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Sunday, Dec. 25 '16, כ"ה בכסלו תשע"ז
HEADLINES:
1. BENNETT AT WESTERN WALL: IT'S TIME FOR SOVEREIGNTY
2. TEMPLE MOUNT ACTIVISTS: WE WILL WIN
3. WATCH: AERIAL VIEW OF HAIFA HAZARDOUS FIRE
4. ISIS ALLIES POISON DAMASCUS WATER SUPPLY
5. ISRAEL REPRIMANDS FOREIGN AMBASSADORS
6. EBOLA VACCINE 'PROVIDES 100% PROTECTION'
7. PA: MOVING EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM MEANS APPROVING 'OCCUPATION'
8. WATCH: FUEL TANK ERUPTS IN FLAMES AT HAIFA BAY
1. BENNETT AT WESTERN WALL: IT'S TIME FOR SOVEREIGNTY
by Eliran Aharon
[youtube:2022416]
Responding to the UN Security Council's Resolution 2334, Education Minister Naftali Bennett visited the Western Wall on Sunday morning.
"We're standing here, in the city of Jerusalem, our eternal capital for 3,00 years," Bennett said. "Two days ago the UNSC passed a bad decision, to consider this land, our capital, conquered territory.
"But no resolution can change the fact that this land, Jerusalem, is our capital. And no people can be a conqueror in their own land. That's why this resolution, like many of the earlier resolutions, will be thrown into the dustbin of history."
Noting the recent increase in terror attacks around the world, Bennett said, "Thousands of terrorists in the world, from Berlin through Paris and New York take a lot of opportunity and happiness in this resolution, of their friends from the Palestinian Authority. The same friends that conduct terror attacks in Berlin, that run over people, that use knives and bombs; that gave out candy when the Twin Towers are destroyed."
"This is a historic day, which contains both danger and opportunity. I choose to see the opportunity," Bennett continued. "It's time for Israel to reevaluate its approach during the past 25 years. The approach where we adopted the Oslo accords, the approach were we gave up territory in Gaza, the approach where we declared the need for a Palestinian state. We thought this approach would gain us sympathy from the world, but instead we got tens of thousands of missiles from Gaza, thousands of Israelis murdered on the streets and one condemnation after another.
"It's time to decide between two alternatives: surrendering our land, or sovereignty. We've tried surrendering our land, it didn't work; it is time for sovereignty.
"In the near future we will take steps to apply Israeli law to Ma'ale Adumim and the rest of Judea and Samaria. It's time for Israel to decide," Bennett concluded.
2. TEMPLE MOUNT ACTIVISTS: WE WILL WIN
by Hezki Baruch
[youtube:2022419]
Neemanei Har Habayit activists lit on Sunday morning a Hanukkah menorah outside the Old City of Jerusalem's Jaffa Gate, in response to the United Nations Security Council's latest anti-Israel resolution.
Neemanei Har Habayit is a group of activists dedicated to preserving the Temple Mount's Jewish identity. The name literally means "the Temple Mount's faithful."
During the ceremony, Neemanei Har Habayit CEO Gershon Salomon said, "Today, we send a message to the Jewish nation and to the entire world - especially to the 'Oom Shmoom' (UN - ed.). The Temple Mount belongs to us for eternity. Jerusalem belongs to us, and only to us. We will not move from this spot, ever.
"I was not surprised by the UN's decision. We expected it," Salomon said. "How can we complain about the UN, when with our own hands, since the Six Day War in 1967, we have pushed the Jewish nation away from the Temple Mount, and we have given the Temple Mount to our worst enemies. The Temple Mount has turned into a hornet's nest. The UN's decision was shameful, but it came about because of the Israeli government's negligence."
"We have advanced a stage in our fight, along with the Students' Organization, and we will work together for the Temple Mount's sake," Salomon said. "This is a difficult time, and the Temple Mount is on the verge of being lost forever. We have no sovereignty, and we have no one to blame besides for the Israeli government."
"I am optimistic regarding President-elect Donald Trump's new administration, but the final decision will be made by Israel, not by the US, Rome, or Paris. Israel's fate will be decided in Jerusalem, and on the Temple Mount we will build the Third Temple, right under the noses of world leaders," Salomon emphasized.
Former MK Shuli Mualem (Jewish Home) also participated in the candle lighting ceremony.
Mualem said, "After the UN's unfortunate decision, there is nothing more right than organizing more groups who will ascend the Temple Mount. Every day, Jews pray facing Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount connects the entire Jewish nation, and belongs to all of us. We must take care of it.
"We need to start discussing applying Israeli sovereignty to all of Israel. At the same time, there is a place which we already have sovereignty over, but where we have not yet used our sovereignty, and that is the Temple Mount. The more Jews ascend the Temple Mount, the more we will express our sovereignty," Mualem concluded.
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3. WATCH: AERIAL VIEW OF HAIFA HAZARDOUS FIRE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2022412]
A month after Israel's arson intifada which destroyed more than 600 homes in Haifa alone, another fire broke out in the city, this time caused by a fuel tank explosion.
Forty firefighting teams rushed to put out the fire on Sunday morning, in an effort to protect the other fuel tanks at the site. Residents were instructed to close their windows, and at 11:30am, firefighting teams managed to take control of the fire, though they had not yet managed to extinguish it.
Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav told Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, "What we saw today was only a small hint of the disaster which will happen. I call on you to prevent the refineries' expansion and get rid of the ammonia in the Haifa Bay area.
"This was a fuel tank that exploded, and it exploded in an extremely frightening way. It's a preview of what might happen during the next war involving rockets. It will be just like we had a decade ago in the Second Lebanon War. We have a disaster waiting to happen, and the government is dragging its feet," Yahav emphasized.
"This is the time to tell the Israeli government: Wake up and do something."
Green Party Haifa City Council representative Yaron Hanan said, "Unfortunately, the Haifa Bay area is getting too used to emergencies caused by dangerous materials. This is a serious danger. Once upon a time, factories would notify each other of these dangers, but now that network no longer functions...Sitting idle is dangerous, but the government does not seem to care.
4. ISIS ALLIES POISON DAMASCUS WATER SUPPLY
by Hillel Fendel
The water supply in the Syrian capital of Damascus has been poisoned, authorities say. Al-Jazeera reports that the "rebels" against the Assad regime are suspected, while the Iranian news agency says it was "terrorists." Both are referring to the same group.
Either way, Syrian authorities say they have cut water supplies to Damascus as a result. The Al-Fija spring, northwest of the capital, was reportedly contaminated with diesel oil.
Water reserves are now being used to meet the city's demands. The problem is expected to be solved within a few days, according to the water authority.
The Al-Fija spring, which supplies the capital with much of its water, is located in the mountainous Wadi Barada area near the Lebanese border. The area is currently held by the Sunni rebels.
Both the rebels and the government have been accused, during the course of the five-year-old civil war, of cutting water and electricity supplies in Syria, causing untold suffering to civilians. Half the total water production capacity in the country has been damaged in whole or part.
An estimated half-million people have been killed in the war, and nearly 11 million Syrians - half the country's pre-war population - have been displaced from their homes.
5. ISRAEL REPRIMANDS FOREIGN AMBASSADORS
by Nitzan Keidar
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu today (Sunday) instructed that the ambassadors of those countries that voted in favor of the UN Security Council anti-Israel resolution be summoned for reprimand at the Foreign Ministry.
The meetings will be personal one-on-one talks with the relevant Foreign Ministry desk officers.
At the same time, the Prime Minister instructed that a working plan for UN diplomacy policy be prepared, to be released in about a month.
Additional diplomatic steps will be discussed in this afternoon's cabinet meeting, as will be policy directives regarding public statements about the government. Until now, each minister has been given freedom to react to recent events as he saw fit.
6. EBOLA VACCINE 'PROVIDES 100% PROTECTION'
by Chana Roberts
Researchers have successfully developed an Ebola vaccine which may be vital in preventing further epidemics of the deadly disease, wrote The Lancet medical journal.
The new vaccine, known as rVSV-ZEBOV, successfully prevented all 5,837 volunteers from developing the Zaire ebolavirus. In contrast, among a group of the same size which was not vaccinated, 23 new Ebola cases were reported.
The Zaire ebolavirus is the strain of Ebola responsible for most human infections with the virus.
Ebola, which is related to the similarly lethal Marburg virus, has five main subtypes. Though the new vaccine does work against the most common Ebola strain, it does not work against the other four subtypes.
The new Merck-manufactured vaccine was tested using the "ring" method, in which both contacts - and contacts of contacts - of Ebola patients were vaccinated against the disease. Each "ring" included about 80 people.
The vaccine includes the vesicular stomatitis virus, which harms cattle but not humans, as well as an Ebola virus surface protein. However, the vaccine is not yet problem-free, since it often causes joint pain and headaches. In addition, one of the subjects developed a high temperature.
Effects of the new vaccine on children are still being investigated.
The vaccine's inventors are now seeking government approval for the vaccine, and hope to have it fully licensed by the end of 2017.
Meanwhile, 300,000 doses of the vaccine have been made available in preparation for the next Ebola outbreak. These vaccines were funded by the Global Vaccine Alliance, at a cost of $5 million.
Lead researcher and WHO scientist Marie-Paule Kieny told the New York Times, "When the next outbreak hits, we will not be defenseless. The world can't afford the confusion and human disaster that came with the last epidemic."
Guinea's Director of the National Agency for Health Security Kelta Sakoba said, "Ebola left a devastating legacy in our country. We are proud that we have been able to contribute to developing a vaccine that will prevent other nations from enduring what we endured."
The Ebola virus is spread by direct contact between people, as well as from contact with an infected person's bodily fluids. The Ebola outbreak began in Guinea in 2013, quickly spreading to both Liberia and Sierra Leone. Ebola later spread to other countries as well, such as the UK and US.
In October 2014, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon commended Israel for sending experts to aid Africa's fight against Ebola. In November 2015, the World Health Organization declared Sierra Leone free of Ebola, but cases still develop in neighboring African countries.
7. PA: MOVING EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM MEANS APPROVING 'OCCUPATION'
by Dalit Halevi
The Palestinian Authority has called on the Arab League to organize Islamic cooperation for the purpose of working against US President-elect Donald Trump's plan to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Senior Palestinian Authority politician Rami Hamdallah said moving the Embassy would be in direct violation of international law, and would "legitimize" Israel's "crimes" and the "occupation of Palestinian lands since 1967."
The Palestinian Authority also called on the international community not to allow any aid to Israel to reach the "settlements." In addition, the Palestinian Authority condemned the Israeli government's decision to destroy illegal Arab buildings in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem, as well as illegal Arab buildings in the rest of Israel.
Supreme Muslim Council head Iharma Sabari warned Trump not to keep his promise to move the Embassy. Sabari said if Trump does keep his promise, it will be considered as if the US recognized Jerusalem as the Jew's capital, and will start a "new war" against "Palestinians" and Muslim Arabs.
8. WATCH: FUEL TANK ERUPTS IN FLAMES AT HAIFA BAY
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2022407]
Firefighters rushed to the scene of a huge fire that erupted this morning from a fuel tank at the Haifa Bay.
Firefighters are working at this hour to contain the fire so that it does not spread to adjacent fuel tanks. Residents of the area have been told to remain in their homes.
The cause of the fire is still unclear.
[youtube:2022408]
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