What Happens On Friday 24th of July in Israel

 Nadene Goldfoot

My Israel AM is loaded with important news about Israel right from the newspapers there.  I'm sharing all the events with you:         

                                                 Benayahu Melet

Two Israelis were killed in a shooting attack in northern Samaria today. Benayahu Melet, a 32-year-old father of two and member of the Havat Gilad alert squad, the alert squad (civil defense/emergency response team) of the West Bank farm outpost of Havat Gilad responded to a violent confrontation near the Palestinian village of Tell on July 24, 2026, resulting in a fatal clash where squad member Benayahu Mellet and an IDF officer were killed after a rifle was seized.                                             

 Major Yuval Ezra, 27, a commander in the Artillery Brigade, from Herzliya. 

They were attempting to protect a group of Israeli hikers confronted by a dozen Palestinians near a mosque on the outskirts of the village of Tell.

 The terrorist grabbed a gun from a member of the security team and fired, killing Melet and Ezra and wounding 2 others.

 The terrorist was later killed by troops. The Palestinian Health Ministry said four Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire and four others were wounded at the scene, three of them critically. 

IDF troops are preparing for extensive counterterrorism operational activity in the sector. To watch a video of the attack, click here.

 The Mossad said Thursday that Iran had attempted to infiltrate foreign operatives into Israel to assassinate senior Israeli figures. 

The plot was uncovered and thwarted through cooperation among Israeli and international intelligence and security services.

 According to the Mossad, Iran’s method involved recruiting criminal proxy networks, which in turn activated individuals already inside Israel or people capable of entering the country. Their task was first to gather intelligence on the intended target and later to carry out the attack. For more, click here.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said that any Israeli citizen found in Malaysia will be deported.

In response, a group of Republican lawmakers demanded a reassessment of Malaysia’s economic and security ties with the United States.   Malaysia envoy is summoned by US over Israel policy, Bernama says.  Just what is Malaysia, anyway?  Malaysia is a Southeast Asian country occupying parts of the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo. It's known for its beaches, rainforests and mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian and European cultural influences. The capital, Kuala Lumpur, is home to colonial buildings, busy shopping districts It borders with Singapore. It has been up to now that Individual Israelis go to Malaysia for private work, education, or tech programs using dual citizenship and foreign passports, rather than official state travel. Malaysia does not recognize Israel and bans Israeli passport holders.Israel did not ask Malaysia to change its stance or take Israeli passports; rather, the reverse situation occurred. Rumors spread online that dual citizens used non-Israeli passports to enter Malaysia, prompting Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to state that any Israeli citizens found in the country will be deported because Malaysia does not recognize Israel.

However, Ibrahim has now reiterated his position and stressed that pressure from the United States will not change it. Ibrahim said, “Malaysia is an independent country and we are free to express our views. Therefore, despite the threats, I will firmly defend the rights of Malaysians and the decision made by the Malaysian people to remain steadfast in banning the presence of any Israeli citizen in the country.”                                                   

Greece’s National Security Council today approved an historic deal to procure a multi-layered air defense system from Israel for €3.5 billion ($4 billion). Reuters reports that the deal will also include unmanned aerial vehicles.

The big question hanging over Israel (and anyone booked to fly there) on this Friday  is whether Iran will attempt to draw Israel back into the war by firing missiles. Let's pray that doesn't happen.  Shabbat Shalom.  

Reference:

AM:israel, 

Israeli newspapers

Looking Back: Anti Semitism in the 80's In Portland, Oregon

 Nadene Goldfoot                                            

During the 1980s, Portland experienced a visible rise in white supremacist and neo-Nazi activity, marked by the mainstreaming of racist skinhead groups, violent hate crimes, and deep-seated extremist organizing.  At the same time, Individual Israelis, such as Jewish educators and families, moved to Portland during the 1980s, while the city concurrently welcomed large waves of Southeast Asian, Soviet, and Ethiopian refugees.  

White Supremacist Networks: The Pacific Northwest and Portland became hubs for racist skinhead factions and organizations like White Aryan Resistance:  White Aryan Resistance (WAR) is a legacy white supremacist and neo-Nazi organization founded in 1983 by former Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon Tom Metzger. The group targeted young racist skinheads to promote neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic ideologies, eventually becoming inactive following a devastating $12.5 million civil rights lawsuit in 1990. (WAR). 
Shifting Housing: As economic pressures mounted, many Black
 families began moving outward toward East Portland and 
nearby Gresham in search of affordable homeownership.                                           

       Seraw was born October 21, 1960 In the early hours of Nov. 13, 1988, three white men brutally beat a young Black man. He died later that day.  
The Seraw Murder: In November 1988, Ethiopian student Mulugeta Seraw was beaten to death in Portland by members of a racist skinhead group called East Side White Pride, bringing national attention to the violent extremist pipeline active in the city. 
The murder of Ethiopian immigrant Mulugeta Seraw by neo-Nazi skinheads shocked Portland, but white supremacist violence had been roiling the city’s counterculture for years before the killing.  The hard-right ecosystem in 1970s Oregon laid the groundwork for the violent neo-Nazi skinhead movements that became highly visible in Portland during the 1980s.
In the 1980s, Black people in Portland, Oregon, centered their lives heavily in the Northeast Albina district, facing systemic challenges like predatory lending, racist violence, and early displacement. At the same time, the community maintained a rich culture and strong political activism


Ideological Targeting: Local neo-Nazi and white nationalist networks frequently blended anti-Black racism with foundational anti-Semitism, blaming Jewish people and minorities for societal issues.

          Portland State U students of 1980's In the 1980s,
Portland State University grew as an urban leader, reaching an enrollment of 15,000 students, opening the College of Urban and Public Affairs, and achieving legendary athletic feats like the 1980 record-breaking football season. 


Specific academic archives or prominent public records do not document a high-profile pattern of distinct anti-Semitic acts or riots centered specifically on the Portland State University campus during the 1980s.  That will come later.  
Reed College:
  
Judaic Studies: Formally added to the religion department curriculum in 1980 through the appointment of professor Steven E. Aschheim, focusing on modern Jewish history. 
Campus Climate: The 1980s at Reed were largely defined by routine liberal arts academics, student political debates typical of the late Cold War era, and general campus life without the specific acute anti-Semitism flashpoints recorded in later eras. ,                                   



Highlighted on the VIEW today was The Lost Boys is a 1987 American comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Jeffrey Boam, Janice Fischer, and James Jeremias. Based on a story by Fischer and Jeremias, it follows two teenage brothers who move with their divorced mother to the fictional California town of Santa Carla, which they discover is a haven for vampires.  I guess they had it harder than Jewish boys i fitting into society.  
Resource:
Jewish Federation of Portland
Moment magazine
https://jewishportland.org/jewishreview/jr-stories/antisemitic-violence-and-oregon-past-present-and-future

Saudies Deciding On What Is The Best Deal; Accords with Nuclear Energy Power or Palestinian statehood

 Nadene Goldfoot                                            

Saudis must recognize Israel for the nuclear deal to take place, says Trump. When the deal was announced Wednesday, neither the U.S. Energy Department nor the Saudi government made any mention of it being contingent on the kingdom's relations with Israel.

 People are reacting with a lot of worry over this and bring up 9/11 since he pilots from those planes were Saudis.  The View members on ABC were very upset and displayed having no knowledge at all as to why the USA was at war and didn't like it. Trump has said at several times it was because of Iran not being allowed to have uranium power for bombs, but this doesn't seem to connect with people as a good reason we are fighting them.   

Saudi Arabia has previously said it will not do so without the establishment of a Palestinian state, but the White House said the deal would be off if Riyadh did not join the Abraham accords.

Israel has welcomed Trump's statement.

Posting on X, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Saudi Arabia joining the accords "would be an historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East".

The statement did not mention the nuclear deal. However, Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat said previously his country "can manage it" if Saudi Arabia had nuclear power for peaceful means.

Others were more critical. Former Israeli defense minister Avigdor Lieberman, told the paper: "Every military nuclear program begins with a civilian one."

Israel itself is widely believed to have nuclear weapons, but it neither confirms nor denies that this is the case.

The US-Saudi deal is described as a "peaceful nuclear co-operation agreement" that will provide "great access for American companies in the Saudi nuclear energy programme" by the US energy department. The View expressed that money was the cause.  

Resource:

https://abc7ny.com/story/trump-adds-new-condition-saudi-nuclear-deal-says-kingdom-normalize-relations-israel/19564134/

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwye71yq8wwo

The Two Places Causing The Shadow to Fall Over Israel's Great Reputation irking It's Enemies

 Nadene Goldfoot

Israel at times has had to fight on 7 fronts.  The two most important and long lasting has been Gaza with Hamas terrorists and Lebanon with Hezbollah terrorists.  Throughout Israel's formation in May 1948, Israel as been attacked and on the defensive.  Even though they followed everyday uptodate legal procedure of being born into this world again to live in their ancient lands, their new neighbors refused to accept them.  The question of why fell upon them like a ton of bricks, and they did their most to change that, but as it turns out, came down to a fact surrounding religion, and by 1967, was really fighting for survival when they won the huge battle of all nations ganging up on them, and the feeling was that G-d was helping them. 

President Trump, the last man on earth I ever thought who could bring together many of the neighbors with Israel into peace created the Abrahamic Accords, and had 4 counties join under his wing: United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. Countries who had already made peace were the closest to Israel: Jordan and Egypt. 

Iran, SO far away from Israel and so determined with their Shi'ite religion, have been determined to destroy Israel, so have used others as their revolvers of death.  That's how the Houthis got in the act and terrorists galore.  

So, where are we with the present day fight?     Lebanese army forces entered the southern town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya today after the IDF vacated the area, marking the first stage of a U.S.-brokered pilot arrangement intended to transfer control of parts of southern Lebanon to the Lebanese military.

 Under the framework, the Lebanese army is also expected to enter the villages of Froun and Srifa. Those villages lie outside the Yellow Line but remain under Israeli observation and fire control, without a permanent IDF ground presence. 

Military & Political Dominance of Hezbollah: The heavily armed Iran-backed militia commands a superior military and political force in the country. Any forceful attempt by the Lebanese state to disarm Hezbollah risks igniting another internal sectarian war.   The state lacks a formal declaration of war or the air defense capabilities required to challenge broader regional conflicts. Consequently, the army has withdrawn from multiple southern border positions to avoid heavy casualties and direct confrontations with better-equipped foreign forces.  Since Israel has had to be in there, they are gaining back their power as Israel fights Hezbollah.  

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is preparing for a historic White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, where he is expected to present a plan for disarming Hezbollah and press for a broader Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.   Lebanon's ability to stand up against Hezbollah without an Israeli presence is highly uncertain and threatens to spark an internal civil conflict. The Lebanese government and military are currently attempting to enforce a US-brokered framework agreement that requires disarming Hezbollah, but the militant group has rejected the deal and warned that any forced disarmament will lead to civil war.         

The IDF and Shin Bet announced the elimination of Adham Ibrahim Sha’aban Nasman, a senior Hamas commander who directed the Hamas infiltration from Gaza City during the October 7 2023 massacre and later took part in holding multiple Israeli hostages captive, including Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, Ziv and Gali Berman, Eitan Mor, Matan Angrest and Omri Miran. 

He was killed in an airstrike in Gaza over the weekend.   

Israeli forces currently maintain control over a significant portion of the Strip, with long-term goals surrounding security zones. In parallel, some proposals have floated building secure zones for housing, water, and power infrastructure to facilitate civilian resettlement and restart local economies. Various recovery frameworks are tied to the U.S.-led "Board of Peace," which is designed to oversee the day-to-day administration of Gaza by Palestinian technocrats while managing reconstruction and demilitarization.  The United Nations estimates that clearing an estimated 50 million tons of rubble will take up to 15 years and hundreds of millions of dollars. Some international backers and the Arab League have proposed phased recovery plans that begin with temporary housing and eventually move toward constructing a new port, airport, and economic zones.

Al-Hayya joined the Muslim Brotherhood in the early 1980s and Hamas in 1987.^] He participated in the First Intifada and was arrested and imprisoned by the IDF multiple times, spending three years in Israeli prisons. During the First Intifiada, Al-Hayya worked as a part-time teacher.

 Under its newly elected political chief Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas has outlined an agenda focusing on a complete Israeli withdrawal, securing international reconstruction funds without yielding total political influence, and resisting displacement. Al-Hayya has been a Hamas official for decades. He was regarded a close associate of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and has been described as "one of the few people whom Sinwar felt he could rely on."  

Hamas is facing intense pressure to surrender its arms as part of ongoing, US-brokered peace and ceasefire negotiations. Relinquishing their military arsenal is a central—and highly contentious—demand to achieve lasting stability in Gaza. 

How Israel Helps USA's Trump; Not Dictates What To Do

 Nadene Goldfoot                                             

According the Wall Street Journal, Israeli intelligence (Mossad, no doubt)  informed the U.S. that Iran transferred thousands of uranium-enrichment centrifuges into tunnels deep inside the Pickaxe Mountain site last fall after the 12-day war in June.                    

After the 2020 explosions near Natanz, Ali Akbar Salehi, then head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said that Iran would build a "more modern, spacious and comprehensive" facility inside a mountain near Natanz. Based on satellite imagery, excavation at Pickaxe Mountain began in the autumn of 2020 and intensified in 2021,

Pickaxe Mountain—known locally in Iran as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La—is located in central Iran. It is situated roughly one mile south of the heavily fortified Natanz uranium enrichment facility.  Pickaxe Mountain is located in the Zagros Mountains in Iran's Isfahan Province. It is situated roughly 1.5 kilometers south of the Natanz nuclear complex.

 The Natanz site, where two of Iran’s uranium enrichment plants are located, has been bombed before; during the war started by the US and Israel on 28 February, and during the 12-day war of 2025. 

The Twelve-Day June War was a direct armed conflict between Israel, the United States, and Iran that took place from June 13 to June 24, 2025. The war began when Israel launched surprise airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities. In response, Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones into Israel. 

The United States intervened on June 21, launching strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The conflict resulted in over 600 deaths in Iran and nearly 30 in Israel before a U.S.-brokered ceasefire ended the fighting on June 24, 2025.  Iran traditionally exaggerates numbers, so 600 might be less.  (there's that 21st, and I'm thinking of the coming November 21st and peace)

February 28, 2026, marks the outbreak of the 2026 Iran war following joint U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, military infrastructure, and leadership. The initial strikes, codenamed Operation Epic Fury by the U.S. and Operation Roaring Lion in Israel, resulted in the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

According to the Institute for Science and International Security, the underground complex is buried roughly 328 feet beneath the mountain, which rises more than 5,000 feet above sea level.

 President Trump has said recently that Pickaxe Mountain was a potential target for U.S. forces.

Official Pentagon photo of an F-15E “Strike Eagle,” like 

the 

one that was shot down over Iran yesterday. The F-15 was 

designed in the 1960s and went into service in the 1970s. 

(Air Force photo.)

When pressed about the facility, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday that the U.S. military has the capabilities to strike deeply buried targets.  “A lot of our capabilities are classified, but if anybody in the world can reach anything on God’s green earth, it’s the United States military, the most powerful military in the world,” Hegseth said. “It’s all about options and trade-offs.”

Trump is presented facts from Israel and knows it is true.  it never pays to give out false information whoever you are.  To be honest is to give all the facts, not leave anything out that you already know and are not sharing when asked.  That's a hard and dangerous action to follow, but otherwise, no one will trust you.  I've seen media leave out all sorts of important facts that could change a person's opinion.