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Amidst strong protests from the opposition, <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> is all geared up to visit <keyword id="6355882" type="COUNTRY" weightage="80" keywordseo="israel">Israel</keyword> later this year. He will become the first <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">prime minister</keyword> of India to visit the country. Prior to Modi's visit, External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj will visit Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories. Modi had visited Israel as chief minister of Gujarat in 2006. As a Prime Minister, he had met his Israeli counterpart, <keyword id="6358722" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Benjamin-Netanyahu">Benjamin Netanyahu</keyword> on the sidelines of the <keyword id="107187" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="UN-General-Assembly">UN General Assembly</keyword>'s annual session last year followed by Rajnath Singh's visit to Israel in November to boost counter-terror cooperation. 
 New Delhi voted to recognize Israel in 1950, but fear of alienating its large Muslim population, and its need to maintain strong ties with the Arab world resulted in New Delhi adopting an unsympathetic and somewhat hostile posture toward Israel. Since 1992, India is maintaining a formal diplomatic relationship with Israel which resulted in the visits of President Ezer Weizman in December-January 1997 and of Prime Minister <keyword id="237521" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ariel-Sharon">Ariel Sharon</keyword> in September 2003. However this warmth has not been reciprocated from the Indian side till now but after the formal announcement of Modi's visit this will change significantly and will usher in a new era of improved Indo-Israel relations in the fields of defense, innovation and science &amp; technology. 
 
Defense and strategic cooperation Israel is India's second-largest defense supplier, after <keyword id="6358826" type="COUNTRY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword>. Primary areas of Cooperation are Submarine-launched cruise missiles, Micro-satellite systems for surveillance, Laser-guided systems and precision-guided munitions. Israel is also doing Anti-ballistic missile systems up gradation of all Soviet-origin aircraft, artillery, tanks, etc. including various radars. Hence Israel can soon emerge as India's top supplier in near future. 
 
Modi has improved security ties with the U.S. and Israel as he seeks to turn India into a global manufacturing hub. At the same time, India has reduced its reliance on top weapons supplier Russia, which has not displayed any weapons at the air show for the first time in at least six years. Modi’s administration has cleared about $20 billion worth of arms purchases since he took power last year. He raised the FDI limit in defense to 49 percent from 26 percent in a move to boost manufacturing. 
 
India has become one of the most important export markets for the defense industry, and spends more than $1 billion in Israel every year, out of an expenditure of $6.5 billion in 2014. India would buy 8356 Israeli Spike ATGM's, 321 launchers, 15 training simulators and peripheral equipment, for $1 billion, from Israel's Rafael systems. 
 
India bought 16 "Heron" drones from IAI over the last few years for about $200 million, as well as 250 "Spice" smart bombs from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems (RADS) .The zenith of the Indo-Israeli relationship was the joint development of the Barak 8 surface-to-air missile system, including both maritime and land-based versions. India purchased about $2 billion worth of the missiles. 
 
What India should gain from the visit? 
This visit could seriously embark a new era of strategic partnership and a win-win situation for both India and Israel. Israel is flexible when it comes to the transfer of technology tailored exclusively for India and they had shifted away from a buyer-seller relationship towards a stronger and more equal partnership that resulted into joint productions and co-developments. In return, Israel, with the help of <keyword id="6355100" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Indian-Navy">Indian Navy</keyword> wants to establish a logistical infrastructure in the <keyword id="12350" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="Indian-Ocean">Indian Ocean</keyword> given the importance of maritime trade to the Israeli <keyword id="34412" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="economy">economy</keyword> and India's dominance in the Indian Ocean. 
 
Most of the time, the term, transfer of technology is not transparent in nature and what we get is the peripheral technology not the core one. However given the cultural and traditional background, for the last two decades Israel considers India as its most trusted partner in Asia. India is developing FGFA with Russia in a joint venture which is incurring huge cost over-runs and delays. Modi should try to bring back key tech-transfers in the areas of better avionics, advanced head mount digital suite and Beyond Visual Range(BVR) missiles not only to arm FGFA but it will also help in developing the futuristic Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft(AMCA) and it could cut the cost significantly. India also needs AESA radar system technology and in developing that Israel could be a great help. Israel is not only making cutting edge technologies for fighters and drones but it has an equally developed small arms manufacturing set-up. It is well known for its TAVOR and GALIL assault and sniper rifles. If India really wants to achieve a credible defense manufacturing infrastructure it needs to <keyword id="47916" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="invest">invest</keyword> in innovation, research and development and Israel could be very useful for the same. 
 
(Image Courtesy: dailymail.co.uk)

Indo-Israel defense ties: What Modi should pitch for the country

That a high profile guest will arrive to taste the hospitality and understand the heritage of India is indeed a matter of pride. When an international guest, especially that of high ranking official and above, arrives in another country; the visit will usually be more than a courtesy call. 
 
Now, one can imagine what goes into a high profile visit when India hosts someone of the rank of a respective country’s President, Prime Minister, Premier or Army General etc. Rounds of security checks being done, menu being decided and meetings are being set up apart from a highly-packed itinerary drawn up in consultation with the officials of the guest of visiting country make for the regular must-dos. The more powerful the guest is, the higher detailing of the security arrangements take place on the land that's hosting him/her. 
 India is already on a high with the impending visit of American President <keyword id="15962" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Barack-Obama">Barack Obama</keyword>, who would be state guest on the occasion of Indian <keyword id="6416557" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Republic-day">Republic Day</keyword> parade. The event is mainly an occasion to commemorate the day when India turned into a republic, but India uses the day to show the prowess of military forces and technological advancements happening across the country—this apart from showing a slice of heritage from each state that is being administered by the Indian republic since 1950. 
 
While Obama was invited to attend this special event by Prime Minister Modi when he went USA as a state guest, there have been times when high-profile visitors have donned this event earlier on a grand scale. 
 
India has been the favourite destination of many dignitaries owing to the multi-cultural and multi-dimensional nature of its population. Last year’s Republic Day guest was the Japanese Prime Minister <keyword id="590894" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shinzo-Abe">Shinzo Abe</keyword>. India has generally concentrated on its immediate neighbours to be invited as Guests of Republic Day Parade. 
 The first ever guest of Indian republic was President of Indonesia, Sukarno who came as the state guest in 1950. This was followed by <keyword id="28161" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="king">King</keyword> of Bhutan Jigme Dorji Wangchuk who came to view the Republic Day events. Then in 1955, India perhaps felt the need to have a big name from the immediate neighbourhood. The Governor General of Pakistan, Malik Ghulam Mohammad came visiting India in 1955. In 1961, India had a very special guest – Queen <keyword id="6381870" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Elizabeth-II">Elizabeth II</keyword> of United Kingdom who was the guest on India’s very special day. 
 High ranking politicians have come from various countries (mostly third world) from around India such as Yugoslavia, Cambodia, Srilanka, Zambia, Tanzania, Mauritius, Soviet Union (then) Singapore, Maldives, Zaire, Ireland, France and Iran. During the UPA regime, the state guests came from countries such as Bhutan (twice over), Saudi Arabia, Kazakstan, Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan. Two of the most talked about visits included the President of France <keyword id="6356025" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nicolas-sarkozy">Nicolas Sarkozy</keyword>, and President of Russia Vladimir Putin. 
 Among some of the most discussed visits, not necessarily linked to the Republic Day parade, have been that of <keyword id="237521" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ariel-Sharon">Ariel Sharon</keyword>, the then Prime Minister of Israel who was the first one to visit India. He shared great bonhomie with India and his visit helped India and Israel reach many agreements on defence, information technology, and agriculture. The President of France, Jaques Chirac’s visit in 2006 helped India and France ink nuclear cooperation and defence cooperation agreements which went a long way in holding the relationship between these countries steadfast. The bond still continues to be cherished. 
 Despite being a guest several times over, officials and dignitaries from Pakistan have somewhat remained a tough challenges for India to connect with its neighbour on the initiatives of peace, trade and cooperation. One of the most embarrassing moments India faced after the departure of a state guest was in 1958 when the Chinese Marshal <keyword id="2698120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ye-Jianying">Ye Jianying</keyword> visited India on the invitation of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Soon after, both countries entered into a war that continued to haunt both countries for years to come. 
 India has been on the forefront of economies today having won over some of the most complicated challenges. Hence, the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard spoke of solidarity with India just about three years ago, followed by Canadian PM <keyword id="73157" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Stephen-Harper">Stephen Harper</keyword> visiting the country, and German Chancellor <keyword id="76" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Angela-Merkel">Angela Merkel</keyword>, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev setting foot on Indian soil. French President Sarkozy, Chinese Premier Wen Ziabo, and now, American President Barack Obama seem to have truly made this a star-studded event. 
 
Image: indiatimes

High-Profile Visits: The Nation Prepares, And How!

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image">Wikimedia Commons</div></div>Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has died at age 85 <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/11/us-israel-sharon-death-idUSBREA0A09420140111">according to Reuters</a>, which is citing Israeli Army radio.
He has been in a coma for 8 years after suffering a stroke, and had reportedly been in worsening condition for several days. 
Updates to come...

REPORT: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Has Died

<h2>Hospital official: Former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon is in critical condition, his life in danger</h2>
JERUSALEM (AP) - The director of the hospital where the comatose former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is being treated says he is in critical condition and his life is in danger.
Zeev Rotstein of Tel Hashomer hospital said on Thursday that the functioning of "several essential organs" has declined but would not elaborate.
Rotstein says Sharon's condition is "critical" and his "life is in danger."
He said Sharon's family is at his bedside.
The 85-year-old Sharon has been in a coma since 2006 when a devastating stroke incapacitated him at the height of his political power.
Sharon was one of Israel's most iconic and controversial figures. A prominent hard-line voice over the decades, he was elected prime minister in 2001.
<div class="nc_footer">
Copyright (2014) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
</div>

After 8 Years In Coma, Former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon In Critical Condition - Organs Failing, Family At Bedside

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Israeli government on Sunday formally declared war on the Palestinian militant group Hamas.</li><li>Hamas controls the blockaded territory of Gaza, which is home to roughly 2 million people.</li></ul>The Israeli government has formally declared war on Hamas, hours after the country's military began bombarding the Gaza Strip with a stated goal of eliminating the militant group and seizing full control of the Palestinian territory.US officials, meanwhile, said they expect <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/evanhill/status/1711108856032399438?s=46&amp;t=iOIV8ywEMGbSNPGadP_xcA">Israel to launch a full-scale ground invasion</a> in the next 24 to 48 hours.The vote to formally declare war came over night and was announced Sunday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose office said there would now be "significant military activities," <a target="_blank" href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/security-cabinet-confirms-israel-at-war-can-undertake-significant-military-activities/">The Times of Israel reported</a>.More than 600 Israelis were killed over the weekend in a shocking cross-border raid by militants based in Gaza, which is home to roughly 2 million people. Videos show elderly women slaughtered as they waited at a bus stop in southern Israel, as well as the lifeless bodies of people attending a music festival near the border.About 100 people, including women and children, are also believed to have been abducted and taken back to the Palestinian territory.Even before the formal declaration of war, Israel was taking action against alleged Hamas targets in Gaza, where it is urging civilians to avoid areas occupied by the militant group, which has controlled the territory since 2006, the last time residents of the territory voted in an election.But civilians say it is impossible to reach safety in the densely-populated enclave, where Israel accuses of Hamas of deliberately placing weapons and militants near civilians.On Saturday, an Israeli airstrike leveled a 14-story apartment building in Gaza City. More than 300 Palestinians have died in the fighting thus far, according to local health authorities.In a statement on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces said it was bombarding targets in Gaza with one goal in mind: "To control the entire enclave and kill all the terrorists in our territory," Lt. Col. Richard Hech told reporters, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-gaza-attack-10-08-23/index.html">per CNN</a>.Israel had previously occupied the Gaza Strip, but in 2005 then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon oversaw a strategic withdrawal from the territory and the dismantling of the last Jewish settlements there. The strip has been largely blockaded ever since.The last major war between Israel and Hamas occurred in 2014, leaving 2,200 Gaza residents dead.

Israel formally declares war as leaders vow to wipe out Hamas and take full control of Gaza

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Karin Ryan has worked alongside former US President Jimmy Carter for more than 30 years.</li><li>She's been most touched by his faith in the goodness of others and his unwavering commitment to peace.</li></ul>In my more than 30 years of working with former US President Jimmy Carter, I've been most touched by his deep faith in people — his belief that, given the chance, everyone has the capacity for good. He's always been confident that even the most vulnerable and persecuted can rise above any challenge if they have adequate resources and support, and he built The Carter Center to help fill this need. He's approached the powerful — be they warlords or heads of state — with a presumption that an appeal to reason, communicated with respect, might bear fruit.I've sometimes heard him called naïve. This is wrong: His beliefs and actions have always been well informed. It's with eyes wide open that he chooses optimism, possibility, and faith over cynicism and arrogance. It's been a constant inspiration to me.<h2>I wanted to be part of something life-changing</h2>I was drawn to <a href="https://www.cartercenter.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Carter Center</a> after moving to Atlanta in 1987. During a visit to the Center's museum, I was captivated by exhibits showcasing the Camp David peace talks and the success of Carter's Panama Canal Treaty. Encountering the determination of this American president who was so deeply devoted to peace was a life-changing experience, and I wanted to be a part of it. So when an entry-level position in the newly established <a href="https://www.cartercenter.org/peace/human_rights/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Human Rights Program</a> opened up at the Center, I jumped at the chance to apply. I organized meetings, took phone messages (this was before voicemail!), and eventually got to help research cases of political prisoners and draft letters for Carter on their behalf. Carter liked to work through memos instead of frequent meetings so we had to present our ideas in brief paragraphs and learn to draft letters that he might have written as president — short and to the point. I cannot count how many drafts came back from him with notes in the margin saying things like "too verbose," or "I'm not Amnesty International!" He didn't want strident activist language in his letters; moral persuasion from a former President required something different. <div type="image" title="US President Jimmy Carter and Karin Ryan" height="804" width="1072" msid="103356100" hostid="261" sizebytes="48500"></div>He appreciated my focus on human rights activists as key agents of democratic movements and began to ask me for input during his various forays into diplomacy. Once, he asked me to join the team that would observe the first democratic elections in Haiti in 1990 so that I could find leading dissident voices and journalists with whom he could meet. The discussions he had on that trip were deep and intense, a departure from the usual predictable official meetings. At the conclusion of our stay in Haiti, Carter turned to me before stepping into his ride to the airport, saying "You did a good job here." I was thrilled.<h2>Belief in the inherent goodness of others</h2>That experience became a model for our future work together: The Carter Center has continued to bring together frontline activists for those tough but transformative conversations — the hard work of advancing human rights and democracy in all corners of the world. Carter's belief in the inherent goodness of people has never faded, despite the grave disappointments and turmoil of recent years — the Iraq invasion, America's abuses in the "war on terror," and the global erosion of democracy and human rights. If anything, his faith in humanity — the root of his commitment to human rights — has seemed to grow stronger as he's aged. During decades at The Carter Center, he's written countless letters on behalf of victims of abuse, especially human rights activists persecuted for their brave work. A letter he wrote to the king of Nepal resulted in hundreds of people being released from prison. President Carter once dropped into my office asking why I hadn't sent him any cases recently. He wanted to use his voice and his name to help people in trouble. He often kept his personal interventions on behalf of political prisoners private, because he believed that would make them more effective. And while he was prepared to criticize foreign governments, he has been sometimes even more critical of human rights abuses in his own country.He and his wife, Rosalynn — who was often intimately involved in his peacemaking and human rights efforts — wrote many letters on behalf of Americans facing execution, rarely successfully. He has also made public appeals to governors to abolish the death penalty in their states, sometimes <a href="https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/new-voices-jimmy-carter-former-president-and-nobel-peace-prize-winner-calls-for-end-to-death-penalty" target="_blank" rel="noopener">successfully</a>. He issued <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/09/opinion/just-war-or-a-just-war.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scathing condemnations of the 2003 invasion of Iraq</a>, and of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/25/opinion/americas-shameful-human-rights-record.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">human rights violations by the US government</a>. His tireless efforts to end or avoid war sometimes meant that he would not speak publicly about human rights abuses committed by warring parties, seeking instead an end to the violence first. In the wake of his peacemaking efforts in<a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/kim/interviews/carter.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> North Korea</a>,<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/12/21/carter-gets-bosnian-foes-to-agree-to-a-cease-fire/b51ed360-4c88-482e-8f02-d71b94f01dbd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Bosnia</a>, and<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/19/world/showdown-in-haiti-carter-carter-s-diplomatic-mission-was-a-last-minute-gamble.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Haiti</a> in 1994, we organized a closed-door discussion with U.S.-based human rights leaders critical of his engagements with human rights violators. During the contentious discussion, the Carters made their case for avoiding withholding public condemnations that could derail efforts to bring leaders like Kim Il Sung, Radovan Karadzic, and Raoul Cédras to the peace table. Ultimately, he agreed that the peace process should never preclude holding human rights violators accountable.He went on to become a vocal supporter of U.N. negotiations to establish an independent International Criminal Court,<a href="https://www.cartercenter.org/news/documents/doc1377.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> publicly opposing a U.S. proposal</a> to give the United Nations Security Council a veto over the actions of the independent chief prosecutor.<h2>Soul of an activist, mind of a pragmatist</h2>Jimmy Carter has the soul of an activist and the mind of a pragmatist. Every situation has required a balancing of objectives, though his calculations were always informed by his ideas about the value of human freedom. It was a remarkable thing to witness. He could be so positive and encouraging one moment, and stern and insistent the next. In 2009, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Israeli Knesset peppered Carter with questions, suggesting he supported Hamas because he met with their leaders. He gently but firmly pushed back, reminding committee members that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had personally approved of Hamas candidates running in the 2006 elections. His focus was simple: peace and human rights for all, which requires speaking with all parties.As a Cold War president, Carter walked a tightrope of managing relationships with world leaders while speaking out against human rights abuses.Within the Soviet Union, he navigated a nuclear-arms reduction while standing with dissidents, sending a<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1977/02/18/archives/sakharov-receives-carter-letter-affirming-commitment-on-rights.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> hand-written</a> letter of support to embattled physicist Andrei Sakharov. He threatened Latin American Soviet allies like Argentina with an end to military assistance if they persisted with human rights abuses — a move that bolstered democratic movements across the region. In China, he pressured the government to allow a measure of<a href="https://www.globalministries.org/jimmy_carter_bible_10_10_2014_1257/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> religious freedom</a>,<a href="https://www.shine.cn/news/nation/1911226652/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> student exchanges</a> and political prisoner releases. And while he has succeeded in forging a lasting peace between Israel and Egypt, he has also dedicated himself and The Carter Center to the pursuit of equal human rights for the Palestinian people, which he calls the unfinished business of the Camp David Accords. When quiet diplomacy failed to achieve this aim, he became increasingly critical of both Israeli violations of human rights and the failure of the U.S. to exert its influence to stop them.<h2>Jimmy Carter is a mentor that's most demanding of those closest to him</h2>His greatest hope for his own country is that the people of the United States will realize that our great blessings could allow us to be a generous, justice-oriented, and peace-loving nation. <div type="image" title="Karin Ryan headshot" height="480" width="640" msid="103356104" hostid="261" sizebytes="16102"></div>I have never had the feeling that this was just wishful thinking. It is a matter of faith. Many of us who know him and have worked by his side are deeply inspired by this conviction and his refusal to stop trying. He's always encouraged us to be bold and to maintain high expectations for ourselves and others. In fact, he could be more demanding of those closest to him — whether it was his staff or his successors in the White House — than those over whom he had less influence. Like a firm but loving father, he pushed those he believed had the greatest potential for influence. He was also the best leader and mentor one could have.Karin Ryan is senior advisor on human rights and special representative on women and girls at the nonprofit Carter Center.

I worked alongside former US President Jimmy Carter for 30 years. Here's what he's been like as a mentor.

'Netanyahu owes his career to Hamas' - 'The Human Factor' director Dror Moreh talks about the rise and fall of the Israel and Palestine peace process

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>As the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/government-shutdown">government shutdown</a> goes on, some national park rangers are left wondering when they'll be able to return to work - and if they have the funds to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/government-shutdown-how-the-partial-closure-affects-average-americans-2019-1">support themselves</a> in the interim.</li><li>Some rangers have taken on second jobs, while others are considering filing for unemployment.</li><li>Rangers say they love what they do, but the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/government-shutdown-are-food-stamps-snap-wic-benefits-paid-2019-1">financial realities</a> of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/poll-government-shutdown-private-furlough-2018-12">being furloughed</a> could force them to leave their careers behind.</li><li>We spoke to three rangers about how the shutdown is affecting them and the parks where they work.</li></ul>As the United States endures the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/government-shutdown-timeline-deadline-trump-democrats-2019-1">third week of a government shutdown</a>, some federal employees are left wondering whether the time has come to seek a new job. In recent days, President Donald Trump has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/government-shutdown-trump-primetime-address-border-wall-immigration-2019-1">showed no sign of budging</a> on his demands for a $5.7 billion border wall between the US and Mexico, which Democrats are determined to deny. At the end of last week, Trump suggested that the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/government-shutdown-schumer-trump-length-months-years-2019-1">shutdown could last</a> "months or even years."Read more: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/04/us/politics/democrats-trump-meeting-government-shutdown.html?action=click&amp;module=RelatedCoverage&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;region=Footer">Disturbing photos show national parks and monuments overflowing with garbage as the US government shutdown continues</a>If that happens, employees at national parks could be forced to leave their posts at a time when parks have been thrown into disarray. Days after the shutdown was announced, visitors uncovered bathrooms overflowing with human feces and trash spilling out of bins. "There are piles of human sh-t everywhere," a Yosemite National Park ranger said in a Facebook post, according to <a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/2379246/ground-yosemite-during-shutdown?utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=facebookpost&amp;fbclid=IwAR0VyJSw4HUSDg6hmMan2oX5B5GzSIpHB1qWXMW-mLIyvTNMGu5IugYYKXI">Outside Magazine</a>. "Gross, but so seriously true. Every roadside turnout has toilet paper and trash."Administrations during prior shutdowns have suspended all operations, including visitor access, at national parks. The Trump administration has opted to leave gates open to the public, with only certain federal employees around to provide emergency services."It has kind of become a free-for-all," said John Tillison, a retired park ranger with two decades of experience in the state of Washington.The decision has led to a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/3-have-died-in-national-parks-since-government-shutdown-began-report-2019-1">cascade of both partial and complete closures</a> at some of the biggest parks across the country, including Yosemite and <a href="https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-joshua-tree-national-park-to-close-shutdown-20190108-story.html">Joshua Tree National Park</a> in Southern California.<h2>'I did not plan for this'</h2>Many park rangers are unsure when to expect their next paycheck, or whether they'll receive back pay for their time off. For those without savings, that could <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/government-shutdown-hurting-blue-states-more-than-red-states-2019-1">pose serious financial difficulties</a>.Gary Stellpflug has been working as a park ranger at Acadia National Park since the 1970s. He's now deciding whether to file for unemployment. Though he's been around for more than one government shutdown, Stellpflug was caught off guard by the latest news."For the most part, I think folks were surprised," he said, speaking as a private citizen. "I did not plan for this."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>Another National Park Service employee at a park in the Southwest, who wished to remain anonymous so she could speak frankly, said she'd "learned to be pretty detached" after witnessing multiple shutdowns."I've been working for federal service for almost five years and I have an emergency savings account," she said. "One of those emergencies is a shutdown."The employee recalled the 2013 shutdown over the Affordable Care Act, which drove volunteers and interns at her park to leave after a week. When the park reopened after 17 days, many staffers were gone, she said. The impact of the current shutdown is different since employees are allowed to stay in their onsite housing, but Tillison said minimum-wage and seasonal employees may have a tough time holding on.Stellpflug said he knows a few colleagues who have resorted to taking second jobs. While he has enough savings for now, those living paycheck to paycheck "are probably worried," he said. "We were always told that we got paid in sunrises and sunsets," said Tillison, who described a park ranger's salary as "modest at best." <h2>Rangers are eager to return to work</h2>If there's one thing that furloughed park rangers tend to agreed on, it's their desire to get back to work. "None of us took our jobs to get rich," Sharon Stiteler, a park ranger at the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-government-shutdown-federal-furlough-survival-0102-20181231-story.html">wrote in an editorial</a> for the Chicago Tribune. "We are public servants who love what we do. We are incredibly frustrated that we can't do a fair day's work for a fair day's pay."The park employee in the Southwest echoed this sentiment. "I really love my job and I would do everything I could to come back to it...but I've got to eat," she told Business Insider.If the latest shutdown lasts for several months, the employee said she would have to consider other ways of earning income. If she went looking for a job now, she said, she might not be able to accept it while on furlough. "Everybody's really tired of riding the roller coaster," said Tillison. "There's a lot of frustration, and rightfully so."<h2>Rangers want the shutdown to end or the parks to close</h2>Over the weekend, Trump <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-said-he-can-relate-to-workers-not-paid-during-shutdown-2019-1">said he could "relate"</a> to the plight of furloughed workers. "I'm sure the people that are on the receiving end will make adjustments," Trump told reporters as he left the White House. "Many of those people that won't be receiving a paycheck, many of those people agree 100% with what I'm doing."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>But the decision to leave national parks open has bewildered visitors and park rangers across the country. "My whole community is affected by this," said the park employee in the Southwest. "It creates a lot of stressful decision-making and visitor confusion."She added: "I think everyone is in agreement it would be a lot better if we just closed the park during the shutdown."Stellpflug, on the other hand, suggested that politics shouldn't interfere with whether the parks stay open."I would hope there would be a way to get parks open that's not related to [border] wall issues," he said. On Sunday, the National Park Service announced that it would <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/national-parks-using-entrance-fees-for-maintenance-amid-shutdown-2019-1">use entrance fees to help staff the parks</a> as the shutdown continues. The staffers would help clean restrooms, patrol the parks, and pick up trash.Some Democrats and conservationists have opposed the decision, arguing that it is misguided - and potentially illegal - to divert funds. The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act states that <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/424070-national-parks-taking-unprecedented-move-to-support-park-operations">entrance fees should be used for visitor services</a> as opposed to operations."Diverting this money will dig our parks into an even bigger financial hole," said Theresa Pierno, president of the National Parks Conservation Association, in <a href="https://www.npca.org/articles/2091-trump-administration-robs-limited-national-park-fee-money-to-operate-parks">a statement on the group's website</a>. "This will hurt rangers, parks, visitors and the tourism economy long after the shutdown is over."For Tillison, it's sad to see the damage to a tradition that first started in America."Yellowstone [National Park in Wyoming] was the first national park in the world," he said. "It kind of feels like [the parks] are being held hostage for political gain.""When this is all said and done," he said, "the rangers are going to come back and have messes to clean up and resources to protect."Do you have a national parks shutdown story? Email the author at abendix@businessinsider.com.Ariel Schwartz contributed reporting to this story.

Park rangers share fears of unemployment as national parks overflow with garbage during the government shutdown

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div><a href="http://www.idfblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/golani-1.jpg">IDF Blog</a></div><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/07/26/israeli-president-syrian-leader-assad-must-step-down/">In July 2011</a> Israeli President Shimon Peres said that "Assad must go."
But <keyword id="6354913" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Syria">Syria</keyword>'s southern neighbor is facing an increasingly dangerous situation on its borders as the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad weakens.
“<keyword id="6355882" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="israel">Israel</keyword> will miss the Assads,” a veteran intelligence source <a href="http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/world_news/Middle_East/article1206608.ece?source=mm802">told The London Times</a>. In reference to keeping peace in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights he added: “The Assads, father and son, were very nasty people. But with them, we knew that a promise was a promise, and an agreement was solid as the boulders of Mount Hermon.”
As the Syrian civil war continues into its 23rd month, Israel is considering creating a buffer zone reaching up to 10 miles inside Syria to secure the 47-mile border against the threat of <a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/terrorists-say-they-destroyed-syrian-base-killing-over-200/?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=twitter">Islamic radicals in the area</a>.
Ranaan Gissin, who served as senior advisor to Israel’s former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, upped the ante when he <a href="http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/04/264413.html">told Al-Arabiya</a> that "Revolutionary Guards [IRGC] from <keyword id="41896" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Iran">Iran</keyword>, Hezbollah and other global jihads groups are taking control over some parts of the border" as Assad deploys his resources elsewhere.
Israel has <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/05/us-israel-irondome-idUSBRE91414O20130205">already deployed</a> a third Iron Dome missile <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">defense</keyword> system near its northern borders, <a href="http://www.eju.org/news/israel/idf-reinforces-fence-syrian-border">strengthened its border fence</a> while upgrading intelligence-gathering capabilities in the area, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/israel-bombed-syria-2013-1">bombed a Syrian military facility near Damascus</a>.
The strike was partly meant to deter <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/hezbollah-a-history-of-violence/article8283044/?cmpid=rss1&amp;utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=twitter">Hezbollah</a>—the powerful Shiite group against which Israel fought a devastating 2006 war—from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/israeli-warplanes-struck-target-on-syrian-lebanese-border-2013-1">acquiring sophisticated antiaircraft and chemical weapons</a> from Assad.
<div class="image-container float_left click-to-enlarge" style="width:430px"><div class="image"><a title_source="Wikimedia Commons" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5112b612ecad048d55000022-960/golan_heights_map.png"></a></div>Wikimedia Commons</div>
Despite the increasing danger, Israel is not about to switch sides in the conflict.
Officials <a href="http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2013/02/04/Israel-eyes-more-strikes-against-Syria/UPI-46991360000271/#ixzz2K9N34B4q%20">told UPI</a> and <a href="http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/world_news/Middle_East/article1206608.ece?source=mm802">The Times of London</a> that Israel is considering further airstrikes in the area, including one on an Iranian electronic listening post in the Golan Heights.
At the end of the day, Israel wants to see Assad fall because it would weaken Iran.
"There is no doubt that the very falling of this central link in the Iranian array is a blow to Iran and Hezbollah, and something Iran is doing everything to prevent," a senior security official <a href="http://www.france24.com/en/20130205-post-assad-syria-poses-new-unknown-dangers-israel">told Agence France-Press</a>.
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iran-confirms-they-have-troops-on-on-the-ground-in-syria-2012-8">In August</a> an IRGC member told The Wall Street Journal the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444230504577615393756632230.html?mod=googlenews_wsj">Quds force</a>—the foreign operations arm of the IRGC—is sending soldiers to Syria because "fighting for Syria is an integral part of keeping the Shiite Crescent intact," referring to the geographical link between Shiites from Iran, Iraq, <keyword id="30174" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Lebanon">Lebanon</keyword> and Syria.
SEE ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/israels-strike-on-syria-is-a-smart-move-2013-2#ixzz2K9S0ibkS">Israel's Strike On Syria Was A Brilliant Tactical Move</a>

Israel Faces Increasing Danger As Assad Weakens

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/license/687249104">Handout via GPO/Getty Images</a>Trump (R) with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem in May 2017.</div></div></div><ul><li>President Donald Trump reportedly told the Palestinian president that he will move the US embassy to Jerusalem, and may recognize the city as the official capital of Israel on Wednesday.</li><li>Doing so would be in line with Israel's Basic Law, but would violate international law and would likely upset Arabs and Muslims across the region.</li><li> The move could seriously undermine Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.</li><li>It could also strain regional relationships the US has, potentially putting its strategic interests at risk.</li></ul> President Donald Trump reportedly plans to move the US embassy to Jerusalem on Tuesday, and is <a href="http://www.jpost.com/American-Politics/Arab-League-Trump-recognition-of-Jerusalem-as-Israeli-capital-would-fuel-violence-515827">likely to announce</a> that the US will recognize the city as the official capital of Israel <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-jerusalem-israel-capital-when-day-latest-announcement-wednesday-a8087641.html">this week</a>, according to various media reports.Trump informed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-calls-abbas-amid-speculation-on-jerusalem-moves/">o</a><a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-calls-abbas-amid-speculation-on-jerusalem-moves/">f his decision</a> on TuesdayLeaders and diplomats across the Middle East have predicted that such a move might result in floundering peace negotiations, emboldened extremists, and even a new conflict in the region. Abbas has stated that relocating the embassy would bring <a href="https://twitter.com/CNBC/status/938074537509507072">"dangerous consequences"</a> with it, and one of his aides said that recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital would lead the Palestinian Authority to cut off ties with the US, <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/1.826990">Haaretz reports</a>."President Abbas warned of the dangerous consequences such a decision would have to the peace process and to the peace, security and stability of the region and of the world," <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/trump-tells-abbas-move-embassy-jerusalem-171205160340393.html">stated</a> Nabil Abu Rudeina, the Palestinian president's spokesperson.Another senior PA official, Nabil Shaath, made grim predictions about the apparent future of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations if Trump makes good on his promise."The mother of all the deals dies here on the rocks in Jerusalem if he says tomorrow that he recognizes a united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," Shaath said.Recognition of Jerusalem, coupled with the embassy move, would be consistent with the stated wishes of Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu and if Trump follows through on his promises, the US will be the <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.826698">only country in the world</a> with an embassy in the contested holy city.<h2>Ownership over Jerusalem and its holy sites remains politically charged</h2>A US embassy move would elicit strong feelings throughout the Muslim and Arab regions of the Middle East, who see it as an unwelcome intrusion into matters many feel must be decided through negotiations, not unilaterally by the US.Ayman Safadi, Jordan's Foreign Minister, <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-1.826603">said</a> that an American recognition would "trigger anger across the Arab and Muslim world, fuel tension and jeopardize peace efforts." He was joined by Egypt's Foreign Ministry which gave Trump a <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/05/politics/us-allies-trump-jerusalem-intl/index.html">similar warning</a>, along with US-allies Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and France.On Monday, Turkey's deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag made a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-turkey-says-recognizing-jerusalem-as-capital-would-cause-catastrophe-2017-12">grim pronouncement</a> in response to the Trump's potential move, saying it would "be a major catastrophe" for the region. Arab League Secretary-General Aboul Gheit expressed a similar sentiment on Saturday, stating that it could lead to sectarian conflict."Today we say very clearly that taking such action is not justified ... it will not serve peace or stability, but will fuel extremism and resort to violence," Gheit said.The move would almost certainly have detrimental effects on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process as a whole, which Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner has been <a href="http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/us-special-counsel-investigating-kushner-pro-israel-lobbying-1863625733">tasked with heading up</a> since the transition process.Although Kushner has <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/kushner-trump-undecided-israels-capital-51546749">declined to confirm</a> whether Trump would indeed recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a delegation from Abbas to the White House <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinians-to-kushner-peace-process-ends-if-trump-backs-israel-on-jerusalem/">stated</a> on Saturday that doing so would lead to a "complete destruction of the peace process" because it make the US unfit to be "an honest broker."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/Ammar AwadIsraeli border police stand guard as Palestinians take part in evening prayers outside the Lion's Gate of Jerusalem's Old City July 20, 2017.</div></div></div>The Palestinians also view Israel as the capital of their future state, and the United Nations maintains that Israel's continued occupation of East Jerusalem, which it conquered in the Six Day War in 1967, is illegal under international law. While several countries previously had embassies in Jerusalem, they have now all either moved to Tel Aviv or cut off relations entirely after Israel added a law stating that the holy city is the "complete and united capital of Israel," according to Haaretz. Shira Efron, a policy researcher and special advisor on Israel at the RAND Corporation, told Business Insider that even though there are ways the US could legally recognize Jerusalem as the capital, any move would be incredibly risky."Advocates of moving the embassy argue that Israel is the only UN member state whose capital is not accepted by the international community," Efron said. "Israel's control and rights to West Jerusalem are not in dispute and therefore there is no legal impediment to acknowledging West Jerusalem - emphasis on West - as Israel's capital. The problem however is that any perceived change in the status quo in Jerusalem, or al-Quds as it's known in the Arab world, has explosive potential on the ground in the city itself and the broader region."Palestinian Arabs have indicated that they <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Israeli-Arabs-wont-sit-passively-if-US-names-Jerusalem-Israels-capital-516975">would not sit idly</a> by if Trump names Jerusalem the capital of Israel. Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization based in Gaza, has promised <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/hamas-threatens-new-intifada-if-trump-recognizes-jerusalem-israeli-capital-729737">a new Intifada</a>, or "tremor," following two previous uprisings against Israeli forces in the late 1980s and early 2000s that resulted in thousands of deaths on both sides."It's worth reminding that in the year 2000 a visit by then opposition leader Ariel Sharon to Temple Mount sparked the second intifada that lasted through 2005 and led to death of about 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis," Efron said. "Most recently, the 2015 'stabbing Intifada' was prompted in good part by suspicions that Jews were attempting to change the status quo in the Temple Mount."While we cannot project with certainty that recognition of Jerusalem would spark violence, the risk of such a development is quite imminent given previous experience."<h2>The move could potentially jeopardize US strategy</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/license/515909438">Lior Mizrahi/Stringer via Getty Images</a>Israeli <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> Forces practice drills in the Golan Heights near the border with Syria in March 2016. Israel has maintained a heavy security presence in the Heights throughout the course of the Syrian Civil War.</div></div></div>A Trump decision on Jerusalem would not only affect Israel and Palestine, Efron warned, but is also likely to have an impact on other Arab and Muslim countries.The US is currently involved in a number of regional engagements in the Middle East that include countries that are openly hostile to Israel, including Iran and President Bashar al-Assad's Syria.The US and Russia signed onto <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2017/07/us-and-russia-agree-to-syrian-ceasefire/533022/">a joint effort</a> to lead peace talks in Syria earlier this year, and the US is also still part of the Iran nuclear deal - for now. Although Trump has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/13/us/politics/trump-iran-nuclear-deal.html?_r=0">vowed to exit</a> the deal in October, the US still remains officially committed, but Iran's President Hassan Rouhani <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/13/us/politics/trump-iran-nuclear-deal.html?_r=0">said</a> in September that if Trump abandons the accord, "no one will trust America again."Other regional Arab and non-Arab actors that work closely with the US will also likely be affected."A case in point is Turkey, a NATO member and traditionally a US ally, which attributes great importance and is very active in East Jerusalem," Efron said. "Some of these countries are important US allies, such as Jordan and Egypt, and such an act would make it harder for them to work with the United States to advance US interests in the region. We also need to acknowledge that such an act would put US diplomats in the region at risk."The State Department has <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/04/trump-israel-jerusalem-violence-279735">reportedly warned American embassies</a> worldwide to heighten security ahead of Trump's expected announcement.Even if strategic rivalries that are mediated by the US do not in fact unravel, Israel Policy Forum policy director Michael Koplow wrote that the risk of violence stemming from any symbolic American moves is very real."There is no question that it will result in chaos and riots somewhere," Koplow <a href="https://ottomansandzionists.com/2017/01/12/how-to-think-about-the-american-embassy/">wrote</a> on his personal blog. "Is making a completely symbolic statement of moving the embassy worth even one American, Israeli, or Palestinian life?" "Is it worth even one dollar of property damage? Is it worth the PLO following through on its threat to withdraw its recognition of Israel, or halt the security cooperation that is preventing mass terrorism and rockets from the West Bank?" <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-us-can-prevent-new-isis-in-mosul-iraq-2017-11">What the US needs to do to prevent a new ISIS in Iraq</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

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