News Digest — 8/9/21
PM Bennett: Israel Will Not Accept Fire On Its Territory
PM Naftali Bennett at the beginning of Sunday’s (8th) cabinet meeting said Israel had responded to incendiary balloon launches from Gaza at Israel.
“Over the weekend, the IDF attacked Hamas targets in Gaza in response to incendiary balloons. I hope Hamas gets the hint and takes control of the situation. We do not care if they are rebellious, bored, or all the other excuses, the responsibility is on Hamas.”
“In the Lebanese sector, there is a very important awakening of many citizens in Lebanon against Hezbollah and Iranian involvement in their country, whereby amid the severe economic and political crisis, Iran and Hezbollah are making things worse on the Israeli front. The State of Lebanon and the Lebanese Army need to take responsibility for what happens in their backyard.”
“Even in this case, it is less important to us whether it is a Palestinian organization or independent rioters. The State of Israel will not accept fire on its territory,” said Bennett.
(isnn.com)
Hezbollah Threatens To Destroy Israeli Army In Future
Hassan Nasrallah, secretary-general of Hezbollah, on Saturday (7th) warned that the Israeli army would be destroyed in any future war with the Lebanon-based terrorist organization, Hezbollah’s Al-Manar news agency reported.
“The major idiocy that Israeli commanders could commit is making a decision to launch a war against Lebanon,” Nasrallah said in a televised address marking the fifteenth anniversary of the 2006 July war, known in Israel as the Second Lebanon War.
The comments came after days of cross-border strikes that began when three rockets were launched from Lebanon toward Israel on Wednesday (4th). Israel responded with artillery fire and an airstrike by fighter jets on Thursday (5th).
Nasrallah called the Israeli airstrike a “dangerous development.”
“Throughout 15 years, the Israeli enemy has not dared to stage an aerial attack on Lebanon, except for a conflicting strike on a border area between Lebanon and Syria in 2014,” he said.
Hezbollah on Friday (6th) fired a barrage of 20 rockets toward Israel, an attack that Nasrallah took credit for in his Saturday (7th) speech.
“Yesterday we chose to strike an open area, during the day. With it, we felt our retaliation was fully considered. We issued a statement in which we claimed responsibility for the operation – we had the courage to announce our responsibility for the resistance action against the Israeli enemy,” he said.
The Hezbollah leader warned that the organization could target any area in the north of Israel. “We can strike Galilee or Golan; our choices are open,” he said.
Nasrallah said that Hezbollah is fully prepared for a war with Israel, despite Lebanon’s economic crisis.
“To Israeli commanders, I say: Don’t miscalculate by estimating we are busy with our internal issues, no matter how pressuring these issues are. To us, it’s our responsibility to defend our people so don’t bet on the livelihood pressures of the Lebanese people,” he said.
Nasrallah called the detention of a Hezbollah rocket crew by Lebanese Druze civilians on Friday (6th) “a regrettable and shameful incident that has dangerous implications.”
He praised the Hezbollah fighters involved in the incident as “highly disciplined,” and said, “I hoped that I could reach those fighters and kiss their hands and their foreheads.”
Nasrallah concluded by stressing the importance of abiding by COVID 19 health protocols, warning that the country’s religious Ashura ceremonies this year could be cancelled if the people don’t abide by government health measures.
(worldisraelnews.com; almanar.com.lb)
‘Victory For Palestine Is Near,’ Iran’s New President Tells Terror Chiefs
Newly inaugurated Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi hosted the leaders of various terror groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad during his first day in office Friday (6th), assuring Iran’s continued support for groups seeking the destruction of Israel.
As arson balloons launched by Gaza-based terror groups sparked fires in Israel’s south and Hezbollah lobbed some 20 rockets across Israel’s northern border, Raisi hosted representatives from the terror groups responsible for the attacks.
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, a guest of honor at the inauguration the day before, was singled out by Raisi for praise. According to state-owned news agency Fars, Raisi reassured Haniyeh that Iran is committed to supporting the terror group.
“Palestine has been and always will be the number one issue of the Muslim world,” he said.
Raisi told the head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad that “The Islamic Republic of Iran has no doubt about supporting Palestine, and will always defend the rights of these ‘oppressed people.’”
May 2021’s Operation Guardian of the Walls had not been won by Israel, but by Palestinian terror groups, Raisi said.
“Today, signs of great victory of the resistance movement have emerged and Operation Guardian of the Walls was one of the signs of this victory,” he said.
“The outcome of the clash signals the impending end of Israel,” he added.
Raisi’s heavy emphasis on Iran’s support for the Palestinian terror groups and Hezbollah comes as thousands of Iranians suffer from water shortages in Khuzestan province.
The water crisis has sparked unrest, with hundreds protesting in the streets and at least eight demonstrators killed by Iranian security forces.
(farsnews.iran; worldisraelnews.com)
Terrorists Behind Sbarro Attack That Killed 15 Israelis Were Paid $1,183,257 By PA
Monday (9th) marks 20 years since the attack on the Sbarro pizza restaurant in Jerusalem in which 15 people were murdered and 130 people were injured.
As a reward for carrying out the attack, each month the Palestinian Authority (PA) pays a total of $8,006 to the imprisoned terrorists and the families of the dead terrorists who were involved in the attack, Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reported.
In 15 years, the PA has paid Abdullah Barghouti, the terrorist who built the bomb and is responsible for the murders of 67 people in various attacks, a cumulative sum of $285,571. Every month, the PA pays him a salary of $2,255.
In addition the PA has paid the family of suicide bomber Izz al-Din Shuheil al-Masri $68,498. Every month the PA continues to pay his family an allowance of $432.
It is significant to note that the minimum wage in the PA is $440 per month.
All payments total a staggering $1,183,257.
The monthly PA salary payments to the imprisoned terrorists are codified in the PA Law of Prisoners and Released Prisoners of 2004 and regulations promulgated pursuant to the law.
Thus, “Government Decision No. 23 for 2010 regarding a regulation of payment of a monthly salary to the prisoner” sets the salary scale the PA pays to imprisoned terrorists, including additional benefits for married terrorists, terrorists who have children, and terrorists who are residents or citizens of the State of Israel.
In addition to the issue of payments, section 4 of the Law of Prisoners stipulates that the PA will not sign a peace agreement “without the release of all prisoners,” including terrorists like Abdullah Barghouti and hundreds of others like him, who are responsible for killing thousands of people.
The PA payment to the families of the dead terrorists are not regulated by law and are made based on internal regulations of the PLO Institute for the Care of the Families of the Martyrs and the Wounded, which is entirely funded by the PA.
One of the main terrorists in the attack on the Sbarro restaurant was Ahlam Tamimi. Tamimi has confessed to choosing the target of the attack and leading the suicide bomber to the restaurant. Although Tamimi was convicted and sentenced to 15 cumulative life sentences, she currently lives in Jordan after being freed in the first part of a deal to secure the release by Hamas of abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.
Before she was released, Tamimi was interviewed on Israeli Channel 1, and the interview was broadcast on PA TV. After explaining that she was the one who chose the target of the attack, Tamimi was asked if she knew how many children had been killed in the attack. When she heard that eight children had been murdered, Tamimi broke into a huge smile.
She is currently wanted by the US because two of the 15 killed in the attack were US nationals. Four other US nationals were injured in the attack.
(worldisraelnews.com; palwatch.org; tps.co.il)
Israeli Hospital First Ever To Use Light To Disinfect Spaces
Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Center, commonly referred to as Ichilov Hospital, has become the first to use light to disinfect medical spaces, the hospital announced Saturday (7th).
The J. Protect System, made by Israeli start-up Juganu, uses two kinds of ultraviolet light along with the regular lighting a room needs. The lower level UV-A can be used while people are present. UV-C, which is a stronger sanitizer, can be used when the room is empty, to deactivate all bacteria, fungi and viruses – including COVID 19 – in under an hour.
“It is the first system of its kind in the world that provides protection and sanitizes populated spaces in a safe, continuous manner,” Ichilov’s Facebook said.
The first place the hospital installed the system was the imaging department, where CT scanners, x-ray and MRI machines are used for one ill patient after another all day, every day, making the high-traffic area particularly susceptible to the spread of germs.
“The corona epidemic is causing high morbidity,” said department head Prof. Arye Blachar, “and there is great concern in hospitals regarding the spread of the disease via patient exposure to the virus through radiography machines and in hospitals in general. Solutions like Juganu’s high-tech gives us hope for a healthier future by guarding the health of our patients and workers.”
The technology, which the company calls The Foam, goes directly into pre-existing light fixtures and can be used in any enclosed space. This means that any place indoors where people go, whether shopping, school, or the office, can also be made into a healthier environment for those wary of leaving home during an epidemic.
Founded in 2011 by serial entrepreneurs Eran Ben-Shmuel and Alexander Bilchinsky, Juganu concocted its health feature in direct response to the coronavirus.
The smart system as a whole was created so that retailers could connect their lighting to cameras and sensors that could optimize their operations. For example, it can show management where the traffic in their stores is highest, how the checkout arrangement could be improved, and provide customers with an in-store map on their phones so they can quickly find the product they want.
Juganu also provides cities with smart lighting systems whose sensors and AI platforms can help with traffic flow, detect emergencies such as accidents and inform the proper authorities. It even records pollution levels.
