IDF moves to close holes in security fence
(JNS.org) The Israel Defense Forces and Israel Police increased their activity throughout the Lachish region on Thursday, following an Israel Hayom report on numerous breaches in Israel’s security fence in that area and a subsequent increase in Palestinian infiltrations and criminal activity there.
The holes in the fence allowed Palestinians from nearby villages to sneak into Israeli territory at night, and steal agricultural equipment and cattle from the nearby Israeli communities.
In one incident, a Thai worker was abducted and beaten when a group of Palestinians commandeered the tractor he was driving near the fence. There have been 16 tractor thefts in the past month in the area, according to police.
Thieves would rip out the cables that originally served as part of the fence’s detection system, and sell them for a profit in the West Bank. Palestinians had also used the easy access to Israeli territory to scavenge ammunition from the nearby firing zones in IDF training bases and sell them to arms dealers.
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Iranian missiles sent to Palestinians
(JNS.org) Iran has supplied the Palestinians with Iranian missiles of the Fajr-5 variety, with a range of 80km (50 miles) and the capacity to strike the heart of Israel, several officials from the Islamic Republic have admitted.
“[Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader] Ramadan ‘Abdallah [Shalah] said to me: ‘We want to strike Tel Aviv with Fajr-5 missiles… we did it, and three million Zionists ran to bomb shelters in fear,” said Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for international affairs, in an April 16 speech in southern Iran.
In November 2012, Majlis member and former Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps official Javad Karimi said, “We sent the besieged Gaza 50,000 missiles and thousands of anti-tank rockets,” which “attests to a major victory in the conflict over Palestine in favor of the Iranian nation, and allowed Iran to once again prove its strength to the world.” To read more of these comments by Iranian officials, visit the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
Human Rights Watch lauds anti-Israel terror advocate
(JNS.org) After Human Rights Watch (HRW) selected activist Mona Seif as a finalist for prestigious Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, watchdog organization UN Watch exposed previous tweets by Seif advocating Palestinian terrorism against Israel.
In her tweets, Seif wrote such things as “We support the resistance of the palestinian nation against Israel,” “We the Egyptian ppl DO NOT WANT OUR GAS TO BE EXPORTED TO ISRAEL. Sinai ppl are our heroes everytime they blow up the pipelines,” and the hashtag #FuckIsrael.
“The fact that so many democracy awards are being given to people who do not embrace democratic values suggests that the very notion of ‘pro-democratic’ is being defined down,” Eric Trager, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told the Washington Free Beacon. “Most disturbingly, pro-democratic and human rights organizations…are the ones overlooking these awardees’ blatantly violent views,” he added.
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Dutch Jews offer prayer for new king
(JNS.org) On the eve of the coronation of Willem-Alexander as the Netherlands’ new king Wednesday, the Dutch Jewish community held a special ceremony at the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam. In a temple lit only by orange candles, symbolizing the Royal House of Orange, a special prayer was said over 14 Torah scrolls.
The prayer was then distributed among the Jewish communities across the Netherlands in Hebrew and Dutch, to be said by Dutch Jews every Shabbat during Shacharit morning prayers. “May He Who grants salvation to kings and dominion to rulers; Whose Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; Who releases his servant David from the evil sword; Who places a path in the sea and a passageway in the mighty waters—may He bless, guard, protect, exalt, raise up and elevate the king Willem-Alexander, may his glory be magnified,” part of the prayer stated, according to the Jewish Press.
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Preceding provided by JNS.org