Tisha B’Av, the Ninth of Av ....
30 July 2022
On the 16th of July 2022 Israel entered a period known as “The Three Weeks.”
These three weeks began with the fast of “the 17th of Tammuz,” on which they commemorate five different tragedies. The mourning culminates on Tisha B’Av, the Ninth of Av (the day the First and Second Temples were destroyed).
This will occur on the 6th and 7th of August in 2022.
While certain mourning customs begin on the 17th of Tammuz, others begin on the first day of the month of Av and continue through Tisha B’Av. The Three Weeks are often referred to as “Bein Hametzarim” which can be translated as “The period of troubles.” The period of time between the beginning of Av and Tisha B’Av is more simply known as “The Nine Days.”
The Three Weeks are considered to be an especially inauspicious time.
This is not only true right back from the biblical and Talmudic era, but even in modern times too.
For example, the Jewish expulsions from England, France, and Spain took place during this time. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne — which sparked World War I, and by extension, was the seed of World War II and the Holocaust — took place on Tisha B’Av itself.
Many other historical sorrows occurred; The Twelve Spies sent by Moses to observe the land of Canaan returned from their mission. Only two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, brought a positive report, while the others spoke disparagingly about the land.
The First Temple built by King Solomon was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC, and the population of the Kingdom of Judah was sent into the Babylonian exile. The destruction began on the 7th of Av (2 Kings 25:8) and continued until the 10th (Jeremiah 52:12).
The Second Temple built by Ezra and Nehemiah was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, scattering the people of Judea and commencing the Jewish exile from the Holy Land.
The Romans subsequently crushed Bar Kokhba's revolt and destroyed the city of Betar, killing over 500,000 Jewish civilians on August 4, 135 AD. Following the Bar Kokhba revolt, Roman commander Quintus Tineius Rufus ploughed the site of the Temple in Jerusalem and the surrounding area, in 135 AD.
More was to come; The Jews were expelled from England on July 18, 1290 (Av 9,).The Jews were expelled from France on July 22, 1306 (Av 10), AM 5066). The Jews were expelled from Spain on July 31, 1492 (Av 7) Germany entered World War I on August 1–2, 1914 (Av 9–10), which caused massive upheaval in European Jewry and whose aftermath led to the Holocaust.
On August 2, 1941 (Av 9), SS commander Heinrich Himmler formally received approval from the Nazi Party for "The Final Solution." As a result, the Holocaust began during which almost one third of the world's Jewish population perished.
On July 23, 1942 (Av 9)), began the mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto, en route to death camp Treblinka. The AMIA bombing, of the Jewish Community Centre in Buenos Aires, killed 85 and injured 300 on July 18, 1994 (10 Av).
Then the utterly disastrous 2005 Israeli disengagement from Gaza,fell on the evening of Tisha Báv 13 August, uprooting 900 Jews from 21 settlements, leaving many homeless to this very day. PM Ariel Sharon who ordered the evacuation subsequently suffered an enormous stroke from which he never recovered, and category 5 Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans on 29 August causing a similar evacuation of many and reducing homes to rubble killing 1.833 people and displacing thousands permanently.
Considering the turmoil engulfing our planet in these last days one wonders what this year’s Tisha Báv will hold?
IDF unveils Hamas sites to be targeted in future Gaza conflicts.......
30 July 2022
Hamas terrorist tunnels are shown underneath a Pepsi factory and a UNRWA school in Gaza.
The IDF believes that legitimizing its actions even before a war would provide it with more freedom of action when conflict breaks out in the Gaza Strip.
After countless operations in the Gaza Strip where the army failed at legitimizing its actions, the IDF has published several military sites used by Hamas in the heart of urban areas.
The sites, including a weapons warehouse next to Shifa Hospital as well as several mosques, will likely be targeted in a future conflict between the two sides.
The IDF has been highly criticized during military operations in the densely populated Gaza Strip, both abroad and in Israel. During last year’s 11-day Operation Guardian of the Walls, the military was condemned for a strike that targeted the 12-story al-Jalaa tower in Gaza City, which housed AP’s offices, among others.
Now the targets have been exposed for all to see. A brilliant strategic move.
PA leader Abbas blasts Biden Middle East visit as ‘Big Zero’ for Ramallah.....
July 29, 2022
The Palestinian Authority accuses Israel of sabotaging ‘two-state solution’
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas reportedly blasted U.S. President Joe Biden’s recent visit to the Middle East as a “big zero” for the P.A. and the Palestinian population in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The American president reportedly assured Abbas of his commitment to the “two-state solution” during a meeting in Bethlehem on July 15.
However, the Lebanese pro-Hezbollah news outlet Al Akhbar reported that Abbas was surprised and disappointed that the P.A. did not receive anything tangible from Biden that could be presented as progress in the dispute with Israel.
Abbas reportedly shared his frustration about the engagement during a subsequent meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
Iran building new Nuclear Research Reactor in Isfahan – IAEO
30 July 2022
Iran is building a new nuclear research reactor at a nuclear facility in Isfahan, Iranian Atomic Energy Organization head Mohammad Eslami announced on Wednesday, according to Iranian media.
The research reactor, which will be able to test fuel for other reactors, will be built at the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre, one of the country's largest nuclear facilities. Eslami stated that the project is "completely indigenous and Iranian."
This, as Iran freely and boldly enriches Uranium to within levels for weapon grade material.
US aircraft carrier group heads towards Taiwan as tension over Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit continues to grow .....
29 July 2022
The USS Ronald Reagan and its escorts left Singapore on Monday sailing northeast, according to the South China Morning Post ship tracking information. The ship’s deployment comes after Beijing warned it would ‘take strong measures’ if the US house speaker visits the island
If House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) follows through on her planned trip to Taiwan, the US military will beef up security in case a 'mishap, misstep or misunderstanding' endangers her safety, AP reports.
While the trip is still an uncertainty, officials say that the military would 'increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region, though they declined to go into further detail - aside from noting that fighter jets, ships, surveillance assets and other military systems would be used 'to provide overlapping rings of protection' for her flight, and any time she spent on the ground.
[O]fficials said this week that a visit to Taiwan by Pelosi — she would be the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to visit Taiwan since 1997 — would go beyond the usual safety precautions for trips to less risky destinations.
Asked about planned military steps to protect Pelosi, D-Calif., in the event of a visit, U.S. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that discussion of any specific travel is premature. But, he added, “if there’s a decision made that Speaker Pelosi or anyone else is going to travel and they asked for military support, we will do what is necessary to ensure a safe conduct of their visit. And I’ll just leave it at that.” -AP
(Just like Milley's assurance to Trump that "We've got a plan and we've got it covered" in regards to January 6th?)
On Thursday Biden engaged in a telephone conversation with Xi of China, who berated him and told him he was “playing with fire” having Pelosi visit Taiwan...Joe took his dressing down in a passive manner showing great weakness as he did. Can you imagine Xi speaking to Trump in this way?
Israel bans use of cash for purchases larger than NIS 6,000......
July 29, 2022
Cash deals exceeding 6,000 NIS will be illegal, as part of the effort to fight against money laundering and criminal activity.
A new law is set to take effect in Israel starting August 1 that will ban payments of large sums of money in cash and bank cheques. The goal of the reform, according to a statement issued by Israel’s Tax Authority, is to fight organized crime, money laundering and tax non-compliance.
Under the new law, any payment to a business above 6,000 NIS ($1,700) must be made using alternative methods, such as a digital transfer or a debit card.
The noose is tightening.
World News Briefing...with Brian Perez and Craig Hawkins. 28 July 2022