Israel news from within Israel

[Shammu]

Heightened security alert declared in Jerusalem

Mass presence of security forces expected in capital in wake of holiday weekend events, Ramadan prayers and former chief rabbi's funeral procession

Efrat Weiss
09.27.07, 23:27
Israel News

The heightened security alert declared by the defense establishment prior to the Jewish holiday of Sukkot is expected to increase further, Ynet has learned.

Sources in the defense establishment said that there are seven specific indications of potential terror attacks over the holiday, as well as dozens of general indications of such possible attacks.

The decision to increase security alertness was made following the IDF's latest operation in Gaza – which left 11 Palestinians dead – and the threat of retaliation made by Hamas, which clouds the many events planned throughout Israel for the coming holiday week.

 

Security forces are expected to especially focus on Jerusalem: The third Friday of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan will see some 4,000 Border Guard officers and police forces patrolling the city streets, the Old City, the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, starting in the early hours of Friday morning.

 

Entry to Temple Mount will be restricted to Israeli ID holders only. Security forces will also allow Palestinian men 45-year-old and over to enter the Temple Mount, providing they have the proper permits.

Palestinian women over the age of 30, carrying the proper permits, will also be allowed on the Temple Mount.

The Jerusalem police also warned of heavy traffic expected in the capital Friday, due to the funeral procession of former Chief Rabbi Avraham Shapira, who died earlier Thursday.

Thousands are expected to take part in the funeral procession, causing police to close the streets on its way.

Among the streets that will be closed as the funeral procession proceeds are Shazar Street, Sarei Israel Street, Malkei Israel Street, the Shabbat Square, Strauss Street, Jaffa Road, Tzahal Square, Hativat Yerushalaim Street, Ma'aleh Hashalom Street and Gat Shemanim Street.

Heightened security alert declared in Jerusalem

[Shammu]

Tel Aviv peace concert cancelled
etgar lefkovits and matthew wagner
THE JERUSALEM POST
Oct. 14, 2007

A Tel Aviv concert in support of a two-state solution has been canceled after a simultaneous concert planned in Jericho was called off due to security concerns, organizers said Sunday.

The two events, which were scheduled to take place on Thursday and be broadcast around the world, had been planned for the last year by the US-based One Voice organization as part of an international campaign to collect a million signatures in favor of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement within the next year.

"We felt that we had to take a difficult decision and postpone the Israeli event in solidarity with the situation on the Palestinian side," said group founder Daniel Lubetzky.

He added that holding only an Israeli event would not be consistent with the organization's goals.

The group had previously said as late as this weekend that the Tel Aviv concert would take place as planned, even after the Jericho event was canceled.

Lubetzky called the situation a "sobering sincere setback," and conceded that the group's plans had been "derailed by extremists' agenda."

The original decision to nix the Jericho concert came after Palestinian participants were threatened.

"For security reasons we cannot have the concert at this time," Nisreen Shahin, Executive Director of One Voice Palestine said on Friday.

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas issued a statement late Thursday distancing himself from the planned event, and emphasizing that his office had no connection to the concert.

The Jericho event had previously drawn criticism from a small Palestinian terror organization, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, for its attempt to normalize ties with Israel.

A Palestinian Internet posting had threatened to "wipe out" the Palestinian offices of the organization, a group spokeswoman said.

The decision to cancel the event in the quiet desert oasis of Jericho - considered to be the most peaceful of all West Bank cities - cast a pall on the organization's efforts to promote a two-state solution based on the 1967 lines in the Palestinian territories.

The organization, which maintains offices in both Tel Aviv and Ramallah, has enlisted the support of nearly 600,000 Israelis and Palestinians - in about equal numbers - for their petition which calls a peace agreement to be reached within a year based on a two-state solution.

The group's Web site had previously stated that such an accord should be based on the 1967 lines, but, in an abrupt about-face, that reference was removed on Sunday.

Following the violent takeover of Gaza by Hamas this summer, the organization froze its signature drive in the area, and enlisted Palestinian supporters, primarily in the West Bank.

Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams, who had a series of award-winning albums during the 1980s and mid-1990s, was to have performed at both concerts, along with Israeli artists in Tel Aviv and Palestinian performers in Jericho.

Earlier, Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yona Metzger, under pressure from right-wing rabbis and MKs, withdrew his support for the Tel Aviv event, a spokesman said Sunday.

Last week, Metzger had sent a video-taped message of blessings to be screened during the Tel Aviv concert since he did not want to appear on the same stage with female singers.

But in the wake of a Jerusalem Post report which appeared last week about the One Voice campaign and Metzger's involvement at the event, the chief rabbi was inundated with calls from irate rabbis both in the Diaspora and in Israel and by right-wing MKs who called on Metzger to pull the video.

"The chief rabbi does not get involved in political causes," Metzger's spokesman said Sunday. "Initially Rabbi Metzger thought the organization's goal was to voice moderate views on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. But after the report in The Jerusalem Post it came to our attention that One Voice has a political agenda which includes territorial compromises."

The spokesman acknowledged that the chief rabbi was fully aware that One Voice advocated a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Nevertheless, he said that Metzger was swayed by the negative responses in the wake of the Post report.

Tel Aviv peace concert cancelled

[Shammu]

Olmert's Jerusalem plan opposed by legislators


October 20, 2007

ASSOCIATED PRESS - JERUSALEM — A majority of Israeli lawmakers have signed a petition against any attempt by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to transfer parts of Jerusalem to the Palestinians, a parliamentarian said yesterday.

Mr. Olmert said last week for the first time that some Arab neighborhoods of the city might not remain under Israeli control in the future. He has not said if Israel has offered any concessions on the disputed holy city in talks with the Palestinians.

Yisrael Katz of the opposition Likud Party distributed a petition calling on the prime minister not to give up any part of the city. A total of 61 lawmakers in the 120-seat Knesset signed the petition, Mr. Katz said.

"The message is clear: Olmert has no mandate to compromise on Jerusalem," Mr. Katz said.

The Knesset legislator said his petition was signed not only by opposition lawmakers but also by members of Mr. Olmert's coalition government — including two Cabinet ministers and 13 members of Mr. Olmert's own centrist Kadima Party.

Israeli governments in past peace talks have proposed giving up some parts of the city that Israel considers its capital but the sides never agreed on how to divide the city, and its fate is one of the main obstacles that has blocked a final peace arrangement.

The Palestinians demand the return of all of East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967, including control over a disputed holy site in the walled Old City.

The new petition indicated that Mr. Olmert will find it difficult, if not impossible, to get an agreement that includes a division of Jerusalem ratified by parliament.

Also yesterday, a top Israeli-Palestinian team met as part of efforts to negotiate a joint statement to be revealed at a U.S.-sponsored regional conference next month.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the meeting was "in-depth" but he would not say if any progress was made. Israeli officials would not comment on the meeting that was the third between the negotiators.

The U.S. hopes the gathering will jump-start a full renewal of talks between the sides on a final peace agreement.

Olmert's Jerusalem plan opposed by legislators

[Shammu]

Jude 1:16 These are inveterate murmurers (grumblers) who complain [of their lot in life], going after their own desires [controlled by their passions]; their talk is boastful and arrogant, [and they claim to] admire men's persons and pay people flattering compliments to gain advantage.

[Def]

Jude 1:16 These are inveterate murmurers (grumblers) who complain [of their lot in life], going after their own desires [controlled by their passions]; their talk is boastful and arrogant, [and they claim to] admire men's persons and pay people flattering compliments to gain advantage.

But it has happened to them according to the true proverb:
  " A Dog returns to his own vomit," and, " a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."   in Jesus Def.  (2 Peter 2:22 NKJ)

[Shammu]

Christians bring Iranian Jews to Israel
Posted 11h 34m ago

JERUSALEM (AP) — Evangelical Christians in the U.S. have helped convince dozens of Iranian Jews to move to Israel in recent months, offering cash incentives and claiming that Iran's tiny Jewish community is in grave danger.

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, a charity that funnels millions of dollars in evangelical donations to Israel every year, is promising $10,000 to every Iranian Jew who comes to Israel, said the group's director, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein.

The project is another example of the alliance between the Jewish state and evangelical American Christians, many of whom see the existence of Israel and the return of Jews to the Holy Land as a realization of biblical prophesy that will culminate with Christ's Second Coming.

But an Iran expert said the money would not be enough to draw Iranian Jews, who generally do not perceive themselves to be in great danger in the Islamic republic.

About 25,000 Jews are left in Iran — an overwhelmingly Muslim nation of 65 million — the remnants of a community with origins dating to biblical times. Most Iranian Jews left for Israel or the U.S. over the last 50 years.

Still, Iran's Jewish community is the largest in the Middle East outside Israel, and Iranian Jews have some legal protections. But Israel and Iran are staunch enemies and do not have diplomatic relations. Eckstein argued that calls by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for Israel's elimination, coupled with Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program, represent danger.

"Is this not similar to the situation in Nazi Germany in the late '30s, where they (Jews) also felt they could weather the storm?" he asked. Instead, 6 million were killed in the Holocaust, which Ahmadinejad has called a "myth."

Eckstein said his group has helped bring 82 Jews to Israel from Iran since the project began this year, and hopes to bring 60 more by year's end.

The charity, based in Jerusalem and Chicago, has raised $1.4 million for the project, Eckstein said. The IFCJ initially offered $5,000 per immigrant, but doubled the amount when response was lower than expected, he said. Immigrants also receive government aid upon arriving in Israel.

One of the recent arrivals, a 31-year-old widow with three children, said she was not in danger in Iran but was concerned for her children's future.

"At the end of the day, this is the place for the Jewish people," she said, referring to Israel. She is living in the southern port city of Ashdod. Though she claimed to have felt safe in her hometown of Isfahan, she asked that her name be withheld to protect family remaining in Iran.

The grant from the IFCJ was what enabled her to come to Israel, she said. Most Jews in Iran have heard about the grant through word-of-mouth and Israel Radio's broadcasts in Farsi, she said.

Iranian government officials would not comment on the new project.

Iran's Jewish community is technically protected by the Islamic Republic's constitution, and has one representative in a 290-seat parliament.

In a speech at Columbia University in New York last month, the Iranian president insisted that Iranians "are friends of the Jewish people. There are many Jews in Iran living peacefully with security."

Nonetheless, the Jewish community has led an uneasy existence under Iran's Islamic government.

In 2000, Iranian authorities arrested 10 Jews, convicted them of spying for Israel and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from four to 13 years. An appeals court later reduced their sentences under international pressure and eventually freed them.

"Generally, Jews are free to practice Judaism inside Iran," said Meir Javedanfar, an Israeli analyst whose family emigrated from Iran in the 1980s. Iranian Jews, however, are increasingly concerned about the intensity of attacks on Israel by the Iranian press, which they view as bordering on anti-Semitism, he said.

Such attacks have not led to a mass exodus from Iran, because the majority of Iranians are hospitable to the Jews and most Jews in Iran are economically comfortable, Javedanfar said. However, he noted, "the level of concern has increased" because of Ahmadinejad's statements.

This is not the first time evangelical Christians have taken part in bringing people to Israel. Eckstein's charity also played a role in funding the immigration to Israel of 7,000 members of the Bnei Menashe, a group in India claiming descent from one of the Biblical "lost tribes" of the Jews.

The charity's evangelical donors, who tend to have hardline political views, see encouraging Jewish immigration as a way of strengthening the country in the face of Arab threats.

The IFCJ is one of the most prominent examples of Israel's alliance with evangelical Christians, who have become among the country's most generous donors and most enthusiastic political supporters.

The ties have been welcomed by many Israelis but criticized by others.

Some Israelis believe the country should not align itself with a group seen as an extreme element of American society, while others have charged that the evangelicals' goal is ultimately to convert Jews to Christianity, a charge the evangelicals deny.

Iranian Jews to Israel

[Shammu]

I believe the foretold the restoration of Jews, first of all 12 Tribes of Israel to the Promised Land of Israel before the end of this world as we know it. The Bible clearly teaches, recognized by both Jews and Christians, that the Jews would again be living in the Promised Land of Israel in preparation for the coming of King.

In the mean time brothers and sisters.................

KEEP LOOKING UP!!

[Shammu]

"Save Jerusalem" Emergency Coalition Forms
October 23, '07
by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) An unprecedented coalition of American Jewish groups has formed on short notice to ensure that united Jerusalem remains Jewish.

Among the member organizations are the National Council of Young Israel, the Orthodox Union, the Rabbinical Council of America, Emunah Women of America, AFSI, Hineni, AJOP (Outreach), NCSY, Poalei Agudath Israel of America, ZOA, and more.  More organizations are set to join in the coming days.

The formation of the coalition marks the first time since the establishment of the State of Israel that a significant group of American Jewish organizations has united in opposition to Israeli government policy; many of the member organizations are among Israel’s most loyal and active supporters.

The new coalition's founder, Rabbi Pesach Lerner, the Executive Vice President of the National Council of Young Israel, is concluding a six-day whirlwind trip to Israel during which he coordinated the group's activities with pro-Jerusalem forces here.

"I met with several Knesset Members," Rabbi Lerner told Arutz-7, "as well as Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, Rabbi Yosef Efrati - a top confidante of Rav Elyashiv, Rabbi Simcha Kook, Natan Sharansky, and Mayor Uri Lupoliansky. I also met with Tzafrir Ronen, Elyakim HaEtzni, the Rabbi of the Western Wall- Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, Mina Fenton, Nir Barkat, and more.  There is much to get done, and aside from the little time in which to do it, we are also facing a wall of refusal to believe on the part of many American Jews.  They either don't know about it [gov't plans to divide Jerusalem], or think it won't happen."

Olmert Hints that United Jerusalem is Expendable
The official impetus for the coalition's founding were statements by Israeli government leaders, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, that Jerusalem could be negotiable in the upcoming Middle East summit in Annapolis. "The message has still not been received by many Jews," Rabbi Lerner said, "that the door has been opened to giving away parts of Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest and most revered site...  Our coalition means that Jewish leaders around the world are coalescing around a simple bottom-line position: World Jewry opposes Israeli negotiations which would include any discussion of ceding sovereignty over part or all of Jerusalem."

Some of Jerusalem's holy sites and/or surrounding neighborhoods are in danger of being transferred to Arab sovereignty.

The Coalition will increase awareness of both the sanctity of Jerusalem and the political machinations currently at play regarding it, and promote political and public action to keep Jerusalem off the negotiating table. The official name of the group is The Coordinating Council for Jerusalem’s Future.

"This is not the time to discuss the dangers of a terrorist Palestinian State as a neighbor to Israel," a Coalition letter to 2,000 American rabbis states. "Today, we must raise our voices at the thought of losing our united capital of Jerusalem. We call upon each and every one of you to:  1.  Continue to educate yourself and your congregations.  Peruse often Arutz Sheva, Jerusalem Post on-line, etc.; talk to your colleagues in Israel for a first-hand report of what is happening.  2. Designate your next [Sabbath] sermon to the topic of the undivided city of Jerusalem...   3. Take it upon yourself to write a letter or send an e-mail and/or fax to the Israeli Ambassador in Washington and the Consul-General in New York. Ask each of your members to do the same..."

US public relations strategist Jeffrey Ballabon has taken on the job of recommending and executing a broad-based international strategy, including the very formation of the Coordinating Council.

Ronen's Alliance
Tzafrir Ronen of northern Israel, one of those with whom Rabbi Lerner met, is one of the founders of a similar group in Israel.  "A small group of us convened a few weeks ago," Ronen said, "just when Olmert's friend Deputy Prime Minister Chaim Ramon started this whole insanity about giving up Jerusalem. We realized that we had to do something immediately.  Our group consists of many organizations here in Israel - the Nahalal Forum, Nir Barkat's group, the Land of Israel Loyalists, all eight groups of Homesh First, and more.  We have been working together with Rabbi Lerner, and we will continue to do so. There is a lot that we have to do."

"It must be made clear," Ronen says, "that while Olmert is being investigated for all sorts of financial crimes - his real crime, and the one for which he must be toppled, is that of wanting to give away the Land of Israel and Jerusalem.  Throughout our 2,000 years of exile, if any rabbi had ever hinted at giving up a part of the Land of Israel, he would have been out on the street in a minute."

Lerner's Meetings
Asked to summarize his many meetings with Israeli leaders and public figures over the past few days, Rabbi Lerner said, "My goals were to collect information and find out what's going on; to hear what they really think about what the government's intentions are and how we can stop any plans to give up Jerusalem; to share with them what we're doing, and receive their direction and advice; and encourage them, via our actions, to increase their own efforts... We now have two-way communication, the process has begun, they know that US Jewry is waking up and beginning to move."

"We plan to encourage citizens all over the US to visit with or speak to their Congressmen and tell them that the division of Jerusalem is something that they just cannot accept.  Leading rabbis will make trips to the White House and get this message across as well.  We will present our position both as Jews and as Americans."

"Could it be imagined that Israel would tell Jordan, 'Give up Amman and then we'll give you peace'?  It is untenable for a supposed peace partner to threaten that if we don't give up our capital, they will renew their war upon us; we are already hearing that if the summit fails, terrorism and violence will be renewed against Israel with a vengeance. How can this be called peace talks?... We believe that if lots of people start showing up at their Congressman's office, things will begin to take off."

Shas and Jerusalem
"In my meeting with the Rishon LeTzion Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, the spiritual leader of the Shas party, he was very encouraging, and told us that we should pressure the White House in every we can," Rabbi Lerner said.  Currently a member of the coalition, the Shas party itself is being pressured within Israel's nationalist camp - and perhaps soon, if the new coalition is successful, also among its supporters in New York - to quit the government immediately and prevent Jerusalem from even being placed on the negotiating table.

"Save Jerusalem" Emergency Coalition Forms

[Shammu]

Israel eyes bolstered military

Published: 24, 2007 at 11:43 AM

By JOSHUA BRILLIANT
TEL AVIV, Israel, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- The Israeli military intends to spend some $62.5 billion in the coming five years to cope with an array of enemies from Palestinian militants to Iranians. In doing so, it hopes to redress major mistakes that surfaced during last year’s monthlong Second Lebanon War.

Two major concepts guide its thinking. One is that the Middle East is becoming more menacing.

For years Israel believed the main threat to its existence was rising in Iran, which has been developing a nuclear capability and the missiles to deliver nuclear bombs. It coped with the Palestinian intifada that experts consider a “low-intensity conflict.”

Yet it believed a full-fledged conventional war has become unlikely. It made peace with Egypt and Jordan, withdrew from Lebanon; Syria was too weak to fight Israel alone. The U.S. occupation of Iraq laid to rest fears that a mighty eastern front would gang up on it.

Consequently, Israel cut its defense budget. It closed combat divisions and air force squadrons, and dismissed career army men. It cut down its stockpiles.

Then came the Second Lebanon War that caught it by surprise.

Now military sources say Syria and Iran are helping Hamas build an army in the Gaza Strip and that "many tens of tons" of TNT have been smuggled into Gaza since June.

Israel’s Sept. 6 bombing in northern Syria demonstrated louder than any words its concerns over nuclear proliferation and its readiness to take action to prevent it. Iran’s plans are the most disconcerting, but there is Syria and fears other Arab states such as Algeria and Sudan might seek such weapons. It fears weapons of mass destruction might reach Hamas and Hezbollah, whom it regards as terrorist organizations.

Nor is it complacent about developments in Egypt.

In the last parliamentary elections, the Muslim Brotherhood made great strides until President Hosni Mubarak stopped it in its tracks. But who will succeed Mubarak?

So Israel decided to allocate 8 percent of its gross national product to defense. That is 6 percent more than in other members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, noted Professor Manuel Trachtenberg, who heads the National Economic Council at the Prime Minister’s Office.

According to the new plan, which still requires Cabinet approval, Israel will seek a squadron or two of F-35 stealthy supersonic multi-role jet fighters. The first F-35s are not expected before 2012.

Earlier this month the air force exposed its newest unmanned aircraft that can climb to an altitude of 45,000 feet, stay aloft for 36 hours and carry a load of 1 ton.

Another spy satellite is to be launched shortly.

As Iran moves to build nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles to deliver them, Israel is embarking on developing the third generation of its Arrow missile interceptor. Other scientists are building the Iron Dome system that should knock out short-range, cheap rockets that have been haunting Israelis who live near the Gaza Strip.

The navy is expecting two more German-built submarines under an agreement signed last year and wants to acquire another missile boat that should be far more advanced that any it operates.

An enhanced naval capability would give Israel “more strategic flexibility” to operate far from home, recently retired Maj. Gen. Yiftah Ron-Tal noted in the Yisrael Hayom newspaper.

The military’s major effort will, however, go to boosting its ground forces as it revives some of the major concepts that traditionally guided warfare.

Israel went to war with Hezbollah believing its massive air power would do the job. It erred.

The airstrikes wreaked havoc in Lebanon, but Hezbollah militants nevertheless succeeded in showering Israel with more than 100 rockets a day. It took time until military commanders agreed troops had to physically occupy the rocket-launching areas in order to stop that fire.

So the military is now, once again, aiming for a quick decision in a ground campaign and hopes to achieve it through maneuvers and heavy firepower.

It intends to establish a new division and build more Merkava IV tanks. It believes these tanks are the best-protected in the world and are suited to cope with the Syrian rough terrain.

There is a limit to the number of Merkavas its industries can produce a year, so the army plans to upgrade hundreds of older Merkava III and perhaps Merkava II tanks.

For years, Israel transported troops in U.S.-made M-113s, but they are not safe enough. Israel removed the turrets of old British Centurion and captured Russian T-55 tanks and refitted their hulls to serve as armored personnel carriers. Now it intends to build hundreds of new armored personnel carriers basing them on the Merkava’s plans. It might license an American firm to build them for it, a senior military source told United Press International.

To improve the tanks and APCs’ protection, Israel will install a new system that should detect incoming missiles and melt them.

Some of the money for all this will come from the United States. Washington has undertaken to increase its military aid from $1.8 billion to $3 billion a year.

It reckons it will need more soldiers so it will open more jobs to women and expand the size of the career army.

A major effort is now under way to train all the combat units after years in which such training was curtailed, be it to free more units to police the occupied territories or to save money.

Since the war, the standing army’s combat units have trained extensively, sometimes on the Golan Heights. The paratroopers, for example, have gone through five months of intensive training. By the beginning of last summer half the reserve battalions had trained, and according to the army’s weekly, Bamahane, every unit will devote 17 weeks to training next year.

Next year the army expects to begin equipping all its battalions with small drones that can be launched near the battle zone and relay pictures to battalion, company and division commanders.

So new devices will help implement some of the old concepts.

Israel eyes bolstered military

[Shammu]

Israel to receive new Patriot system

PAC-3 type missile defense system with 16 launch barrels to serve as second defense shield

Hanan Greenberg
Published: 10.24.07, 15:00
Israel News

A test of the Patriot PAC-3 type missile system, which Israel is supposed to receive from the US according to various reports, was presented during a conference of the Jerusalem Center for Public and State Affairs, and the Israeli Missile Defense Organization.

The new system, which comes with 16 launching barrel, forms a significant improvement in its ability to deal with ballistic missiles, when compared to the current system which has just four barrels.

The Patriot system is designed to act as a second defensive layer, in case the Arrow anti-ballistic missile (ABM) fails to strike its target. According to various reports, the cost of the new Patriot missile type stands at around four million dollars.

During the conference, economic, political, and security aspects linked with the development and deployment of ABM systems were examined, and successful tests of the Arrow 2 system, which just recently was also tested in Israel, were displayed.

Former Air Force Commander Major General (Res.) David Ivri said that the decision not to develop the laser systems was a mistake. "Israel made a serious mistake when it ended the development of active defensive systems and we are now paying a high strategic and diplomatic price," Ivri said.

Ivri serves as president of Boeing in Israel, and directed his comments at the Nautilius system, whose development was stopped. "Today's defense systems are inadequate. We must develop the laser systems and not rely on ABM systems," he said.

"The laser won't give a 100 percent answer, but we must find a solution to a situation where there is an area in which there are thousands of missiles. As a military man I always prefer to give a preemptive strike. But, we must remember that we are part of the nations of the world, and as part of the global nation, the issue of the preemptive strike becomes much more difficult because it brings with it responses," Ivri added.

Israel to receive new Patriot system

[Shammu]

Israel reissuing gas masks
Published: 10/25/2007

Israel plans to reissue gas masks to its citizens.

Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna'i said Thursday that in the near future, the Home Front Command will distribute gas masks that were collected after the 2003 Persian Gulf War.

Vilna'i denied that the measure came in response to a specific threat of non-conventional war with Israel's enemies. He likened it to the kind of precautions taken in California against this week's forest fires.

"We will begin giving back gas masks in accordance with our order of priorities," Vilna'i told Israel's Army Radio. "This is a plan that has been in place since January 2007.

"Any country in the world has to be ready for emergencies. A big part of that is training the population. We determined that now is the right time to start this process, given all of the tensions that dog us constantly."

Since last year's Lebanon war there has been speculation that Israel could find itself in conflict with Syria, which is believed to have long-range missiles tipped with chemical and biological warheads. Israel is also expected to be caught up in any future confrontation between the United States and Iran over the latter's nuclear program.

Israel reissuing gas masks

[Shammu]

Israel Becoming Less Secular
13 Kislev 5768, November 23, '07

by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) An Israel Democratic Institute (IDI) demographic survey finds religious growth and secular decline - but most significant is that the proportion of religious in the public is highest among the youth.

The percentage of Jews describing themselves as secular has dropped sharply over the past 30 years, while the religious and traditional proportions have risen.  The annual survey finds that the secular public comprises only 20% of the Israeli population - compared to 41%, more than twice as much, in 1974.

Nearly half the population, 47%, describes itself as traditional, while the hareidi-religious and religious-Zionist together comprise 33% of the public.

The numbers were compiled based on a survey of representative sampling of 1,016 Israelis Jews.

Tradition Reigns
Over the past seven years, according to IDI statistics, the proportion of secular Jews has dropped sharply from 32% to 20% today.  The "traditionalists" have traditionally had the lead in polls of this nature - except for one year in 1974, when they trailed the seculars, 41% to 38%.

Other findings show that the Sephardic population is much more traditional and religious than the Ashkenazic sector.  Ashkenazic Jews are those originating from European (Christian) countries, whereas Sephardic Jews lived in the Iberian Peninsula (now Spain and Portugal), African and Middle Eastern (Moslem) countries. Only 7% of the Sephardim describe themselves as secular, compared to 36% of the Ashkenazim.  At the same time, 56% of the Sephardim are religious or hareidi, compared to only 17% of the Ashkenazim.

39% of those under age 40 are religious - more than those in their 40's and 50's (32%), and much more than those aged 60 and over (20%).

It can be inferred from the numbers that Israel is a traditional society, and that it will become even more so as the years go by.

Country is Right-Wing; the Religious - Even More So
Politically, the religious are more right-wing, but so are the others.  Among the religious, many more identify with the right than with the left, by a 71-8 margin; among the traditional, it's 49-21, and among the secular, it's 43-27.  In total, 55% of the population view themselves as right-wing, and only 18% are to the left.

Israel Becoming Less Secular

[Shammu]

I found the title of this article interesting as I could see the prophetic implications that God could be starting to awaken the Jews once again to Him.

The Jews were prophesied to come into the land in unbelief, we know that the Gog/Magog will result in the spiritual rebirth of the Jewish people. I just think it was interesting that this could be a sign of the spiritual rebirth or first stages.

[HisDaughter]

This is very interesting DreamWeaver!  And hopeful.
Not being familiar with groups that were mentioned I'm wondering if either are Christ-minded?  That would really be something to shout about! 
Do you know?  I'd be very interested to know more about those two groups.

In Christ,
Grammyluv

[Shammu]

Growing concern in Israel over ‘dirty bomb’ attack

Heightened security measures at Israeli airports, seaports and border crossings

Arieh Egozy
Published: 12.02.07, 10:46
Israel News

Israel has tightened security at its airports, seaports and border crossings—increasing both technological surveillance as well as information gathering efforts —in order to thwart attempts at smuggling radioactive materials into the country.

These materials could potentially be used in the production of a “dirty bomb” that could be detonated within Israel.

A “dirty bomb”, which is essentially a low grade nuclear weapon, is far less lethal than an atomic bomb, but can still lead to massive casualties and injuries should it be employed. It basically consists of an ordinary explosive “laced” with radioactive materials. When detonated, these nuclear materials then emit dangerous levels of radiation, which can quickly spread across a rather large area.

As previously noted, Israel is growing increasingly vigilant of a possible ‘dirty bomb’ attack. Supervision at seaports is at an all time high, and new detectors have been put in place to identify nuclear materials hidden in containers and freight cargo.

Moreover, heightened security has been instituted at sensitive sites, such at the nuclear waste site in southern Israel, in order to prevent theft and smuggling of radioactive materials. 

The United States instituted similar heightened security measures at its borders crossings and sea ports several months ago, following repeated security alerts. Radiation detection devices were placed along major access points into Manhattan, including bridges and tunnels.

Security measures were tightened after it was discovered that they were especially prone to attack. Cargo is often left unsupervised at US harbors, and incoming shipments are seldom screened for radioactive materials.

A senior Israeli security official stated that, “There is growing concern regarding ‘dirty bombs’ among Israeli anti-terrorism units. They work at thwarting such potential attacks on a daily basis.”

Dirty bomb frighteningly simple to put together

According to experts, only a rudimentary knowledge of explosives is needed in order to put together this “poor man’s nuke”.
 
Attaining radioactive materials is equally - and frighteningly—simple. Hospitals and medical research facilities, various industrial plants, and, of course nuclear plants and facilities all regularly discard radioactive materials that can be used to produce “dirty bombs”.

The former Soviet Union, in particular, appears to be a hotbed for those seeking ingredients for a “dirty bomb”. Lax regulation of nuclear facilities following the collapse of the Soviet bloc makes it relatively simple for arms dealers and other criminal syndicates to deal in, and sell, radioactive materials coming from these sites.

Invariably, these illicit materials find their way to al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. Only last Wednesday, three suspects were arrested at the Slovak-Hungarian border after trying to sell roughly a pound of enriched Uranium, typically used as fuel in nuclear facilities. Enriched Uranium is a prime ingredient for “dirty bombs” and other nuclear weapons.

Growing concern in Israel over ‘dirty bomb’ attack