Signs of the Times

Israel’s Mass Evacuation Plan

{image_1}The Ministerial Committee on Home Front Affairs is discussing a plan for a mass evacuation in the event of a missile attack. According to the plan, entire cities will be moved to southern Israel around Eilat and the Arava area. The plan also applies to cases of natural disasters at the national level and is a reworking of one of Israel's contingency plans.

65,000 Missiles Aimed at Israel

{image_1}Nearly 65,000 missiles and rockets are targeted at Israel, nearly all of them in the arsenal of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hizbullah, while the most deadly are based in Syria and Iran. Brig. Gen. Itay Baron, head of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Military Intelligence research section, told the Knesset [Parliament] Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Syria and Iran have some 3,500 missiles aimed at Israel.

Soldiers to Have Portable “Iron Domes”

{image_1}The Israel Defense Forces’ plans for improving its firepower is a topic of much interest in Israeli military circles. At a conference on “Air and Land Operations in a Complex Environment,” GOC Ground Forces Maj. Gen. Shlomo Turgeman discussed a future project to supply soldiers in the field with equipment capable of intercepting rockets, similar to the successful anti-rocket defense system, the Iron Dome.

What about Jewish Refugees?

{image_1}The Foreign Ministry held a conference in April during which it presented a special report on “Jewish refugees from Arab nations.” Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon urged the Arab world to recognize its historic responsibility for displacing Jews who once lived in Arab nations and making them de-facto refugees.

A Recurring Nightmare

{image_1}In March, four Jews, as well as three soldiers, were killed in Toulouse, France, by a Muslim gunman who was a member of al-Qaeda. Funerals were held in the presence of thousands in Jerusalem for Rabbi Jonathan Sandler, 30, his three-year-old and six-year-old sons Gabriel and Arieh, and eight-year-old Myriam Monsonego, daughter of school headmaster Rabbi Yaacov Monsonego. All four victims held joint French and Israeli nationality.

Sbarro Terrorist Gets TV Show

{image_1}Ahlam Tamimi, the Hamas terrorist who drove a suicide bomber to the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem where 15 people were consequently killed, has gotten her own television show, Ynet has learned. Tamimi, who was sentenced to 16 life terms in Israeli prison, was freed in October as part of the swap that bought Israel Defense Forces [IDF] soldier Gilad Shalit’s freedom. She was deported to Jordan, where she appears to have launched a television career. In an interview, Tamimi said she does not regret her involvement in the 2001 attack.

Iran Presents Battlefield Contingencies

{image_1}The possibility of a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities may evoke images of an air strike, but the Islamic Republic is gearing to counter every scenario, and according to Al-Mashreq Web site, Tehran has prepared a detailed plan of the defense in case of a ground offensive by the West. The Web site detailed the plan sans Iran's previous threats against Israel or American internets in the Persian Gulf.

Islam’s Genocidal War on the People of God

First the Saturday people…

{image_1}A recent article in Israel National News stated it is a “truism” that anti-Semitism is an extremely prevalent phenomenon in the Muslim world today. The author went on to make a strong case for the origins of that anti-Jewish prejudice in Islamic theology.

Hamas: Kidnap More Soldiers

{image_1}On October 17, 2011, Israel released 477 Palestinian prisoners, the first of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for the return of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Hundreds of the released Palestinian prisoners were serving life sentences for murder.

New Protective Items for Israelis

{image_1}Israel’s Home Front Command developed several items to help civilians living under the threat of rocket fire in addition to safe rooms. The Command recently completed the carefully tested items in the face of conventional threats.