From the Chair . . .

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You can help Israel by knowing the facts about Israel!

THE REAL ISRAEL

• Population: 7 million (est. 2006), 83% Jewish, 14% Muslim, 2% Christian, 2% Druze. More than 40,000 Ethiopian Jews immigrated to Israel from 1991 to 1997.
• Israel is slightly smaller than New Jersey, and is bordered by Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
• From north to south Israel is about 260 miles long, but from east to west its width varies from 71 miles to only 9 miles.
• Arabs and/or Muslims control 22 nations and 99.5% of the entire Middle East land mass, while Israel occupies only 0.5% of the land area.
• Since its Declaration of Independence in 1948, Arab countries have jointly waged 4 full-scale wars against Israel.
• Jerusalem appears in the Jewish Bible 669 times, Zion (usually meaning Jerusalem) 154 times, or 823 times in all. 

Help Israel by knowing its Enemies!

THE HAMAS CHARTER

• “Israel will exist, and will continue to exist, until Islam abolishes it, as it abolished that which was before it.” (Preamble)
• “The Islamic Resistance Movement [Hamas] is one link in the chain of jihad in confronting the Zionist invasion.” (Art. 7)
• “There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except by jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are a waste of time and a farce.” (Art. 13)
• “The day the enemies conquer some part of the Muslim land, jihad becomes a personal duty of every Muslim. In the face of the Jewish occupation of Palestine, it is necessary to raise the banner of jihad.” (Art. 15)
• “The Nazism of the Jews … is directed at everyone.” (Art.20)
• “Under the wing of Islam, the followers of the three religions - Islam, Christianity and Judaism - can co-exist in security and safety. It is only under the wing of Islam that safety and security prevail … The Nazi Zionist measures against our people will not succeed in prolonging the duration of their invasion …” (Art. 31)
• “Leaving the circle of the conflict with Zionism is an act of high treason; all those who do this shall be cursed … All forces and capabilities must be pooled to confront this ferocious Mongol, Nazi onslaught … Each and every person should know that he is responsible to Allah.”  (Art. 32)
• The Islamic Resistance Movement will always offer nothing but help to all groups and organizations that strive against the Zionist enemy and against its lackeys. (Art. 36)

[Translation from CAMERA website: http://www.camera.org/]


ISRAEL FOCUS

Events in Great Britain – Britain's largest lecturers union calls for an academic boycott against Israel. The motion, passed at the annual conference of Britain's University and College Union (UCU) by a majority of 158 votes to 99, with 17 abstentions, called on UCU branches across Britain to discuss the prospect of an academic boycott with Israel over the next year, and to consider "moral implications" of links with Israeli universities, which it said were "complicit" in Israel's policies and human rights abuses in the West Bank and Gaza. Following the lecturers’ move, Britain’s largest trade union Unison was reported to be weighing a vote on a resolution at its annual conference later this month calling for a boycott of Israel.

Many Israelis said the fact that the motion "singles out" their country while ignoring others committing severe human right abuses across the globe illustrated a strong, unbalanced, and politically- motivated anti-Israel trend. Israel slammed the call as "scandalous, discriminatory and one-sided." "The fact that this decision was made in a country considered friendly to Israel is worrying and it requires soul-searching among all of Britain's citizens," Welfare Minister Yitzhak Herzog of the leftist Labour Party told Israel Radio. Herzog, who is in charge of issues relating to anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism in Europe and elsewhere, said he spoke to British Ambassador to Israel Tom Phillips to protest the move. In response during a radio interview, Philips said the boycott call does not represent official British policy and the United Kingdom does not support the move.

Click on the picture to view a video of Benjamin Netanyahu responding to the call for boycott. 

Israeli-Polish Relations at All-Time High - Israeli-Polish relations are better than they've ever been at any time since the establishment of the State of Israel former Polish foreign minister Prof. Wladyslaw Bartoszewski said recently. Bartoszewski, 85, who has been recognized by Yad Vashem as a Righteous Among the Nations and holds honorary Israeli citizenship, spearheaded Poland's improving relations with Israel during two terms as foreign minister. "There can be no conflict of interests between our two countries, only shared interests," he said during an address at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, adding that Poland's closest relations were with the US and Israel.

Israel Launches Spy Satellite – Israel successfully launched an advanced spy satellite, the Ofek-7, into orbit, giving it a sophisticated new tool in its efforts to collect intelligence on archenemy Iran and other regional adversaries. Launched on June 11^th, Israeli media reported the satellite circles Earth every 90 minutes at a distance of 300-600 kilometers. The Israeli armed forces were reported as being “very content” with the launch. One of the tasks of the satellite – translated as “Horizon” in English - will be to keep track of developments in Iran and the potential development of nuclear weapons, considered by Israel as its most serious strategic threat. The Ofek-7's elliptical orbit reportedly takes it over Iran, Iraq and Syria every 90 minutes.

       Israeli Highly Ranked in Women’s Tennis –  Shahar Peer , a 20 year-old Israeli tennis player turned professional in 2004 and is currently ranked 16th in the world. Peer was raised in Macabim, Israel, and began playing tennis at age six. Last year, she completed her mandatory military training. Though she discovered that she had a talent for shooting rifles — she ranked fourth in her class — as an athlete her military duties are limited to office work. Peer’s outstanding play over the past 12 months – a semi-final finish at the Miami Sony Ericsson Open, quarter-final finishes at the Australian and French opens, and a quarter-final finish at the Rogers Cup last August in Montreal – has given her celebrity status in Israel. Peer regularly gets calls from the Prime Minister congratulating her on her victories. “Everywhere I go in Israel, people see me, know me, and congratulate me on my efforts. I was delighted to know that the prime minister watches all my matches,” said Peer.

LINKS

Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel – Voice recording (in Hebrew with English translation) of the declaration of statehood by David Ben-Gurion.

Volunteers for Israel (VFI) – The mission of Volunteers for Israel is to connect Americans to Israel through volunteer service. VFI partners with military and civilian organizations that enable volunteers to work side-by-side with Israelis and to promote solidarity and good will among Israelis, American Jews, and other friends of Israel.

Sar-El – The Hebrew acronym meaning “Service for Israel”, administers the VFI program in Israel. Sar-El was formed in 1982 through the initiative of General A. Davidi (Ret.) who enlisted volunteers to help alleviate manpower shortages during the war in Lebanon. The majority of volunteers works on army bases alongside or under the direction of soldiers and perform duties that allow soldiers and other professional staff to focus their time where their skills are most needed.

A Package From Home – The mission of A Package From Home is to strengthen the spirit and resolve of each Israeli soldier, and to show appreciation for the sacrifices they make in securing the safety and survival of Israel and its people. The organization sends thousands of packages to Chayalim Bodedim (soldiers without family in Israel) and combat soldiers. Each package contains a letter of appreciation from children and adults from all over the world for their part in securing the country.