‘Stand Up For Peace And Truth’ Netanyahu Tells UN Ahead Of Meeting On Hizbullah Wednesday
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu replied to reporters’ questions ahead of the UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday (19th) regarding Hizbullah’s terror tunnels, which violate Israeli sovereignty and Resolution 1701.
Asked whether the Lebanese army knew in real time that the tunnels were being dug, he said: “To the best of our knowledge the answer is no. I think very few people knew about it, period. But they know about it now. And they should be there. They should be going into the entry piers of these tunnels. They should be uncovering them and neutralizing them. They’re not doing that and it is their obligation to do it.”
“Hizbullah says, ‘We’re going to destroy you. We’re going to wipe you off the face of the earth. And we’re going to bring weapons into Lebanon itself and weapons into Syria from Iran for that end. Your destruction.’”
“Regarding the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon,” Netanyahu said, “I think it’s been a long time coming but UNIFIL has finally filed a report that documents Hizbullah aggression against us. UNIFIL was tasked with preventing smuggling of weapons into southern Lebanon and preventing aggressive actions across that border after the Second Lebanon War.”
“When the Second Lebanon War ended, there were about 15,000 rockets and missiles in Lebanon aimed against Israel, mostly in southern Lebanon. Today, there are about 150,000. Ten times that. There has not been a single report of a single rocket or a single missile filed by UNIFIL, Netanyahu added.”
(worldisraelnews.com)
Ambassador Danon Reveals New Intelligence Material Against Hizbullah At Special Meeting Of UN Security Council Wednesday
On Wednesday (19th), the UN Security Council held a special session to discuss HIzbullah’s violation of Resolution 1701. The discussion took place at the request of Israel and the United States following the diplomatic efforts of Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, after the beginning of Operation Defensive Shield.
Ambassador Danon revealed to the Security Council members an aerial photograph of a “private compound” in the southern part of Kfar Kila less than 50 miles from the Blue Line, from which an attack tunnel crossed the border into Israel, passing close to a UN Interim Force (UNIFIL) observation post in Lebanon.
Danon said that “Israel gave UNIFIL, precise information about the location of the tunnel, but UNIFIL told the Lebanese army, which then was stopped when it tried to reach the area. This enabled Hizbullah to continue with concealing the tunnel’s operation.”
“Lebanese army officials are working for Hizbullah, while UNIFIL is not working to fulfil its mandate in the region in the necessary manner,” added the ambassador.
Ambassador Danon revealed an additional aerial photograph of the Lebanese town of Kfar Kila in which he showed documentation of Hizbullah’s terrorist infrastructure, including two tunnels that penetrated the border into Israel, along with observation points and information-gathering and weapons storage areas.
Ambassador Danon said: “Hizbullah has built a terror base in the region against Israel, and inside a civilian population. This not only clearly violates resolution 1701, but also uses Lebanese civilians as human shields. If Hizbullah dares to attack Israel, it will be buried in the rubble of Lebanon.”
(israelnn.com)
Palestinian Stone Throwers Injure Israeli Baby
Palestinian stone throwers throwing rocks at passing motorists injured a 9-month-old baby near the Arab town of Halhul on Tuesday night (18th).
The baby was evacuated to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, having received cuts from flying glass from the car’s window that shattered from the rock’s impact.
The mother of the child was also evacuated to the hospital.
Six cars were damaged from the attacks, but no further injuries were reported.
On Sunday (16th), a pregnant woman was wounded in the face in a rock attack in the Binyamin Region of Samaria. She was evacuated to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem for treatment.
(worldisraelnews.com)
Hamas Leader Would Win Palestinian Elections, Poll Shows
A public opinion poll shows that Palestinian Authority Leader Mahmoud Abbas would lose to the leader of the Islamist Hamas if Palestinian elections were held today.
The survey, conducted by prominent pollster Khalil Shikaki and released Tuesday (18th), shows that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh would win with 49% of the vote to Abbas’ 42%.
Against a backdrop of weekly Palestinian riots near the Gaza border with Israel, Shikaki attributes the results of the poll to Hamas’ perceived victory in the latest confrontation with Israel, coupled with the Palestinians’ dissatisfaction with Abbas’ government, particularly over a new social security law.
The social security measure was enacted on Nov. 1 and has been the subject of popular protests. Many Palestinians feel that it is skewed in favor of the wealthy, as payments are only mandatory for lower-earning employees. Critics of the measure cannot agree whether it should be entirely reversed or modified.
The poll interviewed 1,200 people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Abbas’ Fatah faction and Hamas are bitter rivals. Palestinian elections were last held in 2006 and have been repeatedly delayed since.
(israelhayom.com)
Greek Holocaust Memorial Vandalized For 4th Time This Year
A black swastika was painted on Thessaloniki’s Holocaust memorial early Saturday morning (15th). It is believed that the vandals are the same people who were photographed giving the Nazi salute at a rally on Friday (14th) in protest against a deal Greece signed with Macedonia.
World Jewish Congress head Robert Singer issued a statement condemning “the shameful and repeated desecration of the monument” – the fourth this year.
“It is alarming and disgraceful that a monument honoring the memory of Jews who perished in the Holocaust should become a routine target for those espousing vile expressions of hatred and anti-Semitism,” said Singer.
“The WJC is extremely concerned by the steady rise of anti-Semitic vandalism facing the Jewish community in Greece and elsewhere in Europe. This desecration, as well as the vandalization of cemeteries in Poland and in France in the past week alone, should ring alarm bells for anyone who believes that these incidents are isolated and passing.”
He said the WJC was urging “the authorities in Europe to make good on their Dec. 6 declaration to fight anti-Semitism and develop a common security approach to protect Jewish communities, and to take every possible measure to curb the wave of incitement.”
Thessaloniki maintained a vibrant Jewish community for centuries until World War II, when most of the city’s 60,000 Jews perished in the Holocaust. Some 1,200 now live in the city.
(jta.org; israelhayom.com)
