Behind their support for the creation of a "Palestinian state," these countries have been pursuing other goals. The foremost: the destruction of Israel

• Reports from the West Bank after the Six Day War show that the Arabs interviewed defined themselves as "Arabs" or "Jordanians", and evidently did not yet know that they were "the Palestinian people". Since then, they were taught it. They were also taught that it is their duty is to "liberate Palestine" by killing Jews. The Palestinians are the first people invented to serve as a weapon of mass destruction of another people.
• "The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality, today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese." — PLO leader Zuheir Mohsen, interview in the Dutch newspaper Trouw, March 1977.
• Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the European Union has become the main financier of the "Palestinian cause", including its terrorism. They are also contributing to war.
• Iran, strengthened enormously by the agreement passed in July 2015 and the massive US funding that accompanied it, has been showing its desire to become a hegemonic power in the Middle East.
• The grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdulaziz ibn Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh, recently issued a fatwasaying that "fighting the Jews" is "against the will" of Allah and that Hamas is a terrorist organization.

For many years, "Palestine" has not stopped aspiring to new heights in the so called"international community". "Palestine" has been present at the Olympic Games since 1996, and, later, became a permanent observer to UNESCO and the United Nations. The vast majority of the 95 "embassies" of "Palestine" are in the Muslim world; many others are in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. In 2014, the Spanish Parliament voted in favor of full recognition of "Palestine." A few weeks later, the French Parliament did the same. 

There is no other instance in the history of the world where a state that does not exist can have missions and embassies presumed to function as if that state did exist.
Now the time has probably come for the "Palestinians" to realize that they have lost and fall back to earth, as noted by the scholar Daniel Pipes.

Have "Palestinian" leaders been showing by their speeches and actions that they are ready to rule a state living in peace with their neighbors and with the rest of the world? All "Palestinian" leaders have incessantly incitedterrorism, and do not hide their wish to wipeIsrael off the map.
Is there a long-standing aspiration by the "Palestinian people" to have a state and to live peacefully within that state? The answer is actually no. The "Palestinian people" were invented in the late 1960s by the Arab and Soviet propaganda services. As PLO leader Zuheir Mohsen told the Dutch newspaper Trouw in March 1977:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality, today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese."

Reports from the West Bank after the Six Day War show that the Arabs defined themselves in interviews as "Arabs" or "Jordanians"; they evidently did not know that they were the "Palestinian people". Since then, they were taught it. They were also taught that it is their duty to "liberate Palestine" by killing Jews. The Palestinians are the first people invented to serve as a weapon of mass destruction of another people.

Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the PLO, at the Arab League summit in Rabat, Morocco, 1974. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Is there at least a historic past that gives legitimacy to the aspiration to create a "Palestinian state"? The answer again is actually no. There is no Palestinian culture distinct from the cultures of the Muslim Arab world, no monument that can be defined as a "Palestinian" historic monument, except by falsifying history.
More basically, would a hypothetical "Palestinian state" be economically viable? Again, the answer is actually no. Territories occupied by the Palestinian movements survive only thanks to international financial assistance from the West.
How then could so many countries wish for so long to create a state whose rulers would likely be regressive, corrupt "Palestinian" leaders; whose inhabitants would be used as killing machines, whose history is non-existent-to-falsified and whose economic potential seems zero?
The answer is simple.
Behind their support for the creation of a "Palestinian state", those countries have been pursuing other goals. For decades, countries of the Muslim world obsessively wanted one thing: the destruction of Israel.
They tried to reach their goal through conventional warfare, then terrorism, then diplomacy, then propaganda. They blamed only Israel for all the evils of the Middle East.
All the while, they know who the "Palestinian" leaders are and what they do. They know that the "Palestinian people" were invented. They know why the "Palestinian" people were invented. They know that a "Palestinian state" will not have a viable economy. Yet they have been committed to a strategy of destabilizing and demonizing a non-Muslim nation, Israel.
They call the "Palestinians" "victims"; terrorism, "militancy"; and incitement to kill, "resisting occupation". They have been trampling rightful history and replacing it with myth.
They press "Palestinian" leaders to "negotiate", knowing perfectly well that no agreement will ever be signed and that negotiations will end in bloodshed.
They propose only "peace plans" they know Israel must reject – those which include the "'49 'Auschwitz' armistice lines" or the "right of return" for "Palestinian refugees", who numbered half a million in 1949, but near five million today.
They recognize a "Palestinian state" while knowing that the "state" they recognize is not a state, but rather a terrorist entity without defined borders or territory, and imbued with a will to spill more blood and create more mayhem.
They have relied on turmoil, blackmail and lies to encourage the rest of the world to think the situation requires drastic international intervention.
They have been saying they want a "Palestinian state", but never that they want this state to renounce terrorism and end the conflict.
Instead, they have been waging a vicious war they have long hoped to win.
For more than thirty years, they benefited from the support of the Soviet Union. It financed wars (1967, 1973), terrorism, diplomacy and propaganda. The Soviet Union made the "Palestinian" enterprise an "anti-imperialist" cause -- a means of strengthening Soviet positions and galvanizing the enemies of the West. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, but the effects of its support for the "Palestinian cause" for a time remained. Many countries hostile to the West still support and recognize the "Palestinians" while pretending to ignore that they are recognizing a terrorist entity. They are contributing to war.
Countries of the Western world, subjected to the pressures of the Muslim world and the Soviet Union for many years, have gradually given way, some even before any pressure was applied.
France chose its camp in 1967, when General Charles de Gaulle launched what he called an "Arab policy" after its defeat in Algeria. French foreign policy become resolutely "pro-Palestinian" -– in an apparent effort to deflect terrorism, obtain inexpensive oil and compete with the US -- and has remained so to this day. Western European countries have gradually adopted positions close to those of France. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the European Union has become the main financier of the "Palestinian cause", including its terrorism. Western European leaders know what the real goals are, yet they repeat without respite that creating a "Palestinian state" is "essential". They are also contributing to war.
Although a long-time ally of Israel, the United States changed its Middle East policy in the beginning of the 1990s to positions closer to those of the Muslim world. American politicians and diplomats pressured Israelis to negotiate with "Palestinian" leaders and seemed to have lost sight of what the "Palestinian cause" was secretly about. Wishful Israeli leaders agreed to negotiate. The tragic result was the Oslo Accords and the creation of the Palestinian Authority (PA). It quickly became a new base of anti-Israeli terrorism. A wave of lethal, anti-Israel attacks started immediately, with a stepped-up anti-Israel diplomatic and propaganda offensive right after. A "two-state solution" was invoked. American leaders, as if they had slept through several years, started to say that a "Palestinian state" had to exist. Three American Presidents proposed "peace plans", also contributing to war.
An additional "peace plan" is expected soon, but the parameters will be profoundly different. President Donald Trump appears to wish to break with the past.
He recently told Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas that "Palestinian" leaders were liars. None of the American negotiators he chose seems to have the slightest illusion about the "Palestinian" leadership or the "Palestinian cause".
The Taylor Force Act, passed on December 5 by the US House of Representatives, plans to condition US aid to the "West Bank and Gaza" on "the actions taken by the Palestinian Authority to end violence and terrorism against Israeli citizens"; the Act could be adopted soon by the Senate. The PA rejectedall the requirements in the Act.
The Muslim world is also undergoing change. Iran, strengthened enormously by the agreement passed in July 2015 and the massive US funding that accompanied it, has been showing its desire to become a hegemonic power in the Middle East. The mullahs' regime now holds three capital citiesin addition to Teheran: Baghdad, Damascus, and Beirut. Iran attacks Saudi Arabia and supports the war led by the Houthi militia in Yemen; it intends to seize Sanaa and take control of Bab El Mandeb, the gateway to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Qatar and Turkey have established close ties with Iran.
Saudi leaders appear aware of the danger. King Salman chose his son, Mohamed bin Salman, as heir to the throne, and gave him broad powers. "MBS", as he is known, seems intent on leading a real revolution. Militarily, he is head of the 40-member Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, and has declared his desire to "end terrorism". Economically, he is in charge of an ambitious reform project aimed at making his country less dependent on oil: Saudi Vision 2030. All Saudi leaders in disagreement with the new orientations of the country were placed under arrest and their assets confiscated. Mohamed bin Salman has identified Iran as the main enemy, and recently described its Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, as a "new Hitler." Qatar and Turkey have been subjected to intense Saudi pressure to distance themselves from the Iranian regime. The grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdulaziz ibn Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh, recently issued a fatwa saying that "fighting the Jews" is "against the will" of Allah and that Hamas is a terrorist organization.
Mohamed bin Salman has the support of the Trump administration; Vladimir Putin who, while being allied to Iran, may want a balance of power in the Middle East, and Xi Jinping, who is facing the risk of a Sunni Islamic upheaval in China's autonomous territory, Xinjiang.
"Palestinian" leader, Mahmoud Abbas was reportedly summoned to Riyadh, where King Salman and Mohammed bin Salman told him that he had to accept the plan proposed by the Trump administration or resign, and that it would "risky" for him to consider launching an uprising – which he has anyway, although being careful to keep it lukewarm.
During the month of October, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a close ally of Mohamed bin Salman, invited the leaders of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to come to Cairo for a "reconciliation". He apparently demanded control of the Gaza Strip to be handed to the Palestinian Authority. It also seems that the Trump administration and President Sisi told Hamas leaders that they had to approve the terms of the "reconciliation" agreement, and that if they carried out any attacks against Israel, they risked complete destruction.
The "peace plan" evidently to be presented by the Trump administration is provoking the extreme anger of "Palestinian" leaders. The goal of the "plan" seems to be to revive an open ended "peace process", allowing Saudi Arabia and the members of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition to move closer to Israel and push the "Palestinian cause" toward the back burner.
On November 19, an Arab League emergency meeting held in Cairo strongly condemned Hezbollah and Iran. Moreover, for the first time in fifty years, a meeting of the Arab League did not even mention the "Palestinian" question.
President Trump's recognition on December 6 of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has led to restlessness and acrimony both in the Muslim world and among Western European leaders. Sunni leaders allied to Saudi Arabia, however, as well as Saudi Arabia itself, seem too concerned about the Iranian threat to quarrel with Israel, the United States or really anyone. Western Europe has almost no weight in what is taking shape; all it has shown is cowardice, fear, and continued contempt for a fellow Western democracy: Israel.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, now in the twelfth year of his four year term -- and apparently seeing that he is getting little support -- appeared to seek divine intervention: he asked the Pope for help. There would be "no Palestinian state without East Jerusalem as its capital," Abbas said. He sounded as if he had begun to understand that the "Palestinian cause" could be fading, and, with other "Palestinian" leaders, called for "three days of rage". A few protesters burned tires and American flags – the usual.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to convene in Istanbul on December 13, and urged leaders of Muslim countries to recognize Jerusalem as the "occupied capital of the Palestinian state". Saudi King Salman stayed well away as did almost all other Sunni leaders. He only sent a message saying that he calls for "a political solution to resolve regional crises". He added that "Palestinians have right to East Jerusalem" – the least he could do; he did no more. Erdogan is mainly supported by Iran, today's foremost enemy of Saudi Arabia and other Sunni countries.
"It will not be the end of the war against Israel," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "but it could be the beginning of the end of the "Palestinian cause".
It now seems a good time for Western European leaders who still blindly support the "Palestinian cause" to cut their losses, both politically and economically. Taking the side of Erdogan and the mullahs in order to support a terrorist entity that will never be a "state" will do nothing to help them fight either terrorism or the increasing Islamizationof Europe.

Dr. Guy Millière, a professor at the University of Paris, is the author of 27 books on France and Europe.

Special Report: Palestinian terrorist’s letter to family reveals the Islamic ideology and incentives that fuel Palestinian terrorism

On Saturday 19 August, 17-year-old Qutayba Ziad Zahran approached Israeli border police. After Israeli troops asked him to stop, he pulled out a knife and tried to stab them. He was shot dead.

News sources, such as Ma’an and Al Jazeera, were quick to report on the teen’s death using words such as “allegedly” and “according to Israel”, attempts to suggest the teen was innocent, that he hadn’t carried out a terror attack and that Israel killed him in cold blood.

The truth, however, is that Zahran was a terrorist and he died willingly.

Zahran’s final message on Facebook, as well as some of the other messages he left in his final days, speak volumes of the ideology of Islamic terrorists. And you may be surprised to hear that Zahran didn’t mention “Israeli brutality” or the “occupation”, but instead he mentioned “martyrdom”, “paradise” and “to make sure that Allah’s word is the highest word”.

This is counter to what we are told by many politicians and the media who try to tell us this is “not a religious war” and that all this fighting is only “about land”.

You will notice that when a terrorist attack happens in the UK, Europe or America, this same narrative continues. We are told that it is Western actions that caused our people to be slaughtered. Likewise, when Palestinian terrorists stab innocent Israelis to death, we are told that it was Israel’s actions that caused the attack to happen.

This excuse is nonsense and does not explain why ISIS would target a country like the Philippines, a nation that has neither invaded another country nor participated in the recent wars in the Middle East. It also doesn’t explain why “Allah Akbar” is shouted as the terrorists carry out their attack, after all, if religion has nothing to do with it, why do the terrorists shout the name of a religious deity?

In reality this is a religious war. Islamic terrorists carry out their attacks because they believe, according to their understanding, conviction and belief, that they are carrying out the will of Allah and doing what is commanded of them in the Quran.

This evil ideology is what motivates Islamic terrorists to kill innocent people on the streets of Barcelona, London, Paris, Manchester, Nice, Boston and Jerusalem (to name but a few).

When Qutayba Ziad Zahran, a 17-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank, drew his knife and attacked the Israeli policeman, he was following that exact same hate filled ideology.

This is evidenced in a letter Zahran wrote to his family and posted on Facebook on the day of his death, in which he made clear that he would carry out a terror attack and was going to die.

Picture: Qutayba Ziad Zahran

He told his father “I have achieved my wish and I am about to die a martyr for the sake of Allah”. He continued “I have left this mortal world, rushing to the immortal life in paradise where I will meet Allah’s chosen prophet… because martyrdom has called upon me after I have been wishing to obtain it for a while.”

To his mother he asked “sacrifice me for Allah’s reward” and said not to cry, but instead to “utter trilling cries of joy because this is your martyr son’s wedding”.

He also gave his mother his three reasons for carrying out the attack; to “die fighting for the sake of Allah, to make sure that Allah’s word is the highest word, and to take revenge for the martyrs of Palestine”.

He then went on to state the promises of the Quran, saying, “The prophet promised that a martyr will intercede for the benefit of 70 of his family members.”

The trouble is that Zahran, and seemingly his family, truly believe that his death will grant him paradise and not only that, but that his whole family up to 70 members will enter paradise as a result.

You may have heard the phrase “the Israelis love life, but the Palestinians love death”. Surprisingly, this phrase has been uttered many times by the Palestinians themselves. When someone believes they will enter paradise through martyrdom, or “death for Allah”, it is not hard to understand why they long for and celebrate death. This is why many parents of martyrs are filmed handing out sweets and celebrating. They are joyful because they believe they and their children, for lack of a better word, are now ‘saved’.

Along with an eternal paradise, Palestinian terrorists are also promised earthly rewards.

According to Palestinian law, terrorist prisoners serving time in Israeli jails and families of assailants killed while carrying out attacks against Israelis are eligible to receive stipends (fixed monthly payments) and other benefits.

This salary is extremely generous in the Palestinian territories. Where a school teacher in the so-called West Bank will earn around £200 per month and a skilled labourer will earn around £320 per month, an imprisoned Palestinian terrorist can receive up to £2,300 per month. If the terrorist dies a martyr, this salary is transferred to the family.

In the past five years the Palestinian Authority has paid more than £1 billion to terrorists. What’s more, they even openly admit it, and despite international pressure, they will never stop paying.

In fact Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last month made this vow. His exact words were: “Even if I will have to leave my position, I will not compromise on the salary (rawatib) of a Martyr (Shahid) or a prisoner, as I am the president of the entire Palestinian people, including the prisoners, the Martyrs, the injured, the expelled, and the uprooted.”

We wrote an article at the time all about Abbas’s support for terrorism and the lacklustre response from the British government, which you can readhere. And if you want to hear from a terrorist’s mouth that the incentive of money works, click here.

An important note in these salaries is that certain terrorists receive extra money based on a number of factors. According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), there is an additional monthly $78 (£61) supplement for terrorists from Jerusalem and a $130 (£101) supplement for Arab Israeli terrorists. This additional incentive is given because the Palestinian Authority knows that an attack from within is much more painful than an attack from outside. When Israelis hear of an attack in the so-called West Bank, it seems distant, but if the attack happens in the heart of their capital, or by a fellow countryman, then it clearly shocks the public more. Remember, the Palestinian leadership pays terrorists, not because they want freedom, but because they want to destroy Israel.

Another incentive for terrorists aside from the healthy salary is the title of ‘martyr’, one of the highest honours in Islam. A martyr’s funeral procession sees the body of the “hero” paraded through the streets as crowds praise their achievement and celebrate their “journey to paradise”… or at least, that is what they believe.

Along with his religious beliefs, Zahran also wanted to be seen as a hero. In the weeks before his death, Zahran shared a Facebook post of a martyr’s funeral with a body covered in a Hamas flag being carried down the street by a crowd of gunmen and the words “How I long for a procession like this”.

Zahran was born and raised in a society that praises terrorists as heroes above athletes, doctors and firemen. For example, a school in his town was recently named after a terrorist who masterminded the Munich Massacre, in which 11 members of the 1972 Israeli Olympic team were murdered. His religious beliefs lead him to believe that he would reach paradise if he also died attacking Jews.

Qutayba Ziad Zahran was manipulated and lied to from birth to martyrdom. A tactic the Palestinians have enforced in every area of society and used for decades. Why? Because they know it works.

Terror attacks only benefit the Palestinians. The Israelis are always the ones made to suffer. When a Palestinian stabber in his late teens is shot dead, it is chalked up by the media as another Palestinian child killed by Israel. It is a lose, lose for Israel.

As Israel is once again slammed by the media for killing a Palestinian, despite the fact it was just protecting itself, the ‘martyr’ is paraded through the streets and celebrated. And as Palestinian leaders condemn Israel for violence in public, to their own people they praise the ‘martyr’ and “welcome every drop of blood spilled”.

Our media blindly reports against Israel and our governments ignore the reality, but we need to wake up to the truth. Palestinian children are brainwashed and manipulated to hate Israel and the Jews and to sacrifice themselves for Allah. And that is why, for now at least, there will not be peace.

The full letter of Qutayba Ziad Zahran is below (although it does not include the Quranic verse he mentioned about fighting for Allah).

Dear family members… I have good news for you.

My precious father, forgive me.

Here I have achieved my wish and I am about to die a martyr for the sake of Allah, armed with the determination of mujahidin (fighters). I have left this mortal world, rushing to the immortal life in paradise where I will meet Allah’s chosen prophet, peace be upon him, alongside prophets, companions, and virtuous people. You should know, my family, that I haven’t left you because I am fed up with you, or because you were bad to me, but only because martyrdom has called upon me after I have been wishing to obtain it for a while.

My precious mother, forgive me.

Allah’s consent is dependent on your consent, and my wish won’t be realized without this condition. My wish won’t be complete unless you remain patient and sacrifice me for God’s reward by considering me a martyr who died fighting for the sake of Allah, to make sure that Allah’s word is the highest word, and to take revenge for the martyrs of Palestine. Don’t cry over losing me, but rather utter trilling cries of joy because this is your martyr son’s wedding.

My beloved brothers, forgive me.

Be helpful to your mother and father and be patient and sacrifice me for Allah’s reward. Be firm and support each other, and forgive me if I had ever erred against any of you. Continue to cling to God’s religion and hold firmly to the rope of God.

My beloved sisters, forgive me.

Don’t forget what I asked you a few days before I left for the sake of God. Stay by my mother’s side and be sisters to Aisha and al-Khansaa.

Forgive me everybody. If I failed to be helpful enough in life in this world, I won’t fail to be unhelpful to you on the day of judgment, God willing. The prophet promised that a martyr will intercede for the benefit of 70 of his family members.

My will:

My will for you, my family, is that nobody cries during my procession to paradise, but rather distribute dates and utter trilling cries of joy during my martyrdom wedding.

And finally, I will say: see you soon in a paradise, whose width is only equal to heaven and earth and has been prepared for Allah-fearing people.

Our last prayer is thanks be to Allah, the lord of the worlds.

Living martyr,

Qutayba Ziad Zahran

El Al Israel Airlines details Boeing 787 cabin plans

Rendering of Boeing 787 in El Al livery

Boeing

El Al Israel Airlines is preparing to take delivery of its first Boeing 787, which will include ViaSat Wi-Fi, a new premium-economy cabin and lie-flat business-class seats supplied by Recaro.

The Israeli flag carrier is acquiring ​16 787s, which will start arriving in August. The aircraft will enter commercial service on routes to Europe in September, before being deployed on long-haul routes to the US and Far East.

Giving an Aug. 15 update, El Al CEO David Maimon said the airline was rolling out a “massive investment” in advanced seats and upgraded IFE with the 787 arrival, after 18 months of preparations.

The aircraft will feature a new service class, a 28-seats premium-economy cabin, as well as a 32-seat business-class equipped with Recaro lie-flat seats. The economy cabin will be configured with 222 seats.

“High-speed internet by ViaSat will be launched in 2018 on the Dreamliner aircraft fleet,” El Al said. The 787s will also have high-definition Panasonic AVOD IFE.

The new aircraft will be phased in by 2020, replacing El Al’s 747-400s and 767-300s, building on El Al’s 737-900 short-haul fleet renewal which is already underway.

Israel's TowerJazz to set up China chip plant with Tacoma Semi

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli chipmaker TowerJazz is linking up with Tacoma Semiconductor Technology Co to establish a fabrication plant in Nanjing, China to make 8-inch wide wafers, as it seeks a foothold in the world's second-largest economy.

TowerJazz shares jumped 6.5 percent to $26.64 in early Nasdaq trading on Monday.

TowerJazz, which makes chips for smartphones, battery chargers, AC/DC adapters and image sensors, is not investing any money in the plant. But it will provide technological expertise together with operational and integration consultation.

It will receive payments based on milestones during the next few years, subject to a definitive agreement.

Tacoma will be responsible for funding the project, including the construction of the facility, which is being supported by the Nanjing Economic and Technology Development Zone Credito Capital. Funding could also come from third party investors and other entities, TowerJazz said.

TowerJazz noted it had already received its first payment of $18 million from Tacoma.

Under the deal, from the start of production at the facility TowerJazz will be entitled to a capacity allocation of up to 50 percent of the targeted 40,000 wafers per month capacity.

This will provide TowerJazz with additional manufacturing capability and flexibility to address growing global demand.

TowerJazz operates two plants in Israel, one in California, one in Texas, and three in Japan through a joint venture with Panasonic.

Earlier this month it reported a more than 20 percent rise in second-quarter profit and said it was on track for record revenue in the current quarter.

Last year, TowerJazz bought Maxim Integrated Product's 8-inch wafer fab plant in San Antonio, Texas for $40 million in stock.

Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by David Holmes

'Miracle' in Jerusalem testifies to the devotion of Christian pilgrims 1,500 years ago

An important ancient inscription has been unearthed near the Damascus Gate in JerusalemAssaf Peretz, Israel Antiquities Authority

A 'miracle' inscription has been unearthed in Jerusalem that testifies to the devotion of Christian pilgrims just 550 years after the birth of Christ.

The Greek inscription mentioning the Byzantine emperor Justinian was exposed on a mosaic floor near the Damascus Gate.

It was found in a room believed to have been used as a hostel for pilgrims and has 'surprised and excited' the Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists who discovered it.

A 1,500 year old mosaic floor with its Greek inscription was discovered this summer during building work for communications infrastructures.

David Gellman, excavation director, said: 'The fact that the inscription survived is an archaeological 

'The excavation in a relatively small area exposed ancient remains that were severely damaged by infrastructure groundwork over the last few decades.

'We were about to close the excavation, when all of a sudden, a corner of the mosaic inscription peeked out between the pipes and cables. Amazingly, it had not been damaged. Every archaeologist dreams of finding an inscription in their excavations, especially one so well preserved and almost entirely intact.'

The Damascus Gate served for hundreds of years as the main northern entrance to Jerusalem.

Gellman said: 'Knowing that, it is no surprise that this area is rich with archaeological remains. In the Byzantine period, with the emergence of Christianity, churches, monasteries and hostels for pilgrims were built in the area north of the gate, and the area became one of the most important and active areas of the city.' 

Dr Leah Di Segni, of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, deciphered the inscription which read: 'In the time of our most pious emperor Flavius Justinian, also this entire building Constantine the most God-loving priest and abbot, established and raised, in the 14th indiction.'

Di Segni said: 'This inscription commemorates the founding of the building by Constantine, the priest. The inscription names the emperor Flavius Justinian. It seems that the building was used as a hostel for pilgrims. Indiction is an ancient method of counting years, for taxation purposes. Based on historical sources, the mosaic can be dated to the year 550/551 AD.'

The two people mentioned in the inscription are well known from both ancient historical sources and archaeological finds.

The emperor Flavius Justinian was one the most important rulers of the Byzantine period, and was one of the most colorful and charismatic rulers of antiquity. Under his reign, the Roman empire was at its strongest, and its conversion to Christianity was completed. In the year 543 AD he established a large church in Jerusalem, dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, known as The Nea Church.

This was the largest church built in Jerusalem and one of the largest in the entire empire.

The abbot of the church was Constantine. Remains of the church were partially excavated in 1970, in the Jewish quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, even then sparking interest among archaeologists and scholars of Jerusalem, throughout Israel and across the globe. This excavation was a part of the Jewish quarter excavations carried out immediately following the Six Day War in 1967.

According to Di Segni, the inscription found near the Damascus gate is fairly similar to an inscription found in the vaults of the Nea Church, currently exhibited in the Israel museum. The same two people are mentioned in the inscription, the emperor Justinian and the abbot Constantine. Di Segni said: 'This new inscription helps us understand Justinian's building projects in Jerusalem, especially the Nea Church. The rare combination of archaeological finds and historical sources, woven together, is incredible to witness, and they throw important light on Jerusalem's past.'

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/miracle.in.jerusalem.testifies.to.the.devotion.of.christian.pilgrims.1500.years.ago/112330.htm

Indian Space Agency, Israeli Counterpart to Formalize Strategic Collaborations

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) says it is looking for greater cooperation with Israel in the field of electric propulsion system of space technology and optical communication technique.

New Delhi (Sputnik) – ISRO chief A.S. Kiran Kumar has said that the organization hopes to soon formalize key collaborations in space technologies with Israel Space Agency (ISA), taking forward a cooperation agreement signed between the two during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Middle Eastern country last month. The agreement mainly focused on developing technologies in the areas of electric propulsion for the small satellites, atomic clocks and GEO-LEO Optical Link.

"We are looking for cooperation in the field of optical communication technique and electric propulsion system of space technology," Kumar said on Monday in New Delhi.

© AFP 2017/ NOAH SEELAM

Indian Air Force Says Shalom To Israel’s Largest Air Exercise

The electric propulsion system is critical for sending heavy-weight satellites in the orbit while the optical communication technology transmits data, using light, from satellite to the earth station.

India’s collaboration with Israel in the fields of communication and aeronautics is low compared to India’s cooperation with other countries like the US, Russia and countries of the European Union.

In 2011, Israel had supplied India with a radar imaging satellite, later named RISAT-2. A nano satellite from Israel was one of the 104 satellites launched by ISRO in its record-breaking feat in February although the first launch of an Israeli satellite was done by the Indian space agency in 2008.

Kumar, who also serves as the secretary of the Department of Space, informed that ISRO has been already working with and share resources with international agencies on collaborative projects.

A case in point: ISRO and NASA’s NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite that can help in providing crucial information on the biomass estimation and agriculture production estimation. The NISAR will also help in studying earth surface deformation, which could provide valuable inputs for future earthquake precursors.

Israel’s Mossad Submits Report Detailing Iran’s ‘Growing Influence in Syria’

Members of Iran’s Basij militia, an internal security force which has had some of its operatives deployed to Syria. (Reuters)

London – The Israeli Mossad agency voiced on Tuesday Tel Aviv’s concern over Iran’s growing power in the region.

It delivered a report on Iran’s influence in Syria to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian city of Sochi on Wednesday.

Mossad Director Yossi Cohen alerted the government to the fact that Iran’s influence, in Syria in particular, and the region in general is growing stronger by the day.

The report noted the constant flow of fighters from Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran commanded by Qasem Soleimani and backed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It also addressed the supply transports by air and sea. The report was prepared by intelligence analyst Ronen Salomon and published by Russia Today.

Salomon’s research shows that Iran is shoring up its presence in Lebanon through the IRGC’s Quds Force, headed by Soleimani.

The Quds Force works with the IRGC’s intelligence division to carry out operations outside of Iran, with the assistance of the Ministry of Intelligence and other ministries and agencies.

The Iranian presence in Syria, meanwhile, begins at the Damascus International Airport region, the Iranian embassy, Mount Qasioun, which overlooks Damascus, and near the Presidential Palace.

Yedioth Ahronoth, which also published segments of the report, stated that Israeli Air Force carried attacks meant to stop ammunition shipments to Lebanon’s “Hezbollah” both at the Damascus airport and in the Qasioun area.

“These are accompanied by ‘interests sections’ used by the Quds Force in aviation and transportation, such as Iran Air and Mahan Air, the ministries of Islamic culture and direction, science and technology, housing and commerce and trade,” explained Salomon.

He claimed that the Quds Force is occasionally using the Iranian Red Crescent both to insert Revolutionary Guard and intelligence ministry operatives and to transport shipment and military aid by air and by sea, as they have already done in Lebanon, Sudan and Yemen.

Research showed that over the past few years, Iran was able to transport a large number of containers carrying advanced implements of war by sea under the guise of commercial shipments. Among other methods, transpiration is carried out through companies connected to Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL).

Meanwhile, and according to the report, Iran started running an airlift to Syria out of Tehran’s airports and Iranian airbases adjacent to the Iraqi border.

Iran’s activity covers four fronts with the main command stationed in Damascus international airport’s area and is entrusted with the airborne supply array and forces spread over greater Damascus.

Salomon stated some eyewitnesses testimonies of the accelerated construction of military complexes in the coastal strip of northwestern Syria, reportedly linked to armament development and storage.

Recently, Iran has made a concerted effort to gain control of the Tanf border crossing between Syria and Iraq with the goal of connecting Iran’s bases and those of its Iraqi branches, according to Salomon. This will also be used to achieve control of Iraq’s shared border with Deir al-Zour in eastern Syria.

https://english.aawsat.com/theaawsat/news-middle-east/israels-mossad-submits-report-detailing-irans-growing-influence-syria

Joint Bulgaria – Israeli flight training exercise to be held in September 2017

Written by The Sofia Globe staff on August 23, 2017 in Bulgaria - Comments Off on Joint Bulgaria – Israeli flight training exercise to be held in September 2017

A joint flight training exercise by the air forces of Bulgaria and Israel is to be held in Bulgaria in early September 2017, according to a statement after the Cabinet met in Sofia on August 23.

The statement said that Bulgaria’s government had authorised the entry of Israeli Air Force “non-military” aircraft and their crews for the flight training.

The exercise will involve 42 Israeli aircraft and their crews, as well as 40 Israeli military personnel for co-ordination and technical support.

“The holding of the joint training activities will lead to increased interoperability and expansion of military co-operation between the armed forces of Bulgaria and Israel, as well as to the improvement of the preparation of the units of the Bulgarian Air Force,” the government statement said.