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Wednesday, Oct. 05 '16, ג' בתשרי תשע"ז
HEADLINES:
1. WATCH: ROCKET EXPLODES NEAR HOMES IN SDEROT
2. STRIKE TO SHUT DOWN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AFTER YOM KIPPUR?
3. ACRI PETITIONS SUPREME COURT AGAINST ANTI-BOYCOTT REGULATION
4. MICROSCOPIC MACHINES WIN NOBEL PRIZE
5. 'NEXT LEBANON WAR JUST A MATTER OF TIME'
6. HAARETZ ATTACKS ON RABBI OVADIA YOSEF STIR CONTROVERSY
7. TRUMP VP WINS DEBATE TUESDAY NIGHT, SAY VIEWERS
8. FLORIDA, CAROLINAS PREPARE FOR DEADLY HURRICANE MATTHEW
1. WATCH: ROCKET EXPLODES NEAR HOMES IN SDEROT
by Ido Ben Porat
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A rocket fired from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip exploded in the western Negev town of Sderot Wednesday morning.
No physical injuries have been reported, but there was damage to a residential neighborhood and a number of people are being treated for shock. The rocket is said to have exploded in between two homes at around 10:20 a.m.
At 10:19 a.m. warning sirens were activated in the western Negev near the Gaza Strip. Residents reported hearing an explosion shortly thereafter.
Security forces quickly arrived at the scene of the explosion in Sderot, sealing off the area and blocking off nearby roads as sappers verified that the remains of the rocket no longer posed a threat.
A Salafi terror group tied to the ISIS organization claim responsibility for the attack.
Hamas claims IDF artillery fire targeted a military outpost near Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip shortly after the rocket landed in Israeli territory.
An MDA spokesperson reported that a number of residents in the neighborhood struck by the rocket have been evacuated and are being treated for shock.
"At 10:26 MDA received a call about a projectile that hit the town of Sderot," the spokesperson said. "MDA EMTs and paramedics are currently treating shock victims on the scene, who will be evacuated for further treatment."
Oren Benita, an MDA paramedic, and Aviv Shneor, a senior MDA EMT described the scene of the attack.
"When we arrived on the scene we identified the spot where the rocket hit. We saw broken glass and cars and houses that were damaged by shrapnel. We treated a 15-year old female and a 60-year old male who suffered an anxiety attack. After providing them with initial treatment at the scene, we evacuated them Barzilai hospital for further treatment."
2. STRIKE TO SHUT DOWN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AFTER YOM KIPPUR?
by Gary Willig
A labor dispute between the Histradrut labor union and the government has sparked fears that the nation's public transportation could be disrupted during the holiday season.
The government reached an agreement with the Histadrut to provide subsidies to the organization, but the agreement expired nine months ago and has not been renewed since. The Histadrut claims that the absence of these subsidies harms the wages of its employees and has threatened to strike on October 13, the day after Yom Kippur.
Histadrut Chairman Avi Nissenkorn said that state officials were being "irresponsible," and acting in a manner "harmful to the public interest." He vowed to "fight for the rights" of the bus drivers.
Egged spokesman Ron Ratner said that he "regets" that such a situation had arisen, but that the Histadrut and the government had been negotiating for a year and a half without any progress.
A strike following Yom Kippur could potentially cause massive disruptions during the Sukkot holiday, when use of public transportation typically increases significantly.
3. ACRI PETITIONS SUPREME COURT AGAINST ANTI-BOYCOTT REGULATION
by Gary Willig
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) launched a petition to the Supreme Court against Culture Minister Miri Regev (Likud), demanding that it revoke the 'Loyalty in Culture' law initiated by Regev to prevent artists from boycotting Jewish venues in Judea and Samaria.
The "Regev Amendments," as they are called collectively, target artists who refuse to perform in Judea and Samaria, said the ACRI in its petition.
The ACRI complained that while artists and institutions that perform in the Negev and Galilee are still eligible for state-funding, "only those who appear in the settlements will receive additional bonuses, thus giving them priority."
The ACRI further elaborated that "'as the entire budget of the ministry is determined in advance, a bonus given to one institution automatically hurts the support of another institution."
"The forms the artists fill out require them to say whether they will perform in the settlements, but there is no requirement to state the reason they will not perform in the settlements."
According to Attorney Dan Yakir, the legal advisor to the ACRI, these tests are not consistent with the boycott law passed by the Knesset in 2011. "The boycott law determines sanctions only against those who call for a boycott or undertakes to participate in the boycott. The Supreme Court explicitly ruled that the law does not apply to artists who abstain from performing in the settlements." Yakir said.
"Not appearing in the settlements is not illegal. Only a call to boycott or a public declaration that one is participating in a boycott."
"Now, instead of trying to harm artists because of their political positions, Minister Regev is instead trying to punish them through the practical implications of their beliefs." Yakir concluded.
4. MICROSCOPIC MACHINES WIN NOBEL PRIZE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Three European chemists won this year's Nobel Prize for Chemistry, in honor of their work in the field of nanotechnology.
French chemist Jean-Pierre Sauvage of Strasbourg University; Scottish chemist Sir James Fraser Stoddart of Northwestern University; and Dutch chemist Ben Feringa of Groningen University will share in the roughly $1,000,000 prize, after being named at a ceremony Wednesday in Sweden.
The focus of their trio's work, microscopic machines capable of carrying molecules directly into cells, offers tremendous opportunities for the advancement of medicine.
Such miniature machines, a thousand times thinner than a strand of hair, could be used, for instance, in the targeted destruction of cancer cells, removing the need for lengthy and often dangerous chemotherapy treatments.
Drugs could be selectively placed directly into cells using such nanomachines, opening the door for precision medicinal treatment.
"They have mastered motion control at the molecular scale," said Nobel committee member Olof Ramstrom.
Dr. Feringa responded to the announcement with surprise.
"I don't know what to say, I'm shocked. And my second remark was 'I'm a bit emotional about it.'"
5. 'NEXT LEBANON WAR JUST A MATTER OF TIME'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A third war between Israel and Lebanon is just a matter of time, says Brigadier-General Resan Alian.
Speaking to Channel 2's Roni Daniel, Alian, a member of Israel's Druze minority and a veteran of the Second Lebanon War, warned that another confrontation with Israel's neighbor to the north was inevitable, adding that even outside forces, like the Hamas terror group, could spark fighting on Israel's northern border.
"Events on other fronts could also spark something," said Alian.
While he is stationed in the north, Alian emphasizes that events on Israel's southern border have a tremendous impact.
"A lot of things in Gaza are relevant to the Lebanese front: Understanding the enemy and who we are dealing with, his fighting techniques and tactics – things that [the enemy] learns and improves upon."
One way or another, he added, a third conflict with Lebanon "is just a matter of time."
Alian also touched on the Druze community in war-torn Syria, saying that while Israel must always focus on its own security, where possible it should also aid members of the minority group suffering from the civil war.
"I expect the State of Israel to do whatever is possible to benefit the people there, in any manner [the state] chooses. I think that the state knows how to make the calculations, and in the end everything ultimately comes down to the question of how to protect Israel's security."
6. HAARETZ ATTACKS ON RABBI OVADIA YOSEF STIR CONTROVERSY
by Gary Willig
A review published in the Haaretz newspaper of a recent episode in Channel 20's television series about the lives of prominent Israeli rabbis, "They Go Before the Camp," turned into an all-out assault on the late rabbinic leader of the Shas party and former Chief Rabbi of Israel - stirring controversy and drawing harsh criticism.
"It is generally believed that Rabbi Ovadia Yosef was a genius," wrote Rogel Alper in Haaretz. "That is not to say he was smart." Alper added.
According to Alper, it is difficult for him to understand how someone who believes in the chosen-ness of the Jewish people can be wise despite the episode's evidence that Rabbi Yosef had a high IQ, excellent memory, and tremendous abilities of reason and deduction, even from an early age.
Alper expressed shock that a man gifted with so much intelligence would choose to devout himself so completely to Torah study instead of studying various academic fields like physics or economics. He went on to say that Rabbi Yosef's dedication to Torah study above other pursuits left him with a world-view "as narrow as an ant's" and lamented the loss of what Rabbi Yosef could have contributed to society if he had "broadened his horizons."
The Haaretz writer the broadened his attack, targeting the religious community at large and dismissing the entire pursuit of religious studies as "eccentric" since, in Alper's view, "there is no God." By bringing his atheism into the review, Alper dismisses religious life and its leaders. He goes on to call Rabbi Yosef "a fool," "stupid," while mocking his belief in God as "a metaphysical mistake."
Shas Chairman and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri blasted the article, calling it "a disgrace".
"Shame on the Haaretz newspaper. This morning's slander against Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is a disgrace. The rabbi's contributions to Israel and the Jewish world for generations to come are enormous."
7. TRUMP VP WINS DEBATE TUESDAY NIGHT, SAY VIEWERS
by David Rosenberg
After a week of declining poll numbers following the first presidential debate of the 2016 season, Republican nominee Donald Trump received a welcome boost late Tuesday night following the only vice presidential debate of the election.
Trump's VP, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, faced-off against Virginia Senator and former Governor Tim Kaine, sparring on illegal immigration, law enforcement, the economy, Clinton's email scandals, religious freedom, and foreign policy.
Pence ripped Kaine over his boycott of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's address to Congress last year and the Democratic ticket's support of the Iran nuclear deal.
"You keep saying that Hillary Clinton started the deal with the Iranians, prevented them from getting a nuclear weapon," said Pence. "That is not what Israel thinks."
"I know you boycotted Prime Minister [Binyamin] Netanyahu's speech. When I was in congress, I fought hard on a bipartisan basis with Republican and Democrat members to move forward the toughest sanctions literally in the history of the United States."
While voters were divided, according to a scientific CNN/ORC poll conducted immediately after the debate, a narrow plurality of viewers say Pence came out on top. Forty-eight percent of respondents say Pence won the debate, compared to 42% who say Kaine performed better.
That's good news for Trump, who has struggled in the polls over the past week.
After Tuesday night's debate, 29% of voters said the VP match-up would make them more likely to vote for Trump, compared to just 18% who said it would make them more likely to vote for Clinton..
Pence also scored well in an Ohio focus group conducted during the debate. Participants in the focus group said the Republican vice presidential nominee praised him as being "calm", composed", "effective", "polished", and "eloquent."
8. FLORIDA, CAROLINAS PREPARE FOR DEADLY HURRICANE MATTHEW
by David Rosenberg
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National Guard forces were put on alert Tuesday, as Hurricane Matthew passed through the island nation of Haiti, on its way north towards Florida and the Carolinas.
The massive Category 4 hurricane battered the Caribbean with winds in excess of 140 miles per hour, smashing through parts of Cuba and killing at least seven in Haiti.
With Matthew expected to make landfall in the US Thursday evening, Florida Governor Rick Scott called upon residents to prepare for the worst.
"We have to be prepared for a major hurricane," said Scott, calling the storm "extremely dangerous."
"We have to prepare for a direct hit."
"If you are able to leave early, leave now," the governor added. "If Matthew directly impacts Florida, there will be massive destruction that we haven't seen in years."
Governor Scott has placed hundreds of National Guard members on alert, and will likely activate them Wednesday morning.
The hurricane is expected to hit Florida, south-eastern Georgia, and the coasts of South and North Carolina.
South Carolina officials warned that more than a million residents – more than a fifth of the state's population – could be forced to evacuate.
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