Arabs and Jews Celebrate Ramadan Together

Sodastream, an Israeli company, is using its employment model to

show that coexistence between Jews and Arabs is possible in the region.

Arabs Admit They are not Indigenous in "Palestine"

It is clear from this video that Arabs migrated en masse to the area  around the same time as Jews immigrated here. But there is  another, very simple way to identify the origins of the Arabs, and that is according to their surnames. In the Arab communities, the surnames identify the tribe, or clans which one belongs to, a country or a region of their roots, and in some cases a profession.

It is important to stress that the loyalty of each individual is first and foremost to their tribe and family. 

Yasser Arafat’s full name for example, is Yasser Yusuf Arafat, Al-Qudwa, Al-Husseini. While he claimed he was born in Jerusalem, he was born in Cairo and his father’s family originates from the tribe of Al-Qudwa, which is in Syria. His mother, Husseini, was an Egyptian citizen, though the name exposes her roots in the region between Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

Israel Communities around Gaza

This reaction from a contact in the USA, reacting to what happened in Israel last night

"See in photo what happened in Israel last night while all of us in the US were sleeping. Would our country, or any other sovereign nation, allow this to happen with no response? Certainly not and yet the world blasts Israel for protecting its people and its borders. Craziness!!!"

How Palestinians Violate International Law

Written by Amb. Alan Baker, June 17, 2018

§  After the UN General Assembly on June 14, 2018, voted to condemn Israel for its handling of the Gaza border fence violence, it is all the more curious to observe the deliberate disregard of the serious and flagrant international humanitarian, environmental, and ecological crimes committed by Hamas and the Palestinians.

§  Since the Palestinian Authority is utilizing the events in Gaza to conduct its own political and legal campaign against Israel in international bodies, this renders the Palestinian leadership an accessory to Hamas in the commission of these crimes.

§  By initiating, encouraging, and supporting mass pollution of the border area through the organized stockpiling and burning of tires, the Palestinian leadership is responsible for repeatedly creating caustic clouds of carbon pollution. This act is damaging to the health of the Palestinian civilian demonstrators themselves, as well as the residents of Israeli communities in the vicinity of the border.

§  Incendiary kites and balloons have ignited vast swathes of agricultural land in Israel, destroyed crops, and endangered Israeli residents. The International Criminal Court Statute defines as a war crime “extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.”

§  From the viewpoint of international humanitarian law and accepted norms of humanity, placing Palestinian civilians, and especially women and children, at the forefront of violent demonstrations and attacks on the border fence as human shields to conceal the presence of Hamas terrorists is a violation of several international treaties protecting children and prohibiting their involvement in warfare.

§  Weaponizing kites and balloons by attaching explosive devices with the intention that they will explode upon landing or when found by Israeli civilians is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, notably the 1997 Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings. Moreover, the 2001 Conventional Weapons Convention prohibits the use of incendiary weapons.

§  From the viewpoint of international humanitarian law and accepted norms of humanity, placing Palestinian civilians, and especially women and children, at the forefront of violent demonstrations and attacks on the border fence as human shields to conceal the presence of Hamas terrorists is a violation of several international treaties protecting children and prohibiting their involvement in warfare.

§  The Palestinian leadership must be made to understand that its fixation with joining international treaties is not unidirectional. It involves solemn responsibilities to abide by the obligations included in such treaties. The international community must hold the Palestinian leadership to their commitments and not ignore their violations of the most fundamental norms and principles of international law.

For full article go to  http://jcpa.org/article/the-many-ways-the-palestinians-violate-international-law/  

Do you really know what is going on in Gaza?

 How much have you been influenced by the false Hamas messages?

Watch the film below and then ask yourselves :-    The people of Israel have not given up hope for peace, even under fire – from missiles and firebombs. As long as Arab children are raised to believe, like the girl in the movie said: “The map shows our entire land from the river to the sea. We will get it” do you think peace is possible? 

What do you think would be the right way to strive towards peace? Does peace come from meeting people with these beliefs “half way”?

Let’s consider the people of Gaza – does their leadership have the best interest of Gazans in mind or something else? Do the people around the world who condemn Israel have the best interest of Gazans in mind, or something else?

Read the interactive blog to answer  your questions https://israelforever.org/interact/blog/Activity_Behind_the_Smokescreen.pdf 

The March of Hope

Countering the Great Return March launched as a "peaceful" demonstration by Hamas, Israelis from all around the country are travelling down Friday 15th in a convoy to embrace those  who live on the border, with Solidarity-Hope-Love! The finish line will be at Dangur (Sufa)

There will be two routes: the northern one and the southern one, both ending up at Dangur (Kibbutz Sufa) at 15:00.

Northern Convoy:
13:00 - Black Arrow Memorial (meet up with the Goldin Family whose body has never been returned by Hamas) https://goo.gl/maps/B7RE277W38K2
13:30 - Drive in convoy along Route 232
15:00 - Kibbutz Sufa - Meet up wtih people from the community from the Western Negev/Gaza Envelope. Flying "Balloons of Love"

Southern Convoy:
14:30 - Park in Eshkol Regional Council
14:45 - Drive in convoy along Route 232
15:00 - Kibbutz Sufa - Meet up wtih people from the community from the Western Negev/Gaza Envelope. Flying "Balloons of Love"

Agricultural Terrorism in Gush Etzion

While agricultural terrorism isn’t a new tactic, it has picked up steam, both in the south and, over the past several weeks, throughout Judea and Samaria, especially here in Gush Etzion.

Josh Hasten  writes May 28, 2018

The media focus of the riots and attempted terrorist infiltrations on the Gaza border over the past month and a half have justifiably been on the human toll as a result of Hamas’s aggression. While originally Israel was nearly universally condemned for the number of casualties, the revelation that the vast majority of those killed were Hamas operatives has certainly swayed public opinion both here and abroad to some degree.

Nevertheless, another aspect of the story on the Gaza border, which has been reported but to a lesser degree, is the phenomena of the weaponized kites used by Hamas and their supporters. Time and time again, the terrorists have been attaching incendiary devices to what are normally children’s toys and have been releasing them into the air. Due to the winds usually blowing from west to east, many of these devices have in fact landed in Israeli fields and forests, causing massive fires due to the extremely hot and dry conditions. Reports indicate that thousands of dunams of crops and plant life have been destroyed as a result of this form of terrorism – agricultural terrorism.

While agricultural terrorism isn’t a new tactic, it has picked up steam, both in the south and, over the past several weeks, throughout Judea and Samaria, especially in Gush Etzion.

Last Tuesday night, Arabs from Beit Umar hurled burning tires over the fence and into the cherry orchards of Kibbutz Kfar Etzion, less than 200 meters away.

The damage to the cherry trees was extensive, with some estimates indicating that losses are in the tens of thousands of shekels. The very next night, the terrorists returned once again, hurling more burning tires and causing further damage.

According a local senior security official, putting out the burning tires isn’t so simple, as often they are laced with explosives, in the hope of wounding or killing firefighters. As a result, the army must be brought in to assist, delaying the firefighting efforts.

In addition to the fires in Kfar Etzion, arsonists last week also set fires or attempted to set fires near the communities of Gvaot, Kibbutz Migdal Oz, and as reported by The Jerusalem Post, near the historical Mukhtar Saddle site.

The fire near Mukhtar Saddle was started on Friday afternoon just several hours before Shabbat. So instead of being with their families for the weekend, firefighters, security personnel and local volunteers were all forced to once again spring into action.

Another form of agricultural terrorism is theft of produce. Just two weeks before the Kfar Etzion cherry orchards were set on fire, Arabs from nearby villages, in the middle of the night, pillaged the crops near that same location, stealing tons of fruit. Estimates indicate that around NIS 200,000 in cherries were stolen. These criminals sent a clear message that this was a crime of hate, as a Nazi swastika was discovered the next morning painted on a large rock within the orchard. This is yet another similarity to the kites in the south, often decorated with swastikas.

As awful as agricultural terrorism is, the security heads here are aware that this type of terrorism isn’t and end in itself, but only a means to something more sinister. The fear is that next time one of these fires could spread into the communities themselves, putting homes and lives at risk.

While we are extremely grateful for the protection provided by the army, other security forces, and the rapid response teams within each community, we are very aware that it is impossible for these heroes to be everywhere at all times, covering vast amounts of territory. The army especially has its hands full with the daily rock and firebomb attacks on our roads, which by the way also rarely warrant much coverage in mainstream outlets.

As a result, here in the Gush, additional volunteer patrols have been introduced in strategic locations hoping to prevent the next agricultural attack.

At the same time, the Gush Etzion Foundation has been working to raise the funds necessary to upgrade the fire-prevention equipment for use by the volunteers within our 22 communities, many of which are surrounded by lush forests, making them more susceptible to arson attacks.

The utilization of a small fire trailer, which holds 25 liters of water, within the first several minutes of a detected fire until the fire crew arrives, can be the difference between a small fire and a massive blaze.

With summer approaching and temperatures rising even higher, let’s hope that our enemies are unsuccessful in their utilization of agricultural terrorism in order to disrupt our lives, damage livelihoods, and inflict fear, which after all is the goal of terrorism, in all of its many forms. Seventy years ago, Kfar Etzion and the surrounding communities of the Gush were essentially burnt to the ground. We don’t intend to let that happen today.

IDF soldiers description of experiences in Gaza

This is a posting from an IDF soldier, Matan Barad, who asks {"Have you ever seen  4,000 people running towards you full of hate and yelling “Allah Akhbar”? 

Gaza - A place with so much meaning.

Words cannot describe the situations my comrades and I have been through.

The first time we got to the border we couldn’t imagine how the next 4 months would be like.

The first thing my officer told us when we started duty is that “the fence is a metaphor … only where the IDF is, is there a border.”

We couldn’t imagine how right he was.

In the past 4 months, my unit took control over the border, it was at this time the most difficult border in Israel.

Israel Independence Day, “Yom Nakba,” prisoner day, USA opening the Embassy in Jerusalem.

You know what was the hardest part of all this?

It’s not the fact we didn’t take off our shoes the past week nor shower. Not the fact we didn’t talk to our friends and family the past week. It’s not the fact we sleep in average 4 hours a night.

Let’s not talk about when was the last time we went home.

It was the fact we did all of this, and at the end of the week, we saw in the media only criticism, on how we kill Innocent Palestinians.

Well, I wanna put things straight. (Since I’m actually here)

Have you ever seen 4,000 people running towards you full of hate and yelling “Allah Akhbar”? Have you ever seen 4,000 people men woman and kids full of hate and anger?

Can a knife kill? A Molotov cocktail? Fire kites? Bomb? AK-47?

Well, that’s a daily threat on the border.

My friends and I felt all the things above.

We SAW 4,000 people run to the fence, WE have been shot at, WE saw a bomb explode that was meant for us, WE saw people run towards us with knives and axes meant to KILL us.

The feeling that goes through your body after all this is indescribable. We have the right to defend our people, family, friends. We know if they pass us they are going for them.

Our last resort is to shoot, we first send papers describing we don’t want this, we send smelly bombs to keep them away. No country in the world does that.

After all this, they keep coming … we shoot.

Every shot you take needs to get approved by 2 different people. Every shot that you take is written down and checked by officials.

The first rule as a sniper is to never close your eyes so you won’t miss a thing.

Sometimes, you see things you will never forget.

All in all, I can assure you at the end of this tour we as a unit don’t regret a shot we took. Every shot we took was to protect the people we love.

=================================================

From an IDF tank soldier at the Gaza border yesterday

Shabbat wasn't great. I spent almost all of it in my tank, sleeping on the border of Gaza. Dinner came at midnight last night and today food never showed up (but we had leftovers). It's been unbearably hot and incredibly boring.

My girlfriend is at her apartment, probably enjoying the beach, my best friend is in Jerusalem having the time of his life, and almost all of my friends were out for the weekend, some marching to share their pride. 

At the same time, many Jews across America are calling me an occupier and a murderer.

Through all of this my officer has been reminding us all how important our jobs are here.

If we weren't here eating shit on Shabbat, there wouldn't be an apartment for my girlfriend to go home to. There wouldn't be a Jerusalem for my friend to enjoy himself in. There wouldn't be a NYC parade to share our pride. There wouldn't be a place for us to call home.

We, the soldiers of Israel, have given up living at home as well as a lot of our freedoms so others can have theirs. We are sleeping in tanks and on the dirt 10 meters from Gaza so no one else has to. We are sitting here in this summer heat so no Jew has to fight for their right to live. We are here so you don't have to be.

To the all the Jews that disagree with the actions of the IDF, you're welcome for keeping you safe on Birthright. You're welcome for protecting your friends on gap years, on summer vacations, on family trips, and every other reason to enjoy this beautiful country we all call home. You're welcome for ensuring we have a home.

Some Factually Realistic Reporting - Yes, Really

A former Australian lawmaker publicly chastised the Arab world for not 

appreciating the “rare jewel” that is Israel.

Australia’s Sky News hosted an interview with former Australian MP, 

Ross Cameron, who expressed admiration for the Jewish people and 

sent a message to the Arab world, praising Israel as a “rare jewel” and 

“one of the best things going for the Middle East.”

According to Cameron, Israel and the Jewish people lays claim to “the most 

awesome story of human survival ever written.”

Palestinians: A Story Not Heard in the West

by Bassam Tawil  June 5, 2018 

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12422/palestinians-gaza-human-rights

A Palestinian mother of five just spent 23 days in prison. During her incarceration, she was held in unspeakable conditions and denied family visitations. She was also prohibited from consulting a lawyer.

This is a story that no one has heard in the West.

Why? Because the Palestinian woman, Samah Abu Ghayyath, was detained not by Israel, but by Hamas, the Palestinian terror group that rules the Gaza Strip.

Abu Ghayyath would have been "fortunate" if she had been arrested by Israel. Then, the case would have reached the pages of major media outlets around the world and "pro-Palestinian" activists would have staged demonstrations and online campaigns to support her and denounce Israel.

By contrast, for instance, consider the example of Ahed Tamimi, a Palestinian teenage girl from a village near Ramallah in the West Bank. In December 2017, Tamimi was detained by Israeli authorities for physically assaulting an Israeli soldier. After agreeing to a plea bargain, she was sentenced to 8 months in prison.

Tamimi has since become a symbol of the Palestinian "struggle" against Israel. She is glorified by many in the mainstream media in the West and advocates of Palestinian human rights around the world, who have turned her into an icon.

Abu Ghayyath, however, the woman from the Gaza Strip, has been less fortunate than the golden girl from the West Bank.

Unlike Tamimi, the arrest of the mother of five in early May by Hamas did not spark an international outcry. Western journalists and human rights organizations did not endorse Abu Ghayyath, as they were quick to do with Tamimi, a girl who hit an Israeli soldier.

Had Abu Ghayyath been arrested by Israel, her name would have appeared on the front pages of The New York Times and in the broadcasts of the BBC and CNN. The only ones who picked up her ordeal and demanded her release, however, were a few Palestinian women's groups and, of course, her family.

Predictably, only a handful of Palestinians -- and no Westerners -- dared to denounce Hamas for arresting the woman.

Abu Ghayyath still has not been formally charged with committing any crime. Hamas will not say why she was held in detention for 23 days. She herself appears to be too afraid to talk about the hard days she spent under interrogation in Hamas prison. In addition, her personal computer and mobile phone were confiscated.

This is yet another reminder of the dangerous double standard of the international community. Where all those who claim to be "pro-Palestinian" and are spewing hatred against Israel and Jews at college campuses in the US and Canada? If they really want to help the Palestinians, let them stand up and shout about the rights of women and gays living under Hamas's repressive regime, and journalists who are being harassed and arrested by Mahmoud Abbas's security forces.

Yelling lies about Israel and Jews does not make one "pro-Palestinian." It only makes one an Israel-hater. Hating Israel does not improve human rights conditions for Palestinians living under Hamas and Fatah. Instead, it serves as a distraction and even facilitates Fatah and Hamas in suppressing public freedoms and human rights.

Gazans setting fires further into Israel with helium balloons.

From TOI:

Cross posting from http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2018/06/gazans-setting-fires-further-into.html 

Hadashot television news reports that the fires sparked by Gazans in southern Israel today are reaching farther into Israel because the Gazans have changed their tactics.

In recent weeks, Gazans have launched firebomb-carrying kites into Israel, where they fell into dry fields and sparked major brushfires.

Today, authorities are battling helium balloons carrying long-burning materials like charcoal. The balloons are capable of flying several kilometers into Israel and sparking fires farther afield.

Firefighters are battling at least four brushfires today sparked by Gazan arsonists.

Why is Israel allowing helium into Gaza to begin with?

Because helium is needed for many medical applications, including many respiratory diseases. I'm guessing, but it is entirely possible that the helium in Gaza is coming from hospitals.

Now imagine what would happen if and when Israel bans helium imports into Gaza to protect itself from massive forest fires.

Yup, the "human rights" NGOs will castigate Israel for depriving Gazans of the medical benefits of helium. Reuters will have stories about Gazans with COPD who cannot breathe because of Israel's evil.

Just wait.