George Clooney's British Lawyer fiancee turns down UN offer to help probe 'war crimes' by Israel and Hamas in Gaza

Amal Alamuddin

I guess Clooney knows which side his bread is buttered on. George Clooney is an actor and his producers are all Jewish. He must have told Amal, his Kallah, if you go on the UN panel, you will have to support me like the rest of the Kollel wives!

George Clooney's barrister fiancee has turned down an offer from the United Nations to become one of three experts called in to investigate alleged human rights violations and war crimes in Gaza.

British-Lebanese lawyer Amal Alamuddin, 36, was named as part of an independent team observing alleged crimes by both sides during Israel's military offensive on Monday morning, but within hours she issued a statement saying she had turned the offer down, citing prior work commitments.

‘I am honored to have received the offer, but given existing commitments - including eight ongoing cases - unfortunately could not accept this role,’ said Alamuddin.

 ‘I wish my colleagues who will serve on the commission courage and strength in their endeavors.'

William Schabas, a Canadian professor of international law, was also announced on Monday as the head of the panel along with Doudou Diene, a veteran U.N. human rights expert from Senegal.

The team will investigate 'all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law ... in the context of the military operations conducted since 13 June 2014,' the U.N. statement said.

A month of war, marked by Israeli air strikes on Gaza and rockets fired by Hamas militants into Israel, has killed 1,938 Palestinians and 67 Israelis while devastating wide tracts of densely populated Gaza.

The panel is due to report by March 2015 to the U.N. Human Rights Council. Israel has long accused the 47-member state forum of bias against it.

Navi Pillay, the top U.N. human rights official, said on July 31 she believed Israel was deliberately defying international law in its military offensive in Gaza and that world powers should hold it accountable for possible war crimes.

There are no plans as of this writing for the UN to investigate, Hamas, ISIS, Syria, Iran, Hezbollah etc.

BREAKING: Oscar-winning comic, 63, found dead in apparent suicide at California home after long battle against depression

Actor Robin Williams has died aged 63 from an apparent suicide, police in California said tonight. 

His wife Susan Schneider confirmed the tragic news and spoke of her 'profound grief'. 

'This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken. As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin's death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.' 

A statement by the Marin County Sheriff's Department in California said: 'On August 11, 2014, at approximately 11:55 am, Marin County Communications received a 9-1-1 telephone call reporting a male adult had been located unconscious and not breathing inside his residence in unincorporated Tiburon, CA. The male subject, pronounced deceased at 12:02 pm has been identified as Robin McLaurin Williams.'

Sarit Hadad will not sing for the IDF because of "Kol Isha"

Sarit Hadad offered to perform for Givati troops for free, but the commander refused.

The commander of one of the Israeli army's infantry brigades refused an offer for a free concert for his troops that was scheduled to be performed by female pop star Sarit Hadad for fear that her presence would insult the sensibilities of religious soldiers, according to Channel 10.

Col. Ofer Winter, the commander of the Givati Brigade, refused to allow the concert to go ahead, even though Hadad had offered to sing for the troops for free, according to Channel 10.

The singer was ready to appear at a special brigade event next week, but those plans appear to be off.

Winter has courted controversy in the past, particularly when it comes to the influence of religion in the military.

A letter of encouragement written by Winter to his soldiers containing several biblical references and religious overtones generated condemnation from secularist groups and support from senior public officials, including Deputy Religious Services Minister Eli Ben-Dahan.

Just before the start of last month's ground incursion in the Gaza Strip, Winter sent a letter to soldiers under his command saying that it was a great merit to be in the vanguard of a fight against “the terrorist enemy that dares to curse, blaspheme and scorn the God of Israel.”

Winter said the brigade should accept the mission upon itself with humility and be prepared to give up their lives “to protect our families, our people and our homeland.”

He continued, “I look up to the heavens and I read with you ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one,’” quoting the Shema prayer recited twice a day in the Jewish liturgy.

“The Lord, the God of Israel, make our path on which we go successful, as we are poised to fight for your people Israel against an enemy that abuses your name. In the name of the fighters of the IDF and in particular the brigade and the commanders, may the verse be fulfilled for us that ‘the Lord your God goes with you to fight for you with your enemies to save you,’ and we will say ‘Amen.’ Together and only together we will win.”

Mickey Gitzin, the head of the Israel Be Free secularist movement, criticized Winter’s letter, saying his words turned the conflict into a religious war.

“IDF commanders should also remember that the IDF is the national army, not a religious militia, and therefore he needs to include everyone who serves in the IDF, haredim, national-religious, secular, Jews and non-Jews, and to refrain from the kind of terminology he used,” Gitzin said.
Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.

IDF successfully tests system designed to detect terror tunnels

Senior army officer says system passed lab tests, currently undergoing field testing; could be deployed around Gaza within 1 year; system will cost at least NIS 1 billion.

A system designed to detect infiltration tunnels proved successful in laboratory tests for the first time ever and is now being tested in the field, a senior IDF officer said Monday.
If the field test proves successful, the system can be deployed around the Gaza Strip within approximately one year, the officer added.

The system will cost from NIS 1 billlion to NIS 1.5 billion to deploy.
According to Israel Radio, the officer said that the IDF is also working to improve the Iron Dome.
It is believed that, in the future, Israel's enemies will try to overcome the rocket defense system by launching a number of missiles and rockets at the same time, including more advanced projectiles that can reach a greater height than those previously fired from Gaza.

The officer also touted the Trophy tank defense system for its success in saving the lives of IDF soldiers during Operation Protective Edge.
He said that the Trophy system had neutralized dozens of anti-tank missiles fired at tanks and armored personnel carriers during the operation.

The officer said that the defense establishment was in need of an additional NIS 3 billion in order to bolster Israel's ground forces.

Our Next President?

Hamas said to have executed dozens of tunnel diggers

Hamas executed dozens of diggers responsible for its extensive tunnel system in past weeks, fearing the workers would reveal the site locations to Israel, a report on the Mako website’s army blog said.

The tunnelers, many of whom constructed the tunnels over the course of months, would dig for 8-12 hours a day, and received a monthly wage of $150-$300, according to the blog.

Sources in Gaza told the website that Hamas took a series of precautions to prevent information from reaching Israel. The terror organization would reportedly blindfold the excavators en route to the sites and back, to prevent them from recognizing the locations. The tunnels were strictly supervised by Hamas members, and civilians were kept far from the sites.

M., a former tunnel digger and Israeli collaborator, told the website that Hamas would strip search the workers to ensure they had no recording devices or cameras hidden on them.

“The people we met had their faces covered; no one knew them by their real names, it was all codes and first names. They didn’t want to take the risk that some of the diggers were collaborating with Israel,” he said.

A tunnel entrance, within a civilian home, found by Golani soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip (photo credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit/ Flash 90)

After the tunnels were completed, dozens were reportedly executed to prevent intelligence leaks to Israel.

“Anyone they suspected might transfer information to Israel on the tunnels was killed by the military wing,” a different source said. “They were very cruel.”

In 2012, a Journal of Palestine Studies article claimed 160 Palestinian children were killed while working on Hamas’s tunnel system.

A soldier leading journalists through a tunnel in Khan Yunis. (screen capture: Walla! News)

The digging of tunnels began four years ago and has demanded 40 percent of Hamas’s budget, The Times of Israel has learned.

Tunnel diggers have been using electric or pneumatic jackhammers, advancing 4-5 meters a day. The tunnels found were reportedly mostly dug 18-25 meters (60-82 feet) underground, though one was discovered at a depth of 35 meters (115 feet).

 “That’s like a 10-story building underground,” one expert said.

Digging requires engineering and geological expertise, with tunnels usually dug through sandy soil, their roof supported by a more durable level of clay. As they are dug, the tunnels are reinforced by concrete panels, manufactured locally in workshops adjacent to each tunnel. These workshops have also been targeted by the IDF throughout its military operation.

Elhanan Miller contributed to this report.

Third Bais Hamikdash Already Built ...... in Brazil

It is a replica  of  the Second Bais Hamikdash as described by Josephus. The building is made from Jerusalem Stone, imported from Jerusalem and they also imported some 2,000 Mezuzas from Israel. The building is  in Sao Paulo, Brazil.


The huge building was erected by the cult Brazilian, in Sao Paulo and will be used for education.

The building, was built at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.. 

Misleading statements in the name of Achdus

by http://jewishworker.blogspot.com/

Jonathan Rosenblum

Jonathan Rosenblum wrote a column describing the efforts of Mrs. Sharon Issacson a member of the "Charedi" community in Ramat Bet Shemesh, to help out women whose husbands were called up to the army to fight in Gaza. The point of the article was to show how the Charedi community has stepped up to the plate and is showing achdus with the soldiers and the Israeli people.

There is only one problem. Mrs. Sharon Issacson is not your typical Israeli Charedi. In fact, it would be hard to call her Charedi at all given her background and life today. 

She was raised in a Modern Orthodox home in NY and 
attended a co-ed elementary school and YUs Stern College. 

Her husband is a graduate of MTA and YU and has a law degree from Columbia. He is currently the Rosh Yeshiva of Mevaseret, a 1 year American Yeshiva for modern orthodox boys in Israel. Her 2 sons went to Maarava for High School. There is 1 even more startling fact that is missing, her son is currently serving in the Israeli Army in Nachal Haredi. 

Given all of the above is it not very misleading to simply call her "Charedi"?

It seems that every time the Charedi world tries to appeal to more moderate Americans they bring examples that fall into one of 2 categories:

1. Baalei teshuva
2. They grew up in modern homes

A few years ago, Aish Hatorah published an article 
Women at Work
which claimed that Orthodox women can work at any job that they want.

Let's get something perfectly clear: Jewish women work. One of my neighbors is a nuclear physicist. I'm a zoo veterinarian.
...
And nowadays, like women all over the Western world, they work in every field. Some run their own businesses or are part of a larger corporation. Here in Israel one of my neighbors is a nuclear physicist. Another is a school principal. Several good friends are lawyers. One's a pediatrician. Two are successful artists. I'm a zoo veterinarian.
...
My point is, little is forbidden to us. We work in the fields we want. We have open choices. We can choose to work part-time or full-time.

As I pointed out then (See Misleading statements in the name of Kiruv) if Aish Hatorah was a Modern or Centrist Orthodox institution then these statements would be perfectly true and not misleading. However, Aish Hatorah is a Charedi institution and it's goal for it's students is that they join Israeli Charedi society. The fact is that if Elizabeth had been born to a Charedi family she would not have had a choice to be a veterinarian, a nuclear physicist or anything other then a school teacher. University study is strictly prohibited. In Yerushalayim and Bnei Brak even getting a high school diploma is prohibited (see this post No Bagrut for Beis Yaakov girls?).I find it very offensive when Charedi institutions use examples of Baalei Teshiva or people who were brought up in a more Modern home, as Rosenblum does in this case, to try to make a point about the Israeli Charedi community. It is simply not true, the are not really in the same Charedi community. A "real" Israeli Charedi would never marry any of their children for example. Americans, either Baalei teshuva or those coming from a more modern home, have a very different world view and certainly do not represent Israeli Charedi society.

Turkish Airlines hires 2000 Iranian Pilots .. Oh Oh!

Many Israelis are still flying Turkish Airlines, even to the United States in an effort to cut ticket costs. Turkish Airlines offers a connection via Istanbul, which works for many Israelis.

If you are among those flying Turkish Airlines you might want to know airline officials have announced they are experiencing a critical shortage of pilots. As such, they are hiring the services of 200 pilots, from Iran. 

The airline reports it is short 350 pilots.

Interestingly, pilots from the airline are angered over the news, 

Channel 2 News reports, explaining the Iranian pilots lack proper training due to the sanctions against that country and other factors. Nevertheless, for now at least, it appears Turkish Airlines is moving ahead with the plan.

It is also reported that all pilots entering Israel must first be approved by Israeli security officials so it is less than likely we will be seeing Iranian pilots in Ben-Gurion Airport.

Jewish Owned Starbucks Insists It Doesn't Back Israel, Closes all Stores in Israel, but open in Arab Countries!

Starbucks issued a statement saying the company and its CEO do not provide any financial support to Israel or its army.

Howard Schultz, Starbuck’s CEO, is Jewish.

The company updated a four-year-old statement on its website after the spread of false “rumors that Starbucks or Howard provides financial support to the Israeli government and/or the Israeli Army,” the statement said.

The statement, a fact sheet in Q and A form, was updated on August 5.
“Starbucks has been and remains a non-political organization. We do not support any political or religious cause. Additionally, neither Starbucks nor the company’s chairman, president and CEO Howard Schultz provide financial support to the Israeli government and/or the Israeli Army in any way,” the statement said.

The company said in its statement that it closed its Starbucks stores in Israel in 2003 due to “on-going operational challenges that we experienced in that market.”

The company has stores in 65 countries, including nearly 600 stores in 12 Middle Eastern and North African countries such as Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.