Massive Naval Buildup in Persian Gulf

Western powers and several of their Middle East allies have deployed an enormous naval fleet to the Persian Gulf just days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again suggested that his country may soon launch a preemptive strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. The fleet includes ships from 25 nations, include three full US carrier groups, each one with a complement of more aircraft than the entire Iranian air force. Military officials cited by London's Daily Telegraph said the buildup is part of a new annual exercise, but their was no secrecy about the fact that the "enemy" in the exercise is Iran. There is great fear among Western powers that if Israel strikes Iran's defiant nuclear program, the Islamic Republic will retaliate by trying to close the Straits of Hormuz, a narrow waterway in the Persian Gulf that that sees the daily transit of 18 million barrels of oil, or roughly 35 percent of the world's traded oil. For that oil tap to be shut off would have potentially catastrophic consequences for the economies of the US, Britain, the Euro Zone and Japan, among others. There is also great concern that Israel is planning to strike Iran before the US presidential election in November in order to force President Barack Obama to militarily support the effort. Obama would likely lose a lot of votes among the pro-Israel American public if he did not help, and Jerusalem is worried that if it waits until after the election and Obama wins, he will be less inclined to provide assistance. American and European officials have conducted a flurry of meetings with Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak over the past month, ostensibly to pressure Israel against using military force at this time. Obama and other Western leaders continue to insist that there is hope for a diplomatic solution, despite recent reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) suggesting that the past 10 years of diplomatic efforts have only served to accelerate Iran's nuclear program. "The world tells Israel 'Wait, there’s still time.’ And I say, 'Wait for what? Wait until when?’," Netanyahu said last week. "Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don’t have a moral right to place a red light before Israel." Netanyahu reiterated the urgency of the situation in a series of interviews with the American press over the weekend. Asked on NBC's Meet the Press program about the possibility of implementing a containment strategy as was done with the Soviet Union after it went nuclear, Netanyahu said the West was underestimating the fanaticism that rules Iran. "I think Iran is very different, they put their zealotry above survival... I wouldn't rely on their rationality," said the Israeli leader. "It's the same fanaticism that you see storming your embassies today. You want these fanatics to have nuclear weapons?"

One Lost Tribe of Israel Returning Home

After a five-year immigration halt, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has given permission to a community of Indian citizens who believe they are one of the “lost tribes” of Israel to move to the Jewish state. “We had a major breakthrough, and thank God, the Aliya [immigration to Israel] is set to resume this summer, and we hope and pray to bring the first batch of 50 families, or about 250-300 Bnei Menashe immigrants, to Israel by the end of August,” said Michael Freund, chairman of Shavei Israel, which is behind the initiative. Shavei, based in Jerusalem, hopes to bring to the Jewish state the remaining 7,000 Indian citizens who believe they are the Bnei Menashe, the descendants of Manasseh, one of biblical patriarch Joseph’s two sons and a grandson of Jacob. Already Freund’s group helped facilitate the immigration of over 1,700 Bnei Menashe, with successive Israeli governments allowing and then halting the process. In 2007, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s administration put the kibosh on the process, which is now being reopened. Shavei plans to bring 50 Bnei Menashe families to Israel this summer with hopes of transplanting the remaining tribe members from India to Israel in the next few years. The original batches of Bnei Menashe to arrive here came as tourists in an agreement with Israel’s Interior Ministry. Once in Israel, the Bnei Menashe converted officially to Judaism and became citizens. But diplomatic wrangling halted the immigration process in 2003, with officials from some Israeli ministries refusing to grant the rest of the group still in India permission to travel here. To smooth the process, Freund at the time enlisted the help of Israel’s chief rabbinate, who flew to India in 2005 to convert members of the Bnei Menashe, a process stopped last year by India. Freund then coordinated with the Israeli government the arrival of batches of a few hundred Bnei Menashe as tourists who would later convert, but that process was halted in July 2007. Tribe members live in the two Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur, to which they say they were exiled from Israel more than 2,700 years ago by the Assyrian empire. According to Bnei Menashe oral tradition, the tribe was exiled from Israel and pushed to the east, eventually settling in the border regions of China and India, where most remain today. Most kept customs similar to Jewish tradition, including observing Shabbat, keeping the laws of Kosher, practicing circumcision on the eighth day of a baby boy’s life and observing laws of family purity. In the 1950s, several thousand Bnei Menashe say they set out on foot to Israel but were quickly halted by Indian authorities. Undeterred, many began practicing Orthodox Judaism and pledged to make it to Israel. They now attend community centers in India established by Shavei Israel to teach the Bnei Menashe Jewish tradition and modern Hebrew. Freund sees the Bnei Menashe immigration as biblical, quoting from Isaiah 43:5, which states, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.” “Those words,” Freund says, “are coming to life before our eyes.” “I think this is a very historic project,” he added. “It is the closing of an historical circle. It is the return of a lost tribe of Israel after 27 centuries of exile, and it is a fulfillment of biblical prophecy.” www.e38news.com

Israel: 6 Army Battalions Called Up!

Israel today called up six Army Battalions to go to the boarder of Eqypt and Syria. Sixteen other battalions where put on standby alert to be used if needed. As this call-up is a little out the norm, we will have to wait and see just what the need is over. The call up could be a pre-caution for the up coming attack on Iran. Time will tell! www.e38news.com

Russian special Forces Arrive in Syrian

Russian special forces have arrived in the Syrian. The job of the troops has not fully come to light, yet. But, it appears that they are there to help the Syrian President stand his ground. They are also there to keep other countries from using air strikes to help the rebels in their attacks.

This is GOG starting to get involved directly in the Middle East.

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Israel Signs Deal For Sixth Dolphin Submarine

Israel signed a contract Wednesday to purchase its sixth Dolphin-class submarine for a reported $530 million. Germany will fund a third of the vessel's cost.

The new and improved Dolphin submarine is the most advanced of its kind, operating solely on regular diesel fuel, as opposed to nuclear fuel like all other military watercrafts in the world. According to foreign reports, the new Dolphin would be able to carry nuclear weapons and its various capabilities would allow for it to operate in many scenarios and missions, even on prolonged and distanced voyages.

In the months to come, Navy officials are expected to travel to Germany to get better acquainted with the fourth Dolphin submarine, which is currently being built there, and transport it to Israel within the upcoming year. The fifth submarine, also being worked on in Germany, will be transported in a similar way the following year.

Israel operates three Dolphin submarines now, one off it's coast, two in the Persian Gulf.

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Latter Day Rain

The snow blanketed famous Jerusalem landmarks like the Jaffa Gate, the Western Wall, and the Temple Mount in the Old City.

Snow or rain so late in the season is known in the Bible as the latter rain. The precipitation is needed since Israelis are in the middle of a drought.

Is this a sign that the "Latter Day Rain", which refers to the Holy Spirit, is starting to begin?

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Israel Strikes Oil Off Tel Aviv Coast

Israel's Modiin Energy and Adira Energy Corp. on Tuesday confirmed the discovery of an commercially viable quantity of oil just 15 miles off the coast of Tel Aviv.

Late last year, Modiin and Adira published surveys of the 150-square-mile Gabriella field showing that the site likely contained significant quantities of both oil and natural gas.

Speaking to shareholders in Tel Aviv, Adira officials said Gabriella is expected to yield 232 million barrels of oil and 1.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Add that to the 25 trillion cubic feet of natural gas discovered last year at other Mediterranean sites, and Israel's energy situation is starting to look much improved.

Modiin majority shareholder Tzahi Sultan told Israel's Globes business newspaper that drilling at the Gabriella site should begin later this year, and a well will be in place producing oil in about five years.


It just keeps getting better and better!

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