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/
Tuesday, May. 31 '16, Iyar 23, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. BEGIN: RIGHT-WINGERS WHO SUPPORT LIBERMAN ARE FOOLS
2. ISRAEL TO ANNEX MAALE ADUMIM?
3. 'WE'RE KEEPING AN EYE ON LIBERMAN'
4. RAPE VICTIM WHO KILLED HIS ATTACKER GIVEN REDUCED SENTENCE
5. JEWISH COMMUNITY IN SILWAN EXPANDS
6. 'I WANTED SO BADLY TO BE JEWISH'
7. FRENCH JEWS FLEE PARIS SUBURBS OVER RISING ANTI-SEMITISM
8. DISABLED IDF VOLUNTEER RECOGNIZED AT AWARD CEREMONY
1. BEGIN: RIGHT-WINGERS WHO SUPPORT LIBERMAN ARE FOOLS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Likud MK Benny Begin on Tuesday blasted the appointment of Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman as Defense Minister, ridiculing right-wing supporters of the move as "fools".
"There are three kinds of right-wingers," said Begin, "moderate right-wingers, extreme right-wingers, and foolish right-wingers."
"Just yesterday Liberman showed us his views," said Begin, referring to Liberman's call for a two-state solution on Monday and previous statements endorsing land swaps along Israel's narrow coastal plain.
"I was surprised by those members [of the nationalist camp], some of whom live in Judea and Samaria, who remember the ideas Liberman has talked about [in the past] that the western border of that same [proposed Palestinian] state - which I see as a PLO state at the beginning that will quickly become a Hamas state – that its border needs to be along the length of Highway 6 [along Israel's central coastal plain]."
"So for residents of Samaria or members of the Likud to celebrate [the fact] that a man with views like these has been given the Defense Ministry leads me to this conclusion [that they're fools]."
Begin also criticized Liberman and Netanyahu over their recent statements in favor of the establishment of a Palestinian state.
"I heard that the Prime Minister wants to bring about the establishment of another state next to Israel in Judea and Samaria. He knows that idea isn't supported within the Likud party in the Knesset and not by the government he currently leads."
"I saw such joyous celebrations among some right-wing activists when they saw the deal was completed and [former Defense Minister] Yaalon was removed from his position. That means that a man who was totally opposed to the establishment of a PLO-Hamas state was unacceptable to them. But a man who promised to conquer Gaza, eradicate terror, and [implement] the death penalty [for terrorists] is Kosher LeMehadrin."
2. ISRAEL TO ANNEX MAALE ADUMIM?
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A wide majority of Israeli Jews, including those both on the left and right, favor full Israeli sovereignty over the city of Maale Adumim, according to a new poll conducted by the Midgam polling firm.
A whopping 78% of Israeli Jews say they support the annexation of Maale Adumim even without a final status agreement with the Palestinian Authority, along the same lines as Israel's 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights.
The vast majority of respondents favored annexation even if Israel would be pay a steep political cost for the move, with 70% of Israeli Jews saying sovereignty should be applied to Maale Adumim regardless of the consequences.
The poll also found that 88% of Israeli Jews believe that residents of Maale Adumim deserve the same rights and benefits enjoyed by other citizens of the State of Israel, and therefore Israeli law should be fully applied to the area.
The Land of Israel Lobby in the Knesset, which includes 20 MKs from various right-wing and religious parties, has pledged to draw up a bill for the annexation of Maale Adumim during the upcoming summer session.
"The consensus view in the public is that Maale Adumim is an inseparable part of Israel," a statement by the Land of Israel Lobby said, "and it has even become part of the political consensus from right to left, and it is clear that Maale Adumim will remain under Israeli control in any future status arrangement. The Land of Israel Lobby will work within the new coalition framework to advance legislation extending Israeli sovereignty over Maale Adumim."
Lobby chairman Yoav Kish (Likud) said there were precedents for the move, citing Israel's 1967 annexation of eastern Jerusalem and 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights.
"Just as the State of Israel did in the past in Jerusalem and in the Golan Heights, we must do so also today – the idea of applying sovereignty over Maale Adumim enjoys overwhelming support among the Israeli public that crosses party lines. We will work to realize the public's will."
3. 'WE'RE KEEPING AN EYE ON LIBERMAN'
by Ido Ben Porat
MK Shuli Mualem (Jewish Home) played down fears among the nationalist public on Tuesday, following Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman's comments Monday night in favor of the establishment of a Palestinian state.
"At this point I still do not see a reason to be concerned by these kinds of declarations regarding a peace [treaty] or others by the incoming Defense Minister," said Mualem. "Even when [Tzipi] Livni was in the government, and despite her genuine desire to reach a final status agreement negotiations fell through because the Palestinians themselves didn't want it."
In Liberman's case, Mualem sees the statements regarding a two-state solution as empty promises to appease foreign leaders.
"In this case [Liberman] wants to appease the international community with meaningless declarations during the government's transition."
But, Mualem emphasized, right-wing MKs must remain vigilant and ensure that Liberman's declarations remain idle talk.
"We'll be keeping an eye on him to make sure that no such process [towards Palestinian statehood] gains traction."
4. RAPE VICTIM WHO KILLED HIS ATTACKER GIVEN REDUCED SENTENCE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The Supreme Court responded to an appeal on Tuesday by Yonatan Heilo over his 2013 murder conviction stemming from the death of Yaron Eilin in 2010. The court altered the conviction from murder to manslaughter, and reduced Heilo's sentence by 8 years, from 20 to just 12.
Heilo claimed in his defense that Eilin, whom he had met as a minor in 2006, had raped him repeatedly over the years, in addition to using threats of violence to extort money from Heilo.
When the two met one night in May, 2010, Heilo claims Eilin threatened to rape him a third time. The defendant said he acted in self-defense, strangling Eilin, then bludgeoning him to death with bricks. He later dragged the body to a nearby garbage dump before turning himself in to police.
A Lod district court rejected Heilo's argument that he had defended himself, ruling that the killing was a premeditated act of revenge for sexual abuse suffered at the hands of Eilin.
Dozens of high-profile supporters, including MKs, senior jurists, and academics chastised the lower court's decision, demanding that Heilo's "distressed background" be more fully considered in rendering a decision.
With the high court's decision Heilo's 20 year sentence has been reduced to 12 years, of which 6 have already been served. Heilo could be freed in just two years if he is approved for an early release for good behavior.
5. JEWISH COMMUNITY IN SILWAN EXPANDS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The local zoning and building committee is set to approve on Wednesday the construction of a new three-story building for the growing Jewish community in Shiloach (Silwan).
The building will be built near Beit Yonatan, a seven-story apartment building owned by the Ateret Cohanim foundation, which seeks to reclaim Jewish properties in the Old City of Jerusalem and surrounding neighborhoods.
Known in Hebrew as Shiloach, the modern day Arab neighborhood of Silwan includes Ir David – the ancient City of David, believed to be the original location of the city of Jerusalem.
The neighborhood was mostly Jewish prior to the 1930s, when Arab riots forced residents to abandon the area. Known for decades as "Harat al-Yaman", the neighborhood was inhabited primarily by Yemenite Jews until the 1936-1939 Arab revolt.
The state has endorsed the building plan, which, barring last minute intervention by the Prime Minister's Office, is expected to be approved on Wednesday.
According to a report on Army Radio, the land for the project was sold by the state to Ateret Cohanim in 2005.
The left-wing Ir-Amim NGO blasted the planned construction, calling Jewish settlement in the neighborhood a "threat" to the Arab population.
"The settlement in Silwan is entirely the work of the state, and it raises to new heights the threats against Palestinians in Jerusalem," said Aviv Tetrasky of Ir-Amim.
"In the short run the state has succeeded in transferring properties in Palestinian neighborhoods to settler groups and to undermine the social fabric in Silwan. But in the long run all of the city's residents pay the price."
6. 'I WANTED SO BADLY TO BE JEWISH'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A special event was held Monday evening at the Kotel in the Old City of Jerusalem for some 500 Jewish converts from across Israel affiliated with the Ami Ulpan network.
The event, in honor of the upcoming holiday of Shavuot, celebrated the converts' journey to Judaism. Shavuot, which marks the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people 3,000 years ago, is often referred to as "the converts' holiday".
The hundreds of converts were joined by Ami staff members and families who supported converts through the process, from Ulpan studies through the completion of the conversion process at a conversion court.
Rabbi Haim Druckman, the president of Ami who previously served as director of the state's conversion authority, spoke at the gathering.
"This is a great generation for the Jewish people that is returning home. We see the vision of Israel's prophets coming to fruition before our eyes."
Rabbi Druckman addressed the new converts directly, citing a statement from the Talmud which describes how the souls of all future converts to Judaism were present at the giving of the Torah.
"The roots of your souls were at [the giving of the Torah at] Mount Sinai with all of Israel, you too are attached to the Torah," he said, concluding his words by asking the congregation to join together in reciting "Shema Yisrael".
At the event one couple shared their story to a number of participants still in the midst of the conversion process.
Mali, originally from Ecuador, met Noam in Thailand. The two fell in love and ultimately decided to get married. In the process, Mali decided to convert to Judaism, and turned to Ami for guidance.
"I wanted so badly to be Jewish," said Mali. "The teachers just embraced me with love and helped me through the [conversion] process. When the [conversion court] judges told me they were accepting me into the Jewish people, I couldn't hold back the tears, I was crying so hard."
"This is the first time in my life I was in such a touching event," said Anna, one of the participants. "What a magic and holy atmosphere there next to Mount Moriah [the Temple Mount], it was like a holy spirit encircling you… I couldn't stop crying from the emotions [brought out] by all the things people were saying and from the sense of the holiness of the place. It was like you could breathe it. My soul was already there, buried deep within – and stays there forever."
7. FRENCH JEWS FLEE PARIS SUBURBS OVER RISING ANTI-SEMITISM
by Arutz Sheva Staff
When Alain Benhamou walked into his apartment near Paris in July 2015 and saw the words "dirty Jew" scrawled on the wall, he knew it was time to leave.
It was his second such break-in in less than three months and the 71-year-old no longer felt welcome in Bondy, a Parisian suburb he had called home for more than 40 years.
"Until the years 2000-2005, the town was nice and quiet, with 250 to 300 Jewish families and synagogues full on the Sabbath," Benhamou says.
"Now, only about a hundred Jewish families remain."
Benhamou is part of a growing number of French Jews who have effectively become internal refugees, fleeing insecurity and seeking protection in numbers in an atmosphere they say is increasingly hostile, and often expressed in relation to conflict in the Middle East.
He moved a few miles south to Villemomble, where there is a larger and more established Jewish community.
But others have fled France altogether.
A record 8,000 or so French Jews moved to Israel in 2015 alone, according to Israeli figures, in the year that a jihadist gunman linked to the Charlie Hebdo newspaper attackers killed four Jews in a kosher supermarket.
France has the largest Jewish population in Europe, estimated at 500,000 to 600,000 people.
Half of them live in the Paris region but their numbers have declined steadily over the past 15 years, researchers say.
Jerome Fourquet of polling firm IFOP says the change started around 2000 following the beginning of the Second Intifada.
With France also home to Europe's largest Muslim community, which counts around five million members, the bloodshed in the Middle East unleashed a wave of unrest, particularly in the Paris region which saw a surge in anti-Semitic acts and threats, he says.
A disappearing community
Benhamou still lives within the sprawling Seine-Saint-Denis department that sits northeast of the capital and combines run-down immigrant ghettos with trendy new gentrified business districts.
In the last 15 years, it has gone from being one of France's most densely-populated Jewish areas to what the community now considers "one of the lost territories of the Republic".
"The Jewish community is expected to disappear from here," Benhamou says.
In nearby Raincy, Rabbi Moshe Lewin shares Benhamou's pessimism, fearing he could be one of the last Jewish leaders in Seine-Saint-Denis.
"What upsets me is that in some areas of France, Jews can no longer live peacefully, and that just five minutes from my home, some are forced to hide their kippas (skullcaps) or their Star of David," he admits.
Even areas with a strong Jewish population, such as Sarcelles to the north, still have major problems.
Francois Pupponi, the Socialist mayor of Sarcelles, says many Jewish residents come to him for help with stories of being assaulted or having swastikas daubed on walls outside their homes.
Some have been caught in "extremely violent situations" that in some cases required families to be "urgently rehoused", says Pupponi.
He became aware of "a phenomenon of internal migration" about five or six years ago, which he says "is getting worse".
'Little Jerusalem'
Nonetheless, Jews from elsewhere still see Sarcelles as a relative haven. New arrivals now find "a much stronger police and institutional presence" than before and "they can live out their Judaism here in safety," says Pupponi.
Among the newcomers is Eva Sandler, the widow of Rabbi Jonathan Sandler who was killed in an Islamist shooting attack on a Jewish school in Toulouse in 2012.
Other areas have also seen an influx of new arrivals.
Many say the heart of the Jewish community is no longer Sarcelles but in Paris' western 17th district which has now taken over the moniker of "Little Jerusalem".
Now in his 60s, Robert moved there a decade ago with the northwestern neighborhood's Jewish population reflected in the wealth of eateries selling kosher foods, from specialized sweet shops to sushi bars.
"Because anti-Semitism is growing, we try and stick together to avoid it," admits Robert, who did not want to give his surname.
Community group the Consistoire Israelite has taken note of the shift in center of gravity and is currently building a Centre for European Judaism in the neighborhood which is slated to open next year.
'Becoming less visible'
But across the city in the eastern neighborhood of Saint-Mande, the wind appears to have changed.
Formerly known for its large Jewish community with two synagogues and a community day care center, the district has been badly hit by the deadly hostage-taking at the kosher supermarket in January 2015.
"There were about 12 or 13 Sainte-Mande residents among (the hostages)," recalls local mayor Patrick Beaudouin.
"It had a huge psychological impact."
He said dozens of families had since left the area, deciding it was best "to spread out, to be less visible".
For now, most French Jews have preferred to cluster in towns and neighborhoods where they know a large Jewish community already exists.
But that decision to flock together brings about its own problems.
"We are creating ghettos," Pupponi says. "We are aware of that."
The solution, he says, would be "to achieve social and ethnic integration in all neighborhoods."
"But France has been trying to achieve this for the past 30 years and it still hasn't happened."
AFP contributed to this report
8. DISABLED IDF VOLUNTEER RECOGNIZED AT AWARD CEREMONY
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2015722]
Even though Liran Look was automatically eligible for an exemption from mandatory military service due to his disability, he volunteered to serve in the IDF. During a ceremony on Monday, Look received a special award for excellence in recognition of his contributions.
When all of his friends received their orders to enlist, he decided that in spite of the difficulties, he wanted to enlist as well, explained Look, highlighting his devotion to the IDF and the Jewish state.
"The desire to serve has been with me since childhood. Unfortunately, when I first approached an officer in the enlistment office, I was immediately told that my condition would prevent me from serving."
Liran eventually heard about the JNF's "Special in Uniform" program, and contacted Lt. Col. Ariel Almog, the head of the program, who spoke with him about opportunities to enlist as a volunteer.
Special in Uniform is a unique program, now operated in partnership with the Jewish National Fund (JNF) to integrate young people with autism and other disabilities into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and, in turn, into Israeli society. Its core belief is that everyone has a place in Israeli society, and has the right to reach his or her full potential. Special in Uniform focuses on the unique talents of each individual participant to help them find a job within the IDF that is a perfect fit for their skills and helping keep Israel safe and secure.
Liran eventually enlisted through the Special in Uniform program, and is now stationed with an emergency warehouse unit in the Home Front Command. His commanders have noted his dedication to his duties and the hard work he puts in every day to ensure that his unit will be ready when called upon.
In honor of the 68th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel, Liran received special awards of excellence from Maj. Gen. Yoel Strick of Israel's Home Front Command (HFC).
The Special in Uniform program is sponsored in party by the Israeli government, though most of the funding comes from the JNF and private donations.
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Monday, May 30, 2016
A7News: Government approves Avigdor Liberman as defense minister
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/
Monday, May. 30 '16, Iyar 22, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. GOVERNMENT APPROVES AVIGDOR LIBERMAN AS DEFENSE MINISTER
2. ARAB YOUTHS ARRESTED FOR BRUTAL ATTACK ON ELDERLY JEWISH WOMEN
3. LAG BA'OMER BONFIRES CAUSED THURSDAY'S MAJOR WILDFIRES
4. TRAGEDY: ASHDOD TODDLER DIES AFTER LEFT IN CAR
5. POLICE FLIPFLOP, RE-LABEL 'NATIONALISTIC RAPE' AS TERROR
6. NJ MAN WHO FIRE-BOMBED RABBI'S HOME CONVICTED OF TERRORISM
7. JEWISH WEDDING TWEETED FROM TURKEY DRAWS ANTI-SEMITISM CLAMOR
8. STEVEN SPIELBERG: I WAS WRONG TO THINK ANTI-SEMITISM WAS FADING
1. GOVERNMENT APPROVES AVIGDOR LIBERMAN AS DEFENSE MINISTER
by Ari Soffer
The Israeli government on Monday morning formally approved the appointment of Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman as defense minister.
"The cabinet unanimously approved the appointment of Avigdor Liberman as minister of defense," a statement from Netanyahu's office said.
The unanimous cabinet approval came after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu finally secured the vital backing of the Jewish Home party, after a compromise deal with Education Minister Naftali Bennett was successfully brokered by Health Minister Yaakov Litzman (UTJ).
Bennett had demanded the creation of a military liaison for the government's security cabinet, a smaller forum of cabinet members which decides on matters of national security.
The Jewish Home leader insists such a post is needed to avoid security cabinet members being kept in the dark on important developments, pointing to aspects of the 2014 conflict with Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, among other concerns.
Under the compromise brokered by Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, of the haredi United Torah Judaism party, security cabinet members will receive frequent personal briefings from Israel's National Security Council as an interim measure, while a committee of experts looks at ways to improve procedure.
The appointment will now be voted upon in the Knesset later Monday, where it will garner the majority of votes it needs to be formally approved. With that, the Yisrael Beytenu party will officially join the government, expanding its wafer-thin majority of one by five, to 66 seats in total (out of 120).
In addition, Yisrael Beytenu MK Sofa Landver was appointment Immigration and Absorption Minister, while Likud MK Tzahi Hanegbi was appointed Minister without portfolio to the Prime Minister's Office.
AFP contributed to this report.
2. ARAB YOUTHS ARRESTED FOR BRUTAL ATTACK ON ELDERLY JEWISH WOMEN
by Ari Soffer
Three Arab terrorists who stabbed a group of elderly women in Jerusalem earlier this month have been arrested, it was cleared for publication Monday morning.
The horrific attack in Armon Hanatziv on March 10, left two women in their 80s moderately wounded.
It began when a group of five elderly women on a morning walk noticed two Arab teens sitting on a bench. As the group passed the terrorists pounced on them, viciously stabbing the defenseless pensioners repeatedly, before leaving two victims for dead and fleeing the scene.
Security forces initiated a massive manhunt and detained two suspects shortly afterwards, but released them later that day after it was ascertained that they were not involved in the attack.
[youtube:2015142]
The perpetrators were finally caught a week and a half later, following intensive police and intelligence work.
The terrorists, aged 16-17, hail from the Arab neighborhood of Jabel Mukabar, a hotbed of Islamist and Arab extremism. They confessed under interrogation to having planned to go out and kill Jews, and even discussed their plans during school time over social media.
It was further revealed that the mother of one of the suspects was arrested a week ago by Judea and Samaria police, after attempting to carry out a stabbing attack herself.
The trio told investigators that they had met on the morning of the attack at a local grocery store in Jabel Mukabar, and then headed towards the nearby Peace Forest. Two of them were carrying a knife and an ax respectively, and waited at the scene for Jewish victims.
The third suspect did not join in the attack, having had a change of heart due to fears Israeli authorities would demolish his home.
After the vicious attack, the two attackers split up - one running straight home and the other heading back to his school. They discarded their weapons in a hidden spot as they fled, and one of them later returned to collect them so as to remove any incriminating evidence.
They also confessed to deciding to carry out a second similar attack - which they again planned over the Facebook and Whatsapp instant messengers - following the "success" of their first one. However, they were arrested before being able to carry out their second plan.
A gag order was lifted Monday over the arrests, as all three are set to be indicted in Jerusalem District Court.
3. LAG BA'OMER BONFIRES CAUSED THURSDAY'S MAJOR WILDFIRES
by Uzi Baruch
Lag Ba'Omer fires may have sparked the massive blazes in Emek HaArazim, Ramot, and Jerusalem's Romema neighborhood the Fire Department announced Monday.
A campfire in Emek HaArazim, near Ramot, probably started the blaze as Lag Ba'Omer festivities ended, spreading due to northwest winds at approximately 12:05 pm Thursday, the Investigative Department of the Jerusalem Fire and Rescue Service said. The blaze eventually grew to a wildfire, spreading easily through the forest.
Then, due to a change in wind direction, multiple small fires broke out in Emek Hazevaim, eventually converging into a large fire that swept through that valley.
A fire in Romema, meanwhile, was likely started by Israeli youth building bonfires in the heavily-crowded neighborhood, the investigation added, aided by high winds and dry air. The wind tunnel spread the fire quickly through the neighborhood, causing hundreds of families to evacuate.
The two blazes were the latest in a spate of fires across Israel this spring/summer season. After 1,500 fires were recorded in five days in April, experts warned that the prime culprit is a lack of fire safety; as such, Lag Ba'Omer, where the nation's children build bonfires anywhere and everywhere proves a day prone to fires every year.
[album:open
4. TRAGEDY: ASHDOD TODDLER DIES AFTER LEFT IN CAR
by Eliana Royzen
Rescue forces were called to the scene of a toddler forgotten in a car in Ashdod. The infant, aged about one and a half years old, showed no signs of life and MDA paramedics confirmed him dead on the scene.
The toddler was discovered in a vehicle parked on Millman Street, Ashdod, at noon on Monday. The child had reportedly been left in the car for several hours.
MDA paramedics were called to the scene and tried to perform CPR on a toddler, but were finally forced to confirm his death.
Police stated that they have begun an investigation into the incident.
MDA Lachish Regional Director Ami Ivgi said, "When we got there we saw a baby about a year and three months old unconscious with symptoms of extreme heatstroke. He showed no signs of life and we were forced to confirm him dead. "
5. POLICE FLIPFLOP, RE-LABEL 'NATIONALISTIC RAPE' AS TERROR
by Tova Dvorin
Police once again defined an incident which three Arabs raped a 20-year-old mentally disabled Jewish girl as "terror" Monday, less than 24 hours after a police spokeswoman publicly denied the rape had "nationalistic motives."
The Tel Aviv District Police filed a request to the Tel Aviv Magistrates Court Monday morning to extend the remand of Amad Al-Din Daragmeh by 8 days, Walla! News reports, based on five separate charges; one or more of them were terror-related.
But less than one hour after news of the charges reached Israeli media, the police apparently asked to retract terror-related charges from the extension request, Channel 2 now reports.
"At this stage we request to remove the charges that the rape was on a nationalistic basis," a police spokesperson stated Monday. "This has been blown out of proportion."
But then, minutes after that, police asked to return the clause to the statement.
Police confusion
In the crime, two Arab residents of Judea and Samaria as well as an Arab citizen of Israel were filmed raping the mentally handicapped girl in a motel in southern Tel Aviv, humiliating her and spitting on her while shouting racist slurs and threatening to harm her family.
The original statement on the case indicated it was for "nationalistic" motives, i.e. a terror attack; police hid the case from the public for ten days out of concerns it would spark clashes between Jews and Arabs.
But spokesperson Merav Lapidot told Army Radio Sunday that the crime "was not a nationalistic crime," and further criticized the media for how it handled the news of the rape thus far, adding that the investigation is being handled by experts as thoroughly and meticulously as possible.
The statement followed an apology from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Friday for condemning the rape before the investigation was complete.
6. NJ MAN WHO FIRE-BOMBED RABBI'S HOME CONVICTED OF TERRORISM
by JTA
A 24-year-old New Jersey man was found guilty of terrorism for vandalizing Jewish temples and firebombing a rabbi's residence four years ago.
A jury cleared Anthony Graziano of Lodi, New Jersey of several attempted murder charges and one count of aggravated arson but convicted him of terrorism — the most serious offense — and 19 other charges connected with Graziano's actions.
Graziano showed no emotion as the jury's verdict was read Friday afternoon in state Superior Court in Hackensack, the news site NorthJersey.com reported. He faces 30 years to life in prison on the terrorism charge alone when he is sentenced on July 22.
During the trial, a rabbi who testified against Graziano said he feared for his and his family's life after Graziano had tossed a Molotov cocktail through the rabbi's bedroom window. Graziano's mother broke down on the witness stand, saying she did not recognize him as the person she had raised.
It was the first case in Bergen County to employ a post-9/11 terrorism law that required the finding that five or more people were terrorized by the crime or that the acts were carried out to promote terror, according to NorthJersey.com.
Graziano's lawyer, Ian Silvera, pledged an appeal.
"This was an arson case, not a terrorism case," he said. "That has been my position from the very beginning and it is still my position today."
Authorities say Graziano and a childhood friend, Akash Dalal, who will be tried separately, spray-painted anti-Semitic messages outside Temple Beth Israel in Maywood and Temple Beth El in Hackensack in December 2011. Then, on Jan. 3, 2012, the two tried to set Temple Khal Adath Jeshurun in Paramus on fire, authorities said.
Four days later, Graziano abandoned a plot to throw Molotov cocktails into the Jewish Community Center in Paramus, a synagogue, when a police car drove by, prompting him to leave behind Molotov cocktail equipment and a bicycle, authorities said.
The attacks culminated, prosecutors said, with the Jan. 11, 2012, firebombing of Rabbi Neil Schuman's Rutherford residence — where he, his wife, their five children, his father and her mother were sleeping — in an attempt to burn down the adjacent Congregation Beth El.
7. JEWISH WEDDING TWEETED FROM TURKEY DRAWS ANTI-SEMITISM CLAMOR
by Hillel Fendel
The small Jewish community in Edirne, in northwest Turkey, has waited patiently since 1976 for a wedding in its local synagogue – and when it finally occurred yesterday, the response it drew from other Turks was less than celebratory.
The wedding was set to be such a significant and joyous event that it was decided to broadcast it via Periscope and Twitter – a particularly popular social medium in Turkey. However, it drew the attention of anti-Semites in the country, and the bride, groom and Jewish community in general were told, "Too bad Hitler didn't finish the job" and the like.
Edirne has a Jewish history of some 1,500 years, but just 50 years ago, only 100 Jews lived in Edirne. Finally, the local Jewish cemetery there was confiscated by the authorities, and then destroyed to make way for a residential neighborhood.
Then began the upswing. In 2013, the synagogue was renovated, and last year it was opened to the public. Its first wedding, yesterday, drew many members of the budding Jewish community, and the joy was great. Community leader Yitzchak Ibrahimzadeh even decided that it should be shared with the public at large, via Twitter. The happiness turned to consternation, however, as the responses began tweeting in: "Kill the Jews!" "Get out of occupied Palestine!" etc.
Ibrahimzadeh did not lose heart. "Many anti-Semites expressed their hatred on the Periscope broadcast," he tweeted back. "Together, hand in hand, we will overcome them." He proudly included pictures of a synagogue, church, mosque and Turkish flag, symbolizing his hope that unity would win the day.
The small Turkish-Jewish community, numbering not more than 17,000, disseminated the news of the anti-Semitic barrage, and it was mentioned in various news media.
Anti-Semitism in Turkey is a common phenomenon. Polls conducted in 2007–2009 showed that 64% of Turks would not want to see Jews as their neighbors, and 76% have a negative attitude towards Jews. A recent article by the New York-based Gatestone Institute entitled "Turkey's Runaway Anti-Semitism" states that while there is "always an unusual optimism in the official language chosen by Israeli officials or Jewish community leaders [regarding anti-Semitism in Turkey], facts on the ground are a little bit different than the rosy picture."
8. STEVEN SPIELBERG: I WAS WRONG TO THINK ANTI-SEMITISM WAS FADING
by JTA
[youtube:2015715]
Speaking at Harvard University's commencement, filmmaker Steven Spielberg said he was "wrong" as a kid to think anti-Semitism "was fading."
Spielberg, whose 99-year-old father Arnold sat in one of the first rows at his address before the Ivy League university's class of 2016, told the graduates Thursday that the world "is full of monsters" espousing "racism, homophobia, ethnic hatred, class hatred" and "religious hatred."
Spielberg also offered a veiled criticism of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, saying, "We are a nation of immigrants — at least for now" and calling on graduates to vote in the upcoming election.
Facebook COO and Harvard alum Sheryl Sandberg, who is also Jewish, served as chief marshal of the ceremony.
"As a kid, I was bullied — for being Jewish," Spielberg recalled in his speech. "This was upsetting, but compared to what my parents and grandparents had faced, it felt tame. Because we truly believed that anti-Semitism was fading. And we were wrong. Over the last two years, nearly 20,000 Jews have left Europe to find higher ground. And earlier this year, I was at the Israeli embassy when President Obama stated the sad truth. He said: 'We must confront the reality that around the world, anti-Semitism is on the rise. We cannot deny it.'"
The 69-year-old creator of award-winning films like "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan," as well as blockbusters like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and the Indiana Jones series, also spoke about his Shoah Foundation. The foundation has taken video testimonies of over 53,000 Holocaust survivors and witnesses in 63 countries since he founded it in 1994, he said.
The foundation is now collecting testimonies from genocides in Rwanda, Cambodia, Armenia and Nanking, he said, adding, "We must never forget that the inconceivable doesn't happen — it happens frequently."
Spielberg provided more details about his childhood brushes with anti-Semitism in a 1993 interview with The New York Times. In that interview, soon after "Schindler's List" came out, Spielberg, who grew up in Ohio, Arizona and California, recalled, "I was always aware I stood out because of my Jewishness. In high school, I got smacked and kicked around. Two bloody noses. It was horrible."
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
Monday, May. 30 '16, Iyar 22, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. GOVERNMENT APPROVES AVIGDOR LIBERMAN AS DEFENSE MINISTER
2. ARAB YOUTHS ARRESTED FOR BRUTAL ATTACK ON ELDERLY JEWISH WOMEN
3. LAG BA'OMER BONFIRES CAUSED THURSDAY'S MAJOR WILDFIRES
4. TRAGEDY: ASHDOD TODDLER DIES AFTER LEFT IN CAR
5. POLICE FLIPFLOP, RE-LABEL 'NATIONALISTIC RAPE' AS TERROR
6. NJ MAN WHO FIRE-BOMBED RABBI'S HOME CONVICTED OF TERRORISM
7. JEWISH WEDDING TWEETED FROM TURKEY DRAWS ANTI-SEMITISM CLAMOR
8. STEVEN SPIELBERG: I WAS WRONG TO THINK ANTI-SEMITISM WAS FADING
1. GOVERNMENT APPROVES AVIGDOR LIBERMAN AS DEFENSE MINISTER
by Ari Soffer
The Israeli government on Monday morning formally approved the appointment of Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman as defense minister.
"The cabinet unanimously approved the appointment of Avigdor Liberman as minister of defense," a statement from Netanyahu's office said.
The unanimous cabinet approval came after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu finally secured the vital backing of the Jewish Home party, after a compromise deal with Education Minister Naftali Bennett was successfully brokered by Health Minister Yaakov Litzman (UTJ).
Bennett had demanded the creation of a military liaison for the government's security cabinet, a smaller forum of cabinet members which decides on matters of national security.
The Jewish Home leader insists such a post is needed to avoid security cabinet members being kept in the dark on important developments, pointing to aspects of the 2014 conflict with Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, among other concerns.
Under the compromise brokered by Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, of the haredi United Torah Judaism party, security cabinet members will receive frequent personal briefings from Israel's National Security Council as an interim measure, while a committee of experts looks at ways to improve procedure.
The appointment will now be voted upon in the Knesset later Monday, where it will garner the majority of votes it needs to be formally approved. With that, the Yisrael Beytenu party will officially join the government, expanding its wafer-thin majority of one by five, to 66 seats in total (out of 120).
In addition, Yisrael Beytenu MK Sofa Landver was appointment Immigration and Absorption Minister, while Likud MK Tzahi Hanegbi was appointed Minister without portfolio to the Prime Minister's Office.
AFP contributed to this report.
2. ARAB YOUTHS ARRESTED FOR BRUTAL ATTACK ON ELDERLY JEWISH WOMEN
by Ari Soffer
Three Arab terrorists who stabbed a group of elderly women in Jerusalem earlier this month have been arrested, it was cleared for publication Monday morning.
The horrific attack in Armon Hanatziv on March 10, left two women in their 80s moderately wounded.
It began when a group of five elderly women on a morning walk noticed two Arab teens sitting on a bench. As the group passed the terrorists pounced on them, viciously stabbing the defenseless pensioners repeatedly, before leaving two victims for dead and fleeing the scene.
Security forces initiated a massive manhunt and detained two suspects shortly afterwards, but released them later that day after it was ascertained that they were not involved in the attack.
[youtube:2015142]
The perpetrators were finally caught a week and a half later, following intensive police and intelligence work.
The terrorists, aged 16-17, hail from the Arab neighborhood of Jabel Mukabar, a hotbed of Islamist and Arab extremism. They confessed under interrogation to having planned to go out and kill Jews, and even discussed their plans during school time over social media.
It was further revealed that the mother of one of the suspects was arrested a week ago by Judea and Samaria police, after attempting to carry out a stabbing attack herself.
The trio told investigators that they had met on the morning of the attack at a local grocery store in Jabel Mukabar, and then headed towards the nearby Peace Forest. Two of them were carrying a knife and an ax respectively, and waited at the scene for Jewish victims.
The third suspect did not join in the attack, having had a change of heart due to fears Israeli authorities would demolish his home.
After the vicious attack, the two attackers split up - one running straight home and the other heading back to his school. They discarded their weapons in a hidden spot as they fled, and one of them later returned to collect them so as to remove any incriminating evidence.
They also confessed to deciding to carry out a second similar attack - which they again planned over the Facebook and Whatsapp instant messengers - following the "success" of their first one. However, they were arrested before being able to carry out their second plan.
A gag order was lifted Monday over the arrests, as all three are set to be indicted in Jerusalem District Court.
3. LAG BA'OMER BONFIRES CAUSED THURSDAY'S MAJOR WILDFIRES
by Uzi Baruch
Lag Ba'Omer fires may have sparked the massive blazes in Emek HaArazim, Ramot, and Jerusalem's Romema neighborhood the Fire Department announced Monday.
A campfire in Emek HaArazim, near Ramot, probably started the blaze as Lag Ba'Omer festivities ended, spreading due to northwest winds at approximately 12:05 pm Thursday, the Investigative Department of the Jerusalem Fire and Rescue Service said. The blaze eventually grew to a wildfire, spreading easily through the forest.
Then, due to a change in wind direction, multiple small fires broke out in Emek Hazevaim, eventually converging into a large fire that swept through that valley.
A fire in Romema, meanwhile, was likely started by Israeli youth building bonfires in the heavily-crowded neighborhood, the investigation added, aided by high winds and dry air. The wind tunnel spread the fire quickly through the neighborhood, causing hundreds of families to evacuate.
The two blazes were the latest in a spate of fires across Israel this spring/summer season. After 1,500 fires were recorded in five days in April, experts warned that the prime culprit is a lack of fire safety; as such, Lag Ba'Omer, where the nation's children build bonfires anywhere and everywhere proves a day prone to fires every year.
[album:open
4. TRAGEDY: ASHDOD TODDLER DIES AFTER LEFT IN CAR
by Eliana Royzen
Rescue forces were called to the scene of a toddler forgotten in a car in Ashdod. The infant, aged about one and a half years old, showed no signs of life and MDA paramedics confirmed him dead on the scene.
The toddler was discovered in a vehicle parked on Millman Street, Ashdod, at noon on Monday. The child had reportedly been left in the car for several hours.
MDA paramedics were called to the scene and tried to perform CPR on a toddler, but were finally forced to confirm his death.
Police stated that they have begun an investigation into the incident.
MDA Lachish Regional Director Ami Ivgi said, "When we got there we saw a baby about a year and three months old unconscious with symptoms of extreme heatstroke. He showed no signs of life and we were forced to confirm him dead. "
5. POLICE FLIPFLOP, RE-LABEL 'NATIONALISTIC RAPE' AS TERROR
by Tova Dvorin
Police once again defined an incident which three Arabs raped a 20-year-old mentally disabled Jewish girl as "terror" Monday, less than 24 hours after a police spokeswoman publicly denied the rape had "nationalistic motives."
The Tel Aviv District Police filed a request to the Tel Aviv Magistrates Court Monday morning to extend the remand of Amad Al-Din Daragmeh by 8 days, Walla! News reports, based on five separate charges; one or more of them were terror-related.
But less than one hour after news of the charges reached Israeli media, the police apparently asked to retract terror-related charges from the extension request, Channel 2 now reports.
"At this stage we request to remove the charges that the rape was on a nationalistic basis," a police spokesperson stated Monday. "This has been blown out of proportion."
But then, minutes after that, police asked to return the clause to the statement.
Police confusion
In the crime, two Arab residents of Judea and Samaria as well as an Arab citizen of Israel were filmed raping the mentally handicapped girl in a motel in southern Tel Aviv, humiliating her and spitting on her while shouting racist slurs and threatening to harm her family.
The original statement on the case indicated it was for "nationalistic" motives, i.e. a terror attack; police hid the case from the public for ten days out of concerns it would spark clashes between Jews and Arabs.
But spokesperson Merav Lapidot told Army Radio Sunday that the crime "was not a nationalistic crime," and further criticized the media for how it handled the news of the rape thus far, adding that the investigation is being handled by experts as thoroughly and meticulously as possible.
The statement followed an apology from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Friday for condemning the rape before the investigation was complete.
6. NJ MAN WHO FIRE-BOMBED RABBI'S HOME CONVICTED OF TERRORISM
by JTA
A 24-year-old New Jersey man was found guilty of terrorism for vandalizing Jewish temples and firebombing a rabbi's residence four years ago.
A jury cleared Anthony Graziano of Lodi, New Jersey of several attempted murder charges and one count of aggravated arson but convicted him of terrorism — the most serious offense — and 19 other charges connected with Graziano's actions.
Graziano showed no emotion as the jury's verdict was read Friday afternoon in state Superior Court in Hackensack, the news site NorthJersey.com reported. He faces 30 years to life in prison on the terrorism charge alone when he is sentenced on July 22.
During the trial, a rabbi who testified against Graziano said he feared for his and his family's life after Graziano had tossed a Molotov cocktail through the rabbi's bedroom window. Graziano's mother broke down on the witness stand, saying she did not recognize him as the person she had raised.
It was the first case in Bergen County to employ a post-9/11 terrorism law that required the finding that five or more people were terrorized by the crime or that the acts were carried out to promote terror, according to NorthJersey.com.
Graziano's lawyer, Ian Silvera, pledged an appeal.
"This was an arson case, not a terrorism case," he said. "That has been my position from the very beginning and it is still my position today."
Authorities say Graziano and a childhood friend, Akash Dalal, who will be tried separately, spray-painted anti-Semitic messages outside Temple Beth Israel in Maywood and Temple Beth El in Hackensack in December 2011. Then, on Jan. 3, 2012, the two tried to set Temple Khal Adath Jeshurun in Paramus on fire, authorities said.
Four days later, Graziano abandoned a plot to throw Molotov cocktails into the Jewish Community Center in Paramus, a synagogue, when a police car drove by, prompting him to leave behind Molotov cocktail equipment and a bicycle, authorities said.
The attacks culminated, prosecutors said, with the Jan. 11, 2012, firebombing of Rabbi Neil Schuman's Rutherford residence — where he, his wife, their five children, his father and her mother were sleeping — in an attempt to burn down the adjacent Congregation Beth El.
7. JEWISH WEDDING TWEETED FROM TURKEY DRAWS ANTI-SEMITISM CLAMOR
by Hillel Fendel
The small Jewish community in Edirne, in northwest Turkey, has waited patiently since 1976 for a wedding in its local synagogue – and when it finally occurred yesterday, the response it drew from other Turks was less than celebratory.
The wedding was set to be such a significant and joyous event that it was decided to broadcast it via Periscope and Twitter – a particularly popular social medium in Turkey. However, it drew the attention of anti-Semites in the country, and the bride, groom and Jewish community in general were told, "Too bad Hitler didn't finish the job" and the like.
Edirne has a Jewish history of some 1,500 years, but just 50 years ago, only 100 Jews lived in Edirne. Finally, the local Jewish cemetery there was confiscated by the authorities, and then destroyed to make way for a residential neighborhood.
Then began the upswing. In 2013, the synagogue was renovated, and last year it was opened to the public. Its first wedding, yesterday, drew many members of the budding Jewish community, and the joy was great. Community leader Yitzchak Ibrahimzadeh even decided that it should be shared with the public at large, via Twitter. The happiness turned to consternation, however, as the responses began tweeting in: "Kill the Jews!" "Get out of occupied Palestine!" etc.
Ibrahimzadeh did not lose heart. "Many anti-Semites expressed their hatred on the Periscope broadcast," he tweeted back. "Together, hand in hand, we will overcome them." He proudly included pictures of a synagogue, church, mosque and Turkish flag, symbolizing his hope that unity would win the day.
The small Turkish-Jewish community, numbering not more than 17,000, disseminated the news of the anti-Semitic barrage, and it was mentioned in various news media.
Anti-Semitism in Turkey is a common phenomenon. Polls conducted in 2007–2009 showed that 64% of Turks would not want to see Jews as their neighbors, and 76% have a negative attitude towards Jews. A recent article by the New York-based Gatestone Institute entitled "Turkey's Runaway Anti-Semitism" states that while there is "always an unusual optimism in the official language chosen by Israeli officials or Jewish community leaders [regarding anti-Semitism in Turkey], facts on the ground are a little bit different than the rosy picture."
8. STEVEN SPIELBERG: I WAS WRONG TO THINK ANTI-SEMITISM WAS FADING
by JTA
[youtube:2015715]
Speaking at Harvard University's commencement, filmmaker Steven Spielberg said he was "wrong" as a kid to think anti-Semitism "was fading."
Spielberg, whose 99-year-old father Arnold sat in one of the first rows at his address before the Ivy League university's class of 2016, told the graduates Thursday that the world "is full of monsters" espousing "racism, homophobia, ethnic hatred, class hatred" and "religious hatred."
Spielberg also offered a veiled criticism of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, saying, "We are a nation of immigrants — at least for now" and calling on graduates to vote in the upcoming election.
Facebook COO and Harvard alum Sheryl Sandberg, who is also Jewish, served as chief marshal of the ceremony.
"As a kid, I was bullied — for being Jewish," Spielberg recalled in his speech. "This was upsetting, but compared to what my parents and grandparents had faced, it felt tame. Because we truly believed that anti-Semitism was fading. And we were wrong. Over the last two years, nearly 20,000 Jews have left Europe to find higher ground. And earlier this year, I was at the Israeli embassy when President Obama stated the sad truth. He said: 'We must confront the reality that around the world, anti-Semitism is on the rise. We cannot deny it.'"
The 69-year-old creator of award-winning films like "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan," as well as blockbusters like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and the Indiana Jones series, also spoke about his Shoah Foundation. The foundation has taken video testimonies of over 53,000 Holocaust survivors and witnesses in 63 countries since he founded it in 1994, he said.
The foundation is now collecting testimonies from genocides in Rwanda, Cambodia, Armenia and Nanking, he said, adding, "We must never forget that the inconceivable doesn't happen — it happens frequently."
Spielberg provided more details about his childhood brushes with anti-Semitism in a 1993 interview with The New York Times. In that interview, soon after "Schindler's List" came out, Spielberg, who grew up in Ohio, Arizona and California, recalled, "I was always aware I stood out because of my Jewishness. In high school, I got smacked and kicked around. Two bloody noses. It was horrible."
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
Sunday, May 29, 2016
A7News: Hamas suicide bomb cell planned series of attacks in Jerusalem
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/
Sunday, May. 29 '16, Iyar 21, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. HAMAS SUICIDE BOMB CELL PLANNED SERIES OF ATTACKS IN JERUSALEM
2. BENNETT WARNS: WE'LL FIGHT FROM THE OPPOSITION IF NEED BE
3. RUSSIA TO RETURN ISRAELI TANK FROM BATTLE OF SULTAN YACOUB
4. SARA NETANYAHU TO STAND TRIAL?
5. CANADA ONCE AGAIN BACKS ISRAEL AT THE UN
6. OBAMA ADMIN'S BREATHTAKING ISRAEL-IRAN DOUBLE-STANDARD
7. 'HE WENT TO SLEEP - BUT NEVER WOKE UP'
8. WATCH: IDF NABS JERUSALEM BUS BOMBING CELL
1. HAMAS SUICIDE BOMB CELL PLANNED SERIES OF ATTACKS IN JERUSALEM
by Ari Soffer
Israeli security forces have apprehended the Hamas terrorist cell responsible for the bombing of a number 12 bus in Jerusalem on April 18 which left 19 people injured, many of them seriously, it has been cleared for publication.
The six-man terror cell was based in the Palestinian Authority city of Bethlehem, just south of the Israeli capital, and was broken up in recent weeks in a joint operation involving the Shin Bet security service, IDF and Israel Police.
Under interrogation, the terrorists revealed that they planned additional attacks, including a series of car bombings and shootings.
They also admitted that two cell members were responsible for a shooting attack in 2015, but had failed to injure anyone in that attack.
The suicide bomber who carried out the April 18 bombing, 19-year-old Abed Al-Hamid Abu-Sarur, a resident of the Aidah neighborhood of Bethlehem, was fatally injured in the attack, and died two days later.
The Shin Bet has published the names of the other cell members. They are:
Mohammed Sami Abed Al-Hamid, 28, a resident of Beit Sahour near Bethlehem. He served time in an Israeli prison between 2004-2007 for involvement in Hamas terrorist attacks.
Under interrogation he revealed his role as the cell's bomb-maker, having learned how to manufacture explosives by watching instructional videos online. Together with other Hamas operatives he worked to source bomb-making materials, and personally led the construction of bombs including the one used in the April attack, as well as a recruit willing to become a suicide bomber. He also worked to gather other weapons for future attacks.
Al-Hamid also admitted to interrogators his involvement in an October 2015 shooting attack, together with fellow cell member Mohammed Issa Mahmoud Albarabi, 28, of Bethelehem's Gaza refugee camp.
The pair set out in a rental car along a road near the nearby Jewish town of Tekoa in Gush Etzion, and fired makeshift guns at an Israeli car heading towards Tekoa. Thankfully, the driver escaped unharmed.
Mohammed Majdi Mustafa El-Aza, a 21-year old resident of Beit Jalah near Bethlehem, operated under the guidance of Mohammed Sami and helped prepare the bomb used in the April attack. He also helped find candidates who expressed their willingness to carry out suicide bombings.
He and his mentor resolved to dispatch another suicide bomber following the successful April attack.
Ahmed Mohammed Mahmoud Masiah, 19, a resident of Aidah refugee camp in Bethlehem, transported the suicide bomber to the scene of the April attack.
30-year-old Ali Ahmed Mohammed Arouj, a resident of Bad Fluh village close to Tekoa, served time in an Israeli prison between 2004-2007 for his involvement in a terror cell which planned a bombing attack. He helped source bomb-making materials for the April attack, helped finance the cell's activities and filmed the suicide bomber's "martyrdom video."
Saeed Asame Issa Harmas, 30, a resident of Bethlehem, also spent time in Israeli prisons for terrorist activities. He helped plan the April attack, and also helped write the bomber's will and film his martyrdom video. Under interrogation he revealed to investigators a makeshift firearm he had hidden in his home, and implicated Mohammed Sami in the 2015 shooting.
Indictments against the terrorists will be served by the IDF Military Prosecution in the coming days.
2. BENNETT WARNS: WE'LL FIGHT FROM THE OPPOSITION IF NEED BE
by Ari Soffer
Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett hit out again on Sunday morning over Prime Minister Netanyahu's refusal to accept his demands for Security Cabinet reforms, warning he was not afraid to continue fighting from the opposition.
"We are not asking for jobs or money," the Education Minister said at a press conference at the Beit Himmelfarb school in Jerusalem, where he was paying a visit along with President Reuven Rivlin. "We are asking to save lives."
"I will continue to fight for and protect the soldiers of the IDF and the residents of the Gaza Belt from any position I will be in - from the government or from outside of it," Bennett continued, in a not-so-subtle warning to Netanyahu.
Bennett has conditioned his party's support for including the Yisrael Beytenu party in the coalition on the PM enacting reforms to the Security Cabinet, including the appointment of a military secretary whose task will be to ensure that all cabinet members are fully briefed on military matters.
Earlier, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked warned the Jewish Home party wasn't planning on backing down, and was prepared to topple the government over the issue.
Without the Jewish Home party's eight votes, the current coalition of 61 plus Yisrael's Beytenu's five seats would not be able to approve the coalition expansion when it goes up for a Knesset vote, with only 58 MKs in favor.
Bennett warned that without the reforms he is demanding, the mistakes of the past would continue to repeat themselves, endangering Israeli lives.
"Ten years ago I was sent along with thousands of soldiers to the Second Lebanon War, by a Cabinet which did not know its objectives or what it was voting for," he added. "I vowed that when I got out of the Lebanon War I would not allow this kind of thing to ever happen again.""Sadly, two years ago as well, during Operation Protective Edge, the Cabinet... did not understand the topic of the (terror) tunnels until I brought it to their attention on June 30, as well as the solution to the problem. I will not let this recur," he vowed.
"We are not asking for jobs or money," he repeated. "We are asking to save human lives. Human lives are more important than government portfolios."
3. RUSSIA TO RETURN ISRAELI TANK FROM BATTLE OF SULTAN YACOUB
by Ari Soffer
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday accepted a formal request by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to return the Israeli tank from the infamous Battle of Sultan Yacoub, which was captured by Syrian forces along with three IDF soldiers: Zacharia Baumel, Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman.
30 Israeli soldiers were killed in the battle, which took place during the First Lebanon War in 1982. The three captive soldiers were paraded alive on their tank through the streets of the Syrian capital Damascus shortly after, but their fate was never determined.
The Syrians were at the time a key ally of Soviet Russia, and took possession of the captured tank, which was then transferred to a military museum in Moscow.
Putin's signing of a presidential order to return the tank to Israel appears to be one of the fruits of Jerusalem's budding alliance with Moscow. Netanyahu made the request to Putin during their meeting in the Kremlin earlier this year, when the two countries reached an important strategic understanding over military coordination in Syria.
The families of the soldiers have been updated.
The Russian and Israeli armies have already begun coordinating the imminent transfer of the tank.
Prime Minister Netanyahu hailed the gesture by Putin.
"I thank the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, who answered my request to return the tank from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub back to Israel," he said, noting that it is the only tangible memorial for the families of the missing soldiers, who are presumed dead but whose remains have never been found.
"For 34 years the tank has been the only testimony from the battle, and now it will be returned to Israel thanks to President Putin's response to my request.
4. SARA NETANYAHU TO STAND TRIAL?
by David Rosenberg
Israeli police announced Sunday afternoon the completion of their investigation into claims of fraud levelled against First Lady Sara Netanyahu, saying that there exists a firm basis for indicting Mrs. Netanyahu for fraud.
The allegations stem from the First Lady's management of the Prime Minister's residence and the Netanyahus' private home in Caesarea.
Sara Netanyahu, who was herself questioned in connection with the case last December, is suspected of using government funds allotted for the Prime Minister's Office and residence to cover private family expenses.
The police has recommended the state formally charge the First Lady with fraudulent acquisition, fraud, and breach of public trust.
Dubbed the "Residences Scandal", there are actually three separate allegations in the police report.
The first relates to funding for electrical work done at the private Caesarea estate, where former Likud Central Committee member and long-time Netanyahu acquaintance Avi Fahima was regularly paid to fix problems in the building's electrical system.
According to the allegations, Fahima was often paid large bonuses, citing special circumstances such as house visits during Yom Kippur. The report also notes that even when Fahima was not listed as an official employee of the residence, he was brought in as a subcontractor.
Police also investigated suspicions that the First Lady transferred furniture purchased for the Prime Minister's official state residence to the family's private estate.
The third set of charges revolve around allegations that the First Lady returned thousands of dollars' worth of recyclable bottles from drinks purchased at the state's expense, but pocketed the money rather than reimburse the state, as required. Netanyahu later paid some 4,000 shekels to the state, though some have claimed that the value of the bottles recycled from 2009-2013 exceeded 24,000 shekels.
5. CANADA ONCE AGAIN BACKS ISRAEL AT THE UN
by Dalit Halevi
Canada once again backed Israel at the UN this week when it voted against the World Health Organization's (WHO) resolution singling out only Israel for "mental, physical and environmental health" rights abuse.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government joined the Israel, the United States, Australia, Paraguay, Guatemala, Micronesia and Papua New Guinea as the only countries to vote against the resolution, which was co-sponsored by the Arab Group of States and the Palestinian delegation.
This marks the second time since Trudeau took office in November 2015 that Canada has voted against anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations.
Shortly after Trudeau took office, Canada voted against the six resolutions condemning Israel which were passed by the UN General Assembly
This policy of supporting Israel at the UN began during former Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin's time in office and continued during the tenure of former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a supporter ally of Israel.
6. OBAMA ADMIN'S BREATHTAKING ISRAEL-IRAN DOUBLE-STANDARD
by Ari Soffer
The US State Department has been caught employing a stunning double-standards vis-a-vis Israel and Iran, shedding a light on the antagonism towards the Jewish state by the Obama administration, even as it cozies up to the Islamic Republic.
Last week, State Department spokesman Mark Toner angered officials in Israel, after he criticized the Israeli coalition deal bringing in the right-wing Yisrael Beytenu party as "rais[ing] legitimate questions" over Israel's commitment to peace.
When asked at a Wednesday press briefing if he "had any comments" about the approaching coalition deal to bring in Avigdor Liberman, Toner responded:
"We have also seen reports from Israel describing it as the most right-wing coalition in Israel's history and we also know that many of its ministers have said they oppose a two-state solution. This raises legitimate questions about the direction it may be headed in ... and what kind of policies it may adopt."
Yet just a day earlier, Toner had this to say about the election of an extreme anti-American cleric to Iran's Assembly of Experts, the powerful committee of clerics who will select the next Supreme Leader of Iran.
"One is you'll have seen, I'm sure, the reports that Ahmad Jannati, a 90-year-old anti-Western cleric, has been chosen as the head of Iran's new Assembly of Experts, which is in charge of selecting the new or whomever will be the next supreme leader," Toner was asked. "Is this a good thing? Is this a bad thing? And does this suggest that Iran may be moving toward a more pro-Western, more open-toward-the-West stance?
"Or do you have faith in Iran's internal democratic procedures?... And do you regard Iran as an ally in the fight against terrorism?"
Toner's noncommittal response was telling:
"We follow domestic events in Iran closely, as you know, but we don't have any comment at this point on the outcome of the leadership elections of the Assembly of Experts."
The stark contrast was first highlighted by American Jewish journalist Yair Rosenberg, who called out the "remarkable hypocrisy" of the Obama administration.
Under President Barack Obama, the White House has pursued a warming of ties with Iran, brokering a controversial agreement with the Islamic Republic over its illegal nuclear program, while apparently making great efforts to encourage western states and banks to do business with Tehran.
At the same time, Obama has openly clashed with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, most recently lambasting him along with other key American allies in an interview earlier this year.
7. 'HE WENT TO SLEEP - BUT NEVER WOKE UP'
by David Rosenberg
Its every parent's worst nightmare: a small child goes to sleep with no apparent signs of life-threatening illness – but never wakes up.
That's the sad story of a grief-stricken family in the Kiryat HaYovel neighborhood of Jerusalem, who discovered their three-year old son had not woken up Sunday morning – and could not be roused from sleep despite repeated attempts to wake him.
Concern turned to fear, as the desperate parents called emergency services for help.
Volunteer first responders from United Hatzalah arrived and performed first aid and resuscitation attempts. But tragically, they were unable to revive the child, and he was declared dead on the scene.
The cause of the child's death is still unknown.
Roei Shmuel Zehori, a United Hatzalah first responder who attempted to save the child recalled the incident.
"When I arrived to the place together with additional volunteer [responders] from the motorcycle unit of United Hatzalah, the child was unconscious, was not breathing, and had no heartbeat. We attempted to revive him, but very sadly after the resuscitation attempts, he was declared dead."
The child's parents said that he had not felt well in the past few days and had been taken to the doctor on Friday, though no serious illness or life-threatening problems had been found prior to his death.
8. WATCH: IDF NABS JERUSALEM BUS BOMBING CELL
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[video:2015708]
The IDF has released footage showing the nighttime raids in the Bethlehem area which netted the Hamas terror cell behind the April 18 bus bombing in Jerusalem.
The six-man terror cell had planned further attacks, including car bombings and shootings.
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
Sunday, May. 29 '16, Iyar 21, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. HAMAS SUICIDE BOMB CELL PLANNED SERIES OF ATTACKS IN JERUSALEM
2. BENNETT WARNS: WE'LL FIGHT FROM THE OPPOSITION IF NEED BE
3. RUSSIA TO RETURN ISRAELI TANK FROM BATTLE OF SULTAN YACOUB
4. SARA NETANYAHU TO STAND TRIAL?
5. CANADA ONCE AGAIN BACKS ISRAEL AT THE UN
6. OBAMA ADMIN'S BREATHTAKING ISRAEL-IRAN DOUBLE-STANDARD
7. 'HE WENT TO SLEEP - BUT NEVER WOKE UP'
8. WATCH: IDF NABS JERUSALEM BUS BOMBING CELL
1. HAMAS SUICIDE BOMB CELL PLANNED SERIES OF ATTACKS IN JERUSALEM
by Ari Soffer
Israeli security forces have apprehended the Hamas terrorist cell responsible for the bombing of a number 12 bus in Jerusalem on April 18 which left 19 people injured, many of them seriously, it has been cleared for publication.
The six-man terror cell was based in the Palestinian Authority city of Bethlehem, just south of the Israeli capital, and was broken up in recent weeks in a joint operation involving the Shin Bet security service, IDF and Israel Police.
Under interrogation, the terrorists revealed that they planned additional attacks, including a series of car bombings and shootings.
They also admitted that two cell members were responsible for a shooting attack in 2015, but had failed to injure anyone in that attack.
The suicide bomber who carried out the April 18 bombing, 19-year-old Abed Al-Hamid Abu-Sarur, a resident of the Aidah neighborhood of Bethlehem, was fatally injured in the attack, and died two days later.
The Shin Bet has published the names of the other cell members. They are:
Mohammed Sami Abed Al-Hamid, 28, a resident of Beit Sahour near Bethlehem. He served time in an Israeli prison between 2004-2007 for involvement in Hamas terrorist attacks.
Under interrogation he revealed his role as the cell's bomb-maker, having learned how to manufacture explosives by watching instructional videos online. Together with other Hamas operatives he worked to source bomb-making materials, and personally led the construction of bombs including the one used in the April attack, as well as a recruit willing to become a suicide bomber. He also worked to gather other weapons for future attacks.
Al-Hamid also admitted to interrogators his involvement in an October 2015 shooting attack, together with fellow cell member Mohammed Issa Mahmoud Albarabi, 28, of Bethelehem's Gaza refugee camp.
The pair set out in a rental car along a road near the nearby Jewish town of Tekoa in Gush Etzion, and fired makeshift guns at an Israeli car heading towards Tekoa. Thankfully, the driver escaped unharmed.
Mohammed Majdi Mustafa El-Aza, a 21-year old resident of Beit Jalah near Bethlehem, operated under the guidance of Mohammed Sami and helped prepare the bomb used in the April attack. He also helped find candidates who expressed their willingness to carry out suicide bombings.
He and his mentor resolved to dispatch another suicide bomber following the successful April attack.
Ahmed Mohammed Mahmoud Masiah, 19, a resident of Aidah refugee camp in Bethlehem, transported the suicide bomber to the scene of the April attack.
30-year-old Ali Ahmed Mohammed Arouj, a resident of Bad Fluh village close to Tekoa, served time in an Israeli prison between 2004-2007 for his involvement in a terror cell which planned a bombing attack. He helped source bomb-making materials for the April attack, helped finance the cell's activities and filmed the suicide bomber's "martyrdom video."
Saeed Asame Issa Harmas, 30, a resident of Bethlehem, also spent time in Israeli prisons for terrorist activities. He helped plan the April attack, and also helped write the bomber's will and film his martyrdom video. Under interrogation he revealed to investigators a makeshift firearm he had hidden in his home, and implicated Mohammed Sami in the 2015 shooting.
Indictments against the terrorists will be served by the IDF Military Prosecution in the coming days.
2. BENNETT WARNS: WE'LL FIGHT FROM THE OPPOSITION IF NEED BE
by Ari Soffer
Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett hit out again on Sunday morning over Prime Minister Netanyahu's refusal to accept his demands for Security Cabinet reforms, warning he was not afraid to continue fighting from the opposition.
"We are not asking for jobs or money," the Education Minister said at a press conference at the Beit Himmelfarb school in Jerusalem, where he was paying a visit along with President Reuven Rivlin. "We are asking to save lives."
"I will continue to fight for and protect the soldiers of the IDF and the residents of the Gaza Belt from any position I will be in - from the government or from outside of it," Bennett continued, in a not-so-subtle warning to Netanyahu.
Bennett has conditioned his party's support for including the Yisrael Beytenu party in the coalition on the PM enacting reforms to the Security Cabinet, including the appointment of a military secretary whose task will be to ensure that all cabinet members are fully briefed on military matters.
Earlier, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked warned the Jewish Home party wasn't planning on backing down, and was prepared to topple the government over the issue.
Without the Jewish Home party's eight votes, the current coalition of 61 plus Yisrael's Beytenu's five seats would not be able to approve the coalition expansion when it goes up for a Knesset vote, with only 58 MKs in favor.
Bennett warned that without the reforms he is demanding, the mistakes of the past would continue to repeat themselves, endangering Israeli lives.
"Ten years ago I was sent along with thousands of soldiers to the Second Lebanon War, by a Cabinet which did not know its objectives or what it was voting for," he added. "I vowed that when I got out of the Lebanon War I would not allow this kind of thing to ever happen again.""Sadly, two years ago as well, during Operation Protective Edge, the Cabinet... did not understand the topic of the (terror) tunnels until I brought it to their attention on June 30, as well as the solution to the problem. I will not let this recur," he vowed.
"We are not asking for jobs or money," he repeated. "We are asking to save human lives. Human lives are more important than government portfolios."
3. RUSSIA TO RETURN ISRAELI TANK FROM BATTLE OF SULTAN YACOUB
by Ari Soffer
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday accepted a formal request by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to return the Israeli tank from the infamous Battle of Sultan Yacoub, which was captured by Syrian forces along with three IDF soldiers: Zacharia Baumel, Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman.
30 Israeli soldiers were killed in the battle, which took place during the First Lebanon War in 1982. The three captive soldiers were paraded alive on their tank through the streets of the Syrian capital Damascus shortly after, but their fate was never determined.
The Syrians were at the time a key ally of Soviet Russia, and took possession of the captured tank, which was then transferred to a military museum in Moscow.
Putin's signing of a presidential order to return the tank to Israel appears to be one of the fruits of Jerusalem's budding alliance with Moscow. Netanyahu made the request to Putin during their meeting in the Kremlin earlier this year, when the two countries reached an important strategic understanding over military coordination in Syria.
The families of the soldiers have been updated.
The Russian and Israeli armies have already begun coordinating the imminent transfer of the tank.
Prime Minister Netanyahu hailed the gesture by Putin.
"I thank the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, who answered my request to return the tank from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub back to Israel," he said, noting that it is the only tangible memorial for the families of the missing soldiers, who are presumed dead but whose remains have never been found.
"For 34 years the tank has been the only testimony from the battle, and now it will be returned to Israel thanks to President Putin's response to my request.
4. SARA NETANYAHU TO STAND TRIAL?
by David Rosenberg
Israeli police announced Sunday afternoon the completion of their investigation into claims of fraud levelled against First Lady Sara Netanyahu, saying that there exists a firm basis for indicting Mrs. Netanyahu for fraud.
The allegations stem from the First Lady's management of the Prime Minister's residence and the Netanyahus' private home in Caesarea.
Sara Netanyahu, who was herself questioned in connection with the case last December, is suspected of using government funds allotted for the Prime Minister's Office and residence to cover private family expenses.
The police has recommended the state formally charge the First Lady with fraudulent acquisition, fraud, and breach of public trust.
Dubbed the "Residences Scandal", there are actually three separate allegations in the police report.
The first relates to funding for electrical work done at the private Caesarea estate, where former Likud Central Committee member and long-time Netanyahu acquaintance Avi Fahima was regularly paid to fix problems in the building's electrical system.
According to the allegations, Fahima was often paid large bonuses, citing special circumstances such as house visits during Yom Kippur. The report also notes that even when Fahima was not listed as an official employee of the residence, he was brought in as a subcontractor.
Police also investigated suspicions that the First Lady transferred furniture purchased for the Prime Minister's official state residence to the family's private estate.
The third set of charges revolve around allegations that the First Lady returned thousands of dollars' worth of recyclable bottles from drinks purchased at the state's expense, but pocketed the money rather than reimburse the state, as required. Netanyahu later paid some 4,000 shekels to the state, though some have claimed that the value of the bottles recycled from 2009-2013 exceeded 24,000 shekels.
5. CANADA ONCE AGAIN BACKS ISRAEL AT THE UN
by Dalit Halevi
Canada once again backed Israel at the UN this week when it voted against the World Health Organization's (WHO) resolution singling out only Israel for "mental, physical and environmental health" rights abuse.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government joined the Israel, the United States, Australia, Paraguay, Guatemala, Micronesia and Papua New Guinea as the only countries to vote against the resolution, which was co-sponsored by the Arab Group of States and the Palestinian delegation.
This marks the second time since Trudeau took office in November 2015 that Canada has voted against anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations.
Shortly after Trudeau took office, Canada voted against the six resolutions condemning Israel which were passed by the UN General Assembly
This policy of supporting Israel at the UN began during former Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin's time in office and continued during the tenure of former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a supporter ally of Israel.
6. OBAMA ADMIN'S BREATHTAKING ISRAEL-IRAN DOUBLE-STANDARD
by Ari Soffer
The US State Department has been caught employing a stunning double-standards vis-a-vis Israel and Iran, shedding a light on the antagonism towards the Jewish state by the Obama administration, even as it cozies up to the Islamic Republic.
Last week, State Department spokesman Mark Toner angered officials in Israel, after he criticized the Israeli coalition deal bringing in the right-wing Yisrael Beytenu party as "rais[ing] legitimate questions" over Israel's commitment to peace.
When asked at a Wednesday press briefing if he "had any comments" about the approaching coalition deal to bring in Avigdor Liberman, Toner responded:
"We have also seen reports from Israel describing it as the most right-wing coalition in Israel's history and we also know that many of its ministers have said they oppose a two-state solution. This raises legitimate questions about the direction it may be headed in ... and what kind of policies it may adopt."
Yet just a day earlier, Toner had this to say about the election of an extreme anti-American cleric to Iran's Assembly of Experts, the powerful committee of clerics who will select the next Supreme Leader of Iran.
"One is you'll have seen, I'm sure, the reports that Ahmad Jannati, a 90-year-old anti-Western cleric, has been chosen as the head of Iran's new Assembly of Experts, which is in charge of selecting the new or whomever will be the next supreme leader," Toner was asked. "Is this a good thing? Is this a bad thing? And does this suggest that Iran may be moving toward a more pro-Western, more open-toward-the-West stance?
"Or do you have faith in Iran's internal democratic procedures?... And do you regard Iran as an ally in the fight against terrorism?"
Toner's noncommittal response was telling:
"We follow domestic events in Iran closely, as you know, but we don't have any comment at this point on the outcome of the leadership elections of the Assembly of Experts."
The stark contrast was first highlighted by American Jewish journalist Yair Rosenberg, who called out the "remarkable hypocrisy" of the Obama administration.
Under President Barack Obama, the White House has pursued a warming of ties with Iran, brokering a controversial agreement with the Islamic Republic over its illegal nuclear program, while apparently making great efforts to encourage western states and banks to do business with Tehran.
At the same time, Obama has openly clashed with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, most recently lambasting him along with other key American allies in an interview earlier this year.
7. 'HE WENT TO SLEEP - BUT NEVER WOKE UP'
by David Rosenberg
Its every parent's worst nightmare: a small child goes to sleep with no apparent signs of life-threatening illness – but never wakes up.
That's the sad story of a grief-stricken family in the Kiryat HaYovel neighborhood of Jerusalem, who discovered their three-year old son had not woken up Sunday morning – and could not be roused from sleep despite repeated attempts to wake him.
Concern turned to fear, as the desperate parents called emergency services for help.
Volunteer first responders from United Hatzalah arrived and performed first aid and resuscitation attempts. But tragically, they were unable to revive the child, and he was declared dead on the scene.
The cause of the child's death is still unknown.
Roei Shmuel Zehori, a United Hatzalah first responder who attempted to save the child recalled the incident.
"When I arrived to the place together with additional volunteer [responders] from the motorcycle unit of United Hatzalah, the child was unconscious, was not breathing, and had no heartbeat. We attempted to revive him, but very sadly after the resuscitation attempts, he was declared dead."
The child's parents said that he had not felt well in the past few days and had been taken to the doctor on Friday, though no serious illness or life-threatening problems had been found prior to his death.
8. WATCH: IDF NABS JERUSALEM BUS BOMBING CELL
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[video:2015708]
The IDF has released footage showing the nighttime raids in the Bethlehem area which netted the Hamas terror cell behind the April 18 bus bombing in Jerusalem.
The six-man terror cell had planned further attacks, including car bombings and shootings.
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
Friday, May 27, 2016
A7News: Netanyahu apologizes for condemning 'nationalistic rape'
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/
Friday, May. 27 '16, Iyar 19, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. NETANYAHU APOLOGIZES FOR CONDEMNING 'NATIONALISTIC RAPE'
2. RETURN OF THE ALLIANCE? LAPID BACKS BENNETT
3. CONGRESS WARNS: OBAMA CAN STOP S-300 TRANSFER TO IRAN BUT ISN'T
4. LEBANESE PAPER: HEZBOLLAH IS DIGGING INTO ISRAEL
5. ENVIRONMENTAL MINISTER RESIGNS OVER LIBERMAN APPOINTMENT
6. 'STOP THE NUDE DANCE PERFORMANCE IN THE HOLY CITY'
7. THE RADICAL LEFT'S 'THEATER OF THE ABSURD'
8. WATCH: JUDEA-SAMARIA SUPPORTERS TAKE A STAND IN HOLLAND
1. NETANYAHU APOLOGIZES FOR CONDEMNING 'NATIONALISTIC RAPE'
by Ari Yashar and Tova Dvorin
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu apologized for condemning an incident which three Arabs raped a 20-year-old mentally disabled Jewish girl for "nationalistic" motives Thursday night, saying Friday that he "regretted" commenting on it.
"As reported, the incident caused me deep pain and shock," Netanyahu posted on Facebook Friday. "With that, I had no right to relate to it until the issue was investigated, and I regret that."
In a post on his Facebook page Thursday, Netanyahu wrote that the rape "is a horrifying crime that requires wall to wall condemnation, but such condemnation has for some reason not been heard – neither in the media nor across the political spectrum."
"One can only imagine what would happen if it were the opposite (Jews raping an Arab for nationalistic reasons –ed.)," the Prime Minister charged. "We will do justice to the full extent of the law with all those involved in this brutal act."
This is not the first time Netanyahu has judged an incident before it has been investigated in a court of law. Earlier this year, he condemned IDF soldier Elor Azariya for controversially shooting a neutralized terrorist based on misinformation - but never apologized for that snap judgement.
Merav Michaeli takes Netanyahu to task
MK Shelly Yechimovich (Zionist Union) fired back and said that it is actually Netanyahu who continuously remains silent when it comes to sexual offenses.
But Netanyahu's retraction has also been linked to comments from MK Merav Michael (Zionist Union), who took the Prime Minister to task Friday.
"For over 20 years I have struggled against rape and sexual assault," she said. "I have and have had male and female partners in this struggle from different parts of the political rainbow. But I haven't heard a single condemnation from Netanyahu to a single act of rape or sexual assault."
"During his term as Prime Minister hundreds of cases like this have been exposed," she continued. "Shocking gang rape that continued months and years, serious cases of incest, abuse of the helpless - he never condemned a single one of them."
"But yesterday, when a rape committed by Arabs on a Jewish woman was publicized, he published a post accusing others who didn't condemn it," she added. "The conclusion is of course that Netanyahu is only against the rape of a Jewish woman by Arabs. When Jewish men rape Jewish women he has no problem with that. Why not?"
"So Mr. Netanyahu, I will continue to struggle against rape for being rape and you will continue to incite against Arabs for being Arabs. Very soon the public will understand where it is better to be, and that is not with you," Michaeli concluded.
Post-retraction
Michaeli also released a scathing response following Netanyahu's retraction.
"Netanyahu doesn't condemn rape," she said. "He takes advantage of awful rape in order to incite against me. Against me and against other female MKs who dedicated and dedicate a significant part of our life to the struggle against rape."
"Netanyahu is inciting against me. He accuses me that I don't condemn rape."
Michaeli further accused Netanyahu of not speaking out about sexual abuse scandals in the police and elsewhere.
"Netanyahu only discovers the violence against women when he can use it against other women, who struggle against violence towards women," she added. "So Mr. Netanyahu, you continue to incite against me and I will continue to struggle against rape and violence for being as they are. The day is not far when the public will realize that the one (in feminine tense - ed.) who takes care of her and him is not you."
Michaeli never actually condemned the nationalistic rape; no other MK spoke about the issue except for MK Nava Boker (Likud).
2. RETURN OF THE ALLIANCE? LAPID BACKS BENNETT
by Hezki Baruch
Yesh Atid chairperson MK Yair Lapid backed Jewish Home chairperson Education Minister Naftali Bennett on Friday, over his demand to have military secretaries appointed to every member of the Security Cabinet as a condition for supporting an expansion of the coalition.
"Bennett is right. As a condition to expand the coalition he is demanding only one thing: a deep repair in the work of the Security Cabinet. As someone who sat with him in the Cabinet, I can testify that the current situation is not reasonable," wrote Lapid on Facebook.
The support may be a first sign of a resurgent alliance between the two; back in the 2013 elections Lapid and Bennett signed an agreement vowing only to enter the government together, and their parties pushed joint legislation such as the controversial haredi draft law before the two finally had a falling out.
In his backing of Bennett, the former Finance Minister wrote that Cabinet ministers do not receive in-depth information or go through any training process for their roles.
"For those who are interested in the topic, I recommend reading the chapters dealing with the work of the Cabinet in Ofer Shelah's book 'The Courage to Win.' As a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Ofer brings a clear and precise analysis there of the failings of the Cabinet (including in Protective Edge) and the required corrections in its work," wrote Lapid.
Lapid heaped praise on his erstwhile ally, writing, "Bennett is also worthy of appreciation for how in the cynical atmosphere in which everyone is busy only with the question of how comfortable their arm chair will be and how much money will go to those who are close to them, he placed a demand touching on the security of the state and the running of the government."
"But in this government those who make a list of cynical demands and only ask for portfolios and honor turn into someone who everyone wants to work with. On the other hand, those who don't ask anything for themselves but rather try to improve the workings of the political echelon are accused of opportunism and receive threats of being fired."
Lapid's comment refers to a report Thursday night in Channel 2 revealing how officials are trying to convince Bennett to support incoming Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman's entry to the coalition government, and threatening Jewish Home ministers with being fired if the party does not support the widening of the coalition.
Bennett's demand for military secretaries and easier access to sensitive intelligence information comes after a report revealing faults in the Security Cabinet's functioning in Operation Protective Edge and the Second Lebanon War.
3. CONGRESS WARNS: OBAMA CAN STOP S-300 TRANSFER TO IRAN BUT ISN'T
by Ari Yashar
US President Barack Obama's administration has not exercised its right under US law to sanction the Russian sale of an advanced weapon system to Iran, leading some in Congress to demand clarifications and accuse the administration of appeasing Tehran.
Obama can declare Russia's sale of the S-300 missile defense system as illegal and enact sanctions against it. The deal, said to be completed by the end of the year, is highly controversial because the advanced missile system would leave Iran's nuclear system - and potentially its nuclear arsenal - nearly impervious to attack.
Aside from declaring the sale illegal under US law, Obama can also veto the arms sale at the UN Security Council - he has so far refused to take either action, and his administration has not responded to repeated queries as to whether it intends to take action.
In response to a query, a State Department official told the Washington Free Beacon that the administration has not yet decided whether or not to issue sanctions on the imminent S-300 sale.
"We're continuing to closely follow reports concerning the delivery of the S-300 defensive missile system from Russia to Iran‎," the official said.
"We have not made a determination as to whether this delivery, if and when complete, would trigger any actions under US authorities."
Representative's inquiry ignored
Washington Free Beacon revealed on Thursday that Representative Steve Chabot (R-OH) sent a inquiry to the White House over a month ago on April 7 about the S-300 sale. The White House has not seen fit to reply.
"Given the serious implications for the United States and our allies in the region, I respectfully request that you quickly determine that Russia's transfer of S-300 surface-to-air missile systems advance Iran's efforts to acquire 'destabilizing numbers and types of advanced conventional weapons' and impose the necessary US sanctions once the Russian delivery takes place," Chabot wrote.
The Representative expressed his concern "that without such a determination the United States may be viewed as acquiescing to this transfer."
Chabot told Washington Free Beacon on Thursday that "despite multiple inquires to the US Department of State, I still have not received a response on Russia's S300 surface-to-air missile system transfer to Iran."
"This apparent dismissal leaves me wondering what exactly the Administration is hiding. I am really asking a simple question – is the introduction of a sophisticated weapon system into Iran, that has not been there previously, going to elicit the appropriate US sanctions response? I am not sure why the Administration has found it so hard to come to a determination."
He warned that "the S300 is one of the most advanced anti-aircraft missile system's in the world and significantly bolsters Iran's offensive capabilities and stands as a serious hurdle to our efforts to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear armed state. This is absolutely a destabilizing conventional weapon system."
"These systems would significantly bolster Iran's offensive capabilities and introduce new obstacles to our efforts to eliminate the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon. I believe existing US sanctions should be used to deter Russia from transferring this or other dangerous weapons systems to Iran," Chabot said.
"Obama just trying to preserve nuclear deal"
Aside from a veto at the UN Security Council against the weapons deal, the Iran-Iraq Arms Nonproliferation Act of 1992 allows the president to sanction the sale of "advanced conventional weapons" to Iran by any country.
In his letter to the White House, Cabot noted this, saying, "US law provides your administration with the authority to apply US sanctions in response."
"For example, the Iran-Iraq Arms Nonproliferation Act and the Iran Sanctions Act provide authority for you to sanction individuals or countries that you determine are aiding Iran's efforts to acquire or develop 'destabilizing numbers and types of advanced conventional weapons.'"
Noting the rationale for the sanctions, Chabot pointed to the destabilizing factor the advanced missile system would play in the hands of the leading state sponsor of terror in the world.
"Iran's acquisition of these systems would embolden Tehran to adopt a more threatening regional posture and to pursue offensive activities detrimental to regional stability in the belief that the systems would deter retaliation," he warned.
A foreign policy adviser who works with Congress on Iran told Washington Free Beacon that Obama can no longer keep silent on the S-300 sale.
"The administration tried to look the other way, but got called out for it by Congress. Then they spent a month and a half hoping that the whole thing would go away," said the adviser.
"Now I don't know what they're going to do, since it's obvious that they're letting Iran import advanced weapons in violation of US law just to preserve the nuclear deal."
4. LEBANESE PAPER: HEZBOLLAH IS DIGGING INTO ISRAEL
by Shimon Cohen
In an article published on Wednesday for the 16th anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, the Lebanese paper Al-Safir detailed the deployment of the Hezbollah terrorist organization on the border - and revealed the Iran-proxy is digging tunnels into Israel.
The article, which was translated and exposed by MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute), also discusses Hezbollah's activities in Syria where it is propping up Bashar al-Assad's regime, and it defined the Syrian front as a larger challenge than the fight with Israel, due to the terrorist group's losses there and the damage to its operational abilities.
The Lebanese daily, which is considered supportive of Hezbollah, talks about how the group - even as it fights in Syria - is continuing to prepare against Israel.
Terrorists of the organization work day and night on the Israeli border "conducting observations, preparing, and digging tunnels that cause the settlers and enemy soldiers to lose sleep," according to the report.
Al-Safir mentioned the tunnels again, noting that in fighting the Syrian rebel forces Hezbollah was forced to deal with an enemy that dug tunnels as well, and that up until this point the group was used to its members being the only ones diggin tunnels. It also described that Hezbollah had taught the methods of tunnel digging to the rest of the "resistance fighters," particularly Palestinian groups in Gaza.
For well over a year Israelis on the northern border have warned that Hezbollah is digging attack tunnels under the border, and they have even documented the sounds of digging and warned about the vibrations that shake their homes.
The IDF has largely played down the threat even as it has at times ordered investigations; outgoing Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon infamously claimed that one case of tunnel digging sounds was a neighbor's "horse stomping with his hooves."
Al-Safir's revelations on the tunnel program echo the warnings of Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Langotzki, a leading expert in the fight against the terror tunnels, who recently told Arutz Sheva that the Lebanese border is becoming a growing threat.
He warned that the northern border is no less of a threat in terms of terror tunnels than the Gaza border, where Hamas has used its tunnels to lethal effect and is working to rebuild its network.
When asked if the harder ground in the north and the distances there do not change things regarding the tunnels, Langotzki said that while there is a difference one must merely look at the incredibly long tunnels dug by the North Korean regime to enable attacks on its southern neighbor in order to understand the very real nature of the threat.
He pointed out the North Korean tunnels were dug through granite which is harder than the dolomite on the Lebanese border, and noted on the close ties between North Korea and Hezbollah.
"I have argued for ten years that it is not possible that something like this couldn't happen in our territory. If they just dig one meter every day you can reach a total of 1,000 meters in our territory within three years," warned Langotzki.
"We know that the Lebanese know how to dig tunnels from the two wars in Lebanon," he said. "Look on Google how Hezbollah dug tunnels from Lebanon to Syria. It's the most trivial thing that could be, but in order to calm the residents they said there are no tunnels, so they calmed them."
5. ENVIRONMENTAL MINISTER RESIGNS OVER LIBERMAN APPOINTMENT
by Ido Ben-Porat
Environmental Protection Minister Avi Gabay (Kulanu) resigned from his post Friday, in protest over the appointment of Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman to the post of Defense Minister.
"Despite the great importance I see in the office and the significant actions we have furthered to reduce air pollution [...] the latest political moves and the replacement of the defense minister are terrible moves in my eyes which ignore what's truly important for the country's security, and will cause further radicalization and rifts among the people," he stated.
Gabay's resignation as Minister also removes him from politics, as he is a member of the government but not of the Knesset.
"I would like to thank the Chairman of Kulanu for the support, trust and assistance [he has provided] and I have no doubt that the Kulanu movement will continue to achieve the goals we set at the time of its inception," he added.
The Environmental Protection Ministry is expected to remain in Kulanu's hands.
MK Erel Margalit (Zionist Union) commented on Gabay's resignation Friday, praising him for taking a stand against Liberman.
"The Environmental Minister smelled moral pollution and resigned, as Kahlon continues to hold the hand of the hilltop youth government and thinks no one will notice."
"I call on the Minister of Finance to discover the straight path and stop this extremism," he continued. "You're not absolved of responsibility."
"[Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu made history when he appointed the most extremist government in Israeli history, where even its own ministers do not approve of where it's going, and know you can't rely on it," MK Ayelet Nachmias-Varbin (Zionist Union) fired Friday. "The Environmental Protection Minister has proven, over the past year, that the only thing he cares about is what's good for the environment and for the State of Israel - in contrast to Netanyahu, who only cares about keeping his seat."
6. 'STOP THE NUDE DANCE PERFORMANCE IN THE HOLY CITY'
by Benny Tocker
Former MK Nissim Ze'ev, one of the founders of the Shas party, is calling on Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat to cancel the dance performance "More than Naked" which is scheduled for Friday at the Jerusalem Theater as part of the Israel Festival.
In an interview with Arutz Sheva, Ze'ev noted that during the performance 12 completely nude dancers are to take the stage in a dance piece choreographed by Doris Uhlich of Austria.
The ex-MK expressed shock at the planned provocative piece, and surprise that no religious or haredi city council members have protested it.
"There is a culture here of sinners and I am surprised about the city council members, most of whom are religious and haredi, who let it pass by and do not protest or raise a cry," said Ze'ev. "It cannot be that the Jerusalem municipality would close its eyes and say it doesn't get involved in the contents."
Ze'ev explained the dance performance is not "culture," but rather crass "prostitution."
"This is an artistic prostitution-like program, which is considered as if it was culture. It isn't culture and it isn't education. We have values and principles in Judaism and we must not give youth the impression that everything is permissible," he warned.
"We have to stop the celebration of abominations in Jerusalem. Unfortunately there is no limit to permissiveness and every time they go down another rung into the abyss, we are already below zero."
According to the former MK, even a secular mayor like Barkat should recognize the performance is in bad taste.
"When we're talking about Jerusalem our capital, the Holy City, I expect that the mayor will cancel this performance. Because if this performance is held that will be a precedent for other nude performances."
"This is the destruction of Jerusalem and I expect (action from) the mayor - he may be secular but it is impossible to show contempt for democracy, and most residents of this city are religious and haredi and also Arabs, all are against this," he said.
7. THE RADICAL LEFT'S 'THEATER OF THE ABSURD'
by Yoni Kempinski
Gilad Ach, chairman of the Ad Kan nationalist group that has infiltrated and exposed radical leftist organizations, responded on Friday to the announcement of B'Tselem from Wednesday when it said it was cutting its cooperation with the IDF.
In the announcement the far leftist group said it will no longer work with the military prosecution to submit complaints on "war crimes" alegedly committed by the IDF against Palestinian Arabs, saying its cooperation has been essentially "serving the continued justification of the occupation instead of leading to improved Palestinian rights."
Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Ach condemned the B'Tselem statement.
"This declaration is another performance in the theater of the absurd of the anti-Israeli organizations that call themselves human rights organizations," he said.
He noted that B'Tselem, Breaking the Silence and other similar radical leftist groups "gather information about IDF soldiers in order to slander Israel in the world."
Ach spoke about the "human rights" group B'Tselem, pointing out that activists of the group were recently exposed by Ad Kan as having turned over Arabs who wanted to sell land to Jews to the Palestinian Authority (PA) to be tortured and executed.
In response to the exposure, he noted that B'Tselem claimed the activists took "legitimate" actions in a shocking support of the executions.
The Ad Kan chairperson called on Israel to respond in kind to B'Tselem's cutting of cooperation with the IDF by stopping all cooperation with the group, and he urged first of all to stop considering volunteer work in the organization as national service.
8. WATCH: JUDEA-SAMARIA SUPPORTERS TAKE A STAND IN HOLLAND
by Eliran Aharon
The Dutch parliament met Thursday to discuss the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Jews in Judea and Samaria, where they controversially declared the damaging movement as protected by free speech.
Arutz Sheva discussed the development with Attorney Nati Rom, head of the Lev Haolam organization that fights BDS by selling goods from small businesses in Judea-Samaria directly to customers worldwide.
[youtube:2015678]
Rom distributed products from Judea-Samaria to the parliamentarians ahead of the ruling, and organized a counter-protest which he said drew a lot of supporters.
"We are here to stay that we are taking a stand for Israel and we will not be silent anymore," he added. "After what happened in Europe seventy years ago, we will not be silent when we see that they label Jewish products."
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
Friday, May. 27 '16, Iyar 19, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. NETANYAHU APOLOGIZES FOR CONDEMNING 'NATIONALISTIC RAPE'
2. RETURN OF THE ALLIANCE? LAPID BACKS BENNETT
3. CONGRESS WARNS: OBAMA CAN STOP S-300 TRANSFER TO IRAN BUT ISN'T
4. LEBANESE PAPER: HEZBOLLAH IS DIGGING INTO ISRAEL
5. ENVIRONMENTAL MINISTER RESIGNS OVER LIBERMAN APPOINTMENT
6. 'STOP THE NUDE DANCE PERFORMANCE IN THE HOLY CITY'
7. THE RADICAL LEFT'S 'THEATER OF THE ABSURD'
8. WATCH: JUDEA-SAMARIA SUPPORTERS TAKE A STAND IN HOLLAND
1. NETANYAHU APOLOGIZES FOR CONDEMNING 'NATIONALISTIC RAPE'
by Ari Yashar and Tova Dvorin
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu apologized for condemning an incident which three Arabs raped a 20-year-old mentally disabled Jewish girl for "nationalistic" motives Thursday night, saying Friday that he "regretted" commenting on it.
"As reported, the incident caused me deep pain and shock," Netanyahu posted on Facebook Friday. "With that, I had no right to relate to it until the issue was investigated, and I regret that."
In a post on his Facebook page Thursday, Netanyahu wrote that the rape "is a horrifying crime that requires wall to wall condemnation, but such condemnation has for some reason not been heard – neither in the media nor across the political spectrum."
"One can only imagine what would happen if it were the opposite (Jews raping an Arab for nationalistic reasons –ed.)," the Prime Minister charged. "We will do justice to the full extent of the law with all those involved in this brutal act."
This is not the first time Netanyahu has judged an incident before it has been investigated in a court of law. Earlier this year, he condemned IDF soldier Elor Azariya for controversially shooting a neutralized terrorist based on misinformation - but never apologized for that snap judgement.
Merav Michaeli takes Netanyahu to task
MK Shelly Yechimovich (Zionist Union) fired back and said that it is actually Netanyahu who continuously remains silent when it comes to sexual offenses.
But Netanyahu's retraction has also been linked to comments from MK Merav Michael (Zionist Union), who took the Prime Minister to task Friday.
"For over 20 years I have struggled against rape and sexual assault," she said. "I have and have had male and female partners in this struggle from different parts of the political rainbow. But I haven't heard a single condemnation from Netanyahu to a single act of rape or sexual assault."
"During his term as Prime Minister hundreds of cases like this have been exposed," she continued. "Shocking gang rape that continued months and years, serious cases of incest, abuse of the helpless - he never condemned a single one of them."
"But yesterday, when a rape committed by Arabs on a Jewish woman was publicized, he published a post accusing others who didn't condemn it," she added. "The conclusion is of course that Netanyahu is only against the rape of a Jewish woman by Arabs. When Jewish men rape Jewish women he has no problem with that. Why not?"
"So Mr. Netanyahu, I will continue to struggle against rape for being rape and you will continue to incite against Arabs for being Arabs. Very soon the public will understand where it is better to be, and that is not with you," Michaeli concluded.
Post-retraction
Michaeli also released a scathing response following Netanyahu's retraction.
"Netanyahu doesn't condemn rape," she said. "He takes advantage of awful rape in order to incite against me. Against me and against other female MKs who dedicated and dedicate a significant part of our life to the struggle against rape."
"Netanyahu is inciting against me. He accuses me that I don't condemn rape."
Michaeli further accused Netanyahu of not speaking out about sexual abuse scandals in the police and elsewhere.
"Netanyahu only discovers the violence against women when he can use it against other women, who struggle against violence towards women," she added. "So Mr. Netanyahu, you continue to incite against me and I will continue to struggle against rape and violence for being as they are. The day is not far when the public will realize that the one (in feminine tense - ed.) who takes care of her and him is not you."
Michaeli never actually condemned the nationalistic rape; no other MK spoke about the issue except for MK Nava Boker (Likud).
2. RETURN OF THE ALLIANCE? LAPID BACKS BENNETT
by Hezki Baruch
Yesh Atid chairperson MK Yair Lapid backed Jewish Home chairperson Education Minister Naftali Bennett on Friday, over his demand to have military secretaries appointed to every member of the Security Cabinet as a condition for supporting an expansion of the coalition.
"Bennett is right. As a condition to expand the coalition he is demanding only one thing: a deep repair in the work of the Security Cabinet. As someone who sat with him in the Cabinet, I can testify that the current situation is not reasonable," wrote Lapid on Facebook.
The support may be a first sign of a resurgent alliance between the two; back in the 2013 elections Lapid and Bennett signed an agreement vowing only to enter the government together, and their parties pushed joint legislation such as the controversial haredi draft law before the two finally had a falling out.
In his backing of Bennett, the former Finance Minister wrote that Cabinet ministers do not receive in-depth information or go through any training process for their roles.
"For those who are interested in the topic, I recommend reading the chapters dealing with the work of the Cabinet in Ofer Shelah's book 'The Courage to Win.' As a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Ofer brings a clear and precise analysis there of the failings of the Cabinet (including in Protective Edge) and the required corrections in its work," wrote Lapid.
Lapid heaped praise on his erstwhile ally, writing, "Bennett is also worthy of appreciation for how in the cynical atmosphere in which everyone is busy only with the question of how comfortable their arm chair will be and how much money will go to those who are close to them, he placed a demand touching on the security of the state and the running of the government."
"But in this government those who make a list of cynical demands and only ask for portfolios and honor turn into someone who everyone wants to work with. On the other hand, those who don't ask anything for themselves but rather try to improve the workings of the political echelon are accused of opportunism and receive threats of being fired."
Lapid's comment refers to a report Thursday night in Channel 2 revealing how officials are trying to convince Bennett to support incoming Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman's entry to the coalition government, and threatening Jewish Home ministers with being fired if the party does not support the widening of the coalition.
Bennett's demand for military secretaries and easier access to sensitive intelligence information comes after a report revealing faults in the Security Cabinet's functioning in Operation Protective Edge and the Second Lebanon War.
3. CONGRESS WARNS: OBAMA CAN STOP S-300 TRANSFER TO IRAN BUT ISN'T
by Ari Yashar
US President Barack Obama's administration has not exercised its right under US law to sanction the Russian sale of an advanced weapon system to Iran, leading some in Congress to demand clarifications and accuse the administration of appeasing Tehran.
Obama can declare Russia's sale of the S-300 missile defense system as illegal and enact sanctions against it. The deal, said to be completed by the end of the year, is highly controversial because the advanced missile system would leave Iran's nuclear system - and potentially its nuclear arsenal - nearly impervious to attack.
Aside from declaring the sale illegal under US law, Obama can also veto the arms sale at the UN Security Council - he has so far refused to take either action, and his administration has not responded to repeated queries as to whether it intends to take action.
In response to a query, a State Department official told the Washington Free Beacon that the administration has not yet decided whether or not to issue sanctions on the imminent S-300 sale.
"We're continuing to closely follow reports concerning the delivery of the S-300 defensive missile system from Russia to Iran‎," the official said.
"We have not made a determination as to whether this delivery, if and when complete, would trigger any actions under US authorities."
Representative's inquiry ignored
Washington Free Beacon revealed on Thursday that Representative Steve Chabot (R-OH) sent a inquiry to the White House over a month ago on April 7 about the S-300 sale. The White House has not seen fit to reply.
"Given the serious implications for the United States and our allies in the region, I respectfully request that you quickly determine that Russia's transfer of S-300 surface-to-air missile systems advance Iran's efforts to acquire 'destabilizing numbers and types of advanced conventional weapons' and impose the necessary US sanctions once the Russian delivery takes place," Chabot wrote.
The Representative expressed his concern "that without such a determination the United States may be viewed as acquiescing to this transfer."
Chabot told Washington Free Beacon on Thursday that "despite multiple inquires to the US Department of State, I still have not received a response on Russia's S300 surface-to-air missile system transfer to Iran."
"This apparent dismissal leaves me wondering what exactly the Administration is hiding. I am really asking a simple question – is the introduction of a sophisticated weapon system into Iran, that has not been there previously, going to elicit the appropriate US sanctions response? I am not sure why the Administration has found it so hard to come to a determination."
He warned that "the S300 is one of the most advanced anti-aircraft missile system's in the world and significantly bolsters Iran's offensive capabilities and stands as a serious hurdle to our efforts to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear armed state. This is absolutely a destabilizing conventional weapon system."
"These systems would significantly bolster Iran's offensive capabilities and introduce new obstacles to our efforts to eliminate the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon. I believe existing US sanctions should be used to deter Russia from transferring this or other dangerous weapons systems to Iran," Chabot said.
"Obama just trying to preserve nuclear deal"
Aside from a veto at the UN Security Council against the weapons deal, the Iran-Iraq Arms Nonproliferation Act of 1992 allows the president to sanction the sale of "advanced conventional weapons" to Iran by any country.
In his letter to the White House, Cabot noted this, saying, "US law provides your administration with the authority to apply US sanctions in response."
"For example, the Iran-Iraq Arms Nonproliferation Act and the Iran Sanctions Act provide authority for you to sanction individuals or countries that you determine are aiding Iran's efforts to acquire or develop 'destabilizing numbers and types of advanced conventional weapons.'"
Noting the rationale for the sanctions, Chabot pointed to the destabilizing factor the advanced missile system would play in the hands of the leading state sponsor of terror in the world.
"Iran's acquisition of these systems would embolden Tehran to adopt a more threatening regional posture and to pursue offensive activities detrimental to regional stability in the belief that the systems would deter retaliation," he warned.
A foreign policy adviser who works with Congress on Iran told Washington Free Beacon that Obama can no longer keep silent on the S-300 sale.
"The administration tried to look the other way, but got called out for it by Congress. Then they spent a month and a half hoping that the whole thing would go away," said the adviser.
"Now I don't know what they're going to do, since it's obvious that they're letting Iran import advanced weapons in violation of US law just to preserve the nuclear deal."
4. LEBANESE PAPER: HEZBOLLAH IS DIGGING INTO ISRAEL
by Shimon Cohen
In an article published on Wednesday for the 16th anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, the Lebanese paper Al-Safir detailed the deployment of the Hezbollah terrorist organization on the border - and revealed the Iran-proxy is digging tunnels into Israel.
The article, which was translated and exposed by MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute), also discusses Hezbollah's activities in Syria where it is propping up Bashar al-Assad's regime, and it defined the Syrian front as a larger challenge than the fight with Israel, due to the terrorist group's losses there and the damage to its operational abilities.
The Lebanese daily, which is considered supportive of Hezbollah, talks about how the group - even as it fights in Syria - is continuing to prepare against Israel.
Terrorists of the organization work day and night on the Israeli border "conducting observations, preparing, and digging tunnels that cause the settlers and enemy soldiers to lose sleep," according to the report.
Al-Safir mentioned the tunnels again, noting that in fighting the Syrian rebel forces Hezbollah was forced to deal with an enemy that dug tunnels as well, and that up until this point the group was used to its members being the only ones diggin tunnels. It also described that Hezbollah had taught the methods of tunnel digging to the rest of the "resistance fighters," particularly Palestinian groups in Gaza.
For well over a year Israelis on the northern border have warned that Hezbollah is digging attack tunnels under the border, and they have even documented the sounds of digging and warned about the vibrations that shake their homes.
The IDF has largely played down the threat even as it has at times ordered investigations; outgoing Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon infamously claimed that one case of tunnel digging sounds was a neighbor's "horse stomping with his hooves."
Al-Safir's revelations on the tunnel program echo the warnings of Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Langotzki, a leading expert in the fight against the terror tunnels, who recently told Arutz Sheva that the Lebanese border is becoming a growing threat.
He warned that the northern border is no less of a threat in terms of terror tunnels than the Gaza border, where Hamas has used its tunnels to lethal effect and is working to rebuild its network.
When asked if the harder ground in the north and the distances there do not change things regarding the tunnels, Langotzki said that while there is a difference one must merely look at the incredibly long tunnels dug by the North Korean regime to enable attacks on its southern neighbor in order to understand the very real nature of the threat.
He pointed out the North Korean tunnels were dug through granite which is harder than the dolomite on the Lebanese border, and noted on the close ties between North Korea and Hezbollah.
"I have argued for ten years that it is not possible that something like this couldn't happen in our territory. If they just dig one meter every day you can reach a total of 1,000 meters in our territory within three years," warned Langotzki.
"We know that the Lebanese know how to dig tunnels from the two wars in Lebanon," he said. "Look on Google how Hezbollah dug tunnels from Lebanon to Syria. It's the most trivial thing that could be, but in order to calm the residents they said there are no tunnels, so they calmed them."
5. ENVIRONMENTAL MINISTER RESIGNS OVER LIBERMAN APPOINTMENT
by Ido Ben-Porat
Environmental Protection Minister Avi Gabay (Kulanu) resigned from his post Friday, in protest over the appointment of Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman to the post of Defense Minister.
"Despite the great importance I see in the office and the significant actions we have furthered to reduce air pollution [...] the latest political moves and the replacement of the defense minister are terrible moves in my eyes which ignore what's truly important for the country's security, and will cause further radicalization and rifts among the people," he stated.
Gabay's resignation as Minister also removes him from politics, as he is a member of the government but not of the Knesset.
"I would like to thank the Chairman of Kulanu for the support, trust and assistance [he has provided] and I have no doubt that the Kulanu movement will continue to achieve the goals we set at the time of its inception," he added.
The Environmental Protection Ministry is expected to remain in Kulanu's hands.
MK Erel Margalit (Zionist Union) commented on Gabay's resignation Friday, praising him for taking a stand against Liberman.
"The Environmental Minister smelled moral pollution and resigned, as Kahlon continues to hold the hand of the hilltop youth government and thinks no one will notice."
"I call on the Minister of Finance to discover the straight path and stop this extremism," he continued. "You're not absolved of responsibility."
"[Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu made history when he appointed the most extremist government in Israeli history, where even its own ministers do not approve of where it's going, and know you can't rely on it," MK Ayelet Nachmias-Varbin (Zionist Union) fired Friday. "The Environmental Protection Minister has proven, over the past year, that the only thing he cares about is what's good for the environment and for the State of Israel - in contrast to Netanyahu, who only cares about keeping his seat."
6. 'STOP THE NUDE DANCE PERFORMANCE IN THE HOLY CITY'
by Benny Tocker
Former MK Nissim Ze'ev, one of the founders of the Shas party, is calling on Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat to cancel the dance performance "More than Naked" which is scheduled for Friday at the Jerusalem Theater as part of the Israel Festival.
In an interview with Arutz Sheva, Ze'ev noted that during the performance 12 completely nude dancers are to take the stage in a dance piece choreographed by Doris Uhlich of Austria.
The ex-MK expressed shock at the planned provocative piece, and surprise that no religious or haredi city council members have protested it.
"There is a culture here of sinners and I am surprised about the city council members, most of whom are religious and haredi, who let it pass by and do not protest or raise a cry," said Ze'ev. "It cannot be that the Jerusalem municipality would close its eyes and say it doesn't get involved in the contents."
Ze'ev explained the dance performance is not "culture," but rather crass "prostitution."
"This is an artistic prostitution-like program, which is considered as if it was culture. It isn't culture and it isn't education. We have values and principles in Judaism and we must not give youth the impression that everything is permissible," he warned.
"We have to stop the celebration of abominations in Jerusalem. Unfortunately there is no limit to permissiveness and every time they go down another rung into the abyss, we are already below zero."
According to the former MK, even a secular mayor like Barkat should recognize the performance is in bad taste.
"When we're talking about Jerusalem our capital, the Holy City, I expect that the mayor will cancel this performance. Because if this performance is held that will be a precedent for other nude performances."
"This is the destruction of Jerusalem and I expect (action from) the mayor - he may be secular but it is impossible to show contempt for democracy, and most residents of this city are religious and haredi and also Arabs, all are against this," he said.
7. THE RADICAL LEFT'S 'THEATER OF THE ABSURD'
by Yoni Kempinski
Gilad Ach, chairman of the Ad Kan nationalist group that has infiltrated and exposed radical leftist organizations, responded on Friday to the announcement of B'Tselem from Wednesday when it said it was cutting its cooperation with the IDF.
In the announcement the far leftist group said it will no longer work with the military prosecution to submit complaints on "war crimes" alegedly committed by the IDF against Palestinian Arabs, saying its cooperation has been essentially "serving the continued justification of the occupation instead of leading to improved Palestinian rights."
Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Ach condemned the B'Tselem statement.
"This declaration is another performance in the theater of the absurd of the anti-Israeli organizations that call themselves human rights organizations," he said.
He noted that B'Tselem, Breaking the Silence and other similar radical leftist groups "gather information about IDF soldiers in order to slander Israel in the world."
Ach spoke about the "human rights" group B'Tselem, pointing out that activists of the group were recently exposed by Ad Kan as having turned over Arabs who wanted to sell land to Jews to the Palestinian Authority (PA) to be tortured and executed.
In response to the exposure, he noted that B'Tselem claimed the activists took "legitimate" actions in a shocking support of the executions.
The Ad Kan chairperson called on Israel to respond in kind to B'Tselem's cutting of cooperation with the IDF by stopping all cooperation with the group, and he urged first of all to stop considering volunteer work in the organization as national service.
8. WATCH: JUDEA-SAMARIA SUPPORTERS TAKE A STAND IN HOLLAND
by Eliran Aharon
The Dutch parliament met Thursday to discuss the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Jews in Judea and Samaria, where they controversially declared the damaging movement as protected by free speech.
Arutz Sheva discussed the development with Attorney Nati Rom, head of the Lev Haolam organization that fights BDS by selling goods from small businesses in Judea-Samaria directly to customers worldwide.
[youtube:2015678]
Rom distributed products from Judea-Samaria to the parliamentarians ahead of the ruling, and organized a counter-protest which he said drew a lot of supporters.
"We are here to stay that we are taking a stand for Israel and we will not be silent anymore," he added. "After what happened in Europe seventy years ago, we will not be silent when we see that they label Jewish products."
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
Thursday, May 26, 2016
A7News: Watch: Homes evacuated across Jerusalem as fires rage
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/
Thursday, May. 26 '16, Iyar 18, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. WATCH: HOMES EVACUATED ACROSS JERUSALEM AS FIRES RAGE
2. WATCH: MASSES FLOCK TO MERON FOR LAG BA'OMER HILULA
3. ISRAEL INTERCEPTS WEAPONS TRANSFER FROM JUDEA TO GAZA STRIP
4. SANDERS AIDES PLEDGE TO PUSH DEMOCRATIC PARTY AWAY FROM ISRAEL
5. PEOPLE KEEP ASKING NY METS PITCHER STEVEN MATZ IF HE'S JEWISH
6. 3.2 MILLION IMMIGRANTS TO ISRAEL
7. IAF ATTACKS HAMAS INFRASTRUCTURES IN GAZA
8. WATCH: LAG BA'OMER CELEBRATION SHOWCASES JEWISH UNITY
1. WATCH: HOMES EVACUATED ACROSS JERUSALEM AS FIRES RAGE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2015651]
Fires broke out across the capital on Thursday, forcing evacuations across the city.
In northern Jerusalem, firefighters struggled Thursday afternoon to control a forest fire threatening the nearby neighborhood of Ramot.
The cause of the blaze is believed to be a Lag Ba'Omer bonfire.
Fierce winds have helped spread the fire, which now threatens a number of homes.
Firefighters have warned residents of the Masholim sector of Ramot to evacuate immediately.
On the city's southern edge, two buildings in Gilo were evacuated because of a nearby brushfire.
To the west, a fire near the neighboring community of Mevaseret threatened houses on the outskirts of town, leading authorities to begin evacuations of residents.
[album:open
2. WATCH: MASSES FLOCK TO MERON FOR LAG BA'OMER HILULA
by Arutz Sheva staff
[youtube:2015646]
(Live feed courtesy of Eli Aviv)
Hundreds of thousands of Jewish worshippers are converging on the town of Meron in northern Israel to celebrate Lag B'Omer at the Tomb of the ancient Jewish scholar and mystic Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
The yearly mountaintop gathering at the tomb of the Jewish leader, seen by many as the father of the kabbalistic movement, is believed to be the largest Jewish festive gathering in the world.
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai - also known as "Rashbi" - was a tannaitic sage who lived during the second century in ancient Israel. One of the most eminent disciples of Rabbi Akiva - a leading scholar who also served as spiritual leader of the Bar Kochba Revolt against Roman occupation - Rashbi was himself forced into hiding by Israel's Roman occupiers after criticizing the regime.
According to the Talmud, he hid for 13 years in a cave in the Galilean town of Pekiin, along with his son Rabbi Eleazar. The Talmud records that they spent their time in hiding studying Torah, sustained by a stream and carob tree which miraculously sprouted for them, until a Divine Revelation revealed that the Roman viceroy had died and the decree calling for their execution had been nullified.
It is during that period that Rashbi is said to have gained an insight into the mystical aspects of the Torah. On his deathbed, tradition has it that he told his disciples that rather than mourning him, they should celebrate his life and teachings on the anniversary of his death - or hilula - which is on the 39th day of the Omer period between the festivals of Pesach and Shavuot.
Bonfires are lit at the tomb to signify the light of Torah, as well as in remembrance of the Bar Kochba rebels, who lit fires to communicate the start of the revolt.
The Boyaner Hassidic Rebbe, now Rabbi Nachum Dov Brayer, has the honor of lighting the first bonfire at the Meron celebration each year, and the sect runs the event.
The tradition was given to them after Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov Friedman, also known as the Sadigura Rebbe, bought the privilege from the Sephardic guardians of Meron and Tzfat (Safed).
3. ISRAEL INTERCEPTS WEAPONS TRANSFER FROM JUDEA TO GAZA STRIP
by Kobi Finkler
Border control agents, working in conjunction with the Shin Bet internal security agency, confiscated a large shipment at the Tarkumia Crossing in the Hevron region.
The shipment, bound for Gaza via Israel, carried a large quantity of building materials for rockets and mortars, along with heavy-duty electric motors, used to construct and fortify underground facilities.
Security officials believe the shipment was destined for the Hamas terror organization.
The smuggled materials were concealed in what appeared to be a shipment of textiles and jewelry.
Officials say the shipment included hundreds of special pipes used to manufacture rockets and mortars, in addition to motors Hamas likely intended to use to expand its vast underground network.
The shipment was destined for the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza via Israel. Authorities are searching for those responsible for the smuggling attempt.
4. SANDERS AIDES PLEDGE TO PUSH DEMOCRATIC PARTY AWAY FROM ISRAEL
by David Rosenberg
While former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is now all but assured the Democratic nomination this summer, her rival, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders says the political revolution is far from over. As some Democratic officials fear, Sanders' claim may be more than an idle threat to the party establishment.
Because of his performance in the Democratic nominating process, Sanders has been awarded 5 of the 15 seats at the party platform drafting committee; the body which sets the official agenda for the Democratic National Committee and 2016 presidential election campaign.
Sanders looks to push the party to the left on a variety of issues, but has also placed an emphasis on the Israeli-Arab conflict. Two of Sanders' five representatives – Cornel West and James Zogby – are outspoken opponents of the Jewish state.
On Wednesday the two announced their intentions to use the Democratic platform drafting committee to shift the party away from support for Israel – and towards the Palestinians.
West decried what he described as the "occupation", demanding the party take an active role in ending Israeli control over Judea and Samaria.
"Justice for Palestinians cannot be attained without the lifting of the occupation," West said, drawing attention to what he called "the plight of an occupied people", the New York Times reported.
West, who teaches philosophy at the Union Theological Seminary, has a history of abrasive comments towards Israel, and has been a vocal supporter of the BDS movement.
In an interview with Salon, West said the Israeli "occupation" of Judea and Samaria must be terminated.
"It's ugly, it's vicious, it's brutal, and it needs to not just be brought to attention, it needs to be brought to an end."
West brushed off criticism of his stance as "Zionist critiques", and compared the Gaza Strip to Nazi concentration camp and drawing parallels to racism in the West.
"[T]here is no doubt that Gaza is not just a 'kind of' concentration camp, it is the hood on steroids."
For his part, Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute, also has a history of vicious anti-Israel rhetoric, abuse of the legacy of the Holocaust, and tropes aimed at Jewish supporters of Israel.
In a 2010 Huffington Post article, Zogby compared Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria to the Nazi Holocaust.
An early supporter of the BDS movement, Zogby himself organized boycotts of businesses with branches in Israel.
In the past, Zogby has as suggested that Israeli influence was behind America's involvement in the Iraq War, and has smeared some American Jews as "Israel firsters".
5. PEOPLE KEEP ASKING NY METS PITCHER STEVEN MATZ IF HE'S JEWISH
by Gabe Friedman
Is New York Mets pitcher Steven Matz Jewish?
It was a question fans were asking themselves last season during the team's run to the World Series.
Despite his surname, which is a syllable away from the word for unleavened Passover bread, the answer is no.
But it turns out Matz gets the question all the time.
So much so that when he met a fellow Matz — ESPN reporter Eddie Matz, no relation — the first thing he did was pop the question, according to the article that occasioned the meeting, published Wednesday.
Clarifying the reason for his inquiry, the 24-year-old ace said: "I'm not, but it's the first question people ask when they meet me."
Matz the reporter wrote that the only time he'd ever encountered Matzes in the past was at family seders. Why, he asked Matz the pitcher, who helped power the Mets' 2015 playoff run as a rookie, do you think you get the question so often?
"Because I'm from Long Island and it sounds like Katz," Steven Matz said of his last name.
Jewish or not, Matz has New Yorkers kvelling. In eight starts this season, he has a 7-1 record, a stellar 2.36 earned run average and 50 strikeouts. He was born in Stony Brook, New York, and went to high school in East Setauket on Long Island's North Shore-area.
6. 3.2 MILLION IMMIGRANTS TO ISRAEL
by David Rosenberg
Some 3.2 million people have immigrated to Israel since the founding of the state in 1948, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
The immigration figures, which reflect Aliyah from 1948 to 2015, show that immigration was heavily concentrated in two major waves: the first from 1948 through 1951, and the second from 1990 to 1999.
Since the beginning of the second wave of mass immigration in 1990, when large numbers of Jews from Warsaw Pact countries made Aliyah, some 1.35 million immigrants have come to Israel, or about 42% of all Aliyah since 1948.
While Aliyah in recent years has been slow – particularly since the Second Intifada – the rate of immigration has been trending upward since 2008. Last year saw a 15.7% increase in total immigration rates over 2014, with 27,908 immigrants.
On Wednesday the Knesset marked 100 years of American Jewish contributions to Israel and Zionism, including a report on American Aliyah to Israel and financial support for the Jewish state.
Since 1972, 115,195 immigrants from the US have made Aliyah, and the rate of American Aliyah is on the rise.
While the number immigrants from the US to Israel from 1991 to 2000 averaged only 2,246 per year, that figure rose to 2,635 from 2001 to 2010. Since 2011, the average annual rate of American immigration surged to 3,290, the highest level the 1960s.
According to the report, the top destinations for American immigrants are Jerusalem, which is home to 29,882 American émigrés who arrived since 1972. Tel Aviv was a distant second with 10,620, followed by Beit Shemesh with 6,937, Raanana with 3,717, Haifa with 3,520, Netanya with 3,043, Modiin with 2,006, and Efrat with 1,978.
7. IAF ATTACKS HAMAS INFRASTRUCTURES IN GAZA
by Elad Benari
Israeli aircraft overnight Wednesday attacked two terrorist infrastructures belonging to Hamas in Gaza, the IDF Spokesperson said in a statement.
According to the statement, the airstrike was in response to an earlier rocket attack on the Gaza Belt.
"The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist organization solely responsible for Gaza and will continue to act with determination in order to maintain the quiet in the communities in southern Israel," the IDF statement stressed.
In Wednesday evening's attack, which occurred around 11:30 p.m., a rocket exploded in an open area in the Sha'ar Hanegev region. There were no physical injuries or damages.
Military sources said that activated the alarm sounded because the test was conducted at an open area.
Military sources said that the "Red Alert" siren was not activated before the rocket exploded due to the fact that it was headed towards an open area.
Rocket and mortar fire from Gaza has continued to "trickle" into Israel on occasion. On May 6, two mortar shells fired from Gaza exploded near the security fence in the Eshkol Regional Council.
There were no physical injuries or damages. Israeli aircraft hit two Hamas targets in Gaza in retaliation for the attack.
8. WATCH: LAG BA'OMER CELEBRATION SHOWCASES JEWISH UNITY
by Eliran Aharon
[youtube:2015639]
The Lag Ba'Omer celebration in the town of Meron in northern Israel was truly an expression of Jewish unity, as hundreds of thousands of Jews from around the world gathered for the bonfire at the Tomb of the ancient Jewish scholar and mystic Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
Arutz Sheva caught up with three worshippers from Chicago, Miami, and Baltimore who pointed out that the celebration was the "craziest" they've ever seen.
"Nowhere in America do you get such celebrations," they declared.
[album:open
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
Thursday, May. 26 '16, Iyar 18, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. WATCH: HOMES EVACUATED ACROSS JERUSALEM AS FIRES RAGE
2. WATCH: MASSES FLOCK TO MERON FOR LAG BA'OMER HILULA
3. ISRAEL INTERCEPTS WEAPONS TRANSFER FROM JUDEA TO GAZA STRIP
4. SANDERS AIDES PLEDGE TO PUSH DEMOCRATIC PARTY AWAY FROM ISRAEL
5. PEOPLE KEEP ASKING NY METS PITCHER STEVEN MATZ IF HE'S JEWISH
6. 3.2 MILLION IMMIGRANTS TO ISRAEL
7. IAF ATTACKS HAMAS INFRASTRUCTURES IN GAZA
8. WATCH: LAG BA'OMER CELEBRATION SHOWCASES JEWISH UNITY
1. WATCH: HOMES EVACUATED ACROSS JERUSALEM AS FIRES RAGE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2015651]
Fires broke out across the capital on Thursday, forcing evacuations across the city.
In northern Jerusalem, firefighters struggled Thursday afternoon to control a forest fire threatening the nearby neighborhood of Ramot.
The cause of the blaze is believed to be a Lag Ba'Omer bonfire.
Fierce winds have helped spread the fire, which now threatens a number of homes.
Firefighters have warned residents of the Masholim sector of Ramot to evacuate immediately.
On the city's southern edge, two buildings in Gilo were evacuated because of a nearby brushfire.
To the west, a fire near the neighboring community of Mevaseret threatened houses on the outskirts of town, leading authorities to begin evacuations of residents.
[album:open
2. WATCH: MASSES FLOCK TO MERON FOR LAG BA'OMER HILULA
by Arutz Sheva staff
[youtube:2015646]
(Live feed courtesy of Eli Aviv)
Hundreds of thousands of Jewish worshippers are converging on the town of Meron in northern Israel to celebrate Lag B'Omer at the Tomb of the ancient Jewish scholar and mystic Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
The yearly mountaintop gathering at the tomb of the Jewish leader, seen by many as the father of the kabbalistic movement, is believed to be the largest Jewish festive gathering in the world.
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai - also known as "Rashbi" - was a tannaitic sage who lived during the second century in ancient Israel. One of the most eminent disciples of Rabbi Akiva - a leading scholar who also served as spiritual leader of the Bar Kochba Revolt against Roman occupation - Rashbi was himself forced into hiding by Israel's Roman occupiers after criticizing the regime.
According to the Talmud, he hid for 13 years in a cave in the Galilean town of Pekiin, along with his son Rabbi Eleazar. The Talmud records that they spent their time in hiding studying Torah, sustained by a stream and carob tree which miraculously sprouted for them, until a Divine Revelation revealed that the Roman viceroy had died and the decree calling for their execution had been nullified.
It is during that period that Rashbi is said to have gained an insight into the mystical aspects of the Torah. On his deathbed, tradition has it that he told his disciples that rather than mourning him, they should celebrate his life and teachings on the anniversary of his death - or hilula - which is on the 39th day of the Omer period between the festivals of Pesach and Shavuot.
Bonfires are lit at the tomb to signify the light of Torah, as well as in remembrance of the Bar Kochba rebels, who lit fires to communicate the start of the revolt.
The Boyaner Hassidic Rebbe, now Rabbi Nachum Dov Brayer, has the honor of lighting the first bonfire at the Meron celebration each year, and the sect runs the event.
The tradition was given to them after Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov Friedman, also known as the Sadigura Rebbe, bought the privilege from the Sephardic guardians of Meron and Tzfat (Safed).
3. ISRAEL INTERCEPTS WEAPONS TRANSFER FROM JUDEA TO GAZA STRIP
by Kobi Finkler
Border control agents, working in conjunction with the Shin Bet internal security agency, confiscated a large shipment at the Tarkumia Crossing in the Hevron region.
The shipment, bound for Gaza via Israel, carried a large quantity of building materials for rockets and mortars, along with heavy-duty electric motors, used to construct and fortify underground facilities.
Security officials believe the shipment was destined for the Hamas terror organization.
The smuggled materials were concealed in what appeared to be a shipment of textiles and jewelry.
Officials say the shipment included hundreds of special pipes used to manufacture rockets and mortars, in addition to motors Hamas likely intended to use to expand its vast underground network.
The shipment was destined for the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza via Israel. Authorities are searching for those responsible for the smuggling attempt.
4. SANDERS AIDES PLEDGE TO PUSH DEMOCRATIC PARTY AWAY FROM ISRAEL
by David Rosenberg
While former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is now all but assured the Democratic nomination this summer, her rival, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders says the political revolution is far from over. As some Democratic officials fear, Sanders' claim may be more than an idle threat to the party establishment.
Because of his performance in the Democratic nominating process, Sanders has been awarded 5 of the 15 seats at the party platform drafting committee; the body which sets the official agenda for the Democratic National Committee and 2016 presidential election campaign.
Sanders looks to push the party to the left on a variety of issues, but has also placed an emphasis on the Israeli-Arab conflict. Two of Sanders' five representatives – Cornel West and James Zogby – are outspoken opponents of the Jewish state.
On Wednesday the two announced their intentions to use the Democratic platform drafting committee to shift the party away from support for Israel – and towards the Palestinians.
West decried what he described as the "occupation", demanding the party take an active role in ending Israeli control over Judea and Samaria.
"Justice for Palestinians cannot be attained without the lifting of the occupation," West said, drawing attention to what he called "the plight of an occupied people", the New York Times reported.
West, who teaches philosophy at the Union Theological Seminary, has a history of abrasive comments towards Israel, and has been a vocal supporter of the BDS movement.
In an interview with Salon, West said the Israeli "occupation" of Judea and Samaria must be terminated.
"It's ugly, it's vicious, it's brutal, and it needs to not just be brought to attention, it needs to be brought to an end."
West brushed off criticism of his stance as "Zionist critiques", and compared the Gaza Strip to Nazi concentration camp and drawing parallels to racism in the West.
"[T]here is no doubt that Gaza is not just a 'kind of' concentration camp, it is the hood on steroids."
For his part, Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute, also has a history of vicious anti-Israel rhetoric, abuse of the legacy of the Holocaust, and tropes aimed at Jewish supporters of Israel.
In a 2010 Huffington Post article, Zogby compared Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria to the Nazi Holocaust.
An early supporter of the BDS movement, Zogby himself organized boycotts of businesses with branches in Israel.
In the past, Zogby has as suggested that Israeli influence was behind America's involvement in the Iraq War, and has smeared some American Jews as "Israel firsters".
5. PEOPLE KEEP ASKING NY METS PITCHER STEVEN MATZ IF HE'S JEWISH
by Gabe Friedman
Is New York Mets pitcher Steven Matz Jewish?
It was a question fans were asking themselves last season during the team's run to the World Series.
Despite his surname, which is a syllable away from the word for unleavened Passover bread, the answer is no.
But it turns out Matz gets the question all the time.
So much so that when he met a fellow Matz — ESPN reporter Eddie Matz, no relation — the first thing he did was pop the question, according to the article that occasioned the meeting, published Wednesday.
Clarifying the reason for his inquiry, the 24-year-old ace said: "I'm not, but it's the first question people ask when they meet me."
Matz the reporter wrote that the only time he'd ever encountered Matzes in the past was at family seders. Why, he asked Matz the pitcher, who helped power the Mets' 2015 playoff run as a rookie, do you think you get the question so often?
"Because I'm from Long Island and it sounds like Katz," Steven Matz said of his last name.
Jewish or not, Matz has New Yorkers kvelling. In eight starts this season, he has a 7-1 record, a stellar 2.36 earned run average and 50 strikeouts. He was born in Stony Brook, New York, and went to high school in East Setauket on Long Island's North Shore-area.
6. 3.2 MILLION IMMIGRANTS TO ISRAEL
by David Rosenberg
Some 3.2 million people have immigrated to Israel since the founding of the state in 1948, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
The immigration figures, which reflect Aliyah from 1948 to 2015, show that immigration was heavily concentrated in two major waves: the first from 1948 through 1951, and the second from 1990 to 1999.
Since the beginning of the second wave of mass immigration in 1990, when large numbers of Jews from Warsaw Pact countries made Aliyah, some 1.35 million immigrants have come to Israel, or about 42% of all Aliyah since 1948.
While Aliyah in recent years has been slow – particularly since the Second Intifada – the rate of immigration has been trending upward since 2008. Last year saw a 15.7% increase in total immigration rates over 2014, with 27,908 immigrants.
On Wednesday the Knesset marked 100 years of American Jewish contributions to Israel and Zionism, including a report on American Aliyah to Israel and financial support for the Jewish state.
Since 1972, 115,195 immigrants from the US have made Aliyah, and the rate of American Aliyah is on the rise.
While the number immigrants from the US to Israel from 1991 to 2000 averaged only 2,246 per year, that figure rose to 2,635 from 2001 to 2010. Since 2011, the average annual rate of American immigration surged to 3,290, the highest level the 1960s.
According to the report, the top destinations for American immigrants are Jerusalem, which is home to 29,882 American émigrés who arrived since 1972. Tel Aviv was a distant second with 10,620, followed by Beit Shemesh with 6,937, Raanana with 3,717, Haifa with 3,520, Netanya with 3,043, Modiin with 2,006, and Efrat with 1,978.
7. IAF ATTACKS HAMAS INFRASTRUCTURES IN GAZA
by Elad Benari
Israeli aircraft overnight Wednesday attacked two terrorist infrastructures belonging to Hamas in Gaza, the IDF Spokesperson said in a statement.
According to the statement, the airstrike was in response to an earlier rocket attack on the Gaza Belt.
"The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist organization solely responsible for Gaza and will continue to act with determination in order to maintain the quiet in the communities in southern Israel," the IDF statement stressed.
In Wednesday evening's attack, which occurred around 11:30 p.m., a rocket exploded in an open area in the Sha'ar Hanegev region. There were no physical injuries or damages.
Military sources said that activated the alarm sounded because the test was conducted at an open area.
Military sources said that the "Red Alert" siren was not activated before the rocket exploded due to the fact that it was headed towards an open area.
Rocket and mortar fire from Gaza has continued to "trickle" into Israel on occasion. On May 6, two mortar shells fired from Gaza exploded near the security fence in the Eshkol Regional Council.
There were no physical injuries or damages. Israeli aircraft hit two Hamas targets in Gaza in retaliation for the attack.
8. WATCH: LAG BA'OMER CELEBRATION SHOWCASES JEWISH UNITY
by Eliran Aharon
[youtube:2015639]
The Lag Ba'Omer celebration in the town of Meron in northern Israel was truly an expression of Jewish unity, as hundreds of thousands of Jews from around the world gathered for the bonfire at the Tomb of the ancient Jewish scholar and mystic Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
Arutz Sheva caught up with three worshippers from Chicago, Miami, and Baltimore who pointed out that the celebration was the "craziest" they've ever seen.
"Nowhere in America do you get such celebrations," they declared.
[album:open
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
A7News: Liberman vows 'responsible policies' as coalition deal announced
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, May. 25 '16, Iyar 17, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. LIBERMAN VOWS 'RESPONSIBLE POLICIES' AS COALITION DEAL ANNOUNCED
2. WHAT DID LIBERMAN GIVE UP ON IN JOINING THE COALITION?
3. ARABS ARRESTED FOR RACIST RAPE OF MENTALLY DISABLED JEWISH GIRL
4. SAEB EREKAT ATTACKS NEW 'EXTREME' ISRAELI COALITION GOVERNMENT
5. ANTI-TRUMP RIOTERS WOUND POLICE OFFICERS IN NEW MEXICO
6. BE HAPPY: PHARRELL IS COMING TO ISRAEL
7. NETANYAHU REVEALS: 'I'M SEPHARDIC'
8. LONE SOLDIER HONORED FOR SINGLE-HANDEDLY KILLING FOUR TERRORISTS
1. LIBERMAN VOWS 'RESPONSIBLE POLICIES' AS COALITION DEAL ANNOUNCED
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman formally announced Wednesday morning the coalition deal reached between their two parties, at a Jerusalem press conference.
[youtube:2015608]
The one-time allies and one-time enemies appeared in good spirits, with Yisrael Beytenu's inclusion in the government expanding its majority from a wafer-thin 61 seats to a far more manageable 66.
In return, Liberman will be appointed defense minister, while compromises regarding the death penalty for terrorists and pensions reforms were also reached. Yisrael Beytenu will also receive the Immigration and Absorption Ministry, current held by Likud's Ze'ev Elkin.
Speaking at the press conference, Netanyahu once again repeated how "since the start of the government last year, I expressed time and time again my intention to expand" the coalition.
Welcoming Liberman and his party as "important partners," the PM expressed confidence that his newest coalition partner's "extensive experience" would be a benefit "for the security and safety of the citizens of the state of Israel."
Netanyahu also addressed the harsh words and insults exchanged between the two prior to coalition talks, with Liberman once branding the prime minister a "coward," and Netanyahu dismissing him as someone unqualified to even serve as a military correspondent, let alone defense minister.
"In the heat of the moment things were said between us which didn't need to be expressed; now we are joining hands to take Israel forward," he said.
"I as prime minister, together with Avigdor Liberman as defense minister...will continue to protect the security of Israel," he continued.
Netanyahu also called once again to Zionist Union leader Yitzhak Herzog to join a "true unity government," challenging him to make good on his own calls to "seize the unique opportunity" of achieving a regional peace agreement.
"My government remains committed to pursuing peace with the Palestinians, to pursuing peace with all of our neighbors," he said - a mission which he emphasized would be greatly aided via a "larger, more stable government."
A jovial Liberman struck a similar tone, hailing their "new-old" partnership, while seeking to dispel criticisms of his past comments.
"All of Israeli society will benefit" from the coalition deal, he declared, vowing to pursue "responsible, reasonable policies" as part of a "stable coalition."
Ironing out the details
Earlier, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin (Likud), who has managed the coalition talks with Yisrael Beytenu, welcomed the agreement on Wednesday morning.
"Overnight we succeeded in reaching final agreements on matters that were left in disagreement between the Finance (Ministry) and Yisrael Beytenu. This is an agreement that will benefit all citizens of the state, and I welcome it," said Levin.
"The expansion of the government, with the addition of the Yisrael Beytenu party to the national coalition, is an important and necessary step that will ensure the stability of the coalition and the continued activities of the government according to its path."
Wednesday's official signing of the deal comes after the coalition agreement was finalized during an overnight meeting between Netanyahu, Liberman and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon (Kulanu) at Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem.
The issue of contention between the parties was Liberman's demand for additional pensions for new immigrants, which the Finance Ministry refused due to its sectarian nature.
However, reports in Israeli media overnight Tuesday said that the sides agreed that the outline will apply to all seniors, not just those who immigrated from the former Soviet Union, and the funding will be 1.4 billion shekels ($363 million) annually.
"These are the two major issues that are important to our constituency, and significant achievements," Lieberman's spokesman told AFP, referring to the pension reform and Liberman's appointment as Defense Minister.
Due to the delay in signing the coalition agreement, Liberman's swearing in as Defense Minister will be delayed and will not take place this week.
Even as he brings in Liberman, Netanyahu is facing another coalition crisis from Education Minister Naftali Bennett's Jewish Home party, after Bennett issued an ultimatum conditioning his support of Yisrael Beytenu's entry on several amendments to the Security Cabinet.
After a critical report on the functioning of the cabinet Bennett called for a defense secretary to be appointed to each minister to update them, and also called for easier access to sensitive intelligence information.
It is unclear whether this issue has been resolved.
2. WHAT DID LIBERMAN GIVE UP ON IN JOINING THE COALITION?
by Ari Yashar
Yisrael Beytenu chairperson Avigdor Liberman signed a coalition agreement with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Wednesday to enter the government, but a reading of the agreement reveals that he gave up on many of his demands in the process.
Last week Liberman declared three central conditions for his joining the coalition: a pension reform, that he be appointed Defense Minister, and a law applying the death penalty to terrorist murderers.
But a reading of the final agreement revealed by Channel 2 exposes that aside from Liberman's folding on the death penalty bill demand, the deal allows Netanyahu to swap him from the Defense Ministry to another portfolio, and the pension reform was changed and expanded so as not to only apply to immigrants from the former Soviet Union - a key voting base for Yisrael Beytenu.
The agreement specifies that if the coalition government - which now sits at 66 MKs with Liberman's addition - is further expanded to over 70 MKs, changes can be made to the agreements including the distribution of portfolios. The clause means Liberman's post as Defense Minister could be up for change.
Also present in the deal is a clause in which Liberman conceded on his death penalty bill demand, and instead of the bill settled on amending instructions to the IDF military court allowing it to hand down a death sentence to terrorists convicted of murder with a simple majority of two judges instead of a unanimous decision of three.
Israel has a death penalty on the law books, but it was only implemented once in 1962 against Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann. Yisrael Beytenu attempted to pass a terrorist death penalty bill in July 2015, but the Knesset overwhelmingly voted against it 94-6, with only Liberman's party voting for it. Despite pressing for the bill again in the coalition talks, Liberman eventually downgraded the demand.
Yisrael Beytenu and Likud agreed in the coalition deal that they would not join any coalition government in the current Knesset without the other party.
Liberman's party was given a number of portfolios: Defense Minister, Immigration Minister, Deputy Knesset Speaker, a member of the Economics Committee, membership in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, membership in the Social-Economic Cabinet, and membership in the Committee on Symbols and Ceremonies Affairs.
Likewise the party will work to establish an Absorption and Immigration Cabinet, headed by a Yisrael Beytenu minister.
Limitations on the High Court
Liberman also took on the obligations of the other coalition member parties to support an amendment to the basic law, which would in the future allow the appointment of more than one deputy minister to each governmental ministry, and also allow more than one minister per ministry.
Another clause in the agreement requires the coalition parties to support the legislation of a bill limiting the inflated powers of the High Court to strike down laws passed by the Knesset, the elected representatives of the public.
The planned law will prevent the High Court from striking down laws with anything less than a majority of eight out of 15 judges.
One of the factors in the collapse of the previous government was friction over the Israel Hayom bill, which sought to close the free paper that is supportive of Netanyahu. Liberman's party, like Jewish Home, was among those supporting the bill which singled out the paper.
In the new deal, Yisrael Beytenu's membership in the coalition obligates it to support governmental reforms and not to support bills in the field of communications without the permission of the Communications Minister - a role currently held by Netanyahu.
Liberman had demanded additional pensions for new immigrants, but eventually he settled to have the change apply to all seniors, with funding for the reform adding up to 1.4 billion shekels ($363 million) over the next four years starting from the 2017 budget.
The new mechanism will work by increasing the number of senior citizens eligible for extra pension income, with around 50,000 of them from all strata of the population to receive around 200 shekels a month from the benefit.
3. ARABS ARRESTED FOR RACIST RAPE OF MENTALLY DISABLED JEWISH GIRL
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Two Arab residents of Judea and Samaria as well as an Arab citizen of Israel are suspected of raping a 20-year-old mentally delayed Jewish girl two weeks ago for "nationalistic" motives, as was revealed on Wednesday when a media gag order on the case was lifted.
All three were documented in footage they filmed two weeks ago raping the mentally handicapped girl in a motel in southern Tel Aviv, humiliating her and spitting on her while shouting racist slurs and threatening to harm her family.
Police hid the case from the public for ten days out of concerns it would spark clashes between Jews and Arabs. "Nationalistic motives" is a term used in describing terror attacks, as opposed to criminal motives.
The gag order came despite the fact that police arrested two of the perpetrators a full nine days ago, and are currently hunting down the third rapist whose identity is known to the police.
One of the three attackers is a minor from Jaffa (Yafo), and he was arrested.
Another arrested suspect, Amad Al-Din Daragmeh from the Judea-Samaria region, apparently filmed the vile gang-rape with the goal of spreading the video.
He was brought to the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Wednesday morning for an extension of his arrest, where the judge emphasized the severity of the case and the condition of the victim.
The traumatic incident has left the victim in a difficult psychological state and she requires treatment.
4. SAEB EREKAT ATTACKS NEW 'EXTREME' ISRAELI COALITION GOVERNMENT
by Ari Soffer
Senior Palestinian Authority official Saeb Erekat reacted angrily to news that Avigdor Liberman of the secular-nationalist Yisrael Beytenu party will be appointed as Israel's new defense minister.
Erekat, who only relatively recently sat in a (now defunct) "unity government" with Hamas, a proscribed terrorist group, blasted Israel's expanded right-wing Israeli government as a "real threat" to regional stability.
"The existence of this government brings a real threat of instability and extremism in the region," the PA chief negotiator told AFP.
He further added that the appointment would "result in apartheid, racism and religious and political extremism."
Hamas, Erekat's former coalition partners, calls in its charter for the destruction of the State of Israel and ultimate annihilation of the Jewish people, citing Islamic traditions.
Erekat's comments follow Wednesday morning's press conference at which Netenyahu and Liberman officially signed and announced the coalition agreement between their two parties.
5. ANTI-TRUMP RIOTERS WOUND POLICE OFFICERS IN NEW MEXICO
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A protest against presumed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump turned into a violent riot on Tuesday night at Albuquerque, New Mexico, as hundreds of demonstrators hurled rocks and bottles at police officers, leaving a number of them wounded.
[youtube:2015613]
The rioters turned over barricades and hurled projectiles at police in riot gear and mounted patrol units, reports Fox News, with the backlash against Trump largely coming due to his tough stance on illegal immigrants.
Around 4,000 supporters of Trump turned out to hear him talk, but even hours after the event was over around 100 of the rioters were still walking the streets in downtown Albuquerque.
Police were forced to use smoke grenades to try and break up the rioters, who burned shirts with Trump's slogan "Make America Great Again" on them and threw them at the officers along with the other objects they hurled.
Local police reported that "several" officers had been wounded by the rocks, and at least one rioter who sneaked into the convention center to protest was arrested.
The arrested protester, who was dragged from the stands by security while resisting, was joined by others who held banners reading "Trump is Fascist."
The rioters shattered a glass door at the entrance of the convention center.
Trump for his part was not deterred by the protesters, noting on the young age of some of the demonstrators who had snuck into the rally, and quipping that they were "still wearing diapers."
6. BE HAPPY: PHARRELL IS COMING TO ISRAEL
by Ari Yashar
The star-studded list of world-class pop stars and musicians performing in Israel this summer just added a new iconic member - multiple Grammy award-winning American musician Pharrell Williams.
Williams, who shot to global superstardom with his hit "Happy" in 2014, is going to appear on July 21 at Live Park in Rishon Letzion.
Tickets to Pharrell's show are going from between 329 shekels (around $85) and 790 shekels (just over $200), with sales starting on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Those interested in buying can do so online by clicking here.
The production company Concerto and the Zappa Group are behind Pharrell's appearance in the Jewish state.
Pharrell recently showed some support for Israel last September, when he refused to submit to the BDS movement as it threatened to protest his concert in Cape Town, South Africa.
He was targeted for his partnership with the major South African retail group Woolworths, over its imports from Israel.
The protest fizzled from the 40,000 protesters the BDS organizers had promised to a piddling 2,000 people outside the show, as Pharrell stood strong against BDS.
The rapper, singer and producer is a key part of the production duo Neptunes, and the lead vocalist of the hip-hop band N*E*R*D.
He joins a growing all-star list of pop icons playing in Israel this summer including Sia, DJ Avicii, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa.
7. NETANYAHU REVEALS: 'I'M SEPHARDIC'
by Ari Yashar
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu revealed that he has discovered his Lithuanian Jewish ancestry is not fully Ashkenazic, but actually at least partially hails from the Sephardic Jewry of Spain in tracing back through the years of exile from Israel.
The surprising revelation was unveiled by the Prime Minister during an event launching a new wing at Beit Hatfutsot - The Museum of the Jewish People located in northern Tel Aviv, reports Yedioth Aharonoth.
During the event the museum's chairwoman of the board Irina Nevzlin, who coincidentally is marrying Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein in under a month, gave Netanyahu his family tree as compiled by the museum.
Netanyahu spoke at the event, and said that after having quickly checked the family tree he was presented with, he found it needs correction.
"My brother, Ido, is an author and doctor. People who make family trees with DNA tests contacted him. Their thesis was that Jews of Lithuania - and we came from a family from Lithuania descended from the Gaon of Vilna - that there is an origin of Jews from Spain there," he explained.
Ido Netanyahu underwent a saliva DNA test, that revealed the Netanyahu family links back to the Sephardic Jewry of Spain.
"He did a saliva test, and indeed it came out that at least part of this (family) tree is linked to the Jews of Spain."
"Of course they're letting me know this 30 years too late as Likud chairperson," he joked, "but it shows that all of Israel are brothers, and I think that is one of the great lessons (for those) coming to this building, this institution. You see the family of the nation of Israel."
8. LONE SOLDIER HONORED FOR SINGLE-HANDEDLY KILLING FOUR TERRORISTS
by Tova Dvorin
[youtube:2015591]
Staff Sgt. Sahar Elbaz was a long way from home in 2014 when he was thrust into Gaza.
Elbaz made Aliyah from the US in 2012. Two years later, as part of the IDF's Givati Brigade, he was faced with a nightmare situation as his unit was attacked by terrorists in Rafah.
The lone soldier ignored his commander's orders to take cover and returned fire - overcoming a jam in his weapon to eliminate four out of five terrorists.
Elbaz was one of only five soldiers to receive the Chief of Staff's citation in Operation Protective Edge, which was bestowed upon him for his bravery, resourcefulness and fortitude - and he now is being awarded Nefesh B'Nefesh's Bonei Zion award 2016.
The brave young man recounted his experiences in a Channel 10 interview Tuesday night.
"I was in a position where I was the only one who was exposed to the shooting, when suddenly five terrorists attacked me with Kalashnikovs and threw grenades," Elbaz stated. "As I was shooting in response I encountered the jam, which I overcame thanks to exercises and training."
"I killed four out of five terrorists; the fifth ran into a nearby mosque, where he was killed by another soldier," he added.
Elbaz says that at the height of the encounter terrorists came within six or seven feet of him - and he cannot explain how he survived when he was so close to death.
He said that, just like he was told during training, "until you're in it in real time, you don't know if you're built to handle such an incident."
"But I proved it to myself - I came to Israel, and I did this for the benefit of the country."
Elbaz's parents remain in the US, but he has two sisters who live in Israel.
He hopes that the award will help encourage his parents to make Aliyah.
"I miss my parents, and I knew that I would miss them, but we hope they will return to Israel soon," he said.
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
Wednesday, May. 25 '16, Iyar 17, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. LIBERMAN VOWS 'RESPONSIBLE POLICIES' AS COALITION DEAL ANNOUNCED
2. WHAT DID LIBERMAN GIVE UP ON IN JOINING THE COALITION?
3. ARABS ARRESTED FOR RACIST RAPE OF MENTALLY DISABLED JEWISH GIRL
4. SAEB EREKAT ATTACKS NEW 'EXTREME' ISRAELI COALITION GOVERNMENT
5. ANTI-TRUMP RIOTERS WOUND POLICE OFFICERS IN NEW MEXICO
6. BE HAPPY: PHARRELL IS COMING TO ISRAEL
7. NETANYAHU REVEALS: 'I'M SEPHARDIC'
8. LONE SOLDIER HONORED FOR SINGLE-HANDEDLY KILLING FOUR TERRORISTS
1. LIBERMAN VOWS 'RESPONSIBLE POLICIES' AS COALITION DEAL ANNOUNCED
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman formally announced Wednesday morning the coalition deal reached between their two parties, at a Jerusalem press conference.
[youtube:2015608]
The one-time allies and one-time enemies appeared in good spirits, with Yisrael Beytenu's inclusion in the government expanding its majority from a wafer-thin 61 seats to a far more manageable 66.
In return, Liberman will be appointed defense minister, while compromises regarding the death penalty for terrorists and pensions reforms were also reached. Yisrael Beytenu will also receive the Immigration and Absorption Ministry, current held by Likud's Ze'ev Elkin.
Speaking at the press conference, Netanyahu once again repeated how "since the start of the government last year, I expressed time and time again my intention to expand" the coalition.
Welcoming Liberman and his party as "important partners," the PM expressed confidence that his newest coalition partner's "extensive experience" would be a benefit "for the security and safety of the citizens of the state of Israel."
Netanyahu also addressed the harsh words and insults exchanged between the two prior to coalition talks, with Liberman once branding the prime minister a "coward," and Netanyahu dismissing him as someone unqualified to even serve as a military correspondent, let alone defense minister.
"In the heat of the moment things were said between us which didn't need to be expressed; now we are joining hands to take Israel forward," he said.
"I as prime minister, together with Avigdor Liberman as defense minister...will continue to protect the security of Israel," he continued.
Netanyahu also called once again to Zionist Union leader Yitzhak Herzog to join a "true unity government," challenging him to make good on his own calls to "seize the unique opportunity" of achieving a regional peace agreement.
"My government remains committed to pursuing peace with the Palestinians, to pursuing peace with all of our neighbors," he said - a mission which he emphasized would be greatly aided via a "larger, more stable government."
A jovial Liberman struck a similar tone, hailing their "new-old" partnership, while seeking to dispel criticisms of his past comments.
"All of Israeli society will benefit" from the coalition deal, he declared, vowing to pursue "responsible, reasonable policies" as part of a "stable coalition."
Ironing out the details
Earlier, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin (Likud), who has managed the coalition talks with Yisrael Beytenu, welcomed the agreement on Wednesday morning.
"Overnight we succeeded in reaching final agreements on matters that were left in disagreement between the Finance (Ministry) and Yisrael Beytenu. This is an agreement that will benefit all citizens of the state, and I welcome it," said Levin.
"The expansion of the government, with the addition of the Yisrael Beytenu party to the national coalition, is an important and necessary step that will ensure the stability of the coalition and the continued activities of the government according to its path."
Wednesday's official signing of the deal comes after the coalition agreement was finalized during an overnight meeting between Netanyahu, Liberman and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon (Kulanu) at Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem.
The issue of contention between the parties was Liberman's demand for additional pensions for new immigrants, which the Finance Ministry refused due to its sectarian nature.
However, reports in Israeli media overnight Tuesday said that the sides agreed that the outline will apply to all seniors, not just those who immigrated from the former Soviet Union, and the funding will be 1.4 billion shekels ($363 million) annually.
"These are the two major issues that are important to our constituency, and significant achievements," Lieberman's spokesman told AFP, referring to the pension reform and Liberman's appointment as Defense Minister.
Due to the delay in signing the coalition agreement, Liberman's swearing in as Defense Minister will be delayed and will not take place this week.
Even as he brings in Liberman, Netanyahu is facing another coalition crisis from Education Minister Naftali Bennett's Jewish Home party, after Bennett issued an ultimatum conditioning his support of Yisrael Beytenu's entry on several amendments to the Security Cabinet.
After a critical report on the functioning of the cabinet Bennett called for a defense secretary to be appointed to each minister to update them, and also called for easier access to sensitive intelligence information.
It is unclear whether this issue has been resolved.
2. WHAT DID LIBERMAN GIVE UP ON IN JOINING THE COALITION?
by Ari Yashar
Yisrael Beytenu chairperson Avigdor Liberman signed a coalition agreement with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Wednesday to enter the government, but a reading of the agreement reveals that he gave up on many of his demands in the process.
Last week Liberman declared three central conditions for his joining the coalition: a pension reform, that he be appointed Defense Minister, and a law applying the death penalty to terrorist murderers.
But a reading of the final agreement revealed by Channel 2 exposes that aside from Liberman's folding on the death penalty bill demand, the deal allows Netanyahu to swap him from the Defense Ministry to another portfolio, and the pension reform was changed and expanded so as not to only apply to immigrants from the former Soviet Union - a key voting base for Yisrael Beytenu.
The agreement specifies that if the coalition government - which now sits at 66 MKs with Liberman's addition - is further expanded to over 70 MKs, changes can be made to the agreements including the distribution of portfolios. The clause means Liberman's post as Defense Minister could be up for change.
Also present in the deal is a clause in which Liberman conceded on his death penalty bill demand, and instead of the bill settled on amending instructions to the IDF military court allowing it to hand down a death sentence to terrorists convicted of murder with a simple majority of two judges instead of a unanimous decision of three.
Israel has a death penalty on the law books, but it was only implemented once in 1962 against Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann. Yisrael Beytenu attempted to pass a terrorist death penalty bill in July 2015, but the Knesset overwhelmingly voted against it 94-6, with only Liberman's party voting for it. Despite pressing for the bill again in the coalition talks, Liberman eventually downgraded the demand.
Yisrael Beytenu and Likud agreed in the coalition deal that they would not join any coalition government in the current Knesset without the other party.
Liberman's party was given a number of portfolios: Defense Minister, Immigration Minister, Deputy Knesset Speaker, a member of the Economics Committee, membership in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, membership in the Social-Economic Cabinet, and membership in the Committee on Symbols and Ceremonies Affairs.
Likewise the party will work to establish an Absorption and Immigration Cabinet, headed by a Yisrael Beytenu minister.
Limitations on the High Court
Liberman also took on the obligations of the other coalition member parties to support an amendment to the basic law, which would in the future allow the appointment of more than one deputy minister to each governmental ministry, and also allow more than one minister per ministry.
Another clause in the agreement requires the coalition parties to support the legislation of a bill limiting the inflated powers of the High Court to strike down laws passed by the Knesset, the elected representatives of the public.
The planned law will prevent the High Court from striking down laws with anything less than a majority of eight out of 15 judges.
One of the factors in the collapse of the previous government was friction over the Israel Hayom bill, which sought to close the free paper that is supportive of Netanyahu. Liberman's party, like Jewish Home, was among those supporting the bill which singled out the paper.
In the new deal, Yisrael Beytenu's membership in the coalition obligates it to support governmental reforms and not to support bills in the field of communications without the permission of the Communications Minister - a role currently held by Netanyahu.
Liberman had demanded additional pensions for new immigrants, but eventually he settled to have the change apply to all seniors, with funding for the reform adding up to 1.4 billion shekels ($363 million) over the next four years starting from the 2017 budget.
The new mechanism will work by increasing the number of senior citizens eligible for extra pension income, with around 50,000 of them from all strata of the population to receive around 200 shekels a month from the benefit.
3. ARABS ARRESTED FOR RACIST RAPE OF MENTALLY DISABLED JEWISH GIRL
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Two Arab residents of Judea and Samaria as well as an Arab citizen of Israel are suspected of raping a 20-year-old mentally delayed Jewish girl two weeks ago for "nationalistic" motives, as was revealed on Wednesday when a media gag order on the case was lifted.
All three were documented in footage they filmed two weeks ago raping the mentally handicapped girl in a motel in southern Tel Aviv, humiliating her and spitting on her while shouting racist slurs and threatening to harm her family.
Police hid the case from the public for ten days out of concerns it would spark clashes between Jews and Arabs. "Nationalistic motives" is a term used in describing terror attacks, as opposed to criminal motives.
The gag order came despite the fact that police arrested two of the perpetrators a full nine days ago, and are currently hunting down the third rapist whose identity is known to the police.
One of the three attackers is a minor from Jaffa (Yafo), and he was arrested.
Another arrested suspect, Amad Al-Din Daragmeh from the Judea-Samaria region, apparently filmed the vile gang-rape with the goal of spreading the video.
He was brought to the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Wednesday morning for an extension of his arrest, where the judge emphasized the severity of the case and the condition of the victim.
The traumatic incident has left the victim in a difficult psychological state and she requires treatment.
4. SAEB EREKAT ATTACKS NEW 'EXTREME' ISRAELI COALITION GOVERNMENT
by Ari Soffer
Senior Palestinian Authority official Saeb Erekat reacted angrily to news that Avigdor Liberman of the secular-nationalist Yisrael Beytenu party will be appointed as Israel's new defense minister.
Erekat, who only relatively recently sat in a (now defunct) "unity government" with Hamas, a proscribed terrorist group, blasted Israel's expanded right-wing Israeli government as a "real threat" to regional stability.
"The existence of this government brings a real threat of instability and extremism in the region," the PA chief negotiator told AFP.
He further added that the appointment would "result in apartheid, racism and religious and political extremism."
Hamas, Erekat's former coalition partners, calls in its charter for the destruction of the State of Israel and ultimate annihilation of the Jewish people, citing Islamic traditions.
Erekat's comments follow Wednesday morning's press conference at which Netenyahu and Liberman officially signed and announced the coalition agreement between their two parties.
5. ANTI-TRUMP RIOTERS WOUND POLICE OFFICERS IN NEW MEXICO
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A protest against presumed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump turned into a violent riot on Tuesday night at Albuquerque, New Mexico, as hundreds of demonstrators hurled rocks and bottles at police officers, leaving a number of them wounded.
[youtube:2015613]
The rioters turned over barricades and hurled projectiles at police in riot gear and mounted patrol units, reports Fox News, with the backlash against Trump largely coming due to his tough stance on illegal immigrants.
Around 4,000 supporters of Trump turned out to hear him talk, but even hours after the event was over around 100 of the rioters were still walking the streets in downtown Albuquerque.
Police were forced to use smoke grenades to try and break up the rioters, who burned shirts with Trump's slogan "Make America Great Again" on them and threw them at the officers along with the other objects they hurled.
Local police reported that "several" officers had been wounded by the rocks, and at least one rioter who sneaked into the convention center to protest was arrested.
The arrested protester, who was dragged from the stands by security while resisting, was joined by others who held banners reading "Trump is Fascist."
The rioters shattered a glass door at the entrance of the convention center.
Trump for his part was not deterred by the protesters, noting on the young age of some of the demonstrators who had snuck into the rally, and quipping that they were "still wearing diapers."
6. BE HAPPY: PHARRELL IS COMING TO ISRAEL
by Ari Yashar
The star-studded list of world-class pop stars and musicians performing in Israel this summer just added a new iconic member - multiple Grammy award-winning American musician Pharrell Williams.
Williams, who shot to global superstardom with his hit "Happy" in 2014, is going to appear on July 21 at Live Park in Rishon Letzion.
Tickets to Pharrell's show are going from between 329 shekels (around $85) and 790 shekels (just over $200), with sales starting on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Those interested in buying can do so online by clicking here.
The production company Concerto and the Zappa Group are behind Pharrell's appearance in the Jewish state.
Pharrell recently showed some support for Israel last September, when he refused to submit to the BDS movement as it threatened to protest his concert in Cape Town, South Africa.
He was targeted for his partnership with the major South African retail group Woolworths, over its imports from Israel.
The protest fizzled from the 40,000 protesters the BDS organizers had promised to a piddling 2,000 people outside the show, as Pharrell stood strong against BDS.
The rapper, singer and producer is a key part of the production duo Neptunes, and the lead vocalist of the hip-hop band N*E*R*D.
He joins a growing all-star list of pop icons playing in Israel this summer including Sia, DJ Avicii, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa.
7. NETANYAHU REVEALS: 'I'M SEPHARDIC'
by Ari Yashar
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu revealed that he has discovered his Lithuanian Jewish ancestry is not fully Ashkenazic, but actually at least partially hails from the Sephardic Jewry of Spain in tracing back through the years of exile from Israel.
The surprising revelation was unveiled by the Prime Minister during an event launching a new wing at Beit Hatfutsot - The Museum of the Jewish People located in northern Tel Aviv, reports Yedioth Aharonoth.
During the event the museum's chairwoman of the board Irina Nevzlin, who coincidentally is marrying Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein in under a month, gave Netanyahu his family tree as compiled by the museum.
Netanyahu spoke at the event, and said that after having quickly checked the family tree he was presented with, he found it needs correction.
"My brother, Ido, is an author and doctor. People who make family trees with DNA tests contacted him. Their thesis was that Jews of Lithuania - and we came from a family from Lithuania descended from the Gaon of Vilna - that there is an origin of Jews from Spain there," he explained.
Ido Netanyahu underwent a saliva DNA test, that revealed the Netanyahu family links back to the Sephardic Jewry of Spain.
"He did a saliva test, and indeed it came out that at least part of this (family) tree is linked to the Jews of Spain."
"Of course they're letting me know this 30 years too late as Likud chairperson," he joked, "but it shows that all of Israel are brothers, and I think that is one of the great lessons (for those) coming to this building, this institution. You see the family of the nation of Israel."
8. LONE SOLDIER HONORED FOR SINGLE-HANDEDLY KILLING FOUR TERRORISTS
by Tova Dvorin
[youtube:2015591]
Staff Sgt. Sahar Elbaz was a long way from home in 2014 when he was thrust into Gaza.
Elbaz made Aliyah from the US in 2012. Two years later, as part of the IDF's Givati Brigade, he was faced with a nightmare situation as his unit was attacked by terrorists in Rafah.
The lone soldier ignored his commander's orders to take cover and returned fire - overcoming a jam in his weapon to eliminate four out of five terrorists.
Elbaz was one of only five soldiers to receive the Chief of Staff's citation in Operation Protective Edge, which was bestowed upon him for his bravery, resourcefulness and fortitude - and he now is being awarded Nefesh B'Nefesh's Bonei Zion award 2016.
The brave young man recounted his experiences in a Channel 10 interview Tuesday night.
"I was in a position where I was the only one who was exposed to the shooting, when suddenly five terrorists attacked me with Kalashnikovs and threw grenades," Elbaz stated. "As I was shooting in response I encountered the jam, which I overcame thanks to exercises and training."
"I killed four out of five terrorists; the fifth ran into a nearby mosque, where he was killed by another soldier," he added.
Elbaz says that at the height of the encounter terrorists came within six or seven feet of him - and he cannot explain how he survived when he was so close to death.
He said that, just like he was told during training, "until you're in it in real time, you don't know if you're built to handle such an incident."
"But I proved it to myself - I came to Israel, and I did this for the benefit of the country."
Elbaz's parents remain in the US, but he has two sisters who live in Israel.
He hopes that the award will help encourage his parents to make Aliyah.
"I miss my parents, and I knew that I would miss them, but we hope they will return to Israel soon," he said.
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)