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Friday, Jan. 01 '16, Tevet 20, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. ATTORNEY GENERAL APPROVED TORTURE OF DUMA SUSPECTS
2. MASSIVE SNOWSTORM HITS ISRAEL
3. POLL: LIKUD, ZIONIST UNION FALL HARD
4. NEWLY RELEASED CLINTON EMAILS REVEAL 'RECKLESS' SECURITY RISK
5. SOLDIER INCARCERATED FOR 'EXTREMIST DANCE' WEDDING
6. 71% OF ISRAELIS: GOVERNMENT FAILING AGAINST TERROR WAVE
7. GAZANS OUTRAGED OVER NEW YEAR'S EVE BAN
8. DUBAI DELUXE HOTEL SMOLDERS ON INTO 2016
1. ATTORNEY GENERAL APPROVED TORTURE OF DUMA SUSPECTS
by Ari Yashar
Despite weeks of denials by the Israeli Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet) and leading politicians, sources close to the lethal Duma arson investigation revealed on Thursday that Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein "personally and concretely" approved torture against the Jewish suspects.
The order to torture the young suspects was given three weeks ago according to the sources, who made the revelation to the leftist paper Haaretz. The report clarifies the statements of Deputy Attorney General Raz Nizri, who told the paper earlier in December that Weinstein had approved "exceptional measures."
According to the sources, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was not privy to the approval, and only was updated regarding the torture later, after it had already started taking place. Weinstein may well have overstepped his jurisdiction by doing so.
The new revelation comes after ISA repeatedly denied the torture allegations, and a string of politicians got on board by denying the torture and trying to delegitmize the testimony of the suspects regarding it. Those politicians included Netanyahu, Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home), Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home), and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon (Likud).
The sources revealed that Weinstein directly gave ISA interrogators permission to torture the Duma suspects, despite such torture being illegal according to civil rights groups.
Weinstein's approval for the torture directly contradicts the mechanism of torture approval determined by Judge Elyakim Rubinstein, after the High Court outlawed torture in 1999. According to Rubinstein, the Attorney General cannot give ISA interrogators permission to use torture in specific incidents, but rather can tell them what techniques he will permit them to do without putting them on trial.
Weinstein on the other hand gave a concrete order to torture the suspects, according to the sources.
A month later, suspects maintain innocence
The attorney general's approval of torture is made all the more remarkable given his long-standing opposition to security forces taking harsh measures against Arab terorrism - just in October he forbid shooting Arab terrorists once they were neutralized, despite cases of terrorists continuing to stab after being shot, and he has likewise opposed changing the guidelines to open-fire on terrorists.
In response to the report, the Justice Ministry headed by Shaked issued a statement, which did not deny that approval was given to torture the suspects.
"The decisions regarding the manner of interrogation were made by the head of the Shabak (ISA) in accordance with its authorities, during supervision and accompaniment by the most senior sources in the Justice Ministry, headed by the Attorney General," read the statement.
One minor suspect in the case reportedly broke down and confessed last week after nearly a month of interrogation, but given the reports of brutal torture in the interrogation, there are heavy concerns that the confession was false and inadmissible as evidence. Prior to the confession, officials admitted there was no evidence against the suspects.
The sources told Haaretz that the rest of the suspects have maintained their silence despite over a month of torture, continuing to argue their innocence.
Just this week two minor suspects were released from interrogation.
One suspect said after undergoing 30 days of interrogation that the ISA is lying, and that the suspects are indeed being tortured - the same suspect was released after the courts threw out the ISA's attempt to keep him in interrogation based on alleged involvement in an unrelated quarrel with Bedouin shepherds two years ago.
Another minor suspect still being held testified before the courts that he tried to commit suicide to end the interrogation and torture, and just this Wednesday, two weeks after the attempt, his lawyers were finally allowed to photograph the numerous scars on his wrist.
A psychiatric counselor had determined the minor suspect was driven into severe depression and traumatic stress as a result of the interrogation, and he was prescribed sleeping pills by a doctor in his detention center due to sleep deprivation related to interrogation and torture.
2. MASSIVE SNOWSTORM HITS ISRAEL
by Ari Yashar
Israel has been bracing for its first massive snowstorm of the year, and on Friday the weather did not disappoint, with gale force winds and heavy rains visiting upon various regions, and Mount Hermon in the north already under heavy snow since late Thursday.
As of 7 a.m., Mount Hermon, Israel's only ski site, had already recorded around 30 centimeters (nearly 12 inches) of snow on the lower levels of the mountain alone.
On the upper reaches of the mount, a full 60 centimeters (over 23 inches) had already fallen, with the snow anticipated to only get heavier throughout the day. The temperature in the morning hours has remained below 0° C (under 32° F). Mount Hermon is to remain closed over the weekend due to the growing snowstorm and road closures in the region.
Snow has started falling from the morning hours also on the mountains in the Golan Heights where it is expected to reach 20 centimeters (just under 8 inches), and is likewise predicted to spread to the Galilee later in the day where 15 centimeters (just under 6 inches) are anticipated.
The Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) rose 3 centimeters (just over 1 inch) in the morning hours, with at least 60 millimeters (over 2 inches) of rain falling in the morning in the Upper Galilee and the Golan, with a similar quantity falling in the Jerusalem area mountains.
There have been reports of power outages in several areas of Tel Aviv and Ramat Hasharon on Friday morning, and in Tzfat (Safed) in the north, it was announced on Thursday night that schools are to remain closed on Friday. Light snow began falling in Tzfat, and in nearby Meron, at around 8 a.m. on Friday morning.
The snowfall is also expected to reach Jerusalem later in the day, although it is not anticipated to be heavy, with meteorologists predicting 5 centimeters (just under 2 inches) of snow on Friday.
Temperatures on Friday are to be a chilly 7° C (44.6° F) in Katzrin on the Golan Heights, 4° C (39.2° F) in Tzfat, 12° C (53.6° F) in Tiberias, 9° C (48.2° F) in Haifa, 4° C in Ariel, 12° C (53.6° F) in Tel Aviv, 4°C in Jerusalem, 12° C in Be'er Sheva, and 16° C (60.8° F) in Eilat.
There are flood warnings for rivers in the south as well as in the Judean desert.
On Saturday the weather will continue to be cloudy and cold, with local rains, but the gale force winds are to slacken off to a certain degree.
The rain will continue incrementally on Sunday, mostly in the north. Snow is to continue falling on Mount Hermon, and in the morning snow also may fall in the Golan mountains. Temperatures will raise slightly, but will remain below seasonal norms.
A noted rise in the temperature is expected for Monday, with the weather in most of the country predicted to be pleasant to partially cloudy.
3. POLL: LIKUD, ZIONIST UNION FALL HARD
by Hezki Ezra
A new poll by the Midgam Institute on Friday revealed that the Knesset's largest parties have dropped sharply, with Likud falling from its current 30 seats to just 25 mandates.
The poll, conducted for Yedioth Aharonoth, found that if elections were held today, the leftist Zionist Union would also take a hit, dropping from 24 seats to 18.
It would be tied by Yesh Atid, which leaps to 18 from the paltry 11 mandates it got in the last elections in March 2015. The Arab Joint List, currently the third largest party, remains steady at 13 seats.
Jewish Home for its part would jump from eight seats to 12, and Yisrael Beytenu also sees a slight boost from six seats to eight.
United Torah Judaism would get seven mandates, as would Kulanu, in a drop from the 10 mandates currently held by Moshe Kahlon's new party.
Rounding out the list, Shas drops from seven to six mandates, while the radical leftist Meretz party comes in at five seats, maintaining its current total.
4. NEWLY RELEASED CLINTON EMAILS REVEAL 'RECKLESS' SECURITY RISK
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has been under fire for using a private, unsecured email server during her stint as secretary of state, and on Thursday the US State Department released another 3,105 of her emails from the server.
The State Department has fallen short of its mandate to release 82% of the emails by the end of 2015, although another batch is expected sometime next week.
No fewer than 275 of the newly released emails have been upgraded to "classified," bringing the total number of classified documents in Clinton's private email server up to a full 1,274 so far.
A State Department official told Fox News that two of the newest emails were upgraded to "secret," with most of the rest being determined to be "confidential."
Last September, National Security Administration (NSA) director Mike Rogers admitted Clinton's server was a severe security risk and a probable target of foreign spies, echoing statements by former Defense Intelligence Agency director Michael Flynn, who last April said it was "likely" spies breached into Clinton's emails.
Clinton used the private email address during her entire four years as secretary of state, despite the fact that US President Barack Obama signed in a law saying government email accounts must be used on official business.
Clinton's confusion
One particularly troubling facet revealed in the latest batch of emails is the confusion Clinton had regarding her emails, raising concerns even higher that she had placed classified information in danger on her private server during her time as secretary of state.
In one exchange from September 2010 between Clinton and one of her closest aides, Jake Sullivan, Clinton wrote on a Sunday morning that she didn't know which of her emails he was getting.
"I'm never sure which of my emails you receive, so pls let me know if you receive this one and on which address you did," wrote Clinton.
Sullivan answered a few hours later, writing: "I have just received this email on my personal account, which I check much less frequently than my State Department account. I have not received any emails from you on my State account in recent days - for example, I did not get the email you sent to me and (Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Jeff) Feltman on the Egyptian custody case. Something is very wrong with the connection there."
In January 2012 Clinton also said in an email to Jamie Rubin, a diplomat and journalist, that she was having trouble with her BlackBerry, further indicating the vulnerability and lack of security in her email system.
"Sorry for the delay in responding," she wrote, adding that her BlackBerry was having "a nervous breakdown on my dime!"
"Putting secrecy over national security"
In response to Thursday's release of new classified emails, Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Reince Priebus issued a statement strongly condemning the Democratic candidate.
"With more than 1,250 emails containing classified information now uncovered, Hillary Clinton's decision to put secrecy over national security by exclusively operating off of a secret email server looks even more reckless," said Priebus.
"When this scandal first broke, Hillary Clinton assured the American people there was no classified material on her unsecure server, a claim which has since been debunked on a monthly basis with each court-ordered release."
"With an expanded FBI investigation underway and new details emerging about the conflicts of interest her server was designed to conceal, Hillary Clinton has shown she lacks the character and judgement to be president during this critical time for our country," concluded the RNC chairman.
Clinton's released emails also appear to show she will be hostile to Israel; in November she said she would impose peace talks on the Jewish state - a statement also made by Republican front runner Donald Trump shortly afterwards in December.
5. SOLDIER INCARCERATED FOR 'EXTREMIST DANCE' WEDDING
by Kobi Finkler
An IDF soldier from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion was sent to 21 days of incarceration starting Friday, after he apparently let his personal weapon be taken and danced with by participants during a controversial wedding.
The weapon was one of several firearms,as well as toy guns, and knives waved in the air during a dance apparently celebrating the deadly Duma arson. Video from the wedding three weeks ago was leaked to the press last week, in which one masked individual is seen holding a picture of the Arab baby murdered in the Duma attack and stabbing it at one point.
After the video was leaked, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot ordered an investigation to see whether soldiers were present at the wedding.
The soldier was sentenced by the Kfir Brigade Commander Col. Guy Hazut, and sentenced to incarceration. He was charged with standing by as he saw his weapon passed around and waved in the air, without trying to take the gun back.
Several people, including the groom, have been arrested for taking part in the wedding and summarily released, after the judge accepted the argument of their lawyers that there is no criminal element in their activities.
"I expect that the police will this very day arrest everyone celebrating in Umm al Fahm and Rahat who wave and even shoot weapons during weddings," said attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir following the release of one man, noting on how Arab weddings frequently include live gunfire in the air.
Hazut also on Friday sentenced two other Netzah Yehuda Battalion soldiers, who were under investigation for alleged violence against Palestinian Arab detainees.
The Kfir Brigade Commander ruled that the two did not act as expected of them, and therefore removed one from the battalion to be reassigned, while the other will be suspended from his role as a combat soldier and transferred to a "desk job" administrative role.
6. 71% OF ISRAELIS: GOVERNMENT FAILING AGAINST TERROR WAVE
by Ari Yashar
A new survey published on Friday reveals that the overwhelming majority of the Israeli public feels the coalition government has failed them, by not taking the correct measures in confronting the current wave of Arab terrorism.
The research was conducted for Walla by Prof. Camil Fuchs of "Panel Project Hamidgam" and the statistician Yosef Miklada of the STATNET research institute.
According to the findings, a full 61% of the public feel that their level of personal security had been harmed or greatly harmed since the attacks began around three months ago.
In contrast, just 29% said their level of security was not so harmed, while only 9% felt their security had not been harmed at all. The findings come on the backdrop of constant knife, car and shooting attacks that have been focused in the Jerusalem area, but have also reached Tel Aviv and the coastal urban sprawl on numerous occasions.
An even more stark response was found when participants were posed the following question: "in your opinion, is the government properly dealing with the terror wave?"
A full 71% of respondents said the government was not properly dealing with the threat, as opposed to just 19% who felt it was, and 9% who said they didn't know.
The poll included 610 participants, 501 of them Jewish and 109 of them Arab citizens.
7. GAZANS OUTRAGED OVER NEW YEAR'S EVE BAN
by Ben Ariel
Hamas's ban on New Year's Eve celebrations in Gaza sparked anger among local residents, who took to social media to express their frustration.
In announcing the ban, the Islamist group claimed such parties offend the territory's "values and religious traditions" and were "incompatible with our customs, traditions, values and the teachings of our religion".
Gaza restaurateurs expressed displeasure at the ban due to the financial loss it will cause them, especially considering that Hamas recently raised taxes on restaurants, according to a report from the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
The ban also evoked harsh criticism from Gaza residents, who voiced their complaints on social media, as well as from public figures, such as a member of the Palestinian People's Party who advised the Hamas members to put aside their cars and start riding donkeys instead, according to MEMRI, which translated some of the criticism.
One example cited by MEMRI is a post on Facebook by human rights activist Mustafa Ibrahim, who accused Hamas of hypocrisy and of disregarding the wishes of the Gaza residents.
"Hamas has a new surprise for us every day, and at the end of the year it insists on a new addition to its bad human rights record. Seeking anything that can harm it and us, it cleaves to its customs and heritage which it is trying to impose and to realize in the name of religion, and attacks the public's freedoms," he wrote.
"To the West it says, 'we are a moderate Islamic movement,' while in the domestic arena, it tries to tell many of its members that it governs [the Gaza Strip] based on religious Islamic law, rather than state law, and that, it if could, it might [even] implement the Koranic punishments... Its claim [that it has banned new year celebrations due to] the siege and the martyrs is not true. Hamas is the last one who should talk about the siege. It is the one that is preoccupied with appearances and arrogance and giving no weight to the siege [itself, only] to cries for help. All our lives we have been sacrificing martyrs but [also] celebrating. [Besides], how many celebrants [are we talking about]? Hearing about Hamas' decision [to ban the celebrations], one might think that tens of thousands celebrate [this occasion in Gaza]. By the way, celebrating the new year is not a religious matter, but a global human tradition. It's as though we are not part of the world, or as though we have lost our humanity," added Ibrahim.
Responding to Ibrahim's post, some readers posted a photo showing Hamas officials, including Moussa Abu Marzouq, standing beside a Christmas tree and a figure of Santa Claus during their visit the Saint Porphyrios Church in Gaza last year.
MEMRI noted that many Palestinians posted this photo on social media to demonstrate the hypocrisy of Hamas officials, who participate in New Year festivities themselves yet ban the public and the restaurateurs from celebrating.
Meanwhile Nafez Ghneim, a senior member of the Palestinian People's Party (PPP), accused Hamas of violating collective and individual liberties on the pretext of minimizing Western influence on the lives of Gaza residents.
"Why do some people describe certain human [customs] as a Western tradition that contravenes the tradition of [Muslim] society? If such is the case, they should get out of their cars and ride on a donkey, or smash their mobile phones and return to antiquated modes of communication," he said, according to MEMRI's translation.
"Also," continued Ghneim, "they should not follow the West or imitate it in their dress. They should burn their suits and ties and return to robes and wooden clogs." He wondered further: "Aren't the insurance companies an imitation of the West? Isn't trading in cigarettes and levying taxes an imitation of the West? What about the tourist resorts that are managed and controlled by all those who govern the Gaza Strip...?"
Ghneim urged the Gaza authorities to leave people in peace and stop molding society, bit by bit, in the image of the Islamic State (ISIS). He urged them to seek ways to restore to the Gazans their dignified lives, and address the roots of the poverty, despair and frustration felt in every Gaza household."
The New Year's Eve move should come as no surprise, as Hamas has enforced a stringent interpretation of Islamic law in Gaza since violently taking power there in 2007.
The group has banned women and teenagers from smoking hookahs in public, ordered that women's clothing stores are not allowed to have dressing rooms, men cannot have hairdressing salons for women and that mannequins shaped like women must be dressed in modest clothing.
The group also introduced a strict dress code for female university students, demanding that they wear "modest clothing" and has also passed a law stipulating that lashes can be given as punishment for certain offences.
8. DUBAI DELUXE HOTEL SMOLDERS ON INTO 2016
by Ari Yashar
A full 12 hours after a massive fire began engulfing Dubai's upscale The Address Hotel at 9:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve, the smoke continued rising from the still smoldering building on Friday morning.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities are investigating the huge conflagration that broke out on the 20th floor of the 63-storey five-star luxury hotel and apartment complex, which is located just across a plaza from the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.
Four firefighter crews managed to get the fire under control, but the massive tongues of flame that were accompanied by the sound of explosions from inside the building were replaced by huge trails of smoke on Friday morning.
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Firefighters were mostly watching the smoldering structure from the ground on Friday, and at one point unsuccessfully tried to use a water hose on a ladder firetruck according to the Associated Press. Reportedly the fire has been put out on the top floors of the building, but the flames linger lower down.
"The left side of the hotel is completely gone. There was a minor stampede - panic set in and people ran away," reported Diana al-Rifai, a journalist on the scene for Al Jazeera.
The news site reported that all roads to the hotel remain blocked off on Friday, adding that the luxury hotel is usually full of locals and foreigners congregating to watch the huge New Year's Eve firework display from the adjacent Burj Khalifa.
That stunning firework display went ahead as scheduled despite the blaze and the evacuation of the plaza between the two buildings.
In the course of the fire and the evacuation of the luxury hotel on Thursday night 16 people were wounded, most of them with minor injuries. The government revealed that one injured person suffered a heart attack caused by "overcrowding and smoke."
The Address Hotel stands 300 meters (1,000 feet) tall, while the Burj Khalifa is 829.8 meters (2,722 feet) tall, making it the tallest skyscraper anywhere on the globe.
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