Threatened on Every Side

By Missile Fire

{image_1}Yadlin, commenting on possible future confrontations with Israel's enemies, admitted that missiles would strike the Gush Dan area (central Israel): “A few more [would strike] than the number that hit in 1991 [during the Gulf War], but today we have the Arrow [anti-missile interception system], better intelligence, and a better Air Force. A large number of the rockets will be stopped, but some of them will indeed hit Gush Dan, and for this, we have to be prepared.

The Levy Report: Settlements Are Legal

{image_1}A special commission named this year by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has submitted some clear-cut conclusions regarding the legality of the so-called “Israeli settlements”. The three-member committee, informally known as the Levy Commission—headed by former Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy, along with former Foreign Ministry Legal Advisor Alan Baker, and former Deputy President of the Tel-Aviv District Court Tehiya Shapira—determined that these settlements are perfectly legal within the standards of international law.

Fears Arise over Syrian Conflict

{image_3}With Syria overcome by violence, Jordanian King Abdullah has expressed the fear that sectarianism in Syria could lead to a fragmentation of the country. And that’s not the only regional fear. A sizable Syrian stockpile of chemical weapons also looms as a very real threat—both within the nation and out of it.

A Treat Fit for a Rich Man

{image_1}A story is told of a poor man looking into the window of a fine restaurant, watching the very rich inside talking gaily and eating blintzes. When he arrived home, he asked his wife if somehow she could make him blintzes. He just had to have some. She assembled the flour, water, egg… “Oh, my dear, I have no cream cheese,” she said. “Just skip it; make them anyway,” replied her husband. “There’s no honey,” she cried. “Don’t need it,” he replied.

Other Security Fences…besides Israel’s!

{image_1}If we were to review a list of Israel’s actions that have incurred the wrath of the nations, it would actually be hard to decide which should be ranked at the top. Certainly in the running would be the decision, over a decade ago, to build a security fence, the largest infrastructure project in Israel’s history. Developed specifically to protect citizens from the infiltration of suicide bombers after years of intifada (Arab uprisings)—which left 1,226 Israelis dead and 8,341 maimed— the cost was nearly US $2 billion.

Young Adults Discovering Their Roots

{image_1}Two names, two programs, one Jewish, the other Christian, but there are more similarities than differences between them. While Taglit-Birthright is aimed at helping young Jewish adults of the Diaspora [the Jewish population outside Israel] reconnect with their Jewish roots, Zealous8:2 seeks to connect Christian young adults to the Hebraic roots of their faith. Both are using tours to draw young people around the world to Israel. The curious bystander in Israel who observes the endless lines of excited, English-speaking Jewish youth on Taglit tours must wonder how this program began.

Gaza–Not the Full Story

{image_1}Perhaps no single place on earth is so misrepresented as the Gaza Strip. On September 12, 2005, the last of the Israeli soldiers and civilians left the Strip after 38 years. Not a Jew remained. Even the bodies in the Jewish graveyards were removed and reburied in Israel.

Wonders—Pele

{image_1}One of the things which sets God apart from false gods is His mighty power. The Bible is replete with examples of the miracle-working power of God. One of His attributes as described theologically is omnipotence, the ability to do anything. 

Israeli Mom Goes Green

{image_1}Imagine pulling back the tab of a drink box, drinking its contents, and then throwing what’s left in the backyard compost heap to fully decompose––just like one would a fruit peel? This was the dream of mother and computer-engineer-turned-entrepreneur Daphna Nissenbaum from Israel. Her dream has turned into an award-winning, green-packaging company, Tipa, which is starting to roll out a few products already.

Detecting Breast Cancer…with Dignity!

{image_1}Early detection is the key to improving breast cancer survival rates, but mammography is not the ideal method to accomplish this goal. Medical experts agree. Not as clear is what could do the job without the disadvantages of mammography—which often causes pain or discomfort; emits radiation; cannot properly image dense breast tissue; relies on a radiologist’s interpretation of the image; and is not recommended for routine screening of women under age 40 or 50.

Tomatoes Replace Red-40 Dye

{image_1}No one knows fresh tomatoes like the Israelis. It makes sense, then, that the Israeli company LycoRed should corner the market for lycopene, a new super-food and natural dye extracted from the tomato. Lycopene is quickly replacing artificial and animal-based red dyes across America.

The Strait of Hormuz—The Iranian Oil Chokehold

{image_1}It is almost hard to believe that a number of the world’s most famous and significant oil producers somehow seek to channel their black gold in waterway lanes of just two miles (3.2 kilometers) wide. While the Strait of Hormuz is technically 21 miles (33.8 kilometers) wide at its narrowest point, its shipping region is something of a two-lane sea highway—with lanes two miles across in each direction and a two-mile buffer zone between. That means that an Iranian “roadblock” in the Strait could bottleneck it and cause an oil-carrier “pile up” that would hurt the oil industry in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and more. But this is no traffic accident. It’s viewed as a serious Iranian threat to the international community…Is it really?