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Friday, Dec. 30 '16, א' בטבת תשע"ז
HEADLINES:
1. WATCH: SYRIAN BLOOD ISN'T RED ENOUGH FOR OBAMA
2. RABBI SHTEINMAN'S CONDITION TAKES TURN FOR THE WORSE
3. MUSLIM NYC TEEN CHASES DOWN ASSAILANT OF ORTHODOX JEWISH WOMAN
4. US LAWMAKERS WEIGH IN ON KERRY SPEECH
5. WATCH: BENNETT'S MESSAGE TO THE UN FROM MOUNT HERMON
6. ELOR AZARIYA RELEASED FOR SHORT BREAK
7. HUCKABEE: DEFUND THE UN AND GIVE THE MONEY TO VETERANS
8. GENIUSES WANTED FOR HIGH-TECH INITIATIVES
1. WATCH: SYRIAN BLOOD ISN'T RED ENOUGH FOR OBAMA
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2022649]
2. RABBI SHTEINMAN'S CONDITION TAKES TURN FOR THE WORSE
by Orli Harari
The condition of Lithuanian haredi leader Rabbi Aharon Shteinman has reportedly taken a turn for the worse in recent hours.
Despite having recovered from pneumonia and flu and having gained strength in recent days, he is now seeing a general deterioration in his medical condition.
This afternoon, a consultation on the Rabbi's condition took place which saw the participation of departmental heads of Mayanei Yeshua hospital in Bnei Brak, where the Rabbi is hospitalized, and the Rabbi's personal doctor, Prof. Avraham Veinberger.
"At the consultation, great worry was expressed about the condition of the Rabbi," the hospital announced.
3. MUSLIM NYC TEEN CHASES DOWN ASSAILANT OF ORTHODOX JEWISH WOMAN
by JTA
A Muslim teen from New York City helped police catch a homeless man who hit an Orthodox Jewish woman on the subway.
Ahmed Khalifa, 17, told the New York Daily News about the incident aboard a Brooklyn-bound train Tuesday.
"It was a very hard slap, I almost could feel the slap," the high school student told the newspaper.
The slap broke the woman's glasses and caused her to lose consciousness. She was removed from the train and taken to a local hospital.
The assailant jumped off at the next stop and the teen alerted the conductor to hold the train and call an ambulance. He then followed the assailant, according to the Daily News.
Khalifa said he was given a ride by an Orthodox Jewish passer-by and they spent the drive talking about how it was a hate crime. When he saw the assailant at a bus stop, they called the Shomrim Jewish safety patrol.
The teen, the passer-by and the Shomrim waited near the bus stop until the police arrived. The police removed the assailant, identified as Rayvon Jones, 31, from the bus. Jones was charged with assault in Brooklyn Criminal Court.
The Daily News reported that one of the Shomrim members drove Khalifa home.
"Some people are like 'she's Jewish, why did you help her,' " Khalifa told the newspaper. "I'm like everyone is equal. I treat everyone the same way."
4. US LAWMAKERS WEIGH IN ON KERRY SPEECH
by JTA
Responding to Secretary of State John Kerry's address on making peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, many U.S. lawmakers said they were disappointed by the Obama administration's decision to abstain on the vote in the U.N. Security Council of a resolution criticizing Israel for building in Jewish communities over the 1949 armistice lines.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., the incoming Senate minority leader, said in a statement that Kerry "has emboldened extremists on both sides."
"While Secretary Kerry mentioned Gaza in his speech, he seems to have forgotten the history of the settlements in Gaza, where the Israeli government forced settlers to withdraw from all settlements and the Palestinians responded by sending rockets into Israel," Schumer said. "This is something that people of all political stripes in Israel vividly remember."
Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the House Democratic whip, said he was "reassured" that Kerry did not call for further action by the United Nations Security Council while criticizing the U.S. abstention in the Security Council.
Hoyer said that Kerry's speech "outlined longstanding American principles" vis-a-vis the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
"The United States will have a role to play in helping both parties reach the goal of lasting peace, even if that involves highlighting uncomfortable facts on the ground, as Secretary Kerry did. Nonetheless, I continue to believe that the U.N. Security Council is the wrong forum for critiquing Israeli policies," he said. "As I have said many times, no solution should be imposed from outside, nor should the United States, the United Nations, or any other nation or international organization seek to prejudge any formulation for a final settlement, which must be worked out by the parties themselves."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., tweeted: "Bold speech by Secretary Kerry. Security for Israel can only be achieved through peace. A two-state solution offers the only path forward."
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in a statement released after the speech called for direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, "not through efforts dictated by the United Nations, which I have opposed."
She added: "Today's remarks by Secretary Kerry were a reaffirmation of America's commitment to a secure, Jewish and democratic Israel, and a state for the Palestinians."
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the speaker of the House, criticized Kerry's speech in a tweet.
"After allowing this anti-Israel resolution to pass the UN, Secretary Kerry has no credibility to speak on Israeli-Palestinian peace," he wrote.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called the abstention and the speech in a statement "shameful" and "designed to weaken and marginalize Israel, and to embolden its enemies."
"Kerry's central conclusion, that 'Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both,' is an inanity that passes as profound only in Ivory Tower faculty lounges," Cruz said. "There are roughly 50 majority-Muslim countries in the world. There is one — only one — Jewish state. And yet, for Kerry and Obama, that is too much."
Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement that he "welcome(s) Secretary Kerry's articulation of six principles that should guide direct negotiations between the parties for a secure, just, and realistic two-state solution."
He also said that he was "disappointed" in the U.S. abstention in the United Nations and that last week's resolution "makes direct negotiations more, not less, challenging."
5. WATCH: BENNETT'S MESSAGE TO THE UN FROM MOUNT HERMON
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2022655]
Standing on snowy Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights as people skied by in the background, Education Minister Naftali Bennett gave a message to the UN in light of the recent anti-Israel resolution that was passed in the UN Security Council and John Kerry's speech on his "vision" of PA-Israel peace in which he heaped blame on Israel.
"Im standing at Mount Hermon, Israel's tallest mountain. It's a thriving ski center, full of tourists, as you can see."
"Just five minutes to the east is Syria. Five minutes from here, the Syrian government and ISIS have butchered over half a million men, women, and children.
"The UN resolution from this week suggests that this is occupied territory and should be handed over to those enemies.
"Obviously, that's absurd. Israel will stay here forever. No speech and no Security Council resolution will change that fact.
"You have Israel thriving and a terror state five minutes from here in an abyss of murder.
"We will prevail," he said.
6. ELOR AZARIYA RELEASED FOR SHORT BREAK
by Eliran Aharon
Soldier Elor Azariya, on trial for shooting a wounded terrorist in Hevron, was released this morning for a short break until Sunday from the imprisonment in which he is currently held.
The break was granted Azariya with limiting conditions: he is forbidden from leaving his home, giving an interview or having his picture taken.
Azariya has now for 9 months been in open imprisonment at the Nachshonim military base near Rosh Ha'ayin. His father, Charlie, took him home this morning from the base for the break at his family home.
Spokesman for the Azariya family Ran Karmi Bozaglo announced that "Elor was released for a short break, on the eve of the deliberations at which the verdict for his case will be announced."
"It is of note that limitations and conditions have been imposed on the break, including that he is forbidden from leaving his home, something which implies house arrest."
"The members of the family believe and hope that soon the Army will return to them the son whom they sent to guard the homeland. The family requests that the public respect its privacy and allow them to best utilize the short time allotted to share with their son," he added.
7. HUCKABEE: DEFUND THE UN AND GIVE THE MONEY TO VETERANS
by Elad Benari
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee suggested on Thursday that, in the aftermath of the United Nations resolution condemning Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria, that the United States pull its portion of the international body's funding.
Speaking on Fox News, Huckabee said the hundreds of millions to billions of dollars could be better allocated to serve American veterans.
Huckabee also said that Secretary of State John Kerry's speech on Wednesday, in which he accused Israeli "settlements" of being an obstacle to peace, was "ridiculous" and a "betrayal" of Israel.
"Israel has 1,640th of the land mass of all those Muslim countries [that surround it]. In John Kerry's fantasy, Israel is supposed to give up land and give it to people who could get it from those who have 640 times the amount of land that Israel has. Explain why that makes sense," he told the interviewer, Eric Bolling.
The anti-Israel resolution passed by the Security Council, gives the Palestinian Arabs "validity on the terrorism that they have sponsored and celebrated," continued Huckabee.
"They pay people a monthly salary if they kill a Jew. They name streets after people who kill Jews. They do not include on their maps Israel. Any form of Israel because they don't believe it should exist. Israel has offered -- back in 1995 Ehud Barak offered basically 95 percent of the Israeli land to get peace with Arafat," he pointed out.
"Arafat turned it down. Look, the Palestinians don't want peace. They want to destroy Israel. Golda Meir said it best back in 1972, there will be peace in the Middle East when Palestinian mothers love their own children more than they hate Jewish children. Eric, this is not going to be resolved. There is no such thing as a two-state solution if the second state is laying on top of the land that has been the land of the Jews since the time of Abraham 4,000 years ago," said Huckabee.
For Kerry to defend the United States' abstention in the vote on the resolution "is a betrayal of our ally," he stressed.
"Israel is the only democracy between Africa and Asia. It's the only country that gives women total full rights as men have. Why doesn't John Kerry put a little pressure on the nations that subjugate women to a lack of education, won't let them drive? I mean, look at the differences here.
"The Israelis protect the holly sites of Jews, Christians and Muslims. Can you name me one Muslim country that welcomes Christians to build and protect churches? No, you can't because there isn't one. And to say that the so-called Palestinians which by the way, they didn't exist until 1962 when Arafat coined the term, took it away from what had been everybody who lived in that area was a Palestinian," said Huckabee.
When Bolling pointed out that American funding accounts for about 22 percent of the UN's budget, Huckabee said "we should eliminate it"
"We ought to take that money that's going to the UN and make it available to veterans who have served under the U.S. flag and make sure they'll get the benefits they need. We are getting zero benefits. We are getting embarrassed by the actions of the UN. That's money that ought to be spent on American servicemen and service women and I hope Donald Trump makes it one of the first acts of his presidency," he added.
In the wake of the anti-Israel resolution, several American lawmakers have called for the U.S. to stop funding to the UN until the resolution is reversed.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) announced last weekend he will propose a measure to pull U.S. funding for the UN unless the UN Security Council repeals the resolution it passed.
8. GENIUSES WANTED FOR HIGH-TECH INITIATIVES
by ILTV
[brightcove:2022644]
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