Monday, March 08, 2021
Together, we are changing history: Bahrain's Ambassador Houda Nonoo
Neither our gender, nor the religion we practice, has ever restricted the opportunity of any Bahraini to succeedBDS groups from US and Europe team up with Iran and Hamas against Israel
In honour of International Women’s Day being observed on Monday (March 8), Khaleej Times sat down with Bahrain’s Ambassador, Her Excellency Houda Nonoo, the first Jewish ambassador to be appointed from an Arab country and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member country's first female ambassador to the United States (US). Ambassador Nonoo had served as Bahrain’s Ambassador to the US from 2008 to 2013 and continues to serve in the country's Foreign Ministry as an envoy.
Excerpts from an exclusive interview:
I’m sure that Jews from around the world have reached out following the signing of Abraham Accords. Have they started to come visit?
It has been six months since the historic announcement from Bahrain and Israel and not a day goes by without Jews from around the world reaching out about upcoming trips or letting us know that they have arrived. Over Hanukkah, we participated in many online menorah lightings with communities in the US and Europe. We have spoken with a plethora of Jewish tour operators who are planning to bring tourists groups in the coming months. There is a euphoria that has spread following these announcements and we are looking forward to welcoming all of the Jewish tourists to Bahrain.
How will Bahrain and the wider region transform following the signing of the Abraham Accords? How does the future look?
While 2020 was historic for Bahrain and Israel, 2021 will be even better as we feel its influence in the business, healthcare, education, travel and tourism sectors. Recently, Israel’s two largest banks, Bank Hapoalim and Bank Leumi, signed several memoranda of understandings (MoUs) with the National Bank of Bahrain. These new partnerships will make banking transactions possible for customers in both countries as new economic opportunities arise.
However, the Abraham Accords were not just signed for economic reasons but also because our leaders – His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – had the bold vision to advance the horizons of stability and prosperity in the Middle East, one built upon warm peace and creating opportunities for the next generation. Together, we are changing history. We are doing this for our children, because by inculcating the lessons of peace and tolerance within them now, they will grow up to be the future political and business leaders of the next generation – and they will not know of the chasm that previous generations faced. As our Bahraini children start to learn about Judaism and Israeli culture in their schools and Israeli children learn more about Islam and Gulf culture in theirs, they will carry these lessons with them as they grow to lead this powerful region. The Abraham Accords are the beginning of a new era for our region, and we are all excited about it.
BDS groups in Europe and North America took part in an event with the Iranian regime, leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist groups earlier this year.David Singer: B'Tselem fuels Jew-hatred with lies - and these are the donors who fuel B'Tselem
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh praised the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions organizations in his address at the Tehran event, saying: “We see good results to the work of our diaspora in raising awareness, cutting relations with the occupation and delegitimizing it.”
Two related events were broadcast simultaneously from Gaza and Tehran, on January 18, with the Gaza event called “Year to Confront Normalization” and the Iranian event called “Together Against Normalization.” Both Gazans and Iranians reiterated their opposition to the four Arab states,– the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan, – which normalized relations with Israel last year.
One of the organizers of the Gaza event, Sheikh Yusuf Abbas, declared that their campaign “mainly aims to make everyone understand that normalization is treason.”
More than 60 organizations took part in the Gaza event, organized by The Global Campaign to Return to Palestine, a broad network including many BDS groups. Among the participants were Western groups, such as the US Palestinian Community Network, Malcolm X Grassroots effort in the US, Collectif Palestine Vaincra, in France, Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Sardegna Palestina in Italy, Palestinian Community in Belgium and Luxembourg, and International League of Peoples’ Struggles, based in Australia.
Haniyeh and Ziyad Nakhala, the head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, addressed the Tehran event, as did Speaker of the Iranian Islamic Consultive Assembly Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, speakers of the parliaments of Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, and the deputy speaker of Yemen’s legislature.
The Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity organization, which is active in Europe and the US, also took part. Israel designated Samidoun a terrorist group this year, as it is a branch of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a designated terrorist group in the US, Canada, the EU and Australia.
One speaker at the Gaza event was Mahathir Mohamad, the former prime minister of Malaysia, who is noted for his antisemitic remarks, such as Jews are “hook-nosed” and “control the world by proxy.” Other participants included Aleida Guevara March, Che Guevara’s daughter, Tuhsar Arun Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s great grandson, and Zwelivelile Mandla Mandela, Nelson Mandela’s grandson.
Israeli-based Arab human rights organisation – B’Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories - is becoming more and more politically involved in the unresolved 100-years conflict between Jews and Arabs over sovereignty in the territory formerly called Palestine.
The beneficiary of substantial international financial largesse – B’Tselem has a belligerent political anti-Jewish stance.
In a recent Position Paper headlined: “A regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is apartheid” – B’Tselem claims:
"More than 14 million people, roughly half of them Jews and the other half Palestinians, live between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea under a single rule … the entire area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River is organized under a single principle: advancing and cementing the supremacy of one group – Jews – over another – Palestinians… There is one regime governing the entire area and the people living in it, based on a single organizing principle."
But there is no single rule – no Jewish supremacy - no apartheid.
B’Tselem’s claim is patently false - as the Oslo Accords clearly attest: Area A of the 'West Bank' is totally ruled by the Palestine Liberation Organisation – which also exercises full administrative and shared security control over Area B of the 'West Bank' – these areas totalling 40% of the 'West Bank' and housing 95% of the West Bank' Palestinian Arab population.
Gaza is totally ruled by Hamas.
Coronavirus: Five millionth Israeli vaccinated
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein met the five millionth Israeli to receive the coronavirus vaccination on Monday, as Israeli media reported that the authorities were weighting additional openings in the coming days.Full vaccine effect only kicks in 15 days after second dose, Israeli HMO says
The recipient of the vaccine, Janet Lavie-Azoulay, is an administrator of a Clalit clinic and she is currently pregnant.
"This is a great day. We are celebrating five million vaccinated and the opening of our economy almost entirely with the green pass yesterday," said Netanyahu. "This is a tremendous achievement for Israel which is the first country to emerge from the coronavirus. We have just over a million [people] left over the age of 16. By the end of April, we will be out of the coronavirus and vaccinating everyone to our estimation. We're in a clear exit from the coronavirus and there's nothing to worry about, I know Janet is pregnant, but it's all fake news. Go get vaccinated."
"We are already working on bringing in tens of millions of vaccines to keep the economy open and so that there will be no further closures," added the prime minister. "The State of Israel is the first in the world, not only a world champion in vaccines, but in getting out of the coronavirus. We will do it together, we will keep the rules and by the end of April the entire adult population of Israel will be vaccinated, a global achievement."
"In a country with nine million people, in a world that has nine billion people. We are a thousandth of the world's population and are ahead of everyone thanks to the vaccines, thanks to the health funds that are here and thanks to the readiness of the citizens of Israel," he pointed out. "There is a very small task to complete this and get a general vaccination, later on the children will too."
Israel is risking an unnecessary increase in morbidity by issuing green passes so soon after vaccination, and instead should make people wait another week, a healthcare provider is arguing, in research that may have global reverberations.After delays, Israel kicks off vaccination drive for 120,000 Palestinian workers
Meuhedet Healthcare Services reported on Monday, based on an analysis of more than 100,000 members, that vaccine effectiveness reaches 96 percent on the fifteenth day after full vaccination. From days 7 to 14, it is 89%.
In view of this, the fact Israel is giving green passes a week after full vaccination, instead of after two weeks, “may help to cause additional waves of illness,” said Dr. David Mosinzon, director of Meuhedet’s medical division.
The Health Ministry has not responded to the call, but if it changes policy, countries around the world that are closely monitoring Israel’s green pass experience to decide their own pandemic reopening strategies may follow suit.
Israelis can now download an electronic green pass a week after their second vaccine shot, and the permit allows them to take full advantage of the country’s reopening, which even includes entrance to restaurants and cafes as of Sunday.
The timing for green pass eligibility is based on data from Pfizer — the supplier of almost all the vaccines given in Israel so far — which consider people fully immune a week after receiving their second dose.
Palestinian workers eagerly lined up outside the Jaba’a checkpoint close to Beit Shemesh on Monday morning, as Israel officially launched its campaign to inoculate Palestinians who work in Israel against the coronavirus.Law and Order SVU “Unorthodox’s” Many Inaccuracies And Cringe-Worthy Moments
“This is truly an opportunity that isn’t available for everyone yet. I’m very happy that I had the opportunity, and I hope that everyone will be able to soon,” said Ahmad Atwan, 31, who works in construction near Beit Shemesh.
Around 122,000 Palestinians work in Israel or in Israeli settlements, according to Defense Ministry statistics. The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Israel’s military liaison to the Palestinians, last week announced the initiative to vaccinate them.
After a slight delay — the operation was intended to begin on Sunday, but was pushed off by a day — eight West Bank crossings saw immunization stations open. An additional four vaccination centers are scheduled to open in industrial centers across the West Bank on Tuesday.
Palestinians were called in groups of four to sign up for the shot. Some had been bused over by employers eager to avoid work stoppages, while others had come of their own initiative on their way to work.
“We want as many people to get vaccinated as possible. In some cases, we coordinate with employers who reserve chunks of time… But in theory, everyone can show up without an appointment or a referral,” said Gershon Estrin, who is responsible for the Jaba’a station.
After we recently reported on the offensive and inaccurate portrayal in NBC’s “Nurses,” and its subsequent removal, we thought it was important to explain how other episodes have missed the mark when depicting the Orthodox community in order to inspire TV writers and producers to do bettter.Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism at Syracuse University
In season 9 (2008), Law and Order SVU had to produce their token “hasid” episode (called “Unorthodox”), like most TV dramas feel compelled to do. While they don’t make the Hasidic Jews turn out to be the molesters in the end and they do throw the head rabbi a couple of bones by having him have some wisdom, so much of this episode ranges from inaccurate, to cringy, to showcasing the most stringent Orthodox opinions and practices out there, to being downright offensive. Probably the most incendiary moment is when one of the cops whispers into a Hasidic man’s ear, “I know guys like you can’t stay away from little boys, it’s only a matter of time.” I watched this clip several times and asked myself how it would look if it were with an imam or a Tibetan monk, and I am sure it would be just as outrageous and appalling. “Guys like you…”
The issue with always showing the worst types of people from a community is that your average viewer has no idea how many kind, honest, and reasonable people are out there. We all seem like a bunch of creeps. The issue with always showing the most stringent opinions and practices in Orthodoxy, is that the audience has no way of knowing that most Orthodox Jews do not observe the customs and strict practices being shown on screen.
Let’s do the blow by blow with each scene featuring Hasidim:
1. They’re zealots The episode begins at the hospital. We learn that a ten year old boy named David has not only been recently raped, but he’s endured this trauma on numerous occasions. His mom, Rachel, emerges and explains that her husband, “got mixed up in some crazy stuff.” Detective Stabler asks if it’s “drugs,” she responds, “Religion. He became a zealot.” Lost all interest in me, started spending all his free time with the rabbis.” From this description, Detective Stabler is able to surmise, “He’s Hasidic.” Which Rachel confirms. Now let’s state for the record that when unwell people get into religion (or unwell people are born into religion) it is almost never a good thing. So if someone is not emotionally healthy and then becomes a ba’al teshuva (returnee to Jewish observance), they will likely go off the deep end. Of course such people exist. But if a TV show is going to have a single episode in over 20 seasons where they introduce the viewer to Orthodox Jews, it’s not fair that we get introduced to an unhealthy one.
2. And misogynists Olivia Benson tells her colleague that he’ll have to speak to the father because “Hasidic men don’t appreciate women giving them the third degree.” Again – there is truth to this among some of the Hasidic population. But being that most viewers see all Hasidic Jews and Orthodox Jews as the same, this is just another chance to in get a zinger in about the religious community. So far, we’ve learned that they’re “zealots” and “misogynists” and we’re only a few minutes into the story! (h/t jzaik)
Three years ago this past February, I came across a poster taped on the wall of my freshman dormitory at Syracuse University, which included the flag of Israel with the Star of David crossed out. When I questioned the dormitory staff member who was responsible, he expressed shock that Jews would find it offensive, offering the implausible explanation that it was intended to celebrate Black History Month.Women Thrilled to Learn Israel Only Violator of Women’s Rights (satire)
Flash forward to this year, my senior year, when the university’s Student Association just voted to reject a proposal to embrace the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. In rejecting the IHRA definition, and eventually voting to indefinitely postpone consideration of the proposal, the students pedaled a lot of hypocrisies.
For example, they called the IHRA political — asserting that the Student Association cannot support a political organization or its political opinions and positions.
This is the same Student Association that, on the same day, advertised that the school’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion had invited to campus a divisive, sharply political speaker, Marc Lamont Hill, who is known for proudly spewing antisemitic blood libels, publicly supporting convicted terrorists, and most recently stating that the goal of the Black Lives Matter movement is to “dismantle the Zionist project.”
This is the same Student Association that also passed a resolution to block a conservative speaker, Ben Shapiro, from appearing on campus last year, accusing him of anti-Palestinian bigotry.
The situation becomes more perplexing when we consider the fact that none of the Student Association members who have been voting on these proposals and cementing this double standard are Jewish. These are non-Jews telling Jews what we are allowed to consider antisemitic.
Calling it a miracle that all but one nation in the world now respects women’s rights, feminist organizations from across the globe are still celebrating the UN resolution naming Israel as the world’s only women’s rights violator.The New York Times’ ‘Occupation’ Obsession
“For years, we witnessed brutal oppression of women in countries like Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, honor killings in India and Pakistan, and the use of rape as a weapon of war in the Congo,” Cheryl Hayles, the president of the International Alliance of Women, told The Mideast Beast. “We are ecstatic to learn that every country but one has cleaned up its act, and that 99.9% of the world’s women are now safe.”
Another women’s rights advocate said it was especially gratifying to see Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia and Venezuela vote in favor of the resolution, a sign that these countries are now taking women’s rights seriously. “Israel still has a ways to go,” said Latanya Mapp Frett, the CEO of the Global Fund for Women. “I’ve been to the clubs in Tel Aviv, and those arsim can be pretty fucking obnoxious. But if that’s the worst in the world, then we are in much better shape than I imagined.”
Last month, in one of his debut articles as New York Times Jerusalem Bureau Chief, Patrick Kingsley focused on Israel’s distribution of coronavirus vaccines. But his seemingly obsessive repetition of references to Israel’s “occupied territories” made me wonder whether the Times holds anti-Israel indoctrination sessions for reporters who cover the Jewish state. I was, however, prepared to make an allowance for a Times newcomer who might not yet have been indoctrinated into his newspaper’s politically correct reporting guidelines.Guardian promotes anti-Israel propaganda by terrorist affiliated NGO
But Kingsley seems to be a fast learner. Writing (March 6) about a talented Palestinian woman who has become “a rising star of global electronic music,” he noted her popularity in Ramallah, “the hub of the occupied West Bank.” Several paragraphs further along he referred to the Palestinian Authority as “the body that oversees parts of the occupied territories.” As in his previous article, where his only cited authority for the “Israeli occupation” was the director of a Palestinian advocacy group, Kingsley closed by quoting Ms. Abdulhadi who, lamenting that “the occupation disconnected us from each other,” expressed the hope that her music will encourage togetherness.
For decades as a Wellesley College professor I taught a course on the history of Israel. That history, which began in 1948 with its Proclamation of Independence, had its modern grounding in the Balfour Declaration (1917). In his famous letter to Lord Walter Rothschild, British foreign secretary Arthur James Balfour conveyed the memorable statement on behalf of His Majesty’s Government that it “view[s] with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.”
But where was “Palestine”? It was defined by the League of Nations Mandate as the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Land east of the river was ceded to Abdullah I by Colonial Secretary Winston Churchill for what became the Kingdom of Jordan. But in 1948, following the Arab war to annihilate the fledging Jewish State of Israel, Jordan’s conquest west of the Jordan River became known as its “West Bank.”
That land, as it happened, comprised the ancient Kingdom of Israel: Samaria to the north and Judea to the south. It included Shechem, the first capital of the Kingdom of Israel, mentioned in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 12:6-7) as the site of the altar built by Abraham “to the Lord who had appeared to him … and had given that land to his descendants.” It became the first capital of ancient Israel. Hebron is where Abraham purchased the first parcel of land in the promised land (to bury Sarah). King David ruled there before relocating his throne to Jerusalem to unify his kingdom.
The Guardian published an op-ed by Sahar Francis, director of Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, an NGO so extreme that it’s reportedly an affiliate of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) – designated as a terrorist group by the US, EU, Canada, and Israel.HRC Prompts Toronto Star Correction: Headline Presumed Israel Guilty of War Crimes
PFLP has been involved in plane hijackings, suicide bombings, shootings, and assassinations, among other terrorist attacks which have targeted and murdered civilians.
The op-ed (“Israel’s military courts for Palestinians are a stain on international justice”, March 6) is based on a report by War on Want (WoW), which relied heavily on ‘research’ by Addameer. Tellingly, WoW itself also reportedly has links to the PFLP, a fact which prompted PayPal, in 2018, to cease providing services to the ‘charity’.
Francis’s Guardian op-ed is said to be a “deep dive into the diverse ways in which Palestinians’ rights are being violated – from arrest, through interrogation, conviction and jail time”. She complains, for instance, that, “regardless of the existence of the PA penal code and judiciary…all Palestinians, wherever they reside in the West Bank, remain subject to the jurisdiction of Israel’s military courts if they fall foul of certain laws”.
These “certain laws” include terrorism, enticement to violence and membership in a proscribed organisation.
Regarding the latter crime, Francis complains that, “since 1967…Israel has decreed more than 411 Palestinian organisations illegal, including all the major Palestinian political parties”.
The implication is that the list is mostly made up of benign, non-violent, anti-occupation political parties. However, If you follow the footnote at the end of that sentence, it takes you a 2019 Human Rights Watch report making the same claim, which links to a spreadsheet published by Israel’s Defence Ministry that lists all the groups Jerusalem designates as terror groups.
On March 3, HRC communicated our concerns to the Toronto Star in regards to a headline which presumed Israel guilty of war crimes and which failed to acknowledge that the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s investigation also sought to probe Palestinian terrorists for war crimes.VICE Perpetuates Palestinian Refugee Myth, Blames Israel For Hamas’ Attack on Women’s Rights
The headline given to an Associated Press article stated: “ICC launches war crimes probe into Israeli practices”.
Israel strenuously denies that it’s military violated the Geneva Conventions, arguing that it took every effort to safeguard civilian life on both sides of the conflict. In truth, Palestinian terrorists like Hamas will be investigated for firing rockets indiscriminately from within Gazan civilian areas into Israel during the 2014 war. The AP article itself makes this clear, but the Star’s headline only cherry picked that Israel will be investigated. That was unfair and misleading to the Star’s readers.
We are pleased to note that the Star has agreed with our concerns about this headline and have amended it to now state: “ICC launches probe into alleged war crimes in Palestinian territories”.
We thank the Star for its prompt and professional correction.
Blaming Israel For Hamas’ Crackdown On Women’s RightsWorld Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder applauds Biden administration’s commitment to fighting antisemitism
The TikTok story was not the only time the outlet took a jab at the Jewish state in the last couple of days. In another article published last week, Vice drew a connection between Hamas’ decision to curtail women’s rights in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the enclave.
On March 1, Vice published the article titled, These Women Would Like to Go Outside Without Needing a Man’s Permission, which basically rehashed a story previously covered by the Associated Press (AP):
A recent ruling by Gaza’s Sharia Supreme Judicial Council declared that unmarried woman would require the permission of a male guardian to travel. The announcement sparked uproar in the twenty–five-mile-long strip, where around two million Palestinians live under a 14-year economic blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt.”
The opening paragraph almost reads like an exact copy of the February 15 AP story, which HonestReporting has covered here. As we pointed out, the internal policy enacted by Gaza’s Islamist rulers has nothing to do with the blockade – a security measure imposed in response to incessant attacks against the Jewish state, as well as the smuggling of weaponry through the Sinai Peninsula and Hamas’ support for terrorists therein.
Moreover, the article falsely claims that the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip is “considered illegal under international law.” Israel and Egypt have every right under international law to inspect imports and ensure that weapons, such Iranian-produced rockets, do not fall into the hands of Hamas. This was confirmed by the UN’s Palmer Report.
This is far from the first time HonestReporting has called out Vice for biased reporting on the Arab-Israeli conflict. In 2019, a Vice News Tonight segment falsely claimed that 250 minors were killed during the Gaza border demonstrations. In reality, around 50 minors were killed, and many of them were involved in clashes with the IDF. After our criticism, the video was taken offline. And in November 2020, Vice erred again, publishing a video that glorified Palestinian terrorists and misportrayed Israel as cold-hearted and all-powerful, thus fueling the narrative that Palestinian terrorism is a legitimate form of ‘resistance’ to Israel.
President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have demonstrated unwavering support for the Jewish people and the joint fight against the renewed global evil of antisemitism. This commitment was highlighted in a recent letter to the American Zionist Movement, in which U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken writes, “The Biden Administration enthusiastically embraces the 2016 International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s Working Definition of Anti-Semitism, including its examples. We are eager to work with allies and partners to counter Holocaust distortion and combat anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance abroad while we strengthen our efforts at home, including redoubling our efforts to counter violent extremism.”British Judge Rules Jewish Disabled Teenager’s Human Rights Violated by Plan for Care in Non-Jewish Home
World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder commended Secretary’s Blinken’s endorsement of the IHRA definition, which WJC has long supported, declaring: “With antisemitism on the rise, the Biden administration’s public embrace of the widely accepted definition is yet another sign that the U.S. government stands resolutely with the Jewish community in a united fight against this oldest of hatreds.
“As it is difficult, if not impossible, to wage war against an undefined, mutable and amorphous enemy, the IHRA definition is an important tool in identifying antisemitism and its various contemporary manifestations in order to effectively fight this evil. It helps identify bias indicators that facilitate government agencies and nongovernmental organizations in addressing antisemitism. The definition also helps in the systematic reporting and recording of antisemitic incidents, which has proven to be an appropriate measure to obtain a comprehensive picture enabling relevant authorities to better respond to new developments.
“It is the responsibility of federal and local authorities to take antisemitism, anti-Muslim bigotry, xenophobia and all forms of intolerance seriously, and the WJC is grateful to partner with the Biden administration in confronting the urgent, very dangerous challenges facing us.”
A British judge has ruled that the human rights of a disabled Jewish teenager were violated when he was offered care in a non-Jewish residential home by the Manchester City Council.Israel's Spacecom Provides Satellite Communications to Unserved Communities in Africa
The BBC reported that Judge Stephen Davies ruled that if the teenager were to be placed in a non-Jewish home there would be “significant interference” with his “religious freedom and his family and private life.”
This, Davies said, “cannot be necessary” for the protection of the teenager’s health, particularly with alternatives available, such placing him in a Jewish home in London or “through the provision of support staff at home.”
The teenager lives in a Haredi community in Manchester, and his family was concerned that he would not be able to practice Judaism in a non-Jewish home.
The Manchester City Council had argued that its plans for the teenager’s care would have allowed him to “manifest his faith as far as was considered practicable.”
The plan would have placed the teenager in the home for 12 weeks, including the Passover holiday.
Israel’s sole satellite communications provider, Spacecom, doesn’t only work with Israeli satellite television provider, Yes, to supply Israelis with entertainment, it also utilizes its highly-advanced Amos-17 satellite to provide health and educational services to underserved communities in Africa. Spacecom is a satellite operator and service provider which possesses its own fleet that streams broadband television and internet services from space across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and most recently, Africa. The company is publicly traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, and is one of the oldest and first to join the Israeli space tech ecosystem.Israelis create cancer drug without animal tests, by using human-simulating chip
While populated areas rely on cable and fiber optics to provide broadband services due to the lower price, satellites are rapidly becoming cheaper, and may be a more reliable alternative as they are constantly able to transmit data and aren't affected by terrestrial conditions such as natural disasters and power outages. The Amos fleet are geostationary satellites, meaning they are located above the equator, over the areas above Spain, Ukraine, the U.S. East Coast, and Africa.
Spacecom's Amos-17 satellite can be used for a variety of applications (illustration). Photo: Spacecom Spacecom's Amos-17 satellite can be used for a variety of applications (illustration). Photo: Spacecom
Spacecom’s newest offering, its Amos-17 which was launched in 2019, is the company’s first digital satellite. While analog satellites transmit audio and video signals over the airwaves similar to radio, a digital broadcast can transmit entire “packets” of compressed data, increasing the efficiency and clarity of broadcasts. Amos-17 is equipped with three different transmission bands, and can transmit data at different speeds and frequencies.
“This is a valuable asset to have in the communications industry. Governmental or military data could be particularly sensitive, and require the need to be sent on different channels,” CEO Dan Zajicek told CTech. Amos-17 doesn’t require an extra transmission dish either, which can be very costly. Instead, the satellite is a “repeater,” meaning its antennas are adaptable and can receive radio-frequency signals from a variety of ground stations.
Israeli scientists have developed a cancer drug without testing it on animals by using a chip that simulates the human body.Israeli Technology Can Stop Multiple Drone Swarm Attacks
Hebrew University researchers created a chip containing human tissue with microscopic sensors to precisely monitor the response of the human body — kidney, liver and heart — to specific drug treatments.
The idea of organ-on-chip technology is 30 years old, but the Israeli team is believed to be the first to successfully create a new treatment using a chip’s capabilities in order to completely eliminate animal testing.
They are so confident in their research, which paired two existing drugs in order to solve a problem of excess liver fat experienced by some cancer patients, that they are submitting the combination for a patent, for clinical trials, and for approval by the US Food and Drug Administration — all while skipping the normal animal testing.
The success was reported in the latest edition of the peer-reviewed journal Science Translational Medicine.
“To our knowledge this is the first time a drug is taking this step without animal testing, and the reason is that we have eliminated this need by using our ‘human on a chip’ technology,” Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, who is leading the research, told The Times of Israel.
“This is the first demonstration that we can use such technology to circumvent animal experiments, and this could lead to faster, safer and more effective drug development. Getting a drug to the point of clinical trials normally takes four to six years, hundreds of animals and costs millions of dollars.
All three drones started to bear down on our location. One of them was capable of providing intelligence and providing a minor threat, while the other two large ones were capable of traveling dozens of kilometers and carrying and delivering a heavy 12-kilogram payload of explosive materials.Israel’s 11 Most Inspiring Women
They made their way from 500 meters to 400 m. to what was defined as the “blue zone” at around 250 m. – an intermediate threat distance that appeared on the monitor in front of us showing the drones’ trajectory.
Throughout the three drones’ simultaneous progress toward their “target” (The Jerusalem Post reporter and other monitors of the drone swarm attack exercise), D-Fend’s anti-drone tracking and cyber software was identifying them – their height, capabilities and progress.
Finally, when they entered the “orange danger zone,” the Post watched as D-Fend’s hacking powers kicked in.
Two of the drones were each hacked and under D-Fend’s control within a stunning three seconds flat.
A third drone had a “delay” – due to its more complex frequency and potential urban situations that cause interference, it took 10 seconds.
1. Golda MeirThe History of Women in the IDF:
Golda Meir was a woman of many talents. A Zionist activist, teacher, kibbutznik, politician and Israel’s fourth prime minister, she certainly did it all.
Born in 1898 in Kiev, she immigrated as a child with her family to the United States, before moving again to Mandatory Palestine with her husband. Once in Israel, she quickly became involved in Israeli politics, rising to the top of the game to become Israel’s first, and currently only, female prime minister.
Revered as Israel’s very own “Iron Lady,” Meir stood out for making it as a woman at a time when Israeli politics was heavily dominated by a male “old guard” and for her straight-talking, no-nonsense leadership style.
Inspirational quote: “Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement. ”
2. Dr. Ruth
Not strictly Israeli, Dr. Ruth Westheimer is actually a fascinating pre-state figure. Born in Germany in 1928, she arrived in Mandatory Palestine after losing her parents in the Holocaust. Once here, she joined the Haghanah paramilitary organization, where she was trained as a sniper.
Westheimer eventually made her way to the States, where she studied human sexuality and became a media hit with a decades-long TV and radio career. A trailblazer in all things sex-related, she brought to the fore honest, frank conversation about sex and sexuality. Her advice: “Get some.”
Inspirational quote: “When it comes to sex, the most important six inches are the ones between the ears.”
Women have played an essential role in defending Israel since the establishment of the Israel Defense Forces in 1948. It began with the recruitment of women to the British Army to fight against the Nazis before Israel declared independence, continued with strong female leaders who established the Jewish resistance movement and resulted in the IDF as we know it today. Women currently serve their country as officers, combat soldiers, senior commanders and more, making the IDF one of the world's leading armies with regard to gender equality. In honor of International Women's Day, here is a short look at the history of women in the IDF:
Even before the establishment of the State of Israel, Jewish women have been at the forefront of the fight for their country. During WWII, the British Army, in collaboration with the Jewish Agency, called on women from Jewish communities to join their military forces. All across the country, posters and newspapers were printed urging Jewish women to fight alongside the British in the war against Nazi Germany. About 4,000 Jewish women enlisted to combat support positions and as officers in the British Army. These were the women who later took advantage of their combat experience to establish the Jewish resistance movement, and later on the IDF.
All across the country, posters and newspapers were printed - “Announcing military recruitment for women. Enlist!”
The same women who led the Jewish Resistance Movement served in key roles, including combat positions, during the earliest stages of Israel's War of Independence. Once the IDF was established, those visionaries created the Women's Corps of the Israel Defense Forces––a Corps in which women served in settlement defense, professional, administrative, and ancillary positions, but not in combat positions.
Those visionaries created the Women's Corps - “Another soldier in the Women’s Corps is another soldier to the Front”
Thirty years later, the commander of the IDF Military Combat Engineering School decided to make a major change––starting in 1972, women were able to draft to the IDF as instructors and played an integral role by leading combat engineering troops. This decision led to the opening of additional positions such as infantry, tank and sharpshooter instruction in the 1980s. Soon after, technical positions and command positions such as commanding basic training courses became available to women as well.
They’re
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 8, 2021
pilots
doctors
captains
engineers
instructors
technicians
paramedics
field observers
combat soldiers
& they’ve been fighting
double standards since 1948#InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/Btd1GkPVVU
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