LLX News

By: Robert Spencer – Jihad Watch; jihadwatch.org

Fox 2 Detroit claims, without evidence, that “some of the past opposition” was “sparked by islamophobia.” But in reality, “some residents previously cited zoning rules and the residential nature of the neighborhood.” However, Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News, said: “I do not buy that, I think they were using it as an excuse.” For “Islamophobia,” that is.

Well, maybe they were using it as an excuse, and maybe there weren’t. But now the precedent has been set, with the help of the Justice Department: Muslims can build a mosque absolutely anywhere they want, including in quiet residential neighborhoods, and obliterate all concerns about zoning and parking and the character of the neighborhood by charging that all such concerns are just cover for “Islamophobia.”

Also, it wasn’t the racist, redneck, “Islamophobic” yahoos of Leftist media myth who were opposing this mosque. It was Iraqi Christian refugees, who know very well from bitter experience what a mosque in the neighborhood means for non-Muslims. But their concerns were also brushed aside. It was all “Islamophobia,” you see. The Justice Department said so.

By: Marcy Oster – Jewish Telegraphic Agency; jta.org

Anti-Israel protests outside of a synagogue in Ann Arbor, Michigan, are protected by the First Amendment and may continue, a federal judge ruled.

“Peaceful protest speech such as this – on sidewalks and streets – is entitled to the highest level of constitutional protection, even if it disturbs, is offensive, and causes emotional distress,” U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts of the Eastern Michigan District Court wrote last week in dismissing a lawsuit that sought to stop the protesters, the Ann Arbor News reported.

The protests outside of Beth Israel Congregation have been held weekly at the same time as Saturday morning services for nearly two decades, since 2003. The handful of protesters who show up plant signs on the grass that read “Resist Jewish Power,” “Jewish Power Corrupts,” “No More Holocaust Movies,” “Boycott Israel,” “Stop U.S. Aid to Israel” and “End the Palestinian holocaust.”

By: TOI Staff – Times of Israel; timesofisrael.com

Army chief holds briefing with southern command after a night that saw 12 rockets fired toward Israel and three rounds of reprisal airstrikes by Israeli warplanes

Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Friday warned the terror groups in Gaza that the Israel Defense Forces will deliver a “very harsh blow” if violence continues, after a night that saw 12 rockets fired toward Israel and three rounds of reprisal airstrikes by Israeli warplanes.

“The IDF is ready, it defends and will continue to defend the residents of the south and will attack any one who attacks us and deliver a very harsh blow,” Gantz said after a meeting with senior IDF officers.

IDF chief of staff Aviv Kohavi met with the heads of the Southern Command and “heard a situational assessment and authorized the command’s plans for various scenarios,” the IDF said. Gantz joined the briefing via video conference.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-escalation-gantz-warns-gaza-terror-groups-idf-will-deliver-a-harsh-blow/

By: Chris Mitchell – CBN News; cbn.com

JERUSALEM, Israel – As all sides move to finalize the peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it’s causing a political shuffle across the Middle East and some believe it may have prophetic implications. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he saw only good results from the historic agreement. 

“Peace is a good thing and peace unites moderates, two of the most advanced economies in the world – Israel and the United Arab Emirates – and two of the most moderate,” he told Fox News in an interview on Sunday. 

“We’re fighting Iran and the radicals who are trying to overthrow our order in the Middle East, subjugate people, propagate terrorism. So, this is good for peace, good for security, good for prosperity. I think it’s good for the United States and good for Israel,” Netanyahu continued.

https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/israel/2020/august/prophecy-fulfilled-joel-rosenberg-lays-out-the-biblical-meaning-behind-the-israel-uae-peace-deal

By: Nathan Jeffay – The Times of Israel; timesofisrael.com

Hadassah hospital gave three people a new drug made from antibodies from people who had had coronavirus; they are all now home after ‘astonishing’ recovery

The world’s first clinical trial for a coronavirus drug made from antibodies got off to a promising start in Jerusalem, with all three patients involved released from the hospital days after receiving it.

The patients were in moderate condition, with COVID-19-induced pneumonia, when given the drug, manufactured from antibodies found in the plasma of recovered coronavirus patients, earlier this week.

“The response was, in my eyes, it was almost a miracle — they received it and they are now home,” said Zeev Rothstein, director of Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, which worked with the biopharmaceutical firm Kamada to develop the drug, and is now running the clinical trial.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/worlds-1st-trial-for-covid-antibody-drug-off-to-flying-start-in-jerusalem/

By: Times of Israel Staff – Times of Israel; timesofisrael.com

Cyber criminals from Lazarus group built fake LinkedIn accounts, tried to woo Israeli officials with lucrative job opportunities to gain access to their networks

The Defense Ministry on Wednesday said hackers from a group linked to the North Korean government targeted Israeli defense officials, luring them with fake job offers in a failed attempt to gain access to the databases of the country’s top defense industries.

In a statement, the ministry said the attempted cyber-attack by the Lazarus Group was thwarted and no sensitive information was compromised.

“Members of the group used various hacking techniques, including ‘social engineering’ and impersonation,” and built fake profiles on LinkedIn, said the Defense Ministry.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-says-it-fended-off-north-korean-hack-attempt-against-defense-industry/

By: Brandon Showalter – The Christian Post; christianpost.com

A new survey shows that the majority of Americans no longer believe that Jesus is the path to salvation and instead believe that being a good person is sufficient.

As part of the ongoing release of the Arizona Christian University-based Cultural Research Center’s American Worldview Inventory, the latest findings — exploring perceptions of sin and salvation — from George Barna, the group’s director, show that nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that having some kind of faith is more important than the particular faith with which someone aligns. 

Sixty-eight percent who embrace that notion identify as Christians, including 56% of self-described evangelicals and 62% of those who identify as Pentecostals. Sixty-seven percent of mainline Protestants and 77% of Catholics also embraced that idea, the findings show.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/us-christians-increasingly-departing-from-core-truths-of-christian-worldview-survey-finds.html

By: Ariel David – Haaretz; haaretz.com

Floor tiles from house burnt down by the Babylonians 2,600 years ago yield data that could help better understand the erratic behavior of the planetary shield protecting us from cosmic radiation

Archaeologists joke that nothing makes them happier than finding signs of destruction. Ancient sites that slowly declined or were simply abandoned are hard to date and often contain a confusing jumble of remains from different periods. But when an entire city gets suddenly buried by a volcanic eruption, demolished by an earthquake or burned down by a brutal invader, the tragedy freezes a single moment in time, giving experts a clearer picture of how people lived in that period, right up until disaster struck.

This archaeological schadenfreude is now taking on a new dimension, as researchers are increasingly using ancient ruins left over by violent conflagrations for an unexpected purpose: trying to understand the enigmatic and unpredictable behavior of Earth’s magnetic field. 

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-ruins-of-ancient-jerusalem-help-unravel-enigmas-of-earth-s-magnetic-field-1.9052751

By: Shoshana Bryen – Newsweek; newsweek.com

It was hard to miss the videos of the double explosion in Beirut. The first one was really big; the second was eye-poppingly enormous! And in horrific color. The damage was truly terrible, and the casualty count is rising. So, first, it should be said that thoughts and prayers should be with the people of Beirut.

But it created a conundrum for the Hezbollah-dominated Lebanese government. If it claimed the damage was done by Israel, it would be admitting that Israel could target the country with impunity. Which it can, but that is not something Hezbollah wants to admit because it would create pressure for a military response—a war it cannot win. In addition, it would be admitting that Hezbollah—a proxy of Iran—was storing rockets, missiles and rocket fuel in the middle of capital of Lebanon. So, first the government said the warehouse near the waterfront was a “fireworks factory” that had exploded. Then they said it was a wheat storage silo.

Finally, Lebanese Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi admitted to the presence of highly explosive materials at the port, saying, “We have to wait for investigations to know the cause of the explosion, but preliminary explanation indicates materials seized years ago exploded in the Beirut Port warehouse.”

https://www.newsweek.com/saving-lebanon-opinion-1522840

By: Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman – The Jerusalem Post; jpost.com

“It’s a shame that people will die for no reason.”

The heads of several Israeli hospitals have reached out to Lebanese officials and the United Nations offering medical support to the country’s wounded.

“It hurts to see the children – little children – crying and injured,” Dr. Masad Barhoum, director-general of Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya told The Jerusalem Post. “People without children – their lives destroyed in an instance. They need medical and psychological help.”

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/a-shame-that-people-will-die-for-no-reason-637586