Irish FM Asked Why His Country Funds Groups Calling for Israel’s Destruction

PM Netanyahu & Irish FM Coveney. Photo courtesy of Haim Zach (GPO)

That new Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney made his first trip outside of Europe a visit to Israel might be surprising. What makes it really unusual is that the Irish diplomat doesn’t see eye-to-eye with Israeli leadership regarding the Palestinian situation—but he got the full picture from them while he was there. In his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli leader made sure that Ireland knew Israel’s stance.

A summary of Netanyahu’s comments released by his office said that he noted to Coveney that Ireland “does not condemn Palestinians for incitement and for glorifying those who commit terrorist attacks,” while also asking him “why Ireland helps NGOs that call for the destruction of Israel.” And Netanyahu may have been generous, because some of the Irish aid allegedly goes to groups with ties to terrorists. At the least, the Irish diplomat himself openly promoted a journal that publishes aggressive anti-Israel rhetoric. … Continue Reading

Israel Backs A ‘Genuine Ceasefire’ in Syria, But Won’t Accept Iran on Border

Will peace return to the Israel-Syria border region?
Golan Heights UN Peacekeepers. Illustrative. Photo Courtesy of UN Photo/Wolfgang Grebien.

The latest ceasefire in Syria—which CNN reported was brokered by the United States and Russia and covers the southern region that includes the border with Israel—may be a move towards reducing the violence in that nation’s bloody civil war. But while Israel supports that, the Jewish State won’t let a ceasefire provide cover for Iran to threaten Israel at the border.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear on Sunday that while his nation “will welcome a genuine ceasefire in Syria,” at the same time the ceasefire “must not enable the establishment of a military presence by Iran and its proxies in Syria,” according to comments released by his office.

Said the Israeli leader, “For our part we will continue to monitor developments beyond our borders while strongly upholding our red lines: Prevent the strengthening of Hezbollah via Syria, with emphasis on the acquisition of precision weapons, prevent Hezbollah—or Iranian forces—from establishing a ground presence along our border, and prevent the establishment of an Iranian military presence in Syria as a whole.” … Continue Reading

Israel, US Outraged after UN Group Calls Tomb of Abraham A Palestinian Site

The United Nations is passing anti-Israel resolutions again. United Nations Flag at Headquarters in New York. Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock

Hebron is home to the Tomb of the Patriarchs—the ancient Biblical burial place of Israel’s patriarchs and matriarchs—but that didn’t stop a United Nations cultural organization from passing a resolution labeling the site as located in “Palestine.” Furthermore, the U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) put the site on it’s endangered heritage site list after Palestinians accused Israel of threatening the site, according to the BBC. Israel was appalled by the decision, which passed in an unusual secret ballot with 12 nations on the committee approving, three opposed and six abstaining.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a statement released by his office, said that by calling the site “Palestinian”, UNESCO effectively said it was not Jewish. “Not a Jewish site?! Who is buried there? Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca and Leah—our patriarchs and matriarchs!,” said Netanyahu last Friday. “And the site is in danger? It is only in those places where Israel is, such as Hebron, that freedom of religion for all is ensured. In the Middle East, mosques, churches and synagogues in every other place, are being bombed—in places that are not Israel. We will continue to protect the Tomb of the Patriarchs, freedom of religion for all and the truth.” Israel wasn’t the only nation disturbed by the decision. … Continue Reading

Israel, India Discussing Partnership to Help Africa

Israeli PM Netanyahu and Indian PM Modi. Illustrative. Photo courtesy of Kobi Gideon / GPO

It’s not enough that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the first ever Indian head of state to visit Israel, or that his historic visit is ushering in a deeper cooperation between the two nations. Apparently, it’s not enough to stop at just two countries getting closer—India and Israel want to make it three, or more, by working together in Africa. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a plan to jointly assist Africa with India during a working session on Wednesday with Modi that signed seven different agreements between the two countries.

“We’re going to seek to bring to fruition these various areas which can truly revolutionize our relationship but also the lives of many, many millions of people, both in India—in India, it’s many hundreds of millions of people—but we’re talking about beyond that even,” said Netanyahu in comments released by his office. “We’re talking about also cooperation in third countries and actually working together to better the future of the people of Africa.” … Continue Reading

Palestinian Officials Defend, Support Terrorists

The Palestinians promotion of terror continues. Illustrative banner of terrorists and Dome of the Rock. By Joshua Spurlock

What do verbally defending two terrorist organizations at the United Nations and being arrested for involvement in one of those terror groups have in common? They both made headlines in less than a week and were each done by Palestinian officials. Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian lead negotiator with Israel, told a United Nations forum last week that Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) were “not terrorist organizations,” according to a report by The Jerusalem Post.

The PFLP claimed responsibility for a killing rampage in a Jerusalem synagogue in 2014, and just recently, Hamas and the PFLP both claimed credit for the June terror shooting and stabbing in Jerusalem that murdered 23-year-old Israeli border policewoman Hadas Malka. Israeli Prime Minister’s Office Spokesman Ofir Gendelman tweeted in response to Erekat’s comments that the two organizations—which are on the United States terrorist list—have “killed 1000+ Israelis. That’s support for terrorism.” … Continue Reading

Israel ‘Holds Syrian Regime Responsible’ as Border Spillover Attacks Continue

Syria’s civil war is straying into Israel, again. Educational sign post showing distance between major locations in the Middle East. Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock

Syrian mortar fire hit Israeli territory again this weekend, as violent spillover from that nation’s civil war that was once a rare incident has now become a regular occurrence. Israel retaliated to projectiles that landed in Israel on both Friday and Saturday by hitting the Syrian military directly at the “source of the fire”, according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Twitter page. IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis was quoted by the Twitter page as stating that “Israel holds the Syrian regime responsible for any breach of its borders and will act accordingly.”

Since last Saturday, more than a dozen Syrian projectiles have hit Israeli territory and the IDF Spokesperson tweeted that after searches on the Syrian border last week “heavy machine gun bullet holes were identified” in a United Nations peacekeeping post near the border. Israeli civilians have been “instructed to stay away from open areas near the border” according to a video posted to the IDF Spokesperson’s Twitter page last week summarizing some of the incidents. … Continue Reading