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03242015 NEWS AM [SPECIAL APPEAL for Lev U’Neshama! ]
Trouble reading the news? Too wide for your CRT? Try the PDF format – rdb]
http://easttexasbiblicalprophecyforum.org/uploads/-_TODAYSNEWS.pdf - Note New link
Herodion National Park. Israel - by Amir Aloni
https://vimeo.com/121923744
"In the first place, it is to be remembered, that the general government is not to be charged
with the whole power of making and administering laws: its jurisdiction is limited to certain
enumerated objects, which concern all the members of the republic, but which are not to be
attained by the separate provisions of any."
-- James Madison (1751-1836), Father of the Constitution for the USA, 4th US President
Read the Prophets & PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!
That is the only hope of this nation!
Please remember
these folks in prayerCheck often – they
change
Plead for Grace and Mercy
That the world would
WAKE
Time for a worldwide repentance!
U P.
ALL US soldiers fighting for our freedom around the world
Pray for those in our government to repent of their wicked corrupt ways.
Pray that the American people WAKE UP to the truth concerning our
government and take a positive act
Pray for BAM – Cancer treatment chemo
Pray for JA – Cancer treatment chemo and radiation – complications
Pray for CM – Severe liver failure
Pray for M B B –surgery for a tumor – Now with more tumor.
Pray that The Holy One will lead you in Your preparations for handling the
world problems. – Have YOU made any preparations?
2Samuel 13:34But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes, and
looked, and, behold, there came much people by the way of the hill side behind him. 35And
Jonadab said unto the king, Behold, the king's sons come: as thy servant said, so it is. 36And
it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that, behold, the king's sons
came, and lifted up their voice and wept: and the king also and all his servants wept very sore.
Watchdog says ‘limited’ progress in Iran nuclear probe
IAEA uncertain whether Tehran’s intentions ‘peaceful,’ but reports ‘good cooperation’ on implementing interim deal
By Times of Israel staff March 23, 2015, 11:03 pm
The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday the nuclear watchdog had made
little headway in determining whether Iran has military ambitions for its nuclear program, and could
not determine whether Tehran’s intentions were entirely peaceful.
Director general Yukiya Amano also said the IAEA had “good cooperation” with Tehran in the efforts to
implement the terms of the November 2013 interim deal, but issues meant to clear up suspicions of
weaponization work remained.
“As far as the implementation of the comprehensive safeguards agreement, we have some good cooperation with Iran,”
Yukiya Amano said at a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace conference, according to Reuters.
“We are also implementing the Joint Plan of Action and we can also say the implementation is good. But with respect
to the clarification of issues with possible military dimensions, the progress is limited and this is the area where more …
cooperation from Iran is needed.”
Amano said the agency could not, at this time, establish whether the nuclear materials were not
being used for military purposes.
“We continue to verify the non-divergence of nuclear material declared by Iran but we are still not in a position to
conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful purpose,” he said.
Iran and six world powers are currently racing toward a landmark deal that would see some Iranian nuclear activity
forzen in exhcnage for a lifting of sanctions. Israel has lobbied against the agreement, saying Iran should not be trusted,
but the US and others have said the agreement will include safeguards against Iran building a nuclear weapon.
Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, a claim rejected by the West.
Earlier this month, Amano said Iran still needed to hand over key information to the UN body
necessary for its investigation of the country’s nuclear program. “Iran has yet to provide explanations that
enable the agency to clarify two outstanding practical measures,” Amano told the IAEA’s Board of Governors in Vienna,
according to Reuters.
The two missing pieces of the puzzle relate to alleged explosive tests and other issues related to
research that may also be useful for military uses of atomic energy. According to Amano the missing
pieces of data should have been addressed by Iran by last August.
“The agency is not in a position to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and
activities in Iran, and therefore to conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities,” Amano was quoted
by Reuters as saying.
The agency remains ready to accelerate the resolution of all outstanding issues, he added, but “this process cannot
continue indefinitely.” http://www.timesofisrael.com/watchdog-says-limited-progress-in-iran-nuclear-probe/
Lawmakers warn Obama on Iran as UN watchdog claims 'limited progress'
367 House legislators sign open letter to president saying nuclear agreement will require its approval; UN agency says
it cannot conclude whether Iranian program is for peaceful purposes.
Ynet
Published: 03.23.15, 21:00 / Israel News
An open letter to President Obama signed by 367 House legislators was released on Monday and
warned that a deal with Iran over its nuclear program would require congressional approval, CNN
reported. "Should an agreement with Iran be reached, permanent sanctions relief from
congressionally-mandated sanctions would require new legislation. In reviewing such an agreement,
Congress must be convinced that its terms foreclose any pathway to a bomb, and only then will
Congress be able to consider permanent sanctions relief," the lawmakers wrote in the letter.
"A final comprehensive nuclear agreement must constrain Iran's nuclear infrastructure so that Iran has no pathway to a
bomb, and that agreement must be long-lasting," they added. "Any inspection and verification regime must allow for short
notice access to suspect locations, and verifiable constraints on Iran's nuclear program must last for decades."
The letter followed a similar missive earlier in March signed by 47 Republican senators. Unlike that
letter, the one released Monday was signed by Democrats as well as Republicans.
Meanwhile, the UN nuclear watchdog's chief said Monday that the agency has had limited progress in its inquiry into
possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program, although Iran has cooperated with the agency in implementing an
interim deal reached with world powers.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is investigating allegations of explosives tests and other activity by
Iran that could be used to develop nuclear bombs.
This inquiry runs parallel to Tehran's talks with six world powers to curb its nuclear work in exchange for lifting
economic sanctions. Diplomats have voiced concern there would be little progress in the talks until that political deal is
reached.
The world powers reached an interim deal with Iran, called the Joint Plan of Action, in 2013, intended to halt some
aspects of Iran's nuclear program in return for some sanctions relief.
"As far as the implementation of the comprehensive safeguards agreement, we have some good cooperation with Iran,"
said Yukiya Amano, director general of the IAEA, at a conference in Washington hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace.
"We are also implementing the Joint Plan of Action and we can also say the implementation is good. But with respect
to the clarification of issues with possible military dimensions, the progress is limited and this is the area where more ...
cooperation from Iran is needed."
Amano said the agency still was not able to conclude whether all nuclear material in Iran was being used for peaceful
purposes.
"We continue to verify the non-divergence of nuclear material declared by Iran but we are still not in a position to
conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful purpose," he said. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L4640228,00.html [That is at least one piece of good news, it appears that congress may actually get some
cojones and act with some sense of unity on an important issue. – rdb]
The Middle East Nuclear Race Is Already Underway
Karl Vick @karl_vick 12:43 PM ET
While the U.S. and other world powers work to constrain Iran's nuclear program, five rival nations plan atomic
programs
One of the most important reasons why the U.S. is trying to conclude a nuclear deal with Iran is to prevent an Iranian
bomb from triggering a nuclear race in the Middle East. Yet even as talks continue now in Switzerland, Tehran’s
regional rivals have already begun quietly acting on their own atomic ambitions. Nuclear power may be
on the wane almost everywhere else in the world, but it’s all the rage in the place with all that oil.
Egypt’s announcement last month that it was hiring Russia to build a reactor near Alexandria made it
only the latest entrant in an emerging atomic derby. Every other major Sunni power in the region has
announced similar plans. And though none appear either as ambitious nor as ambiguous as what’s taken place in
Iran—which set out to master the entire atomic fuel cycle, a red flag for a military program—each announcement lays
down a marker in a region that, until recently, was notable as the one place on the planet where governments had made
little progress on nuclear power.
With the exception of Israel, which has never publicly acknowledged its widely known nuclear
arsenal, no Middle Eastern country beyond Iran had a nuclear program—peaceful or otherwise—until the
wealthy United Arab Emirates began building a reactor in July 2012 (due for completion in 2017). The list now includes,
in addition to Egypt, Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia—the last Iran’s arch-rival, and which last year revealed plans to
build 16 nuclear plants over the next two decades. When the president of South Korea—which has 23 nuclear plants of its
own—visited the Kingdom earlier this month, leaders of both countries signed a memo of understanding calling for Seoul
to build two of the nuclear plants. The Saudis have made similar arrangements with China, Argentina and France.
“It’s not just because nuclear power is seen as a first step toward a nuclear weapons option,” says Mark Fitzpatrick, a
former State Department nuclear expert who now runs the non-proliferation and disarmament program at London’s
International Institute for Strategic Studies. “There is also a prestige factor: keeping up with the neighbors.”
Middle Eastern nations may have legitimate reasons to invest in nuclear energy. Jordan, for instance, has almost no oil
in liquid form, and almost less water. Saudi Arabia and the UAE possess huge crude reserves, but lose potential export
revenue when they burn oil at home to create electricity—huge amounts of which are sucked up by desalination plants.
Turkey, despite impressive hydroelectric potential, must import oil and natural gas.
But all that has been true for decades. What’s changed in recent years is the nuclear capabilities of Iran—a Shi’ite
Muslim country Sunni leaders have come to regard as major threat. Jordan’s King Abdullah II famously warned of a
“Shia crescent” of Iran-aligned countries reaching from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf. The Saudis have made it
clear that they will acquire a nuclear weapon should Iran get one. MORE - http://time.com/3751676/iran-talks-nuclear-race-middleeast/ [It would appear that the ‘genius’ occupier of the Whitehouse has once again totally trashed and
destabilized the Middle East and in general the entire world politic. – rdb]
South Syrian rebels say Assad foes are supplying more arms
Rebels says foreign states stepped up weapon supplies since Damscus launched offensive to regain frontier zone near
Jordan and Israel.
Reuters
Published: 03.24.15, 11:04 / Israel News
Mainstream rebels in southern Syria say foreign states have stepped up weapons supplies to them
since Damascus launched an offensive early last month to regain the frontier zone near Jordan and
Israel. This suggests President Bashar al-Assad's Arab and Western enemies want to help preserve the last major foothold
of what they call the moderate opposition, although the rebels say the equipment still falls short of their needs.
The Syrian army backed by allied militia including the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah are trying to
regain territory which is vitally important to Assad and his allies in Iran; both attach great importance
to the struggle with Israel, which borders Syria to the southwest.
At first they advanced rapidly through the southwestern corner of Syria. State TV broadcast from several villages
captured from the insurgents, who are among the last remnants of the mainstream rebellion against Assad that has been
crushed elsewhere by government forces or jihadist groups such as Islamic State and the Nusra Front, a wing of al-Qaeda.
But the push then appeared to slow. Three rebel officials said foreign states had increased their help in response to the
advance. "We are asking for more," said Saber Safar, a colonel who defected from the Syrian army and now heads a group
called "The First Army", part of "The Southern Front" rebel alliance. He spoke via Skype from inside Syria.
The rebels declined to give details, or say which states had supplied the weapons. The Southern
Front groups have previously received military aid via Jordan, a staunch US ally. Some of the southern
rebel groups have received US-made anti-tank weapons, though they have long described the quantities as small. In
addition to the United States, Assad's foreign opponents include Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.
A Syrian military source said the army was working according to a new plan "focused on directing
concentrated blows against some of the positions of the terrorist gangs". "These strikes are achieving
excellent results," the source said.
Mainstream rebels in northern Syria suffered their most recent setback with the collapse of the Hazzm movement, a
US-backed group that dissolved itself earlier this month after coming under attack from the Nusra Front.
The weakness of the mainstream groups is a big complication for US planners who want to arm and
train rebels to fight Islamic State. The Nusra Front is also active in the south but has avoided conflict with the
mainstream groups there. [The rebels are in essence terrorists like most of the splinter groups over there
so it is one terrorist group against a terrorist government. Wonderful planning. The US would have
done better to let Assad alone. – rdb]
Missile attacks from hills
As the southern offensive got underway, the rebels urged their foreign backers to provide more support, promising to
confront the advance with guerrilla tactics. "We are working on the principle of hit and run, not on the basis of a battle
between two armies," said Safar.
Rami Abdulrahman, who runs the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group that monitors the war,
said the government side had lost momentum. "After the thrust at the start of the attack, the progress has become very
slow," he said.
Iranian advisers are on the ground, a senior Middle Eastern official has said. Damascus says the
rebels have also received support from Israel.
"There has clearly been substantial investment by the regime and its backers in this offensive, so it's notable that the
opposition has been able to slow their progress," said Noah Bonsey, a senior analyst with International Crisis Group. "The
fight for key ground south of Damascus will continue, however, and much is at stake for both sides and their backers."
Assad's foreign opponents could yet use the Southern Front to apply the kind of pressure needed to force a political
compromise. Diplomatic efforts towards ending the Syrian conflict, which is in its fifth year, are getting nowhere.
The Southern Front groups have been trying to organise themselves politically, and have drawn up a plan for a
transition of power that safeguards the institutions of state.
But they have not received the kind of weapons that would tip the battle their way, notably anti-aircraft missiles, from
foreign states.
"The response wasn't at the required speed, or at the level of the attack the regime and are Iran are waging against us,"
said Abu Ghiath al-Shami, spokesman for another rebel group, Alwiyat Seif al-Sham.
"What we are suffering from is being targeting by the regime with guided missiles from the hills they control, and the
warplanes dropping barrel bombs," said Shami, also speaking via the internet.
Assad has denied using barrel bombs - barrels filled with explosives and shrapnel.
Nevertheless, the rebels said their forces were getting ready for a counterattack. "The fronts have been reinforced and
soon we will move to attack," said Abu Ahmad al-Tadamun, who leads another group, the Sham United Front.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4640360,00.html
Fearing uprising, IDF eases restrictions for West Bank Palestinians
Army avoids violent clashes, grants 10,000 more entry permits for laborers, and holds large-scale surprise drills
By Times of Israel staff March 23, 2015, 10:26 pm
The Israel Defense Forces is taking a series of measures to prevent an escalation of violence in the
West Bank, including holding large-scale surprise drills and easing entry restrictions on Palestinians,
as some officials warn the dead-end in peace talks could lead to new fighting.
An unnamed military source indicated that an explosive confrontation in the region — taking into account the election
results — was possible, but stressed that the army and the Palestinian Authority were engaged in various preemptive
measures to stymie the eruption of a Third Intifada, the army weekly Bamahane reported.
“As of today, the Palestinian front has, without a doubt, the highest potential of explosiveness,” the
source said. “There is the expectation things will change for the Palestinians after the elections. The result of the election
can raise harsh responses on both sides of the political map, in both directions.”
In light of the threat of an escalation, the army is avoiding clashes with Palestinian protesters and unnecessary
casualties, easing traffic restrictions for West Bank drivers, removing certain roadblocks, and granting more entry permits
to Palestinians into Israel, “in order not to lose the hold on the area,” the military representative said.
The army received approval to give another 10,000 entry permits into Israel for Palestinian laborers.
The IDF and the PA continue to cooperate in carrying out raids against Hamas terror cells, something
that happens on “a daily basis,” the officer said. The PA has threatened repeatedly to cut off security cooperation with
Israel, but has yet to do so.
The army also carried out a massive training exercise several weeks ago in the West Bank, which, according to the
army weekly, was the largest in a decade, in a possible sign of worries over increased tensions.
The military officer said the surprise drill was “successful” and that it “tested the preparedness of the IDF for a serious
escalation, a situation that — based on assessments — seems very relevant.”
Other Hebrew media reports published on Monday indicated that it was the tax freeze imposed on the Palestinian
Authority — as opposed to last week’s election, which cemented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hold on power —
that was the destabilizing factor in the West Bank.
Haaretz reported that the IDF is carrying out various training exercises to tackle a possible uprising, but noted the army
does not necessarily anticipate an escalation in the near future.
The report said the PA is still working with Israel to foil any terror cells — whether Hamas or, more recently, Fatah’s
long-dormant Tanzim wing.
Israel froze tax transfers to the Palestinian Authority last year as a punitive measure after Ramallah pushed ahead with
a series of steps for international recognition. Officials in the PA have said the freeze has created a massive budget
shortfall. Since the tax freeze, PA workers have only received some 60 percent of their monthly salaries, according to the
Ynet news website.
Worries of a Third Intifada reached an apex in late 2014, as tensions over the Temple Mount boiled over into a series
of Palestinian attacks and an Israeli crackdown in Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank.
The tensions died down however, giving way to several months of shaky calm.
Also Monday, a report by Ynet indicated the army had reshuffled its specialized chemical warfare unit into the Home
Front Command, amid reduced fears of unconventional warfare.
The decision was made based on the assessment that the Syrian chemical weapons stockpile has been destroyed,
thereby lowering the threat of an attack on Israel with unconventional weapons http://www.timesofisrael.com/fearing-uprising-idfeases-restrictions-for-west-bank-palestinians/
Officials: White House was part of bid to oust Netanyahu
Senior Jerusalem officials say administration wanted ‘revenge’ over Congress speech; declare no Palestinian state ‘in
our generation’
By Avi Issacharoff March 24, 2015, 1:23 pm
The White House was directly involved in an attempt to topple Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
in last week’s general election, amid a nadir in ties between the Israeli leader and President Barack
Obama, senior Jerusalem officials said Tuesday. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity,
told The Times of Israel that “it’s no secret” that the Obama administration had attempted to influence
the outcome of the election, and that it was partially motivated by revenge over Netanyahu’s polarizing
speech before Congress earlier this month, which sought to undermine the president’s key foreign
policy initiative – a nuclear deal with Iran.
“The White House is driven by three main motives,” the officials said. “The first is revenge [over the
Congress speech]. The second is frustration: It’s no secret that they were involved in an attempt to
bring down the Netanyahu government – something that we have clear knowledge of – and failed. The
third [motive] is the administration’s attempt to divert attention from the negotiations with Iran to the
Palestinian issue.”
Netanyahu’s latest term in office has seen an unprecedented, unmasked animus seep into the relationship
between the administration and his government, much of it over the emerging deal with Iran. On Monday the Wall Street
Journal reported that Israel had spied on the talks, an accusation that Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman attributed to
efforts to undermine ties between Jerusalem and Washington.
A series of tit-for-tat exchanges between the two allies in recent months culminated with Obama sternly
rebuking Netanyahu last weekend over comments he had made in the lead-up to the vote. Netanyahu was widely panned
for an Election Day rallying call where he claimed that Israeli Arab voters were being bused to polling booths “in droves”
by local political groups supported and funded by a “concerted” international campaign to dislodge him.
One of those groups was allegedly V15, whose sources of funding are unclear and whose reputed improprieties are the
focus of a Republican-initiated Senate probe.
Obama slammed Netanyahu’s comments as evidence of the “erosion” of Israeli democracy and vowed to “reevaluate”
bilateral ties between the two countries in the wake of the election, a move that former Israeli ambassador to the United
States Michael Oren called “damaging” to bilateral ties and to Israel’s image.
The White House will attempt to “punish” Israel at the UN or before the Security Council, the Israeli
officials said Tuesday, alluding to intimations by US officials to the effect that Washington could change its policy of
vetoing anti-Israel measures and even pursue a unilateral Palestinian statehood initiative.
“Congress is currently our only means of preventing a series of harmful initiatives, on both the
Iranian and the Palestinian front,” the officials said. “If the US government will permit the recognition of a
Palestinian state at the UN, then Congress will brandish its knives and defund the UN.” On Sunday, Republic Senator
John McCain threatened to do just that.
Criticism of Netanyahu in Washington also focused on his apparent repudiation of support for a two-state solution with
the Palestinians ahead of the election. In an evident effort to appear to hard-line voters, he had said that there would be no
Palestinian state during his next term in office (last week, he attempted to walk back the comments). On Monday, White
House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough told lobbying group J Street that Israel’s “50-year occupation must end,”
doubling down on the Obama administration’s critique of the prime minister.
The Jerusalem officials referenced Netanyahu’s disavowal of Palestinian statehood and took it further, claiming that a
two state-solution would be out of reach “in our generation,” due to Palestinian rejections of Israeli proposals and US-led
agreements.
“[Obama] continuously warns of a deteriorating state of chaos in the [Palestinian] territories, when
he knows that the only place that truly manages to maintain stability in the Middle East right now is
[Israel],” the officials said. “Netanyahu said there will no agreement [with the Palestinians] during his term in office. And
I say it won’t even happen in our generation. Everyone knows it.
“They come and accuse us of torpedoing negotiations even though they know that Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas himself said no [to a deal], twice — once to then-secretary of state
Hillary Clinton in 2011, and once to Secretary of State John Kerry last year.”
The officials went on to refer to two “framework documents, designed to jump-start the process,” that were accepted
by Israel and rejected by the Palestinians, and accused the administration of devoting too much energy to the Palestinian
issue, to the detriment of other, more pertinent regional challenges.
“Look at what we did about settlement construction. We took upon ourselves all the restrictions laid forth during the
Sharon-Bush era, which allowed for building to accommodate natural population growth, but not for building new
settlements,” the officials continued, referring to an arrangement last decade between then-prime minister Ariel Sharon
and -president George Bush. “But the [current] administration does not recognize the Sharon-Bush understandings.
They’re working according to a ‘no-brick’ policy and it doesn’t make any sense. http://www.timesofisrael.com/officials-whitehouse-was-part-of-bid-to-oust-netanyahu/
Obama chief of staff: We cannot ignore Netanyahu's comments
Top Obama aide McDonough tells pro-peace lobby J Street that '50 years of occupation must end', that Netanyahu's
comments and action indicate he has no real intention to make peace.
Yitzhak Benhorin
Published: 03.23.15, 21:44 / Israel News
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's chief of staff said the United States can't simply pretend
that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn't reject the possibility of a Palestinian state, explaining
that was the reason the US was reevaluating its policy on Israel.
Netanyahu made the comment just before Israel's elections last week, but later backpedaled. White House chief of staff
Denis McDonough says Netanyahu's contradictory answers call into question his commitment to a two-state solution.
"We cannot simply pretend that these comments were never made," said McDonough, one of Obama's top advisers,
speaking to the liberal Jewish American group J Street Monday. "Such contradictory comments call into question
(Netanyahu's) commitment to a two-state solution, as did his suggestion that the construction of settlements has a strategic
purpose of dividing Palestinian communities," he said [If there is one person in the world who has made
‘contradictory comments’ to the public it is the occupier of the Whitehouse. Secondly the idea of a two
state solution is a farce and has been a farce from the onset because there has never been an arab
group or leader that wanted peace. This has been a huge piece of theatrics to bilk the world for money
for the coffers of the so called leadership. – rdb]
According to the top aide, though "some have suggested our reaction to this issue is a matter of personal pique, nothing
could be further from the truth." The US remains committed to peace, he said, reiterating comments made by Obama that
the US no longer believes Netanyahu's commitment to peace. [More horse hockey from the liberal left dingbats.
The BHObamanation absolutely hates Bibi and is honked off that even with the BHObamanation
pulling all the strings he could that the man got elected with an overwhelming number of supporters.
The occupier of the Whitehouse is a huge whiney cry baby throwing a tantrum. – rdb]
"That is why President Obama has said that we need to re-evaluate our approach to the peace process and how we
pursue the cause of peace – because, like all of you, we care deeply about Israel and its future. "We will look to the next
Israeli government to match words with actions and policies that demonstrate a genuine commitment to a two-state
solution."
He said the United States has expended much energy on diplomatic efforts promoting a two-state solution and that was
why the Israeli leader's comments last week "were so very troubling." MORE - http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L4640247,00.html [The US may have expended much energy but they have been barking up the wrong tree
from the start. – rdb]
US says it avoided UN debate on Palestine ‘in support of Israel’
Statement comes after Jerusalem denies report that move at Human Rights Council indicated shift in Washington’s
policy on Israel
By Times of Israel staff March 23, 2015, 5:12 pm
The US refrained from speaking at a United Nations discussion of violations of human rights in the
Palestinian territories Monday, saying the move was done in support of Israel. A statement by US
Ambassador Keith Harper to the Human Rights Council in Geneva confirmed an Israeli claim that the US silence was
meant to back Jerusalem against the historically anti-Israel panel, and not as a result of tensions between US president
Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as had been reported.
“Our non-participation in this debate underscores our position that Item 7 lacks legitimacy, as it did last year when we
also refrained from speaking,” Harper said. “The United States’ approach to the Human Rights Council’s Item 7 has not
changed. We remain deeply troubled, by this Council’s stand-alone agenda item directed against Israel, and by the many
repetitive and one-sided resolutions under that agenda item.”
The session was an annual review of Agenda item 7, which discusses accusations against Israel for
alleged abuses against Palestinians, and is usually used by countries as a soapbox against Israel.
The US’s policy for several years has been to boycott the debate, a move praised by Israel, which also does not take
part. “As was the case last year, the United States will not engage in the debate. Neither will Israel,” Harper said.
The US traditionally defends Israel at the UN and its constituent bodies from international censure. However, officials
have indicated Washington may pull back that umbrella in response to anger at Netanyahu for statements he made last
week in which he seemed to take a two-state solution with the Palestinians off the table.
Earlier Monday, an American spokesperson in Geneva told Reuters that “the US delegation will not be speaking about
Palestine today,” which was taken as a sign of deteriorating ties with Israel. Reuters has since updated its story.
The move was reported by Reuters to be part of Obama’s “reassessment” of Washington’s approach to the IsraeliPalestinian peace process in light of Netanyahu’s pre-election comments rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state.
But an Israeli Foreign Ministry source categorically denied the thrust of the Reuters report.
Spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said the American delegation was not present at the debate “at
Israel’s request.” He said that Jerusalem asked its friends to stay away from such debates every year.
Jerusalem had quit the Human Rights Council in 2012 to protest its alleged anti-Israel bias. Late in 2013, Israel
rejoined the body, after Western member states promised to admit the country into the Western European and Others
Group (WEOG), which significantly increases Jerusalem’s ability to advance its interests at the body. In addition, the
WEOG states agreed not to participate in discussions over Agenda item 7 for two years. MORE http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-says-it-avoided-un-debate-on-palestine-in-support-of-israel/ [Why more people don’t quit the
Human rights council which is simply a tremendously expensive huge joke, I’ll never know. Why waste
the money when they do nothing with the major human rights transgressors. – rdb]
Israel denies it spied on US for info on Iran talks
Foreign minister rejects report that Jerusalem intercepted US briefings, but intimates it may have surveilled Iran
By Stuart Winer and Lazar Berman March 24, 2015, 11:00 a
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman on Tuesday denied that Israel had spied on the United States during nuclear talks
between the US and Iran, hinting it may have kept on eye on the Iranians instead. Liberman noted that although
Israel has a keen interest in the outcome of the talks, which aim to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions in
exchange for reduced sanctions, Israeli intelligence services doesn’t spy on the US. “I think this report is
not correct, not accurate,” he told Army Radio. “Of course, Israel has a various security interests, and it is clear that we
have good intelligence services. But we don’t spy on the United States.
The denial came in response to a report in the Wall Street Journal to the effect that Israel has been spying on nuclear
talks between world powers and Iran.
“There are enough participants involved [in the nuclear talks], such as the Iranians,” Liberman added, intimating that
Jerusalem may have gleaned its information on the talks by spying on Iran or other parties to the negotiations. “We got
our intelligence from other sources, not from the United States. The instruction has been clear for decades now: you don’t
spy on the United States, directly or indirectly.”
The US administration discovered the spying, according to the report, shortly after talks began between Tehran and
the P5+1 powers, according to the report. The intelligence-gathering was reportedly part of a broader Israeli effort to build
a case against any emerging deal.
Jerusalem received information by listening in on the negotiations and confidential briefings, as well as speaking to
informants and European diplomats, the report said.
Liberman said Israel had not “intercepted” briefings, and that the report was “inaccurate, to say the least.”
But the White House was not especially perturbed by the spying itself, said senior US officials. It was only when the
Netanyahu government used classified information to gain the support of US lawmakers that many in the administration
felt a line had been crossed.
“It is one thing for the US and Israel to spy on each other. It is another thing for Israel to steal US secrets and play
them back to US legislators to undermine US diplomacy,” a senior American official was quoted as saying.
The US spies on Israel as well. It discovered the Israeli espionage by listening in on conversations between Israeli
officials and determined that insider information could only have come from Israeli spying, the report said.
The report came amid an escalating dispute between the Israeli government and the Obama administration over the
talks with Iran and other issues.
Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz also rejected the accusation of spying, claiming that was an
attempt to undermine relations between the US and Israel. “Israel does not spy on her allies and especially not
on the United States,” Steinitz told Channel 2. “The aim of these statements is to damage the excellent cooperation that
we have with the US, despite the differences of opinion on the Iranian matter.”
US Secretary of State John Kerry is to return to Switzerland for talks Thursday with his Iranian counterpart,
Mohammad Javad Zarif, on a deal to restrain Tehran’s nuclear program, according to his office.
Kerry’s return to Lausanne will again feed speculation that the top world powers represented on the P5+1 group — the
US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany — are nearing an agreement with Tehran, with a March 31 deadline to
agree to the outlines of a deal looming.
Iran and the six-nation group hope to reach a rough deal by the end of March and a final, permanent agreement by June
30.
The talks seek a permanent deal to cap Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the easing of economic sanctions.
Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. The West fears it could allow Iran to build an atomic bomb.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-denies-it-spied-on-iran-nuclear-talks/ [Considering the wicked and demonic group that is
in Washington, the best way to thwart their efforts is to pray to The Holy One of Israel that HE will
intercede and disrupt the plans of the wicked men. He is their help and savior not some group of
pagans who govern a country that has become increasingly pagan and degenerate. – rdb]
Parties’ demands presage coalition woes
Jewish Home member predicts his party will quit coalition over settlement demolition; Shas demands senior positions
By Avi Lewis March 24, 2015, 9:34 am
Less than a week after Israel’s general elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received
recommendations from a requisite majority of 67 MKs to form the next coalition, and party
representatives were out in full force to position themselves and their factions.
Netanyahu must now move to assign cabinet positions, including some senior ministerships, to other factions whose
support he needs to form a Knesset majority, but also to lawmakers within his own Likud party, which with 30 seats is by
far the largest body expected to sit in a coalition government.
The tentative game of give-and-take may prove difficult for Netanyahu because of opposing interparty interests and ideologies.
Number 8 on the hawkish Jewish Home party list, Bezalel Smotrich, preemptively threatened to
“explode” away and break apart the coalition within a year-and-a-half if the government moves ahead
with a Supreme Court resolution to demolish a number of Israeli structures built on private Palestinian
land in the West Bank. “The evacuation of the Amona [outpost] and the demolition of houses in Ofra will be the
landmine that if stepped on, will lead to our explosion out of the coalition,” Smotrich told Galey Israel radio, referring to a
Jewish settlement and a nearby outpost 20 kilometers north of Jerusalem.
“I don’t see the Jewish Home party sitting in [government] and partaking in the destruction… of an
entire community and the expulsion of its residents,” he said.
Analysts believe the incoming government will be formed by right-wing and religious parties, some of which oppose
the creation of a Palestinian state, and that if Netanyahu bows to international pressure to disengage or evacuate
settlements in the West Bank, he could risk a coalition break-up leading to new elections.
In Israel, prime ministers are given a mandate to govern for 4 years, but terms rarely last that long
due to coalition infighting and eventual government breakdowns.
Meanwhile, members of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party told reporters that faction chief Aryeh Deri
will predicate his entry into a Netanyahu government on two senior cabinet positions. While cabinet
seats remain formally undecided, sources close to Deri said that he would demand the Interior Ministry
and the Ministry of Religious Services.
Although Netanyahu may already enjoy majority support from Knesset lawmakers, some factions indicated that they
would refuse to sit in government with other factions. For example, Shas and United Torah Judaism members said they
would not join a government that includes Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid, a party that is staunchly opposed to ultra-Orthodox
influence within government.
In any case, Yesh Atid party officials signified they would not recommend anyone for the premiership and that the
centrist faction would join the opposition.
Likud party officials announced that they would move to ensure that no. 3 on the party’s list, Yuli
Edelstein, will be reelected as Knesset speaker. Senior Likud representatives are expected to demand
a large number of top cabinet positions from Netanyahu, owing to the large size of the party.
President Reuven Rivlin is expected to task Netanyahu with forming a coalition in the coming days. Formal coalition
negotiations between various parties are expected to begin in earnest Wednesday, and Netanyahu will have four weeks to
form his government, with an option to extend talks for another two.
Meretz, Yesh Atid, Zionist Union and the Joint (Arab) List, are expected to sit in the opposition.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/parties-demands-presage-coalition-woes/ [ bunch of wild catfights. Heading up the Israeli
government is like walking on fire and you can really get burned by the personal interests of many of
the groups. – rdb]
Israeli team uses heat to beat computer security
Researchers demonstrate method of breaking into secure systems that doesn’t require any physical connection
By Stuart Winer March 24, 2015, 12:07 pm
Israeli researchers have demonstrated a method that can be used to breach high-security computer systems without
gaining physical or electronic access and instead using heat as a means of communication.
The Cyber Security Labs at Beersheba’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev featured the concept, dubbed
Bitwhispher, in a video published Monday on its website by researcher Mordechai Guri, who worked on the project under
the guidance of Professor Yuval Elovici.
“BitWhisper is a demonstration for a covert bi-directional communication channel between two
close by air-gapped computers communicating via heat,” the researchers wrote.
In the short clip, two computers can be seen communicating with each other by fluctuating their temperatures,
allowing one machine to instruct the other to alter the position of a connected toy missile-launcher.
The technology could be used against secure air-gapped systems — computers that are not connected to the internet
either directly or even via other machines in order to secure their data. High-security systems that need to protect sensitive
data, such as classified military computers or credit card systems, use the air-gap method as a way of isolating the
machines to put them out of reach of hackers.
Previously, it was thought that hacking into such a system required physical access, such as
plugging in a USB drive or connecting a communications cable. However, the Ben-Gurion team
showed that the computers could be compromised merely by controlling the temperature of the air
around them.
The method works by taking advantage of the built-in thermal sensors with which computers control their internal fans
to prevent sensitive components from overheating. By carefully increasing and decreasing temperature, the computers can
be made to communicate in a manner similar to Morse code, with rises and drops in temperature instead of the dots and
dashes. As one computer processor is instructed to work hard and overheat, the neighboring computer’s senor detects the
change in temperature in what amounts to a crude form of communication.
Both computers also need to have been infected with a special malware program that sits undetected in the system and
instructs the computers to use the heat transfer communication. Once installed, the method could enable hackers to siphon
data from the computers or send malicious commands at any time.
Currently, the rate of transfer of information is only about eight bits an hour, enough to read a password or send simple
commands, but not fast enough to download large amounts of data.
While the technology requires the computers to be within about 40 centimeters of each other, the researchers noted that
in a work environment computers are often stacked close to one another, putting supposedly secure air-gapped machines
in close proximity to others that are connected to the internet.
The team now intends to research the possibility of using the same method via computer-controlled air-conditioning
systems or even a fax machine, according to the Wired technology website.
Last year, the Ben-Gurion researchers demonstrated a concept called “AirHopper,” which uses mobile phones to pick
up faint radio wave signals from computers as a method of obtaining data. http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-team-uses-heat-tobeat-computer-security/ [This is just wild. I guess it is a new form of ‘smoke signals’. – rdb]
British activists step up efforts to oppose BDS
By JERRY LEWIS \
03/24/2015 02:06
The UK’s pro-Palestinian lobby was given a substantial boost when, last October, the House of Commons voted for a
non-binding motion calling for early recognition of a Palestinian state.
LONDON – Some 1,500 supporters of Israel from virtually all major UK-based lobbying organizations concerned with
the Jewish state participated in a day-long conference Sunday, aimed at equipping them to deal with increased
campaigning for BDS on social media, as well as tackling the more traditional areas of political, campus, media and
interfaith challenges.
The gathering was superbly organized by Luke Akehurst, who runs the “We believe in Israel”
grassroots network within BICOM, the organization that handles mainstream media and community activity for
Israel in the UK. Those attending heard from a wealth of guest speakers and seasoned campaigners intermingled with
politicians from across the UK political spectrum, who gave briefings, advice, and suggestions to deal with the ongoing
anti-Israel campaigning as part of 70 break-out sessions offered to participants.
The UK’s pro-Palestinian lobby was given a substantial boost when, last October, the House of Commons voted for a
non-binding motion calling for early recognition of a Palestinian state, but despite attempts to advance the BDS campaign
both in local authorities and on university campuses, their success rate has been somewhat limited, with pro-Israel
activists launching counter campaigns that registered some positive results.
However, Akehurst noted that, after last summer’s Gaza conflict, an opinion poll disclosed that most of the UK took
no view between the protagonists, and that support for Israel and the Palestinians was evenly divided at 20 percent each.
Opening the proceedings, two senior politicians, government chief whip Michael Gove and opposition shadow
transport secretary Michael Dugher, both emphasized their pro-Israel credentials, declaring themselves Zionists.
Gove urged Israel supporters to stand up to those promoting the poisonous BDS campaign, adding Israel’s attempted
delegitimization by the BDS movement “must always be confronted by right-thinking people. It is for this reason that I
am proud to be part of this year’s ‘We Believe’ Conference.”
Labor’s Dugher reminded those present that shared values bind the UK and Israel together in friendship. MORE http://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/British-activists-step-up-efforts-to-oppose-BDS-394870
Erekat: PA turned to UN because ‘Netanyahu is not a two-stater’
At J Street conference, chief Palestinian negotiator rejects Israeli claims that there is no partner for peace
By Rebecca Shimoni Stoil March 24, 2015, 1:19 am
WASHINGTON – The Palestinian Authority is taking its case before international bodies because it
believes that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not support a two-state solution, longtime
Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat said Monday afternoon at the annual J Street conference
in Washington, DC. [I find it interesting (and rather disgusting) that a group who considers itself proIsrael would sink so low as to invite a "PA" terrorist to speak to them. – rdb]
In a challenge to the Obama administration, Erekat emphasized that “those who say they believe in a two-state solution
should not recognize one state” in international institutions. “They should recognize two states.” “We have realized that
Benjamin Netanyahu is not a two-stater,” Erekat said. “And that is why we thought to ourselves what do we do to save the
two-state solution, and so we went to the United Nations.”
Although the US has long opposed any UN recognition of state status for the Palestinian Authority,
Washington has signaled that things might be changing. Following Netanyahu’s pre-election comments which
were interpreted as disavowal of his commitment to establishing a Palestinian state, the Obama administration has
intimated that the longstanding policy at the United Nations might be changing.
But a change of policy for the administration is likely to incur steep opposition in Washington. On Sunday, Sen. John
McCain (R-AZ) said that if the UN supported any move to recognize Palestinian statehood, Congress would consider
defunding the international body.
Erekat complained that opposing Palestinian appeals to the International Criminal Court was tantamount to telling a
victim of a crime “don’t go to court.” The US continues to oppose Palestinian appeals to the ICC – but the US is generally
wary of the ICC’s jurisdiction whether or not Israel is involved. [the man is just sickening, whining wimpy
woossy little creep. – rdb]
Erekat dismissed Netanyahu’s claims that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is not a viable partner for
peace. “I hear some Israelis saying we don’t have a partner. We’ll have to wait to create a new atmosphere,” Erekat
complained, referencing comments made by Netanyahu in recent months. “To these people, if Mother Theresa were to be
the president of the Palestinians, [Charles] Montesquieu would be the speaker of the parliament and [Thomas] Jefferson
prime minister, if they were to speak for two states and 1967 boundaries they would still be a terrorist.”
Erekat stressed that Abbas has “recognized the right of the state of Israel to live in peace and security on the 1967
lines.” [NOT TRUE. – rdb]
Erekat’s address was enthusiastically received by the crowd at the national J Street conference. His
line, “Occupation corrupts. We have to stand tall to end this occupation” was met with a standing ovation.
Speaking before Erekat, Ambassador Martin Indyk, the lead US negotiator for the most recent round of failed peace
talks, said that any final agreement “will require mutual recognition of “Israel as the homeland for the Jewish people and
Palestine as the homeland for the Palestinian people.”
In that final agreement, he said, “Palestinians will have the right of return to their state of Palestine
but will not have right of return to the state of Israel.”
Telling J Street attendees not to lose hope in the possibility of the two state solution, Indyk stressed that the parameters
of a peace plan are already clear, citing mutually agreed territory swaps that could “accommodate 75 to 85 percent of the
settlers where they live today.”
“Withdrawal to secure and recognized borders will leave Israelis more secured than they are today,” he said.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/erekat-pa-turned-to-un-because-netanyahu-is-not-a-two-stater/
Porcupine unearths 1,400 year old oil lamp at archaeological site in Emek Hefer
By JPOST.COM STAFF \
03/23/2015 15:29
Relentless diggers, porcupines often make their burrows at archaeological sites, uncovering antiquities in their way
Archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have
uncovered a 1,400 year-old ceramic oil lamp with the help of an
unlikely aide – a porcupine.
Last week, during a routine patrol at the Horbat Siv ancient
ruins – a Roman-Byzantine site near Emek Hefer in central Israel,
anti-antiquities theft inspectors found the oil lamp on top of a pile
of dirt that a porcupine had unearthed while digging a burrow.
Porcupine’s live in underground burrows that can stretch to as
long as 15 meters.
Ira Horovitz from the anti-antiquities theft unit of the IAA said
that “the porcupine is an excellent archaeologist, a relentless
digger... It often happens that porcupines dig their burrows at the
site of archaeological digs... he skillfully throws the dirt aside, and
Ancient oil lamp discovered in Emek Hefer.. (photo
with it whatever archaeological findings are in his path.”
credit:COURTESY OF ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES
IAA researchers inspected the ceramic piece and the other
AUTHORITY)
findings that the porcupine uncovered, realizing that the findings
provided information on the time frame in which people inhabited the ancient site.
“The IAA calls on all porcupines to avoid digging burrows at archeological sites and warns that digging at an
archeological site without a license is a criminal offense,” the Antiquities Authority jested. http://www.jpost.com/IsraelNews/Culture/Porcupine-unearths-1400-year-old-oil-lamp-at-archaeological-site-in-Emek-Hefer-394814
Cruz launches White House bid, calls for better Israel ties
Republican senator invokes his declared support for Netanyahu during presidential candidacy speech
By Michael Mathes March 23, 2015, 10:08 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Texas Senator Ted Cruz, one of the Republican Party’s most conservative
members, launched his presidential campaign Monday in a crammed auditorium at America’s biggest
Christian university, becoming the first among what’s expected to be a crowded field of White House
hopefuls to officially enter the race.
In his speech, the Harvard Law School graduate spoke of the promise of America, saying, “we demand our liberty.”
And he laid out positions antithetical to most Democrats, including the repeal of President Barack
Obama’s overhaul of the nation’s health care system. “Imagine in 2017 a new president signing a law the
repeals every word of Obamacare,” Cruz said to a cheering crowd.
He drew especially loud applause when he was critical of Obama’s difficult relations with Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Instead of a president who boycotts Prime Minister Netanyahu, imagine a
president who stands unapologetically with Israel,” Cruz proclaimed, referencing the frayed relationship between Obama
and the Israeli leader.
He also called for the abolishment of the tax collecting Internal Revenue Service, a flat tax, making
abortion illegal, gun rights, and a host of other issues that put him deep in the conservative wing of the
Republican party and its small-government, low-tax tea party wing.
Cruz, 44, touted his family’s story as the embodiment of the American dream of overcoming adversity to reach
success. He is the child of an American mother and a father who fled Cuba in 1957. When Cruz was three years old, his
father left him and his mother in Canada, where he was born. His father, now an evangelical preacher, went back to the
United States where he eventually found a deep Christian faith, returned to his wife and child and brought them to the US.
Elected to the Senate in 2012, Cruz quickly established himself as an uncompromising conservative willing to take on
Democrats and fellow Republicans alike. At times he has been scorned by leading members of his own party, with fellow
senator and former presidential candidate John McCain once labeling him a “wacko bird.”
Cruz’s popularity within the right-wing base could give him shine in the primary, a state-by-state
process dominated by the most conservative Republican voters. But his tense relationship with the
Republican Party establishment complicates his path to the nomination. And if he makes it to the general
election, he would have a hard time winning over moderates and independents.
Cruz will not be the only official 2016 candidate for long.
Several other Republicans are expected to enter the race in the coming weeks, including former
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and two Senate colleagues, Kentucky’s Rand
Paul and Florida’s Marco Rubio.
None is considered a heavy favorite, though Bush, the son and brother of two former presidents, had been getting the
most attention in recent weeks as he takes aggressive steps toward launching his candidacy.
Whoever wins the Republican nomination would likely face former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, the
front-runner for the Democratic nod who is expected to soon launch her campaign.
Cruz won praise from conservative tea party activists in 2013 for leading a 16-day government shutdown in an
unsuccessful drive to repeal the health law, a key achievement of the Obama presidency.
On foreign policy, Cruz was among 47 Republican senators who signed a letter to Iran’s supreme leader warning that
any nuclear deal that is struck with the Obama administration and five other world powers could become null and void
after the 2016 election when the current president leaves the White House.
He also opposed Obama’s executive action to ease deportations of millions of immigrants in the US. illegally and to
the White House opening to communist Cuba, his father’s homeland.
Cruz announced his candidacy on Twitter just after midnight, several hours before the official launch at Liberty
University, the Virginia college founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell. The setting indicates Cruz plans an aggressive
courtship of cultural conservatives and young voters.
While the senator was born in Canada, but two lawyers who represented presidents from both parties at the Supreme
Court recently wrote in the Harvard Law Review that Cruz meets the constitutional requirement to run.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/cruz-launches-white-house-bid-calls-for-better-israel-ties/
Report Says Former IRS Employees--Think Lois Lerner--Can Still Peruse Your Tax Returns
3/23/2015 @ 8:39AM 28,325 views
Could Lois Lerner still take a look at your tax returns on IRS computers? It sounds preposterous, but a new
watchdog report says former IRS employees still have access to IRS computer systems long after they
have no official business with the information. The report is by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, an
independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. The GAO investigates how the federal government spends
taxpayer dollars. In the case of IRS security, the report says not well.
This report cites significant deficiencies in the security of IRS financial reporting systems. Millions of
Americans who are legally required to file taxes are fearful about fraud. The report says the IRS needs to continue
improving controls over financial and taxpayer data. In the case of former IRS workers with continuing access to IRS data
systems, they need to be cut off. http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2015/03/23/report-says-former-irs-employees-think-lois-lerner-canstill-peruse-your-tax-returns/
Plane with 148 on board crashes in French Alps
Pilot radioes distress signal before Airbus A320 goes down; officials say no survivors expected
By AFP March 24, 2015, 1:47 pm
PARIS — A German airliner crashed near a ski resort in the French Alps on Tuesday with all 148 people on board feared
dead, officials said.
French President Francois Hollande said it was likely all passengers and crew on the Airbus A320 had perished in the
crash.
“There are not thought to be any survivors,” the president told reporters after the disaster.
The plane was travelling from the Spanish coastal city of Barcelona to the German city of Duesseldorf when it went
down in the Barcelonnette area, in southeeastern France.
The plane issued a distress call at 10:47 am (0947 GMT), sources said MORE - http://www.timesofisrael.com/plane-with-148on-board-crashes-in-french-alps/
Prayer for the IDF - Mi Sheberach, Yaakov Shwekey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJEpLklULs0
THE SHORASHIM BIBLICAL GIFT CATALOG 005
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STORIES FROM FELICIA:
I help at the" Lev U'Neshama" Clothing Gemach. This gives me the opportunity to meet many different people, and to
help them as well.
FROM TEARS TO SMILES:
Recently a woman entered the Gemach and immediately burst into tears. I approached her and instinctively hugged her.
She responded by saying that she had not had a hug for a long time and apologized for her tears. I worked with this
woman for a time to build her self esteem and to strengthen herself against her abusive husband. I helped her select
clothing to complement her and soon she became stronger. "Lev U'Neshama" got her free legal assistance and she
subsequently got divorced. She has 8 children to raise on her own. She also had to arrange for the Bar Mitzvah for her
son. "Lev U' Neshama" gave her credit for clothing at the Gemach and we succeeded in finding a suit for the Bar
Mitzvah boy as well and beautiful dresses for her and her daughters. Through the "Lev U'Neshama" Shoe Program, shoes
were provided for the Bar Mitzvah boy. We arranged for a credit for food for the event through a small grocery store that
works with the organization. Meanwhile this woman has a part time job. Through the Food Program of "Lev U'
Neshama" receives a monthly food coupon. She is a happy customer at the Gemach and occasionally calls the
organization's cell phone for help.
A SUNNY RAINY DAY:
One day it was raining outside and the outdoor clothing rack needed to be brought inside. I saw a man outside with two
children who were without adequate shoes or coats. I approached the man and asked him if he could come in from the
cold and rain. Then I asked the Gemach helpers to help me dress these children. The father was shocked that we were all
totally embracing his children with attention and finding these children clothing and winter coats. I called Yaffa, the
Manger of "Lev U'Neshama" and asked her to please find two pairs of shoes from her home stock and I would come to
get the shoes. The rain stopped and the father said, "Thank you, but how can I ever pay you?" I told him that his children's
smiles and hugs were the largest payment anyone can receive. I gave him "Lev U' Neshama's" phone number and asked
him to ask his wife to call me and give me the shoe sizes for all of their children. "Lev U' Neshama" gave them a special
credit to buy food. This family received clothing and shoes for all of the children and sacks of staples, vegetables and
fruits. (I found out later that the father had just lost his job and was embarrassed to take his children to school because he
could not pay tuition. Since then, the father has found a job and his wife is a regular customer at the Gemach.)
HUGS IN LARGE SIZES:
One day a woman came into the Gemach in a very big rush. I asked her if I could help. She said she needed a big shirt
for her son who was waiting outside in the car. I asked her to bring her son inside and she said, "My son is retarded and
loves to hug people." I said I would love a hug and that I treat all people as if every one of them are special. She hugged
me and said, "Thank you." She went and brought her son inside – straight away I fell in love with her son and hugged
him. We found several Extra Large shirts for him and now when she comes she brings him with her. She told us that the
Gemach is a "special" outing for him because she hesitates to take him places because people often cannot relate to him
and push him away.
Blessings of peace, good health and a Happy Holiday
Yaffa Smolensky, Volunteer Program Manager
PASSOVER FOOD ASSISTANCE DESPERATELY NEEDED:
There are 85 families covered by the Lev U'Neshama Food Program in Tzfat Israel. They receive monthly food coupons
but Passover assistance is desperately needed. Some donations have been received and I am confident that more will come
to reach the goal so every family will receive help.
The amount of $40 will sponsor a family for a Passover Parcel. Each sponsored family will receive: grape juice, matzo,
chicken, cooking oil, soup mix, eggs and a large amount of fruits and vegetables; enough for the seder meal and some for
the remaining days of the holiday.
Donations can quickly and efficiently be made by using
Checks can be made payable to: Terri Smolensky and sent
PayPal. Go to the site: www.paypal.com and use the Send
to:
Money Function. Send to: mortsmo@aol.com The funds
Terri Smolensky
will be accessed by Yaffa in Tzfat and donors will be
177 S Syracuse St
notified that the donation has been received.
Denver CO 80230