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They Blessed Families of Terrorist
By Micah Halpern

Thursday March 31, 2022
I've Been Thinking:

Two Palestinian Arab terrorists murdered two Israeli officers and wounded many others in the city of Hadera before they were killed by undercover police who were having a meal at a café nearby.

Jordan condemned the attack. Turkey, Bahrain, Egypt and many other Arab countries condemned the attack.

The municipality of Umm al Fahm, an Arab city inside Israel proper, sent official condolences to the families – that is, to the families of the two terrorists.

The official Umm al Fahm statement read: "We send are heartfelt condolences for the deaths of Ayman Agrabia and Ibrahim Agrabia. May God take pity on them and forgive them."

Earlier in the week, Samir Mahamid, the mayor of the Arab Israeli city, told Ynet that the municipality and he personally, condemn the attack.

That statement condemning the attack was later retracted, explaining that it had been a mistake. According to the municipality: "We thought it was right to release a condolence statement as we do when people in the city pass away, but the mayor demanded we erase the statement."

Yes, the terrorists lived in Umm al Fahm - but they were terrorists.

Umm al Fahm is an Arab city in the north of Israel near Hadera and in the Haifa region. It sits in the middle of the country. It is home to 56,000 people. It is a real city.

All Umm al Fahm residents - including terrorists Ayman and Ibrahim Agrabia, are full citizens of Israel. Israelis don’t send condolences to the families of terrorists.

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Poisoning the Mediators
By Micah Halpern

Wednesday March 30, 2022
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We are learning more about the poisoning of the Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich and two Ukrainian diplomats.

The poisoning took place in Kyiv, on March 3rd, after the negotiations broke up. Abramovich and Ukrainian Member of Parliament Rustem Umerov, along with another diplomat, were all together when they began to experience strange symptoms.

Their symptoms, according to the reports we are getting, included red eyes, constant and painful tearing, and peeling skin on their faces and hands.

Most experts are saying that the dose of poison was small, but big enough to frighten the targets. The objective was not to assassinate - just terrorize.

The obvious culprits are the Russians - who have a successful history of poison. But many countries use poison. And Russia is claiming that it was not them.

The exact quote of Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov is that the reports "do not correspond to reality."

Another strange sidebar in a very strange story.

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Arab Summit in Israel
By Micah Halpern

Tuesday March 29, 2022
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The foreign ministers of Israel, the United States, Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco concluded a two-day summit at Kibbutz Sde Boker in the Negev Desert. Sde Boker was home to Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion.

The 5 Arab nations came to Israel to talk. They all had different agendas and varying priorities. For Israel it was all about Iran. Not so for the others around the table.

Dan Shapiro is a reliable source. He was the former US ambassador to Israel and is now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Program. Until last week, he served as senior adviser to the US special envoy on Iran.

Shapiro was quoted by the Times of Israel saying: “For the UAE, it might be investment in clean energy; for Bahrain, it might be maritime security; for Morocco, it might be education and agriculture; for Egypt… [it might be] all of those.”

Such is the nature of diplomacy and international affairs. Seldom does everything fall into total alignment.

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Palestinians Celebrate Terror
By Micah Halpern

Monday March 28, 2022
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Two Israelis are murdered by terrorists - and Palestinian leadership rejoices.

Something is terribly wrong with that model.

Islamic Jihad and Hamas both celebrated the terror attack in Hadera.

The terror groups announced that the reason behind this terror attack was the regional peace conference, taking place at just that same time, in the Negev. Attending the summit were diplomats from Egypt, the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain and of course, Israel.

According to Islamic Jihad: "The attack in Hadera is the reaction of the Palestinian people and the liberators of the nation to the 'summit of evil' in which the foreign ministers of Arab countries are participating."

Hamas had a similar explanation for the attack: "We welcome the heroic attack against the soldiers of the occupation army in Hadera."

If they are angry at their fellow Arabs, why attack Israel?

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Pet Refugees
By Micah Halpern

Sunday March 27, 2022
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So far since Russia invaded Ukraine 12,000 Ukrainian refugees have been brought to Israel.

About of those 3650 Ukrainian Jewish refugees are eligible to make aliyah – that is, they can become citizens of Israel. 20,000 Ukrainians were in Israel before February 24, the date Russia invaded and they will be allowed to stay until the war ends and 5000 of them were granted visas.

Several hundred Russians have left Russia and have also made aliyah.

The Israeli government and private groups of Israelis are organizing to provide for the needs of these refugees.

Not surprisingly, many of the refugees come with nothing except for the clothes they are wearing and small bundles or suitcases that they could carry as they ran out of Ukraine and escaped to Moldova or Poland and from there, to Israel.

Ukrainian refugees have lost almost everything. Most left without their husbands and fathers who may not leave Ukraine – they must stay and fight. Families have no idea of the wellbeing of the men they left behind to wage war against invading Russia.

Many of them escaped Ukraine with their pets. They’ve brought cats and dogs and hamsters and other pets. The Israeli ministry responsible for the care of the refugees has also been making arrangements for their pets.

The ministry is informed in advance when a pet is arriving and upon arrival, as an act of goodwill, the ministry's staff has provided for the needs of the "olim on all fours", the “new immigrants on all fours”. They have quality food and the proper documentation for their aliyah, waiting for the new immigrants at Ben-Gurion Airport.

At least that part was made easier for these tired, desperate souls.

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Matzah Shortage
By Micah Halpern

Saturday March 26, 2022
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There will most probably be a shmura matzah shortage this year. And this shortage really is, unquestionably, Vladimir Putin’s fault.

Shmura matza is also known as hand-baked round matzah.

Ukraine produces 20% of the world’s grain. And surprisingly – they are a huge producer of the world’s shmura matzah. In one city alone, the city of Dnipro, hey have 2 very large matzah bakeries. Chabad also has a matzah bakery in Dnipro.

Most of Ukraine’s matza is normally exported, some is made for internal use. On average, former Soviet Republics eat more matzah than most other people. They average over 2 pounds per person. Twice as much as the matzah allocation for an IDF soldier.

Tiferes HaMatzos, one of the factories in Dnipro, employees 100 people. Many of the workers have been baking matzah for generations - 3,4 and even 5 generations. They get their water from a well which sits 145 feet below ground.

Under the oppressive Soviet regime, matzah baking was mostly illegal. But matzohs need to be baked and eaten on Passover and so underground matzah bakeries were organized. Locals would bring their own flour and give it to the bakers to turn into shmurah matzah. When they could, they also baked and tried to supply matzah for the rest of the community.

In Ukraine today there are 116 Jewish communities that will get matzah, but there will not be much matzah for export. Because of the Russian invasion, there will obviously be fewer people in each of those communities to enjoy their homemade matzah.

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Israel's New Air Defense
By Micah Halpern

Friday March 25, 2022
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Tal Shamayim means Sky Dew. And Tal Shamayim is Israel’s newest anti-missile system.

As far as anti-missile systems go, this one does not look very threatening. In fact, it looks like a white Goodyear Blimp.

Tal Shamayim was developed by The Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO). It is a high-altitude early warning system designed to detect drones and missiles.

Unlike the Goodyear blimp, these balloons don’t travel. They are tethered, the way a kite is tethered. They float and use their advanced radar technology to monitor and watch.

One system has already been operational in the south of Israel and now a second system was just positioned in the north of Israel.

This balloon can stay up for indefinite amounts of time and can be raised higher or lower.

This simple concept but will dramatically improve Israel’s advance warning system.

Over the years Israel has developed a multi-layered defense system to protect itself from ever-evolving threats from Iran, the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Syria.

Tal Shamayim, Sky Dew, joins the ranks of the Iron Dome system for close-range threats and the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems for long-range threats.

It is another set of Israeli eyes in the sky.

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Madeline Albright
By Micah Halpern

Thursday March 24 2022
I've Been Thinking:

The first female US Secretary of State, Madeline Albright, has passed away at the age of 84. Born in 1938 in the city of Prague, she immigrated to the United States in 1949 at the age of 11, together with her parents. The family lived in New York, on Long Island.

Under President Bill Clinton, Madeline Albright served as US ambassador to the United Nations before making history as the first female United States Secretary of State.

Three of Albright’s grandparents were murdered by the Nazis. But her parents converted before she was born and never told Madeline that they were Jewish. They raised her as a Catholic.

On a personal note, I was with Madeline Albright on several occasions. I was at Yad Vashem when she publicly announced and affirmed that she was Jewish. She had just finished her official tour and was holding a press conference outside the Children’s Memorial. It was there that she spoke openly, candidly and I must say, very movingly, about the Holocaust and her family.

Madeline Albright was a powerful force. When she felt it necessary, she did not hesitate to put people in their place. I was there, in Ramallah, with the Secretary of State and Yasser Arafat, when she made the famous statement that “there is no equivalence between bombs and bulldozers”. At the time Albright was responding to justifications for terror and that Palestinian houses were being bulldozed by Israel and so they, the Palestinians, were murdering Israelis.

Throughout her career, Madeline Albright remained a true lady. She telegraphed her intentions through her scarfs and her pins and the colors she chose to wear. When she visited victims of terror in an Israeli hospital she wore white, for her visit at Yad Vashem, it was blue and to reprimand Yasser Arafat, Madeline Albright dressed in black with a pin in the shape of white dove adorning her outfit.

She was one of a kind. May her memory be blessed.

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Israeli Clowns Help Refugees
By Micah Halpern

Wednesday March 23 2022
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Israel makes up more volunteers per capita than any other country helping in Ukraine. Israelis are even a larger percentage of volunteers in the countries bordering Ukraine - especially in Poland and in Moldova.

Israelis take up arms and defend Ukraine against Russia. They are in these countries providing medical care and psychological care. They deliver food and other essential services.

And they come as clowns.

Dream Doctors was established in 2002. Its members can be found in 30 hospitals throughout Israel. And at the request of local authorities on the ground in Poland and Moldova, Dream Doctors have come there, too. Helping. Making people smile.

The clowns of Dream Doctors are well trained and certified. They work in pairs and, like in Israel, they have had tremendous success working with Ukrainian refugees in Moldova and Poland.

In Israel, they are also working with Ukrainians - Jewish Ukrainians and non-Jewish Ukrainians, who have been airlifted to Israel. They all need help

These clowns speak a universal language for children, a language that also resonates with adults. Dream Doctors gets people to smile and laugh again.

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Singapore & Israel
By Micah Halpern

Tuesday March 22 2022
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53 years ago, Singapore and Israel established diplomatic relations. The year was 1969. Now, these many years later, Singapore will finally open an embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel

A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 21st explained that the Singapore embassy in Tel Aviv will "serve as a focal point and support Singapore companies seeking to expand their collaboration with potential Israeli partners”.

For years the two countries engaged in covert military partnership. Both Singapore and Israel welcomed closer cooperation in areas such as innovation and technology, trade and investment, research, development, and education.

The Singapore-Israel Industrial Research & Development Foundation (SIIRD) is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2022. Since its inception in 1997, the Foundation has funded about 190 projects, providing about US$120 million to projects between Singapore and Israel.

In addition to announcing the opening of its Tel Aviv Embassy, Singapore emphasized its commitment to a two-state solution and to a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Israel and Palestinians.

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Lego Zelenskyy
By Micah Halpern

Monday March 21 2022
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Citizen Brick is the name of a company that creates customized Lego characters. They create the personalized and spectacular characters for the classic children’s game Lego.

There is a new addition to their Lego collections. It is called Lego Zelenskyy.

Lego Zelenskyy is now able to play along with police and firefighters figures as well as figures of construction workers and various family members.

Along with Zelenskyy, Citizen Brick made a Molotov Cocktail figurine. There is an option to buy both figures or to choose either the president or the firebomb.

Chicago-based Citizen Brick created these figures not as a business venture, but as a humanitarian gesture. They wanted to raise $100,000 to help Ukrainian refugees through the organization Direct Relief. And they sold out within 24 hours.

It is important to note that Citizen Brick is not the Lego Group – it is a company licensed to produce specialized additions to the game. And given the response, these figures are a welcome addition.

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Zelenskyy to Knesset
By Micah Halpern

Sunay March 20 2022
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On Sunday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Israeli Knesset.

In the course of the presentation, as the Ukrainian president was speaking, the Knesset was forced to repel computer attack after computer attacks.

Almost certainly, the attacks on the Knesset were an attempt to prevent the Ukrainian president’s speech. The cyberattacks could have resulted in disaster - but the Israeli cyber defense system was alert and did their job and the speech went on.

The attackers were, most probably, Russian.

In his speech, Zelenskyy referenced the Holocaust, a decision that was met with serious critique. The general feeling of Knesset members was that the Ukrainian president’s Holocaust related material bordered on Holocaust denial. Most specifically, his use of historical comparisons and the exaggerations he employed when comparing the murder of Jews by Nazis to the Russian invasion of his country, Ukraine.

The Holocaust was perpetrated under the guise of war. It was a program to murder every single Jew and to that end, murder factories were created. The end result was the murder of 6 million Jews.

Israeli lawmakers and Holocaust experts contend that that is not what is happening in Ukraine.

Never the less, almost every member of Israel’s Knesset agreed to support Ukraine against an aggressive Russia.

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Hackers Hack Mossad
By Micah Halpern

Saturday March 19 2022
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Open Hands is the name of a hacker group.

And on Telegram, an online messaging platform that quickly deletes messages once they have been opened, Open Hands has published the private details of the head of Israel’s Mossad.

Not once, but twice in a very short period, Open Hands has divulged private information about one of the most private people in the world – the head of Israel’s clandestine intelligence service.

Mossad head David Barnea’s private phone and salary were published.

The material was from Barnea’s 2020 tax return. He makes $268,000.

Israel’s response to this hack was that the material that was made public is irrelevant and not of use to anyone. That the material came from Barnea’s wife’s old cellphone.

Because the material on Telegram disappears so quickly, finding the culprits is hard. We know it was Open Hands, a group of loosely connected hackers with varied political ideologies and goals, claimed they responsibility for the deed.

Israel is a target for hackers and this is one of many examples.

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US Warns China
By Micah Halpern

Friday March 18 2022
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Washington issued a series of public and private threats to Beijing, suggesting that if China helps Russia and supports the invasion of Ukraine, there will be a heavy price to pay.

The United States literally said that China will face serious consequences if it supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

In addition to a phone call between the leaders of the United States and China, a seven-hour meeting took place in Rome Between Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s nations security adviser, and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi.

We have been told that the meeting was tense as the United States passed their message on to China very clearly.

The Biden Administration is trying to insure that China does not help Russia end around Western sanctions or, more importantly, supply weapons to the Russians as casualties mount in Ukraine.

It is a difficult diplomatic needle to thread.

The Biden administration is taking a big gamble with China and Russia.

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Foreign Fighters Are Coming
By Micah Halpern

Thursday March 17, 2022
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Syrian President Bashar Assad has promised to provide some 40,000 militants to Russia to help them fight in Ukraine. This information comes from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.

Russia opened 14 recruitment centers in Syria and is signing people up. They are promising a salary of $300 - $600 / month.

That’s not the only outside help Russia is receiving.

The head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, has said he will be sending another 1,000 Chechens to assist Russian forces in Ukraine.

On the other side of the struggle, about 20,000 foreign fighters have joined Ukraine. Ukraine says that these fighters have come from 52 different countries.

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Iran Suspends Talks w Saudis
By Micah Halpern

Wednesday March 16, 2022
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Iran has suspended talks with Saudi Arabia.

The news come to us from a website affiliated with Iran's top security body. No explanation was given for the surprising decision that came just as a fifth round of negotiations between the two countries was due to start.

Tehran also condemned mass executions in Saudi Arabia and said that 41 Shiites had been executed. They didn’t say it, but that very well may have been the reason for the suspension of talks.

Iran is a Shiite Muslim country and Saudi Arabia is a Sunni Muslim country. The two groups are sworn enemies. And these two countries are leaders in their respective groups.

There is very little chance that Iran and Saudi Arabia will ever trust one another. Each sees the other as a heretic.

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Israel Send Field Hospital
By Micah Halpern

Tuesday March 15, 2022
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Israel has set up a field hospital in Western Ukraine. The hospital is named after a former prime minister, Israel’s Prime Minister Golda Meir.

The cost of the field hospital is $6.4 million. The hospital will obviously treat the wounded. It will also be equipped to function like any other hospital and treat everything form delivering babies to broken arms.

Placing the hospital in the west, close to the Ukrainian border with Poland, which is a NATO country, is an important – and not arbitrary, move. It signals to Russia that the hospital is there for humanitarian reasons.

Israel has previously deployed field hospitals like this one in various war zones and disaster areas. They are very effective and very important humanitarian aids.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett released a statement which read: “Establishing a field hospital there, in Ukraine, is an initiative that not many countries are capable of taking on themselves. … The State of Israel has this capability and we are getting underway. This is important and I am pleased that we — the Health Ministry and the Foreign Ministry, with the assistance of the Finance Ministry — are leading it.”

Israel continues to try to mediate between Ukraine and Russia. Israel is doing everything it can to save as many lives as possible.

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Russia Conflict Forces Questions
By Micah Halpern

Monday March 14, 2022
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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused others to look at their local border conflicts - conflicts that could explode at any moment.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis agreed, during talks in Istanbul, to keep communication channels open and to improve ties despite disagreements.

Turkey and Greece carry a special responsibility within the security foundation of Europe, which has changed with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. As the Turkish president acknowledged, their increased cooperation will have regional benefits.

Turkey and Greece have been sworn enemies for decades. But the Ukrainian/Russian conflict has graphically illustrated for them how conflict can savage a country.

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Russia & China
By Micah Halpern

Sunday March 13, 2022
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Russia is starting to suffer in real terms in Ukraine. One clear sign is that proud Russia has begun asking for international assistance.

Quoting US officials, the Financial Times reported that Russia has asked China for military equipment to support its invasion of Ukraine.

According to the report, the White House was concerned that Beijing may "undermine western efforts to help Ukrainian forces defend their country."

Obviously, the United States is concerned - but there is nothing that they can do about it.

There is no question that China is one of, if not the only country, that has any influence on Russia. And China is one of the only countries Russia can comfortably ask for help.

In response, China has told Russia that it is time to de-escalate in Ukraine.

We must wait and see if China will, in the end, help Russia and more importantly, if Russia will listen to the advice given them by China.

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Water is Rising in Israel
By Micah Halpern

Saturday March 12, 2022
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Water is an essential in the life of a society.

For Israel, the main source of fresh water is the Sea of Galilee aka the Kineret. After some rough, dry seasons, the Kineret has slowly been battling back and rising to capacity.

For the sake of safety, as a precaution, Israel desalinates water. That’s just in case there is not enough fresh water.

Israel’s Water and Sewage Authority has reported that the Sea of Galilee has risen by no less than seven centimeters and now stands at -209.53 meters -- only 0.73 meters from full capacity.

That is truly a miracle.

For years analysts have predicted that the next war in the Middle East will be about water. Keeping the Kineret high lends important security to Israel.

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Israel & Oligarch
By Micah Halpern

Friday March 11, 2022
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The Russian oligarchs made their billions with the support of Putin. The president of Russia is a partner in all their contracts.

And now the oligarchs are being sanctioned.

Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum has suspended a strategic partnership with Roman Abramovich, an Israeli-Russian oligarch, who has faced sanctions abroad since the eruption of the Ukraine conflict.

It was only last month that Yad Vashem announced that Abramovich's pledged funding would strengthen its endeavors in the areas of Holocaust research and remembrance.

The Memorial Museum survives om donations and Abramovich’s pledge was more than substantial. It is courageous and ethical for Yad Vashem to take this stand.

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Israel & Bahrain
By Micah Halpern

Thursday March 10, 2022
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The world is evolving. International relations are advancing.  Alliances we never would have expected are being forged. 

Aviv Kochavi, Chief of Staff of the IDF, visited Bahrain for a series of meetings with top security officials in the Persian Gulf kingdom.

Kochavi was accompanied by the head of the IDF's Iran directorate, Tal Kalman.

Kochavi's visit came just a few weeks after Israel’s Defense Minister, Benny Gantz, visited Bahrain. During that visit a security cooperation agreement between Israel and Bahrain was signed.

There is little doubt as to what Israelis and Bahrainis are speaking about and sharing.  Iran, Iran, Iran and Islamic terror.

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Israel Takes in Ukrainians
By Micah Halpern

Wednesday March 9, 2022
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Israel announced that they have already taken in 25,000 non-Jewish Ukrainians. They will be permitted to stay in Israel permanently.

Israel has also suspended the $3000 deposit usually requested of non-Jews to make certain that they leave the country.

Of the 25,000 Ukrainians non-Jews now in Israel, 20,000 are in Israel illegally in Israel. They will be permitted to legally remain.

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked made the announcement Tuesday. Israel’s Law of Return usually offers citizenship only to people with at least one Jewish grandparent.

But this is not a usual circumstance and Israel needs to act to save lives. Shaked summed it up when she said: “The sights of war in Ukraine and the suffering experienced by its citizens rattle the soul and don’t allow us to remain indifferent”.

Ukrainians are not the only newcomers to Israel. Over 300 Russia Jews arrived in Israel and made Aliyah (came to live in Israel permanently) in 48 hours. And +Israel is expecting many more.

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PA Thinks Ukraine will Steal Their Place
By Micah Halpern

Tuesday March 8, 2022
I've Been Thinking:

Sometimes people think the world revolves only around them.

Palestinian leadership and laity are worried that the crisis in Ukraine will hurt their cause and the way there are perceived in the world.

Palestinian leadership is concerned that the conflict will force Palestinians off the front page and they will need to create reasons to return to center stage.

Palestinian leadership has been silent on the matter. And to their benefit, no one is actually looking for Palestinian input and perspective.

Palestinian leadership is upset that Israel is receiving 5,000 Ukrainian refugees and opening their country to tens of thousands of temporary Ukrainian residents in need of refuge.

Palestinian leadership is concerned that, once again, Israelis are importing Jews and they are convinced that these newcomers will usurp Palestinian land.

Humanitarian aid for Ukraine seems not to be on their agenda.

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Kosher in Istanbul Airport
By Micah Halpern

Monday March 7, 2022
I've Been Thinking:

We all know people travelling form the United States to Israel and laying over in Istanbul.

The trip has become a bit more enjoyable.

A kosher vending machine with sandwiches and other items is now open for business in the airport. It is called Kosher Food Point.

The food is certified kosher by the local Turkish rabbinate under Chabad Rabbi Mendy Chitrik and also has the international kosher certification OK Kosher. According to Rabbi Chitrik, the airport authority reached out to him.

Turkey is the 5th largest producer of food in the world and there are 300 factories in Turkey that produce kosher food.

This is a very good idea and certainly a very good service for the kosher community.

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Israel Downs 2 Iranian Drones
By Micah Halpern

Sunday March 6, 2022
I've Been Thinking:

This is crazy - but true. And it has taken one year before this information was permitted to be made public.

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit announced that F-35 aircraft intercepted two Iranian UAVs, aka drones, enroute to the Gaza Strip. The UAVs were carrying a cargo of pistols.

It happened in March of 2021, just before the start of the 11-day war between Israel and Hamas.

The aircraft that shot the enemy drones down were 'Adir' fighter jets. The announcement did not indicate how many planes were involved in the operation.

This was an obvious – and thankfully failed attempt by Iran to find out if it was possible to "open an axis" of supplying weapons to Gaza using unmanned vehicles.

The interception was coordinated with Israel's neighbors, thereby preventing infiltration into Israel and the drones were tracked by intelligence throughout their journey.

Over the year the IDF has learned much about Iran’s interest in supplying Gaza with weapons.

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Polio in Israel
By Micah Halpern

Saturday March 5, 2022
I've Been Thinking:

Some news flashes send a chill up one’s spine.

When Israel’s Health Ministry announced that a child in Jerusalem tested positive for polio, an illness not seen in Israel since 1989, I was stunned and I was saddened.

The ministry added that the 4-year-old child was not vaccinated against the disease as is required.

The Jerusalem regional health administration opened an epidemiological investigation to get specific answers on how this child contracted polio. The office is maintaining contact with the child and his family, providing instructions for those involved in his care.

Clearly, people are not vaccinated against polio. No one knows how many. This is very dangerous.

In Israel, the Health Ministry has records of all vaccinations - they need to check and act fast and vaccinate unvaccinated children.

One new case of polio is one case too many.

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Israel & New Iran Deal
By Micah Halpern

Friday March 4, 2022
I've Been Thinking:

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke with Rafael Grossi, head of IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, on the eve of Grossi’s trip to Iran to inspect Iranian nuclear development.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, Bennett told Grossi he expected the UN nuclear watch dog to conduct an impartial review of outstanding cases in regard to Iran's nuclear ambitions.

The two men agreed to remain in regular contact.

Bennett has stated more than once that Israel will not be bound by any agreement. That Israel will determine when and if they need to act to protect themselves.

Israel has very little faith that either the United States or the greater international community will do anything to protect Israel.

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Iran Satellite Fails Again
By Micah Halpern

Thursday March 3, 2022
I've Been Thinking:

Iran has failed, once again, to launch a satellite. This info comes to us by way of satellite pictures.

We know it was a failed launch because when Iranian launches are successful, Iranian state media broadcasts the news for 48 hours straight.

We also know that the attempt failed because we have pictures of a burnt launch pad. These burns and the launchpad looked exactly like previous failed satellite launch attempts.

There have, in the past, been rumors that the other failed launches were due to sabotage.

The big fear of the Western world is that the same technology used by Iran for satellite launches is also used for nuclear and other non-conventional missile rocket launches.

Today, Tehran enriches uranium up to 60% purity — that is only a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%. And it is far greater than the nuclear deal’s permitted 3.67% cap.

Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium continues to grow as international inspectors face challenges in monitoring advances.

Not a good situation.

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No Tax on Your Tank
By Micah Halpern

Wednesday March 2, 2022
I've Been Thinking:

An announcement from Ukraine’s Tax Authority is, to put it bluntly, simply hilarious.  

Ukrainian authorities told Ukrainian taxpayers who captured Russian tanks that the tanks won't be counted as part of citizens' personal income.

Authorities said seized tanks and military equipment need not be declared for tax purposes.  Why, or more precisely, why not? Because they are considered "manifestation of the unity and cohesion of the Ukrainian people".

"Have you captured a Russian tank or armored personnel carrier and are worried about how to declare it? Keep calm and continue to defend the Motherland!" read a statement from the Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP). 

"There is no need to declare the captured Russian tanks and other equipment because the cost of this does not exceed 100 living wages."

That sum equates to about $8,300.

You can’t make this stuff up.

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Israel Will Not Accept Iran Nuke Deal
By Micah Halpern

Tuesday March 1, 2022
I've Been Thinking:

Israel has let it be known that their government will not respect the Iranian nuclear agreement being cobbled out on Vienna.

On Tuesday Prime Minister Naftali Bennett repeated, once again, that Israel would not be bound by any nuclear deal with Iran and would continue to consider itself free to act against the Iranian nuclear program.

Speaking before a group attending an event about advanced technologies and innovations development of the Mossad, Bennett said: "I said it before, and I’ll say it again, the possible nuclear agreement with Iran doesn't bound Israel, nor does the date in two and a half years that will allow Iran to assemble countless centrifuges."

Israel will act to protect itself. There should be no doubt about that.

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Russia Bombs Babi Yar
By Micah Halpern

Monday February 28, 2022
I've Been Thinking:

Russia will continue to strike at targets in Kyiv. They have already attacked Ukraine's security service and a special operations unit and communications networks.

It was all reported by Russia’s official media, quoting the Russian defense ministry. They told us that the strikes aim to prevent "information attacks" on Russia and urged those near the sites to leave the areas.

And they bombed Babi Yar.

Babi Yar is situated close to the Kyiv television tower. It is a picturesque ravine with a monument that commemorates the horrific Nazi murder of Jews in a massacre that took place on September 29th and 30th in 1941.

The Nazis took 33,771 Jews and brought them to the ravine. And then they shot them. It was the third largest massacre of the Holocaust. First was the massacre at Odessa, in October 1941, where 50,000 Jews were murdered. Second was the Harvest Massacre in Majdanek in November of 1943 where 43,000Jews were slaughtered, shot to death.

There was no reason to strike Babi Yar.

Putin did not break his stride, he did not apologize for hitting a memorial to a Nazi massacre.

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