[PJ] The last month has been filled with holidays, but with Simchat Torah on this past Saturday night, the cycle is finished, and life returns to a more regular schedule. May we, and all of America and Israel, be blessed with good health, prosperity, joy, wisdom, love, and peace.
But peace is often not found so easily, and Israel must always be prepared, given that it is still surrounded by neighbors who do not recognize the inherent right of the Jewish people to have their own sovereign nation of Israel on their ancestral homeland.
Which is why the Israel Naval Force is becoming even stronger with the delivery of its sixth submarine, something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about on Sunday at Ashdod Naval Base. Warning that the maritime arena has become an "international battlefield," he cited threats around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb and said Israel will protect its ports, shipping routes and Mediterranean waters. "Above and below the surface, I intend for Israel to be one of the world’s leaders in this field of warfare," Netanyahu said.
Warfare with ships and subs is one type, but the terrorist attacks are still dangerous, as we saw this past week with the attempted hijacking. Officials, after investigation and interrogation, have determined that the would-be hijacker intended to fly the plane into Israeli territory and ultimately crash the plane at Ben Gurion Airport to create a mass chaotic event. What the hijacker did not realize was that the courageous pilot had already sent the code to Israeli officials that there was a hijacking going on, and had the hijacker crossed the Jordanian border, the plane would have been shot down upon entering Israel's airspace (jets were already up in the air). |