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From Morocco to New Zealand: Jews from 60 Countries Participate in Yom Hazikaron Ceremony

by The Israel Insider
written by The Israel Insider

A special Yom HaZikaron ceremony was held on Tuesday night by the Jewish Agency for Diaspora Jewry which was attended by participants from 60 countries around the world.

The ceremony centered around the story of soldiers and civilians who came to Israel from all over the world and fell while serving the IDF or were killed in terror attacks.

This ceremony is the largest in Israel in English and is geared toward Diaspora Jewry and the Olim (new immigrant) communities in Israel.

The ceremony, broadcast in English, was translated into Hebrew, French, and Russian and broadcast live to hundreds of thousands of Jews around the world, including in the US, Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Morocco, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, and Former USSR countries.

In addition, thousands of participants in programs in Israel gathered to watch the ceremony in five centers in major cities around Israel.

The ceremony included clips about those who fell in Israel’s wars and in terror attacks, with an emphasis on lone soldiers from Diaspora Jewry.

Benji Singer, The brother of Alex Singer who was killed while serving in Lebanon, recited the Kaddish. Memorial candles were lit against the backdrop of flags from countries around the world.

The chairman of the Jewish Agency Isaac Herzog said at the ceremony that “tonight we will follow in the footsteps of the lone soldiers who gave their lives so that we can live here. We will tell their stories and shed a tear with their relatives, whose lives will never be the same again.”

Ofer Gutman, CEO of the MASA program, said that this unique ceremony allows the participants “to be true partners in the powerful event in the life of every Israeli – and to connect more deeply to the roots of this country and people.”

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Elite IDF Search & Rescue Unit Shares Know-How With the World

by The Israel Insider
written by The Israel Insider

Israel’s elite Search and Rescue Unit, codenamed 669, is sharing its vast professional knowledge with partners around the world, and especially with Jewish communities, in an effort to improve emergency response and save lives.

Unit 669 is the IDF’s heliborne combat search and rescue extraction unit, subordinate to the Special Air Forces Command of the Israeli Air Force (IAF). It is considered one of the four premier elite units of the IDF and is responsible for the rescue and evacuation of all IDF personnel, including ground forces, naval forces and pilots.

The unit’s alumni, called the Cat Alumni Association (CAA) after the Unit’s logo of a winged, green-eyed, black cat, organize an annual international emergency healthcare conference, in which the alumni share their experiences and accumulated knowledge from the battlefield. Various emergency organizations attend the conference to learn from the Israeli soldiers’ rich knowledge and abilities.

Members of the CAA also give classes on emergency healthcare to Jewish and Israeli communities around the world. Community members learn how to support local emergency units by administering crucial first aid to victims until professional emergency teams arrive.

They share their experience with the local emergency units as well, improving the systematic emergency dispatch based on past experience of the CAA members.

Another initiative the CAA has undertaken is a project in which the alumni tell their stories to communities abroad. The fascinating stories of the 669 Unit soldiers, who endanger their lives daily to save others’ lives, have proven very popular with crowds around the world.

Bar Reuven, CAA’s Co-founder and CEO, said the Unit’s alumni’s mission has always been to save lives, and they hope their global rescue mission will strengthen in the coming years.

“During our military service, we undertook the responsibility to join a small special unit, whose only goal is saving human lives. Both within and beyond the borders of Israel, day or night, hot or cold, regardless of the kind of mission, our duty is to be there, rescue, evacuate and act as the national safety net of Israeli citizens and Jews around the world,” he said.

Reuven told TPS that being an alumnus of the 669 unit has been an asset for him ever since his army service.

“Taking part in the search and rescue efforts of the Unit has taught me to always think on my feet. Having to work under pressure, I learned to prioritize and solve issues as they arose, which is particularly crucial in dangerous scenarios. The daily stress at the Unit fosters a mental and emotional resilience that alumni take with them for the rest of their lives,” he said.

>”When CAA members share their capabilities with communities around the world, these traits are immensely important,” he added.

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IsraelNews

IDF Remains on High Alert in North in Expectation of Another Hezbollah Attack

by The Israel Insider
written by The Israel Insider

Israel’s security forces along the northern border with Lebanon remain on high alert after the Hezbollah terror organization carried out an attack on IDF targets on Sunday, and in anticipation of another pending attack.

Hezbollah terrorists on Sunday fired several anti-tank missiles from Lebanon, hitting an IDF military outpost and a military ambulance driving on the border, near Avivim.

An Israeli Air Force (IAF) helicopter fired at the Hezbollah squad responsible for the attack and the IDF artillery fired some 100 shells at various targets on the border.

No Israelis were injured in the attack. The IDF displayed footage of a medical evacuation of two soldiers, but it later became apparent that the evacuation was a deception to lead Hezbollah to believe that it inflicted injuries on IDF troops and that its attack was successful. The two “wounded” soldiers were released from the hospital shortly after they were admitted.

“The fact that Hezbollah succeeded in realizing the attack, but without casualties, is a worthy operational achievement,” emphasized IDF Spokesman Brigadier General Ronen Manelis. “This was the goal and we met it.”

“It must be said that at this stage, Hezbollah has implemented the attack but not the intent of the attack. On the one hand, we have succeeded in our operational achievement, and on the other, we are not resting. We are prepared for any development.”

The attack occurred while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was meeting with Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

He stated after the attack that Israel “will decide on the next steps pending developments. At this time, I have an important announcement: We have no casualties – not even a scratch.”

Hezbollah announced that it has destroyed an IDF vehicle that was in movement along the border. It described the attack as “a planned and quality” strike and crowned it as a victory.

The terror organization further said that the “Hasan Zbeeb and Yasser Daher’s Brigade” carried out the attack. Zbeeb and Daher were killed during an IAF strike on an Iranian terror target in Syria last Saturday.

Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem stated after the attack that it was aimed at “maintaining deterrence against the Zionist enemy, asserting that the ‘eye for an eye’ retaliation principle is being applied.”

Hezbollah further stated that the strike was IN retaliation for Israel’s strike in Syria, but not for Israel’s strike in the heart of Beirut.

Hezbollah has threatened to attack Israel after the IDF allegedly attacked Hezbollah targets in Beirut with drones last Saturday night. Their target was reportedly unique equipment needed for Hezbollah’s program to upgrade its missile arsenal to accurate projectiles.

It is estimated that Hezbollah will carry out another attack on Israel. similarly, Iran has threatened to attack Israel in response to its strike on Iranian targets in Syria last month.

President Reuven Rivlin warned Sunday evening that “all those who seek to harm us should know that we are ready and willing to defend Israel’s citizens wherever they are, without hesitation. We also say to them that we are prepared and do not want to show just how well-prepared we are. You should know that the border can only be quiet if it is on both of its sides.”

 

Article by Aryeh Savir/TPS |  Photo by Kobi Richter/TPS

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IsraelNews

Israelis Visit Joseph’s Tomb Under Heavy Security, Palestinians Riot

by The Israel Insider
written by The Israel Insider

In celebration of Tu B’av, the Jewish holiday of love, approximately 1,200 Jews came to visit Joseph’s Tomb on Monday night.

As the Jewish visitors entered the site, Palestinians rioted, throwing rocks and an improvised explosive device at the security forces present. No visitors or security personnel were hurt during the incident.

Jews are allowed to visit the site periodically and do so weekly. They visit under the supervision of the IDF and are accompanied by security forces. The site is located in the Palestinian city of Nablus and is an enclave of Israeli controlled territory in the town.

The Israelis came to the tomb to pray and celebrate the Jewish holiday. Among those visiting were prominent rabbis, performers, and politicians. Yossi Dagan, head of the Shomron regional council, who visited the site, said that “The week following Tu B’av, Israelis came out in droves to Joseph’s Tomb, proving their love for their land, roots and God. Every visit secular, religious, traditional and ultra-orthodox Jews come from across Israel. Joseph unites us and is beyond any division.”

The tomb has long been subjected to terror attacks, and several Israelis have been murdered by Palestinians while visiting the compound in the past. The tomb is considered to be the fourth holiest place to Jews and holds a significant standing in the collective national memory. The tomb is said to be the burial place of Joseph, son of Jacob, one of the three Patriarchs of the Jewish nation. Thus, Jews continue visiting the site despite constant security threats.

The IDF Spokesperson said that the forces who secured the visit responded to the riots with riot dispersal methods, and successfully broke up the riot. Additionally, measures were taken by the IDF to prevent future terror attacks, arresting six terror-related suspects across Judea and Samaria.

 

Written by Arye Green/TPS  |r  Photo by IDF Spokesperson Unit

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GOD TV Israeli Intelligence exposes ISIS
ArticlesIsrael

The World Is A Safer Place Thanks To Israeli Intelligence

by Ron Cantor
written by Ron Cantor

Thanks to Israeli intelligence some 50 terror attacks in 20 countries, including 12 in Turkey were prevented. This is according to a report on Israel’s Channel 12 on Tuesday July 9th,

Israel’s famed agencies, Mossad and IDF Intelligence shared intel on potential terror attacks by Islamic State (ISIS) and Iran in the past three years that led to the thwarting of dozens of attacks.

Despite diplomatic ties being severed between Turkey and Israel, intelligence was transferred to the Muslim country even while its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was publicly criticizing Israel.

Israeli intelligence

Though the network did not name any of the other countries nor cite sources for the story, in June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had used cyber-intelligence to prevent “major” attacks planned by the Islamic State terror group (aka ISIS and Daesh) and others in “dozens” of countries. He said Israeli intelligence helped thwart an attack on a United Arab Emirates’ Etihad Airways flight.

“That plane from Sydney to Abu Dhabi was going to be exploded in midair,” he said. “We found out through our cyber activities that ISIS was going to do this and so we alerted the Australian police and they stopped the terror attack before it happened.”

“This particular incident, I can talk about,” Netanyahu said. “If you multiply that 50 times, that will give you an idea of the contribution that Israel has made to prevent major terrorist operations, especially from ISIS, in dozens of countries and most of those cases were foiled because of our activities in cybersecurity.”

Another report in June cited a senior Israeli official saying that Mossad intel was responsible for providing information to British authorities that helped derailed Hezbollah attempts to stockpile explosives in London in 2015.

Also see Israel’s Contribution to Global Wellness Showcased at UN

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IsraelNews

Netanyahu: We Have No Interest In Sparking Palestinian Fronts, Unless There Is No Choice

by GOD TV
written by GOD TV

Israel has no interest in sparking any conflicts with the Palestinians while it deals with threats in the North, but would not hesitate to do so should it be left with no choice, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Sunday.

Netanyahu told ministers. “We have been working to neutralize precision rockets in Lebanon, as well as Hezbollah tunnels, and we are successfully promoting sanctions against Hezbollah and Iran, so we have no interest in the Palestinian fronts at this time, unless there is no choice.”

Netanyahu also said that as “Operation Northern Shield continues, IDF soldiers are constantly working with determination, systematically, and in all types of weather to expose and neutralize Hezbollah tunnels.

“We need patience, but with the same persistence, we will continue operation until we neutralize the threat of tunnels North,” the prime minister said.

Netanyahu added that Israel is “pushing Iran out of Syria with great success and we have not finished it yet. At the same time we are working on the diplomatic front to denounce Hezbollah and Iran and increase sanctions against both.”

The prime minister said he had spoken on Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Iranian threat.

“I told President Putin that we are continuing our policy: We will not allow Iran to build military operation in Syria, we will continue to act against precision weapons in Lebanon and complete the tunnel threat prevention,” he said, adding that the two countries are coordinating that IDF and Russian military experts meet in the coming days, and that he and Putin hope to meet soon.

Written by By Ilanit Chernick  |  Photo by Kobi Richter/TPS

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IsraelVideo

Miracle Spares the Lives of 50 Israeli Soldiers

by Ron Cantor
written by Ron Cantor

During Hanukkah, the winter holiday that commemorates the Hebrew victory over the Syrian dictator, Antiochus Epiphanes, we say, “nes godal kara poe,”which means, “a great miracle happened here.” It is fitting that 50 Israelis soldiers were singing one of the great Hanukkah songs, when they encountered a miracle of their own.

Israeli Soldiers Sing before a Miracle

Many of you have seen the carcass of the burning bus that took a direct hit from an anti-tank missile from Hamas. This is a severe escalation. Not since 2014 has Hamas used one of their Russian-made, anti-tank missiles. For the most part, Israel has had to contend with tens of thousands of horribly inaccurate rockets. They have no guiding system beyond point and shoot. And when one is actually on target, our Iron Dome has a 90% accuracy rate of taking them down before they can cause damage.

Miracle of Timing

However, an anti-tank missile is much more accurate and the video of it hitting the bus is chilling. No one inside could have survived. However, here is what you may not have heard.

Minutes before the missile hit its mark, the bus was full,with 30 barely-passed-their-teens, IDF soldiers. They had no idea that any minute, their bus would become an inferno. They began to sing the famous Hanukkah song that speaks of the miracles that took place as God protected Israel. It boldly proclaims: “Jerusalem, our capital, the heart of Israel.”

Moments after all 50 had exited the bus, a Hamas missile hit it, turning it instantly into a ball of fire. One soldier, who was standing close to the bus, was seriously injured. Fortunately, doctors expect him to survive. Had they been in the bus at the time, all of them would have surely died or have been seriously burned. Of course, Hamas aired a video of the explosion, declaring that they killed and injured many soldiers. In fact, it was the Arab bus driver who set the record straight.

“God loves [Israel]. I just let off 50 soldiers from the bus. A minute later the bus was hit. 60 seconds earlier and you would have had 50 dead soldiers.” —Arab Bus Driver

 

A Blessing for Both Sides

I cannot even imagine the response from Israel, if the soldiers were still on the bus. This miracle not only benefited Israel, but Gaza as well. Many Palestinian lives were saved. It makes one wonder if Hamas waited until the bus was empty, before firing. They know full well that the only thing restraining the IDF is the fact that, with all their rockets, they have caused only a few deaths.

The situation is still tense. Israel and Hamas have agreed on a ceasefire. This caused our Hawkish Defense Minister to resign from the government—taking his party with him—bringing Netanyahu’s coalition to the smallest number possible, just 61 members. We will surely have new elections soon.

Other Concerns

One thing that is troubling is how Israel’s army allowed an unarmored bus carrying soldiers to get within the scopes of Hamas. This was extremely reckless and, no doubt, it is being discussed amongst the senior leaders of the IDF.

Read more from GOD TV Regional Director for Israel Ron Cantor on his blog messiahsmandate.org

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Joseph’s Tomb
IsraelNews

Prayer & Violence at Joseph’s Tomb

by GOD TV
written by GOD TV

“Joseph’s Tomb is located in the heart of Nablus, in the Palestinian Authority-controlled West Bank. Conflicting views exist as to whether or not the patriarch Joseph was buried there; nevertheless, the tomb is recognized as a Jewish shrine.” (jewishvirtuallibrary.org)

TPS reports:

“Hundreds of Israeli prayer goers were allowed entrance to Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus on Tuesday night, guarded heavily by the IDF. According to the IDF spokesperson, clashes broke out between security forces and local Palestinians, which included the throwing of stones and a molotov cocktail. Security forces responded with crowd control measures and were able to protect the worshippers.”

According to JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency): 

“Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus threw firebombs and fired guns at Israeli soldiers escorting Jewish pilgrims to visit Joseph’s Tomb.

The Israeli security forces also found two explosive devices in the tomb, which were defused by sappers.

The troops responded to the attacks with tear gas and live fire. The Palestinian WAFA news agency said that 20 Palestinian rioters were injured in the clashes.

About 1,000 Jewish pilgrims prayed at the tomb during the overnight Wednesday visit.

Joseph’s Tomb is holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians. Israeli Jews must receive permission to visit the purported burial place of the Jewish patriarch; the visits are coordinated with the Israeli army.

Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, the site was to remain under Israeli control, but the Israeli army evacuated the premises in October 2000 during the second intifada and the tomb was burnt down by Palestinians. It was renovated and restored, but then torched and vandalized again in October 2015.

Jewish worshippers, in coordination with the military, make monthly nocturnal pilgrimages to the refurbished site.”

 

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Security Cabinet
IsraelNews

Security Cabinet Instructs IDF To Step Up Response To Gaza Attacks

by GOD TV
written by GOD TV

The Security Cabinet has instructed the IDF to escalate its response to attacks from Gaza following an incident in the early hours of Wednesday morning in which two rockets were fired at Israel, one scoring a direct hit on a house in Beer Sheva and the other landing off the coast in the central region.

While the Cabinet did not issue a statement after a marathon overnight session into the early hours of Thursday morning, Housing Minister Yoav Galant warned that the rules of engagement with Hamas and Gazan terrorism are about to change. The former head of IDF Southern Command, who sits on the Security Cabinet, told Channel Two that although he could not speak about “the content of the cabinet discussions… I can say one thing very explicitly – the rules of the game are about to change.

“We will no longer accept the arson terror and the border terror,” he warned.

According to various reports, the Security Cabinet instructed the IDF to gradually implement a zero tolerance policy, beginning with Friday’s expected weekly mass demonstration on the border.

The IDF was reported to have presented two different operational plans for the escalation in the south – one, a wave of aerial strikes and the other a policy of containment with a gradual escalation of its response in line with developments on the ground.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman was said to have demanded a more aggressive response. Liberman said earlier this week that Israel had exhausted its options in trying to reach a long-term understanding with Hamas and that the time has come “to take off the kid gloves” and launch a major military operation against the terrorist group to put a stop to months of violence.  

Meanwhile, reactions to the Security Cabinet’s failure to take decisive action Wednesday’s rocket attacks, have been mixed.

Speaking to Channel Ten TV, Eshkol Regional Council head Gadi Yarkoni expressed his “disappointment” that major action against Hamas was no longer on the agenda right now.

“We should have used the rocket attack in Beersheba to launch an attack and restore the balance of fear in Gaza, and unfortunately this did not happen,” he said. “We don’t need a ground invasion of Gaza, but we do need to make their leaders afraid to walk outside. They must be the ones who are afraid.

“We met with the prime minister yesterday and he sounded determined to act, but this morning we were surprised to learn that things were returning to normal,” he said.

Likud MK David Bitan said told Army Radio that “the time has come to carry out a ground operation in Gaza.”

The former coalition chairman said had been no cease in attacks or calming of the situation. “Enough already with this foot-dragging.”

However, Likud MK Yoav Kish explained that Israel is giving Gaza another opportunity to de-escalate the situation.

“We were very close to making a decision to significantly escalate the situation in Gaza,” he said. “I assume that this is one of the last attempts at an agreement.”

“The blow to Hamas will come. It’s just a question of when – and it’s not worthwhile to fall into [the trap of going according to] their timetable.”

Written by Ilanit Chernick | Photo by Yehonatan Kellerman/TPS

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Tunnel
News

IDF Neutralizes Half-Mile-Long Tunnel Crossing From Gaza into Israel

by GOD TV
written by GOD TV

The IDF announced on Thursday that it neutralized a half-mile-long tunnel penetrating 200 meters into Israel from the central Gaza Strip.

This comes after the IDF closed off several main roads across the Gaza border region earlier in the day.

According to the IDF Spokesperson the army had been monitoring the tunnel until its neutralization on Thursday morning.

“The tunnel had been expanded and branched out in several places, excavated from several angles and constructed with various combined methods,” it explained. “The technological capabilities of the IDF are improving all the time and we will continue to achieve identifying the tunnels and we will continuing to neutralize them.”

The tunnel was neutralized in an engineering operation Israeli territory, led by the Southern Command, the Intelligence Directorate, and MAFAT –  the Defense Ministry’s R&D directorate.

The IDF added that Hamas “continues to invest considerable resources in establishing infrastructures aimed at harming Israeli citizens.

This economic investment, which comes at the expense of the welfare of [Gaza’s] residents, proves that the population of Gaza is being exploited for terrorist purposes.

“The IDF is determined to continue defending Israel’s sovereignty and the security of its citizens and is acting decisively against terrorism,” it concluded.

Following the discovery, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said: “The terror tunnel that we destroyed this morning is another tunnel that will not be available to Hamas in the next campaign, and every day we are advancing another step on the way to eliminating tunnels as a weapon.”

Since October 2017, 15 tunnels from the Gaza Strip have been neutralized as part of an ongoing effort to locate and neutralize terrorist tunnels, a technological, operational and intelligence effort that began with Operation Protective Edge and was expanded over the last few years.

Written by Ilanit Chernick  |  Photo by IDF Spokesperson

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