JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
ISRAEL SATAN COMES AGAINST
1 CHRONICLES 21:1
1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
GENESIS 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I (GOD) will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee,(ISRAELIS) and curse (DESTROY) him that curseth thee:(DESTROY THEM) and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
ISAIAH 41:11
11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee (ISRAEL) shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing;(DESTROYED) and they that strive with thee shall perish.(ISRAEL HATERS WILL BE TOTALLY DESTROYED)
ISRAELS TROUBLE
JEREMIAH 30:7
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;(ISRAEL) but he shall be saved out of it.
DANIEL 12:1,4
1 And at that time shall Michael(ISRAELS WAR ANGEL) stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:(ISRAEL) and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation(May 14,48) even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS,CHIP IMPLANTS ETC)
US, Iran forge new relationship as nuke deal advances-Kerry has spoken with his counterpart Zarif 11 since the start of the year, more than any other foreign leader-By Matt Lee and Bradley Klapper January 14, 2016, 3:31 am-the times of israel
WASHINGTON (AP) — For diplomats from countries without diplomatic relations, Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javid Zarif sure are doing a lot of diplomacy.As Iran races to satisfy the terms of last summer’s nuclear deal and the US prepares to suspend sanctions on Tehran as early as Friday, Kerry is talking to Zarif more than any other foreign leader. Those talks included several emergency calls Tuesday to secure the release of 10 US sailors after Iran detained them in the Persian Gulf.Since the beginning of the year, Kerry and Zarif have spoken by phone at least 11 times, according to the State Department. They’ve focused on nuclear matters, Iran’s worsening rivalry with Saudi Arabia and peace efforts in Syria.By contrast, America’s top diplomat has talked to Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir only twice. He has consulted once each with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Jordan’s King Abdullah and the foreign ministers of Britain, Egypt, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union.Kerry is departing Wednesday evening to meet al-Jubeir in London. He may extend the trip to see Zarif, too, elsewhere in Europe.Not everyone is happy with the new friendship between the once hostile foes. But the White House, Pentagon, Kerry and Zarif are all crediting the relationship forged over two-and-a-half years of nuclear negotiations with quickly resolving the detention of the sailors, which could have been a new crisis just as President Barack Obama delivered his final State of the Union speech to Congress.“We can all imagine how a similar situation might have played out three or four years ago, and the fact that today this kind of issue can be resolved peacefully and efficiently is a testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure and strong,” Kerry said Wednesday.Denis McDonough, the White House chief of staff, said the open lines between Kerry and Zarif are “extraordinarily important.” Defense Secretary Ash Carter thanked Kerry for his efforts. And in Tehran, Zarif tweeted that he was “happy to see dialogue and respect, not threats and impetuousness, swiftly resolved the sailors episode. Let’s learn from this latest example.”For the Obama administration, the budding Kerry-Zarif relationship offers opportunities and pitfalls. As negotiations with Tehran accelerated in 2013, US officials insisted the diplomacy concerned only ending the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran and shouldn’t signal a strategic realignment that would forsake longstanding US allies like Israel or the Gulf state Sunni monarchies.As the deal came together last July, Obama and his top aides vowed to “double down” on Iran’s activities like its support for Syrian leader Bashar Assad’s government and anti-Israel and anti-US groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.The record, however, has been mixed.The US has modestly expanded sanctions on Hezbollah, but hasn’t followed through on pledges to impose penalties after a recent ballistic missile test by Iran that violated a UN Security Council ban. Washington also offered no response to an Iranian navy rocket fired near a US warship in the Strait of Hormuz.At the same time, the US has expanded outreach efforts to Iran. The Obama administration included the Iranians for the first time in international mediation efforts to secure a cease-fire between Assad’s government and rebel groups.Echoing Saudi and Israeli concerns, Republican lawmakers say they’re unsettled by the warming ties. They say the nuclear deal that they opposed is preventing Obama from dealing assertively with Iran, because he is more concerned with protecting his signature foreign policy achievement.Conscious of these perceptions, the administration moved warily into the Saudi-Iran spat that erupted over New Year’s weekend. The US did not want to play mediator between a longtime ally in Riyadh and a government that, at least officially, remains hostile to the United States some three-and-a-half decades after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and U.S. Embassy hostage crisis.But the US has a lot at stake in calming tensions. Saudi Arabia and Iran already are backing opposing sides in Syria and refusing to cooperate against the Islamic State. They’re trading accusations over the war in Yemen, where a Saudi-led intervention hasn’t uprooted the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Iran airs clip of captive US sailor apologizing for ‘mistake’-State TV releases footage of Americans surrendering on their knees; VP Biden says ‘nothing to apologize for’-By AP and Times of Israel staff January 14, 2016, 2:19 am
Iranian media on Wednesday released footage showing captive US sailors surrendering on their knees to the Revolutionary Guard, and another video of an American serviceman apologizing for unintentionally entering Iranian waters.Less than a day after 10 US Navy sailors were detained in Iran when their boats drifted into Iranian waters, they and their vessels were back safely Wednesday with the American fleet.US Secretary of State John Kerry tapped the personal relationship he has formed with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif in the three years of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, speaking with him at least five times by telephone. Kerry credited the quick resolution to the “critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country secure and strong.”In his statement, Kerry expressed his “gratitude to Iranian authorities for their cooperation in swiftly resolving this matter.”The Revolutionary Guard released images of the US sailors before their release, showing them sitting on the floor of a room. They looked mostly bored or annoyed, although one appeared to be smiling. The woman had her hair covered by a brown cloth. The pictures also showed what appeared to be their two boats.State TV later released more video and photos of the Americans apparently surrendering on their knees, their hands behind their head. It also showed machine guns and ammunition they had onboard.“After determining that their entry into Iran’s territorial waters was not intentional, and their apology, the detained American sailors were released in international waters,” the Guard said.US Navy Cmdr. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, said the incident remained under investigation.“The video appears to be authentic but we cannot speak to the conditions of the situation or what the crew was experiencing at the time. The crew is currently undergoing the reintegration process and we will continue to investigate this incident. What matters most right now, however, is that our sailors are back safely,” Ross said.Vice President Joe Biden, speaking later to “CBS This Morning,” said the US government had not issued an apology.“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Biden said. “When you have a problem with the boat, you apologize the boat had a problem? No, and there was no looking for any apology. This was just standard nautical practice.”Iranian TV ran video of one of the sailors apologizing for the intrusion into Iranian waters.“It was a mistake. That was our fault and we apologize for our mistake,” the unidentified sailor is shown saying in English.The US Central Command later said: “The video appears to be authentic, but we cannot speak to the conditions of the situation or what the crew was experiencing at the time.” It added that the crew was undergoing “the reintegration process and we will continue to investigate this incident.”“What matters most right now, however, is that our sailors are back safely,” it added.US Defense Secretary Ash Carter thanked Kerry after the sailors’ release and couched the incident in humanitarian terms, noting that “the US Navy routinely provides assistance to foreign sailors in distress.”For Tehran, the Americans’ swift release was a way to neutralize a potential new flashpoint days before it was expected to meet the terms of last summer’s nuclear deal, which will give Iran significant relief from painful economic sanctions.Gen. Ali Fadavi, the Guard’s navy chief, accused the Americans of “unprofessional acts” for 40 minutes before the sailors were picked up by Iranian forces.It is likely that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state, would have had to approve the release, given the immense political sensitivities.But the rapid resolution also was a victory for moderate President Hassan Rouhani, who has promoted greater openness with the outside world despite strident opposition from deeply entrenched hard-liners at home.“Rouhani’s policy of interaction is working,” said Iranian political analyst Saeed Leilaz. “Iran and the U.S. have gone a long way in reducing tensions but still have a long way to go in improving their contacts. It was a big step forward.”The nine men and one woman were detained Tuesday after at least one of their boats suffered mechanical problems off of Farsi Island, an outpost in the middle of the Persian Gulf that has been used as a base for Revolutionary Guard speedboats since the 1980s.The Americans’ small Riverine boats were sailing between Kuwait and Bahrain on a training mission when the US lost contact.The sailors left the island at 0843 GMT (3:43 a.m. EST) Wednesday aboard their boats, the Navy said. They were picked up by Navy aircraft, and other sailors took control of the vessels for the return voyage to Bahrain, where the U.S. 5th Fleet is based.Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, a 5th Fleet spokesman, said the priority now would be determining “how exactly these sailors found themselves in Iran.”He declined to say where they were going or give details on their identities, but a senior defense official said they were heading to a US military facility in Qatar. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said they are being debriefed and getting medical exams but were not harmed.In Washington, a defense official said the Navy has ruled out engine or propulsion failure as the reason the boats entered Iranian waters. Navigation problems, due either to human or mechanical failure, could not be ruled out, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss details of the incident and so spoke on condition of anonymity.The sailors were part of Riverine Squadron 1, based in San Diego, US officials said. When the US lost contact with the boats, ships attached to the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier strike group began a search, as did aircraft from the Truman. The officials also spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the incident publicly.The quick resolution stood in contrast to the 2007 seizure by Iran of 15 British sailors and marines who were searching for a merchant ship in the Gulf. Iran held them for 13 days, with the captives saying they were kept in cold, stone cells, blindfolded and fearing execution, and coerced into falsely saying they had entered Iranian waters.Their detention by the Revolutionary Guard occurred under hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. A day after they were seized, the UN Security Council imposed more sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt uranium enrichment.Haleh Esfandiari, the Iranian-American director of the Middle East program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, called the Americans’ release “a big victory for Rouhani and his team.”“Finally, he was able to assert himself vis a vis the Revolutionary Guard. … He is trying to change Iran’s ‘in-your-face image’ that developed under Ahmadinejad,” Esfandiari said.“They must have contacted the Supreme Leader and said … ‘If we let this become an international incident, there is no way we can restore that sense of goodwill that we are trying to project,'” she added.The Guard’s 200,000-member force is different from the regular Iranian military and is charged with protecting the ruling system. Its naval forces are heavily dependent on armed speedboats that can be used in teams to swarm much larger vessels.Tuesday’s incident recalled the 2009 arrest of three American hikers by Iran as they traveled along the country’s border with Iraq. One hiker, Sarah Shourd, was released after more than 13 months in custody after mediation by Oman. Her travel companions, Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, were convicted of espionage but set free a year after her.The sailors’ detention came just hours before President Barack Obama gave his final State of the Union address and amid a period of renewed maritime tensions with Iran. Last month, Iran conducted a rocket test near U.S. warships and boats passing through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, the route for about a fifth of the world’s oil.Iran sank a replica of a US aircraft carrier near the strait in February 2015 and has said it is testing “suicide drones” that could attack ships. It also has challenged foreign cargo ships in the Gulf, opening fire on at least two last year. In one incident, Iran temporarily seized a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship over what it said was a commercial dispute before releasing it and its crew more than a week later.Iran is expected to satisfy the terms of the nuclear deal in just days. Once the UN nuclear agency confirms Iran’s actions to roll back its program, the US and other Western powers are obliged to suspend wide-ranging oil, trade and financial sanctions on Tehran. Kerry recently said the deal’s implementation was “days away.”Four Americans of Iranian origin remain held by Iran, including journalist Jason Rezaian of The Washington Post; former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati of Flint, Michigan; pastor Saeed Abedini of Boise, Idaho; and Siamak Namazi, a businessman and the son of a politician from the shah’s era. Separately, former FBI agent Robert Levinson disappeared in Iran in 2007 while working for the CIA on an unapproved intelligence mission.
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.
12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
Rabbi Lila Kagedan set to make history with job at Orthodox shul-Recent graduate of New York seminary to become first woman to lead an Orthodox synagogue and use the title rabbi-By Uriel Heilman January 14, 2016, 1:51 am-the times of israel
NEW YORK (JTA) – When Rabbi Lila Kagedan spends her first Shabbat at the Mount Freedom Jewish Center in Randolph, New Jersey, later this month, she will be making history.A recent graduate of Yeshivat Maharat, Kagedan, 35, is the first person ordained at the Orthodox women’s clergy training institute in New York to adopt the title of rabbi and land a job at an Orthodox synagogue. In her new position, Kagedan will be part of the synagogue’s spiritual leadership, teaching and doing youth outreach.“There are so many other women who have come before me who are doing this work already, including graduates of Yeshivat Maharat already working in pulpit positions,” Kagedan told JTA. “I feel that I’m standing on the shoulders of giants. I learn from them and they inspire me. It’s because of the variety of Jewish learning opportunities that already have been made for women that I have this opportunity.”Rather than confer a particular title upon graduates, Yeshivat Maharat leaves it up to the ordainees. Some of the yeshiva’s dozen or so graduates go by “maharat,” an acronym for the Hebrew words meaning a leader in Jewish law, spirituality and Torah. Others, including dean Sara Hurwitz, go by “rabba,” a feminized version of rabbi. Alissa Thomas-Newborn, a clergywoman at the Los Angeles synagogue B’nai David-Judea, goes by “morateinu,” Hebrew for our teacher.“I’m by nature a very traditional person,” Kagedan told JTA. “I really didn’t want to look outside our tradition for new titles. I have rabbis and mentors in my life who I really look up to and have learned so much from, and I always appreciated that their title told me exactly who they were and what their training was.”Many Orthodox Jews are vehemently opposed to the idea of women rabbis, and several mainstream Orthodox rabbis and institutions have ruled that ordaining female rabbis violates Jewish law.In October, the main association of modern Orthodox rabbis, the Rabbinical Council of America, passed a resolution reaffirming its opposition and barring member rabbis from hiring women with clergy-like titles.The haredi Orthodox Agudath Israel of America has said that institutions like Yeshivat Maharat that support female rabbis “reject the basic tenets of our faith, particularly the authority of the Torah and its Sages.”Mount Freedom’s rabbi, Menashe East, told JTA that hiring Kagedan was an easy decision.“We needed support in the areas of Torah teaching, women’s engagement, youth programming, bnei mitzvah training – to name a few,” East wrote in an email. “Those are areas that Lila comes highly credentialed and well-qualified to lead. The major considerations for this position was for the candidate to be inspired and inspiring, to be learned and approachable. Lila brings with her a great learning background and a love and faith in the Jewish people.”Kagedan said the synagogue still hasn’t worked out her specific job title.East is himself a graduate of Maharat’s sister institution, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, a rabbinical seminary for men founded in 1999 by Rabbi Avi Weiss, a New York Orthodox rabbi who has staked out maverick positions on women’s issues.Weiss also founded Yeshivat Maharat, in 2009, and ordained Hurwitz, who serves in a clergy position at his synagogue. Though Kagedan will be the first woman ordained by an Orthodox institution to call herself rabbi, Hurwitz was the first to obtain Orthodox ordination.Kagedan’s position is funded in part by Zelda R. Stern, a Jewish philanthropist who supports Orthodox women’s advancement. Stern also is a backer of Yeshivat Maharat.Kagedan graduated Yeshivat Maharat last summer and currently lives in Brookline, Massachusetts. For the time being, she will commute to her new, part-time gig in New Jersey. She also does consulting work in biomedical ethics and some teaching, including at Touro College and New York Medical College.Before Yeshivat Maharat, Kagedan obtained a master’s degree in theology and ethics at Harvard and founded a Jewish afterschool program in the Boston area calledSulam. She grew up in Ottawa, Canada.Kagedan says that since the news broke last month of her decision to call herself rabbi, she has received mostly positive feedback – though she notes that she doesn’t have any profiles on social media, where feedback can tend toward the vitriolic.“The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Kagedan said. “There’s a lot of excitement and a lot of support.”
All’s quiet on the southern Gaza front — and that’s bad-While soldiers stationed near the north of the Strip face rocket fire and other attacks, in the south, Hamas keeps a lid on Salafists and prepares for next round of fighting-By Judah Ari Gross January 13, 2016, 9:41 pm-the times of israel
While the northern portion of the Gaza Strip has seen intermittent rocket launches, regular violent demonstrations and, most recently, an attempted bombing attack against Israeli troops, the southern end of the coastal enclave has been quiet — deceptively quiet, a senior IDF official said recently.In the southern Gaza Strip and across the border in Egypt lie two different but looming threats: Palestinian terror and the Islamic State.Neither Hamas nor the Islamic State want to go to war with the IDF today, according to army estimates, but that is the direction both are heading for the future, the officer said.Within the Gaza Strip, Hamas is working tirelessly to construct new tunnels, amass more materiel and train fighters for the next round of violence with Israel. In Sinai, the Islamic State-affiliated group Wilayat Sinaa is currently occupied with a bloody, daily war with Egyptian forces, but they have Israel in their sights.The threat from Islamic State is not imminent — it’s not going to necessarily happen “tomorrow or next year,” the officer said — but the army believes that the terrorist groups will eventually move against Israel, if Egypt does not succeed in defeating them first.In Gaza, the situation is more complicated. It is easy to consider the Gaza Strip as one unified body ruled by Hamas, but within the 365 square kilometers (141 sq. mi.) region, there are a variety of groups, each with its own aim and plans to achieve it.Though Hamas may want to wait until it is adequately prepared before taking on the IDF, the more radical and often Iran-supported Salafist groups are chomping at the bit to renew hostilities with Israel.Nearly every attack against Israel by these groups, however, results in an IDF counterstrike against Hamas, which Israel holds responsible for any violence emanating from the coastal enclave. Hamas, a sworn enemy of the Jewish state, is therefore left with the unusual task of preventing those groups from carrying out attacks against Israel.-Breaking up the boredom- In the northern and central Gaza Strip, across the border from Israel’s Sha’ar Hanegev communities, Palestinian terror groups run wild, firing rockets and planting IEDs along the border fence, as Israel saw on Wednesday morning.But in the south, Hamas commanders maintain better discipline over the more extreme Salafist groups, keeping such attacks to a minimum.That discipline in the south translates into fewer small-scale skirmishes with the IDF and fewer rockets launched against the Israeli communities nearby, notably Sufa and Holit, which enjoy more quiet than their neighbors in Sha’ar Hanegev.But it also means that there are more preparations for future battles with the Jewish state, in the form of intelligence gathering and tunnel construction, the officer said.A senior Hamas member, Rahman al-Mubashar, was killed late last month when a tunnel east of Khan Younis, in which he was working, collapsed, the terror group announced last month. Given the Palestinian city’s location near the frontier with Israel, the statement could have been a reference to a tunnel nearing or in Israeli territory.The quiet in the southern end of Gaza is meant to “distract us and lull us to sleep,” the officer said, to trick the IDF into security lapses.The soldiers serving at Israel’s westernmost point face multiple threats from both Gaza and Egypt, sitting at the meeting point of the three territories. But unlike their comrades guarding the northern Gaza border and Israel’s borders with Lebanon and Syria, who face regular threats, the troops stationed in southern Gaza have little to naturally keep them alert.The IDF believes that it is being watched and being intentionally bored to distraction, forcing commanders in the field to keep their soldiers on their toes with frequent exercises.In addition, Golani Brigade soldiers stationed along southern Gaza carry out patrols along the border in order to prevent terrorists from entering Israeli territory and carrying out attacks, the officer said.“It’s all about defense, defense, defense,” he said.This entails monitoring the border fence for IEDs or evidence that someone crossed the border illegally, and also working with intelligence and combat engineering to identify possible attempts to tunnel into Israel.While infiltration into Israel has become less of a problem of late, the officer said, soldiers are still kept busy by smuggling attempts along the Egyptian border, as well as African migrants attempting to enter the country through the Sinai.The smuggling itself “doesn’t really interest us,” the officer said, though it does reveal the lapses in Israeli security that could be exploited by terrorists.The soldiers, some of whom served in Gaza during last summer’s Operation Protective Edge, are also partially responsible for the security of the Kerem Shalom Crossing, through which hundreds of tractor trailers loaded with food and aid travel into Gaza almost every day.The Defense Ministry handles the majority of the security at the crossing, inspecting trucks coming through for contraband and guarding the complex itself while it is in operation. But the IDF, as the group ultimately responsibility for the area, checks the complex each morning before the trucks begin rolling through, the officer said.In recent years, the crossing has been shot at with guns and rocket fire, leading Israel to shut the border and earning the Palestinians international sympathy over the lack of goods flowing in, the officer said.Besides the occasional small weapons fire, the crossing, which sits near the Egyptian border, also came under serious attack in August 2012, when a group of terrorists from Sinai rammed an armored car through the border fence with Egypt, after attacking an Egyptian army installation.They made it approximately two kilometers (1.25 miles) into Israel and toward Kerem Shalom before Israeli aircraft destroyed the vehicle.The officer says he won’t allow such an attack to happen again.“If I think the road is under threat, I’ll just put a tank in that area so that they know they will be stopped,” he said.
ISRAEL SATAN COMES AGAINST
1 CHRONICLES 21:1
1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
GENESIS 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I (GOD) will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee,(ISRAELIS) and curse (DESTROY) him that curseth thee:(DESTROY THEM) and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
ISAIAH 41:11
11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee (ISRAEL) shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing;(DESTROYED) and they that strive with thee shall perish.(ISRAEL HATERS WILL BE TOTALLY DESTROYED)
ISRAELS TROUBLE
JEREMIAH 30:7
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;(ISRAEL) but he shall be saved out of it.
DANIEL 12:1,4
1 And at that time shall Michael(ISRAELS WAR ANGEL) stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:(ISRAEL) and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation(May 14,48) even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS,CHIP IMPLANTS ETC)
US, Iran forge new relationship as nuke deal advances-Kerry has spoken with his counterpart Zarif 11 since the start of the year, more than any other foreign leader-By Matt Lee and Bradley Klapper January 14, 2016, 3:31 am-the times of israel
WASHINGTON (AP) — For diplomats from countries without diplomatic relations, Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javid Zarif sure are doing a lot of diplomacy.As Iran races to satisfy the terms of last summer’s nuclear deal and the US prepares to suspend sanctions on Tehran as early as Friday, Kerry is talking to Zarif more than any other foreign leader. Those talks included several emergency calls Tuesday to secure the release of 10 US sailors after Iran detained them in the Persian Gulf.Since the beginning of the year, Kerry and Zarif have spoken by phone at least 11 times, according to the State Department. They’ve focused on nuclear matters, Iran’s worsening rivalry with Saudi Arabia and peace efforts in Syria.By contrast, America’s top diplomat has talked to Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir only twice. He has consulted once each with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Jordan’s King Abdullah and the foreign ministers of Britain, Egypt, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union.Kerry is departing Wednesday evening to meet al-Jubeir in London. He may extend the trip to see Zarif, too, elsewhere in Europe.Not everyone is happy with the new friendship between the once hostile foes. But the White House, Pentagon, Kerry and Zarif are all crediting the relationship forged over two-and-a-half years of nuclear negotiations with quickly resolving the detention of the sailors, which could have been a new crisis just as President Barack Obama delivered his final State of the Union speech to Congress.“We can all imagine how a similar situation might have played out three or four years ago, and the fact that today this kind of issue can be resolved peacefully and efficiently is a testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure and strong,” Kerry said Wednesday.Denis McDonough, the White House chief of staff, said the open lines between Kerry and Zarif are “extraordinarily important.” Defense Secretary Ash Carter thanked Kerry for his efforts. And in Tehran, Zarif tweeted that he was “happy to see dialogue and respect, not threats and impetuousness, swiftly resolved the sailors episode. Let’s learn from this latest example.”For the Obama administration, the budding Kerry-Zarif relationship offers opportunities and pitfalls. As negotiations with Tehran accelerated in 2013, US officials insisted the diplomacy concerned only ending the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran and shouldn’t signal a strategic realignment that would forsake longstanding US allies like Israel or the Gulf state Sunni monarchies.As the deal came together last July, Obama and his top aides vowed to “double down” on Iran’s activities like its support for Syrian leader Bashar Assad’s government and anti-Israel and anti-US groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.The record, however, has been mixed.The US has modestly expanded sanctions on Hezbollah, but hasn’t followed through on pledges to impose penalties after a recent ballistic missile test by Iran that violated a UN Security Council ban. Washington also offered no response to an Iranian navy rocket fired near a US warship in the Strait of Hormuz.At the same time, the US has expanded outreach efforts to Iran. The Obama administration included the Iranians for the first time in international mediation efforts to secure a cease-fire between Assad’s government and rebel groups.Echoing Saudi and Israeli concerns, Republican lawmakers say they’re unsettled by the warming ties. They say the nuclear deal that they opposed is preventing Obama from dealing assertively with Iran, because he is more concerned with protecting his signature foreign policy achievement.Conscious of these perceptions, the administration moved warily into the Saudi-Iran spat that erupted over New Year’s weekend. The US did not want to play mediator between a longtime ally in Riyadh and a government that, at least officially, remains hostile to the United States some three-and-a-half decades after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and U.S. Embassy hostage crisis.But the US has a lot at stake in calming tensions. Saudi Arabia and Iran already are backing opposing sides in Syria and refusing to cooperate against the Islamic State. They’re trading accusations over the war in Yemen, where a Saudi-led intervention hasn’t uprooted the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Iran airs clip of captive US sailor apologizing for ‘mistake’-State TV releases footage of Americans surrendering on their knees; VP Biden says ‘nothing to apologize for’-By AP and Times of Israel staff January 14, 2016, 2:19 am
Iranian media on Wednesday released footage showing captive US sailors surrendering on their knees to the Revolutionary Guard, and another video of an American serviceman apologizing for unintentionally entering Iranian waters.Less than a day after 10 US Navy sailors were detained in Iran when their boats drifted into Iranian waters, they and their vessels were back safely Wednesday with the American fleet.US Secretary of State John Kerry tapped the personal relationship he has formed with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif in the three years of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, speaking with him at least five times by telephone. Kerry credited the quick resolution to the “critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country secure and strong.”In his statement, Kerry expressed his “gratitude to Iranian authorities for their cooperation in swiftly resolving this matter.”The Revolutionary Guard released images of the US sailors before their release, showing them sitting on the floor of a room. They looked mostly bored or annoyed, although one appeared to be smiling. The woman had her hair covered by a brown cloth. The pictures also showed what appeared to be their two boats.State TV later released more video and photos of the Americans apparently surrendering on their knees, their hands behind their head. It also showed machine guns and ammunition they had onboard.“After determining that their entry into Iran’s territorial waters was not intentional, and their apology, the detained American sailors were released in international waters,” the Guard said.US Navy Cmdr. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, said the incident remained under investigation.“The video appears to be authentic but we cannot speak to the conditions of the situation or what the crew was experiencing at the time. The crew is currently undergoing the reintegration process and we will continue to investigate this incident. What matters most right now, however, is that our sailors are back safely,” Ross said.Vice President Joe Biden, speaking later to “CBS This Morning,” said the US government had not issued an apology.“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Biden said. “When you have a problem with the boat, you apologize the boat had a problem? No, and there was no looking for any apology. This was just standard nautical practice.”Iranian TV ran video of one of the sailors apologizing for the intrusion into Iranian waters.“It was a mistake. That was our fault and we apologize for our mistake,” the unidentified sailor is shown saying in English.The US Central Command later said: “The video appears to be authentic, but we cannot speak to the conditions of the situation or what the crew was experiencing at the time.” It added that the crew was undergoing “the reintegration process and we will continue to investigate this incident.”“What matters most right now, however, is that our sailors are back safely,” it added.US Defense Secretary Ash Carter thanked Kerry after the sailors’ release and couched the incident in humanitarian terms, noting that “the US Navy routinely provides assistance to foreign sailors in distress.”For Tehran, the Americans’ swift release was a way to neutralize a potential new flashpoint days before it was expected to meet the terms of last summer’s nuclear deal, which will give Iran significant relief from painful economic sanctions.Gen. Ali Fadavi, the Guard’s navy chief, accused the Americans of “unprofessional acts” for 40 minutes before the sailors were picked up by Iranian forces.It is likely that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state, would have had to approve the release, given the immense political sensitivities.But the rapid resolution also was a victory for moderate President Hassan Rouhani, who has promoted greater openness with the outside world despite strident opposition from deeply entrenched hard-liners at home.“Rouhani’s policy of interaction is working,” said Iranian political analyst Saeed Leilaz. “Iran and the U.S. have gone a long way in reducing tensions but still have a long way to go in improving their contacts. It was a big step forward.”The nine men and one woman were detained Tuesday after at least one of their boats suffered mechanical problems off of Farsi Island, an outpost in the middle of the Persian Gulf that has been used as a base for Revolutionary Guard speedboats since the 1980s.The Americans’ small Riverine boats were sailing between Kuwait and Bahrain on a training mission when the US lost contact.The sailors left the island at 0843 GMT (3:43 a.m. EST) Wednesday aboard their boats, the Navy said. They were picked up by Navy aircraft, and other sailors took control of the vessels for the return voyage to Bahrain, where the U.S. 5th Fleet is based.Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, a 5th Fleet spokesman, said the priority now would be determining “how exactly these sailors found themselves in Iran.”He declined to say where they were going or give details on their identities, but a senior defense official said they were heading to a US military facility in Qatar. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said they are being debriefed and getting medical exams but were not harmed.In Washington, a defense official said the Navy has ruled out engine or propulsion failure as the reason the boats entered Iranian waters. Navigation problems, due either to human or mechanical failure, could not be ruled out, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss details of the incident and so spoke on condition of anonymity.The sailors were part of Riverine Squadron 1, based in San Diego, US officials said. When the US lost contact with the boats, ships attached to the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier strike group began a search, as did aircraft from the Truman. The officials also spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the incident publicly.The quick resolution stood in contrast to the 2007 seizure by Iran of 15 British sailors and marines who were searching for a merchant ship in the Gulf. Iran held them for 13 days, with the captives saying they were kept in cold, stone cells, blindfolded and fearing execution, and coerced into falsely saying they had entered Iranian waters.Their detention by the Revolutionary Guard occurred under hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. A day after they were seized, the UN Security Council imposed more sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt uranium enrichment.Haleh Esfandiari, the Iranian-American director of the Middle East program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, called the Americans’ release “a big victory for Rouhani and his team.”“Finally, he was able to assert himself vis a vis the Revolutionary Guard. … He is trying to change Iran’s ‘in-your-face image’ that developed under Ahmadinejad,” Esfandiari said.“They must have contacted the Supreme Leader and said … ‘If we let this become an international incident, there is no way we can restore that sense of goodwill that we are trying to project,'” she added.The Guard’s 200,000-member force is different from the regular Iranian military and is charged with protecting the ruling system. Its naval forces are heavily dependent on armed speedboats that can be used in teams to swarm much larger vessels.Tuesday’s incident recalled the 2009 arrest of three American hikers by Iran as they traveled along the country’s border with Iraq. One hiker, Sarah Shourd, was released after more than 13 months in custody after mediation by Oman. Her travel companions, Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, were convicted of espionage but set free a year after her.The sailors’ detention came just hours before President Barack Obama gave his final State of the Union address and amid a period of renewed maritime tensions with Iran. Last month, Iran conducted a rocket test near U.S. warships and boats passing through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, the route for about a fifth of the world’s oil.Iran sank a replica of a US aircraft carrier near the strait in February 2015 and has said it is testing “suicide drones” that could attack ships. It also has challenged foreign cargo ships in the Gulf, opening fire on at least two last year. In one incident, Iran temporarily seized a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship over what it said was a commercial dispute before releasing it and its crew more than a week later.Iran is expected to satisfy the terms of the nuclear deal in just days. Once the UN nuclear agency confirms Iran’s actions to roll back its program, the US and other Western powers are obliged to suspend wide-ranging oil, trade and financial sanctions on Tehran. Kerry recently said the deal’s implementation was “days away.”Four Americans of Iranian origin remain held by Iran, including journalist Jason Rezaian of The Washington Post; former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati of Flint, Michigan; pastor Saeed Abedini of Boise, Idaho; and Siamak Namazi, a businessman and the son of a politician from the shah’s era. Separately, former FBI agent Robert Levinson disappeared in Iran in 2007 while working for the CIA on an unapproved intelligence mission.
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.
12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
Rabbi Lila Kagedan set to make history with job at Orthodox shul-Recent graduate of New York seminary to become first woman to lead an Orthodox synagogue and use the title rabbi-By Uriel Heilman January 14, 2016, 1:51 am-the times of israel
NEW YORK (JTA) – When Rabbi Lila Kagedan spends her first Shabbat at the Mount Freedom Jewish Center in Randolph, New Jersey, later this month, she will be making history.A recent graduate of Yeshivat Maharat, Kagedan, 35, is the first person ordained at the Orthodox women’s clergy training institute in New York to adopt the title of rabbi and land a job at an Orthodox synagogue. In her new position, Kagedan will be part of the synagogue’s spiritual leadership, teaching and doing youth outreach.“There are so many other women who have come before me who are doing this work already, including graduates of Yeshivat Maharat already working in pulpit positions,” Kagedan told JTA. “I feel that I’m standing on the shoulders of giants. I learn from them and they inspire me. It’s because of the variety of Jewish learning opportunities that already have been made for women that I have this opportunity.”Rather than confer a particular title upon graduates, Yeshivat Maharat leaves it up to the ordainees. Some of the yeshiva’s dozen or so graduates go by “maharat,” an acronym for the Hebrew words meaning a leader in Jewish law, spirituality and Torah. Others, including dean Sara Hurwitz, go by “rabba,” a feminized version of rabbi. Alissa Thomas-Newborn, a clergywoman at the Los Angeles synagogue B’nai David-Judea, goes by “morateinu,” Hebrew for our teacher.“I’m by nature a very traditional person,” Kagedan told JTA. “I really didn’t want to look outside our tradition for new titles. I have rabbis and mentors in my life who I really look up to and have learned so much from, and I always appreciated that their title told me exactly who they were and what their training was.”Many Orthodox Jews are vehemently opposed to the idea of women rabbis, and several mainstream Orthodox rabbis and institutions have ruled that ordaining female rabbis violates Jewish law.In October, the main association of modern Orthodox rabbis, the Rabbinical Council of America, passed a resolution reaffirming its opposition and barring member rabbis from hiring women with clergy-like titles.The haredi Orthodox Agudath Israel of America has said that institutions like Yeshivat Maharat that support female rabbis “reject the basic tenets of our faith, particularly the authority of the Torah and its Sages.”Mount Freedom’s rabbi, Menashe East, told JTA that hiring Kagedan was an easy decision.“We needed support in the areas of Torah teaching, women’s engagement, youth programming, bnei mitzvah training – to name a few,” East wrote in an email. “Those are areas that Lila comes highly credentialed and well-qualified to lead. The major considerations for this position was for the candidate to be inspired and inspiring, to be learned and approachable. Lila brings with her a great learning background and a love and faith in the Jewish people.”Kagedan said the synagogue still hasn’t worked out her specific job title.East is himself a graduate of Maharat’s sister institution, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, a rabbinical seminary for men founded in 1999 by Rabbi Avi Weiss, a New York Orthodox rabbi who has staked out maverick positions on women’s issues.Weiss also founded Yeshivat Maharat, in 2009, and ordained Hurwitz, who serves in a clergy position at his synagogue. Though Kagedan will be the first woman ordained by an Orthodox institution to call herself rabbi, Hurwitz was the first to obtain Orthodox ordination.Kagedan’s position is funded in part by Zelda R. Stern, a Jewish philanthropist who supports Orthodox women’s advancement. Stern also is a backer of Yeshivat Maharat.Kagedan graduated Yeshivat Maharat last summer and currently lives in Brookline, Massachusetts. For the time being, she will commute to her new, part-time gig in New Jersey. She also does consulting work in biomedical ethics and some teaching, including at Touro College and New York Medical College.Before Yeshivat Maharat, Kagedan obtained a master’s degree in theology and ethics at Harvard and founded a Jewish afterschool program in the Boston area calledSulam. She grew up in Ottawa, Canada.Kagedan says that since the news broke last month of her decision to call herself rabbi, she has received mostly positive feedback – though she notes that she doesn’t have any profiles on social media, where feedback can tend toward the vitriolic.“The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Kagedan said. “There’s a lot of excitement and a lot of support.”
All’s quiet on the southern Gaza front — and that’s bad-While soldiers stationed near the north of the Strip face rocket fire and other attacks, in the south, Hamas keeps a lid on Salafists and prepares for next round of fighting-By Judah Ari Gross January 13, 2016, 9:41 pm-the times of israel
While the northern portion of the Gaza Strip has seen intermittent rocket launches, regular violent demonstrations and, most recently, an attempted bombing attack against Israeli troops, the southern end of the coastal enclave has been quiet — deceptively quiet, a senior IDF official said recently.In the southern Gaza Strip and across the border in Egypt lie two different but looming threats: Palestinian terror and the Islamic State.Neither Hamas nor the Islamic State want to go to war with the IDF today, according to army estimates, but that is the direction both are heading for the future, the officer said.Within the Gaza Strip, Hamas is working tirelessly to construct new tunnels, amass more materiel and train fighters for the next round of violence with Israel. In Sinai, the Islamic State-affiliated group Wilayat Sinaa is currently occupied with a bloody, daily war with Egyptian forces, but they have Israel in their sights.The threat from Islamic State is not imminent — it’s not going to necessarily happen “tomorrow or next year,” the officer said — but the army believes that the terrorist groups will eventually move against Israel, if Egypt does not succeed in defeating them first.In Gaza, the situation is more complicated. It is easy to consider the Gaza Strip as one unified body ruled by Hamas, but within the 365 square kilometers (141 sq. mi.) region, there are a variety of groups, each with its own aim and plans to achieve it.Though Hamas may want to wait until it is adequately prepared before taking on the IDF, the more radical and often Iran-supported Salafist groups are chomping at the bit to renew hostilities with Israel.Nearly every attack against Israel by these groups, however, results in an IDF counterstrike against Hamas, which Israel holds responsible for any violence emanating from the coastal enclave. Hamas, a sworn enemy of the Jewish state, is therefore left with the unusual task of preventing those groups from carrying out attacks against Israel.-Breaking up the boredom- In the northern and central Gaza Strip, across the border from Israel’s Sha’ar Hanegev communities, Palestinian terror groups run wild, firing rockets and planting IEDs along the border fence, as Israel saw on Wednesday morning.But in the south, Hamas commanders maintain better discipline over the more extreme Salafist groups, keeping such attacks to a minimum.That discipline in the south translates into fewer small-scale skirmishes with the IDF and fewer rockets launched against the Israeli communities nearby, notably Sufa and Holit, which enjoy more quiet than their neighbors in Sha’ar Hanegev.But it also means that there are more preparations for future battles with the Jewish state, in the form of intelligence gathering and tunnel construction, the officer said.A senior Hamas member, Rahman al-Mubashar, was killed late last month when a tunnel east of Khan Younis, in which he was working, collapsed, the terror group announced last month. Given the Palestinian city’s location near the frontier with Israel, the statement could have been a reference to a tunnel nearing or in Israeli territory.The quiet in the southern end of Gaza is meant to “distract us and lull us to sleep,” the officer said, to trick the IDF into security lapses.The soldiers serving at Israel’s westernmost point face multiple threats from both Gaza and Egypt, sitting at the meeting point of the three territories. But unlike their comrades guarding the northern Gaza border and Israel’s borders with Lebanon and Syria, who face regular threats, the troops stationed in southern Gaza have little to naturally keep them alert.The IDF believes that it is being watched and being intentionally bored to distraction, forcing commanders in the field to keep their soldiers on their toes with frequent exercises.In addition, Golani Brigade soldiers stationed along southern Gaza carry out patrols along the border in order to prevent terrorists from entering Israeli territory and carrying out attacks, the officer said.“It’s all about defense, defense, defense,” he said.This entails monitoring the border fence for IEDs or evidence that someone crossed the border illegally, and also working with intelligence and combat engineering to identify possible attempts to tunnel into Israel.While infiltration into Israel has become less of a problem of late, the officer said, soldiers are still kept busy by smuggling attempts along the Egyptian border, as well as African migrants attempting to enter the country through the Sinai.The smuggling itself “doesn’t really interest us,” the officer said, though it does reveal the lapses in Israeli security that could be exploited by terrorists.The soldiers, some of whom served in Gaza during last summer’s Operation Protective Edge, are also partially responsible for the security of the Kerem Shalom Crossing, through which hundreds of tractor trailers loaded with food and aid travel into Gaza almost every day.The Defense Ministry handles the majority of the security at the crossing, inspecting trucks coming through for contraband and guarding the complex itself while it is in operation. But the IDF, as the group ultimately responsibility for the area, checks the complex each morning before the trucks begin rolling through, the officer said.In recent years, the crossing has been shot at with guns and rocket fire, leading Israel to shut the border and earning the Palestinians international sympathy over the lack of goods flowing in, the officer said.Besides the occasional small weapons fire, the crossing, which sits near the Egyptian border, also came under serious attack in August 2012, when a group of terrorists from Sinai rammed an armored car through the border fence with Egypt, after attacking an Egyptian army installation.They made it approximately two kilometers (1.25 miles) into Israel and toward Kerem Shalom before Israeli aircraft destroyed the vehicle.The officer says he won’t allow such an attack to happen again.“If I think the road is under threat, I’ll just put a tank in that area so that they know they will be stopped,” he said.
Israel’s INS Dolphin submarine. (Photo: Wiki Commons)