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Tuesday, Jan. 31 '17, ד' בשבט תשע"ז
HEADLINES:
1. AMONA RESIDENTS ORDERED TO EVACUATE
2. FATAH: HOW DARE UN CHIEF SPEAK OF JEWISH TEMPLE IN J'LEM?
3. 'I ACTED BECAUSE I CARE'
4. NY TIMES REFUSES TO CORRECT ERRORS IN MIDDLE EAST REPORTING
5. NETANYAHU: 'WALL' TWEET WAS NOT AN INSULT TO MEXICO
6. WATCH: NETANYAHU SAYS IRAN'S AGGRESSION MUST NOT GO UNANSWERED
7. POLL SHOWS STRONG BACKING FOR TRUMP'S EXECUTIVE ORDER
8. TESTIMONIES OF THE FORGOTTEN REFUGEES
1. AMONA RESIDENTS ORDERED TO EVACUATE
by David Rosenberg
Residents of the embattled town of Amona in Samaria have been ordered to abandon their homes and evacuate by the end of the day.
An army order posted in Amona Monday night warns that a general closure on the town will be imposed within 48 hours.
According to the order, all property must be removed by residents before Wednesday.
"After 48 hours, no person will be allowed to enter this area or permitted to stay in it. After 48 hours, every person located in this area will be obligated to leave."
"Owners… of any property found in the area declared [closed by this order] will be obligated to remove it."
Earlier on Monday, residents spotted army engineers preparing a new access road from Route 60 directly to Amona – apparently the first step in the planned evacuation of the town.
As part of a compromise agreement worked out by Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the 42 families of Amona were to peacefully evacuate their homes in exchange for two things: one, passage of the Regulation Law, which would protect other Jewish communities from expulsion over ownership claims made years after their construction.
In addition, the agreement provided for the relocation of 24 of the 42 families to alternative plots on the same hill where Amona currently stands. New homes and public buildings were promised as part of the deal, as well as a new community for the remaining 18 families, who would be resettled near Shilo.
Amona residents voted to accept the agreement, and the Supreme Court granted a delay in the implementation of the evacuation orders, pushing back the demolition from December 25th to no later than February 8th.
Since the inking of the deal, however, residents say no work has yet been done on the new neighborhood promised under the agreement. Amona residents have nowhere to go.
Last week, the Supreme Court intervened, placing a temporary restraining order barring work on the plots allotted for the new neighborhood due to leftist NGOs claims that the land was private Arab land.
Supporters of Amona demonstrated in Jerusalem on Monday against the upcoming expulsion. Among those protesting the planned demolition were Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, former MK Aryeh Eldad, Nobel laureate Dr. Israel Aumann, and Rabbi Haim Druckman.
In a further blow to the Amona deal, the Knesset announced on Tuesday that voting on the Regulation Law, a key component of the agreement, would be delayed yet again. While the bill was set to be voted upon this week, the Knesset declared no moves would be taken on the proposal prior to February 6th.
2. FATAH: HOW DARE UN CHIEF SPEAK OF JEWISH TEMPLE IN J'LEM?
by Hillel Fendel
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Saturday night that it is "clear" to him the Holy Temple destroyed by the Romans over 19 centuries ago was a Jewish Temple. He made the remarks in an interview with a reporter from Reshet Bet, a Voice of Israel radio channel.
Fatah did not tarry in responding with fury. The Deputy Secretary of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, Faiz Abu Ita, appeared on Palestinian Authority Television shortly afterwards and said that this declaration is "infuriating" and "unjustified" from "ethical, humanitarian, and political" standpoints. Abu Ita went further and said that such remarks are a "direct attack on the Palestinian nation [sic] in Jerusalem" and are a "display of admiration for the occupying power."
Although Arab spokesmen have taken to denying the Jewish People's historic connections with their Holy City in recent years, it wasn't always this way – and in fact, even Jerusalem's Muslim Waqf does not agree with this groundless claim. Back in 1925, the Supreme Moslem Council – i.e., the Waqf, which has overseen Temple Mount activities on behalf of Islam for hundreds of years - boasted proudly that the site is none other than that of King Solomon's Temple.
A copy of the booklet in which this claim is made is in the possession of the Jerusalem-based Temple Institute. On page 4, the Waqf states that the Mount's "identity with the site of Solomon's Temple is beyond dispute." It then quotes the Biblical book of Samuel II indicating that it is also the spot, "according to universal belief, on which 'David built there an altar unto the L-rd...'"
3. 'I ACTED BECAUSE I CARE'
by Nitzan Keidar
The sentencing phase of the trial of soldier Elor Azariya continues today with the testimony of Kfir Brigade commander Guy Hazut and National Union Head Ofir Sofer.
Sofer previously mediated a meeting between Hazut and Azariya's father, Charlie, during which Hazut attempted to convince Charlie not to appeal the court's verdict and to replace Azariya's defense team.
Hazut will testify at the request of Azariya's defense team, who had claimed that Hazut's words to Charlie manifested an obstruction of justice. The court had rejected the claim of the defense on grounds that the conversation between the two had taken place after the verdict had already been handed down.
Nevertheless, the Commander is to be called to the stand in order to ascertain whether words that were spoken during the meeting have any bearing on the sentence to be given to Azariya.
Speaking in the military court, Sofer said, "I acted of my own accord because I care. I tried to help, out of an understanding that the verdict was harsh."
Sofer testified that he had not spoken with other senior military officials to clarify how to prevent Azariya from appealing.
Azariya's team asked Sofer if he was ready to hand over his cell phone to allow verification that he was speaking the truth. Sofer responded, "I need to consult an attorney, but I am speaking the truth. The phone serves me at work, and I am not sure that I want to expose it."
Sofer criticized the press as well as the defense team representing Azariya's family. "[In the Azariya's,] I met a family with a completely different public presence [than is projected by the media]. A family that loves the Army and the IDF, and which, despite all the pain it is going through now, still is loyal to the State and the Army."
4. NY TIMES REFUSES TO CORRECT ERRORS IN MIDDLE EAST REPORTING
by Hillel Fendel
While the New York Times boasts of its "fact-based journalism," the CAMERA media watchdog organization reports on several examples of misinformation the newspaper has reported in recent weeks regarding Israel and the PA – yet refuses to correct.
The issues, in brief, are these:
1. The Times wrote, on Dec. 29, that "most governments and world bodies have set achievement of the two-state solution as official policy, including the United States, the United Nations, the Palestinian Authority, and Israel."
However, in fact, many PA leaders refuse to accept this solution. Nabil Shaath, for instance, said, "The story of 'two states for two peoples' means that there will be a Jewish people over there and a Palestinian people here. We will never accept this." Mahmoud Abbas has made similar statements.
CAMERA – The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting – states, "New York Times editors have refused to set readers straight with a correction — despite repeated requests from CAMERA that they do so."
2. On January 16, the Times reported that Donald Trump has "vowed to support Israel no matter what." When asked to provide a source for this claim, the newspaper told CAMERA it had no specific vow in mind, but rather was referring to Trump's "collective positions." The newspaper has refused to correct the misinformation, CAMERA reports.
3. The Times calls Judea and Samaria "Palestinian territory," instead of referring to it as "disputed territory," as it does in many other cases around the world. Formal agreements between Israel and the PA state that the status of Judea and Samaria is still to be determined in negotiations between the parties, yet the Times insists that it is justified in calling them "Palestinian."
4. Finally, The Times' report on the recent Paris conference resolution is wrong on two accounts. It stated that the participating countries issued a joint communiqué calling for "a return to the 1967 boundaries between the Israelis and Palestinians, including the removal of Israeli settlements from the West Bank."
In fact, however, the communiqué says not a word about a removal of settlements, but rather calls on the parties to "reverse the current negative trends on the ground, including continued acts of violence and ongoing settlement activity."
Similarly, the resolution does not mention "boundaries" at all. It calls for a solution that should "fully end the occupation that began in 1967," but diplomatic declarations of this sort generally come with statements that there will actually be changes to the former dividing line. Even ex-Secretary of State John Kerry recently called for both a full end to the occupation and a withdrawal to something other than the 1967 boundaries.
5. NETANYAHU: 'WALL' TWEET WAS NOT AN INSULT TO MEXICO
by David Rosenberg
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke out Tuesday on the recent diplomatic flap with the Mexican government, regarding a tweet by Netanyahu widely perceived as an endorsement of President Trump's proposed barrier along the US-Mexico border.
Speaking at CyberTech conference in Tel Aviv, the Prime Minister said he wished to "clarify" his tweet, noting that he had not addressed Mexico, America's relationship with Mexico, or his own government's ties with that of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. Netanyahu said that his comment had merely affirmed the success of Israel's own border barrier, which Trump has often cited in his arguments in favor of an American border wall.
"I take this opportunity to explain or clarify what I did and did not say in my tweet the other night," said Netanyahu. "I thought you'd be interested in that. I did point out the remarkable success of Israel's security fence. But I did not comment about US-Mexico relations."
"We've had, and will continue to have, good relations with Mexico. And I believe our ties are much stronger than any passing disagreement or misunderstanding. And in fact, I've had a long, fruitful and very friendly relationship with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and it will continue."
In an interview last week with Fox News, Trump pointed to Israel's use of physical barriers on its border with Egypt to reduce illegal immigration.
"It's not just politics, and yet it is good for the heart of the nation," Trump said. "All you have to do is ask Israel. They were having a total disaster coming across, and they had a wall. It's 99.9% stoppage."
"A proper wall...I'm talking about a real wall...and even that, of course, you'll have people violate it, but we'll have people waiting for them when they do."
On Saturday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded in a tweet, affirming the efficacy of Israel's border wall and wishing the US good luck in building similar a barrier.
"The wall I built all along Israel's southern border stopped the illegal immigration from that direction. Good luck, it's a great idea."
Netanyahu's tweet sparked a diplomatic backlash from the Mexican government, which has criticized Trump's plan to build a wall on the US-Mexican border.
Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray later demanded an apology from Netanyahu, saying the tweet "felt like an aggressive act".
The Prime Minister refused, but after reportedly being pressed by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (Shas), agreed to "clarify' his Twitter post.
6. WATCH: NETANYAHU SAYS IRAN'S AGGRESSION MUST NOT GO UNANSWERED
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2023895]
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded on his Facebook page to the report that Iran had test-fired a ballistic missile in violation of a UN Security Council resolution.
The Prime Minister wrote: "Iran has launched a ballistic missile again. This is a flagrant violation of a UN Security Council resolution. At my upcoming meeting with President Trump in Washington, I intend to raise the renewal of sanctions against Iran in this context and in other contexts. Iranian aggression must not go unanswered."
7. POLL SHOWS STRONG BACKING FOR TRUMP'S EXECUTIVE ORDER
by David Rosenberg
While a sweeping executive order signed by President Trump last Friday drew furious protests from the left and condemnation from Democratic governors and foreign leaders, American voters strongly back the move, a new poll by Rasmussen Reports shows.
Fulfilling a campaign promise to temporarily halt the entry of asylum seekers and citizens of countries identified as high-risk centers for terrorism, Trump signed the executive order suspending America's refugee program at the end of his first full week in office until vetting procedures are in place.
Under the new directive, no asylum seekers will be permitted into the US for a period of 120 days. In addition, the order creates a general ban on refugees from Syria for an indefinite period of time. Also, all foreign nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen – including green-card holders – would be barred from entering the United States for 90 days.
The order elicited vocal protest from the left, which held demonstrations at airports across the United States.
But according to a pair of new polls released on Monday, American voters approve of the executive order.
A Rasmussen Reports survey of 1,000 likely voters shows 57% back the temporary ban on refugees from the seven Muslim countries named by the order, while just 33% oppose the move. Similarly, 56% support the temporary entry ban for visa-holders from those same seven nations. Thirty-two percent oppose this measure.
Overwhelming majorities of self-identified Republicans and independents back the refugee ban, while most Democrats oppose it. Eighty-two percent of Republicans said they favored the ban, along with 59% of independents. Democrats were split 53% - 34% against the ban.
A second poll, conducted by Quinnipiac, also suggests Americans back the executive order, albeit by a narrower margin.
According to the Quinnipiac survey of registered voters, 48% back suspending immigration from "terror prone regions", including refusing entry to refugees from those areas, while 42% opposed such a move.
Broken down by partisan affiliation, 72% of self-identified Republicans say they supported the ban, along with 49% of independents and 24% of Democrats. By contrast, 66% of Democrats, 42% of independents, and 17% of Republicans say they opposed the move.
8. TESTIMONIES OF THE FORGOTTEN REFUGEES
[קישורים:4:]
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