April 30, 2018 -- News from Israel on Iran's Nuclear Program

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed on Monday that Iran had been pursuing a secret nuclear program.  In itself, this is not too earth shattering news for the United States, Israel, and other nations have known about Iran’s nuclear program and nuclear weapon plans.  This was in part the reason for the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that was made by Secretary of State John Kerry in Vienna between Iran and six nations—the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Russia, and China.  What is surprising is that Netanyahu claims Israel now has proof of the nuclear weapon plans.      

The nuclear weapon’s program, which is called “Project Amad,” was hidden in Tehran within an old warehouse.  Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, had had the warehouse under surveillance since February 2016.  In a secretive mission one night “Mossad operatives” removed the documents and data in January 2018 and brought them back to Israel.  President Trump was informed of the operation by Yossi Cohen in January.  The reason for the delay in making the evidence public was much of it was in Persian and the information needed to be analyzed.

April 29, 2018 -- Updates on Syrian War

On April 19, the Iraqi air force struck ISIS near the eastern border of Syria.  On April 23, Newsweek reported that Syrian and Russian forces were winning the battle against ISIS to win back Damascus.  On April 29, a massive explosion shook the city of Hama as the result of an attack on a Syrian base.  It was part of a series of attacks in the province of Hama and Aleppo.  The explosion was strong enough to register on earthquake monitors in Lebanon and Turkey.  One site record a magnitude of 2.6 on the Richter scale.  The source of the attack has not yet been determined, though some suspect Israel.  There are videos of the explosion on Twitter.      

April 29, 2018 -- Gaza Peaceful Protests Not Entirely Peaceful

See Videos of Protests As Not So Peaceful

April 28, 2016 -- The Deal of the Century

In the Lead-up to the ‘Deal of the Century,’ State Department Report Codifies Administration’s Middle East Policy

April 28, 2018 -- Week Five of Protests at Gaza-Israeli Fence

The fourth week of protests at the Gaza-Israeli boarder resulted in the deaths of three Gazans who were shot by Israeli troops.  Hundreds of others were wounded.  The recent boarder conflicts have seen a number of responses.  On the one hand, the United Nations human rights leader criticized Israel for its “excessive force” against the protesters.  On the other, Israel claims that it is following rules of engagement in order to protect its boarders.  In a surprising development, a leading Palestinian official,  Mahmoud al-Habash, criticized Hamas for sending children into the border conflict.  Al-Habash’s words were praised by Israel, but criticized by Hamas.     

April 28, 2018 -- Wo war der Tempel?

The traditional location of the First and Second Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount has been challenged in recent years by Robert Cornuke in his book entitled Temple: Amazing New Discoveries that Change Everything About the Location of Solomon’s Temple (2014).  The argument of the book is that the location of Solomon’s Temple was not on top the Temple Mount, but 1320 feet south of the mount in the City of David, and that the Temple Mount was the site of the Antonina Fortress.  Although Cornuke’s work has received favorable reviews by some readers, others have not found the work convincing, including myself.  In a recent video entitled “The Temple Mount Myth (Ep 1)” on YouTube from the Temple Mount Report, John Enarson and Doron Keidar challenge Cornuke’s theory on several levels that include the Antonina Fortress, the Stone of Trumpeting that was found on the south west corner of the mount, the Scriptural location of the temple as outside the City of David (1Kgs 8:1-13), an unbroken Jewish presence in the land of Israel, archaeological evidence from ca. 363 CE of Isa 66:14 engraved into one of the stones near Robinson’s Arch connected with the western side of the Temple Mount, the location of the “threshing floor,” the significance of the Gihon Spring in the Old City of David, and the work of the Israeli archaeologist Eli Shukron, who holds the view that the temple was on Mount Moriah.  The Temple Mount Report debunks Cornuke’s theory and defends the traditional site of the Jewish temples on the Temple Mount.

Picture of Temple Mount Area from Trip to Israel 2017

Picture of Temple Mount Area from Trip to Israel 2017

Picture of Temple Mount Area from Trip to Israel 2017

April 23, 2018 -- Bassam Tawil claims Palestinian leadership hides behind a smokescreen of double-talk.

Palestinians: New Twist on an Old Lie

April 20, 2018 -- Week Four of Protests at Gaza-Israeli Border

Gaza protest camps moved closer to Israel border fence.

April 20, 2018 -- Natalie Portman rejects Genesis Prize award because of events in Israel.

Natalie Portman rejects award from The Genesis Prize because of recent events in Israel.

April 17, 2018 -- Israel prepares for retaliatory attack from Iran.

On April 9, 2018, the Syrian T-4 Airbase was struck in an air strike that resulted in the death of seven Revolutionary Guards.  Although Israel has not officially confirmed the strikes, Iran, Damascus, and Russia have accused Israel of the attack.  A senior Israeli official has admitted that, “It was the first time we attacked live Iranian targets (facilities and people).”  Iran has stated that Israel will be punished for its action.  Since 2013, Israel has executed over 100 airstrikes in Syria, mainly targeting Iranian funded Hezbollah and military convoys.  For strategic purposes Iran seeks to establish a long-term military presence in Syria and Lebanon.  Israel has made it clear that they will not allow this to happen.  Israel is also planning for a retaliatory attack from Iran for the strike on the T4 Airbase. 

UPDATES:  The IDF distanced itself from the claims made by the unnamed senior official that Israel struck the Iranian military base at the Syrian T-4 Airbase. 

Ali Shirazi has claimed that Iran will destroy Israel.  He is to have said, “Iran is not Syria. If Israel wants to survive a few more days, it has to stop this childish game,” “Iran has the capability to destroy Israel and given the excuse, Tel Aviv and Haifa will be razed to the ground.” 

April 15, 2018 -- MKs Ascent Temple Mount on the 1st of Lyar

ARUTZ SHEVA 7

Marking the first day of the Hebrew month of Iyar and continuing what has become a tradition, MKs Yehuda Glick (Likud) and Shuli Mualem (Jewish Home), together with bereaved families, ascended Temple Mount today.

MK Glick said: "Today, we're ascending Temple Mount with families who have gone through the pain of terror. And the idea is to understand on the one hand the proportions of life, and on the other hand the connection of the Jewish People to the Temple Mount.

"When we send condolence to a family who are mourning, we always say that Jerusalem will fill your heart with condolences. And we come to G-d and we say 'Nachamu, nachamu ami'; To the Nation: take condolences - from where? From Jerusalem. And today, the families who are here to get the condolences by connecting to the Divine Presence of G-d, and many, many more Jews are coming to the Temple Mount, and many, many more people from all around the world, Jews and non-Jews who are worshipping G-d are coming to the place that G-d chose to rest His Divine Presence.

April 14, 2018 -- US strikes Syria

President Trump declares victory as Pentagon details US led strikes in Syria.

April 14, 2018 -- LDS President Nelson exits Jerusalem because of tension in the Middle East.

New LDS President Nelson's visit to Jerusalem cut short because of rising tensions in the Middle East
'

Jeffrey D. Allred, Desert News

April 14, 2018 -- Week Three of Protests at Gaza-Israeli Boarder Fence

One Dead Amid Violence in 3rd Week of Protests at Gaza-Israel Fence

April 13, 2018 -- Chinese Christians display Israeli Flag on Temple Mount.

Chinese Christians display the Israeli flag on the Temple Mount.  This is the first time since 1967, when the Israeli flag was flown on the Temple Mount on top of the Dome of the Rock after the IDF captured the site in the 1967 Six Day War.  The Israelis quickly took the flag down so as to not inflame the Muslim world.  

Chinese Christians Wave Israeli Flag on Temple Mount For First Time Since '"67

Chinese Tourists on Temple Mount with Israeli Flag (Photo via Facebook Stand With Us)

April 12, 2018 -- Jerusalem Mufti Muhammad Ahmad Hussein bans the sale of land in Palestine.

Jerusalem Mufti bans selling land in ‘Palestine’ or Jerusalem

The Palestinian mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, on Thursday published a fatwa, or Islamic religious decree, banning anyone “from giving up, or selling Jerusalem and the land of Palestine to the enemy” — a reference to Israelis.

The fatwa was issued on the eve of the Arab summit that is scheduled to convene in Saudi Arabia next week to discuss a number of issues, including US President Donald Trump’s yet-to-be-announced peace plan and his decision, announced in December, to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the embassy there from Tel Aviv.

In 2015, the Mufti had argued that there never was a Jewish temple on the Temple Mount.  Rather the site has been the home to a mosque 3000 years ago, 30,000 years ago, and even since the creation of the world.  

http://www.timesofisrael.com/jerusalem-mufti-denies-temple-mount-ever-housed-jewish-shrine/

April 11, 2018 -- Gaza Riots, Temple Mount Riots, and Reporter Dishonesty on Arab Initiated Violence

Gaza Riots, Temple Mount Riots and Reporter Mendacity

April 9, 2018 -- The Palestinian Authority defies the Taylor Force Act and continues to fund terrorists and their families.

PA Defies Bipartisan Taylor Force Act, Reiterates Commitment to “Pay to Slay” with New Budget

According to David Gerstman, "last month, the United States enacted the Taylor Force Act, which will deduct the amount the Palestinian Authority (PA) pays to terrorists and their families from the amount of U.S. financial aid to the PA. Within days, the PA passed a new budget that allocated millions to pay terrorists and their families....If there’s no Palestinian-Israeli peace, Abbas’s refusal to stop encouraging and incentivizing terror is a primary reason for that." 

May 9, 2018 -- Mahmoud Abbas' senior advisor accuses Hamas of sending Palestinians in Gaza to "go and die" for media purposes.

Abbas Advisor: Hamas Is Sending Civilians in Gaza to Die for Media Coverage

April 9, 2018 -- In the Middle East, not all historical narritives are the same.

In the Middle East, Not All Narratives Are Valid

April 8, 2018 -- Israel from the Sky -- Temple Mount (4K UHD)

Israel from the Sky -- The Temple Mount (4K UHD Video)

April 7, 2018 -- Who is to blame for the death of Palestinians at the Gaza-Israeli Boarder?

NATIONAL POST

I found an article online from the National Post entitled, “It’s Hamas that wants to see Palestinians killed, not Israel.”  The argument of the article is that Hamas seeks to inflame the conflict at the Gaza-Israeli border, despite Israel’s warning that it will defend its territory.  The article shows remorse for the deaths of Palestinians and sympathy for their frustrations, but is critical of Hamas who the article claims is “more devoted to Iran than its own people.”   The post sparked passionate and heated debates in the comment section that followed the article.

 

A Palestinian hurls stones at Israeli troops during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel on Friday, April 6, 2018.Khalil Hamra/AP

April 6, 2018 -- Palestinian-Israeli conflict is in part a clash between historical narratives.

THE FEDERALIST

According to Matthew Brodsky, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is not just a dispute over land, territory, and security.  It is a clash between historical narratives.  Since the 1990s, Palestinian textbooks have presented a historical narrative that at times boarders on myth and mere human imagination.  It is a “fabricated history” Brodsky argues that is not without “contradictions.”    

For examples from the Palestinian curriculum, see Nathan Brown, Palestinian Politics after the Oslo Accords (2003), 222. Click Here

April 6, 2018 -- Week Two of Protests at Gaza-Israeli Boarder - Nine killed on second Friday of protests on Gaza Boarder.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Nine Killed in Gaza as Palestinian Protesters Face Off With Israeli Soldiers

April 4, 2018 -- During Passover week, multitudes gather at Western Wall for Priestly Blessing.

TIMES OF ISRAEL

Jewish worshipers pray in front of the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City during the traditional priestly blessing on the Passover holiday, April 2, 2018 (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

During this week of Pesach in Jerusalem (2018), thousands have gathered at the Kotel (Western Wall) for the Birkat HaKohanim (Priestly Blessing).  One estimate suggests nearly 100,000 gathered for the blessing.  US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman even attended the event.  

I found a couple videos that are of interested.  I have included them below as links.

Priestly Blessing Video from Asef Chavar

 Video of Birkat HaKohanim from Yehudah Glick

US Embassador to Israel

April 4, 2018 -- Mohammed bin Salman acknowledges Israel's right to homeland.

THE WASHINGTON POST

Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has acknowledged that Israel has a right to its homeland.  The statement comes as the Saudis are seeking an alley in Israel, along with the United States, in order to be able to confront the influence of the Iranian government. 

April 2, 2018 -- Rabbi Yesef Berger believes US President Trump will rebuild the Jerusalem Temple.

WND: Rabbi Yosef Berger, the son of a widely revered Hasidic leader in charge of King David’s Tomb on Mount Zion, told Breaking Israel News Trump will play this “final historic reparation for his entire nation.”

“No leader in history has recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the Jews and Israel,” Berger said. “[Trump] has already created a great tikkun (reparation) for the Christians through his unprecedented relationship with Jerusalem. Trump is the representative of Edom that will perform that final historic reparation for his entire nation by building the Temple.”