FactsOfIsrael.com covers the basic facts on the State of Israel and the Middle East. This includes Maps, the History of the region, Statistics, and more. We also post articles related to the Victims of Palestinian Terrorism, Anti-Semitism, Jewish History, and also a bit of Humor, News and Opinions.

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Fact 102: "On August 7, 1998 a car bomb exploded near the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. As a result of the blast a building close to the embassy collapsed. The Israeli government decided to help and sent a search and rescue mission comprised of 170 members including dog handlers, a Medical Corps delegation, and Signals and Electronics Corpsmen."

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Israel gives Palestinian civilians early warning before attack (01.13.2009)


Opinion

The Houston Chronicle (www.chron.com) has published a great article by Charles Krauthammer where he explains the difference between the States of Israel and Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists:

  • Late Saturday [Dec. 27], thousands of Gazans received Arabic-language cell-phone messages from the Israeli military, urging them to leave homes where militants might have stashed weapons (Associated Press, Dec. 27, 2008).

Israel is so scrupulous about civilian life that, risking the element of surprise, it contacts enemy noncombatants in advance to warn them of approaching danger. Hamas, which started this conflict with unrelenting rocket and mortar attacks on unarmed Israelis — 6,464 launched from Gaza in the last three years — deliberately places its weapons in and near the homes of its own people.

This has two purposes. First, counting on the moral scrupulousness of Israel, Hamas figures civilian proximity might help protect at least part of its arsenal. Second, knowing that Israelis have new precision weapons that may allow them to attack nonetheless, Hamas hopes that inevitable collateral damage — or, if it is really fortunate, an errant Israeli bomb — will kill large numbers of its own people for which, of course, the world will blame Israel.

For Hamas the only thing more prized than dead Jews are dead Palestinians. The religion of Jew-murder and self-martyrdom is ubiquitous. And deeply perverse, such as the Hamas TV children's program in which an adorable live-action Palestinian Mickey Mouse is beaten to death by an Israeli (then replaced by his more militant cousin, Nahoul the Bee, who vows to continue on Mickey's path to martyrdom).

At war today in Gaza, one combatant is committed to causing the most civilian pain and suffering on both sides. The other combatant is committed to saving as many lives as possible — also on both sides. It's a recurring theme.

Charles Krauthammer makes many additional good points on the latest battle against Hamas and other Palestinian Islamic terrorists - I copy the full article below.

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Good News: Afghanistan and Israel will have diplomatic relations soon (10.16.2005)


NewsThe Jerusalem Post (www.jpost.com) has some good news: Afghanistan and Israel will have diplomatic relations soon.

Afghanistan has decided to formally establish relations with Israel, the Pakistani newspaper the Daily Times reported Saturday.

According to the Web site of the English-language newspaper, Pakistan's ARY news channel quoted Afghani diplomatic sources as saying that the administration of Afghani President Hamid Karzai has decided to serve as a trailblazer for the Muslim world.

According to the report, “The official announcement of the recognition will be made in the next few days.” The government's vital decision, the report said, “will pave the way for other Muslim countries such as Pakistan to follow suit.”


Afghanistan will be the third country in the Muslim world to recognize and have formal ties with Israel. Egypt and Israel made peace in 1978, while peace with Jordan only came in 1994. For more details, click here for the History page).

The article seems to indicate that Pakistan will follow Afghanistan in recognizing Israel and achieving peace.

Countries that make a conscious decision to fight Islamic Supremacists and their terrorist organizations (e.g. Al-Qaeda or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad) will naturally get closer to Western Democracies, including Israel. Hopefully Iraq, which has a vote for a Democratic secular Constitution this weekend, will also follow soon.

I copy the full article below.

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Israeli Astronaut takes with him into space a small pencil drawing made by a 14-year-old boy who was killed in Auschwitz (11.25.2002)


NewsThe BBC has an article that describes how Ilan Ramon will become Israel's first astronaut and how he'll celebrate the Sabbath in space:




Ilan Ramon, Israel's first Astronaut


Israel's Science Ministry has said it is investigating ways to allow Colonel Ilan Ramon, the country's first astronaut, to cast his ballot [for the 2003 Israeli elections] aboard the space shuttle Columbia, scheduled to lift off on 16 January 2003.

Israel's first space traveller faces other difficulties: How does a Jew observe the Sabbath in space? More precisely, if he or she is in a low-lying orbit where the sun rises and sets every 90 minutes, what constitutes the Biblical "seventh day of rest?"

Colonel Ramon is not particularly religious on the ground, but believes it is important to mark the Sabbath in space.

"My mother is a Holocaust survivor who was in Auschwitz and my father fought for the independence of Israel not so long ago," says the 48-year-old veteran fighter pilot from the Israel Air Force.

"I was born in Israel and I'm kind of the proof for my parents and their generation that whatever we've been fighting for in the last century is becoming true.

"I feel I'm representing the whole Jewish people," adds Colonel Ramon, who will be Columbia's payload specialist on its 16-day mission designed to study how the human body adapts to the zero gravity of space. [...]

Among the nine personal items Nasa will let Colonel Ramon take with him into space will be a small pencil drawing made over 60 years ago by a 14-year-old boy who was killed in Auschwitz. Petr Ginz's "Moon Landscape" is an emotional work created by the Czech boy during his imprisonment in the Theresienstadt ghetto. [...]

While his mother survived the Nazi horrors, Ramon's grandfather and many extended relatives perished in the death camps.

An official at Yad Vashem says: "'Moon Landscape' connects the dream of one Jewish boy who is a symbol of the talent lost in the Holocaust to the journey of a Jewish astronaut, who is a symbol of our national revival."


To find out how Ilan Ramon will be able to celebrate Sabbath in space, see below. I also copy an information page on Ilan Ramon from Nasa's website.

Update 2/3/2003: Here are some related articles to the incredible stories of Ilan Ramon and Petr Ginz -

NASA sends first Israeli astronaut into space (1/16/03)

Tragedy over Texas skies: seven astronauts killed
in explosion of space shuttle Columbia (2/1/03)

Artist Barry Munden creates painting in memory of Ilan Ramon and Peter Ginz (2/2/03)

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New version of FactsOfIsrael.com screensaver released (10.24.2002)


AnnouncementI have just released version 1.5 of the FactsOfIsrael.com screensaver. Click here to check out some screenshots and download it for free.

Among other things, I completely changed the user interface (UI): the screensaver looks a lot better now.

I have also added 200 more facts to the screensaver database, bringing the total to 399 facts. There are also 120 images randomly displayed with every fact.

So check it out, and let me know what you think.

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Delusional bastard from New York calls for the death of America and Israel (06.13.2003)


Hate MailPretty much everyday I receive one or more vicious emails full of hate against me, Israel, the Jews, America, etc…

The overwhelming majority of these emails come from two groups:

1) Arab Muslims who support Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Arafat’s Al-Aksa brigades and any other freak Muslim terrorist group whose stated goal is to murder women and children. For a list of homicide bombings these bastards openly support click here.

2) A Western leftist from France, Germany, England or the United States who support the above excuses for human beings and who have simply become the fascists of the 21st century. Their stated goal is also to destroy Israel and they support the Palestinians, regardless of their actions, even if they are terrorists from Hamas or the Islamic Jihad. May this “Flower Power” choke in its own vomit.

In any case, there’s one idiot who has been sending me messages almost daily. His email address is myquds@hotmail.com and here’s a sample taste of his racism and hate:

I say this before you American , Pissreal , Zionist cowards ....Islam will be the victor . You piggish cowards can't hurt Muslims , Muslims will unite and destroy you ---you filthy animals that belong in cages . America and its allies will be put down as the dogs they are ... Prepare to beg in at the feet of your master Allah you Jewish slaves . By the will of all might lord Allah all Jews , Pissrealis, and Americans will be killed , and sent to hell where those filthy whores belong Insha-Allah . Prepare ..prepare to beg like the dogs you American , Pissreal , Non Muslim cowards are..Hide behind you cowardly gay armies , death to USA ,and Isreal . A day will come when you pathetic Non Muslim cowards will be begging on your knees Allah Howa Akbar Muslims will unite and make you dig your own graves and shoot you in front of your own young ..By the will of all might God Allah You Jewish Zionist American Pissreal Non Muslim cowards will be begging like the filthy whores and dogs you pigs are...


I traced back the message to the IP address 205.184.159.199 which is an ISP in New York. This racist Muslim supporter of terrorism is living in New York!

I copy the rest of his delusional nonsense below.

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Mother of 3 is victim of Palestinian Terrorism (05.15.2002)


VictimsFaces of the Victims just published a picture and the story of Anat Teremforush, 35, a mother of 3, who was murdered by Palestinian terrorists on 5/7.



Anat Teremforush, 35, was mother of 3


Another 15 people were killed, many elderly, and 55 were wounded after a Palestinian homicide/suicide bomber detonated a powerful charge in a game club South of Tel-Aviv.

"Anat and Danny Teremforush went to the Sheffield Club with family members. They told their three children they would be safe because the terrorist attacks had stopped. Anat died instantly in the exlosion. Danny was injured, as were Anat's mother, Hannah Almasi, and her sister Batsheva. "How do I tell my children they don't have a mother?" asked Danny from his hospital bed"

I copy the full article below.

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Pour une grande partie des Europeens, le crime d'Israel est d'avoir contre-attaqué (French) (09.03.2002)


OpinionLe site reinfo-israel.com a traduit un article paru dans "The Spectator" anglais qui decrit comment les Europeens ont du mal a accepter le fait qu'Israel se defend contre les attaques terrorites des Palestiniens.

Après tout, ne sont-ce pas les Juifs, en Israël, qui sont victimes du terrorisme ? Ne sont–ils pas mis en pièces par des terroristes qui ont délibérément ciblé des vieillards survivants de l’Holocauste, lors du Seder de Pessah [repas rituel de Pâques. Ndlr], ou des enfants dans une pizzeria ? N’ont-ils pas subi des pertes qui, proportionnellement au nombre d'habitants du Royaume-Uni, équivaudraient à 4000 morts et plusieurs milliers de blessés, depuis le début de l’Intifada, en Novembre 2000.

Mais Israël a commis un crime odieux. Ce crime a été de chercher à se défendre contre la tentative de l’annihiler. Pour cette impudence, les médias britanniques et européens ainsi que l’Establishment déversent un torrent de mensonges, de déformations et de calomnies, abandonnent l’objectivité, et substituent la méchanceté et la haine à la vérité. [...]

La plupart des attentats-suicide perpétrés durant les dernières semaines sont l'oeuvre d’équipes liées au Fatah, le département terroriste de l’Autorité Palestinienne. Israël a publié des documents saisis, qui portent la signature d’Arafat et ont trait au salaire versé à des hommes dont ils disent qu’ils ont organisé des attaques-suicide. Ceux qui ne croient pas Israël devraient examiner ce que l’AP elle-même a déclaré. En décembre 2000, Sakhr Habash, un officiel du Fatah, confiait au quotidien de l’AP, Al Hayyat Al Jadida, que l’Intifada était orchestrée par Arafat. «La direction de l’AP est restée la source d’autorité, et elle seule est capable de diriger les opérations de l’Intifada à travers le pays. Je peux dire avec certitude que le frère Abu Ammar [Arafat] est l’autorité suprême pour toutes les opérations, et quiconque pense autrement ne sait rien de ce qui se passe...» [...]

Car le véritable crime d'Israël est celui-ci : avoir contre-attaqué. Les Juifs ne sont pas censés faire cela. Ils sont censés aller passivement à la mort. Si les Juifs combattent, ils doivent perdre. Ce qu'ils ne doivent surtout jamais faire, c'est gagner.


L'article entier est copie ci-dessous.

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Saddam Hussein gives $25,000 to families of Palestinian genocide bombers (07.22.2002)


Palestinian TerrorismSky News (www.sky.com) reports that Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi president, has given over $25 million to Palestinian terrorist groups in less than two years.

The cash is handed over at ceremonies in Gaza to relatives of suicide bombers and families of people killed in ongoing fighting. [...]

Suicide bombers and those killed by the Israelis are regarded as "martyrs" and revered as heroes by Palestinian militants.

At the ceremony Holland witnessed, a number of cheques for $10,000 each were handed over to relatives of people killed in the violence. But, she points out, those of suicide bombers get $25,000.


I copy the full article below.

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French studio releases movie in support of 9/11 attacks (08.31.2002)


NewsAOL/Netscape news (www.netscape.com) reports that a French studio is releasing a movie to commemorate the atrocious September 11 attacks on the US by Muslim terrorists. Unfortunately, the movie does not condemn the attacks but is stridently anti-American and in support of the murders.

Consider the dialogue from the Egyptian submission directed by Youssef Chahine.

"The U.S. and Israel are democracies, their governments are elected by their people -- thus it is legitimate to attack their people," says the character, an unnamed filmmaker.

The segment goes on to talk about "the civilizations destroyed by the U.S.," and "the millions of victims" of American policy from Vietnam to Somalia. [...]

Directed by left-wing filmmaker Ken Loach, the segment focuses on another Sept. 11 tragedy, the 1973 coup d'etat against Chile's Marxist president Salvador Allende and the support provided to the subsequent military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet by U.S. president Richard Nixon.


I copy the full article below.

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22-year-old student murdered by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (08.24.2002)


VictimsFaces of the Victims has published the story of Inbal Weiss, a 22-year-old student who was deliberately murdered by a genocide bomber from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

On November 29, 2001, a bus was traveling on a major highway between the Israeli coastal cities of Hadera and Afula when a "massive explosion" tore through the vehicle, police said. The bus, No. 823, had left from Nazareth and was headed to Tel Aviv.



Inbal Weiss, 22
Murdered by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad


Inbal Weiss was on her way to her parents' home for the weekend from Afula, where she had recently rented an apartment. Her parents were waiting for her at the Gan Shmuel junction and saw a lot of ambulances driving by. They were unable to reach her on her cellular phone, and rushed to the nearby Hillel Yaffe hospital in Hadera, where they learned that their eldest daughter had been killed.

"She was a person with a warm heart, who never thought a bad thought and believed very much in the need for Jewish-Arab co-existence," said her mother Marion. Inbal, who served as a teacher in the army was a student in human resources at the Jezreel Valley regional college. She loved to read and to dance.

Inbal Weiss was laid to rest in the Zichron Ya'akov cemetery. She is survived by her parents, her sister Avital, 19, and twin brothers, Ami and Daniel, 17.


To send condolences or to donate to Inbal Weiss's family, please click here.

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What do Islam, France, the US Democratic party, News reporters and Microsoft have in common? (10.25.2002)


HumorWhat do Islam, France, the US Democratic party, News reporters and Microsoft have in common?

Dilbert.com has published the results of the "2002 Weasel awards". A weasel is defined as anyone who is trying to get away with something. 19,000 people voted in the poll, and the winning weasels are shown below:

Weaseliest Religion: Islam with 32%
Weaseliest Country: France with 34%, with Saudia Arabia in 2nd at 23%
Weaseliest Organization: Democratic Party with 29% of the votes
Weaseliest Profession: News reporters with 24%
Weaseliest Company: Microsoft with 39%


Those 19,000 people are right on target, I'm impressed by the collective Insightfulness. The link to the poll was found at andrewsullivan.com.

I copy the full results below.

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American Muslim shoots and murders Jewish woman in Seattle, Washington, USA (07.28.2006)


Anti-SemitismThe Seattle Post Intelligencer reports that an American Muslim entered a Jewish community building in Seattle, Washington, in the northern United States and shot six women. He murdered one and injured another five, including a pregnant woman:

Six women were shot - one fatally - this afternoon at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle by a man who told a witness he was upset about "what was going on in Israel."



[...] Authorities did not release many details, but the FBI said the alleged shooter was between 30 and 40 and agents were investigating the incident as a hate crime. When asked at a news conference if that meant the alleged shooter was Muslim, Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske said: "You could infer that."



One woman was killed in the attack, police said.



[...] The gunman, armed with what police said was a large caliber, semi-automatic handgun, forced his way through the security door at the federation after an employee had punched in her security code, Marla Meislin-Dietrich, a database coordinator for the center, told The Associated Press. "He said 'I am a Muslim American, angry at Israel,' before opening fire on everyone," Meislin-Dietrich said. "He was randomly shooting at everyone."


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Another Palestinian Homicide/Suicide Bombing: 3 dead, dozens of injured (05.19.2002)


Palestinian TerrorismAt 4:00 PM local time, a Palestinian blew himself in a crowded Israeli market trying to kill as many Israeli civilians as possible.

The Palestinian homicide/suicide bomber is part of the PFLP, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. This group wishes for the destruction of Israel and the creation of a Palestinian state instead. It is responsible for the murder of Rahavam Ze'evi, who was Israel's Minister of Tourism when he was killed.

"Two bodies were found at the scene of the attack, one of which was most likely that of the suicide bomber. Two other Israelis succumbed to their injuries after reaching the hospital. One of the injured was in critical condition, eight were in serious condition, five sustained moderate wounds, and the rest were lightly injured"

I copy the full article below.

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Palestinian homicide bomber murders two, injures 32, unarmed Israelis (11.04.2002)


Palestinian TerrorismThe Jerusalem Post (www.jpost.com) reports that a Palestinian homicide/suicide bomber deliberately blew himself up in a crowded mall in Kfar Saba, near Tel-Aviv:

A bomb went off Monday evening in the crowded Arim shopping center in the coastal town of Kfar Saba, apparently the work of a suicide bomber. Israel's Channel One Television reported that one Israeli was killed and 32 wounded in the attack, including two infants.



An Israeli woman is treated for shock
After a Palestinian tries to murder her


The explosion occurred in an electrical goods store. Witnesses said that the blast caused wide scale devastation. The body of the bomber was still at the scene of the blast. A witness who identified himself as Eitan told Israel Radio that he arrived two minutes after the blast to see the site filled with smoke. "There was a smell of burning in the air and all the windows have been blown out.

Islamic Jihad, a militant faction, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Lebanon's Hizbullah Manar TV. The bomber was identified as Nabil Sawalha, a [Palestinian] resident of the Balata refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus.


Update: I just saw on Israeli TV a Police captain describing the murder. Two Israelis were killed: one of the mall's security guards who managed to stop the Palestinian assassin from slaughtering more innocent people, and a 15-year-old kid. Both were new immigrants from Argentina.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Hamas, and Arafat's Al-Aksa brigades have deliberately murdered hundreds of unarmed Israelis since October 2000 when Yasser Arafat and his thugs rejected peace and started their war of terror against Israeli women and children.

For a list of all Palestinian homicide bombings, check out the Palestine page. For a partial list of victims of Palestinian terrorism, check out the Victims page.

I copy below an article that gives more information on the victims.

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Les Palestiniens sont responsables de leur sort (French) (08.24.2002)


OpinionLe site DesInfos.com a publie une traduction d'un article parut dans le journal Israelien "Yediot Aharonot" qui decrit comment les Palestiniens sont responsables de leur sort.

La deuxième Nekba palestinienne (catastrophe)
Guy Bechor (Yediot Aharonot) - traduit par le service de
presse de l'Ambassade de France en Israël.
http://www.desinfos.com/infos208/
infos0808.html#Anchor-La-49575

Voilà plus de 54 ans que les Palestiniens crient au scandale de leur pays spolié et qu’ils accusent les Juifs, Israël, les Britanniques, les Nations Unies et les Etats arabes, prenant un soin tout particulier à s’épargner et à apparaître “ blancs comme neige ”.

Mais en 1947, c’est bel et bien leur radicalisme et leur maximalisme qui contribua à leur malheur, la Nekba.

Aujourd’hui, nous assistons à la deuxième Nekba palestinienne. Une fois de plus, les Palestiniens ne doivent s’en prendre qu’à eux-mêmes. Le bilan de la nouvelle Intifada est lourd : des milliers de victimes, et par-dessus tout, une société palestinienne sacrificielle n’ayant d’autres objectifs que la mort et la ruine.

Il y a deux ans, les Palestiniens pouvaient, comme en 1947, obtenir un Etat indépendant. Le gouvernement Barak leur avait alors proposé 98% des Territoires occupés en 1967 ainsi que le démantèlement de la plupart des colonies, et la division de Jérusalem. Comme en 1947, ils ont refusé l’offre et ont choisi de danser la danse de la mort. Comme en 1948, les Palestiniens se sont trompés en imaginant qu’ils obtiendraient par la violence ce qu’ils n’avaient pas réussi à obtenir autrement. Une fois de plus, ils sont victimes de leur choix.

Les Palestiniens sont parvenus à changer leur image de peuple sympathique et pourchassé en un peuple de barbares terroristes. Même les Européens commencent à émettre des réserves à l’encontre des Palestiniens.

Les Arafat, Barghouti, Rantissi et Rajoub ont semé le vent et récoltent aujourd’hui la tempête.

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