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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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Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
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Friday, December 30, 2016
Thursday, December 29, 2016
A7News: Bennett on BBC: ''UN vote gives tailwind to terror attacks'
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/
Thursday, Dec. 29 '16, כ"ט בכסלו תשע"ז
HEADLINES:
1. BENNETT ON BBC: ''UN VOTE GIVES TAILWIND TO TERROR ATTACKS'
2. PM: KERRY'S SPEECH BIASED LIKE THE UN
3. WATCH: SECRETARY KERRY SAYS 'SETTLEMENTS' PREVENTING PEACE
4. BENNETT TELLS KERRY: PICK UP YOUR BIBLE AND READ IT
5. TRUMP SENDS A MESSAGE TO ISRAEL
6. SENATOR RUBIO: KERRY UNDERMINES AMERICA'S MORAL STANDING
7. 'I TOOK OFF MY HELMET AND COCKED MY GUN WITH MY LEFT HAND'
8. DORE GOLD: KERRY'S 'ONE-STATE SOLUTION' IS AN EMPTY THREAT
1. BENNETT ON BBC: ''UN VOTE GIVES TAILWIND TO TERROR ATTACKS'
by Yoel Domb
[youtube:2022604]
Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) says that Secretary of State Kerry's speech is "profoundly disconnected from reality," since the Administration's policy has thrown the Middle East into turmoil yet Israel, the only democracy in the region, has been abandoned by America.
Bennett said that there are already two states in the region:Israel and a Palestinian state in Gaza which has turned into as terrorist state. "Kerry want's to create yet another terrorist state in the heart of Israel".
Moreover Kerry described Jerusalem as 'occupied territory'. Bennett said that "one cannot occupy one's own land. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel for 3,000 years and no UN resolution will change that."
Bennett added that trying to 'inject' a Palestinian state into the heart of Israel, dividing Jerusalem, has failed time after time and "it's time to try a fresh approach and apply Israeli sovereignty to largely Jewish areas in Judea and Samaria and provide autonomy for Palestinians in other areas of Judea and Samaria."
Bennett also said that the "UN vote gives tailwind to terror attacks in Berlin, Brussels or Orlando."
2. PM: KERRY'S SPEECH BIASED LIKE THE UN
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu criticized Secretary of State John Kerry's speech on the peace process scathingly Wednesday, calling the speech "skewed" and "obsessive."
"Like the Security Council resolution that Secretary Kerry advanced in the UN, his speech tonight was skewed against Israel," a statement from Netanyahu's office said.
"For over an hour, Kerry obsessively dealt with settlements and barely touched upon the root of the conflict -- Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries." the statement continued.
Other government ministers also criticized Kerry's speech. Tourism Minister Yariv Levin stated that the speech included "a lot of words and very little understanding of reality."
"Kerry is trying to force on us, in his last days on the job, a worldview that is a prize for Palestinian terror and that completely ignores our rights to the country," Levin said, adding that "A true friend of Israel should have shown support for the elected government and not tried to force on the Jewish people resolutions through the supporters of Iran at the UN."
Education Minister Naftali Bennett said: "Kerry quoted me three times anonymously in his speech in order to demonstrate that we oppose a Palestinian state."
"So let me state it explicitly:" Bennett said.
"Yes. If it depends on me, we will not establish another terror state in the heart of our country. The citizens of Israel have paid with thousands of victims, tens of thousands of rockets and innumerable condemnations for the utopian idea of a Palestinian state. It's time for a new policy and we will lead the way." Bennett concluded.
MK Moti Yogev said: "The speech and the frustration of Secretary of State John Kerry [for the sake of creating] a Palestinian terrorist state in the land of Israel, didn't surprise anyone."
Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog praised Kerry's speech, however. "John Kerry has always been a great friend of Israel and will always be. His speech expresses true concerns about Israel's well-being & future." he tweeted.
[youtube:2022593]
3. WATCH: SECRETARY KERRY SAYS 'SETTLEMENTS' PREVENTING PEACE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2022586]
Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking on his vision of "peace between Israel and the PA" blamed 'settlements' for putting the two-state solution in jeopardy.
Kerry claimed that the Obama Administration did not betray Israel when it allowed the passage of an anti-Israel resolution at the UN Security Council last week. "Throughout his administration, President Obama has been deeply committed to Israel and its security. And that commitment has guided his pursuit of peace in the Middle East."
"This administration has been Israel's greatest friend and supporter." he claimed. "No American administration has done more for Israel's security than Barack Obama's."
He said that "The vote in the United Nations was about preserving the two-state-solution," because "the two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians."
He warned that Israel was in danger of losing its character as a Jewish and democratic state if it does not separate from the Palestinian Arabs. "If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish, or it can be democratic. But it cannot be both."
Kerry called out the Fatah organization for inciting terrorism. "The murderers of innocents are still glorified on Fatah websites, including showing attackers next to Palestinian leaders after terrorist attacks." He also accused PA leaders of "naming public squares, streets, and schools, after terrorists."
Kerry criticized Hamas for seeking Israel's destruction and diverting aid to help the residents of Gaza to its war machine.
He then began to criticize the Jewish communities over the 1949 armistice lines, saying that they make it "that much harder to separate."
"Settlement expansion has nothing to do with Israeli security." he said.
"This is not to say that the settlements are the whole, or even the primary cause of the conflict. he clarified. "We understand that in a final status agreement, certain settlements would become part of Israel to account for the changes that have taken place over the last 49 years."
4. BENNETT TELLS KERRY: PICK UP YOUR BIBLE AND READ IT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Education Minister and Jewish Home Party head Naftali Bennett responded Wednesday to Secretary of State Kerry's call for a "viable two state solution." Bennett said that "Kerry quoted me three times anonymously in his speech in order to demonstrate that we oppose a Palestinian state."
"So let me state it explicitly:"
"Yes. If it depends on me, we will not establish another terror state in the heart of our country. The citizens of Israel have paid with thousands of victims, tens of thousands of rockets and innumerable condemnations for the utopian idea of a Palestinian state. It's time for a new policy and we will lead the way."
Earlier, Bennett sent a sharp message to Secretary of State Kerry on the eve of his policy speech regarding the Arab-israeli conflict.
"A few days ago the UN Security Council voted for a shameful resolution stating that Jerusalem is occupied territory," the minister said.
"Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital for 3,000 years. That is in the Bible, open it and read. We, the Jews, have been lighting the menorah for 2170 years in Jerusalem. We say 'Next year in Jerusalem' every Passover. We lit the menorah 1,000 years ago in Russia and Morocco and said 'Next year in Jerusalem.' We lit the menorah 72 years ago near the Auschwitz crematoria and said 'Next year in Jerusalem.'"
"Mr. Secretary: No UN decision or speech will change the fact that Jerusalem was and will always be the Israeli capital."
[youtube:2022593]
5. TRUMP SENDS A MESSAGE TO ISRAEL
by Arutz Sheva Staff
President-elect Donald Trump urged Israel to "stay strong" until he takes office, saying that it cannot be "treated with disdain."
'We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this [the U.N., ed.]! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!" Trump tweeted
Netanyahu is hoping for better relations with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office Jan. 20. Trump has pledged to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and his choice of ambassador to Israel, attorney David Friedman, is a strong supporter of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. On Tuesday, Trump appointed Thomas Bossert, a campaign adviser on Israeli issues, to be his assistant for homeland security and counter terrorism.
Secretary of State John Kerry intends to offer a "comprehensive vision" for how Middle East peace can be achieved at the coming French Conference on Peace, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blocked a discussion of new construction in Jerusalem in an effort to reduce tensions with Washington.
Along with the Kerry speech, France is gathering dozens of foreign ministers in Paris on Jan. 15 to discuss the conflict. Israel objects to the conference, insisting on direct talks with the PA as the only way to make progress. Israeli officials say that may result in a proposal they view as unfavorable, which could then be taken to the U.N. for a seal of approval.
6. SENATOR RUBIO: KERRY UNDERMINES AMERICA'S MORAL STANDING
by Gary Willig
US Senator and former presidential primaries candidate Marco Rubio accused Secretary of State John Kerry of undermining America's moral standing in the world following Kerry's speech in which he blasted Israel's construction in Jewish neighborhoods in Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem.
Rubio released a statement saying: "Secretary Kerry today once again decided to cater to the demands of freedom's enemies and devote an entire speech to disparaging a country that is one of our closest allies. This administration's shameful undermining of our moral standing in the world should be a warning to administrations for decades to come about the consequences of America abandoning our values. When we fail to take a stand against those that seek to deny Israel's right to exist or try to question the Jewish history of Jerusalem, we hurt not just Israel but our own credibility."
The statement continued: "The greatest immediate threat to the future of Israel is not a stalled peace process, or settlements, but the abandonment of the Jewish state by the current U.S. administration at a time when it needs America's support more than ever."
Rubio expressed the hope that President-elect Donald Trump would take a different approach to America's relationship with Israel than President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry. "I look forward to working with President-elect Trump and his incoming team to restore our relationship with Israel to its proper place. I intend to continue to work with my colleagues to fight alarming efforts by those in the United States and internationally to promote modern day anti-Semitism through the boycott and divestment movement. I will also work to ensure that if the United Nations wants to continue to promote anti-Semitism and anti-Israel views, it will do so without U.S. taxpayer funding."
"This shameful episode in American foreign policy cannot end soon enough." Rubio condluded.
[youtube:2022593]
7. 'I TOOK OFF MY HELMET AND COCKED MY GUN WITH MY LEFT HAND'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
"Bravery, determination and dedication is the true valor of our time. You acted without hesitation and out of a sense of mission. This is the way the police and soldiers act in the Jerusalem district," said the Jerusalem District Commander, Major General Yoram Halevi.
Halevi visited the home of Sergeant-Major S, of the Police Reconnaissance Unit, who was injured in his hand and leg in the October shootout with a terrorist who killed a civilian and Yossi Kirma HYD, a member of the unit.
S was moderately injured and after a series of operations was released from hospital and is now undergoing extensive rehabilitation.
During the course of the visit S reconstructed the events from the day of the shootout. "There was shooting going on but at first I didn't understand that he was shooting and had hit Yossi. I saw we were driving towards the pavement and when we fell into shooting positions I saw that I had been hit in the hand. When I turned round towards Yossi I was shot in the leg. I tried to pick up my weapon but felt no sensation in my hand. I took off my helmet and cocked my gun with my left hand in an effort to neutralize the terrorist. Despite my wounds I saw all the forces at the scene and understood that the terrorist had been neutralized. Later I found out that Yossi had died. This was one of the hardest moments in my life.
S thanked his commander for all the help he had received from the moment he was wounded and during his rehabilitation. "People didn't stop calling and asking about me and my family. I needed this and really appreciate it."
8. DORE GOLD: KERRY'S 'ONE-STATE SOLUTION' IS AN EMPTY THREAT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2022614]
The former director-general of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Dore Gold, referred Thursday on Galei Tzahal to the suggested guidelines presented by Secretary of State John Kerry in his speech yesterday.
Gold stated that this was not the first time there were tensions between the Israeli government and the Obama administration and there had been difficult moments between the countries on many previous occasions.
"I remember Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and George Bush Sr., I remember the period after Menachem Begin ordered the bombing of the Osirak reactor in Iraq," said Gold. "There are times of tension but things work out in the end because we have joint values and strategic interests."
Gold disclosed that from his contacts with Palestinian officials he understood that Kerry's threat of a "one-state solution" is an empty threat. "I can say that for a period of years when I was serving in the Foreign Affairs ministry, I used to meet with officials close to the Palestinian leadership in a European city to hear their opinions without CNN and cameras around us, and they said 'Dore, the talk of one state is not realistic. You can decide what borders you want.' I think this is correct. We do not want one state with all the Palestinians but on the other hand we need to define defensible borders."
"Mr. Kerry did not explain how Israel ought to defend itself while chaos is raging in Syria and could spill over to other Middle Eastern countries. Israel must stay strong - this is the policy of Prime Minister Netanyahu," said Gold.
Gold explained that Kerry's "obsession" with what is happening in Israel, as Netanyahu termed it, stems from the Obama administration's ideology. "Foreign policy comprises both a correct reading of the Middle East and the right ideology and concepts. Obama thought until now that the Iranian agreement would lead to a more moderate Iran and this is how he explained the agreement to journalists in Washington. What happened? We now have Iranian forces in Syria and Iraq and Iranian activity in the Red Sea. This is no moderate state, this is a very activist state."
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
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http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
Thursday, Dec. 29 '16, כ"ט בכסלו תשע"ז
HEADLINES:
1. BENNETT ON BBC: ''UN VOTE GIVES TAILWIND TO TERROR ATTACKS'
2. PM: KERRY'S SPEECH BIASED LIKE THE UN
3. WATCH: SECRETARY KERRY SAYS 'SETTLEMENTS' PREVENTING PEACE
4. BENNETT TELLS KERRY: PICK UP YOUR BIBLE AND READ IT
5. TRUMP SENDS A MESSAGE TO ISRAEL
6. SENATOR RUBIO: KERRY UNDERMINES AMERICA'S MORAL STANDING
7. 'I TOOK OFF MY HELMET AND COCKED MY GUN WITH MY LEFT HAND'
8. DORE GOLD: KERRY'S 'ONE-STATE SOLUTION' IS AN EMPTY THREAT
1. BENNETT ON BBC: ''UN VOTE GIVES TAILWIND TO TERROR ATTACKS'
by Yoel Domb
[youtube:2022604]
Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) says that Secretary of State Kerry's speech is "profoundly disconnected from reality," since the Administration's policy has thrown the Middle East into turmoil yet Israel, the only democracy in the region, has been abandoned by America.
Bennett said that there are already two states in the region:Israel and a Palestinian state in Gaza which has turned into as terrorist state. "Kerry want's to create yet another terrorist state in the heart of Israel".
Moreover Kerry described Jerusalem as 'occupied territory'. Bennett said that "one cannot occupy one's own land. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel for 3,000 years and no UN resolution will change that."
Bennett added that trying to 'inject' a Palestinian state into the heart of Israel, dividing Jerusalem, has failed time after time and "it's time to try a fresh approach and apply Israeli sovereignty to largely Jewish areas in Judea and Samaria and provide autonomy for Palestinians in other areas of Judea and Samaria."
Bennett also said that the "UN vote gives tailwind to terror attacks in Berlin, Brussels or Orlando."
2. PM: KERRY'S SPEECH BIASED LIKE THE UN
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu criticized Secretary of State John Kerry's speech on the peace process scathingly Wednesday, calling the speech "skewed" and "obsessive."
"Like the Security Council resolution that Secretary Kerry advanced in the UN, his speech tonight was skewed against Israel," a statement from Netanyahu's office said.
"For over an hour, Kerry obsessively dealt with settlements and barely touched upon the root of the conflict -- Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries." the statement continued.
Other government ministers also criticized Kerry's speech. Tourism Minister Yariv Levin stated that the speech included "a lot of words and very little understanding of reality."
"Kerry is trying to force on us, in his last days on the job, a worldview that is a prize for Palestinian terror and that completely ignores our rights to the country," Levin said, adding that "A true friend of Israel should have shown support for the elected government and not tried to force on the Jewish people resolutions through the supporters of Iran at the UN."
Education Minister Naftali Bennett said: "Kerry quoted me three times anonymously in his speech in order to demonstrate that we oppose a Palestinian state."
"So let me state it explicitly:" Bennett said.
"Yes. If it depends on me, we will not establish another terror state in the heart of our country. The citizens of Israel have paid with thousands of victims, tens of thousands of rockets and innumerable condemnations for the utopian idea of a Palestinian state. It's time for a new policy and we will lead the way." Bennett concluded.
MK Moti Yogev said: "The speech and the frustration of Secretary of State John Kerry [for the sake of creating] a Palestinian terrorist state in the land of Israel, didn't surprise anyone."
Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog praised Kerry's speech, however. "John Kerry has always been a great friend of Israel and will always be. His speech expresses true concerns about Israel's well-being & future." he tweeted.
[youtube:2022593]
3. WATCH: SECRETARY KERRY SAYS 'SETTLEMENTS' PREVENTING PEACE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2022586]
Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking on his vision of "peace between Israel and the PA" blamed 'settlements' for putting the two-state solution in jeopardy.
Kerry claimed that the Obama Administration did not betray Israel when it allowed the passage of an anti-Israel resolution at the UN Security Council last week. "Throughout his administration, President Obama has been deeply committed to Israel and its security. And that commitment has guided his pursuit of peace in the Middle East."
"This administration has been Israel's greatest friend and supporter." he claimed. "No American administration has done more for Israel's security than Barack Obama's."
He said that "The vote in the United Nations was about preserving the two-state-solution," because "the two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians."
He warned that Israel was in danger of losing its character as a Jewish and democratic state if it does not separate from the Palestinian Arabs. "If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish, or it can be democratic. But it cannot be both."
Kerry called out the Fatah organization for inciting terrorism. "The murderers of innocents are still glorified on Fatah websites, including showing attackers next to Palestinian leaders after terrorist attacks." He also accused PA leaders of "naming public squares, streets, and schools, after terrorists."
Kerry criticized Hamas for seeking Israel's destruction and diverting aid to help the residents of Gaza to its war machine.
He then began to criticize the Jewish communities over the 1949 armistice lines, saying that they make it "that much harder to separate."
"Settlement expansion has nothing to do with Israeli security." he said.
"This is not to say that the settlements are the whole, or even the primary cause of the conflict. he clarified. "We understand that in a final status agreement, certain settlements would become part of Israel to account for the changes that have taken place over the last 49 years."
4. BENNETT TELLS KERRY: PICK UP YOUR BIBLE AND READ IT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Education Minister and Jewish Home Party head Naftali Bennett responded Wednesday to Secretary of State Kerry's call for a "viable two state solution." Bennett said that "Kerry quoted me three times anonymously in his speech in order to demonstrate that we oppose a Palestinian state."
"So let me state it explicitly:"
"Yes. If it depends on me, we will not establish another terror state in the heart of our country. The citizens of Israel have paid with thousands of victims, tens of thousands of rockets and innumerable condemnations for the utopian idea of a Palestinian state. It's time for a new policy and we will lead the way."
Earlier, Bennett sent a sharp message to Secretary of State Kerry on the eve of his policy speech regarding the Arab-israeli conflict.
"A few days ago the UN Security Council voted for a shameful resolution stating that Jerusalem is occupied territory," the minister said.
"Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital for 3,000 years. That is in the Bible, open it and read. We, the Jews, have been lighting the menorah for 2170 years in Jerusalem. We say 'Next year in Jerusalem' every Passover. We lit the menorah 1,000 years ago in Russia and Morocco and said 'Next year in Jerusalem.' We lit the menorah 72 years ago near the Auschwitz crematoria and said 'Next year in Jerusalem.'"
"Mr. Secretary: No UN decision or speech will change the fact that Jerusalem was and will always be the Israeli capital."
[youtube:2022593]
5. TRUMP SENDS A MESSAGE TO ISRAEL
by Arutz Sheva Staff
President-elect Donald Trump urged Israel to "stay strong" until he takes office, saying that it cannot be "treated with disdain."
'We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this [the U.N., ed.]! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!" Trump tweeted
Netanyahu is hoping for better relations with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office Jan. 20. Trump has pledged to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and his choice of ambassador to Israel, attorney David Friedman, is a strong supporter of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. On Tuesday, Trump appointed Thomas Bossert, a campaign adviser on Israeli issues, to be his assistant for homeland security and counter terrorism.
Secretary of State John Kerry intends to offer a "comprehensive vision" for how Middle East peace can be achieved at the coming French Conference on Peace, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blocked a discussion of new construction in Jerusalem in an effort to reduce tensions with Washington.
Along with the Kerry speech, France is gathering dozens of foreign ministers in Paris on Jan. 15 to discuss the conflict. Israel objects to the conference, insisting on direct talks with the PA as the only way to make progress. Israeli officials say that may result in a proposal they view as unfavorable, which could then be taken to the U.N. for a seal of approval.
6. SENATOR RUBIO: KERRY UNDERMINES AMERICA'S MORAL STANDING
by Gary Willig
US Senator and former presidential primaries candidate Marco Rubio accused Secretary of State John Kerry of undermining America's moral standing in the world following Kerry's speech in which he blasted Israel's construction in Jewish neighborhoods in Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem.
Rubio released a statement saying: "Secretary Kerry today once again decided to cater to the demands of freedom's enemies and devote an entire speech to disparaging a country that is one of our closest allies. This administration's shameful undermining of our moral standing in the world should be a warning to administrations for decades to come about the consequences of America abandoning our values. When we fail to take a stand against those that seek to deny Israel's right to exist or try to question the Jewish history of Jerusalem, we hurt not just Israel but our own credibility."
The statement continued: "The greatest immediate threat to the future of Israel is not a stalled peace process, or settlements, but the abandonment of the Jewish state by the current U.S. administration at a time when it needs America's support more than ever."
Rubio expressed the hope that President-elect Donald Trump would take a different approach to America's relationship with Israel than President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry. "I look forward to working with President-elect Trump and his incoming team to restore our relationship with Israel to its proper place. I intend to continue to work with my colleagues to fight alarming efforts by those in the United States and internationally to promote modern day anti-Semitism through the boycott and divestment movement. I will also work to ensure that if the United Nations wants to continue to promote anti-Semitism and anti-Israel views, it will do so without U.S. taxpayer funding."
"This shameful episode in American foreign policy cannot end soon enough." Rubio condluded.
[youtube:2022593]
7. 'I TOOK OFF MY HELMET AND COCKED MY GUN WITH MY LEFT HAND'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
"Bravery, determination and dedication is the true valor of our time. You acted without hesitation and out of a sense of mission. This is the way the police and soldiers act in the Jerusalem district," said the Jerusalem District Commander, Major General Yoram Halevi.
Halevi visited the home of Sergeant-Major S, of the Police Reconnaissance Unit, who was injured in his hand and leg in the October shootout with a terrorist who killed a civilian and Yossi Kirma HYD, a member of the unit.
S was moderately injured and after a series of operations was released from hospital and is now undergoing extensive rehabilitation.
During the course of the visit S reconstructed the events from the day of the shootout. "There was shooting going on but at first I didn't understand that he was shooting and had hit Yossi. I saw we were driving towards the pavement and when we fell into shooting positions I saw that I had been hit in the hand. When I turned round towards Yossi I was shot in the leg. I tried to pick up my weapon but felt no sensation in my hand. I took off my helmet and cocked my gun with my left hand in an effort to neutralize the terrorist. Despite my wounds I saw all the forces at the scene and understood that the terrorist had been neutralized. Later I found out that Yossi had died. This was one of the hardest moments in my life.
S thanked his commander for all the help he had received from the moment he was wounded and during his rehabilitation. "People didn't stop calling and asking about me and my family. I needed this and really appreciate it."
8. DORE GOLD: KERRY'S 'ONE-STATE SOLUTION' IS AN EMPTY THREAT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2022614]
The former director-general of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Dore Gold, referred Thursday on Galei Tzahal to the suggested guidelines presented by Secretary of State John Kerry in his speech yesterday.
Gold stated that this was not the first time there were tensions between the Israeli government and the Obama administration and there had been difficult moments between the countries on many previous occasions.
"I remember Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and George Bush Sr., I remember the period after Menachem Begin ordered the bombing of the Osirak reactor in Iraq," said Gold. "There are times of tension but things work out in the end because we have joint values and strategic interests."
Gold disclosed that from his contacts with Palestinian officials he understood that Kerry's threat of a "one-state solution" is an empty threat. "I can say that for a period of years when I was serving in the Foreign Affairs ministry, I used to meet with officials close to the Palestinian leadership in a European city to hear their opinions without CNN and cameras around us, and they said 'Dore, the talk of one state is not realistic. You can decide what borders you want.' I think this is correct. We do not want one state with all the Palestinians but on the other hand we need to define defensible borders."
"Mr. Kerry did not explain how Israel ought to defend itself while chaos is raging in Syria and could spill over to other Middle Eastern countries. Israel must stay strong - this is the policy of Prime Minister Netanyahu," said Gold.
Gold explained that Kerry's "obsession" with what is happening in Israel, as Netanyahu termed it, stems from the Obama administration's ideology. "Foreign policy comprises both a correct reading of the Middle East and the right ideology and concepts. Obama thought until now that the Iranian agreement would lead to a more moderate Iran and this is how he explained the agreement to journalists in Washington. What happened? We now have Iranian forces in Syria and Iraq and Iranian activity in the Red Sea. This is no moderate state, this is a very activist state."
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Wednesday, December 28, 2016
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A7News: YESHA Council Envoy: Kerry is a liar, he's not saying the truth
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Wednesday, Dec. 28 '16, כ"ח בכסלו תשע"ז
HEADLINES:
1. YESHA COUNCIL ENVOY: KERRY IS A LIAR, HE'S NOT SAYING THE TRUTH
2. EGYPTIAN REPORT: US LED THE CHARGE TO PASS THE UN RESOLUTION
3. PAKISTAN'S DEFENSE MINISTER CRITICIZED OVER THREAT TO ISRAEL
4. KERRY TO OFFER COMPREHENSIVE VISION ON ISRAEL-PA PEACE
5. DUTCH POLICE: BERLIN SUSPECT MAY HAVE VISITED NETHERLANDS
6. JERUSALEM BUILDING COMMITTEE DELAYS APPROVAL OF NEW UNITS
7. PA PLANNING MORE STEPS AGAINST ISRAEL AT ICC
8. HEZBOLLAH INCREASES MISSILE ARSENAL
1. YESHA COUNCIL ENVOY: KERRY IS A LIAR, HE'S NOT SAYING THE TRUTH
by Eliran Aharon
[youtube:1129182]
Prior to US Secretary of State John Kerry's speech, which is expected to be one attacking Israel, YESHA Council Chief Foreign Envoy and Efrat Mayor Oded Revivi said Kerry was not a person who could be relied on.
"When I met with Kerry a few weeks ago, I understood that we're talking about a person who is disconnected from reality and looking to make headlines. He's a person who takes sides in an argument and confuses facts with wishes. During his years in office, Kerry has seen over and over again Israel's willingness to compromise, as well as the Palestinian Authority's stubbornness and insistence on ignoring golden opportunities for lasting peace."
Revivi also said Kerry "has to stop dreaming and fantasizing about what Israel considers to be a nightmare. He also needs to connect to reality, and stop believing his fantasies are facts."
"John Kerry is a stain on American foreign policy that is ignorant of the issues. He has chosen to eternalize his legacy as the worst secretary of state in history that chose to stab his closest ally in the back while rivers of blood flowed like water across the Middle-East," continued Revivi. "I can personally attest to the fact that he knows very little about the realities in Judea and Samaria and instead chooses to defame us from afar by repeating fictitious mantras against us.
"I'd like to remind the outgoing American administration that Israel's building policy is made in Jerusalem by our democratically elected government. It is the Israeli government that was elected by an overwhelming majority of the Israeli people that supports building in our ancestral homeland.
"Our rights to this land are fully legal and cannot be refuted; this is the reason that proclamations are being made instead providing solid legal arguments against us. Nearly half a million Israelis currently reside on the strategic highlands of Judea and Samaria overlooking seventy percent of Israel's population and industrial base, no amount of speeches or resolutions can reverse this reality," he concluded.
2. EGYPTIAN REPORT: US LED THE CHARGE TO PASS THE UN RESOLUTION
by Shimon Cohen
A new report from an Egyptian news site lends credence to the Israeli contention that the US was behind the recently passed anti-Israel UN Security Council resolution.
According to the report, US Secretary of State John Kerry met with senior PA official Saeb Erekat before the vote to coordinate official positions on the resolution.
The revelations of the meeting, at which US National Security Advisor Susan Rice was also present, were broadcast this morning on Israel's Channel 2.
During the meeting, those present blamed PM Netanyahu for preventing a "two-state solution," and set out to achieve amongst themselves a so-called balanced proposal.
The Egyptian report also said that, aside from coordination of positions and an effective American promise that the US would spearhead the resolution and ensure that it got passed, the American representatives requested from the PA representatives that they ensure no terror attacks were carried out until the vote - to increase chances of the resolution's passage.
This week, Minister Ze'ev Elkin told Arutz Sheva that the Ukrainian vote in favor of the resolution was influenced by American pressure. This claim fits well with the Egyptian report that the US had promised the PA to ensure that countries voted against Israel.
On Wednesday evening, Kerry is expected to make a speech outlining his approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its solution.
3. PAKISTAN'S DEFENSE MINISTER CRITICIZED OVER THREAT TO ISRAEL
by Ben Ariel
Officials in Pakistan's government are criticizing the country's defense minister for tweeting a nuclear threat against Israel over what was a fake news story.
The Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, who has several times threatened to use nuclear weapons on neighboring India, threatened Israel after a fake news report claimed Israel had threatened to nuke Pakistan.
The fake report, published on the AWD website, claimed Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman had said Israel would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons on Pakistan if Pakistan sent troops into Syria. The article also claimed former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon had threatened Pakistan following a reported deal between Pakistan and Syria.
Pakistan's Defense then Ministry noted that Israel had "forgotten" about Pakistan's nuclear capabilities.
"Israeli def min threatens nuclear retaliation presuming pak role in Syria against Daesh. Israel forgets Pakistan is a Nuclear state too," Asif tweeted on Friday.
The Israeli defense ministry responded the following day and said the story was "entirely false".
A senior Pakistani foreign ministry official told the Financial Times on Tuesday that the episode highlighted a "double risk".
The official referred to "the use of social media, which allows people to react without thinking through their response; and the fact that the defense minister does not appear to have consulted anyone".
Ali Sarwar Naqvi, a former Pakistani ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also criticized Asif and told the Financial Times, "This was a very ill-thought statement without verification of the source of this news. The foreign ministry should have been consulted."
One western official accused Asif of "being prone to thinking later and talking first", adding that the defense minister had behaved "a bit like Donald Trump".
Asif's comments have drawn particular criticism because the original AWD story was relatively easy to check, noted the Financial Times.
One western diplomat said the possibility of Pakistan sending troops to Syria has never been discussed.
"The minister should have asked himself first if sending troops to Syria has ever been discussed anywhere. Why should an Israeli politician raise this matter to begin with?"
4. KERRY TO OFFER COMPREHENSIVE VISION ON ISRAEL-PA PEACE
by Elad Benari
Secretary of State John Kerry will on Wednesday make a speech regarding the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) and discuss next steps needed to resolve the conflict, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
Kerry will offer a "comprehensive vision" of how he believes the process should be revived, Toner said.
The Secretary of State believes "it is his duty in his remaining weeks and days as Secretary of State to lay out what he believes is a way towards a two-state solution," he continued.
"It's always important to keep the process moving forward," Toner told reporters. "We haven't given up on this and we don't think the Israelis and Palestinians should do either."
Kerry last led a failed Israel-PA peace effort in 2014. Those talks ended when the PA breached their conditions and unilaterally applied to join international institutions.
His speech on the peace process comes less than a week after the UN Security Council passed an anti-Israel resolution condemning Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria. The resolution passed when the U.S. abstained in the vote, allowing it to go through.
Toner on Tuesday rejected claims that the Obama administration had pushed for the Security Council resolution.
"There was nothing pre-cooked, this was not some move orchestrated by the United States," Toner stressed, according to Reuters.
He defended the administration's decision to abstain during the vote, saying the United States wanted to "send a clear message about our concerns about settlement activity."
"We don't want this to create a diplomatic firestorm," he added.
Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer told CNN on Monday that Israel has proof that the Obama administration was behind Friday's UN Security Council resolution.
"We will present this evidence to the new administration through the appropriate channels. If they want to share it with the American people they are welcome to do it," said Dermer.
According to Dermer, not only did the U.S. not stand by Israel's side during the vote, it "was behind this ganging up on Israel at the UN."
Obama's deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, later fired back and told Israel's Channel 2 News that "Israeli intransigence" led to the vote in the Security Council.
5. DUTCH POLICE: BERLIN SUSPECT MAY HAVE VISITED NETHERLANDS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Dutch police announced on Wednesday they were investigating whether 24-year-old Anis Amri had passed through the Netherlands
On December 19, a man plowed into a crowd of civilians at Berlin's Christmas market, killing 12 people. That man is believed to be Amri, who was killed in a shooting match in Italy on December 23.
National Prosecutor's Office Spokesman Wim de Bruin said there were signs Amri had passed through the Netherlands on his way to France. However, he also said full details are not available since investigations are not yet complete.
6. JERUSALEM BUILDING COMMITTEE DELAYS APPROVAL OF NEW UNITS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee has announced the cancellation of Wednesday's meeting.
During the meeting, the Committee was scheduled to approve the construction of 490 new housing units in Jerusalem's Ramot and Ramat Shlomo neighborhoods.
In addition, a discussion regarding Arab building permits in Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods of Beit Hanina and Beit Safafa was also canceled.
The cancellation of Wednesday's meetings comes just ahead of US Secretary of State John Kerry's scheduled speech on Wednesday night, and Committee Chairman Meir Turgeman said the cancellations came at the request of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
"The Jerusalem municipality and committees are not involved in or planning a building freeze," a Jerusalem spokesperson said. "Sometimes there are delays of several weeks, and sometimes permits are delayed for technical reasons. We have received no new instructions from the Prime Minister on the subject."
7. PA PLANNING MORE STEPS AGAINST ISRAEL AT ICC
by Dalit Halevi
Saeb Erekat, formerly the chief negotiator on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and a member of the Fatah Central Committee, threatened on Tuesday that the PA would take a number of steps in the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague against what he termed the "crimes of the Israeli occupation, led by the settlements."
"The whole world, including the five permanent members of the Security Council and the United States in particular, unanimously agreed and clearly said that Israel's occupation of Palestinian land and all that it entails is illegal and a war crime," said Erekat.
"On this basis," he added, "the Palestinian leadership will take steps in response to Israel's arrogance and the war crimes that it continues to commit."
Another member of the Fatah Central Committee, Mohammad Shtayyeh, said last week's resolution passed by the UN Security Council opens new avenues for diplomatic activities against the "settlements".
He said that the PA will try to submit another draft resolution to the Security Council which calls for sanctions against Israel over the "settlements".
The PA officially joined the ICC on April 1, 2015, and immediately filed a series of legal complaints with the court. In addition to claiming that Israel committed war crimes during the 2014 Gaza war, it also claimed that Israeli "settlements" are "an ongoing war crime".
Earlier this week, a close associate of PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas threatened to sue Israeli officers at the ICC following the vote at the Security Council.
"In 2017 we will go to The Hague," the associate told Israel's Channel 2 News, adding, "We have hundreds of pages with names of IDF officers. Every pilot and every officer and every soldier, we have his picture, his name, and we are waiting for him at The Hague. If we succeed in just one case, it's a different world."
8. HEZBOLLAH INCREASES MISSILE ARSENAL
by ILTV
[brightcove:2022550]
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
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Wednesday, Dec. 28 '16, כ"ח בכסלו תשע"ז
HEADLINES:
1. YESHA COUNCIL ENVOY: KERRY IS A LIAR, HE'S NOT SAYING THE TRUTH
2. EGYPTIAN REPORT: US LED THE CHARGE TO PASS THE UN RESOLUTION
3. PAKISTAN'S DEFENSE MINISTER CRITICIZED OVER THREAT TO ISRAEL
4. KERRY TO OFFER COMPREHENSIVE VISION ON ISRAEL-PA PEACE
5. DUTCH POLICE: BERLIN SUSPECT MAY HAVE VISITED NETHERLANDS
6. JERUSALEM BUILDING COMMITTEE DELAYS APPROVAL OF NEW UNITS
7. PA PLANNING MORE STEPS AGAINST ISRAEL AT ICC
8. HEZBOLLAH INCREASES MISSILE ARSENAL
1. YESHA COUNCIL ENVOY: KERRY IS A LIAR, HE'S NOT SAYING THE TRUTH
by Eliran Aharon
[youtube:1129182]
Prior to US Secretary of State John Kerry's speech, which is expected to be one attacking Israel, YESHA Council Chief Foreign Envoy and Efrat Mayor Oded Revivi said Kerry was not a person who could be relied on.
"When I met with Kerry a few weeks ago, I understood that we're talking about a person who is disconnected from reality and looking to make headlines. He's a person who takes sides in an argument and confuses facts with wishes. During his years in office, Kerry has seen over and over again Israel's willingness to compromise, as well as the Palestinian Authority's stubbornness and insistence on ignoring golden opportunities for lasting peace."
Revivi also said Kerry "has to stop dreaming and fantasizing about what Israel considers to be a nightmare. He also needs to connect to reality, and stop believing his fantasies are facts."
"John Kerry is a stain on American foreign policy that is ignorant of the issues. He has chosen to eternalize his legacy as the worst secretary of state in history that chose to stab his closest ally in the back while rivers of blood flowed like water across the Middle-East," continued Revivi. "I can personally attest to the fact that he knows very little about the realities in Judea and Samaria and instead chooses to defame us from afar by repeating fictitious mantras against us.
"I'd like to remind the outgoing American administration that Israel's building policy is made in Jerusalem by our democratically elected government. It is the Israeli government that was elected by an overwhelming majority of the Israeli people that supports building in our ancestral homeland.
"Our rights to this land are fully legal and cannot be refuted; this is the reason that proclamations are being made instead providing solid legal arguments against us. Nearly half a million Israelis currently reside on the strategic highlands of Judea and Samaria overlooking seventy percent of Israel's population and industrial base, no amount of speeches or resolutions can reverse this reality," he concluded.
2. EGYPTIAN REPORT: US LED THE CHARGE TO PASS THE UN RESOLUTION
by Shimon Cohen
A new report from an Egyptian news site lends credence to the Israeli contention that the US was behind the recently passed anti-Israel UN Security Council resolution.
According to the report, US Secretary of State John Kerry met with senior PA official Saeb Erekat before the vote to coordinate official positions on the resolution.
The revelations of the meeting, at which US National Security Advisor Susan Rice was also present, were broadcast this morning on Israel's Channel 2.
During the meeting, those present blamed PM Netanyahu for preventing a "two-state solution," and set out to achieve amongst themselves a so-called balanced proposal.
The Egyptian report also said that, aside from coordination of positions and an effective American promise that the US would spearhead the resolution and ensure that it got passed, the American representatives requested from the PA representatives that they ensure no terror attacks were carried out until the vote - to increase chances of the resolution's passage.
This week, Minister Ze'ev Elkin told Arutz Sheva that the Ukrainian vote in favor of the resolution was influenced by American pressure. This claim fits well with the Egyptian report that the US had promised the PA to ensure that countries voted against Israel.
On Wednesday evening, Kerry is expected to make a speech outlining his approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its solution.
3. PAKISTAN'S DEFENSE MINISTER CRITICIZED OVER THREAT TO ISRAEL
by Ben Ariel
Officials in Pakistan's government are criticizing the country's defense minister for tweeting a nuclear threat against Israel over what was a fake news story.
The Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, who has several times threatened to use nuclear weapons on neighboring India, threatened Israel after a fake news report claimed Israel had threatened to nuke Pakistan.
The fake report, published on the AWD website, claimed Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman had said Israel would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons on Pakistan if Pakistan sent troops into Syria. The article also claimed former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon had threatened Pakistan following a reported deal between Pakistan and Syria.
Pakistan's Defense then Ministry noted that Israel had "forgotten" about Pakistan's nuclear capabilities.
"Israeli def min threatens nuclear retaliation presuming pak role in Syria against Daesh. Israel forgets Pakistan is a Nuclear state too," Asif tweeted on Friday.
The Israeli defense ministry responded the following day and said the story was "entirely false".
A senior Pakistani foreign ministry official told the Financial Times on Tuesday that the episode highlighted a "double risk".
The official referred to "the use of social media, which allows people to react without thinking through their response; and the fact that the defense minister does not appear to have consulted anyone".
Ali Sarwar Naqvi, a former Pakistani ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also criticized Asif and told the Financial Times, "This was a very ill-thought statement without verification of the source of this news. The foreign ministry should have been consulted."
One western official accused Asif of "being prone to thinking later and talking first", adding that the defense minister had behaved "a bit like Donald Trump".
Asif's comments have drawn particular criticism because the original AWD story was relatively easy to check, noted the Financial Times.
One western diplomat said the possibility of Pakistan sending troops to Syria has never been discussed.
"The minister should have asked himself first if sending troops to Syria has ever been discussed anywhere. Why should an Israeli politician raise this matter to begin with?"
4. KERRY TO OFFER COMPREHENSIVE VISION ON ISRAEL-PA PEACE
by Elad Benari
Secretary of State John Kerry will on Wednesday make a speech regarding the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) and discuss next steps needed to resolve the conflict, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
Kerry will offer a "comprehensive vision" of how he believes the process should be revived, Toner said.
The Secretary of State believes "it is his duty in his remaining weeks and days as Secretary of State to lay out what he believes is a way towards a two-state solution," he continued.
"It's always important to keep the process moving forward," Toner told reporters. "We haven't given up on this and we don't think the Israelis and Palestinians should do either."
Kerry last led a failed Israel-PA peace effort in 2014. Those talks ended when the PA breached their conditions and unilaterally applied to join international institutions.
His speech on the peace process comes less than a week after the UN Security Council passed an anti-Israel resolution condemning Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria. The resolution passed when the U.S. abstained in the vote, allowing it to go through.
Toner on Tuesday rejected claims that the Obama administration had pushed for the Security Council resolution.
"There was nothing pre-cooked, this was not some move orchestrated by the United States," Toner stressed, according to Reuters.
He defended the administration's decision to abstain during the vote, saying the United States wanted to "send a clear message about our concerns about settlement activity."
"We don't want this to create a diplomatic firestorm," he added.
Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer told CNN on Monday that Israel has proof that the Obama administration was behind Friday's UN Security Council resolution.
"We will present this evidence to the new administration through the appropriate channels. If they want to share it with the American people they are welcome to do it," said Dermer.
According to Dermer, not only did the U.S. not stand by Israel's side during the vote, it "was behind this ganging up on Israel at the UN."
Obama's deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, later fired back and told Israel's Channel 2 News that "Israeli intransigence" led to the vote in the Security Council.
5. DUTCH POLICE: BERLIN SUSPECT MAY HAVE VISITED NETHERLANDS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Dutch police announced on Wednesday they were investigating whether 24-year-old Anis Amri had passed through the Netherlands
On December 19, a man plowed into a crowd of civilians at Berlin's Christmas market, killing 12 people. That man is believed to be Amri, who was killed in a shooting match in Italy on December 23.
National Prosecutor's Office Spokesman Wim de Bruin said there were signs Amri had passed through the Netherlands on his way to France. However, he also said full details are not available since investigations are not yet complete.
6. JERUSALEM BUILDING COMMITTEE DELAYS APPROVAL OF NEW UNITS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee has announced the cancellation of Wednesday's meeting.
During the meeting, the Committee was scheduled to approve the construction of 490 new housing units in Jerusalem's Ramot and Ramat Shlomo neighborhoods.
In addition, a discussion regarding Arab building permits in Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods of Beit Hanina and Beit Safafa was also canceled.
The cancellation of Wednesday's meetings comes just ahead of US Secretary of State John Kerry's scheduled speech on Wednesday night, and Committee Chairman Meir Turgeman said the cancellations came at the request of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
"The Jerusalem municipality and committees are not involved in or planning a building freeze," a Jerusalem spokesperson said. "Sometimes there are delays of several weeks, and sometimes permits are delayed for technical reasons. We have received no new instructions from the Prime Minister on the subject."
7. PA PLANNING MORE STEPS AGAINST ISRAEL AT ICC
by Dalit Halevi
Saeb Erekat, formerly the chief negotiator on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and a member of the Fatah Central Committee, threatened on Tuesday that the PA would take a number of steps in the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague against what he termed the "crimes of the Israeli occupation, led by the settlements."
"The whole world, including the five permanent members of the Security Council and the United States in particular, unanimously agreed and clearly said that Israel's occupation of Palestinian land and all that it entails is illegal and a war crime," said Erekat.
"On this basis," he added, "the Palestinian leadership will take steps in response to Israel's arrogance and the war crimes that it continues to commit."
Another member of the Fatah Central Committee, Mohammad Shtayyeh, said last week's resolution passed by the UN Security Council opens new avenues for diplomatic activities against the "settlements".
He said that the PA will try to submit another draft resolution to the Security Council which calls for sanctions against Israel over the "settlements".
The PA officially joined the ICC on April 1, 2015, and immediately filed a series of legal complaints with the court. In addition to claiming that Israel committed war crimes during the 2014 Gaza war, it also claimed that Israeli "settlements" are "an ongoing war crime".
Earlier this week, a close associate of PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas threatened to sue Israeli officers at the ICC following the vote at the Security Council.
"In 2017 we will go to The Hague," the associate told Israel's Channel 2 News, adding, "We have hundreds of pages with names of IDF officers. Every pilot and every officer and every soldier, we have his picture, his name, and we are waiting for him at The Hague. If we succeed in just one case, it's a different world."
8. HEZBOLLAH INCREASES MISSILE ARSENAL
by ILTV
[brightcove:2022550]
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Danger is part of their job. Make supporting them yours.
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| When Magen David Adom paramedics Oren Wacht and Rotem Tabibian arrived at Be'er Sheva's Central Bus Station, they knew a terrorist had stabbed an Israel Defense Forces soldier, grabbed his rifle, and began firing at soldiers, guards, and civilians alike. But Oren and Rotem rode their Medicycles right into the bus station and, while bullets were still flying, began treating the wounded. |  Paramedics responding to the scene of the terror attack in Be'er Sheva. |
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A7News: 'We are not a protectorate'
Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
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Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
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Tuesday, Dec. 27 '16, כ"ז בכסלו תשע"ז
HEADLINES:
1. 'WE ARE NOT A PROTECTORATE'
2. TRUMP: THE UN IS 'SO SAD'
3. ISRAEL CEASES COOPERATION WITH ANGOLA OVER UN VOTE
4. GINGRICH TO CONGRESS: CONDEMN OBAMA OVER ANTI-ISRAEL RESOLUTION
5. RUSSIA: ONLY DIRECT TALKS CAN BRING PEACE
6. WATCH: CELEBRATING HANUKKAH - AND ALIYAH - AT THE AIRPORT
7. SHARANSKY: REFORM JEWRY THE 'FINAL DEFENSE' BEFORE ASSIMILATION
8. WATCH: CHABAD HANUKKAH CANDLE LIGHTING AT NBA GAME
1. 'WE ARE NOT A PROTECTORATE'
by Benny Toker
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) told Arutz Sheva that she believes the recently-passed anti-Israel UN resolution will be rescinded by the incoming Trump administration.
"This resolution is an international attempt to impose on Israel a solution to a conflict which, at the moment, is unsolvable. Because this solution does not correspond to reality, in the end it will be cancelled by the Trump administration, with the help of Israel," Hotovely said.
She added, "Unfortunately, the international community simply encourages the Palestinians to run farther and farther away from the negotiating table such that, even insofar as their interests are concerned, this resolution advances nothing."
According to Hotovely, Israel is preparing for additional anti-Israel steps in the coming month. "In mid-January a very large summit is expected to take place in Paris, an initiative that the French are advancing. The PM expressed clearly that he will not take part in any international activity that seeks to impose a solution on Israel while the other side is completely uninterested in negotiations."
"We foresee more international developments - and I say that these developments won't change a thing in reality. The world is, at the moment, encouraging an impossible solution which further harms the fundamental right of the Nation of Israel to build in its Land."
Hotovely says that especially now the time has come to apply Israeli law to Judea and Samaria. "My position was always that we need to apply Israeli law to Judea and Samaria. I think 50 years is enough to wait to determine this."
"We need the words that we say publicly about our right to build to be backed by Israeli law. Is this an historic opportunity? Indeed, it is - and we need to know how to utilize it wisely. We need to build it together with the incoming American administration, in a way that we get down to the details of how exactly we will create a reality in which both the Palestinians are addressed and the needs of Israel are included."
Hotovely said that the UN Security Council resolution simply needs to be rejected. "How, exactly, are you supposed to honor a resolution which says that the Jewish majority is residing on occupied land? How is it possible to honor a resolution which completely ignores Jewish - and world - history? It is a despicable resolution, I think that there have been enough scandalous UN resolutions that were cancelled or didn't have any influence on reality."
I say that as far as we, as a State, are concerned, it is very important that we be clear about the fact that we are not anybody's protectorate. We will do what is good for us, for the Jewish Nation. This is the idea of a sovereign nation - for this the Maccabees struggled. For identity and for sovereignty. And it is also our struggle," she said.
She called on the gloating opposition to calm down. "They should reflect on why they have been in the opposition for so long. They need to understand that the Nation of Israel is sick and tired of their false visions. There are enough sensible people among them who repent for their sins and say 'we erred and the solution that we proposed was impossible.' We see that there is understanding that we are on a path that led us to international tragedies and to a place which is completely impossible. We have responsibility, we have been in power long enough to show our own way - and this is the responsibility that rests on our shoulders now."
2. TRUMP: THE UN IS 'SO SAD'
by Ben Ariel
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday took to Twitter to criticize the United Nations.
"The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!" he tweeted.
[twittervideo:2022490]
Though he did not specifically mention it, the tweet comes following last week's vote at the UN Security Council on a resolution condemning Israel's presence in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem.
The tweet marks the third time in recent days that Trump has referred to the UN following the vote at the Security Council.
On Saturday, the President-elect said he would work to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority despite the fact that the vote made it more difficult.
"The big loss yesterday for Israel in the United Nations will make it much harder to negotiate peace. Too bad, but we will get it done anyway!" wrote Trump.
On Friday, just after the resolution passed, Trump tweeted, "As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th", in reference to the fact that the Obama administration chose to abstain at the vote and allow the resolution to pass.
3. ISRAEL CEASES COOPERATION WITH ANGOLA OVER UN VOTE
by Tal Polon
As part of a series of recent acts demonstrating his displeasure with countries that voted for the recent anti-Israel UN resolution, PM Netanyahu is instructing that Israel's Foreign Ministry Cooperation and International Development arm stop its activities with Angola, which voted for the resolution.
As joint activity with Angola is currently sparse, the move is largely symbolic.
In addition, the arrival of an Angolan internist who was to arrive for a course in Israel is to be cancelled, according to Ynet.
Although it voted for the resolution, Angola had originally promised Israel that it would abstain from voting.
Earlier, the Angolan ambassador was summoned for reprimand, along with the ambassadors of other countries that supported the resolution.
Hours after the passage of the resolution, Netanyahu recalled Israeli ambassadors to New Zealand and Senegal, two countries which sponsored the resolution, and cancelled aid to Senegal.
The PM also cancelled a visit in Israel with the Ukrainian PM Volodymyr Groysman scheduled for today due to the Ukrainian vote in favor.
4. GINGRICH TO CONGRESS: CONDEMN OBAMA OVER ANTI-ISRAEL RESOLUTION
by Ben Ariel
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich urged Congress on Monday to condemn the Obama administration for allowing the resolution against Israeli "settlements" to pass the UN Security Council.
In a series of tweets, Gingrich also urged the incoming administration of Donald Trump to work to undo the damage caused by the United States abstaining in the vote, thus allowing the resolution to pass.
"Why is the Obama team waging war against Israel? Why are they taking steps to isolate and then kill a democracy and an ally? Congress should pass resolutions January 3-4 condemning Obama attacks on Israel and demanding he not participate in French or UNSC attacks," tweeted Gingrich.
"President-elect Trump must prepare a comprehensive offensive for Jan 29 to undo the damage to Israel the Obama team is inflicting," he added.
[twittervideo:2022498]
[twittervideo:2022499]
[twittervideo:2022500]
In the wake of the vote at the Security Council, there have been calls for the United States to cut off funding to the UN until the resolution is reversed.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) announced on Saturday he will propose a measure to pull U.S. funding for the UN unless the UN Security Council repeals the resolution it passed condemning Israeli settlements.
"It's that important to me," Graham told CNN. "This is a road we haven't gone down before. If you can't show the American people that international organizations can be more responsible, there is going to be a break. And I am going to lead that break."
"I will do everything in my power, working with the new administration and Congress, to leave no doubt about where America stands when it comes to the peace process and where we stand with the only true democracy in the Middle East, Israel," Graham added, noting that American funding accounts for 22% of the UN's budget.
The move appeared to receive the backing of Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) who tweeted on Saturday night, "No US $ for UN until reversed."
Republican lawmakers blasted Obama shortly after Friday's vote, with House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) saying the decision to abstain in the UN Security Council vote was "absolutely shameful."
"Today's vote is a blow to peace that sets a dangerous precedent for further diplomatic efforts to isolate and demonize Israel. Our unified Republican government will work to reverse the damage done by this administration, and rebuild our alliance with Israel," Ryan said in a statement.
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) said Obama's abstention "has made us complicit in this outrageous attack" and added that the abstention "emboldens" Israel's enemies.
5. RUSSIA: ONLY DIRECT TALKS CAN BRING PEACE
by Elad Benari
Despite being one of the 14 member-states of the Security Council to vote in favor of the anti-Israel resolution last week, Russia said on Monday that the only way to achieve a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) is through direct negotiations.
"Our experience shows convincingly that a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is only possible through direct talks between Palestinians and Israelis without any preconditions," said a statement from the foreign ministry in Moscow.
"It is with this aim in view that Russia has been working and will continue working as a member of the Middle East Quartet of international intermediaries to facilitate such negotiations. We would also like to reaffirm our readiness to host a meeting of the leaders of Israel and Palestine in Moscow," added the statement.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said several months ago that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to host an Israeli-Palestinian summit to revive peace talks that have been stalled since 2014.
Several days later, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Putin held a telephone conversation in which they discussed the peace process, among other things, though a Kremlin spokesman later clarified there was "nothing concrete" yet on a meeting between Abbas and Netanyahu.
Several weeks ago, Russia said it was waiting for Israeli and PA proposals on holding a direct meeting between Abbas and Netanyahu.
Russia's efforts come as France is also trying to reignite stalled peace talks through an international summit which will convene in mid-January.
Israel has long opposed the French initiative, saying that the only way to reach a peace agreement is through direct talks with the PA.
The PA, however, refuses direct negotiations with Israel and has instead chosen to impose preconditions on such talks.
6. WATCH: CELEBRATING HANUKKAH - AND ALIYAH - AT THE AIRPORT
by Yoni Kempinski
[youtube:2022527]
This morning, Minister of Aliyah and Absorption Sufa Landover held a Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony in Ben Gurion International Airport with 121 new immigrants who arrived on a special flight with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
The immigrants, who arrived from Ukraine, gathered at the airport with Landover and Chairman of the International Fellowship Jeff Kaye for a celebratory Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony at the airport. The new immigrants sang Hanukkah songs and celebrated their first Hanukkah as Israelis.
Landover told the new immigrants: "Today we are celebrating two holidays together - the holiday of your aliyah to Israel and Hanukkah. Hanukkah is a time of miracles, and aliyah to Israel is a miracle for the Jewish Nation and the State of Israel - as it is a miracle for every new immigrant who decides to tie his fate to the Land of Israel."
"You landed in Israel during the Festival of Lights, and I wish that your lives here in Israel will every day be filled with light, like the lights that flicker every night in streets and houses.
"Because every one of you is a small light who makes up part of the great light of the Nation of Israel and the State of Israel," Landover said.
7. SHARANSKY: REFORM JEWRY THE 'FINAL DEFENSE' BEFORE ASSIMILATION
by Hezki Baruch
Natan Sharansky, Chairman of the Jewish Agency and one of those advancing the "Kotel plan" for creating an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall complex, participated today in a Knesset meeting which dealt with the relationship of the State of Israel to Diaspora Jewry.
He noted that it was important to develop greater openness towards different Jewish streams such as Reform, and revealed a bit of the behind-the-scenes deliberations with the Prime Minister regarding the Kotel plan.
"With all the anger about the Kotel plan, the Prime Minister, who proposed the plan, invested a lot of energy into it, and maybe expected different behavior from the haredi partners."
"Netanyahu told me that he is not ready to bring the plan to the government, only to have the coalition collapse as a result, leading to a different government," Sharansky said.
He added: "It would help if there were less ignorance on the part of MKs about who 'the Reform' are. Our approach needs to be broad - every MK needs to know everything. Ministers saying that the Reform aren't Jews influences the entire Jewish world - and harms the diaspora."
"Many assert that the Reform cause assimilation, but this is not correct: it is the final defense before assimilation," he said, voicing his opinion on the matter.
Pew Research Center surveys show that the number of Reform Jews in the US declines by several percentage points each year while the number of Orthodox Jews is on the rise, although there is still a gap between the absolute numbers. Over 50% of Reform Jews marry non-Jews with a small percentage electing to raise their children as Jewish.
8. WATCH: CHABAD HANUKKAH CANDLE LIGHTING AT NBA GAME
by Yoni Kempinski
[youtube:2022506]
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
Tuesday, Dec. 27 '16, כ"ז בכסלו תשע"ז
HEADLINES:
1. 'WE ARE NOT A PROTECTORATE'
2. TRUMP: THE UN IS 'SO SAD'
3. ISRAEL CEASES COOPERATION WITH ANGOLA OVER UN VOTE
4. GINGRICH TO CONGRESS: CONDEMN OBAMA OVER ANTI-ISRAEL RESOLUTION
5. RUSSIA: ONLY DIRECT TALKS CAN BRING PEACE
6. WATCH: CELEBRATING HANUKKAH - AND ALIYAH - AT THE AIRPORT
7. SHARANSKY: REFORM JEWRY THE 'FINAL DEFENSE' BEFORE ASSIMILATION
8. WATCH: CHABAD HANUKKAH CANDLE LIGHTING AT NBA GAME
1. 'WE ARE NOT A PROTECTORATE'
by Benny Toker
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) told Arutz Sheva that she believes the recently-passed anti-Israel UN resolution will be rescinded by the incoming Trump administration.
"This resolution is an international attempt to impose on Israel a solution to a conflict which, at the moment, is unsolvable. Because this solution does not correspond to reality, in the end it will be cancelled by the Trump administration, with the help of Israel," Hotovely said.
She added, "Unfortunately, the international community simply encourages the Palestinians to run farther and farther away from the negotiating table such that, even insofar as their interests are concerned, this resolution advances nothing."
According to Hotovely, Israel is preparing for additional anti-Israel steps in the coming month. "In mid-January a very large summit is expected to take place in Paris, an initiative that the French are advancing. The PM expressed clearly that he will not take part in any international activity that seeks to impose a solution on Israel while the other side is completely uninterested in negotiations."
"We foresee more international developments - and I say that these developments won't change a thing in reality. The world is, at the moment, encouraging an impossible solution which further harms the fundamental right of the Nation of Israel to build in its Land."
Hotovely says that especially now the time has come to apply Israeli law to Judea and Samaria. "My position was always that we need to apply Israeli law to Judea and Samaria. I think 50 years is enough to wait to determine this."
"We need the words that we say publicly about our right to build to be backed by Israeli law. Is this an historic opportunity? Indeed, it is - and we need to know how to utilize it wisely. We need to build it together with the incoming American administration, in a way that we get down to the details of how exactly we will create a reality in which both the Palestinians are addressed and the needs of Israel are included."
Hotovely said that the UN Security Council resolution simply needs to be rejected. "How, exactly, are you supposed to honor a resolution which says that the Jewish majority is residing on occupied land? How is it possible to honor a resolution which completely ignores Jewish - and world - history? It is a despicable resolution, I think that there have been enough scandalous UN resolutions that were cancelled or didn't have any influence on reality."
I say that as far as we, as a State, are concerned, it is very important that we be clear about the fact that we are not anybody's protectorate. We will do what is good for us, for the Jewish Nation. This is the idea of a sovereign nation - for this the Maccabees struggled. For identity and for sovereignty. And it is also our struggle," she said.
She called on the gloating opposition to calm down. "They should reflect on why they have been in the opposition for so long. They need to understand that the Nation of Israel is sick and tired of their false visions. There are enough sensible people among them who repent for their sins and say 'we erred and the solution that we proposed was impossible.' We see that there is understanding that we are on a path that led us to international tragedies and to a place which is completely impossible. We have responsibility, we have been in power long enough to show our own way - and this is the responsibility that rests on our shoulders now."
2. TRUMP: THE UN IS 'SO SAD'
by Ben Ariel
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday took to Twitter to criticize the United Nations.
"The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!" he tweeted.
[twittervideo:2022490]
Though he did not specifically mention it, the tweet comes following last week's vote at the UN Security Council on a resolution condemning Israel's presence in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem.
The tweet marks the third time in recent days that Trump has referred to the UN following the vote at the Security Council.
On Saturday, the President-elect said he would work to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority despite the fact that the vote made it more difficult.
"The big loss yesterday for Israel in the United Nations will make it much harder to negotiate peace. Too bad, but we will get it done anyway!" wrote Trump.
On Friday, just after the resolution passed, Trump tweeted, "As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th", in reference to the fact that the Obama administration chose to abstain at the vote and allow the resolution to pass.
3. ISRAEL CEASES COOPERATION WITH ANGOLA OVER UN VOTE
by Tal Polon
As part of a series of recent acts demonstrating his displeasure with countries that voted for the recent anti-Israel UN resolution, PM Netanyahu is instructing that Israel's Foreign Ministry Cooperation and International Development arm stop its activities with Angola, which voted for the resolution.
As joint activity with Angola is currently sparse, the move is largely symbolic.
In addition, the arrival of an Angolan internist who was to arrive for a course in Israel is to be cancelled, according to Ynet.
Although it voted for the resolution, Angola had originally promised Israel that it would abstain from voting.
Earlier, the Angolan ambassador was summoned for reprimand, along with the ambassadors of other countries that supported the resolution.
Hours after the passage of the resolution, Netanyahu recalled Israeli ambassadors to New Zealand and Senegal, two countries which sponsored the resolution, and cancelled aid to Senegal.
The PM also cancelled a visit in Israel with the Ukrainian PM Volodymyr Groysman scheduled for today due to the Ukrainian vote in favor.
4. GINGRICH TO CONGRESS: CONDEMN OBAMA OVER ANTI-ISRAEL RESOLUTION
by Ben Ariel
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich urged Congress on Monday to condemn the Obama administration for allowing the resolution against Israeli "settlements" to pass the UN Security Council.
In a series of tweets, Gingrich also urged the incoming administration of Donald Trump to work to undo the damage caused by the United States abstaining in the vote, thus allowing the resolution to pass.
"Why is the Obama team waging war against Israel? Why are they taking steps to isolate and then kill a democracy and an ally? Congress should pass resolutions January 3-4 condemning Obama attacks on Israel and demanding he not participate in French or UNSC attacks," tweeted Gingrich.
"President-elect Trump must prepare a comprehensive offensive for Jan 29 to undo the damage to Israel the Obama team is inflicting," he added.
[twittervideo:2022498]
[twittervideo:2022499]
[twittervideo:2022500]
In the wake of the vote at the Security Council, there have been calls for the United States to cut off funding to the UN until the resolution is reversed.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) announced on Saturday he will propose a measure to pull U.S. funding for the UN unless the UN Security Council repeals the resolution it passed condemning Israeli settlements.
"It's that important to me," Graham told CNN. "This is a road we haven't gone down before. If you can't show the American people that international organizations can be more responsible, there is going to be a break. And I am going to lead that break."
"I will do everything in my power, working with the new administration and Congress, to leave no doubt about where America stands when it comes to the peace process and where we stand with the only true democracy in the Middle East, Israel," Graham added, noting that American funding accounts for 22% of the UN's budget.
The move appeared to receive the backing of Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) who tweeted on Saturday night, "No US $ for UN until reversed."
Republican lawmakers blasted Obama shortly after Friday's vote, with House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) saying the decision to abstain in the UN Security Council vote was "absolutely shameful."
"Today's vote is a blow to peace that sets a dangerous precedent for further diplomatic efforts to isolate and demonize Israel. Our unified Republican government will work to reverse the damage done by this administration, and rebuild our alliance with Israel," Ryan said in a statement.
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) said Obama's abstention "has made us complicit in this outrageous attack" and added that the abstention "emboldens" Israel's enemies.
5. RUSSIA: ONLY DIRECT TALKS CAN BRING PEACE
by Elad Benari
Despite being one of the 14 member-states of the Security Council to vote in favor of the anti-Israel resolution last week, Russia said on Monday that the only way to achieve a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) is through direct negotiations.
"Our experience shows convincingly that a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is only possible through direct talks between Palestinians and Israelis without any preconditions," said a statement from the foreign ministry in Moscow.
"It is with this aim in view that Russia has been working and will continue working as a member of the Middle East Quartet of international intermediaries to facilitate such negotiations. We would also like to reaffirm our readiness to host a meeting of the leaders of Israel and Palestine in Moscow," added the statement.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said several months ago that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to host an Israeli-Palestinian summit to revive peace talks that have been stalled since 2014.
Several days later, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Putin held a telephone conversation in which they discussed the peace process, among other things, though a Kremlin spokesman later clarified there was "nothing concrete" yet on a meeting between Abbas and Netanyahu.
Several weeks ago, Russia said it was waiting for Israeli and PA proposals on holding a direct meeting between Abbas and Netanyahu.
Russia's efforts come as France is also trying to reignite stalled peace talks through an international summit which will convene in mid-January.
Israel has long opposed the French initiative, saying that the only way to reach a peace agreement is through direct talks with the PA.
The PA, however, refuses direct negotiations with Israel and has instead chosen to impose preconditions on such talks.
6. WATCH: CELEBRATING HANUKKAH - AND ALIYAH - AT THE AIRPORT
by Yoni Kempinski
[youtube:2022527]
This morning, Minister of Aliyah and Absorption Sufa Landover held a Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony in Ben Gurion International Airport with 121 new immigrants who arrived on a special flight with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
The immigrants, who arrived from Ukraine, gathered at the airport with Landover and Chairman of the International Fellowship Jeff Kaye for a celebratory Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony at the airport. The new immigrants sang Hanukkah songs and celebrated their first Hanukkah as Israelis.
Landover told the new immigrants: "Today we are celebrating two holidays together - the holiday of your aliyah to Israel and Hanukkah. Hanukkah is a time of miracles, and aliyah to Israel is a miracle for the Jewish Nation and the State of Israel - as it is a miracle for every new immigrant who decides to tie his fate to the Land of Israel."
"You landed in Israel during the Festival of Lights, and I wish that your lives here in Israel will every day be filled with light, like the lights that flicker every night in streets and houses.
"Because every one of you is a small light who makes up part of the great light of the Nation of Israel and the State of Israel," Landover said.
7. SHARANSKY: REFORM JEWRY THE 'FINAL DEFENSE' BEFORE ASSIMILATION
by Hezki Baruch
Natan Sharansky, Chairman of the Jewish Agency and one of those advancing the "Kotel plan" for creating an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall complex, participated today in a Knesset meeting which dealt with the relationship of the State of Israel to Diaspora Jewry.
He noted that it was important to develop greater openness towards different Jewish streams such as Reform, and revealed a bit of the behind-the-scenes deliberations with the Prime Minister regarding the Kotel plan.
"With all the anger about the Kotel plan, the Prime Minister, who proposed the plan, invested a lot of energy into it, and maybe expected different behavior from the haredi partners."
"Netanyahu told me that he is not ready to bring the plan to the government, only to have the coalition collapse as a result, leading to a different government," Sharansky said.
He added: "It would help if there were less ignorance on the part of MKs about who 'the Reform' are. Our approach needs to be broad - every MK needs to know everything. Ministers saying that the Reform aren't Jews influences the entire Jewish world - and harms the diaspora."
"Many assert that the Reform cause assimilation, but this is not correct: it is the final defense before assimilation," he said, voicing his opinion on the matter.
Pew Research Center surveys show that the number of Reform Jews in the US declines by several percentage points each year while the number of Orthodox Jews is on the rise, although there is still a gap between the absolute numbers. Over 50% of Reform Jews marry non-Jews with a small percentage electing to raise their children as Jewish.
8. WATCH: CHABAD HANUKKAH CANDLE LIGHTING AT NBA GAME
by Yoni Kempinski
[youtube:2022506]
------------------------------------------------
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http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
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