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Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com ------------------------------------------------ Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday Thursday, May. 04 '17, ח' באייר תשע"ז HEADLINES: 1. NETANYAHU: ABBAS LIED TO TRUMP 2. 'ISRAELI PILOTS WOULD UTILIZE F-35 MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN OTHERS' 3. DID BANNON REVEAL PLAN TO MOVE US EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM? 4. LAWYER BY DAY - TERRORIST BY NIGHT 5. COURT RULES: MURDER SUSPECT TO BE RELEASED TO HOUSE ARREST 6. GERMANY NEVER COMMITTED TO BOYCOTT 'BREAKING THE SILENCE' 7. 'PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES' INSTEAD OF 'ISRAEL?' 8. WATCH: PRINCE PHILIP ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT 1. NETANYAHU: ABBAS LIED TO TRUMP by Nitzan Keidar Prime Minister Netanyahu attacked this afternoon, Thursday, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas following his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington. "I heard President Abbas yesterday say that the Palestinians teach their children peace. Unfortunately, that's not true. They name their schools after mass murderers of Israelis and they pay terrorists," he said at the opening of a meeting with the Romanian prime minister in Jerusalem. "But I hope that it’s possible to achieve a change and to pursue a genuine peace. This is something Israel is always ready for. I’m always ready for genuine peace," he added. Netanyahu said that he "[looks] forward to discussing with President Trump the best ways to advance peace. This is something we fervently share with the president." Following Trump’s meeting with Abbas on Wednesday, White Spokesman Sean Spicer said that Trump had raised the issues of the Palestinian Authority's incitement and payments to terrorists in Israeli prisons with Abbas during their meeting. Trump had stated during his joint briefing before the meeting that "There can be no lasting peace unless the Palestinian leaders speak in a unified voice against incitement to violence and hate." 2. 'ISRAELI PILOTS WOULD UTILIZE F-35 MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN OTHERS' by Mordechai Sones "Let me begin with a story about a friend and colleague, a USAF general and fighter pilot who had flown many aircraft types and is an expert on airborne weapon systems. After 50 hours flying the F-35, I asked for his impressions. Here is what he had to say: 'This is unbelievable, much better than anything any pilot could have wished for himself. I felt like a sniper wearing a Ghillie suit, effectively concealed and camouflaged and seeing three enemy snipers fully exposed on the ground. I can see them but they cannot see me. That's how it is with the F-35. Its pilot is invisible. That is the stealth characteristic and it is improving with the aircraft coming off the production line. This aircraft makes the decisions as to when and where to launch (munitions). It is an evolutionary and revolutionary aircraft. It is revolutionary owing to the fact that it collects intelligence and it can be improved and upgraded all the time, on the move'." This description of the F-35's Fifth-generation capabilities was offered by U.S. General (ret.) Gary North, Lockheed Martin's Vice President for Customer Requirements in an interview with Israel Defense ahead of today's 2nd International Conference for Air Power in Tel Aviv. Hundreds of defense officials, industry leaders, and aviation experts convened today at the Hilton Hotel in Tel Aviv for the premiere aerial defense conference of 2017, organized by Israel Defense and the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies, Israel Defense reports. The theme of the conference this year is "From the Six-Day War to the Fifth-Generation Era," emphasizing the memorial of the Six-Day War and Operation Focus, and the introduction of the Israeli Air Force into the Fifth-Generation. Gen. (ret.) North, a former USAF four-star general and fighter pilot, flew F-4 Phantoms, F-15, and F-16 fighters. He has commanded squadrons and airbases, logging 4,700 flight hours and 83 combat missions during two wars in Iraq. North had served in senior positions, including commander of the USAF Pacific Forces and commander of the USAF forces in the Middle East between 2006 and 2009. After 36 years of military service, North joined the Lockheed Martin Corporation, where he serves as Vice President in charge of two activities: relations with overseas F-35 customers and cooperative alliances between the F-35 stealth fighter project and industries worldwide, including the contributions of six Israeli industries, notably IAI and Elbit Systems, which contribute some of their best products to the Adir fighter project. Gen. (ret.) North has nothing but praise for the Israeli crews operating their two Adir fighters at the Nevatim airbase. "Your pilots have already logged more than 50 flight hours on the aircraft, including night flights. I know they are already flying in an almost fully operational mode. They excelled during their training periods in the USA, and I am convinced that they are diligently studying the capabilities of the aircraft, and that they would utilize it more effectively than others." In his Israel Defense interview, Gen. North revealed some more of the F-35's capabilities: "With regard to the intelligence gathering aspect: the key word with the F-35 is sensor fusion. This aircraft arrives at the target area undetected, and using its built-in cameras (six in each aircraft), sensors and electronics, it can penetrate even areas heavily defended by air-defense systems. The aircraft collects information, photographs and records the input, and using datalink channels it transmits the information and data to other users in the air, to neighboring aircraft or to ground elements – command centers, decision makers – or to naval vessels at sea. Anyone sharing the communication networks (Network Centric Warfare) can receive the information collected by the F-35 aircraft, and it does everything on its own, with minimum involvement on the pilot's part. Admittedly, the pilot of a fourth-generation fighter receives a lot of information from sensors and other on-board sources, but he still has to monitor several display screens and attempt to translate the information and understand it in order to make decisions. With the F-35, the pilot is exempt from all of that, the systems do the intelligence gathering and dissemination work for him and he can focus on flying, on his environment and on his targets." At today's conference topics include the anniversary of the Six-Day War and Operation Focus (the opening airstrike by Israel at the start of the 1967 war), the reception of the F-35 'Adir' planes into the IAF fleet, and relevant international lessons for the current reality. Highlights of the conference will include remarks from Brig. Gen. Eyal Grinboym, Commander of the Israeli Nevatim AFB, and Gen. (ret.) Gary North of Lockheed Martin on the significance of the F-35, as well as other defense experts and speakers from the Israeli and international aerospace industry. 3. DID BANNON REVEAL PLAN TO MOVE US EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM? by David Rosenberg Did one of President Trump’s closest advisors inadvertently leak White House plans to relocate the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem? Candidate Trump pledged that if elected he would implement a 1995 law requiring the transfer of the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and the formal recognition of that city as Israel’s united capital. As president, however, Trump has remained mum on the issue, giving little indication whether he plans to make good on his campaign promise. President Trump hinted a decision may be close at hand, however, telling reporters last week they should ask him about the possible move again in a month – corresponding roughly to the planned trip by the president to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. While no official confirmation on the trip has been given, officials close to the Prime Minister say the president is expected just ahead of Jerusalem Day, which begins the evening of May 23rd. Though President Trump’s intentions vis-à-vis the embassy move have remained a mystery, an innocuous photograph taken by Rabbi Shmuel "Shmuley" Boteach during a visit with White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon may have let the cat out of the bag. The joint selfie, taken during a visit in Bannon’s office on Israeli Independence Day, shows the former Breitbart News chief in front of a white board featuring a list of campaign promises, some with check marks, others without. On the list, in the lower right-hand corner of the picture, the words "Tel Aviv to Jerusalem" can be seen, likely referring to the planned embassy move. Boteach, Bannon selfie Twitter 4. LAWYER BY DAY - TERRORIST BY NIGHT by Uzi Baruch It has been cleared for publication that the Shin Bet recently uncovered a terror cell that perpetrated shooting attacks against civilians and security forces in the area of Jenin, Shechem, and Tulkarm. The shooting attacks took place at night, and with high frequency. In an investigation conducted by Shin Bet security forces, it was revealed that the members of the cell are residents of the village of Pahma in northern Samaria. One of the members of the ring, Loi Ahmad Shfik Tzaabana, is a 34-year-old lawyer identified with the "Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine" (PFLP). The cell also included his cousin, 26, Shfik Mohammad Shfik Tzaabana. During the arrest, security forces confiscated vehicles and a number of weapons, some of which served the cell in committing terror attacks. Shin Bet investigations revealed the full extent of the cell’s activity, which included shooting at IDF bases in the Jenin area, as well as planning and executing shooting attacks against civilians driving in the area. During the investigation, it was revealed that one of the members of the cell even assessed that he would get killed during the cell’s activity, therefore he prepared a will which he kept in his home. In coming days, an indictment is to be filed against the members of the cell. 5. COURT RULES: MURDER SUSPECT TO BE RELEASED TO HOUSE ARREST by Arutz Sheva Staff The Petah Tikva Magistrate’s court decided this morning, Thursday, to release to house arrest the suspect in the murder of 19-year-old woman Vered Crameskoy from Petah Tikva at the beginning of the week. The suspect is her boyfriend, a 34-year-old resident of Samaria who was not at the scene when her body was found thrown on the side of the road, but who returned to the scene later. Police requested from the court to delay the release of the man to house arrest, with the goal of appealing to the district court over the decision, and the judge acceded to the request. The body was sent for analysis in order to ascertain the cause of death, but police have doubts as to whether the analysis will solve the mystery. The attorney of the suspect, Uri Ben-Yosef, said after the ruling that "My client denies the charges against him." On Tuesday, the body of the young woman was found on the side of the road in northern Samaria without signs of life. The car she had been riding in was not at the scene. After a short time, the suspect, her boyfriend, returned with the car to the scene. He said that, after the accident, his friend had taken the vehicle from the scene, but that both of them had returned together a short while later to the scene. The suspect said in investigations that he and his girlfriend had gotten into an argument during the ride, and that she had jumped from the car. The boyfriend was arrested, and in different relations of the incident inconsistencies were revealed. As a result, suspicion was aroused that he had murdered Crameskoy. Yesterday, Crameskoy was laid to rest at the Segula cemetery in Petah Tikva. 6. GERMANY NEVER COMMITTED TO BOYCOTT 'BREAKING THE SILENCE' by Mordechai Sones Yediot Ahronot revealed that the Prime Minister's Office requested to clarify whether German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier would meet with representatives of factious organizations, but the German president's staff refused to commit. Last week Netanyahu canceled a meeting with the German Foreign Minister after the latter met with "Breaking the Silence" and "B'Tselem". German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel visited Israel last week and met with representatives of Breaking the Silence, in opposition to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's request. This morning (Thursday), Yediot Ahronot revealed that his colleague, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, might also be on his way, further exacerbating the crisis between the two countries. Israel fears that Steinmeier, despite being touted as an old friend of Israel, will meet with "Breaking the Silence" members during his working visit to Israel next week. Last week, the German FMs meeting with representatives of the organization led Netanyahu to cancel the meeting with him. Gabriel later refused to receive a phone call from Netanyahu. Steinmeier, who previously served as Germany's foreign minister, will arrive in Israel on Sunday for his first visit since assuming office as president. In Jerusalem, they tried to clarify with Berlin officials whether he intends to meet representatives of the organization in Israel, but the president's staff refused to divulge whether Steinmeier or anyone on his behalf would meet them. Because the itinerary has not yet been finalized, and many "holes" remain in the schedule, Jerusalem is concerned that Germany may coordinate a meeting at the last minute. Last week the Germans refrained from publishing details of Gabriel's meeting with Breaking the Silence representatives until the last minute. The meeting's venue was publicized just a short while before it commenced. However, political sources believe that Steinmeier will demonstrate required sensitivity and will ultimately not meet with them, knowing that this would mean a serious and open diplomatic crisis with Israel - something Steinmeier, the veteran diplomat, would certainly want to avoid. Steinmeier is scheduled to meet with President Rivlin and Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as to deliver a speech at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is also scheduled to visit Givat Haviva and meet with Jewish and Arab children. The Breaking the Silence organization refuses to comment on the possibility that they may meet with Steinmeier and refuses to answer any questions regarding diplomacy. 7. 'PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES' INSTEAD OF 'ISRAEL?' by Arutz Sheva Staff Thousands of French citizens living in Israel recently received official letters from the French foreign ministry calling on them to vote in the French presidential elections. Channel 2 reported this morning that among those who received letters were hundreds of French-Israelis living over the "Green Line," who were surprised to find that their place of residence was not addressed as being located in "Israel" - but rather, the "Palestinian Territories." French parliament member Meir Habib, who represents French citizens living in Israel, sent a harsh letter to French President Francois Hollande - as well as to leading presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron. "Beyond the political and legal argument, the concerted choice of the French foreign ministry to present Jewish communities under the name ‘Palestinian territories’ is a provocation that degrades French citizens living in Israel," he said. "In order to be efficient, our foreign policy needs to be connected to reality." "To be connected to reality means recognizing our mutual enemy - radical Islam," he added. "To be connected to reality means to see that Jerusalem was and will remain the united capital of the State of Israel. To be connected to reality is to hear US President Donald Trump declare his intention to move the US embassy to Jerusalem." "I ask to change the name of the country in which thousands of French-Israelis connected to the French consulate in Jerusalem live. Taking the sensitivity of the matter into account, I have decided to advertise my request and have forwarded it also to Emmanuel Macron, who I hope will be chosen as president this Sunday." 8. WATCH: PRINCE PHILIP ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT by Arutz Sheva Staff [youtube:2013940] The husband of the Queen of England, Prince Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh is retiring from royal duties this fall, according to an announcement by Buckingham Palace. Prince Philip turns 96 next month. He will continue to attend previously scheduled events between now and August but will not accept new invitations, while the the Queen "will continue to carry out a full program of official engagements," according to the Palace. ------------------------------------------------ Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/ | |
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