Leaked report shows Israel as ‘priority target’ for U.S. intelligence
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) A document leaked by U.S. National Security Agency whistle-blower Edward Snowden shows that “Uncle Sam” does not only spy on his enemies, but his allies as well—labeling Israel as a “priority target,” according to a Washington Post report on Thursday.
The Washington Post published parts of Snowden’s leaked and highly classified U.S. intelligence “black budget” file. The 178-page report details a budget that totals $52.6 billion. The report states that U.S. counterintelligence operations “are strategically focused against [the] priority targets of China, Russia, Iran, Cuba and Israel.”
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Poll: 67 percent of Israeli Jews support U.S. attack on Syria
(JNS.org) About 67 percent of Israeli Jews support a U.S. attack on Syria, while 17 percent oppose an attack, according to a new Israel Hayom survey conducted by New Wave Research.
The same percent of Israelis who support the attack are concerned that if such an attack occurs, Israel will be drawn into a war.
Close to 73 percent of respondents Israelis an attack against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime will take place. Only 13 think that the situation will deteriorate into an all-out war in the Middle East. About 29 percent said they are not concerned that a U.S. attack will drag Israel into a war.
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‘Breaking Bad’ star Aaron Paul to play biblical Joshua in upcoming film
(JNS.org) “Breaking Bad” star Aaron Paul is set to play the biblical hero Joshua in the upcoming film “Exodus,” directed by Ridley Scott and based on the epic story from the Hebrew Bible, Variety Magazine reported.
Paul, who rose to fame for his dynamic portrayal of Jesse Pinkman on AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” will play Joshua, who joins with Moses to lead the Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt. Following Moses’s death, Joshua then leads the Israelites across the Jordan River, where they conquer the land of Canaan.
Paul will be joined by the star of the “Batman” trilogy, Christian Bale, who will play Moses, as well as stars Sigourney Weaver and John Turturro, who will portray the parents of the pharaoh Ramses. Australian actor Joel Edgerton will play Ramses.
Ridley Scott’s “Exodus” is the latest attempt by Hollywood to bring the biblical story of the Jews departure from Egypt to the big screen. The famous 1956 film “The Ten Commandments,” starring Charlton Heston, is widely considered an American classic and is still featured annually on American television, coinciding with the Jewish and Christian holidays of Passover and Easter.
Uganda denies deal to accept thousands of illegal African migrants from Israel
(JNS.org) Israel has struck a deal with Uganda to accept thousands of illegal African migrants in the upcoming months, Israeli media reported. Uganda, however, denied the deal.
“We’re not aware of any such deal. There’s no way Uganda would enter such an arrangement,” Uganda Foreign Ministry spokesman Elly Kamahungye said.
On Wednesday, Israeli Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced a deal with an African country, later revealed to be Uganda, that will temporary accept Israel’s African migrants as part of a process of deportation.
“In the first stage we will focus on raising awareness and information among the migrant population while also helping to make all the exit arrangements,” Sa’ar said.
The second stage will be a direct appeal by Israel for the migrants to leave voluntarily. The Israeli government will then take action against those migrants who refuse to leave, ending their permits and enforcing laws against any employers.
As part of the migrants’ deportation, Israel would pay for the cost of their transport and provide a financial package that would take into consideration money and property they accumulated while in Israel.
A spokesperson for the Israeli Justice Ministry clarified the reported deal by saying, “at this time, the State of Israel is not forcibly deporting migrants from Sudan and Eritrea.”
“Their return to their countries is purely voluntary and when done under state custody, is carried out in accordance with the procedure approved by the attorney-general,” the spokesperson said.
According to the Israeli government, more than 55,000 African migrants, roughly 90 percent from Eritrea and Sudan, currently reside in Israel, mainly in south Tel Aviv. Their presence has caused a backlash from local residents, who claim the migrants are behind rising levels of crime. A major protest broke out in 2012 over the migrants’ presence.
Israel—which been erecting a 229-kilometer security fence along the Egyptian border to stem the tide of illegal immigration as well as the infiltration of terrorists—has had difficulty finding a home for the migrants. According to international law, Israel cannot deport them back to their country of origin if they face danger there, which is the case in Sudan and Eritrea.
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Nearly 1,000 Christians on Holy Land tour attend concert by Kim Clement
(JNS.org) Close to 1,000 Christians gathered on the shores of the Sea of Galilee on Aug. 26 for a concert headlined by popular Christian musician Kim Clement, as part of an eight-day tour of the Holy Land organized by the Christian satellite channel, God TV.
“I welcome you to the homeland of your faith,” Israel Tourism Minister Uzi Landau told the audience, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Born in South Africa in 1956, Clement has been using music to inspire and spread his Christian beliefs for more than 30 years.
Clement’s performance, called “Israel is Forever,” recounted the history of the restoration of Israel. Clement was joined during his performance by children from Shalva, an Israeli organization that helps children with special needs. The children performed alongside Clement, singing a rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.
Clement has become a strong supporter of Shalva, and has visited the organization several times in the past couple of years. The Shalva center “houses special needs children—the most amazing thing that I’ve ever seen,” Clement told the Jerusalem Post. “It changed my heart. We adopted four special needs children. It’s the heart of God.”
God TV is a Christian television channel, founded in 1995 by Rory and Wendy Alec, that broadcasts globally from Jerusalem.
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Preceding provided by JNS.org