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Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com ------------------------------------------------ Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday Tuesday, May. 09 '17, י"ג באייר תשע"ז HEADLINES: 1. FRIEDMAN: HOPEFULLY I'LL BE WORKING IN JERUSALEM SOON 2. ERDAN: TURKISH PRESIDENT IS HARMING SECURITY OF J'LEM RESIDENTS 3. ABBAS: I'M READY TO MEET WITH NETANYAHU - IF TRUMP IS PRESENT 4. ISRAEL TO ERDOGAN: YOU WILL NOT PREACH MORALITY TO US 5. MOTORCYCLIST KILLED BY TRUCK 6. DEPUTY FM: BUILD NEW TOWN IN SAMARIA IMMEDIATELY 7. B'TSELEM 'MARKING' IDF SOLDIERS 8. DEBATE BETWEEN HAARETZ STAFFERS AND MK SHULI MUALEM 1. FRIEDMAN: HOPEFULLY I'LL BE WORKING IN JERUSALEM SOON by David Rosenberg US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, who was sworn in March 29th, will be arriving in Israel next Monday to begin his service at the US Embassy. Confirming recent reports that he will begin his assignment on this coming week, Friedman tweeted Tuesday that he would arrive in Israel on May 15th. "I am arriving in Israel on May 15 to represent the United States as Ambassador to Israel." After his arrival on Monday, Friedman will present his credentials to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who will officially receive him as America’s ambassador to the Jewish state. Friedman also fueled speculation in his tweet that the Trump administration may be preparing to relocate the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the Israeli capital, Jerusalem. "I hope to work out of Jerusalem very soon!" As a candidate in the 2016 presidential election, Trump pledged to implement the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act and relocate the US Embassy to Jerusalem and to formally recognize the city as the undivided capital of the State of Israel. Since taking office, however, Trump has remained mum on whether he will fulfill his campaign pledge. Friedman, who maintains a residence in Jerusalem, had requested to work out of either his home office or the US Consulate in Jerusalem, a request reportedly denied by State Department officials. Senior US officials reported last week that while Friedman would reside in Jerusalem, and not in the official Ambassador’s Residence in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv, he would be working out of the Tel Aviv Embassy until a final decision on the embassy move was made. 2. ERDAN: TURKISH PRESIDENT IS HARMING SECURITY OF J'LEM RESIDENTS by Tal Polon Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan related to the recent string of verbal attacks by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against Israel, blasting them as baseless accusations and warning of their potentially dangerous consequences. "Erdogan’s words are completely baseless and disconnected from reality. Unfortunately, his statements about Jerusalem and the Temple Mount and Jerusalem fan the flames, and hurt the security of residents of Jerusalem and its visitors." The Minister's words came as Chairman of the Foreign Ministry Yuval Rotem summoned for rebuke this morning Turkish Ambassador to Israel Kamel Okem over the Turkish President’s statements. Rotem told the Ambassador that Jerusalem is paying no heed to Erdogan’s slanderous talk, and will continue to maintain freedom worship for all religions. Over the past 24 hours, the Turkish President has made various pronouncements lambasting Israel. Last night, Erdogan met with top-ranked Palestinian-Arab official Rami Hamdallah in Istanbul to discuss the subject of "Ways of protecting Jerusalem from Israel." The Ma’an news agency quoted a statement released by Hamdallah’s office, according to which Erdogan "confirmed the necessity of unifying efforts to protect Jerusalem against attempts of Judaization," and called on as many Muslims as possible to visit the Temple Mount in order to emphasize the bond between Islam and the site. Erdogan also said that "It is impossible to find a solution and peace in the region without finding a fair solution for the Palestinian cause first," adding that "it is an obligation to establish a Palestinian state in the ‘67 borders - and as much pressure as possible needs to be exerted on Israel so that this will happen." He said that "Israel keeps escaping punishment, which leads it to escalated aggression against Palestinians," and claimed that peace attempts will fail "unless Israel is held accountable for its crimes," according to the Ma’an news agency. In turn, these statements came on the heels of others he made calling on Muslims to ascend the Temple Mount as a show of solidarity with Palestinian-Arabs in their "fight for rights and justice," and slamming Israel’s proposed Muezzin Bill, which seeks to lower the decibel level of muezzin calls in mosques during sleeping hours. "The fact that those who talk about freedom of thought and faith at every opportunity actually approve this step by remaining silent is noteworthy. We will not allow the silencing of prayers from the heavens of Jerusalem," he had said. 3. ABBAS: I'M READY TO MEET WITH NETANYAHU - IF TRUMP IS PRESENT by David Rosenberg Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas indicated he was willing to meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, if the meeting was under the "auspices" of President Donald Trump. Speaking to reporters in Ramallah Tuesday, Abbas said President Trump was expected to visit Palestinian Authority leaders in Judea and Samaria "soon" – referring to an upcoming trip to Israel scheduled for May 22nd and 23rd. While President Trump had planned to visit Abbas at his residence in Ramallah, Abbas indicated the president would also be heading to Bethlehem during his trip. "We are looking forward to his visit soon to Bethlehem," said Abbas. The PA leader said he was ready to meet with Israel’s Prime Minister if President Trump were to organize a meeting between the two leaders. "We told him that we were ready to collaborate with him and meet the Israeli PM under his auspices to build peace." 4. ISRAEL TO ERDOGAN: YOU WILL NOT PREACH MORALITY TO US by Gary Willig Israel's Foreign Ministry rejected criticism from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Monday evening and said that he had no right to criticize Israel given his own lackluster record on human rights issues. "Whoever systematically violates human rights in his country should not preach morality to the only true democracy in the region. Israel adheres strictly to full freedom of worship for Jews, Muslims and Christians - and will continue to do so in spite of this baseless slander," the ministry said. Erdogan had slammed Israel for its proposed Muzzen Bill and called on Muslims from around the world to go to the Temple Mount to show solidarity with the Palestinian Arabs and to protest what he called Israel's human rights abuses. "The fact that such an issue is even coming to the agenda is shameful," Erdogan said at the opening ceremony of the International Forum on al-Quds Waqf in Istanbul. "The fact that those who talk about freedom of thought and faith at every opportunity actually approve this step by remaining silent is noteworthy. We will not allow the silencing of prayers from the heavens of Jerusalem," he added. Erdogan also called on the US to cease all discussions on the possibility of moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. "The debates over the possibility of US moving its Israel embassy to Jerusalem are extremely wrong and should certainly drop from the agenda," Erdogan said. 5. MOTORCYCLIST KILLED BY TRUCK by Mordechai Sones A motorcyclist was critically injured today (Monday) by a truck on Route 20, near the Glilot East interchange, on the way up to Shivat Hakochavim. Paramedics and MDA paramedics performed several CPR operations and evacuated him in critical condition to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. Upon his arrival at the hospital, CPR continued, but doctors were forced to declare the rider's death. Idan, a MDA paramedic who arrived at the scene, said: "As I drove by I saw an accident. On the road I saw a man of about 40, lying unconscious, without a pulse or breathing, suffering severe injuries. "I immediately began giving him life-saving medical treatment that included advanced operations. An intensive care unit of MDA that arrived at the same time continued the medical treatment and evacuated him during resuscitation operations to the hospital as his condition was defined as critical," said the paramedic. 6. DEPUTY FM: BUILD NEW TOWN IN SAMARIA IMMEDIATELY by Hezki Baruch [youtube:2027825] Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) on Monday met the women of Amona, all of whom are currently living with their families in a school dormitory in the neighboring town of Ofra. Amona's residents were expelled from their homes in February 2017, and the town was completely destroyed. Since then, the residents have been living in a dormitory while they wait for the promised caravans to be built in a new location. "I came here to meet the women of Amona, who are going through such a difficult period," Hotovely said. "It's not only difficult for them - it's difficult for their entire families, who are living in a place which is not suited for family life." "This needs to end with the building of a new town, as the government promised it would do. "The government can choose whether to build a new town quickly, or whether to do it the regular [bureaucracy-delayed] way, which takes two years. I am sure that we need to build the new town as quickly as possible, so that the families will have a future instead of living out of suitcases. "We have an obligation toward Amona's residents, and we must do everything we can to ensure that a new, permanent, town is built as quickly as possible." In response to Arutz Sheva's question about how the Israeli government had not learned a lesson from the 2005 expulsion from Gush Katif, when homes were destroyed before proper facilities were prepared for their residents, Hotovely said, "There's no comparison. [Gush Katif] was a bad decision made by the Israeli government, and we are still paying the price today." "Here, we're talking about a town recognized as valuable by the Israeli government. The government wants Amona on the map. "I am asking you please not to compare Amona to Gush Katif." "We are a right-wing government, and we will do everything we can to ensure there will be no more expulsions," Hotovely added. "We need to implement the Levy Report." The Levy Report, written by a committee headed by late Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy, proved that Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria is permissible under international law. The government, which commissioned the report, did not formally adopt it for political reasons. "We passed the Regulation Law, and we fought for it, and I think that the settlement of Israel will continue to flourish." Before meeting with the Amona women, Hotovely toured the dormitory which houses the families. Visiting the rooms of three different families, she saw the difficult reality in which 7 children live in a 12 meter room, in which they have to live, play, do homework, sleep, and eat. Hotovely also met Oriyah Yahav, a National Service volunteer who lives in one room with her six brothers; Noam, a boy who celebrated his bar mitzvah on Monday morning; and Moriah Shaag, who gave birth to her son Lavi after her home was destroyed. She listened to stories of how the families are dealing with the hardships, including the lack of privacy and the impact it has on marriage and family life. [album:open 7. B'TSELEM 'MARKING' IDF SOLDIERS by Uzi Baruch A film produced by the radical left-wing organization B’Tselem is set to debut at a Tel Aviv theater Tuesday night, the latest effort by the group in its campaign to disparage and smear soldiers serving in the IDF. The film’s release marks 10 years since the beginning of B’Tselem’s "Cameras Project", in which the group distributed video cameras to Arab residents across Judea and Samaria, encouraging them to provoke Israeli security forces, then film their responses and release heavily redacted versions portraying officers and soldiers in a negative light. Since the project began a decade ago, B’Tselem has adopted increasingly aggressive tactics for harassing soldiers serving in Judea and Samaria and, apparently, singling out individual soldiers even after the incidents filmed by B’Tselem provocateurs. In an article published in Haaretz and a post promoted by B’Tselem, far-left journalist Amira Hass – who in the past has praised Arab stone-throwing attacks on Israeli civilians – provided an example of the radical left’s tracking of individual soldiers. "To the parents of the officer with the beauty mark above his upper lip, who in February of this year served next to the settlement of Yitzhar: If you want to bask in your heroic son’s [glory] during an operation, go to the Tel Aviv Cinematheque this Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Your son is the star of the show: pulling his gun on civilians, decisive, coordinating with the two soldiers there with him, shooting out his orders like a gentleman in broken Arabic, reporting to his commanders… ‘I’m with three youths, one with a camera, not that it bothers me much.’" The incident in question, filmed by B’Tselem activists, occurred near the town of Yitzhar, when provocateurs acting on behalf of the group approached the town and were stopped by soldiers. [youtube:2027848] 8. DEBATE BETWEEN HAARETZ STAFFERS AND MK SHULI MUALEM by Mordechai Sones The Haaretz newspaper held a conference at the Beit Berl College on the question of Judea and Samaria's annexation. MK Shuli Mualem Refaeli, MKs Aida Toma Suleiman (Joint List), Yoav Kish (Likud), former MK Haim Oron, and journalists Ravit Hecht and Gideon Levy, a radical leftist, participated in one of the sessions. Ravit Hecht, a Haaretz journalist, attacked the Jewish Home chairman, saying, "You call yourself someone who cares about social legislation, you need to see the financial data of these settlements, or as you call them, villages, which are a huge economic burden on the state. The budgets allocated to preserve the lives of those who chose to live there could be redirected to other sectors." "You're performing cheap demagoguery here," MK Mualem Refaeli replied and turned to Aluf Benn, Haaretz's news editor. "The time has come for you to change your perception. On the roads of Judea and Samaria, on the way to Gush Etzion where I live, they throw stones and firebombs. With great regret, I do not see this receive priority or even expression in your newspaper. Our lives are basically worthless to you. If you want to go for numbers, fine. Note that most of the Jews killed in terrorist attacks in recent years were not in Judea and Samaria. Must I remind you of the period when buses would explode in Tel Aviv?! The State of Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people and Judea and Samaria and its Jewish residents are an inseparable part of it," said Muallem Refaeli. She added, "I represent the perception that there is no way to be an occupier in one's own land, and as far as I'm concerned, we should go towards application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. The time has come for you to realize that the concepts you speak about are no longer accepted by the majority of the Israeli public. Not the two-state solution, not peace, nor the demographic threat that gets waved about from time to time." Gideon Levy, who attacks residents of Judea and Samaria in many of his articles, said, "Thanks to Shuli, her friends, and the settlement enterprise, the two-state solution is no longer achievable, it's a beautiful and breathtaking solution, but it's no longer possible. The question now is whether the one state here will be apartheid or democratic - where we also stand in silence on the Nakba and we'll have a Palestinian prime minister and chief of staff. If I have to choose between the two options, I prefer the democratic state, and do not think that today the State of Israel is a democratic state, that state is an illusion." [video:2027830] ------------------------------------------------ Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/ | |
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