WarSclerotic

Sirens Heard in Haifa for First Time Since 2006

Sirens heard in Haifa and throughout the northern Israeli coast.

Hamas claims to have fired a missile towards the area.

By Elad BenariFirst Publish: 7/11/2014, 4:05 AM

via Sirens in Haifa for First Time Since 2006 – Defense/Security – News – Arutz Sheva.

For the first time since the Second Lebanon War of 2006, sirens were heard on Thursday night in the city of Haifa.

Sirens were also heard in Hadera, along the Carmel coast and in the Menashe region.

Local residents reported hearing explosions, but it is not yet confirmed whether any rockets exploded in the area or whether they were intercepted by Iron Dome.

Channel 2 News cited a statement from Hamas which claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to the statement, the group claimed to have fired a missile by the name “Rantissi 160”.

Putin: I Support The Struggle Of Israel

Calls himself a true friend of Israel

7.10.2014Israel RevoltTruth Revolt

via Putin: I Support The Struggle Of Israel | Truth Revolt.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin supported Israel in its struggle against Hamas and its supporters, and cited the three Israeli teenagers who had been recently murdered. Putin said:

I follow closely what’s going on in Israel …I support the struggle of Israel as it attempts to protect its citizens. I also heard about the shocking murder of the three youths. It is an act that cannot be allowed, and I ask you to transmit my condolences to the families.

Putin referenced Jews during the Holocaust, saying, “I remember visiting in the Yad Vashem Museum in Israel, which doesn’t allow anyone to remain apathetic, and describes the horrifying atrocities that occurred in those days … here too in Moscow the Jewish community established a Jewish museum that gives a bitter picture of those awful years, and at the same time gives hope to the Jewish people and the Jewish community throughout Russia.”

Putin, who spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, told Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef that he is a true friend of Netanyahu and Israel.

The group of rabbis included Yosef, former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar, and rabbis of the Rabbinical Center of Europe (RCE).

Obama speaks with Netanyahu, offering to broker ceasefire with Hamas, Jerusalem Post, By Michael Wilner, July 11, 2014

US President reaffirms Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks; Congress prepares resolution supporting Israel, condemning Hamas “unprovoked” actions; State Department points finger at Hamas as perpetrator of crisis.

PM Netanyahu and US President Obama tour a technology expo at the Israel Museum, March 21, 2013. Photo: REUTERS/Jason Reed

Netanyahu has ruled out a ceasefire with Hamas in the short-term. On the contrary, the Israeli leader has vowed a series of additional stages to Operation Protective Edge— his government’s response to continued rocket fire on Israeli towns and cities, after Hamas, a terrorist organization, stockpiled tens of thousands of rockets in the coastal territory over the last several years.

A ceasefire is “not even on the agenda,” Netanyahu told members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, just hours before his call with the US leader.

VIENNA — The United States is prepared to facilitate a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, US President Barack Obama told Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu by phone today.

In the call, Obama “reiterated the United States’ strong condemnation of continuing rocket fire into Israel by Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza and reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself against these attacks,” the White House said in a readout of the conversation.

But Netanyahu has ruled out a ceasefire with Hamas in the short-term. On the contrary, the Israeli leader has vowed a series of additional stages toOperation Protective Edge— his government’s response to continued rocket fire on Israeli towns and cities, after Hamas, a terrorist organization, stockpiled tens of thousands of rockets in the coastal territory over the last several years.

A ceasefire is “not even on the agenda,” Netanyahu told members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, just hours before his call with the US leader.

The president also expressed concern, the press secretary’s office continued, “about the risk of further escalation and emphasized the need for all sides to do everything they can to protect the lives of civilians and restore calm.”

The two discussed the impetus for the crisis: the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers, one of whom was also an American citizen. They also discussed a revenge attack in East Jerusalem by extremist Israelis against an innocent Arab teenager, which compounded the crisis.

Obama “acknowledged,” the White House added, “Israel’s efforts to resolve this case.”

“I would remind you who is at fault here, and that is Hamas,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Thursday, facing a series of accusatory questions from a Palestinian journalist for al-Quds TV in Washington.

Israeli military activity— targeting infrastructure and known terrorist operatives, taking practiced precautions to forewarn Palestinian civilians in advance of an air strike— differ fundamentally from Hamas tactics, Psaki continued: “indiscriminately” firing projectiles, without precision, in the general direction of populated civilian areas.

Leadership in Congress from both parties joined the administration’s public support for Israel’s continued operation in Gaza on Thursday, with all parties urging caution while reinforcing that Israel’s military actions, thus far, fall within the country’s right to defend itself against Hamas terrorism.

Proposing official support, some members of Congress asserted that Hamas’ actions constitute “unprovoked” terrorism, and not a right of Palestinians to defend themselves.

“There is no moral equivalency between the self-defense actions of Israel and the barbaric actions of Hamas,” Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), said on Thursday. Along with Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey), Kelly Ayotte (R-New Hampshire) and Chuck Schumer (D-New York), Graham is now proposing a resolution that would “reaffirm the United States’ support for Israel’s right to defend its citizens” and “ensure the survival” of the Israeli state.

The resolution also calls on the Palestinian Authority, funded in large part by Congress, to end its unity government with Hamas, and condemns the firing of hundreds of rockets at Israel as “unprovoked.”

“Israel is entitled to take the steps necessary to protect itself from destructive rocket attacks from Hamas that are aimed at all Israeli civilians, regardless of their religion,” said Schumer. “This resolution supports Israel as it protects itself in a manner that values the safety of Palestinian civilians even as its own civilians face indiscriminate attacks from terrorists.”

Psaki and Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor faced a barrage of aggressive questions from an Al Jazeera anchor on Thursday afternoon, as the parties and their sympathizers on both sides of the conflict waged in a public relations war on the airwaves.

In the interviews, Prosor and Psaki were asked if they knew how many children had so far died in Gaza from air strikes, and how many more would Israel kill before it ended its operation.

Psaki sent condolences on behalf of the US government to the families with lost loved ones, noting Israel’s efforts to forewarn civilians.

Asked whether the US had taken a position on a prospective Israeli military ground invasion into Gaza, Psaki replied that such an outcome was “no one’s preference.”

Full Transcript: Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor’s United Nations Speech on Operation Protective Edge, Algemeiner, July 10, 2014

(A very powerful speech. — DM)

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor

Fifteen seconds [play sound of siren].  That’s how much time you have to run for your life. Imagine having only 15 seconds to find a bomb shelter.  Now imagine doing it with small children or elderly parents or an ailing friend.

Below is the full transcript of Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor’s speech to the UN Security Council on July 10, 2014.

Mr. President,

I would like to thank the Secretary General for his briefing earlier.  In the time he spoke, another five rockets were fired from Gaza.  One of these fell on a house.  I would also like to thank Ambassador Gasana for presiding over this important session.

Mr. President,

As I speak, there is a storm of rockets being fired by the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza.  Hamas is intentionally and indiscriminately threatening the lives of three and a half million innocent men, women, and children in Israel from north to south – from Beersheba to Tel Aviv to Haifa. In the last three days, 442 rockets have been fired into Israel – that’s one every 10 minutes.

Fifteen seconds [play sound of siren].  That’s how much time you have to run for your life. Imagine having only 15 seconds to find a bomb shelter.  Now imagine doing it with small children or elderly parents or an ailing friend.

A generation of Israeli children is growing up under the shadow of this threat. This abnormal way of life has become the ‘normal’ way of life for many Israelis – and it is absolutely unacceptable.

No nation, no people, and no government could tolerate this.

Mr. President,

Hamas dragged us into this conflict.  On the evening of June 12th three Israeli teenagers – Eyal, Gilad, and Naftalie – were on their way home from school when they were kidnapped and murdered by Hamas terrorists.

In the days that followed, Hamas began raining rockets indiscriminately on our homes and our cities.  While Israel showed restraint, Hamas responded with unrestrained aggression – more rockets and more terror attacks.

Some in this Chamber have criticized Israel for finally responding to these provocations.  They have accused us of reacting disproportionately. Asking Israel to show restraint while our cities are under constant attack is like asking the fire brigade to battle an inferno with nothing more than buckets of water.

Mr. President,

No country would accept the threats that Israel faces.  We are determined to give Israelis the safety and security they deserve.  This week, Israel launched an operation of self-defense, “Protective Edge,” – צוק איתן – to counter these attacks, to defend our citizens, and secure for them a life without constant threat.

The goal of our operation is to remove the threat posed by Hamas by dismantling its military infrastructure and restore quiet in Israel. We aren’t looking for a band aid solution that will allow Hamas to rest and regroup.  We aren’t going to give them a ‘time out’ so that they can replenish their rocket supplies and hit us again in a few weeks.

Israel is taking great measures to avoid harming innocent civilians. The Israeli Defense Forces warns Palestinians in Gaza of imminent strikes.  At the same time, Hamas instructs these civilians to stand on the roof of buildings and act as human shields.  Hamas is exploiting our concern for human life by hiding in Palestinian homes, schools, and mosques and using the basement of a hospital in Gaza as its headquarters. They are committing a double war crime: targeting Israeli civilians while hiding behind Palestinian civilians.

Hamas is targeting the supply lines of its own people. It is firing rockets at the electrical plant in Ashkelon which is keeping the lights on for the citizens of Gaza.  Earlier this week, Hamas blew up a tunnel near the Kerem Shalom crossing and it is firing rockets and missiles at this critical entry point.  Let me be clear – Hamas is targeting the only crossing through which food, medicine and other essentials enters Gaza.  This is how much they care for their own people. Despite the attacks, Israel is keeping the crossing open and on Tuesday and Wednesday, 242 truckloads of goods were delivered into the Gaza Strip.

Members of this body have repeatedly criticized Israel for restricting the entry of construction materials into Gaza.  Let me tell you what that cement and steel is being used for – it’s certainly not being used to build schools, kindergartens or homes.  It is being used to build rockets that Hamas shoots indiscriminately at Israeli schools, kindergartens and homes.  And it is being used to build terror tunnels that Hamas uses to kidnap Israelis.

Mr. President,

Over the last few years, Hamas has built up a massive military machine with 10,000 rockets. Israel is now acting to dismantle that machine. Hamas is determined to escalate the situation with an arsenal that it acquired courtesy of the world’s primary sponsor of terrorism – Iran.  In March, Iran was caught red-handed trying to transfer long-range missiles into Gaza.

These missiles have a range of 160 km and can hit Israel’s largest population centers.  Hamas must understand that it cannot target Israeli civilians.

Just this morning, the IDF stopped a car on one of our highways that was packed with explosives and on route to carry out a suicide attack.  Earlier this week, their terrorists infiltrated Israel from the sea on a mission to attack a nearby kibbutz.

I would like to remind all of you that the terrorist group behind these attacks has a seat in the Palestinian unity government. Hamas is an internationally recognized terrorist organization by many nations – including members of this Council.  The same Hamas that doesn’t recognize Israel and promotes a genocidal agenda by seeking Israel’s destruction. Its Charter clearly states (and I quote) “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it.”

Hamas is practicing what it preaches.  It has sent suicide bombers into our shopping centers, buses, and cafes.  It has brainwashed an entire generation of Palestinian children and sent thousands of young people to terrorist training camps. And it has attempted to kidnap 64 Israelis since 2013.

Members of the international community embraced the Fatah-Hamas partnership even though Hamas had not changed its tune or acted in concert with the Quartet principles.  It has not recognized Israel, renounced violence or accepted previous agreements.  Nonetheless, the international community was willing to buy into this bad deal and now Israeli citizens are paying the price.

It’s time for the international community to right this wrong and make it clear to Hamas that unity does not equal impunity.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian representative sits in this Council and has the audacity to shield Hamas even as this terror organization uses its own people as human shields. In his remarks, the Palestinian delegate didn’t mention a single one of the rockets fired into Israel. 442 rockets and he doesn’t say a word.  His silence is as deafening as the rockets exploding in Israel right now.

Through his choice of words, the Palestinian delegate has become the mouthpiece of Hamas. Since when does a terror organization get a seat and a voice in the United Nations?

Mr. President,

For years, we have called on the international community to condemn the rocket fire.  We were met with silence. For years, we told you about the thousands of rockets that Hamas is smuggling into Gaza. You thought we were exaggerating and you didn’t say a word. For years, we warned of the impending escalation and you ignored us.

Now that the rockets are landing in our backyard and the terrorists are on our doorstep, it is time for you to finally recognize Hamas for what it is – a terrorist organization that should be denounced, dismantled and delegitimized.

Mr. President,

Unlike our enemies, Israel believes in the infinite value of human life.  The Bible says:

הַחַיִּים וְהַמָּוֶת נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ-  וּבָחַרְתָּ, בַּחַיִּים

I have set before you a choice between life and death. Choose life.

The Jewish people always choose life.  Yet this isn’t what we see on the other side. In 2005, Israel evacuated from Gaza and in the process, uprooted 12,000 Israelis from their homes. The Palestinians had the opportunity to build a prosperous and peaceful society.  Instead of building the Palestinian people up, they have committed themselves to tearing Israel down. Instead of choosing life, they celebrate death.

In Gaza, you will find public squares and hospitals named after terrorists. Visit a Gaza school and you will see children dressed up as suicide bombers and chanting death threats to Israel.

Visit the home of Abu Aysha’s mother and she will tell you how proud she is that her son was behind the kidnapping and murder of Eyal, Gilad, and Naftalie.

A culture that celebrates martyrdom and murder is a culture that will always be at war with itself and with its neighbors.

Mr. President,

Israel is on the forefront of the free world fighting radical Islamic terrorism. The threat posed by terrorism is a global threat – ISIS, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Hezbollah, and Hamas. From Abuja to Fallujah, terrorists are attacking our schools and skyscrapers, our homes and hospitals, our malls and embassies. No nation is immune.

If you want the nations of the world to stand with you in your battle against terrorism tomorrow, stand with Israel today.  The call from your capitals must be loud and clear – opposing terrorism in one place means opposing terrorism in every place.

It is our cities, our homes, and our families that are under fire.  I ask each and every person in this Chamber – what would you do if it was your family under attack? What would you expect your own government to do?

There is only one responsible course of action for this Council – condemn Hamas. Condemn terrorism. Condemn the rocket fire. Call on President Abbas to dissolve the unity government and support Israel’s right to defend itself.  It is the only way to achieve peace in our region.

Thank you.