Iran is playing with fire

Iran is playing with fire Analysis: Did the IAF strike in Syria in response to public declaration by Iranian Revolutionary Guard on transfer of advanced missiles to Hezbollah? Published: 12.08.14, 00:06 / Israel Opinion The strikes in Syria on Sunday afternoon, which have been attributed to the Israeli Air Force, were likely intended to prevent the transfer of advanced weaponry from Iran to Hezbollah. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard continues to play with fire by equipping Hezbollah with arms that have the capability to cause widespread losses and destruction in Israel. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The appraisal is based on the fact that the targets were in two distant areas – one near the international airport in Damascus and the other in Dimas, west of the capital, mere miles from the border with Lebanon. It is widely believed that shipments of missiles and other arms destined for Hezbollah land in Iranian cargo jets at the airport in Damascus, then transferred to a Syrian military storage site, until they are sent to over the border to Lebanon. It is reasonable to assume that today's strike, if it actually was undertaken by the IAF through Lebanese airspace, was launched based on precise intelligence and after all operational and strategic aspects were considered. Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon has previously announced the three red lines according to which Israel takes action on the northern front. The transfer of "game-changing" weaponry to Hezbollah Chemical weapons Any harm to Israeli sovereignty Since there had been no recent case of breaking Israeli sovereignty, the likely assumption is that the attack was undertaken because of high-end weaponry transferred to Hezbollah or the transfer of chemical weapons – or both. Regardless, it is reasonable to assume that Defense Minister Ya'alon approved and ordered the attack. Today's strike was reminiscent of the May 2013 attack which was attributed to the IAF, when advanced, precise missiles, of the Fateh-110 variety, arrived on planes from Iran. The following night a large Syrian military missile storage site near the Lebanon border was attacked. It is increasingly likely that today's attack – which has been attributed to the IAF but has not been confirmed by Israeli officials – was executed for similar reasons under similar circumstances. In recent weeks, many Hezbollah officials and senior members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard have publicly boasted about the advanced ground-to-ground missiles which Iran supplied Hezbollah and which allow the terror group to threaten almost any target within Israel. Analysts believe the officials were boasting of the Iranian-made Fateh-110 missiles. It is in the realm of possibility that several shipments of these missiles occurred, significantly upgrading Hezbollah's capability to unleash destruction on Israel territory as far south as the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. It is also likely that today's attack was intended to stop another shipment scheduled to arrive at Damascus international airport, from where it was to be transferred to the Lebanese border. Syrian President Bashar Assad, it must be noted, owes Hezbollah a great deal, as the Lebanese terror group defends his regime – which is likely why he carries the risk of Israeli attacks on his territory. It may be assumed that today's attack will not heat up tensions between Israel and Syria. Assad does not make a habit of responding to attacks on Hezbollah weapons transfers in his territory in order to avoid a destructive clash with Israel at a time when he is fighting for his survival against local rebels. It is also assumed that Hezbollah will not respond, either. In the past the terror group launched reprisal attacks over Israeli strikes which destroyed its weapon shipments, but only when these strikes took place within Lebanese territory. The Lebanese terror group has not responded to attacks on its organization in Syrian territory – since Hezbollah chief Nasrallah believes in defending only Lebanese land, while retaliating to an attack in Syria will serve as confirmation which he is receiving illegal weapon shipments from Iran. That's how it worked in the past. Nevertheless, there is no guarantee that Hezbollah and Syria will maintain this policy and thus the IDF must maintain alert on the northern front – both on the ground and in the sky. It is reasonable to assume the IDF will change its missile defense deployment, reinforcing positions in the country's north. Meanwhile, it's likely that Iran will respond using armed Palestinian militias in the Golan Heights. Israeli officials did not address the reports in the past – and are not confirming them – in a bid not to corner the Syrian regime or Hezbollah. The Syrian military rushed to condemn the attacks, only because it serves its propaganda line – which claims cooperation between Syrian rebels and Israel. http://www.ynetnews.com/headlines/1,7340,L-4299,00.html

Alan Dershowitz: To Defeat ISIS Watch How Israel Handles Hamas

Arabian Murderers celebrated in Arab World

Here we go again. More unarmed, innocent non-Muslims murdered by Arabian death cultists. This time, four Rabbis were murdered by rampaging Arab Muslims. There is dancing and joy in the Arabian streets. kalashnikovs fired in the streets of Gaza and Judea and Samaria and wherever else Arabs bent on Jew killing gather. Abbas, the leader of the terror group Fatah, blamed the murders on Israeli "oppression". Later after urging from John Kerry he issued a qualified condemnation of violence. “ What is most shocking is that it’s just the cruelty of the massacre but also those (images) of glee and joy in Gaza, in Bethlehem and in other places where candy was handed out, where fireworks were set off, where praises were heard,” the prime minister said. The Americans were identified as Aryeh Kupinsky, Kalmen Levin and Moshe Twersky. Liverpool-born Avraham Shmuel Goldberg, who most recently lived in North London, was the British citizen killed in the attack, according to The Sun newspaper. The four all held dual citizenship with Israel. They were slaughtered when two Palestinians armed with meat cleavers and a gun stormed the building and began attacking people. Beginning with the gift of Gaza to the Arabs several years ago, the Arabs have consistently ratcheted up the intensity, depravity, and senselessness of their crimes. Our hearts go out to Israel and the Israelis and the entire Jewish people once again ruthlessly attacked for no other reason the the Arabian thirst for Jewish blood. The goal of a two state solution was a pipe dream. what is needed is an expansion of Israel.. Eretz Yisrael Ha-Shlema. The Arabians have proven to most of the world that they are unable to govern, and unwilling to live in peace with anyone. Israel needs to reclaim Yesha.

ISIS is to America Like Hamas is to Israel

by Alan M. Dershowitz "There has to be a common effort to extract this cancer so it does not spread. There has to be a clear rejection of the kind of a nihilistic ideologies. One thing we can all agree on is group like (ISIS) has no place in the 21st century. Friends and allies around the world, we share a common security a set of values opposite of what we saw yesterday. We will continue to confront this hateful terrorism and replace it with a sense of hope and stability." At the same time that President Obama has called for an all-out war against the "cancer" of ISIS, he has regarded Hamas as having an easily curable disease, urging Israel to accept that terrorist group, whose charter calls for Israel's destruction, as part of a Palestinian unity government. I cannot imagine him urging Iraq, or any other Arab country, to accept ISIS as part of a unity government. Former President Jimmy Carter and Bishop Desmond Tutu have gone even further, urging the international community to recognize the legitimacy of Hamas as a political party and to grant it diplomatic recognition. It is hard to imagine them demanding that the same legitimate status be accorded ISIS. Why then the double standard regarding ISIS and Hamas? Is it because ISIS is less brutal and violent than Hamas? It's hard to make that case. Hamas has probably killed more civilians — through its suicide bombs, its murder of Palestinian Authority members, its rocket attacks and its terror tunnels — than ISIS has done. If not for Israel's Iron Dome and the Israeli Defense Forces, Hamas would have killed even more innocent civilians. Indeed its charter calls for the killing of all Jews anywhere in the world, regardless of where they live or which "rock" they are hiding behind. If Hamas had its way, it would kill as least as many people as ISIS would. Is it the manner by which ISIS kills? Beheading is of course a visibly grotesque means of killing, but dead is dead and murder is murder. And it matters little to the victim's family whether the death was caused by beheading, by hanging or by a bullet in the back of a head. Indeed most of ISIS's victims have been shot rather than beheaded, while Hamas terrorists have slaughtered innocent babies in their beds, teenagers on the way home from school, women shopping, Jews praying and students eating pizza. Is it because ISIS murdered an American? Hamas has murdered numerous Americans and citizens of other countries. They too are indiscriminate in who they kill. Is it because ISIS has specifically threatened to bring its terrorism to American shores, while Hamas focuses its terrorism in Israel? The Hamas Charter does not limit its murderous intentions to one country. Like ISIS it calls for a worldwide "caliphate," brought about by violent Jihad. Everything we rightly fear and despise from ISIS we should fear and despise from Hamas. Just as we would never grant legitimacy to ISIS, we should not grant legitimacy to Hamas—at the very least until it rescinds its charter and renounces violence. Unfortunately that is about as likely as America rescinding its constitution. Violence, anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism are the sine qua non of Hamas' mission. Just as ISIS must be defeated militarily and destroyed as a terrorist army, so too must Hamas be responded to militarily and its rockets and tunnels destroyed. It is widely, and in my view mistakenly, argued by many academics and diplomats that there can never be a military solution to terrorism in general or to the demands of Hamas in particular. This conventional wisdom ignores the lessons of history. Chamberlain thought there could be a diplomatic solution to Hitler's demands. Churchill disagreed. History proved Churchill correct. Nazi Fascists and Japanese militarists had to be defeated militarily before a diplomatic resolution could be achieved. So too with ISIS and Hamas. They must first be defeated militarily and only then might they consider accepting reasonable diplomatic and political compromises. Another similarity between ISIS and Hamas is that if these terrorist groups were to lay down their arms, there might be peace, whereas if their enemies were to lay down their arms, there would be genocide. A wonderful cartoon illustrates this: at one end of the table is Hamas demanding "Death to all Jews" At the other end is Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu. In the middle sits the mediator, who turns to Netanyahu and asks: "Could you at least meet him half way?" No democratic nation can accept its own destruction. We cannot compromise — come half way — with terrorists who demand the deaths of all who stand in the way of their demand for a Sunni caliphate, whether these terrorists call themselves ISIS or Hamas. Both are, in the words of President Obama, "cancers" that must be extracted before they spread. Both are equally malignant. Both must be defeated on the battlefield, in the court of public opinion and in the courts of law. There can be no compromise with bigotry, terrorism or the demand for a caliphate. Before Hamas or ISIS can be considered legitimate political partners, they must give up their violent quest for a worldwide Islamic caliphate.

Hamas Syndicate Grows Rich While Impoverishing Palestinian Arabs

With multi-million-dollar land deals, luxury villas and black market fuel from Egypt, Gaza's rulers made billions while the rest of the population struggled with 38-percent poverty and 40-percent unemployment. Doron Peskin Published: 07.15.14, 16:12 / Israel Business While the fighting is only expected to worsen the distress of the residents of Gaza, the Strip's economic outlook for the Strip was never good. The unemployment rate in Gaza stood at approximately 40% before the latest conflict, with a similar proportion being classed as living under the poverty line. But while most of the Gaza population tries to deal with the difficulties of daily life, it seems that one sector at least has had few worries about their livelihoods - Hamas leaders and their associates. Multi-million-dollar deal Someone who has benefitted financially is the former Hamas prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh. Before 2006 and Hamas' shocking electoral win and subsequent dominance of the Palestinian government , 51-year-old Haniyeh was not considered a senior figure in Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But according to reports in the past few years, Haniyeh's new-found senior status has allowed him to become a millionaire. This is an unusual feat, given that he was born to a refugee family in the al-Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza. In 2010, Egyptian magazine Rose al-Yusuf reported that Haniyeh paid for $4 million for a 2,500msq parcel of land area in Rimal, a tony beachfront neighborhood of Gaza City. To avoid embarrassment, the land was registered in the name of the husband of Haniyeh's daughter. Since then, there have been reports that Haniyeh has purchased several homes in the Gaza Strip, registered in the names of his children - no hardship, as he has 13 of them. At least with regards to his eldest son, it seems that the apple does not fall far from the tree, given his arrest on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with millions of dollars in cash in possession, which he intended to take into Gaza. Subsidized fuel sold for profit According to sources in Gaza, Haniyeh's wealth, like others high up in Hamas, came primarily from the flourishing tunnel industry. Senior Hamas figures, Haniyeh included, would levy 20 percent taxation on all of the trade passing through the tunnels. Hamas's heyday came after the overthrow of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, as its parent organization the Muslim Brotherhood was growing in popularity in Egypt. In those days, Hamas leaders and their associates were not afraid to show off their ostentatious wealth. Gaza's market for luxury villas costing at least a million dollars was booming, most purchased by people associated with the establishment of Hamas. A Gazan familiar with the real estate market summed it up at the time with a quip about a Hamas crony who had recently acquired a luxury villa: "Two years ago, he couldn’t afford a packet of cigarettes." At the same time, Khairat a-Shater, a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt who headed his own business empire, made sure to personally transfer tens of millions in cash to senior administration officials in Gaza as well as to commanders from the Hamas military wing. There were senior Hamas members who preferred that the money be kept in a safer place than the Gaza Strip, and invested it in various Egyptian assets, often through business partnerships with Muslim Brotherhood officials. In some cases, the man conducting the deals on behalf of Hamas officials, who ensured that they received their dividends in cash, was Ayman Taha, a Hamas founder once considered one of its key spokesmen. In 2011, Taha himself paid $700,000 for a luxury three-floor villa in the central Gaza Strip; a year ago, he was charged with being an agent for Egypt. The Egyptian street has become inflamed with anger directed against Hamas over the last three years, partly due to what appears to be its financial gains at the expense of the Egyptian people. The tunnels in Rafah, the town straddling the Gaza-Egypt border, for example, saw a flourishing fuel-smuggling industry from Sinai. The fuel subsidized by the Egyptian government was entering Gaza at a low price, but being sold for eight times that. Those who made the greatest profits from the sale of the fuel were Hamas members, even as Egypt often reported shortages for its own people. Hamas, says Professor Ahmed Karima of Al-Azhar University in Egypt, has long become a movement of millionaires. According to Karima, the organization can count no less than 1,200 millionaires among its members. He did not, however, specify the source of this information. Mashal's mall It was not only Hamas members in Gaza who became rich. It appears that political leader Khaled Mashal is another member of the organization who used Hamas funds to his own ends. In 2012, a Jordanian website reported that Mashal had control of a massive $2.6 billion, in large part deposited in Qatari and Egyptian banks. This is likely Hamas' accumulated assets from years through donations, as well as its investments in various projects in the Arab and Muslim world. It is also known that, among other things, Hamas has invested in real estate projects in Saudi Arabia, Syria and Dubai. And, according to reports, Mashal did not always separate Hamas money and his own. Hamas' expulsion from Syria was a severe financial blow for the movement. In 2011, before the start of the Syrian conflict, Hamas's assets in the country had reached a value of $550 million. Apart from its real estate holdings, Hamas invested in various commercial companies, including a cargo company registered to a Syrian businessman close to Moussa Abu Marzook, Mashal's deputy. As with other areas, in its financial dealings Hamas leaders keep their cards close to their chest and maintain a high level of secrecy. Investments are made through front companies, using family and associates. Companies linked to Mashal in Qatar are registered to his wife and daughter. Once he was forced to close his office in Damascus (after falling out with the Assad regime over its oppressive response to the conflict), Mashal declared that his place was in Qatar. There, he claimed that $12 million he had stored in his safe in his Damascus office had been lost. Not many accepted this story, and to this day believe that Mashal kept the money, transferring it to his own personal accounts. Reliable sources claim that a project by the Fadil real estate firm in Qatar is linked to Mashal, his son and his son's wife. The prestigious project in Doha, the Qatari capital, includes the construction of four towers of more than 27,000 square meters, including office and commercial space attached to a mall with an area of ​​10,000 square meters. The company has never disclosed the source of its funding. According to a World Bank report released in November of last year, the Gaza Strip ranks third in the Arab region in terms of poverty, ranking above only Sudan and Yemen. The report stated that the poverty rate in Gaza stands at 38 percent. Furthermore, of the 144 countries included in the report, Gaza was the 44th poorest, with most of the countries with a higher poverty rate being located in Africa.

Netanyahu "It takes more than one to Tango"

Fareed:
You’re a student of history. You know that a lot of people look at you and say this man could be the guy, like Richard Nixon, who made the opening to China, because he has the political cover that allows him to do that. Bibi Netanyahu is not going to be accused of being soft. Do you think there is that road for you?

You should come to Israel.

But do you think that there is that role for you?

I hope so. But in order to make it work, you need in the Middle East…I was going to say two to tango. In the Middle East, you probably need at least three.

But I think the United States is indispensable in brokering any type of a final peace deal. But I’m adding a different, a new component, because what I see is so startling and so different, you can see that in Gaza. You know, there were more demonstrations against Israel vis-a-vis Gaza in Paris than there were in the Arab world. That’s going to be telling you something.

And I think because many people in the Arab world, it’s not that they, you know, we care about every single civilian casualty and we were forced to strike at the rocketeers that embedded themselves – these Hamas people, in hospitals, schools, mosques, firing rockets and using Palestinian children as human shields. And it was horrible. And we regret every single civilian that happened there.
But it’s instructive, nonetheless, that many in the Arab world understood that Hamas is fighting a war that threatens them, as well. They didn’t fall for it. They didn’t fall for it. And I think that changed. We have to see how we can explore that to get a cooperation with the leading Arab states not only to advance security, but also to advance peace.

So, you know, this is not merely Nixon going to China. There are a lot of Chinas out there.

Judge Judy on Islamic Terrorism

The Fox News Channel’s “Justice with Judge Jeanine” anchor Judge Jeanine Pirro declared Islamist terrorism was “not just a threat, it is a reality,” and argued the US must do more to fight it on Saturday.

“What this country faces is not just a threat, it is a reality. No longer free and easy or live and let live, and now you must adapt to this frightening new reality. To them we’re the Great Satan. To them we’re the infidel, and them includes now-radicalized Americans, arrested here as lone wolves. One charged with the killing of four Americans. Last week in Australia, a plot to horrify and shock the public with planned beheadings, and this week an Oklahoma man beheads a woman, completely decapitates her, and then he’s in the midst of attacking yet another woman with a knife when he is stopped. That man, 30-year-old Alton Nolen, a recent convert to Islam. Now Nolen visited a mosque whose former leader reportedly had ties with al Qaeda mastermind Anwar al-Awlaki” she stated.

Pirro argued that the US must take aggressive action against Islamic extremism, saying “until we put the Fear of God in them, they’re going to keep coming. We can’t negotiate with them, we can’t trade with them. We can’t let them out of Guantanamo. In fact, even Guantanamo is too good for them, and I don’t personally care what the rest of the world thinks of us. Until we get this country back on track with our military superiority, the hallmark of a strong and a free nation, then our enemies will continue to attack us as lone wolves or as legion.”

She further expressed that one of the key steps to combatting radical Islamic terrorism is to acknowledge that Islamic extremism exists “we can start by calling things what they are. when a Ft. Hood shooter guns down his fellow soldiers yelling ‘Allahu Akbar’ with a business card that says ‘soldier of Allah,’ and who communicated with that same al-Awlaki, it’s not workplace violence, it’s terrorism, and he’s a terrorist. And I don’t want to hear the acting head of the CIA tell me that he took the word ‘Islamic’ out from in front of the word ‘extremist’ because he didn’t want to inflame passions. And I don’t want the word ‘jihad’ scrubbed from the FBI training manuals. And I don’t want to hear that ISIS is not an Islamic State any more than the USA is not the United States of America, or that we’re not states, or that we’re not united. And I’m tired of taking outside ads to apologize to other religions while our government drags and sues the Little Sisters of the Poor to the United States Supreme Court for simply expressing their religious beliefs. I’m tired of the charades.”

Other recommendations given by Pirro to fight Islamic terrorism were closing the borders, stripping citizenship, implementing anti-terrorism technology that measures things such body temperature and blood pressure used by the Israelis.

Fatah to Operate in Gaza

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Factions resumed negotiations in Cairo on Wednesday.
Hamas and Fatah said on Thursday that they have reached agreement to allow the Palestinian Authority government to operate in the Gaza Strip.

Representatives of the two rival parties have been holding “reconciliation” talks in Cairo over the past two days in a bid to end their differences.

Hamas and Fatah leaders said that the agreement reached on Thursday calls for the PA government, headed by Rami Hamdallah, to “immediately” assume its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian sources said that the agreement allows the PA to take control over the border crossings in the Gaza Strip, including the Rafah terminal.

Musa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, announced that the Palestinian Authority government would soon manage all the border crossings in the Gaza Strip.

Abu Marzouk, who was speaking in Cairo after Hamas and Fatah reached an agreement to end their differences, said that the two sides agreed to facilitate the work of the PA government in the Gaza Strip.

In addition to the agreement on the border crossings, Abu Marzouk said that former PA civil servants would return to their jobs.

The PA has nearly 70,000 civil servants who have not been working since Hamas seized control over the Gaza Strip in 2007.

It was not clear whether the two parties had reached agreement over the fate of some 40,000 Hamas employees who have not received salaries for the past few months.

Hamas has been demanding that the PA government, headed by Rami Hamdallah, place its workers on its payroll. However, Hamdallah and other PA officials said they do not recognize the Hamas employees since they were appointed by an "illegitimate government."

Abu Marzouk said the two sides also agreed to form a joint committee to follow up the implementation of previous reconciliation agreements between Hamas and Fatah.

Fatah representative Azzam al-Ahmed told reporters that the two sides agreed to remove all hindrances obstructing the work of the PA government in the Gaza Strip.
‭‮
Fatah and Hamas delegates resumed reconciliation talks in Cairo on Wednesday, in another bid to end their dispute.

According to Palestinian negotiators, the main issue that hindered the implementation of previous reconciliation agreements between the two sides was the need to determine who is responsible for making crucial decisions pertaining to peace and war.

Fatah has long said it considers the decision over war and peace a national issue and not a factional matter.

As for indirect cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas -- negotiations have been delayed until the last week of October, a Hamas official said earlier this week.

One Million Ceasefires

Saturday, August 02, 2014 One Million Ceasefires If you like cease-fires, then this is a great time to be alive. Those Israelis who weren't shot in the head by  Hamas terrorists (whom Andrew Sullivan insists weren't real Hamas terrorist, trading in his obsession with Sarah Palin's rogue pregnancy for a new conspiracy theory) or killed by a Hamas rocket, encounter almost as many cease-fires in a given day as terrorist attacks. A cease-fire comes along every few minutes and it can last anywhere from a minute to an hour to a few hours until Hamas once again begins firing rockets or swarming through tunnels to attack Israelis. "War, what is it good for?" The Temptations sang. The obvious answer is that wars done right keep you from having to keep fighting. But cease-fires with Hamas aren't good for that or anything else. Hamas violates its own cease-fires. It declares cease-fires and then denies that it declared them. It seems to have almost as many positions on cease-fires as John Kerry does on Iraq. Israel's unilateral cease-fires with Hamas are as worthless as its unilateral withdrawal from Gaza which allowed Hamas to take over the area. The cease-fires don't stop the fighting. They don't bring an end to the violence. That's what war is for. But John Kerry is almost as obsessed with cease-fires as he is with finding a toupee that stays put during intense windsurfing sessions. The complete uselessness of the cease-fires hasn't stopped the completely useless top diplomat from constantly proposing new ones. Having noticed that the lifespan of one of these cease-fires is roughly that of a good idea inside his brain, Kerry defended his insistence on enrolling Israel in the Ceasefire-of-the-Minute club by claiming that enough worthless cease-fires could eventually be cashed in for one big real cease-fire. Obama's economic policy was all about piling up huge amounts of debt on the theory that enough debt would eventually translate into wealth. The theory of a million worthless cease-fires adding up to peace is that same economic theory applied to the equally fraudulent realm of international diplomacy. "The momentum generated by these short-term cease-fires is the best way to achieve a sustainable cease-fire," Kerry said. So far the only momentum is coming from Hamas rockets falling on Israel every time there's a cease-fire. But maybe that's the momentum that John Kerry has in mind. If enough rockets fall on Israel, maybe the Jews will finally give up on trying to contain Hamas and settle on Qatar's terms. In Hard Choices, a photo of deposed Egyptian leader Mohammed Morsi gazing lovingly into Hillary Clinton's eyes is captioned with the false claim that “Morsi helped me negotiate a cease-fire between Israel & Hamas that holds to this day.“ By "to this day" she probably meant the last day someone bought a copy of Hard Choices; piles of which are currently being used as doorstops at every Costco in the country. But even by that standard, the cease-fire that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt negotiated with the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza didn't hold up too well. The rocket attacks on Israel never stopped. Obama, Kerry and Clinton just pretended that they did. Desperate to get someone in Washington D.C. to notice their homicidal mania, Gaza even fired off rockets during Obama's visit. The target was Sderot, the Israeli city that Obama had visited back in 2008 before he learned how to lower the oceans, amnesty the illegals and stab Israel in the back.   "The first job of any nation state is to protect its citizens," Obama told the residents of the city that has come to be known as the nation's bomb shelter. "If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop that. And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing." But in 2013, Obama skipped Sderot. He paid no attention to the terrorists firing rockets at Sderot, even though they had dubbed him a "Roman Dog". Instead he visited the leader of the PLO who welcomed him with a mangled rendition of a Communist song about the glories of the Red Army and collective agriculture. Abbas may have assumed that it was one of the few things that the terrorist leader and the community organizer had in common. Meanwhile everyone went on pretending that the cease-fire still held. Only the Israelis had trouble playing along because were still being shelled. Kerry's spokeswoman Jen Psaki, who attempts to fix his messes by creating new messes of her own, explained that, ”Our focus is now is on short term cease-fires than can be built on each other.” Any construction worker will tell you that putting one fragile and unstable object on top of another an infinite amount of times will not build anything livable, but the party of "You Didn't Build That" doesn't seem to know much about how to actually build things, whether it's economies or cease-fires. Psaki's rhetoric is part of a larger shift in diplomatic expectations about the peace process. Israel is expected to accept a million cease-fires, no matter how worthless, because a cease-fire is an innately good thing, regardless of whether it's actually good for anything. If war is always bad, then cease-fires are always good. It doesn't matter if winning a war actually leads to peace while cease-fires just lead to more war. The devolution of peacenik idealism from a lasting peace to a cease-fire that lasts as long as it takes a bunch of men from Beit Hanoun to lug their rocket from the mosque to a UNRWA school is an adaptation to a new reality. Unlike its PLO cousins, Hamas isn't willing to pinkie swear that it will stop killing Israelis if it gets a few pieces of land on a map. Hamas only offers the Hudna, the temporary cease-fire that Muslims offer to non-Muslims, just before they start killing them again anyway. Arafat framed the peace deal to Muslims in terms of Mohammed's Hudna, a process that eventually led Mohammed to carry out the mass murder and rape of the local Jewish population during that golden age of coexistence between Muslims and the Jews and Christians they were ethnically cleansing that the New York Times keeps talking about when it blames Zionism for everything. But the PLO was at least willing to run its Hudna through the Western framework of diplomacy and peace agreements. Hamas is no more honest than the PLO, but its dishonesty is expressed in purely Islamic terms. If it's going to agree to an agreement that it intends to break anyway, it's going to be a temporary Hudna cease-fire, which it can safely break under Islamic law, and not some infidel Western peace process. The idealism of diplomats and activists is tagging along after the new Hamas reality. The peace process is dead. The temporary ceasefire in which Hamas is allowed to kill Israelis, but Israel isn't allowed to kill the terrorists killing its people is the new ideal. And Israel is expected to get on board. The cease-fire is just the peace process stripped as naked as the fairy tale emperor. It works exactly the same way. Terrorists attack Israel. Israel fights back. The photogs snap staged photos of Israeli atrocities, complete with painstakingly posed brand new teddy bears. The diplomats show up and demand that Israel make concessions to the terrorists in exchange for not being shot at. The concessions are made and the terrorists go on shooting anyway. It's the same old story, without any of the empty talk of "Peace in Our Time." There's no promise of co-existence. No new Middle East. Just Lucy in a Burka holding out an exploding football. Secretary of State John Kerry promises that enough cease-fires will add up to a sustainable cease-fire. But what is a sustainable cease-fire anyway? Unlike peace, sustainable cease-fires happen through a balance of power. Kerry's sustainable cease-fire however is supposed to be achieved by rewarding Hamas for breaking all the other cease-fires with a raft of new concessions. Trying to obtain a sustainable cease-fire by rewarding terrorists who break cease-fires is like going trillions into debt to get rich. Not only won't it work, but it will have the exact opposite effect. Kerry's sustainable cease-fire can't exist because he's paying the terrorists breaking it in Israeli currency. Psaki's giant pile of cease-fires, one of top of another, is just a game of diplomatic Jenga. Everyone from the UN Secretary General to Hillary Clinton keeps shouting for an immediate cease-fire. But what is the cease-fire supposed to accomplish when the problem is terrorism? We didn't respond to Pearl Harbor with an unconditional cease-fire. We didn't address 9/11 with a cease-fire. As miserably defeatist as this administration has been, it still hasn't declared a cease-fire with Al Qaeda no matter how many civilians, including children, die in the process. A cease-fire is even more pointless than a peace process. At least a peace process has a goal. A cease-fire is a temporary interruption in hostilities. It doesn't accomplish anything except to prolong and delay the inevitable. It's not an end to war. It's a war that drags on interminably without any final conclusion. Instead the rockets keep falling year after year in the war that never ends. A million cease-fires solve nothing. Especially when Hamas continues to violate its own cease-fires, accepting them and then rejecting them and then attacking anyway. We don't have a cease-fire with Al Qaeda. Instead Obama keeps promising to defeat Al Qaeda. Doesn't Israel deserve to win its own war on terror? Daniel Greenfield @ the Sultan Knish blog at 11:31 PM Share 18 comments: Anonymous3/8/14 Actually it was Edwin Starr who sang "War, what are you good for....absolutely nothing" Reply Daniel Greenfield @ the Sultan Knish blog3/8/14 So did the Temptations Reply Anonymous3/8/14 Matter of fact, Edwin Starr's version was a cover of the Temptations'. Brilliant, as usual, Daniel. With all the bitching about the Israelis defending themselves, there's not much mention of the tunnels. Was Hamas planning on using them to take milk and cookies to the Israelis? And how about the 100 plus children who died during the construction of those tunnels? The hypocrisy of the left is so unashamedly blatant as to make a thinking person swoon. Reply Anonymous3/8/14 What happens when its all done? Assuming it goes as well as it could, Israel destroys all the tunnels and destroys Hamas. Then what? Can't give Gaza to Egypt and Egypt doesn't want it. Can't give it to be run by Abbas, Abbas has no support amongst his own, and if he were a real leader, he would've denounced Hamas and started creating a transitional government for Gaza, setting himself up as an alternative to Hamas and ready to take over once the war is over, but he is inept. So then what? Only real alternative is to offer some Arab government money to take the Gazans, depopulate Gaza and cement over it. Or is there some other alternative? What do you guys think? Reply Some dude3/8/14 Doesn't Israel deserve to win its own war on terror? The answer to that question will always be "no" or some variant of "no" involving us having to give something up that is ours. The proper way to treat this is by saying the following: http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/foreignpolicy/mfadocuments/yearbook5/pages/91%20statement%20by%20prime%20minister%20begin%20on%20us%20measure.aspx Reply DenisO3/8/14 Israel needs peaceful borders, so they should make the sea their border and control the land, right to the coast. They should occupy Gaza, claiming they're "peacekeepers", and should never have given it up to appease the U.S. and other Western fools. The people of Gaza would rather have a secure and safe place to live than have crazy religious fanatics sacrificing them and their children to satisfy Allah's blood-lust. Hamas is in, and the People have had their one vote, one time, and will not be allowed to remove Hamas. Israel has to do it, and let the World be damned. Survival is at stake. I don't think Egyptian moderates will object. Regards, Reply Anonymous3/8/14 I definitely think Israel should take it back. Let some of their arab neighbours take in the refugees or whatever they claim to be. Reply Anonymous3/8/14 Could someone explain the language Jen Psaki uses, it is a form of semantics I don't recognize. Reply Anonymous3/8/14 So israel takes back gaza. What do you do with 2 million people that hate you? Reply Johnny3/8/14 Maybe refugee camps should be segregated by sex and the privilege of reproduction be relegated to those who are self supporting. Hey, like the old Catholic monasteries. Had that been done fifty years ago, the pissed off Palestinians would be a bunch of old guys limping around on canes. Reply djr3/8/14 Hadn't been here (this site) for a month or 2; my mistake. Shouldn't the schools w/ arms be called "UN Armories"? Reply Stogie3/8/14 Yes, the Israelis should take Gaza back. Let the firing cease when there is no more Hamas to fire back. Reply TotallyPeeved3/8/14 "Lucy in a burqa holding an exploding football." PRICELESS! Reply Anonymous4/8/14 Ceasefires amount to a weekend off from a hostile M-F work environment. When the ceasefire or weekend ends, hostilities resume. Until Israel truly secures her perimeter, hostile Monday mornings will occur. Eliminate the Gaza threat; root, branch or tunnel. Reply fsy4/8/14 Maybe refugee camps should be segregated by sex Clever idea, but it can only work if there isn't even one male guard. Reply Anonymous4/8/14 "The new Gaza missile defense system..." political cartoon used in this article reminds me of a Netanyahu quote: "We're using missile defense to protect our civilians, and they're using their civilians to protect their missiles." Does anyone know how I can find an old political cartoon that shows, all in silhouette if memory serves me correctly, a PLO fighter with a rifle pointed at an Israeli soldier while an Israeli soldier is, in return, pointing his rifle back at the PLO fighter. The only difference is that the PLO fighter is crouched behind a baby carriage using the child as a human shield while the Israeli soldier is in front of the baby carriage, protecting the child? It is a poignant cartoon and I would love to find it. Does anyone know where it is on the Internet? Thanks for considering. King Western Man Reply Anonymous4/8/14 I'm surprised Kerry isn't pestering Israel to send care gifts of falafel and hummus to Hamas during their cease-fires (I mean rest and reload breaks). Keliata Reply Steve D4/8/14 'Desperate to get someone in Washington D.C. to notice their homicidal mania, Gaza even fired off rockets during Obama's visit.' It's tough to convince people you're a t

Israeli murdered in Golan

Sunday, Jun 22 '14, Sivan 24, 5774 Israeli Killed in Golan Heights Blast Mortar shell detonated near moving vehicle explodes, killing one and seriously injuring up to 4; IDF begins firing into Quneitra. Today`s Email Stories: Danon Calls to Cut Off Electricity in Gaza, PA Peres, Delegation to Ask for Pollard's Release Half-Million NIS Reward for Abducted Boys' Return IDF Camera Catches Syrian Blitz of Rebel-Held City PM: 'Unequivocal Proof' that Hamas Kidnapped Teens IDF's Working Assumption: Missing Teens Are Alive Israeli Killed in Golan Heights Blast   More Website News: French Rally Supporting Abducted Teens Attacked Iranians at World Cup Show Love for Israel Netanyahu to Ban: Hamas Behind Kidnapping IDF Search Goes Underground MK Zoabi Accuses Abbas of 'Treason'   MP3 Radio Website News Briefs: Talk: Media Terrorists Using a Strong Arm Music: Erev Shabbat Security Coordinator Talks About Armed Infiltrator Ukraine Peace Plans Gets Limited Support from Russia Masked Burglars Steal Safe from Jewelry Store MK Feiglin vs. Justice David Rosen Clashes in Ramallah Lead to 1 Dead, 11 Wounded Report: Assad’s Forces Used Chlorine Gas Last Night Jerusalem Youth Arrested for Forcing Himself on Girls Dudu Fisher Dedicates Song to Kidnapped Teens World-famous Israeli singer and stage-performer dedicated Les Miserables song he once sang for his own ...   No Rest for Israel Since Abductions The search goes on without pause, Jews worry and pray, the world takes the kidnapping in stride. 1. Golan Heights Explosion Kills Israeli Teen, IDF Responds by AFP and Arutz Sheva Staff At least one person is dead and several are injured in an explosion on the Israeli side of the Golan Heights Sunday, after an explosive device was detonated near a passing vehicle.  The IDF Spokesperson's Office just confirmed that two people were injured and one killed in the blast, and that the attack was carried out against "civilian sub-contractors for the Ministry of Defense."  According to Channel 10, the person killed is a 15 year-old boy; the injured include two contractors for the Ministry of Defense, including the boy's father, and up to two other people. "A 15-year-old Israeli was killed, he was the son of a contractor," a ministry official told AFP, saying the boy was traveling in a car with his father and another contractor at the time. Both contractors were also injured in the incident, he said, without saying what caused it. As of 2:30 pm, the name of the teen has been released. He has been identified as Mohammed Karaka, 15, from Kafr Arraba. "This is the most substantial incident on the border with Syria since the beginning of the civil war," said Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner, the army's foreign press spokesman, confirming it was the first death on the Israeli side. He said the shooting was deliberate. "This was an intentional attack, not errant fire," he said, adding that the target was a vehicle delivering water. Lerner said the army was "not certain if it was an explosive device, a rocket or a mortar" that caused the explosion, noting there was a hole in the nearby fence. The IDF has responded to the attack, IDF Radio reported a short time ago, firing on the border town of Quneitra, which is in Syrian President Bashar Assad's control.  Lerner said it was unclear who was behind Sunday's incident. "On the other side, we are aware of an extensive rebel, or opposition presence, but we can't confirm who was involved in it," he told reporters. 'Assad Will Fail' The Syrian border with Israel has been less than quiet, with small skirmishes erupting between Syrian rebel forces and the IDF on several occasions.  Earlier this month, Syrian rebels shot at an IDF post near Mount Hermon; no one was hurt.  In early March, two rockets landed also near an IDF post in Mount Hermon. No injuries or damage were reported in that incident. Despite several incidents, Israel has rarely seen damage or injuries from the threat of Syrian fighting along the border. Last month, several top military officials warned that the war would inevitably cross into Israel, however - and that when it did, Assad would pay the price.  "It happens quite a lot, almost daily, that a Syrian plane fighting with rebel forces approaches the Golan Heights border" an official said in May. "When it does happen, [Assad] will fall. It's bound to happen."  More to follow.  ???? ??"? Credit: Hatzalah Yosh Tags: Golan Heights, IDF, bomb, bomb attacks More on this topic 1,400 Sites Searched, 350 Arrests Made in Search for Teens Deputy Minister Calls to Cut Off Electricity in Gaza, PA Hamas Threatens to Make Israel 'Suffer' Terrorist with Grenade Apprehended Near Gaza IDF Search Goes Underground Report: IDF has Information Indicating Boys Are Alive Comment on this story Israel Pics View It! Political Cartoon Sunday, June 22, 2014 View It! 2. Deputy Minister Calls to Cut Off Electricity in Gaza, PA by Tova Dvorin and Hezki Ezra Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon called to cut off all Israeli-provided electricity to Gaza and the Palestinian Authority (PA) on Sunday, in light of the ongoing struggle to locate three teens kidnapped by Hamas ten days ago. Danon stressed that, contrary to criticism from some in the international community and from PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, a wide-scale crackdown in all areas under Palestinian Arab control is completely justified.  "In my opinion there is room for extensive activity also against the civilian population," Danon said. "What I say here is difficult, but I believe in it."  The Palestinian Authority and Hamas have encouraged ordinary citizens to hinder the IDF crackdown, with early posts on Fatah's Facebook page calling on local businesses to erase all closed-caption television footage (CCTV) of the teens or the terrorists who kidnapped them.  Meanwhile, the international community has largely rallied behind Hamas, with the United Nations even saying that there is no "concrete evidence" that the abduction happened at all.  The counterbalance to this, says Danon, is forcing civilians to come forward with information - and the international community to acknowledge the seriousness of the event.  "You have to change the daily life of the residents of Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip, to lower the power for a few days and force the international community to ask us why we cut off electricity," Danon said. "Then maybe we can fire back and say, 'did you know three teenage boys were kidnapped?'"  Danon's comments surface hours after a private project was launched to provide another incentive: to fund reward money for civilians who know something about the kidnapping or the boys' whereabouts in general.  Tags: Hamas, IDF, Danny Danon, Missing yeshiva students More on this topic 1,400 Sites Searched, 350 Arrests Made in Search for Teens Golan Heights Explosion Kills Israeli Teen, IDF Responds 500,000 Shekel Reward Offered for Return of Abducted Teens Watch: Dudu Fisher Dedicates Broadway Song to Kidnapped Teens PM Soon to Publish 'Unequivocal Proof' of Hamas's Abduction Abbas Lashes Out at Netanyahu Over Hamas Crackdown Missing yeshiva students Comment on this story 3. Peres, Delegation to Ask for Pollard's Release by Shlomo Pitrikovsky President Shimon Peres met with Esther Pollard - the wife of longtime prisoner and Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard - and the Chairmen of the Knesset Caucus to release Jonathan Pollard, MKs Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) and Nachman Shai (Labor) Sunday, shortly before leaving for Washington to meet with US President Barack Obama.   Esther Pollard began the meeting by thanking Peres for his efforts to secure Pollard's freedom. "I am grateful to the President for meeting us a few days before his trip to the United States," she said. "Jonathan's health is severe and is only getting worse, and now, after thirty years, I hope they will listen to requests for his release."  Peres speaks with Esther Pollard Flash90 The Head of the Chief of Staff for Pollard's release, Effie Lahav, agreed.  "We know, Mr. President, that you made efforts during your tenure [to secure Pollard's release]," Lahav said. "Now, even more so, we strongly believe in your powers of persuasion against the US President. We are imbued with the belief that your trip to the US is the most serious and important opportunity until now for the release of Jonathan Pollard."  President Peres emphasized that he would raise the issue with the President and with Congress, citing the move as a "national duty."  "This is a national duty to act for Jonathan Pollard's release," Peres said. "I will turn to the US in the name of the Jewish people for them to release him on humanitarian grounds." "I know there are difficulties regarding Pollard['s release], and I am not afraid of them and will do whatever it takes," he added. Peres meets with Pollard, MKs Flash90 "You have done a lot on behalf of the State of Israel and the people of Israel both in Israel and abroad – I believe that only you can use your influence on the American leadership to bring Jonathan home," Shaked added. "There is a national consensus, which crosses party divides in the Knesset, of Jews and Arabs who agree that Jonathan Pollard must be released," Shai said. "I believe that if the President of the United States hears from you that the issue is important to you and to the people of Israel there will be progress." Jonathan Pollard has recently been the subject of a high-profile campaign for his release. He is now in his 29th year of incarceration in a US jail for passing classified security-related information from America to Israel. He was arrested by FBI agents in 1985 and has been held ever since, including eight years in solitary confinement. Pollard has been described multiple times as a "hostage" of the US, a notion which has ramped up criticism against the White House over recent weeks. Outrage has simmered further over a reported deal to release Pollard before the Passover holiday in April in exchange for hundreds of Israeli-held jailed Arab terrorists; the deal never materialized. His prison conditions have been described as "horrific" and he is suffering from ailing health. Tags: Jonathan Pollard, Shimon Peres, Nachman Shai, Ayelet Shaked More on this topic Peres Tells Parents of Abductees He'll Involve Obama Jonathan Pollard Calls for Public Support for Kidnapped Teens MK Slams Left's 'Political Blindness' 'Life Without Parole' Bill Passes Preliminary Knesset Reading Peres Congratulates Rivlin on Victory Peres: 'Everyone Deserves Right to Live in Peace' Comment on this story 4. 500,000 Shekel Reward Offered for Return of Abducted Teens by Tova Dvorin The IDF continues to search for kidnapped teens Gilad Sha'ar (16), Eyal Yifrah (19), and Naftali Frenkel (16) on Sunday, ten days after the three were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. Operation Brothers' Keeper has seen a wide-scale crackdown on Hamas in Judea and Samaria, and over 350 arrests.  But one project aims to bring the search into civilian hands; by paying out a large reward for intelligence related to the kidnapped teens.  Matan Nahmani launches an initiative Sunday to pay out a 500,000 shekel ($145,150) reward for private citizens who have useful tips on the teens' whereabouts.  While Nahmani has only collected part of the necessary reward money, he has appealed to the public for donations - and stated that the initiative could aid the IDF in saving the boys' lives.  "The project was conceived after consulting with ex-security officials, who thought that this could aid security forces by giving incentives for people to come forward with information," Nahmani stated to Kikar HaShabbat Sunday. "The general idea is that we do a mass funding project, pretty much - every participant contributing as much as he can toward the reward money."  While 500,000 shekel is a high bar to set, Nahmani believes the reward should be even higher.  "The minimum I want to collect is half a million (shekel), but my goal is a million and a half shekel," he said. "We decided to go public with this this morning, so I expect a lot of people to join in on this collaboration."  Nahmani said that he would even pay the money to Palestinian Arabs, saying that he thinks they will cooperate - and not provide false leads - because they are "suffering" from the IDF crackdown.  "The reality in the Palestinian Authority (PA) is problematic, there is a very large conflict between the Palestinian factions, and I believe any man who feels he is being suppressed by Hamas [. . .] would approach security forces [with information]," he said.  He added that the project would not "offer any information" to go on for tipsters - preventing any leaks back to the terrorists responsible - but merely "provide an incentive" for civilians who do know something about the abduction.  But what if the teens are found beforehand? "If the circumstances do not require us to grant the reward to anyone, the money collected will be transferred to the Administrator General and support charities," he said, adding that all documents proving as such would be posted for the public to see. The Administrator General's Office handles all monies bequeathed directly to the State of Israel, and is a suboffice of the Ministry of Justice.  Tags: incentives, Missing yeshiva students More on this topic 1,400 Sites Searched, 350 Arrests Made in Search for Teens Deputy Minister Calls to Cut Off Electricity in Gaza, PA Watch: Dudu Fisher Dedicates Broadway Song to Kidnapped Teens PM Soon to Publish 'Unequivocal Proof' of Hamas's Abduction Abbas Lashes Out at Netanyahu Over Hamas Crackdown Solidarity Rally Defends Hitchhiking for Stranded Judea-Samaria Missing yeshiva students Comment on this story 5. Watch: IDF Camera Catches Syrian Blitz of Rebel-Held City by Ari Soffer The IDF has released footage it captured of Syrian army forces launching a blistering bombardment of the Syrian city of Nawa, near the border with Israel. The blitz of Nawa was initially recorded and uploaded online by a Syrian opposition activist and reposted on Arutz Sheva in May, and shows dozens of Katyusha rockets landing indiscriminately in a crowded civilian area. Israeli security forces at the border, who are constantly monitoring the conflict for any potential spillover into Israel, caught the moment the hail of rockets was fired from a Syrian army launchpad. The IDF released the footage last week, editing it to juxtapose the amateur footage of the rockets falling in Nawa. There have been several instances of fighting from the Syrian Civil War spilling over Israel's northern border with the country and into the Israeli Golan Heights. Many such incidents have been accidental or misfires, but in some cases fire has been directed at IDF forces. The latest incident today (Sunday), saw the first Israeli fatality in such an incident. A 15-year-old boy was killed in an apparent mortar attack targeting the car he was travelling in along with his father, who was wounded in the attack along with at least one other person. Tags: Syria, Syrian civil war, Katyushas, Nawa More on this topic Inspectors Say Chlorine Gas Was Likely Used in Syria Syria: At Least 31 Dead in Latest 'Barrel Bomb' Attack on Aleppo Defense Experts Warn Israel of Possible ISIS Threat Obama Supports Training for Syrian Opposition, Says Official Alarm as Iraq's Second City, US Equipment, Seized by Islamists Not 'Land for Peace,' But 'Land for Terror' Comment on this story 6. PM Soon to Publish 'Unequivocal Proof' of Hamas's Abduction by Uzi Baruch and Tova Dvorin Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reiterated Sunday that there is "unequivocal proof" that Hamas kidnapped three yeshiva students ten days ago, shortly after a torrent of criticism over the wide-ranging IDF crackdown on Hamas from Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.  "Over the weekend I met with the parents of the abducted youths," Netanyahu began. "I promised them that we are doing, and will do, everything to bring the abducted boys home safely." "We are in the midst of a continuing and focused effort to – first of all – bring the boys home," he emphasized. Netanyahu also deflected all claims that Israel is being deliberately cruel during the operation, which has been dubbed 'Operation Brothers' Keeper.'   "This effort entails a certain friction with the civilian population in Judea and Samaria; we have no intention of deliberately harming anyone but our forces are acting as necessary for self-defense and from time to time there are victims or casualties on the Palestinian side as a result of the self-defense actions of our soldiers." "We are focusing on returning the abductees, on finding the kidnappers and on striking at the organization to which they belong," he continued. "We have unequivocal proof that this is Hamas." The Prime Minister also emphasized that while much skepticism has been raised over the "proof," such proof does exist, and is being kept quiet for strategic and political reasons.  "We are sharing this proof and information to this effect with several countries," he said. "Soon this information will be made public." Regarding Abbas, "I think that at that time Abbas's remarks in Saudi Arabia will be put to the test in practice. His remarks will be tested not only by actions to return the boys home but by his willingness to dissolve the unity government with Hamas, which abducted the youths and calls for the destruction of Israel." Earlier Sunday, Abbas claimed in a Haaretz interview that "there is no credible information" proving that Hamas abducted the teens, who have been missing since Thursday night. He also claimed that Israel's crackdown "frustrated" Palestinian Arabs and that the IDF operation violated human rights. Tags: Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Missing yeshiva students More on this topic 1,400 Sites Searched, 350 Arrests Made in Search for Teens Deputy Minister Calls to Cut Off Electricity in Gaza, PA 500,000 Shekel Reward Offered for Return of Abducted Teens Watch: Dudu Fisher Dedicates Broadway Song to Kidnapped Teens Abbas Lashes Out at Netanyahu Over Hamas Crackdown Solidarity Rally Defends Hitchhiking for Stranded Judea-Samaria Missing yeshiva students Comment on this story 7. IDF's Working Assumption is that Missing Teens Are Alive by Kobi Finkler, Gil Ronen The IDF's mammoth effort to locate the three abducted yeshiva boys who have been missing for 10 days was concentrated in western Hevron on Saturday. The missing yeshiva boys: Eyal Yifrah, Gilad Sha'ar, Naftali Frenkel Courtesy: the families A senior officer said Saturday night that three infantry brigades – the Paratroopers, Nahal and Kfir – are now concentrating their efforts on Highway 35 and Highway 60 in the Hevron area. "We are going from house to house, location to location, to bring about the locating of the three abductees,” the officer added. He stressed that there is no precise intelligence yet about the boys' location and that the IDF's activity is based on estimates and cross-checking of data. “The 'golden' piece of information has not yet arrived,” he said. “Our working assumption is that the boys are alive.” Paratroopers' Brigade Commander Col. Eliezer Toledano said Saturday night that the operations' aims are threefold: find the abductees, catch the abductors and smash Hamas's terror infrastructure in Hevron. Every detail and bit of information are immediately scrutinized, he said, and the forces are doing everything possible to process the accumulated data. “We turn over every rock and look for clues, the combat soldiers feel committed to the mission and the sparkle in their eyes has not dulled,” he said. “I believe that we will find them. We proceed with that faith day and night.” Israeli security forces have arrested 10 more terror suspects as they press their search for the three teenagers kidnapped by Hamas, the army said Saturday. "Ten people were arrested overnight, bringing to 330 the number of wanted Palestinians arrested since the beginning of the operation," a spokeswoman said. Israel accuses Hamas of kidnapping two 16-year-olds and a 19-year-old who went missing June 12 at a hitch-hiking stop in Gush Etzion, an allegation the Islamist group has dismissed. Tags: Missing yeshiva students, operation brother's keeper More on this topic 1,400 Sites Searched, 350 Arrests Made in Search for Teens Deputy Minister Calls to Cut Off Electricity in Gaza, PA 500,000 Shekel Reward Offered for Return of Abducted Teens Watch: Dudu Fisher Dedicates Broadway Song to Kidnapped Teens PM Soon to Publish 'Unequivocal Proof' of Hamas's Abduction Abbas Lashes Out at Netanyahu Over Hamas Crackdown Missing yeshiva students Comment on this story 8. Golan Heights Explosion Kills Israeli Teen, IDF Responds by AFP and Arutz Sheva Staff At least one person is dead and several are injured in an explosion on the Israeli side of the Golan Heights Sunday, after an explosive device was detonated near a passing vehicle.  The IDF Spokesperson's Office just confirmed that two people were injured and one killed in the blast, and that the attack was carried out against "civilian sub-contractors for the Ministry of Defense."  According to Channel 10, the person killed is a 15 year-old boy; the injured include two contractors for the Ministry of Defense, including the boy's father, and up to two other people. "A 15-year-old Israeli was killed, he was the son of a contractor," a ministry official told AFP, saying the boy was traveling in a car with his father and another contractor at the time. Both contractors were also injured in the incident, he said, without saying what caused it. As of 2:30 pm, the name of the teen has been released. He has been identified as Mohammed Karaka, 15, from Kafr Arraba. "This is the most substantial incident on the border with Syria since the beginning of the civil war," said Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner, the army's foreign press spokesman, confirming it was the first death on the Israeli side. He said the shooting was deliberate. "This was an intentional attack, not errant fire," he said, adding that the target was a vehicle delivering water. Lerner said the army was "not certain if it was an explosive device, a rocket or a mortar" that caused the explosion, noting there was a hole in the nearby fence. The IDF has responded to the attack, IDF Radio reported a short time ago, firing on the border town of Quneitra, which is in Syrian President Bashar Assad's control.  Lerner said it was unclear who was behind Sunday's incident. "On the other side, we are aware of an extensive rebel, or opposition presence, but we can't confirm who was involved in it," he told reporters. 'Assad Will Fail' The Syrian border with Israel has been less than quiet, with small skirmishes erupting between Syrian rebel forces and the IDF on several occasions.  Earlier this month, Syrian rebels shot at an IDF post near Mount Hermon; no one was hurt.  In early March, two rockets landed also near an IDF post in Mount Hermon. No injuries or damage were reported in that incident. Despite several incidents, Israel has rarely seen damage or injuries from the threat of Syrian fighting along the border. Last month, several top military officials warned that the war would inevitably cross into Israel, however - and that when it did, Assad would pay the price.  "It happens quite a lot, almost daily, that a Syrian plane fighting with rebel forces approaches the Golan Heights border" an official said in May. "When it does happen, [Assad] will fall. It's bound to happen."  More to follow.  ???? ??"? Credit: Hatzalah Yosh Tags: Golan Heights, IDF, bomb, bomb attacks More on this topic 1,400 Sites Searched, 350 Arrests Made in Search for Teens Deputy Minister Calls to Cut Off Electricity in Gaza, PA Hamas Threatens to Make Israel 'Suffer' Terrorist with Grenade Apprehended Near Gaza IDF Search Goes Underground Report: IDF has Information Indicating Boys Are Alive Comment on this story More Website News: Watch: French Rally Supporting Abducted Teens Comes Under Attack Iranians at World Cup Show Love for Israel Netanyahu to Ban: No Doubt that Hamas Was Behind Kidnapping IDF Search Goes Underground MK Zoabi Accuses Abbas of 'Treason' Breaking News, Analysis, Video clips, Radio shows, Blogs, Torah & Music Other newsletters: Israel Real Estate | Travel | Health | Higher Education | Made in Israel Advertise   Op-Eds Terrorists Blackout Yemen by Dr. P.Pry The Pretense of Moderate Islam by J. 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We need a man like Earl Krugel now!

Jews and Israel are under attack around the world today..
Earl Krugel was a hero...a mensch.
We need men like that now!

Kerry Slams Israel For Demanding Recognition as Jewish State

Ministers slammed US Secretary of State John Kerry for saying Thursday that Israel's demand for recognition as a Jewish state by the Palestinian Authority (PA) is a "mistake." The statement, which was announced as rockets fired on Israel from Gaza rocket, has seen Kerry criticized for being disconnected from reality. Deputy Education Minister Avi Wortzman called on Kerry to condemn the rocket barrage from Gaza on Israel's south, in which over 100 rockets have been fired since Wednesday. "In days when citizens of the state of Israel are attacked by rockets, I expect clear statements from Kerry against the terror organizations instead of undermining the basic rights of the Jewish people to their land," stated Wortzman. Noting Kerry's disconnection from realities on the ground, sources in Jewish Home said "from Washington they don't hear the sirens in Ashkelon, and that's unfortunate." Kerry "doesn't understand the root of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that he pretends to be solving," said Deputy Transportation Minister Tzipi Hotovely to Yisrael Hayom. Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon added "I am certain that Prime Minister (Binyamin) Netanyahu will know to well clarify for our friends in the American administration that we are connected to reality and not to illusions." The criticism comes following PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's adamant refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Further, a senior PA official closely associated with Abbas on PA TV Wednesday called Israelis "an advanced instrument of evil," claiming "Allah will gather them so that we can kill them." 'Recognition of Jewish state is illegitimate' However, not all Israeli politicians saw the need for the Jewish state to be recognized as such. Back in January, President Shimon Peres called the recognition "unnecessary." MK Zehava Galon, Chairperson of the far-left Meretz party, spoke on Friday before her party's national committee, emphasizing Israel's democratic nature over its Jewish nature. "Israel will be a Jewish state not thanks to Palestinian recognition, but only if a majority of citizens living here are interested in it being so," declared Galon. "As long as there is a democratic majority asking for the day of rest to be Shabbat, and for the holidays to be Jewish festivals, for the language to be Hebrew -- as long as Israelis want that, Israel will be a country with a Jewish character." Galon further referenced a recent poll, claiming the demand for recognition as a Jewish state "is not only not legitimate, but also against the will of Israeli citizens. When they asked the Israeli public what it prefers, peace or recognition as a Jewish state, the Israeli public said clearly: we want peace." The poll, conducted by the Washington-based S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, asked participants to select recognition as a Jewish state or “that the entire Arab world sign peace agreements and maintain normal relations with Israel," reports Haaretz. It is noted that on Sunday, the Arab League backed Abbas in refusing to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Putting the results into further doubt is a poll from February, by the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University. That poll found 77% of Israelis believe recognition of the Jewish state is crucial. In context of polls, a survey released Tuesday by the same organizations found that two-thirds of the Jewish public does not trust Kerry’s framework agreement to take account of Israel’s security as a crucial factor.

No Going Back

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/14519#.Uv8ppmKSx8G

Barry Shaw

You know the one major problem should Israel foolishly agree to surrender territory to a dangerous new aggressive Palestinian state? There is no going back! The world will never allow or agree that Israel can reconquer territory that will fall into the hands of a Hamas, Islamic Jihad, or Al-Qaida influence. So why should Israel give in to international pressure that will not guarantee its right to regain its land if war or terror is fought from there?