Israeli officials say that an oil spill Wednesday night is one of the worst environmental disasters to strike the country.
The accident on the Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline caused crude oil to flood 200 acres of a desert reserve about 12 miles north of the Red Sea.
The slick reportedly has run into ravines and pooled there, avoiding the rare trees and plants in the majority of the park. The spill is not expected to be able to reach the Red Sea unless major rainstorms were to hit the region.
“Rehabilitation will take months, if not years,” Environment Ministry official Guy Samet told Israel Radio.
The oil will be collected with suction equipment and government officials say they will likely collect contaminated earth as well.
The likely replacement for Chuck Hagel as defense secretary is seen as a likely stronger support of Israel than previous Obama Administration appointees.
Ashton Carter is described by those within the defense intelligence community as “an efficient administrator” and is believed to be an ally of top military brass rather than someone who views military leadership as an adversary.
Carter visited Israel in 2013 and told IDF soldiers “protecting America means protecting Israel, and that’s why we’re here in the first place.”
Carter, while considered the front runner, has been passed over for the top defense position on two other occasions and Israeli officials say they’re optimistic but will be cautious until Carter officially holds the position.
Israeli officials are also encouraged that Carter has been a strong advocate for making sure Iran does not have the ability to develop nuclear weapons.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for voters to give him a “clear mandate” as he announced elections will be held on March 17, 2015.
The announcement of the election comes a day after Netanyahu fired members of his governing coalition that had been opposing new settlements in areas that Palestinians want for their own nation.
The five-party coalition that has been ruling the country took power only last year.
“The coming election is about one question – who will lead the country in the face of the tremendous challenges facing Israel – security, economic, regional,” Netanyahu said in public remarks to Likud legislators. “Whoever wants to give a clear mandate to lead the country to a prime minister from Likud needs to give many votes to Likud. That is the main lesson of our experience from the past years. That is the challenge for this election campaign.”
Netanyahu will lead a now-minority government until the elections and swearing in of the new members of the Knesset.
Israeli leaders said Thursday they had foiled a plot to bomb the largest soccer stadium in Jerusalem by the terrorist group Hamas.
Shin Bet security service said that 30 members of the terror group has been arrested and many had received weapons and explosives training in Jordan and the Gaza Strip.
The statement from Shin Bet also said that Hamas leaders in Turkey planned the plot against Teddy soccer stadium and also against the city’s light railway system.
“We have no information about these Israeli claims … It is clear Israel wanted to create a new story to divert the world’s attention away from the escalation in Jerusalem,” Hamas said in a statement.
Israeli intelligence services and Defense Forces have stopped a number of Hamas plots in the last few weeks. Eleven Israelis have been killed in the last month because of Hamas terrorist attacks.
Four Palestinians connected to the terrorist group Hamas have been arrested in connection with a plot to assassinate Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
Israeli’s Shin Bet security agency reported the men had been working to obtain an RPG and had designs to fire it at the minister’s car outside his home in Nokdim in the West Bank.
The assassination plot is the latest action in a series of terror actions against Israelis conducted by Hamas and Palestinians. Last week two Palestinian terrorists attacked Jews praying inside a synagogue, killing four and an officer that responded to the terrorist attack.
“We will respond with a heavy hand to the brutal murder of Jews who came to pray and were met by reprehensible murderers,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said at the time.
Hamas would not state they knew about the planned assassination but did not condemn it.
“We have no information about this issue. However, we stress that leaders of the Occupation who are responsible for the killing of children and women and for defiling the sacred sites are legitimate targets for the resistance,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told reporters.
We are having such a wonderful time in Israel! Thank you to all of you who are praying for us – we feel your love and prayers. We can’t wait to share some of our experiences with you when we get back!
I just wanted to mention some of the things we did to prepare ourselves for our trip. It helps to ramp up your health before you embark on a trip like this – you never know what kind of bugs you will run into in airports, on airplanes, and just interacting with people!
We practice what we preach! First, you know that Jim and I eat healthy. We focus on things that are good for us like Jim’s Salba Bread and the Bean Burgers which are amazing and delicious. You can eat good and healthy at the same time! We use the Salba Chia whenever we can to add an amazing boost to our bodies ability to heal itself. You can find many creative ways to add this ‘super food’ to your diet. Continue reading →
An Israeli police officer has died from injuries sustained during the terrorist attack Tuesday at a Jerusalem synagogue.
The terrorist group Hamas is claiming that the attack was revenge for the killing of a Palestinian bus driver on Sunday despite the fact it was proven by multiple sources the bus driver committed suicide.
Hamas dismissed all the evidence that Yussuf al-Ramuni killed himself and said the death had to be caused by Jewish settlers.
“I strongly condemn today’s terrorist attack on worshipers at a synagogue in Jerusalem, which killed four innocent people, including U.S. citizens Aryeh Kupinsky, Cary William Levine, and Mosheh Twersky, and injured several more,” Obama said in an official White House statement.
“There is and can be no justification for such attacks against innocent civilians. The thoughts and prayers of the American people are with the victims and families of all those who were killed and injured in this horrific attack and in other recent violence.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling on world leaders to finally end their excuses for Palestinian terror attacks on Israelis and condemn Mahmoud Abbas for inciting violence against innocent civilians.
Netanyahu pointed out that the Palestinian Authority has been routinely spreading false statements to incite anger toward Israel.
“Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and the PA are spreading false rumors, saying we are defiling the Temple Mount, that we plan to destroy holy sites — those are all lies,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu noted the Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack but noted that in the same statement also included false propaganda about the Israeli government.
“I urge all world leaders… I want to see shock, utter denunciation of terrorism, of the murder of Jews in their prayer shawls,” Netanyahu said.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to solid steps to calm the tensions over Jerusalem’s holiest site.
Violence has been building over the last few weeks over the Temple Mount. Palestinians have been attacking Israeli police and fears had been building concerning a major uprising by Palestinians.
“Today, we are working to smother the sparks of immediate tension so that they don’t become a fire that is absolutely out of control,” Kerry added, flanked by Jordanian Foreign Minister Naser Judeh. The area, which contains the Dome of the Rock, is under Jordanian control due to treaty.
Members of the Israeli government have been raising discussions that Jews should be again able to pray on the Temple Mount. Judah told reporters that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed in the talks to maintain the status quo as a way to help ease tensions.
The agreement announced by Kerry also lifted all age restrictions on Muslims praying at the Dome.
Israeli officials issued an order Thursday for the demolition of a terrorist’s home in east Jerusalem.
The terrorist, Muhammed Naif El-Ja’abis, is the man who ran over a pedestrian and then ran an excavator into a bus. He was shot dead by police as he carried out the bus attack.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the resumption of the policy of destroying homes of Palestinian terrorists in response to the increasing tension in Jerusalem and the vows of Palestinians to continue their attacks on Israelis.
The policy of destruction of the homes had been discontinued a decade ago with the exception of the homes of the Hamas members who abducted and killed three Jewish teens in June.
Jerusalem’s mayor voiced his support for the order saying that all legal measures need to be used to prevent terror attacks.