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 י"ז באלול תשע"ז / Friday, Sep. 08 '17 Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report -http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe Headlines
1. Conservative movement sends angry letter to PM Netanyahuby Arutz Sheva Staff On Thursday afternoon, Rabbi Steven Wernick, CEO of The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ) and Rabbinical Assembly CEO Julie Shonfeld, delivered a letter to New York Consul General of Israel Dani Dayan on behalf of the movement. The letter is addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and discusses what the movement describes as feelings of “dismay, anger and a sense of betrayal concerning events of June 25, 2017 in which the Cabinet tabled the Kotel (Western Wall) Agreement of January 2016 and simultaneously the Legislative Committee of the Knesset put forward a new Conversion Law that would codify the Israeli Chief Rabbinate as the sole authority in Israel for conversion to Judaism.” The letter also states that the writers find it “unconscionable” that Israel does not “recognize or support” all Jews equally. It speaks about the movement's belief that “that this is a unique moment in Israel’s relationship with Diaspora Jewry” and love for fellow Jews. It also demands “diversity” in determining the definition of a Jew. According to Jewish law, Judaism is matrilineal. Children born to a non-Jewish mother and a Jewish father are not Jews. Reform clergy recognizes patrilineal Judaism, causing a schism in who is recognized as a Jew. Intermarriage rates among Conservative and Reform Jews is close to 80% with most of the children raised as non-Jews. In July, nearly 200 North American halakha-observant rabbis called upon the Reform and Conservative movements to "stop dividing the Jewish People" with what it termed a "disinformation campaign" regarding Israel's Western Wall. The rabbis noted that on the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz, when Jews commemorate the breach of Jerusalem's walls which led to the destruction of the Holy Temple, the Western Wall's egalitarian section stood entirely empty. Meanwhile, Women For the Wall appealed to the police to reign in Women of the Wall, who violate the Supreme Court's ruling by holding their controversial gatherings in the central plaza instead of in the designated prayer section. The number of Conservative and Reform Jews in the US, while still much higher than the Orthodox, is in steep decline according to Pew Surveys, while the number of Orthodox Jews is increasing rapidly. Conservative synagogues in the USA are empty and many of them rent out rooms to Orthodox schools, a fact which led Conservative synagogues to decide to allow non-Jewish spouses to be synagogue members so as not to lose additional members. This decision was a sharp turn towards Reform practice but was preceded by a decision to allow the Conservative USY youth movement counselors to date non-Jews. In Israel, the number of Reform and Conservative Jews barely reaches 3% of the Jewish population. 2. Attorney General indicts Sara Netanyahuby Arutz Sheva Staff Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit on Friday morning submitted an indictment against Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's wife Sara. Sara Netanyahu can request a hearing and state her case to Mandelblit before the final verdict is decided. Mandelblit similarly notified Prime Minister's Office Deputy Director General Ezra Saidoff. If Saidoff chooses to request a hearing, it will be held in the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office. It is expected that Binyamin Netanyahu will not be indicted for this case, since there is not enough evidence connecting him to it. Sara Netanyahu is accused of using government money to hire a caretaker for her elderly father, and for exaggerating the cost of meals at the Prime Minister's Residence. Last week, the results of a private polygraph test were published, indicating that Sara Netanyahu spoke the truth on every count. Netanyahu was questioned by police in December 2015. In May it was recommended she be charged with fraudulent acquisition, fraud, and breach of public trust. Sport and Culture Minister Miri Regev (Likud) said she supports Sara Netanyahu, who is "a sensitive and honest woman, committed to her family and her work." Regev points out that "this kind of thing was never done to other prime ministers' wives and said she believes Israel will "soon discover that she is innocent, and her actions impeccable." 3. 'The trip to Gush Etzion has just become shorter'by Eliran Aharon From today on, 12 minutes of travel will separate between the so-called “Tunnel Road -” Route 60 from Gush Etzion to southern Jerusalem - and Route 443, starting north of Jerusalem and heading northwest towards Modiin. The “Rosemarin Interchange” on the Begin Highway, that cuts through Jerusalem in the north-south direction, was unveiled today in a ceremony that saw the participation of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz. The interchange includes two levels and a 77-yard long tunnel. The lower level will provide a direct connection to the Tunnel Road from the Begin Highway. Now, it will be possible to cross Jerusalem with continuous travel - without having to stop for traffic signals - from Route 60 south of Jerusalem to Route 443 north of Jerusalem. The interchange will open to drivers tonight. Gush Etzion Regional Council head Shlomo Ne’eman blessed the new interchange, asserting that “The issue of traffic jams and travel time for Gush Etzion residents is something we have to deal with on a daily basis. Thank G-d, Gush Etzion is today at the center of the transportation revolution which is gaining strength. We praise the building of the interchange and hope that the momentum in building will only become stronger, whether with respect to infrastructure or new housing units and the blossoming of businesses and tourism.” [video:2032577] 4. Danish anti-Israel moralizers in huge corruption scandalby Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld Sometimes important news items which seemingly have no relevance for Israel reveal significant Israel-related insights upon closer investigation. Danske Bank, the largest bank in Denmark, has recently admitted to having been a conduit for a giant corruption scheme by the leadership of Azerbaijan. Some of the documents covering this scandal became available to the Danish daily, Berlingske Tidende. According to the British Guardian, based on leaked data, Azerbaijan’s leadership used the bank to fund a secret $2.9 billion scheme to pay prominent Europeans through a network of British companies. The Guardian claims that between 2012 and 2014 more than 16,000 covert payments were transacted through the Danske Bank’s branch in Estonia. Part of this money appears to have been passed on to politicians and journalists in the framework of lobbying operations. At that time, Azerbaijan was under attack for arresting human rights activists, journalists and conducting rigged elections. The leaders of this oil-rich country wanted to promote a positive image. The scheme is nicknamed ‘the Azerbaijan Laundromat.’ Among those receiving payments were former members of the human rights body, the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, as well as a Board Member of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). It has not been proven that all recipients knew the source of the money as it was disguised via intermediaries. Danske Bank admits that via its Estonian branch office “money laundering and other illegal practices took place.” The bank claims that it first noticed the irregular payments in 2014. The Estonian financial regulator was quoted as saying that "the systems to stop money laundering at the Danske bank branch had failed." While being involved for several years in these hugely unethical activities Danske Bank decided in 2014 to add Bank Hapoalim to a list of companies in which it could not invest due to its corporate accountability rules. It published that the exclusion was based on “legal and ethical reasons.” Danske Bank also stated that Bank Hapoalim was funding settlement activities and was “acting against the rules of international humanitarian law.” Earlier, Danske Bank withdrew its investments from Africa Israel Investments Ltd and from two other Israeli companies, Elbit Systems and Danya Cebus. In 2016, Danske Bank withdrew its boycott of Bank Hapoalim. No clear reasons were given. Nowadays one could assume that as the Danish bank was itself so unethical and had broken laws in such a major way, accusing others of something incomparably smaller made it even more vulnerable. This withdrawal of the boycott got little attention. The damage had already been done however. The BDS movement knows that its activities are almost irrelevant to Israel’s economy. Its main aim is to blacken Israel’s image. Earlier in 2017, Danske Bank had already been found to be involved in other major corruption scandals. Then Berlingske Tidende reported that investigations by the authorities in Latvia and Moldova had shown that large amounts of money had passed between 2011 and 2014 through Danske Bank’s Estonian branch to tax havens in the Seychelles and Panama. There were claims that this money originally came from Russian organized crime. The overall amount laundered was estimated at over 1 billion dollars. Danske Bank's chief counsel admitted inadequate control of the matter. Larse Krull of the Danish Aalborg University was quoted as saying: "It concerns transactions to such a degree that all the alarm bells should go off in the banks." Shortly before this it became known the Danish Financial Supervisory authority, Finanstilsynet, criticized Danish banks’ inadequate measures to counteract money laundering. Danske Bank was not the only Danish entity to boycott Israel. Already in 2002, the General Workers Union in Denmark was among the first European bodies to call for a boycott of Israeli goods. The union itself cancelled a preliminary order for products from the Israeli company, Radix. There has in the past years been frequent exposure of extreme and widespread Scandinavian hypocrisy toward Israel. This mainly focused on Norway and Sweden and in particular when the social democratic parties and their allies controlled the government. However, the huge Danske Bank corruption scandals show once again that in the exposure of extreme anti-Israeli hypocrites Denmark should not be forgotten. Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld has been a long-term adviser on strategy issues to the boards of several major multinational corporations in Europe and North America.He is board member and former chairman of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and recipient of the LIfetime Achievement Award (2012) of the Journal for the Study of Anti-Semitism. 5. Terror attacks halved in Augustby JTA, Arutz Sheva Staff The number of terrorist attacks targeting Israelis more than halved last month from July, constituting the sharpest decrease in terror attacks since the current terror wave began in 2015. The Israel Security Agency (ISA), recorded in August 110 terrorist attacks on Israelis compared to 222 the previous month, the agency said in its monthly report published earlier this week. The decrease brought the number of attacks back to a level similar from before the terror spike in July, which resulted in the highest number of terror attacks in any month since December 2015. From January 2016 onward, Israel saw on average 121 attacks against its citizens per month. The attacks in August resulted in two injuries, both from stabbings, to victims. There were no fatalities in August from terrorist attacks against Israelis. July was one of the deadliest months in terms of Israeli victims of terrorist attacks since 2015, with five dead. The decrease in terrorist activity was especially steep in Jerusalem, where attacks fell in August by 73 percent to 24 terror attacks. The decrease in Judea and Samaria was less dramatic: A 36-percent drop to a total of 83 terror attacks. In July, three Muslim Arab terrorists murdered two Druze police officers. In response, Israel placed metal detectors at the entrance to the Temple Mount. These security measures prompted an outcry from the Palestinian Authority, the Jordanian Waqf and the Jordanian government, which demanded a return to the status quo. Israel eventually caved to pressure, dismantling the metal detectors two weeks after installing them. However, the Arab riots and incitement continued. 6. Israelis unite to fight burning of garbageby Ido Ben Porat Jews and Arabs, left and right, protested on Friday morning in the central city of Kfar Saba against the trend of burning garbage. Participating in the demonstration were Likud MKs, Samaria Regional Council heads, Arabs from the central Arab city of Qalansawe, and extreme leftist Meretz and Arab MKs. The protesters stood near the Ra'anana Soccer Stadium, demonstrating against the Israeli government's lackadaisical attitude towards the fires, which harm both humans and the environment. Slogans included, "The smoke is killing us all" and "Enough suffocation." Various Knesset members, council heads, the demonstration's organizers, and others, gave speeches. MK Dov Khenin (Joint Arab List) said this battle is "a battle for life an a battle for health. The trend to burn garbage in this area is intolerable, and we need to end it. The good news is that we see a nice turnout of residents of both Jewish and Arab towns, who are working together to make a change. If this fight continues, we will be able to win." Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg said that "thanks to the public's battle, we are your representatives and we are here to help you fight more easily. There are leaders from every political sector here. Unfortunately, this problem harms everyone and does not make differentiate based on political beliefs." Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan said, "This demonstration is colorless. We are all here: Arabs and Jews, left and right, and we are all standing up for the basic right of breathing clean air." "It is unthinkable that our children will pay the price for this lax attitude. Children in the Sharon region and children in Samaria have suffered from breathing problems for several years because of this failure to act. No one speaks out, and no one says a word." For several years, Arabs illegally burning waste at pirate garbage dumps have polluted Samaria's air. In October 2016, the Knesset's Interior and Environmental Protection Committee met to discuss the issue, but no steps were taken. Last month, officials decided to advance a joint project to help fight the damage the unregulated landfill causes to the environment and the region's residents, but did not disclose details. 7. 'The claims are false, Sara is brave and honest'by Ido Ben Porat The Netanyahu family responded on Thursday evening to reports that Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit intends to indict Sara Netanyahu, the wife of the Prime Minister, as soon as Friday. "The allegations against the wife of the Prime Minister are absurd and will be proven as such. Sara Netanyahu is a courageous and honest woman and there have never been any flaws with her actions. In addition to working as an educational psychologist and child care expert every week, she spends much of her time helping children with cancer, Holocaust survivors and lone soldiers,” the statement said. The Netanyahu family said that the steep increase in meal expenses at the Prime Minister's Residence “was caused by offenses committed by the problematic house manager Manny Naftali, a state witness and a serial liar. The average monthly expenditure on meals during the period in which Naftali served as house manager is five times higher than the monthly average in the four years which followed, when Naftali did not work there. That says everything." "Naftali is falsely accusing the Prime Minister’s wife in order to escape responsibility for the crimes he committed," Sara Netanyahu's relatives said. "Not only did the wife of the Prime Minister not commit any offense, the very preoccupation with the food of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who works around the clock for the benefit of the state and its security, and with the food of his family is pathetic and obsessive.” "None of the former prime ministers received such treatment, even though the expenses of other prime ministers on meals were identical and sometimes even higher. How long will this obsessive preoccupation with the Netanyahu family last?" the family said. Channel 2 reported earlier on Thursday that the pending indictment against Netanyahu is related to suspicions she misused public funds in a series of cases known collectively as the “Residences Scandal”. According to the report, Mandelblit notified the Netanyahu family of the pending indictment. Binyamin and Sara Netanyahu did not seek a plea bargain agreement. Police questioned Netanyahu in December of 2015, and in late May recommended she be charged with fraudulent acquisition, fraud, and breach of public trust. 8. Mexico earthquake kills 15, including 2 childrenby Arutz Sheva Staff [youtube:2032606] An earthquake measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale struck Mexico's southern state of Chiapas on Friday morning. At least 15 people were killed in the earthquake, which also damaged hospitals and schools. The quake caused a tsunami of 0.7 meters (2.3 feet), the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. Tsunami warnings have been issued for Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Ecuador, and Honduras. ts epicenter was 123 kilometers (76 miles) southwest of the town of Pijijiapan, at a depth of 33-35 kilometers (20.5-21.7 miles) below sea level. Israel's Foreign Ministry said neither Israeli emissaries or their families were harmed. "We are in touch with the Israeli Embassy, and we will receive any updates necessary," the ministry said. Eastern Mexico is currently threatened by Hurricane Katia. The area may experience enhanced rainfall, localized flooding, and mudslides. According to AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski, "The system will likely end up moving inland over the northern coast of southeastern Mexico sometime late this week or this weekend." Mexicans evacuate during earthquake (Credit: ZAKA) Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report - http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe | |
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