Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
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.
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
