Archive for month: December, 2018

Gaza Update
Over the weekend Hamas fired a rocket into Israel from Gaza and the IDF responded with a helicopter strike against a Hamas military target. No injuries or damages were caused by the rocket. It was the first rocket launched from Gaza since November. The incident follows the border rioting on Friday during which 5,000 people rioted, some of whom threw grenades and rocks. One rioter was shot and killed by IDF fire and 6 wounded.

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New Right
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Education Minister Naftali Bennett have split off from their Bayit Yehudi party to form a new party called the New Right. The New Right will focus on getting votes from the secular right wing, while Bayit Yehudi will continue to focus on the religious Zionist camp. After the elections the two parties will reportedly form a joint faction on the assumption that they will have won more Knesset seats than currently held by Bayit Yehudi alone. However, the split could also result in one of the parties failing to pass the minimum required threshold to gain entry into the Knesset, which could harm any potential right wing coalition.

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US Troops
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, an outspoken critic of President Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, announced yesterday that he had met with the President and that the process of withdrawing the troops has been slowed down.

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US Legislation
The Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump back in October and recently approved by the US Congress, would allow US authorities to seize assets from any foreign “terrorist entity” that receives financial aid from the American government.The law would also permit any US citizen to sue the Palestinian Authority (PA) for its involvement in terror activity and be compensated by the money received through financial aid.

The PA security apparatus in Ramallah is the only area still eligible for US financial assistance—believed to be in the region of $61 million annually—after earlier this year the State Department announced that Trump administration decided to cut more than $200 million in bilateral aid to the Palestinians, following a review of the funding for projects in the West Bank and Gaza.

Over the past month, the Trump administration have reportedly been scrambling to amend the legislation in order to ensure the US security assistance to the PA continues. A senior Israeli official told Ynet that Israel has also been working behind the scenes to ensure the law is amended, and once the US Congress returns from the Christmas break, there is a “reasonable” chance the legislation will indeed undergo the necessary changes.

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Seller Convicted
A Palestinian Authority court in Ramallah today sentenced Isaam Akel, a Palestinian American citizen, to life in prison with hard labor for his involvement in the sale of properties to Jews. The US State Department and the US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman have protested against his arrest and incarceration and have demanded his immediate release.

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Poverty Line
According to the annual poverty report of the National Insurance Institute,1,780,500 people, including 466,400 families and 814,800 children, live below the poverty line in Israel. The poverty rate among Arabs and Ultra Orthodox hovers close to 50%. Israel still has the highest rate of poverty of any OECD country.

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New Israelis
Aliyah (immigration) to Israel rose 5% in 2018 compared with 2017, the Jewish Agency reports. 29,600 immigrants reached Israel in 2018, up from 28,220 in 2017. The main reason for the rise was a 45% jump in immigration from Russia with 10,500 immigrants coming to Israel in 2018. 6,500 immigrants arrived from Ukraine this year, down 9% from 2017.

There were 3,550 immigrants to Israel from North America, a similar number to last year. 2,600 immigrants arrived from France, down 25% from 2017, 660 immigrants from Brazil, down 4% and just over 500 immigrants from the UK, down 4%. There were 330 immigrants from Argentina, up 17% and 320 immigrants from South Africa, down 2%.

Source

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Syrian Missiles
Israeli Missile Defense systems near Hadera were activated last night against a missile apparently fired from Syria. There were no injuries or damage reported. Also last night, Israel reportedly attacked 3 targets near Damascus. Syrian state media reported Syrian air defenses intercepted “hostile targets” near Damascus and added that the attack, “originated from above the Lebanese territories.” An Iranian 747 allegedly carrying advanced weapons for the Syrian army and Hezbollah landed in Damascus earlier last night, which could explain the reported Israeli attack.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said today that 6 Israeli F16’s had carried out the airstrikes from Lebanese airspace and that Syrian missile defense had shot down 14 of the 16 missiles fired. The ministry said, “We are very concerned by the attacks and how they were made. This is a gross violation of the sovereignty of Syria.” Sources in the US Defense Department claim that several senior Hezbollah officials were hit in the strikes.

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Poll Results
Following PM Netanyahu’s calling for early elections to be held in April, a new poll published in the Maariv newspaper showed the PM’s Likud party winning 30 seats and the right wing coalition holding on to a majority of the Knesset.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit’s office is apparently going to hold off on making any recommendations either for or against indicting Netanyahu until after the elections so as not to influence the election results.

Nahum Barnea, a senior political commentator, said Mandelblit was in a no-win situation and likened his plight to that of former FBI Director James Comey during the 2016 American presidential election.

He wrote: “If Mandelblit decides to postpone the decision until after the elections, many Israelis will ask — and justly so — for whom are they being asked to vote. Is it for a man who is facing charges of bribery or for a man who is facing lesser charges?”

“If Mandelblit decides to release his decision in the midst of the run-up to the elections, he will be attacked by all of the candidates running on the Likud’s list, first and foremost among them Netanyahu. By what right is he meddling in the elections, they will ask.”

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Ambassador Resigning
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, reportedly plans to resign from his position in order to run for a Knesset seat on the Likud list in the upcoming early election to be held in April.

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More Homes
The Defense Ministry committee responsible for authorizing settlement construction on Tuesday advanced plans for roughly 1,300 homes in the West Bank, with some 400 more slated for approval in an additional session scheduled for today.

The communities that saw plans given a final okay included Adora (18), Tene (135), Ma’ale Michmash (62), Givat Ze’ev (220), Neve Daniel (180), and Carmei Tzur (120). Other communities with projects in various stages of approval include Beit Haggai (94), Shiloh (75), Halamish (100), Yitzhar, Rehalim, Shavei Shomron, and Har Bracha.

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Pot Exports
The medical cannabis export law proposed by MK Yoav Kisch (Likud) has been approved on its second and third Knesset readings. The Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Social Equality all support the legislation.

The issue of exports will now be referred to the cabinet. The law regulates export procedures, but does not yet constitute official approval for exports. Only a positive cabinet decision will enable exports to go ahead. Sources close to the cabinet believe that the decision will pass unless vetoed by the Prime Minister.

Eight cannabis growing companies and a number of cannabis products, production, marketing, and distribution companies currently operate in Israel. Dozens of farmers with licenses in principle to grow cannabis are waiting for a decision about exports in order to go ahead with activity in the field.

Revenues from cannabis exports could total as high as NIS 4 billion a year.

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Shooting Attack
Last night terrorists opened fire at a bus stop outside of Ofra from the nearby Arab village of Ein Yabrud. There were several people there at the time. There were no injuries reported.

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Syrian Situation
In response to US President Trump’s decision to withdraw all US troops from Syria, PM Netanyahu said, “We will continue to act very aggressively against Iran’s efforts to entrench in Syria. We do not intend to reduce our efforts. We will intensify them, and I know that we do so with the full support and backing of the United States.”

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Prosecutor Speaks
Liat Ben-Ari, a senior prosecutor on the team investigating PM Netanyahu, has recommended indicting him on charges of bribery in three separate investigations. Ben-Ari’s recommendations were forwarded to State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan and his team. Nitzan then passed them on to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who will decide whether to indict Netanyahu.

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Ambulance Scuffle
Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical service organization, filed a NIS 2.6 million lawsuit against United Hatzalah, a volunteer-run paramedic services organization based in Jerusalem, for allegedly spreading false reports “in an attempt to discredit and delegitimize MDA’s work.”

As part of its national duties granted by the Ministry of Health, MDA is responsible for operating a national call center for all emergency medical services in the country, including those given by United Hatzalah. MDA claims that “despite the clear and explicit instructions given by the Ministry of Health, United Hatzalah established its own emergency call center (1221) and operated it.” MDA claims, “They also spread false information and claim that making a call to 1221 is the same as calling 101.”

The Ministry of Health determined that as of July 2017, United Hatzalah is to stop promoting their call center, and that all emergency calls should be immediately transferred to the MDA. According to the MDA, “These new guidelines angered Hatzalah, who started attacking MDA and spreading incorrect information, saying that the Ministry of Health does whatever the MDA tells them to.”

In response to the lawsuit, Hatzalah responded, “The sum MDA is suing for only comes to show that they work for profit, and have been making large sums of money at the expense of the Israeli public. This time, they’re trying to do so at the expense of 5,000 volunteers.”

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Gaza Soda
Pepsico CEO Ramon Laguarta and Sodastream CEO Daniel Birnbaum took the stage together at the 2018 Globes Business Conference in Jerusalem to speak about Pepsico’s acquisition of Israeli home carbonated drinks company Sodastream this year for $3.2 billion and to reveal that they are in the process of setting up a Sodastream plant in Gaza. Birnbaum said, “We want people in Gaza to have real jobs, because when there is prosperity and plenty, there will also be peace.”

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Stronger Action
Education Minister Naftali Bennett, along with other ministers from coalition parties Bayit Yehudi, Kulanu and even the ruling Likud party, joined a protest rally of Jewish settlers in Jerusalem yesterday, demanding that the PM take stronger action against terrorists in the West Bank.

Bennett said, “We’re tired of promises. The prime minister promised that terrorists’ homes would be demolished within 48 hours, but they have yet to demolish the homes of Ari Fuld’s murderers and the murderers of the soldiers in Givat Asaf. I call on the prime minister—if you make a promise, keep it.” He added, “It’s time for Israel to go back to winning.” [Sounds familiar]

Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel said, ”There is no one among the people who would allow terrorism—not in Gaza, not in the north, and not in Judea and Samaria. Not just Bayit Yehudi, but the Likud Party also demands security. This demand is made of the defense minister and prime minister, and it’s clear: Let the IDF win. The IDF knows how to do the job, even on three fronts.”

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked urged PM Netanyahu to support legislation proposed by Bayit Yehudi that would allow expelling the families of terrorists from their homes and that would legalize outposts in the West Bank built with government acquiescence.

Housing and Construction Minister Yoav Galant said he was “proud of the construction in all of the communities. We’ll give them legitimization and continue building. Your settlement is the real Zionism of our time. We’ll establish security in Judea and Samaria, no matter the cost. Every terrorist will end his life in prison or in a cemetery.”

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House Demo
This morning the IDF demolished the house of the terrorist who murdered 2 Israelis in the Barkan terror attack 2 months ago. The house was in the village of Shweiki near Tulkarem. The terrorist was discovered and killed by police last week after a long and intense manhunt.

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Russian Flags
Russia’s Kommersant newspaper reported last week that Moscow is allowing fighters from Hezbollah and other pro-Iranian Shiite groups operating in Syria to carry Russian flags in order to protect them from Israeli airstrikes. Russian flags were recently seen near the military airport in the Syrian city of Hama, where Iranian installations were attacked by the IAF in the past. The flags were also flying in the cities of Homs and Idlib, as well as in the Syrian desert. Israel has reportedly lodged a complaint with the Russians regarding the issue.

An Israeli military delegation visited Moscow last week to discuss the Syrian situation. Prior to the meeting, a senior Russian defense official said, “The chaotic damage done to Syrian infrastructure by the IAF [Israel Air Force], on the pretext of an Iranian threat, is unacceptable to us.”

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Terror Attack
Earlier today, a terrorist got out of his vehicle and opened fire on soldiers and civilians standing at a bus stop at the Givat Asaf Junction, not far from Ofra, on highway 60. Two people were killed and 2 seriously wounded. All the victims were in their 20’s. The terrorist returned to his vehicle and fled the scene. The IDF is hunting for the terrorist. It is also investigating a possible connection between this attack and the shooting attack near Ofra on Sunday in which 6 people were wounded and a newborn infant was killed.

At around 5am today, a terrorist heading from the direction of the Damascus Gate attacked and attempted to stab a Jewish man on Hagai Street. After he failed to do so, he ran towards two Border Police officers who were stationed nearby and tried to stab them as well. One of the officers shot and killed the 26 year old terrorist. Both officers, a 19 year old female and 21 year old male were lightly injured and are being treated in hospital.

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Terrorists Killed
Israeli Police anti terror forces (Yamam) found and killed the terrorist who murdered 2 Israelis in the Barkan industrial zone 2 months ago. The terrorist was armed when police discovered his hiding place. He exchanged fire with police. No police were injured.

During the search, over 100 Palestinians were arrested and questioned by security forces on suspicion they aided the terrorist or were aware of his terror activity. Some of the suspects, including the terrorist’s father, were charged. The interrogation of these suspects found that Na’alwa was planning to carry out another attack.

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Yamam forces also shot and killed the terrorist suspected of perpetrating the shooting attack near Ofra on Sunday. The terrorist was traveling in a taxi in the town of Surda, north of Ramallah when he was shot. Another suspected terrorist was in the taxi and also shot and wounded.

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