April 23, 2018
PM: IDF prepared for every possibility and scenario
On Sunday (22nd) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to accusations by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that Israel violated international law, saying, “This is the foreign minister of a country that sends armed drones against Israel and missiles against Saudi Arabia.”
He continued, “I also heard his moderate words, and there’s a huge gap between his words and the actions of the Revolutionary Guards, who are advancing an army against Israel with the declared goal of destroying the state of Israel.” He stressed, “The Israel Defense Forces are prepared for every possibility and scenario. I am not impressed by his words. I rely on this forum and the Israel Defense Forces for every possibility and scenario.
(israelnn.com)
‘Zionists, go back to where you came from’
Gazans on Friday (20th) sent notes to IDF soldiers, telling them to “go back to where you came from” and there “is no room in Palestine for Jews.” They continued, “Don’t respond to your leaders – they want you to die or be in captivity. Al-Quds is the capital of Palestine.”
The notes came in response to the leaflets distributed by the IDF warning the Gazans not to listen to Hamas, and to keep away from the Gaza-Israel border and avoid participating in terror activities.
(israelnn.com)
IDF: Hamas sends teens as ‘human shields’
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said Saturday (21st) that 15-year-old Mohammed Ayoub’s death at Gaza border skirmishes Friday (20th) will be investigated.
“Hamas is endangering citizens deliberately by staging them on the frontlines of violence. This is the fourth consecutive week. Younger children and women are sent to the fence as human shields,” the IDF stated.
Ayoub’s mother said she had pleaded with her son not to take part in the protests Friday but he didn’t listen to her.
(ynetnews.com)
Hamas rocket engineer assassinated in Malaysia, Israel ‘blamed’ for hit
A 35-year-old Hamas engineer named Fadi Mohammad al-Batsh, described by the terrorist organization as a ‘loyal’ member, was killed on the streets of Kuala Lumpur in a drive-by motorcycle shooting Saturday morning (21st).
Hamas referred to the dead engineer as a “martyr” and his family immediately blamed the Israeli intelligence service for orchestrating the hit.
(worldisraelnews.com)
Israel pulls fighter jets from drill in Alaska amid tensions with Iran
The Israel Air Force has decided to ‘scale back’ its participation in the Red Flag exercise in Alaska amid increasing tensions on Israel’s northern border.
“In light of the situational assessment by the Air Force it was decided to adjust the planes participation in the exercise,” read a statement by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, stressing that nonetheless, “Israel’s first participation in the Red Flag exercise in Alaska will take place as planned, but with fewer planes”
Tensions on Israel’s northern border have been rising in recent months as Israel fears that Iran is entrenching itself deeper into war-torn Syria with its presence on Israel’s borders growing in strength.
With long-range strike and reconnaissance capabilities, Israel’s F-15s are the backbone of the Israel Air Force, carrying out operations over Syria and the Gaza Strip.
(reuters.com; jpost.com)
US State Department stops referring to Judea and Samaria as ‘occupied’
In a US State department annual report on human rights, the controversial term “occupied” was largely eliminated in references to various territories in and adjacent to Israel. While the term “occupied” had been used in such reports since the Carter administration, the 2017 version drops this term, which is generally used to criticize Israeli policy following military victories through which the Jewish state acquired control of various territories.
The change comes after US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman advised the department in December to stop using the “misleading” term “occupied” in references to Judea and Samaria.
(worldisraelnews.com)
Two Polish men detained for Hitler birthday concert
Two men have been detained in Poland on suspicion of spreading fascism by organizing a concert to mark Adolf Hitler’s birthday, a prosecutor told AFP on Sunday (22nd).
The Polish men, who have not been identified, the main organizers of the concert in question, were detained on Saturday (21st) by policemen and agents from Poland’s Internal Security Agency.
(afp.com)
German neo-Nazis hold festival honoring Hitler’s birthday
Several hundred neo-Nazis gathered on Friday (20th) for a two-day festival in Ostritz, Germany to celebrate Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s birthday.
Participants wore shirts with slogans such as “Keepers of the Race,” and “Adolf is the Best.” A group calling itself the “Aryan Brotherhood” guarded the event, which attracted Polish and European extremists.
(israelnn.com)
California man arrested preparing ‘kill list’ of Jews
A Southern California man pleaded not guilty Thursday (19th) to hate crimes after prosecutors said he threatened prominent members of the Jewish community and had a “kill list” that included the names of people in the entertainment industry.
Nicholas Rose of Irvine pleaded not guilty to making criminal threats and violating civil rights, with sentencing enhancements for hate crimes.
Police arrested Rose at his home after saying they found ”kill lists” and references to a synagogue in the area.
Rose is due back in court on April 27. If convicted, he could face a six-year jail sentence.
(ap.com; worldisraelnews.com)
EPA and Israeli company partner on “Water from Air” technology – Jeff kart
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with an Israeli company called Water-Gen, which has developed a generator that pulls water vapor from the air to harvest drinking water. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said the deal is “to advance atmospheric water generators as a viable technology for dramatically improving access to potable water during shortages or contamination events, like natural disasters,” such as last year’s hurricanes in Puerto Rico and Texas. Water-Gen says its technology is the most energy-efficient of its kind. It can reportedly generate a gallon of water for about 8 cents.
(forbes.com)
