Sorrow and Hope

Signs of the Times

Keeping Pace with Terrorists

{image_1}They can tell from the angle of a footprint that an explosive is in the area. When a suspect is on the run, they can pinpoint his location in minutes. The soldiers of the Bedouin Scouting Unit stand on the front lines of Israel's battle against terror.

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Sharp Rise in Global Anti-Semitism

{image_1}According to a new report on global anti-Semitism, 2012 registered a 30% increase in anti-Semitic acts compared to 2011. These acts include vandalism and direct threats on Jewish lives. Numbering 686 in 2012, they followed two years of general decline in such incidents. Among the countries listed, France has the dubious honor of first place with 200 anti-Semitic acts registered. The United States saw 99 acts, Britain 84, Canada 74, and Australia three.

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Information War Could Dramatically Impact Next War

{image_1}“The threats that we face in the field of information security are growing significantly, but we have the ability to handle them,” Chief of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] Ground Forces Command Maj. Gen. Guy Zur said at an information security conference.

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US Senators 99-0 Support for Israel

{image_1}US senators have unanimously united in support of Israel. The vote came as the United States Senate considered Iranian efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.

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Israeli Air Force General Warns of “A Surprise War”

{image_1}Israel could soon face a heavy burden of powerful and effective weapons, if the crisis in Syria crosses the border.

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IDF: 26 Attempted Abductions Foiled

{image_1}According to a report by the Israel Defense Forces’ [IDF's] magazine Bamahane (“on base”), 26 attempts to kidnap soldiers were made in 2012—more than double the number recorded in 2011, which totaled 11. All 26 attempts—which took place in Israel and the West Bank [Judea and Samaria]—were thwarted. 

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Egypt Seizes Iranian Weapons Ship

{image_1}Arab news outlets reported that the Egyptian navy seized a vessel carrying a large arms shipment near the Sinai Peninsula’s southern coast in the Red Sea. The Anatolia Turkish News Agency reported the ship is an Iranian fishing vessel named “Sawit 1,” adding that it was captured 12 miles [19.3 km] offshore.

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Arab League Creates Billion-Dollar Fund to Promote Jerusalem

{image_1}The Arab League, meeting in Qatar, has resolved to set up a [US] $1 billion fund to promote the Arab character of east Jerusalem. The fund, which will be managed by Saudi Arabia’s Islamic Development Bank, will “finance projects and programs that would maintain the Arab and Islamic character of the city and reinforce the steadfastness of its people.”

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Many Israelis Update Gas Masks

{image_1}The defense establishment’s concerns about the potential threat of chemical weapons from Syria and Hezbollah have not gone unnoticed by the Israeli public. The Israel Postal Service reported the number of Israelis changing their nonconventional warfare protection kits nearly tripled in the month of January alone.

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IDF Sets up Cyber War Room

{image_1}Syrian hackers are working for President Bashar Assad's regime; criminal elements worldwide are trying to down banks' websites; and Israel has also recently experienced an unprecedented cyber attack as retaliation for the Israel Defense Forces’ [IDF's] Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza. The IDF's Computer Services Directorate responded to the rise in the number of cyber attacks in Israel by setting up a special cyber war room meant to protect its computer systems by detecting virtual attacks by hostile elements and launching a counter attack.

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