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Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com ------------------------------------------------ Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday Wednesday, May. 03 '17, ז' באייר תשע"ז HEADLINES: 1. DID BANNON REVEAL PLAN TO MOVE US EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM? 2. 'NETANYAHU: PUNISH UNESCO' 3. 'ISRAEL WILL DEDUCT $1 MILLION FROM FUNDS ISRAEL GIVES UN' 4. STABBING ATTACK IN JERUSALEM FOILED 5. 'ISRAEL MUST PREPARE FOR EMPLOYMENT DISASTER' 6. UNESCO PASSES ANTI-ISRAEL RESOLUTION 7. SHOCK IN MIR YESHIVA AS IDENTITY OF MAN SHOT YESTERDAY REVEALED 8. LOST SURFER FOUND AT SEA 1. DID BANNON REVEAL PLAN TO MOVE US EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM? by David Rosenberg Did one of President Trump’s closest advisors inadvertently leak White House plans to relocate the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem? Candidate Trump pledged that if elected he would implement a 1995 law requiring the transfer of the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and the formal recognition of that city as Israel’s united capital. As president, however, Trump has remained mum on the issue, giving little indication whether he plans to make good on his campaign promise. President Trump hinted a decision may be close at hand, however, telling reporters last week they should ask him about the possible move again in a month – corresponding roughly to the planned trip by the president to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. While no official confirmation on the trip has been given, officials close to the Prime Minister say the president is expected just ahead of Jerusalem Day, which begins the evening of May 23rd. Though President Trump’s intentions vis-à-vis the embassy move have remained a mystery, an innocuous photograph taken by Rabbi Shmuel "Shmuley" Boteach during a visit with White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon may have let the cat out of the bag. The joint selfie, taken during a visit in Bannon’s office on Israeli Independence Day, shows the former Breitbart News chief in front of a white board featuring a list of campaign promises, some with check marks, others without. On the list, in the lower right-hand corner of the picture, to words "Tel Aviv to Jerusalem" can be seen, likely referring to the planned embassy move. Boteach, Bannon selfie Twitter 2. 'NETANYAHU: PUNISH UNESCO' by Mordechai Sones Following the decision by the UNESCO Executive Committee that the State of Israel is not the sovereign in Jerusalem, the Regavim Movement is currently calling for the return of the UN Jerusalem compound to the hands of the State of Israel. At the beginning of the week, the State submitted a request to defer response to the petition, indicating that the Foreign Affairs Ministry had been in contact with various UN elements, asking to allow a visit by professionals from the State of Israel, legal owner of the compound. The complaint filed by Regavim last month regards a series of serious construction violations committed by the UN in recent years, including concrete castings in the historic building, the construction of an illegal multi-story office building, storage hangars, and a pirate gas station that is also an environmental hazard. After the liberation of Jerusalem, the Israeli government gave UNTSO, an UN arm, the right to use the area free of charge to supervise the cease-fire between Israel and its neighbors after the war. The United Nations agencies UNTSO and UNSCO currently operate in the compound, alongside the office of UN envoy to the Middle East Nikolai Maldanov, who conducts blatant and hostile pro-Arab activity and which Defense Minister Liberman has proposed to boycott. The UNESCO resolution adopted today by the organization, according to which the State of Israel is not the sovereign in Jerusalem, has, as expected, aroused great anger and strong reactions from Israel. Regavim calls on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and cabinet ministers to refrain from belligerent statements and to inform the United Nations that Israel will reclaim the Armon Hanatziv compound in accordance with the 1967 agreement. "There is no day more suitable than the Day of Independence to announce the removal of the anti-Semitic organization from Armon HaNetziv belonging to the State of Israel," Regavim says. "The UN has forgotten that it is in Jerusalem as a guest of the State of Israel, in property of the state. Once the guest starts behaving like the master of the house, it's a sign that it's time to find another tenant. That's how true independence looks," they added. 3. 'ISRAEL WILL DEDUCT $1 MILLION FROM FUNDS ISRAEL GIVES UN' by Arutz Sheva Staff Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during Wednesday's Knesset meeting spoke about UNESCO's latest anti-Israel resolution and thanked the countries which opposed it. "Yesterday, UNESCO again passed a delusional resolution regarding Israel's status in Jerusalem, the capital of the Jewish People for 3,000 years," Netanyahu said. "I very much appreciate the across-the-board unity of almost all political parties in rejecting this absurd decision." "I would also like to say that this systematic harassment has a price. "In wake of the resolution, I have instructed Foreign Ministry Director General Yuval Rotem to deduct $1 million from the funds that Israel transfers to the UN. "Israel will not sit by while the organization calls for the denial of our sovereignty in Jerusalem. "I must also note one point of light. More countries opposed this resolution than last year and fewer countries supported it. "I thank the countries that acceded to my request to vote against this resolution, especially the US, which did not need any sort of appeal. But I would especially like to thank the Italian Foreign Minister and Prime Minister. Italy was the first European country to announce that it would oppose the resolution. "Also opposing it were Greece, Great Britain, Germany, Lithuania and the Netherlands. I would also like to thank the President of Ukraine and the leaders of Paraguay and Togo. For the first time in UNESCO, more countries voted to oppose or abstained than voted in favor, and of course this is important. "I would like to thank Yuval Rotem and the Foreign Ministry personnel who did thorough work. We are working constantly to increase support for Israel in international bodies in order to reflect our growing status vis-à-vis bilateral contacts with countries. "We are also working constantly to reduce, and I hope one day to cancel altogether, the UN theater of the absurd regarding the State of Israel. "Today, the Cabinet will discuss the Finance Minister's proposal to increase tax credits for working parents. I support this. I believe that all of you here will support it because it is government policy to encourage work. This is true for both the economy and society – and it is our policy." 4. STABBING ATTACK IN JERUSALEM FOILED by Reut Hadar An attempted stabbing attack in northern Jerusalem was foiled Wednesday afternoon. The incident occurred just outside the Shuafat neighborhood in northeastern Jerusalem when a man stepped off of a bus at the entrance to Shuafat and approached a security checkpoint, where those entering the area via public transportation are required to verify they hold Israeli ID cards or valid entry permits. As the terrorist approached the checkpoint he drew a knife he had been concealing and charged officers manning the checkpoint. Security forces at the scene drew their weapons and demanded the terrorist lay down his knife. The terrorist complied with the order and was arrested. No injuries were reported in the incident. The terrorist has been transferred to the police for questioning. 5. 'ISRAEL MUST PREPARE FOR EMPLOYMENT DISASTER' by Arutz Sheva Staff From his home in the quiet Israeli town of Yavne, one man is designing an approach he believes can change how Israel and the world integrate people into the workforce. With decades of background in government and public service, Rafi Gelbart stresses that if not proactive, the world may just be in for the greatest wave of global unemployment since the onset of the Industrial Revolution. Gelbart is the founder and director of Machon Shipour, an organization which has worked with many different communities and locales designing programs to encourage greater involvement in the workforce. He is quick to explain that his organization is by no means an "employment agency." "I don’t get people jobs," he says. "That is their responsibility. My goal is to give them the tools to know how to find those jobs." The institute opened its doors in 1995 after a gradual effort to achieve success which began as early as 1987 when Gelbart returned from the US after serving as a professor in market economics. The late 1980’s was a time of large-scale unemployment in Israel, and the situation exacerbated with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of immigrants from the Former Soviet Union in the early 1990’s. Gelbart devised a program called "Self-directed job search," whereby "we would help people to help themselves," he says, quoting Maimonides' teaching as that being the greatest form of charity. The program grew and within a short amount of time, Gelbart was seeing success rates of 75-80 percent of those who used his method reported they were holding down jobs for multiple years. In 1995, following successful engagements with the Jerusalem Municipality and partnering with the Immigrant Absorption Ministry, the program went national. It is, in fact, still in effect today. Gelbart believes the tools which worked for other immigrant groups are just as relevant for North American immigrants. For many, he says, fears of where to find a job are a lead factor precluding greater aliya (immigration to Israel). "Often the greatest challenge facing a job seeker is that they don’t have the tools and confidence to go out and find the job. Our goal is to give them those tools and then they can achieve professional success," Gelbart explains. Machon Shipour also found evidence showing one of the greatest and potential-filled demographics for entering into the workforce is the community of people aged sixty and over. To date they have worked with some 800 people in this age bracket, and 68 percent are now gainfully employed. "Some one million people in Israel over the age of 60 are living in poverty, and the rate of unemployment in this sector is the highest of any country in the OECD," Gelbart says. He also points out that Israel also has no decent comprehensive national insurance available for retirees. Gelbart's approach is to encourage those over 60 who might have been let go of their previous jobs not to think they are aged out of the employment market. "There is still a great deal that you can achieve and there are many jobs that are appropriate for all people in this group." As a result, Machon Shipour offers special training programs to reenter high quality jobs. According to OECD, Israel is now number 4 in the quality of jobs offered to the 60+ age group. In a country where there is wide-spread discussion of unemployment amongst the Arab and ultra-Orthodox communities, Gelbart is equally committed to addressing those groups. "Because of cultural differences, I don’t try to teach them but rather we teach their community leaders how to use our tools and we are seeing a trend towards greater inclusion in the workforce," he explains. But while Gelbart is encouraged by the success and believes it can continue, when discussing the macro issues facing unemployment in the future he says that the perspective is going to change. Pointing to issues like automation of vehicles which would take tens of millions of professional drivers around the world off the roads, he says we need to be prepared. "It is critical that we not wait until it’s too late to prepare for what would be an employment disaster," he warns. "These people need to be trained now for different jobs because if we think creatively these types of challenges can be overcome." Looking back on an extensive career during which he has helped thousands of others realize the dream of gainful unemployment, Gelbart says he is sure of one thing. "We will need to be creative. But we’ve faced challenges in the past and this too can be overcome if we recognize the scope of the problem and are ready to respond in advance," he concludes. 6. UNESCO PASSES ANTI-ISRAEL RESOLUTION by Gary Willig The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Steering Committee voted Tuesday afternoon to adopt a resolution denying Israel's rights to its own capital, Jerusalem. The vote took place on Israel's Independence Day. 22 nations voted in favor of the resolution, compared to 10 which voted against it. 23 nations abstained. Among the countries which voted against the resolution were the United States, Italy, Britain, Holland, Lithuania, Greece, Paraguay, Ukraine, Togo and Germany The resolution declares that "all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, the occupying Power, which have altered or purport to alter the character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and in particular the "basic law" on Jerusalem, are null and void and must be rescinded forthwith." The resolution also condemns Israel for the military conflicts with the Hamas terrorist organization, which rules the Gaza Strip. Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, slammed the resolution as an assault on the history of the Jewish people. "This biased and blatantly deceitful decision, and the attempts to dispute the connection between Israel and Jerusalem, will not change the simple fact that this city is the historic and eternal capital of the Jewish people. Israel will not stand silently by in the face of this shameful resolution," Danon said. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu ridiculed UNESCO during a question-and-answer segment in the annual Tanach Quiz, saying that Israel does not believe in UNESCO. "We don’t believe in UNESCO," said Netanyahu. The Prime Minister’s comment echoed a statement by Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) on Monday, in which she derided the UNESCO resolution and the denial of the fact of Israel’s sovereignty in Jerusalem as "fake history". "This is absurd. We have become used to the concept of 'fake news'. Well, welcome to 'fake history'," said Hotovely. "UNESCO has long been politicized and unfortunately has become a tool in the service of Palestinian propaganda against Israel. "Such absurd and historically baseless resolutions undermine UNESCO's mission of safeguarding humanity's cultural heritage. "We, as Israelis, don’t need UNESCO's approval of our history in our land. However, for the countries voting tomorrow, I must say in the clearest terms: if you cherish history and affirm UNESCO's duty to respect historical truth, there is no choice other than to vote against this latest attempt to subvert international institutions in order to attack Israel." Italy was the only European nation to come out against the resolution before the vote. Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano denounced the vote as "another politicized resolution on Jerusalem." "Our opinion is very clear. UNESCO cannot be the place for a permanent ideological confrontation," Alfano said. 7. SHOCK IN MIR YESHIVA AS IDENTITY OF MAN SHOT YESTERDAY REVEALED by David Rosenberg The young Jewish man from Jerusalem was fatally shot Tuesday afternoon after he charged security officers manning the Hizme checkpoint north was a member of the Mir yeshiva’s kitchen staff, the Behadrei Haredim website reported Wednesday. The 20-year old resident of the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Pisgat Ze’ev apparently suffered from mental and emotional problems, which he detailed in a suicide note he left. The man reportedly was exempted from IDF service due to a history of mental illness. Mir students and staff members were shocked to discover that the man involved in Tuesday’s tragic incident was a yeshiva employee who had helped serve the thousands of Mir students meals over the past two years. "He worked with me for the last two years," said a kitchen staff member. "He was a very quiet, very introverted employee; he took the directions he was given very seriously. I rate him as a 10." "He merited to feed thousands of yeshiva students every day. All the other workers around him liked him, and personally I liked him very much as well. It’s still hard for me to digest that he was involved in this incident. It’s unbelievable. It doesn’t fit him or his personality. He will be greatly missed." 8. LOST SURFER FOUND AT SEA [twittervideo:2027638] ------------------------------------------------ Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/ | |
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