Reflections on Israeli Life: The Day of the Prime Ministers

by Esther Korson

21 January 2014

    Well, I had something completely different planned for today, but once again the news came with imperatives to SHARE.  Yesterday could be called “The Day of the Prime Ministers”. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s public comments in the six years that he has been in office are consistently more pro-Israel than any other foreign leaders have ever been, and he is considered to be the best friend that Israel has in the world.  So when he arrived in Israel yesterday for his first official visit, it was definitely a newsworthy event!

    As the IBA English TV news reported, “The Toronto Sun newspaper called it a ‘hero’s welcome’ and the Toronto Star headlined ‘A Welcome Befitting a Rock Star’. After escorting his Canadian counterpart down the red carpet during an inspection of the honour guard, Prime Minister Netanyahu greeted Harper with superlatives normally reserved for one’s best friend. Netanyahu made clear how much he appreciated the steadfast backing Israel has received from Canada on a wide spectrum of issues, ranging from anti-Semitism to the peace process to the Iranian nuclear threat. ‘And when it comes to Iran’s reported calls for Israel’s annihilation and its unrelenting development of nuclear weapons, you and Canada have stood unflinchingly on the right side of history,’ he said.

    ‘You have shown great moral leadership,’ Netanyahu continued. ‘When it comes to anti-Semitism you stood up unabashedly at the side of Israel and the entire Jewish people…’”

    Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Harper went immediately to the Mt. of Olives for a panoramic view of the city. It helped him to realize how tiny and minute the country is and how vulnerable it is. (From my house in Jerusalem, on a clear day I can look across the Jordan Valley to see the mountains of Moab.  Translated, that means that I can see the country of Jordan from my living room window! And from a different point on the western side of the city, you can see the sun shining on the Mediterranean.  From Jerusalem, Israel is small enough to see across it! As Netanyahu pointed out, there is actually a street in Toronto that is longer than the entire length of Israel!)

    Prime Minister Harper spoke to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and he was welcomed with open arms.  We know who our friends are, and we don’t have very many of them!  I’d like to quote first part of an article in the Jerusalem Post entitled “Harper feels no need to temper sugar with vinegar.”  The article continues, “In comparison to other world leaders, visiting Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper doesn’t feel a need to balance his praise for Israel with criticism of its policies.  Like US President Barack Obama’s keynote address during his visit here in March, Harper’s speech in the Knesset on Monday paid tribute to Israel’s values of freedom and democracy.  Like French President Francois Hollande, who addressed the Knesset in November, Harper also hailed Israel’s spirit and resilience. 
What distinguished Harper’s comment was that the ‘honey’ of his praise was not then tempered by the ‘vinegar’ of his criticism. In Obama and Hollande’s addresses, the listener knew that all the favourable comments made about Israel in the first parts of their speeches would be followed by some less favourable ones toward the end: criticisms of Jerusalem’s policies in the West Bank and the settlements.
Those lines of criticism were not uttered by Harper.  He did not feel the need to balance his praise with criticism.  His was not as ‘yes, but’ speech: his was a ‘yes, yes’ speech.

Over the last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—who sat and nodded his head in agreement through many parts of Harper’s words—has taken aim at what he views as the world’s hypocrisy regarding Israel; specifically, at the Europeans for slamming Israel’s settlement policies while giving the Palestinian Authority both a pass when it comes to incitement against Israel and a sense that no matter what they do, they will not be held accountable.

In a line that could have been lifted from a Netanyahu speech, Harper said the world is one where ‘moral relativism runs rampant.  And in the garden of such moral relativism, the seeds of much more sinister notions can be easily planted.’ In contrast to the hypocrisy that Netanyahu bemoans, along comes a leader and shows a very different way. What a shame, Netanyahu had to be thinking to himself while listening to Harper’s words…that there are not more leaders out there like him.

 Harper’s words echoed themes Netanyahu often touches upon in his speeches: that Israel’s relations with the West are rooted in history and values; that the ties are mutually beneficial, with Israel not only on the receiving end of the stick but also giving expertise and standing up as a line of defense for Western values; that Israel is unfairly singled out for condemnation and criticism that is nothing but the most recent mutation of anti-Semitism; that Israel is not the source of instability in the Middle East; that if Israel acts to defend itself, it suffers widespread condemnation; yet if it refrains from doing so, it will lead to the country’s destruction.”

Harper received a very warm welcome in the Knesset Monday.  His speech—the first by a Canadian prime minister—was peppered with standing ovations, the enthusiastic likes of which may not have been seen since Netanyahu addressed the US Congress in 2011. The Canadian premier said he believes it is right to support Israel because, after generations of persecution, the Jewish people deserve their own homeland and deserve to live safely and peacefully in that homeland.  Statements like ‘through fire and water, Canada will stand with you…” were met with roaring rounds of applause; and though clapping is against Knesset protocol, even speaker Yuli Edelstein joined in. Harper’s visit was truly a gift to us as a nation.

Somewhat overshadowed by the love Israel has for Harper, the Prime Minister of Romania, Traian Basescu, was also in the country.  In his visit with President Peres, and in his halting English, he also had something powerful to say.  “I’m for the peace negotiations but for sure the security of Israel is the basic element to be discussed, because without that security the peace will not become a reality. For sure Israel needs to have peace but this nation cannot have its security affected and all the partners must understand that.”  Oh, if only Kerry and Obama were listening, along with all the rest of Europe!

Reflections on Israeli Life: Gaza Settlements & Cherry Tomatoes

by Esther Korson

20 January, 2014

            As the week of ‘sitting Shiva’ following the death of Ariel Sharon has ended, there is one more thing that I have to add to his legacy, and that is the tragedy of the disengagement—initiated by Sharon---from the Gush Katif settlements in  August of 2006.

            I’ll begin with a bit of history! Jewish people had actually been living in Gaza for over 1600 years until the historic Jewish community was forced to move by the British at the time of the deadly Arab riots of 1929. The village of Kfar Darom was later there on land that was purchased, before the village was evacuated following an Egyptian siege in the War of Independence in 1948. 

The nation of Israel decided to settle the area again, and building began in earnest in 1968. By the time of the disengagement in 2005, 8600 people were living there in 17 settlements—all of which were situated on the sand dunes (that separate the coastal plane from the sea along the southeastern Mediterranean).

            It’s hard to imagine that anything can grow on sand dunes!  But from that unlikely setting, beautiful communities were developed, with parks and playgrounds and schools and synagogues, community centres, office buildings and libraries. But possibly most astonishing of all was the fact that the major income from Gush Katif consisted of agricultural products!  Greenhouses had been built with a uniquely developed advanced technology that could grow insect-free herbs and leafy vegetables! In addition, the community of Atzmona had Israel’s largest plant nursery—and the Katif dairy was the second largest in the country!

            Most of the agricultural products were exported to Europe. Of the total Israeli exports, the Gush Katif settlements exported the following percentages:

95% of bug-free lettuce and greens; 70% of organic vegetables; 60% of cherry tomatoes (invented by Israel, by the way); and 60% of geraniums and flowers. The total sum of exports from the greenhouses of Gush Katif, which were owned by 200 farmers, came to $200,000,000 per year! From sand dunes! (statistics from Wikipedia)

            Friends of mine lived in Kfar Darom and I’ll never forget my visits to the Gush Katif villages and to their lovely home. The sand dunes had been turned into a paradise! They proudly gave me a tour of the garden surrounding their home, and it was amazing to see the many plants and flowers that had been induced to grow out of the sand! They presented me with a handmade wreath, which was made from twigs and had on it a shell from the nearby sea and dried flowers from their amazing garden. I still have it today—a sad reminder that nothing else is left of that noble enterprise that was known collectively as “Gush Katif”.

            The disengagement, when all 8600 residents of the area were forcefully uprooted from their charming homes and villages, was totally heart wrenching and tragic.  Almost none of the residents left voluntarily and most of them did not even pack their belongings.  The army had to physically remove most of the people and it was a terribly sad time, both for the residents who were forced by government decision to leave their wonderful homes, and also for the young soldiers who had to physically remove them.  This needs a bit of history as well for you to truly understand how devastating it really was.

It was more than 3500 years ago that the Lord God of Israel made a covenant with the Jewish people and promised us this very land upon which we now dwell.  (There are many Scriptures, which you are probably familiar with, such as Genesis 17:7-8; Jeremiah 31: 35-36; Deut. 1:8; Joshua 1: 2-4, 6 etc.)  The Lord also promised that even when we were exiled from the actual land, He still would never break His covenant with us. And even more amazing—that He would bring us back home again!   “…the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you. If any of you are driven out from the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord will gather you, and from there He will bring you.  Then the Lord your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed and you shall possess it.  He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers…” Deut. 30: 3-5

            Those prophecies have indeed been fulfilled in our lifetime.  We came home again to our Biblical homeland from more than 80 nations.  But can you even imagine how, after 2000 long years, we even remembered our ancient homeland?  How is it possible that century after century, scattered among the nations, we still turned 3 times daily towards our beloved Jerusalem with the prayers on our lips, with the hope and with the longing—“Next year in Jerusalem…”  It has been a Jewish refrain for a very, very long time!  Can you imagine how He even kept us as a separate people during so many hundreds of years?  None of it could have been possible except for our covenant-keeping, awesome and loving God.

            After such a long time away from home, there’s no way to describe the joy that is felt being back in Israel at last!  Therefore, when 8600 Jewish people were forced to give up their beautiful homes and villages and livelihoods and synagogues in Israel, in our very own land at last,  it caused an almost unbearable pain—for those who were uprooted, for those who had to physically remove the weeping families, and for all who witnessed the tragedy of those days.

            There was a man who on the last day of the disengagement was the last person to leave.  He lowered the Israeli flag from Gush Katif for the final time.  When Sharon’s body was lying in state at the Knesset, that very man came and draped an Israeli flag over his coffin.  And many of those who went through the removal came to the funeral nonetheless.

Another glimpse into Israeli life….

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Reflections on Israeli Life: Ariel Sharon & X Factor Israel

by Esther Korson

    Well, these ‘reflections’ are not always going to be about items in the news, that’s for sure!  But sometimes, things that are happening here are such a true reflection of life in this land that I simply have to share them!  And events that happened yesterday show perfectly different aspects of life in this little land.  Israelis are known to be warm-hearted, outspoken, innovative and kind.  The news I’m going to share reflects it all! Now to yesterday’s newsworthy events!
Yesterday began the seven days of “Shiva”, the week of mourning where family members and friends traditionally visit grieving families.
 (Information from IBA English News TV) “From early morning grieving Israelis began arriving at the Sharon family’s Sycamore Farm in the Negev where the 11th Israeli Prime Minister and IDF General was buried on Monday.  Sharon’s sons Gilad and Omri said it was their father’s will that his funeral and week of mourning be open to the Israeli public at large, the public that he loved so much.
    The police and security forces made special arrangements to enable this and the security deployment will continue as long as the gates on the farm remain open.” (Two rockets were fired from Gaza on Monday just after the end of the funeral ceremony aimed in the direction of the ranch but landed in open places causing no injuries or damage.  An Iron Dome rocket defense battery has been deployed in the area).
    “Sharon is considered by most Israelis to have been a military hero and a courageous leader.  Some of the visitors laid wreaths on the grave.  Others paused for a moment of silence and shed a tear or recited a prayer.  It was clear that all were very moved by the death of a man whom they considered larger than life.”
    Some of the visitors gave brief comments to the cameras. A man tearfully said, “I feel very saddened by the loss of Ariel Sharon.  I think he was a great leader…and we’ll miss him a lot.”  Also tearfully, a woman said quietly, “I agree with almost everything he did.  He was like a father to the people of Israel, in my opinion.” A man who had arrived from his home in Nes Ziona in the centre of the country said that he came to express the deep admiration that he has for Sharon.  His wife Rachel simply said, “The heart is broken…”
    A steady stream of visitors will without a doubt continue to arrive at the ranch from all around the nation during the remainder of the Shiva week.  It is a sad time for us all.
    Yesterday was also the 65th anniversary of the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament.  The Knesset opened its doors to the public and lots of activities were planned.  We’re such a new/old country!
    A 46 year old Filipino caregiver living in Israel for the past four years named Rose Fostanes loved her work in caring for the elderly, but always dreamed of being a professional singer. She had watched “X-Factor” faithfully and continued dreaming.  This year was the inaugural season for “X-Factor Israel” and so she somehow had the courage to audition.  From that very first audition, she captured the hearts of Israelis! “I used to have a very poor self-image,” she explained in an interview.  “But so many Israelis recognize me now on the streets and show such love that it has given me self-confidence!”  And last night, after having passed through many eliminations but still in the running, she sang Frank Sinatra’s iconic song “My Way”!  From her very first audition all the way through to last night, Rose received applause and standing ovations from the awed judges and the cheering audience.  She won the ‘X-Factor Israel” competition and is now heralded as the star singer in Israel!  Isn’t that fun?
    And last but least on yesterday’s news—“Real View Imaging” announced that they had successfully completed a clinical study that allows doctors to view live action 3-D holograms of, for example, their patient’s beating heart to help them  during surgery.  Experts say that this holographic technique could pave the way for a new era of intervention medicine. The technique does not require special eyeglasses and creates real images rather than illusions.  It actually recreates the image into free air so that the doctor can hold and interact with the image.  It’s not an illusion, it really reconstructs the image.  Being able to see the anatomy in real time is going to improve the way surgical procedures are done and the time it takes to perform them.  It was amazing to see it in action! The doctor was actually holding his patient’s beating heart in his hand, could turn it around, etc. Company officials say they have reached the point where science fiction has become a reality!
    For you, then, a few reflections of life…

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The Jerusalem Gift Shop 'Tithe Back' Program

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THE DETAILS ARE AS FOLLOWS: Step One: Sign Up by emailing us the following info at tithe@thejerusalemgiftshop.com a. Name of Ministry, Congregation or Organization b. Contact person c. Address and Telephone d. Email address you use for Pay Pal e. If you want to receive $250 credit let us know and we will tell you how. Step Two: After receiving your information, we will give you an exclusive code that will enable all who use it to receive a 10% discount on all items purchased from the web store. Step Three: Promote us in any way you can. We will send you a package with promotional material that you can use. We will give your ministry or organization a $250 credit if you give us an anchor link on your website. Step Four: Twice a year the Jerusalem Gift Shop will 'Tithe Back' 10% of all sales generated using your exclusive code. Step Five: Be Blessed!

Israel's PM Netanyahu on Construction in Jerusalem

Jerusalem is not a settlement; Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel. Israel has never accepted upon itself restrictions of any kind on construction in Jerusalem, which has approximately 800,000 residents, including during the ten months in which construction was suspended in Judea and Samaria.

Israel sees no connection between the diplomatic process and planning and building policy in Jerusalem, which has not changed in 40 years. All Israeli governments in the past 40 years have built in all parts of the city. During this period, peace agreements were signed with Egypt and Jordan, and for 17 years, diplomatic negotiations have been conducted with the Palestinians. These are historical facts. Construction in Jerusalem has never hindered the peace process.
 

Report: U.S. Mobilizing for Strike on Iran

Hundreds of powerful US “bunker-buster” bombs are being shipped from California to the British island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in preparation for a possible attack on Iran according to Scottish Newspaper report.

The Sunday Herald said they can reveal the US government signed a contract in January to transport 10 ammunition containers to the island. According to a cargo manifest from the US navy, this included 387 “Blu” bombs used for blasting hardened or underground structures.

Experts say that they are being put in place for an assault on Iran’s controversial nuclear facilities. There has long been speculation that the US military is preparing for such an attack, should diplomacy fail to persuade Iran not to make nuclear weapons.

Although the story was not confirmed at the time, the new evidence suggests that it was accurate.

Dan Plesch, director of the Center for International Studies and Diplomacy at the University of London and co-author of a recent study on US preparations for an attack on Iran was quoted by the Scottish newspaper as saying, “They are gearing up totally for the destruction of Iran. US bombers are ready today to destroy 10,000 targets in Iran in a few hours."

The preparations were being made by the US military, but it would be up to President Obama to make the final decision. He may decide that it would be better for the US to act instead of Israel, Plesch argued.

Diego Garcia is used by the US as a military base under an agreement made in 1971 with the British.

Neither the United States nor Israel have ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to resolve the long-running row over Iran's disputed nuclear ambitions.

According to The Herald, a shipping company based in Florida, Superior Maritime Services, will be paid $699,500 to carry many thousands of military items from Concord, California, to Diego Garcia.

Crucially, the cargo includes 195 smart, guided, Blu-110 bombs and 192 massive 2000lb Blu-117 bombs.

“The US is not publicising the scale of these preparations to deter Iran, tending to make confrontation more likely,” he added. “The US ... is using its forces as part of an overall strategy of shaping Iran’s actions.”

According to Ian Davis, director of the new independent thinktank, Nato Watch, the shipment to Diego Garcia is a major concern. “We would urge the US to clarify its intentions for these weapons, and the Foreign Office to clarify its attitude to the use of Diego Garcia for an attack on Iran,” he said.

The British Ministry of Defence has said in the past that the US government would need permission to use Diego Garcia for offensive action. It has already been used for strikes against Iraq during the 1991 and 2003 Gulf wars.

More News from Jerusalem

U.S Secretary of State Clinton Slams Israel

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in an almost unprecedented rebuke in decades of strong ties with Israel telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to personally scorn his decision to build new housing units for Jews in Jerusalem.

Clinton said the announcement to construct these new homes sent a "deeply negative signal" about Israel's ties to its top ally.

The Middle East Quartet made up of the European Union, the United States, Russia and the United Nations also slammed Israel in a statement saying it “condemns Israel's decision to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem." The statement also said "The Quartet has agreed to closely monitor developments in Jerusalem and to keep under consideration additional steps that may be required to address the situation on the ground"

US frustration with Israel’s announcement of the housing project as Vice President Joe Biden was on a visit to Israel was delivered by State Department spokesman Philip Crowley who told reporters that Israel’s move ran "counter to the spirit of the vice president's trip" saying also that it had harmed “the bilateral relationship.”

After speaking with Netanyahu Hillary Clinton heaped further scorn on the Jewish state in a CNN interview saying "The announcement of the settlements, the very day that the vice president was there, was insulting," adding "It was just really a very unfortunate and difficult moment for everyone, the U.S., our vice president who had gone to reassert America's strong support for Israeli security, and I regret deeply that that occurred and made that view known."

Since Obama came to office relations with Israel have been strained, and Biden’s trip was intended as a fence-mending mission. Now it has led to the biggest crisis between the two countries in two decades.

More News from Jerusalem

PM Netanyahu’s Address to the Christians United For Israel Jerusalem Summit

PM Netanyahu’s Address to the Christians United For Israel Jerusalem Summit

Welcome to Jerusalem, the undivided, eternal capital of the Jewish state and the Jewish people.

Your presence here today represents a profound transformation in the relationship between Christians and Jews. This transformation has its roots in the 19th century when the early Christian Zionists came to the Land Israel and when they began exploring the land of the Bible, when they began to yearn for the Jewish restoration in this land, the restoration of our numbers, the restoration of our sovereignty.

In fact, Christian Zionism preceded modern Jewish Zionism, and I think enabled it. But it received a tremendous impetus several decades ago when leading American clergymen, among them most notably, Pastor John Hagee, a dynamic pastor and leader from Texas, began to say to their congregations and to anyone who listened, it’s time to take a stand with Israel. It was time to take a stand with the sole democracy in the Middle East. It was time to take a stand against the lies and the slander and the vilifications. It was time to defend the Jewish state’s right to defend itself.

Today, Christians by the thousands, by the tens of thousands, by the hundreds of thousands, by the millions, by the tens of millions – today they have heard this call, and they stand with Israel. I salute you, the people of Israel salute you, the Jewish people salute you.

Time after time, through thick and thin, you have stood shoulder to shoulder with our state, and I have come here tonight to thank you for your unwavering friendship. And today that friendship is more important than ever because Israel faces unprecedented challenges to its security and its legitimacy.

No security challenge is more important to our common future than preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. I have said before and I’ll say again, that the greatest threat facing mankind is the specter of a militant Islamic regime acquiring nuclear weapons, or the specter of nuclear weapons acquiring a militant Islamic regime. The first is dangerously close to happening in Iran, and the second may or may not happen in Pakistan. I believe that with the right policies both can be averted.

If Iran develops atomic weapons, the world would never be the same. We would witness a cascade of terrorism across the globe as terrorists would operate under an Iranian nuclear umbrella. Look at how much havoc, how much terror they sow now, when there is no such umbrella, and understand what can happen if Iran, their patron, sponsor, supplier and supporter, if that Iran had nuclear weapons. Equally, the region’s vital oil supplies could be severely threatened and efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East would collapse as one regime after another would rush to acquire nuclear weapons of their own. Worst of all, if nuclear weapons would be given to terrorists, or to terrorist states, a 65 year-old era of nuclear peace would be endangered for the first time.

Remember that for the tyrants in Tehran, Israel is only the little Satan. In their eyes, America is the Great Satan. America is their ultimate target. Yet for Israel, the threat from Iran could not be clearer. Iran’s leaders openly call for Israel’s destruction. They brazenly deny the Holocaust and they hope, and they say so just about every other day, they hope to wipe Israel off the map of the Middle East.

We must not allow such a regime to threaten the peace of the world, the peace and security of all humanity. All responsible members of the international community must do everything in their power to stop Iran from developing atomic weapons.

As we speak the United States is leading an international effort to impose sanctions on Iran. We believe those sanctions must have teeth. And to have teeth, they must bite deep into Iran's energy sector. Simply put, they should prevent Iran from importing gasoline and from exporting oil. I believe that such measures might convince the regime to choose between continuing the weapons program and between assuring the regime’s future. But there must be tough, biting sanctions.

I said that we face great challenges to our security, but we also face unprecedented challenges to our legitimacy. Now this assault on our legitimacy comes in many forms – it comes from the so-called human rights bodies in the UN which would deny Israel its legitimate right of self-defense, it comes by falsely charging Israel’s political and military leaders with imaginary war crimes, and it comes by the outrageous waging campaigns to boycott, divest and sanction Israel. You are all familiar with that.

But I think that there is an even greater assault on our legitimacy. I think it is the attempt to perpetrate one of the greatest lies of history -- to deny the connection between the people of Israel and the land of Israel; to cast the Jewish people as foreigners in the land of our forefathers. Make no mistake about it. The attempt to deny our history in this land is an attempt to deny our future in this land. That is why to defend our past is to defend our future.

I ask you all to join us in this battle to defend the truth. Remind them of Abraham and Isaac, remind them of Joshua and Samuel, remind them of David and Solomon. Remind the world that the land of the Bible is not in the heavens but right here on earth. And that the people of the Bible, are on the land of the Bible.

Let me tell you how I remind foreign officials of this connection of the Jewish people to our history and to this land. You see, they visit my office. And I say, Would you come and look at this little signet ring that I was given on loan from the Department of Antiquities? It was found next to the Wall of the Second Temple, but it dates back to the First Temple. It goes back some 2800 years ago, to the period of the Kings. It is a signet seal of a Jewish official, and it has a name written in ancient Hebrew, which I can read. The name is: Netanyahu. Netanyahu Ben-Yoash. I say, that’s my last name. My first name, Benjamin, dates back 1000 years earlier, to Benjamin the son of Jacob, who also walked these hills. That is our connection. And nobody can deny the connection of the Jewish people to the Jewish land.

Israel faces great challenges. We must prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. We must repel the assault on our legitimacy. We must find a way to achieve peace with our neighbors. We must all pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

After centuries in exile, I have come here to assure you, the people of Israel have come home and no force on earth will ever make us leave our home again.

Government Press Office

Iran launches new missile production line - capable of destroying 3,000 ton warships

Iran has started mass production of the Nasr 1 (Victory) cruise missile according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.

Iranian Interior Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said at a ceremony to inaugurate Nasr 1 production line "Nasr 1 missile is a cruise missile capable of destroying warships that weigh up to 3,000 tons."

Vahidi, speaking at Iran’s defense ministry's Aerospace Industries Organization also said the “Nasr 1 is a short-range coast-to-sea and sea-to-sea missile which could be fired from coasts and all types of vessels.” adding it would strengthen Iran's naval power as “New features will be added to the missile in the near future, making it suitable for launch from helicopters and submarines.”

Ahmad Vahidi said last year while announcing Iran successfully tested upgraded versions of the medium-range Shahab-3 and Sajjil missiles with can fly up to 2,000 kilometers, putting Israel well within range, that in the event of an Israeli attack its "lifespan, which is today coming to an end, would be speeded up" and “If this [Israeli attack] happens, which of course we do not foresee, its ultimate result would be that it expedites the Zionist regime's last breath.”

This week IHS Jane’s reported, through the use of commercial satellite imagery from DigitalGlobe and GeoEye, that a new launch pad is being constructed with North Korean assistance at Iran’s Semnan space centre that could ultimately launch Tehran’s next-generation Simorgh rocket.

More News from Jerusalem

Senator Kerry: Israel won't go alone on Iran - U.S is on same page

US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry visiting Jerusalem today said the United States and Israel were “on the same page” regarding Iran’s nuclear program and called on the international community to take a tough stance against Iran's nuclear program and impose effective sanctions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Senator Kerry met this morning to discuss the main issues on the agenda, including the Iranian nuclear threat and ways to resume the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Speaking to reporters concerning the various options on the table the Senator said "I think that the prime minister is fully aware through his conversations with the administration as well as through his own comments to not be rash or not jump the gun and to give the other opportunities a chance"

On whether or not Israel would make a preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities Senator Kerry said he believed “Netanyahu understood what the U.S. was trying to achieve with diplomacy.”

The Senator also met with opposition leader Tzipi Livni who warned of the situation that has unfolded since the government added to a list of heritage sites the Cave of Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb saying “The diplomatic conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is about to turn into a religious one that will be impossible to solve,” adding "I call upon the Palestinian leadership to stop the deterioration in the situation before it is too late.”

Vice President Joe Biden is expected to make a trip to Israel shortly to continue with discussions on the Iranian situation.

Read more News from Jerusalem

After the clashes last week that erupted in Hebron over Israel’s decision to include Rachel's Tomb and Cave of the Patriarchs in a list of heritage sites, disturbances today came to Jerusalem.

Last night about 30 Arabs barricaded themselves in the Mosque – Sunday morning a group of about 20 remained, and wearing masks, they began started throwing stones at visiting Christians and Jews.

Police entered the Temple Mount this morning in response to stone throwing by Palestinians. Four policemen and two stone throwers were slightly injured - Seven other youths were arrested on suspicion of throwing stones.

The Islamic Movement and members of the Waqf have urged Muslims to “flock to the Temple Mount” claiming radical Jewish organizations are preparing to arrive at the Temple Mount today and again on Tuesday in an attempt to lay the cornerstone for the temple."

The Islamic organizations also called on Muslims to be on high alert around March 16, when they said extreme Jewish organizations were planning to mark the global day for the temple's reconstruction.

As tensions escalate the IDF have imposed a closure on the West Bank for the Purim holiday through Monday evening.

More stories at News from Jerusalem

Nasrallah Assad Ahmadinejad meet in Damascus to discuss "Zionist threat"

Nasrallah Assad Ahmadinejad meet in Damascus to discuss "Zionist threat"

Syrian President Assad holds banquet to honor Iranian President Ahmadinejad and Hizballah terror leader Hassan Nasrallah at his presidential palace in the Syrian capital Damascus.

Ahmadinejad and Assad together unleashed vicious rhetoric against Israel, with Ahmadinejad declaring that the “criminal” state of Israel is doomed, and Assad charging that Israel “is capable of aggression at any point.”

Ahmadinejad also vowed during his visit to Damascus that Arab nations will usher in a new Middle East “without Zionists and without colonialists” and "resistance is the most successful way to liberate land," continuing with his speech and to emphasize further Ahmadinejad said "If the Zionists want to repeat their mistake again, they must be uprooted from the source"

While the United States is trying to drive a wedge between these two sponsors of terrorism, Syria and Iran, the methods being used to accomplish this are evidently not having their desired effect, with President Assad saying while meeting with Ahmadinejad on Thursday, ''We wanted this festive day to be one of accomplishment, so we signed an agreement on annulling entry visas between Syria and Iran…This agreement would result in more communication and enhancing of the common interests of the Syrian and Iranian peoples.”

U.S State Department spokesman P J Crowley responded to this new situation saying "The US wants to see Syria play a more constructive role in the region, and one step would be to make clear what Iran needs to do differently. And, unfortunately, there was no evidence of that today."

President Peres to the Jewish Agency Board of Governors: Iran presents the greatest danger for the whole world

“Iran presents the greatest danger for the whole world. An international coalition must do three things: raise a moral call, impose economic sanctions, and install advanced anti-missile defense systems.”

“I think there exists a great call for a Jewish spiritual revival and re-moralization against the dangers we face”

President Peres opened the three-day meeting of the Jewish Agency Board of Governors today. In his address the President told the Jewish leaders: “Iran presents the greatest danger for the whole world. Today the Arabs are being challenged by the Iranian desire to establish a non-Arab hegemony over the Middle East as it was for four hundred years under the Persian Empire. The Iranians use Israel as an excuse but we shall disappoint them. We don’t want to govern anybody—neither Arabs, nor Muslims.”

The President declared “we have to think seriously how to handle [the Iranian threat], and how to face it,” and stated that “I don’t think [Iran presents] a problem or danger simply against Israel. It’s against the whole world. Having imperialistic ambitions and a nuclear bomb is a very dangerous combination because a single bomb today is like a whole army in other times. The world will become ungovernable if every country in the Middle East will have a nuclear bomb without responsible people to govern it. I am afraid the world is moving too slowly to face the problem.”

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Checkmate - Ahmadinejad is Playing Iran's Deadly Game

Checkmate - Ahmadinejad is Playing Iran's Deadly Game

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is playing a very dangerous game. His years of defiance in the face of international pressure to come clean about Iran's nuclear ambitions is coming to a head.

The latest IAEA report proves Iran is capable of making a nuclear weapon. With their enrichment program going from 20 to 90 percent; the process would take just six months.

Israel, in the event of what looks like a ‘when’ and not ‘if’ major conflict in the middle east, is going to have its hands full with a barrage of Kassam, Grad, Mortars, Katyusha and Scuds fired at her by hostile neighbors in retaliation to an attack on Iran by Israel, the US or a coalition of countries. No matter who leads the attack on Iran, it will be played out as Israel’s fault and Israel will pay the ultimate price.

Since the 2006 Lebanon war there has been one report after another that Hezballah has restocked and refortified its military with weapons smuggled in through Syria from Iran. Syria has built up its reserves with weapons from Iran as well. Hamas in Gaza has not lost any time during this past year’s cease fire, smuggling bigger and more sophisticated weapons, and now has rockets that can travel 60 kilometers, which puts Tel Aviv in striking distance from the south.

What does this mean for Israel? Even with the mid 2010 launch date of the first “Iron Dome” system along the Gaza border, a barrage of rockets from three different sides all at once may prove more than the Iron Dome can handle.

IDF Head of Operations, Brig. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, said that some Hezballah rockets now have a range of more than 150 miles -- making Tel Aviv reachable from as far away as Beirut. Israeli officials say Hezbollah's most potent weapons include about 500 Iranian Zilzal guided missiles, with a range up to 186 miles.

In addition, they say Hezballah has 4,000 to 6,000 Iranian Fajr 3 rockets; an artillery rocket that has an estimated range of 45 kilometers or 25-30 miles, and Fajr 5 rockets, which have a range of about 75–80 kilometers. In totality The IDF estimates Hezballah has about 40,000 rockets of different sizes and types and the stock pile is growing daily.

On top of the Iranian threat and an ever growing stockpile of conventional weapons being prepared for what seems like an inevitable conflict in the near future, Israel in the last few weeks is witnessing an escalation in the rhetoric against her from both Syria and Lebanon. Hizballah chief Hassan Nasrallah threatened this week "If you bomb the airport of martyr Rafik Hariri in Beirut, we will bomb Ben Gurion's airport in Tel Aviv." Today Syria's prime minister warned Israel that any new Mideast war would be “catastrophic for the region and beyond.”

Is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s rhetoric and defiance to the UN and the rest of the international community an effort to egg Israel into a preemptive strike so Iran’s puppet nations can launce a conventional attack on Israel, while all the time yelling “self defense”?

Make no mistake a Nuclear Iran is a threat to Israel, the Middle East and the rest of the world. I was reminded that the game of chess found its roots in the Middle East. Did you know the word “Mate,” as in “Checkmate” is Arabic and means "died", "is dead”?

U.S Military Head in Israel as PM Netanyahu heads to Russia

U.S Military Head in Israel as PM Netanyahu heads to Russia

Amid growing speculation of an Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen is in Israel for discussions with military personel while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is en-route to Moscow for meetings with top Russian officials.

Michael Mullen had a brief stop first in Egypt and will have another stop in Jordan on the way out. So far there is just speculation to the nature of the talks however, amid renewed speculation that the Israelis may be preparing for a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, the subject is expected to be focused on the growing threat from Iran’s nuclear program.

During his visit Admiral Mullen will hold a private meeting with Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi, as well as a briefing with senior commanders of the General Staff, including Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Maj. Gen. Benny Ganz, Head of Israel Defense Intelligence, Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, Head of Strategic Planning Directorate, Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel, and the military attaché to Washington, Maj. Gen. Gadi Shamni.

Despite some differences of opinion concerning Iran’s nuclear program, last year Mullen said both himself and Ashkenazi are "by and large" in agreement on Iran's progress toward obtaining nuclear weapons. He also knows "there is a leadership in Israel that is not going to tolerate" a nuclear Iran, saying that Tehran's atomic designs are a matter of "life or death" for the Jewish state. Regarding the question of whether or not Iran’s nuclear program has peaceful purposes he said, "I fundamentally believe that the Iranians are on a path to developing a nuclear weapon.”

Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke about his coming trip to Russia during today’s cabinet meeting, saying "We will discuss Iran first and foremost." Netanyahu is expected to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin where he will push for urgent "crippling sanctions" against Iran over its nuclear program.

Meanwhile in the background and possibly flying under the radar was the American military teams visit to Israel to disgust the possibility of storing some of the equipment and ammunition that is going to be pulled out of Iraq. “There is talk that some of the equipment will be stored in Israel,” the official said. “If that is the case, in the event of an emergency we may be able to use it.” Last month the pentagon decided to double the value of emergency military stockpiles it stores in Israel.

The US already maintains several stockpiles in Israel that include missiles, armored vehicles, aerial munitions and artillery ordnance. The US began stockpiling equipment in Israel in the early 1990s.

"Officially, all of this equipment belongs to the US military,” one official said. “If however, there is a conflict, the IDF can ask for permission to use some of the equipment.” US stockpiles were used during the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

The IDF and the Pentagon are also working on an agreement regarding the establishment of a Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) maintenance center in Israel. The US will set up a maintenance center on an Israel Air Force base. The center will be manned by Americans who would maintain planes that would make up a squadron of F35 fighters Israel is seeking from the U.S.

Ahmadinejad to Assad 'Destroy Israel if it attacks'

Ahmadinejad to Assad 'Destroy Israel if it attacks'

Iran’s State broadcaster reported yesterday that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Assad his country has 'reliable information Zionist regime looking to compensate for its ridiculous defeats in Gaza, Lebanon'

According to a Reuters report Ahmadinejad also said on Wednesday that "If the Zionist regime should repeat its mistakes and initiate a military operation, then it must be resisted with full force to put an end to it once and for all"

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has on many occasions called for Israel to be "wiped off the map"

Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as an existential threat and has not ruled out military action should diplomacy fail to deliver an agreement that would halt the Islamic regimes nuclear ambitions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a group of European diplomats yesterday that "Iran is racing forward to produce nuclear weapons" emphasizing the situation shall not be resolved by weak sanctions, saying "This means not moderate sanctions, or watered-down sanctions," while reminding them that the time left to apply these measures is running out "This means crippling sanctions and these sanctions must be applied right now."

The Islamic Republic does not recognize Israel and will not mention Israel by name but says “Zionist regime” or as Iran’s FM Mottaki said this week "a mad nation led by insane people" referring to Israel.

Last May, General Ataollah Salehi, general commander of the Iranian army said: "The truth is that Israel does not have the courage to attack us. If we are subjected to any attack by Israel, I do not think we will need more than 11 days to wipe Israel out of existence."

Anti-government protesters were dispersed today on Tehran’s main square as hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets to celebrate Iran’s 31st anniversary of the revolution.

According to reports from the Wall Street Journal the Iranian telecommunications have suspended all email deliveries to and from Gmail – Google has not yet commented

U.S. official: Obama 'obstacle to peace'

U.S. official: Obama 'obstacle to peace'

In defiance of President Obama's demands that Israel cease building in sections of Jerusalem and the West Bank, New York state assemblyman Dov Hikind laid the cornerstone for the second phase of a new Jewish construction project in the Nof Tzion neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem.

Together with Knesset Member Danny Danon, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, Hikind spoke with reporters about the Jewish right to build in Israel's capital city.

Hikind, a Democrat, asserted banning Jews from building in neighborhoods was segregation. He expressed wonder that an African-American president would endorse such a policy in the 21st century.

I’m the last casualty

I’m one of the last casualties of this war. I was killed at the end of the war’s final operation. I’m the last casualty of the Second Lebanon War, and the Winograd Commission makes no difference to me.

There was nothing in the first or second report that I didn’t know already. There was no need for a comprehensive inquiry to understand that mistakes happened, that chaos prevailed, that there was no serious discussion, and that there was no objective...read more