News Digest — 4/27/23
President Herzog Awards 120 Outstanding Soldiers On Israel’s 75th Anniversary
On Wednesday (26th), the ceremony for the President’s Award for Excellence took place at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem. During the ceremony, the President of the State of Israel, Mr. Isaac Herzog, awarded 120 outstanding soldiers and officers from various IDF units with certificates and pins. The honorees were chosen for the President’s Award for Excellence as they strived for merit, demonstrated dedication, showed professionalism and responsibility, and worked extensively in a manner that set an example of excellency for the IDF as a whole.
Every recipient will also be awarded a scholarship for an academic degree following their release from the IDF.
Among the 120 given the Excellency Award were 67 men and 53 women with 19 of them officers.
The ceremony was held in the presence of the President of the State of Israel, Mr. Isaac Herzog, Israel’s Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Minister of Defense, Mr. Yoav Gallant and with the participation of the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, including additional members of the General Staff and the families of the award recipients.
President Isaac Herzog said: “Outstanding soldiers and dear families: on behalf of the entire nation, I want to tell you – I am proud of you, and well done! Even nowadays, we must remember – the spectacular Israeli mosaic, that consists of many voices, opinions and perspectives, is not a weakness. Israel’s wonderful diversity includes Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze and Circassians, religious, secular, traditional and ultra-Orthodox, veterans and immigrants, from every lifestyle. This is our unique strength and our miracle. You, the 120 honorees on this stage, are outstanding examples of light and hope. The IDF is the people’s army. Continue to strive and succeed. Happy Independence Day!”
Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, said: “This year the IDF is celebrating its 75th birthday. I think we should look back and take note of two things. One is the pioneering decision to establish the IDF as the people’s army – everyone serves, and it’s true, there’s been an ongoing discussion from the establishment of the State of Israel, regarding what it means for everyone to serve – but what is important is that the IDF wants to integrate as many parts of Israeli society into it as possible. The second thing that should be noted is the IDF’s central mission. The IDF protects Israel and its civilians. But just as important, it is very crucial socially. It connects every part of the nation and strengthens us where necessary.”
(isnn.com)
Just In Time For Independence Day: Argentinian Family Makes Aliyah For Stronger Jewish Connection
Wishing to return to their roots and better connect with their Jewish identity, Rolando Kohl from Argentina and his wife Carolina arrived in Israel with their three children and two dogs just days before Israel celebrated 75 years of independence.
Kohl’s father, who served as a paratrooper in the 1956 Sinai War, always dreamed of moving to Israel with his family, but he passed away last year before that dream could be realized.
“He was an ardent Zionist and his heart has always been here in Israel,” Rolando said.
“We had dreamed of coming together, but he did not get to see that dream turn into reality. In a way, we are fulfilling it for him.”
Arriving in Israel at this special time of year, just days before the Jewish state commemorated its annual Memorial Day immediately followed by Independence Day, Rolando added, “It’s a bittersweet feeling to be here as Israelis for the first time.”
“It makes us think of the people who sacrificed so much and lost everything so that we could be here today. We are privileged to be able to live in the Jewish homeland and we do not take it for granted. We are living the dream of our ancestors. I want my children to know that we should do our best to be good citizens and give back to this country that has received us.”
Seeking a better life for their family, they arrived with the help of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) in order to give their children the opportunity to have the best possible future in Israel with the Jewish people.
Officials Voice Concern As US Taps Reserve Stockpiles In Israel To Help Ukraine
The amount of US munitions stored in Israel has been dwindling due to the Ukraine war and it is still unclear when it will be replenished, Israel Hayom has learned from Israeli sources.
Earlier this year, it was reported that the depots storing US munitions in Israel had been partially tapped in order to help Ukraine fend off the Russian invasion. The depots are officially designated as US storage facilities and as such enjoy diplomatic immunity under bilateral agreements with Israel. The implicit understanding between Jerusalem and Washington over many decades has been that the munitions there would be earmarked for Israel in time of emergency – such as, in the event the Jewish state should face a major attack, on the scale of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when it faced a combined invasion by Syria and Egypt.
According to sources, some of the munitions have been shipped out in recent months through the Port of Ashdod – mainly on Saturdays – to avoid drawing media attention. The shipments out of Israel, which began under the premierships of Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett, have continued until recent weeks. Israeli and foreign sources have told Israel Hayom that the reason those munitions have been tapped is the ongoing shortage of stockpiles in the West in the wake of the continued fighting in Ukraine.
A defense official said the White House made the decision to shift resources out of Israel to another front, but in the light of Israel’s fragile security situation in recent weeks, this could have other effects. “These are Israel’s reserve stockpiles for times of war,” a former cabinet minister said. “The move has had a bigger implication in light of the threats on Israel in multiple theaters.”
A US officer confirmed this, telling Israel Hayom that “It is still not clear when the reserves will be restocked.” The official added that this depends on the manufacturing pace in the US. The change is also part of the US pivot toward China and Ukraine, which has seen Washington put less emphasis on the Middle East. Former senior Israel defense officials have noted that President Joe Biden’s new set of priorities – including his cold shoulder to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by publicly saying, “he won’t be invited to Washington soon” – have had direct consequences on Israel’s overall strategic situation in the region. According to the officials, the administration’s actions vis-a-vis Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states have allowed Iran to continue building up capabilities and has resulted in Sunni states restoring ties with Tehran and has made China a much more powerful player in the region.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit confirmed the above details. In response to a query submitted by Israel Hayom, the IDF said that “US equipment stored in Israel was handed over to the US armed forces, in accordance with an American request. The Prime Minister’s Office and the Defense Ministry were not immediately available for comment.
Enemy Rockets Soon To Be ‘Destroyed’ Long Before Reaching Israel
A leading Israel defense company is putting the finishing touches on a new system that will cause incoming rockets to explode long before they reach the country’s border, and it may be ready as soon as next year, Calcalist reported Tuesday (25th).
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’ R&D department says the company has almost completed the “Light Shield” (‘Magen Ohr’ in Hebrew), a laser that will intercept airborne threats ranging from mortar bombs, rockets and drones to anti-tank missiles.
“We are currently at a peak stage in the full development of the system,” said its chief engineer, Dr. Yohai, who has been working on the project for the past 17 years in conjunction with the Defense Ministry’s weapons development department.
“The system has just successfully undergone a major test,” Yohai said, and he expects that in “one of the future confrontations with Hamas,” his team will put Light Shield to use in the field.
“We’ll then take the data home and study it,” he said, in order to develop it even further. But “this system learns,” he added. “Like the Iron Dome, it improves itself all the time.”
The heart of the system is its laser targeter, which looks like a large camera lens. When an enemy launch is detected, it gives off an invisible beam that “cooks” the rocket with 100 kilowatts of heat concentrated into a beam the diameter of a 10-shekel coin. The threat is neutralized almost instantaneously, as it literally works at the speed of light.
If the system works as planned, it could spell an end to the phenomenon of men, women and children racing to a shelter when a warning siren sounds – because there may be no need for such a siren.
“Why should people from Sderot have to wake up in the middle of the night to run to the protected area if we already intercepted the threats long before they crossed the border?” said Maj. Hananel, one of the leaders of the R&D team from the defense ministry side. “There will be quiet. For us, this is a complete negation of the enemy’s capabilities.”
Its cost is also a major factor in the steady backing it has received from the defense ministry, the major said, noting that each Tamir interceptor of the Iron Dome costs about $50,000, and sometimes two are launched to ensure that a rocket shot by Hamas or Hezbollah will not hit a populated area.
“The enemy, he said, “keeps launching such rockets, even though most are intercepted, for two main reasons.”
“He understands that he is still rushing us to shelters, disrupting our daily routine and occasionally also hitting us… and understands that for every such cheap and simple rocket, we launch a super-advanced interceptor missile that costs a fortune.”
Thus, he said, “The enemy is waging an economic war with us.”
“The initial benefit of Magen Ohr is in the dramatic improvement in our position in this war,” he explained, “because a laser is ‘simply light,’ and the main cost of use is just the electric bill for the generators it needs to work.”
Light Shield cannot replace the Iron Dome anti-missile system, however, because it is not a perfect product. Stormy weather, fog and sandstorms are examples of factors that limit its function for now. The engineers also refused to divulge to Calcalist exactly how often it could work within a specific amount of time.
Still, the system will be an extraordinarily valuable addition to the defensive screen that Israel has built around itself, and for Maj. Hananel, the goal is clear.
“I want us to reach a situation where we cause the enemy to completely despair,” he said. “The enemy will have to understand that we will have laser targeters deployed wherever necessary, and when he shoots what he wants at us, everything will be intercepted and explode on him all the time, almost at the moment of the launch itself, long before it reaches Israeli territory.”’
(worldisraelnews.com; calcalist.co.il)
Israel’s Independence Day: Rambam Hospital Gives Newborns Funny Cards
Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa welcomed the first children born on Israel’s 75th Independence Day on Wednesday (26th) in the form of very humorous cards about this unique shared birthday.
In honor of the holiday, all newborns and their mothers were given a special card in their small beds – which were also covered in flags and blue-and-white colors. Some of the cards said, “I was just born and am already a citizen.” Another one said, “Are all these fireworks for me?”
“It’s the birthday of the country and the birthday for some of the sweetest Israeli babies born in Rambam,” the hospital said. “It’s a day of joy and celebration,”
The date of Israel’s Independence Day changes every year because it is tied to the Hebrew lunar calendar, and is celebrated annually on the fifth day of the month of Iyar.
As such, while these babies might be born on the same day as Independence Day this year, the Gregorian calendar dates won’t line up again for several more years.
It was noted that many hospitals throughout Israel also dressed their newborns and decorated their beds in the blue and white colors of the flag of the State of Israel in celebration of Israel’s 75th anniversary, on Wednesday (26th).
