Doc's Talk: News samples from Israel

Thursday, February 28, 2008

News samples from Israel

Thought you should understand what is going on today:

23:38 Fourth Israeli raid on Gaza within an hour. Palestinians announced that an aircraft attacked a branch of the Hamas Interior Ministry in northern Gaza. (Guysen.International.News)Qassam rain on the Negev: In less than four hours on Wednesday evening, 46 Qassam rockets and eight mortars struck Sderot, Ashkelon and communities in the western Negev. One person was killed, two slightly injured and 47 people are in a state of shock. In addition considerable damage were noted, especially in the ''Off Kor'' factory. (Guysen.International.News)
22:16 Following a meeting with the heads of the police and the home front, the mayor of Ashkelon, Roni Mahatsri, called on the government to intensify pressure on the Palestinians and to undertake a military ground operation to put an end to the firing of Qassam. (Guysen.International.News)
21:56 The armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Kassam Brigades, claimed the shooting of 35 Qassam rockets into Israel on Wednesday night. (Guysen.International.News)
21:12 The U.S. State Department condemned the mass firing of Qassam rockets on the south of Israel which claimed the life of a student in the Sapir academic college. (Guysen.International.News)
21:03 Tsipi Livni met with the director of the Sapir College, which a Qassam hit earlier, killing one student, a father of 4 children. The foreign minister spoke about the security measures taken in the facility. Tomorrow (Thursday), the ambassadors of the European Union presidency will lay a wreath on the spot. (Guysen.International.News)
20:56 Since Monday Jericho has been connected to the Jordanian electricity grid, the first time since the Six-Day War. The Jordanian Minister of Information, Nasser Jouda, explained that it was not a political action but ''aid to the Palestinians to bridge their electricity consumption''. (Guysen.International.News)
20:47 Qassam rain on the Negev: another rocket, the 46th of the day, fell near the Sapir academic college and Kibbutz Gevim. There were no injuries. (Guysen.International.News)
20:37 Al-Qaida is threatening to avenge the death of its chief of operations in Afghanistan. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the number two in the global terrorist network, broadcast his message in a video posted on the organization's website. The Afghan terrorist leader Abu Laith al-Libi was killed in late January in Pakistan. (Guysen.International.News)
20:35 Qassam Rain on the Negev: the Barzilai hospital in Ashkelon reported one person slightly injured and 23 people treated for shock. in the wake of a massive firing of rockets onto southern Israel. (Guysen.International.News)
20:26 Ehud Olmert said that Egypt is not in violation of the peace agreement signed with Israel, by reinforcing its military personnel along the Philadelphia axis. The Prime Minister said that the goal is to ''seal the border for the smuggling of arms''. (Guysen.International.News)
19:51 Qassam rain on the Negev: after an assessment of the security situation, the commander of the southern district police has decided to strengthen security arrangements in Ashkelon, Sderot and all communities around the Gaza Strip. (Guysen.International.News)
19:46 A spontaneous demonstration was organized at the entrance of Sderot, to denounce the firing of Qassams. Residents burned tires and protested against the government's inertia. (Guysen.International.News)
19:45 Qassam rain on the Negev: the name of the victim has been published. It was Roni Yihia, a 47-year-old father of 4 children, from the town of Bitkha near Ofakim. (Guysen.International.News)
19:42 Qassam rain on the Negev: the El-Mujahideen Brigades claimed the latest firing of Qassam rockets on the western Negev ''in response to the crimes of the Zionist enemy''. (Guysen.International.News)
19:33 IDF air raid on a group of terrorists who were shooting rockets from the town of Bet Hanoun in northern Gaza. (Guysen.International.News)
19:25 Qassam rain on the Negev: a Qassam rocket has just hit vacant space near Kibbutz Alumim. There were no injuries. This is the 45th rocket in three hours. (Guysen.International.News)
19:17 Omri Sharon, son of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who was sentenced to 7 months in prison for violating the law on party financing, began his prison sentence in Maassiyahou Prison, in Ramleh on Wednesday. He is sharing a cell with five other prisoners. (Guysen.International.News)
19:07 Qassam rain on the Negev: A Qassam struck the town of Yahimi, there were no injuries. (Guysen.International.News)
18:56 Qassam Rain on the Negev: another Qassam on Sderot, and still no response from the government, which seems to have no intention of engaging in a large-scale operation for now. (Guysen.International.News)
18:52 Qassam rain on the Negev: One of the rockets that hit Ashkelon earlier hit a high-voltage cable, and many parts of the city are without electricity. Firefighters from the Lachish region were sent as reinforcements to Ashkelon to assist their local colleagues who are rescuing hundreds of people trapped in lifts. (Guysen.International.News)
18:46 An urgent meeting of the security services after the serious escalation of the situation on the southern front. Defense Minister Ehud Barak informed Ehud Olmert, traveling in Japan, of the mass firing of Qassams on the western Negev. (Guysen.International.News)
18:32 Qassam rain on the Negev: two rockets fell again in the region of Sderot, the impact points have not yet been identified. A total of 42 Qassams have hit the south of Israel during the last 3 hours. (Guysen.International.News)
18:29 Qassam rain on the Negev: another rocket has hit between Nahal Oz and Alumim bringing to 40 the number of rockets fired in the last three hours. (Guysen.International.News)
18:14 The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange closed on a downturn. The Tel Aviv 25 index and the Tel Aviv 100 lost 0.24% each and Teltec declined by 0.13%. (Guysen.International.News)
18:05 Qassam rain on the Negev: four Qassam rockets have just struck Ashkelon. Two of them exploded in the industrial zone. Another exploded on the emergency runway of the Barzilai hospital and the fourth, in the streets of the city. Several people are in a state of shock. (Guysen.International.News)
17:58 Hundreds of women are marching in Tel Aviv between Rabin Square and the offices of the district public prosecutor. They are protesting the decision of the Supreme Court to accept the compromise reached between the prosecution and President Katsav on the sexual harassment case. (Guysen.International.News)
17:47 The first floor of the Knesset was completely evacuated by the security services. It seems that MK Shlomo Benizri (Shas) fell ill after opening an envelope containing a white powder. Benizri was treated at the Knesset infirmary. It is still unclear what the substance is. (Guysen.International.News)
17:29 Qassam rain on the Negev: a Qassam rocket has just struck a vacant lot near Sderot. There were no injuries or damage. Earlier, another rocket exploded near a kindergarten on Kibbutz Nir Am, without causing any injuries. (Guysen.International.News)
17:18 A news item which has just been authorized for publication: the five Hamas terrorists killed on Wednesday morning in an IDF air raid were in the process of planning a large-scale attack. Military leaders say that the members of this terrorist cell were trained recently outside of the Gaza Strip and were actively involved in the firing of Qassam rockets into Israel. (Guysen.International.News)
17:09

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The IDF’s Minorities in Numbers and Pictures

In honor of IDF Diversity Week, we present diversity through numbers and pictures. Each year, more and more Muslims, Christians, Druze, Bedouin and immigrants from around the world take on the responsibility of defending Israel.

MUSLIMS:

Muslim Arab Israelis are not required to draft in the IDF, but there are many who volunteer. In 2013, there were over 200 Muslims serving in the IDF and over 300 in the reserves.

Bedouins:

Bedouins are nomadic Muslims who were in Israel when modern borders were set in place and are now considered Israeli citizens. They are not required to draft but a growing number choose to enlist. In 2012, there were over 1,400 Bedouin Muslim soldiers doing regular IDF service and almost 1,500 in the reserves.

Read more:http://www.idfblog.com/2014/02/27/truth-idf-numbers-pictures/#more-34027

Are you aware that in 2013, Middle class taxes go up-significantly?

In January of next year, the federal income tax rate for middle-class taxpayers is scheduled to rise from 25 percent to 28 percent, and the payroll tax is scheduled to rise from 13.3 percent to 15.3 percent… This drives the marginal tax rate based on the aforementioned three taxes to 48.12 percent. Add in state and local property, corporate, excise, and other state and local taxes, and the percentage of each additional dollar that is taxed hovers around 50 percent… When half of each additional dollar earned is taxed away, taxpayers experience a disincentive to start businesses or expand existing ones. This leads to fewer jobs being created.

Why is HAMAS Inside Tampa Schools?

Clare Lopez

Kelly Miliziano, who teaches history classes at Steinbrenner High School in the Tampa, Florida area apparently thinks it’s perfectly OK to invite a senior official of a HAMAS-affiliated organization into her classroom to discuss Islam with her students. According to local media reports, not only has this been going on for years, but in spite of the civil and criminal proceedings that could result from such reckless negligence, the Hillsborough County school superintendent, Mary Ellen Elia, and the chairman of the school board, Candy Olson, also expressed approval for students under their responsibility to be exposed repeatedly to guest speaker, Hassan Shibly, who is the Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in the Tampa area.
More...

Did You Know... Ignoring the Call to Islam will Bring Jihad

‘Conquest through Da’wa [proselytizing] that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Da’wa.’
-- Yousef al-Qaradawi , Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader The Arabic word ‘Da’wa’ means the “call to Islam.” But do not think that Da’wa is the same thing as an invitation to an optional holiday event. The classical Islamic doctrine of jihad mandates that enemies must be given the opportunity to convert to Islam or pay the jizya tax before it is permissible to attack them.
Clare M. Lopez

Who is being discriminated-facts tell the truth

Religious bias

Hate crimes motivated by religious bias accounted for 1,409 offenses reported by law enforcement. A breakdown of the bias motivation of religious-bias offenses showed:

65.4 percent were anti-Jewish.
13.2 percent were anti-Islamic.
9.5 percent were anti-other religion, i.e., those not specified.
4.3 percent were anti-Catholic.
3.8 percent were anti-multiple religions, group.
3.3 percent were anti-Protestant.
0.5 percent were anti-Atheism/Agnosticism/etc.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2010/narratives/hate-crime-2010-incidents-and-offenses.

On March 31, 1977, the Dutch newspaper Trouw published an interview

with PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein. Here's what he said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

In March 1977, Zahir Muhsein, a PLO executive, said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism."

"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

The Arab Apartheid

Ben-Dror Yemini
In 1948, the Arab countries refused to accept the UN partition proposal and they launched a war of annihilation against the State of Israel which had barely been established. All precedents in this matter showed that the party that starts the war - and with a declaration of annihilation, yet - pays a price for it. Between 550,000 and 710,000 Arabs fled because of the war and a larger number of 850,000 Jews were expelled or fled from Arab countries (the "Jewish nakba").
Population exchanges and expulsions were the norm at that time, occurring in dozens of other conflict points and affecting about 52 million people. In all the population exchange precedents that occurred during or at the end of an armed conflict, there was no return of refugees to the previous region, which had turned into a new national state.
Only the Arab states acted completely differently from the rest of the world. Instead of assimilating the refugees, they crushed them despite the fact that they were their coreligionists and members of the Arab nation - instituting a regime of apartheid. So the "nakba" was not caused by the actual dispossession, which had also been experienced by tens of millions of others. The "nakba" is the story of the apartheid, oppression, abuse and denial of rights suffered by the Arab refugees at the hands of the Arab countries. (Maariv)

International Law and Military Operations in Practice - Col. Richard Kemp

"Islamist fighting groups study the international laws of armed conflict carefully and they understand it well. They know that a British or Israeli commander and his men are bound by international law and the rules of engagement that flow from it. They then do their utmost to exploit what they view as one of their enemy's main weaknesses. Their very modus operandi is built on the correct assumption that Western armies will normally abide by the rules, while these insurgents employ a deliberate policy of operating consistently outside international law. "

Lost Historical Moments

What Rabin’s last Knesset speech really said:repudiation of a Palestinian state

Rabin ruled out a fully sovereign Palestinian state :

“We view the permanent solution in the framework of State of Israel which will include most of the area of the Land of Israel as it was under the rule of the British Mandate, and alongside it a Palestinian entity which will be a home to most of the Palestinian residents living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We would like this to be an entity which is less than a state, and which will independently run the lives of the Palestinians under its authority.”

Rabin ruled out a total withdrawal from Judea and Samaria and thus a return to the pre-June 1967 borders :

“The borders of the State of Israel, during the permanent solution, will be beyond the lines which existed before the Six Day War. We will not return to the 4 June 1967 lines.”

Rabin ruled out withdrawing form the Jordan Valley:

“The security border of the State of Israel will be located in the Jordan Valley, in the broadest meaning of that term.”

Rabin ruled out uprooting settlement blocs, like the Gush Katif bloc in Gaza (which was subsequently uprooted by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon):

“The establishment of blocs of settlements in Judea and Samaria, like the one in Gush Katif.

AND

Rabin ruled out removing any settlement before coming to a full peace agreement with the Palestinians:

“I want to remind you: we committed ourselves, that is, we came to an agreement, and committed ourselves before the Knesset, not to uproot a single settlement in the framework of the interim agreement, and not to hinder building for natural growth.”

Rabin insisted on Israel retaining full security control of the borders with Egypt and Jordan, contrary to Israel’s relinquishment of the Philadelphia Corridor on the border with Egypt:

“The responsibility for external security along the borders with Egypt and Jordan, as well as control over the airspace above all of the territories and Gaza Strip maritime zone, remains in our hands.”

Correcting Oslo Myths-Part 2

3) Kuttab laments that the post-1993 Oslo process resulted in a Palestinian Authority "whose ministers and legislators are not guaranteed passage between Gaza and the West Bank ...."

Before free passage or other perquisites, PA leaders were obligated, among other things, to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, end anti-Israeli, antisemitic incitement in schools, mosques, and communications media, and resolve all outstanding issues through peaceful negotiations. They met none of these commitments, sometimes bolstering terrorism and greatly increasing incitement.

4) Kuttab complains that under Oslo the PA got "lightly armed police ---- but no real sovereignty over the land or contiguity between our communities in Gaza and the West Bank."

Oslo agreements repeatedly were revised, regardless of Palestinian non-compliance, until the authorized number of police grew from 8,000 to 40,000. Though they were to be the only armed forces in the territories, Israeli estimates early in the second intifada put the number of gunmen - police, "security services," terrorists, and armed gangs - at 85,000. Their armament reportedly included not only heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, but also anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.

Sovereignty was to be negotiated in the envisioned 1998 "final status" talks - after a five-year period of confidence-building. Palestinian leadership chronically undermined the process. Palestinian terrorism made the 1993 - 1998 Oslo period more deadly for Israelis than the 15 years preceding it.

The United States doesn't have contiguity between the lower 48 states and Alaska and Hawaii; territorial contiguity between the West Bank and Gaza Strip - that is, through the 20 miles of Israeli territory between them - was never promised and would destroy Israeli contiguity.

5) "Palestinians have been made to endure hundreds of checkpoints in the West Bank, an eight-foot wall deep in our territories, and tight Israeli control over borders."

The security barrier is not "deep in Palestinian territories," but rather encompasses less than 8 percent of Judea and Samaria, and is mostly a fence, rarely a wall; the land in question is not "our [Palestinian] territories" but disputed territory to which, according to the authors of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, Jews as well as Arabs have claims; and there are no international borders, only the 1949 armistice lines with Jordan. Under 242, borders remain to be negotiated. As for checkpoints - like the security barrier and "tight Israeli control" - Palestinian Arabs precipitated these measures themselves. No terrorism and there would be no fence or tight Israeli control and few checkpoints - like before the first intifada.

Correcting Some Oslo Myths

1) In Oslo "Israeli, Palestinian and other world leaders promised that ... Palestinian sovereignty would be solidified."

No, they didn't. The 1993 Declaration of Principles and subsequent Oslo agreements outlined a process by which final status negotiations about the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be reached. The process required an end to anti-Israel terrorism and incitement and a commitment to peaceful negotiations. The PA, Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other terrorist groups, sabotaged the process from the start.

2) "The reality is that, in defiance of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, which states that it is inadmissible to occupy land by force, Palestinian territories are still under foreign military occupation."
Wrong again. Resolution 242 (1967) does note "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war." It also affirms the right of every state in the area "to live in peace with secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force." There were no "Palestinian territories." Jordan occupied the West Bank, Egypt controlled Gaza. Israel did not have "secure and recognized boundaries," so retention of some of those territories was possible under 242. Israel is not a "foreign" military occupier in the West Bank but, pending final negotiations, the lawful military administrator as a result of a successful war of self-defense.

Doc's Talk