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Tuesday, Feb. 21 '17, כ"ה בשבט תשע"ז
HEADLINES:
1. WATCH: AZARIYA SENTENCED TO 18 MONTHS IN PRISON
2. AYATOLLAH: WE WILL LIBERATE 'PALESTINE', REMOVE CANCER OF ISRAEL
3. 'WHY DOES US CONSULATE IN JERUSALEM REFUSE TO HIRE JEWS?'
4. 'CHOKE THE HAREDIM OUT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD'
5. 1800-YEAR-OLD HEBREW INSCRIPTIONS DISCOVERED IN GALILEE VILLAGE
6. IRAN UNVEILS 'SMART AND ADVANCED' ROCKETS
7. TRUMP WIN TIED TO JERUSALEM HOME DEMOLITIONS?
8. TRUMP UN ENVOY: WHY IS THE UN SO OBSESSED WITH ISRAEL?
1. WATCH: AZARIYA SENTENCED TO 18 MONTHS IN PRISON
by Arutz Sheva Staff
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IDF sergeant Elor Azariya was sentenced to 18 months in prison Tuesday afternoon, after being convicted of manslaughter in January.
The head of the judicial panel, Maya Heller, said that "the act of punishment is difficult and complex. We will do what is appropriate for the accused. The most severe punishment of 20 years teaches us the stringency of the crime of manslaughter. The facts are as they were determined during the course of the adjudication. We will detail the various acts and decide the appropriate punishment for the accused."
Heller repeated the main reasoning for punishment as well as the character witnesses statements that Azariya was an outstanding soldier who did not receive the correct treatment from his officers when he was suffering from emotional stress after the Hevron attack. "We heard that Azariya's commanding officers did not speak to him during the course of the trial and that the medical situation of his parents deteriorated."
The judge also mentioned that the prosecution had claimed that "the fact that Azariya did not take responsibility for his actions should be taken into account...Azariya used his weapon for a forbidden goal but was in a complex situation."
"The accused's behavior harmed a number of values," said Heller. "The main value- the sanctity of life, is considered to be the most significant value. The accused also harmed the purity of arms. In our opinion even in complicated situations, and maybe specifically in those, a soldier must be careful not to cause harm to human beings."
The judge emphasized that during the attack in Hevron "the threat of the terrorists was real" and they intended to kill IDF soldiers. She stressed that there are various reasons to be more lenient towards the accused and to take the situation into consideration.
The judge said that even though these claims were dismissed during the course of th judiciary process they could be taken into account today when discussing the sentence of Azariay.
She added that " we could also take into consideration the period in which Azariya sat in confinement and acted positively. It would have behooved the military commanders of the Kfir brigade to visit him during this period."
Earlier Azariya entered the court and was received with cheers from his family. His mother, Oshrah Azariya, hugged him and said in a loud voice "bravest in the world, my boy, with an angelic smile".
Charlie, Azariya's father, said to family and friends at the court: "We will accept the ruling. I request that nobody should respond to it. We love the people of Israel and all the soldiers here. I ask everyone here to exercise restraint."
The prosecutor, Military Prosecutor Nadav Weisman, asked the court to sentence Azariya to between 3 and 5 years in jail and to lower his rank to private. The prosecution requested the lower amount of jail time, which is closer to 3 years in jail.
The defense demanded that Azariya be released and not serve a day in jail. They stressed that they would appeal even a lenient sentence and would request a delay in implementation of the jail sentence.
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2. AYATOLLAH: WE WILL LIBERATE 'PALESTINE', REMOVE CANCER OF ISRAEL
by David Rosenberg
Iran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called for the "complete Liberation of Palestine" on Tuesday, and slammed the Jewish state as a "cancerous tumor".
The comments were made at the Sixth International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Intifada, a government-sanctioned event held in Tehran.
According to the Mehr news agency, representatives of 80 countries joined the event, which glorifies terrorism and acts of wanton violence against Jews and advocates in favor of the destruction of the Jewish state.
During his address, which was broadcast live on Iranian state television, Khamenei said efforts to destroy Israel must be "incremental".
"This cancerous tumor, since its start, has grown incrementally and its treatment must be incremental too."
The Ayatollah also praised violent attacks against Israelis, arguing that they have brought Israel's enemies closer to their goal of destroying the Jewish state.
"Multiple intifadas and continuous resistance have succeeded in achieving very important incremental goals," said Khamenei.
"It continues to advance towards its other objectives, ultimately the complete liberation of Palestine."
In 20015, then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's 2005 called for Israel to be "wiped off the map", prompting an international backlash.
3. 'WHY DOES US CONSULATE IN JERUSALEM REFUSE TO HIRE JEWS?'
by Daniel Winston
Dear Senators Graham, Corker, Cotton, Paul, and Rubio,
I am a US citizen living in Israel. Over the past decades I have had numerous occasions to utilize the services of the US Consulate in Jerusalem. In all those years, I have observed that I have never seen a Jewish Israeli at any of the various service points where consular staff interact with the public.
All such staff are either from the US or local Arab staffers. Not only is this consistently the case at all consular services inside the consulate, but also it can be seen, shockingly, that even the security staff are often Arabs. I can assure you that there is no shortage of qualified Jewish Israelis who could fill such consular positions - and so the question is begged: is the US State Department systematically choosing, over the course of decades, to not hire Jewish Israelis, while singularly preferring all local staffers to be selected from the Arab population?
The second matter is different but definitely potentially connected to my first query. A perusal of consular activities as reflected on the official website shows that all programming efforts are geared towards and in concert with local Arab populations in eastern Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and Gaza.
There is not a single mention of any cultural, political, educational, business, or any other consular activities or programming on behalf of or in cooperation with the Jewish residents of these areas. Further to this observation, State Department Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) grants in this area appear to be given only to either Arab grantees or to organizations that work to promote Arab civic, business, cultural, and other agendas in the region.
Again, these observations beg the question: Is the US State Department systematically and systemically singling out one local population for preferential treatment to the complete exclusion of another population?
I sent these queries (twice) to the Jerusalem Consulate, and have received no reply after several weeks.
4. 'CHOKE THE HAREDIM OUT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The administrator of a neighborhood community center in Jerusalem is in hot water after a recording of comments he made against the city's haredi population were publicized on Israeli radio Tuesday morning.
Yehiel Levy, the chief administrator of the Yovalim community center, which services the Kiryat Yovel neighborhood in the capital, was recorded discussing his plans to "strangle" the neighborhood's growing haredi community in an effort to force them out of the area.
In the recording, which was leaked to Army Radio, Levy argues that local authorities must make living conditions for local haredi families difficult, with the result that the influx of haredim into the neighborhood will be reversed and the secular majority preserved.
"What's the idea? To strangle them. When you choke them, they leave. When things become difficult, then they lose the desire to live [here]. That's the way things work today."
Levy listed a few specific policies adopted to push haredi Jews out of Kiryat Yovel, including purposely organizing community events on Shabbat near streets with haredi residents, in order to make the Jewish holy day less pleasant for them.
"If the management [of the community center] really wants to hold movie events [for the community] in order to meet the cultural needs of the secular population, why do you hold it in an area with so many haredim, where even the rabbi of the neighborhood lives? In order to demonstrate that we don't have to worry about where to do it."
Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) slammed Levy's comments and demanded the Yovalim center give an account of its policies.
"I have instructed [my office] to call the community center's management for an immediate explanation. I will not accept discrimination, racism, or hatred against haredim or any other sector in the State of Israel."
Mayor Nir Barkat also castigated Levy, and called upon the national organization of community centers to fire him.
"We cannot tolerate such serious and unacceptable comments from a public servant paid by the taxpayers through the municipality and Education Ministry."
5. 1800-YEAR-OLD HEBREW INSCRIPTIONS DISCOVERED IN GALILEE VILLAGE
by Yoel Domb
An 1,800 year old limestone capital dating to the Roman period that is engraved with two Hebrew inscriptions was discovered during the course of restoration and conservation work being carried out in the ancient synagogue and neighboring Beit Zinati visitor center at Peqiʽin, in the Western Galilee.
Pequ'in is not only a quaint village in the beautiful hills of the Galilee, it is a village that has an unbroken record of Jewish residence for over two thousand years.
The work is being conducted by the Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel as part of a heritage project by the Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage.
The stone was found upside down in the building's courtyard, and upon discovery of the inscriptions archaeologists of the Israel Antiquities Authority arrived at the site in order to examine the special find. A preliminary analysis of the engraving suggests that these are dedicatory inscriptions honoring donors to the synagogue.
According to Yoav Lerer, the IAA inspector in the Western Galilee, "The Talmudic and Midrashic sources tell of the Galilean sages that lived in Peqiʽin, including Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who hid from the Romans in a cave. However, there are those who disagree with the identification of the location of Peqiʽin. I believe that these inscriptions will add an important tier to our knowledge about the Jewish settlement in the village of Peqiʽin during the Roman and Byzantine periods".
In the past year, rehabilitation and conservation work was carried out in Peqiʽin's ancient synagogue and nearby Beit Zinati in order to upgrade the visitor center located there. The visitor center will tell the unbroken two thousand year long history of the Jews in the village, and the unique story of the Zinati family – the village's oldest Jewish family. Margalit Zinati, the last member of the Jewish Zinati family to "keep the flame alive", still resides in the house next door to the synagogue, as she has for decades.
Ze'ev Elkin, the Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage, said "Peqiʽin is one of the most significant sites in the Galilee, and is a place where there has always been a Jewish presence. It is a great honor for me that during my tenure in office such an important discovery has been made that tells this 2,000 year old story of the Land of Israel".
6. IRAN UNVEILS 'SMART AND ADVANCED' ROCKETS
by Elad Benari
Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Monday held another round of military exercises, during which it launched several sophisticated rockets, The Associated Press reports.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency, considered to be close to the Revolutionary Guard, said the launch of the "smart and advanced" rockets came during an annual three-day maneuver in Iran's central desert.
State TV later showed footage of several rockets launching from the back of trucks in the desert, according to AP.
Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, head of the Revolutionary Guards' ground forces, was quoted as having told the channel that rockets with ranges of more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) as well as the Fajr-3, Fajr-4 and Fajr-5 rockets, all believed to have under 100-kilometer range, were all successfully tested in the exercise.
He further stressed the tests send a message to any of Iran's potential adversaries that "we are ready to give a crushing respond to any threat."
Pakpour is the same Iranian military official who threatened the United States over the weekend, warning American officials to "be wise" and stop threatening Iran with military aggression.
The latest military manoeuvers by Iran come amid tensions between the United States and Iran which began earlier this month which began when the Trump administration imposed new sanctions on Iranian officials.
The sanctions came in response to a ballistic missile test conducted by Iran in violation of UN Resolution 2231, which bars Iran from conducting ballistic missile tests for eight years and which went into effect after the nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers was signed.
Iran's Foreign Ministry reacted angrily to the sanctions, vowing that it too would ensure "legal restrictions" were imposed on the "American individuals and companies which have a role in aiding extremist and terrorist groups or contribute to the suppression and murder of the defenseless people in the region."
Iran has also threatened to attack Israel as part of its anti-U.S. rhetoric. A senior Iranian official recently threatened his country would immediately strike Israel if the United States "makes a mistake" noting that "only 7 minutes is needed for the Iranian missile to hit Tel Aviv."
7. TRUMP WIN TIED TO JERUSALEM HOME DEMOLITIONS?
by David Rosenberg
The number of demolitions in eastern Jerusalem has surged since the election of Donald Trump, the Haaretz daily reported Tuesday, in part of what some are dubbing "The Trump effect".
While Israel limited the number of home demolitions in the Arab sector – particularly in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria – over the past eight years due to the Obama administration's stated opposition to such law enforcement activities, with the election of Donald Trump the Municipality of Jerusalem has had a far freer hand to crackdown on the rampant illegal construction in Arab neighborhoods.
For example, the King's Garden area and the Kidron Valley, zoned as open space from the time of the British Mandate because they contain historic caves from the time of Herod and the Second Temple, has 91 illegal structures which were slated for destruction years ago by the city but not carried out.The site has been all but destroyed by illegal Arab building.
According to data from the far-left Ir Amim organization, which lobbies on behalf of the builders of illegal Arab homes, the number of demolitions in Jerusalem more than doubled compared to 2015 – with nearly half of those demolitions taking place since the US election in November.
While only 73 homes were demolished in 2015, 203 demolitions were carried out in 2016, of which roughly 100 took place after November 8th.
During the first month and a half of 2017, 42 demolitions were executed, a pace 65% higher than 2016, and nearly 5 times as high as the rate in 2015.
A Jerusalem city official confirmed that the shift in policy was linked to the outcome of the US election.
"Everyone who chooses to build illegally should know that the Jerusalem municipality will demolish his home," a Jerusalem city spokesperson said in a statement.
8. TRUMP UN ENVOY: WHY IS THE UN SO OBSESSED WITH ISRAEL?
by Gary Willig
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US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley blasted the UN for its obsession with Israel during an address to the Security Council.
"I just put out to the members of the Security Council to help me understand: When we have so much going on in the world, why is it that every single month we're going to sit down and have a hearing where all they do is obsess over Israel?" Haley asked in a statement which has circulated around the web.
She criticized the Security Council for focusing on Israel during its monthly meeting on the Middle East, to the complete exclusion of other issues, such as Hezbollah, ISIS, and the Syrian civil war. She also criticized the UN Department of Political Affairs for having "an entire division devoted to Palestinian affairs."
"There is no division devoted to illegal missile launches from North Korea. There is no division devoted to the world's number one state-sponsor of terror, Iran," she observed.
"The double standards are breathtaking. Just a few days ago, the United States sought unsuccessfully to have the Security Council condemn a terrorist attack to Israel, where the terrorist opened fire on people waiting for a bus and then stabbed others. The Security Council would not hesitate to condemn an attack like that in any other country. But not for Israel. The statement was blocked. And that's downright shameful.
Haley pledged to work to end the UN's biased treatment of Israel. "I'm here to say the United States will not turn a blind eye to this anymore. I am here to underscore the ironclad support of the United States for Israel. I'm here to emphasize the United States is determined to stand up to the UN's anti-Israel bias. We will never repeat the terrible mistake of Resolution 2334 and allow one-sided Security Council resolutions to condemn Israel. Instead, we will push for action on the real threats we face in the Middle East."
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