Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
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Tuesday, Apr. 12 '16, Nissan 4, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. ZIONIST UNION MK CALLS TO SUSPEND HERZOG
2. LATEST BDS HERO: AN ORTHODOX JEWISH PROFESSOR
3. 'YOU REGISTERED THROUGH TZOHAR? YOU'RE NOT JEWISH'
4. PUBLIC SECURITY MINISTER WANTS TO FURTHER EASE GUN RESTRICTIONS
5. SUSPECT IN ABU KHDER MURDER LIGHTS FIRE IN AYALON PRISON
6. PA APPEALS AGAINST COURT RULING TO PAY TERROR VICTIMS
7. ISRAEL INFORMED IN ADVANCE OF EGYPT-SAUDI ISLAND PACT
8. 22 SICK CHILDREN CELEBRATE BAR AND BAT MITZVAHS AT THE KOTEL
1. ZIONIST UNION MK CALLS TO SUSPEND HERZOG
by David Rosenberg
Cracks are beginning to appear in what was a solid wall of support for Zionist Union chairman Yitzhak Herzog within his own party.
After an investigation in the campaign finances of the Zionist Union leader was announced last month, party MKs lined up behind Herzog.
But after police called on Israel's Attorney General on Monday to upgrade the preliminary inquiry into a criminal investigation, some party members have begun quietly discussing replacements for the embattled chairman.
On Tuesday, MK Eyal Ben-Reuven, a retired Major General, was the first to publicly voice the concerns growing within his party.
Speaking on Israel Radio, Ben-Reuven suggested that the party suspend Herzog as chairman, at least temporarily.
"In order to maintain the highest ethical standards, I think that we need to consider [our] options; maybe not resignation, but some kind of suspension. Maintaining high ethical standards for the nation's leaders is one of the most important issues for the Israeli government."
Ben-Reuven was quick to emphasize that he remains strongly supportive of Herzog and hopes the current investigation ends without an indictment.
"I'm very hopeful that this whole storm will blow over soon. I know Herzog well, and he's the furthest thing from a criminal, and I really, really hope that this whole thing ends as fast as possible."
The Movement for Quality in Government echoed Ben-Reuven's comments, calling upon Herzog to leave his position as Head of the Opposition and party chairman, at least until end of the current investigation.
2. LATEST BDS HERO: AN ORTHODOX JEWISH PROFESSOR
by David Rosenberg
Daniel Boyarin is far from the typical Orthodox Jew.
A professor at the University of California at Berkeley, Boyarin is a renowned Talmudic scholar and Shabbat-observant Orthodox Jew.
But he's also an ardent advocate for the LGBT community and an outspoken critic of Israel.
Despite the Zionist ideals of his youth, today Boyarin is a self-declared anti-Zionist and proud supporter of the BDS movement.
Boyarin lived in Israel for years, but since returning to the US in 1990 he has refused to speak with Israeli media outlets. This week, Channel 10 managed to secure the first ever interview with Boyarin by an Israeli news organization.
When asked about the ongoing wave of Arab terrorism in Israel and whether he understood that in Israel he would be targeted for violent attacks, the professor claimed he had more to fear from "assassination attempts by right-wingers" angered over the interview.
Boyarin has been a leading advocate of the academic boycott of Israel, targeting Israeli universities, including the Hebrew University and Bar Ilan University, where he taught prior to his conversion to anti-Zionism.
Speaking to Jweekly, a San Francisco-area Jewish paper, Boyarin described his transformation from left-leaning Zionist to a die-hard anti-Israel activist, citing the First Intifada as the turning point.
"When I heard [then Minister of Defense] Yitzhak Rabin say 'break their arms and legs' [speaking about Arab demonstrators], I thought 'There's something wrong here.' And when I talked to people about it, who told me it's necessary to break the arms and legs of young teenage boys to support this project [the State of Israel], then I felt that this project is rotten."
But unlike the mainstream Israeli left, Boyarin's disillusionment led him to a total rejection of Zionism – and the existence of Israel.
"The more I studied and looked at the discourse, the more I really came to believe it was not a question of right-wing Zionist versus left-wing Zionist. I realized that there is a fundamental flaw at the heart of the enterprise."
Today Boyarin sees Israel per se as illegitimate; a foolish decision and an illegal occupation – even inside the Green Line.
"I think Israel was a mistake, a big mistake," he told Channel 10. "People in a desperate situation do foolish things."
"It's [Israel] all occupied in my opinion."
In the past Boyarin compared Israel to Apartheid-ridden South Africa. In 2006 he called Israel an apartheid state, condemning it for the "destruction of human rights and democracy", which he claimed "is at least as severe as that of the South Africans."
During his recent Channel 10 interview, however, Boyarin made direct comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany.
"I would say that the actions of the government and some segments of [Israeli] society are very similar to the Nazis," Boyarin said.
In a contribution to the anthology "Wrestling with Zion: Progressive Jewish-American Responses to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict," Boyarin argued that Israel had "killed" Judaism, and notably refused to refer to the biblical cities of Hevron and Beit El by their original, Hebrew names.
"It has been said by many Christians that Christianity died at Auschwitz, Treblinka and Sobibor. I fear — G-d forbid — that my Judaism may be dying at Nablus [Shechem], Daheishe, Beteen [Beit El] and al-Khalil [Hevron]."
3. 'YOU REGISTERED THROUGH TZOHAR? YOU'RE NOT JEWISH'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Two officials at the Haifa religious council have been suspended following revelations of misconduct.
It has been alleged that the two officials systematically denied marriage registration requests from couples who had signed up through the Tzohar rabbinical organization.
According to an investigation conducted by Channel 2, more than 100 couples from the Haifa area who registered through Tzohar found their applications denied.
In response to queries regarding the reason for the denial, applicants were told either that they were already registered in marriages to other people, that they were illegitimate, or that they were not Jewish.
These false claims were issued as part of what appears to be a concerted effort by the two officials to deny legitimacy to Tzohar, and to harm any couples associated with the group.
Tzohar is an independent organization, led by national religious rabbis, which seeks to reform the Israeli rabbinate and ease marriage registrations and the process of converting to Judaism. While Tzohar is not a part of the Israeli rabbinate, it has signed agreements with the Chief Rabbinate in the past allowing it to conduct marriage registrations.
The organization has faced sharp criticism from some in the haredi sector, who see the group as a threat to the religious status quo.
4. PUBLIC SECURITY MINISTER WANTS TO FURTHER EASE GUN RESTRICTIONS
by Matt Wanderman
Speaking at a security conference in Yad Binyamin, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) says that he is working to allow more Israeli citizens to receive gun licenses.
His latest proposal is to relax the military background requirement to anyone who served in an infantry unit in the IDF. He also intends to ease the conditions for officers who finished their reserve service after turning 40.
"If someone serves in the reserves for his whole life, it's not reasonable to take away his gun," Erdan said. "The same goes for those who were in combat units at levels 07 and 08. The intention is for them to be armed."
The different levels of IDF training are described by a numerical scale. For example, level 02 is for non-combat soldiers, 03 is for artillery and tanks, and 07 is infantry.
About six months ago, Erdan accepted police and experts' suggestions to expand the number of private gun licenses to former special forces and reconnaissance soldiers. This was a strong shift away from the former policy of trying to reduce the number of armed civilians, and part of a raft of moves he initiated to relax firearms licensing restrictions in the face of an ongoing wave of Arab terrorist attacks.
The minister still insists that there must be a balance between the dangers posed by more guns and the need for a quick response to terror attacks. "I decided that we must have a balanced policy. There is a public interest: we have seen the difference when there is a citizen who is trained to use a gun during a terror attack. It reduces the harm to human life."
The move must first receive approval from the Finance Minister, as it would require additional budgeting for the firearms licensing department.
5. SUSPECT IN ABU KHDER MURDER LIGHTS FIRE IN AYALON PRISON
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Yosef Haim Ben David, the suspected ringleader of the gang which kidnapped and murdered 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khder, attempted to set fire to a room in the Ayalon prison, where he is currently being held.
According to Israel Radio, Ben David set fire to papers in a room in the prison on Monday. The fire was quickly extinguished, however, preventing damage to the building itself.
The apparent arson attempt is the latest in a history of erratic behavior by the suspect, who was arrested in 2012 for attempting to strangle his baby daughter.
Ben David was treated for psychiatric problems in the past, and was initially found to be mentally unfit to stand trial.
A later finding by a court psychiatrist rejected the initial opinion, and a Jerusalem district court ruled the alleged killer able to stand trial.
Under Ben David's guidance, the gang, which included two minors, set fire to an Arab store in the village of Hizme near Jerusalem in revenge for the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli youths in 2014.
Following the arson, the three kidnapped Abu Khder. The victim was beaten unconscious, bound, and dragged out into the Jerusalem forest. The suspect then set Abu Khder on fire, killing him.
6. PA APPEALS AGAINST COURT RULING TO PAY TERROR VICTIMS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A federal appeals court in New York will look into the Palestinian Authority's (PA) appeal against last year's ruling that it must pay compensation to 10 families of terror victims with US citizenship.
The earlier ruling, which took 11 years to achieve, ordered the PA to pay $665 million to the victims of terror attacks during the Second Intifada. This was the first time that a jury ruled in favor of terror victims.
The court found that the PLO and the PA were guilty of funding, supporting, planning and carrying out terror attacks in Israel throughout the Second Intifada. The jury agreed with the plaintiffs that authorized officials in the PA gave authorization, either before or after the attacks, to each use of terror in order to promote their policies and goals, and that PA officials were involved in the attacks.
Prosecutors also presented evidence that the PA continues to fund convicted terrorists by paying them salaries and giving them promotions, and supporting the families of terrorists who were killed during their attacks.
The initial case was filed under a US law against terror that allows US citizens who were harmed in terror attacks outside of the US to sue in US federal courts. The plaintiffs were represented by Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, from the legal organization Shurat Hadin, as well as the New York attorney Kent Yalowitz. Shurat Hadin is an Israeli group dedicated to fighting terror through civil lawsuits and other legal means.
Darshan-Leitner has commented on the PA's appeal, saying: "For years the Palestinian Authority provided all sorts of funding and support to murderous terror attacks that were carried out in Israel, causing severe damage to the State of Israel and the deaths of so many of its citizens. Even now, the PA continues to pay $50 million per year to terrorists sitting in Israeli prisons. Instead of paying the money to terrorists, it should give it to terror victims. Terror victims deserve justice and they will get it, even if it comes after 12 years of court hearings."
7. ISRAEL INFORMED IN ADVANCE OF EGYPT-SAUDI ISLAND PACT
by Ben Ariel
Egypt informed Israel in advance of its intention to transfer the sovereignty over two islands in the Gulf of Aqaba to Saudi Arabia, Haaretz reported Monday night.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had ceded the Sanafir and Tiran islands, off the coast of Eilat, to Saudi Arabia. The two islands provide Israel's only access to the port of Aqaba. Egyptian blockage of the passage in 1967 provided one of Israel's casus belli in launching the Six-Day War.
According to Haaretz, during the talks with Egypt, Israel made clear that it doesn't oppose the move as long as Israeli ships are guaranteed freedom of navigation in the area, and as long the rest of the commitments Egypt made as part of the peace agreement with Israel are honored.
Egypt confirmed to Israel and the United States that the treaty will indeed be honored, and the Saudi government later made a public announcement to that effect.
Israel's 1979 peace treaty with Egypt guarantees Israel full maritime passage rights in the Red Sea and through the Straits of Tiran, a deal enforced by the presence of a multinational force deployed in the Sinai Peninsula.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu raised the issue during a security cabinet meeting two weeks ago, and briefed the ministers on the planned move. The U.S. and the multinational peacekeeping force, whose troops are stationed on the islands in question, were also kept in the loop and did not oppose to the transfer.
The initial assessment by the Israeli Foreign Ministry and defense establishment is that the transfer of the islands from Egypt to Saudi Arabia won't adversely affect the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, according to Haaretz, but nevertheless, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon are awaiting a more comprehensive assessment that is currently being devised by lawyers from several government ministries.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Egyptian editors in comments published Monday that Cairo would not cooperate with Israel following the transfer, and that there will be no coordination between the sides. However, he made clear that Saudi Arabia "will honor all of Egypt's legal and international commitments in regard to the two islands."
Saudi Arabia has also promised not to use the islands for military purposes, the Egyptian daily Al Ahram reported.
In recent years, Israel has eased its adherence to the treaty's limits on forces permitted in the Sinai, allowing Egypt to send in troops as it fights the ongoing terrorist insurgency in the Peninsula.
In 2013, for instance, Egypt sent in more troops, with Israel's agreement, to cope with unrest after Mohammed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, was toppled as Egypt's president.
And last December, it was reported that Egyptian Air Force planes had crossed into Israeli airspaces as part of Egypt's military campaign against the Sinai affiliate of the Islamic State (ISIS).
The treaty provides for renegotiation and international arbitration if necessary in the event that Israel were to object to Egypt's handover of the islands to the Saudis, according to Haaretz.
8. 22 SICK CHILDREN CELEBRATE BAR AND BAT MITZVAHS AT THE KOTEL
by Reut Hadar
[youtube:2014399]
The organization Kav Lachayim helped 22 sick children celebrate their bar and bat mitzvahs at the Kotel on Monday.
Nine boys and 13 girls from all around Israel came to Jerusalem's Old City, together with their families, mentors and assistants, in order to accept the mitzvot and responsibilities of being full-fledged Jews.
The festivities began with a joyful procession in wheelchairs and crutches through the Zion Gate and into the Jewish Quarter. The celebrants were accompanied by drums, shofars, musical instruments and excited Breslover hassidim.
As they entered the Hurva synagogue, the boys were given aliyot to the Torah and then the girls held a ceremony in which they separated challah together.
The excitement reached its peak as soldiers from the IDF's Golani Brigade, who were on a patrol nearby, decided to join. They danced with the children around the Cardo square and even accompanied some up to the Torah.
Afterwards, everyone went to pray at the Kotel and returned for a feast at the Cardo. The meal was accompanied by dancing and emotional blessings from the children and their parents, all of whom sincerely thanked Kav Lachayim for its work.
Each of the boys received an elegant set of tallit and tefillin, a siddur and cologne. The girls received a gold chain, a siddur and perfume.
Rina Idan, the head of Kav Lachayim, thanked the volunteers for their efforts and stated that this is the most exciting event she experiences each year.
Kav Lachayim helps sick children, most of whom are in hospitals in Israel's periphery, in order to make their lives easier and to help them achieve their dreams.
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