“I should tell you honestly that this administration under President Obama is doing in regard to our security more than anything that I can remember in the past,” Barak says on the video, in a statement he originally made June 30.
The video also features a portion of Ross’s Oct. 15 speech at the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit, where he said: “What [the U.S. and Israel] do [together] security-wise today is at an unprecedented level, in terms of everything you could imagine: the high-level meetings, the ongoing assessments—mutual assessments, the discussions on the region, the kind of exercises we do with each other, the scope of the overall security cooperation within the militaries. I could go on and on and on—this is at an unprecedented level.”
NJDC President and CEO David A. Harris noted the ongoing U.S.-Israel Austere Challenge-12 air defense drill, saying in a press release that Obama “deserves tremendous credit for his work to strengthen Israel’s security—which includes the largest-ever joint military exercise that is happening right now.”
Hezbollah steps up activity along Israeli-Lebanese border
(JNS.org) Hezbollah has reportedly installed cameras along the Israeli-Lebanese border, bringing new fears that Hezbollah may be preparing for conflict with Israel.
According to the Times of Israel, citing Lebanon’s Al-Mustaqbal newspaper, which is affiliated with Lebanon’s anti-Hezbollah opposition government, the cameras are located at a distance ranging from “a few meters to 200 meters” from the border with Israel.
The cameras, which are attached to trees and operated remotely by Hezbollah, are there to monitor Israeli military movements as well as actions of local Lebanese farmers, security sources said.
Tel Aviv University Lebanon security expert Benedetta Berti believes that Hezbollah’s border activity along with the recent drone incident is a possible ominous sign of future conflict.
“They haven’t done anything like this in a while,” Berti told the Times of Israel. “It seems like they are either planning something or anticipating something will happen.”
Israel and Hezbollah last fought in July 2006, when Hezbollah kidnapped and killed two Israeli soldiers on the border, sparking the Second Lebanon War. Since the 2006, Israeli officials believe that Hezbollah has rearmed itself with over 40,000 rockets and missiles that are capable of targeting anywhere in Israel.
Thousands of Texas Christians rally for Israel
(JNS.org) Thousands of Christian Zionists came together at a Texas megachurch on Sunday night to rally in support of Israel, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
Pastor John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel (CUFI)—which seeks to rally evangelical Christians in support of Israel for biblical and moral reasons—organized the event. With more than one million members, CUFI is America’s largest pro-Israel organization, according to its website
Sunday’s “Night to Honor Israel” marked the 31st year the event was held at San Antonio’s Cornerstone Church. CUFI brought together rabbis, Christian ministers and Israeli representatives in an event that included a number of speeches, songs and prayers as well as calls on political candidates to protect Israel.
“The day America turns its back on Israel, that day God will turn his back on the United States of America,” Hagee told the audience.
Also, the event raised nearly $3 million to support Jewish and Israeli charities.
“Such donations and commitment to seek favorable political leadership are reasons to hope,” said Meir Shlomo, consul general of Israel to the Southwest.
“We all know you have our back covered,” he said, prompting a prolonged standing ovation.
French president to push harder for Iran sanctions after Netanyahu visit
(JNS.org) On a visit to France, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won pledges from French President Francois Hollande to push harder for new sanctions against Iran.
“We must make sure that through pressure, sanctions and later through negotiations, Iran renounces its intention to have access to nuclear weapons. I am working in that spirit,” Hollande said, according to the Washington Post.
The meetings between the Israeli and French leaders, which will include the visit to a memorial for the March shooting of a rabbi and three children at the Otzar Hatorah Jewish school in Toulouse, are the first since Holland was elected in May. It is Netanyahu’s “first opportunity to talk with President Hollande, and he hopes to build a good working relationship with the French leader,” a source close to Netanyahu told AFP.
Previously, Hollande has only spoken to Netanyahu by phone, though he has met in person twice with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmud Abbas in Paris. Hollande did personally meet Israeli Labor party leader Shelly Yachimovich in the past. “It’s no secret that the Jews of France are experiencing a difficult period since the Toulouse incident,” one source said, according to the European Jewish Press.
U.S. gold medal sprinter inspires thousands of Tel Aviv runners
(JNS.org) U.S. track and field star Allyson Felix, who won three gold medals at the Summer Olympics in London this year, is currently visiting Tel Aviv, where she took part in the city’s Nike Night Run on Tuesday, Israel Hayom reported.
“I’m extremely excited about coming to Israel for the Nike Night Run,” Felix said in a statement before her trip. “I hope I can inspire the runners of Tel Aviv to not only give their best, but to beat their best, just like I did this summer in London.”
At the Summer Olympics, Felix won gold medals in the 200-meter sprint, 4×100 meter relay and 4×400 meter relay.
On Tuesday night, around 20,000 runners took part in a 10-kilometer race on the streets of Tel Aviv. The starting line was at Rabin Square and the finish line was in Hayarkon Park. The theme the race was “Set Your Goal and Beat It.”
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Preceding provided by JNS.org and reprinted with permission