Netanyahu To Elite Troops: Israel And The IDF Are ‘Best Answer To Anti-Semitism’

At a major training exercise of the Israeli military’s brigade-level elite Commando Formation on Tuesday evening (27th), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s military prowess was the Jews “best answer” to anti-Semitism.

Netanyahu’s comments followed the publication Monday (26th) of a poll by CNN that showed over 20% of Europeans believe Jews have “too much influence” across the world.

“The best answer to anti-Semitism is the State of Israel and the Israel Defense Forces,” Netanyahu, who has also been serving as defense minister since the resignation earlier this month of Avigdor Lieberman, told the soldiers.  “Once we were a leaf driven by the wind; they could slaughter us. Today we have the power to respond.”

Netanyahu’s visit coincided with a 10-day training exercise the brigade is conducting throughout the country, practicing its responses to various complex attack scenarios against Israel and Israeli civilians by different enemies.

“We are on the eve of Hanukkah.  The spirit of the Maccabees is here – you are the Maccabees.  We overcome our enemies with the extraordinary strength and extraordinary spirit that I see here, that I see in the IDF and all our warriors,” Netanyahu said.

(timesofisrael.com)

 

IDF Completes Building Of New Wartime Command And Control Center

The IDF announced Tuesday (27th) that it has completed the construction of its new wartime command and control center, built under the IDF headquarters in Rabin Base in Tel Aviv.

The new bunker war room, code-named “Fortress of Zion.” is expected to become fully operational in the next few weeks.  It will replace the current IDF bunker, dubbed “The Pit,” which was built in 1966.

The IDF said the new compound is equipped with state-of-the-art technology for overseeing military operations across all sectors and by all corps in times of peace and war alike.  It will be routinely manned by Operations Directorate personnel, who will be joined by the General Staff and GOCs and corps commanders at times of special operations or a full-scale conflict.

Like its predecessor, the new bunker includes offices for the prime minister and the defense and foreign ministers and can accommodate cabinet meetings.  It also includes a special deck to accommodate the heads of the Shin Bet security agency and the Mossad national intelligence agency.

The IDF had hoped to complete the bunker’s construction several years ago, but the project hit budgetary and technical difficulties.  Eventually, a tender was issued for the construction. The winner was a US defense contractor, which enabled Israel to use US aid to complete part of the project.

(israelhayom.com)

 

Iran ‘Adopts’ families Of Gazans Killed And Wounded In Border Clashes

The Gaza-ruling Hamas on Tuesday (27th) thanked Iran for its financial “adoption” of the families of Palestinians killed and wounded during clashes it has been encouraging along the border with Israeli troops.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said his group “values” and “highly appreciates” Iran’s support, a Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya broadcaster reported.

Barhoum’s statement comes after an adviser to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told the Hamas-linked Al-Risalah that the decision to “adopt” the families was taken during  the Islamic Unity Conference being held in Tehran.

Since March 30th, Palestinians have been holding weekly “March of Return” protests on the border, which Israel has accused Gaza’s Hamas rulers of using to carry out attacks on troops and to breach the security fence.  Hamas and Islamic Jihad are both involved and are terror groups who seek to destroy Israel.

Earlier this month, Israel engaged in its largest battle with Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups in Gaza since 2014.

During the regular Friday protests the rioters have burned tires, hurled rocks at troops and detonated explosives.  Israeli fire has killed over 170 Palestinians at the clashes since March. Dozens of the dead were members of Hamas and other terror groups.

Iran, an arch-foe of Israel is currently supporting both Hamas and Islamic Jihad financially and with weapons support.

(timesofisrael; ap.com)

 

Recalling Western-Muslim History – Raymond Ibrahim

→From Islam’s first contact with Western civilization and for more than a millennium thereafter, Muslims behaved not unlike the Islamic State and on the same conviction: that Islam commands war on, and the enslavement or slaughter of, non-Muslims.

→During this perennial jihad that began in the seventh century, almost three-fourths of Christendom’s original territory was permanently swallowed up by Islam.  European nations and territories were attacked and/or came under Muslim occupation (sometimes for centuries). An Islamic army of 200,000 martyrdom-seeking jihadis came as late as 1683 to conquer Vienna, but failed.

→Between the 15th and 18th centuries alone, approximately five million Europeans were abducted and enslaved in the name of jihad.  Muslim slavers of the Barbary States of North Africa wreaked havoc all along the coasts of Europe – America’s first war was against these Islamic slavers.

→In short, for well over a millennium – punctuated by a Crusader rebuttal – Islam posed an existential threat to Western civilization.  Yet today, the predominant historic narrative is that Muslims are the historic victims of intolerant Western Christians,

→But all this is history, it might be argued.  Why not let it be and move on, and begin a new chapter of mutual tolerance and respect?

→This would be a somewhat plausible position if not for the fact that, all around the globe, many Muslims are still exhibiting the same imperial impulse and intolerant supremacism of their forebears.

→In classrooms all across the Islamic world, Muslim children are taught to glorify the jihadi conquests of yore – while despising infidels.

The writer, a former Arabic language specialist at the Library of Congress and editor and translator of the Al Qaeda Reader, is a fellow at the Middle East Forum,

(jpost.com)

 

Dutch Builder Of Noah’s Ark Wants To Sail It To Israel

A Dutchman who has constructed a full-scale replica of Noah’s Ark wants to sail it to Israel, People Magazine reported this week.

Johan Huibers, a Christian and a builder by trade, finished his 20-year quest to build a full-scale, functioning model of Noah’s Ark in 2012.  He had wanted to sail to Brazil for the 2016 Summer Olympics, but the planned journey never took place.

Huibers used Chapters 6-9 of the Book of Genesis as his inspiration, following the instructions God gave Noah, down to the last cubit.

Translating to modern measurements, Huibers came up with a vessel that measures a whopping 427 feet long, 95 feet across, and 75 feet high.

He believes new floods will come but that God will never destroy the earth by flood again – he believes the rainbow is God’s promise that it will not happen.

Huibers said his motivation is ultimately religious – he wants to make people think about their purpose on Earth.

“I want to make people question and look for answers, and ultimately find salvation through God and eternal life,” he said.

Huibers is also working on a new dream: he wants to get Israelis and Arabs to cooperate and build a water pipeline from the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea.

“If you have faith, anything is possible,” he said.

(israelhayom.com)