Methodist Friends of Israel

Israel Today

Gaza-based Palestinian terrorists again escalated their confrontation with Israel on Thursday when they fired foreign-built missiles at towns just 10 miles south of the heavily-populated Tel Aviv metropolitan region.

Eight missiles fired from Gaza landed in or near the port city of Ashdod and a number of central Israel towns, including Rishon Lezion and Yavne.

Israeli responded with tank fire into Gaza. A Hamas facility in Gaza City was destroyed by the retaliatory barrage. Israeli aircraft also attacked terrorist cells attempting to launch additional missiles into Israel.

Thursday’s back-and-forth was a continuation of the escalating war between southern Israel and Hamas-ruled Gaza. The situation began to spiral out of control over the weekend, when Hamas-allied terrorists fired more than 50 mortar shells and rockets into southern Israel.

Israel has responded hard to the provocative attacks. Israeli retaliatory strikes on Tuesday killed nine Palestinians, including four civilians, whom the terrorists were using as a human shield. Many others were wounded.

In a demonstration proving that it is not Israel’s intent to harm Palestinian civilians, an eight-year-old Gaza boy wounded in Tuesday’s exchange was rushed to an Israeli hospital for emergency treatment.

Gaza Mortar Barrage

While the media reported an initial 124 missiles launched at Libyan targets, Israel’s south came under a barrage of some 50 mortar shells fired from Gaza, which injured two, on Saturday morning. The media has come to treat the firing of missiles from Gaza as “normal” and therefore not newsworthy. Nonetheless, this escalation barely registered with the foreign press…. until the Israeli reaction.
A good case study in bias is this Reuters report that appeared in the Irish Times.

Chronological inversion: The story focuses on the Israeli response to the mortar barrage rather than the initial mortar barrage itself.

Moral equivalence: The headline refers to “Israel attacks” despite the fact that Israel’s actions were made in self-defense as a response to an attack on its civilian population. In addition, lumping “Eight hurt” together fails to distinguish between Hamas “security officers” and Israeli civilians who were indiscriminately yet deliberately targeted.

Photo bias: Instead of publishing a photo of mortar damage on the Israeli side or even Palestinian terrorists with their armaments, the photo choice of a bombed out Palestinian building in Gaza is meant to portray Palestinians as the aggrieved victims.
Read the rest of this entry »

Christian Friends of Israel sent this report as the bus bombing happened:

Dear Friends and Intercessors: Just around 3:00 pm Israel time, we heard an explosion outside our CFI Jerusalem ministry offices. Breaking news reports began flowing across the television screens around the world. At the same time frantic Israelis from all walks of life who were near the scene were trying to absorb what had just taken place. For those of us who were here during 2002-2003 the thoughts of hearing emergency ambulance sirens again was something we did not want to be confronted with again. Almost losing our own lives in a terrorist attack in 2001 in Tel Aviv those terrible hours are still stuck amongst the inventory of our memories. All details are not known as of yet but reports tell us that a bomb was planted in or near a bus at the busiest time of day. People are hurting, wounded, scared and trying to absorb it all. Now is the time for you (in the nations) to pray for Israel and her People.

Israel is still in a struggle to survive. The Lord will judge those responsible.

BBCs reporting of bombing

Terrorism Targets Inanimate Objects

The initial headline of a story says a lot about the thought process of a news editor. While most other news organizations covered a bomb blast in Jerusalem by focusing on the number of casualties as well as the location, the BBC went with this:

According to the BBC, it wasn’t Israelis, Jews, innocent Jerusalem residents or anyone else that a terrorist usually targets. No – it was a bus stop, an inanimate object fixed on the sidewalk.

The BBC’s interest in victims of the bombing was seemingly only piqued by the announcement that the 59 year old woman killed by the bomb was a British tourist. Of course, one of the first rules of foreign reporting is to find a local angle. Yet it is noteworthy how the BBC is so usually disconnected from the human side of Israeli victims of terror and from the horror of those acts.

Evidence of this appeared in a related analysis penned by the BBC’s Jonathan Marcus. The brutal murders of the Fogel family warranted barely a few lines and were simply referred to as “an attack on an Israeli settler family“. Note also the choice of image to illustrate the incident. Once again the BBC could not bring itself to humanize the victims by publishing a photo of the murder victims or the associated mourning.

Israel Today

Israel is once again in the midst of a mini-war with the terrorist forces controlling the Gaza Strip, reported the Israeli media on Wednesday, as three more missiles were fired from the Hamas-ruled territory at cities in southern Israel.

Early Wednesday morning, a Grad-type missile landed just short of the southern port of Ashdod. A few hours later, two Grads slammed into the Negev capital of Beersheva. A 56-year-old man was wounded when one of the missiles landed in the courtyard adjacent to his apartment building. Miraculously, there were no other injuries.

In addition to the missiles, at least 10 mortar shells were fired at farming communities in southern Israel.

The attacks follow a major weekend escalation, which saw Gaza-based terrorists fire well over 50 mortar shells and rockets into southern Israel.

Israeli forces responded to the weekend assault by hitting terrorist installations throughout Gaza.

On Tuesday, nine Palestinians, including at least four civilians, were killed when Israeli forces returned fire on a source of terrorist mortar fire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement expressing deep regret over the civilian deaths, but stressing that Hamas alone is responsible for the tragedy by sadistically using the civilian population as a human shield.

Israeli forces are able to lock on to the source of enemy fire, and accurately return fire. However, the Israelis often cannot know whether or not the terrorists are firing from amidst innocent civilians, which the terrorists like to do.

Hamas and its terrorist allies threatened an even stronger response following the deaths, as Israeli Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom warned that the situation is very quickly starting to resemble the lead-up to Israel’s wide-scale incursion into Gaza in 2009.

ICEJ

Israel’s Ambassador to Japan Nissim Ben Shitrit announced on Monday that an Israeli field hospital is on schedule to be set up at Minamisanriko, a fishing city 290 miles north of Tokyo, the first of its kind to be set up by a country offering outside assistance to the quake-zone. A small Israeli team “is setting up the surgery right now,” the ambassador said. “They are evaluating the needs today, so that a larger team can be dispatched. I don’t know how or why it is that our field hospital is the first. Maybe we moved faster. Maybe it’s because of our experience.” The hospital is part of the assistance that Israel is extending to Japan which also includes donations of various humanitarian supplies, and has received very positive coverage in the Japanese media.

ICEJ

IDF response kills one terrorist, wounds five others

A Grad missile fired from the Gaza Strip landed in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on Sunday, the latest provocation from the Hamas ruled territory a day after over 50 rockets and mortars were fired from Gaza  into Israel.

Two Israeli famers were wounded and several homes were damaged in the mortar barrage Saturday morning, and an IDF tank patrolling on the Gaza Border also came under fire Sunday, after two suspected Palestinian gunman were killed in a shootout with IDF troops on Saturday evening. Hamas’s military wing, the Kassam Martyrs Brigades, claimed responsibility for the mortar fire. The violence led to alarm from several political leaders and firm retaliation from the IDF, which reported that at least one senior Hamas security official was killed during airstrikes Saturday evening.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he viewed seriously the “criminal attacks by Hamas on Israeli citizens” adding “Israel will take all necessary measures to defend its citizens.”

“Hamas doesn’t recognize our right to exist here – it isn’t a partner for peace, or for any agreement – and the right way to deal with it is force,” agreed opposition leader Tzipi Livni.

Israeli officials were investigating on Monday a report that the mortar fire was ordered by Ahmed Jabari, commander of the Hamas military wing, without permission from Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. Rumors are circulating that the attacks Saturday were part of an escalating turf war within Hamas between its military and political echelons. 

By Jenni Frazer, Jewish Chronicle

The incident happened at an Israel Apartheid Event at the School of Oriental and African Studies
A pro-Israel protester has been taken to hospital after being bitten on the cheek outside SOAS, the School of Oriental and African Studies, today. Police arrested two men on suspicion of affray. They have been bailed without charges for dates in April.

Four activists had decided to go to SOAS after learning that a Celebrate Palestine event was taking place as part of Israel Apartheid Week. Two of them, Tony Coren and Gili Brenner (of Stand With Us), went inside the university and had a number of conversations with the student participants. Mr Coren said: “We had placards and some information packs, and we had some very interesting and civilised discussions.”

But suddenly, Mr Coren said, the atmosphere turned hostile. “About four or five people were standing around Gili, Ro’i Goldman, and the fourth member of our group. One man began to say some extremely unpleasant things about Jews. He said that the best thing the Jews had ever done was to go into the gas chambers. He [the fourth activist] asked if he could film him. The man said yes, adding that ‘these things should be heard.’”
Another man then came forward and told the abusive man that he did not have to be filmed or interviewed. Despite the abusive man agreeing to be filmed, Mr Coren said, the second man, who was “big and burly and of Middle East appearance,” allegedly launched himself at the activist, grabbing at his camera, punching him and then biting him on the cheek.

“There was a struggle and the university security guards came out. A number of other people then began to say we shouldn’t be there. The president of the union came out and said we had made our point. A policeman strongly advised us to leave.”

Ro’i Goldman, who plans to study in the UK next year, said he was very shocked by the experience. But Tony Coren said he was not shocked, but was angry that the university authorities had indicated that by their very presence, the protesters had possibly provoked the attack. The alleged victim, whose name the JC is withholding for community security reasons, was taken to University College Hospital.

Israel Today

More than 50 mortar shells fell in the southern part of Israel as Hamas sought to maim and kill innocent Jews. This assault on civilians in Israel took place on Saturday, the Sabbath day when most Israelis are resting, and hours before the celebration of Purim was to begin.

The shells were fired from the Hamas controlled territory of the Gaza Strip. Hamas was voted into power by the people of the Gaza Strip and has reigned with an iron hand ever since, even killing fellow Palestinians and members of the other dominate political party, Fatah.

Thankfully there were no serious injuries from the barrage of mortar fire that rained down within a 15 minute period. Two people, however, were slightly injured with shrapnel from one of the rockets as they were entering a bomb shelter.

The Jewish holiday of Purim started on Saturday evening and will continue until Monday evening. Purim began during the days of Queen Esther when a wicked man, Haman, sought to destroy the Jewish people from the face of the earth.

As detailed in the book of Esther in the Bible, Providence turned the tables on this wicked man Haman. As the story is accounted for us, King Ahasuerus was unable to sleep so he had the royal records read to him. During the reading he found that there was a Jew named Mordecai that had saved the life of the king but had not been rewarded. The King then ordered Haman to take Mordecai and reward him before the people. Haman knew then that his days were numbered.

Jews in Israel are presently celebrating Purim, the day that God gave the Jewish people deliverance from Haman and victory over all their enemies. It is ironic that Hamas has chosen the time of Purim to attack Israel and destroy our people.

A month from now Jews all over the world will be celebrating Passover. In the Passover Haggadah, which is used during the first night of Passover, we read the following: “It is this that has stood by our fathers and us. For not only one has risen against us to annihilate us, but in every generation they rise against us to annihilate us. But the Holy One…rescues us from their hand.” (Family Haggadah, p. 31)

The nation of Israel is continually being reminded that Almighty God is watching over us and that in the end He alone will save Israel from all of her enemies, even Hamas.

ICEJ

On Wednesday, as relatives of the brutally murdered Fogel family were having a memorial service in the settlement of Itamar together with IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, a Palestinian cab suddenly appeared at the community’s entrance. In it were found a woman in advanced stages of labor, with the umbilical cord wrapped around the baby’s neck.

IDF troops and paramedics who were present immediately acted in order to save the mother and the child. “I first removed the cord from the neck and at the same time asked paramedics to prepare the baby resuscitation kit. I pinched her to see if she’s responding, and she started to cry,” Corporal Haim Levin, an IDF paramedic said. “It was touching, but I couldn’t help but think that a few meters from there, people were sitting Shiva for another baby, who was murdered.” The new born baby girl was given the name Jude.

Photos

During the predawn hours Tuesday morning, Israeli commandoes boarded and seized control of a ship sailing in international waters with a cargo of advanced weapons bound for the Gaza Strip.

The Victoria was flying a Liberian flag at the time, but is German-owned and French-operated. Israel had been monitoring the ship for the past week. When it departed from Latakia, Syria on Monday, Israeli intelligence accurately assessed that it was carrying a cargo of illicit arms.

The ship docked in Turkey later on Monday, presumably to deflect attention, before sailing south toward Egypt.

The Israeli navy intercepted the ship as it passed some 200 miles off Israel’s Mediterranean coast. Navy commanders were able to contact the captain of the Victoria, who granted permission for Israeli troops to board his ship. The Israelis met no resistance, and were quickly provided all documentation regarding the ship’s cargo.
Of course, that documentation was falsified. According to the ship’s manifest, it was carrying cotton and lentils. But inside the crates, the Israelis found the following:

• 230 120-mm mortar shells
• 2,270 60-mm mortar shells
• 6 C-704 anti-ship missiles with a range of 20 miles
• 2 UK-made radar systems for use with the missiles
• 2 advanced launchers for use with the missiles
• 66,960 Kalashnikov bullets

And to top it all off, the instruction manuals included with the missiles were written in Farsi, providing strong evidence that Iran was trying to further arm Gaza-based terrorist organizations.

Two weeks ago, two Iranian navy vessels passed through the Suez Canal and docked in Latakia, before heading back to the Persian Gulf. Israel does not know for sure, but the likelihood is high that those ships were delivering the very arms cache Israel intercepted on Tuesday.

The Victoria was docked in the Israeli port of Ashdod on Wednesday, and the Israeli army will be publicly displaying the weapons found onboard.

Israel notified France and Germany of the operation, due to the ownership of the ship and the nationality of the crew. Israel does not believe that Turkey or Egypt had any knowledge of or role in the smuggling attempt.

The incident further justifies Israel’s maritime embargo against the Gaza Strip, and its interception of cargo and other large ships trying to reach the Hamas-ruled territory.