Military Liaison Between Israel & USA

Video Of The Week -Car Ramming, Terrorist Attack - https://tinyurl.com/y3fsc2tn

                 

From Task&Purpose by Jared Keller 21-7-2020 https://tinyurl.com/y23zzlg2

Army tanks deployed to Europe as part of the service's largest exercise in years are rocking a new piece of sophisticated military tech: an active protection system designed to protect against anti-tank missiles.

Photos released on July 10 ahead of the second phase of the Army's Defense Europe exercise show an M1 Abrams main battle tank rocking an Israeli-made Trophy Active Protection System (APS) as the vehicle is loaded onto a heavy equipment transport at the Bergen-Hohne Training Area in Germany.

According to a U.S. Army Europe spokesman, the 18th Military Police Brigade drew, installed and fielded the Trophy system from the Army Prepositioned Stock onto 8 M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks at the training area earlier this month.

An M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank is loaded on an M1300 Heavy Equipment Transport System at Bergen-Hohne Training Area, Germany, July 10, 2020 prior to phase two of DEFENDER-Europe 20.

(U.S. Army/Sgt. Evan Ruchotzke)

The Trophy APS is designed to intercept and destroy incoming anti-armor missiles and other guided rockets "with a shotgun-like blast," as Army Recognition, which first reported the fielding of the system, put it.

In 2018, the Army awarded Leonardo DRS a $193 million contract to equip the service’s M1A2 SEP v2 main battle tanks with the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems-developed Trophy APS to provide "a high level of performance, safety, and life-cycle affordability.”

The Trophy system "works by using radar to provide continuous 360-degree protection of the vehicle," according to The National Interest. "Once a threat is detected, the system launches a 'tight pattern of explosively formed penetrators' that destroys the incoming round before impact."

The Trophy system can also trace the origin of hostile fire to locate a potential adversary, allowing a tank crew to almost immediately return fire.

Leonardo and Rafael (lol) delivered their first Trophy APS to the Army in October 2019, the companies announced at the time, with plans to ultimately outfit four brigades of Abrams tanks with the anti-armor system.

First deployed on Israel's Merkava tanks in 2011, Rafael says that the Trophy APS is the only combat-proven system of its kind currently in service around the world, although Star and Stripes reports that multiple countries — including China, Ukraine, and South Korea — are developing similar systems.

The Army had previously planned on testing the system for the first time during the Defense Europe exercises, as Stars and Stripes reported at the time, although the global novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic forced the U.S. and its allies to drastically scale back what was once billed as the largest European military exercise in decades.

It's unclear how many Abrams tanks deployed to Europe are currently outfitted with the Trophy APS. According to U.S. Army Europe, the installed systems were removed shortly after their installation.

Related: The Army's souped-up new M1 Abrams tank is officially ready for a fight

NEW ,VIEW OUR WEBSITE WWW.BRITISHISRAELGROUP.WEEBLY.COM

EU Awakes Then Goes Back To Sleep

Video Of The Week -US State Department's Bias against Israel https://tinyurl.com/y6hlyvco

Gerald Steinberg, founder and president of NGO Monitor, a policy analysis think tank focusing on non-governmental organizations, spoke to participants in a June 8 Middle East Forum webinar (Click on video) about the European Union's funding of Palestinian NGOs affiliated to terrorist organizations.

                                  

The EU grants around two to three billion Euros a year to hundreds of NGOs around the world, of which at least 150 million Euros is allocated for humanitarian aid. NGO Monitor's investigations reveal that over the last seven years at least 25 million Euros have gone to Palestinian groups affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), an organization designated as a terrorist group by the European Union.

Steinberg highlighted three examples of NGOs funded by both the EU and EU member governments that have ties to the PFLP:

Al-Haq, an NGO ostensibly dedicated to documenting human rights violations, is led by Shawan Jabarin, who was convicted by Israel's High Court in the 1980s of being a member of the PFLP and subsequently was prohibited from traveling abroad based on evidence he was recruiting for the PFLP.

Defense for Children International Palestine (DCI-P), a local branch of the Geneva-based Defense for Children International, is closely associated with the PFLP. At least three figures with alleged ties to PFLP have been employed or appointed as board members by DCI-P.

The Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) was identified in a USAID report as the "agricultural arm of the PFLP." UAWC personnel with ties to the PFLP include an accountant who negotiated funding from the European Union and an administrative manager, both of whom are currently under indictment for the August 2019 murder of 17-year-old Israeli Rina Shnerb.

Last year, the EU introduced a provision into its grant agreements designed to ensure that entities on the EU's terrorism blacklist, known as a "restrictive list," don't benefit from EU funds. This caused an uproar among Palestinians. The Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO), which represents the above groups and many others with dubious affiliations, "went to the European Union office that's in charge of relations with the Palestinians and said, 'We have totally opposed this. We won't let you. We refuse to allow you to apply this regulation to the funding that we're getting'."

EU officials soon backed down. In March 2020, the EU's representative to the Palestinians, Sven Kȕhn von Burgsdorff, issued a clarification letter saying, "it is understood that a natural person affiliated to, sympathizing with, or supporting any of the groups or entities mentioned in the EU restrictive lists is not excluded from benefiting from EU-funded activities, unless his/her exact name and surname (confirming his/her identity) corresponds to any of the natural persons on the EU restrictive lists."

In plainer English, said Steinberg, this means Shawan Jabarin and other PFLP members who pose as "human rights defenders" are allowed to benefit from EU funding so long as their individual names are not on the EU blacklist, which it so happens does not list any individuals (i.e. "natural persons"). Von Burgsdorff's letter assures Palestinian NGOs that affiliates connected to EU-designated terrorist groups like the PFLP not only can continue to receive EU funding but are now afforded "legitimacy" by Brussels.

The Israeli government contested this dodge and continues to insist that the Europeans end funding "that can be readily siphoned off to the terrorist organizations like the PFLP," explained Steinberg. "The European commissioner in charge of relations with Israel ... said, 'We're going to investigate this.' Now we're going to see if there's going to be an investigation or not. There may. That's why I leave the question, did the European Union go to sleep or not?"

NEW ,VIEW OUR WEBSITE WWW.BRITISHISRAELGROUP.WEEBLY.COM

CHRIS FROOME- Four-time Tour de France Champion

Video Of The Week - CHRIS FROOME Cyclist https://tinyurl.com/y8fepuc8

For the full article go to - ICA (Israel Cycling Academy)  https://tinyurl.com/y9qnoczx

The Israeli team and the legendary champion will sign a long-term contract on August 1st that will see Froome wear ISN’s blue and white until the end of his illustrious career.

“This is an historic moment for ISN (Israel Start-Up Nation), Israel, Israeli sports, our many fans all around the world and, of course, for me personally – a moment of enormous pride”, said the team’s co-owner, Sylvan Adams.

“Chris is the best rider of his generation and will lead our Tour de France and Grand Tour squad. We hope to make history together as Chris pursues further Tour de France and Grand Tour victories, achievements that would make a serious case for Chris to be considered the greatest cyclist of all time.”

Chris Froome commented: “I’m really excited to be joining the ISN family. I look forward to challenging and being challenged by their talent and continuing to strive for the success that I’ve enjoyed up to now. ISN’s impact on the sport is rapidly expanding, and I’m energized to be along for the ride. I feel we can achieve great things together.”

Team Israel Start-Up Nation’s rapid progression from its beginnings as a Continental team to the WorldTour in just five years has now entered its next phase, explained ISN’s Team Manager, Kjell Carlstrom: “We have been looking to strengthen the team for 2021 in several ways, not least of which is to become Grand Tour contenders. With his impressive palmarès, Chris Froome is the perfect leader to mark our arrival as a serious contender for these races, particularly the Tour de France. Chris’ career has been extraordinary, and we believe that he has both the mindset and physical talents to win more Grand Tours with us, while also acting as a mentor to our young talents, helping them succeed.”

“We are committed to building a supportive Grand Tour team around Chris, such that we can make history together, as we compete to be the best, and achieve our principal goal: winning the Tour de France” said Mr. Adams. “I am proud of the road we have travelled, which includes hosting the historic 2018 Giro d’Italia Grande Partenza in Israel, nurturing young Israeli talents, and inspiring a new generation of riders in Israel to take up the sport. With Chris, we will move to new heights at the very top of the sport. I wish to add that I admire Chris not only for his success as a cyclist, but also for how he conducts himself, as a true gentleman, off the bike. Chris will be a great role model for our team.

“So, in Hebrew, “Baruch Haba” – welcome Chris Froome.”

NEW ,VIEW OUR WEBSITE WWW.BRITISHISRAELGROUP.WEEBLY.COM