Israel News for March 13, 2017

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Terror Attack
Around 4am today a terrorist stabbed two Border Police officers in a small security station near the Lion’s Gate in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City.

According to Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, “What we know is the terrorist arrived in the area and parked his vehicle while police officers were stationed at that checkpoint as part of general security. He then took the opportunity to follow them when they entered the entrance to the police point and stabbed both of the officers, moderately wounding them. The officers responded in a life-threatening situation and opened fire and shot and killed the terrorist.”

Both officers were treated at the scene by Magen David Adom paramedics and transferred to Hadassah University Medical Center in moderate and light condition.

The terrorist was identified as a 25 year old resident of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabl Mukaber. Following the attack police searched the terrorist’s house and arrested four of his relatives. They also prevented a mourner’s tent from being erected outside the terrorist’s home.

For further reading click here.

US Negotiator
Jason Greenblatt, US President Donald Trump’s special representative for international negotiations, is scheduled to arrive in Israel today. He will meet with PM Netanyahu, President Rivlin, acting National Security Council head Yaakov Nagel and Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories head Maj.-Gen.Yoav Mordechai. Greenblatt will also meet with PA President Abbas.

Greenblatt will discuss guidelines to govern construction in settlements. Netanyahu and Trump agreed during their meeting in Washington last month to establish a mechanism to work out these guidelines and Greenblatt is to head that mechanism.

This comes in the aftermath of a phone conversation between Trump and Abbas in which Trump, “emphasized his personal belief that peace is possible and that the time has come to make a deal.” He stressed that such a deal would have to “be negotiated directly between the two parties,” and that the US could not impose a solution. Trump also invited Abbas to the White House “in the near future.”

Greenblatt’s discussions are expected to go beyond the settlement issue and include exploring ways to restart the peace process.

For further reading click here.

Jerusalem Purim
Whereas most of the world celebrated the holiday of Purim yesterday, Jerusalem is celebrating today. That’s because according to the Book of Esther the Jews of Shushan, the Persian capital which was surrounded by a wall, fought their enemies for an extra day and celebrated a day after the Jews in cities without walls. Therefore, all cities that were walled at the time of the Purim story celebrate Purim on the 15th day of Adar instead of on the 14th. Party lovers have the opportunity to celebrate two days of festivities!

If you missed our special Purim issue [which has received rave reviews] and what to read it today on Shushan Purim, click here.

Space Photos
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet took photos of the Dead Sea from outer space. To see the photos click here.

The Israel News Purim Issue – 2017

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Wikileaks Bombshell
Wikileaks has just uncovered documents and recordings proving that the US election was definitely rigged — by Israel. According to the documents, the Russian ambassador to the US was actually an agent for the Mossad, and was used to make everyone believe that Russia as behind the election hacking.

A telephone conversation recorded between Netanyahu and Trump several weeks before the election had the PM assuring Trump that Israeli intelligence along with a secret consortium of high tech startups had figured out a way to hack into election computers. He also was heard telling Trump, “from now on you had better damn well be the best friend Israel has ever had. Remember, we can make you and we can just as easily break you.”

Trump and Netanyahu both deny the veracity of the documents and recordings, blaming Radical Islamic Terror for orchestrating the forgeries. Presidential advisor Steve Bannon placed the blame on a secret international Jewish cabal. Jared Kushner and Trumps group of Jewish advisors, aides and confidants were in a closed door meeting in the White House basement and unavailable for comment.

Culinary Controversy
The latest controversy to engulf the White House revolves around a recent request by Ivanka Trump to make the White House kitchen kosher. Presidential advisor Steve Bannon reportedly is willing to accept a separate kosher kitchen in addition to the existing one.

Ivanka is adamant about a one kitchen solution, claiming that there’s absolutely no reason why everyone, kosher or not, cannot eat from the kosher kitchen. Bannon is sticking to his two kitchen solution saying, “every American should have the freedom to choose the food they want to eat without interference from the Jewish controlled food industry.” He added, “there’s no way in hell I’m eating gefilte fish!”

President Trump weighed in on the issue say, “I like one kitchen and two kitchens…whatever they agree upon.” He added, “And by the way, Ivanka makes the best gefilte fish you’ve ever tasted…the best!”

UN Condemnation
The UN General Assembly passed an Iranian sponsored resolution condemning Israel for the massacre of thousands of Persians during the reign of King Ahashverosh. The Iranian ambassador read passages from the Book of Esther as proof of the carnage. The Israeli ambassador denied responsibility, pointing out that the Sate of Israel only came into existence in 1948. In addition he held up a copy of the bible and reminded the assembly of Israel’s biblical right to its ancient homeland.

Annexation Agreement
In an unexpected turn of events, the far right and far left Knesset factions have reached an agreement regarding the annexation of large Jewish settlement blocks. According to the deal, Israel will annex areas of NYC, Long Island and New Jersey which have heavy concentrations of Jews.

The Chief Rabbinate, along with most rabbinic leaders, are fully behind the idea. The rabbis assert that according to Maimonides, any territory conquered (or annexed) by Israel automatically becomes part of Israel and attains the status of holy land.

Orthodox Jewish groups in the New York area are celebrating the plan. A statement released by an umbrella organization representing them said, “we welcome the opportunity to be able to fulfill our spiritual potential and halachic obligations without having to disrupt our comfortable lifestyle and move to the hot and dangerous Middle East.”

The majority of Israelis are also in favor of the plan, which will allow them to finally move to NY guilt free. Real Estate prices in Israel are expected to plummet, as demand in overpriced Anglo populated areas disappears.

The annexation plan is facing strong opposition from Nefesh B’nefesh. The Republican lead Congress and the White House have expressed interest in the plan and are anxious to remove New York and New Jersey from the electoral map.

Baseball Warning
The Israel National Baseball team currently competing in the World Fall Classic tournament in S. Korea has unexpectedly pulled off several victories and is plowing forward towards the championship. The team is doing so well that PM Netanyahu has issued them a special warning: In the event that they play the US team in the championships, they are to lose the game. According to a high ranking source in the Prime Ministers Office, the PM is afraid of upsetting US President Trump and wants to make sure that nothing occurs that could in any way ruffle the President’s feathers.

A senior White House advisor categorically denied the report, saying that Trump was the best friend Israel and the Jews ever had. When asked directly by a reporter, Trump responded, “I think the Israeli baseball team is doing really great things and we will always support them. But they should probably hold back just a bit, for the time being.”

It’s still unclear what the Israeli team will do if they play against Russia.

Women’s Rights
Women’s rights groups are in an uproar regarding a recent pronouncement by the Supreme Haredi Council of Sages to change the name of the Book of Esther to the Book of Mordecai and to make changes in the text diminishing the queen’s primary role in the story.

The Council claims that having a woman in such a prominent and visible position is contrary to the laws of female modesty. It also points out that the name Esther is derived from the pagan deity Astarte – “Queen of Heaven”, and therefore should not be uttered. In addition, the sages fear that saying the feminine pagan name could lead men to impure sexual thoughts, which combined with alcohol on Purim could be spiritually fatal.

[The council denied that the origins of the name Mordecai derived from the pagan deity Marduk.]

Hundreds of women from women’s rights groups joined by followers of pagan deities dressed up in I Dream of Jeannie costumes to protest in the streets of Meah Shearim. Thousands of Haredi men came out to watch.

IDF women combat

Israel News for March 8, 2017

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Defense Meetup
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman met on Tuesday in Washington with U.S. Secretary of Defense Gen. James Mattis. The two discussed security issues shared by Israel and the US including Iran, Syria and Lebanon. They agreed on the need to act to strengthen the moderate forces in the region and create a coalition to fight terrorism.

Lieberman told Mattis, “We need an active America in the region.” He also said, “The strategic cooperation between Israel and the U.S. is vital and crucial not only for the security of Israel, but for security and stability throughout the Middle East and this also has implications on global security.”

Lieberman also met with US Vice President Mike Pence. According to a White House statement, the vice president underscored the “unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to upholding Israel’s qualitative military edge.” The two agreed on the need to “counter threats posed by Iran and its proxies as well as terrorist organizations,” and discussed ways in which the American and Israeli militaries could cooperate to address threats. Syria and other issues in the Middle East were also discussed.

Lieberman thanked Pence for his condemnation of recent antisemitic incidents in the United States.

According to a statement by the defense minister’s office, Lieberman told Pence that he expects to see the US embassy move to a new site in Jerusalem soon.

For further reading click here.

UN Discussions
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley met for the first time with Palestinian UN envoy Ambassador Riyad Mansour. After the meeting Haley tweeted that the Palestinians should “meet with Israel in direct negotiations rather than looking to the UN to deliver results that can only be achieved through the two parties.”

Mansour said that Haley “raised the desire to see the two parties engaging in negotiations” and indicated that the United States was considering a fresh bid to revive talks. He added, “I don’t know at what level they want to do that, but once we receive a request to that effect, we will respond to it accordingly.”

For further reading click here.

Women in IDF
IDF Chief Rabbi Yigal Levinstein condemned the idea of women serving in combat positions in the IDF, during a speech at the Bnei David pre-army preparatory yeshiva in Eli. He called the idea “insane” and questioned the femininity of women who serve in combat. He said that religious women must, under no circumstances, serve in combat roles.

Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman responded to Levinstein’s comments Tuesday, saying, “Since the founding of the state, women have served in the IDF and made a tremendous contribution to the security of Israel. Rabbi Levinstein’s tirade is not only an insult to Israeli women, but also to the IDF and its heritage and to the basic values of the State of Israel. When I return from the United States, I will reconsider the position of Rabbi Levinstein in preparing our young men for IDF service.”
 
Speaking at a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Wednesday, Netanyahu said Israel was “proud” of its history of integrating females into its fighting forces, going back to biblical times.

He said, “Female Jewish fighters, from the time of Yael the heroine to the present — with Hannah Senesh and the fighters in the Etzel, the Palmach and the Lehi and the IDF, heroic warriors in the police and Border Police that we see here on the streets — are an active, and sometimes very senior, part of our national defense. We are proud of it, and will will further it. It’s important to say this in the most clear fashion.”

For further reading click here.

Eilat Expansion
Under a new agreement signed between the government and Eilat, nine new neighborhoods with a total of 18,372 housing units, 6,930 new hotel rooms and additional industrial zones will be built in the city. The agreement also budgets funds for transportation and other infrastructure, development of the town’s coastal strip, an international sports center, municipal parks, and a waste facility.

Eilat Mayor Meir Yitzhak Halevi commented, “The agreement, which was reached after lengthy negotiations, will cause a dramatic turnaround in construction of major infrastructure. In a city like Eilat, bypass roads, parks, beaches, and so forth will put it on the road to economic independence, and turn it into a metropolis. This is big news for Eilat residents.”

For further reading click here.

PM Smoking
One of the allegations that the Israel Police is investigating the Prime Minister for is that Netanyahu allegedly received pink champagne for his wife and cigars worth hundreds of thousands of shekels from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan. But the PM has announced that the cigar accusation cannot be true because he could not possibly have smoked such large quantities of cigars “due to a problem in his nasal cavity.” Apparently, there are several months a year when he cannot smoke at all. Netanyahu has referred the investigators to his personal physician for confirmation.

[If there’s no smoke, there’s no fire, right?]

For further reading click here.

Israel News for March 7, 2017

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Terror Stabbing
A 40 year old Haredi resident of Betar Illit (located near Jerusalem in the West Bank) was getting his car fixed at an Arab garage in the area. When the repair was done and Arab man asked him for a lift. Thinking that he was a worker at the garage, the Haredi man agreed. Before reaching a checkpoint the Arab asked to get out. But before he left he took out a knife and stabbed the driver in the side. He then fled the scene. The Haredi man was treated by paramedics at the checkpoint and then evacuated to Sharei Tzedek hospital in Jerusalem. The incident is under investigation.

For further reading click here.

Military Appeal
The Military Advocate General has filed an appeal against the lenient 18 month sentence given to IDF soldier Elor Azaria, who was convicted of manslaughter after allegedly shooting dead a wounded Palestinian terrorist in Hebron.

According to the appeal, “The prosecution will argue that according to the law, the respondent (Azaria) should receive a harsher sentence, and his punishment should be 36 to 60 months, or the punishment determined by the minority opinion at the military court (30 months).”

The appeal also noted, “In its verdict, the military court delivered a decisive and clear message about the sanctity of life and the purity of arms, and emphasized that the needless killing of a person, even if he is a terrorist, is illegal, morally wrong and goes against the IDF’s values.”
 
For further reading click here.

No Entry
The Knesset has passed a bill denying entry visas to anyone who is not a citizen or permanent resident in Israel, if he, or the organization or body for which he works, knowingly and publicly calls to boycott Israel or who participated in a boycott against Israel. The new law is a blow to the BDS movement.

The law passed despite vehement opposition. MK Tamar Zandberg (Meretz) slammed the bill as one “which opposes freedom of expression, serves as political censorship and is designed to silence dissent.” MK Roy Folkman (Kulanu), one of the MK’s who proposed the bill, said that “we can feel national pride and also believe in human rights. We can defend Israel’s name and honor, and there’s no shame in it.”

For further reading click here.

Israeli Baseball
Israel’s national baseball team (yes, you heard right) has qualified for the the World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournament in Seoul, South Korea , and it’s hitting the ball out of the park. Team Israel beat Korea 2-1 in ten innings on Monday and then smashed Chinese Taipei 15-7 today. Israel will take on the Netherlands tomorrow.

The WBC tournament is held every four years and includes 16 teams. The top two teams from each of the four groups in the tournament will advance to the second round of the World Baseball Classic next week in Japan.

Team Israel includes several current and former Jewish American Major League Baseball players. World Baseball Classic rules state that players who are eligible for citizenship of a country may play on that country’s team.

In an article published on Sunday, ESPN described the Israeli team as “the Jamaican bobsled team of the WBC.”

For further reading click here.

Holy Graves
As the holiday of Purim approaches, you might be interested to know that the tombs of Mordecai and Esther are located in the Iranian city of Hamedan and are visited by Iranian Jews and Moslems. The tomb of the Prophet Habakuk is also located in the Iranian city of Shushan, the ancient Persian capital made famous in the Book of Esther.

There is a Chassidic rabbi from Israel who travels to Arab countries to inspect and pray at the graves of holy Jews located there. He has been to Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and even Gaza.

To watch a short video about this fascinating story click here.

Israel News for March 2, 2017

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Terror Attack
A Palestinian terrorist infiltrated the Mor Farm outpost near the settlement Teneh Omarim in the southern Mount Hebron area of Judea. A resident, Shabtai Kushelevski, heard noises and exited his house, where he saw the terrorist holding two knives. He ran home to get his gun, chased by the terrorist. They both entered the home, where the terrorist stabbed him before his wife and children.

Luckily, the Kushelevski family dog Sofie jumped into action and attacked the terrorist, allowing Kushelevski to grab his gun and shoot and kill the terrorist. Kushelevski was only lightly injured.

Yekutiel Ben Yakov, Director of the Israel Dog Unit (IDU), a non-profit organization that helps place protection dogs throughout Judea and Samaria said, “We continue to urge Jews to arm themselves with dogs, which have proven to be the most effective biological weapon. The proper use of dogs can save many Jewish lives.”

For further reading click here.

Rocket Strike
A rocket fired from Gaza landed in an open area near the coastline south of Ashkelon. There were no reports of damage or injuries. There were also no claims of responsibility, although Israel holds Hamas responsible for any attacks emanating from Gaza.

For further reading click here.

PM Praises Trump
In the wake of President Trump’s public condemnation of anti-semitism in his address to Congress on Tuesday night, PM Netanyahu, in a pre-recorded message to the Jewish People Policy Institute’s annual conference, told participants he “appreciate[s] the fact that in the last few weeks and days, President Trump and Vice President Pence have taken a strong stance in condemning anti-Semitism.”

He said, “This is what we expect too from European leaders. Most of them have done it and this is what we must demand from governments around the world because Jews around the world should not live in fear. World leaders need to unequivocally condemn anti-Semitism wherever it is found.”

For further reading click here.