Within First Week of 2011: Over Ten Rockets Launched from Gaza Strip into Israel

06 January 2011 , 18:02

The first week of 2011 has already seen more than 10 rockets and mortar shells launched at Israel’s southern communities, with the IDF responding to attacks targeting the Hamas organization’s terror activity sites, a weapon manufacturing site and a smuggling tunnel.

IDF Website

Within the first week of 2011, more than 10 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel’s southern communities.

-On Saturday (Jan. 1), a Qassam rocket was fired at the Sha’ar Hanegev regional council, home to approximately 6,500 residents.

-On Sunday (Jan. 2), a rocket was fired into the Eshkol Regional Council, home to approximately 10,000 residents.

-On Tuesday (Jan. 4), a Qassam rocket was fired and hit the Ashkelon Shore regional council, home to approximately 13,000 residents.

.On Wednesday (Jan. 5), seven mortar shells were fired into the Eshkol Regional Council.

-On Thursday (Jan. 6), a rocket was fired into Sdot Negev Regional Council, home to approx 8,000 residents.

In response to these attacks, the IDF struck several terror-related sites. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) targeted and hit a terrorist activity center in the northern Gaza Strip as well as a weapons manufacturing facility in the central Gaza Strip, both belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization.

Later in the week, in a joint operation between the Israel Security Agency and the IDF, the IAF also struck one of the Hamas terrorist organization’s terror activity centers in the central Gaza Strip and a smuggling tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip.

Throughout the year 2010, over 235 Grad missiles, Qassam rockets and mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory.

The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist organization solely responsible for maintaining the calm in the Gaza Strip and for any terrorist activity emanating from it. The IDF will also continue to respond harshly to any attempt to use terror against the State of Israel.
source:http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News/today/2011/01/0602.htm

Arab world in uproar over Zionist spy birds

Israel’s Ma’ariv daily newspaper reported on Tuesday that Saudi Arabian officials have “arrested” a wounded vulture that landed in a rural area of the country wearing a transmitter and a leg bracelet etched with the words “Tel Aviv University.”

The bird is part of ongoing long-term research into bird migration patterns, but the residents of Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries had far more fanciful ideas. For them, this bird is a winged Zionist spy, and the transmitter he was wearing was sending vital classified information back to the “Zionist regime.”

Saudi Arabia’s Al Weeam newspaper was the first to report about the incident. It noted that the vulture had landed near the house of a local sheikh, and was not afraid of people. The reporter and the people he interviewed asserted that the aggressive nature of the bird and the foul odor that came out of its mouth were evidence of a Zionist plot, rather than tell-tale signs that this was in fact a vulture.

That article led to an explosion of comments on Arabic news websites and online forums, where people across the region were convinced that “the Zionists” had somehow trained the beasts of the wild to do their bidding.

Iran’s Tabnak news agency said as much when it reported that “spy personnel number of X63 [the identification number on the bird’s leg bracelet] leaves no doubt that other birds are going to be sent by the Zionist regime for espionage against Saudi Arabia and other countries.”

The story of the spy bird comes just weeks after Egyptian officials claimed that a string of shark attacks at resorts in the Sinai Peninsula were the work of Israel’s Mossad spy agency.
source:http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=79

Jerusalem Arab children taught to seek bloodshed

Thursday, January 06, 2011 | Ryan Jones

It is no longer a secret that Palestinian Arab children are being taught from a very young age to seek bloodshed and martyrdom in the battle against Israel. It is, nevertheless, instructive to continue highlighting such incidents as the world continues to press Israel to make concession to what it insists is a viable “peace partner.”

The latest example of this form of child abuse comes not from Hamas-ruled Gaza or even Palestinian Authority-controlled Ramallah, but rather from the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem.

On December 10, Hamas’ Al Aqsa TV broadcast a documentary titled “The Martyr’ Wedding.” In the program was featured a group of very young children from the Riyad Al Aqsa School in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Baher.

The children are shown holding up stones and bullets while singing:

“How strong is the army of Al Aqsa.
I am a soldier, defending its protected area.
How precious is the land of Al Aqsa.
I shall give up my life for its sake.
In the way of Allah we proceed aspiring to raise the flag.
May the glory of the religion (Islam) return, and may our blood be shed.”

It is worth noting that one of the two Jerusalem Arab men arrested recently for plotting to fire a missile into the city’s main soccer stadium is a resident of Sur Baher. Police investigating the plot said that they found a growing Hamas and radical Islamist presence in many eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods.
* Translation of the Hamas documentary was provided by Palestinian Media Watch
source:http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=79

70 Christians arrested over Christmas in Iran

by Brian HuttPosted: Thursday, January 6, 2011, 11:30 (GMT)

Christian Solidarity Worldwide has condemned as “brutal” the arrest and detention of 70 Christians during the Christmas period in Iran.

Twenty-five of them were rounded up in the early hours of Christmas Day. CSW said another 50 Christians were detained although their circumstances remain unclear.

The 25 detained on Christmas Day were evangelicals and included pastors and leaders from Iran’s house church networks, which are under severe pressure from the government.

Eleven of the group have so far been released but CSW said it had “serious concerns” for the 14 who remain in detention.

Andrew Johnston, Advocacy Director of CSW, said: “We condemn this brutal attack on evangelical Christians in Iran.

“The arrest of 70 members of one group reveals the clear targeting of individuals along religious lines.

“Iran is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and is therefore legally obligated to uphold international standards of religious freedom for all its citizens.”

CSW said members of house churches have been subjected to brutal interrogations and solitary confinement at the hands of the authorities looking to extract the names of other church members and deter them practising their faith.

It said it was troubled by the anti-Christian rhetoric of religious and political leaders in the media.

Most recently the Governor of Tehran, Morteza Tamadon, described Christians as ‘tabshiri’, or ‘missionaries’, and threatened more arrests during a speech in Tehran on Tuesday announcing the arrest of several evangelical leaders.

He told the state-run IRNA news agency: “Just like the Taliban … who have inserted themselves into Islam like a parasite, they have crafted a movement with Britain’s backing in the name of Christianity.”
source:http://www.christiantoday.com/article/70.christians.arrested.over.christmas.in.iran/27321.htm

Authorities raid worship service in Hunan Province, China

by Staff
January 5, 2011

(christiansunite.com) - Chinese authorities raided a house church worship service held by members of the Hope Church in the city of Changsha, Hunan Province, on December 12.

At approximately 9:30 a.m., dozens of believers were gathered for worship when police officers and government officials arrived on scene. The authorities forced the believers to disperse and confiscated several items belonging to the church, including the podium, chairs and air-conditioner. They also took into custody two of the believers -- Pastor Zing Jinfu and Minister Le -- who were taken to a local police station and questioned for a couple of hours.

It is not known if this raid was part of the nationwide "Operation Deterrence" campaign that the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party launched on December 1 against all house churches in the nation. Even if it was not officially part of this campaign, there is fear that local authorities could be increasing the frequency and severity of their moves against this church in the coming weeks in relation to the nationwide crackdown.
source:http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion09848.shtml

Algerian Christians sentenced for setting up "illegal" place of worship

by Staff
January 6, 2011

(christiansunite.com) - Four Christians were recently given suspended prison sentences for opening a place of worship in the eastern region of Kabylia, Algeria, without a proper license issued by authorities.

The Christians -- a Protestant clergyman and three of his parishioners -- were convicted on the basis of a controversial 2006 law that requires that anyone who wants to set up a place of worship, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, must obtain a permit indicating the name of the place of worship as well as that of the pastor. Some believe this law violates Algeria's constitution, and this is first time it has been enforced in the nation.

Three of the men -- Abdenour Raid, Nacer Mokrani and Idir Haoudj -- received two-month prison sentences. The fourth man, Pastor Mahmoud Yahou, was sentenced to three months in jail and fined almost $3,600 CAN for illegally sheltering a foreigner.
source: http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion09853.shtml