Benjamin Netanyahu is the first and only Israeli prime minister born in Israel after the State of Israel's founding in 1948.
"Bibi" (a nickname of his youth) was raised in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, where he attended and graduated from the Cheltenham High School. To this day, he speaks English with an American accent. In 1967 after he graduated from high school, Netanyahu returned to Israel to enlist in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
Netanyahu served as a combat soldier and a commander in the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit, taking part in many missions including a hostage rescue mission of the hijacked Sabena Flight 571 in May 1972; during the course of which he was wounded by friendly fire. Shortly thereafter he left the army with the rank of captain.
With the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Netanyahu returned to Israel, joining the IDF forces battling at the Suez Canal and in the Golan Heights. After the war Netanyahu returned to complete his studies in the United States.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Combat Veteran
After the war Netanyahu returned to the United States, studied and earned a B.S. degree in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1975, an M.S. degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1977, and studied political science at Harvard University.
Netanyahu served as the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations from 1984 to 1988, member of the Likud Party, and was Prime Minister from June 1996 to July 1999. In Ariel Sharon's governments Netanyahu was Foreign Minister (2002–2003) and Finance Minister (2003–August 2005), but he departed over disagreements regarding the Gaza Disengagement Plan. Following the February 2009 parliamentary election, Netanyahu became Prime Minister of a coalition government. He is the brother of Israeli Special Forces commander Yonatan Netanyahu, who died during a hostage rescue mission, and Iddo Netanyahu, an Israeli author and playwright.
Lt. Col Yonatan Netanyahu (13 March 1946 - 4 July 1976), Israeli Special Forces
"Yani" - the older brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin - was killed leading the raid to rescue hostages at Entebbe Airport, Uganda. A Harvard University graduate, he was wounded in the 1967 Six Day War and performed great acts of heroism in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. As head of Israel's elite Sayaret Matkal unit, he was assigned the task of putting together the rescue of 103 Jewish hostages from a hijacked Air France plane being held by German and Arab terrorists at Entebbe Airport. Flying for 12 hours under enemy radar, the task force landed, rescued the hostages and were airborne in 90 minutes. During a fire-fight with Ugandan army regulars, Netanyahu was shot in the back by a sniper in the air traffic tower. After his death it was revealed that he was an agent for the Mossad as well.
Yani is buried in Mount Herzl Military Cemetary in Jerusalem.
. . . we support Israel of course . . . and under the current occupiers of the Whitehouse, we support Hamas . . . it's a zero-sum gain . . . S.L.
ISRAELI NAVY INTERCEPTS SHIP CARRYING WEAPONS BOUND FOR HAMAS IN GAZA
Aron Heller AP JERUSALEM — Israel's defence minister says the cargo ship intercepted by the navy appeared to be carrying game-changing, sophisticated weaponry that Gaza militants do not currently possess.
Ehud Barak told reporters in Tel Aviv that Israel suspects the arms included “the beginnings of an advanced system” that could affect Israel's ability to act along Gaza's coast.
He did not elaborate, saying more details would be released after the ship reaches Israel later Tuesday.
Israel intercepted the ship overnight Tuesday in international waters on the Mediterranean. Officials say it was carrying arms sent by Iran to Gaza militants.
I received this footage via an unconfirmed source; it was reportedly filmed by the Israeli Defense Forces in real time, depicting the lead vehicle of a Syrian tank column in the Golan Heights. I cannot confirm whether or not the footage below is an actual event, or footage from a testing facility. The terrain matches that of the Golan Heights, however, and there is no signage or distance markings as one would expect to see at an ordinance proving grounds.
The fully armored Syrian tank is hit by an Israeli laser-guided, steel-penetrating, phosphorous-filled "hand-held" rocket; a small, very portable and tightly controlled weapon system. My source states that each one is accounted for when they are checked out and back in. There must be no fewer than 2 soldiers present to verify the use, one must be a senior officer with a minimum of 10 years military service. (The weapon name and program is secret.)
My source states that this tank was headed for one of Israel's settlements. Reportedly, there were four more tanks approximately one mile to the rear of this tank, which turned around before getting to this area after learning what had happened to the lead tank.
You can hear the ammunition cooking off after the initial strike. Needless to say, it not possible for tank crew members to survive an event like this, which did not make the news. This is reportedly an everyday event for Israel's Armed Forces; they do not permit the "embedding" of news reporters with their armed forces like we Americans do. This weapon and its tactical use is for their survival, not for "news" entertainment.
The IDF, working with the Israel Security Agency (ISA), assassinated a senior Al-Qaeda terrorist in Gaza on Wednesday. The terrorist was identified as 27-year-old Mohammed Jamal a-Nahmnam.
He was killed by a car bomb near the Hamas police station in Gaza City.
A-Nahmnam was involved in past terrorist attacks on Israel. He was plotting attacks against Israel and American targets in Sinai, Egypt, in coordination with Hamas.
Several small Gaza terrorist groups are affiliated with Al-Qaeda. The oldest is the "Army of Islam," which took part in an attack on the Kerem Shalom crossing in which IDF soldier Gilad Shalit was kidnapped, and in the kidnapping of British reporter Alan Johnston in 2007. The group also planned to target former British Prime Minister Tony Blair during his visit to Gaza in July 2008.
A-Nahmnam belonged to the Army of Islam, and was responsible for security.
A senior Hamas terrorist argued this week that Al-Qaeda - a Hamas rival - is no longer present in Gaza. Fathi Hamad told Al-Hayyat that Al-Qaeda "is not active . . . we've sealed off all the [security] gaps."
Sherut haBitachon haKlali (שירות הביטחון הכללי, "General Security Service"), officially known by the acronym Shabak (שב״כ, IPA, Arabic: شاباك), officially known in English as Israel Security Agency (ISA), and commonly known in English as the Shin Bet, is Israel's internal security service. Its motto is "Magen VeLo Yera'e" (מגן ולא יראה - "Defender that shall not be seen" or "The Unseen Shield"). It is one of three principal organizations of the Israeli Intelligence Community, alongside Aman (the military intelligence of the IDF) and Mossad (responsible for overseas intelligence work).
The Yom Kippur War was fought from October 6 to 26, 1973, between Israel and a massive coalition of Arab states backing Egypt and Syria. The war began with a joint surprise attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism . . .
. . . Israel initially fell back all the way across the Sinai, then in massive counter-attack operations regained lost terrain in the Sinai. In an audacious move, Israeli tanks crossed the Suez Canal and wrought havoc on Egyptian towns and cities, while up north IDF forces wrested the Golan Heights back from Syria.
There are many anecdotes about the Yom Kippur War. As the war raged, American war stocks were shipped from depots in Germany to Israel, along with advisors and logistical personnel. According to some sources, Israeli forces were advancing so swiftly that in the end, US troops were pulling the lanyards on the artillery pieces.
According to modern myth, the Yom Kippur war reportedly eventually ended when Soviet Premier Breshnev picked up the Kremlin / Whitehouse hotline and said to Nixon, "This has gone far enough; you can call off your boys now."
I had a schoolmate who participated in this war; Meier G__ graduated high school, went home to Israel, then showed up a year later (I was still in school) explaining how he had entered the IDF to do his mandatory military service, and then . . . the war broke out! My friend Meier rode an M-113 APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) across the Sinai. The way he told it, the Egyptians were throwing down their weapons and equipment and running for their lives. He explained that the Israelis would then stop and pick everything up; while he was saying - "Over there! We have to go over there! They're getting away!"
Meier's sister taught me to read a little Hebrew. They were good people; the beginning of my long association with the State of Israel. - S.L.
If you haven’t seen it, look for BBC Panorama’s “Death in the Med” program online, you will be treated to first class propaganda as only the BBC can deliver.
I am one of the passengers/witnesses interviewed for this program . . .
. . . I solicited an agreement with the BBC producers, in return for my interview the program would include the fact that we disarmed, captured and ultimately released three Israeli commandos (after giving them medical attention no less). That was the deal, a deal I made with an audio recorder in service.
And yes the poor Israeli commandos were beaten, just as any invader in any capable persons home would be beaten. I take no issue with that fact.
But truth be told, the commandos we captured should thank us for their lives. I ask the Israeli’s, British and American people specifically, if your home was invaded, your family being murdered, would you be willing to disarm, completely control, and then set a murderer of your family free???
STORMBRINGER: OKAY there Hero, we let you have your say; now here's the professional anaylsis:
Close-Up Footage of Mavi Marmara Passengers Attacking IDF Soldiers
Those Israeli commandos showed INCREDIBLE RESTRAINT, when in fact they had every right to use deadly force; every rule in the Law of Land Warfare allows a soldier to defend himself. Consider: these soldiers were following legal orders, enforcing a legal naval blockade designed to prevent the import of weapons via maritime means into Gaza - weapons intended for use in terror attacks against Israeli civilians.
In the course of their duties, the Israeli soldiers were set upon with stun grenades, chains and iron bars. In one of the clips we see an Israeli soldier being thrown overboard - weighed down with full combat kit, this is a potential death sentence.
To be swarmed by an armed mob like that, in confined space, my instincts would have been to open fire, take as many of them with me as possible. Some Israeli soldiers said they used their pistols only after activists struck one of their comrades. Activists on board said the IDF opened fire on the ship before boarding.
Espen Goffeng, an activist from Norway, said Israeli soldiers started with paintball rounds, then switched to rubber bullets and then afterwards used live ammunition. This kind of escalation of force is acceptable within normal Rule of Engagement. Again; the Law of Land Warfare does not preclude a combatant from using deadly force in self-defence.
Nine activists were shot and killed, many at close range, and dozens were injured. Again, the IDF showed incredible restraint. Any of the so-called "peace protestors" who survived the situation, should consider themselves very fortunate - THEY ARE LUCKY TO BE ALIVE.
Seven Israeli commandos were injured. The wounded activists were evacuated by Israeli air force helicopters for treatment in Israeli hospitals and medical facilities of the Israeli Prisons Service.
Mavi Marmara Passengers Attack IDF Before Soldiers Board Ship
These so-called "peace activists" were looking for a fight:
Weapons Found on the Flotilla Ship Mavi Marmara Used by Activists Against IDF Soldiers:
Over the past 10 years there have been many attempts to smuggle weapons to terrorist organizations by sea. These attempts highlight the cooperation between Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas in their goal to undermine the State of Israel and target its civilians.
The Santorini was intercepted on its way from Lebanon to the Gaza Strip. It contained a large shipment of 40 tons of weapons including Strela anti-aircraft missiles—the same kind that terrorists fired at and narrowly missed an Arkia Israeli passenger jet taking off from Mombassa, Kenya in November 2002. The shipment also included mortars, rifles and guns, grenades, mines and explosive material, anti-tank RPG-7 missile-launchers, and artillery rockets.
Three crew members aboard the Santorini were convicted for trying to smuggle weapons from Lebanon to the Gaza Strip — the captain, a professional weapons smuggler and two of his relatives aboard the ships, had been involved in three previous smuggling attempts backed by Hezbollah and PFLP-GC.
The Santorini was acquired by PFLP-GC in a small island off Syria, and registered as Syrian. During previous smuggling attempts by the crew, arms were packed in Syria and transferred to Lebanon by a Syrian bus. Part of the anti-tank weaponry originated from Iran.
January 3rd, 2002: Karin-A
Karin-A was intercepted in the Red Sea along the Iranian coast, heading towards the Palestinian Authority. It carried 80 submergible containers of 50 tons of weapons, including: RPG-7 rockets, RPG-18 anti-tank rocket launchers, Iranian-made anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, 2200 kilograms of high explosive demolition blocks, Sagger anti-tank launchers and missiles, as well as rifles, machine guns, AK-47s, 735 hand grenades, 700,000 rounds of small ammunition, and diving equipment. The submergible containers were to be dropped into the sea and then washed ashore the Gaza Strip or picked up by a smaller vessel and delivered to the Strip.
Yasser Arafat's former CFO and confidante at the time, Fuad Shubaki was heavily involved in the smuggling attempt, the crew included members of the P.A. and Arafat eventually admitted P.A. involvement in the smuggling attempt. The ship was purchased in Lebanon and sailed to Sudan and Yemen to pick up civilian goods (watermelon seeds, sesame seeds, rice, toys, clothes) to disguise the weapons aboard.
June 8th, 2002
Two Palestinians were found swimming along the north Gaza Strip shore armed with four grenades, an AK-47, and four ammunition magazines in an attempt to infiltrate an Israeli community.
August 4th, 2002
IDF naval forces identified an armed Palestinian wearing a oxygenated scuba diving suit and carrying an AK-47, 8 grenades, 4 ammunition magazines, who was on his way towards an Israeli community from the Gaza coast.
November 23rd, 2002
After many attempts to communicate with an unknown Palestinian fishing boat heading from the Gaza Strip towards the direction of Israel, the bomb-laden boat exploded near an Israeli security patrol boat, moderately injuring three and lightly injuring one.
January 7th, 2003
A suspicious life raft found floating along the northern Gaza Strip coast was found to be booby-trapped with explosives.
May 21st, 2003 Abu Hasan
The Abu Hasam was intercepted in waters west of Haifa, sailing from Lebanon to Egypt carrying Hezbollah explosives bound for the Gaza Strip. The boat itself was a fishing boat, no doubt used purposefully to disguise its intentions. Cargo contained: a radio-activation system to detonate bombs remotely, CDs of directives on how to carry out suicide bomb terror attacks, five boxes with rocket fuses, and 25 Katyusha rocket detonators. The masterminds of the arms smuggling attempt were connected to Arafat's P.A. and Hezbollah.
October 12th, 2009 Hansa India
The Hansa India, which sailed from Iran flying a German flag was due to unload a cargo of eight containers in Egypt. Following warnings from the German authorities, the vessel was not unloaded and continued to Malta where it was seized and found to be carrying bullets and industrial material intended for the production of weapons, seemingly bound for Syria.
November 3th, 2009 Francop
The Francop, a German vessel, was intercepted off the coast of Cyprus en route from Iran to Syria where it would be smuggled by land to Hezbullah in Lebanon. The ship contained 36 containers with 500 tons of arms: 9,000 mortar bombs, 3,000 Katyusha rockets, 3,000 gun shells, 20,000 grenades and half of a million rounds of small ammunition, all hidden behind sacks of polyethelene. The arms smuggling was attempted without the knowledge of the crew: the cache was loaded from the Bandar Port in Iran on an Iranian vesel and stopped at an Egyptian port, where the cache was unloaded onto the Francop. The cache was ten times larger than the cache seized from the Karin A.
Throughout history, the Jewish People has maintained a presence in Jerusalem, ever since King David established the city as his capital nearly 3,000 years ago. Except for a very few periods, when they were forcibly barred from living in the city by foreign conquerors, Jews have always lived in Jerusalem. Throughout millennia, and in the face of conquest, forced exile, violence and discrimination, Jews have maintained their direct link to Jerusalem, returning to live in their city again and again.
Between 1949 and 1967, while Jerusalem was divided between Israel and Jordan, there was an Israeli enclave about a mile to the east of the border, in the Jordanian section. This was Mount Scopus, with the campus of the Hebrew university and Haddassh hospital. There was an agreement whereby every two weeks 200 Israelis would cross Jordanian territory to the enclave, and sit there until the next group replaced them two weeks later.
Throughout the whole period everyone knew that sooner or later the war would resume, and that when that happened Israel would try to reconnect the mountain with the city. To prevent this the Jordanians built a series of fortifications in that mile, and its centerpiece was Ammunition Hill, an apt name borrowed from the days after the British conquered the city in 1917 and General Allenby stored his army's ammunition there.
Map of Battle of Ammunition Hill:
On the night between June 5th and 6th 1967 the IDF paratroopers, backed by a few tanks, made their attack, directly on the Jordanian fortifications. The battle on Ammunition Hill raged from...
Read more on the amazing Battle of Ammunition Hill, and a ballad; on DoubleTapper
