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 י"ט בתשרי תשע"ח / Monday, Oct. 09 '17 Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report -http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe Headlines
1. Israel, Trump admin reach understanding on constructionby David Rosenberg The Civil Administration Higher Planning Committee is slated to meet next week and give final approval to nearly 4,000 new housing units across Judea and Samaria, including the first new construction in the Jewish community in Hevron in some four decades. On Sunday night, Channel 2 reported that the Netanyahu government has okayed the move, following delays by the Higher Planning Committee, which had originally been scheduled to approve the projects in September. The new wave of construction, totaling 3,829 homes, includes building in communities outside of the so-called “major settlement blocs”, a significant shift from the limits imposed on projects approved during the Obama administration. Along with larger ‘consensus’ towns such as Ariel and Givat Zeev, the new construction wave includes units in Beit El, Tzofim, Rehalim, Nogohot, Hevron, Tekoa, Kfar Etzion, Avnei Hefetz, Nofim, Kochav Yaakov, Har Bracha, and Maaleh Michmash [Michmas]. According to a government official who spoke with Yediot Ahronot on Sunday, next week’s planned approval for the projects signals the end of the Obama-era condemnations of Israeli housing projects. The official added that Israel has established an unofficial understanding with the Trump administration regarding construction in Judea and Samaria, whereby Israel will build outside of the larger “settlement blocs”, but will limit announcements of large housing projects to once every few months. For its part, the Trump administration has pledged not to issue condemnations of Israeli housing projects in Judea and Samaria. "There was a long dry period during the Obama era, and we were hit with condemnations for every construction in the settlement," the official said. "After Trump came into office, Israel and the new American administration set clear criteria for construction that the Americans were not opposed to, such as canceling the distinction between settlement blocs and isolated settlements. In addition, it was made clear that the Americans no longer consider the settlements an obstacle to peace." 2. Murderers of elderly Jewish man captured, terrorism suspectedby David Rosenberg Israeli security forces captured two Arab residents of the Palestinian Authority suspected of murdering 70-year-old Reuven Shmerling last week. The two suspects, residents of the PA-controlled town of Qabatiya in northern Samaria, were arrested last Thursday in a joint operation by the Shin Bet internal security agency, Israel Police, and the IDF. The arrests were cleared for publication Sunday evening. While police initially suggested the murder may have been the result of a business dispute between Shmerling and employees of his factory, authorities now say the evidence suggests the murder was a premeditated act of terrorism. “Evidence gathered thus far by the [Shin Bet] indicates that this was a terrorist attack carried out for a nationalist motive,” the Shin Bet said in a statement Sunday. Investigators say the investigation is still ongoing and further details remain under a gag order. Shmerling, a long-time resident of the town of Elkana in western Samaria, was found dead in his factory in the nearby Arab town of Kfar Qasim last Wednesday afternoon, with signs of extreme violence on his body. The victim’s son, Shai, found Shmerling’s remains in the Kfar Qasim industrial zone Wednesday afternoon after he failed to return home. Shmerling’s children and grandchildren had gathered at his home Wednesday ahead of the Sukkot holiday to celebrate his 70th birthday. On Friday, some 1,200 people gathered at the Elkana cemetery to pay their final respects as Shmerling was laid to rest. Just days before his murder, Shmerling had served as cantor at the Moreshet Yehudit synagogue in Elkana during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. MK Nissan Slomiansky (Jewish Home) founded the Moreshet Yehudit synagogue, named in honor of his late wife, Marcia Judith Slomiansky (nee Dolgin). [video:2033673] 3. 'Humanitarian aid to Gaza - only if Hamas returns our citizens'by Hezki Baruch Hundreds participated in the "For the Smile" hike on the Israel Trail in memory of soldier Hadar Goldin, whose body is being held by Hamas in Gaza. The hike take place biannually, during the intermediate days of Sukkot and Passover. This time, participants hiked through the lower Amud Stream. Among the participants were students studying in various pre-military academies. As they hiked, small groups discussed for over an hour what the concept of "Israeli leadership" means. The hike ended near the Ein Nun pool, where the gathering sang songs and Goldin's father Simcha spoke about the need for the Israeli government to change its policies regarding missing soldiers. "The Israeli government must not allow itself to miss another opportunity to bring Hadar, Oron Shaul, and the other civilians home," Simcha Goldin said. "The most effective way to do this would be for the State of Israel to condition any humanitarian aid to Gaza on the return of Israel's soldiers and citizens." Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu publicized on Sunday a pre-Yom Kippur (day of Atonement) meeting with the Goldin and Shaul families. According to a diplomatic source, the meeting was attended by Netanyahu's IDF secretary and the head of the IDF's unit for injured soldiers. The source also said Netanyahu is looking to hire a new coordinator to handle the issues of captured and missing IDF soldiers, and that Netanyahu discusses the issue at every diplomatic meeting. Lior Lotan, the Prime Minister's coordinator for captives and missing persons, stepped down in August after three years in which he voluntarily held the position. 4. Abbas says 'no' to Trumpby Arutz Sheva Staff The Fatah Revolutionary Council, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, met at the Palestinian Authority presidential headquarters in Ramallah to discuss the latest developments in the efforts to achieve reconciliation with the Hamas terrorist organization. According to the official PA news agency Wafa, Fatah leader and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said at the meeting that Jerusalem was "the eternal capital of the state of Palestine." He praised the 'victory' of the Arab residents of Jerusalem for the "tyranny of the occupation" after the thwarting of the installation of metal detectors at the entrance to the Temple Mount. Abbas stated that there was an inherent danger in the Balfour Declaration, which was issued 100 years ago, and stressed the importance of calling for Britain to apologize for the "historic injustice" caused to the Palestinian Arabs by the declaration, as well as for the cancellation of all events marking the anniversary of the declaration. He also called on the UN Human Rights Council to publish its blacklist of companies which do business in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, and reiterated that the payments made to terrorists in Israeli prisons would continue. Abbas called the payments to terrorists a national, moral, political and human duty. The terrorists paid by the PA include many murderers and attempted murderers. The harsher their sentence, the greater the salary they receive, effectively creating a situation where the more Jews a terrorist murders, the more money he receives from the PA government. Abbas also rejected the demand to recognize Israel as a Jewish State, which he says is an attempt to erase the refugee problem and a racist move against "our people." US President Donald Trump has called on Abbas to work to end terrorism, including by cutting off funding for terrorists and by ending incitement to violence against Jews and Israelis. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson explicitly called on Abbas to cease payments to terrorists and their families. Abbas has refused to do so. 5. 'Those who won't grant divorces will be marked like Cain'by Hezki Baruch, Chana Roberts Family Forum and Rabbinical Courts Director attorney Odelia Hen is advancing a new law allowing get-refusers names, photographs, and personal details to be publicized online. The new law was proposed by MK Revital Swid (Zionist Union). A get-refuser ("get" is the Hebrew word for "divorce papers") is defined as either a man who refuses to grant a get or a woman who refuses to accept one within a month of the issuance of a ruling that a get should be given. The new proposal involves publicizing get refusers' names and photos, in order to shame them into granting their spouse a divorce. In an interview with Arutz Sheva, Hen said, "Those who refuse to grant a divorce and thereby take away their spouse's freedom should know that their photograph and personal details will appear on an international website as if they were criminals. This is one more sanction to deter the inappropriate trend of refusing to grant a divorce." When asked for the source for the initiative, Hen said, "This is my initiative, born of the many years I have worked in family law. Social media has tremendous power today, and we must use its power to reduce, eradicate, and deter improper trends such as refusing a divorce." "Israel's Chief Ashkenazic Rabbi David Lau supports my proposal, and I assume most of the Knesset does as well. I am sure that it will meet only support and no resistance, because this is an issue which we must eradicate completely. For many years, we have been searching for a solution which would help deter people from refusing a divorce. Every effort at deterrence is worthwhile." Hen also said that her proposal would affect both genders equally, and will significantly aid efforts to minimize the number of get refusals. "A person who knows his or her name and personal details will be publicized throughout the world as if he were a common thief will become like Cain, wandering with a mark on his forehead," she concluded. In February, the Rabbinical Court published statistics regarding divorce cases over the past five years. Of 809 cases in which a get was not granted within one month, 382 involved a recalcitrant husband, while the other 427 – nearly 12% more – involved women who refused to accept a get. In 2007, 20% of unresolved divorce cases involved women who refused their spouse a divorce. This flies in the face of the conventional perception that unresolved divorces are invariably the result of men holding their estranged wives "hostage" until their unreasonable demands are met. Between the years 2012 and 2015, 249 women refused a get, while 205 men did. The year 2016 saw a surprising jump in the number of unresolved divorces, caused equally by men and women: 143 by men, 142 by women. As of February, the statistics for 2017 included 36 women and 34 men refusing their estranged spouses' conditions. During this five-year period, 69 men were imprisoned for refusing to give a get; no women were imprisoned for refusing to accept one. In November 2016, a new policy directive issued by Israel’s State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan stated that a Jewish man in Israel who refuses to grant his wife a religious divorce after being ordered to do so by a rabbinical court could face criminal charges and be jailed. No equivalent sentences were meted out for female get-refusers. 6. Dozens arrested as police crack down on 'scary clowns'by AFP Israeli police said Monday they were on the lookout for teenagers in clown masks after fears the craze would cause violent reactions from those being frightened, with dozens already detained. "Police operations are continuing in different areas to protect public places and prevent further incidents," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP. He said that about 12 youngsters, including two 14-year-olds, were arrested over the past few days. A previous police statement said that "dozens of youngsters from all parts of the country were detained for questioning after putting masks on their faces in order to sow fear and panic among the public." Rosenfeld said that they sought only to frighten people, not to harm them. "There haven't been any attacks. It's just been people dressed up and walking around with fake axes, fake knives, etcetera," he said. Police have, however, warned that such pranks could go horribly wrong in a country where people are constantly on edge for fear of militant attacks and where many carry firearms. "There is a concern that such pranks will be interpreted as a real threat and will cause harm to the youngsters," said a statement last week. "It is absolutely forbidden for people to take the law into their own hands and harm wearers of masks." Local media said that a victim of an incident in the southern city of Beer Sheva last week stabbed his tormenter, leaving him wounded in moderate condition. Police did not confirm the reports. Media have suggested a link between the phenomenon, which appears to have broken out around the beginning of October, and the September 14 release in Israel of the film of Stephen King's "It," featuring an evil clown who preys on teenagers. The plague of scary clowns broke out in the United States last year. There were sightings in South Carolina of people dressed as clowns trying to lure children into the woods. The appearances soon spread, with more than 20 states reporting incidents, and although most were pranks or unverified threats, police made a handful of arrests, including for physical attacks. The craze, fanned through social media, spread to Canada, Europe, South America and Australia. Israeli police advised members of the public confronted by a masked person not to engage with them. "In these situations, move away from the scene and report it to the police as soon as possible," the official police Facebook page says. 7. Watch: Haredi child attacked outside of 770 in Crown Heightsby David Rosenberg [youtube:2033729] A gang of local thugs attacked a 12-year-old member of the Jewish community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn Friday night as he made his way home following Shabbat prayers. The attack took place on Eastern Parkway, just across the street from the iconic 770 building, the headquarters of the Chabad movement. As he made his way home, the victim was suddenly assaulted by a group of seven or eight African-American youths, with no apparent provocation. The boy’s father said he spotted the assailants moments before they attacked, and was able to avoid serious injury. “My son said that he understood something was going to happen and as he was thinking what he should do, they suddenly pounced with one of them slapping him so hard that he fell to the ground, while a second one hitting him in the head,” the boy’s father told Crown Heights Info. “Thankfully my son had taken some self-defense courses and knew to protect his head and cover-up.” The boy’s family reported the incident to local police, who are now investigating the attack as a possible hate crime. “What’s disturbing is that this occurred on Eastern Parkway, with many extra cops out, extra flood lights, lots of foot traffic, and all that didn’t deter these kids,” the boy’s father said Sunday after speaking with community organizers and local police about the attack. 8. Exploring the inner meaning of Sukkotby Yoni Kempinski [youtube:2033739] Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report - http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe | |
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