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Sunday, Jul. 31 '16, כ"ה בתמוז תשע"ו
HEADLINES:
1. MINISTER: NETANYAHU WILL THROW BENNETT OUT OF GOVERNMENT
2. WOMAN KILLED, 3 WOUNDED IN SHOOTING INCIDENTS IN TEXAS
3. NETANYAHU: FRANCE ITSELF HAS SUPPORTED INCITEMENT
4. CHINESE INVESTORS BUY ISRAELI COMPANY FOR $4.4 BILLION
5. UNITE THE MIDDLE EAST - THROUGH BUSINESS
6. SOMALIA: 5 KILLED IN TERROR ATTACK IN THE CAPITAL
7. HEZBOLLAH BROADCASTS FOOTAGE OF KIDNAPPING OPERATION
8. A SONG FOR HALLEL-YAFFA
1. MINISTER: NETANYAHU WILL THROW BENNETT OUT OF GOVERNMENT
by Uzi Baruch
A government minister attacked the behavior of the head of the Jewish Home party, Naftali Bennett, in a conversation with Arutz Sheva today.
The minister recommended that Bennett stop "locking horns" with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanahu. According to the minister, Bennett levels the same accusations each week, just with a different mask each time.
This week's was Operation Protective Edge, when Israel attempted to draw the teeth of terror in Gaza.
"Bennett is constantly goading Netanyahu, and its a shame. Eventually, Netanyahu will have had enough and he'll throw him out of the government. We know the criticism of Bennett's faction and party over his behavior toward the Prime Minister; he should listen to his friends.
"This is not the way. It is not acceptable to attack the Prime Minister when you are in the government. Meanwhile, Netanyahu will not give Bennett satisfaction, and will not fire him, but if this continues - there will be no alternative."
The warning comes after Bennett carelessly commented this morning that "mistakes were made, and the operation took too long," referring to Operation Protective Edge. "We don't need 51 days to defeat Hamas."
Although seemingly harmless, Bennett has been jabbing Netanyahu over the past week, claiming that Netanyahu did not consult with the Cabinet before Protective Edge, and that the ministers were not prepared before they okayed the operation.
2. WOMAN KILLED, 3 WOUNDED IN SHOOTING INCIDENTS IN TEXAS
by Shai Landesman
A shooting incident in Austin, Texas, has resulted in the death of one woman, and multiple people with gunshot wounds.
According to Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, a woman in her 30s was pronounced dead at the scene, and 3 more, two women and a man, were evacuated to the UMCB hospital. One more man refused treatment.
The Austin Police Department instructed residents to stay away from the downtown area where the shooting incidents were earlier described as "active". Police now say the scenes are secure. The police confirmed that there were two separate, and apparently unrelated shootings within the same area.
Footage from an area close to the shooting surfaced online, with loud gunshots heard in the background, causing passersby to scramble to escape from the area.
[youtube:2017671]
Updates to follow.
3. NETANYAHU: FRANCE ITSELF HAS SUPPORTED INCITEMENT
by Shai Landesman
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this morning (Sunday, 31 July 2016), at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, addressed the comments made by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls to the effect that he is open to banning foreign funding for mosques in France in the wake of the terror attack in the church in Normandy last week, in which two ISIS terrorists murdered a priest during mass. Netanyahu called attention to the similarity between French efforts to block incitement to terror within its borders and Israel's longstanding efforts in this area.
"We were all shocked by the vicious terrorist attack in France last week. I have heard about a French government discussion on preventing the foreign financing of bodies that harm the security of French citizens. This sounds familiar to us. We are also disturbed by such donations to organizations that deny the State of Israel's right to exist," opened the Prime Minister.
However, Netanyahu pointed out that in fact France itself has supported such anti-Israel organizations, and called for a unification against those who promote terror of any kind, in any place.
"I have requested a preliminary inquiry. In this inquiry we found support from European countries, including France, for several organizations that engage in incitement, call for a boycott of Israel and do not recognize the State of Israel's right to exist. We will complete the inquiry and submit the findings to the French government. We will discuss this with them because terror is terror everywhere and incitement is incitement which, apparently, encompasses the world, governments must be as united as possible in dealing with them."
On another topic, the Prime Minister spoke about a plan to be discussed in the Cabinet meeting for encouraging the growth of the high-tech sector in Israel, utilizing new populations, such as haredim and Arabs.
"Today the Cabinet will discuss a proposed decision to aid in the continued growth of the high-tech sector in Israel. The demand is enormous and the supply of workers is small. We are using various means to increase the supply of trained high-tech workers. We have turned to populations that have not been involved in high-tech until now, such as the ultra-orthodox and – of course – our Arab citizens. We are also trying various means to train our young people, also in mathematics, computer and science studies – this will take time. In the meantime, we are interested in assisting the absorption of a limited number of expert workers, who could help in passing the standardized exams in order to ease the absorption of workers with unique know-how. Today, the Cabinet will make it possible for their spouses to stay in Israel and work here legally. This is what is being done in the Silicon Valley in the United States, and this is giving them considerable strength and, of course, it doubles employment for the local population in the United States. We will do this here as well."
4. CHINESE INVESTORS BUY ISRAELI COMPANY FOR $4.4 BILLION
by Rachel Kaplan
A consortium of Chinese companies, led by Giant, will buy Israeli casino game company Playtika for $4.4 billion.
Playtika, which is based out of Herzliya, Israel, was owned by Caesars Interactive Entertainment.
Caesars is selling off the gambling game to clean out its debt.
Under the agreement, Playtika will continue to roperate out of Herzliya, Israel and will retain its existing management team.
"This transaction is a testament to Playtika's unique culture and the innovative spirit of our employees who for the past six years have consistently designed, produced and operated some of the most compelling, immersive and creative social games in the world," said Robert Antokol, cofounder and CEO of Playtika, in a statement.
"We are incredibly excited by the commercial opportunities the Consortium will make available to us, particularly in its ability to provide us access to large and rapidly growing emerging markets. This is an amazing milestone for all Playtikans and we truly value how unique this opportunity is to continue executing our vision with such a strong partner."
Giant's founder and Chairman Shi Yuzhu praised "Playtika's growth" as"exceptional," citing "its outstanding team, excellent corporate culture, cutting-edge big data analytics, and its unique ability to transform and grow games,"
"We are looking forward to Playtika continuing to innovate and excel," he added.
The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and other closing conditions, and is expected to close in the third or fourth calendar quarter of 2016.
5. UNITE THE MIDDLE EAST - THROUGH BUSINESS
by Yoni Kempinski
[youtube:2017673]
MK Erel Margalit (Zionist Union), who is running for leadership of the Labor party, has outlined a plan that is as much business as politics, for uniting the Middle East.
Called the "Plan of Converging Interests," the plan was published in Arabic and translated into Hebrew.
The plan's target is to unite the region's countries to reach economic and security cooperation.
"We need to stop talking about 'peace'," dismisses Margalit, "imagining flowers and butterflies and laughing children; whoever tries to sell this romanticized vision cannot truly bring about a settlement. ‎Anyone selling a political settlement as a love story, in which people hold hands and walk together into the sunset, has never held negotiations."
Thinking big, the plan includes a regional airport, managed by Israel and Jordan, with access to Egypt and Saudi Arabia. It also outlines plans to turn Jerusalem into a multi-faith cultural and technological hub, a cross-country desalination project spearheaded by Israel, and international cooperation to "rehabilitate Gaza."
As for Gaza, Margalit derides past attempts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian crisis by giving away land.
‎"Why does the Left fail time after time? ‎Because all the political plans, without exception, focus on what and how much we give – instead of what we can gain -- it's time to change that perception," an earnest Margalit explains.
‎"As soon as we think in terms of 'we'll give them land and get nothing in return,' the starting point for dialogue is blocked, because the Palestinians have very little to give us, that's the truth. ‎That is why we are talking about a broader move that includes a wide range of Israeli interests that, until now, have not been part of the dialogue and have been pushed aside. ‎We will change the discourse: No more:‎ 'How many kilometers in return for a diplomatic solution' but rather 'which Israeli interests are met.'"
6. SOMALIA: 5 KILLED IN TERROR ATTACK IN THE CAPITAL
by Arutz Sheva Staff
At least 5 people have been killed in an attack involving a suicide car bombing and subsequent gunfights in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu. In addition, 4 of the terrorists associated with the al-Shabaab Islamist group were also killed.
A suicide bomber rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into the gates of the Criminal Investigation Department headquarters in Mogadishu, reports Somalian police.
The explosion allowed gunmen working with the bomber to storm the police building.
Ali Hassan, a police officer at the Central Investigations Department, said the policemen in the facility managed to stop the attack by killing at least two gunmen who were storming the building.
Videos of smoke at the site were posted on Twitter. Gunfire can be heard in the background of the videos.
Terror group Al-Shabaab, which carried out two suicide bombings at a Mogadishu checkpoint last week, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
"A fighter rammed a suicide car bomb into CID then other armed fighters stormed inside. We are now fighting inside the CID building," Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military operations spokesman, told Reuters.
Al-Shabaab is an Islamist group seeking to impose its strict view of Islam on Somalia. They have been responsible for multiple terror attacks in Somalia, Uganda, and Kenya.
7. HEZBOLLAH BROADCASTS FOOTAGE OF KIDNAPPING OPERATION
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The Lebanese television station Al-Mayadeen, which is affiliated with the Hezbollah terror group, aired the first segment of a three-part series on the abduction of two IDF soldiers at the outset of the 2006 Lebanon war.
The program, which was aired on Saturday, included never-before seen footage from the terror operation which kidnapped IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.
The first segment of the series shows the preparations the terror cell involved in the attack undertook prior to the kidnappings.
While most of the footage focuses on training by the terrorists in anticipation of the attack and reconnaissance operations, it also includes video recordings of the Humvee carrying Goldwasser and Regev just minutes before the fateful attack.
Both Regev and Goldwasser were later killed.
[youtube:2017657]
8. A SONG FOR HALLEL-YAFFA
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2017670]
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Sunday, July 31, 2016
Friday, July 29, 2016
A7News: Rabbi Berland indicted on sexual assault charges
Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
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Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
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Friday, Jul. 29 '16, כ"ג בתמוז תשע"ו
HEADLINES:
1. RABBI BERLAND INDICTED ON SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES
2. FRENCH TEACHER INVESTIGATED FOR SHARING ANTI-SEMITISM
3. POPE FRANCIS SET TO VISIT AUSCHWITZ TODAY
4. CALLS GROW FOR SYRIA REGIME TO END ALEPPO SIEGE
5. HAMAS CONDUCTS WEAPONS COURSE FOR WIVES OF OFFICIALS
6. FORMER RABBI OF ALEPPO, SYRIA, DIES IN NEW YORK AT 93
7. 'WORSHIPERS WERE THREATENED WITH STABBING'
8. WATCH: BILL CLINTON DOZES OFF DURING HILLARY SPEECH AT DNC
1. RABBI BERLAND INDICTED ON SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES
by Ido Ben Porat
The Jerusalem District Attorney's office today (Friday) filed an indictment in the city's Magistrate Court against Rabbi Eliezer Berland on charges of indecent acts without consent, indecent acts towards a minor by exploiting a disciplinary and educational relationship, and aggravated assault.
In the indictment, Rabbi Berland is named as having served as the Rabbi and leader of the "Shuvu Banim" community and Yeshiva in Jerusalem, many of whose members were concentrated near his residences in Jerusalem and Beitar Ilit.
As part of the obligations associated with his position, he held meetings for purposes of religious and spiritual guidance and instruction with male and female members of his community, and others, in his house and other places.
The indictment states that Rabbi Berland took advantage of these meetings and his status on numerous occasions to commit sexual acts - without consent and while exploiting a disciplinary and educational relationship - with women and female minors.
Following the exposure of some of his deeds by a man who had discovered them, the indictment says, Rabbi Berland ordered two of his followers to assault the man.
As has been reported on Arutz Sheva, the extradition process of Rabbi Berland from South Africa was recently completed, involving the Israel Police, the International Division of the State Attorney's office, and Foreign Ministry elements.
The prosecution has requested that Rabbi Berland remain in custody until trial.
2. FRENCH TEACHER INVESTIGATED FOR SHARING ANTI-SEMITISM
by JTA
The French education ministry has begun investigating a Parisian high school teacher who allegedly shared anti-Semitic conspiracy theories with her pupils on Facebook.
CRIF, the umbrella group of French Jewish communities, complained to the ministry about the teacher earlier this week, according to a report Thursday in the group's newsletter.
It did not name the female teacher in question but said she teaches at the prestigious Janson-de-Sailly school, a post high-school preparatory course, and that she invited the course's students to follow her Facebook page.
The CRIF report was based on original reporting by the Le Canard Enchainé, a satirical weekly, which, alongside cartoons and satirical articles, also features investigative journalism items and news.
On the teacher's Facebook page, she wrote, according to Le Canard Enchainé, against "the American Jewish lobby" that she said supports Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. She also wrote that French President Francois Hollande "is a Jew who benefited from his belonging to that community to ascend in politics and who now denies this," pretending to have a 'Catholic' father on Wikipedia. Hollande "is Jewish and denies it. Backpedaling will begin all over, now that it is less beneficial for Jewry," the teacher also wrote, according to the CRIF newsletter.
On the Holocaust, she wrote: "The Shoah was designed and organized by Jews."
3. POPE FRANCIS SET TO VISIT AUSCHWITZ TODAY
by AFP
Pope Francis was set to meet Holocaust survivors at the former Auschwitz death camp in Poland Friday, as well as people who risked their lives to save Jews from the Nazis.
The Argentine will lead prayers for the 1.1 million mostly Jewish victims and has said that rather than making a speech he will stand in silent contemplation of the horrors committed and let his tears flow.
As he arrived on Wednesday in Poland -- the heartland of Nazi Germany's World War II atrocities -- the pontiff warned that the world had been plunged into a piecemeal Third World War.
He has repeatedly denounced those committing crimes in the name of religion, after Europe suffered a string of deadly jihadist attacks.
[youtube:2017651]
Francis will walk through the notorious "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Sets You Free) gate at Auschwitz, before meeting the survivors in front of the death wall where the Nazis summarily shot thousands of inmates.
The pontiff, who has forged ever-closer ties between the Catholic Church and Jews since his election in 2013, will meet 12 survivors, including a 101-year-old woman, at the site which is now a memorial and museum.
He will pray in the cell where Polish priest and saint Maximilian Kolbe died after taking the place of a condemned man.
The visit falls on the 75th anniversary of the day Kolbe was sentenced to death.
'Scream against injustice'
Poland's Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich welcomed the pontiff's intention to remain silent during his visit to the camp, saying "often people go to Auschwitz... and they are silent (about the horrors) for the rest of their lives".
"Instead, once we leave Birkenau we must spend the rest of our lives screaming, yelling and fighting all kinds of injustices," he said Thursday.
The pope will travel the two miles (three kilometers) to Birkenau, the main extermination site, and be driven along tracks laid in 1944 to allow trains of prisoners to be transported right to the gas chambers and crematoria.
There, some 25 Christian Poles who risked their lives during the war to help hide and protects Jews - a group recognized by Israel's Yad Vashem as "Righteous Among the Nations" - will recount their stories to the pope.
The Holocaust is an extremely delicate subject in Poland, where locals fueled by anti-Semitism were accused, often accurately, of butchering Jews or delivering them to the Nazis. Polish society has been struggling with its role in the Holocaust ever since.
Those righteous Poles who stood up against the Nazi evil to help the Jews sometimes paid the ultimate price.
A Hebrew prayer for the dead will be read aloud in Polish by Stanislaw Ruszala, Catholic parish priest of the town of Markowa, where a family was wiped out after they were discovered to be sheltering Jews. Jozef and Wiktoria Ulma and their seven children were butchered. Wiktoria, who was seven months pregnant at the time, had started giving birth before she was executed, according to the Vatican.
More than 100,000 non-Jewish Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, homosexuals and anti-Nazi partisans also died at the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp in occupied Poland. The Soviet Red Army liberated it in 1945.
Two of the pope's predecessors also visited the camp: John Paul II - a former archbishop of Krakow - in 1979 and Benedict XVI in 2006.
Arutz Sheva contributed to this report
4. CALLS GROW FOR SYRIA REGIME TO END ALEPPO SIEGE
by AFP
Aid agencies called today (Friday) on Syria's government to end its encirclement of rebel-held east Aleppo as a handful of civilians managed to use humanitarian corridors to flee the ruined city.
Pro-regime forces have surrounded Aleppo's eastern districts since July 17, leaving an estimated 250,000 trapped without reliable access to food or medical aid.
Russia, a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad, on Thursday announced the opening of humanitarian passages for civilians and surrendering fighters seeking to exit the city's rebel-held eastern neighbourhoods.
The Red Cross welcomed the corridors but said Russia and pro-government forces had an obligation to protect everyone in Aleppo, once Syria's economic hub and a battleground city seen as key in its five-year-old conflict.
"Those who decide, for whatever reason, to stay in Eastern Aleppo must be protected, and all sides must allow humanitarian agencies to reach and assess their well-being and needs," the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement.
Residents have reported food shortages and spiraling prices in rebel-held districts since regime forces cut off the opposition's main supply route into the northern city.
The US-based International Rescue Committee said those left behind in east Aleppo risked starvation and called for a humanitarian pause in fighting.
"The people of Aleppo should not be forced to choose between fleeing their homes and remaining under attack in a besieged area," said IRC's acting Middle East director Zoe Daniels.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Thursday that three humanitarian corridors were being opened "to aid civilians held hostage by terrorists and for fighters wishing to lay down their arms".
But only a few Aleppo residents were able to leave eastern neighborhoods through the passages before rebels prevented them from fleeing, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
"Around 12 people managed to use the Bustan al-Qasr corridor before rebel groups reinforced security measures and prevented families from approaching the corridors," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
The UN has warned that any corridors must be used voluntarily and protection be guaranteed.
An AFP correspondent in east Aleppo said streets were empty on Friday morning, with residents holed up indoors. Shops were shuttered and generators in several neighbourhoods had stopped after their fuel ran out.
Ahmad Ramadan from the opposition Syrian National Coalition accused Russia and the regime of forcing civilians to flee through continued bombing raids. "What is happening now is not battles, but the complete and systematic destruction of the city and its residents, whether they are civilians or
fighters," he told AFP.
Regime aircraft bombed eastern areas of Aleppo overnight, the Observatory said, without specifying casualties.
Civilian deaths mount
Analysts say that losing Aleppo would be a major blow for the armed opposition and could signal a turning point in the conflict, which began in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests.
More than 280,000 have been killed in a devastating war that has seen the spread of jihadist groups and dragged in world powers seeking to stem their growth.
A US-led coalition is conducting an aerial campaign against the Islamic State group, which despite battlefield losses still controls areas of north and northeastern Syria.
The Observatory said that the death toll from coalition strikes Thursday on the IS-controlled town of Ghandoura had risen to 28 civilians, including children.
The town is near Manbij, a strategic point on the road between Turkey and the IS bastion of Raqa, and came after the coalition opened a formal investigation to determine whether nearby air strikes last week claimed dozens of civilian lives.
ISIS meanwhile executed 24 civilians in a village close to Manbij, after seizing Buyir from a Kurdish-Arab alliance, the Observatory said.
ISIS's main jihadist rival Al-Nusra Front announced Thursday it was splitting from its parent organisation, Al-Qaeda.
A video showing its leader Abu Mohamad al-Jolani for the first time announced the break with the global terror network, although the US responded by saying it still considers Al-Nusra a security threat.
5. HAMAS CONDUCTS WEAPONS COURSE FOR WIVES OF OFFICIALS
by Shimon Cohen
Hamas has conducted a self-defense and weapons course for the wives of their officials, apparently due to fear of Israeli assassination attempts.
In a report by the Palestinian SAFA news agency, translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute, head of the security and defense apparatus in the Gaza Strip, General Bahjat Abu Sultan is quoted speaking about the training program, in which hundreds of female family members of Hamas ministers, deputy ministers, and security and defense commanders were instructed theoretically and practically, including in field exercises.
Abu Sultan further described the content of the course as including instruction in the methods of Israeli intelligence agencies in sending Palestinian collaborators to infiltrate Hamas, and raising awareness of the social and political situation in the Gaza Strip while emphasizing the importance of protecting Hamas officials and their households from harm by "the enemy," Israel.
As for the field training, the Hamas General explained that they are geared towards "preparing them to defend themselves and to cope with the genuine danger that these officials and their homes will be targeted by the enemies."
The whole course took eight days, and included 40 hours of training and study, ending last Sunday.
A different Palestinian media source quoted Abu-Sultan describing plans for a similar course for the children of Hamas officials.
'Abd Al-Karim Al-Sha'er, director of the instruction department of the security and defense apparatus, explained further that the training of the women had included: "Israeli methods of causing Palestinians to collaborate with Israel and how to protect oneself from them; securing houses; cyber-security; dealing with suspicious objects; psychological warfare; first aid; weapon assembly, disassembly, and use; and visiting an exhibit of various explosive devices in order to recognize suspicious objects and different types of explosives."
MEMRI also gathered some reactions from Palestinians to this training program, with many complaining that this shows how much Hamas worry only about the safety of their officials, and not about the rest of the population.
Others remarked that this training for the wives of the officials is entirely unnecessary, as the moment Israel attacks, the officials will flee with their families to their previously prepared and stocked underground hiding places.
6. FORMER RABBI OF ALEPPO, SYRIA, DIES IN NEW YORK AT 93
by Arutz Sheva Staff
"Chacham" Yom Tov Yedid, the oldest Rabbi in the Syrian Jewish community in the US, died on Wednesday night in New York. He was 93.
In his younger years, Rabbi Yedid served as the chief Rabbi of the famed and ancient Jewish community in Aleppo Syria, while it was still thriving and growing, before pogroms and persecutions led to the emigration of the vast majority of the community to Israel and, primarily, the United States, and before the ongoing Syrian civil war ravaged the remaining testaments to its glory. Leading the Sephardic community with a firm hand, never compromising on matters of Jewish law, the "Chacham" - wise man (a title given to great Rabbis among Sephardic Jews) was nevertheless beloved by his community, in Aleppo and later on in New York.
After arriving in New York, he continued to serve as an inspirational figure for the Syrian community and the Jewish community at large, but did not take an official public position, devoting his time to Torah study and writing a series of books of commentary on the Hebrew Bible.
He developed a relationship with the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, leader of Sephardic Jewry in Israel, through correspondence discussing Chacham Yedid's books. Later on, a personal relationship was established with Rabbi Yosef's son, current Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel Yitzchak Yosef.
Chief Rabbi Yosef commented on Rabbi Yedid's passing:
"The Sephardic Torah world has lost today one of its foremost Rabbanim, one of the last [connections] to the previous generation and the golden age of Sephardic Jewry."
7. 'WORSHIPERS WERE THREATENED WITH STABBING'
by Haim Lev
MK Eliezer Menachem Moses (United Torah Judaism) sent a letter to Religious Services Minister David Azulai (Shas) describing a violent atmosphere in the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (a sage of Tannaitic times known by his acronym Rashbi) in the Galilee mountain town of Meron.
"Every Shabbat, people who have come to pray at Rashbi's grave are subjected to serious deed of violent bullying, and there's no one to turn to! There's no one in charge there, no one to keep the public order!" wrote Moses to Azulai.
In the letter, MK Moses describes the events that occurred last Saturday at the Shabbat prayers in Meron.
"During the morning prayers, some people walked into one of the synagogues and started acting in a very violent manner that scared the worshipers. They cursed, yelled, pushed, physically assaulted people, and threatened to stab them with a knife. The worshipers fled with their Torah scroll from one synagogue room to the other, with these thugs pursuing them. The thugs continued pushing and shoving and even threatened a hassidic Rabbi who was there. This behavior continued throughout Shabbat."
Moses wrote that the events of the last Shabbat are typical of repeated incidents of this type that happen every week at Rashbi's grave. "One week, bullies came up from the Meron river area, stole all the milk and cakes that were donated for the visiting public, and took them for themselves into the forests.
"As is known, the site is crowded, thousands of visitors arrive weekly to stay in the town and pray at Rashbi's grave. All these people are subjected to these acts of violence, and there's no one to turn to! Incident follows incident and complaints are piled upon older complaints while nothing is done," he continued, also noting that the site suffers frequent technical issues with air-conditioning and electricity often failing.
MK Moses ended his letter with an urgent call to action: "I beseech you, as the Minister in authority over the site, to act immediately and appoint someone to be in charge of the site in order to deal with whatever problems may arise, whether in terms of maintenance of in terms of the security of the visitors and worshipers, and as soon as possible."
8. WATCH: BILL CLINTON DOZES OFF DURING HILLARY SPEECH AT DNC
by Shai Landesman
[youtube:2017650]
The Democratic party officially nominated Hillary Clinton as their nominee for President of the United States at the party's national convention in Philadelphia this week, extending the decades-long Clinton visibility and viability in American politics.
Former President Bill Clinton gave an emotional speech telling the story of his romance with Hillary on Tuesday, weaving an emotional tale of decades spent "talking and laughing together."
Some were skeptical of this picture, remembering the scandals that marred the late years of the Clinton presidency.
All this added to the already-intense scrutiny of Bill's conduct as wife Hillary accepted the nomination in a speech last night (Thursday).
While nominee Hillary Clinton was pledging to triumph over ISIS efforts to "reach and radicalize young people in our country" through online propaganda, former President Bill Clinton was caught on camera dozing off, while sitting next to a pointedly nodding Tim Kaine, nominee for Vice President.
As Donald Trump's continued bombastic statements will no doubt feed into the perception of him being an unstable character, Hillary Clinton's inability to hold the attention of her husband enough to keep him awake will no doubt play into the hands of those who portray her as boring and robotic.
------------------------------------------------
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http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
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Friday, Jul. 29 '16, כ"ג בתמוז תשע"ו
HEADLINES:
1. RABBI BERLAND INDICTED ON SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES
2. FRENCH TEACHER INVESTIGATED FOR SHARING ANTI-SEMITISM
3. POPE FRANCIS SET TO VISIT AUSCHWITZ TODAY
4. CALLS GROW FOR SYRIA REGIME TO END ALEPPO SIEGE
5. HAMAS CONDUCTS WEAPONS COURSE FOR WIVES OF OFFICIALS
6. FORMER RABBI OF ALEPPO, SYRIA, DIES IN NEW YORK AT 93
7. 'WORSHIPERS WERE THREATENED WITH STABBING'
8. WATCH: BILL CLINTON DOZES OFF DURING HILLARY SPEECH AT DNC
1. RABBI BERLAND INDICTED ON SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES
by Ido Ben Porat
The Jerusalem District Attorney's office today (Friday) filed an indictment in the city's Magistrate Court against Rabbi Eliezer Berland on charges of indecent acts without consent, indecent acts towards a minor by exploiting a disciplinary and educational relationship, and aggravated assault.
In the indictment, Rabbi Berland is named as having served as the Rabbi and leader of the "Shuvu Banim" community and Yeshiva in Jerusalem, many of whose members were concentrated near his residences in Jerusalem and Beitar Ilit.
As part of the obligations associated with his position, he held meetings for purposes of religious and spiritual guidance and instruction with male and female members of his community, and others, in his house and other places.
The indictment states that Rabbi Berland took advantage of these meetings and his status on numerous occasions to commit sexual acts - without consent and while exploiting a disciplinary and educational relationship - with women and female minors.
Following the exposure of some of his deeds by a man who had discovered them, the indictment says, Rabbi Berland ordered two of his followers to assault the man.
As has been reported on Arutz Sheva, the extradition process of Rabbi Berland from South Africa was recently completed, involving the Israel Police, the International Division of the State Attorney's office, and Foreign Ministry elements.
The prosecution has requested that Rabbi Berland remain in custody until trial.
2. FRENCH TEACHER INVESTIGATED FOR SHARING ANTI-SEMITISM
by JTA
The French education ministry has begun investigating a Parisian high school teacher who allegedly shared anti-Semitic conspiracy theories with her pupils on Facebook.
CRIF, the umbrella group of French Jewish communities, complained to the ministry about the teacher earlier this week, according to a report Thursday in the group's newsletter.
It did not name the female teacher in question but said she teaches at the prestigious Janson-de-Sailly school, a post high-school preparatory course, and that she invited the course's students to follow her Facebook page.
The CRIF report was based on original reporting by the Le Canard Enchainé, a satirical weekly, which, alongside cartoons and satirical articles, also features investigative journalism items and news.
On the teacher's Facebook page, she wrote, according to Le Canard Enchainé, against "the American Jewish lobby" that she said supports Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. She also wrote that French President Francois Hollande "is a Jew who benefited from his belonging to that community to ascend in politics and who now denies this," pretending to have a 'Catholic' father on Wikipedia. Hollande "is Jewish and denies it. Backpedaling will begin all over, now that it is less beneficial for Jewry," the teacher also wrote, according to the CRIF newsletter.
On the Holocaust, she wrote: "The Shoah was designed and organized by Jews."
3. POPE FRANCIS SET TO VISIT AUSCHWITZ TODAY
by AFP
Pope Francis was set to meet Holocaust survivors at the former Auschwitz death camp in Poland Friday, as well as people who risked their lives to save Jews from the Nazis.
The Argentine will lead prayers for the 1.1 million mostly Jewish victims and has said that rather than making a speech he will stand in silent contemplation of the horrors committed and let his tears flow.
As he arrived on Wednesday in Poland -- the heartland of Nazi Germany's World War II atrocities -- the pontiff warned that the world had been plunged into a piecemeal Third World War.
He has repeatedly denounced those committing crimes in the name of religion, after Europe suffered a string of deadly jihadist attacks.
[youtube:2017651]
Francis will walk through the notorious "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Sets You Free) gate at Auschwitz, before meeting the survivors in front of the death wall where the Nazis summarily shot thousands of inmates.
The pontiff, who has forged ever-closer ties between the Catholic Church and Jews since his election in 2013, will meet 12 survivors, including a 101-year-old woman, at the site which is now a memorial and museum.
He will pray in the cell where Polish priest and saint Maximilian Kolbe died after taking the place of a condemned man.
The visit falls on the 75th anniversary of the day Kolbe was sentenced to death.
'Scream against injustice'
Poland's Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich welcomed the pontiff's intention to remain silent during his visit to the camp, saying "often people go to Auschwitz... and they are silent (about the horrors) for the rest of their lives".
"Instead, once we leave Birkenau we must spend the rest of our lives screaming, yelling and fighting all kinds of injustices," he said Thursday.
The pope will travel the two miles (three kilometers) to Birkenau, the main extermination site, and be driven along tracks laid in 1944 to allow trains of prisoners to be transported right to the gas chambers and crematoria.
There, some 25 Christian Poles who risked their lives during the war to help hide and protects Jews - a group recognized by Israel's Yad Vashem as "Righteous Among the Nations" - will recount their stories to the pope.
The Holocaust is an extremely delicate subject in Poland, where locals fueled by anti-Semitism were accused, often accurately, of butchering Jews or delivering them to the Nazis. Polish society has been struggling with its role in the Holocaust ever since.
Those righteous Poles who stood up against the Nazi evil to help the Jews sometimes paid the ultimate price.
A Hebrew prayer for the dead will be read aloud in Polish by Stanislaw Ruszala, Catholic parish priest of the town of Markowa, where a family was wiped out after they were discovered to be sheltering Jews. Jozef and Wiktoria Ulma and their seven children were butchered. Wiktoria, who was seven months pregnant at the time, had started giving birth before she was executed, according to the Vatican.
More than 100,000 non-Jewish Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, homosexuals and anti-Nazi partisans also died at the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp in occupied Poland. The Soviet Red Army liberated it in 1945.
Two of the pope's predecessors also visited the camp: John Paul II - a former archbishop of Krakow - in 1979 and Benedict XVI in 2006.
Arutz Sheva contributed to this report
4. CALLS GROW FOR SYRIA REGIME TO END ALEPPO SIEGE
by AFP
Aid agencies called today (Friday) on Syria's government to end its encirclement of rebel-held east Aleppo as a handful of civilians managed to use humanitarian corridors to flee the ruined city.
Pro-regime forces have surrounded Aleppo's eastern districts since July 17, leaving an estimated 250,000 trapped without reliable access to food or medical aid.
Russia, a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad, on Thursday announced the opening of humanitarian passages for civilians and surrendering fighters seeking to exit the city's rebel-held eastern neighbourhoods.
The Red Cross welcomed the corridors but said Russia and pro-government forces had an obligation to protect everyone in Aleppo, once Syria's economic hub and a battleground city seen as key in its five-year-old conflict.
"Those who decide, for whatever reason, to stay in Eastern Aleppo must be protected, and all sides must allow humanitarian agencies to reach and assess their well-being and needs," the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement.
Residents have reported food shortages and spiraling prices in rebel-held districts since regime forces cut off the opposition's main supply route into the northern city.
The US-based International Rescue Committee said those left behind in east Aleppo risked starvation and called for a humanitarian pause in fighting.
"The people of Aleppo should not be forced to choose between fleeing their homes and remaining under attack in a besieged area," said IRC's acting Middle East director Zoe Daniels.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Thursday that three humanitarian corridors were being opened "to aid civilians held hostage by terrorists and for fighters wishing to lay down their arms".
But only a few Aleppo residents were able to leave eastern neighborhoods through the passages before rebels prevented them from fleeing, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
"Around 12 people managed to use the Bustan al-Qasr corridor before rebel groups reinforced security measures and prevented families from approaching the corridors," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
The UN has warned that any corridors must be used voluntarily and protection be guaranteed.
An AFP correspondent in east Aleppo said streets were empty on Friday morning, with residents holed up indoors. Shops were shuttered and generators in several neighbourhoods had stopped after their fuel ran out.
Ahmad Ramadan from the opposition Syrian National Coalition accused Russia and the regime of forcing civilians to flee through continued bombing raids. "What is happening now is not battles, but the complete and systematic destruction of the city and its residents, whether they are civilians or
fighters," he told AFP.
Regime aircraft bombed eastern areas of Aleppo overnight, the Observatory said, without specifying casualties.
Civilian deaths mount
Analysts say that losing Aleppo would be a major blow for the armed opposition and could signal a turning point in the conflict, which began in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests.
More than 280,000 have been killed in a devastating war that has seen the spread of jihadist groups and dragged in world powers seeking to stem their growth.
A US-led coalition is conducting an aerial campaign against the Islamic State group, which despite battlefield losses still controls areas of north and northeastern Syria.
The Observatory said that the death toll from coalition strikes Thursday on the IS-controlled town of Ghandoura had risen to 28 civilians, including children.
The town is near Manbij, a strategic point on the road between Turkey and the IS bastion of Raqa, and came after the coalition opened a formal investigation to determine whether nearby air strikes last week claimed dozens of civilian lives.
ISIS meanwhile executed 24 civilians in a village close to Manbij, after seizing Buyir from a Kurdish-Arab alliance, the Observatory said.
ISIS's main jihadist rival Al-Nusra Front announced Thursday it was splitting from its parent organisation, Al-Qaeda.
A video showing its leader Abu Mohamad al-Jolani for the first time announced the break with the global terror network, although the US responded by saying it still considers Al-Nusra a security threat.
5. HAMAS CONDUCTS WEAPONS COURSE FOR WIVES OF OFFICIALS
by Shimon Cohen
Hamas has conducted a self-defense and weapons course for the wives of their officials, apparently due to fear of Israeli assassination attempts.
In a report by the Palestinian SAFA news agency, translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute, head of the security and defense apparatus in the Gaza Strip, General Bahjat Abu Sultan is quoted speaking about the training program, in which hundreds of female family members of Hamas ministers, deputy ministers, and security and defense commanders were instructed theoretically and practically, including in field exercises.
Abu Sultan further described the content of the course as including instruction in the methods of Israeli intelligence agencies in sending Palestinian collaborators to infiltrate Hamas, and raising awareness of the social and political situation in the Gaza Strip while emphasizing the importance of protecting Hamas officials and their households from harm by "the enemy," Israel.
As for the field training, the Hamas General explained that they are geared towards "preparing them to defend themselves and to cope with the genuine danger that these officials and their homes will be targeted by the enemies."
The whole course took eight days, and included 40 hours of training and study, ending last Sunday.
A different Palestinian media source quoted Abu-Sultan describing plans for a similar course for the children of Hamas officials.
'Abd Al-Karim Al-Sha'er, director of the instruction department of the security and defense apparatus, explained further that the training of the women had included: "Israeli methods of causing Palestinians to collaborate with Israel and how to protect oneself from them; securing houses; cyber-security; dealing with suspicious objects; psychological warfare; first aid; weapon assembly, disassembly, and use; and visiting an exhibit of various explosive devices in order to recognize suspicious objects and different types of explosives."
MEMRI also gathered some reactions from Palestinians to this training program, with many complaining that this shows how much Hamas worry only about the safety of their officials, and not about the rest of the population.
Others remarked that this training for the wives of the officials is entirely unnecessary, as the moment Israel attacks, the officials will flee with their families to their previously prepared and stocked underground hiding places.
6. FORMER RABBI OF ALEPPO, SYRIA, DIES IN NEW YORK AT 93
by Arutz Sheva Staff
"Chacham" Yom Tov Yedid, the oldest Rabbi in the Syrian Jewish community in the US, died on Wednesday night in New York. He was 93.
In his younger years, Rabbi Yedid served as the chief Rabbi of the famed and ancient Jewish community in Aleppo Syria, while it was still thriving and growing, before pogroms and persecutions led to the emigration of the vast majority of the community to Israel and, primarily, the United States, and before the ongoing Syrian civil war ravaged the remaining testaments to its glory. Leading the Sephardic community with a firm hand, never compromising on matters of Jewish law, the "Chacham" - wise man (a title given to great Rabbis among Sephardic Jews) was nevertheless beloved by his community, in Aleppo and later on in New York.
After arriving in New York, he continued to serve as an inspirational figure for the Syrian community and the Jewish community at large, but did not take an official public position, devoting his time to Torah study and writing a series of books of commentary on the Hebrew Bible.
He developed a relationship with the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, leader of Sephardic Jewry in Israel, through correspondence discussing Chacham Yedid's books. Later on, a personal relationship was established with Rabbi Yosef's son, current Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel Yitzchak Yosef.
Chief Rabbi Yosef commented on Rabbi Yedid's passing:
"The Sephardic Torah world has lost today one of its foremost Rabbanim, one of the last [connections] to the previous generation and the golden age of Sephardic Jewry."
7. 'WORSHIPERS WERE THREATENED WITH STABBING'
by Haim Lev
MK Eliezer Menachem Moses (United Torah Judaism) sent a letter to Religious Services Minister David Azulai (Shas) describing a violent atmosphere in the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (a sage of Tannaitic times known by his acronym Rashbi) in the Galilee mountain town of Meron.
"Every Shabbat, people who have come to pray at Rashbi's grave are subjected to serious deed of violent bullying, and there's no one to turn to! There's no one in charge there, no one to keep the public order!" wrote Moses to Azulai.
In the letter, MK Moses describes the events that occurred last Saturday at the Shabbat prayers in Meron.
"During the morning prayers, some people walked into one of the synagogues and started acting in a very violent manner that scared the worshipers. They cursed, yelled, pushed, physically assaulted people, and threatened to stab them with a knife. The worshipers fled with their Torah scroll from one synagogue room to the other, with these thugs pursuing them. The thugs continued pushing and shoving and even threatened a hassidic Rabbi who was there. This behavior continued throughout Shabbat."
Moses wrote that the events of the last Shabbat are typical of repeated incidents of this type that happen every week at Rashbi's grave. "One week, bullies came up from the Meron river area, stole all the milk and cakes that were donated for the visiting public, and took them for themselves into the forests.
"As is known, the site is crowded, thousands of visitors arrive weekly to stay in the town and pray at Rashbi's grave. All these people are subjected to these acts of violence, and there's no one to turn to! Incident follows incident and complaints are piled upon older complaints while nothing is done," he continued, also noting that the site suffers frequent technical issues with air-conditioning and electricity often failing.
MK Moses ended his letter with an urgent call to action: "I beseech you, as the Minister in authority over the site, to act immediately and appoint someone to be in charge of the site in order to deal with whatever problems may arise, whether in terms of maintenance of in terms of the security of the visitors and worshipers, and as soon as possible."
8. WATCH: BILL CLINTON DOZES OFF DURING HILLARY SPEECH AT DNC
by Shai Landesman
[youtube:2017650]
The Democratic party officially nominated Hillary Clinton as their nominee for President of the United States at the party's national convention in Philadelphia this week, extending the decades-long Clinton visibility and viability in American politics.
Former President Bill Clinton gave an emotional speech telling the story of his romance with Hillary on Tuesday, weaving an emotional tale of decades spent "talking and laughing together."
Some were skeptical of this picture, remembering the scandals that marred the late years of the Clinton presidency.
All this added to the already-intense scrutiny of Bill's conduct as wife Hillary accepted the nomination in a speech last night (Thursday).
While nominee Hillary Clinton was pledging to triumph over ISIS efforts to "reach and radicalize young people in our country" through online propaganda, former President Bill Clinton was caught on camera dozing off, while sitting next to a pointedly nodding Tim Kaine, nominee for Vice President.
As Donald Trump's continued bombastic statements will no doubt feed into the perception of him being an unstable character, Hillary Clinton's inability to hold the attention of her husband enough to keep him awake will no doubt play into the hands of those who portray her as boring and robotic.
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Thursday, July 28, 2016
A7News: 'Obama increased aid to Arab countries, but not to Israel'
Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
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Thursday, Jul. 28 '16, כ"ב בתמוז תשע"ו
HEADLINES:
1. 'OBAMA INCREASED AID TO ARAB COUNTRIES, BUT NOT TO ISRAEL'
2. IS RUSSIA A BETTER FRIEND THAN THE U.S. TO ISRAEL?
3. 'I DON'T WANT TO SEE ARABS IN OUR SWIMMING POOLS'
4. WATCH: JOINT EXERCISE OF ISRAELI NAVY AND US MARINES
5. MOTHER OF 8 GIVES BIRTH TO STILLBORN BABY IN HER HOME
6. OREN, LIPMAN JOIN FORCES TO IMPROVE ABSORPTION OF ANGLOS
7. MOTHER OF WOUNDED SOLDIER: MY SON DESERVES TO GO HOME
8. ISRAEL'S NEW F-35 'ADIR' TAKES TO THE SKIES
1. 'OBAMA INCREASED AID TO ARAB COUNTRIES, BUT NOT TO ISRAEL'
by David Rosenberg
South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham blasted President Obama this week, condemning his refusal to increase American aid to Israel, as well as his efforts to bar Israel from spending the aid money within the Jewish state.
Speaking to Haaretz, Graham revealed that Israel had previously requested an increased aid package from the White House, with $4 billion a year for regular military funding, plus $600 million towards Israel's missile defense network.
But, Graham said, the administration rejected the request, despite similar increases to Arab states, such as Jordan.
"I made a decision, given the deterioration in the region, that Israel needs more funding," said Graham. "In the last three years, we increased funding to Jordan by $275 million outside of the MoU, because Jordan was under siege."
"The administration didn't object to that increase, but they are objecting to the increase to Israel for 2017."
In 2015 the White House announced plans to raise the amount of aid to Jordan by more than 50%, topping $1 billion per year.
Despite Obama's rejection of Israel's aid request, Graham noted, Congress is under no obligations to abide by any agreements the White House makes with Israel.
"I am not bound by the MoU as a member of Congress. Congress is not a party to the MoU and the MoU can't bind Congress. Everybody in Congress wants to be generous to Israel like we did with Jordan."
Graham added that Congress overwhelmingly backed not only an increase in funding for Israel, but opposed the president's goal of ending the convertibility of a portion of the aid package to shekels, allowing Israel to use the money to pay for fuel or purchase arms from domestic producers.
While Israel is currently allowed to spend a portion of the aid money in Israel, Obama has sought to gradually end the practice, requiring that the aid be spent entirely within the US.
"Eighty-three senators signed a letter to the president that we be generous towards Israel. It is my belief that there are not even 10 members of Senate who object to allowing the IDF to buy fuel from U.S. aid money or [object] that the money be used to boost Israeli defense industries. I have never heard one member of Congress concerned about this."
In voicing his support for elevated levels of military aid to the Jewish state, Graham noted the increased geostrategic threats facing Israel.
"Netanyahu told me Hezbollah received from Iran precision-guided missiles that are military game-changers," he said. "According to the prime minister and his team, these missiles present a greater threat than presented previously."
"I want Iran to see that Israel gets more support from the U.S. and not less. I want to send a signal to Iran that while they get stronger, our allies in the region also get stronger. I don't think it is an American interest for Iran to think we are negotiating a deal with Israel that is less generous."
2. IS RUSSIA A BETTER FRIEND THAN THE U.S. TO ISRAEL?
by Hillel Fendel
It happened again this week: The Israel Air Force attacked a Syrian target in Kuneitra in response to mortar fire that "leaked out" from the Syrian civil war to Israel's Golan Heights. The attack was barely noted internationally – and can be considered a significant achievement for Israel.
The Israeli response is a clear signal to Syria to make sure it does not take advantage of the chaos there to attack Israel. No one was hurt on the Israeli side, and neither were casualties reported in Syria.
However, as analyst Dr. Aaron Lerner of IMRA (Independent Media Review and Analysis) noted, Israel could have been heavily criticized in the international arena for its attack – but it wasn't. This "reflects a significant achievement by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that is mostly ignored" Lerner writes.
Netanyahu, who visited Russia last month, has apparently reached an understanding with Russian President Putin, Lerner writes, "that allows [Israel], under various circumstances, to attack both Syrian and Hezbollah military targets within Syria - despite the deployment of a protective Russian anti-aircraft umbrella covering the entire country."
Lerner added that he "doubts" Israel would have had a similar understanding with the U.S. if it was an American umbrella.
The Israeli response was not totally overlooked on the Arab side: Iranian commander Brig.-Gen. Khosro Orouj of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) criticized Russia earlier this month because "the anti-aircraft systems that Russia has brought to Syria shouldn't allow even one single [enemy[] aircraft to fly over the country - but this is not happening."
Syria continues to bleed heavily from its 50-month-old civil war. Just this week, 38 soldiers were killed in a tunnel blast, eight people were killed by mortar fire in Damascus, and 19 civilians were killed in fighting in Haleb. It was also reported today that Syrian President Assad made a secret visit to Russia prior to Netanyahu's visit, and discussed with Putin a plan by which Israel would withdraw from the Golan Heights.
Given the inroads that ISIS has made in Syria, even those on the far left of the Israeli political spectrum are no longer seriously considering this option.
3. 'I DON'T WANT TO SEE ARABS IN OUR SWIMMING POOLS'
by David Rosenberg
Lower Galilee Regional Council chief Motti Dotan stirred up controversy on Thursday after he defended the practice of barring access to local swimming pools to non-residents, which some claim is used to prevent Arabs from using facilities in Jewish communities.
The former Labor member turned Likudnik said he "didn't want to see them in our pools", rejecting suggestions the desire for separation was rooted in racism.
Speaking to Kol Rega on Thursday, Dotan insisted he bears no malice towards Israel's Arab population, but recognizes there are different cultural norms.
"I don't hate Arabs," said Dotan, "but I don't want to see them in our pools."
"I don't go to their pools," he added, saying that there is a clear difference between the two cultures. "Why is that racist?"
"If they would behave according to our norms, then I'd have no problem. But that doesn't happen, so I generalize. When Jewish men and women will feel comfortable in an Arab town, then I will be happy to have them over. But until that happens, I don't want them."
4. WATCH: JOINT EXERCISE OF ISRAELI NAVY AND US MARINES
by Arutz Sheva
[youtube:2017631]
[album:open
5. MOTHER OF 8 GIVES BIRTH TO STILLBORN BABY IN HER HOME
by Arutz Sheva Staff
In a rare case, a mother of eight in her 40s, 35 weeks pregnant, started feeling unwell while in her Petah Tikva home yesterday (Wednesday). When the pain became severe, accompanied by bleeding, MDA were called. The arriving paramedics performed CPR on her baby for some time to no avail, and were forced to pronounce the baby dead on the spot, according to a Kikar Hashabbat report. The woman herself was evacuated to the Beilinson hospital in stable condition.
Medical staff in the hospital assessed that it was a natural complication in the pregnancy that brought on the unplanned birth, with the baby stillborn, with no pulse. Cases of unplanned home births where the baby is stillborn are considered rare.
A year ago a woman from a town in the Galilee arrived at a hospital with her baby, born in a home birth. The baby was also lifeless, but in that case it was a planned home birth that went tragically awry. The woman only went to the hospital after the midwife had seen that the baby had no pulse.
In another case occurring three months ago, a baby died during a home birth in another town in the Jezreel Valley. MDA paramedics arriving at the scene performed CPR, but the baby was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Rambam hospital in Haifa.
6. OREN, LIPMAN JOIN FORCES TO IMPROVE ABSORPTION OF ANGLOS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
MK Michael Oren and former MK Dov Lipman have announced a new Knesset-based initiative to address some of the challenges that face English speaking immigrants to Israel. These issues include the immigrant benefit package, tax problems, professional and driving licenses, struggles of lone soldier and national service volunteers, and the need for English speaking clerks and representatives in government agencies and ministries.
The new initiative will kickoff with a hearing in the Immigration and Absorption Committee on Monday August 1. This specific hearing will address specific challenges regarding national service for young people from overseas which create obstacles for their immigration and absorption process. Representatives of various absorption organizations will present these challenges to the committee and to the government representatives who will be invited to attend with a goal to work towards legislation which addresses these issues.
MK and former Ambassador to the US Oren: "I'm delighted to join with former MK Dov Lipmann in inaugurating the Knesset's first caucus for English speaking olim. Immigrants from English speaking countries contributed immensely to building this country and continue do so today. Yet they still face formal challenges in integration and absorption. The caucus will address these difficulties and adopt concrete solutions."
Former MK Lipman: "This committee hearing is just the beginning of the process. MK Oren and I have decided that we will not rest until we solve the many problems and challenges related to the absorption of English speaking immigrants. I am thrilled to be working with MK Oren on this effort and am confident that this 'bipartisan' effort will bear fruit."
7. MOTHER OF WOUNDED SOLDIER: MY SON DESERVES TO GO HOME
by Hezki Baruch
The Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee convened Thursday morning in response to claims of maltreatment by the Defense Ministry of a severely wounded IDF veteran.
Yehuda Yitzhak HaYisraeli suffered serious injuries during the 2014 conflict with Hamas. Despite the severity of his wounds, HaYisraeli beat the odds and made tremendous inroads towards recovery.
While HaYisraeli, a married father of two, is medically able to leave the hospital, his condition requires significant modifications to his home. But his return home has been hampered by the Defense Ministry's refusal to fund the modifications, owing to the location of HaYisraeli's home beyond the Green Line.
Thursday's meeting was held at the behest of committee member Amir Ohana (Likud). Ohana praised a fundraising campaign on behalf of HaYisraeli, but said the government must ultimately take responsibility for providing for those wounded in the line of duty.
"The wonderful Israeli has enlisted to help the wounded HaYisraeli," Ohana said in a play on words. "But this is the government's responsibility. We must do everything possible…to help those who sacrificed their lives for us or were severely injured. That many Israelis joined together to help is Israeli comradery at its finest – but we need to say it straight out, this is the government's responsibility."
A Defense Ministry official explained the ministry's refusal to fund the renovations, saying that while the ministry itself was prepared to fund the modifications, bureaucratic regulations prevented them from spending state funds on an unauthorized housing unit.
"The Defense Ministry was prepared to fund it, but it [the expenditure] was not authorized by the [National Insurance Institute's aid committee] because the [house] was never approved".
MK Motti Yogev (Jewish Home) criticized the Defense Ministry's argument, saying any bureaucratic problems holding back the funds were solvable.
"The defense establishment sent Yehuda into combat, he came back wounded – you knew how to deal with this in other cases, so solve the problem here. The Prime Minister and Defense Minister could solve this problem, but they rely on what officials and advisers in the field tell them. Sit down for two hours and figure out a solution."
"The state knows how to solve building problems when it comes to the Palestinians," Yogev added, "but for an IDF veteran they don't do what they need to. It's your moral responsibility to find a solution to return Yehuda HaYisraeli back to his home in Ofra."
HaYisraeli's mother also spoke at the committee hearing, making an emotional plea for assistance.
"I'm sitting here and suffering. We didn't choose this. My son deserves to go home. My heart is breaking."
"I call for a revolution in the laws," she added. "The state sent him. I don't want a house somewhere else. I want to live with my son in Ofra."
Committee chairman Avi Dichter (Likud) added his own frustration with the bureaucratic deadlock.
"This is a paradox. Let's say that there is a soldier named Avi Dichter who lives in Ashkelon, and a soldier named Avi Dichter who lives in Judea and Samaria. [Or] a 100,000 Avi Dichters in Ashkelon and 100,000 in Judea and Samaria. If, God forbid, one Avi Dichter is wounded, can you imagine that when there are 100,000 who are treated without any problem, and 100,000 others from Judea and Samaria face a hopeless situation? To call it absurd would be an understatement."
Yehuda Yitzhak HaYisraeli
Ofer Amram
8. ISRAEL'S NEW F-35 'ADIR' TAKES TO THE SKIES
by Rachel Kaplan
On its maiden flight at US manufacturer Lockheed-Martin, Israel's first F-35 Lightning II "Adir" (Hebrew for "Great One") passed all tests, and is due to be delivered in December.
A lighter version of the F-22, the F-35 Lightning II Adir has top-of-the-line stealth technology, highly sensitive sensors of every kind, and fuel-optimizing computer systems to keep it in the air.
Israel was the first country to buy the fighter jet under the US's Foreign Military Sales process. A Letter of Agreement was signed in October 2010.
On June 22, 2016, the Israeli Air Force welcomed the first F-35A Adir for Israel at a ceremony at the factory in Fort Worth, Texas. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman attended the 400-strong ceremony, along with US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro, and several other military and political figures.
"We're honored to partner with Israel and help strengthen the deep and lasting partnership between our two nations," said Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed Martin Chairman, President and CEO at the ceremony. "The F-35 will help Israel remain a beacon of strength and stability in the region and support a safe and secure homeland for generations to come."
The F-35 Lightning II Adir takes off on its maiden flight
Lockheed Martin
Below is a demonstration of some of the aircraft's capabilities.
[youtube:2017577]
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------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
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Thursday, Jul. 28 '16, כ"ב בתמוז תשע"ו
HEADLINES:
1. 'OBAMA INCREASED AID TO ARAB COUNTRIES, BUT NOT TO ISRAEL'
2. IS RUSSIA A BETTER FRIEND THAN THE U.S. TO ISRAEL?
3. 'I DON'T WANT TO SEE ARABS IN OUR SWIMMING POOLS'
4. WATCH: JOINT EXERCISE OF ISRAELI NAVY AND US MARINES
5. MOTHER OF 8 GIVES BIRTH TO STILLBORN BABY IN HER HOME
6. OREN, LIPMAN JOIN FORCES TO IMPROVE ABSORPTION OF ANGLOS
7. MOTHER OF WOUNDED SOLDIER: MY SON DESERVES TO GO HOME
8. ISRAEL'S NEW F-35 'ADIR' TAKES TO THE SKIES
1. 'OBAMA INCREASED AID TO ARAB COUNTRIES, BUT NOT TO ISRAEL'
by David Rosenberg
South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham blasted President Obama this week, condemning his refusal to increase American aid to Israel, as well as his efforts to bar Israel from spending the aid money within the Jewish state.
Speaking to Haaretz, Graham revealed that Israel had previously requested an increased aid package from the White House, with $4 billion a year for regular military funding, plus $600 million towards Israel's missile defense network.
But, Graham said, the administration rejected the request, despite similar increases to Arab states, such as Jordan.
"I made a decision, given the deterioration in the region, that Israel needs more funding," said Graham. "In the last three years, we increased funding to Jordan by $275 million outside of the MoU, because Jordan was under siege."
"The administration didn't object to that increase, but they are objecting to the increase to Israel for 2017."
In 2015 the White House announced plans to raise the amount of aid to Jordan by more than 50%, topping $1 billion per year.
Despite Obama's rejection of Israel's aid request, Graham noted, Congress is under no obligations to abide by any agreements the White House makes with Israel.
"I am not bound by the MoU as a member of Congress. Congress is not a party to the MoU and the MoU can't bind Congress. Everybody in Congress wants to be generous to Israel like we did with Jordan."
Graham added that Congress overwhelmingly backed not only an increase in funding for Israel, but opposed the president's goal of ending the convertibility of a portion of the aid package to shekels, allowing Israel to use the money to pay for fuel or purchase arms from domestic producers.
While Israel is currently allowed to spend a portion of the aid money in Israel, Obama has sought to gradually end the practice, requiring that the aid be spent entirely within the US.
"Eighty-three senators signed a letter to the president that we be generous towards Israel. It is my belief that there are not even 10 members of Senate who object to allowing the IDF to buy fuel from U.S. aid money or [object] that the money be used to boost Israeli defense industries. I have never heard one member of Congress concerned about this."
In voicing his support for elevated levels of military aid to the Jewish state, Graham noted the increased geostrategic threats facing Israel.
"Netanyahu told me Hezbollah received from Iran precision-guided missiles that are military game-changers," he said. "According to the prime minister and his team, these missiles present a greater threat than presented previously."
"I want Iran to see that Israel gets more support from the U.S. and not less. I want to send a signal to Iran that while they get stronger, our allies in the region also get stronger. I don't think it is an American interest for Iran to think we are negotiating a deal with Israel that is less generous."
2. IS RUSSIA A BETTER FRIEND THAN THE U.S. TO ISRAEL?
by Hillel Fendel
It happened again this week: The Israel Air Force attacked a Syrian target in Kuneitra in response to mortar fire that "leaked out" from the Syrian civil war to Israel's Golan Heights. The attack was barely noted internationally – and can be considered a significant achievement for Israel.
The Israeli response is a clear signal to Syria to make sure it does not take advantage of the chaos there to attack Israel. No one was hurt on the Israeli side, and neither were casualties reported in Syria.
However, as analyst Dr. Aaron Lerner of IMRA (Independent Media Review and Analysis) noted, Israel could have been heavily criticized in the international arena for its attack – but it wasn't. This "reflects a significant achievement by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that is mostly ignored" Lerner writes.
Netanyahu, who visited Russia last month, has apparently reached an understanding with Russian President Putin, Lerner writes, "that allows [Israel], under various circumstances, to attack both Syrian and Hezbollah military targets within Syria - despite the deployment of a protective Russian anti-aircraft umbrella covering the entire country."
Lerner added that he "doubts" Israel would have had a similar understanding with the U.S. if it was an American umbrella.
The Israeli response was not totally overlooked on the Arab side: Iranian commander Brig.-Gen. Khosro Orouj of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) criticized Russia earlier this month because "the anti-aircraft systems that Russia has brought to Syria shouldn't allow even one single [enemy[] aircraft to fly over the country - but this is not happening."
Syria continues to bleed heavily from its 50-month-old civil war. Just this week, 38 soldiers were killed in a tunnel blast, eight people were killed by mortar fire in Damascus, and 19 civilians were killed in fighting in Haleb. It was also reported today that Syrian President Assad made a secret visit to Russia prior to Netanyahu's visit, and discussed with Putin a plan by which Israel would withdraw from the Golan Heights.
Given the inroads that ISIS has made in Syria, even those on the far left of the Israeli political spectrum are no longer seriously considering this option.
3. 'I DON'T WANT TO SEE ARABS IN OUR SWIMMING POOLS'
by David Rosenberg
Lower Galilee Regional Council chief Motti Dotan stirred up controversy on Thursday after he defended the practice of barring access to local swimming pools to non-residents, which some claim is used to prevent Arabs from using facilities in Jewish communities.
The former Labor member turned Likudnik said he "didn't want to see them in our pools", rejecting suggestions the desire for separation was rooted in racism.
Speaking to Kol Rega on Thursday, Dotan insisted he bears no malice towards Israel's Arab population, but recognizes there are different cultural norms.
"I don't hate Arabs," said Dotan, "but I don't want to see them in our pools."
"I don't go to their pools," he added, saying that there is a clear difference between the two cultures. "Why is that racist?"
"If they would behave according to our norms, then I'd have no problem. But that doesn't happen, so I generalize. When Jewish men and women will feel comfortable in an Arab town, then I will be happy to have them over. But until that happens, I don't want them."
4. WATCH: JOINT EXERCISE OF ISRAELI NAVY AND US MARINES
by Arutz Sheva
[youtube:2017631]
[album:open
5. MOTHER OF 8 GIVES BIRTH TO STILLBORN BABY IN HER HOME
by Arutz Sheva Staff
In a rare case, a mother of eight in her 40s, 35 weeks pregnant, started feeling unwell while in her Petah Tikva home yesterday (Wednesday). When the pain became severe, accompanied by bleeding, MDA were called. The arriving paramedics performed CPR on her baby for some time to no avail, and were forced to pronounce the baby dead on the spot, according to a Kikar Hashabbat report. The woman herself was evacuated to the Beilinson hospital in stable condition.
Medical staff in the hospital assessed that it was a natural complication in the pregnancy that brought on the unplanned birth, with the baby stillborn, with no pulse. Cases of unplanned home births where the baby is stillborn are considered rare.
A year ago a woman from a town in the Galilee arrived at a hospital with her baby, born in a home birth. The baby was also lifeless, but in that case it was a planned home birth that went tragically awry. The woman only went to the hospital after the midwife had seen that the baby had no pulse.
In another case occurring three months ago, a baby died during a home birth in another town in the Jezreel Valley. MDA paramedics arriving at the scene performed CPR, but the baby was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Rambam hospital in Haifa.
6. OREN, LIPMAN JOIN FORCES TO IMPROVE ABSORPTION OF ANGLOS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
MK Michael Oren and former MK Dov Lipman have announced a new Knesset-based initiative to address some of the challenges that face English speaking immigrants to Israel. These issues include the immigrant benefit package, tax problems, professional and driving licenses, struggles of lone soldier and national service volunteers, and the need for English speaking clerks and representatives in government agencies and ministries.
The new initiative will kickoff with a hearing in the Immigration and Absorption Committee on Monday August 1. This specific hearing will address specific challenges regarding national service for young people from overseas which create obstacles for their immigration and absorption process. Representatives of various absorption organizations will present these challenges to the committee and to the government representatives who will be invited to attend with a goal to work towards legislation which addresses these issues.
MK and former Ambassador to the US Oren: "I'm delighted to join with former MK Dov Lipmann in inaugurating the Knesset's first caucus for English speaking olim. Immigrants from English speaking countries contributed immensely to building this country and continue do so today. Yet they still face formal challenges in integration and absorption. The caucus will address these difficulties and adopt concrete solutions."
Former MK Lipman: "This committee hearing is just the beginning of the process. MK Oren and I have decided that we will not rest until we solve the many problems and challenges related to the absorption of English speaking immigrants. I am thrilled to be working with MK Oren on this effort and am confident that this 'bipartisan' effort will bear fruit."
7. MOTHER OF WOUNDED SOLDIER: MY SON DESERVES TO GO HOME
by Hezki Baruch
The Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee convened Thursday morning in response to claims of maltreatment by the Defense Ministry of a severely wounded IDF veteran.
Yehuda Yitzhak HaYisraeli suffered serious injuries during the 2014 conflict with Hamas. Despite the severity of his wounds, HaYisraeli beat the odds and made tremendous inroads towards recovery.
While HaYisraeli, a married father of two, is medically able to leave the hospital, his condition requires significant modifications to his home. But his return home has been hampered by the Defense Ministry's refusal to fund the modifications, owing to the location of HaYisraeli's home beyond the Green Line.
Thursday's meeting was held at the behest of committee member Amir Ohana (Likud). Ohana praised a fundraising campaign on behalf of HaYisraeli, but said the government must ultimately take responsibility for providing for those wounded in the line of duty.
"The wonderful Israeli has enlisted to help the wounded HaYisraeli," Ohana said in a play on words. "But this is the government's responsibility. We must do everything possible…to help those who sacrificed their lives for us or were severely injured. That many Israelis joined together to help is Israeli comradery at its finest – but we need to say it straight out, this is the government's responsibility."
A Defense Ministry official explained the ministry's refusal to fund the renovations, saying that while the ministry itself was prepared to fund the modifications, bureaucratic regulations prevented them from spending state funds on an unauthorized housing unit.
"The Defense Ministry was prepared to fund it, but it [the expenditure] was not authorized by the [National Insurance Institute's aid committee] because the [house] was never approved".
MK Motti Yogev (Jewish Home) criticized the Defense Ministry's argument, saying any bureaucratic problems holding back the funds were solvable.
"The defense establishment sent Yehuda into combat, he came back wounded – you knew how to deal with this in other cases, so solve the problem here. The Prime Minister and Defense Minister could solve this problem, but they rely on what officials and advisers in the field tell them. Sit down for two hours and figure out a solution."
"The state knows how to solve building problems when it comes to the Palestinians," Yogev added, "but for an IDF veteran they don't do what they need to. It's your moral responsibility to find a solution to return Yehuda HaYisraeli back to his home in Ofra."
HaYisraeli's mother also spoke at the committee hearing, making an emotional plea for assistance.
"I'm sitting here and suffering. We didn't choose this. My son deserves to go home. My heart is breaking."
"I call for a revolution in the laws," she added. "The state sent him. I don't want a house somewhere else. I want to live with my son in Ofra."
Committee chairman Avi Dichter (Likud) added his own frustration with the bureaucratic deadlock.
"This is a paradox. Let's say that there is a soldier named Avi Dichter who lives in Ashkelon, and a soldier named Avi Dichter who lives in Judea and Samaria. [Or] a 100,000 Avi Dichters in Ashkelon and 100,000 in Judea and Samaria. If, God forbid, one Avi Dichter is wounded, can you imagine that when there are 100,000 who are treated without any problem, and 100,000 others from Judea and Samaria face a hopeless situation? To call it absurd would be an understatement."
Yehuda Yitzhak HaYisraeli
Ofer Amram
8. ISRAEL'S NEW F-35 'ADIR' TAKES TO THE SKIES
by Rachel Kaplan
On its maiden flight at US manufacturer Lockheed-Martin, Israel's first F-35 Lightning II "Adir" (Hebrew for "Great One") passed all tests, and is due to be delivered in December.
A lighter version of the F-22, the F-35 Lightning II Adir has top-of-the-line stealth technology, highly sensitive sensors of every kind, and fuel-optimizing computer systems to keep it in the air.
Israel was the first country to buy the fighter jet under the US's Foreign Military Sales process. A Letter of Agreement was signed in October 2010.
On June 22, 2016, the Israeli Air Force welcomed the first F-35A Adir for Israel at a ceremony at the factory in Fort Worth, Texas. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman attended the 400-strong ceremony, along with US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro, and several other military and political figures.
"We're honored to partner with Israel and help strengthen the deep and lasting partnership between our two nations," said Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed Martin Chairman, President and CEO at the ceremony. "The F-35 will help Israel remain a beacon of strength and stability in the region and support a safe and secure homeland for generations to come."
The F-35 Lightning II Adir takes off on its maiden flight
Lockheed Martin
Below is a demonstration of some of the aircraft's capabilities.
[youtube:2017577]
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Wednesday, July 27, 2016
A7News: IDF captures terrorists who murdered Rabbi Michael Mark
Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
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Wednesday, Jul. 27 '16, כ"א בתמוז תשע"ו
HEADLINES:
1. IDF CAPTURES TERRORISTS WHO MURDERED RABBI MICHAEL MARK
2. US, ISRAELI FLAGS BURNED AT BERNIE PROTEST
3. ISRAEL'S NEW F-35 'ADIR' TAKES TO THE SKIES
4. SMOTRICH FOUGHT FOR JUDEA-SAMARIA - AND WON
5. JEWISH PHILANTHROPIST MARCUS KATZ PASSES AWAY AT 89
6. BATTLE TO SAVE AMONA: WAITING ON ATTORNEY-GENERAL
7. KURDISH CITY IN CHAOS AFTER DOUBLE BOMBING KILLS 44
8. WATCH: CAR EXPLODES IN JERUSALEM
1. IDF CAPTURES TERRORISTS WHO MURDERED RABBI MICHAEL MARK
by Ben Ariel
[youtube:2017559]
IDF soldiers overnight Tuesday apprehended the terrorists who murdered Rabbi Michael Mark in front of his children earlier this month.
The terrorists were apprehended during an IDF operation in the village of Surif, north of Hevron.
One of the terrorists, Mohammed Fakih, was killed during clashes with the troops. The rest of the terrorists were taken in for questioning.
None of the Israeli soldiers were injured in the clashes.
Earlier it was reported that the sides exchanged gunfire during the operation, after the troops encountered riots in the village and responded by using riot control measures.
Palestinian media also reported that electricity to local villages was cut off.
2. US, ISRAELI FLAGS BURNED AT BERNIE PROTEST
by Shai Landesman
[youtube:2017562]
As the Democratic Convention rumbles on in the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, controversy continues to rage through the streets of the city.
Supporters of erstwhile primary candidate Bernie Sanders are enraged by revelations in a WikiLeaks publication, which featured thousands of emails sent between members of the Democratic National Committee, in which a desire by party officials to facilitate the nomination of Hillary Clinton emerges as a clear pattern.
Despite considerable efforts by Sanders to calm things down and promote party unity, protests continue outside the Wells Fargo Center, where the convention is being held.
Due to the far-left character of much of the Bernie Sanders support, anti-Israel and anti-American elements are attracted to the protests. On the first night of the convention Palestinian flags were raised in the audience. At the protests on the street last night, flags of countries less approved by some of the protesters were burned. Observers said they saw more PLO flags than US flags at the convention.
Protesters burn Israeli flag outside DNC
Byron Tau/ Wall Street Journal
3. ISRAEL'S NEW F-35 'ADIR' TAKES TO THE SKIES
by Rachel Kaplan
On its maiden flight at US manufacturer Lockheed-Martin, Israel's first F-35 Lightning II "Adir" (Hebrew for "Great One") passed all tests, and is due to be delivered in December.
A lighter version of the F-22, the F-35 Lightning II Adir has top-of-the-line stealth technology, highly sensitive sensors of every kind, and fuel-optimizing computer systems to keep it in the air.
Israel was the first country to buy the fighter jet under the US's Foreign Military Sales process. A Letter of Agreement was signed in October 2010.
On June 22, 2016, the Israeli Air Force welcomed the first F-35A Adir for Israel at a ceremony at the factory in Fort Worth, Texas. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman attended the 400-strong ceremony, along with US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro, and several other military and political figures.
"We're honored to partner with Israel and help strengthen the deep and lasting partnership between our two nations," said Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed Martin Chairman, President and CEO at the ceremony. "The F-35 will help Israel remain a beacon of strength and stability in the region and support a safe and secure homeland for generations to come."
The F-35 Lightning II Adir takes off on its maiden flight
Lockheed Martin
Below is a demonstration of some of the aircraft's capabilities.
[youtube:2017577]
4. SMOTRICH FOUGHT FOR JUDEA-SAMARIA - AND WON
by Rachel Kaplan
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation has passed a law, initiated by MK Bezalel Smotrich (Jewish Home), to give Judea and Samaria residents the same tax breaks as the rest of Israel.
Internationally disputed, the regions of Judea and Samaria remain under military rule . Israeli law does not apply in the region, unless it is signed by the regional commander.
This landmark law would give all Israeli citizens equal rights - without the military's agreement.
In the past few days, coalition party leaders have been putting their heads together over how to enact Smotrich's proposal. After closing an agreement with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, they gave the green light for the vote.
Just half a year ago, Smotrich agreed to pass MK Moshe Gafni's (UTJ) tax breaks law, despite the fact that it did not include Judea and Samaria as part of Israel. Smotrich received a direct promise from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that those towns would get the same tax breaks, without changing the written map.
In wake of the vote on the tax breaks, Smotrich submitted his amendment to include Judea-Samaria - which was rejected by Treasury officials, despite their promises.
After months of rocky negotiations with the Treasury, Smotrich brought up the law in a special session of the Ministerial Committee, backed by Minister Naftali Bennett, Minister Uri Ariel, and Minister Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home).
The committee has now passed the bill on to the Knesset, where it is expected to be passed into law today.
According to the bill proposal, several factors, such as socioeconomic status, distance from the center of Israel, and the level of danger in the area, will contribute to an individual's tax breaks.
A triumphant Smotrich spoke to Arutz Sheva, "Now, finally, we can say that we have built the map for settling Israel. This law will allow thousands of families in Judea and Samaria, who suffer daily security threats, to receive that which they deserve, and to gain equal rights with the rest of the citizenry of Israel.
"The nationalist government is putting Judea-Samaria back on the map. There is still a long way to go, but this is definitely a step in the right direction. I want to thank Ministers Bennett, Ariel, and Shaked, who supported and backed the process, which without their support we would not have achieved."
5. JEWISH PHILANTHROPIST MARCUS KATZ PASSES AWAY AT 89
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Jewish philanthropist Marcus Katz passed away last night at the age of 89. His funeral will take place tomorrow (Thursday) at 5:30 pm at the Har Hamenuchot cemetery in Jerusalem.
Katz, a holocaust survivor and owner of honorary Doctorates from NYU and Bar-Ilan University, was renowned for his contribution to promoting reconciliation between Halakha (Jewish law) and modern life. He established the Marcus Katz award, given annually to outstanding contributors in the area.
Among those receiving the award during its 41-year existence were: Rabbi Zalman Nehamiah Goldberg, one of the great Halakhic decisors of the generation; Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, philosopher, theologian and former Chief Rabbi of the UK and the Commonwealth; Rabbi Yehoshua Yeshaya Neuwirth, author of a prominent book on the laws of Shabbat; Rabbi Tzvi Herschel Shachter, one of the heads of Yeshiva University; Dr. Hanna Katan; and the "Mishpetei Eretz" institute headed by Rabbi Avi Gisser, which is dedicated to applying Halakhic reasoning to modern legal problems.
Katz first arrived in Israel at age 14, escaping from Nazi Germany. His father joined him several months after and they were then joined by his mother as well two years after that.
In 1947 Katz and his family moved to Mexico and at 20 years old he was appointed principal of the Jewish school in Monterrey. He met his wife, Adina, Mexico.
Though they built their life far from Israel, Marcus and Adina Katz's ethical conscience was always directed towards the holy land, and they worked to strengthen ties with the Jewish state and to establish it's Jewish and Zionist identity.
Katz immediately stood out as a successful industrialist, legal scholar, and leader in the Jewish community, but above all he was a teacher and educator that understood the importance of the connection between the Diaspora and Israel.
Upon the death of his mother, Golda, Marcus and Adina Katz decided to make their way of life into their life's work. In 1975 they established the Katz award, named after Golda Katz.
In 1985 the Katz's founded the "Emuna" (faith) Yeshiva in Mexico, that provides children and teenagers in the community with a modern religious and Zionist education from 1st through 12th grade.
Katz formed and nurtured true friendships with important figures in Israeli politics and society, thus continuing to work to strengthen ties between Israel and the Diaspora.
The Katz family's philanthropic activity expanded into other fields as the years went by. They dedicated most of their time to helping Israeli society, donating to dozens of Israeli causes in the fields of education, health and industry.
6. BATTLE TO SAVE AMONA: WAITING ON ATTORNEY-GENERAL
by Nitsan Kedar
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation did not discuss MK Shuli Moalem-Rafaeli's proposed law to resolve the Amona issue today (Wednesday).
The Samarian town of Amona is slated for demolition in around six months due to claims of ownership of the land on which it is built. Controversy has raged over proposals to simply pass legislation which would enable the government to overrule property rights in certain situations. Proposals of this kind have met with opposition from Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit, who says they will be knocked down by the Supreme Court.
The Committee accepted a request from the Prime Minister and the Attorney-General to remove the proposal from the agenda until such time as they PM and A-G will find a more satisfactory solution which doesn't require new legislation. They have been granted time until the end of August.
The request was passed to the Committee Chair, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, together with an important fact: if the Committee debated and passed on the proposed law today, it would not be given a preliminary reading in the Knesset today, for technical reasons.
Representative of fight to save Amona told Arutz Sheva: "We are sorry the legislative process is being postponed, and we demand that Amona's status be resolved whether by legislation or any other means. The responsibility for this fall on the shoulders of the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister, the Justice Minister and all the rest of the government members. If no resolution is arrived at, we will engage in a bitter struggle to save our home."
7. KURDISH CITY IN CHAOS AFTER DOUBLE BOMBING KILLS 44
by Rachel Kaplan
At least 44 people were killed and dozens injured on Wednesday in the deadliest bomb blast to hit the Kurdish-majority Syrian city of Qamishli since the country's war began.
Syrian state media gave a toll of 44 dead and 140 injured in the bomb attack, which hit a western district of the city where several local Kurdish ministries are located.
The attack was carried out by a suicide bomber who blew himself up inside a truck, Kurdish officials told AFP.
The blast was the biggest and deadliest to hit Qamishli, close to the border with Turkey, since the Syrian conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests before spiralling into a bloody, multi-front war.
The blast was initially described as a double bombing, but local officials and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the bomb had also detonated a nearby fuel container, leading to reports of a second explosion.
An AFP journalist saw devastating scenes in the bomb's aftermath, with distraught civilians, some covered in blood, staggering through rubble past twisted metal and the burned-out remains of cars.
One man running along the streets was completely covered in blood, his shirt drenched red.
He was gripping the arm of a small boy whose face was grey and red with blood and dust.
They ran past a hysterical woman who was crying and screaming, her clothes torn. A girl and boy stood next to her, apparently in shock.
Children could be heard screaming as smoke rose from small fires that continued to burn amongst the rubble.
Civilians and local security forces with guns slung across their backs worked to carry the dead and wounded from the remains of damaged and destroyed buildings.
Regular bombings
Qamishli has regularly been targeted in bomb attacks, many of which have been claimed by the Islamic State group.
The ISIS-linked Amaq agency reported that a suicide truck bomber hit Kurdish forces in Qamishli, without explicitly claiming the attack as an ISIS operation.
An AFP reporter in the city said a suicide bomber blew himself up by a checkpoint near local Kurdish adminstration buildings including the defence ministry.
A source in the Kurdish Asayesh security forces told AFP "this is the largest explosions the city has even seen."
Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said the area struck by the bomb was considered a secure zone, with multiple checkpoints and security measures in place.
"This blast is the biggest in Qamishli in terms of both the toll and the damage since the beginning of the war," he said.
Local officials said hospitals in the city had been swamped with casualties from the attack.
And Syrian state television carried an appeal from the governor of Hasakeh province, where Qamishli is located, urging residents of the city to "go to public and private hospitals to donate blood for the victims of the terrorist bombings."
Qamishli is under the shared control of the Syrian regime and Kurdish authorities, who have declared zones of "autonomous administration" across parts of north and northeast Syria.
The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) have been a key force fighting ISIS in north and northeastern Syria.
They are the main component in the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance that is currently battling IS in the town of Manbij, with air support from the US-led anti-IS coalition.
More than 280,000 people have been killed in Syria since the war began, with over half the population displaced.
8. WATCH: CAR EXPLODES IN JERUSALEM
by Rachel Kaplan
[youtube:2017575]
A car exploded around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning near Dan Panorama Hotel, on Keren Hayesod Street, in Jerusalem.
Police report that an explosive device was attached to white Citroen Berlingo, probably with the intent of killing the driver. The device was detonated as the car turned from King David Street to Keren Hayesod Street.
The driver himself, 58, was moderately injured, and has been rushed by MDA emergency personnel to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital.
The hospital spokesperson said in a statement that the man is fully conscious and is suffering from wounds to his lower-body .
Police confirm that they are investigating the circumstances of the explosion. As of now, they believe the act to be criminal, and not a terror attack.
------------------------------------------------
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------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
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Wednesday, Jul. 27 '16, כ"א בתמוז תשע"ו
HEADLINES:
1. IDF CAPTURES TERRORISTS WHO MURDERED RABBI MICHAEL MARK
2. US, ISRAELI FLAGS BURNED AT BERNIE PROTEST
3. ISRAEL'S NEW F-35 'ADIR' TAKES TO THE SKIES
4. SMOTRICH FOUGHT FOR JUDEA-SAMARIA - AND WON
5. JEWISH PHILANTHROPIST MARCUS KATZ PASSES AWAY AT 89
6. BATTLE TO SAVE AMONA: WAITING ON ATTORNEY-GENERAL
7. KURDISH CITY IN CHAOS AFTER DOUBLE BOMBING KILLS 44
8. WATCH: CAR EXPLODES IN JERUSALEM
1. IDF CAPTURES TERRORISTS WHO MURDERED RABBI MICHAEL MARK
by Ben Ariel
[youtube:2017559]
IDF soldiers overnight Tuesday apprehended the terrorists who murdered Rabbi Michael Mark in front of his children earlier this month.
The terrorists were apprehended during an IDF operation in the village of Surif, north of Hevron.
One of the terrorists, Mohammed Fakih, was killed during clashes with the troops. The rest of the terrorists were taken in for questioning.
None of the Israeli soldiers were injured in the clashes.
Earlier it was reported that the sides exchanged gunfire during the operation, after the troops encountered riots in the village and responded by using riot control measures.
Palestinian media also reported that electricity to local villages was cut off.
2. US, ISRAELI FLAGS BURNED AT BERNIE PROTEST
by Shai Landesman
[youtube:2017562]
As the Democratic Convention rumbles on in the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, controversy continues to rage through the streets of the city.
Supporters of erstwhile primary candidate Bernie Sanders are enraged by revelations in a WikiLeaks publication, which featured thousands of emails sent between members of the Democratic National Committee, in which a desire by party officials to facilitate the nomination of Hillary Clinton emerges as a clear pattern.
Despite considerable efforts by Sanders to calm things down and promote party unity, protests continue outside the Wells Fargo Center, where the convention is being held.
Due to the far-left character of much of the Bernie Sanders support, anti-Israel and anti-American elements are attracted to the protests. On the first night of the convention Palestinian flags were raised in the audience. At the protests on the street last night, flags of countries less approved by some of the protesters were burned. Observers said they saw more PLO flags than US flags at the convention.
Protesters burn Israeli flag outside DNC
Byron Tau/ Wall Street Journal
3. ISRAEL'S NEW F-35 'ADIR' TAKES TO THE SKIES
by Rachel Kaplan
On its maiden flight at US manufacturer Lockheed-Martin, Israel's first F-35 Lightning II "Adir" (Hebrew for "Great One") passed all tests, and is due to be delivered in December.
A lighter version of the F-22, the F-35 Lightning II Adir has top-of-the-line stealth technology, highly sensitive sensors of every kind, and fuel-optimizing computer systems to keep it in the air.
Israel was the first country to buy the fighter jet under the US's Foreign Military Sales process. A Letter of Agreement was signed in October 2010.
On June 22, 2016, the Israeli Air Force welcomed the first F-35A Adir for Israel at a ceremony at the factory in Fort Worth, Texas. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman attended the 400-strong ceremony, along with US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro, and several other military and political figures.
"We're honored to partner with Israel and help strengthen the deep and lasting partnership between our two nations," said Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed Martin Chairman, President and CEO at the ceremony. "The F-35 will help Israel remain a beacon of strength and stability in the region and support a safe and secure homeland for generations to come."
The F-35 Lightning II Adir takes off on its maiden flight
Lockheed Martin
Below is a demonstration of some of the aircraft's capabilities.
[youtube:2017577]
4. SMOTRICH FOUGHT FOR JUDEA-SAMARIA - AND WON
by Rachel Kaplan
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation has passed a law, initiated by MK Bezalel Smotrich (Jewish Home), to give Judea and Samaria residents the same tax breaks as the rest of Israel.
Internationally disputed, the regions of Judea and Samaria remain under military rule . Israeli law does not apply in the region, unless it is signed by the regional commander.
This landmark law would give all Israeli citizens equal rights - without the military's agreement.
In the past few days, coalition party leaders have been putting their heads together over how to enact Smotrich's proposal. After closing an agreement with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, they gave the green light for the vote.
Just half a year ago, Smotrich agreed to pass MK Moshe Gafni's (UTJ) tax breaks law, despite the fact that it did not include Judea and Samaria as part of Israel. Smotrich received a direct promise from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that those towns would get the same tax breaks, without changing the written map.
In wake of the vote on the tax breaks, Smotrich submitted his amendment to include Judea-Samaria - which was rejected by Treasury officials, despite their promises.
After months of rocky negotiations with the Treasury, Smotrich brought up the law in a special session of the Ministerial Committee, backed by Minister Naftali Bennett, Minister Uri Ariel, and Minister Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home).
The committee has now passed the bill on to the Knesset, where it is expected to be passed into law today.
According to the bill proposal, several factors, such as socioeconomic status, distance from the center of Israel, and the level of danger in the area, will contribute to an individual's tax breaks.
A triumphant Smotrich spoke to Arutz Sheva, "Now, finally, we can say that we have built the map for settling Israel. This law will allow thousands of families in Judea and Samaria, who suffer daily security threats, to receive that which they deserve, and to gain equal rights with the rest of the citizenry of Israel.
"The nationalist government is putting Judea-Samaria back on the map. There is still a long way to go, but this is definitely a step in the right direction. I want to thank Ministers Bennett, Ariel, and Shaked, who supported and backed the process, which without their support we would not have achieved."
5. JEWISH PHILANTHROPIST MARCUS KATZ PASSES AWAY AT 89
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Jewish philanthropist Marcus Katz passed away last night at the age of 89. His funeral will take place tomorrow (Thursday) at 5:30 pm at the Har Hamenuchot cemetery in Jerusalem.
Katz, a holocaust survivor and owner of honorary Doctorates from NYU and Bar-Ilan University, was renowned for his contribution to promoting reconciliation between Halakha (Jewish law) and modern life. He established the Marcus Katz award, given annually to outstanding contributors in the area.
Among those receiving the award during its 41-year existence were: Rabbi Zalman Nehamiah Goldberg, one of the great Halakhic decisors of the generation; Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, philosopher, theologian and former Chief Rabbi of the UK and the Commonwealth; Rabbi Yehoshua Yeshaya Neuwirth, author of a prominent book on the laws of Shabbat; Rabbi Tzvi Herschel Shachter, one of the heads of Yeshiva University; Dr. Hanna Katan; and the "Mishpetei Eretz" institute headed by Rabbi Avi Gisser, which is dedicated to applying Halakhic reasoning to modern legal problems.
Katz first arrived in Israel at age 14, escaping from Nazi Germany. His father joined him several months after and they were then joined by his mother as well two years after that.
In 1947 Katz and his family moved to Mexico and at 20 years old he was appointed principal of the Jewish school in Monterrey. He met his wife, Adina, Mexico.
Though they built their life far from Israel, Marcus and Adina Katz's ethical conscience was always directed towards the holy land, and they worked to strengthen ties with the Jewish state and to establish it's Jewish and Zionist identity.
Katz immediately stood out as a successful industrialist, legal scholar, and leader in the Jewish community, but above all he was a teacher and educator that understood the importance of the connection between the Diaspora and Israel.
Upon the death of his mother, Golda, Marcus and Adina Katz decided to make their way of life into their life's work. In 1975 they established the Katz award, named after Golda Katz.
In 1985 the Katz's founded the "Emuna" (faith) Yeshiva in Mexico, that provides children and teenagers in the community with a modern religious and Zionist education from 1st through 12th grade.
Katz formed and nurtured true friendships with important figures in Israeli politics and society, thus continuing to work to strengthen ties between Israel and the Diaspora.
The Katz family's philanthropic activity expanded into other fields as the years went by. They dedicated most of their time to helping Israeli society, donating to dozens of Israeli causes in the fields of education, health and industry.
6. BATTLE TO SAVE AMONA: WAITING ON ATTORNEY-GENERAL
by Nitsan Kedar
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation did not discuss MK Shuli Moalem-Rafaeli's proposed law to resolve the Amona issue today (Wednesday).
The Samarian town of Amona is slated for demolition in around six months due to claims of ownership of the land on which it is built. Controversy has raged over proposals to simply pass legislation which would enable the government to overrule property rights in certain situations. Proposals of this kind have met with opposition from Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit, who says they will be knocked down by the Supreme Court.
The Committee accepted a request from the Prime Minister and the Attorney-General to remove the proposal from the agenda until such time as they PM and A-G will find a more satisfactory solution which doesn't require new legislation. They have been granted time until the end of August.
The request was passed to the Committee Chair, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, together with an important fact: if the Committee debated and passed on the proposed law today, it would not be given a preliminary reading in the Knesset today, for technical reasons.
Representative of fight to save Amona told Arutz Sheva: "We are sorry the legislative process is being postponed, and we demand that Amona's status be resolved whether by legislation or any other means. The responsibility for this fall on the shoulders of the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister, the Justice Minister and all the rest of the government members. If no resolution is arrived at, we will engage in a bitter struggle to save our home."
7. KURDISH CITY IN CHAOS AFTER DOUBLE BOMBING KILLS 44
by Rachel Kaplan
At least 44 people were killed and dozens injured on Wednesday in the deadliest bomb blast to hit the Kurdish-majority Syrian city of Qamishli since the country's war began.
Syrian state media gave a toll of 44 dead and 140 injured in the bomb attack, which hit a western district of the city where several local Kurdish ministries are located.
The attack was carried out by a suicide bomber who blew himself up inside a truck, Kurdish officials told AFP.
The blast was the biggest and deadliest to hit Qamishli, close to the border with Turkey, since the Syrian conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests before spiralling into a bloody, multi-front war.
The blast was initially described as a double bombing, but local officials and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the bomb had also detonated a nearby fuel container, leading to reports of a second explosion.
An AFP journalist saw devastating scenes in the bomb's aftermath, with distraught civilians, some covered in blood, staggering through rubble past twisted metal and the burned-out remains of cars.
One man running along the streets was completely covered in blood, his shirt drenched red.
He was gripping the arm of a small boy whose face was grey and red with blood and dust.
They ran past a hysterical woman who was crying and screaming, her clothes torn. A girl and boy stood next to her, apparently in shock.
Children could be heard screaming as smoke rose from small fires that continued to burn amongst the rubble.
Civilians and local security forces with guns slung across their backs worked to carry the dead and wounded from the remains of damaged and destroyed buildings.
Regular bombings
Qamishli has regularly been targeted in bomb attacks, many of which have been claimed by the Islamic State group.
The ISIS-linked Amaq agency reported that a suicide truck bomber hit Kurdish forces in Qamishli, without explicitly claiming the attack as an ISIS operation.
An AFP reporter in the city said a suicide bomber blew himself up by a checkpoint near local Kurdish adminstration buildings including the defence ministry.
A source in the Kurdish Asayesh security forces told AFP "this is the largest explosions the city has even seen."
Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said the area struck by the bomb was considered a secure zone, with multiple checkpoints and security measures in place.
"This blast is the biggest in Qamishli in terms of both the toll and the damage since the beginning of the war," he said.
Local officials said hospitals in the city had been swamped with casualties from the attack.
And Syrian state television carried an appeal from the governor of Hasakeh province, where Qamishli is located, urging residents of the city to "go to public and private hospitals to donate blood for the victims of the terrorist bombings."
Qamishli is under the shared control of the Syrian regime and Kurdish authorities, who have declared zones of "autonomous administration" across parts of north and northeast Syria.
The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) have been a key force fighting ISIS in north and northeastern Syria.
They are the main component in the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance that is currently battling IS in the town of Manbij, with air support from the US-led anti-IS coalition.
More than 280,000 people have been killed in Syria since the war began, with over half the population displaced.
8. WATCH: CAR EXPLODES IN JERUSALEM
by Rachel Kaplan
[youtube:2017575]
A car exploded around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning near Dan Panorama Hotel, on Keren Hayesod Street, in Jerusalem.
Police report that an explosive device was attached to white Citroen Berlingo, probably with the intent of killing the driver. The device was detonated as the car turned from King David Street to Keren Hayesod Street.
The driver himself, 58, was moderately injured, and has been rushed by MDA emergency personnel to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital.
The hospital spokesperson said in a statement that the man is fully conscious and is suffering from wounds to his lower-body .
Police confirm that they are investigating the circumstances of the explosion. As of now, they believe the act to be criminal, and not a terror attack.
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Tuesday, July 26, 2016
A7News: Knifemen take hostages in French church, 'slit priest's throat'
Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
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Tuesday, Jul. 26 '16, כ' בתמוז תשע"ו
HEADLINES:
1. KNIFEMEN TAKE HOSTAGES IN FRENCH CHURCH, 'SLIT PRIEST'S THROAT'
2. NURSE INSPIRED BY DAFNA MEIR MAKES ALIYAH
3. ERDOGAN THREATENS EU: PAY UP, OR TAKE THE MIGRANTS
4. BABY SAVED AFTER BEING LEFT IN CLOSED CAR IN ASHDOD
5. EU BUILDS ILLEGAL PALESTINIAN HOMES - NEXT TO ISRAELI TOWN
6. TRIAL DRAMA CONTINUES AS ELOR AZARIYA CROSS-EXAMINED
7. CONGRESSMAN ISSUES WEAK APOLOGY FOR CALLING 'SETTLERS' TERMITES
8. FLASHBACK: CONGRESSMAN JOHNSON AFRAID ISLAND WILL CAPSIZE
1. KNIFEMEN TAKE HOSTAGES IN FRENCH CHURCH, 'SLIT PRIEST'S THROAT'
by Ari Soffer
[youtube:2013940]
Two men armed with knives took a number of hostages in a church located near Rouen in northern France, murdering one victim before they were eliminated by armed police.
The identities of the knifemen and their motives are not known at this stage, but the course of the investigation thus far indicates the incident was likely an Islamist terror attack.
According to Reuters, police said that five people were held hostage at the Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray church in Normandy.
France 3 news network identified a priest, two nuns and at least two worshipers as among those held captive.
France's Le Figaro reports that the attackers murdered the priest by slitting his throat as he conducted mass. Le Point cites witnesses saying they heard the men shout "Daesh" - Arabic for ISIS - as they launched their attack. This report has been questioned, as pro-ISIS people don't usually refer to the Islamic State as "Daesh."
The murdered priest has been named locally as Jacques Hamel. He was 84 years old.
A police SWAT team arrived at the scene shortly after and shot the two attackers dead.
Police confirmed to Reuters that one hostage was killed "with a blade", though they did not give any further details. One other person is reportedly "hovering between life and death".
Police sniffer dogs were then sent in to the church in search of possible explosive devices planted by the knifemen. The French Interior Ministry then confirmed that the church grounds are being swept for additional explosive devices.
It is the latest violent attack in Europe in recent weeks, after a series of stabbing incidents, a deadly shooting and a suicide bombing in nearby Germany.
Most of those incidents were carried out by Muslim terrorists inspired by ISIS. There is no word as yet on the identity of the latest attackers, but French authorities have handed the case to the anti-terrorism prosecutor, indicating they were indeed Islamist terrorists.
It also comes just a few weeks after a deadly terror attack in the French city of Nice, in which a jihadist terrorist plowed a truck into a crowd of people, killing more than 80. A state of emergency is still in place after that attack.
Unlike in that incident, as well as recent attacks in Germany, this latest attack appears to have been more organized, given that two assailants were involved.
France has been rocked by a string of Islamist terror attacks of late, and pressure is building on the embattled government of Francois Hollande to take effective action to curb the attacks.
President Hollande has arrived at the scene of the attack in Normandy.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls expressed his "horror" at the "barbaric attack on a church."
The Vatican has released a statement condemning the "barbarous killing" of a priest in a church.
2. NURSE INSPIRED BY DAFNA MEIR MAKES ALIYAH
by Shai Landesman
[youtube:2017526]
Dafna Meir was a tremendously admired nurse, working in the Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva. Half a year ago, she was murdered by a terrorist, stabbed to death outside her family home in Otniel, where she lived with her husband, Natan, and her six children.
Yet the legacy of her life's work lives on.
Ally Schiff, a young American who completed her nursing studies at Johns Hopkins University around the time of Meir's murder, decided to make aliyah so as to follow in Dafna Meir's footsteps, and work in Israel as a nurse.
As featured on Channel 2 News, Schiff got to meet Natan Meir, Dafna's husband, at the Western Wall, five days after making aliyah with Nefesh B'nefesh around two weeks ago. She expressed how much Dafna had inspired her in making her life-altering decision.
Natan responded by telling Ally how exciting and emotional it was for him to meet her. "With this amazing thing you're doing, and in this emotional place... the words run out when describing it."
Schiff then read out a personal prayer written by Dafna, the "Nurse's Prayer", in which the desire is expressed to be able to see God's hand in the healing process.
"Dafna wrote that when she was studying about medications," Natan reminisced, "I found it in her locker, and publicized it. I heard that it's been translated to lots of different languages, and has even reached the Christian world."
Speaking about what Dafna might think if she heard Ally's story, Natan added: "She would be so happy to hear about this amazing thing. I know it's so difficult, leaving everything in America behind to come here, especially when that includes your family. It's another building block for the country, people like this coming here."
The meeting at the Wall was the first between Schiff and Natan Meir, but not the last. A few days later, Ally Schiff was the guest of honor at the Bat Mitzva of Na'ama Meir, Natan and Dafna's daughter.
3. ERDOGAN THREATENS EU: PAY UP, OR TAKE THE MIGRANTS
by Rachel Kaplan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to open his border with Europe to migrants, if the EU doesn't hold up its end of the bargain.
In a deal struck in March, the EU promised to deliver 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) to Turkey, in exchange for Ankara controlling the influx of Syrian refugees through its porous border.
Last night, in an interview with German radio ARD, an angry Erdogan asserted that the EU has only paid up 2 million euros ($2.2 million) out of the package deal.
"Ask them [the EU]. Did you pay? But Turkey still hosts 3 million people. What would Europe do if we let these people go to Europe?" he asked, according to EU Observer.
"The [European] governments are not honest," he added.
4. BABY SAVED AFTER BEING LEFT IN CLOSED CAR IN ASHDOD
by Uzi Baruch
A 3-week-old baby was left in a closed car this afternoon in Ashdod for several minutes, and escaped in light condition.
MDA paramedics arriving at the scene administered first aid to the infant, who is suffering from heat stroke. It was decided that an evacuation to the hospital was unnecessary.
Last Friday, Hannah Rina Feldman, a year and three months old, was forgotten in a closed car in Beitar Ilit.
The tragedy occurred in the afternoon hours, as the child's father went out to run some errands with his daughter in the car. When he returned home he forgot that his daughter was in the car.
When over an hour elapsed, his wife asked him where Hanna was, and he immediately ran ought and got his daughter out of the car while she was already unconscious. The parents called MDA, and the paramedics evacuated her to the hospital, where Doctors had no choice but to declare her dead.
5. EU BUILDS ILLEGAL PALESTINIAN HOMES - NEXT TO ISRAELI TOWN
by Ido Ben Porat and Rachel Kaplan
The European Union has expanded its illegal building activities - to the southern Har Hevron area.
Until now, the EU has sponsored illegal construction mostly in the Adumim region, east of Jerusalem.
However, last Shabbat, residents of the town of Carmel were shocked to discover two new, large, EU-sponsored trailer homes, placed over Shabbat, only ten meters away from the town.
The trailers, mostly provided for Palestinian citizens, break international law and are a security threat for Israelis.
Recently, the Palestinian Authority have invested massive funds and resources in the Har Hevron region. Last week, the PA planted groves right up to the fence of Carmel, in an effort to steal sovereign Israeli land.
Several weeks ago, the Prime Minister of the PA, Rami Hamdallah, visited the Palestinian outpost next to the town. A video clip posted on the internet shows his security standing next to the town, armed with handguns - even though that's illegal in Area C.
"We're talking about a significant uptick in the illegal construction activities of the EU," explains Oved Arad, director of local activities for the Regavim Movement.
"In the last four years, they placed around a thousand houses like these in the Adumim area," Arad adds. "We're not just talking about a major infraction on the rule of law by foreign counties, rather about a dangerous, clearly strategic phenomenon.
"If we don't want to see similar number in Har Hevron, we need to deal with the problem while it is still small."
בנייה לא חוקית במימון אירופאי
צילום: תנועת רגבים
The Palestinian outpost next to the town of Carmel (Credit: Regavim Movement)
6. TRIAL DRAMA CONTINUES AS ELOR AZARIYA CROSS-EXAMINED
by Yoni Kempinski
The trial of Elor Azariya, the soldier who shot and killed a wounded terrorist in Hevron continued today (Tuesday), with Azriya continuing his testimony. Today is expected to be the last day on which Azariya himself testifies.
The military prosecution is conducting its cross-examination, with the defense expected to question Azariya again afterwards. Additional witnesses for the defense are expected to begin testifying in two weeks.
Prosecutor Nadav Weisman confronted Azariya with his testimony in the original internal army investigation, in which the soldier had said that he'd made the decision to shoot the terrorist a few seconds after he'd heard someone yell that the terrorist had an explosive device on him. The prosecutor put to Azariya "you decided to shoot him two minutes before you actually shot," implying that the shooting was premeditated rather than done in an impulsive, defensive manner, as the defense has been claiming.
Azariya rejected the prosecutors claim: "That not true. If it was I would have shot him at the moment I made that decision. I didn't stand there with a timer. You're trying to catch me out with word games.
"You react to these thing as they happen. You connect the dots, apprehend the danger and then fire," the soldier explained.
The prosecutor responded: "If there really was a clear and present danger, you would have been able to pinpoint what it was and convince all of us. You didn't shoot because of danger, but because of other reasons."
Azariya retorted: "I'm sorry if this is insulting to you, but you speak as if you have experience in these matters. I'm telling you in the field it's different."
7. CONGRESSMAN ISSUES WEAK APOLOGY FOR CALLING 'SETTLERS' TERMITES
by JTA
A Georgia Democratic congressman apologized for calling Jewish "settlers" who live in Judea and Samaria "termites" at an anti-Israel event near the Democratic national convention.
"There has been a steady [stream], almost like termites can get into a residence and eat before you know that you've been eaten up and you fall in on yourself, there has been settlement activity that has marched forward with impunity and at an ever increasing rate to the point where it has become alarming," Rep. Hank Johnson said Monday at a Philadelphia event organized by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.
The Washington Free Beacon, a news website, first reported the remarks. Special interest groups traditionally run events in and around both parties' conventions. The Democrats' convention runs through Thursday.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution picked up the report, and the Anti-Defamation League called on Twitter on Johnson to apologize.
"Poor choice of words – apologies for offense," Johnson said. "Point is settlement activity continues slowly undermine 2-state solution."
The ADL replied that it "appreciated" the clarification, but the National Jewish democratic Council said the apology fell short.
"@RepHankJohnson, To refer to Jews as "termites" is deeply offensive and dehumanizing," NJDC said on Twitter. "Not just a 'poor choice of words.' It's dangerous."
Arutz Sheva Staff contributed to this report.
8. FLASHBACK: CONGRESSMAN JOHNSON AFRAID ISLAND WILL CAPSIZE
by Shai Landesman
[youtube:2017517]
Hank Johnson is the U.S. Representative for Georgia's 4th congressional district, and has served in that capacity continually since 2007. He is a member of the Democrat party.
Congressman Johnson spoke at an event organized by an anti-Israel group last night (Monday), and took the opportunity to compare Jews going to live in Judea and Samaria to termites, in the sense that they supposedly "eat up" Palestinian homes.
Though Representative Johnson, Democrat of Georgia's 4th congressional district, later apologized for the comments, the vitriol with which he made them and the anti-Semitic undertones remain.
This is certainly not the first time that Representative Johnson has made headlines with interesting comments.
In a House Armed Services Committee hearing in 2010 discussing the possibility of expanding the US military presence on the Pacific island of Guam, Johnson had some questions for Admiral Robert F. Willard, Commander of U.S. Pacific Command.
After a lengthy preamble establishing the elusive fact that Guam is, indeed, a small island, Representative Johnson, Democrat, of the 4th congressional district of Georgia, uttered the following sentence:
"My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and uh... capsize."
Admiral Willard's performance at this moment can only be described as sublimely professional. After only the smallest of awkward pauses, Willard directly addressed Johnson's heartfelt concern: "We don't anticipate that."
Only the faintest of smirks is visible on Admiral Willard's face.
Perhaps the words of Representative Johnson, Democrat, of Georgia's 4th congressional district, should not be taken overly seriously. The unfortunate thing is that the people of the repeatedly aforementioned district take him seriously enough to continually elect him to Congress.
------------------------------------------------
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http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
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Tuesday, Jul. 26 '16, כ' בתמוז תשע"ו
HEADLINES:
1. KNIFEMEN TAKE HOSTAGES IN FRENCH CHURCH, 'SLIT PRIEST'S THROAT'
2. NURSE INSPIRED BY DAFNA MEIR MAKES ALIYAH
3. ERDOGAN THREATENS EU: PAY UP, OR TAKE THE MIGRANTS
4. BABY SAVED AFTER BEING LEFT IN CLOSED CAR IN ASHDOD
5. EU BUILDS ILLEGAL PALESTINIAN HOMES - NEXT TO ISRAELI TOWN
6. TRIAL DRAMA CONTINUES AS ELOR AZARIYA CROSS-EXAMINED
7. CONGRESSMAN ISSUES WEAK APOLOGY FOR CALLING 'SETTLERS' TERMITES
8. FLASHBACK: CONGRESSMAN JOHNSON AFRAID ISLAND WILL CAPSIZE
1. KNIFEMEN TAKE HOSTAGES IN FRENCH CHURCH, 'SLIT PRIEST'S THROAT'
by Ari Soffer
[youtube:2013940]
Two men armed with knives took a number of hostages in a church located near Rouen in northern France, murdering one victim before they were eliminated by armed police.
The identities of the knifemen and their motives are not known at this stage, but the course of the investigation thus far indicates the incident was likely an Islamist terror attack.
According to Reuters, police said that five people were held hostage at the Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray church in Normandy.
France 3 news network identified a priest, two nuns and at least two worshipers as among those held captive.
France's Le Figaro reports that the attackers murdered the priest by slitting his throat as he conducted mass. Le Point cites witnesses saying they heard the men shout "Daesh" - Arabic for ISIS - as they launched their attack. This report has been questioned, as pro-ISIS people don't usually refer to the Islamic State as "Daesh."
The murdered priest has been named locally as Jacques Hamel. He was 84 years old.
A police SWAT team arrived at the scene shortly after and shot the two attackers dead.
Police confirmed to Reuters that one hostage was killed "with a blade", though they did not give any further details. One other person is reportedly "hovering between life and death".
Police sniffer dogs were then sent in to the church in search of possible explosive devices planted by the knifemen. The French Interior Ministry then confirmed that the church grounds are being swept for additional explosive devices.
It is the latest violent attack in Europe in recent weeks, after a series of stabbing incidents, a deadly shooting and a suicide bombing in nearby Germany.
Most of those incidents were carried out by Muslim terrorists inspired by ISIS. There is no word as yet on the identity of the latest attackers, but French authorities have handed the case to the anti-terrorism prosecutor, indicating they were indeed Islamist terrorists.
It also comes just a few weeks after a deadly terror attack in the French city of Nice, in which a jihadist terrorist plowed a truck into a crowd of people, killing more than 80. A state of emergency is still in place after that attack.
Unlike in that incident, as well as recent attacks in Germany, this latest attack appears to have been more organized, given that two assailants were involved.
France has been rocked by a string of Islamist terror attacks of late, and pressure is building on the embattled government of Francois Hollande to take effective action to curb the attacks.
President Hollande has arrived at the scene of the attack in Normandy.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls expressed his "horror" at the "barbaric attack on a church."
The Vatican has released a statement condemning the "barbarous killing" of a priest in a church.
2. NURSE INSPIRED BY DAFNA MEIR MAKES ALIYAH
by Shai Landesman
[youtube:2017526]
Dafna Meir was a tremendously admired nurse, working in the Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva. Half a year ago, she was murdered by a terrorist, stabbed to death outside her family home in Otniel, where she lived with her husband, Natan, and her six children.
Yet the legacy of her life's work lives on.
Ally Schiff, a young American who completed her nursing studies at Johns Hopkins University around the time of Meir's murder, decided to make aliyah so as to follow in Dafna Meir's footsteps, and work in Israel as a nurse.
As featured on Channel 2 News, Schiff got to meet Natan Meir, Dafna's husband, at the Western Wall, five days after making aliyah with Nefesh B'nefesh around two weeks ago. She expressed how much Dafna had inspired her in making her life-altering decision.
Natan responded by telling Ally how exciting and emotional it was for him to meet her. "With this amazing thing you're doing, and in this emotional place... the words run out when describing it."
Schiff then read out a personal prayer written by Dafna, the "Nurse's Prayer", in which the desire is expressed to be able to see God's hand in the healing process.
"Dafna wrote that when she was studying about medications," Natan reminisced, "I found it in her locker, and publicized it. I heard that it's been translated to lots of different languages, and has even reached the Christian world."
Speaking about what Dafna might think if she heard Ally's story, Natan added: "She would be so happy to hear about this amazing thing. I know it's so difficult, leaving everything in America behind to come here, especially when that includes your family. It's another building block for the country, people like this coming here."
The meeting at the Wall was the first between Schiff and Natan Meir, but not the last. A few days later, Ally Schiff was the guest of honor at the Bat Mitzva of Na'ama Meir, Natan and Dafna's daughter.
3. ERDOGAN THREATENS EU: PAY UP, OR TAKE THE MIGRANTS
by Rachel Kaplan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to open his border with Europe to migrants, if the EU doesn't hold up its end of the bargain.
In a deal struck in March, the EU promised to deliver 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) to Turkey, in exchange for Ankara controlling the influx of Syrian refugees through its porous border.
Last night, in an interview with German radio ARD, an angry Erdogan asserted that the EU has only paid up 2 million euros ($2.2 million) out of the package deal.
"Ask them [the EU]. Did you pay? But Turkey still hosts 3 million people. What would Europe do if we let these people go to Europe?" he asked, according to EU Observer.
"The [European] governments are not honest," he added.
4. BABY SAVED AFTER BEING LEFT IN CLOSED CAR IN ASHDOD
by Uzi Baruch
A 3-week-old baby was left in a closed car this afternoon in Ashdod for several minutes, and escaped in light condition.
MDA paramedics arriving at the scene administered first aid to the infant, who is suffering from heat stroke. It was decided that an evacuation to the hospital was unnecessary.
Last Friday, Hannah Rina Feldman, a year and three months old, was forgotten in a closed car in Beitar Ilit.
The tragedy occurred in the afternoon hours, as the child's father went out to run some errands with his daughter in the car. When he returned home he forgot that his daughter was in the car.
When over an hour elapsed, his wife asked him where Hanna was, and he immediately ran ought and got his daughter out of the car while she was already unconscious. The parents called MDA, and the paramedics evacuated her to the hospital, where Doctors had no choice but to declare her dead.
5. EU BUILDS ILLEGAL PALESTINIAN HOMES - NEXT TO ISRAELI TOWN
by Ido Ben Porat and Rachel Kaplan
The European Union has expanded its illegal building activities - to the southern Har Hevron area.
Until now, the EU has sponsored illegal construction mostly in the Adumim region, east of Jerusalem.
However, last Shabbat, residents of the town of Carmel were shocked to discover two new, large, EU-sponsored trailer homes, placed over Shabbat, only ten meters away from the town.
The trailers, mostly provided for Palestinian citizens, break international law and are a security threat for Israelis.
Recently, the Palestinian Authority have invested massive funds and resources in the Har Hevron region. Last week, the PA planted groves right up to the fence of Carmel, in an effort to steal sovereign Israeli land.
Several weeks ago, the Prime Minister of the PA, Rami Hamdallah, visited the Palestinian outpost next to the town. A video clip posted on the internet shows his security standing next to the town, armed with handguns - even though that's illegal in Area C.
"We're talking about a significant uptick in the illegal construction activities of the EU," explains Oved Arad, director of local activities for the Regavim Movement.
"In the last four years, they placed around a thousand houses like these in the Adumim area," Arad adds. "We're not just talking about a major infraction on the rule of law by foreign counties, rather about a dangerous, clearly strategic phenomenon.
"If we don't want to see similar number in Har Hevron, we need to deal with the problem while it is still small."
בנייה לא חוקית במימון אירופאי
צילום: תנועת רגבים
The Palestinian outpost next to the town of Carmel (Credit: Regavim Movement)
6. TRIAL DRAMA CONTINUES AS ELOR AZARIYA CROSS-EXAMINED
by Yoni Kempinski
The trial of Elor Azariya, the soldier who shot and killed a wounded terrorist in Hevron continued today (Tuesday), with Azriya continuing his testimony. Today is expected to be the last day on which Azariya himself testifies.
The military prosecution is conducting its cross-examination, with the defense expected to question Azariya again afterwards. Additional witnesses for the defense are expected to begin testifying in two weeks.
Prosecutor Nadav Weisman confronted Azariya with his testimony in the original internal army investigation, in which the soldier had said that he'd made the decision to shoot the terrorist a few seconds after he'd heard someone yell that the terrorist had an explosive device on him. The prosecutor put to Azariya "you decided to shoot him two minutes before you actually shot," implying that the shooting was premeditated rather than done in an impulsive, defensive manner, as the defense has been claiming.
Azariya rejected the prosecutors claim: "That not true. If it was I would have shot him at the moment I made that decision. I didn't stand there with a timer. You're trying to catch me out with word games.
"You react to these thing as they happen. You connect the dots, apprehend the danger and then fire," the soldier explained.
The prosecutor responded: "If there really was a clear and present danger, you would have been able to pinpoint what it was and convince all of us. You didn't shoot because of danger, but because of other reasons."
Azariya retorted: "I'm sorry if this is insulting to you, but you speak as if you have experience in these matters. I'm telling you in the field it's different."
7. CONGRESSMAN ISSUES WEAK APOLOGY FOR CALLING 'SETTLERS' TERMITES
by JTA
A Georgia Democratic congressman apologized for calling Jewish "settlers" who live in Judea and Samaria "termites" at an anti-Israel event near the Democratic national convention.
"There has been a steady [stream], almost like termites can get into a residence and eat before you know that you've been eaten up and you fall in on yourself, there has been settlement activity that has marched forward with impunity and at an ever increasing rate to the point where it has become alarming," Rep. Hank Johnson said Monday at a Philadelphia event organized by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.
The Washington Free Beacon, a news website, first reported the remarks. Special interest groups traditionally run events in and around both parties' conventions. The Democrats' convention runs through Thursday.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution picked up the report, and the Anti-Defamation League called on Twitter on Johnson to apologize.
"Poor choice of words – apologies for offense," Johnson said. "Point is settlement activity continues slowly undermine 2-state solution."
The ADL replied that it "appreciated" the clarification, but the National Jewish democratic Council said the apology fell short.
"@RepHankJohnson, To refer to Jews as "termites" is deeply offensive and dehumanizing," NJDC said on Twitter. "Not just a 'poor choice of words.' It's dangerous."
Arutz Sheva Staff contributed to this report.
8. FLASHBACK: CONGRESSMAN JOHNSON AFRAID ISLAND WILL CAPSIZE
by Shai Landesman
[youtube:2017517]
Hank Johnson is the U.S. Representative for Georgia's 4th congressional district, and has served in that capacity continually since 2007. He is a member of the Democrat party.
Congressman Johnson spoke at an event organized by an anti-Israel group last night (Monday), and took the opportunity to compare Jews going to live in Judea and Samaria to termites, in the sense that they supposedly "eat up" Palestinian homes.
Though Representative Johnson, Democrat of Georgia's 4th congressional district, later apologized for the comments, the vitriol with which he made them and the anti-Semitic undertones remain.
This is certainly not the first time that Representative Johnson has made headlines with interesting comments.
In a House Armed Services Committee hearing in 2010 discussing the possibility of expanding the US military presence on the Pacific island of Guam, Johnson had some questions for Admiral Robert F. Willard, Commander of U.S. Pacific Command.
After a lengthy preamble establishing the elusive fact that Guam is, indeed, a small island, Representative Johnson, Democrat, of the 4th congressional district of Georgia, uttered the following sentence:
"My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and uh... capsize."
Admiral Willard's performance at this moment can only be described as sublimely professional. After only the smallest of awkward pauses, Willard directly addressed Johnson's heartfelt concern: "We don't anticipate that."
Only the faintest of smirks is visible on Admiral Willard's face.
Perhaps the words of Representative Johnson, Democrat, of Georgia's 4th congressional district, should not be taken overly seriously. The unfortunate thing is that the people of the repeatedly aforementioned district take him seriously enough to continually elect him to Congress.
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Monday, July 25, 2016
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A7News: Teens gunned down in Florida mass-shooting
Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
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Monday, Jul. 25 '16, י"ט בתמוז תשע"ו
HEADLINES:
1. TEENS GUNNED DOWN IN FLORIDA MASS-SHOOTING
2. LIBERMAN: JUDGING AZARIYA WITHOUT THE FACTS WAS A HUGE MISTAKE
3. AZARIYA'S DEFENSE TEAM: WE HAVE GENERALS LINED UP TO TESTIFY
4. 'THE COMPANY COMMANDER IS A FALSE WITNESS, PLAIN AND SIMPLE'
5. REFUGEE SUICIDE-BOMBER IN GERMANY WAS SET TO BE DEPORTED
6. FAMILY OF ISRAELI CAPTIVE BLOCK TERRORISTS' VISITORS
7. PALESTINIAN YOUTH STANDS WITH ISRAEL IN FACE OF CONSTANT THREATS
8. CLINTON VP TAPPED PRO-TERROR MUSLIM LEADER FOR IMMIGRATION SEAT
1. TEENS GUNNED DOWN IN FLORIDA MASS-SHOOTING
by David Rosenberg
[youtube:2017478]
At least 2 people are dead and as many as 17 wounded in a mass-shooting in a Florida nightclub.
The incident took place at the Blu Club in Fort Myers, about two hours northwest of Miami.
One witness told local television the scene was like "a madhouse". Another witness said she heard approximately 30 rounds fired from multiple weapons.
The background of the shooting is as of yet unclear.
The shooting took place during a special "teen night" event. Most of the victims are reportedly in their teens, with some as young as 12-years old.
One of the victims, Timothy Settles, wrote a brief Facebook post in the midst of the shooting, writing "I don't wanna die". He was later wounded and transferred to a local hospital.
According to initial reports, one of the two fatalities is a 14-year old boy.
Local police report that they have detained three people in connection with the shooting.
This is the second mass-shooting in a Florida nightclub in as many months.
In June, Omar Mateen, an Islamic terrorist who swore allegiance to the ISIS terror group, killed 49 patrons at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
A Fort Myers church was vandalized with pro-ISIS graffiti earlier this month, though no link between the two incidents has been established.
Scene of deadly Florida nightclub shooting Twitter/Screenshot
2. LIBERMAN: JUDGING AZARIYA WITHOUT THE FACTS WAS A HUGE MISTAKE
by Yoni Kempinski
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) arrived Monday morning to the IDF induction center "Meitav" in Tel HaShomer as new recruits for the Golani and Givati brigades arrive.
During his visit, Liberman responded to questions from reporters, including inquiries regarding the ongoing trial of Elor Azariya, the soldier accused of manslaughter in the killing of a wounded terrorist in Hevron.
Liberman blasted what he called the prejudgment of Azariya's case, lambasting politicians who attacked Azariya immediately after the incident, a subtle jab at Liberman's predecessor, former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon.
"It is unacceptable for a political leader, and certainly a minister, to determine the fate of the soldier – particularly if you're the Defense Minister – before the judicial process has run its course. In any free country, in any free and democratic society, a person is innocent until proven guilty."
"To determine from the outset that the soldier was wrong, that he harmed the norms and values of the IDF, before the inquiry had even begun – in my opinion that was a terrible mistake, and I believe that now just as much as then."
The Defense Minister also lent support to Rabbi Eyal Karim, who has been nominated as the IDF's new Chief Rabbi and received the backing of IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot.
"I'm sure that Lieutenant General Gadi Eizenkot knows all the candidates well and knows the army's needs, and I've given him my full support. He had a difficult decision; there were many candidates and a lot of pressure, but I rely on the Chief of Staff's judgment, and as far as I'm concerned, his choice has by full backing."
Liberman in IDF recruitment office
Courtesy of Defense Ministry
3. AZARIYA'S DEFENSE TEAM: WE HAVE GENERALS LINED UP TO TESTIFY
by Yoni Kempinski
[youtube:2017483]
Israeli politicians looking to advance themselves have politicized the case of a soldier being tried for manslaughter, said Ilan Katz, attorney for the indicted.
Elor Azariya has been charged with manslaughter after killing a wounded Arab terrorist following a terror attack in Hevron. The incident drew immediate condemnation from then-Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, but has sharply divided Israelis.
Azariya has claimed that he acted in self-defense, as it appeared the terrorist may have been attempting to activate an explosive device concealed inside his jacket. Azariya's commander, however, has testified against him, claiming he violated protocol and acted without justification.
Speaking with Arutz Sheva on Monday, Katz blasted the behavior of politicians across the political spectrum, who, he argued, had tried to take a free "ride on this case", at his client's expense.
"He didn't do it in order to take revenge because his friend was injured by the terrorist. But we think that in this case at the time of the action... when he shot the terrorist, this was the only logical thing a soldier could do when he seems to be in front of a big danger, when a suicide bomber can harm him and the people around him."
"It's the kind [of case] that somebody in the government or somebody in the opposition decided to make a political case. But once this case went on all of the politicians from the left-wing and right-wing took a kind of ride on this case, and every one of the politicians tried to take advantage of this case."
But Katz pledged to bring ranking IDF officers to testify on behalf of his client, challenging testimony by Azaryia's commander that he acted improperly given the situation.
"As you can see, it is a very long trial. Many high-ranking officers already gave their testimony in the court. We will bring higher-ranking officers, [including] generals as well as many brigadier generals and other high-ranking officers to show that this case is a political case, that this case has only one purpose: to take the [bright] lights [of criticism] from the high-ranking officers and to put it only on the head of the soldier."
"I think until now his testimony has been very good. He told the things exactly as he told in the very long investigation. Some details are new details which he didn't tell us before, but there is a very good explanation about those details, and we hope that after the soldier will finish testifying today and tomorrow, the whole picture will be brighter."
4. 'THE COMPANY COMMANDER IS A FALSE WITNESS, PLAIN AND SIMPLE'
by Yoni Kempinski
The cross- examination of Corporal Elor Azariya, on trial for shooting a wounded terrorist in Hevron, is currently underway at the military court in Jaffa, where Azariya is being subjected to the questioning of military prosecutor Nadav Weissman.
The prosecution is not making things easy for Azariya, throwing him tough questions.
In response to the question of whether company commander Tom Naaman gave false testimony, Azariya stated affirmatively: "plain and simple." Asked if the former [higher-ranking] battalion commander David Shapira had lied, Azariya answered that he had "on some things."
"In large part, [Shapira's] words do not reflect the truth. He forgot to say things," said Azariya.
Azariya was asked why he only related last week for the first time that the company commander had slapped him after he had shot the terrorist. He replied that "during the investigations I was not in a good mental state. Even now, I'm not well."
"There were some things I didn't remember from the investigation. I was in shock from the incident and from the arrest under which they had put me. Also, each time there was something that made me want to finish the questioning quickly," Azariya added.
The cross-examination was supposed to have begun yesterday afternoon, but Azariya did not feel well, and thus it was delayed until this morning.
In his testimony yesterday, Azariya strongly criticized the behavior of his commanders. "They didn't speak to us once about what to do in the case of explosives or in an attack involving more than one type of weapon...I heard the Brigadier General say that if their was a knife attack, then presumably there wouldn't be a explosives attack.
"Last week in Jerusalem, we saw a terrorist with knives and explosives. I acted in accordance with the instructions for behavior upon opening fire. They just gave the test for behavior upon opening fire so that they could check it off the list. They just told us the answers. That they don't prepare you for the case of explosives is a mistake that could cost lives."
Azariya had harsh words to say about IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkott and former Defense Minister "They put me on trial to satisfy the world and the press. All of a sudden I hear the Chief of Staff and Defense Minister condemning me without even waiting to hear from me, coming out with declarations of condemnation. They threw me to the dogs out of fear of the press."
5. REFUGEE SUICIDE-BOMBER IN GERMANY WAS SET TO BE DEPORTED
by Rachel Kaplan
The 27 year-old Syrian refugee who committed a suicide attack in Ansbach, Germany, was due to be deported.
German interior ministry spokeman announced at a press conference: "Syrians cannot at the moment be deported to Syria, but that doesn't mean that Syrians overall cannot be deported."
"The Syrian in Ansbach was facing deportation to Bulgaria," he explained.
The Ansbach attack was the latest of a series in Germany. Most of the attacks have possible ties to Middle East terrorism, and many think that Syrian immigration should be curbed as a result.
At the same press conference, a spokeswoman for the German government said that although the government is weighing its options, no changes would yet be made to Germany's refugee policy.
"The acts of the last days and weeks do not show a uniform picture," decided Ulrike Demmer. "Most terrorists who carried out attacks in Europe over the last months were not refugees."
6. FAMILY OF ISRAELI CAPTIVE BLOCK TERRORISTS' VISITORS
by Ido ben Porat
The family of Avra Mengistu, currently being held in Gaza by Hamas, and activists working to secure his release demonstrated this morning (Monday) at the entrance of the Southern Jail in the Sharon area, with the aim of pressuring Hamas prisoners by delaying the visits of their families scheduled for this morning.
As the families of the terrorists arrived at the jail, the Mengistu family met them and the Red Cross representatives accompanying them, handing out flyers on which Avra's story was written.
"Despite the fact that Avra is mentally ill and was never a soldier, Hamas continues to hold him and refuses to free him or give information on his whereabouts. You are abusing the defenseless," said the Mengistu family to the families of the terrorists.
During the event, Avra's brother, Ilan, said that "we have come today to convey a message- we will continue to fight with all our strength to free Avra, who is being held prisoner by Hamas, with neither he nor we possessing a clue as to his situation.
"I call on the Minister of the Interior Deri and Minister of Finance Kahlon, who are responsible for means of putting pressure on Hamas, as well as Interior Security Minister Erdan, who proposed the law to cancel visitations to terrorists belonging to organizations that hold Israelis captive, to stop being afraid and stop visits to terrorists, until we can also visit Avra. Avra also has a mother, and she wants to hug her son."
7. PALESTINIAN YOUTH STANDS WITH ISRAEL IN FACE OF CONSTANT THREATS
by Tal Polon
Standing up for one's principles is not always an easy task. This is readily apparent upon reading the personal credo of Mahdi Satri, 17, a young Palestinian Arab from the village of Jadeidi-Makr in northern Israel.
Satri, a staunch Zionist and supporter of Israel, explained in an interview with The Algemeiner how hard it is to hold such beliefs in the midst of constant threat: "I receive regular threats from both Arab Israelis and Palestinians, via social media and by phone," said Mahdi. "And I'm afraid, but I won't let those who support terrorism and oppose peace deter me."
According to the interview, Satri was imbued with Zionist feeling from his father, who moved to Israel from Gaza 30 years ago and worked for Israeli security forces. "My father worked with the IDF and the Shin Bet," he said. "And I am going to join the Israeli army when I finish my university degree."
Despite holding strongly to his beliefs, Satri describes that he feels a constant danger to his life for his views. In a personal credo posted on the website BDS Guide entitled "Know that I died a dreamer," Satri writes:
"I'm writing now with tears running down my face. I had a very long trip, and I'll continue in this trip until the last drop of blood in my body. But I just wanted to share with you my sadness, my tears, and my pain.
"It's really very hard to be a Zionist inside an Arab village. A village full of hatred. I really think that the end is near. Many people are threatening me. People are promoting incitement against me in the mosques. I never ever thought that it would lead to this situation. I'm afraid to go to the shop near my house. I'm afraid to hang out in my village. I'm living in fear, the fear of getting stabbed in the street. And after that no one will remember me. No one will have that Arab who's fighting for his goal, because I'm just encouraging the Israeli Arabs to stand against terrorism and to speak out.
"I became a target. A target for everyone. A target for the Palestinians. A target for my village's citizens. A target for Hamas. A target for every single man in this world. I've never thought that to speak the truth about my beloved country would lead to becoming a victim. When I started my way, I did take it in my hands that I might be killed because of this, but not in this way. I'm just staying home all the day. When I see a car, I'm afraid that it's someone who wants to kill me. No one can imagine this feeling. To live in fear, live with the possibility of getting killed any moment. It's really a very terrible feeling.
"But no, I won't just keep calm and not talk anymore. I'm not this man who will just leave when he feels danger. I won't just keep calm. I won't!! I wont escape and just disappear! I'll fight. I'll fight alone. Against all the terrorists. Against all the people who want me dead because I'm going to serve in the military. I won't!!!
"This is a message. it's not an article… I want to tell you I'll keep fighting against all the terrorists, against our enemies. The enemies that don't want me to speak out and to stand against them… I want to tell you , that I might see tomorrow. And this message might be my last message. But just know something: if I died and if they succeeded to kill me, know that I died a Zionist defending my country. And know that I was smiling while dying because I'll die for my country. And it's really a very big honor. Know that I died and I have a dream. Know that I died a dreamer. A dreamer looking for a new future empty of hatred and full of love. Know that I died for a goal, not for nothing. Know that I died and Zionism in my cool blood. Know that I died a fighter against them… Like I said: Three words, one point: AM ISRAEL CHAI!"
8. CLINTON VP TAPPED PRO-TERROR MUSLIM LEADER FOR IMMIGRATION SEAT
by David Rosenberg
[youtube:2017471]
Virginia Senator and former Governor Tim Kaine has been the Democratic Party's presumptive Vice Presidential nominee for just three days, yet the pick has already drawn fire from the pro-Israel community due in part to Kaine's robust support for the Iran nuclear deal, his boycott of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's address to Congress in 2015, and his ties to a left-wing NGO.
Now, a controversial appointment made during his tenure as Governor of Virginia has raised new questions about Kaine's bona fides as a self-described "strongly pro-Israel Democrat".
In 2007, then-Governor Kaine appointed Esam Omeish, a Libyan-born physician and then-president of the Muslim American Society, to Virginia's Immigration Commission. This came despite Omeish's history of ties and expressions of support for radical Islam and Jihadist terrorism.
Omeish is a long-time member of the Board of Directors of the Dar Al Hijrah mosque, which two of the 19 terrorists responsible for the 9/11 terror attacks attended, as friends of the mosque's imam.
That imam was Anwar al-Awlaki, the radical Salafist cleric who later fled the United States and joined Al-Qaeda, after settling in Yemen.
In 2010, President Obama placed al-Awlaki on the CIA "kill list", citing his orchestration of deadly terror attacks against Americans. In 2011 a US drone strike killed al-Awlaki in southeast Yemen.
But Omeish was not merely a congregant at the Dar Al Hijrah mosque where al-Awlaki preached; in 2000, he was vice president of the mosque and was responsible for vetting and hiring the radical cleric as the mosque's imam.
The Muslim American Society, then headed by Omeish, had close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, the Chicago Tribune reported in 2004, a description later validated by a federal report describing the group as "the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America."
In addition to Omeish's ties to radical Islam, his recorded comments prior to the 2007 appointment by Governor Kaine made his support for Jihadist terror even more explicit.
During a December 22, 2000 speech at a Jerusalem Day Rally in Lafayette Park, in Washington D.C., Omeish praised "the Jihad way" to "liberate your land".
"We, the Muslims of the Washington metropolitan area, are here today in subfreezing temperatures to tell our brothers and sisters in Filastine [Palestine], that you have learned the way, that you have known that the Jihad way is the way to liberate your land. And we, by standing here today, despite the weather, and despite anything else, we are telling them that we are with you, we are supporting you, and we will do everything we can inshallah [Allah willing] to help your cause."
In 2004, Omeish explicitly praised Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
Governor Kaine's selection of Omeish was criticized by state Republicans, who said the governor had failed to properly vet the appointee.
C. Todd Gilbert, a Republican delegate from Shenandoah County, wrote to the governor, noting the Muslim American Society's "questionable origins".
"I don't know how a problem of this magnitude could have slipped through the Governor's screening process," Gilbert later said in a statement. "Even a cursory internet search about the appointee in question would have also easily identified him as a leader of a potentially radical northern Virginia mosque."
Kaine and his administration initially brushed off the criticism as mere Islamophobia.
Yet Omeish's ties to terror and explicit support for violent Jihad quickly became apparent, ultimately leading Kaine to pressure Omeish to step down.
[youtube:2017473]
[youtube:2017472]
------------------------------------------------
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Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
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Monday, Jul. 25 '16, י"ט בתמוז תשע"ו
HEADLINES:
1. TEENS GUNNED DOWN IN FLORIDA MASS-SHOOTING
2. LIBERMAN: JUDGING AZARIYA WITHOUT THE FACTS WAS A HUGE MISTAKE
3. AZARIYA'S DEFENSE TEAM: WE HAVE GENERALS LINED UP TO TESTIFY
4. 'THE COMPANY COMMANDER IS A FALSE WITNESS, PLAIN AND SIMPLE'
5. REFUGEE SUICIDE-BOMBER IN GERMANY WAS SET TO BE DEPORTED
6. FAMILY OF ISRAELI CAPTIVE BLOCK TERRORISTS' VISITORS
7. PALESTINIAN YOUTH STANDS WITH ISRAEL IN FACE OF CONSTANT THREATS
8. CLINTON VP TAPPED PRO-TERROR MUSLIM LEADER FOR IMMIGRATION SEAT
1. TEENS GUNNED DOWN IN FLORIDA MASS-SHOOTING
by David Rosenberg
[youtube:2017478]
At least 2 people are dead and as many as 17 wounded in a mass-shooting in a Florida nightclub.
The incident took place at the Blu Club in Fort Myers, about two hours northwest of Miami.
One witness told local television the scene was like "a madhouse". Another witness said she heard approximately 30 rounds fired from multiple weapons.
The background of the shooting is as of yet unclear.
The shooting took place during a special "teen night" event. Most of the victims are reportedly in their teens, with some as young as 12-years old.
One of the victims, Timothy Settles, wrote a brief Facebook post in the midst of the shooting, writing "I don't wanna die". He was later wounded and transferred to a local hospital.
According to initial reports, one of the two fatalities is a 14-year old boy.
Local police report that they have detained three people in connection with the shooting.
This is the second mass-shooting in a Florida nightclub in as many months.
In June, Omar Mateen, an Islamic terrorist who swore allegiance to the ISIS terror group, killed 49 patrons at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
A Fort Myers church was vandalized with pro-ISIS graffiti earlier this month, though no link between the two incidents has been established.
Scene of deadly Florida nightclub shooting Twitter/Screenshot
2. LIBERMAN: JUDGING AZARIYA WITHOUT THE FACTS WAS A HUGE MISTAKE
by Yoni Kempinski
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) arrived Monday morning to the IDF induction center "Meitav" in Tel HaShomer as new recruits for the Golani and Givati brigades arrive.
During his visit, Liberman responded to questions from reporters, including inquiries regarding the ongoing trial of Elor Azariya, the soldier accused of manslaughter in the killing of a wounded terrorist in Hevron.
Liberman blasted what he called the prejudgment of Azariya's case, lambasting politicians who attacked Azariya immediately after the incident, a subtle jab at Liberman's predecessor, former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon.
"It is unacceptable for a political leader, and certainly a minister, to determine the fate of the soldier – particularly if you're the Defense Minister – before the judicial process has run its course. In any free country, in any free and democratic society, a person is innocent until proven guilty."
"To determine from the outset that the soldier was wrong, that he harmed the norms and values of the IDF, before the inquiry had even begun – in my opinion that was a terrible mistake, and I believe that now just as much as then."
The Defense Minister also lent support to Rabbi Eyal Karim, who has been nominated as the IDF's new Chief Rabbi and received the backing of IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot.
"I'm sure that Lieutenant General Gadi Eizenkot knows all the candidates well and knows the army's needs, and I've given him my full support. He had a difficult decision; there were many candidates and a lot of pressure, but I rely on the Chief of Staff's judgment, and as far as I'm concerned, his choice has by full backing."
Liberman in IDF recruitment office
Courtesy of Defense Ministry
3. AZARIYA'S DEFENSE TEAM: WE HAVE GENERALS LINED UP TO TESTIFY
by Yoni Kempinski
[youtube:2017483]
Israeli politicians looking to advance themselves have politicized the case of a soldier being tried for manslaughter, said Ilan Katz, attorney for the indicted.
Elor Azariya has been charged with manslaughter after killing a wounded Arab terrorist following a terror attack in Hevron. The incident drew immediate condemnation from then-Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, but has sharply divided Israelis.
Azariya has claimed that he acted in self-defense, as it appeared the terrorist may have been attempting to activate an explosive device concealed inside his jacket. Azariya's commander, however, has testified against him, claiming he violated protocol and acted without justification.
Speaking with Arutz Sheva on Monday, Katz blasted the behavior of politicians across the political spectrum, who, he argued, had tried to take a free "ride on this case", at his client's expense.
"He didn't do it in order to take revenge because his friend was injured by the terrorist. But we think that in this case at the time of the action... when he shot the terrorist, this was the only logical thing a soldier could do when he seems to be in front of a big danger, when a suicide bomber can harm him and the people around him."
"It's the kind [of case] that somebody in the government or somebody in the opposition decided to make a political case. But once this case went on all of the politicians from the left-wing and right-wing took a kind of ride on this case, and every one of the politicians tried to take advantage of this case."
But Katz pledged to bring ranking IDF officers to testify on behalf of his client, challenging testimony by Azaryia's commander that he acted improperly given the situation.
"As you can see, it is a very long trial. Many high-ranking officers already gave their testimony in the court. We will bring higher-ranking officers, [including] generals as well as many brigadier generals and other high-ranking officers to show that this case is a political case, that this case has only one purpose: to take the [bright] lights [of criticism] from the high-ranking officers and to put it only on the head of the soldier."
"I think until now his testimony has been very good. He told the things exactly as he told in the very long investigation. Some details are new details which he didn't tell us before, but there is a very good explanation about those details, and we hope that after the soldier will finish testifying today and tomorrow, the whole picture will be brighter."
4. 'THE COMPANY COMMANDER IS A FALSE WITNESS, PLAIN AND SIMPLE'
by Yoni Kempinski
The cross- examination of Corporal Elor Azariya, on trial for shooting a wounded terrorist in Hevron, is currently underway at the military court in Jaffa, where Azariya is being subjected to the questioning of military prosecutor Nadav Weissman.
The prosecution is not making things easy for Azariya, throwing him tough questions.
In response to the question of whether company commander Tom Naaman gave false testimony, Azariya stated affirmatively: "plain and simple." Asked if the former [higher-ranking] battalion commander David Shapira had lied, Azariya answered that he had "on some things."
"In large part, [Shapira's] words do not reflect the truth. He forgot to say things," said Azariya.
Azariya was asked why he only related last week for the first time that the company commander had slapped him after he had shot the terrorist. He replied that "during the investigations I was not in a good mental state. Even now, I'm not well."
"There were some things I didn't remember from the investigation. I was in shock from the incident and from the arrest under which they had put me. Also, each time there was something that made me want to finish the questioning quickly," Azariya added.
The cross-examination was supposed to have begun yesterday afternoon, but Azariya did not feel well, and thus it was delayed until this morning.
In his testimony yesterday, Azariya strongly criticized the behavior of his commanders. "They didn't speak to us once about what to do in the case of explosives or in an attack involving more than one type of weapon...I heard the Brigadier General say that if their was a knife attack, then presumably there wouldn't be a explosives attack.
"Last week in Jerusalem, we saw a terrorist with knives and explosives. I acted in accordance with the instructions for behavior upon opening fire. They just gave the test for behavior upon opening fire so that they could check it off the list. They just told us the answers. That they don't prepare you for the case of explosives is a mistake that could cost lives."
Azariya had harsh words to say about IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkott and former Defense Minister "They put me on trial to satisfy the world and the press. All of a sudden I hear the Chief of Staff and Defense Minister condemning me without even waiting to hear from me, coming out with declarations of condemnation. They threw me to the dogs out of fear of the press."
5. REFUGEE SUICIDE-BOMBER IN GERMANY WAS SET TO BE DEPORTED
by Rachel Kaplan
The 27 year-old Syrian refugee who committed a suicide attack in Ansbach, Germany, was due to be deported.
German interior ministry spokeman announced at a press conference: "Syrians cannot at the moment be deported to Syria, but that doesn't mean that Syrians overall cannot be deported."
"The Syrian in Ansbach was facing deportation to Bulgaria," he explained.
The Ansbach attack was the latest of a series in Germany. Most of the attacks have possible ties to Middle East terrorism, and many think that Syrian immigration should be curbed as a result.
At the same press conference, a spokeswoman for the German government said that although the government is weighing its options, no changes would yet be made to Germany's refugee policy.
"The acts of the last days and weeks do not show a uniform picture," decided Ulrike Demmer. "Most terrorists who carried out attacks in Europe over the last months were not refugees."
6. FAMILY OF ISRAELI CAPTIVE BLOCK TERRORISTS' VISITORS
by Ido ben Porat
The family of Avra Mengistu, currently being held in Gaza by Hamas, and activists working to secure his release demonstrated this morning (Monday) at the entrance of the Southern Jail in the Sharon area, with the aim of pressuring Hamas prisoners by delaying the visits of their families scheduled for this morning.
As the families of the terrorists arrived at the jail, the Mengistu family met them and the Red Cross representatives accompanying them, handing out flyers on which Avra's story was written.
"Despite the fact that Avra is mentally ill and was never a soldier, Hamas continues to hold him and refuses to free him or give information on his whereabouts. You are abusing the defenseless," said the Mengistu family to the families of the terrorists.
During the event, Avra's brother, Ilan, said that "we have come today to convey a message- we will continue to fight with all our strength to free Avra, who is being held prisoner by Hamas, with neither he nor we possessing a clue as to his situation.
"I call on the Minister of the Interior Deri and Minister of Finance Kahlon, who are responsible for means of putting pressure on Hamas, as well as Interior Security Minister Erdan, who proposed the law to cancel visitations to terrorists belonging to organizations that hold Israelis captive, to stop being afraid and stop visits to terrorists, until we can also visit Avra. Avra also has a mother, and she wants to hug her son."
7. PALESTINIAN YOUTH STANDS WITH ISRAEL IN FACE OF CONSTANT THREATS
by Tal Polon
Standing up for one's principles is not always an easy task. This is readily apparent upon reading the personal credo of Mahdi Satri, 17, a young Palestinian Arab from the village of Jadeidi-Makr in northern Israel.
Satri, a staunch Zionist and supporter of Israel, explained in an interview with The Algemeiner how hard it is to hold such beliefs in the midst of constant threat: "I receive regular threats from both Arab Israelis and Palestinians, via social media and by phone," said Mahdi. "And I'm afraid, but I won't let those who support terrorism and oppose peace deter me."
According to the interview, Satri was imbued with Zionist feeling from his father, who moved to Israel from Gaza 30 years ago and worked for Israeli security forces. "My father worked with the IDF and the Shin Bet," he said. "And I am going to join the Israeli army when I finish my university degree."
Despite holding strongly to his beliefs, Satri describes that he feels a constant danger to his life for his views. In a personal credo posted on the website BDS Guide entitled "Know that I died a dreamer," Satri writes:
"I'm writing now with tears running down my face. I had a very long trip, and I'll continue in this trip until the last drop of blood in my body. But I just wanted to share with you my sadness, my tears, and my pain.
"It's really very hard to be a Zionist inside an Arab village. A village full of hatred. I really think that the end is near. Many people are threatening me. People are promoting incitement against me in the mosques. I never ever thought that it would lead to this situation. I'm afraid to go to the shop near my house. I'm afraid to hang out in my village. I'm living in fear, the fear of getting stabbed in the street. And after that no one will remember me. No one will have that Arab who's fighting for his goal, because I'm just encouraging the Israeli Arabs to stand against terrorism and to speak out.
"I became a target. A target for everyone. A target for the Palestinians. A target for my village's citizens. A target for Hamas. A target for every single man in this world. I've never thought that to speak the truth about my beloved country would lead to becoming a victim. When I started my way, I did take it in my hands that I might be killed because of this, but not in this way. I'm just staying home all the day. When I see a car, I'm afraid that it's someone who wants to kill me. No one can imagine this feeling. To live in fear, live with the possibility of getting killed any moment. It's really a very terrible feeling.
"But no, I won't just keep calm and not talk anymore. I'm not this man who will just leave when he feels danger. I won't just keep calm. I won't!! I wont escape and just disappear! I'll fight. I'll fight alone. Against all the terrorists. Against all the people who want me dead because I'm going to serve in the military. I won't!!!
"This is a message. it's not an article… I want to tell you I'll keep fighting against all the terrorists, against our enemies. The enemies that don't want me to speak out and to stand against them… I want to tell you , that I might see tomorrow. And this message might be my last message. But just know something: if I died and if they succeeded to kill me, know that I died a Zionist defending my country. And know that I was smiling while dying because I'll die for my country. And it's really a very big honor. Know that I died and I have a dream. Know that I died a dreamer. A dreamer looking for a new future empty of hatred and full of love. Know that I died for a goal, not for nothing. Know that I died and Zionism in my cool blood. Know that I died a fighter against them… Like I said: Three words, one point: AM ISRAEL CHAI!"
8. CLINTON VP TAPPED PRO-TERROR MUSLIM LEADER FOR IMMIGRATION SEAT
by David Rosenberg
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Virginia Senator and former Governor Tim Kaine has been the Democratic Party's presumptive Vice Presidential nominee for just three days, yet the pick has already drawn fire from the pro-Israel community due in part to Kaine's robust support for the Iran nuclear deal, his boycott of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's address to Congress in 2015, and his ties to a left-wing NGO.
Now, a controversial appointment made during his tenure as Governor of Virginia has raised new questions about Kaine's bona fides as a self-described "strongly pro-Israel Democrat".
In 2007, then-Governor Kaine appointed Esam Omeish, a Libyan-born physician and then-president of the Muslim American Society, to Virginia's Immigration Commission. This came despite Omeish's history of ties and expressions of support for radical Islam and Jihadist terrorism.
Omeish is a long-time member of the Board of Directors of the Dar Al Hijrah mosque, which two of the 19 terrorists responsible for the 9/11 terror attacks attended, as friends of the mosque's imam.
That imam was Anwar al-Awlaki, the radical Salafist cleric who later fled the United States and joined Al-Qaeda, after settling in Yemen.
In 2010, President Obama placed al-Awlaki on the CIA "kill list", citing his orchestration of deadly terror attacks against Americans. In 2011 a US drone strike killed al-Awlaki in southeast Yemen.
But Omeish was not merely a congregant at the Dar Al Hijrah mosque where al-Awlaki preached; in 2000, he was vice president of the mosque and was responsible for vetting and hiring the radical cleric as the mosque's imam.
The Muslim American Society, then headed by Omeish, had close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, the Chicago Tribune reported in 2004, a description later validated by a federal report describing the group as "the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America."
In addition to Omeish's ties to radical Islam, his recorded comments prior to the 2007 appointment by Governor Kaine made his support for Jihadist terror even more explicit.
During a December 22, 2000 speech at a Jerusalem Day Rally in Lafayette Park, in Washington D.C., Omeish praised "the Jihad way" to "liberate your land".
"We, the Muslims of the Washington metropolitan area, are here today in subfreezing temperatures to tell our brothers and sisters in Filastine [Palestine], that you have learned the way, that you have known that the Jihad way is the way to liberate your land. And we, by standing here today, despite the weather, and despite anything else, we are telling them that we are with you, we are supporting you, and we will do everything we can inshallah [Allah willing] to help your cause."
In 2004, Omeish explicitly praised Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
Governor Kaine's selection of Omeish was criticized by state Republicans, who said the governor had failed to properly vet the appointee.
C. Todd Gilbert, a Republican delegate from Shenandoah County, wrote to the governor, noting the Muslim American Society's "questionable origins".
"I don't know how a problem of this magnitude could have slipped through the Governor's screening process," Gilbert later said in a statement. "Even a cursory internet search about the appointee in question would have also easily identified him as a leader of a potentially radical northern Virginia mosque."
Kaine and his administration initially brushed off the criticism as mere Islamophobia.
Yet Omeish's ties to terror and explicit support for violent Jihad quickly became apparent, ultimately leading Kaine to pressure Omeish to step down.
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