Israel’s News Blog Magazine: Daily Stories Video and Photos

Despite dire warnings being issued by Israel’s Foreign Ministry, young (and not so young) Israeli holiday seekers seem to be constantly lured to the pristine beauty of the Sinai’s Red Sea beaches. And why not, with the promise of low cost sub-tropical holidays in surroundings that with a bit of imagination can almost be compared to the haunting beauty of the Seychelles, Mauritius Islands, or even Phuket Thailand. All of this is available for those willing to risk a worsening security situation that is becoming more serious in a resort area that Egypt still likes to call its “Red Sea Riviera”.

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism has done a very good job in both promoting and up-scaling the resort facilities in many parts of the eastern Sinai coast, with virtually everything available for those willing to pay. These attractions include an 18 hole golf course, casinos, and Five Star hotels and holiday resorts. The majority of Israeli ‘trippers’, however, prefer the more modest accommodations, where they can stay in thatched beach-side huts for sums as low as $ 5 per day. They are also attracted to the ‘anything goes’ atmosphere where drugs, easy sex and other pleasures are always available.

The “down side” to this ‘garden of earthly delights’ has been shown on television in more increasing occurrences. Less than two years ago, the terror attacks on the Taiba Hilton Hotel as well as at beach resorts in Di-Zahav resulted in the deaths of 34 people; 13 of them Israelis. Only a year later, an even more ferocious terror attack occurred in the resort city of Sharam al-Sheikh in which 90 people were killed; fortunately none were from Israel. And as recently as April, 2006, still another terror attack killed 23 tourists; the majority of them, ironically Egyptian.

With increasing terror attacks world-wide, especially in light of recent ‘event’s’ in Israel’s neighborhood, acts of terror against Israelis are likely to occur virtually anywhere – especially in resort areas close to Israel. Turkey’s recent terror attacks in both Istanbul and Anatalia can only mean that the Sinai resorts have not seen the last of terrorism incidents. Islamic extremism is on the rise in Egypt, and we must all remember that some of the worst terrorism organizations, including Al Qaeda and the Islamic Jihad have had their origins in Egypt. Egyptian President Mubarak is now in his late seventies with no strong heir-apparent to continue his secular governmental policies. It would not take much for this country, reputed to have the fastest growing Muslim population in the world, to become an Islamic republic.

With the Jewish High Holidays approaching, including the 8 day Sukkot festival, many Israelis will once again be lured to the attractions of the sandy Sinai beaches. But now it is becoming ever more evident that despite no tsunami-type dangers, there are risks even more serious to those who dare to disregard Israeli security warnings. Yes, there is indeed much trouble in paradise.

(Photograph courtesy of Crystal Images)

Bill Gates, the wealthiest person in the world and founder of the most popular software platform created is retiring. Check out the video below:

A man and his ever-nagging wife went on vacation to Jerusalem. While they were there, the wife passed away. The undertaker told the husband, “You can have her shipped home for $5,000, or you can bury her here, in the Holy Land, for $150.” The man thought about it and told him he would just have her shipped home.

The undertaker asked, “Why would you spend $5,000 to ship your wife home, when it would be wonderful to be buried here and you would spend only $150?”

The man replied, “Long ago a man died here, was buried here, and three days later he rose from the dead. I just can’t take that chance.”

A previously un-shown video of captured Israeli flight navigator Ron Arad has suddenly been released by the very people who must have even more information concerning the fate of the man that many Israelis hope may still be alive.

Captured in southern Lebanon in 1986, after his plane was shot down by a SAM missile, and following later photos of him in captivity, no positive additional information has been disclosed by his captors, alleged to have been either the Hezbollah or a Shiite Muslim ’splinter group’. Arad, who’s capture and unknown whereabouts has been the subject of countless efforts to at least learn of his fate, has surfaced time and time again – especially when new prisoner swap deals have been in the making, particularly like the one now involving the two captured IDF soldiers and a number of Hezbollah fighters who are now ‘guests’ of the IDF. The deal will be the first since the January 2004 exchange in which the bodies of three kidnapped IDF soldiers and an Israeli businessman, Elkanan Tannanbaum, were exchanged for a large number of Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorists. Tannanbaum, who remains in Israeli police custody, has said little of his more than three year captivity.
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“Hello, it’s me, my name is Pinky Lee”
Courtesy: Bolder Colorado Police Dept, and Larry King

Nice Guy after All?

Stunning findings that accused child murderer and rapist John Mark Karr is apparently not the killer of six year old JonBenet Ramsey, is creating shock waves around the world (even here in Israel) . The revelation that Karr, age 41 and a former Colorado teacher, has a different DNA reading than that found at the crime scene, has all but thrown the case against him “out of court”.

Accused of molesting and killing the girl in 1998, the DNA testing results has all but returned Colorado law enforcement officials back to ’square one’ in their ongoing investigation. Karr’s suspected role in the little girl’s death goes back several months, when a Colorado Journalism professor began corresponding with Karr via the internet. The professor disclosed that Karr had divulged some very interesting information concerning events on the day of Ms. Ramsey’s murder, including Karr’s statement that he hadn’t meant to kill JonBenet, but that her death was an accident. Karr, who had been dismissed from his teaching job due to being ‘too intimate’ with his students, has a record of suspected child abuse and connections with child pornography as well. When arrested in Thailand, Karr had stated to Thai authorities that he had gone to Thailand to undergo a sex change operation; already indicating that something isn’t right with Mr. Karr’s own sexual orientation.

The entire media coverage of this sordid affair, including splashing the girl’s Barbie-like appearance all over world media showings, and daily talk-show appearances with TV personalities like CNN’s Larry King Live, have been enough to disgust even the most callous of individuals. The manner in which the little girl’s doll-like beauty was displayed (and exploited) by her own parents has been sickening in it’s own right was well. As for Karr, his desire to bring international media attention to himself include the very clothes he wore when returned to the USA; pink silk shirt and all.

Little JonBenet, whose parents entered her in child beauty and modeling pageants, appeared to have done a bit of ‘child exploitation’ themselves; perhaps to the point where the child was actually making a bit of money from her appearances. This may have even reached a stage as to have caused a lot of friction between the girl and her parents. JonBenet’s mother, who died a few years ago from ovarian cancer, is not in a position to shed any light on the subject. And her father, on advice from his legal counsel, has not made any statements whatsoever – even before Karr’s connection was put into doubt.

With the circumstances revolving around JonBenet’s murder now made even more murkier; it might not be a bad idea for the investigators in this case to consider their clue searching “closer to home”.

(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)

And now for something completely different …Hat Tip: Flix

Breaking news reports of Fox News journalists Steven Centanni and Olaf Wiig being released by their Palestinian captors, after the two were forced to convert to Islam, was greeted with a sigh of relief today by their Fox News colleagues, as well as by the world media in general. Centanni, Fox’ news anchorman for the Middle East, and Centanni, a Fox cameraman, had been held in captivity for two weeks by a previously unknown Palestinian “splinter group” who made to two not only make remarks against both America and Israel, but to undergo a forced conversion, under gunpoint, to Islam. Though the abduction of Centanni and Wiig were the longest of its kind by the Palestinians, it is definitely not the longest kidnapping of foreigners in this part of the word. News media staff members, and other people as well, have been kidnapped and held by similar insurgent groups in Iraq for months, before being either released of killed by their captors.

Though these two men are now greatly relieved to be free, and will soon be reunited with their families, other captives, Israeli Army corporal Gilad Shavit, and reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. These three are still the ‘guests’ of either the Hezbollah or of the Palestinians, and their fate is still unknown as no one in Israel has actually seen them since their abductions (Gilad has been missing for nearly six weeks now). Converting to Islam, as Centanni and Wiig are alleged to have done, is a phenomena that has been common throughout Islamic history. What makes this appear to be the norm in the Islamic world is especially true when heard about by Western Society. It’s very simple. Throughout Islam’s colorful history, many Muslims are the product of forced conversions; just like conversions to Christianity were in Spain, Italy, and Portugal during the time of the Inquisition. Though Mr. Centanni and Wiig’s conversions will most likely be disavowed by both, this wasn’t the case in Muslim countries, and many Muslims living today in the Middle East once belonged to other religious faiths.

The three Israeli captives have not been heard from, and no video tapes or DVD’s have been made with their statements, and was the case with the Fox Newsmen. This reality always presents a worrisome picture, as whether the three men are being treated decently; or whether they are even still alive. Hezbollah has so far never released any live Israeli captives, except for Elkanah Tanenbaum. And Tanenbaum’s silence during the entire 34 day ‘Lebanon II” conflict makes many wonder exactly what his real situation might have been during his three years as a ‘’guest” of the Hezbollah. Will the three captive IDF soldiers, all Jewish, also be given the ‘opportunity’ to convert to Islam as well?

Only with the release of the three Israeli soldiers will their tale be known to both Israel and the world at large. And that is providing they live to tell it.

(Photograph courtesy of AP.)

They sit and stand in the park across from the Knesset; the words on their signs, in several languages, and evident to all: Olmert, Peretz, Halutz – Go Home! As the momentum builds and more and more people are now coming to the forefront, including even Yom Kippur and Six Day War Veterans, the message they are trying to convey is being displayed by news media all over the world.

The three personalities noted on the signs, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, and Army Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, must be having a lot of sleepless nights regarding the uncomfortable positions they now find themselves in: Olmert for his weakness and indecisiveness; Peretz for gross inexperience and being put into a position he had absolutely no qualifications for; and Halutz for his arrogance and egocentrics. Their roles during the 34 day war against both the Hezbollah and Palestinians might be comparable to the antics of a popular American comedy team, The Three Stooges, who entertained movie audiences from the late 1930’s to early 1950’s.

For our purposes, we might compare Ehud to Mo, the leader of the group, Dan to Larry, who always tried to be aloof from the others, and Amir to Curley, the simpleton who always got hit on the head by the other two. A possible beginning war scenario involving this new ‘comedy team’ might have gone like this:

Mo: Hey, we’re being attacked by ‘Hummus-Grubber’ (Narsrallah)! The people want action! What should we do?

Larry: I think we need to attack them ‘big-time’! Like, send them all back to the Stone Age (actually said by Halutz)! What do you think, Curley?

Curley (Remember, he’s the simpleton of the three) yelling into his bullhorn: Yeah, yeah yeah! Woo woo woo Woo woo!

And with that last remark, the other two proceed to hit poor Curley on the head – as the Stooges used to do!

As the war progresses, the ‘Three Stooges’ might even be seen hitting each other with sticks as they blame one another for the mistakes that occur.

And what about all the people who suffered physical injury and property damage during the war? They now sit for hours in the reception rooms of the Property Tax Authorities, in order to present their claims for eventual compensation. Their wait for their number to be called has been so long that many of them either gives up or find that the tax office personnel have gone home for the day before they have to chance to talk to anyone.

Well, the Three Stooges’ have an answer for them as well: “Don’t worry it’ll turn out all right”! With that remark, and for everyone’s sake, let’s certainly hope so!

(Photographs courtesy of Wikipedia.)

No sooner has Israel’s second Lebanese War come to a temporary end; a number of major political and military personalities are being pursued like schools of mackerel by hungry sharks. While one of these personalities, Justice Minister Haim Ramon, has already submitted his resignation for alleged sexual misconduct, others are so embroiled in the middle of either allegations or bitter accusations, that even if they do mange to escape the gaping jaws of both the public and the media, their character and professional reputations may be damaged beyond repair.

The most prominent of this group, Israeli President Moshe Katzav and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, have different sets of problems but serious ones all the same. Katsav, on whom an article was posted on this site prior to the outbreak of the war, now appears to be in even deeper hot water with new allegations by alleged victims of reported sexual misconduct of a nature far more serious that Mr. Ramon’s. Katzav is now under full investigation by the Police and even his personal belongings at the Presidential residence are being searched for clues. With increased calls for Katsav to resign his mostly ceremonial post, or at least take a forced leave until he is either proven guilty or innocent, a number of candidates are being mentioned as his replacement, including former Knesset Speaker Reuven (Ruby) Rivlin, Former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Lau, and Vice Premier Shimon Peres, who was beaten by Katsav for the post a few years back. Olmert’s predicament is not of a criminal nature but of the manner in which he has presided over the government during one of Israel’s worst crises since the Yom Kippur War , which caused then P.M. Golda Meir to resign her post.

Olmer’s choice of Yitzhak Peretz for the Defense Minister post has also raised a lot of criticism, as Peretz’s demonstrated incompetence was evident to everyone except those who only like to watch Bevis & Butthead cartoons on T.V.

This brings us to the military personality who has also been mentioned in this site. Even Chief of Staff Dan Halutz now admits that a number of ‘mistakes’ were made during the conflict, especially in regards to the use of Israel’s most import military manpower resource, i.e., her reserve soldiers. The tales they are now divulging, and their obvious anger at how they were literally thrown into battle with not only adequate staff orientation and equipment, but without even basic food rations and water, is nothing short of scandalous. Gen. Halutz has a lot to atone for in this regard, and his personality is also under review as well. The incident regarding the share transaction is not even relevant here as that divulgence is only a ’storm in a teacup’ compared to the outright tempest that has been created in respect to the entire handling of the conflict by the IDF’s military staff, including Olmert, whose start-stop indecisiveness was reflected on the officers in the field as well.

Yes, the sharks are definitely closing in; and when this entire affair is over, a number of politicians, and military brass as well, will find that they have been (politically) devoured.