The Israeli Defense Force (IDF-Israeli Army) thwarted an attempt yesterday by "Palestinian" terrorists to kidnap yet another IDF soldier. The attempt was made near the Kissufim crossing just outside southern Gaza. Four terrorists early Saturday afternoon drove an armored jeep labeled "TV," blew a hole in the security fence surrounding Gaza and approached an IDF position posing as journalists. The terror cell rammed an IDF command jeep and, using RPG's, grenades and other weapons, opened fire on soldiers in the area. In the ensuing battle, IDF forces managed to kill one of the four terrorists - nineteen-year-old Mohammed Jaabari - who became separated from the terror cell and attempted to hide in the surrounding area. Jaabari's location was discovered through the help of the IDF's canine unit after he shot dead the dog that had spotted him. The other three terrorists escaped back into Gaza.

Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out jointly with the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. "The aim of the operation was to withdraw with the soldier in captivity," said Abu Ahmed, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad, but the participation of Israeli helicopters prevented that."

An Israeli researcher has developed and successfully tested a new device to combat glioblastoma mulitforme (GBM), the most common and aggressive type of brain cancer. Professor Emeritus Yoram Palti Haifa's Technion Institute said that in tests on ten cancer patients over the past year, his device has more than doubled the median overall survival rate of GBM patients. The overwhelming success of tests has prompted twelve cancer centers in the US and another eight in Europe to initiate large-scale studies of the method.

Palti's device consists of small nodes that are attached to the scalp and use electrical fields to kill the cancer cells by interfering with the division of the cells, thereby arresting the growth of the tumor. The nodes are powered by a small battery pack, allowing patients to undergo constant treatment while going about their daily lives. Unlike chemotherapy, there are no side-effects.

Israel's latest eye in the sky, Ofek-7, blasted off at 2:40 a.m. Monday from the Palmachim Air Force Base, south of Tel Aviv, under the watchful gaze of Professor Chaim Eshed, head of the Defense Ministry's Space Program. The satellite was launched using a “Shavit” rocket. Within two hours it was orbiting the earth and beginning to gather information. Yitzchak Nissan, CEO of Israel Aircraft Industries which created the new satellite, said all systems were running smoothly after the launch.

Ofek-7 is equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS), a central computer, gas tank and a telescope, among its other advanced components. It is expected to provide continuous intelligence and other information for the next four to six years.

The success of the launch is of special significance since OFEK-7 will provide information regarding Iran, among other targets of interest. "The satellite has advanced capabilities... which will significantly improve Israel's operational and intelligence capabilities," said a senior security official. The initial success is also especially important in light of the fate of its predecessor, Ofek-6, which crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. That failure came with a price tag of $80 million and several years' worth of anticipated intelligence information.

Hundreds of settlers and activists arrived at the evacuated West Bank settlement of Homesh on Tuesday. The trip was authorized by the army, and security forces accompanied the activists to the site. The event was organized by a number of rightist groups to mark forty years since the "liberation of Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, the West Bank and Gaza." Settlers last marched to Homesh at the end of April; seven settlers were detained during clashes with security forces at the time. "We call on the Israeli government to rebuild Homesh and Sa-Nur, and the rest of the northern Samaria and Gaza Strip communities in order to deal a blow to the enemies who are threatening Sderot and surrounding communities," leading religious Zionist rabbis said in a statement distributed ahead of Tuesday's march.

Nearly two-hundred youths from kibbutzim and Yesha settlements met Friday in Samaria (Shomron) for a first-time "anti-stereotype, getting to know you" session. The idea was the brainchild of Yoel Marshak, head of the United Kibbutz Movement's Special Activities Division. Six months ago, he phoned Bentzy Lieberman, head of the Shomron Regional Council, and the two began to discuss the merits of having the country's two ideological youth sectors get to know each other "in real life and not just based on what they see and hear on the television news." Yigal Dilmoni (Lieberman's assistant) explained, "Essentially, in the aftermath of the Second Lebanon War, we saw that these two groups were the country's two ideological groups - the way they both volunteered and offered help, and even, unfortunately, in the numbers of war casualties... The idea was to have them meet and erase the stigmas they have about each other."

Many preparatory sessions were held with teachers from both sides: "This was not simple for them, either," Dilmoni said. "They had to meet and get to know each other in advance. They also decided exactly how the meetings would proceed, what they would talk about, etc." Some kibbutz parents refused to have their children participate, because of their ideological opposition to any Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria. There were therefore somewhat fewer than 100 kibbutz 11th-graders who met with about one-hundred of their counterparts from Ulpanat (girls' religious high school) Lehava in Kedumim and the boys' Yeshiva High School in Karnei Shomron. "This was actually the first time the Education Ministry allowed schools to take their students past the Green Line," Marshak said. The boys and girls separated, and made their way in two large groups to visit hilltops and communities in Samaria. They visited the community of Itamar, as well as the Gideon Observation Point and the Avri Ran Farm. The daughter of Gilad Zar, the regional security officer who was murdered by Arab terrorists in May 2001, explained to the girls why she and her family lives there, and about the historic and national bonds linking these sites with the Jewish People.

Afterwards, the four busloads of students returned to the schools, where they took part in workshops and discussion groups. Moshe Valach, a teacher of Jewish thought and civics in the Ulpanah, said that he welcomes the opportunity for his students to meet with other youth, and does not fear a "negative influence." "For one thing," he said, "this is not a religious-secular thing, but a right-left meeting... In addition, I relish the chance to have my students come to me with questions that they say they were unable to answer, and we work on them in order to broaden their education. I see this as a lever towards better learning." "It is important for kibbutz youth to get to know the other side," Marshak said from the girls' high school in Kedumim, "and to see what it's like here. They were never here before! We want to create bonds between all parts of the nation; we are brothers, one people."

The Tzemach Institute has joined forces with the Christian Friends Of Israeli Communities (CFOIC) in planning a special tour of the heartland of biblical Israel. Join us as we explore Israel from a genuine Biblical Zionists perspective. Meet the people who are continuing the Biblical narrative in the Land today. See for yourself how ancient prophesies are being fulfilled. Discover how you too can participate in the ongoing process of Biblical Redemption. Join us for an opportunity of a lifetime, to see the real Israel from the viewpoint of those who are living the Bible today. The experience will change your life. The tour has been coordinated with Sondra Baras of CFOIC and will be guided by Associate Pastor Jon Klein [pictured left].
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