LLX News

Young Palestinians parade and brandish fake rifles as they are instructed on combat against the ‘Zionist enemy’ at Palestinian Islamic Jihad camp

By: Times of Israel Staff; timesofisrael.com

As they do every year, terror groups in the Gaza Strip are operating summer camps for the Palestinian enclave’s youth that includes military-style training in preparation to fight against Israel.

As part of Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s activities, young Palestinians parade and train with fake rifles and are instructed on jihad against the “Zionist enemy.”

In previous years, children were taught to stab and stone Israeli police in order “to liberate Al-Aqsa,” while instructors lionized those who fall as “martyrs” against the enemy.

“These boys are trained in various ways to defend their rights in their territory and homeland,” PIJ official Darwish al-Gharabli told AFP. “Hundreds have participated in the camps of the al-Quds Brigades, the camps of glory and pride, ensuring that jihad and resistance will continue.”

Disturbing photos & captions attached…

https://www.timesofisrael.com/gaza-youths-march-and-train-to-fight-israel-at-palestinian-islamic-jihad-summer-camp/

By: Eric R. Mandel – Jewish News Syndicate; jns.org

The Fourth of July is a time to reflect on what Israel can teach America about love of country.

This June, I was privileged to hear an American lieutenant-general studying at the Israel Defense College speak about American patriotism and the lack thereof. He said he was saddened that he recently read that less than a third of young Americans are proud to be citizens of the United States.

Indeed, a March poll taken by The Wall Street Journal revealed that only 23% of Americans aged 18-29 say patriotism is important to them. Of all adults, only 38% said, “Patriotism was very important, down from 70% in 1998.” Americans place “low importance on these values, many of which were central to their parents’ lives.”

In contrast, 86.2% of Israeli Jews feel a sense of belonging to the Jewish state, according to a 2022 Israel Democracy Institute poll.

cont’d…

https://www.jns.org/jns/israel/23/6/25/297823/

By: Pesach Benson – Israel Today; israeltoday.co.il

Since 1994, the program has graduated 20,000 students, mostly from Africa and Asia.

Israel’s Arava region is not the most likely location for a center to teach agriculture. Stretching along Israel’s southern border with Jordan between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea, the area is known for its hot weather and sparse rainfall.

But it was those conditions which attracted Hanni Arnon to launch the Arava International Center for Agricultural Training (AICAT) in 1994. The program brings students from developing countries to learn practical agriculture with Israeli farmers living in the Arava.

“The fact that we are located in the Arava, in the desert, with no natural resources, gives students added value. They understand that human capacity is very important, that you can overcome challenges and odds, and that even you can make the desert bloom,” Arnon told the Tazpit Press Service as a group of 35 Azerbaijani students were finishing an intensive 10-month course.

cont’d…

“The big churches are using a very loud voice to malign, fabricate and twist the story,” says Rev. Peter Fast.

By: Etgar Lefkovits – Israel Today; israeltoday.co.il

A concerted effort is underway by some mainstream churches to convince evangelical Christians to be less supportive of Israel, the incoming head of an evangelical organization headquartered in Jerusalem says.

Rev. Peter Fast, CEO-elect of Bridges for Peace, spoke in an interview with JNS on [last] Tuesday.

The remarks come two months after the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem lambasted Israeli restrictions on the number of worshippers allowed into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem for the Holy Fire ceremony over Easter.

News agencies fanned the criticism worldwide, only to have it later emerge that a church engineer had requested the limitations over safety concerns.

“The big churches are using a very loud voice to malign, fabricate and twist the story to make Israel look like a human rights violator and oppressor of faith,” Fast told JNS.

cont’d…

https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/evangelical-leader-decries-mainstream-church-efforts-to-malign-israel/

By: Nicole Alcindor – The Christian Post; christianpost.comn

A new study on faith and relationships suggests that absent fathers and collapsed marriages might be two of the best explanations for why Christianity is declining in the United States. 

The Nationwide Study on Faith and Relationships, research recently released by the church-consulting organization Communio, reports that “family decline appears to fuel faith decline.”

The study drew data from a nationwide survey of 19,000 Sunday church attendees from 112 Evangelical, Protestant and Catholic congregations in 13 states. The research comes as marriage rates have dropped 31 percent since 2000 and 61 percent since 1970, while less than half of all adults under 30 today grew up in a home with married parents.

According to the study, individuals who regularly attend church are more likely to have fathers present in their lives.

cont’d…

https://www.christianpost.com/news/absent-fathers-collapsing-marriages-major-reason-why-christians-are-declining-study.html

By: Raymond Ibrahim – Raymond Ibrahim; raymondibrahim.com

Newborn baby Muhammads are taking Western Europe by storm—with Berlin being the latest target.  According to a May 8, 2023

• The first name Mohammed has gained popularity in Germany in the past year….  In Berlin, Mohammed was the most popular first name for boys in 2022. Last year he had ranked third…. In Bremen, the first name Mohammed has moved up from third place to second place…. In Hesse, too, the name of the Muslim prophet is on the rise. There he fought his way from eighth to third place.

This trend is occurring all throughout Western Europe.  Muhammad is the most popular name in the United Kingdom;  in major Belgian cities—including Brussels, the EU capital; in Oslo, the capital of Norway; and in the Netherlands’ largest cities, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht.

This is to say nothing of other Arabic/Muslim names, which are also topping the charts of newborn baby names. According to a 2015 report, in the UK,

There is a surge in Arabic names generally, with Nur a new entry in the girls’ top 100, jumping straight to number 29, and Maryam rising 59 places to number 35. Omar, Ali, and Ibrahim are new to the boys’ top 100.

Even in the United States, in 2019, Muhammad made the list of top 10 baby names. “Arabic names are on the rise this year,” the BabyCenter said, “with Muhammad and Aaliyah entering the top 10 and nudging Mason and Layla off.”

All this may seem innocuous enough.  After all, what’s in a name?

By: Chris Mitchell – CBN News; cbn.com

JERUSALEM, Israel – One of Pat Robertson’s greatest legacies was his steadfast stand for the State of Israel and the Jewish people. Israeli and Christian leaders told CBN News how important Pat’s support was.

Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren, a frequent guest on The 700 Club, remembers how Pat stood with Israel.   

“We’re talking about support for Israel during some of our hardest times. Support for Israel’s right to defend itself, of our right to defend ourselves as a Jewish state,” Oren told CBN News.

“I remember during the dark days of the Second Intifada—2000, 2004, 2005—when there were no tourists in Israel, the hotels were empty, the flights were empty. It was Pat Robertson and the evangelical communities that revered him that kept support for Israel and our economy during those very dark days,” Oren said.

“We owe him a historic debt. I owe him a personal debt and for that reason, I will say most emphatically, may his memory be blessed forever,” he added.

cont’d…

https://www2.cbn.com/news/israel/israeli-christian-leaders-praise-pat-robertsons-early-and-steadfast-dedication-israel

The IAEA struck a deal with Iran that provides minimal monitoring of the nuclear program

By: Anders Hagstrom – Fox News; foxnews.com

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) closed two investigations into Iran’s nuclear program this week after drastically limiting the monitoring equipment installed at Iranian sites.

Israeli expressed frustration with the IAEA for what they argue is lax enforcement that could lead to Iran obtaining dangerous nuclear material. The IAEA was working to reinstall monitoring equipment that Iran had ordered removed after withdrawing from its 2015 nuclear deal, but the organization has only put a slim amount of equipment in place.

The IAEA also agreed to close two investigations into aspects of Iran’s nuclear program as part of the negotiations seeking a reinstallation of monitoring equipment. Israeli officials blasted that move as shortsighted.

“Closing the case could have extremely dangerous consequences, and it conveys a message to the Iranians that they are not required to pay a price for their violations and that they can continue to deceive the international community on their way to achieving a full military nuclear program,” a spokesman for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.

cont’d…

https://www.foxnews.com/world/israel-calls-nuclear-watchdog-accuses-them-making-extremely-dangerous-deal-iran

The singer and actor, who was president of ZOA’s California chapter, died on May 21 at the age of 95.

By: Menachem Wecker – Jewish News Syndicate; jns.org

Some 15 or 20 years ago, Mort Klein, national president of the Zionist Organization of America, saw a man who looked a lot like entertainer Ed Ames at an American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference in Washington.

“He was tall. He stood out among everyone,” Klein told JNS. “I knew it wasn’t Ed Ames, because he was at an AIPAC conference. Ed Ames wouldn’t be at an AIPAC conference. He’s not a Jew!”

Klein asked the 6-foot-3 man if anyone had ever told him he looked like the singer and actor. “He said, ‘Sir. I am Ed Ames,’” Klein told JNS. “I said, ‘I bet you tell that to everybody. I can’t believe you’re Ed Ames. What are you doing here at an AIPAC conference?’”

Ames said “I’m a Jew and a Zionist,” Klein recalled. “I said, ‘You’re Jewish? Ed Ames is Jewish?’ I didn’t know.”

cont’d…

https://www.jns.org/jns/zionism/23/6/5/292458/

Chip giant says Israel-1 supercomputer valued at several hundred million dollars is a ‘major investment’ that will boost next-generation AI workloads

By: Sharon Wrobel – The Times of Israel; timesofisrael.com

US gaming and computer graphics giant Nvidia said Monday that it will build the nation’s most powerful generative AI cloud supercomputer called Israel-1 which will be based on a new locally developed high-performance ethernet platform.

Valued at several hundred million dollars, Israel-1, which Nvidia said would be one of the world’s fastest AI supercomputers, is expected to start early production by the end of 2023.

“AI is the most important technology force in our lifetime,” said Gilad Shainer, Senior Vice President of high performance computing (HPC) and networking at Nvidia. “Israel-1 represents a major investment that will help us drive innovation in Israel and globally.

cont’d…

https://www.timesofisrael.com/nvidia-taps-into-israeli-innovation-to-build-generative-ai-cloud-supercomputer/