Sorrow and Hope

Signs of the Times

Urgent Need for Genuine Solution

{image_1}When the world powers met in Geneva, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the opportunity to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In Netanyahu’s address to Putin, Israel’s PM said, “For us, for Israel, the biggest threat against us and against global security is Iran's effort to arm itself with nuclear weapons. Both of our countries have a common goal: we do not want to see Iran with nuclear weapons. Israel's approach is that the international community needs to insist on its positions as expressed in UN Security Council resolutions, i.e. to halt all enrichment, to remove all enriched material, to dismantle the centrifuges and to stop building the facility in Arak.

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Rape, Abuse Used as Weapons

{image_1}Syrian women are systematically raped and abused as a means of exacting psychological pressure on their families—“pressuring their male relatives to surrender”—according to a report by a Europe-based rights organization. The report by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network describes the abuses as a “deliberate tactic to defeat the other party from a symbolic and psychological perspective, making women desirable targets as the conflict rages on.” 

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Russia Fears Syrian Terrorists Could Hurt Them

{image_1}Syria is a chaotic mess that could be coming to a country near you. Or at least that’s what has Russian President Vladimir Putin concerned.

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Muslim Brotherhood Banned in Egypt

{image_1}In a move that threatens deep security repercussions, an Egyptian court has banned all operations of the Muslim Brotherhood and seized its assets. Because the order included any institution “branching out from or belonging to” the Brotherhood, it is believed that its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, will be included in the ban. The order is being appealed. The Muslim Brotherhood was banned during the 30+ years of the reign of Hosni Mubarak, although it was allowed to have a limited presence.

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Syrian General: Assad Ordered Me to Gas People

{image_1}Brigadier-General Zaher al-Sakat, a former chemical weapons chief in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's army, says he was ordered three times to use chemical weapons against his own people, but could not go through with it and replaced chemical canisters with ones containing harmless bleach. The general insisted that all such orders had to come from the top—President Assad himself—despite insistent denials by the regime that it has ever used chemical weapons.

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Report: Iran Built New Rocket Launch Site

{image_1}Iran has built a new rocket launch site which, according to military analysts, is likely to be used for testing ballistic missiles, The Telegraph reported.

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Hezbollah Threatens: “We’re Coming”

{image_1}Ahead of Al-Quds Day, Hezbollah hung a large banner in front of the Israeli border reading, in Hebrew and Arabic, “We're coming.”

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Saudis Targeting Israel with Ballistic Missiles

{image_1}Satellite images indicate that Saudi Arabia has deployed ballistic missiles that are pointed towards Israel and Iran, according to the Daily Telegraph.

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Hamas Manufacturing Rockets That Can Reach Tel Aviv

{image_1}Hamas is testing medium- to long-range missiles that are designed to reach Tel Aviv, Ynet has learned. The group manufactures its own 8-inch M75 rockets and stores them in special caches in the Gaza Strip.

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IDF Prepares for Rocket Attacks

{image_1}The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] Home Front Command held a large-scale exercise, simulating a rocket attack in Karnei Shomron—a community in Israel’s Judea and Samaria region. The drill was unprecedented in scope, preparing IDF forces to handle the aftermath of a severe strike.

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