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Wednesday, May. 25 '16, Iyar 17, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. LIBERMAN VOWS 'RESPONSIBLE POLICIES' AS COALITION DEAL ANNOUNCED
2. WHAT DID LIBERMAN GIVE UP ON IN JOINING THE COALITION?
3. ARABS ARRESTED FOR RACIST RAPE OF MENTALLY DISABLED JEWISH GIRL
4. SAEB EREKAT ATTACKS NEW 'EXTREME' ISRAELI COALITION GOVERNMENT
5. ANTI-TRUMP RIOTERS WOUND POLICE OFFICERS IN NEW MEXICO
6. BE HAPPY: PHARRELL IS COMING TO ISRAEL
7. NETANYAHU REVEALS: 'I'M SEPHARDIC'
8. LONE SOLDIER HONORED FOR SINGLE-HANDEDLY KILLING FOUR TERRORISTS
1. LIBERMAN VOWS 'RESPONSIBLE POLICIES' AS COALITION DEAL ANNOUNCED
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman formally announced Wednesday morning the coalition deal reached between their two parties, at a Jerusalem press conference.
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The one-time allies and one-time enemies appeared in good spirits, with Yisrael Beytenu's inclusion in the government expanding its majority from a wafer-thin 61 seats to a far more manageable 66.
In return, Liberman will be appointed defense minister, while compromises regarding the death penalty for terrorists and pensions reforms were also reached. Yisrael Beytenu will also receive the Immigration and Absorption Ministry, current held by Likud's Ze'ev Elkin.
Speaking at the press conference, Netanyahu once again repeated how "since the start of the government last year, I expressed time and time again my intention to expand" the coalition.
Welcoming Liberman and his party as "important partners," the PM expressed confidence that his newest coalition partner's "extensive experience" would be a benefit "for the security and safety of the citizens of the state of Israel."
Netanyahu also addressed the harsh words and insults exchanged between the two prior to coalition talks, with Liberman once branding the prime minister a "coward," and Netanyahu dismissing him as someone unqualified to even serve as a military correspondent, let alone defense minister.
"In the heat of the moment things were said between us which didn't need to be expressed; now we are joining hands to take Israel forward," he said.
"I as prime minister, together with Avigdor Liberman as defense minister...will continue to protect the security of Israel," he continued.
Netanyahu also called once again to Zionist Union leader Yitzhak Herzog to join a "true unity government," challenging him to make good on his own calls to "seize the unique opportunity" of achieving a regional peace agreement.
"My government remains committed to pursuing peace with the Palestinians, to pursuing peace with all of our neighbors," he said - a mission which he emphasized would be greatly aided via a "larger, more stable government."
A jovial Liberman struck a similar tone, hailing their "new-old" partnership, while seeking to dispel criticisms of his past comments.
"All of Israeli society will benefit" from the coalition deal, he declared, vowing to pursue "responsible, reasonable policies" as part of a "stable coalition."
Ironing out the details
Earlier, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin (Likud), who has managed the coalition talks with Yisrael Beytenu, welcomed the agreement on Wednesday morning.
"Overnight we succeeded in reaching final agreements on matters that were left in disagreement between the Finance (Ministry) and Yisrael Beytenu. This is an agreement that will benefit all citizens of the state, and I welcome it," said Levin.
"The expansion of the government, with the addition of the Yisrael Beytenu party to the national coalition, is an important and necessary step that will ensure the stability of the coalition and the continued activities of the government according to its path."
Wednesday's official signing of the deal comes after the coalition agreement was finalized during an overnight meeting between Netanyahu, Liberman and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon (Kulanu) at Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem.
The issue of contention between the parties was Liberman's demand for additional pensions for new immigrants, which the Finance Ministry refused due to its sectarian nature.
However, reports in Israeli media overnight Tuesday said that the sides agreed that the outline will apply to all seniors, not just those who immigrated from the former Soviet Union, and the funding will be 1.4 billion shekels ($363 million) annually.
"These are the two major issues that are important to our constituency, and significant achievements," Lieberman's spokesman told AFP, referring to the pension reform and Liberman's appointment as Defense Minister.
Due to the delay in signing the coalition agreement, Liberman's swearing in as Defense Minister will be delayed and will not take place this week.
Even as he brings in Liberman, Netanyahu is facing another coalition crisis from Education Minister Naftali Bennett's Jewish Home party, after Bennett issued an ultimatum conditioning his support of Yisrael Beytenu's entry on several amendments to the Security Cabinet.
After a critical report on the functioning of the cabinet Bennett called for a defense secretary to be appointed to each minister to update them, and also called for easier access to sensitive intelligence information.
It is unclear whether this issue has been resolved.
2. WHAT DID LIBERMAN GIVE UP ON IN JOINING THE COALITION?
by Ari Yashar
Yisrael Beytenu chairperson Avigdor Liberman signed a coalition agreement with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Wednesday to enter the government, but a reading of the agreement reveals that he gave up on many of his demands in the process.
Last week Liberman declared three central conditions for his joining the coalition: a pension reform, that he be appointed Defense Minister, and a law applying the death penalty to terrorist murderers.
But a reading of the final agreement revealed by Channel 2 exposes that aside from Liberman's folding on the death penalty bill demand, the deal allows Netanyahu to swap him from the Defense Ministry to another portfolio, and the pension reform was changed and expanded so as not to only apply to immigrants from the former Soviet Union - a key voting base for Yisrael Beytenu.
The agreement specifies that if the coalition government - which now sits at 66 MKs with Liberman's addition - is further expanded to over 70 MKs, changes can be made to the agreements including the distribution of portfolios. The clause means Liberman's post as Defense Minister could be up for change.
Also present in the deal is a clause in which Liberman conceded on his death penalty bill demand, and instead of the bill settled on amending instructions to the IDF military court allowing it to hand down a death sentence to terrorists convicted of murder with a simple majority of two judges instead of a unanimous decision of three.
Israel has a death penalty on the law books, but it was only implemented once in 1962 against Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann. Yisrael Beytenu attempted to pass a terrorist death penalty bill in July 2015, but the Knesset overwhelmingly voted against it 94-6, with only Liberman's party voting for it. Despite pressing for the bill again in the coalition talks, Liberman eventually downgraded the demand.
Yisrael Beytenu and Likud agreed in the coalition deal that they would not join any coalition government in the current Knesset without the other party.
Liberman's party was given a number of portfolios: Defense Minister, Immigration Minister, Deputy Knesset Speaker, a member of the Economics Committee, membership in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, membership in the Social-Economic Cabinet, and membership in the Committee on Symbols and Ceremonies Affairs.
Likewise the party will work to establish an Absorption and Immigration Cabinet, headed by a Yisrael Beytenu minister.
Limitations on the High Court
Liberman also took on the obligations of the other coalition member parties to support an amendment to the basic law, which would in the future allow the appointment of more than one deputy minister to each governmental ministry, and also allow more than one minister per ministry.
Another clause in the agreement requires the coalition parties to support the legislation of a bill limiting the inflated powers of the High Court to strike down laws passed by the Knesset, the elected representatives of the public.
The planned law will prevent the High Court from striking down laws with anything less than a majority of eight out of 15 judges.
One of the factors in the collapse of the previous government was friction over the Israel Hayom bill, which sought to close the free paper that is supportive of Netanyahu. Liberman's party, like Jewish Home, was among those supporting the bill which singled out the paper.
In the new deal, Yisrael Beytenu's membership in the coalition obligates it to support governmental reforms and not to support bills in the field of communications without the permission of the Communications Minister - a role currently held by Netanyahu.
Liberman had demanded additional pensions for new immigrants, but eventually he settled to have the change apply to all seniors, with funding for the reform adding up to 1.4 billion shekels ($363 million) over the next four years starting from the 2017 budget.
The new mechanism will work by increasing the number of senior citizens eligible for extra pension income, with around 50,000 of them from all strata of the population to receive around 200 shekels a month from the benefit.
3. ARABS ARRESTED FOR RACIST RAPE OF MENTALLY DISABLED JEWISH GIRL
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Two Arab residents of Judea and Samaria as well as an Arab citizen of Israel are suspected of raping a 20-year-old mentally delayed Jewish girl two weeks ago for "nationalistic" motives, as was revealed on Wednesday when a media gag order on the case was lifted.
All three were documented in footage they filmed two weeks ago raping the mentally handicapped girl in a motel in southern Tel Aviv, humiliating her and spitting on her while shouting racist slurs and threatening to harm her family.
Police hid the case from the public for ten days out of concerns it would spark clashes between Jews and Arabs. "Nationalistic motives" is a term used in describing terror attacks, as opposed to criminal motives.
The gag order came despite the fact that police arrested two of the perpetrators a full nine days ago, and are currently hunting down the third rapist whose identity is known to the police.
One of the three attackers is a minor from Jaffa (Yafo), and he was arrested.
Another arrested suspect, Amad Al-Din Daragmeh from the Judea-Samaria region, apparently filmed the vile gang-rape with the goal of spreading the video.
He was brought to the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Wednesday morning for an extension of his arrest, where the judge emphasized the severity of the case and the condition of the victim.
The traumatic incident has left the victim in a difficult psychological state and she requires treatment.
4. SAEB EREKAT ATTACKS NEW 'EXTREME' ISRAELI COALITION GOVERNMENT
by Ari Soffer
Senior Palestinian Authority official Saeb Erekat reacted angrily to news that Avigdor Liberman of the secular-nationalist Yisrael Beytenu party will be appointed as Israel's new defense minister.
Erekat, who only relatively recently sat in a (now defunct) "unity government" with Hamas, a proscribed terrorist group, blasted Israel's expanded right-wing Israeli government as a "real threat" to regional stability.
"The existence of this government brings a real threat of instability and extremism in the region," the PA chief negotiator told AFP.
He further added that the appointment would "result in apartheid, racism and religious and political extremism."
Hamas, Erekat's former coalition partners, calls in its charter for the destruction of the State of Israel and ultimate annihilation of the Jewish people, citing Islamic traditions.
Erekat's comments follow Wednesday morning's press conference at which Netenyahu and Liberman officially signed and announced the coalition agreement between their two parties.
5. ANTI-TRUMP RIOTERS WOUND POLICE OFFICERS IN NEW MEXICO
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A protest against presumed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump turned into a violent riot on Tuesday night at Albuquerque, New Mexico, as hundreds of demonstrators hurled rocks and bottles at police officers, leaving a number of them wounded.
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The rioters turned over barricades and hurled projectiles at police in riot gear and mounted patrol units, reports Fox News, with the backlash against Trump largely coming due to his tough stance on illegal immigrants.
Around 4,000 supporters of Trump turned out to hear him talk, but even hours after the event was over around 100 of the rioters were still walking the streets in downtown Albuquerque.
Police were forced to use smoke grenades to try and break up the rioters, who burned shirts with Trump's slogan "Make America Great Again" on them and threw them at the officers along with the other objects they hurled.
Local police reported that "several" officers had been wounded by the rocks, and at least one rioter who sneaked into the convention center to protest was arrested.
The arrested protester, who was dragged from the stands by security while resisting, was joined by others who held banners reading "Trump is Fascist."
The rioters shattered a glass door at the entrance of the convention center.
Trump for his part was not deterred by the protesters, noting on the young age of some of the demonstrators who had snuck into the rally, and quipping that they were "still wearing diapers."
6. BE HAPPY: PHARRELL IS COMING TO ISRAEL
by Ari Yashar
The star-studded list of world-class pop stars and musicians performing in Israel this summer just added a new iconic member - multiple Grammy award-winning American musician Pharrell Williams.
Williams, who shot to global superstardom with his hit "Happy" in 2014, is going to appear on July 21 at Live Park in Rishon Letzion.
Tickets to Pharrell's show are going from between 329 shekels (around $85) and 790 shekels (just over $200), with sales starting on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Those interested in buying can do so online by clicking here.
The production company Concerto and the Zappa Group are behind Pharrell's appearance in the Jewish state.
Pharrell recently showed some support for Israel last September, when he refused to submit to the BDS movement as it threatened to protest his concert in Cape Town, South Africa.
He was targeted for his partnership with the major South African retail group Woolworths, over its imports from Israel.
The protest fizzled from the 40,000 protesters the BDS organizers had promised to a piddling 2,000 people outside the show, as Pharrell stood strong against BDS.
The rapper, singer and producer is a key part of the production duo Neptunes, and the lead vocalist of the hip-hop band N*E*R*D.
He joins a growing all-star list of pop icons playing in Israel this summer including Sia, DJ Avicii, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa.
7. NETANYAHU REVEALS: 'I'M SEPHARDIC'
by Ari Yashar
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu revealed that he has discovered his Lithuanian Jewish ancestry is not fully Ashkenazic, but actually at least partially hails from the Sephardic Jewry of Spain in tracing back through the years of exile from Israel.
The surprising revelation was unveiled by the Prime Minister during an event launching a new wing at Beit Hatfutsot - The Museum of the Jewish People located in northern Tel Aviv, reports Yedioth Aharonoth.
During the event the museum's chairwoman of the board Irina Nevzlin, who coincidentally is marrying Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein in under a month, gave Netanyahu his family tree as compiled by the museum.
Netanyahu spoke at the event, and said that after having quickly checked the family tree he was presented with, he found it needs correction.
"My brother, Ido, is an author and doctor. People who make family trees with DNA tests contacted him. Their thesis was that Jews of Lithuania - and we came from a family from Lithuania descended from the Gaon of Vilna - that there is an origin of Jews from Spain there," he explained.
Ido Netanyahu underwent a saliva DNA test, that revealed the Netanyahu family links back to the Sephardic Jewry of Spain.
"He did a saliva test, and indeed it came out that at least part of this (family) tree is linked to the Jews of Spain."
"Of course they're letting me know this 30 years too late as Likud chairperson," he joked, "but it shows that all of Israel are brothers, and I think that is one of the great lessons (for those) coming to this building, this institution. You see the family of the nation of Israel."
8. LONE SOLDIER HONORED FOR SINGLE-HANDEDLY KILLING FOUR TERRORISTS
by Tova Dvorin
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Staff Sgt. Sahar Elbaz was a long way from home in 2014 when he was thrust into Gaza.
Elbaz made Aliyah from the US in 2012. Two years later, as part of the IDF's Givati Brigade, he was faced with a nightmare situation as his unit was attacked by terrorists in Rafah.
The lone soldier ignored his commander's orders to take cover and returned fire - overcoming a jam in his weapon to eliminate four out of five terrorists.
Elbaz was one of only five soldiers to receive the Chief of Staff's citation in Operation Protective Edge, which was bestowed upon him for his bravery, resourcefulness and fortitude - and he now is being awarded Nefesh B'Nefesh's Bonei Zion award 2016.
The brave young man recounted his experiences in a Channel 10 interview Tuesday night.
"I was in a position where I was the only one who was exposed to the shooting, when suddenly five terrorists attacked me with Kalashnikovs and threw grenades," Elbaz stated. "As I was shooting in response I encountered the jam, which I overcame thanks to exercises and training."
"I killed four out of five terrorists; the fifth ran into a nearby mosque, where he was killed by another soldier," he added.
Elbaz says that at the height of the encounter terrorists came within six or seven feet of him - and he cannot explain how he survived when he was so close to death.
He said that, just like he was told during training, "until you're in it in real time, you don't know if you're built to handle such an incident."
"But I proved it to myself - I came to Israel, and I did this for the benefit of the country."
Elbaz's parents remain in the US, but he has two sisters who live in Israel.
He hopes that the award will help encourage his parents to make Aliyah.
"I miss my parents, and I knew that I would miss them, but we hope they will return to Israel soon," he said.
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