Garden Gnomes Win Legal Battle

Garden gnome

Couple with garden ornaments of gnomes  win Legal battle to keep them

A couple whose 'tacky' garden ornaments sparked a war with their neighbours have won a battle to keep them.

Adina and Sorin Banatean thought their collection of over 30 gnomes, golden lion statues and lights would cheer up their neighbourhood.

But their colourful front garden instead quickly sparked a furious reaction from their fellow residents who claimed they had 'brought shame to the area'.

The rows erupted after the couple installed a fake well, two pergolas, and a large bird feeder in May this year at their home in Nelson, Lancashire, without planning permission. 

This led a number of neighbours to complain to Pendle Council saying they are 'not pleasant to view.'

But Mr and Mrs Banatean have defiantly fought back against their fellow residents stressing: 'It is our property, and what we did was within our garden.'

The couple applied for retrospective planning permission after received a letter from the council in May outlining the work they completed needed planning permission and that they had received complaints.

Yet despite this council officials approved the couple's application allowing them to keep the decorations to their 'delight'.

Mr Banatean, who is originally from Romania, said: 'I was happy when the council approved our application as we weren't sure if they were going to.

Mr and Mrs Banatean's garden

'It is our property, and what we did was within our garden. We love the garden and the gnomes, they make us happy, the children love them.

'It was just two or three complaining neighbours.'

The pergola stretches from the entrance gate to halfway up the path towards the house, with metal pillars and chains hanging between them running the length.

In the corner of the garden site the ornamental well next to the road, with the tall bird feeder, which resembles a Swiss cuckoo clock, sited on the front lawn.

The lawn is also dotted with over 30 garden gnomes and ornaments adding to the aesthetic.

Their retrospective planning application drew eight complaints from nearby residents.

One complaint said: 'The wishing well, with its large-sized flashing lights, is obstructive, unsightly and appears out of place.

'The overall proposal is very unattractive and negatively impacts the area.'

The wishing well in Mr and Mrs Banatean's garden

Another said: 'The garden ornaments are over the top and the amount of lights on the outside of the property are above the level of any normal home.

One other neighbour said: 'I just don't think that everything that's been done is in keeping with the area.

'I spoke with one of the residents who's having problems with rats and bird muck from the pigeons which are from the bird house which is in the garden..'

Another complaint said: 'The extra large well with its flashing lights ship wheels and garden norms on it are adding to traffic slowing down or stopping in the road to get a look at the mad hatters tea party in disbelief which is so dangers to other read users.

'If this is approved it will be a shame to the area.'

One resident claimed the wishing well is 'obstructive' and 'unsightly'.

In a report to officials on October 8 earlier this year, planning officer John Halton recommended the application to be approved.

He said the installations were all 'appropriate with a garden setting'.

Cllr Halton also said that 'the intensity and direction of the lighting does not materially affect light levels to the extent that it would cause disturbance to neighbours or wildlife'.

He said there were no material reasons to reject the application, and the ornaments were approved and can remain in the garden.

Lancashire County Council, which acted as the local highway authority, didn't raise an objection regarding the above retrospective development.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15348577/Couple-tacky-garden-ornaments-gnomes-golden-lion-statues-lights-sparked-war-neighbours-win-battle-them.html

There are believed to be around six million garden gnomes across the UK

The sea of garden gnomes

Woman finds 107 gnomes outside her front doorstep

The gnomes as seen from her upper window, left, and front door, right

Gnomes in the garden 

Bluey gnomes were a quick sell-out

Meerkat garden statues

Gnomeo & Juliet

Gnorman playing air hockey

More than 10,000 gnomes in this garden

Garden gnome

Lockheed Martin extends cooperation with Israel

 F-35

Lockheed Martin extends cooperation with Israel

To date, Lockheed Martin has invested more than $4 billion - $470 million in the past five years - with Israeli defense and aerospace industrial cooperation projects.

Lockheed Martin, together with Israel’s Industrial Cooperation Authority, signed an extension for the Umbrella Industrial Cooperation Agreement (UICA), through the end of 2029. The ceremony was led by Israel’s Minister of Economy Nir Barkat, Lockheed Martin Chief Operating Officer Frank St. John, Lockheed Martin Israel Chief Executive Tal Galor, MOC's Head of Industry Division Nurit Tsur-Rabino and Head of ICA Department Yazeed Sheick-Yousif.

Nir Barkat, Minister of Economy and Industry: "The extension of the agreement with Lockheed Martin is a clear vote of confidence in Israeli industry and in our capacity for innovation. This collaboration strengthens Israel’s security, creates new engines of economic growth, and brings investments that provide significant opportunities for local industries to expand and increase exports. We will continue to lead initiatives that attract strategic partners to Israel and generate thousands of high-quality jobs across the country."

“Extending the Umbrella Industrial Cooperation Agreement reinforces Lockheed Martin’s ongoing role as a trusted partner to Israel,” said Frank St. John, Lockheed Martin Chief Operating Officer. “It enables us to strengthen resiliency through a broader industrial footprint, deepen collaboration with leading Israeli companies, and advance high-impact STEM initiatives that build the talent pipelines essential for future allied defense capability. We are proud to grow these partnerships and deliver long-term security, technological innovation, and economic value for Israel.”

Lockheed Martin and the Government of Israel first signed a framework industrial cooperation agreement in 2005. To date, Lockheed Martin has invested more than $4 billion with Israeli defense and aerospace industries, leveraging Israel’s advanced technology industry.

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/418750

Lockheed Martin extends industrial cooperation with Israel through 2029, aiming to boost trade

One of the biggest American defense companies, Lockheed Martin currently supplies Israel with combat aircraft such as F-16 and F-35 jets, giving Israel a significant advantage throughout the region.

Lockheed Martin and Israel’s Industrial Cooperation Authority (ICA) agreed to extend their partnership for another four years, the company said in a statement Wednesday.

In a ceremony attended by officials, including Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat and Head of ICA Yazeed Sheick-Yousif, as well as Lockheed Martin COO Frank St. John and Lockheed Martin Israel Chief Executive Tal Galor, the American defense and aerospace manufacturer extended its Umbrella Industrial Cooperation Agreement (UICA) through 2029.

A UICA, signed between the ICA and a foreign company, allows the company to sell goods more easily in Israel. Lockheed Martin and Israel first signed cooperation agreements in 2005, and since then, the firm has invested over $4 billion in the Jewish State, according to the statement.

Previous cooperation with Israel

Signed in 2020, the current UICA between Israel and Lockheed Martin led the firm to invest more than $470 million locally. For example, in 2022, Lockheed Martin launched kindergartens in northern Israel to encourage creativity and interest in STEM among children. 

"These kindergartens are a part of the concept we are leading in the education system, focusing on exposing children to the world of science and technology at an early age, as part of their natural educational environment inside the kindergarten,” said then education minister Yifat-Sasha Biton.

Barkat lauded the new agreement, calling it a “clear vote of confidence” in Israeli industry and innovation.

“This collaboration strengthens Israel’s security, creates new engines of economic growth, and brings investments that provide significant opportunities for local industries to expand and increase exports,” he continued. 

St. John emphasized the importance of the deal, stating that “[the agreement] enables us to strengthen resiliency through a broader industrial footprint, deepen collaboration with leading Israeli companies, and advance high-impact STEM initiatives that build the talent pipelines essential for future allied defense capability.

One of the biggest American defense companies, Lockheed Martin, supplies Israel with combat aircraft such as F-16 and F-35 jets, which give Israel a significant aerial advantage throughout the region. Additionally, the company entered into an agreement with Israeli defense firm Rafael to develop a version of the Iron Beam laser defense system for the American market.

Israeli exports go on despite war

Despite the many fronts of war Israel faces, 2024 marked a record year for defense exports, reaching over $14 billion in value, according to the Ministry of Defense. Even during the course of the Israel-Hamas War, Israel has signed contracts to export weapons to major countries, many of whom see Russia and China as threats to their safety. 

This week, Germany announced the deployment of the Israeli Arrow 3 missile defense system as part of a $3.6 billion deal. 

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-879041

Alaa al-Din Abd al-Nasser Hasan Khudari Terminated

IDF kills senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad Gaza City Brigade cmdr. 

Alaa al-Din Abd al-Nasser Hasan Khudar, a Nukhba commander within Palestinian Islamic Jihad Gaza City Brigade, was killed in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip.

Khudar infiltrated Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023, and continued attacks on Israel throughout the war, according to the IDF.

Kibbutz Nahal Oz was among the communities hardest hit on Oct. 7, with many residents killed, wounded, and abducted. 

The strike followed Islamic Jihad and Hamas violations of the ceasefire, including reportedly firing at Israeli forces on November 22, according to the military. 

The IDF carried out a series of strikes on terror targets, operatives, and commanders across Gaza after the ceasefire was broken.

The operation was directed by the IDF Intelligence Directorate, with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) providing intelligence, the IDF added.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-876875

Israeli forces have eliminated the Nukhba terrorist commander who invaded Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023 together with thousands of Hamas-led terrorists, slaughtering 1,200 people, wounding thousands and kidnapping 251 more.

Alaa al-Din Abd al-Nasser Hasan Khudari, a commander in the Islamic Jihad Gaza City Brigade, led forces who infiltrated the kibbutz during the massacre and throughout the war orchestrated terrorist attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that it had eliminated a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist who took part in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Kibbutz Nahal Oz, in which 15 people were massacred.

Alaa al-Din Abd al-Nasser Hasan Khudari, the Nukhba commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Gaza City Brigade, was killed in retaliatory airstrikes following Hamas’s Nov. 22 truce violation, the IDF said.

After a Palestinian gunman opened fire on IDF soldiers in southern Gaza on Nov. 22, the Israeli military struck “terrorist targets, terrorists and commanders belonging to terrorist organizations,” according to the statement.

The Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem said at the time that the military had eliminated five senior terrorists in response to the attack. “Israel has fully honored the ceasefire, Hamas has not,” added the PMO.

Khudari’s death was confirmed “after an intelligence assessment,” the IDF said Tuesday. “The terrorist infiltrated Kibbutz Nahal Oz during the brutal October 7 massacre, and throughout the war, he orchestrated attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians.”

In separate statements Monday, the IDF said it had eliminated three terrorists who crossed Gaza’s ceasefire line.

In two incidents in northern Gaza, IDF troops fired on and killed a terrorist who had crossed the Yellow Line and posed an immediate threat, the military said.

The Yellow Line

Meanwhile, in the central Gaza Strip, IDF soldiers carried out an airstrike on a terrorist who had crossed the line and threatened Israeli forces.

Since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, Israeli security forces have pulled back to a line running through the northern, eastern and southern Gaza Strip, holding control of roughly half the territory.

On Saturday, the IDF eliminated three suspected terrorists who crossed the Yellow Line in the southern Gaza Strip and approached soldiers.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also revealed Khudri’s association with Hamas’s Nukhba special forces, which led the attack on October 7, 2023 — highlighting close operational ties between the two Iran-sponsored Gaza-based terrorist groups. He was “the Nukhba commander within the Islamic Jihad Gaza City Brigade,” the IDF said in a statement.

Khudari’s elimination also shows Israel’s commitment to hunting down the perpetrators of atrocities on October 7, 2023. Weeks after the massacre, the Israeli intelligence agencies Mossad and Shin Bet set up a joint unit to track down and eliminate terrorists who took part in the October 7 attack. The unit is called NILI, an acronym in Hebrew for Netzach Yisrael Lo Yeshaker, meaning “the eternity of God will not lie” (1 Samuel 15:29).

Taking out Nukhba forces’ commanders has been a priority for this dedicated unit. As Legal Insurrection noted in November 2023: “Top on [this] unit’s list are the commanders of Hamas’s Nukhba forces who led thousands of their terrorist fighters in the cross-border attack carrying out horrifying atrocities, including murdering and burning of babies.”

Alaa al-Din Abd al-Nasser Hasan Khudari headed the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) City Brigade.

The PIJ, which is a direct Iranian proxy, is allied with Hamas and fully participated in the Oct. 7 brutalities.

“He took part in the October 7 massacre and continued directing attacks against our troops and civilians throughout the war,” the IDF said on X.

The IDF also closed accounts Sunday with another senior Gazan terrorist, according to Israeli online channel Abu Ali Express, which cited Hamas-linked sources.

Tawfik Salaam, a commander in the Shadow Unit of Hamas’ military wing, was eliminated by IDF forces in Rafah as he was trying to flee from a tunnel beneath the town, as several dozen terrorists have tried to do unsuccessfully over the last few weeks.

IDF hard at work destroying Rafah tunnels