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Israel Update 13.6.19

 

HIZBULLAH PLOT IN THE UK REVEALED

 

Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency provided information that led British law enforcement to thwart a 2015 plot by Hizbullah to attack targets in the UK. Reportedly, a stockpile of ammonium nitrate commonly used in bomb making was concealed in thousands of disposable ice packs in a north London location. There was speculation thatthe incident was not made public because the British Government did not wish to disrupt the newly signed Iranian nuclear deal. Iran is a major sponsor of Hezbollah activities.

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GAZA TERROR GROUPS ESCALATE VIOLENCE

 

NOTE:As part of an Egyptian-brokered agreement to end the flareup in early May, Gaza’s Hamas rulers were reportedly obliged to halt the launching of incendiary balloons at Israeli communities, among other measures to rein in violence along the border.

 

Gazans launched a rocket at Israel Wednesday night. It was intercepted by Iron Dome. In response the IDF attacked a Hamas tunnel.

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Gaza terror groups are making the incendiary balloons sent to Israel more lethal by soaking slow-burning fuses in explosive liquids, causing balloons to drip fireballs as they fly, creating fires in multiple locations

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A balloon-borne bomb launched from Gaza exploded over a community in southern Israel Wednesday. It was the first such explosive attack from Gaza since Israel and Gazan terror reached an unofficial ceasefire agreement following two days of intense fighting in early May.

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Several brush fires in southern Israel on Monday were believed to be caused by incendiary balloons launched from Gaza. Read more here

 

On Tuesday, there were seven fires in Israel sparked by balloon-borne incendiary devices from Gaza. Such arson attacks violate the reported terms of an unofficial truce between Israel and terror groups in the Strip. The IDF has recently foiled an attempt by Hamas to smuggle material to manufacture rockets into Gaza by sea. Read more here

 

Hamas was behind 12 balloon-sparked brush fires near Israeli communities close to the Gaza border on Wednesday. Gazans also announced the renewal of activities by the “night units,” which hold riots at different locations along the security fence each night in an effort to maintain pressure on Israel. In response to the significant increase in arson balloon launches, Israel has stopped all fishing off Gaza’s coast.

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The IDF has recently foiled an attempt by Hamas to smuggle material to manufacture rockets into Gaza by sea. Read more here

There is “no evidence of charitable activity” by Viva Palestina, set up in 2009 to fund aid convoys to Gaza, the UK Charity Commission reported. Read more here

 

LEBANON

A small drone penetrated Israeli airspace from Lebanon on Wednesday prompting the IAF to scramble fighter jets. The drone quickly returned to Lebanese territory. Read more here

WEST BANK

Vandals threw a firebomb that ignited a cherry tree orchard in Kibbutz Kfar Etzion on Tuesday. Israeli farmers have been exposed for years to such attacks. Earlier this year, 200 cherry trees were uprooted and destroyed at another kibbutz. In a separate incident, Palestinians uprooted and stole 50 trees planted in memory of terrorist victim Ori Ansbacher.In January, vandals destroyed dozens of vines at Israeli-owned vineyards. Read more here

 

100 attacks on Israelis by Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem were reported in April compared to 125 in March. The April attacks included 70 firebombs, 21 pipe bombs, 4 cases of arson, 3 stabbing attacks and 2 shooting attacks. Rocks thrown at Israeli drivers were not included.Israeli security forces carry out near nightly raids to arrest Palestinians suspects.

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Over the past two years, the PA has created out of thin air a “historic” village at a strategic point adjacent to the Jerusalem-Hebron highway. With EU funding, the PA has renovated two primitive stone structures used by passing shepherds or farmers as shelter from the elements, and added 15 homes. Signs posted on the refurbished buildings, proudly bearing the EU emblem, explain that the site is an ancient village. Yet aerial photos from 1967, as well as historic maps dating back to 1880, prove there was never any settlement of any kind at the site which is in Area C, under full Israeli civil and security control.
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See video: Illegal European Union project creates a brand new “ancient village”  (1 min 46 secs)

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BAHRAIN CONFERENCE

 

Egypt and Morocco will attend the Bahrain conference on June 25-26 at which the U.S. will launch the economic portion of its Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. Jordan will also attend. The Palestinians are boycotting the conference.

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MOLDOVA

 

Moldova will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. Read more here

 

AUTO TECH

The EcoMotion conference and exhibition, held for the seventh year in Israel presented smart transportation solutions, with more than 100 startups exhibiting their technologies to some 4,000 attendees, Read more here

 

Ford Motor Company on Wednesday launched the Ford Research Centre Israel which will focus on identifying technology partners in the areas of connectivity, sensors, in-vehicle monitoring, and cybersecurity, and will serve as a research hub, working with Ford’s global teams. Read more here

 

FIFA

 

The governing body of international soccer earlier this year opened an investigation against the head of the Palestinian Football Association, Jibril Rajoub, on suspicion that he breached its bylaws by glorifying terrorism and inciting to hatred and violence. Read more here

RESEARCH

The European Research Council’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme awarded grants worth $201 million in 2018 to 188 Israeli researchers, 146 companies and 42 projects.

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MEDICAL RESEARCH

An Israeli company Icecure Medical has developed a revolutionary minimally invasive technique to freeze cancerous tumours that only requires a local anaesthetic. It is already used to treat breast cancer. Read more here

A team at Israel’s Technion has developed a medical glue to replace stitches in serious injuries. Applied with a glue gun, the melted polymer works both externally and internally, and is nontoxic, flexible and biodegradable. Read more here

 

CO-EXISTENCE

Dr Yitzchak Glick started an emergency health clinic in Efrat, where some 10% of the patients are Palestinian. He and others in Efrat have also helped fund Palestinian medical clinics nearby, though Glick and the villagers remain low-key about the aid and his village visits so the clinics don’t fall foul of the PA.

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A decade ago, 22% of Israeli Arab women were working outside the home. Today over 40% are part of the labour force.Arab citizens comprise 17% of the university students in Israel, close to their 20% share of the population. Of these students, 70% are women.Read more here

 

AFRICA

Innovation: Africa, founded in Israel in 2008 provides solar energy to schools and medical centres and pumps clean water throughout villages across Africa and  has transformed the lives of 1.5 million Africans with 42 projects in Malawi, 119 in Uganda, 34 in Tanzania, 26 in South Africa, three in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, six in Senegal, and 11 in Cameroon.Its newest product, the “Energy Box,” can provide solar power to an entire school or medical centre for more than 10 years with no maintenance required.

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ANTI-BDS CAMPAIGN

 

Israel has waged a two-year campaign against organizations promoting a boycott by revealing their connections to terror operatives, leading to the closure of 10 fundraising accounts in the U.S. and 20 in Europe. Read more here

 

CO-OPERATION

Israel has joined a unique regional collaboration to save the Red Sea coral reefs along withJordan, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Israel has diplomatic relations only with Egypt, Jordan & Eritrea so the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology will act as a “neutral umbrella,” to oversee research and liaison. Read more here

 

COMMENT & OPINION

 

Matthew RJ Brodsky:With the Palestinian Authority facing a financial crisis and economic challenges, one might think its leaders would be eager to attend the upcoming “Peace to Prosperity” workshop in Bahrain this month…Instead, there’s  “a collective” boycott on behalf of “all Palestinian political movements and factions…Recall that Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban in 1973 quipped about Palestinians “never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity.”… Read more here

 

Scott Walker: Last week I visited a company called Alon Group in Samaria. Of the hundreds of people they employ, about half of the workforce is Jewish and half is Arab…Solid jobs that allow people to put a roof over their head and food on their table bring hope. And those who have hope are peaceful people. The visit was also a reminder of the harm done by the BDS movement that claims to help Arabs but actually hurts them by imposing real costs against companies that hire both Jewish and Arab workers. If employers have to lay off people because of the BDS campaigns, everyone gets hurt – including the Arabs. Read more here

 

Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch: The “Arab refugees” of 1948/1950, now renamed the “Palestinian refugees,” are ostensibly represented by the PLO/PA. UN documentation claims that in 1948/1950 there were 711,000 refugees. According to UNRWA, in January 2018 there were over 5.4 million registered Palestinian refugees. Only 30-40,000 are original refugees. The PLO/PA and the Arab countries must understand that Israel will never agree to the “return” of the ever-growing millions of descendants of the original refugees.  Recognizing this as the reality, the U.S. came to the conclusion that the world cannot fund the ever-growing Palestinian refugee community indefinitely. Using the aid money to integrate the refugees into their host countries’ economies is the only viable solution, and will eliminate a major obstacle to peace.   Read more here