Cpl. May Karen serves as a shooting instructor in the IDF Ground Forces. "I knew I wanted to become an infantry instructor even before enlisting," she says. IDF female shooting instructors go through an extensive course where they learn how to use different weapons and specialize in shooting techniques. They then teach combat infantry soldiers who will use it in battle.
By Tibbi Singer
Last Sunday night, a Palestinian woman arrived with her 12-day-old baby girl at an IDF post in the Benjamin region of Judea and Samaria. The infant was having trouble breathing and needed immediate first aid. Commanders from the Benjamin Regional Brigade explained that Palestinians in the region know that if they have a life-threatening emergency, they can come to the IDF post for assistance.
In a letter to IDF soldiers and commanders, the Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Gantz wrote, "Another year passed, another year of standing guard, of relentless, exuberant, hard work ensuring the security of Israeli citizens. A year passed and again we stand at Memorial Day ceremonies, by graves of fallen brothers, facing monuments with a endless and unfathomable rows of names of the fallen."
The Washington Post quoted a Republican congressional aide as saying that the House Armed Services Committee will propose the increase when it convenes next week to formulate the 2013 fiscal year's defense budget. There are currently four operational and actively deployed Iron Dome batteries in Israel, but "at least ten" are needed to defend the whole country.
Jerusalem’s Ammunition Hill museum and memorial were vandalized Sunday night with anti-Zionist slogans, two days before Israel’s Memorial Day.
Israeli Chief of Staff Major General Benny Gantz has ordered Israel Defense Force soldiers to ramp up their covert operations in enemy countries, according to an interview published in Israel’s Yediot Ahronot newspaper.
Aryeh Avner, Chairman of the Ometz (Citizens for Proper Administration and Social and Judicial Justice) movement has complained to Israel's Defense Minister Ehud barak that "According to information reaching the Ometz movement, there has been an increase in the phenomenon where IDF soldiers are forced to listen to talks by rabbis on religious matters."
By dvora
The donated scrolls are brought to Israel from synagogues throughout the world. They are in a worn or damaged state and donors are found to repair them and rededicate them in honor or in memory of loved ones or on special occasions. Upon their arrival in Israel, the scrolls are placed in different army, navy, and air force bases according to the needs of the IDF.
By Jewish Press Staff Reporter
A delegation of some 60 IDF commanders arrived in Poland on Monday, April 16, as part of the Witnesses in Uniform program. Guided by educators from the Yad VaShem Holocaust Memorial Museum, the officers started a four day study of pre-war Poland, the Holocaust, and contemporary Jewish Polish life.
At least one person has been reported killed and several injured in the collapse of lighting for a stage being assembled at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem for Rememberance Day ceremonies.
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz said the rocket fire that hit the city of Eilat Wednesday night was "an extremely severe act of hostility." Head of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Kochavi confirmed that "more than ten terror bases in Sinai were revealed and dismantled over the past few months." After the fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s, the rule of law has collapsed in much of Sinai, leaving a vacuum where Islamist militant groups are thriving.
By Tibbi Singer
As of Thursday, the Military Rabbinate will render all IDF bases kosher for the Jewish holiday of Passover. After weeks of heavy-duty spring cleaning, soldiers across the IDF will be joined in the field by military rabbis who will certify the bases and assist if need be. By the end of the day, with the mission accomplished, the IDF will be declared Kosher for Passover.
By Tibbi Singer
This week the 124th class of IDF Naval Officers, including three women, completed their training and were stationed on deck Israeli Navy vessels. While most IDF women serve only two years, these three officers have already served through the 36-month naval officers' course, as graduates will be required to sign up for at least an extra 16 months.
Israel and Germany signed a contract purchasing the Israeli Navy's sixth submarine Wednesday. It is an SSK Dolphin Class submarine. Last year the newspaper The Welt am Sonntag reported that German chancellor Angela Merkel conditioned the sale of the Dolphin on Israeli concessions to the Palestinians, which Netanyahu obliged.
By Tibbi Singer
Sergeant Yair Netanyahu will pay a heavy price for his longing for home cooking. The Prime Minister's son got 21 days detention after abandoning the Friday night shift in his unit and going to dine with his family.
In January The Marker reported that Elbit Systems Ltd., an Israel-based international defense electronics company had won a contract worth $50 million to supply the unmanned drone Hermes 900 to an unknown state on the American continent. Now Aviation Weekly reveals it must be the Mexican government.
The IDF Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz concluded his official visit to Canada on Friday. Gantz was greeted by his Canadian counterpart, General Walt Natynczyk, who emphasized the importance he sees in strengthening security cooperation between the two countries. Since 2008 there has been an accelerated rapprochement between the Canadian and Israeli security establishments.
Watch compilation of rocket attack filmed by civilians. The cease fire which was supposedly declared last Tuesday morning remains more wishful thinking than an actual cessation of violence. Or perhaps, as some experts have said, this is the Islamic Jihad's new style of hurting Israel, delivering the cuts of a thousand knives in groups of only three a day, to make any serious IDF reaction appear "disproportionate."
Following reports of a ceasefire, communities in the South were hoping that life would go back to normal, but at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday a Grad rocket exploded in a parking lot in Netivot, causing damage to vehicles. One person was lightly wounded by shrapnel; 11 suffered from shock.
Two Palestinians were killed Monday evening in an IAF strike east of Gaza City, bringing the death toll in Gaza to 25 since Friday. The IDF Spokesman reported that the IAF attacked a terrorist squad Monday night in northern Gaza, shortly before it was able to shoot a high trajectory, medium-range rocket toward Israeli territory.
Israel killed 3 additional terrorists Monday morning, bringing Palestinian death toll to 16. Islamic terror groups launch 20 rockets Monday at Israeli civilians in the south. PM Netanyahu: "We will continue to hit whoever plans to attack citizens of the State of Israel."
While the Air Force continues to attack Gaza and rocket attacks on communities in the south persist, following the killing of Gilad Shalit's kidnapper, both Israel's Prime Minister and Minister of Defense are threatening terrorist organizations in Gaza. In conversation with mayors in the south, Netanyahu said: "We'll arm ourselves with additional Iron Dome systems, which have tested well again." Barak: "No one in Gaza is immune." IDF Chief of Staff: "We will respond aggressively to every rocket launch against Israel."
Berlin-based researcher Benjamin Weinthal argues that Israel is militarily capable today of launching a successful attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. It would require successive strikes, using GBU-28 bunker busters to knock out Iran's entire nuclear program. Those devastating bombs were delivered to Israel by President Obama, who made good on a promise made by President Bush.
Israel Defense reports that Eurospike, a subsidiary of weapons manufacturer Rafael, has signed a contract to supply Spike missiles totaling hundreds of millions of dollars to Germany.
The IDF website reports a decline in the number of army recruits this year, pinning the lowest recruitment rate in eight years on slower immigration and a low birth rates in 1994, when the 2012 generation was born. This year manpower shortage in the IDF will reach a peak, after a steady decline of 7.5 […]