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1. IDF Bombs Rafiah Tunnel after Attack South of Ashkelon
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Israeli Air Force planes bombed a smuggling tunnel along the Egyptian border at Rafiah early Tuesday morning as the government continued tit-for-tat retaliation against Arab terrorist attacks on southern Israel. Unconfirmed reports from Arab sources said three tunnel workers and smugglers were killed and six others wounded.
Terrorists, for the first time in a month, struck south of Ashkelon Monday night and wounded one soldier with a mortar shell. The retaliation was the first aerial operation in two weeks.
Monday night’s attack followed a steady escalation in the past few days of sniper fire and mortar and rocket attacks from Gaza. Israeli soldiers killed one suspected terrorist on Monday after a group of Arabs approached the Gaza separation barrier. Hamas claimed that the men were farmers.
Shortly afterwards, terrorists fired three mortar shells, bringing to more than 200 the number of rockets and shells fired on Israel since the end of Operation Cast Lead in January. Five weeks ago, Arab terrorists fired a Kassam rocket onto southern Israel.
Earlier this week, the government reported continued progress over the Iron Dome rocket defense system, but it is ineffective against short-range mortar shells. The Air Force has set up a new battalion to operate the system, which is scheduled for operation by next year.
The commander of the Air Force’s Northern Air Defense Division confirmed that the anti-missile system can stop Kassam and Grad rockets. Nonetheless, the system isn't fool-proof. "We cannot promise 100 percent hermetic defense,” he stated.
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by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Israeli Air Force planes bombed a smuggling tunnel along the Egyptian border at Rafiah early Tuesday morning as the government continued tit-for-tat retaliation against Arab terrorist attacks on southern Israel. Unconfirmed reports from Arab sources said three tunnel workers and smugglers were killed and six others wounded.
Terrorists, for the first time in a month, struck south of Ashkelon Monday night and wounded one soldier with a mortar shell. The retaliation was the first aerial operation in two weeks.
Monday night’s attack followed a steady escalation in the past few days of sniper fire and mortar and rocket attacks from Gaza. Israeli soldiers killed one suspected terrorist on Monday after a group of Arabs approached the Gaza separation barrier. Hamas claimed that the men were farmers.
Shortly afterwards, terrorists fired three mortar shells, bringing to more than 200 the number of rockets and shells fired on Israel since the end of Operation Cast Lead in January. Five weeks ago, Arab terrorists fired a Kassam rocket onto southern Israel.
Earlier this week, the government reported continued progress over the Iron Dome rocket defense system, but it is ineffective against short-range mortar shells. The Air Force has set up a new battalion to operate the system, which is scheduled for operation by next year.
The commander of the Air Force’s Northern Air Defense Division confirmed that the anti-missile system can stop Kassam and Grad rockets. Nonetheless, the system isn't fool-proof. "We cannot promise 100 percent hermetic defense,” he stated.
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2. Arab League Furious over Jewish Prayer on Temple Mount
by Maayana Miskin
The Arab League reacted with fury on this week to reports that a small group of Jews had prayed on the Temple Mount on Sunday. Secretary-General Amr Moussa termed the spontaneous prayer gathering “a violation of international law.”
Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, head of the Temple Institute in Jerusalem, led the guided tour on the Temple Mount. While guards on the mount have a policy of preventing Jewish prayer or religious gestures such as kneeling or bowing, Rabbi Ariel's group managed to briefly pray at the site.
"This is the first time since 1967 that Jews have conducted prayers on Al-Aksa during the month of Ramadan,” Moussa declared. “We condemn this act,” he added, in the name of the 22 countries belonging to the League.
The prayer session was “a serious blow to the holiness of the site,” Moussa claimed, adding that Jews should not be allowed to pray at the site "whether it is Ramadan or any other time of year...."
To read the rest of this story, click here!
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by Maayana Miskin
The Arab League reacted with fury on this week to reports that a small group of Jews had prayed on the Temple Mount on Sunday. Secretary-General Amr Moussa termed the spontaneous prayer gathering “a violation of international law.”
Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, head of the Temple Institute in Jerusalem, led the guided tour on the Temple Mount. While guards on the mount have a policy of preventing Jewish prayer or religious gestures such as kneeling or bowing, Rabbi Ariel's group managed to briefly pray at the site.
"This is the first time since 1967 that Jews have conducted prayers on Al-Aksa during the month of Ramadan,” Moussa declared. “We condemn this act,” he added, in the name of the 22 countries belonging to the League.
The prayer session was “a serious blow to the holiness of the site,” Moussa claimed, adding that Jews should not be allowed to pray at the site "whether it is Ramadan or any other time of year...."
To read the rest of this story, click here!
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3. Natan-Zada Lynch Video Missing the Week Before the Trial
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
The Israeli Police has reportedly lost an aerial video of the 2005 lynching of IDF soldier Eden Natan-Zada in a bus in the Arab-Israeli city of Shefaram, one week before the start of the trial of the seven accused killers. A journalist for government-run Channel 1
The drone apparently flew over the Arab-Israeli city of Shfaram during the lynching and recorded what occurred.
news, which broke the story on Monday, said that the missing film may negatively impact the case. A news report from the time of the lynching, however, indicates that the police may not be faultless either, as reinforcements were never dispatched to the scene, which likely cost Natan-Zada his life.
The missing aerial footage was recorded by a pilotless drone plane equipped with a camera, which was in use by the Israeli police in 2005. The drone apparently flew over Shefaram during the lynching and recorded what occurred. The evidence from the drone was termed "significant" by Channel 1 reporter Amir Bar-Shalom.
Natan-Zada, an AWOL Israeli soldier, was killed in late August 2005 after he allegedly opened fire on an intercity bus, killing the driver and three passengers. It was never definitively ascertained what happened on the bus preceding or during the shootings; however, clear video footage that was broadcast shortly after the incident shows what happened next.
After Natan-Zada had been handcuffed aboard the bus by two police officers who apparently responded to the scene, an Arab mob surrounded the vehicle, broke in, and killed the subdued soldier. A video of the lynching, with Natan-Zada seen alive and in the presence of two policemen, was aired by Channel 10 shortly after the incident (available in Hebrew in two parts on the Emperor's Clothes website, here and here, with an English transcript here). The Channel 10 broadcast was subsequently suppressed by court order, allegedly due to concerns for the then-ongoing police investigation.
In June of this year, seven people were charged in Haifa District Court with attempted murder, assault on a police officer and related offenses. Five other suspects have been charged in a Haifa Magistrates Court with aggravated assault on a police officer, obstruction of justice and rioting. The accused - Muslims, Bedouins and a Christian - are all residents of the Galilee city where the lynching took place. The District Court trial, slated to commence next week, comes after four years of investigation, including hundreds of depositions.
The news of the missing aerial footage comes just under three weeks since the fourth anniversary of the shooting allegedly perpetrated by Natan-Zada was marked in Shfaram. On August 4, hundreds of residents, Knesset members and relatives of the victims paid their respects at the graves of the victims in the Muslim and Christian cemeteries in the city. However, the event had an overtly Arab nationalist tinge, as well, with some people chanting anti-Israel slogans and carrying Palestinian flags.
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by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
The Israeli Police has reportedly lost an aerial video of the 2005 lynching of IDF soldier Eden Natan-Zada in a bus in the Arab-Israeli city of Shefaram, one week before the start of the trial of the seven accused killers. A journalist for government-run Channel 1
The drone apparently flew over the Arab-Israeli city of Shfaram during the lynching and recorded what occurred.
news, which broke the story on Monday, said that the missing film may negatively impact the case. A news report from the time of the lynching, however, indicates that the police may not be faultless either, as reinforcements were never dispatched to the scene, which likely cost Natan-Zada his life.The missing aerial footage was recorded by a pilotless drone plane equipped with a camera, which was in use by the Israeli police in 2005. The drone apparently flew over Shefaram during the lynching and recorded what occurred. The evidence from the drone was termed "significant" by Channel 1 reporter Amir Bar-Shalom.
Natan-Zada, an AWOL Israeli soldier, was killed in late August 2005 after he allegedly opened fire on an intercity bus, killing the driver and three passengers. It was never definitively ascertained what happened on the bus preceding or during the shootings; however, clear video footage that was broadcast shortly after the incident shows what happened next.
After Natan-Zada had been handcuffed aboard the bus by two police officers who apparently responded to the scene, an Arab mob surrounded the vehicle, broke in, and killed the subdued soldier. A video of the lynching, with Natan-Zada seen alive and in the presence of two policemen, was aired by Channel 10 shortly after the incident (available in Hebrew in two parts on the Emperor's Clothes website, here and here, with an English transcript here). The Channel 10 broadcast was subsequently suppressed by court order, allegedly due to concerns for the then-ongoing police investigation.
In June of this year, seven people were charged in Haifa District Court with attempted murder, assault on a police officer and related offenses. Five other suspects have been charged in a Haifa Magistrates Court with aggravated assault on a police officer, obstruction of justice and rioting. The accused - Muslims, Bedouins and a Christian - are all residents of the Galilee city where the lynching took place. The District Court trial, slated to commence next week, comes after four years of investigation, including hundreds of depositions.
The news of the missing aerial footage comes just under three weeks since the fourth anniversary of the shooting allegedly perpetrated by Natan-Zada was marked in Shfaram. On August 4, hundreds of residents, Knesset members and relatives of the victims paid their respects at the graves of the victims in the Muslim and Christian cemeteries in the city. However, the event had an overtly Arab nationalist tinge, as well, with some people chanting anti-Israel slogans and carrying Palestinian flags.
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4. Fayyad Plans PA State: Intl. Airport, Stronger Armed Forces
by Maayana Miskin
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is set to reveal his plan for the infrastructure and economy of a PA state in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem. According to Reuters, the plan includes an international airport in the Jordan Valley, foreign investors, and stronger armed forces.
The plan also includes improving the PA economy and system of education, which currently rely almost entirely on foreign aid. “Our national duty demands that we should do whatever we can to get our economy out of the cycle of dependency and alienation,” Fayyad states.
The PA must have strong and well trained armed forces in order to fight terrorism, Fayyad argued.
While the plan lays out a relatively detailed set of goals, it does not explain how the PA will achieve them. However, the plan is still anticipated as a step forward for the PA, which has focused primarily on its demands in negotiations with Israel, and not on the infrastructure of the state it hopes to form.
Fayyad, whose background is in finance, was reappointed by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas this year in the absence of PA elections. While he bears the title of prime minister, Abbas is the official head of the PA.
Fayyad called on the PA to work towards the goals set out in his plan immediately, but simultaneously accused Israel of thwarting any chance of PA success via the Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria. “The Israeli occupation is the only obstacle that hinders the stability, prosperity and the progress of our people,” he declared.
The plan will be officially unveiled on Tuesday.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is set to reveal his plan for the infrastructure and economy of a PA state in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem. According to Reuters, the plan includes an international airport in the Jordan Valley, foreign investors, and stronger armed forces.
The plan also includes improving the PA economy and system of education, which currently rely almost entirely on foreign aid. “Our national duty demands that we should do whatever we can to get our economy out of the cycle of dependency and alienation,” Fayyad states.
The PA must have strong and well trained armed forces in order to fight terrorism, Fayyad argued.
While the plan lays out a relatively detailed set of goals, it does not explain how the PA will achieve them. However, the plan is still anticipated as a step forward for the PA, which has focused primarily on its demands in negotiations with Israel, and not on the infrastructure of the state it hopes to form.
Fayyad, whose background is in finance, was reappointed by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas this year in the absence of PA elections. While he bears the title of prime minister, Abbas is the official head of the PA.
Fayyad called on the PA to work towards the goals set out in his plan immediately, but simultaneously accused Israel of thwarting any chance of PA success via the Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria. “The Israeli occupation is the only obstacle that hinders the stability, prosperity and the progress of our people,” he declared.
The plan will be officially unveiled on Tuesday.
Comment on this story
5. Rabbi Ovadiah Meets with Jimmy Carter
by Hillel Fendel
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, spiritual leader of the Shas party and one of Israel’s most influential rabbis, met Tuesday morning with Jimmy Carter. The rabbi asked the former American president to do what he could to ensure that Gilad Shalit is freed from Hamas captivity.
Shalit was captured by Hamas in June 2006, and has not been seen since by Israeli or neutral bodies.
“You and other leaders must exert efforts during these moments,” Rabbi Yosef told the former president, “and do everything to bring about Shalit’s release. You have influence and you can make a difference.”
Rabbi Yosef emphasized Israel’s desire for peace, and condemned schools around the world that teach hatred for Israel. (pictured: Rabbi Yosef, Minister Yishai, Noam Shalit at meeting several months ago)
Yishai Sums Up for Carter
Interior Minister Eli Yishai, the political leader of Shas, also took part in the meeting. “Israel has taken many steps towards peace,” he told Carter, “while the other side has not even deigned to recognize our existence.”
Carter said that following his meeting with Minister Yishai over a year ago, the Shalit family received a letter from Gilad. “I hope that further cooperation will bring about his release altogether,” Carter said.
The letter by Gilad that was received in June 2008 was the third one since he was taken captive – and no sign of life has been heard from him since. A short tape recording was received within the first year of his captivity as well.
Carter and The Elders
Carter is in Israel with a group of prominent former statesmen and business leaders on a “peace” visit. The group, known as "The Elders," also includes South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, British business executive Richard Branson, and former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso.
The delegation will meet with PA prime minister Salam Fayyad of Fatah on Wednesday, as well as with Arab residents of Samaria. It is not clear whether the group will visit Gaza, run by Fatah’s rival Hamas.
Two months ago, Carter – a known critic of the Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria – visited one such settlement, N’vei Daniel in Gush Etzion, and said that it should be one of those permitted to remain in place in the framework of a final peace arrangement with the Palestinian Authority.
Comment on this story
by Hillel Fendel
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, spiritual leader of the Shas party and one of Israel’s most influential rabbis, met Tuesday morning with Jimmy Carter. The rabbi asked the former American president to do what he could to ensure that Gilad Shalit is freed from Hamas captivity.
Shalit was captured by Hamas in June 2006, and has not been seen since by Israeli or neutral bodies.
“You and other leaders must exert efforts during these moments,” Rabbi Yosef told the former president, “and do everything to bring about Shalit’s release. You have influence and you can make a difference.”
Rabbi Yosef emphasized Israel’s desire for peace, and condemned schools around the world that teach hatred for Israel. (pictured: Rabbi Yosef, Minister Yishai, Noam Shalit at meeting several months ago)
Yishai Sums Up for Carter
Interior Minister Eli Yishai, the political leader of Shas, also took part in the meeting. “Israel has taken many steps towards peace,” he told Carter, “while the other side has not even deigned to recognize our existence.”
Carter said that following his meeting with Minister Yishai over a year ago, the Shalit family received a letter from Gilad. “I hope that further cooperation will bring about his release altogether,” Carter said.
The letter by Gilad that was received in June 2008 was the third one since he was taken captive – and no sign of life has been heard from him since. A short tape recording was received within the first year of his captivity as well.
Carter and The Elders
Carter is in Israel with a group of prominent former statesmen and business leaders on a “peace” visit. The group, known as "The Elders," also includes South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, British business executive Richard Branson, and former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso.
The delegation will meet with PA prime minister Salam Fayyad of Fatah on Wednesday, as well as with Arab residents of Samaria. It is not clear whether the group will visit Gaza, run by Fatah’s rival Hamas.
Two months ago, Carter – a known critic of the Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria – visited one such settlement, N’vei Daniel in Gush Etzion, and said that it should be one of those permitted to remain in place in the framework of a final peace arrangement with the Palestinian Authority.
Comment on this story
6. Israel Security: Illegal Migrant Workers a 'Platform for Terror'
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
The Israel Security Agency (Shabak, or Shin Bet) issued a special report this month on the involvement of illegal migrant workers from
"Very often, the drivers are aware or suspect that they are transporting terrorists," the ISA states.
the Palestinian Authority in terrorist activities. Israeli Arabs and residents of eastern Jerusalem operate regular "lanes" into Israeli cities, often knowing they are transporting terrorists, the report says.
With several case studies, the ISA report reveals how PA jihadist groups have taken advantage of illegal migrants as a "platform for terror" inside Israeli cities and towns. Such organizations often take advantage of the specialized knowledge illegal migrant workers, and their smugglers have collected regarding ways to infiltrate and escape from Israeli jurisdictions undetected. Undocumented workers have also served as active smugglers, successfully bringing weapons, equipment, explosives and terrorist agents through Israeli security perimeters.
In some cases, the illegal migrant workers were themselves the terrorists. Arabs working in Israeli towns and cities illegally have provided PA terror cells with intelligence on selected targets, advice on planning attacks, and have been involved in attacks themselves. The familiarity illegals develop with security procedures and general life patterns among Israelis aids in planning attacks, as does their ability to blend into Israeli society either while working or by imitating Jewish social codes and dress.
For the past several years, between 60 to 100 illegal PA migrants are arrested annually for involvement in terrorism, according to ISA statistics. In addition, the ISA report makes it clear that Israelis who transport and employ the illegal PA migrants regularly serve as potential accomplices to terrorism.
"In order to smuggle terrorists or weapons for an attack (explosives belts or other devices) in Israel, the illegal migrants are aided by drivers who transport along a 'lane' between Judea and Samaria and Israel," the ISA report says. "In practice, there is an organized and systematic network of transportation in operation for smuggling illegal migrants into Israeli territory."
This profitable transportation network, the report explains, includes Israeli Arabs and residents of eastern Jerusalem who hold Israeli ID cards. "Very often, the drivers are aware or suspect that they are transporting terrorists," the ISA states. The report calls the smuggling of illegal workers a "short distance" away from smuggling weapons and terrorists.
The ISA report also makes it clear that the intensified security along the Israeli border with the PA, along with the security barrier established along much of that seamline, has increased the importance of the illegal migrant infiltrators to PA terrorist groups. The smugglers and those intent on finding work in Israeli cities are regularly testing methods and probing for holes in this perimeter, with their experience and knowledge readily absorbed by the terrorist organizations.
Comment on this story
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
The Israel Security Agency (Shabak, or Shin Bet) issued a special report this month on the involvement of illegal migrant workers from
"Very often, the drivers are aware or suspect that they are transporting terrorists," the ISA states.
the Palestinian Authority in terrorist activities. Israeli Arabs and residents of eastern Jerusalem operate regular "lanes" into Israeli cities, often knowing they are transporting terrorists, the report says.With several case studies, the ISA report reveals how PA jihadist groups have taken advantage of illegal migrants as a "platform for terror" inside Israeli cities and towns. Such organizations often take advantage of the specialized knowledge illegal migrant workers, and their smugglers have collected regarding ways to infiltrate and escape from Israeli jurisdictions undetected. Undocumented workers have also served as active smugglers, successfully bringing weapons, equipment, explosives and terrorist agents through Israeli security perimeters.
In some cases, the illegal migrant workers were themselves the terrorists. Arabs working in Israeli towns and cities illegally have provided PA terror cells with intelligence on selected targets, advice on planning attacks, and have been involved in attacks themselves. The familiarity illegals develop with security procedures and general life patterns among Israelis aids in planning attacks, as does their ability to blend into Israeli society either while working or by imitating Jewish social codes and dress.
For the past several years, between 60 to 100 illegal PA migrants are arrested annually for involvement in terrorism, according to ISA statistics. In addition, the ISA report makes it clear that Israelis who transport and employ the illegal PA migrants regularly serve as potential accomplices to terrorism.
"In order to smuggle terrorists or weapons for an attack (explosives belts or other devices) in Israel, the illegal migrants are aided by drivers who transport along a 'lane' between Judea and Samaria and Israel," the ISA report says. "In practice, there is an organized and systematic network of transportation in operation for smuggling illegal migrants into Israeli territory."
This profitable transportation network, the report explains, includes Israeli Arabs and residents of eastern Jerusalem who hold Israeli ID cards. "Very often, the drivers are aware or suspect that they are transporting terrorists," the ISA states. The report calls the smuggling of illegal workers a "short distance" away from smuggling weapons and terrorists.
The ISA report also makes it clear that the intensified security along the Israeli border with the PA, along with the security barrier established along much of that seamline, has increased the importance of the illegal migrant infiltrators to PA terrorist groups. The smugglers and those intent on finding work in Israeli cities are regularly testing methods and probing for holes in this perimeter, with their experience and knowledge readily absorbed by the terrorist organizations.
Comment on this story
7. Temple Mount Show: Is There a Covenant Between G-d and America?
by IsraelNationalTV Staff
Broadcasting live overlooking the Temple Mount, Rabbi Tovia Singer & Jeremy Gimpel answer your questions on Israel and Judaism. Today's question: Is there a covenant between G-d and America?
[weJe
Email readers, please click here to view the show!
The Singer & Gimpel Show is broadcast live Thursday 11PM Israel 4PM EST on www.IsraelNationalRadio.com. Call in with your questions at 1-800-270-4288.
by IsraelNationalTV Staff
Broadcasting live overlooking the Temple Mount, Rabbi Tovia Singer & Jeremy Gimpel answer your questions on Israel and Judaism. Today's question: Is there a covenant between G-d and America?
[weJe
Email readers, please click here to view the show!
The Singer & Gimpel Show is broadcast live Thursday 11PM Israel 4PM EST on www.IsraelNationalRadio.com. Call in with your questions at 1-800-270-4288.
