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It started 3,500 years ago in the land of Egypt "we were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt," the story of Exodus says. The final plague hit the firstborn sons of every Egyptian. To avoid the plague Jews smeared the blood of a slaughtered lamb on the doorposts of the Jewish homes, the death passed over them. Since that day, The Passover blood libel has followed us everywhere we go and continues even today, al-Durah, nuclear tipped warheads in Lebanon, targeting innocent children in Gaza etc. And these libels are being perpetuated by the established media such as the BBC, CNN...

Last update - 08:49 20/03/2009 'Shooting and crying' By Amos Harel Tags: IDF, Israel News, Gaza Less than a month after the end of Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip, dozens of graduates of the Yitzhak Rabin pre-military preparatory program convened at Oranim Academic College in Kiryat Tivon. Since 1998 the program has prepared participants for what is considered meaningful military service. Many assume command positions in combat and other elite units of the Israel Defense Forces. The program's founder, Danny Zamir, still heads it today and also serves as deputy battalion commander in a reserve unit.

When Tristan Anderson, now 38, was living illegally in the trees at UC Berkeley to protest the administration's ultimately successful bid to cut down the trees to build a sports training center, life was good. For 21 months, Berkeley's tree sitters happily fouled their nests with little interference from the authorities. Their biggest fear was falling. When Berkeley finally erected barbed-wire fences and began to shine spotlights on the canopy campers, the tree huggers complained that UC had turned their grove into "Guantanamo." UC retaliated by giving the tree sitters energy bars. In June 2008, Anderson, who went by the...

"I'm not a war criminal! I'm not a Nazi!" Seated in a Jerusalem café, Yotam's tense voice and tight movements contrast sharply with the suave, cool surroundings. He looks around and over his shoulder frequently, admitting that he's afraid that someone might overhear him or recognize him. Throughout the interview, he takes long sips of water from a tall, iced glass in an effort to maintain his composure. He insists that he not be identified in any way. Yotam is not his real name. During Operation Cast Lead, Yotam, served as a battalion commander of a combat unit. He had...

An American demonstrator was critically wounded near Nil'in on Friday, during a clash between protesters and IDF troops over the West Bank separation barrier. Left-wing activists with the International Solidarity Movement said Tristan Anderson, of the Oakland, Calif., area, was struck in the head with a tear gas canister fired by security forces. Neither the IDF nor Tel Aviv's Tel Hashomer Hospital where Anderson was taken for treatment had any details on how he was hurt. "He's in critical condition, anesthetized and on a ventilator and undergoing imaging tests," said Orly Levi, a spokeswoman at Tel Hashomer. She described Anderson's...

On March 3, Hillary Clinton said that the Obama Administration will “vigorously pursue” the creation of a Palestinian state. Further, continued the Secretary of State, movement toward Palestinian independence now seems “inescapable.” But, for the United States “Palestine” would represent just another enemy state. Although fragmented by endless civil war, Fatah and Hamas would both seek closer ties to Iran. Very quickly, there would also be substantial collaborations with al-Qaeda - ties that are now already being fashioned in Hamas-controlled Gaza. How soon we forget. On September 11th, celebrations were ecstatic all over Gaza and West Bank, in areas controlled...

IDF Intelligence Chief Gen. Amos Yadlin confirmed on Sunday, in his monthly briefing to the Cabinet, that ayatollah-controlled Iran has the technology to develop a nuclear bomb - and that it is taking advantage of U.S. President Obama's dialogue policy. “Iran has crossed the technological threshold,” Yadlin said, “such that its reaching military nuclear capabilities is a matter of adapting its strategy to the target of manufacturing a nuclear bomb.” The bottom line, according to Yadlin, is that it is entirely up to Iran’s decision makers, independent of outside considerations and factors, to decide when to proceed with producing the...

The IDF can no longer use American foreign military aid to purchase "non-essential military items," The Jerusalem Post has learned. According to defense officials, the Pentagon informed the Defense Ministry last month that the new instruction pertained to all countries receiving US foreign military financing (FMF), and not just Israel. The instruction was sent out to all Defense Ministry branches in a letter by the head of the Procurement Department, Menahem Marmorush. Officials said that according to the FMF regulations, the $3 billion that Israel receives was supposed to be used strictly for weaponry and defense-related projects. Over the years,...

We Fight Back: Militant Muslims as Christ Killers by Bill Levinson Whenever anyone sees the phrase “Christ Killers,” an ancient blood libel for demonizing Jews comes immediately to mind. Islamic supremacists use this theme openly; a color cartoon shows an IDF soldier about to bayonet Jesus in the arms of the Virgin Mary, who begs desperately, “Do not kill him TWICE.” However, our own Web page “Islamic Supremacists: The Twenty-First Century’s Christ Killers” has risen to the top 10 (i.e. first page) of Google search results for the phrase “Christ Killers.” We have always preached an offensive (as opposed to...

Five tons of unexploded Israeli bombs stored in the Gaza Strip under Hamas police guard have been stolen, UN officials said Tuesday. UN spokesman Richard Miron said the explosives were being stored in Gaza until a UN team of disposal experts could disarm them, but they disappeared. The bombs were dropped on Gaza during Israel's offensive there last month, according to another UN official. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said three one-ton bombs and eight quarter-ton bombs were taken from the warehouse. Miron said, "It's clearly extremely dangerous and needs to...

The army's next-generation armored personnel carrier received its baptism by fire during Operation Cast Lead last month. The newest model Namer (Tiger), which is produced locally, joined the Israel Defense Forces' ranks in recent months. Several dozen are being used in infantry training. Eventually, the IDF is hoping to replace all of its older APCs with the new model.

The Turkish military warned yesterday that relations between Jerusalem and Ankara are in a state that "could compromise the national interests of both Israel and Turkey." The rare statement on foreign policy follows the diplomatic row due to Israel's three-week offensive in Gaza. Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi - the recently appointed head of Israel's ground forces - has questioned Turkish policies toward Kurds and Cyprus. Turkey yesterday called on Israel's ambassador to Ankara, Gabi Levy, to explain Mizrahi's remarks. Mizrahi, who previously served as a military attache to the United States, also accused Turkey of oppressing its Kurdish minority and...

Feb 4, 2009 22:34 | Updated Feb 5, 2009 10:12 UN: IDF did not shell UNRWA school By TOVAH LAZAROFF AND YAAKOV KATZ A clerical error led the UN to falsely accuse Israel of shelling one of its Gaza schools in the Jabalya refugee camp during Operation Cast Lead, the international organization admitted this week. The site hit by an IDF mortar shell near a UN school in Gaza. For close to a month, the UN accused the Israel of hitting the educational compound ran by its Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which was sheltering more than 1,300...

Perhaps the most difficult moment in the recent Gaza war occurred when the reports filtered out that Israel had bombed an UNRWA school killing 43 people, some of them students. The UN and the world media blasted Israel, saying that she deliberately targeted the school. Others, were quick to point out Hamas' record of using UN Schools as human shields, firing from the buildings so Israeli soldiers would injure/kill the schools inhabitants when returning the fire. The truth is, both sides were wrong. The UN School bombing was the Muhammad al Dura moment of the Gaza war. Israel didn't stike...

An Israeli colonel involved in Operation Cast Lead returned to Israel in haste on Friday, fearing arrest on charges of war crimes during a visit to the UK. Col. (res.) Geva Rapp had arrived in London three days before for appearances in which he was to explain Israel's position and refute media representations of the hostilities. His trip had been cleared by Israeli security services. On Thursday night, after news of his visit reached pro-Palestinian groups, some 80 protesters demonstrated outside the offices of the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) in central London, where Rapp was scheduled to speak. Calling...

After a day of ceasefire breaches which saw at least 15 rockets land in Israeli territory, IAF planes struck at multiple targets in Khan Yunis and Rafah late Sunday evening.

(IsraelNN.com) During the Cast Lead operation in Gaza, IDF tank fire near a United Nations school in Gaza was blamed for the deaths of dozens of civilians who had taken refuge in the building. The incident became one of the most highly publicized attacks in the war, and led to heavy international criticism. However, recent reports suggest that the incident was not accurately portrayed by senior U.N. Officials. John Ging, the director of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza, spoke to the Toronto Globe and Mail last week and agreed that no shell had actually struck the...

Israel reacted furiously to a decision by a Spanish judge on Thursday to open a probe of seven former top security officials for alleged war crimes in the 2002 bombing in Gaza that killed top Hamas terrorist Salah Shehadeh and 14 other people. "Someone who calls the assassination of a terrorist a crime against humanity lives in an upside-down world," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said. ... "Shehadeh was responsible for the murder of dozens of Israelis," Dichter told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday night. "We pursued him for a long time. The man was a terrorist responsible for dozens of...

Three rounds of UN sanctions have been imposed on Iran but Javanfekr said they were "ineffective." Javanfekr also rejected Obama's calls for Iran to "unclench its fist," saying its was "illogical to talk about unclenching fists when Iran is surrounded by American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq." Referring to the Obama administration's suggestion of direct talks, Javanfekr said, "We are ready for talks with some preconditions ... including ending America's military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said and repeated the demand for an apology.

Heading into Gaza A slow line enters Gaza. The brigade commander has a factory. The regiment commander is an engineer. The company commander is a science teacher. The platoon commander is in the standing army. The company sergeant sells holy books. The sergeant is something of a carpenter. The squad commander is presently unemployed. The private is a retiree. But they’re all excellent soldiers Marching in a slow line, in the tranquil night. Entering enemy territory Without fear. To fight for their nation Like their parents did for them. The brigade commander has a back-ache. The regiment commander has high...

John Ging, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza, called on Friday for the establishment of an independent international investigation into the alleged war crimes committed during Operation Cast Lead. At a press conference held in Geneva, Ging said that a credible investigation of the death and destruction in Gaza was necessary especially in light of the growing anger of Gazans, the increasing number of extremists in the Strip and their lack of faith in the rule of law, Reuters reported.

Defense Minster Ehud Barak will on Sunday present a draft resolution regarding support and legal aid for IDF officers and soldiers facing court cases related to Operation Cast Lead. An onslaught of international lawsuits against Israeli officials alleging war crimes against the Gaza population during the operation has been widely anticipated. According to a Defense Ministry statement released Friday, the resolution will be discussed in Sunday's cabinet meeting. It was put together by the Defense Ministry, Ministry of Justice and State Prosecutor. Speaking on Friday, Barak said, "The Israeli government bears the responsibility for sending IDF troops on missions, as...

The IDF on Wednesday morning completed its pullout from Gaza as the last troops left the Strip. Soldiers deployed along the border in order to provide a quick response should the need arise. Violence marred the cease-fire in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday as Hamas gunmen fired mortar shells into Israel and opened fire on IDF troops who remained inside the Palestinian territory. In the afternoon, IAF aircraft bombed a mortar launcher in the Gaza Strip that had been used hours earlier to fire some eight mortar shells into the Negev. It was the first air strike against Gaza since...

So long as Gazans are idle and remain on the international dole, Gazan teenagers will have no future other than war. With a new President assuming control of Middle East policy, Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza, and the Europeans and the Egyptians discussing ways and means to restrict Hamas's ability to re-arm through the Philadelphi corridor bordering Egypt, there is rising optimism in Washington diplomatic circles that such actions will preempt future conflicts between the Israelis and the Palestinians in Gaza. Scant attention, however, is being paid to the continuing role the UN is playing in sowing the seeds of...

Maybe George Burns was wrong. In the movie "Oh God" as the Lord Burns said that the last miracle he made was the 1969 NY Mets. Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu points to a more recent miracle, the Matriarch Rachel showed up in Gaza and protected IDF Troops In the Jewish tradition we owe our return to the Holy Land to the matriarch Rachel who died in childbirth during Jacob's return: (From Jeremiah Chapter 35) Thus saith the LORD: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuseth to be comforted for her children,...

Palestinian sources told Ynet on Thursday evening that Israel and Hamas have agreed on all the general outlines of the Egyptian ceasefire initiative to end the fighting in Gaza. According to the report, the sides have agreed on the truce, on the supervision of the smuggling issue, on the crossings and on lifting of the blockade imposed on the Strip. According to the sources, the two sides are expected to agree on a ceasefire which will likely begin within 72 hours and last up to two weeks. During this period of time, the parties will discuss the Israel Defense Forces'...

The Israeli media is reporting that the war in Gaza will come to an end during the next 72 hours to allow Egypt to finish brokering an arrangement between Israel, Hamas, and Fatah. "The sources said that the renewed lull will last at least a year, and is expected to last even longer. According to the sources, a “weakened” Hamas will agree to a longer lull in order to recover from the current conflict." "…the agreement is expected to provide an answer to the Israeli demands in terms of the smuggling issue, the rocket fire and a serious discussion on...

Hamas's interior minister, Said Siam, was killed along with his brother Iad and another senior Hamas man in an IAF strike on a house in the Jabaliya neighborhood in Gaza City, Israeli defense officials told The Jerusalem Post. Siam was the Hamas political echelon's liaison with the group's military wing, and was responsible for the various security apparatuses in the Strip, including the police and the naval force. Siam was considered a radical and was in contact with Hamas's political leadership in Damascus. Salah Abu Shrakh, the head of the Hamas general security service, was also killed in the air...

The IDF was not responsible for the death of a Palestinian aid worker contracted to the UN and the wounding of two others on Thursday, the IDF Spokesman said Saturday. "An IDF investigation has found that it was not the army who fired on a UN truck at the Erez crossing," the IDF Spokesman's Office said. The IDF is not sure who fired on the truck, and is still investigating. "The army further wishes to point out that the Palestinian wounded were evacuated by the Red Cross to the Israeli border, where they were taken by Israeli medical personnel for...

Hamas turn a Gaza neighborhood into a warzone. Youtube video at link.

In biblical times, the Israelites used to march into war behind the Two Tablets of Ten Commandments held in Ark of the Covenant. Unfortunately Indiana Jones is not real, and the lost Ark has not been found so the modern Jewish State needs to find a different way to "bring God into battle with them." Unlike their Hamas counterparts, the Israeli soldiers don't invoke their maker to destroy their opponent, their prayers are for their safety and the safety of their compatriots:

To Israel’s critics abroad, the picture could not be clearer: Israel’s war in Gaza is a wildly disproportionate response to the rockets of Hamas, causing untold human suffering and bombing an already isolated and impoverished population into the Stone Age, and it must be stopped. Yet here in Israel very few, at least among the Jewish population, see it that way. Since Israeli warplanes opened the assault on Gaza 17 days ago, about 900 Palestinians have been reported killed, many of them civilians. Red Cross workers were denied access to scores of dead and wounded Gazans, and a civilian crowd...

For those individuals -- such as nearly all members of the world news media -- who, in light of Israel's invasion of Gaza -- see moral equivalence between Israel and the Palestinians, here are some clarifying thoughts. First, it would be difficult nearly to the point of impossibility, to find Israeli or other Jews who celebrate the deaths of Palestinian civilians. Jews both within and outside of Israel cringe when they see pictures of dead Palestinian men, women, and children in Gaza. For thousands of years at their Passover seders, Jews have removed wine from their cups to ceremonially weep...

Army of good boys is not going to win over Hamas. Piotr Zychowicz Article published in this weekend issue of a Polish conservative daily “Rzeczposolita” - “The Republic”. (My translation, far from being perfect, but I hope you’ll get the point) Many young Israelis have lost faith in the ideals of their fathers. They don’t want to fight for those ideals, neither to die for them. So – are the Jews ultimately doomed to lose the conflict with Arabs and to leave the Middle East? The recent operation in Gaza shows, that Israel has woken up and is showing its...

Write to an IDF Soldier Connect with the Soldiers and Citizens in the Holy Land It's time to show them that we care. That we are in awe of their heroism and brimming with admiration for their courage. That all of us across the world are hoping, praying, learning and doing extra good deeds for their safety. Write your thoughts to an IDF soldier, or an Israeli living in an area where rockets are falling. We will hand-deliver your words of encouragement, and if you choose, your picture as well. Be there with them, hand in hand, providing even more...

Here are some facts that the western media might just possibly by some strange and uncharacteristic oversight fail to report. The Israel Defence Force blog shows what it says is a captured Hamas map showing how Hamas are using the inhabitants of an entire neighbourhood as human shields by lacing it with a web of explosive devices. The Israel Foreign ministry says: The map shows that snipers are positioned at the entrance of the A-Tawil mosque and in the mosques next to it and describes the directions the snipers are aiming. It indicates that explosives are planted in the entrances...

Is Hamas falling apart? A senior IDF officer estimated Saturday that roughly 300 Hamas men have been killed since the army launched its ground incursion in the Gaza Strip. The military official said IDF troops were able to wipe out whole battalions belonging to the Gaza terror group. "Hundreds of people were killed in the various combat sectors," the officer said. "Some Hamas companies and battalions were simply wiped out. We also see cases of desertions and unauthorized leaves, while some terror activists are scared to undertake moves that would jeopardize them vis-à-vis IDF troops." Gaza Operation IDF warns Gaza...

In Sderot, a correspondent summarized the concerns of residents that the government would agree to a cease-fire too soon, without definitively crippling the militant group Hamas' ability to fire rockets. The people of Sderot, he said, "would rather the [army] continue and finish this story once and for all." Israeli public opinion overwhelmingly supports the Gaza campaign, buttressed by frustration over years of rocket attacks on southern communities and by the widespread belief that Hamas has brought the bloodshed on its own people. Israeli media coverage has largely reflected that sentiment. "This is something we needed to do for a...

Norwegian medics in Gaza allege civilian casualties contaminated with Depleted Uranium If, as recently alleged by Norwegian medics in Gaza, that civilian casualties have been found to be contaminated with Depleted Uranium that would mean that munitions used by the Israelis are clad with DU (Depleted Uranium). Such use against civilians, never mind the opposing military forces, is a war crime in itself.

SNIPPET: "The fundamental truth is that Hamas' road to Iran runs through the international Muslim Brotherhood, and has for two decades. What is often missing in the discussion of the Muslim Brotherhood is that Hamas, according to its own founding charter, is an integral and armed part of the Ikwhan, not separate from it."

Children are dying at a heavy rate in the Israeli-Hamas fighting: about one of every three persons killed, according to Gaza statistics.

They buried Yonatan on Tuesday. He was only 27 years old and married for just over a year. Just a couple of months ago, when I was at his house on Shabbat, I watched as he covered his firstborn baby with her blanket as she lay in her cradle. I hadn't listened to the news all day. As I drive home at 11 p.m., I turn on the radio. The announcer reads out the names of soldiers who had died the day before in Gaza. At moments like these I always say a little prayer that I won't recognize any...

Dr Dore Gold explains the importance to the west of an Israeli victory over Hamas

Israeli air attacks on the Gaza Strip has resumed after a three-hour truce to allow in humanitarian aid, with border tunnels apparently the main target. Israeli planes leafleted southern Gaza by day, warning of imminent attacks, and the sounds of war could be heard from the border by nightfall. Nearly 700 Palestinian and 11 Israeli lives are said to have been lost since the offensive began 12 days ago. Peace efforts move to Cairo shortly, with an Israeli envoy due in the city. But Israel is prepared to go even deeper into the Gaza Strip in the coming hours, BBC...

… this would be its rocket range [h/t: The Razor]. (Click for larger, clearer pic)CLARIFICATION: The above map shows what percentage of US territory “Hamas in Mexico” could strike equal to the percentage of territory “Hamas in Gaza” can reach in Israel.

In today's mail from friend and radio show listener Knottie, a Gold Star Mom who knows what it is to send a son off to war to fight for a nation half filled with clueless idiots. And why are they clueless? Many reasons, one of them being because of the leftist goons who control BIG MEDIA and the mindless entertainment industry too many Americans are addicted to. American Idol? The Real Housewives of Orange County? The Bad Girls Club? Judge Judy? I rest my case... Knottie is urging us to go to the Israeli Defense Force's You Tube Channel and...

As the IDF operation in the Gaza Strip entered its 10th day, Hamas has begun sending conflicting messages regarding its intentions. These contradictory messages, Palestinian political analysts said, reflected the state of confusion in Hamas and raised questions as to who was calling the shots in the Gaza Strip. While some Hamas leaders have been openly signaling their readiness to accept a new cease-fire, others are still calling for pursuing the fight against Israel "until victory." What is clear is that Hamas is now desperate for a lull in the fighting. But it is also eager to score some kind...

Cleared for publication: Three IDF soldiers were killed and 20 others were injured, one critically and three seriously on Monday evening, in a friendly fire incident in northern Gaza. Among the fatalities were two officers and a soldier. Colonel Avi Peled, commander of the Golani Brigade sustained minor injuries in the incident.

If the Israeli Defense Forces are targeting civilians, they are doing one hell of a lousy job. Israel, lone democracy in the Middle East and true ally to the United States, has been taking a lot of hits lately, and not just rockets. Much of the world has been quick to condemn the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza. They have distorted what is happening, ignoring HAMAS missiles fired at Israeli citizens in population centers, yet labeling Israeli attacks on Gaza as massacres, war crimes, and a blatant murder of civilians. The truth is, while Israel wages war on HAMAS, it...

Three years after being evacuated from settlements in the Gaza Strip, some of the evacuees are now returning - in uniform. Aharon Cruz, a paratroops officer, lived in Netzarim for two years before the disengagement. On Sunday, he and his unit, to which he had been recalled a mere day after his wedding last Thursday, were back at the settlement's ruins in central Gaza. "On one hand, there's a feeling of 'what did we leave for?'" said his father, Rabbi Ze'ev Cruz. "On the other hand, there's joy that he is returning to a place he knows." The ground operation...