Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

U.S. Official: the Language Against Kerry Was Strong
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A senior American official said on Sunday night that some of the recent reports in Israel regarding Secretary of State John Kerry’s efforts to establish a ceasefire in Gaza were "inaccurate and included strong language that incorrectly characterized his efforts."

"In some cases blunt language, including accusations of betraying Israel, was used," the senior official said, adding that the drafts presented by Kerry over the weekend were based on the Egyptian initiative for a ceasefire, which Israel had been prepared to accept.

The root of all theology and truth
Jul 27th, 2014
Thought For The WeekA. W. Tozer
Categories: Commentary;Inspirational

"He came" - these two simple words are at the root of all theology and of all truth! Before Christ came in the incarnation, there had been only the eternal past. Then from the time of creation, we have such hints as "In the beginning he was God" and "In him was life."

Now it says, "He came!"

We are struck by the wonder of these simple words.

All of the pity that God is capable of feeling, all of the mercy that God is capable of showing, and all of the redeeming love and grace that He could pour out of His divine being - all are at least suggested in the fact that Jesus came!

Then too, all of the hopes and longings and aspirations and dreams of immortality that lie in the human breast had their fulfillment in these two words, "He came!"

The message is more profound than all philosophy. It may be a superlative statement, but I believe it to be a balanced and accurate statement, to insist that the impact of these two words, understood in their high spiritual context, is wiser than all of man's learning.

Because He is "the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world," man's long night of darkness is dispelled. We celebrate with Milton the delight that "This is the happy morn wherein the Son of heaven's eternal king, of wedded maid and virgin mother born, our great redemption from above did bring!"

Syrian Opposition: Chemical Weapons Used Once More
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Sources within the Syrian opposition reported that Assad’s regime has yet again made use of chemical weapons against civilians.

According to the sources, Syrian Air Force helicopters launched poisonous gas bombs at a village near the city of Hamath.

Report: Hamas to Buy More Rockets from North Korea
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un

Reuters

Hamas have signed an arms deal with North Korea in order to replenish its deplete rocket arsenal, after thousands were either fired at Israeli civilians or destroyed in IDF strikes in recent weeks, according to The Telegraph.

In an exclusive report the British paper sited senior security sources who claimed that the deal, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, had already been signed, having been made via Lebanese intermediaries. Hamas has reportedly made an initial down payment in cash to Pyongyang, and is hoping for an imminent delivery to Gaza.

North Korea's authoritarian regime has well-established ties with a variety of Islamist terrorist groups and militias in the Middle East, as it seeks alliances with anti-western forces in the region. It's relationship with Hamas in particular was exposed in 2009, when a massive shipment of arms - including heavy weaponry - was seized at Bangkok airport, after the plane transporting the deadly cargo was forced to land before reaching its destination in Iran. A subsequent investigation revealed that the weapons were to have been transported from Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

This latest deal is said to include a delivery of new communications equipment to help Hamas terrorists to better coordinate in the face of the IDF's ground incursion into Gaza.

"Hamas is looking for ways to replenish its stocks of missiles because of the large numbers it has fired at Israel in recent weeks," one unnamed security official said. "North Korea is an obvious place to seek supplies because Pyongyang already has close ties with a number of militant Islamist groups in the Middle East."

According to Israeli intelligence sources, North Korea has been providing other forms of aid to Hamas as well.

North Korean experts are believed to have played a crucial role in helping Hamas build its vast network of "terror tunnels", designed to enable deadly infiltration attacks into Israel, based on the model of the authoritarian state's own complex tunnel network under the Demilitarized Zone with South Korea - believed to be the most sophisticated such network in the world.

Report: Hamas Losing Palestinian Arab Support in Gaza
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Palestinian Arabs line up outside 'Bank of Palestine', Gaza City, June 2014

Flash90

Hamas's war against Israel is not only losing militarily, but losing popular support in Gaza, according to a study released last week. 

A Washington Institute study published during the first week of the operation polled 450 Gazans between June 15-17 - before Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, but after Hamas began firing more rockets on Israel. 

The study, which claims to be "the only credible Palestinian poll" since Israeli teens Naftali Frenkel (16), Gilad Sha'ar (16), and Eyal Yifrah (19), hy"d, were abducted and murdered last month, reveals that 70% of Gazans believe that Hamas "should maintain a ceasefire with Israel in both Gaza and the West Bank [Judea-Samaria - ed.]." 

In addition, 57% of respondents supported "unity government" chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas's position that the new government should "renounce violence against Israel." 

Gazans are also unhappy with Hamas's handle on security - or lack thereof. Seventy-one (71%) of Gazans considered crime in Gaza to be "a significant problem"; 66.6% consider Hamas to be guilty of corruption; and 78% criticize the use of terror groups, and not a "formal security structure," to enforce law and order. 

Hamas was elected to power in 2007, after Israel withdrew from Gaza during the 2005 Disengagement. 

But most Gazans believed - even before the military operation - that the Palestinian Authority (PA)'s Fatah should be given power in Gaza, with 88% of respondents agreeing to the statement "the PA should send officials and security officers to Gaza to take over administration there." Of those, 67% who agreed "strongly agreed" to that sentiment. By contrast, the combined support for both Hamas leaders Khaled Meshaal and Ismail Haniyeh topped barely 15%. 

'Most Gazans hate Hamas with a passion'

Since the launch of Operation Protective Edge, experts - and civilians - say that feeling has intensified. 

“You need to understand that Palestinian blood has been shed by Hamas itself," a 28-year old journalist, an editor at a Gaza media outlet who asked to be kept anonymous, told Fox News on Saturday. "Living under Hamas is a tragedy." 

“Nobody can forgive Hamas for what they’re doing," the journalist continued. "No one can forgive Hamas for butchering Palestinians to get power. Most Gazans hate Hamas with a passion." 

“The only reason Hamas rules Gaza is because of its ruthless iron fist and military dictatorship," he added. "We would love to have an independence from both Fatah and Hamas, who are profiting off the Palestinian people. We need to rule ourselves.”

Hamas has openly boasted about the "success" of its strategy of using civilians as human shields during Operation Protective Edge, which is now ending its tenth day, and the IDF has published extensive evidence of the practice.

Hamas has in the past urged Gazans to ignore warnings from the IDF about upcoming strikes, in remarks caught both on Hamas-sponsored television and on the radar of international media outlets.

But most civilians are reluctant to accept this, the study's conductors insist. 

“The study is quite telling," the Institute's David Pollack, who conducted the survey, told Fox. "The Gazans want jobs and practical things. They don’t want war and don’t support Hamas ideology."

“And with so many Palestinians actually saying they want peace and support an immediate cease fire, it means Hamas is imposing this war against Israel on its own people,” Pollack added. 

The study, as well as the Fox report, may be skewed somewhat by the small sample size, as well as the inherently anti-Hamas nature of the interviewees.

One of the politicians interviewed includes Jordanian-Palestinian Mudhar Zahran, for example, who has been a staunch advocate of a Palestinian state in Jordan and has written against such pro-Hamas fronts as the UNRWA, the United Nations organization which recently returned two rocket arsenals to Hamas.

While Zahran's work has been hailed as an objective look at Palestinian Arab views and leadership in a sea of subjectivism, it is still unclear whether his views are shared by most Palestinian Arab politicians. 

However, reported unrest over wage disputes in Gaza during the same period prompted analysts in Israeli media, as well, to note that most Gazans are unhappy with the current state of affairs in the Hamas-run territory - although it is yet unclear to what extent.

Obama Speaks to Netanyahu, Stresses Need for Ceasefire
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Netanyahu and Obama at the White House

Flash 90

U.S. President Barack Obama spoke with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday evening, and stressed the need for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza.

“The President underscored the United States’ strong condemnation of Hamas’ rocket and tunnel attacks against Israel and reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself,” said a statement from the White House.

“The President also reiterated the United States’ serious and growing concern about the rising number of Palestinian civilian deaths and the loss of Israeli lives, as well as the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza,” it added.

According to the statement, Obama “made clear the strategic imperative of instituting an immediate, unconditional humanitarian ceasefire that ends hostilities now and leads to a permanent cessation of hostilities based on the November 2012 ceasefire agreement.”

“The President reaffirmed the United States’ support for Egypt’s initiative, as well as regional and international coordination to end hostilities. The President underscored the enduring importance of ensuring Israel’s security, protecting civilians, alleviating Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, and enacting a sustainable ceasefire that both allows Palestinians in Gaza to lead normal lives and addresses Gaza’s long-term development and economic needs, while strengthening the Palestinian Authority,” said the White House statement. 

“The President stressed the U.S. view that, ultimately, any lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must ensure the disarmament of terrorist groups and the demilitarization of Gaza,” it added.

The conversation between Obama and Netanyahu came several hours after Netanyahu made clear that Israel had rejected Hamas's request for a 24-hour truce.

The Prime Minister gave a series of interviews to Sunday news shows on U.S. channels – Fox News, NBC, CBS and CNN – in which he said, “Hamas has violated five ceasefires and humanitarian lulls that Israel has accepted, two of them in the last 24 hours, and now Hamas is violating the ceasefire that it itself offered and continues to fire at Israel.

"We will do all that is necessary to protect the security interests of the citizens of Israel,” he stated. “The IDF will continue to operate to neutralize the terror tunnels. Hamas is responsible for the deaths of civilians, which it uses as human shields.”

Earlier Sunday, Israel resumed its ground and air offensive against Hamas terrorism in Gaza, after the terror group fired a salvo of rockets on Israeli civilians during a "humanitarian ceasefire." 

Hamas fired at least eleven rockets on Israel Sunday morning, despite Israel's announcement late Saturday that it would extend a humanitarian ceasefire called on Saturday until Sunday at 9:00 p.m.

MK Saar: Put An End to Ceasefire Farce
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

“There is no doubt that an end must be put to this farce,” said Minister of Internal Affair Gideon Sa’ar on Sunday, with respect to the unilateral ceasefire.

According to Sa’ar, “We must continue to act, and at a wider scale… while we still have the time to do so. I suggest putting an end to this farce and acting with all our might.”

Massive Hamas Rocket Attack on Towns, Villages Sunday
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Let the Headlines Speak
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Ohio university quiz implies atheists are naturally smarter than Christians
A psychology class at Ohio State University implied in an online survey that atheists are just naturally more intelligent than Christians — and at least one student said it’s an outrage.  

Mexico Earthquake Today 2014: Terremoto Strikes Off the Coast
USGS indicates to news that a 4.7 magnitude Mexico earthquake today 2014 began just after 8:29 am PST. The quake was shallow. Reps tell news that the Mexico earthquake started twenty-two miles below sea level. As a result the quake could be felt across the vicinity.  

Official: Ebola kills senior doctor in Liberia
One of Liberia's most high-profile doctors has died of Ebola, a government official said Sunday, highlighting the risks facing health workers trying to combat the deadly disease. The WHO says the outbreak, the largest ever recorded, has also killed 319 people in Guinea and 224 in Sierra Leone. There is no known cure for Ebola.  

Pentagon warns more dangerous elements could replace Hamas
A top Pentagon intelligence official warned on Saturday that the destruction of Hamas would only lead to something more dangerous taking its place... The remarks by Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, the outgoing head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, came as Israeli ministers signaled that a comprehensive deal to end the 20-day-old conflict in the Gaza Strip appeared remote.  

Let gun owners carry weapons in public, says US judge
A judge has ordered officials in Washington DC to allow citizens to carry handguns in public... “There is no longer any basis on which this court can conclude that the District of Columbia’s total ban on the public carrying of ready-to-use handguns outside the home is constitutional under any level of scrutiny,” said Judge Frederick J. Scullin Jr of the District of Columbia District Court.  

Anti-Semitism on the march: Europe braces for violence
European cities are braced for violent clashes this weekend as people take to the streets to protest against Israeli military operations in Gaza. Thousands of police are being deployed in cities across Europe with Berlin alone deploying 1,500 police officers in a response and authorities in Paris have sought to ban outright marches planned for this weekend.  

Hamas and North Korea in secret arms deal
Hamas militants are attempting to negotiate a new arms deal with North Korea for missiles and communications equipment that will allow them to maintain their offensive against Israel... Security officials say the deal between Hamas and North Korea is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and is being handled by a Lebanese-based trading company with close ties to the militant Palestinian organisation based...Beirut.  

South Sudan's food crisis 'worst in the world' - UN
South Sudan's food crisis is the worst in the world, the UN Security Council has warned, calling for urgent action. It said there was a "catastrophic food insecurity" in the country, urging donor nations who pledged $618m (£364m) in aid to make good on their promise. The UN children's fund, Unicef, said some four million - a third of the population - could be affected.  

Hamas asks for new 24-hour truce in Gaza after breaking previous cease-fire
Hamas asked for a 24-hour humanitarian truce in its conflict with Israel in the Gaza Strip , to begin within the hour, the group's spokesman said on Sunday. ...There was no immediate word from Israel, which called off its own 24-hour truce earlier in the day after Hamas fired a volley of rockets into southern and central Israel.  

Border agents say violent MS-13 recruiting at Arizona facility for new Central American arrivals
MS-13 members are infiltrating a federal facility for Central American youths illegally entering the United States -- trying to cross the border with criminal pasts and recruiting others to join the notoriously violent, California-based gang, sources tell Fox News.  

Northern California wildfire forces evacuation of hundreds of homes
Fire officials in northern California said late Saturday that a rapidly spreading blaze has torched over 3,000 acres and forced the evacuation of over 500 homes. Evacuation orders were expanded to include approximately 265 homes in Amador County. Previous orders had covered about 250 homes about 40 miles east of Sacramento.  

House Republicans: Libya mess reflects failed U.S. policy
House Republicans blamed the rushed evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Libya on poor leadership by the Obama administration and said Saturday's withdrawal will complicate any plans to restore order there.  

North Korea defies UN censure to fire missile into sea
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un guided the military's latest rocket-firing drill, state media said Sunday, confirming the missile launch which was conducted in defiance of UN censure.  

Hamas And North Korea Are Working On A Secret Arms Deal
Security officials say the deal between Hamas and North Korea is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and is being handled by a Lebanese-based trading company with close ties to the militant Palestinian organisation based in east Beirut.  

Nigeria death shows Ebola can spread by air travel
Nigerian health authorities raced to stop the spread of Ebola on Saturday after a man sick with one of the world's deadliest diseases brought it by plane to Lagos, Africa's largest city with 21 million people.  

Online anti-Semitism runs rampant in France
As the war in Israel rages on, with Operation Protective Edge into its third week, the war online continues to intensify. France, in particular, has seen some of the worst demonstrations and violence in condemning Israel's strike against Gaza, as anti-Israel demonstrators spent last weekend protesting, attempting to break into two Paris synagogues and vandalizing a kosher butcher shop.  

Jihadists seize Syria army base, behead soldiers
Islamic State fighters have seized a Syrian army base in the northern province of Raqa, killing scores of troops and beheading some of them, a monitoring group said Saturday.  

Jordan Valley Leader: This is Israel's 'Safety Belt'
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Israeli flag in Jordan Valley

Flash 90

Peace talks revolved around the future status of the Jordan Valley earlier this year, as the US, the Palestinian Authority (PA), and Israel debated over the region's importance to Israeli security.

However, the Jordan Valley has proven more than ever to be a center of Israeli security during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza,  according to Jordan Valley Mayor David Elhayani.

"The Jordan Valley is now the quietest place in Israel," Elhayani stated Sunday, in a special interview with Arutz Sheva. "I have no doubt following the war in Gaza that the Israeli public will have an understanding when it comes to the status of the Jordan Valley, and will be even more determined to keep [the region] under Israeli sovereignty." 

Elhayani noted that, if given to the PA, the Jordan Valley could become the next Gaza.

"Imagine some Hamasnik or other terrorist emerges from the pits of a refugee camp says 'hello,' I am here from Qalqiliya [. . .] their ability to dig tunnels to [and from] every point is very disturbing," he said. "See what happened with the rocket in Yehud that shut down Ben-Gurion airport - imagine if some Hamasnik or Al-Qaeda member from Judea had shot shells or rockets at our airport." 

"The public understands now, more than ever, that the Jordan Valley is Israel's safety belt," he continued. "Without the Valley, there would be no way to protect the citizens of Israel." 

"God forbid, if a second front opened now in Judea- Samaria, it would be complete chaos," he added. "There are no tunnels in the Valley, and there will be none, because this is a great strategic swath of land and that is how it should be."

Elhayani had a grim prediction for the future, however. 

"If you ask me if the political leadership has the courage to proclaim sovereignty over all of Israel - I would say not," he said. 

Earlier this year, US Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly attempted to force a deal on Israel and the PA which would have seen an Israeli "withdrawal" from all of Judea and Samaria, but allow for a temporary arrangement whereby IDF and/or foreign forces would maintain a presence in the Jordan Valley.

Israel Shocked, Infuriated By Kerry Ceasefire Proposal
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsIsrael Today
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Israeli government ministers who on Friday unanimously rejected US Secretary of State John Kerry’s Gaza ceasefire proposal said a day later that the entire affair had clearly demonstrated either the incompetence or the anti-Israel bias of America’s top diplomat.

“Kerry took the terms put forth by [Hamas leader Khaled] Mashal and then presented them as an American [ceasefire] proposal,” one Israeli government official was quoted as saying by Israel Hayom.

According to some of the details of Kerry’s plan that were leaked to the Israeli press, the Americans wanted an immediate halt to all hostilities in Gaza, followed by negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Cairo. On the table would be vastly increased funding for Gaza’s Hamas regime and an opening of the border between Israel and the volatile coastal enclave.

Kerry’s proposal apparently made no mention of the need to eliminate Hamas’ ability to militarily threaten the Jewish state.

As Ha’aretz correspondent Barak Ravid, one of Israel’s premier left-wing reporters, put it:

“The document recognized Hamas’ position in the Gaza Strip… [and it] placed Israel and Hamas on the same level, as if the first is not a primary US ally and as if the second isn’t a terror group which overtook part of the Palestinian Authority in a military coup and fired thousands of rockets at Israel.”

Ravid, like Israel’s government ministers, was forced to conclude that “if Kerry did anything…it was to thwart the possibility of reaching a cease-fire in Gaza. …the American secretary of state will be responsible for every additional drop of blood that is spilled.”

What really irked Israel was that an acceptable ceasefire had already been tabled by Egypt, and Kerry had initially backed that initiative and signaled that his proposal would be based on it.

What Kerry ultimately put forward after consulting with Hamas allies Qatar and Turkey was a complete departure from the Egyptian proposal and a “prize for terror,” according to Israeli officials.

When the Israeli cabinet met again on Saturday to discuss further action in Gaza, there were reportedly few kind words for Kerry. According to Channel 2, various ministers described the US secretary of state as “negligent,” “lacking the ability to understand” what is happening on the ground, and “incapable of handling the most basic matters.”

As Israel draws ever closer to Arab neighbors who have a shared interest in seeing Hamas and similar groups defeated, the Obama Administration’s handling of the situation is likely to further drive a wedge between Jerusalem and Washington.

Israel Rejects Hamas Truce Offer
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Netanyahu.

Haim Tzah / GPO

Israel has rejected Hamas's request for a 24-hour truce, according to latest reports, but there appears to have been some confusion on the ground, after IDF units were told to hold their fire at 2:00 p.m..

Sirens sounded in the Be'er Sheva area shortly before 5:30 p.m. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Three of the rockets were reportedly intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-rocket defense. Another rocket exploded in an open area.

From midnight, Hamas has launched more than 40 missiles at Israel. A woman in her 40s was hurt in a direct hit on Negev home in the Shaar Hanegev region Sunday afternoon. She was taken to Soroka Hospital in light to moderate condition. She had been asleep when the rocket struck.

The IDF uncovered a 32nd terror tunnel between Gaza and Israel in the last 24 hours and it will be blown up. IDF forces continue to comb the area for tunnels and entry shafts to the tunnels. 

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu gave a series of interviews to Sunday news shows on US channels – Fox news, NBC, CBS and CNN – in which he said: “Hamas has violated five ceasefires and humanitarian lulls that Israel has accepted, two of them in the last 24 hours, and now Hamas is violating the ceasefire that it itself offered and continues to fire at Israel.

"We will do all that is necessary to protect the security interests of the citizens of Israel,” he stated. “The IDF will continue to operate to neutralize the terror tunnels. Hamas is responsible for the deaths of civilians, which it uses as human shields.”

He reminded viewers that Hamas is a terrorist organization that denounced the elimination of Osama Bin Laden.

The prime minister said that Operation Protective Edge will continue until it achieves its goal – namely, restoring quiet to the citizens of Israel for a long period of time.

"The Egyptian proposal is the only one under discussion,” said Netanyahu. “There should be linkage between fnancial aid to Gaza's residents and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip. The money that the international community gave for building kindergartens for the residents of Gaza, served for digging tunnels for blowing up Israeli kindergartens.”

Ben Rhodes, President Barack Obama’s deputy national security adviser, said on CNN that Israel has the right to defend itself and the conflict is ultimately Hamas’ fault.

“Hamas is responsible for the conflict,” Mr. Rhodes said.

He also noted that Israel needs to do more to prevent civilian casualties, despite Netanyahu saying he was doing all he could.

“I think you can always do more,” Rhodes said.

IDF Resumes Strikes After Hamas Ignores 'Humanitarian Ceasefire'
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Ground offensive (illustrative)

Flash90

Israel has resumed its ground and air offensive against Hamas terrorism in Gaza, the IDF Spokesperson's Office announced Sunday morning, after Hamas fired a salvo of rockets on Israeli civilians during a "humanitarian ceasefire." 

"Following Hamas' incessant rocket fire throughout the humanitarian window, which was agreed upon for the welfare of the civilian population in Gaza, the IDF will now resume its aerial, naval and ground activity in the Gaza Strip," an army statement said.

"Due to flagrant violations of humanitarian remission by Hamas, the IDF is now resuming offensive activities," army spokesman Peter Lerner wrote on Twitter.

"The IDF again urges the Palestinian population not to approach combat areas," the IDF statement added, in its continued efforts to prevent civilian casualties. 

Hamas fired at least eleven rockets on Israel Sunday morning, despite Israel's announcement late Saturday that it would extend a humanitarian ceasefire called on Saturday until Sunday at 9:00 pm. 

Several rockets were shot down over Petah Tikva, Ashdod, and Gan Yavne by the Iron Dome missile defense system; shrapnel was scattered over the greater Petah Tikva area. One motorcyclist was injured as he tried to pull to the side of the road during an air raid siren in the Sharon-area city. 

At least five rockets also fell in open area in the South; one car was damaged, but no injuries were reported.

IDF Instructed to End Truce, Resume Hostilities in Gaza
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

IDF Attacks Rocket Launchers, Terror Tunnels
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

IDF forces have renewed attacks throughout the Gaza Strip. Among the targets hit were concealed rocket launching pads and terror tunnels.

Israeli Air Force jets attacked three terrorists as well.

Hamas: Kiryat Gat Barrage for Refusing Ceasefire
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Hamas said, Sunday afternoon, that the salvo of rockets fired at the central Israeli city of Kiryat Gat was in response to the terror organization's attempt at a ceasefire.

Four rockets were intercepted. Others landed in open areas with no reports of injury or damage.

Danon Blasts Obama Over Ceasefire Demand
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Danny Danon

Flash 90

MK Danny Danon (Likud) blasted the United States and President Barack Obama on Sunday night, after Obama demanded that Israel agree to an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza.

"We need a break from the fire that is coming from the Obama administration in Washington,” he said, adding, “Just as the United States fought resolutely against the Taliban, so must we continue to strike Hamas and destroy its tunnel infrastructure."

"We need to withstand the pressure being exerted upon us and worry about Israel's interests,” said Danon.

MK Orit Struk (Jewish Home) also criticized Washington for its demand that Israel agree to a ceasefire with no conditions.

“Not only tunnels and shafts are being exposed during Operation Protective Edge. The real faces of those who are supposed to be our friends are exposed as well," she said.

"When President Obama and his foreign minister Kerry take the side of the Islamic axis of evil time after time, they completely lose their status as ‘honest brokers’ in the conflict,” added Struk.

In a conversation with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday, Obama stressed the need for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza.

According to a statement from the White House, Obama “ “made clear the strategic imperative of instituting an immediate, unconditional humanitarian ceasefire that ends hostilities now and leads to a permanent cessation of hostilities based on the November 2012 ceasefire agreement.”

The conversation between Obama and Netanyahu came several hours after Netanyahu made clear that Israel had rejected Hamas's request for a 24-hour truce.

The Prime Minister gave a series of interviews to Sunday news shows on U.S. channels – Fox News, NBC, CBS and CNN – in which he said, “Hamas has violated five ceasefires and humanitarian lulls that Israel has accepted, two of them in the last 24 hours, and now Hamas is violating the ceasefire that it itself offered and continues to fire at Israel.

"We will do all that is necessary to protect the security interests of the citizens of Israel,” he stated. “The IDF will continue to operate to neutralize the terror tunnels. Hamas is responsible for the deaths of civilians, which it uses as human shields.”

Earlier Sunday, Israel resumed its ground and air offensive against Hamas terrorism in Gaza, after the terror group fired a salvo of rockets on Israeli civilians during a "humanitarian ceasefire." 

Over the weekend, Israel rejected Secretary of State John Kerry’s proposal for a ceasefire.

Confusion Over Gaza Ceasefire: Hamas Accepts and Attacks
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Breaking News: IDF Renews Fighting in Gaza
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

An IDF spokesperson announced that in light of the relentless rocket fire by Hamas during the Humanitarian ceasefire, IDF forces will now renew aerial, naval, and ground attacks in Gaza.

IDF forces have called to Gaza residents to steer clear of areas under fire.

Bennett: Gaza Operation a 'Historic Moment' for Israel
Jul 27th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Naftali Bennett

Flash 90

Economics Minister and Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett noted the success, so far, of Operation Protective Edge on Sunday, in a Facebook post entitled "Historic Crossroads: Now is the Time to Decide." 

"The State of Israel is at a historic, deciding moment," Bennett began. "It could decide to end Hamas, dismantle tunnels and disarm missiles - to bring Gaza to a state similar to Judea and Samaria, which is without missiles, launchers, rockets, and tunnels. To put the IDF in control and prevent terror from escalating. It can finish with the conflict between the South and Gaza once and for all." 

"We can prove to our enemies, our neighbors, to the world and to ourselves, that we can could overcome Islamic terrorism," he continued. "For the first time in years, it's within reach." 

Bennett presented an analysis of the situation, saying that "after three weeks of heavy fighting, this is the situation:" 

- Hamas has been severely beaten, but not eliminated. 
- IDF soldiers have "removed the rust" and are highly competent. 
- The world understands that we have no choice but to fight for our homeland. 
- The Jewish people has united like it hasn't in years. 
- The Front is solid; the Iron Dome, this time, works almost perfectly."

Bennett then urged Israel not to succumb to international pressure for a cease-fire.

"Hamas is desperate for re-armament, refreshing its forces and realignment so it can harm our troops," he said. "This is similar to a boxing match, when the other side falls to the floor."

"To cease fire now is to reach out to the enemy, pick him up, give him a drink, and refresh him," he continued. "Now, now, we must not remove our foot from the gas pedal; we must finish this."

"Israel's targets: demilitarizing Hamas of its rockets and terror tunnels in a controlled, effective manner," he added. "The goal: to make Gaza like Judea and Samaria." 

He also proposed economic incentives to ease the demilitarization process - what he called a "Gazan Marshall Plan" - "because we have no interest in harming the people of Gaza."

"No ceasefires, no surrenders, no discussions," he concluded. "You have our phone number; when you're ready for demilitarization, call us. Otherwise, we are moving forward." 

"[Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah is looking, Iran is looking, ISIS is looking, the Arab world is looking, the Europeans and Americans are looking - everyone is waiting to see whether Israel will work up the courage to defeat Hamas once and for all." 

"I believe our Security Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, will make the right decision. Now is the time."