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/
Wednesday, Mar. 08 '17, י' באדר תשע"ז
HEADLINES:
1. LITHUANIA: TAKE A STICK AND BEAT THE JEW-THING
2. ARAB HITCHHIKER STABS JEWISH DRIVER SOUTH OF JERUSALEM
3. MAJOR ANTI-BDS SUMMIT TO BE CONVENED AT UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
4. DAVID DUKE CALLS TO 'SHUT DOWN' SYNAGOGUES
5. NEW ROCKET DESIGN TO BE LAUNCHED IN COMING YEARS
6. 'MUEZZIN LAW' RECEIVES INITIAL APPROVAL
7. 'WE NEED AN ACTIVE AMERICA IN OUR REGION'
8. TERRORISTS ATTACK AFGHAN HOSPITAL - WHILE DRESSED AS DOCTORS
1. LITHUANIA: TAKE A STICK AND BEAT THE JEW-THING
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The mayor of a Lithuanian city invited residents to a party in honor of a local holiday - and included anti-Semitism on the invitation.
During the holiday, local residents "chase away" the winter, but Jewish residents of the town say the anti-Semitic undertones grow stronger every year, and include pictures of "stereotypical" Jews, similar to the ones from before World War II.
The leader of the Jewish community in Naisiai, Paina Kokliansy, harshly criticized the mayor and the city's Culture Committee Head, who published on the invitation pictures of people "dressed up" as Jews.
"Anti-Semitism isn't something which goes away," Kokliansy said. "You can find it all over the daily media, and in this party invitation, the city's leaders used picture from 1939 Facist propaganda."
Israeli Ambassador to Lithuania Amir Maimon said, "We are slowly moving towards bringing the Jewish culture out of the darkness, but we still have a long journey ahead. Right now, Jews in Lithuania are represented in other ways - through grotesque masks at the 'Sharvutid' festival."
One Lithuanian who moved to Israel said, "All of Europe has a holiday in which they chase away the winter. But in Lithuania there are also lots of characters - witches, Satan, gypsies, and Jews. They show all the stereotypes, in a very insulting and anti-Semitic fashion.
"They used to say 'Jews want to steal the holiday.' It wasn't always like this. I wouldn't want to raise a child in Lithuania today, because I would not want to have to explain what's happening there.
"Sentences like, 'Let's take a stick and beat the Jew' are sentences you don't hear here in Israel."
2. ARAB HITCHHIKER STABS JEWISH DRIVER SOUTH OF JERUSALEM
by David Rosenberg
A man in his early 40s was stabbed just south of Jerusalem at approximately 11:15 Tuesday morning on Route 60 near the tunnel checkpoint.
The suspected stabber is reportedly an Arab and a resident of the Palestinian Authority.
Police say the motive of the attack is under investigation.
MDA emergency first responders were called to the scene and provided first aid to the victim. The man was subsequently evacuated to Shaarei Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem
The stabbing victim is conscious, and his injuries have been described as light.
"When we arrived at the scene, we saw a man roughly 40-years old pacing about, fully conscious, suffering from stab wounds across his upper torso," said Shlomi Tadgi and Aharon Adler, MDA team members who responded to the stabbing.
"We provided him with first aid, including bandaging the wound and stopping the bleeding. He was then evacuated to a hospital in stable, light condition."
According to a police investigation into the attack, the victim had taken his car to a mechanic in the Arab village of al-Walaja just south of Jerusalem. A road to Gush Etzion goes through al-Walaja and is often used by Israelis when Route 60 is jammed.
After work on the car was completed, the driver left the village. On his way out, he spotted an Arab hitchhiker waiting by the exit of the village for a ride. The victim offered him a ride, which the hitchhiker accepted.
During the drive on Route 60, the Arab hitchhiker stabbed the driver, then fled the vehicle.
3. MAJOR ANTI-BDS SUMMIT TO BE CONVENED AT UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
by Uzi Baruch
Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon will convene a major summit at the UN focused on combating the anti-Israel boycott movement.
More than 2,000 influential public figures, pro-Israel activists, students and representatives from organizations which oppose BDS are expected to take part in the event, constituting a remarkable show of support for the Jewish state at the UN.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, the first US governor to sign into law anti-BDS legislation, will address the conference participants in the General Assembly Hall. Since assuming her post as ambassador, Haley has come out strongly against the UN's biases and prejudices and has expressed her unequivocal support for Israel.
Israel's Ambassador Danny Danon, World Jewish Congress (WJC) President Ambassador Ronald Lauder, Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky and other known speakers will address the summit as well.
The event is a partnership between Israel's Mission to the UN, the WJC and pro-Israel organizations including ACLJ, ZOA Israel Bonds, StandwithUs, CAMERA, B'nai B'rith International, IAC, Maccabee Task Force, Hillel International, SSI, Hasbara Fellowships, the Jewish Agency for Israel, AEPI and others.
"This is a new era at the UN in which we are voicing a clear call in support of Israel. We will gather in the General Assembly Hall and stand against the attempts by the BDS movement to infiltrate the UN and harm Israel," said Ambassador Danon about the upcoming event.
"This gathering is on the frontlines of our battle against the global BDS movement. Israel has countless supporters who work tirelessly against these forces of darkness. Now is the time for us all to come together as a united front as we face this challenge," the Ambassador continued.
During the conference, participants will discuss the major issues at the heart of the fight against BDS. In addition to the opening plenary, three panels will convene focusing on social and digital media, campuses all over the world, and the private and business sectors. Each panel will include internationally renowned experts in their respective fields as well as representatives who have faced the challenges of the BDS movement firsthand and prevailed.
"In the UN, international institutions, and academic forums, we are witnessing a dangerous form of anti-Semitism in the attempts to delegitimize Israel and deny the Jewish people their right to security and sovereignty. The BDS movement does not seek peace, it seeks the destruction of the State of Israel," said WJC President Lauder.
"This is undeniably anti-Semitic and it must never become acceptable. We must stand up for what is right and expose BDS for the fraud that it is. We cannot fight anti-Semitism and the delegitimization of Israel alone. We must work together to spread the truth and to make sure that the world knows that this is not just a Jewish problem, it is a problem that concerns us all," Ambassador Lauder concluded.
4. DAVID DUKE CALLS TO 'SHUT DOWN' SYNAGOGUES
by JTA
The Twitter account of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke was reinstated a day after it was suspended following a tweet in which he called to "SHUT DOWN a few synagogues."
Duke's account was suspended on Monday and reinstated hours later, but with all of his followers erased. The suspension followed a tweet on Sunday in which Duke linked to an article in the Israeli daily Haaretz about synagogues serving as sanctuaries for those who might be affected by the Trump administration's new immigration policies.
"Looks like we might have to SHUT DOWN a few synagogues, SAD," Duke tweeted.
Following the reinstatement, Duke issued several negative tweets about Jews and Israel. Several of his supporters blamed the suspension on the Jews.
"David Duke, great American Patriot & Trump supporter has been suspended from Twitter. Just another example of Jew power over all of U.S," read a tweet by @dawg_norman.
"Dr David Duke has been shoahed by the Jews running Twitter," read another by @AdolfJBiden.
During his radio program, Duke appeared to give credence to those claims, saying one of the reasons his account might have been suspended was because "I expose the fact that Israel is an ethno-state," the Forward reported.
Last week, Twitter added an automated system for shutting down users who violate its terms of service, including using hate speech, according to CNNTech. A Twitter spokesman told the news outlet that if an account is found to be suspended in error it is immediately restored.
Twitter has previously suspended and reinstated the account of white nationalist Richard Spencer.
A former state representative who ran unsuccessfully for Congress and Louisiana governor, Duke has long alleged that Jews control the American media and international banks.
5. NEW ROCKET DESIGN TO BE LAUNCHED IN COMING YEARS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[twittervideo:2025645]
6. 'MUEZZIN LAW' RECEIVES INITIAL APPROVAL
by Chana Roberts
On Wednesday afternoon, the "Muezzin Law" was brought for its initial Knesset reading.
There are two versions of the Muezzin Law: One of them, submitted by Coalition Chairman David Bitan (Likud) and MK Moti Yogev (Jewish Home), would prohibit places of worship from using their loudspeakers between the hours of 11:00pm and 7:00am, as well as limit the decibel level of loudspeakers used during the remaining hours of the day.
The second proposal, submitted by MK Robert Ilatov (Yisrael Beytenu), completely bans all places of worship from using loudspeakers and levy a fine between 5,000 and 10,000 NIS for each violation.
Ilatov said, "After a discussion with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Coalition Chairman Bitan, we agreed to vote on the Muezzin Law today. I am happy that after a lengthy fight, we will soon be finished with the issue of blaring mosque loudspeakers, and thousands of Israeli citizens will be able to live normal lives.
"This law will help thousands of citizens living in Arab towns. There is nothing religious about the law. People need to understand that those around them want to sleep."
Environmental Protection Minister Ze'ev Elkin (Likud) said, "For 25 years, we've had laws banning loud noises and loudspeakers at night. There's nothing new about this law. We are standing here in opposition of a violation of the law... Israel Police have said they are having difficulty enforcing the law when it comes to muezzin, and that the fines are too low. We will help them enforce the law, and loudspeakers can be used during daytime hours."
Health Minister Yaakov Litzman (UTJ) repealed his opposition to the law after Bitan and Yogev set specific hours in which the loudspeakers could not be used.
The current version will block mosques from blasting their loudspeakers at 4am, but will not disrupt the "Shabbat sirens" on Friday afternoons and just prior to the start of Jewish holidays.
"Hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens, in the Galilee, in the Negev, in Jerusalem, and in the center of the country suffer every day from the noise produced by the loudspeaker systems of places of worship," the proposal states. "These loudspeakers disrupt their sleep several times a day, including early in the morning and late at night.
"The proposed law brings a change in perspective, in which religious freedom does not harm civilians' sleep and in which places of worship will limit the use of loudspeakers at night."
Ilatov's proposal received the approval of 55 MKs, but was opposed by 48 others.
Yogev and Bitan's proposal received the approval of 55 MKs and was opposed by 47 others.
Both proposals will be brought to the Knesset Committee for further discussion.
7. 'WE NEED AN ACTIVE AMERICA IN OUR REGION'
by Nitsan Keidar
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman met on Tuesday in Washington with U.S. Secretary of Defense, Gen. James Mattis. Liberman was received by an honor guard at the Pentagon and the meeting was held in a warm and friendly atmosphere.
During the meeting, Mattis and Liberman discussed all the security issues shared by Israel and the United States that are on the agenda, and discussed in depth the strategic issues in the Middle East, including Iran, Syria, Lebanon and other issues.
Liberman told Mattis that Israel views with concern the goings on in Lebanon by Lebanese President Michel Aoun, and particularly the fact that the Lebanese army has become part of the operating system of the Hezbollah terrorist group.
The two ministers agreed on the need to act to strengthen the moderate forces in the region and create a coalition to fight terrorism.
Lieberman told Secretary Mattis that the United States' position, as it is currently expressed, is very important in order to remove obstacles that harm stability in the Middle East. "We need an active America in the region," he stressed.
"The strategic cooperation between Israel and the U.S. is vital and crucial not only for the security of Israel, but for security and stability throughout the Middle East and this also has implications on global security," said Liberman, who added that the axis of evil the world, as he put it, stretches from Iran to North Korea.
Following the formal meeting, Mattis and Liberman held a private meeting.
8. TERRORISTS ATTACK AFGHAN HOSPITAL - WHILE DRESSED AS DOCTORS
by Tal Polon
[twittervideo:2025639]
Three are dead and 54 wounded after terrorists entered a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan and shot at medical staff and patients - while dressed as doctors.
Reuters reported according to a security official that the attack began after a suicide bomber blew himself up at the back of the 400-bed Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan hospital in Kabul and three terrorists equipped with automatic weapons and grenades entered the complex.
Dressed in medical personnel uniforms, the terrorists then proceeded to attack medical staff and patients. A worker at the hospital told Reuters that he saw one of the terrorists dressed in a white doctor's coat take out a concealed AK-47 assault rifle and open fire, murdering at least one patient and one hospital worker. He also said that he heard firing in other parts of the hospital.
According to the Afghan Defense Ministry, Afghan forces were at the scene and there is "heavy fighting." The Ministry also said that one of the terrorists had been killed so far, while one Afghan soldier had been killed and three wounded.
Afghanistan's Tolo News reported that ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack.
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
