1. PA TV Celebrates Murder Spree
by Gil Ronen
The Palestinian Authority (PA) celebrated the single most murderous attack against Israeli civilians by broadcasting an hour-long special Wednesday on its official television station.
Arabs who penetrated into Israel by rubber dinghies from Lebanon carried out the attack, known in Israel as the Coastal Road Terror Attack, on March 11, 1978. They hijacked a tourist bus and killed 38 civilians, 13 of them children.
PA TV celebrated the attack on the anniversary of the hijacking with an hour-long special. The program included interviews with terrorists who described the planning and implementation of the murder spree.
Palestinian Media Watch reported that the program opened with the narrator glorifying the attack as: “…one of the most important and most prominent special actions, executed by the Palestinian revolution by sea, on the coast between Haifa and Tel Aviv. This action, which was carried out by a group of heroes and led by the heroic fighter Dalal Mughrabi, had a great impact on continuing events of the Arab-Israeli conflict."
Mughrabi and 11 other terrorists landed by Zodiac boats on a beach near Ma'agan Michael, north of Tel Aviv. They fatally shot American photographer Gail Rubin who was taking nature photographs nearby, reached the Coastal Highway and commandeered a bus that was carrying Egged bus drivers and their families on a day outing.
Passengers burned alive
The bus continued driving south on the Coastal Road (Highway 2) while the terrorists fired and threw grenades at passing cars, shot passengers and dumped at least one body out of the bus. At one point, they hijacked another bus and forced the passengers from the first bus to board it. An explosion caused either by an exploding fuel tank or a grenade set the bus on fire, killing 38 civilians, 13 of them children. 71 Israelis were wounded.
An article published in the July 10, 2008 edition of the PA’s Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda daily newspaper called Al-Mughrabi "a living legend and a wonderful example for all women."
Al Jazeera TV also aired a program in 2008 focusing on Al-Mughrabi and extolling her exploits. The focus on the terrorist came on the heels of the transfer of her body to the Hizbullah as part of the ransom for the bodies of IDF soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser.
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by Gil Ronen
The Palestinian Authority (PA) celebrated the single most murderous attack against Israeli civilians by broadcasting an hour-long special Wednesday on its official television station.
Arabs who penetrated into Israel by rubber dinghies from Lebanon carried out the attack, known in Israel as the Coastal Road Terror Attack, on March 11, 1978. They hijacked a tourist bus and killed 38 civilians, 13 of them children.
PA TV celebrated the attack on the anniversary of the hijacking with an hour-long special. The program included interviews with terrorists who described the planning and implementation of the murder spree.
Palestinian Media Watch reported that the program opened with the narrator glorifying the attack as: “…one of the most important and most prominent special actions, executed by the Palestinian revolution by sea, on the coast between Haifa and Tel Aviv. This action, which was carried out by a group of heroes and led by the heroic fighter Dalal Mughrabi, had a great impact on continuing events of the Arab-Israeli conflict."
Mughrabi and 11 other terrorists landed by Zodiac boats on a beach near Ma'agan Michael, north of Tel Aviv. They fatally shot American photographer Gail Rubin who was taking nature photographs nearby, reached the Coastal Highway and commandeered a bus that was carrying Egged bus drivers and their families on a day outing.
Passengers burned alive
The bus continued driving south on the Coastal Road (Highway 2) while the terrorists fired and threw grenades at passing cars, shot passengers and dumped at least one body out of the bus. At one point, they hijacked another bus and forced the passengers from the first bus to board it. An explosion caused either by an exploding fuel tank or a grenade set the bus on fire, killing 38 civilians, 13 of them children. 71 Israelis were wounded.
An article published in the July 10, 2008 edition of the PA’s Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda daily newspaper called Al-Mughrabi "a living legend and a wonderful example for all women."
Al Jazeera TV also aired a program in 2008 focusing on Al-Mughrabi and extolling her exploits. The focus on the terrorist came on the heels of the transfer of her body to the Hizbullah as part of the ransom for the bodies of IDF soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser.
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2. NIS 100M in Damages to Gaza Belt
by Gil Ronen
Farmers from the Gaza Belt area will receive NIS 100 million in compensation from the government for indirect damages they suffered as a result of Operation Cast Lead, the IDF’s counter-terror attack on Gaza launched in late December.
The decision to grant the compensation follows weeks of negotiations between senior Tax Authority officials and representatives of the Agriculture Ministry. Agriculture Minister Shalom Simchon has called for its quick implementation.
The compensation is intended for agriculturalists in 51 communities surrounding Gaza that suffered serious indirect damages during the military operation. These include moshav and kibbutz-type communities as well as private ranches.
Initial payments are to be made in a matter of days, the Agriculture Ministry said.
The Gaza Belt is one of the most important regions for winter agriculture in Israel, for local market consumption as well as export. Tens of thousands of dunams of land serve for growing potatoes, carrots, vegetables, spice plants and flowers.
A similar compensation plan is being drawn up for communities outside the Gaza Belt but within 40 km. of Gaza.
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by Gil Ronen
Farmers from the Gaza Belt area will receive NIS 100 million in compensation from the government for indirect damages they suffered as a result of Operation Cast Lead, the IDF’s counter-terror attack on Gaza launched in late December.
The decision to grant the compensation follows weeks of negotiations between senior Tax Authority officials and representatives of the Agriculture Ministry. Agriculture Minister Shalom Simchon has called for its quick implementation.
The compensation is intended for agriculturalists in 51 communities surrounding Gaza that suffered serious indirect damages during the military operation. These include moshav and kibbutz-type communities as well as private ranches.
Initial payments are to be made in a matter of days, the Agriculture Ministry said.
The Gaza Belt is one of the most important regions for winter agriculture in Israel, for local market consumption as well as export. Tens of thousands of dunams of land serve for growing potatoes, carrots, vegetables, spice plants and flowers.
A similar compensation plan is being drawn up for communities outside the Gaza Belt but within 40 km. of Gaza.
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UK to Host Hizbullah Spokesman
by Maayana Miskin
British officials granted senior Hizbullah member Ibrahim Moussawi a visa to visit the country on Thursday. The visa will allow Moussawi to lecture at a conference on political Islam. Moussawi plans to speak at the University of London on March 25.
The British government granted Moussawi a permit to visit Britain in 2008 as well. During that visit he appeared at events sponsored by the British group Stop the War.
Moussawi, who has been quoted as calling Jews “a lesion of the forehead of history” and justifying attacks on Israeli civilians, insists that he is not an anti-Semite. “I'm a bridge-builder and I've always been an advocate of dialog and discussion,” he claimed in response to criticism of an earlier visit.
He is a spokesman for Hizbullah and also edits a weekly Hizbullah paper. In the past, he served as political editor of Hizbullah TV, which has been banned in the United States as well as some European Union nations due to its anti-Semitic content.
The scheduled visit has aroused heated opposition among anti-terrorist activists. The Centre for Social Cohesion think tank has threatened to seek an arrest warrant for Moussawi if he enters the country and has consulted attorneys regarding the likelihood of detaining the Hizbullah official during his stay.
CSC Director Douglas Murray said the government's decision to grant Moussawi a visa showed that British leaders “clearly do not have a grip on this.”
"Britain is still a place where terrorists and terrorist supporters can come to incite and recruit,” he warned.
Another CSC member, researcher Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, noted that Hizbullah is “devoted to the destruction of Israel and the extermination of Jews worldwide” and in addition, murders its political opponents “as a matter of policy” and uses violence to intimidate Lebanese civilians.
Murray and the CSC were particularly angered by Moussawi's planned visit in light of Britain's decision to turn back anti-Islam activist Geert Wilders, a Dutch politician. Wilders was recently deported while attempting to hold a scheduled meeting with British leaders on the subject of Islam and terrorism.
"This is the deepest hypocrisy, in fact, it is worse than hypocrisy,” Murray said.
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by Maayana Miskin
British officials granted senior Hizbullah member Ibrahim Moussawi a visa to visit the country on Thursday. The visa will allow Moussawi to lecture at a conference on political Islam. Moussawi plans to speak at the University of London on March 25.
The British government granted Moussawi a permit to visit Britain in 2008 as well. During that visit he appeared at events sponsored by the British group Stop the War.
Moussawi, who has been quoted as calling Jews “a lesion of the forehead of history” and justifying attacks on Israeli civilians, insists that he is not an anti-Semite. “I'm a bridge-builder and I've always been an advocate of dialog and discussion,” he claimed in response to criticism of an earlier visit.
He is a spokesman for Hizbullah and also edits a weekly Hizbullah paper. In the past, he served as political editor of Hizbullah TV, which has been banned in the United States as well as some European Union nations due to its anti-Semitic content.
The scheduled visit has aroused heated opposition among anti-terrorist activists. The Centre for Social Cohesion think tank has threatened to seek an arrest warrant for Moussawi if he enters the country and has consulted attorneys regarding the likelihood of detaining the Hizbullah official during his stay.
CSC Director Douglas Murray said the government's decision to grant Moussawi a visa showed that British leaders “clearly do not have a grip on this.”
"Britain is still a place where terrorists and terrorist supporters can come to incite and recruit,” he warned.
Another CSC member, researcher Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, noted that Hizbullah is “devoted to the destruction of Israel and the extermination of Jews worldwide” and in addition, murders its political opponents “as a matter of policy” and uses violence to intimidate Lebanese civilians.
Murray and the CSC were particularly angered by Moussawi's planned visit in light of Britain's decision to turn back anti-Islam activist Geert Wilders, a Dutch politician. Wilders was recently deported while attempting to hold a scheduled meeting with British leaders on the subject of Islam and terrorism.
"This is the deepest hypocrisy, in fact, it is worse than hypocrisy,” Murray said.
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5. Court to Let Arabs Flood Israel
by Gil Ronen
The Israeli High Court will convene Sunday to discuss a petition jointly submitted by Adalah (The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel), former Knesset Member Zahava Gal-On and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) to strike down the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order), enacted by the Knesset in 2003.
The law was passed in order to stem the flood of “Palestinian” Arabs who entered Israel from Judea, Samaria, Gaza and from enemy Arab countries and received Israeli citizenship by marrying Arabs who already possessed Israeli citizenship.
The High Court has heard the appeal against the law in the past and struck it down by a one-vote margin. On Sunday, however, the High Court will convene in a seven-member panel headed by Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch to hear the petition again, and this time it is expected to rule in favor of striking down the law.
According to grassroots Zionist activism group Im Tirtzu, “between 1993 and 2003, 130,000 Palestinians who had lived in enemy Arab countries and in Judea and Samaria received Israeli citizenship through marriage with Israeli Arabs. By making use of the Israeli law which had allowed the granting of citizenship to Arabs who marry Israeli citizens, the Palestinians succeeded in meaningfully changing the demographic balance within Israel and to begin implementing their demand for the return of refugees into Israel.”
The Knesset law that prevents this was passed as a temporary order in 2003 and is extended annually by the Knesset. It prevents Arabs from Judea, Samaria and Gaza, as well as citizens of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran, from receiving Israeli citizenship by marrying Israeli citizens.
According to demographic expert Arnon Sofer, if the court annuls the law, hundreds of thousands of Arabs within the Middle East will marry family members in Israel and gradually erase the Jewish majority in Israel.
Im Tirzu is holding a demonstration outside the Supreme Court building in Jerusalem at 9:00 a.m. Sunday. Information (in Hebrew) on the demonstration and contact details can be viewed here.
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by Gil Ronen
The Israeli High Court will convene Sunday to discuss a petition jointly submitted by Adalah (The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel), former Knesset Member Zahava Gal-On and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) to strike down the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order), enacted by the Knesset in 2003.
The law was passed in order to stem the flood of “Palestinian” Arabs who entered Israel from Judea, Samaria, Gaza and from enemy Arab countries and received Israeli citizenship by marrying Arabs who already possessed Israeli citizenship.
The High Court has heard the appeal against the law in the past and struck it down by a one-vote margin. On Sunday, however, the High Court will convene in a seven-member panel headed by Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch to hear the petition again, and this time it is expected to rule in favor of striking down the law.
According to grassroots Zionist activism group Im Tirtzu, “between 1993 and 2003, 130,000 Palestinians who had lived in enemy Arab countries and in Judea and Samaria received Israeli citizenship through marriage with Israeli Arabs. By making use of the Israeli law which had allowed the granting of citizenship to Arabs who marry Israeli citizens, the Palestinians succeeded in meaningfully changing the demographic balance within Israel and to begin implementing their demand for the return of refugees into Israel.”
The Knesset law that prevents this was passed as a temporary order in 2003 and is extended annually by the Knesset. It prevents Arabs from Judea, Samaria and Gaza, as well as citizens of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran, from receiving Israeli citizenship by marrying Israeli citizens.
According to demographic expert Arnon Sofer, if the court annuls the law, hundreds of thousands of Arabs within the Middle East will marry family members in Israel and gradually erase the Jewish majority in Israel.
Im Tirzu is holding a demonstration outside the Supreme Court building in Jerusalem at 9:00 a.m. Sunday. Information (in Hebrew) on the demonstration and contact details can be viewed here.
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6. Every 28 Years: Blessing the Sun
by Hillel Fendel
Though the sun is some 400 times larger than the moon, a blessing over the latter is made nearly 350 times more often than over the former. This coming month will see that rare occasion when the Blessing Over the Sun is recited.
Jewish Law stipulates that a special blessing is to be recited when we see the sun at the same place, on the same day of the week, and the same time of day as when it was created. The first chapter in Genesis, which tells the story of Creation, tells us that the sun was created on a Wednesday. Precisely one solar year, or 365.25 days (52 weeks and 1.25 days) later, the sun was in the same place – but not on the same day of the week, nor at the same time of day; it was rather but rather a quarter of a day later.
The “quarter-day” problem is solved every four years, and the “same day of the week” issue is resolved every seven years – and both problems are solved simultaneously only once every 28 (4x7) years.
This year marks the culmination of a 28-year-cycle since Creation (5769-1= 5768 = 28x206). Thus, four weeks from now, on Wednesday, April. 8, the vernal equinox, the sun will be in the same position, on the same day of the week and the same approximate hour, as it was when it was created. This “starting position” actually occurs the previous evening, but we recite the blessing over the sun to mark this anniversary only when it is visible – that is, the next morning.
The special blessing - – “Blessed are You… Who fashions the work of Creation” - commemorates the vast greatness of G-d’s Creation.
The last time this special blessing was recited, April 8,1981, special gatherings were held in various locations for the public recital of the prayer – including atop one of the Twin Towers of the no-longer-extant World Trade Center in New York.
As with all prayers and commandments that must be performed in the morning hours, the ideal time to do it is as early as possible after sunrise. The actual moment of sunrise is already “occupied” by the requirement to recite the daily Kriat Shma, which is immediately followed by the Amidah prayer and the conclusion of the morning Shacharit prayers – such that the Blessing Over the Sun should ideally be recited approximately a half-hour afterwards. Sunrise in Jerusalem on April 8 will be at 6:19. In New York, it will be 6:28; 7:13 in Paris, 6:39 in Melbourne, 5:42 in Moscow, and 6:31 in Los Angeles.
After the blessing is recited – the same one said when seeing lightning, a falling star, an earthquake, and special works of nature – other prayers are recited as well, including chapters of Psalms. Pamphlets with the appropriate selections are likely to be distributed wherever observant Jews gather, and the service is likely to be posted on many internet sites as well.
The Blessing Over the Sun is complicated this year by the fact that April 8 is also the day before Passover, already one of the busiest mornings in the Jewish calendar. All chametz (leaven) must be burned or otherwise gotten rid of, first-born males must either fast or take part in a festive lesson concluding the study of a Talmudic tractate, and physical and spiritual preparations must be made for the upcoming Passover Seder meal.
Preparations for the once-every-28-years event are beginning to be made throughout the Jewish world. Various publications on the topic are beginning to see light, including “Birkat Hachamah - According to Chabad Custom” (Kehot Publication Society), an expanded Artscroll edition of “Bircas HaChamah” by Rabbi J. David Bleich, and more. A children’s book on the topic, entitled “The Sun's Special Blessing” (Pitspopany Press), has even been published this month. It tells the story of a 3rd-grade class learning about the occasion – and digging up a time capsule buried in their schoolyard the last time the blessing was recited.
Comment on this story
by Hillel Fendel
Though the sun is some 400 times larger than the moon, a blessing over the latter is made nearly 350 times more often than over the former. This coming month will see that rare occasion when the Blessing Over the Sun is recited.
Jewish Law stipulates that a special blessing is to be recited when we see the sun at the same place, on the same day of the week, and the same time of day as when it was created. The first chapter in Genesis, which tells the story of Creation, tells us that the sun was created on a Wednesday. Precisely one solar year, or 365.25 days (52 weeks and 1.25 days) later, the sun was in the same place – but not on the same day of the week, nor at the same time of day; it was rather but rather a quarter of a day later.
The “quarter-day” problem is solved every four years, and the “same day of the week” issue is resolved every seven years – and both problems are solved simultaneously only once every 28 (4x7) years.
This year marks the culmination of a 28-year-cycle since Creation (5769-1= 5768 = 28x206). Thus, four weeks from now, on Wednesday, April. 8, the vernal equinox, the sun will be in the same position, on the same day of the week and the same approximate hour, as it was when it was created. This “starting position” actually occurs the previous evening, but we recite the blessing over the sun to mark this anniversary only when it is visible – that is, the next morning.
The special blessing - – “Blessed are You… Who fashions the work of Creation” - commemorates the vast greatness of G-d’s Creation.
The last time this special blessing was recited, April 8,1981, special gatherings were held in various locations for the public recital of the prayer – including atop one of the Twin Towers of the no-longer-extant World Trade Center in New York.
As with all prayers and commandments that must be performed in the morning hours, the ideal time to do it is as early as possible after sunrise. The actual moment of sunrise is already “occupied” by the requirement to recite the daily Kriat Shma, which is immediately followed by the Amidah prayer and the conclusion of the morning Shacharit prayers – such that the Blessing Over the Sun should ideally be recited approximately a half-hour afterwards. Sunrise in Jerusalem on April 8 will be at 6:19. In New York, it will be 6:28; 7:13 in Paris, 6:39 in Melbourne, 5:42 in Moscow, and 6:31 in Los Angeles.
After the blessing is recited – the same one said when seeing lightning, a falling star, an earthquake, and special works of nature – other prayers are recited as well, including chapters of Psalms. Pamphlets with the appropriate selections are likely to be distributed wherever observant Jews gather, and the service is likely to be posted on many internet sites as well.
The Blessing Over the Sun is complicated this year by the fact that April 8 is also the day before Passover, already one of the busiest mornings in the Jewish calendar. All chametz (leaven) must be burned or otherwise gotten rid of, first-born males must either fast or take part in a festive lesson concluding the study of a Talmudic tractate, and physical and spiritual preparations must be made for the upcoming Passover Seder meal.
Preparations for the once-every-28-years event are beginning to be made throughout the Jewish world. Various publications on the topic are beginning to see light, including “Birkat Hachamah - According to Chabad Custom” (Kehot Publication Society), an expanded Artscroll edition of “Bircas HaChamah” by Rabbi J. David Bleich, and more. A children’s book on the topic, entitled “The Sun's Special Blessing” (Pitspopany Press), has even been published this month. It tells the story of a 3rd-grade class learning about the occasion – and digging up a time capsule buried in their schoolyard the last time the blessing was recited.
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7. Analysis: Coalition Comes Closer
by IsraelNN staff
With just days left until the task of assembling a government could be passed to a rival party, Likud has overcome another obstacle in coalition talks.
Can't see video? Click here.
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by IsraelNN staff
With just days left until the task of assembling a government could be passed to a rival party, Likud has overcome another obstacle in coalition talks.
Can't see video? Click here.
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