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- A small swarm of 2,000 locusts has been spotted near Jerusalem
- Israel’s Agriculture Ministry set up an emergency hotline and task force
- The swarm was estimated to be made up of 30million insects while in
- The infestation has been devastating crops in Egypt ahead of Passover
A swarm of locusts has crossed the border from Egypt into neighbouring Israel, raising fears that the country could be plagued by the insects over the forthcoming Passover holiday.
A swarm of an estimated 30 million insects had been devastating crops in Egypt putting authorities in Israel on high alert.
But a smaller swarm of some one million locusts has now hit Israel.
Infestation: Locusts hang on a tree as a swarm arrives in Israel near the Egyptian border
Specimen tests: An Israeli man looks at his binoculars after he collected locusts as a swarm arrives in Israel near the Egyptian border in Kmehin, Israel
Damaging: A swarms of locusts fly near Kadesh Barnea, in , yesterday after crossing the border from neighbouring Egypt
The country’s Agriculture Ministry sent out planes to spray pesticides over agricultural fields on Monday to prevent damage by the locusts and set up an emergency hotline and asked Israelis to report sightings.
The insects covered nearly 2,000 acres of desert overnight, officials said.
- Israel sprayed pesticides from the air and land to try to kill them in the early morning before dew on their wings dried and they could take off again.
Miriam Freund, director of plant protection in the Agriculture Ministry, called it a ‘medium-sized swarm’ and her office set up a hotline for farmers to call in case they see it advance.
‘We hope our actions are effective,’ one of the pilots of a plane spraying the fields said on Army Radio. ‘Let’s hope the damage will be minimal.’
Reports suggest that the insects are mainly concentrated in areas of southern Israel, but sightings have been reported elsewhere.
The locust alert comes ahead of the week long Passover festival, which recounts the biblical story of the Israelite exodus from Egypt.
According to the Bible, a huge swarm of locusts was the eighth of 10 plagues God imposed on Egyptians to persuade Pharaoh to free the ancient Hebrews from slavery. Pharaoh did not agree to let them go until after the 10th plague, the death of the first born in every Egyptian family.
This year Passover begins on March 25.
Pesticide spray: A light plane sprays deterrent on the ground in Israel near the Egyptian border in a bid to clear the swarm before Passover
Crackdown: A man holds locusts as the swarm is tested on the Israeli border with Egypt
Alert: Around 2,000 locusts have been spotted in Israel sparking fears that the country could be plagued by the insects come Passover week later this month
Egyptian Agriculture ministers had said that the locusts pass through their country as part of their normal migration from north east Sudan to , emphasising that Egypt was just ‘a transfer station’ for the locusts, which were in larger numbers this year.
As the insects descended on agricultural farms in Giza and in Cairo, causing significant damage, it sparked fears that they could spread to Israel.
Those fears have now escalated with the first insects spotted in the country yesterday.
On the road: A road in the Negev desert is swamped by locusts as a driver passes through the swarm
In a statement from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the infestation was described as a ‘immature swarm’ which ‘appeared in the afternoon (on March 2) in the eastern Cairo districts of New Cairo and Mokattam and dispersed into several smaller swarmlets’.
The statement read: ‘The locusts originated from breeding that has been in progress since November in southeast Egypt between Berenice and the Sudanese border.Killing crops: As the locusts have descended on agricultural farms in Giza and in Cairo, they have caused significant damage to agriculture
‘As vegetation dried out, small groups and swarms of immature adults moved slowly north along the Red Sea coast, reaching Marsa Alam on 8 February, Hurghada on the 16th and Zafarana on the 26th.’
As well as Israel, Lebanon and Jordan have been alerted.
In Cairo, people had been burning tyres to create black smoke to deter the locust from settling and there were reports that swarms had been seen in Zafarana, about 124 miles from Cairo, on the Red Sea and in the city of Qena, where the insects have been sighted in at least three villages.
According to the Israel National News, the Egyptian Agriculture Minister Dr Salah Abd Al Mamon said: ‘Egyptian armed forces and border guards are attempting to fight the swarm with all means at their disposal.
‘I ask the families living in the locust-plagues areas not to burn tyres. This does not chase away the locusts, but only causes damage and could ignite large scale fires that would cost in lives.’
He said that strong winds were predicted in weather forecasts and he hoped that this would force the insects to migrate toward the Red Sea and Saudi Arabia. Crop duster planes were also going to be used to handle the infestation.
Egypt and Israel was infested with locusts in 2004. Israeli agriculture officials sent crop dusters into the air to spray against the locusts that swept in from North Africa in the first such invasion since 1959.
Farmers in 15 out of the 27 Egyptian governorates suffered significant agricultural damage as the insects devoured crops and flowers.
The infestation comes as a study warns that yellow-legged Asian hornets that prey on bees are among the latest non-native species threatening UK wildlife, and even people’s health.
A growing number of alien species, from killer shrimps to Spanish slugs, are set to soon reach our shores, a Europe-wide study warns.
The Asian hornet, which grows to between 2.5cm and 3cm (1-1.2 inches), preys on native honeybees, wasps and other pollinators, potentially devastating hives and threatening honey and crop production.
Battle with the bugs: Residents in Cairo burn tyres to create black smoke to deter the locust settling there as Israel’s Agriculture Ministry set up an emergency hotline and urged residents to be vigilant in reporting sightings of the insects
Swarms descending: A swarm of an estimated 30million locust has descended on Egypt (including these insects seen over the Al-Mogattam district of Cairo) as Israel braces for the infestation to head their way
THE TEN PLAGUES OF EGYPT: WHY IS PASSOVER CELEBRATED?
The locust swarm has crossed into Israel just weeks before the Passover festival, which commemorates the biblical story of the Israelite exodus from Egypt.
According to the Biblical book of Exodus, a swarm of locusts was inflicted on Egypt as one of ten deadly plagues sent by God to persuade the Pharaoh to release the Hebrews from slavery.
The plagues included a plague of frogs, darkness and boils.
The swarm of locusts was the eighth plague and began on the first day of the Hebrew month of Shevat.
As with previous plagues, the Pharaoh was warned of the impending punishment by Moses.
After having suffered enough, Pharaoh’s officials begged him to let the Israelites go, but he would still not give in.
He proposed a compromise to release the men but keep women, children and livestock.
Despite Moses reiterating the warning that every last person had to be released, the Pharaoh refused to give in.
The swarm of locusts cast a shadow over Egypt according to the Bible and consumed all the nation’s crops.
Pharaoh relented and God sent a wind that blew the locusts into the Red Sea.
But the Pharaoh changed his mind and two more plagues were sent.
The Pharaoh was finally convinced to let the Israelites go and Moses led them from Egypt
10 plagues of Egypt
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Of course they are !
NAM MARINE,not just egypt,the swarm started in egypt to warn ISRAEL about letting the anti-christ come to ISRAEL,THEY still have a chance to stop obamas coming,IF they DON’T the plauge of locust ain’t nothing compared to whats going to happen…………………………
Why is God angry with the Egyptians this time? For your information, the plagues of Exodus didn’t just happen in Egypt, the entire world suffered the plagues. When the Hebrews were writing the bible, they attributed events to their god and wrote the oldest piece of propaganda on the planet. Sadly the Christians fell for the lies and continue them to this day. According to the Egyptian’s Great Book, 49 out 50 Hebrews perished during the plagues…hardly what I would call God favoring his “chosen people.”
the original story is from the daily mail, the Egyption’s book never heard of it so i will believe the bible.the locusts have gone into Israel also. i think you are trying to rewrite history. i dont think the whole world suffered a plague of frogs. many think it was an eruption of a local volcano which may have caused the plagues. God is the master of nature and timing.
Countdown,IF you remember,the swearing in of the anti-christ and superbowl,If you listened close to the names they were calling out,THE three headed dogs who guard the gates of hell,to stand back and let all the demons escape and they called to the guards to OPEN the gates so every demon in hell could come uppond the earth,THIS world is in serious trouble now,the gates have been opened and the demons will cover the planet soon…america has become the terrorist nation of the world and the lord ain’t going to stop the demons from attacking everyone in america,ONLY the lords people will be protected now,I sure hope and pray your one of them…………nows the time for every american to REPENT,or face whats coming,and wished they had………..
i listen to gods book which never lies, maybe you should do the same..
You dont even know what Gods book says. Because you are reading translations that serve the self-interests of those who claimed to have written it. Instead of being brainwashed and programmed- why not do some research into history? Afraid of what you may find?
The Commandments were plagiarized from the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi, Sargon the Great was the real “Moses” and “Exodus” was actually based on the flight of the Hyksos from Egypt. Then what else is false or doctored to suit the Scribe’s advantage? There is plenty more, based on real science. What is ironic is that the ‘jews’ actually the KHAZARS know all of this and allow the fiction to continue because it benefits them.
They know that no amount of evidence will convince those who are properly programmed and in denial.
we are christians the bible is the work of the holy spirit.
You wont get through to the brainwashed. You are dealing with thousands of years of belief which the programmed have convinced themselves is fact. Reality rarely trumps illusion. People just find a way to tailor it to their delusions.
Did you know that locusts are nutritious? Anyway… that’s what the Chinese say.
Cohen and tinman,I order you to return to your daddy lucifer in hell,NOW………….
THE LORD OUR GOD,is hopping mad at Israel and the JEWS for even thinking it would be ok to let the anti-christ OBAMA enter their country,much less during passover,or any other time,BUT they been decieved again by the likes of cohen and tinman into letting it happen,YOU ISRAELIS,BETTER RETHINK WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN,americans had better get ready to cause DIVIDING JERUSALEM is a NO,NO, ONLY IDIOTS would even consider this……….
AND YOU STUPID AMERICANS,how in the world did you ever think the anti-christ obama would do anything good for ISRAEL,..HE INTENDS TO DESTROY ISRAEL,and will cause major destruction to fall ON AMERICA,DO NOT LET OBAMA GO TO ISRAEL,the lord will destroy america if he does………………and that says nothing of what he’ll do to ISRAEL for allowing IT……………………..
This swarm is a reminder that the recent election that is trying to remove Ultra-Orthodox Jews from the government is wrong. It is also a reminder that even the Ultra-Orthodox are wrong in so many ways…for instance allowing dogs, cats and other non-kosher animals to be owned, not only by Jews but by Rabbis…which is not keeping kosher….allowing even dogs/cats non-kosher animals in to the synagouges and places where kosher food is prepared…they are unholy creatures Israel. That is why G-d created the Kosher laws to separate the clean from the unclean, the holy from the unholy, the secular from the religious, why would any Jew want to mingle with the unclean? It makes no sense. Further why would someone who is Jewish want to ignore the law or change the law and claim it is because they are “modern”? They should just convert to another religion insted of ruining the religion in its true form. Did G-d come down and change the Laws or did humans, desperate in their lack of understanding, change the laws for convenience sake? I think the answer is obvious and these locust are just another sign.
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I know why this is all happening, it is a reminder that God is there and he will see us all though!
Nothing to read into really
MSM can be an organic substance which has sulfur.