Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
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Tuesday, Sep. 27 '16, כ"ד באלול תשע"ו
HEADLINES:
1. WATCH: JERUSALEM MAYOR MEETS POLLARD IN NEW YORK
2. DRAMATIC DETERIORATION IN PERES' CONDITION
3. TERROR VICTIM REMEMBERS CLINTON'S 'INHUMAN COLDNESS'
4. IDF TAPS 'ENEMY OF SETTLEMENT ENTERPRISE' FOR SENIOR POSITION
5. 'AZARIYA DIDN'T SHOOT TO KILL'
6. 'MY BABY IS ALIVE THANKS TO ISRAEL'
7. PUBLIC, PUNDITS REACT TO FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
8. SHAKED: WE WILL NOT SEE POLICE HORSES IN OFRA
1. WATCH: JERUSALEM MAYOR MEETS POLLARD IN NEW YORK
by Yoni Kempinski
[youtube:2019599]
During a business trip to New York this week, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat had an unscheduled – and wholly unexpected – impromptu meeting with the newly freed Jonathan Pollard.
The two ran into each other in the middle of Manhattan on Monday, as Pollard and his wife Ester sat down at a coffee shop not far from a charitable event Barkat was scheduled to attend.
Barkat's accidental meeting with Pollard marks the first time since his release in November 2015 that the former spy has met with an Israeli official.
A statement released by the Jerusalem municipality said the mayor was "excited" to meet with Pollard, whom he had awarded a medal as an "Honorary Citizen of Jerusalem" prior to his parole.
Ester Pollard remarked that her husband had never received the medal, and Mr. Pollard added that he would be grateful to receive it.
While he did not have any official medal on hand, Barkat removed his Jerusalem pin from his jacket lapel and used it as a stand-in, affixing it to his suspenders.
"If Jonathan cannot come to Jerusalem," Barkat said, referring to the terms of Pollard's parole, "then Jerusalem will come to him in New York or anywhere else in the world."
2. DRAMATIC DETERIORATION IN PERES' CONDITION
by Yoel Domb
A dramatic deterioration Tuesday in the condition of former president Shimon Peres, who is hospitalized at the Sheba (Tel Hashomer) hospital in Ramat Gan since suffering a stroke nearly two weeks ago. Doctors now believe that his neurological situation is irreversible.
Peres's condition deteriorated despite daily improvements since he suffered the stroke.
Last week President Ruby Rivlin visited Peres. Rivlin went to the ward where Peres is confined and heard a detailed assessment of his condition from his doctors, hugged his children and talked for a long period with members of Peres' bureau.
In a press release Rivlin said that "Peres is so present and perceptible for the public and especially for me as the president who inherited his position. We all hope to see the ninth president recover, we pray that we will see Shimon Peres the fighter and hero emerge victorious."
3. TERROR VICTIM REMEMBERS CLINTON'S 'INHUMAN COLDNESS'
by Gil Ronen
Yossi Tzur, who lost his son, Assaf, in a terror bus bombing, has unpleasant memories from his meeting with Hillary Clinton. He shared them with his Facebook friends Tuesday morning.
"On 2003 My son, Assaf, almost 17-years old, was killed in a terror attack in Haifa, Israel, attack orchestrated by Hamas," he wrote.
"On 2004, I went with a delegation of families of terror victims to the US, we talked to decision makers, in Congress, Senate and others, the time was when the debate over Israel right for a security fence was at its peak. Israel was taken to the international court in the Hague over the fence. Talking about the need for a fence was very important to us.
"We were welcomed with warmth, with empathy, all heard us and gave us their attention, well, almost everybody."
Tzur went on to describe the delegation's meeting with Rudy Giuliani. "You could feel the warmth of the man, his humanity, his care," he wrote. "You could see tears in his eyes when he told the stories. The meeting was scheduled for an hour, it took almost two hours and then he stood with us patiently taking photos with each and every one."
From New York, the delegation went to Washington for a series of meetings, one of them was in the Senate with NY Senator Hilary Clinton. Tzur recalled that "we arrived at her office in the Senate and were shown into a small meeting room, it could hardly fit all of us, it was dark, crowded, it didn't even had water on the table. So we waited.
"Time went by, 15 minutes, 30, an hour. Her aids were embarrassed saying she is coming any minute now. After an hour and a half Clinton arrived.
"She looked as us seeing the group in the room, we could see she is not really there with us, we felt she was impatient and just looking to finish it and go. We felt really uncomfortable... Even before we could speak she said, you probably want a photo, come let's go out, leading us to the stairs. There she asked us to stand on the stairs and one of her aides took the photo. We still wanted to talk to her, people came ready to tell her their story, she didn't intend to hear, it looked she didn't want to hear. With inhuman coldness she went out amongst us all and disappeared in one of the corridors leaving us shocked and disappointed."
Tzur wound up by saying: "I am not an American citizen and will not vote in the elections, however I had few times the opportunity in Israeli elections to choose the lesser of two evils, so from my small personal experience I will take Giuliani's advice and support Trump. Personally I am afraid Clinton will cause Israel to miss Obama and I don't want that either."
Tzur is a leading member of the Almagor terror victims' group.
Sarri Singer, founder of Strength to Strength, who led the delegation, confirmed the details of Tzur's story to Arutz Sheva. "I made [Clinton] listen to two stories in the hallway," she recalled, "before going back to the Senate floor." The delegation members "were all upset. They met with many other congressional leaders on that trip that were wonderful. But they were most excited to meet her, and most disappointed," she said.
"Cold" Hillary with terror families.
צילום:
Tzur with Giuliani
Yossi Tzur
4. IDF TAPS 'ENEMY OF SETTLEMENT ENTERPRISE' FOR SENIOR POSITION
by Yoel Domb
The appointment of Col. Doron Ben-Barak as the new Deputy Military Prosecutor has raised serious concerns about the direction the IDF is taking and whether it will be able to triumph in future military offensives. Ben-Barak, who has served until now as a military legal advisor, has made it his business in the past to torpedo any possibility of new construction activity in Judea and Samaria.
The senior officer was responsible for preventing Jewish purchases of land in Judea and Samaria as well as preventing occupancy of the Machpela house and has used various legal contortions against Jewish residents such as the controversial "Procedure for Disruptive Use" order which is used indiscriminately against Jews but not against Palestinian Authority Arabs squatting on state lands. The order has been criticized in the past by senior military jurists as well as high court judge Edmond Levy but Ben-Barak is unmoved and continues to issue such orders - against Jews.
Ben-Barak has strong connections to radical left-wing groups such as the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and has cooperated with them in the past as well as attending their annual meeting held together with groups like Adalah which demands restitution for injustices committed in the 1948 War of independence.
Ben-Barak sees legal advisors as the supreme authority in Judea and Samaria, with the head of the Civil Administration simply rubber-stamping their decisions. This means that he sees himself as authorized to determine who owns land and who has the right to own land or to evacuate people from it.
Take, for example, the story of Dalia Har Sinai from Sussia. Yair Har Sinai purchased and worked parcels of land in the area of Sussia until he was murdered by Palestinians in 2001. Dalia took over, and since then she has been managing the farm and the lands that have been worked in the farm for more than twenty consecutive years.
Leftist organizations enlisted an Arab who claimed that the land belongs to him. He could not bring any meaningful legal evidence, but Doron Ben-Barak used the procedure that he himself invented, to demand Dalia to evacuate the area without any legal due process or evidence. Har Sinai claimed that the Legal Adviser – as important as he may be – is not a judicial body with authority to determine the outcome of a land conflict, but Ben-Barak did a simple trick: he got then Hevron military commander Nitzan Alon to sign a military order instructing Har Sinai to vacate the land as if it was for security reasons. Alon, with his authority as military commander of the area, can sign on such an order.
Bezalel Smotrich, Jewish Home MK, says that "Doron Ben-Barak has one goal – to make it difficult for Jews to purchase land and to prevent the development of the settlement project." MK Orit Struk describes him as an "enemy of the settlement enterprise."
His appointment as deputy military prosecutor raises the specter of a radical left-wing military legal establishment preventing the IDF from achieving its strategic security goals both in Judea and Samaria and in any future military offensives.
5. 'AZARIYA DIDN'T SHOOT TO KILL'
by Reut Hadar
The trial of Sergeant Elor Azaryia, who has been accused of manslaughter after shooting a wounded terrorist in Hevron earlier this year, continued on Tuesday in a military court in Jaffa.
On Tuesday morning, Brigadier-General (reserve) Shmuel Zakkai took the witness stand, testifying on behalf of the defense.
In his testimony, Zakkai said that, in his opinion, Azariya was justified in his actions, noting that in such a situation the possibility of an explosive device would make opening fire an appropriate course of action.
"Shooting for no particular reason and only seeking to kill is totally unacceptable and is in violation to the IDF's values, and I would oppose it," said Zakkai.
"The accused claims that he opened fire because he was worried that the terrorist may have been carrying a bomb on his person, and that is a legitimate reason – so the shooting was justified."
Azariya, Zakkai claimed, did not "shoot to kill", but appeared in the video to be shooting out of desperation, in fear that the terrorist was reaching to activate a bomb.
"The way the accused carried out the shooting, as can be seen in the video, suggests that he fired out of fear."
"I understand the difference between fears over a [potential bomb] and the actual discovery of an explosive device," Zakkai continued. "I saw the video and that's not the way a person fires when he's shooting to kill."
Zakkai added that all threats must be examined in such situations, a duty that falls upon the commanding officer.
"An officer needs to show his soldiers the threats in stabbing attacks, as well as the threats of combination terror attacks."
6. 'MY BABY IS ALIVE THANKS TO ISRAEL'
by David Rosenberg
A routine check-up for their three-week old baby turned into every parent's worst nightmare for a British couple living in Cyprus this weekend.
When their daughter, Elsa Rose, was brought in to be weighed last Friday afternoon, a doctor noticed the baby's lips had turned slightly blue. When he checked her heart beat, he heard what seemed to be a heart murmur.
The doctor scheduled an appointment with a cardiologist that evening, who stunned the girl's parents with a horrifying prognosis.
"We took Elsa in at 6:30," the girl's mother wrote on Babycentre.co.uk, "and he performed an ultra-sound on her heart. We were then given the devastating news that our baby girl had a very serious heart problem and would require immediate surgery."
Elsa was rushed to a children's hospital in Nicosia, where she was diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries, which as her mother described it "means her two main arteries of the heart are on the wrong way round."
Doctors gravely informed the couple that their daughter's survival up to this point was miraculous, and that she required immediate surgery – or she would die.
"We were told she should not be alive and was only just because of a tiny artery and a hole that were pumping a reduced amount of oxygen around."
But much to their despair, Elsa's parents were told that the complicated and risky operation could not be undertaken in Cyprus.
"Unfortunately the surgery could not be done in Cyprus… we were told she would need to go either to the UK or Israel."
Elsa's father spent Friday night with British embassy officials to get their passports in order, but doctors noted Elsa's condition was already in rapid decline.
"It was heartbreaking. At one point they told me she was going downhill and they could do nothing for her."
By Saturday evening Elsa was being transported via air ambulance to Israel, while the couple's other four children remained behind with their grandmother, who happened to be visiting the family.
At 7:30 Sunday morning Elsa was prepped for open-heart surgery at Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva.
After hours of tense waiting, doctors informed Elsa's parents that the surgery had been a success and that they were optimistic about her chances for a recovery.
"We got to see her at around 2 p.m. She is now in the cardiology intensive care unit in stable condition. She's covered in wires and heavily sedated but they say it went well. The next few days are critical."
Elsa's father thanked the hospital staff, and credited Israel with his daughter's survival.
"Israel saved my daughter's life."
"The staff here in Israel are amazing," his wife added.
7. PUBLIC, PUNDITS REACT TO FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
by David Rosenberg
[youtube:2019600]
Reaction to the first presidential debate of the 2016 election was swift and decisive, with news outlets and social media lighting up with opinions rating the performance of the two candidates.
"[A] very surreal event," said NBC's Chuck Todd of Monday night's debate adding that it "was not something that looked like any other presidential debate we've witnessed in the modern era."
Trump dominated social media during and after the debate – including both praise and criticism – with 79% of debate-oriented conversations on Facebook focusing on the Republican contender. On Twitter, 62% of conversations centered on Trump, compared to 38% which focused on Clinton.
In terms of performance, however, 62% of Americans watching the debate believe Clinton won, with just 27% saying Trump emerged victorious, according to a CNN/ORC poll published early Tuesday morning.
While many internet polls showed Trump besting Clinton in their first one-on-one, the ORC poll is the first scientific poll using traditional telephone interviews to be published after the debate.
A Public Policy Polling survey also showed most Americans believe Clinton won the debate, albeit by a narrower margin. According to PPP, 50% of viewers say Clinton performed better, compared to 41% who say Trump came out on top.
Pundits tended to agree with this assessment, giving Clinton the edge, arguing that while Trump performed well during the first half of the debate, Clinton bested him in the second.
"First half: Trump. Second half: Clinton," tweeted National Review's Jonah Goldberg.
"Trump started strong," wrote Fox News commentator Bernard Goldberg. "But he can't run from his past – Birther, tax returns."
While Trump's jabs on trade and Clinton's waffling on the Trans-Pacific Partnership won him points early on in the debate, Clinton baited him on his past support of birtherism and derogatory comments towards women in the second half.
Ron Fournier of the National Journal slammed Trump after the debate, suggesting Clinton may have sealed up the election during the hour-and-a-half event.
"Donald Trump lost his cool and maybe the race, taking bait coolly served by Hillary Clinton."
Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer was less charitable to Clinton, calling the debate "something like a draw," adding that a "draw goes to the challenger" – giving a slight advantage to Trump.
A focus group convened by Republican analyst Frank Luntz and made up primarily of Trump supporters gave the win to Clinton by a margin of 16 to 6.
Even Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway gave a muted response when asked to rate the candidate's respective performances.
"I'd give them both a satisfactory," saying the 90-minute event seemed to pass by too quickly.
Pundits noted that while Clinton baited Trump with comments regarding his past positions on the Iraq war and birtherism, Trump made little mention of Clinton's email scandal or the 2012 Benghazi attacks and subsequent investigation.
"Slightly surprised no mention of Benghazi from Trump," tweeted MSNBC's Christopher Hayes.
"Strong performance by both candidates. But he was on defensive & didn't get time w/Benghazi, emails & immigration & she attacked throughout," Geraldo Rivera tweeted.
The two candidates are set to faceoff again at Washington University in St. Louis on October 9th, following the vice-presidential debate on October 4th at Longwood University in Virginia.
8. SHAKED: WE WILL NOT SEE POLICE HORSES IN OFRA
by Hezki Baruch, Eliran Aharon
Hundreds of Ofra residents gathered for a demonstration in Jerusalem Tuesday morning, demanding the government normalize houses slated for demolition in Ofra and other communities across Judea and Samaria.
The demonstration comes in response to a series of Supreme Court rulings ordering the demolition of homes in Ofra, the neighboring town of Amona, and other Jewish villages over the Green Line, following disputes over the ownership of land in the communities in question.
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said at the demonstration: "I am committed together with my friends in the Likud to regulating the community. We will not see any police horses in Ofra."
[video:2019601]
MK Moti Yogev (Jewish Home) said that "We did not occupy a foreign land, we came to our own land. Ofra deserves 41 years after it was established to be a legal community. I call upon the prime minister and the attorney general - Do everything in you power immediately to regulate the community. The policy must be defined by the prime minister and not by legal advisors."
Yesha Council head Avi Ro'eh said that "It is forbidden to divert responsibility to the Supreme Court, the responsibility is on us. We appeal to the prime minister and his ministers -they are the ones establishing the laws. We want a clear-cut statement that the Jewish nation will remain in Judea and Samaria."
"We have stopped being pushovers," said SamariaRegional Council head Yossi Dagan. "We have come to demand the regulation law because there is a real injustice here. A government which would make another disengagement cannot continue to exist."
Earlier Rabbi Avi Gisser, Rabbi of Ofra, also spoke to reporters about the situation in the community and in Judea and Samaria.
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