May 3, 2018
Incendiary Kites From Gaza Cause Massive Fire in Be’eri Forest and Farmland
Incendiary kites flown Wednesday (2nd) from the Gaza Strip by Palestinian terrorists caused a huge fire in the Be’eri Forest in southern Israel that continued to rage into the evening.
The conflagration is the biggest to have erupted since the Palestinians in the Strip began flying the incendiary kites across the border.
The burning of forests and agricultural fields by Palestinian rioters is no longer limited to the weekly Friday demonstrations, but is becoming a daily occurence.
So far, 86 acres of barley and wheat fields owned by the Negev Moshavim company have been burned and damaged by the recent “kite bombs” – amounting to NIS 175,000.
(jpost.com; ynet.com)
U.S. Officials: Israel struck Syrian base storing Iranian Anti-aircraft missiles – Courtney Kube
An Israeli airstrike on the Syrian city of Hama Sunday (4/29) killed two dozen Iranian soldiers and targeted arms recently delivered from Iran, three U.S. officials said, Tuesday (1st).
(nbcnews.com)
Iran’s options to avenge Syria strikes – Jon Gambrell
After Israeli strikes killed Iranian forces in Syria, the Islamic Republic has a few ways to retaliate. Though it has long made threats about Israel’s existence, Iran doesn’t have a modern air force.
Launching ballistic missiles also remains a question, considering Israel’s anti-missile defense system and the near-certainty of massive Israeli retaliation. Last June, six Iranian Zolfaghar missiles targeted Islamic State positions in Syria in revenge for an Isis-claimed attack on the Iranian parliament. Israeli media later reported only one made it to its target.
(ap.com)
Exposing Iran’s Nuclear Archive: A Fantastic Intelligence Feat – Maj.-Gen. Yaakov Amidror
The Israeli intelligence community has once again proved it has extraordinary capabilities. Reaching the secret Iranian nuclear archives, stored in an ordinary building so as not to attract attention, entering the facility and transferring the contents to Israel are all abilities that will remain important in future efforts to identify any Iranian attempt to deviate from the framework of the nuclear accord.
The Iranians should internalize that they have been penetrated, that Israel has the ability to reach the most sensitive places in Tehran and that they should think twice before they act.
(israelhayom.com)
Former Pentagon Official: Iranian Regime “Humiliated” by Daring Mossad Operation – Yonah Jeremy Bob
Dr. Harold Rhode, who served for 28 years as an advisor on the Islamic world in the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, said Israel “humiliated the Iranian government by capturing all of this material,” and many Iranians were laughing at the Islamic regime on social media.
He also noted that while global media stopped covering protests in Iran against the regime, the protests are still churning. Rhode said the average Iranian “would like nothing more than to wake up and have this nightmare regime over with and again proudly be accepted as members of the international community.”
(jpost.com)
Abbas Rewrites Jewish and Zionist History – Adam Rasgon
PA leader Mahmoud Abbas told the Palestinian National Council in Ramallah on Monday (4/30) that the Jews in Europe were massacred because of their social behavior related to money-lending. “From the 11th century until the Holocaust that took place in Germany, the Jews…were subjected to a massacre every 10 to 15 years. But why did this happen? The Jewish issue that was widespread in all European countries…was not because of their religion, but rather their social behavior related to usury and banks.”
Abbas cited a theory that Ashkenazi Jews hail from the Khazar Kingdom in southern Russia and “they have no relationship to semitic culture, Abraham, Jacob and others.” Moreover, he reiterated that Israel is a “colonial project….The story of building a national home didn’t come from the Jews, but rather the colonial states.”
(jpost.com)
Lipstadt: With “Classic Anti-Semitism,” Abbas Ending Career the Way He Started – Marissa Newman
Referring to the speech by PA leader Mahmoud Abbas on Monday (4/30), Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt said, “Here’s a man who started his career denying the Holocaust and now, at the later stages of his career, seems to be engaging in rewriting the history of the Holocaust and classic anti-Semitism.”
(timesofisrael.com)
U.S. Officials and Jewish Groups Denounce Abbas’ Anti-Semitic Statements – Amir Tibon
Jewish American groups from across the political spectrum denounced Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ speech Monday (4/30). Abbas claimed that former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was Jewish, and that pogroms against Jews in Europe were not the result of anti-semitism but rather due to their social role and financial matters.
“Mahmoud Abbas’ speech on Monday, yet again included vile anti-Semitic statements, which are completely unacceptable and are inconsistent with efforts to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace,” said Ori Nir, spokesman for Americans for Peace Now. Dan Shapiro, U.S. Ambassador to Israel under the Obama administration, tweeted: “It’s over for Mahmoud Abbas. What a disgusting note to go out on.”
(haaretz.com)
EU Condemns Abbas After He Blamed Jews for Holocaust
The European Union blasted Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas after he said earlier this week that Jewish “social behavior” caused the Holocaust.
In a statement the EU wrote, “The European Union remains committed to combat any form of anti-Semitism and any attempt to condone, justify, or grossly trivialize the Holocaust.”
(israelnn.com)
Morocco Cuts Ties With Iran Over Subversive Terror Support
Morocco severed relations with Iran Tuesday (1st), accusing the Islamic Republic of providing funds, training and weapons to the Shiite Polisario Front Fighters in the Western Sahara.
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said he spoke with his Iranian counterpart to officially end ties between the two countries. Morocco’s ambassador already departed Tehran, while the Iranian Embassy in Morocco will be closed “immediately,” Bourita told reporters in Rabat, Morocco’s capital.
(worldisraelnews.com)
