April 25, 2018
2 Palestinians armed with grenades and knives arrested after breaching Gaza border
Israeli soldiers arrested two Palestinians who crossed into Israel from Gaza armed with grenades and knives.
The men were taken in Tuesday morning (24th) shortly after they crossed the security fence, according to the Israel Defense Forces. They were turned over for questioning to the Israeli Security Agency and Shin Bet.
The infiltration came a day after four Palestinian men who entered Israel through the security fence near Kibbutz Kissufim in southern Israel were arrested.
(jta.org)
Lieberman: Israel will destroy Syria’s S-300 if it attacks our jets
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Tuesday (24th) downplayed Israeli concerns over Russia’s purported plans to outfit the Syrian military with its powerful S-300 air defense system, but stressed that Israel would retaliate if such a battery was used against its aircraft.
“One thing needs to be clear; If someone shoots at our planes, we will destroy them. It doesn’t matter if its S-300 or an S-700,” said Lieberman.
(timesofisrael.com)
The real story behind the Gaza marches: The Gazans who choose to stay home – Moran Stern
In a recorded phone message in Arabic, the IDF warned a representative of a Gaza-based bus company not to drive participants to the protests near the Gaza-Israel border.
One might expect the representative to put up a fight. After all, the march organizers portrayed them as a popular Palestinian response to the ongoing Israeli occupation and as an attempt to redraw the attention of the international community to the plight of the Palestinians.
Surprisingly, however, the Gaza bus representative went out of his way to convince the Israeli soldier that the bus company had no intention of either participating nor driving people to the protest. It was Hamas, the representative said, that intimidated, jailed, and replaced the company drivers with other drivers who eventually drove the protesters to the march.
The ordinary Palestinian is not only politically weary, he is also increasingly alienated from his leadership and political institutions as venues to propel a meaningful change in his life. Under such circumstances, responding to Hamas’ calls to protest and risk one’s life by marching towards the border makes little sense.
(ynetnews.com)
Head of U.S. forces in Syria visits Israel
The head of the U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTOM), Gen. Joseph Votel, arrived in Israel on Monday (23rd) amid concerns that President Donald Trump will go through with plans to withdraw American forces from Syria, Israel’s Kann News reported.
CENTOM is responsible for American activities in the Middle East.
A diplomatic source said that the purpose of the visit was to send a signal of reassurance to Israel that the Americans had no immediate plans to withdraw from Syria and that they would continue to back Israel on any activity intended to maintain the security of its border.
(israelnn.com)
Top Iranian official: We’ll ‘choose time and place’ to strike back at Israel
The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said Tuesday (24th) that Tehran “will choose the time and place” to mete out its ‘inevitable” response for a deadly strike on an Iranian base in Syria that has been attributed to Israel.
Speaking to reporters before he traveled to Russia, Ali Shamkhani said, “The response is inevitable, but Iran will choose the time and place to respond to the attack on the T-4 base in which several Iranian citizens were killed.
(timesofisrael.com)
Nasrallah: Assassination of Hamas engineer a ‘Zionist crime’
Hizbullah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah has blamed Israel for the mysterious assassination of Palestinian Hamas engineer Fadi al-Batsh in Malaysia over the weekend, slamming it as a “Zionist crime.”
“We must condemn this Israeli assassination of Palestinian-Arab scientist and martyr Fadi al-Batsh,” Nasrallah said during a speech delivered at an event organized by the Hizbullah terror group.
The Gaza-ruling terror group Hamas has also attributed 35-year-old al-Batsh’s murder to Israel.
(ynetnews.com)
Body of Hamas engineer killed in Malaysia to arrive in Gaza Wednesday
The body of a Hamas engineer assassinated in Malaysia will be transferred to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday afternoon (25th), according to a Hamas source.
Hamas blamed Israel’s Mossad for the assassination. Israeli officials denied involvement but Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman asked Egypt not to allow the body to be returned to Gaza.
(jpost.com; reuters.com)
The logic of the BDS movement is anti-Semitic – Editorial
The BDS movement, which wages economic war against Israel via boycotts, divestment and sanctions, was founded by men committed to extinguishing the world’s only Jewish state. By targeting the Jewish homeland for isolation for alleged human-rights abuses, while ignoring far more pervasive sins across the Arab and Muslim world, its logic is anti-semitic. And along the way, many people of good will have been duped into becoming unwitting followers in this virulent campaign. Barnard College students voted 2-to-1 last week to ask their student government to urge the college to divest from eight companies involved with Israel.
While it is more than fair game to criticize Israel, its leaders and its policies, it is beyond odious to cast as an aggressor a democracy that seeks to coexist with its neighbors and protect itself from hostile forces including Hamas and Hizbullah. Barnard College’s sick timing of its vote which came just as Israel celebrated its 70th birthday, cheers the BDS forces on.
(nydailynews.com)
Barnard alumni reject student divestment referendum
Over 2,000 Barnard College alumni have signed a petition calling on the school to reject a student referendum supporting divestment from companies doing business with Israel. On Sunday (22nd) college President Sian Leah Beilock said the Board of Trustees would not take action on the referendum.
(jta.org)
Wounded Christian Arab IDF veteran now combats BDS – Hassan Shaalan
Youssef Haddad, now 32, a Christian Arab from Nazareth, joined the IDF at the age of 18 and served in the Golani Brigade. He was wounded in the Second Lebanon War and upon his discharge found another way to serve his country: combating the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign and improving ties between Israeli Arabs and the state. “I believe that just as I contributed to the state militarily, I can contribute in the PR arena and expose the lies disseminated regarding the State of Israel,” he said.
(ynetnews.com)
