Sorrow and Hope

Signs of the Times

Israel to Build Underground Wall around Gaza Strip

Israel’s defense establishment’s plan to build a concrete wall tens of meters underground as well as aboveground along the Gaza Strip border was revealed by Yedioth Ahronoth. It has previously been estimated that such a project would cost tens of billions of shekels. However, under the new plan the construction costs are estimated to reach

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Israel Creates the Syrian Liaison Unit

Israel is planning for a long period of instability [due to] a political vacuum on the border with Syria in the Golan Heights. Therefore, the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] has expanded and created units in the Northern Command which deal specifically with maintaining contact with local residents on the Syrian side of the border. The

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Paris Peace Process, Who’s Invited?

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault announced a special summit with a singular purpose: re-launching the Israel-Palestinian peace process. However, neither Israel nor the Palestinians have been invited to participate in the meeting aimed at mapping out their future. Ayrault explained that the summit has been called in an attempt to hammer out the parameters for

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In France, It’s Dangerous to Be a Jew

Lucien de Hirsch, a Jewish school located in the 19th [district] of Paris, looks like a fortress. The gigantic school, attended by 1,250 students from kindergarten to the 12th grade, is protected by a platoon of camouflage-attired commandos, rifles at the ready. Since the attack at a kosher Jewish supermarket in January 2015, in which

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Arab States Embarking on Nuclear Path

On 17 January 2016, Iran’s once illegal nuclear plan became legit. It happened after nearly two years of negotiations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and heads of the P5+1 (US, China, France, UK, Russia and Germany). The Iran deal was flaunted as a success story in restricting Tehran’s nuclear activities to peaceful purposes in

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200,000 French Jews Planning Aliyah

The polling service, Étude IFOP, recently released findings of an extensive survey conducted amongst French Jews. Some 43%, the findings claim, are planning to make aliyah (immigrate) to Israel. In light of November’s massacre and ISIS’s subsequent threat, such a decision should come as no surprise. Yet according to Breaking Israel News, Étude IFOP conducted

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Gaza Again? Hamas Pledges War

Gaza is ramping up for another war with Israel and openly says so. Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh is pledging to attack and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is pledging a devastating response. As a result, there is talk today in Israel that another Gaza war might be only months away. Experts in Israel say that Hamas

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Israel Prepares for ISIS Threat from Sinai

A tense quiet has characterized the Israel-Egypt border for the past year, as the threat of the Islamic State has grown, leading the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to realize that it could end up affecting Israel directly—specifically its southern towns. The IDF has taken this danger to heart, and has been preparing. The IDF Southern

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ISIS: “We’ve Smuggled 1,000s into Europe”

As Europe staggers under the influx of the largest refugee crisis since World War II, affected countries might soon face a threat far more serious than a migrant question. According to an unnamed Syrian operative, more than 4,000 clandestine Islamic State (ISIS) fighters have infiltrated Europe under the guise of asylum seekers. These jihadists, the

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IDF’s Strategy for Defending Israel

The navy, airforce and infantry work in cooperation to protect Israel. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot has released a document highlighting the changing threats facing Israel and the IDF’s evolving approaches in dealing with them. Entitled “IDF Strategy,” the 30-page document offers the public its first glimpse into the IDF’s defense doctrine

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