Gavriel Dan, Author at Israel Rising

November 27, 2016November 28, 2016

BREAKING NEWS: First Direct Battle Between Israel and ISIS on the Golan

In what is being billed as the first direct clash between Israel and ISIS, the Shuhada al-Yarmouk organization, which has pledged allegiance to ISIS, lost a number of fighters after exchanging fire with the IDF. The terror organization fired on IDF soldiers and after an exchange of gunfire, Israel’s airforce destroyed the gunman’s vehicle, killing all of the assailants.

The escalation, although minor in scope presents the first time affiliates of ISIS entered into a direct confrontation with Israel. Either this was a trial balloon or the collapsing caliphate has decided to open a front against Israel. Given the fact that it is strethced thin due to increasing Russian bombardments and Srian government forces pushing back its fighters, it would be strange that it would want to waste fighters on a much more formidable Israeli arm.

Then again, Israel is a perfect target to distract from ISIS’s weakening position. By attacking Israel it may be able to rally the Sunni street to its side.

One senior officer stated: “We don’t know all the outcomes of the event. There is great probability there are four dead and the heavy machine gun was destroyed. The terrorists are from Shuhada al-Yarmouk, with all the significance that organization’s name carries. The Israeli forces didn’t lie in ambush by chance.”

The Israeli government wasted no time showcasing the incident and the army’s response.

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu said, “I want to commend our soldiers who pushed back against the attack carried out against us. We are prepared against any enemy that threatens us on our northern border, and do not give ISIS a foothold for their war in Syria.”

Will Shuhada al-Yarmouk attack again? Was this is a test ballon? It is too early to give a clear answer to these questions. However, one thing is for sure, ISIS is not going to sit back and be destroyed nor will it be wished away as if it is the bogey man. Sooner or later as Syria continues to sprial out of control, Israel will have to root out and defeat ISIS with or without intenational help.

November 23, 2016November 23, 2016

Can Anyone Stop Erdogan From Becoming Turkey’s Sultan?

Well we all knew it had to get to this point. Turkey’s wanna be sultan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has put forth a wide ranging bill backed by conservatives in Turkey’s parliament that would centralize power behind the office of president even more. If the measure passes in the coming months it will head to a national referendum in order to amend the constitution. In the proposed amendment, Erdogan will be able to stay in power until 2029 making him a defacto dictator or in his parlance sultan.

ISIS is Not Going Anywhere

Erdogan has been identified as one of the main backers of ISIS. He supplied them multiple avenues to smuggle weapons and fighters in Iraq and Syria and he and his family bought oil directly from ISIS. All of this was a strategy that created chaos with the direct purpose of giving Turkey a reason to expand its holding in these areas. Only Turkey has the resources and is in proximity to be able to stabilize the area. This is why Turkey is in northern Syria and Mosul.

Tensions with Israel Will Continue to be Strained

While its true Erdogan signed off on the rapprochement deal with Israel, an emboldened Erdogan will see things very differently. Expect the relationship to contnue to be rocky between Israel and Turkey as long as Erdogan is at the helm. Of course the military and business sector may step in and force Erdogan to play nice with Israel’s government, but there is no guarantee they will have the leverage they need.

The Kurdish Uprising is Guaranteed

If the constitution is amended the 10 million Kurds inside Turkey will have no other recourse than to rebel. After all it is the Turks that arrived late on the scene from the east, occupying what has been Kurdish land for thousands of years. With Russian backing below the radar, the Kurds are set to make the new sultan’s life a living hell.

With all of the above on the line, it is no surprise why Erdogan demands changes to the UN.

“There are so many countries. There are five permanent members of the Security Council and one of those five permanent members can make a decision that binds the rest of the world. That is not fair, that is not just,” Erdogan said. “To achieve international peace and security, it’s going to be very difficult, and perhaps fail if the United Nations is not restructured”

Perhaps that is the only thing Israel and Turkey see eye to eye on.

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November 15, 2016

As the Nations Gather Against Jerusalem, the Almighty Smashes New Zealand with a Tsunami

It isn’t everyday when one gets to witness divine retribution. Although no one should seek joy in another’s sorrow, the idea of a tsunami hitting New Zealand just hours after John Kerry was there trying to convince the government to come on board for a final move against Jerusalem is far too obvious to ignore.

“It is a conversation we are engaged in deeply and we’ve spent some time talking to Secretary Kerry about where the US might go on this. It is something that is still in play,” Murray McCully the Foreign Minister of New Zealand said after his meeting. He even indicated that New Zealand itself could table the resolution. A few hours after that meeting, the tsunami struck.

Our world is rapidly becoming undone. With three months left to Obama’s term, assume that he will try to divide Jerusalem at the UN. Yet, it is the Creator who will have the last laugh. If the timing of the tsunami is any indicator the nations will not succeed in dividing Jerusalem as it is fast becoming “a cup of poison” for them.

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November 3, 2016

Donald Trump Wins in Israel

With 30,000 absentee votes counted, exit polling suggests Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States, if American expats were the only ones deciding. Donald Trump wins the Israel primary with 49% of the vote.

Complete results of the exit poll, which includes state-by-state results, will be given out on Thursday. This exit poll was taken from Monday to Wednesday of this week. It included 1,140, and has a 3% margin of error.

Surprisingly voting was down in Israel compared to years past.

“I think that a lot of people expressed a lack of enthusiasm about either candidate,” Eitan Charnoff, iVoteIsrael executive director stated. “It will be interesting to see if that is reflected in the voting in the US next week as well.”

The results were also very different from 2012. In the previous election, iVoteIsrael’s exit poll found that 84% of Americans in Israel voted for Republican Mitt Romney and 14% voted to reelect US President Barack Obama.

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October 26, 2016

UNESCO Does it Again…Should We Be Surprised

UNESCO is on a roll and continues to pass resolutions aimed at undermining the Jewish conenction to the Land of Israel. The latest resolution passed today refers to Jerusalem in connection to Islam only roiling the Israeli government.

Danny Danon, the Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations said the following:

“UNESCO embarrassed itself by marching to the tune of the Palestinian pipers. All attempts to deny our heritage, distort history and disconnect the Jewish people from our capital and our homeland are doomed to fail.”

The real question is not if the UNESCO vote matters or has teeth, none of these don’t, but with the voting membership clearly Arab what kind of impact does a clearly rigged vote really have?

One possiblity is that it lays the groundwork for the UN Security Council to take decisive action after the Novemebr 8th election. With 13 days and counting the UNESCO resolutions maybe the ammunition Obama will use to justify a non-veto in the Security Council.

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