The Mossad: Israel's Eyes and Ears all over the World

The Mossad: Israel’s Eyes and Ears all over the World

Photo courtesy of the Israel Defense Forces Facebook Page

In the wake of the terrorist attack on a tour bus carrying Israelis last week in Burgas, Bulgaria, news agencies reported that the Mossad  joined U.S. and local intelligence services in their attempt to determine the origin of the perpetrators. That information came as no surprise to those who follow Israel’s intelligence community.  Indeed the only surprise was that out of countless terror attempts that are launched against Israeli interests, this time the criminals succeeded.  Through its 60 year history, the Mossad has earned the reputation of being Israel’s eyes and ears all over the world.

Commenting on the attack, an Israeli official said, “the Burgas attack was part of an intensive wave of terrorist attacks around the world carried out by two distinct organizations, the Iranian Quds Force, an elite international operations unit within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and Hezbollah.”  “This attack”, he added, “had the modus operandi of the later.”

This attack occurred two weeks before the opening of the Olympic games in London.  The Olympics stir terribly mixed emotions in the minds of the Israeli public.  This is the 40^th anniversary of the murder of eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 competition, an event which lives in infamy.  No less significant is the concern that Israelis visiting London as well as its athletes competing in the games could be targeted once again by Islamic terrorist fanatics. 

One of the Mossad’s most effective weapons is the element of surprise and unpredictability.  So no one is privy to what its members are planning.  But with rumors and news reports that police are hunting throughout Europe for the terrorists’ accomplices. What they are doing and how they are doing it is anybody’s guess, but Israelis have learned to put their trust and faith in the Mossad. 

What we do know is that the Mossad has a number of departments, of which the so called, “Collections Dept.”, with offices all over the world and charged with collecting intelligence information, is the largest.  The department consists of a number of desks which are responsible for specific geographical regions, directing case officers based at "stations" around the world, and the agents they control.

Mossad activities and investigation most often take advantage of some of the most high tech tools available, many of which are designed and produced by Mossad itself.  One analyst summed up their methods as a combination of cunning and hi tech, that is the formula for Mossad's success in most projects it undertakes.

So, as Israelis use the remainder of the summer vacation time to tour, travel and enjoy a break from the hectic pace of their normal lives, they will be relying on the Mossad to keep a keen open eye on the potential dangers that can entrap them, wherever they are and assure them that they will vacation in security and return to Israel safely.

Sharing the burden

Making Sense out of the Sharing the Burden Issue in Israel

Photo courtesy of the Israel Defense Force Facebook page 

This is the first in a series of articles which will help explain one of the issues confronting Israeli society, where the burden of conscription falls to a great extent on the modern orthodox and secular members of Israeli society, to the almost near exclusion of the ultra orthodox community.

Israel, which has always been considered by the outside world to be an egalitarian society, is beginning to cope with some inner tensions and dissension as the issue of the inequality of the military service burden takes the limelight in mini yet tangible expressions of social discontent.  The summer of 2011 was known as the summer of discontent as tens of thousands of Israelis protested on the weekends over financial and economic disparities within society.  This summer, while the numbers of protesters is noticeably smaller, the issues on the protester’s agendas now include the near automatic deferment that a segment of the Israeli population receives from military conscription, a duty enforced upon the majority of Israelis aged 18 and above.

The deferred consist of two diverse communities within Israeli society: the so called ultra   orthodox and the country’s Arab citizens.

When the country was officially declared in May of 1948, an immediate state of emergency existed because the neighboring Arab countries attacked literally as the country was being founded, and military conscription was a matter of national and personal survival.  During Israel’s war of Independence, all able bodied Jewish citizens were enlisted.  In retrospect, some of the period’s most poignant photos show bearded and secular soldiers fighting side-by- side in their desperate and valiant military campaigns. 

Israel’s success in that war led to a lessening of tensions until the country’s second war for survival broke out in 1956.  Here again there was little difference in conscription rates, although there was a negligible number of ultra orthodox citizens who were granted military exemptions because they were yeshiva students.  At the time the subject of Israeli Arab conscription was a non starter, questions of dual loyalty put the issue beyond the realm of consideration.

By 1967, the ultra orthodox community through the growing political power of its elected representatives, started exercising latitude in claiming military service deferments, a process which continued unabated and literally (figuratively) snowballed.  

Today it is estimated that over 25% of the 18 – 21 year old population, the majority of which made up of the ultra orthodox – find a way to avoid the draft. And although there are indications that an increasing number of ultra orthodox do enlist, on a percentage basis, the trend keeping them out of military service is only growing.     

Needless to say, there are growing numbers of passive enlisted soldiers who are increasingly frustrated by what they see as a lack of fairness in sharing the military defense burden in this country.       

If you have an opinion and would like to share it with us, please feel free to comment on this blog.  A follow up article will present a different perspective on this many faceted issue. 

The Mossad

The Mossad

In all probability, the Mossad’s reputation far exceeds its actual accomplishments.  But then again, no one is really sure by what degree.  Think of some of the most daring acts of international espionage, the car bombing of Imad Mughniyeh, the Hizbullah military chief in downtown Damascus or the killing of senior Hamas operative Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai, conventional wisdom blames or credits (depending upon your point of view) the Mossad.   

  

Ultimately, it really doesn’t matter if they did it or not.  The very fact that everyone assumes they did it, or could have done it, is enough to act as a deterrent.   And that’s what Israel has strived to achieve.  When asked to comment on both attacks an official Government spokesman neither confirmed nor denied Israel’s involvement.  As one defense official put it, “Let them think we did it, even if we didn’t”.

Principally the Mossad is responsible for collecting intelligence, covert operations and counterterrorism.  It was founded in December 1949 as the central body to coordinate cooperation between the existing security forces.  

The largest department in the Mossad is Collections, responsible for intelligence gathering overseas.  Other departments are Research which produces intelligence and Technology which develops tools for Mossad activities.

Some of its best known activities include:

-Abducting the famous Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann from Argentina and smuggling him to Israel where he was tried and convicted.

-In August 2001 the Mossad cautioned the FBI that it had picked up indications of what it called a “large scale target” and that upwards of 200 terrorists had entered the U.S.  One month later the world witnessed the devastating attack on the World Trade Center in N.Y. and the Pentagon building in Washington.

-In 1992 and ’93 the Mossad was instrumental in evacuating Bosnian Jews from war torn Sarajevo to Israel.

-In 1969 – the smuggling of Israeli Navy boats out of Cherbourg, necessitated by the French embargo against Israel.

-1972-’72  Killing of the terrorists involved in the murder of Israel’s athletes at the Munich Olympics.

-Sending a letter bomb which maimed Nazi war criminal Alois Brunner.

-Abducting nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu from Rome.

-The Mossad was instrumental in helping the U.K’s M15 in tracking down the brains behind the 7/7 bombings in London.

The Mossad kept ongoing contacts with Russian Refusenicks in the USSR during the crackdown against the Jews in the decades between the 50’s and the 80”s.

These plus spectacular acts of heroism in the Arab lands since the founding of the State, have earned the Mossad an enviable reputation among similar organizations around the world.

This week, Israel Military Products is proud to feature a special sale on Mossad sweatshirts and T shirts. Show your pride in this great institution and your affiliation with its members who struggle against almost immeasurable odds to guarantee the safety and security of Jewish life. 

Buy a mossad sweatshirt using the following link http://www.israelmilitary.com/mossad-organization-hooded-sweatshirt-p-1948.aspx?utm_source=MeserEser&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=16%2f06%2f2012+-free+mossad+t+shirt

and get a free mossad t-shirt with your order (free t-shirt will be the same size as the sweatshirt).

Krav Maga-Making your point quickly and effectively

Krav Maga – Making your point quickly and effectively

It ranks among Israel’s top 64 exports.  Along with PillCam - a pill sized imaging device that takes real time pictures of the inner working of your stomach, the mobile phone – the compact size we take for granted, and Emergency Bandage, the super bandage  credited with saving the life of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords after she was shot,   Krav Maga an Israeli hand to hand combat system has been ranked as one of Israel’s 64 most enduring contributions to life on the planet.

What is there about Krav Maga that has earned such respect and awe?  The fact that it is used by the IDF, the Mosad, and the Shin Bet undoubtedly endows it with a mark of distinction.  The fact that the CIA, FBI, U.S. Marshals, police and SWAT teams have adopted it as part of their personal combat arsenal lends it the credibility it deserves.

But most of all the reason it is so respected is because it is considered the world’s most devastating self defense system.  It is a “no frills” combat system involving elements of striking, wrestling and grappling.  The philosophy behind Krav Maga is self defense in face of an attack. Once activated, it combines threat neutralization with aggressive defensive and offensive maneuvers.   

Its purpose is to defeat unarmed attackers, resolve ground fights and deal with knives and guns.  It is gender neutral offering the same type and level of training to men and women.

The goal of Krav Maga is winning a fight as quickly and convincingly as possible.  All attacks are aimed towards the most vulnerable parts of the aggressor’s body.  It is not a sport and it doesn’t observe rules.  The object is to walk away as quickly as possible leaving your opponent on the ground and incapable of continuing their attack.

One of the methods employed is “using the nearest tool for the job” - using your limb that is closest and most adaptable to inflicting the initial response to an attack. 

Unlike martial arts with which it is commonly confused, Krav Maga has no sporting Federation or costume and courtesies like removing footwear are not part of its combat culture.  While there are organizations that recognize achievement through rank badges, levels and colored belts, these are by no means strictly adhered to.   Krav Maga has no niceties and virtually no protocol.  It isn't about kata's and fancy moves. As one instructor noted, "if it looks great, it's probably not Krav Maga".

This week through June 22, Israel Military Products is running a BUY 1 get 1 FREE sale on all krav maga T-shirts.  Show your affinity to the State of Israel and your appreciation of its defense forces  by wearing a Krav Maga T shirt proudly.  

                  http://www.israelmilitary.com/krav-maga-t-shirt-p-1017.aspx

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Source: israelmilitary.com via Israel Military on Pinterest

Source: israelmilitary.com via Israel Military on Pinterest

Source: israelmilitary.com via Israel Military on Pinterest

Source: israelmilitary.com via Israel Military on Pinterest

Photogenic Man

'Ridiculously Photogenic Guy,' Zed Little, goes viral online

New York - A man called Zed Little from New York City has become an Internet sensation. He was nicknamed "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy" after someone snapped a photo of him at the 35th Annual Cooper River Bridge Run in South Carolina.

The guy is unbelievable. After a long run, you would expect beads of sweat and expressions of the agony of pure exhaustion on his face. But he flashes a toothpaste ad smile, as though he were posing for the cover of Esquire Magazine.

The photo, according to Mashable, was captured by Will King, a 28 year-old systems analyst at the Medical University of South Carolina, and posted on Reddit. The photo was quickly voted up to the site's front page.

Will King said: "I didn't think overall the picture was that great, but I knew that he looked good, so I went ahead and uploaded it."

According to Charleston City Paper, one of King's friends on Facebook commented on the picture, saying, "I dub this Ridiculously Photogenic Guy." King shared the photo on Reddit with an explanation of his friend's comment. He posted the photo to Reddit around lunchtime on Tuesday, and within an hour, it had received 300,000 views, and soon, over 1.2 million hits, with people adding their own captions.
Charleston City Paper reports Little grew up in Charleston, went to College of Charleston, and worked in a local restaurant for four years. According to Charleston City Paper, he finished the race in a "respectable 47 minutes and 16 seconds placing him at 242nd place in his division."

MSNBC reports Little is 25 years old and now resides in New York City. He relocated to the city in May last year. He is in marketing and advertising but he had worhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifked as sous chef for several years (at Charleston). His former co-workers describe him as a "good employee" and they call him by another nickname MSNBC does not mention.

ABC News reports Little's Dad, said: “Oh, I’m excited for him. Yeah, I mean he’s always been very quiet and very conscientious and never wanted any attention, and I think he’s very much deserving of it.”

MSNBC reports Little joked in a post linking to Reddit about his sudden fame: "What the? I'm officially famous. I...I dunno. This is bizarre. Funny stuff."
King, who took the photograph, says he has exchanged messages with Little but "he wants to lay low for now."

Read article here.

Israeli Army Dream Job

If you could serve in the Israeli army what position would you have?

Top 5 reasons segregation in Jerusalem is not like the Old South

By Sharon Altshul of the Real Jerusalem Streets

The first month of Israel Apartheid Week has ended (that is not a typo) and a new threat of the Global March to Jerusalem (GMJ) is looming. The comparison of the Arab situation in Jerusalem to that of the blacks in the southern United States is now becoming the most dangerous Israel de-legitimization technique. It is a slur much more subtle than apartheid and BDS, so easier to promote. It firmly sets the Israelis as “white, colonial occupiers” over the “oppressed, black underclass” in the minds of the masses.

Black slavery in the United States ended in 1865 after the Civil War; however, the Civil Rights Act, which guaranteed equal rights, was only passed into law in 1964, almost 100 years later. The real Freedom Riders, civil rights activists (including blacks and Jews), rode the interstate buses into the segregated southern United States in 1961. Martin Luther King Jr. led his famous March on Washington in 1963. I do not vividly recall those events, but I grew up in the South as segregation was ending and I want to share with y’all five reasons why segregation in Jerusalem is not the same. Please see for yourself.

True story: In the 1950s a New York man traveling with his business group checked into a motel for the night in a small Alabama town. In the middle of the night someone began pounding on the door. It was the proprietor of the establishment who called out a very Jewish- sounding name. “Yes, that is me”, the surprised man answered. “Well,” said the owner, “didn’t you see the sign, ‘No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs?’ Get your things and get out!” The man’s widow does not know if he got his money back, but he did change his name to a less Jewish-sounding one before his next trip south.

In Jerusalem there are signs on some stores that say “MEN” and some store signs say “WOMEN.”

However, the sign at the entrance of the old Hadassah Hospital is written in stone:


In English, Hebrew and Arabic, “FOR ALL RACES AND CREEDS.”

Today there is no sign needed at Shaare Zedek Hospital or any other
Israeli hospital. There is no sign of segregation in staff or with patients.

In the Old South, blacks had to sit in the back of the bus by law.


Arab women in Jerusalem today seem to prefer to sit in the front of bus, and they do so on a regular basis, for there are no “white-only” buses.

There may be plenty of problems with the new Jerusalem light rail trains and system, but they are certainly not segregated.

Public places and parks are not segregated like in the Old South.

The public toilets in the parks are not segregated either, but they are difficult for the disabled to use and definitely could use improvement.

In the Old South, blacks were not allowed to eat in a white eating establishment. You could never expect to see a black person sitting at a street cafe, girls at lunch a table in a large public place.


We may not live in the Utopian world the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development strives to promote. But to compare Israel to the Old South is a dangerous distortion that must be strongly refuted and now.

Original Article can be found here.
To visit the Real Jerusalem Streets please visit here.

Arab media conflicted over Toulouse attack

Mohammed Merah's murderous shooting on Ozar Hatorah Jewish School in France on Monday has sparked controversy on the Arab media. Many reporters and bloggers have voiced their opinion about the deadly attack, and while some strongly condemn it, others draw comparisons between Toulouse and Gaza.

In the article, he wondered why the world was enraged by the murder of the four Israelis is Toulouse, while the incident in which three French soldiers were killed in southern France was put on the backburner. He claimed that it was because two of the soldiers were Muslim of Moroccan decent and the third from Antilles.

One Algerian journalists, known for his anti-Israel rhetoric, wrote an article titled: "Israeli blood is always worth more."

He went on to criticize the global attitude towards Israeli Air Force strikes on Gaza Strip compared with the shooting in Toulouse, slamming global media for neglecting to cover the "barbaric" death of dozens of Palestinian victims in Gaza, including children.

The writer mentioned the American soldier who shot and killed 16 Afghan citizens last week, saying that Washington made do with a laconic message calling the incident "unfortunate."

According to the Algerian reporter, "The Zionist lobby's influence managed to buy the protection of senior politicians and media figures across the world. They began to see things only from the point of view of Tel Aviv and its ally Washington, in accordance to the logic of 'Israel's security,' 'anti-Semitism' and 'Islamic terrorism.'"

However the journalist did admit that the Arabs are somewhat to blame for their situation: "The last comment, sadly, is the disintegration of the spiritual unity of the Arabs and Muslims after their interests started to collide, and their patrons continue to grow in numbers. Eventually, we'll see that we are the reason for the cheapening of the Arab and Muslim blood," he wrote

There were, however, others who offered their condolences for the terrible events in France. One Algerian blogger published a picture of the Jewish victims and wrote: "The young rabbi was murdered with his two small children and another girl, in a crime that has all the elements of hate and anti-Semitism. God bless their souls."

the London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat, published an article called "The massacre in Toulouse," clearly stating that "if this is the action of a right-wing man with a Nazi orientation, then it’s a crazy act that shouldn't be called 'an anti-Semitic act' but 'an act against humanity.'

"If the killer is a violent Muslim extremist, then it's a crime against humanity and not just against the Jews, but also against Islam and Christians and against all the religions in the world," the piece noted.

Source: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4206269,00.html

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Israelis, Iranians Agree Via Facebook: 'We Don't Want War'

By Golnaz Esfandiari

March 19, 2012

Amid the drumbeat of war between Iran and Israel, an Israeli couple has launched an online peace campaign in an effort to reach out to Iranians and say no to a military conflict.

Forty-one-year-old graphic designer Ronny Edry and his partner, 36-year-old Michal Tamir, launched the initiative last week by posting pictures of themselves with their children on a Facebook page with a simple message: "Iranians, we love you. We don't want to bomb your country."

Edry wrote, "To the Iranian people, to all the fathers, mothers, children, brothers, and sisters. For there to be a war between us, first we must be afraid of each other. We must hate. I'm not afraid of you. I don't hate you. I don't even know you. No Iranian ever did me harm."

When he sometimes sees "an Iranian" on television talking about war, he wrote, "I'm sure he does not represent all the people of Iran… If you see someone on your TV talking about bombing you… be sure he does not represent all of us. To all those who feel the same, share this message and help it reach the Iranian people."

Virtual 'Boxing Ring'

In an interview with RFE/RL, the couple said their idea was to create a virtual "boxing ring" where, instead of fighting, one opponent would reach out with both hands to "the other side."

Tamir said it didn't take long for the other side to respond with "moving" messages that made her cry.

"In the last 24 hours, Iranians from inside Iran have been posting on the [Facebook page] pictures of their faces, sometimes half a face and sometimes their reflection through mirrors," Tamir says. "They don't want to be exposed. They...upload in the same format, which is: 'Israelis, we will never bomb your country. We love you.' "

​​Facebook users inside Iran are afraid that any open contact with the Jewish state could result in spying charges against them. Iran does not recognize Israel and Iranian citizens are banned from traveling to Israel.

Some of the pictures posted by Iranians appear to be from those living outside the country who are not afraid of reprisal.

The couple, who have since begun a new Facebook page called "Israel Loves Iran," have also launched a blog and say they have received many private messages from Iranians who have asked them not to make their names or profiles public.

'Reunion Of Brothers And Sisters'

One message from a person in Tehran that the couple posted anonymously reads, "Some people said this is start of a friendship between two countries but I say (based on the two countries' history) this is reunion of brothers and sisters who lost each other over time and finally find each other."

Another Iranian woman wrote that she wanted to ensure Israelis that Iranians just want "peace and beauty on the Earth."

"We hate war and slaughter. We all are the parts of one body and it hurts when you see a human suffering, since she or he is a part of your soul," she wrote.

'Say It Out Loud'

Tamil says the page has brought down "a wall" and now people from both sides can communicate directly and bypass politicians.

​​She says social media has empowered people like her and allowed her to raise her voice against "a war no one wants."

The couple plans to try and raise money to take the campaign beyond Facebook, possibly onto billboards so it can reach a wider audience.

Edry says he hopes it will eventually impact decisionmakers.

"It's our duty as the people to change the minds, to say out loud that we don't want it," Edry says. "For so many years, we are so afraid of just talking and they are saying the war is coming and the Iranians are going to bomb us and the Israelis are going to bomb back and everybody is afraid and waiting and no one says [anything].

"We just have to say it out loud: We don't want this war. Israelis and Iranians we have no beef one with each other."

What do you think of this initiative? Post your comments below.

Original Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/israel_iran_facebook_war/24521063.html

Tsunami survivors learn to cope with tragedy through help of IsraAID

Tears run down the face of Kohata Yuriko as she recalls the events of March 11 last year, when a massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of eastern Japan in the early afternoon.

Shopping for groceries in the small fishing town of Iwanuma, she heard the tsunami sirens.

Realizing she had little time, Yuriko collected her son and 93-year-old father and fled. As her foot hit the gas pedal, she could hear the horrible noise of the wave as it came crashing through the neighborhood.

Later that day, Yuriko learned that a grandmother and her grandson, a good friend of her son’s, perished in the neighboring house as the tsunami smashed into it. Upon hearing the news, her son started to cry.

“Thank you mom,” he said again and again. “Thank you for coming back for me.”

Through an interpreter, Yuriko says she still cries all the time when she’s alone.

“I’m so stressed and nervous that I can hardly breathe,” she says.

But with the assistance of volunteers and post-trauma experts from the Israeli nongovernmental organization IsraAID, she is beginning to learn to cope with the tragedy.

Yuriko is sitting on the floor of a caravan converted into a community center in one of the temporary housing sites built to accommodate the tens of thousands of tsunami survivors who lost their homes to the wave. Helped by the aid workers she dances, bangs on drums, laughs and smiles — and then, asked to choose from a pile of special cards used as psychotherapeutic tools, she begins to cry.

It is the first time since the disaster that she has cried in front of someone, and Yuriko is apologetic. She has been unemployed for nearly a year, shares a cramped temporary housing unit with her father, husband and son, and constantly feels like she is about to faint from anxiety.

“It’s OK to cry,” says Judy Spanglet, an Orthodox Israeli social worker and family therapist who has worked with trauma victims all over the world. “It’s perfectly normal. Let it out. You have been so busy worrying for and taking care of other people that you have forgotten to think of yourself.”

Yuriko lets out a big smile; suddenly she seems relieved.

“Thank you for listening,” she says, sighing. “Until now I didn’t really have anyone I could speak to.”

The Japanese government has worked to clean up the material damage from the tsunami and find housing for those it left homeless. The government has been less determined in providing survivors with needed psychological support. A number of volunteer groups, most of them Japanese, have worked to fill that hole, running community-based support programs focused mainly on fun activities for children and the elderly. A few, however, have dug in deeper.

IsraAID, a humanitarian organization funded by a number of North American Jewish federations, is one of them. Arriving in Japan shortly after the disaster, IsraAID’s small team of volunteers has supplied medical relief items, provided training to handle post-traumatic stress disorder and organized art, music, movement and drama therapy sessions for residents of the many small towns devastated by the tsunami.

‘The main idea behind our activities is to supply the Japanese with the therapeutic tools and the know-how to help them deal with the trauma themselves’

The sessions, which utilize a mostly nonverbal approach to help people express their feelings, have been so successful that IsraAID is now planning to operate a training center for at least another year and a half. The NGO was honored for its work recently by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in New York.