Dispatch from Jerusalem

Hamas: We’ll Occupy Haifa, Akko

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As Israel and the Palestinians attempt to renew direct peace talks, Hamas continues its declarations of war. Speaking during a visit to a university, Fathi Hamad, Hamas government’s Interior Minister addressed the Israeli “operation” [Cast Lead] in Gaza, saying that “the Zionist enemy is still hurting [from] the defeat in the war and preparing for another round in an attempt to destroy the Palestinian resistance.” Hamad mentioned the threats to sue Israeli officials worldwide. “The commanders are afraid to travel to many countries,”he said.

Israel Responds to Construction Backlash

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A Palestinian official has linked international recognition of a Palestinian state to Israeli plans to build more than 1,000 new housing units in Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, potentially raising the stakes in the diplomatic standoff. While construction in disputed territory has been a hot topic in Israeli–Palestinian relations, it is generally believed that in any future peace deal, the Israelis will end up retaining portions of territory claimed by the Palestinians in exchange for territory in other areas of Israel.

Germany: Special Connection

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“We feel responsible for guaranteeing that the memory of the horrors of the Holocaust will not weaken, even when those who experienced it will no longer be with us…I believe that the members of my generation and our children must maintain the memory of the Holocaust, support Jewish life in Germany and fight anti-Semitism uncompromisingly.”

Canada: We Will Stand with Israel!

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“In Canada, we have taken a number of steps to assess and combat anti-Semitism in our own country. But of course we must also combat anti-Semitism beyond our borders—an evolving, global phenomenon. And we must recognize that while its substance is as crude as ever, its method is now more sophisticated. Harnessing disparate anti-Semitic, anti-American and anti-Western ideologies, it targets the Jewish people by targeting the Jewish homeland, Israel, as the source of injustice and conflict in the world, and uses, perversely, the language of human rights to do so. We must be relentless in exposing this new anti-Semitism for what it is….But when Israel, the only country in the world whose very existence is under attack—is consistently and conspicuously singled out for condemnation, I believe we are morally obligated to take a stand.

Israel’s Water Crisis

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Almost every winter we cover the topic of drought in Israel. After seven years of drought in a row, it is certainly justified. Israel’s water crisis is looking even worse this winter. November 2010 was the driest in the North in 48 years with some forecasters saying this winter might be the driest of all seven years.

Watchman, Keeper, Guardian, Guard—Shomer

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“On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves; and give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. The LORD has sworn by Hs right hand and by His strong arm, ‘I will never again give your grain as food for your enemies; nor will foreigners drink your new wine for which you have labored.’” (Isaiah 62:6–8, NASB).

A Revolution in Glasses

 “Spectacles” have been around for at least 700 years, and while they seem to have been doing an adequate job, they have several disadvantages, such as limiting focus, reducing the usable field of view, and color distortion. Ze'ev Zalevsky, a Bar Ilan University professor, is the inventor of a unique system to help improve the eyesight of those suffering from presbyopia, the weakening of the ability to focus on near objects. Rather than make do with the partial solutions available today, he suggests a monofocal lens, which can focus light from between 13 inches away up to the horizon.

Unique Drug Applicator

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Last year, TransPharma Medical, an Israeli specialty pharmaceutical company, completed a successful clinical trial using its new ViaDerm System for the treatment of osteoporosis. However, the system is designed to be used for any number of drug substances and is currently being tested on three. It is very user- friendly and intended for home use.

Innovative Voice Analysis

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Technology has been developed in Israel that can decipher your emotional and physical state within a matter of seconds. It is already being used to transform the world of sales, and future applications might even diagnose physical ailments. The software was developed by Dr. Yoram Levanon, founder and CEO of eXaudios. After analyzing more than 50,000 voices speaking various languages over an 11-year period, he realized that intonation is the key to communication. Whereas he started out using only 12 emotions, the program now has over 400 in its emotional dictionary.

Diagnostics at Your Fingertip

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An Israeli company has developed an innovative new fingertip test that can diagnose sleep apnea at home and heart disease at an earlier stage. The [two] devices, developed by Itamar Medical in Caesarea, are based on Peripheral Arterial Tone (PAT), which monitors the pulses in your fingertips or in the extremities.