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Friday, Feb. 17 '17, כ"א בשבט תשע"ז
HEADLINES:
1. BENNETT TO NETANYAHU: YOU HAVE TO KEEP YOUR PROMISES
2. 11-YEAR CAUGHT BEHIND THE WHEEL - AT FATHER'S BEHEST
3. WATCH: 'IRAN SEEKS GLOBAL DOMINATION'
4. LEFT-WING MK PLANS BILL TO ANNEX AREA C
5. J STREET SPOKESWOMAN 'FORGETS' GROUP'S ANTI-ISRAEL BIAS
6. TRUMP'S CHOICE TO REPLACE FLYNN TURNS DOWN OFFER
7. ORTHODOX JEWISH MAN FOUND BRUTALLY MURDERED IN HIS NYC STORE
8. NETANYAHU: TRUMP MEETING 'HISTORIC', WE SEE EYE-TO-EYE
1. BENNETT TO NETANYAHU: YOU HAVE TO KEEP YOUR PROMISES
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Education Minister and Jewish Home chief Naftali Bennett called upon Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Friday to fulfill his vow to establish a new Jewish community in Samaria for the former residents of Amona.
"Promises must be kept," wrote Bennett on Twitter, following a report that the Prime Minister was reconsidering his pledge to build a new town for Amona expellees.
"The Prime Minister signed on an agreement to establish a new town for the residents of Amona. I'm sure that he will stand by his promise."
In December, residents of Amona agreed to a compromise worked out by Bennett and Netanyahu, under which Amona would be partially rebuilt on a nearby site, allowing 24 of the 42 families to remain on the same hill. In addition, a new town would be constructed in the Shilo area in Samaria. As of mid-February, no work has begun on either project.
A report by Channel 2 Thursday night claimed the Prime Minister was reassessing the viability of his obligations under the agreement - despite the fact that the evacuation of Amona residents has already taken place.
Netanyahu is reportedly weighing his options in the matter following his meeting with President Trump on Wednesday. At a joint press conference, Trump said he wanted Israel to restrain construction in Judea and Samaria, though he did not lay out the parameters of what building he would support or oppose.
"I'd like to see you hold back on settlements a little bit."
"The government is obligated to the agreement it signed with Amona residents," wrote Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, "and we have no intention of reneging on it. A new town will be established for the residents of Amona, like we promised."
2. 11-YEAR CAUGHT BEHIND THE WHEEL - AT FATHER'S BEHEST
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Northern District police operating in the Arab town of Kfar Kana spotted a young boy behind the wheel of car attempting to park the vehicle – with his father's encouragement.
Police say the officers found the man directing his son as he tried to park the car. When they inquired as to the reasoning behind this strange – and illegal – arrangement, the man said that when he had attempted to park the car himself, his son was unable to help direct him. Therefore, he continued, they switched places, with the son steering the car while the father stepped out of the vehicle to direct his 11-year old son.
"He's just parking the car," claimed the father. "Why are you making a big deal of this?'
Despite his pleas, police detained the father, a 37-year old resident of Kfar Kana, for questioning. Police also impounded the man's car.
"Israeli Police continue to work to reach out to and enforce [laws] in the Arab community in order to bring about a change in the driving culture, with the goal of saving lives and improve public safety," a police spokesperson said in a statement.
3. WATCH: 'IRAN SEEKS GLOBAL DOMINATION'
by Gary Willig
[youtube:2024753]
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu discussed the threat of the Iranian regime in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity Thursday.
Netanyahu said that Iran represents the biggest threat "because it would couple a radical Islamic regime with nuclear weapons. There could be evil that is not threatening because it doesn't have the powers of mass murder. But when you couple a radical Islamic regime that says 'Death to America' with the weapons of mass death, then you have a much, much bigger problem."
He accused the Iranian regime of seeking to bring down the US as part of of its goal of global domination.
"They believe that they're destined to govern the world. Anybody that doesn't agree with them, they'll be able to subjugate or kill, and they're working on the means to achieve that."
4. LEFT-WING MK PLANS BILL TO ANNEX AREA C
by Arutz Sheva Staff
MK Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin (Zionist Union) has decided to issue a challenge to the coalition, and plans to submit a bill next week to apply Israeli sovereignty over all of Area C of Judea and Samaria.
The bill would require members of the coalition, such as Education Minister Naftali Bennett, to take action on their statements calling on the government to extend its sovereignty over parts or all of Area C.
According to a report in Yediot Aharonot, "the bill seeks to annex all the territory defined in the Oslo Accords as Area C. Area C includes all settlements in Judea and Samaria, the access roads leading to them, and the majority of non-populated areas in Judea and Samaria."
Bennett has repeatedly called for the annexation of Area C, which constitutes 60% of Judea and Samaria and contains approximately 90,000 Arabs.
"The purpose of the bill is to challenge and hold a mirror against the way in which the coalition operates, with methods of creeping annexation in the absence of real political activity," the explanatory notes to the bill state. "The government has not presented since its inception any political vision or path and the paralysis has led, inter alia, to the latest UN Resolution, which once again put Israel's back against the wall."
''We have to expose the face of the government, which is paralyzed politically, and ask it: does the Israeli government want to control two million Palestinians or to to maintain a Jewish and democratic state? If the government and its ministers support the applying of [Israeli] law over Area C, or even more, to all of Judea and Samaria, it should take the trouble to do so. This is not the formula of Ben Gurion and it is not the formula of Begin." the explanatory notes continued.
5. J STREET SPOKESWOMAN 'FORGETS' GROUP'S ANTI-ISRAEL BIAS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
J Street Israel director Yael Patir slammed US President Donald Trump's nominee for US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman following Friedman's walking back of his criticism of J Street and and other left-wing Jewish groups and individuals during his Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday.
"He never apologized. He said: 'I used words I shouldn't have.' There's a difference. There's nothing accept or to not accept," Patir said in an interview with Army Radio. "He made a 'flip-flop' and retreated from the positions which he had had for many years. I think that's indicative of how he wants the job," she argued. "It aligns with the American consensus of the last 50 years. It proves his position until now been outside the consensus."
Patir expressed doubts about the Trump administration's commitment to the two-state solution. "We want to see what they do. Words are like sand and they lack substance. If their actions align with our beliefs, then we will support them. And if not, we will resist them with all of our power."
During the interview, the radio host brought up several controversial actions J Street had taken. Patir said that she was not familiar with either case.
When asked about J Street's refusal to sign a letter critical of the Mavi Marmara incident in 2010 alongside the mainstream pro-Israel lobby AIPAC. Patir said she was "not familiar with this case. I'd like to check it out."
She also claimed ignorance when asked about J Street's refusal to participate in a pro-Israel rally during Operation Protective Edge over concerns for the Arabs in Gaza.
6. TRUMP'S CHOICE TO REPLACE FLYNN TURNS DOWN OFFER
by Ben Ariel
President Donald Trump's choice for national security adviser, retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, has turned down the offer, a senior White House official said on Thursday, according to Reuters.
Harward was offered the job by Trump after Michael Flynn was asked to step down earlier this week for misleading Vice President Mike Pence over his conversations with Russia's ambassador to the United States.
The White House official said that Harward cited family and financial reasons for opting not to take the job. Harward is a senior executive at Lockheed Martin.
Two sources familiar with the decision said, according to Reuters, Harward turned down the job in part because he wanted to bring in his own team.
That put him at odds with Trump, who had told Flynn's deputy, K.T. McFarland, that she could stay.
Flynn resigned late Monday evening amid reports that he misled Pence about his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, which included discussion of U.S. sanctions.
Flynn's departure came on the heels of revelations that the Justice Department had informed the White House that he could be subject to blackmail from Russia.
Subsequent reports indicated that FBI agents interviewed Flynn shortly after he took office as National Security Adviser about his conversations with the Russian ambassador.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said on Tuesday that Trump asked Flynn to resign because of an "erosion of trust" and not because Flynn broke any laws.
Trump appeared to refer to Harward on Thursday at a presidential news conference, saying, "I have somebody that I think will be outstanding for the position."
The president also made clear that he asked Flynn to resign because the retired lieutenant general had not been completely truthful with Pence about his conversations with the ambassador.
"The thing is, he didn't tell our vice president properly, and then he said he didn't remember. So either way, it wasn't very satisfactory to me," Trump said.
7. ORTHODOX JEWISH MAN FOUND BRUTALLY MURDERED IN HIS NYC STORE
by David Rosenberg
An Iranian Jewish man and member of the local Orthodox community was found dead in the bathroom of his lower Manhattan jewelry store, days after he was reported missing.
Omid Gholian, a 43-year old immigrant from Iran, was first reported missing on Monday. On Wednesday night New York police found Gholian's remains in the bathroom of the World of Gold N Diamonds, an establishment owned and operated by Mr. Gholian.
On Thursday, sources close to the investigation revealed that Gholian had been discovered in his store, surrounded by a pool of blood.
The scene indicated a particularly violent murder, the source said, adding that numerous plastic zip ties had been pulled tightly around the victim's neck.
Relatives say there was no evidence of a break-in to the store, adding that during an examination on Wednesday, no cash or merchandise appeared to have been taken.
Gholian immigrated to the US some 20 years ago, and has operated the World of Gold N Diamonds for more than a decade.
"Whoever did that is messed up, crazy person, got to get that person," said James Craig, a friend of the victim.
8. NETANYAHU: TRUMP MEETING 'HISTORIC', WE SEE EYE-TO-EYE
by David Rosenberg
[youtube:2024752]
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu hailed his meeting with President Donald Trump this week as "historic", declaring the beginning of a "new age" in US-Israel relations.
The Prime Minister spoke with Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday, a day after his first meeting with the president since the inauguration less than a month ago.
In the sit-down interview with Hannity, Netanyahu expressed optimism on the future of US-Israeli cooperation, stating that he and the president see eye to eye on the major developments in the Middle East – a clear departure from his relationship with the Obama White House, which promoted an Iranian nuclear deal fiercely opposed by both Israel and much of the Arab world.
"I think it was a historical meeting," said Netanyahu. "It was a meeting of the minds and a meeting of the hearts."
Netanyahu noted that he has known Trump personally for more than 30 years, going back to his term as Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, from 1984 to 1988.
"I've known him [Trump] from the time that I was serving as Israel's Ambassador to the UN. And, you know, we would sort of bump into each other here and there in New York City. But we've gotten to know each other over the years."
"I feel we have now, as the president said, an even stronger alliance - a 'new day', he called it, maybe a new age."
Regarding thawing relations between Israel and some Arab states, Netanyahu suggested new opportunities for the Jewish state were emerging, adding that he and the president shared the same view of the major trends now reshaping the region.
"In my conversation yesterday with President Trump, he sees things the same way. That opens up opportunities. No question about it."
Netanyahu also expressed optimism regarding the new administration's approach towards the Iranian nuclear deal, suggesting Trump was more in tune than his predecessor with regional fears over a nuclear-armed Tehran.
"The most important difference [between Israel and Obama] was on Iran. The Arab countries would sort of say things in the dark. They wouldn't say it outright. I had to sort of speak out of for everyone in the region. But right now I think it's not merely in the region. People understand that Iran is a malevolent force, and the nuclear deal with Iran - if its kept, the Iranians just walk in - the deal said no bomb today, 100 bombs tomorrow, in 10 years; that's what it says."
"Everybody now understands [the threat]. And there's an American president who understands it. And we're talking about what to do about this common threat."
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