, which she said is something that Likud chief negotiator Yariv Levin told her the party wants.
 
“They want to cancel all the changes I made, giving funding to the periphery and Judea and Samaria,” she said before Sunday’s cabinet meeting. “Oy vey, [they will be] second-class citizens. What is going on here? What, do they really want to give everything to [Joint List MKs] Ayman Odeh and Ahmed Tibi?”
Latest articles from Jpost


But Netanyahu is a different story. If there is a third election, Netanyahu is guaranteed to remain prime minister at least until April, maybe even until May if those coalition talks drag on like the last two. With an indictment likely to take place, staying prime minister will only be an advantage for him. For example, as prime minister, his case will be seen by three judges in the Jerusalem District Court, as opposed to one judge in a magistrate’s court.

THAT’S THE political analysis. But sometimes with all of these looks at the political pros and cons, we miss the bigger picture. A third election is not only good or bad for the Right or Left or Blue and White or Likud or Netanyahu. There’s an entire country being held hostage by our politicians’ inability to compromise.

People’s lives are at stake. With ever-growing challenges and instability in the Middle East, the security budget is basically frozen and the IDF can’t plan for the future. The health basket committee cannot determine which medicines will be included in our socialized health system. Shelters for battered women and at-risk youth have had to shut down.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be taken into consideration at the moment, with the politicians deciding whether to compromise or drag us into another five or more months with an interim government.

https://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/Israeli-develops-piston-engine-that-runs-on-water-alcohol-no-gas-605425?fbclid=IwAR1CwY0c_xpPGzPJIvrhk8SOO_9B-RtK4blT_vNC9Ij_4ijbhCeJLRF3BOQ
ISRAELI DEVELOPS PISTON ENGINE THAT RUNS ON WATER, ALCOHOL – NO GAS
MayMaan is seeking additional partners to make its impact on the world. The founders think that it’s just a matter of time until MayMaan joins the ranks of successful garage-based start-ups.
BY ALAN ROSENBAUM  OCTOBER 22, 2019 17:48 
MyMaan Research LLC
In the annals of business, successful companies that originated in the garages of their founders have assumed an almost mythic significance. Corporate giants such as Apple, Google and Hewlett-Packard all began in small workshops adjacent to their creators’ homes. Now, another small, garage-based family business run by three Israelis near Miami, Florida, that says that they have succeeded in reinventing the internal combustion engine is aiming to join the elite group of legendary garage-based startups.

Pictures (and Salaries) of the UK's Top-Paid Journalists (Investing.com)
Recommended by
The company is called MayMaan Research, LLC, and it has developed a system to operate a traditional piston engine with a combination of 70% water and 30% ethanol (or any other alcohol) – no gasoline or diesel required. This revolutionary system can be applied, say its founders, with simple yet sophisticated modifications of existing engine designs, and saves 50% on fuel costs, produces far fewer emissions than gasoline or diesel, and is up to 60% more efficient than gasoline. MayMaan has built four operating prototypes to date, including a car, a generator and various engines. While the company has outgrown its garage-based origins, and has grown into a research laboratory facility, it remains imbued with a start-up spirit.#
MayMaan is the brainchild of Yehuda Shmueli, 81, a talented inventor, engineer and master mechanic. Assisted by sons Eitan and Doron, and backed by an impressive executive management team, including Joe Nakash, founder and chairman of Jordache Enterprises; Yedidya Ya’ari, company chairman and former president and CEO of Israel’s Rafael Armament Development Authority; Malcolm Hoenlein, CEO and executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents; and other distinguished individuals, MayMaan’s disruptive technology plans to revolutionize the world of transportation, from passenger cars, to trucks, locomotives and even ships.

Eitan Shmueli, company president, explains that “the whole thing started when my father was a boy living in Israel. He didn’t see an end to the wars, and he figured out at a very young age that if dependence on oil could be eliminated or reduced, that these problems could be solved.” Adds Shmueli on a more humorous note, “At the same time, there was an oil embargo, and my father didn’t have money to fuel his motorcycle.” Yehuda Shmueli read and thought of ways to solve the problem, says son Eitan, and considered the possibility of somehow harnessing the power of water by utilizing its hydrogen components. The family eventually moved to the United States, where they established a successful printing business. At that point, Yehuda decided to return to his passion, that of developing new technology to harness hydrogen, and he began to experiment.

Yehuda, who studied at the Technion and was once the chief inspector for the IDF’s jeep production, succeeded in developing a fuel composed of 70% water and 30% ethanol, together with an engine to run it. The water mixture is converted into a clean-burning fuel, which powers the engine, and which produces a very high torque, enabling efficient and powerful performance.
Latest articles from Jpost
The Nakash brothers, prominent businessmen and the founders of Jordache Enterprises, who, says Eitan, “have the same passion that we do for developing alternate energy,” joined with the Shmueli family and invested in MayMaan to help develop Yehuda’s vision from a proof of concept into an actual finished product.
MORE  https://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/Israeli-develops-piston-engine-that-runs-on-water-alcohol-no-gas-605425?fbclid=IwAR1CwY0c_xpPGzPJIvrhk8SOO_9B-RtK4blT_vNC9Ij_4ijbhCeJLRF3BOQ




https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Irans-Ayatollah-Khamenei-renews-ban-on-talks-with-US-report-606690
IRAN'S AYATOLLAH KHAMENEI RENEWS BAN ON TALKS WITH U.S. - REPORT
"America has always borne hostility towards Iran."
BY SETH J. FRANTZMAN, REUTERS  NOVEMBER 3, 2019 14:42 
2 minute read.
Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei renews ban on talks with U.S. - report
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks live on television after casting his ballot in the Iranian presidential election in Tehran June 12, 2009. (photo credit: REUTERS/CAREN FIROUZ)

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sought to prevent negotiations with the US administration of Donald Trump, arguing the Americans will not make any concessions. “Negotiating with the US is futile,” he said Sunday. "Those who believe that negotiations with the enemy will solve our problems are 100% wrong."

His logic is that the US won’t make concessions. He also said the US wants to bring Iran to the table by forcing it to its knees. “Nothing will reduce sanctions and pressure,” he said. In addition he pointed out that Iran now has precision guided missiles that can travel 2,000km that can hit a target within a meter of accuracy. So why would Iran need to negotiate away its rights to these missiles, he argued.

Read More Related Articles
Rocket sirens sound in Gaza border communities
Saudi Arabia to list oil company Aramco on stock exchange
 
Here is How Much A Stairlift Should Cost. Search For Stairlift Companies Near Me (home.trendysearches.com)
Recommended by
Relations between the two foes have reached a crisis over the past year after Trump abandoned a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and world powers under which Tehran accepted curbs to its nuclear program in return for lifting sanctions.

“They are currently saying ‘don’t be active in the region, do not help the resistance [i.e Hezbollah], don’t be in some countries [i.e Syria], and stop your missile defense and production,’” the Ayatollah noted. He said that if Iran bends to these demands then the US will demand Iran become a secular country and let women walk around showing their hair. “American demands will never stop.”

Washington has reimposed sanctions aimed at halting all Iranian oil exports, saying it seeks to force Iran to negotiate to reach a wider deal. Khamenei has banned Iranian officials from holding such talks unless the United States returns to the nuclear deal and lifts all sanctions.

It is a slippery slope for Iran’s regime, if it gives up its missiles, it might have to give up laws trying to control how women dress. It won’t allow the US to trim its air defense or trim its use of the veil. For the supreme leader all are entwined. Khamenei’s comments matter because the Trump administration was rumored to want a meeting with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani. Now that won’t be in the cards.

Iran has said that it will wait for the next US president. It will not accept any conditions and the US would have to return to the Iran Deal and end sanctions to start any discussion. Iran’s view is that the US has failed in discussions with Cuba and North Korea, so a erratic US administration is not worth dealing with. Anyway, from the regime’s point of view, Iran has been very successful lately in the region.
Latest articles from Jpost
IAF hits Hamas targets following rocket barrage
The anniversary of the seizure of the U.S. embassy shortly after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution is marked in Iran with demonstrations of crowds chanting "Death to America" across the country.

The embassy capture cemented the hostility between the two countries which has remained a central fact in Middle East geopolitics and an important part of Iran's national ideology. Iran, which accused the United States of supporting brutal policies of its ousted Shah, held 52 Americans for 444 days at the embassy, which it called the Den of Spies.
"The U.S. has not changed since decades ago ... it continues the same aggressive, vicious behavior and the same international dictatorship," Khamenei said.
"America has always borne hostility towards Iran."
Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>


https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/WATCH-Netanyahu-addresses-the-opening-of-Christian-Media-summit-606729
NETANYAHU: WITHOUT ISRAEL, IRAN WOULD HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS
“Jerusalem is a united city,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “As long as I have anything to do with it, it will never be divided again. Ever.”
BY MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN  NOVEMBER 3, 2019 21:27 
3 minute read
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the kick-off event of the Christian Media Summit and the inaugu
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the kick-off event of the Christian Media Summit and the inauguration of the Friends of Zion Museum’s media center.. (photo credit: AMOS BEN-GERSHOM/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel is committed to keeping Iran from entrenching itself militarily on its borders and that were it not for Israel, Tehran would already possess nuclear weapons.

“We have one main goal and that is to make sure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons and that its march toward an empire and conquest has stopped,” Netanyahu told a crowd of more than 200 people at the kick-off event of the Christian Media Summit and the inauguration of the Friends of Zion Museum’s media center. Netanyahu hung a mezuzah on the door of the center at the start of the ceremony.

Read More Related Articles
Ivanka Trump releases picture of husband Jared at Western Wall
A lost temple – new findings might shatter Biblical archeology paradigm
 
How Much do Solar Panels Actually Cost? (Solar Checker)
Recommended by
He noted that President Donald Trump’s “maximum economic pressure on Iran” is having an effect. “We can see that,” he said, adding that “If Israel was not here, Iran would already have nuclear weapons.”

The Christian Media Summit, sponsored by the Government Press Office, is a four-day summit of 150 people from 30 countries – Christian evangelicals that the government hopes to turn into a cadre of strong, pro-Israel ambassadors for the Jewish state.

As such, the prime minister leveraged the evening to drive home the message of a united Jerusalem.
“Jerusalem is a united city,” he said. “As long as I have anything to do with it, it will never be divided again. Ever.”

Netanyahu thanked Trump for relocating the US Embassy to Jerusalem and said he expects more countries to make similar moves in the near future, joking that any country that chose to do so could use a Friends of Zion media center.

He used the platform as a campaign event, too. Touting his close relationships with Middle East leaders, who he said, “no longer perceive Israel as an enemy,” but are working together with the Jewish state to combat militant Islam. He noted that through this strategic military cooperation, the countries are coming closer economically, as well. Eventually, he claimed, this could bring peace in the Middle East.

“There is a clear shift, and this is important for peace,” Netanyahu said. “This is the way that peace will ultimately be achieved.”
Mike Evans, the founder of Friends of Zion and of Trump’s evangelical advisory committee, said he supported the prime minister, too. In his speech at the opening of the ceremony, he said he hopes that Netanyahu will be able to use the media center in the future as prime minister.
Latest articles from Jpost

READ MORE
IAF hits Hamas targets following rocket barrage

“I dearly love this man,” he told the crowd. He also said that it is not only Trump who “trusts Benjamin Netanyahu,” but that many leaders in the Middle East whom he visits with, from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to King Abdullah II of Jordan, ask about the prime minister.

“The trust factor is important,” he said.

Then he used the platform to hint that there may be more surprises for Netanyahu and the Jewish state from Trump in the near future.

“I cannot say anything, so I didn’t say anything, but don’t be surprised if there is a surprise coming soon for Israel from him,” Evans said, announcing a new “Trump exhibition” at the museum.

“Evangelicals don’t want Judea and Samaria sacrificed for pettiness,” he continued, cautioning that “there is no guarantee you will have [such support] after November.”

During his speech, Evans also announced a new “Ambassador’s Institute” that will train 100,000 Christians to be ambassadors for Israel in their own country, “to defend Israel’s brand and to combat antisemitism.” He announced the creation of FOZi, an online academy to virtually train tens of millions of evangelicals, the first evangelical think tank and the first evangelical research center.

Also in attendance were US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion.

The conference’s theme is the “recognition of the Golan as an integral part of our country,” GPO director Nitzan Chen said, noting that conference visitors will travel to the Golan and meet and pray with residents.

Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>

https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/US-carries-out-op-against-ISIS-leader-unclear-if-successful-report-605928
ISIS LEADER AL-BAGHDADI KILLED IN U.S. SPECIAL OPS RAID
The elusive Islamic State leader has led the group since 2010, when it was still an underground al Qaeda offshoot in Iraq.
BY REUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF  OCTOBER 27, 2019 16:37 
4 minute read.
ISIS leader al-Baghdadi killed in U.S. Special Ops raid
A MAN purported to be Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi speaks in this screen grab taken from video released on April 29.. (photo credit: REUTERS)


The United States military conducted an operation against elusive Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Saturday, a US official said, as President Donald Trump prepared to make a "major statement" at the White House on Sunday morning.

After previous reports remained vague, a senior Pentagon official and an Army official both confirmed to Newsweek that the operation was successful, and that the man killed was indeed Baghdadi. Official confirmation is currently pending DNA testing.  

Read More Related Articles
Vietnamese woman texts parents: ‘I’m dying because I can’t breathe.'
Likud campaign officials under investigation for harassing state witness
 
The World's Strongest Military In The World Isn't Who You Thought (Editor Choice)
Recommended by
According to Newsweek's report, following a brief firefight while US forces were advancing to Baghdadi's compound, he committed suicide by activating an explosive vest. Two of his wives were killed as well when they detonated their explosive vests.

The operation was carried out by US Joint Special Operations Command's Delta Team, according to the report.

Iraq said on Sunday that its National Intelligence Service found Islamic State leader Baghdadi's location and provided it to the US.

"After constant monitoring and the formation of a specialized task force over an entire year, the Iraqi National Intelligence Service acting on accurate information was able to locate the den in which the head of Daesh terrorists Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and those with him were hiding in the Syrian province of Idlib," the Iraqi military said in a statement.

Iran was informed by sources in Syria that al-Baghdadi had been killed, two Iranian officials told Reuters on Sunday.
Latest articles from Jpost
"Iran was informed about Baghdadi's death by Syrian officials, who got it from the field," one of the officials said. The second Iranian official confirmed it.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that nine people died in the US offensive on Baghdadi's compound, while Iraq was informed by sources in Syria that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed, two Iraqi security sources told Reuters on Sunday.

"Our sources from inside Syria have confirmed to the Iraqi intelligence team tasked with pursuing Baghdadi that he has been killed alongside his personal bodyguard in Idlib, after his hiding place was discovered when he tried to get his family out of Idlib towards the Turkish border," said one of the sources.

Iraqi state TV claimed on Sunday that Iraqi intelligence had assisted in pointing out the exact location of al-Baghdadi.

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley announced late on Saturday that Trump would make a "major statement" at 9 a.m. EST (1300 GMT) on Sunday. He gave no further details as to the topic of Trump's statement.

The president gave an indication that something was afoot earlier on Saturday night when he tweeted without explanation, "Something very big has just happened!"

Trump has been frustrated by the US news media's heavy focus on the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry, which he calls an illegitimate witch hunt.

He has also faced withering criticism from both Republicans and Democrats alike for his US troop withdrawal from northeastern Syria, which permitted Turkey to attack America's Kurdish allies.

Many critics of Trump's Syria pullout have expressed worries that it would lead the Islamic State militancy to regain strength and pose a threat to US interests. An announcement about Baghdadi's death could help blunt those concerns.

Trump was expected to make the statement in the White House Diplomatic Reception Room, which he has used to make a number of major announcements.

Just last week, he used the same room to announce that a ceasefire between Turkey and the Kurds had taken hold.

For days, US officials had feared that Islamic State would seek to capitalize on the upheaval in Syria. But they also saw a potential opportunity, in which Islamic State leaders might break from more secretive routines to communicate with operatives, potentially creating a chance for the United States and its allies to detect them.

Baghdadi was long thought to be hiding somewhere along the Iraq-Syria border. He has led the group since 2010, when it was still an underground al-Qaeda offshoot in Iraq.

On September 16, Islamic State's media network issued a 30-minute audio message purporting to come from Baghdadi, in which he said operations were taking place daily and called on supporters to free women jailed in camps in Iraq and Syria over their alleged links to his group.

In the audio message, Baghdadi also said that the United States and its proxies had been defeated in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that it had been "dragged" into Mali and Niger.

At the height of its power, Islamic State ruled over millions of people, in territory running from northern Syria through towns and villages along the Tigris and Euphrates valleys to the outskirts of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

But the fall in 2017 of Mosul and Raqqa, its strongholds in Iraq and Syria respectively, stripped Baghdadi, an Iraqi, of the trappings of a caliph and turned him into a fugitive thought to be moving along the desert border between Iraq and Syria.

US air strikes killed most of his top lieutenants, and before Islamic State published a video message of Baghdadi in April, there had been conflicting reports over whether he was alive.

Despite losing its last significant territory, Islamic State is believed to have sleeper cells around the world, and some fighters operate from the shadows in Syria's desert and Iraq's cities.

Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/US-peace-team-to-visit-Israel-by-end-of-month-604989

WASHINGTON – The US peace team is expected to visit Israel and Saudi Arabia by the end of the month, sources familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post.

Jared Kushner, Brian Hook and Avi Berkowitz will arrive in Jerusalem on October 27 and are expected to meet with both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White co-leader Benny Gantz. The purpose of the visit is to gain a better understanding of the coalition formation process, as the team is still considering when it should release the political component of the administration’s peace plan.

Read More Related Articles
Largest photovoltaic power plant in Israel to commence operations
New Israel Guinness World Record: Largest stencil artwork on earth
 
[Pics] The Controversial Scene That Ended 'Bewitched' (History 101)
Recommended by
From Jerusalem, the team will continue to Riyadh to participate in an economic conference.

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said on Wednesday that the administration is waiting for a coalition in Israel to be formed so the plan can be released.

“We want a government, we desperately want a government – we want a government as much as Israelis do,” he told Israel National News in an interview.

“Israel is disserved by having this transitionary [sic] period for so long,” he added. “When the government is formed, no matter who forms the government, we’ll put out the plan, and we’ll do so in a way that we can immediately guide the government’s response to the plan.”

Friedman said no one should be required to leave his home as a part of a future peace agreement.
Latest articles from Jpost

“Having seen the experience of the evacuation of Gaza, I don’t believe that there is a realistic plan that can be implemented that will require anyone, Jew or Arab, to be forced to leave their home,” Friedman said. “That would be a recipe for disaster. It almost caused a civil war on much, much less aggressive circumstances in Gaza, compared to Judea and Samaria. So we are not of the view that any forced evacuations are achievable. And I say that for both Jewish and Arab perspectives.”

https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Pence-Turkey-will-pause-operation-to-allow-Kurdish-withdrawal-604996
U.S. AND TURKEY AGREED TO A CEASEFIRE IN SYRIA, SAYS PENCE
Pompeo to meet Netanyahu in Jerusalem Friday
BY REUTERS, OMRI NAHMIAS, TOVAH LAZAROFF  OCTOBER 18, 2019 00:07 
 
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks to reporters at a news conference at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, October 17, 2019.. (photo credit: HUSEYIN ALDEMIR/REUTERS)

The US has reached a deal with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a ceasefire in northern Syria to end an eight-day Turkish offensive against Kurdish-led forces, US Vice President Mike Pence told reporters in Ankara on Thursday evening.

A jubilant US President Donald Trump immediately tweeted from Washington: “Millions of lives will be saved!

Read More Related Articles
Asher Hazut, 14, who was struck by lightning on Zikim beach passed away
Trump warned Erdogan in an Oct 9 letter: 'Don't be a tough guy'
 
Who Is the Richest Women in the UK? (Investing.com)
Recommended by
“This deal could NEVER have been made 3 days ago. There needed to be some ‘tough’ love in order to get it done. Great for everybody. Proud of all!

“This is a great day for civilization. I am proud of the United States for sticking by me in following a necessary, but somewhat unconventional, path. People have been trying to make this ‘Deal’ for many years,” Trump continued.

Pence set out the steps that would occur over the first five days, before the permanent ceasefire set in.

“The Turkish side will pause Operation Peace Spring in order to allow for the withdrawal of [Kurdish] YPG forces from the safe zone for 120 hours,” said Pence. “All military operations under Operation Peace Spring will be paused, and Operation Peace Spring will be halted entirely on completion of the withdrawal. Our administration has already been in contact with Syrian defense forces, and we have already begun to facilitate their safe withdrawal from the nearly 20-mile [32-km.] wide safe zone area south of the Turkish border in Syria.”

News of a ceasefire came as it appeared that US credibility in the region was at an all-time low. It had seemed as if Pence and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s meeting with Erdogan in Ankara had almost no chance of success.
Latest articles from Jpost
Pompeo: U.S. policy on Turkish attack hasn’t endangered Israel
Pompeo is scheduled to fly from Ankara to Israel, where he is slated to update Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday morning in Jerusalem before heading to Brussels to meet with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

In Ankara, Pence explained that with the implementation of the ceasefire, the United States will not impose any further sanctions on Turkey, “and once a permanent ceasefire is in effect, the president has agreed to withdraw the economic sanctions that were imposed this last Monday.”

He set out the steps that would occur over the first five days, before the permanent cease fire set in.

CNN Politics

@CNNPolitics
Vice President Mike Pence: "The United States and Turkey have agreed to a ceasefire in Syria" https://cnn.it/32oyvFv 

Embedded video
325
6:52 PM - Oct 17, 2019
Twitter Ads info and privacy
352 people are talking about this


As part of the understanding between the countries, Turkey would not take any military action against Kurds in Kobani, Pence said.

“The United States and Turkey have both mutually committed to a peaceful resolution and future for the safe zone, working on an international basis to ensure that peace and security define this border region of Syria,” the vice president explained.

He said the two countries are “committed to defeat ISIS activities in northeast Syria,” and that the sides decided to renew an agreement to coordinate efforts on detention facilities and internally displaced persons in formerly ISIS-controlled areas.

“Turkey and the United States agreed on the priority of respecting vulnerable human life, human rights and, particularly, the protection of religious and ethnic communities in the region,” Pence continued. “I spoke to President Trump just a few moments ago, and I know the president is very grateful for President Erdogan’s willingness to step forward, to enact this ceasefire and to give an opportunity for a peaceful solution of this conflict that commenced one week ago.”

The vice president said US forces in the region had already begun to facilitate a safe disengagement of YPG units.

“Turkey’s had a great concern about their border,” the vice president added. “And while the United States of America did not approve of their military crossing into Syria, we have always endorsed a safe zone, and it was a matter of discussion and negotiations. We believe that the Kurdish population in Syria, with which we have a strong relationship, will continue to endure. The United States will always be grateful for our partnership with SDF in defeating ISIS, but we recognize the importance and the value of a safe zone to create a buffer between Syria proper and the Kurdish population and the Turkish border.”

He said Trump was against the Turkish military operation.

“Make no mistake about it. President Trump was very clear with our ally Turkey about American opposition to Turkish military forces entering Syria. The president made that clear in his discussions and his correspondence with President Erdogan. Our team is already working with YPG personnel in the safe zone for an orderly withdrawal outside the 20-mile mark.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara had gotten what it wanted.

“We will pause Operation Peace Spring for PKK/YPG to leave the safe zone. This is not a ceasefire – ceasefires can only happen between two legitimate sides,” he told a news conference.

“When the terrorist elements completely leave the safe zone, we can stop the operation.”

Ankara considers the YPG a terrorist organization with links to Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in Turkey. YPG was a main US ally in the fight against Islamic State.

Cavusoglu said the two sides had agreed for heavy arms to be taken from the YPG and for their positions to be destroyed – fulfilling a long-held request by Ankara.

Contradicting Pence, Cavusoglu also said Turkey had given no guarantees regarding the Syrian border town of Kobani. He said Turkey would discuss the town of Manbij and other regions with Russia, which, along with the Syrian government forces, have deployed in several positions vacated by the United States.

After Pence and Erdogan met at the presidential palace, talks between Turkish and U.S. delegations continued for over four hours - well past their expected duration.

Pence's mission was to persuade Erdogan to halt the internationally condemned offensive, but Turkish officials had said before the meeting began that the action would continue regardless.

The Turkish assault has created a new humanitarian crisis in Syria with 200,000 civilians being uprooted, over thousands of Islamic State fighters being abandoned in Kurdish jails, and a political maelstrom at home for Trump.

Trump has been accused of abandoning Kurdish-led fighters, Washington’s main partners in the battle to dismantle Islamic State’s self-declared caliphate in Syria.

Trump had defended his move on Wednesday as “strategically brilliant.” He said he thought Pence and Erdogan would have a successful meeting, but warned of sanctions and tariffs that would “be devastating to Turkey’s economy” otherwise.

FORMER PM OLMERT SLAMS NETANYAHU FOR 'STRATEGIC FAILURE' ON IRAN
Olmert looks at Trump’s Syria decision and Turkey’s attacks on Kurds, and argues that they are more examples of why Israel can only rely on itself.
BY SETH J. FRANTZMAN  OCTOBER 15, 2019 18:52 
Former PM Olmert slams Netanyahu for 'strategic failure' on Iran
Incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert speak on the plenum floor at the start of the swearing-in ceremony for Netanyahu's new government at parliament in Jerusalem March 31, 2009. (photo credit: DAVID SILVERMAN / REUTERS)
Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel focused on Iran’s nuclear threat at the expense of ignoring Iran’s penetration into Syria, former prime minister Ehud Olmert said in an interview on Saturday.
“Israel’s greatest security defense failure – the greatest in the last 50 years, since the Yom Kippur War – is that we allowed Iran to penetrate into Syria,” he said, slamming Netanyahu for playing on the politics of fear and misreading US President Donald Trump’s policies.
Why Over 60s Should Release Equity From Their Homes (Telegraph Equity Release)
Recommended by
Olmert was attending the Rhodes Forum of the Dialogue of Civilizations over the weekend, when he spoke about Israel’s current political challenges and his own experience as prime minister.
In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, he discussed Israel’s current dilemmas in Syria, the Trump administration and Netanyahu’s failures. Noting that Netanyahu “laid the foundations of strategic policy” in the region, he recalled that “Netanyahu was obsessed with trying to fight Iran in Iran and destroy the atomic, or what he considered the nuclear installations.”
But Iran began to penetrate into Syria, particularly in the context of the Syrian civil war, when Iran sent its Revolutionary Guard Corps to bolster Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad’s forces.
“At some point while the Iranians were already in Syria, we started to attack them [with] our air attacks,” Olmert told the Post. Not only that, “but following every attack we made public, provocative statements that warned and threatened the Iranians with complete destruction. That we could attack them directly and speak about it publicly is living proof we could do the same while they were trying to enter into Syria, which changed entirely the perception of danger that we have to face in the north part of the country.”
READ MORE https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Former-PM-Olmert-slams-Netanyahu-for-strategic-failure-on-Iran-604699

HUNDREDS RALLY IN SUPPORT OF THE KURDS IN TEL AVIV
"The Kurds stopped a world-wide disaster. Israel could and should do more.”
BY ANNA AHRONHEIM  OCTOBER 15, 2019 23:16 
3 minute read.
 

 
Hundreds rally in support of the Kurds in Tel Aviv
Hundreds rally in support of the Kurds in Tel Aviv. (photo credit: ANNA AHRONHEIM)


More than 100 people took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Tuesday to protest Turkey’s military operation in northern Syria, calling on the international community to stop the “genocide of the Kurdish people.”

Organized by political activist Maj. (res.) Yair Fink, the demonstration began in front of the Turkish Embassy on Hayarkon Street and continued south to the US Embassy branch office.

Read More Related Articles
Vladimir Putin: Russia working on a free trade zone with Israel and Egypt
Trump swears allegiance to Israel as he decries endless Middle East wars
 
Cheap Airline Ticket Options May Surprise You (Flights | Sponsored Listings)
Recommended by
“It’s our moral obligation as Jews to help them,” Fink told The Jerusalem Post during the rally, adding that Israel should help the Kurds in northern Syria by providing ammunition and clothing, and “convincing the world to be on their side and not ignore them.”

Fink penned a letter last week signed by more than 150 IDF reservists calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi to provide military and humanitarian support to the Kurds.

“We, as Israelis and Jews, must not stand by when we see another nation abandoned by its allies and is left defenseless,” read the online petition. “We remember very well the blood of our people, what happens when the nations of the world abandon the fate of a people.”

While neither Netanyahu nor Kochavi have responded to the petition, Fink said that 100 people showing up to demonstrate was a success.

“In the middle of the [Sukkot] holiday for hundreds of Israeli coming out to protest is a success that we hope will help the Kurdish people,” he said.
Latest articles from Jpost
Attended by both Israeli Jews and Druze, the protest was one of many that have taken place across the country since the Turkish offensive in northeastern Syria began last week.
“America – don’t let Trump enable genocide on your behalf,” read one placard.
“Israel stands with the Kurdish people,” read another.
“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything,” read a third sign with the face of Hevrin Khalaf.
The Kurdish political leader, her driver and seven others were killed on Sunday by fighters allied with Ankara on a highway outside Tel Abyad in northern Syria, after they were pulled from their cars. The murders were captured on camera phone.
Ari and Natan, two Kurds who took part in the demonstration, told the Post that Israel and the international community should support the Kurdish people against the Turkish offensive.
“We are here to support our country,” Ari said. “It’s amazing that Israel is supporting us. Israel is a small country but it can support more people and could potentially bring more Kurds here. They can die where they are right now. Israel has the power to save lives, and they could! The Kurds aren’t terrorists. If it wasn’t for the Kurds, ISIS would still be around. They would be carrying out more bombings, more attacks around the world. The Kurds stopped a worldwide disaster. Israel could and should do more.”
READ MORE https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Hundreds-rally-in-support-of-the-Kurds-in-Tel-Aviv-604721
 
 Jerusalem Post Middle East
THE SCRAMBLE FOR EASTERN SYRIA: ISIS PRISONERS, RUSSIA, ASSAD, TURKEY
Eastern Syria was plunged into chaos by the Trump decision, but attempts to make the ship a bit more stable have also been frustrated by how large and complex the area is.
BY SETH J. FRANTZMAN  OCTOBER 15, 2019 17:06 
 

 
Cars pass under a road sign that shows the direction to Manbij city, at the entrance of Manbij, Syria. (photo credit: REUTERS/OMAR SANADIKI)
Manbij, a city in northern Syria, appeared to change hands on Tuesday from the US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces to Syrian regime control. Maybe. Maybe not. The Syrian regime has been trying to get into Manbij for two days since it inked a confusing deal with leadership linked to the SDF, but the Americans were still there. In the scramble for eastern Syria, set in motion by US President Donald Trump’s October 6 decision to leave, troops on the ground are as clueless as their leaders about the road map ahead.
Eastern Syria was plunged into chaos by the Trump decision, but attempts to make the ship a bit more stable have also been frustrated by how large and complex the area is. With only around 1,000 soldiers, the US was able to support the SDF, which numbers around 100,000 US-trained fighters, to hold an area that is larger than the US state of West Virginia and a bit smaller than the Kingdom of Jordan. The US says it is withdrawing in an orderly manner. However, there is no timetable. Instead, the US opened the airspace to Turkish airstrikes and moved forces back bit-by-bit from the border so that Turkey could attack the US partners on the ground.
READ MORE https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/The-scramble-for-eastern-Syria-ISIS-prisoners-Russia-Assad-Turkey-604712



FORMER PM OLMERT SLAMS NETANYAHU FOR 'STRATEGIC FAILURE' ON IRAN
Olmert looks at Trump’s Syria decision and Turkey’s attacks on Kurds, and argues that they are more examples of why Israel can only rely on itself.
BY SETH J. FRANTZMAN  OCTOBER 15, 2019 18:52 
 

 
Former PM Olmert slams Netanyahu for 'strategic failure' on Iran
Incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert speak on the plenum floor at the start of the swearing-in ceremony for Netanyahu's new government at parliament in Jerusalem March 31, 2009. (photo credit: DAVID SILVERMAN / REUTERS)
Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel focused on Iran’s nuclear threat at the expense of ignoring Iran’s penetration into Syria, former prime minister Ehud Olmert said in an interview on Saturday.
“Israel’s greatest security defense failure – the greatest in the last 50 years, since the Yom Kippur War – is that we allowed Iran to penetrate into Syria,” he said, slamming Netanyahu for playing on the politics of fear and misreading US President Donald Trump’s policies.
Why Over 60s Should Release Equity From Their Homes (Telegraph Equity Release)
Recommended by
Olmert was attending the Rhodes Forum of the Dialogue of Civilizations over the weekend, when he spoke about Israel’s current political challenges and his own experience as prime minister.
In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, he discussed Israel’s current dilemmas in Syria, the Trump administration and Netanyahu’s failures. Noting that Netanyahu “laid the foundations of strategic policy” in the region, he recalled that “Netanyahu was obsessed with trying to fight Iran in Iran and destroy the atomic, or what he considered the nuclear installations.”
But Iran began to penetrate into Syria, particularly in the context of the Syrian civil war, when Iran sent its Revolutionary Guard Corps to bolster Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad’s forces.
“At some point while the Iranians were already in Syria, we started to attack them [with] our air attacks,” Olmert told the Post. Not only that, “but following every attack we made public, provocative statements that warned and threatened the Iranians with complete destruction. That we could attack them directly and speak about it publicly is living proof we could do the same while they were trying to enter into Syria, which changed entirely the perception of danger that we have to face in the north part of the country.”
READ MORE https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Former-PM-Olmert-slams-Netanyahu-for-strategic-failure-on-Iran-604699

https://israelunwired.com/uncovered-5000-year-old-city-the-largest-in-ancient-israel/
Uncovering the Past
The archaeological finds in the State of Israel are perhaps the most staggering in the world. What is being revealed underneath the Walls of the Old City and around the area of the Temple Mount is simply unbelievable. Full stories of the Bible come out clearly with every foot of dirt that is unearthed. King David’s tumultuous life is not simply a story to read about anymore. It can be experienced and walked through right outside the Walls of the Old City. In addition, all kinds of questions about Bible interpretation are now able to be solved due to discoveries that have been unearthed
5,000-Year Old City, Largest in Ancient Israel, Exposed in Sharon Valley
JewishPressTV
Widespread excavations at the En Esur (Ein Asawir) archaeological site, located near Wadi Ara, a major artery that stretches from Hadera to Afula in the northern Sharon valley, reveal a planned city from the Bronze Age (end of the 4th millennium BCE), surrounded by a fortification wall, with residential and public squares, streets and alleys.
WATCH https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=uOvimltzKtk
But the basic question of faith in God needs to be dealt with. Do we believe based on what has been discovered? If so, should beliefs be weakened because of discoveries that seemingly contradict what is written. Or do we believe based on other criteria? The answer is that belief in God should absolutely not be based on archaeology. Yes, archaeology is a science. However, that does not indicate that we should base decisions on it. It is a science with some question marks. But moreso, there are far greater reasons for people to base their belief in God. God has been guiding our history since the beginning of time. His involvement is the main reason that one should believe in God’s existence.
Those who think that things are conclusive because of some archaeological evidence are probably overstating things. But those who mock the importance of archaeological finds are ignoring what is one of the best proofs that exist of the ancient world.

Gunman kills two and throws grenade near synagogue before fleeing
Zoe DrewettWednesday 9 Oct 2019 12:23 pm

Two people have died after a gunman opened fire outside a synagogue in Germany. Several others were injured in the attack in the eastern city of Halle this morning. 
Police confirmed the fatalities and said one suspect has been arrested. They urged residents to remain vigilant. A kebab shop in the city was also targeted by the gunman, German news site Focus Online reports. 
A police spokesman told local TV channel NTV they are dealing with two crime scenes – the kebab shop and synagogue.
 The suspect arrested is male and there are indications of three attackers but so far this is speculative, the spokesman said. Jewish people are today celebrating Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in Judaism, when worshippers fast for more than 24 hours, seeking atonement.

A victim was covered by a sheet in the road in Halle (Picture: AP)
Police walk through a street close to the site of the shooting (Picture: Getty)

Witnesses said the attacker threw a grenade over a wall into a Jewish cemetery (Picture: AP)

Police secure the area close to the synagogue after the shooting in the eastern German city of Halle (Picture: Reuters) A gunman is believed to have used a machine gun outside the synagogue before a ‘grenade or molotov cocktail’ was also thrown into a nearby Jewish cemetery. Local police said on Twitter: ‘There were several shots. The alleged perpetrators have fled with a vehicle. ‘We are searching urgently and ask citizens to remain in their homes.’ A tweet has appeared online appearing to show the shooter walking the streets of Halle holding a rifle and wearing camouflage and a helmet.
One man at the scene told reporters: ‘I heard gun shots. I saw a man with a machine gun, I think but I’m [not sure].’ When asked what the man’s face looked like, the witness said: ‘I didn’t see anything. Only that he had a machine gun and had shot a woman.’ The man said he looked ‘similar to police officers, with a helmet and protective clothing’. An eyewitness reported that a man in a mask and ‘military’ clothes had also attacked the kebab shop in Halle, firing shots with an assault rifle.

The kebab grill in Halle, Germany, the scene of a second shooting in the city (Picture: AP)
 Police said at least two people are dead (Picture: AFP) 
Witnesses said a gunman was dressed in ‘military-type clothing’ (Picture: Reuters) 

They then said a ‘grenade-like’ object was thrown at the shop, but it bounced off the door frame and ‘went up’. The owner of the kebab restaurant told Focus Online he was not in the shop at the time but his employees were not hurt. He reported that one customer was killed. The Halle regional broadcaster said that after the suspects fled Halle there was another shooting in Landsberg, a city 15 miles north-east. People living there were also warned to stay inside by police

It is understood that one of the victims was a woman who had been shot (Picture: Getty) Police block the area around the site of the shooting (Picture: Getty) National rail operator Deutsche Bahn said the main train station in Halle – a city of 240,000 – was closed down as a precaution. It comes after a series of raids were carried out last night by police in connection with threatening far-right emails sent to mosques, political parties, the media and migrant reception centres across Germany. The raids were prompted by investigations into 23 emails sent to recipients across Germany over a two-week period in July that contained threats of bomb attacks, among other things. The authors signed off as People’s Front, Combat 18 or Blood And Honour.

Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/09/one-woman-dead-shooting-outside-synagogue-germany-10888531/?ico=pushly-notifcation-small&utm_source=pushly?ito=cbshare
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MetroUK | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetroUK/

https://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/bds-new-face-of-classic-antisemitism-what-will-we-do-to-stop-it/2019/10/07/?fbclid=IwAR38UqbiyLE328GftoTE8wmsabV3qFjwCZ3ZNux4MUqKoDpAHZEje5TurKw
Originally posted to the author’s website}

The dishonest proponents of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement have long claimed that they simply aim to further human rights. For years, they were able to recruit many progressives including Jews to support and justify their campaigns. Yet, in recent weeks, the true nature of this hate movement has been acknowledged in unprecedented ways.

After more than a decade of deception, new evidence is being presented by a range of governments, international organizations, and media outlets to show that BDS is nothing but a front for anti-Semitic hate groups and terrorists that seek nothing less than the destruction of the State of Israel. It is the new face of the old antisemitism. The world is just waking up to this horrifying truth, which sheds light on what America can do to address this growing hatred around the world.

On September 24, 2019, the United Nations — a body with no love for Israel and a well-documented history of bias against the Jewish State — released an unprecedented report on the worldwide spread of anti-Semitism. The UN acknowledged that anti-Semitism is growing around the world, wearing one of three faces: on the far left, the far right, and among radical Islamists. In the report, the UN recognizes for the first time that “the objectives, activities, and effects of the BDS movement are fundamentally anti-Semitic.”

The next day, the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy released a landmark report “Behind the Mask – the Antisemitic Nature of BDS Exposed that reveals the rampant antisemitism within the BDS movement, including its calls for violence against Jews and the dismantlement of Israel. The report demonstrates how the BDS movement has intensified hatred against Jews around the world and provides 80 examples of antisemitism by key activists in the BDS movement. It documents the true face of BDS: a 15-year-old campaign that promotes demonization and delegitimization of the State of Israel, and, in so doing, has exacerbated antisemitic rhetoric against Jews worldwide.

It followed another bombshell Israeli government report from earlier this year, titled “Terrorists in Suits”, which revealed more than 100 different connections linking Palestinian terrorist groups to BDS organizations. The report documented how Palestinian terrorist groups and the anti-Israel boycott campaign work together in pursuit of their goal to wipe Israel off the map, given that the terrorists view boycotts as a complementary tactic to their violent activities.

The report showed how Hamas, Fatah, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine have ties to at least 13 anti-Israel NGOs, and have managed to place more than 30 of their members, including members who have previously sat in jail, some for murder, in senior positions inside of BDS organizations. The boycott organizations and terrorist-designated organizations fundraise together and share the same personnel. Contrary to popular belief, these officials have not abandoned their support for terrorism, but instead continue to maintain organizational, financial and active ties with terrorist groups.

All of these reports followed a similar acknowledgment last summer by the German Parliament, which likened the BDS movement to the Nazis. It voted overwhelmingly for a resolution, which made clear BDS is not only antisemitic but also deploys methods reminiscent of Nazi-era calls to boycott Jews. The resolution came after the top German intelligence agency published a comprehensive analysis of rising antisemitism stemming from the BDS groups. These BDS groups were found to radicalize all other hate groups to create an ecosystem that breeds violent antisemitic attacks.

Germany now is working to be on the right side of history as they vividly remember when Nazis urged gentiles not to buy products from Jews, a boycott that escalated into outright theft, displacement, and eventually, the slaughter of six million Jews. It is time for others to follow.

The majority of the recent reports on the connection of the BDS movement to both terrorism and antisemitism make many different recommendations on how to stop the growing antisemitism of our era, one of which is of particular note: that countries should accept the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and uphold its principles and outlaw the BDS Movement.

The IHRA working definition is a concise description of a complex hatred that takes many forms. It reads: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

The people who lead the BDS movement bring many different kinds of antisemitic hatred into our public conversation, and the IHRA definition helps identify the sort of bigotry that they spread. It defines anti-Semitism as accusing Jews or Israel of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust, accusing Jews of dual loyalty, using blood libel to criticize Israel, comparing Israel to the Nazis, holding the Jewish state to a double standard, or, in one of its purest forms of hate, denying the Jewish people the right to self-determination.

Now that many in the world are finally acknowledging just how evil BDS is, our Jewish community and fellow Americans must follow suit. Governments and NGOs must adopt the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. Our local, state and federal government must pass laws and resolutions that condemn and delegitimize the vile hatred of BDS. Politicians and bureaucrats should stop funding educational programs that include BDS’s bigotry. Financial platforms not to provide services to BDS organizations that publish antisemitic content or that have links to terror, and we shall all demand that social media platforms remove antisemitic BDS content.

After a decade of excuses and inaction about BDS, it seems that some are finally waking up to the danger this movement poses not only to the Jewish people but also the basic values of the liberal societies in which we live.

It is on our leaders to build on the recent momentum to inform the public about BDS’ antisemitic agenda — its shadowy funding sources, its true aim of denying Jewish self-determination, its lopsided and underhanded tactics, and its connection to terrorism.

BDS is the new face of the old antisemitism, and when it comes to fighting antisemitism, the old adage “better late than never” is particularly apt for our moment. It’s time for us all to get to work.

https://unitedwithisrael.org/pa-capitulates-to-israels-anti-pay-for-slay-law/?utm_source=pushengage&utm_medium=pushnotification&utm_campaign=pushengag
PA Capitulates to Israel’s Anti-‘Pay-for-Slay’ Law
Oct 6, 2019
Related:
Palestinian incitement pay for slaynTerror funding
While the anti-“Pay-for-Slay” law has not yet caused the PA to abandon its “Pay-for-Slay” policy, the fact that the PA is accepting the reduced tax revenues is a good step in the right direction.

By Maurice Hirsch, Adv. and Itamar Marcus, Palestinian Media Watch

After initially refusing to accept any tax revenues Israel collected and transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) because Israel implemented its anti-“Pay-for-Slay” law, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has now capitulated and agreed to accept the vast majority of the funds.

In February 2019, Israel’s cabinet decided to implement one part of the 2018 anti-“Pay-for-Slay” law and started to deduct the sum the PA spent in 2018 paying salaries to terrorist prisoners and released prisoners from the 2019 tax revenues Israel collects and transfers to the PA.

Initially, rejecting Israel’s implementation of the anti-“Pay-for-Slay” law, because he argued that paying financial rewards to Palestinian terrorists is legitimate, Abbas refused to accept the money Israel tranfered and plunged the PA into a self-made financial crisis.
 
“[PA] Minister of Civil Affairs [and Fatah Central Committee member] Hussein Al-Sheikh said yesterday [Feb. 10, 2019] that he has conveyed an official message at the request of [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas that emphasizes that ‘He will refuse to receive the collected [tax] money if Israel deducts even one penny from it.'” [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Feb. 11, 2019]

When he made that decision, Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) speculated that Abbas was probably planning to use the ensuing impoverishment of the Palestinian population as a tactic to put pressure on Israel to transfer to him the money he uses to reward terror. PMW also suggested that he was using the decision as a means to leverage the international community to put pressure on Israel to ignore its own laws. Abbas was also hoping that the international community would again side with the PA against Israel and further subsidize the PA.

As a show of his resolve to plunge the PA economy into the abyss, Abbas decided to cut the salaries of the PA’s law abiding employees by 40-50% while guaranteeing the payment, in full, of the salaries to the terrorists. The PA also stopped allowing Palestinians to receive medical treatment in Israel, under the false claim that Israel was deducting $100 dollars a year for this service. This ban did not apply to senior Fatah figures like Jibril Rajoub, who continued to receive medical treatment in an Israeli hospital.

Abbas’ decision to accept the tax revenues, even though Israel continues to implement its anti-“Pay-for-Slay” law, reflects an understanding that all these goals have failed.

Despite the imminent collapse of the PA due to the self imposed financial crisis, Israel remained steadfast. Every month since February, Israel has deducted about 41.8 million shekels from the tax revenues Israel collects and transfer to the PA. This sum represents one-twelfth of the 502 million shekels PMW exposed that the PA had admitted to spending on salaries to the terrorist prisoners and the released prisoners in 2018.

https://unitedwithisrael.org/pa-capitulates-to-israels-anti-pay-for-slay-law/?utm_source=pushengage&utm_medium=pushnotification&utm_campaign=pushengag
PA Capitulates to Israel’s Anti-‘Pay-for-Slay’ Law
Oct 6, 2019
Related:
Palestinian incitement pay for slaynTerror funding
While the anti-“Pay-for-Slay” law has not yet caused the PA to abandon its “Pay-for-Slay” policy, the fact that the PA is accepting the reduced tax revenues is a good step in the right direction.

By Maurice Hirsch, Adv. and Itamar Marcus, Palestinian Media Watch

After initially refusing to accept any tax revenues Israel collected and transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) because Israel implemented its anti-“Pay-for-Slay” law, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has now capitulated and agreed to accept the vast majority of the funds.

In February 2019, Israel’s cabinet decided to implement one part of the 2018 anti-“Pay-for-Slay” law and started to deduct the sum the PA spent in 2018 paying salaries to terrorist prisoners and released prisoners from the 2019 tax revenues Israel collects and transfers to the PA.

Initially, rejecting Israel’s implementation of the anti-“Pay-for-Slay” law, because he argued that paying financial rewards to Palestinian terrorists is legitimate, Abbas refused to accept the money Israel tranfered and plunged the PA into a self-made financial crisis.
 
“[PA] Minister of Civil Affairs [and Fatah Central Committee member] Hussein Al-Sheikh said yesterday [Feb. 10, 2019] that he has conveyed an official message at the request of [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas that emphasizes that ‘He will refuse to receive the collected [tax] money if Israel deducts even one penny from it.'” [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Feb. 11, 2019]

When he made that decision, Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) speculated that Abbas was probably planning to use the ensuing impoverishment of the Palestinian population as a tactic to put pressure on Israel to transfer to him the money he uses to reward terror. PMW also suggested that he was using the decision as a means to leverage the international community to put pressure on Israel to ignore its own laws. Abbas was also hoping that the international community would again side with the PA against Israel and further subsidize the PA.

As a show of his resolve to plunge the PA economy into the abyss, Abbas decided to cut the salaries of the PA’s law abiding employees by 40-50% while guaranteeing the payment, in full, of the salaries to the terrorists. The PA also stopped allowing Palestinians to receive medical treatment in Israel, under the false claim that Israel was deducting $100 dollars a year for this service. This ban did not apply to senior Fatah figures like Jibril Rajoub, who continued to receive medical treatment in an Israeli hospital.

Abbas’ decision to accept the tax revenues, even though Israel continues to implement its anti-“Pay-for-Slay” law, reflects an understanding that all these goals have failed.

Despite the imminent collapse of the PA due to the self imposed financial crisis, Israel remained steadfast. Every month since February, Israel has deducted about 41.8 million shekels from the tax revenues Israel collects and transfer to the PA. This sum represents one-twelfth of the 502 million shekels PMW exposed that the PA had admitted to spending on salaries to the terrorist prisoners and the released prisoners in 2018.

WATCH: The Truth About Gaza

Oct 6, 2019

Related:
Gaza terror
hamas
Israeli "occupation"
Palestinians in Gaza

 
Did you know that there are actually three Gazas? Let’s take a look at each one.

When you hear about Gaza, it’s usually about the protests against the Israeli “occupation.”

But did you know that there are actually three Gazas?

There’s the Gaza that Hamas wants you to believe exists, the one Hamas wants Gazans to believe exists, and the real Gaza.

Let’s take a look at each one. 
The Gaza Fiction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=rnWgIewtoTc

WATCH: Israeli Researchers Discover How to Stop Spread of Bone Cancer
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-israeli-researchers-discover-how-to-stop-spread-of-bone-cancer/?utm_source=pushengage&utm_medium=pushnotification&utm_campaign=pushengage
Israeli researchers have discovered a new method to keep bone cancer from spreading, giving millions of patients around the world hope!

Ewing sarcoma is a bone cancer that appears primarily in teenagers and affects about 200 children and young adults every year in the United States.

Recently, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have discovered a new way to keep bone cancer from spreading, which has shown promising results in a study on mice.

Their findings are giving millions of young patients around the world hope!

Way to go Israel!

https://unitedwithisrael.org/how-wanted-hamas-terror-leaders-hide-in-turkey-and-lebanon/?
Exposed: Terror Leaders Hiding Out in Turkey and Lebanon
Oct 4, 2019
Related
Iran Lebanon Palestinian terrorTurkey

The US Department of the Treasury in early September announced that it had sanctioned a list of terror leaders from several organizations, including from Hamas and Iran’s Quds Force, many of whom are lurking in nearby Muslim countries.

By Baruch Yedid, TPS

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) stated it utilized newly enhanced counterterrorism measures to sanction 15 terrorist leaders, facilitators, and entities, including individuals from the Islamic State (ISIS), al-Qaeda, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds-Force (IRGC-QF).

Hamas leader Zaher Jabarin was one of the officials sanctioned. Turkey-based Jabarin is the head of Hamas’ finance office. He manages Hamas’ yearly budget amounting to tens of millions of dollars, is in charge of all Hamas’ income from various elements around the world, and seeks additional sources of funding for Hamas.

According to the State Department, Jabarin was focused on developing a financial network in Turkey that would allow Hamas to raise, invest, and launder money before transferring it to terror networks in Gaza, Judea and Samaria.
 
Jabarin has also served as the primary point of contact between Hamas and Iran’s Quds Force. Since 2017, there has been growing contact between IRGC-QF and Hamas officials focused on increased funding from Iran.

An in-depth investigation by TPS into Hamas’ operations in Turkey exposed an elaborate network of senior terrorists who work around the clock to promote terrorism against Israeli targets while operating unhindered on Turkish soil.

The investigation revealed that Jabarin is only one of several senior operatives conducting Hamas’ terrorist activities from abroad.

The operatives include Jihad Ya’more, who participated in the kidnapping of IDF soldier Nachshon Waxman; Jabarin, the finance wizard; Salameh Mara’i, Abdel Hakim Hanini and Mahmoud Atton, all former imprisoned terrorists who were released in the 2011 Shalit Deal. The senior terrorists are well established in Turkey and work on Hamas’ master plan for the terror group’s military buildup.

Turkey
Hamas’ headquarters in Turkey focuses on military buildup and terrorism. Its divisions are responsible for procurement, development and recruitment. Its activities in Turkey and Lebanon are a complicated mission and, to that end, the former Hamas prisoners have set up Hamas’ military administration and terror management.

The HQ is subordinate to Saleh al-Aruri, number two in Hamas and the commander of all military activities. Majd Khader, one of Hamas’ shadow lieutenants, commands the HQ with the assistance of Muhammad Salim and Rabiya Mustafa.

Hamas’ “construction administration” (Dairat al-E’emar) in Turkey is active in the fields of intelligence, operations, personnel security, information security, logistics, planning, training and production, and is responsible for the procurement and development of advanced weapons, fundraising and terrorist financing.

Hamas’ efforts to equip itself with rockets and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are also at the center of its activities.

The production department in the administration works to acquire knowledge and means for rocket and UAV development.

The intelligence division is tasked with accumulating targets for potential attacks.

Logistics oversees smuggling operations, office space management and the acquisition of the required installations.

The finance department is a huge mechanism for paying salaries and purchasing equipment and technology. The department has offices in Istanbul and Lebanon, where the directorate operates training centers.

Before the establishment of the directorate in Turkey, Hamas operated secretly under the name of the “Office for Labor” in Lebanon and Syria, under Jabarin’s and Majed Khader command, both of whom left Syria and settled in Turkey.

Nasser Melawah and Hamed Tamuni are also in Turkey on behalf of “The Office.”

The organization was linked to Professor Jamil Tekali of Turkey, who was arrested by Israel in 2017 while visiting the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Tekali, who was recruited by Jabarin, helped Hamas establish itself in the country by obtaining visas, residentia real estate, commercial properties, and vehicles, in addition to registering companies in his name.

His mission in Israel was to transfer funds to Hamas entities.

Muhammad Dar’am from Umm al-Fahm in Israel, recruited to Hamas by Jabarin and Salameh Ma’rai, was also released in the Shalit Deal. Dar’am acts under the auspices of Hamas’ IMES Company and is tasked with transferring funds from Turkey to Judea and Samaria.

Hamas forged ties with the SADAT Company, which was established by former military officers with ties to Erdogan, including Adnan Basha, a general who was expelled from the military over his ties with extreme elements.

Turkish companies serve Hamas’ interests. Some are owned by senior Hamas officials and money changers in Lebanon help launder the funds.

Two members of the production division in the directorate, Ahmed Shabana from the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Muhammad Koteley from Syria, own the Turkish FARKED company.

Guns and Money
Hamas’ HQ for its terror operations in Judea and Samaria works out of Turkey.

Rami Akraa, sitting in Istanbul, is responsible for some of the terror operations in Judea and Samaria, and Ayman Abu Khalil, also in Istanbul, is responsible for the transfer of funds.

Aruri left Turkey in 2017 and currently resides in Beirut and is in contact with Hezbollah and the Iranians.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shares a similar ideology with the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, and after having been expelled from Syria, Hamas’ leaders have taken refuge in Turkey and have been working unimpeded.

Since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2007, Turkey has expanded its ties with the terror organization and has had direct talks with its top representatives Khaled Mashal and Ismail Haniyeh.

Dr. Ehud Rosen, of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, underscored Turkey’s central place alongside Qatar in supporting and promoting radical Sunni Islam, including Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Salafists and jihadists related to global terrorism.

In many cases, the support comes through semi-official bodies or “civil society” bodies close to Turkey’s ruling party, as well as hosting key personalities and bodies, communication channels, international conferences and more, he explained.

Pinchas Inbari, a veteran Arab affairs correspondent and an analyst for the JCPA, explained that the reason for Turkey’s policy is rooted in Erdogan’s strategic goals to re-establish the Ottoman Empire by strengthening the World Muslim Brotherhood and its Qatari-funded leadership.

He said that Erdogan is working to spark the imagination of devout Sunnis and is concentrating on Jerusalem and its mosques and has abandoned Gaza.

Israel recently submitted an official complaint about Hamas’ activities in the country. Arab sources report that while Turkey has refused to accept Israel’s appeal, it did demand that Hamas provide explanations for its actions.

The sources further reported that Israel has pledged not to harm Hamas on Turkish soil if Turkey takes action against the terrorist organization. Hamas has disputed Turkey’s demand that it come clean about its activities.

Several sources reported that the agreement between Turkey and Hamas stipulates that Hamas must limit its activities to diplomatic issues and refrain from promoting terrorism in Turkey.

Lebanon
Hamas has two special projects operating in Lebanon, part of its wide-ranging effort to establish semi-military forces and to acquire and develop advanced weapons. This operation is also run by the administration in Turkey.

The first project is the Khaled Ali Units whose role is to recruit fighters and purchase weapons.

The second unit is the Northern Unit, which deals with rocket procurement, fighter training and terrorist planning, the development of military naval capabilities, including the purchase of diving equipment and light boats. The northern unit operates from various offices in Lebanon’s coastal cities.

One of the projects operated by the Khaled Ali units is the Saad Project,”which aimed to develop missiles and rocket. Mustafa Hijazi is responsible for the project, along with his brother Hamza and Mohammed Malak, all residents of Lebanon. Muhammad Amis is also a member of the Khaled Ali units.

The Northern Unit also consists of Hamas operatives in Lebanon, and especially in Tyre, Sidon and Beirut. The unit specializes in maritime warfare. Tugiq Aysha and Barah Farhat of Tyre are central operatives. Khalil Azem is responsible for intelligence. Unit members Nadim Ahmad Nasser, Arafat Odeh, Ahmad Salah Naji and Salah Mustafa are all residents of Lebanon.

The Northern Unit and the Khaled Ali Units appear to be part of a plan that has already been exposed in the Arab media and attributed to Iran’s General Qassem Suleimani, commander of Iran’s al-Quds Force, who persuaded Hezbollah’s leader to join him with Hamas leaders, and chiefly Saleh Aruri and Osama Hamdan, for this purpose.

The Arab media reported a plan for the establishment of the Return Army consisting of 3000 fighters from Lebanon, by Hezbollah officers and indeed with heavy and light weapons and rockets, as part of the coordination between Hamas and Hezbollah. The idea was to secure a second front against Israel, by Hamas, strengthening its power in Lebanese refugee camps, enriching Hamas’ knowledge and more.

Arab sources have reported in recent years that the “Ministry of Labor” under Majed Khader has been acting in concert with Hezbollah, but other sources indicate that some of his actions were unknown to Hezbollah and certainly not to the state of Lebanon, which fears that Hamas activity in its territory would bring Israel to take action against it, as happened in early 2017 with the attempt to eliminate Muhammad Hamdan, the brother of Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official. Sources claim that Hamdan’s assassination attempt in Lebanon is the result of Hamas’s “Ministry of Labor” exposure by Israeli intelligence.
 
All the activities described here are made possible, in part, by a network of companies and money exchangers, most of whom operate in Lebanon and assist in the transfer of terror money for hefty commissions. In May this year, Israel eliminated Ahmad Khodri, a resident of Shaja’iyeh in the Gaza Strip, who was ientified as “Hamas’ financier.” Sources indicate that Khodri was responsible for the transfer of funds from abroad to Hamas accounts.