Notice how even Al Jazeera can’t ignore it!

And here’s one for the UK BDS-holes (hat tip: Dan).

As water gushes through the labyrinthine infrastructure of the London water supply system, an ageing pipe creaks, whines noisily, and finally bursts.

Within seconds, an alert starts flashing on a remote computer in the tiny office of Takadu – an Israeli start-up in Tel Aviv.

Once picked up, the information is transmitted to Thames Water – the utility company responsible for bringing water to Londoners.

“Almost instantly, we’re able to detect, alert, locate, and basically inform the utility that there’s something wrong,” says Amir Peleg, Takadu’s co-founder and chief executive, pointing to a computer screen.

The firm’s specialisation is smart water systems.

Thanks to Takadu, as well as to other measures, Thames Water managed to achieve five annual leakage reduction targets in a row.

But look at the bright side, BDS-holes: You can now attribute your lack of showering and bathing to ideology.

He is also a realist.

I have, since childhood, been hearing about an invisible thing called the Israeli conspiracy.

It is always said that Israel did this and Israel did that. What is worse is when I hear that Israel is planning to do that. So, if we already know what Israel is planning to do, then why not either stop it or avoid it. The biggest conspiracy I heard regarding the Arabs and the Israelis is the humiliating defeat of June 1967. The Egyptians blamed everybody but themselves for the defeat. They insisted on speaking about why some planes came from the north and not from the east. They insisted that they were American Navy planes attacking Egypt. Did not the military analysts hear about evasive maneuvers, or did they expect the air force to fly like commercial airlines by taking the shortest and direct routes.

It turned out that the Egyptian forces were commanded by Gamal Abdel Nasser who only held the rank of major. Hours before the Israeli attack, all air defense sites were told to be on hold because Field Marshal Abdulhakim Amer’s plane was in the air. So, it was not an Israeli conspiracy that defeated the Egyptians, it was the poor planning and having a tired army coming back from Yemen tasked to go to a war that even Nasser did not know how to manage.

That was Egypt in 1967, but what about the Egyptian uprising of 2011? Was it the Egyptians or outside forces? The Egyptian leadership used to call Al Jazeera the match box. The channel’s media center in Qatar is so small that people used to wonder why regional leaders were worried about such a small media building, one that is small as a match box. It turned out that the Egyptian authorities had Al Jazeera on the top list of places to close. There was also no Israeli media center and Israel has no interest in seeing an unstable Egypt. Thomas Friedman once said that Al Jazeera should have been established in Egypt, not Qatar.

Egypt is a country whose media should have been at the front of providing information. However, Egyptians living inside the country and abroad are glued to foreign news outlets. Let us not doubt the Egyptians in their sincere request for change. We cannot accuse 80 million Egyptians of being toys in foreign hands.

To this day, I see Arabs blaming Israelis for young Arab drug addicts, their poor education, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, bad roads, corruption, lack of democracy, unemployment, 9/11, the division of Sudan, the upheaval in Tunisia and the unrest in Egypt. If Israel can do all these things, then the Israelis are either super humans or we simply enjoy blaming others for our failings.

The books of history indicate that the Arabs would have been able to get back the Golan Heights, Sinai, the West Bank and all the 1967 boundaries if Gamal Abdel Nasser made just one phone call to Israel and admitted defeat two days after the June 1967 war. And fewer Palestinians would have been scattered all over. But, we the Arabs never admit defeat.

The Arab world is in a state of unrest nowadays. Egypt is the largest country in the Arab world with 82 million people. If it shakes, then the whole Arab world will shake. It is not time to point fingers at either the West or Israel. Each country has an agenda to benefit its people. Arabs must think what is best for their people, not their leaders. Israel did not open a European bank account for Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. He did, and where did the money come from? Israel did not hide the billions of dollars in Iraq used by Saddam Hussein while the Iraqis were starving. Saddam did.

You can agree or disagree, Israel is a country that has the best education system in the Middle East and a per capita income of more than $28,000.

The Arabs and Muslims must get rid of the notion that the whole world is conspiring to destroy them. The Arab world is rich in raw materials, rivers, fertile land, wealth and educated people. We must concentrate on education, health care, infrastructure, transparency and open channels between the rulers and the ruled. It is very sad to see Iraq, one of the richest countries in mineral resources, water and educated people, having millions struggle like refugees. It is also sad to see Yemen wasting 40 percent of its water resources to grow qat, just as it is sad to see a country like Lebanon that has the potential to be an attractive tourist spot being fractured because of vested interests, not national interests. Why have we failed to solve the flood problem in Jeddah with all the time and money our government has allocated for the city?

Linda Heard wrote an article in Arab News on Nov. 8, 2010, titled “Israel is digging its own grave.” Yes, the Israelis are digging a grave. But for whom is the grave being dug for? I am sure it is not for the Israelis.

According to sources in the Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel is making preparations to welcome Hosni Mubarak into exile after Saudi Arabia rejected overtures.

Could this actually be true? Methinks Al Jazeera and others are trying to create even more Arab anger against Israel.

Palestinian female police officers stand next to a sign comparing Al-Jazeera TV and Israel during a rally to support Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and against al-Jazeera in the West Bank city of Nablus, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011. Al-Jazeera, a Qatar-based Arab satellite station, this week published excerpts from what it said is a cache of hundreds of documents covering a decade of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The station, widely watched in the Arab world, alleges that Abbas secretly made major concessions to Israel. (AP Photo/Nasser Ishtayeh)

Now that’s freaky.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided Wednesday to ask his ministers to debate – and approve – an amendment to the Citizenship Act, mandating that all aspiring citizens would be required to pledge their allegiance not only to Israel, but to a “Jewish, democratic” Israel.

Netanyahu is in fact endorsing a similar amendment proposed by Justice Minister Yaakov Ne’eman and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

“Israel is the Jewish people’s homeland,” the prime minister explained. “It is so in its essence, in its government, its symbols, holidays and language, and that should be reflected by its Citizenship Act.

“Israel is a democratic country that afford full civil equality to all its citizens.This principle has always guided government policies, both domestic and foreign, and is a cornerstone of Israeli legislation.

“This principle is expressed in the term ‘Jewish and democratic’ and will be included in the pledge of allegiance taken by those wishing to become citizens.”

The Prime Minister’s Office said the matter should have no bearing on the peace talks with the Palestinians, since Israel’s first prerequisite in the negotiations is for recognition as the Jewish state.

Yeah, about that last point.

Labor party ministers angered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s snap decision to back a controversial citizenship loyalty oath said late Wednesday that they expected a new freeze in settlement building as a payoff.

Updates (Israel time; most recent at top)

6:06PM: Introducing our latest weapon: Zionist Death Moth.^TM

Notice the blame Israel game from 1:02 onwards, including the suggestion from 1:18 onwards that Israel is allowing the UN to bring in traps to stop the moths only because we are ourselves worried, and not as a gesture to palestinians.

5:56PM: Meet the grandpa from hell:

Palestinian police detained a 51-year-old Hebron man after his 12-year-old grandaughter told police he had tried several times to kill her.

The last incident, the girl told police, was an attempt to push her in front of a truck, and followed several beatings she said brought her close to death.

A medical examination revealed that the young girl had small fractures and bruises all over her body, indicative of long-term abuse.

She said she had moved into her grandfather’s home after she suffered severe beatings from her step-mother and did not know where to turn. After some months in the man’s residence, she explained, he no longer wanted her there and began trying to “get rid of her.”

5:15PM: A quick look at concentration camp Gaza (hat tip: Giyusgirl).

12:30PM: With all the negative publicity arising from current and former IDF soldiers doing idiotic things on YouTube and Facebook (prompting this response from the Prime Minister), the IDF does not need this.

Ian Benardo ain’t backing down from his $100 million lawsuit against “American Idol”– in fact, he’s so serious … dude is comparing the “Idol” legal ambush to terrorist attacks he survived as an Israeli soldier.

Dude just fired off a letter to the judge in the case claiming, “As a soldier who served in the Israeli Army and survived two suicide bombings, I hold equality close to my heart and won’t back down due to intimidation.”

As we previously reported — Benardo is suing “Idol,” claiming the show’s producers “exploited” his sexual orientation by asking him to “gay it up” on national TV … and “Idol” is fighting to dismiss the case.

If you do not know why this is bad for the IDF, I present exhibit A.

Meanwhile, here is a photo of Benardo in his IDF uniform.

9:00AM: According to the latest poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip between 30 September and 2 October 2010, a majority (51%) supported Hamas’ attacks on Jews in late August/early September which resulted in 4 people being killed (including a pregnant woman). 44% opposed it. In addition, public support for the PA security crackdown on Hamas in the aftermath of the attack did not exceed 20%, with 76% opposing it. 

6:04AM: Earlier this morning, the IAF reportedly struck three targets in Gaza, wounding three people.

One of the targets seems to have been a Hamashole training base.

5:55AM: Interview with former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar on his “Friends of Israel” initiative.

I also unequivocally condemn the attack, although I am not so fast to blame it on Israelis, given the palestinian proclivity to lie. Heck, if they are willing to blow up their own women and children, they sure as hell may be willing to set fire to their own mosques to frame Jews.

Having said that, I have no proof of this either, and am therefore not ruling out the possibility that some Jews committed this despicable act.

The anti-Israel crowd – including those in the media – are going after the “settlers”, continuing on from their attacks on them as “obstacles to peace” and, in one case, engaging in deceptive conduct to do so.

Here is an Al Jazeera report on the attack. Pay special attention to the footage from 3:11-3:26 tagged as “Latest Pictures.”

Now here is an Al Jazeera report on a previous arson attack on a mosque from May. Check out the footage from 0:31-0:46. It is identical to the footage billed as “latest pictures” from the recent attack!

Perhaps Al Jazeera did not have footage from the latest attack, or the damage was less severe than that of the previous attack. Either way, they seem to be engaging in deceptive conduct in order to promote their anti-Israel agenda and incite people against Israel.

(Thanks to nurdmyth for noticing the reused footage).

Gee, I wonder what its purpose was.

But for the skeptics among you who need more proof..

And Al Jazeera cannot be accused of pandering to the Evil Zionists.

In an interview with Charlie Rose, Biden pointed out that Israel had given pro-Palestinian activists the option of unloading their cargo at the Ashdod port, and offered to bring it to the Gaza Strip on their behalf.

“They’ve said, ‘Here you go. You’re in the Mediterranean. This ship — if you divert slightly north you can unload it and we’ll get the stuff into Gaza,’”, he said. “So what’s the big deal here? What’s the big deal of insisting it go straight to Gaza? Well, it’s legitimate for Israel to say, ‘I don’t know what’s on that ship. These guys are dropping… 3,000 rockets on my people.

“Look, you can argue whether Israel should have dropped people onto that ship or not  — but the truth of the matter is, Israel has a right to know — they’re at war with Hamas — has a right to know whether or not arms are being smuggled in.”

During the interview, Biden also blamed Hamas for the crisis that has wracked the coastal territory and for the ongoing state of conflict with Israel.

“As we put pressure, and the world put pressure on Israel to let material go into Gaza to help those people who are suffering, the ordinary Palestinians there, what happened? Hamas would confiscate it, put it in a warehouse [and] sell it.

“So the problem is this would end tomorrow if Hamas agreed to form a government with the Palestinian Authority on the conditions the international community has set up,” Biden told Rose.

Updates (Israel time; most recent at top)

8:28PM: The Foreign Press Association has a huge problem with Israel fighting back against the lies and slander they are helping disseminate.

Israel’s military is using video confiscated from people on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla to justify opening fire during its deadly raid on the ships, drawing sharp criticism Thursday from foreign correspondents who say some of the footage was shot by journalists.

At least two videos posted to the army spokesperson’s YouTube channel are labeled “captured” from the Mavi Marmara, the Turkish ship Israeli commandos stormed in a nighttime raid Monday that left nine people dead.

—-

The Foreign Press Association, which represents hundreds of journalists in Israel and the Palestinian territories, demanded Thursday that the military stop using the captured material without permission and identify the source of the video already released.

“The Foreign Press Association strongly condemns the use of photos and video material shot by foreign journalists, now being put out by the (military) spokesman’s office as ‘captured material’,” the FPA said in a statement. It said the military was selectively using footage to back its claims that commandos opened fire only after being attacked.

7:58PM: Labor MK Einat Wilf does an admirable job on BBC World News discussing the operation.

6:32PM: Misguided move of the day:

U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell (L) visits the Palestine Investment Conference in the West Bank town of Bethlehem June 3, 2010. Mitchell said on Thursday a lethal Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship must not undermine indirect negotiations he is mediating between Israel and the Palestinians. REUTERS/Awad Awad/Pool (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS)

6:25PM: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told US President Barack Obama that Israel is on the verge of losing its best friend in the Middle East.

I think he is referring to Turkey, in which case we lost them a long time ago.

4:28PM: Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said the Gaza-bound ship stormed by his commandos “was no Love Boat — this was a hate boat.”

Which seems to have inspired someone (hat tip: Elder of Ziyon).

4:22PM: Here is a good resource on the flotilla  (hat tip: Oboler).

3:52PM: Photo of the day: Why is it that whenever there is an “anti-Israel” protest, we invariably see antisemitism?

AFP PHOTO / ROMEO GACAD (Photo credit should read ROMEO GACAD/AFP/Getty Images)

[more on the monkey imagery here]

3:38PM: Please spread the word about the liveblogging here and on Twitter.

1:30PM: Yet more video evidence that the “activists” were not so peaceful.

1:20PM: Al Jazeera has some “eyewitness accounts,” which clearly illustrate that these “activists” are lying their heads off (hat tip: Jonah).

One guy claims they managed to kidnap some Israeli commandos and swap them for medical care!

Andre Abu-Khalil, Al Jazeera cameraman

First they [the Israelis] tried to come by helicopter and tried to come down on the main deck. But the Turkish people were gathering on the rooftop and they managed to grab three of the soldiers, which led to a second helicopter to come and start shooting live bullets on the people.

People [on board] did not have any guns. All what they had were some wooden sticks which is normal.

I was on the Mavi Marmara [the lead ship of the flotilla].

I wasn’t on the rooftop deck. I was on the first deck floor where the Israelis tried to climb by the ropes on the deck.

There were 20 Turkish resistance guys throwing tomatoes, anything that they managed to throw, on the Israelis.

Then one of these Turkish guys got a bullet just in the head. When the Turkish people saw that, they pulled him inside when the Israelis started firing on the deck.

[After the Israelis took over the ship] they kept us tied up, hands behind the back, for nine hours until we reached the Ashdod port and from there they took us for individual interrogation and then shipped us all to Be’er Sheva jail.

The organisers [of the flotilla] swapped the four Israelis kidnapped, or caught, by the people on the ship, and because they were beaten up, because it’s kind of resistance from our side, we swapped the Israeli soldiers to [get] to treat our injured.

Is anyone truly buying this?

Another “eyewitness” repeats the claim that commandos from the second helicopter immediately fired live ammunition (in order to take control of the ship):

Mohamed Vall, Al Jazeera reporter

The Israeli assault took those of us on the ship by complete surprise.

During that hour an half in the early morning everybody on board the ship thought that no-one would survive the Israeli attack because we saw about 30 war vessels surrounding this ship and helicopters attacking with very luminous bombs, the sound of them makes you think you are dead

That was a fear of war, complete war, on a ship that was full of men, women and even children.

The first soldiers on the ship were not killed, they were not shot at, they were captured by the defenders of the ship.

Moments later another bigger helicopter landed more troops and this time they fired immediately at people and killed as many as they could so that they could reach the cabin and take control of the ship.

I saw blood spilt on the ship and everyone knew that there was no weapons. we all knew the Israelis would intercept us and try to stop us, but we didn’t think that they would open fire at the first moment.

I have been shown the picture of a Yemeni man, and this is ridiculous, who was on the ship and most people know that every Yemeni in the world has a Yemeni style knife, that is a cultural thing and does not have anything to do with violence.

I understand now that in Israel they are trying to make a big deal about that, saying that the boat was full of violent people and just because of that one man.

However, another witness contradicts the above testimony that the commandos from the helicopter immediately fired live ammunition:

Othman Battiri, Al Jazeera crew member

At 4:15, tens of Navy boats carrying tens of soldiers tried to board the ships. They were met by resistance. Peaceful resistance. Helicopters came and tried to download soldiers. They could not.

At that moment, they started firing live ammunition.

First, they fired sound and gas bombs and rubber bullets. Some people were injured from the rubber bullets. Then, live bullets were used. I saw several men being wounded. We tried to help some of the wounded. I saw four people who were killed.

Meanwhile, here is the account of another “eyewitness”:

Norman Paech, former member of the German parliament

This was not an act of self-defence [by the Israeli army], but rather it was completely disproportionate – although we were counting on our ship being blocked and maybe checked.

This was a very serious offence, this was a war crime.

I personally saw two and a half wooden sticks which were used [by activists].

We had not prepared in any way to fight. We didn’t even consider it.

No violence, no resistance – because we knew very well that we would have absolutely no chance against soldiers like this.

This directly contradicts the first account above, as well as the account I reported in the 10:50AM update, which includes an admission that the “activists” engaged in violence.

11:35AM: Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc seems to be peddling a new blood libel.

The activists were taken to a state forensic institute to be questioned and undergo medical tests, to ensure the activists were not harmed and to collect evidence for possible legal action against Israel.

“We felt it necessary. Because we may seek justice within international laws and we may need certain evidence in doing so,” Arinc said. “It may be possible that they (the activists) may have been given certain medicines or similar substances while in Israel. The test results will determine this.”

10:50AM: A Turkish flotillarist has admitted to seizing weapons from Israeli soldiers who stormed the boats, as well as beating them.

The new spin is “it was in self-defence.”

Notice the changing strategy as more and more proof appears that these people were not the peaceful crowd they wanted us to believe.

9:40AM: Another example of the kind of arguments being made by the anti-Israel crowd (hat tip: Joe Settler).

Looks like the pictures were mis-dated, which has opened the door for these moonbats to make the claims.

8:28AM: Desperate tactics: In the face of the mounting evidence showing the flotillarist’s use of violence against Israeli naval commandos, the anti-Israel crowd cannot do much else but claim the footage is fake.

Here’s one example:

Fake IDF video emerges of flotilla passengers about to take on the might of the Israeli Navy

The 5th most powerful Navy in the world lets not forget with sling shots and bazaar poles. Where are the Turkish Uzi’s which were added to the suitcases hidden behind the children’s books and neonatal nappies?? This video is nonsense. Look at the body language especially the rally call of the idiot saying “Come on we can win this” with his hands in the air.

Supposedly this is CCTV from the Mavi Marmara copyright actually belongs to them but the IDF uploaded it and their channel can be found here-

http://www.youtube.com/user/idfnadesk

Shame Israel has confiscated all the passengers video cameras and film.

If the public were able to see the original film captured by the passengers you would see the final moments turn into a bloody snuff movie-

8:20AM: When Glenn Beck ran out of time on his Wednesday show, he made this special web “aftershow” in which he breaks down the Gaza terrorist flotilla incident.

He certainly has his detractors – and justifiably – but when he gets it right, he gets it right.

8:06AM: One thing I have been hearing from the anti-Israel crowd after publication of photos and footage of the knives and clubs found on board the Mavi Marmara has been along the lines of “Wow, imagine that! A ship with kitchen knives” and “I have the same ‘weapons’ in my home” (here is one example re-tweeted by the detestable George Galloway).

Let me guess. Their homes also contain night vision equipment and a rifle scopes?

7:20AM: More on the Foundation for Human Rights, Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH) – the Turkish “humanitarian relief fund” that played a central role in organizing the flotilla – and its alleged links with terrorist organizations.

7:10AM: Last night, there was a pro-Israel demonstration in one of the world’s foremost Islamic cities.

London.

More here.

7:00AM: What humanitarian crisis? Danish reporter Steffen Jensen visited Gaza, expecting to see real suffering. What he saw was something else entirely (hat tip: Elder of Ziyon via Juvanya).

Judging from the media, the situation in Gaza is desperate, everything is about to collapse, and the community is on the brink or at the level of a third world country.

The Palestinian community’s immediate downfall has been prophesied numerous times in the media. People have nothing to eat, we sometimes know. The UN must from time to time to stop food distribution, either because their stocks are running low, or because they can not get diesel for their trucks, and therefore can not carry food in. And so on.

Yesterday I drove into the Gaza Strip. I don’t do this as often as before [because it takes much longer to get through the checkpoints now.]

This time, I had expected to see real suffering, because with all the fuss in recent days about bringing tons of humanitarian relief in – so much that people actually sacrificed their lives for it – there certainly had to really be a deep, desperate situation in the Gaza Strip. No food. Long queues in front of UN food stocks. Hungry children with food bowls.

But this was not the picture that greeted me.

When I yesterday morning drove through Gaza City, I was immediately surprised that there are almost as many traffic jams as there always has been. Is there not a shortage of fuel? Apparently not. Gasoline is not even rationed.

Many shops were closed yesterday, Hamas has declared a general strike in protest against Israel’s brutal and deadly attack on the Turkish flotilla with pro-Palestinian activists on board. So it was difficult to estimate how many products were on the shelves. Therefore I went over to the Shati refugee camp, also known as Beach Camp. Here is one of Gaza’s many vegetable markets that sell much more than just fruits and vegetables.

I will not say whether, in better times has been a larger product range than there was yesterday. But there was certainly no shortage of vegetables, fruits or any other ordinary, basic foods. Tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, watermelons, potatoes – mountains of these items in the many stalls.

I must admit I was a little surprised. Because when I call down here to my Palestinian friends, they tell me about all the problems and deficiencies, so I expected that the crisis was a little more clear.

And the first woman we interviewed in the market confirms this strange, contradictory, negative mindset:

“We have nothing,” she said. We need everything! Food, drinks … everything! ”

It disturbed her not at least that she stood between the mountains of vegetables, fruit, eggs, poultry and fish, while she spun this doomsday scenario.

Yousuf al-Assad Yazgy owns a fruit and vegetable outlet here in the market. All his fruit is imported from Israel.

“Not all fruit and all vegetables come from Israel. Ours does. They come from Israel. But in the Gaza Strip there is not very much fruit cultivated. Mostly tomatoes, potatoes and vegetables. So here with me are the vegetables and watermelon were from Gaza. All the fruit comes across the border from Israel,” he explains, but also says that there can be long periods when the border is closed, and which therefore fruit does not come in.

On the way out of the Shati camp we stop at a small grocery store. Not any fancy, expensive business. Just a small, humble local store. The proprietor Sun Mohammed Abu Nada says they would not be able to do business if it were not for contraband goods from Egypt.

He takes us on a brief tour of the shelves and shows everything that comes from Egypt. It turns out to be much more than half of the goods. 75-80 per cent. I would estimate. Several other products – including long-life UHT milk – comes from Israel, but is also smuggled through tunnels from Egypt.

The products are more expensive, he says. Many people cannot afford to buy them, or only to buy certain things sometimes. But all the while that even such a small, poor-looking grocery store on the outskirts of a refugee camp still has so many relatively expensive smuggled goods on the shelves shows nevertheless that many of the customers at least be able to afford to buy them. Otherwise, the merchant of course could not even afford to invest in unsold inventory.

This story I have written to postulate that there are problems in the Gaza Strip, because that would be untrue. There are problems. Many problems indeed. But it is not lack of food, which primarily concern people down here. The biggest problem is the lack of jobs and a sustainable domestic economy.

6:48AM: The US has proposed Israel announce that an independent Israeli commission of inquiry will look into the events of the flotilla clashes and accept the participation of an American observer, a possible way to avoid an international probe of the events.

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The drill, code-named Turning Point 4, will simulate the firing of hundreds of missiles from different fronts.

Similar, smaller-sized drills were conducted in 2009 and 2008.

The security establishment stressed that the exercise was scheduled in advance as part of a yearly work plan.

The National Emergency Management Authority, Israel Police, Magen David Adom, the Israeli fire department, government offices and municipalities are expected to take an active role in the exercise.

According to defense officials, the emphasis of this year’s exercise will be on the response of local authorities to a military emergency. Drills will be held in 68 cities and towns that are home to about 70 percent of Israel’s population.

“These types of exercises will not only reduce the number of Israeli casualties in the next conflict, they may determine the conflict’s outcome,” a senior defense official told Ynet on Saturday.

At 11 am Wednesday sirens will sound across the country, at which time all residents are to go to bomb shelters or other protected spaces. Drills will be held in schools, as well.

During the exercise emergency units and municipalities will also simulate the derailing of a train in Hadera, a rocket attack on the Haifa area, an incident involving hazardous material at Haifa’s port, a water shortage in Kfar Shmariyahu, the planting of a “dirty” bomb at a Jerusalem school and an attack on military facilities in Beit Lid.

Eight communities will practice the speedy distribution of gas masks.

“During a war, the home front will go through a trying time,” an army official said, “Apart from the mental anguish, some areas will face various crises, and the correct response may reduce the uncertainty.”

“The drill is based on operative plans and lessons drawn from Operation Cast Lead,” said the official.

“A strong home front, which is considered by our enemies as the country’s ‘soft spot’, will give the IDF more time to do its job,” he added.

Meanwhile, our enemies are using the existence of the drill to instill fear in their people.

Hezbollah’s deputy head, Nabil Qaouk, said Friday that the Shi’ite organization had stepped up its alert status ahead of the “war game” being conducted on Sunday in Israel.

Qaouk said thousands of Hezbollah fighters will not take part in one of the stages of Lebanon’s municipal elections today because they are preparing for the possible attack by Israel.

Updates (Israel time; most recent at top)

11:34PM: Scenes from today’s National Home Front Command Exercise.

11:24PM: It looks like Elvis Costello came to Israel after all.

Israeli border policemen drag an international activist during a protest against the construction of Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank town of Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, Sunday, May 23, 2010. Israel says the barrier is needed for security, but Palestinians consider it a land grab.(AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

7:26PM: What took us so long?

A bill that calls for severely limiting the visitation rights of Hamas prisoners in Israeli jails was approved Sunday by the Ministerial Committee on Legislation.

Under the proposed law, colloquially referred to as the “Schalit Law,” the conditions under which Hamas prisoners are held will be made more stringent – they will be denied all visits except by legal counsel and representatives of the International Red Cross.

6:45PM: McDonald’s in Israel is reducing the percentage of fat in its meat from 17.5% to 9.%

As a result, the McRoyal burger sold in Israel  has 30% fewer calories than McRoyal and Big Mac burgers sold abroad, although its composition and weight may be different in other countries.

Sounds like they’ve just made it 30% smaller!

6:36PM: David Horovitz of the Jerusalem Post rips Elvis Costello a new one.

6:05PM: Traitor Mordechai Vanunu has invoked the Elephant Man on his way to prison (again).

“I survived 18 years [in prison] – I could survive [even] another six,” Vanunu shouted outside the Jerusalem District Court on Sunday. “Are you trying to discipline me? You cannot take my freedom of expression away … I’m not an animal,” he stated.

Watch out for Bradley, Mordy.

3:28PM: Talk about biting the hand that feeds you (and excuses your terrorism):

The top United Nations aid official in Gaza said Sunday that dozens of masked gunmen have vandalized a UN summer camp being set up for children and teens on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast.

John Ging said the assailants tied up the guard early Sunday, burned tents and vandalized bathrooms. UN officials say the attackers left behind three bullets and a note threatening to kill Ging and others unless the UN cancels its activities for some 250,000 Gaza children.

UN summer camps offer arts, sports and other activities.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack, but sources say the assailants are likely extreme Islamists who view the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which runs the camp, as a Western body trying to wrestle control over Gaza. In the past, Islamist extremists have set fire to dozens of Gaza internet cafes, shops that sell alcohol, and libraries and offices of Christian organizations.

I’m looking forward to seeing how they blame this on Israel. Perhaps a claim it was in reality the work of masked settlers?

1:52PM: Meet the American contestant on Israel’s version of American Idol (“Kochav Nolad”).

1:00PM: With yet more boatloads of pro-palestinian activists terror-enablers on their way to Gaza from Turkey, Israelis are fighting back, with a flotilla setting off from the shores of Herzliya in response, carrying banners noting Gaza rocket fire toward Israel and displaying photos of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

And otherwise grabbing the attention of passers-by.

Meanwhile, Abraham Cooper of Ynet has his own suggestions.

So what can be done to thwart this cynical exercise from reinforcing the dominant narrative not only in the Arab and Muslim world, but in mainstream Western media, that Gaza is “under siege” by callous Israel?

For starters it can tell an indifferent world what actually entered Gaza legally from Israel just this last week of the “siege”: 637 truckloads, consisting of 14,069 tons of humanitarian aid.

Among the goods for Gaza civilians were 810,209 liters of heavy duty diesel fuel; 21 truckloads of milk powder and baby food; 897 tons of cooking gas; 66 truckloads of fruits and vegetables; 51 truckloads of wheat; 27 truckloads of meat, chicken and fish products; 40 truckloads of dairy products; 117 truckloads of animal feed; 36 truckloads of hygiene products; 38 trucks of clothing; 22 trucks of sugar and 4 trucks of medicine and medical equipment.

In addition to that, 781 medical patients and accompanying individuals from the Gaza Strip crossed into Israel to receive treatment in various hospitals and 191 staff members of international organizations crossed into the Gaza Strip, and 202 crossed back from Gaza.

But numbers alone cannot win the day against the imagery of an international humanitarian flotilla braving a naval blockade. No, to win the day at CNN or SKY News, Israeli NGOs should launch their own flotilla from Ashkelon. It should be led by survivors of suicide bombings and families of the innocents who perished in the tsunami of terror that led to the erecting of the anti-terror fence in the first place.

10:08AM: Remember the Zionist Traffic Lights of Death^TM ?

Well, CAMERA raises its own red light regarding the allegations and shows that the only unfair treatment here is that being displayed towards Israel.

CAMERA has looked into the allegation, trumpeted by the Economist and Al Jazeera English, that traffic light patterns at a northern Jerusalem intersection (and elsewhere) are evidence of Israeli discrimination against Arab Jerusalemites. A March 6, 2010 article in the Economist claimed lights in Jerusalem “flick green only briefly for cars from Palestinian districts while staying green for cars from Jewish settlements for minutes,” and an April 27 segment broadcast by Al Jazeera English argued the same.

As noted in CAMERA’s article, “Economist Demonizes Israel with Racist Traffic Light Accusation,” those news reports disingenuously twisted a universal urban frustration — traffic — to demonize the Israel.

Our video below of the not-so-mean streets of Jerusalem likewise zooms out from the Economist and Al Jazeera’s distorted close up, visually revealing that in Jerusalem, traffic snares Jews and Arabs alike. Sometimes cars from Jewish neighborhoods encounter longer green lights and sometimes those from Arab neighborhoods do. Much of the time, though, they encounter at the exact same lights, waiting longer at intersections with major, modern roads while passing quickly through intersections with smaller roads.

6:06AM: White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has arrived in Israel for a private visit, which will include the celebration of his son’s bar mitzvah at the Western Wall.

Which is interesting, since I could have sworn he considered that occupied territory.

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A senior source in Netanyahu’s entourage said the Israeli leader urged Medvedev not to legitimize Hamas. “We are not pleased with your relations with Hamas,” he quoted Netanyahu as telling Medvedev. “But since they exist, we can relay messages on humanitarian issues. Tell Hamas they won’t get a better offer from us on the [Shalit] deal.”

Meanwhile, Medvedev reportedly promised that Russia will hold off on delivering the advanced S-300 air defense system to Iran. For now.

Updates (Israel time; most recent at top)

6:35PM: Ma’an News reports:

A Palestinian company is planning to bring women-only taxis – a phenomenon already popular in Beirut and elsewhere – to the conservative West Bank city of Hebron.

Hazem At-Takrawi, the director of the Ishraqat training and development firm, said on Monday that his company is already training women to drive the female-only cabs. As in Beirut, the cars would be pink, he told anchor Adel Eghraieb on the television show “On the Table.”

Asked whether Hebron and Palestinians in general would accept the idea, At-Takrawi said the company already commissioned a survey that found that 95% of Palestinians would accept the new cabs.

In addition, he said the program will create jobs, claiming that more than 100 women, mainly university graduates, already applied for positions as cabbies. At-Takrawi said that if the idea succeeds in Hebron, he will expand the business to other West Bank cities.

Women-only taxis are already on the streets in Beirut, Dubai, Cairo, and Tehran.

Whatever you say about the idea, at least the women are allowed to drive.

Meanwhile, the report prompted this telling comment from a Ma’an reader.

3 ) Aurora / Italy
16/02/2010 12:46
I think it’s a good idea women drive and use taxis without men. think about the bad smell of the man and their bad behaviour, or think about women’s security: everybody knows that inside are there only women (also low control at check point?).

11:50AM: According to The Daily Telegraph, British government sources said the three Irish passport-holders accused of taking part in Mahmoud al-Mabhouh’s assassination were most likely Mossad agents carrying false documentation.

6:18AM: Here’s more on the killing of Hamas arch terrorist Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai by a squad carrying European passports.

Meanwhile, Ynet’s security affairs analyst Ron Ben-Yishai has written this analysis.

6:10AM: According to a local Fatah source cited by Al-Jazeera, there has recently been an increase in the number of former Fatah members who have joined Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups in Gaza, in order to get revenge on Hamas.

No word yet on any increase in the number of former Fatah members who have joined groups supporting Israeli-palestinian coexistence.