Judea and Samaria Manufacturers Refuse to Put Discriminatory Labels on Products by Ahuva Balofsky - BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

The Jordan Valley. (Photo:Dickelbers/ BreakingIsraelNews)

Germany Demands Labels From Settlements Read "Occupied Territories"

By Ahuva Balofsky March 7, 2016   BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

“And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over the Jordan unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaster them with plaster.” Deuteronomy 27:2 (The Israel Bible™)

Israelis living in the Jordan Valley have vehemently refused to label their products as coming from “occupied territories”, sending a scathing letter to Germany’s ambassador, several media outlets reported. According to Israel National News, David Elhayani, head of the Jordan Valley regional council, was responding to a phone request from a German marketing company.

The German company, Gaia, contacted a local farmer, informing him that their clients would like a prominent label applied to Jordan Valley products, stating “the product was produced in territories occupied by the government of Israel.” This is accordance with new EU guidelines, set in November, which forbid products made beyond the pre-1967 borders of Israel to be labeled “Made in Israel”.

Elhayani, himself a farmer, dashed off an angry letter last week to German ambassador to Israel Clemens von Goetze. Calling the demand “discriminatory” and “politically motivated”, he refused on behalf of the community to comply.

Reminding the ambassador of his country’s Nazi past, Elhayani wrote, “We will not label any of our products. In our eyes the demand to label goods is equal to the demand from the dark and awful days of the past when Jews were labeled in Europe.”

The timing of the demand, Elhayani argued, also showed incredible insensitivity to the plight of Israelis today, coming as it does in the midst of a terror wave which has claimed the lives of 29 Israelis and 3 foreign nationals in the past five months. “The state of Israel in these days is dealing with a wave of violent and severe terror. This decision for the harmful demand by the European Union comes on the background of this serious reality – it’s simply scandalous.”

According to The Jerusalem Post, Elhayani told von Goetze that 60 percent of Jordan Valley residents rely on agriculture for the income, and 20 percent of the region’s exports go to Europe.

Elhayani’s comments echoed those of Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel Friday, who said this was not the first time Europe had chosen to label Jews. Ariel demanded the EU renounce its “wretched boycott decision”.

Judea and Samaria are the heartland of Biblical Israel, and Jewish settlements there represent the return, after 2,000 years, of a people in exile to its home. The EU claims its decision to label Israeli settlement goods stems from an unwillingness to support what it considers an illegal occupation, but agreements reached with other nations in similarly questionable positions belie the claim. Europe also announced recently its agreements with Israel will no longer be applicable beyond the so-called “green line”, another move decried by Israel.

The US has quietly followed Europe’s example, with the US Customs Department “reissuing” a 1995 order to label West Bank and Gaza products. In reality, however, the original order applied only to Palestinian-made products from those regions, whereas the current directive is being applied to Israeli-made products, as well. Violators are subject to stiff fines.

Israeli Judean Community: A Biblical Vision in Progress

By Tzippe Barrow

CBN News Internet Producer - Jerusalem

Thursday, September 17, 2015

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MITZPEH YERICHO, Israel -- Nestled in the barren hills of the Judean Desert, residents of a 35-year-old religious community have a new vision: to build a water park complete with ponds, trees, and foliage -- an oasis in the desert.

Residents of this friendly community envision the park supplementing the town's two main tourist attractions, bike trips, and jeep tours.

CBN News recently visited the yishuv (settlement) to see firsthand the small pond built mostly by the community's teens and young adults who, with some engineering help, managed to bring the water up to the pond.

Mitzpeh Yericho is less than a half hour drive east of Jerusalem in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), in territory the whole world demands Israel "give back."

From the town, you have a panoramic view of the Jordan Valley rift, the Dead Sea and Jericho, the sprawling city built on the ruins of ancient Jericho, scene of the Israelites' first great victory after the Lord commanded them to enter the Promised Land."

Watch a short video of Mitzpeh Yericho below:

The vision began about a year ago when resident Raanan Alexander noticed water flowing from a pipe near Mekerot's facility in the valley below his home. Mekerot is Israel's national water authority.

Alexander, his wife and two children, live in a small caravan on the outskirts of Mitzpeh Yericho. They were intrigued at the sight and soon noticed the bountiful flow taking place three times a day. It didn't take long for the news to reach the rest of the community.

Water is a treasured commodity in Israel and residents from north to south have a built-in appreciation for it. The rainy season usually begins around Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) in the fall and continues through early spring.

For the next five months or so, there's no rain. It's a long, hot, dry summer. When that first rain falls, everyone's excited, the trees and animals not the least. And when enough winter rains fall in the desert, it literally blooms.

One of the water engineers who surveyed the area told residents it came from a depth of about 300 meters and there's plenty of it. But because the Health Ministry hasn't weighed in on the new water source, Mekerot is throwing away hundreds of cubic meters of good quality water every day.

Now residents have gotten word to Deputy Speaker of the Knesset MK Betzalel Smutrich (Jewish Home Party), who liked hearing about it and asked for more information.

Scripture Fulfilled

But what really has many residents excited is seeing scripture fulfilled before their eyes. Isaiah 35 speaks of some of God's many promises to Israel.

"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

The parched ground shall become a pool and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of jackals, where each lay, there shall be grass with reeds and rushes." (Is.35:5-7)

The young people in this community grew up in a harsh environment, a small town in the midst of the desert, on the outskirts of a predominantly Arab city.

They were raised with a love of the Bible. There's a yeshiva (Torah seminary) in the town, and Bible study is part of the regular school curriculum.

Not surprisingly, these young adults are some of Israel's most exemplary soldiers, bright, creative, and willing to defend their families, friends, and homeland.

That's why they're glad to be part of creating something special with the "newfound" water.

A lot of work lies ahead for Mitzpeh Yericho residents. It won't be easy and it will be costly. But they believe it's worth it. They have a God-given vision.

CBN News - Netanyahu: EU's Criticism of Israel 'Hypocritical'

Netanyahu: EU's Criticism of Israel 'Hypocritical'

By Julie Stahl

CBN News Mideast Correspondent

Friday, January 17, 2014

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JERUSALEM, Israel -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chastised the European Union on Thursday for being what he called "hypocritical" in its criticism of Israeli building in biblical Judea and Samaria (aka, the West Bank).

Speaking to foreign journalists at the annual Government Press Office 'New Year's Toast with the Prime Minister' in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said Israel made a great sacrifice in releasing terrorists from jail as part of goodwill gestures to coax Palestinians back into U.S.-sponsored peace talks.  Everyone knew that in exchange Israel would continue building new housing units in Israeli communities in the disputed areas, he said.

"We're keeping in line exactly our understandings that we undertook in the beginning of the talks," Netanyahu said.

"It was very clear that Israel was doing something very, very difficult…to release these terrorists, but it was equally clear that Israel undertook no restraints on construction and it was understood," he said.

Netanyahu said that to say the Israeli building was hampering the talks they're forgetting it was part of the deal.  He added that the settlements are not an "obstacle to peace" and it's a "bogus claim" to say so.

"I think that this is hypocritical," he said.

"Our ambassadors to the EU are now called in because of this, the construction of a few houses. When did the EU call in the Palestinian ambassadors to complain about the incitement that calls for Israel's destruction? When did the Palestinian ambassadors get called in to hear complaints about the fact that security officers in the Palestinian security forces are participating in terrorist attacks against innocent Israelis?

"Palestinian state-run television, school books and other activities regularly teach children that Israel is the enemy and they should work to destroy it.  They also delegitimize Israel's right to exist but the international community doesn't complain about it.

"I think it's time to stop this hypocrisy. I think it's time to inject some balance and fairness into this discussion. Because I think this imbalance and this bias against Israel doesn't advance peace. I think it pushes peace further away," Netanyahu said.

"It tells the Palestinians: You can basically do anything you want, say anything you want, incite any way you want, and you won't be held accountable," he continued. "And Israel that takes tremendous efforts to preserve the peace and fight terrorism for the benefit of both Israel and Palestinians alike, it always gets criticized. That's not good and doesn't advance peace."

Netanyahu also said he'd had an "excellent" meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II on Thursday in Amman, where the two leaders discussed recent developments in the Israeli-Palestinian talks.

The relations between Israel and Jordan are based on peace and security, he said, and key to any agreement that Israel makes in the future.

"We all want to see the secure border, that quiet border that we have between us continue to be quiet and secure and tranquil," the prime minister said.

Palestinians want to take over the Jordan Valley between Israel and Jordan as part of a final agreement, but Israel (and some say Jordan) want Israel to remain there as a security buffer.

Obama is Planning On Selling Out Israel

Obama is Planning On  Selling Out Israel for Not  Allowing Foreign Soldiers to  Replace IDF Soldiers! As we speak, President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry are pressuring Israel to expel all Jews and IDF soldiers from the Jordan valley, otherwise Abbas and the Palestinian Authority will walk away from the peace talks and everyone will blame Israel  for its failure!  Yes, you heard right, Obama is planning on  BLAMING Israel for the failure of the peace talks if Israel  doesn't endanger itself by giving away the Jordan Valley  to the Palestinian Authority. This is just to keep Abbas  at the negotiating table. Absurd!  Otherwise, Obama will convince the world that the failure  of the peace talks is Israel's fault! Thank you for caring about Israel. Here is a new tool  we have developed for people like you to stay up-to-date  with important videos with the latest news in Israel.  Sign Up Here! Featured Video Click here to watch: NEVER AGAIN! Must-Watch- This might be the most powerful clip you ever see. Don't Miss any new episodes of "Joy of Israel" with Jamie Geller. Click here to sign up! Thank you for signing up to receive top Israel videos.  Enjoy our weekly newsletter of top Israel videos and  thank you for supporting Israel! 12Tribe Films works  hard to connect people with the Land of Israel. We  invite you to send us videos that you believe we  should promote - anything that helps people connect  with the Land of Israel and the Jewish people. All the Best,  Avi Abelow  avi@12tribefilms.org Recommended Facebook Links: * I Love Jerusalem * Israel in My Soul * I Love Jewish Music * 12tribefilms

Have Archaeologists Found Prophet Elisha's House?

By Chris Mitchell and Julie Stahl

CBN News Jerusalem Bureau

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Pat Robertson, 700 Club Founder

TEL REHOV, Israel -- During 16 years of excavating Tel Rehov in the Jordan Valley, archaeologists uncovered a 3,000-year-old, well-planned city.

They also found a unique building that might have been the house of Elisha the prophet.

Elisha and Elijah - prophets of God

"The house was full of objects of unique types… two pottery altars that were used for burning incense," archaeologist Ami Mazar told CBN News.

Altar

"We found there figurines, clay figurines. We found large vessels -- like big vessels that were probably used for serving food, not for just the nuclear family, but maybe for a larger community," he said.

Mazar also pointed out the unique structure of the house.

"Normally the houses had one entrance leading to a large space with rooms all around," he explained. "This house was divided into two wings. The two wings were connected to one another through the backroom and each one of the wings had an opening to the street."

Outside the backroom were incense altars that may have been used to make an offering to God before entering the house to hear the prophet's message.

Rooms in the evacuation

During the excavations, archaeologists discovered a special room inside the house with a table and a bench. They also discovered a pottery shard with the name Elisha on it, dated to the 9th century.

The discovery has led some to believe this was the room of the prophet Elisha.

"We found an ink inscription written in red ink on pottery, but it is broken unfortunately," Mazar said. "But we reconstructed the name as Elisha."

The prophet Elisha was born about seven miles from Tel Rehov in Avel Mehola and went throughout the kingdom of Israel, from Jericho to Samaria to Shunam.

Birthplace of Elisha - Avel Mehola

"You know I cannot say for sure this particular Elisha that we found is the biblical Elisha," Mazar said. "You know it's very difficult to say, but it is very tempting because it is exactly the period when Elisha acted -- the second half of the 9th century BC."

Archaeologist Stephen Pfann calls the evidence compelling.

"With only six other people by the name of Elisha known in that time for a couple of centuries on either side, we can somehow believe that either there was just the luck that this holy man was also by the name of Elisha, or this was Elisha the prophet himself," Pfann told CBN News.

Another discovery pointing to the prophet Elisha are two different inscriptions mentioning the family of Nimshi.

Nimshi family description

"We remember that it was Elijah who was told to anoint Jehu, the son of Nimshi, to be the king," Pfann explained. "And he passed that on to Elisha who sent out one of his disciples to finally do the anointing."

Another inscription with the same name Nimshi was found about five miles away.

"So I came to this idea that perhaps the entire valley of Beit Shean, this beautiful fertile valley [with] food, springs, water, [and] good land was perhaps under rule, perhaps, or property of this family," Ami said.

This family may also have had an unusual business: bee-keeping.

"Perhaps they were the owners of the apiary because one of [the] Nimshi inscriptions was found inside the apiary just between the hives," Pfann said.

Several years ago, archaeologists uncovered a strange installation.

"We saw that we have here a row of cylindrical, of clay cylinders. Each one of them is about 2-1/2 feet long and about 1 foot in diameter," Pfann continued. "We realized these must be bee hives."

This type of bee came from Turkey not Israel, indicating ancient trade relations between regions. They are the most ancient species of bees ever found in the world.

Many archaeologists shy away from drawing conclusions about the Bible, but some see it as a way of putting the pieces together.

"Archaeology is like a huge puzzle, you know, we add information from one excavation, a second excavation, a third excavation -- Meggido, Tel Rehov, Beit Shean…and together we bring it into a large picture, the large puzzle trying to decipher the material culture of the Israelites," Mazar explained.

For Cary Summers, who heads Nazareth Village, it's even more special.

Dr. Cary Summers

"Well, it's like any other archeological site, in essence…every scoop of dirt it proves the Bible, one scoop at a time. And this site is absolutely magnificent dealing with the prophet Elisha," Summers told CBN News.

In this day and age, he said, it's even more important.

"There is always the skeptic who says, 'Show me the proof' and 'When you have the proof.' Basically, [we have] the tile that [was] found here with the name [and] also just the excavation itself," Summers continued.

"It's one more proof for what we call the doubting world," he said.

"For God to allow this to be unearthed at this time, I think it is again another indication that we are to aggressively go forward with this kind of data, this kind of research, this kind of archaeological dig," Summers said.

The future of the site is uncertain because its mud bricks are deteriorating. Researchers hope, however, it can be preserved to help future generations understand the Bible.

Video of Elisha's House site on CBN News