Archive for month: December, 2019

News Update

Yesterday US air strikes hit several bases of the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group, killing at least 25 militants and wounding around 55. The strikes were in response to rocket attacks by Hezbollah against US bases in Iraq, the last of which killed an American contractors and wounded several US servicemen.

Israel’s current government is set to approve around 2,000 new homes in the West Bank settlements. Settler leaders praised the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister for approving the plan. The move comes in the wake of the November announcement by US Secretary of State Pompeo that the US was softening its position on Israeli  settlements and that they were not against international law.

The Security Cabinet approved Defense Minister Naftali Bennett’s proposal to deduct NIS 150 million from the tax money that Israel transfers to the Palestinian Authority because that money is earmarked for distribution to the families of terrorists. The Abbas administration paid 150 million shekels ($43.37 million) in stipends for terrorist casualties in 2018.

[ In the last couple of weeks there have been a string of anti-semitic attacks in the NY area, including terrorist attacks like the shooting in Jersey City and the stabbing attack in Monsey. We must must all stand strong and speak out against anti-semitism, and urge our civic, political and religious leaders to do the same, regardless of our communal or religious affiliation. ]

News Update

Syrian state media and Syrian opposition sources are reporting that missiles fired from Israel early this morning killed three Iranians near Damascus. Syrian TV reported that one of the missiles was shot down. The attack reportedly targeted Iranian and Syrian military positions near Damascus. Lebanese daily newspaper Al Akhbar also reported that Israel struck several arms depots near the Syrian town of Sayyidah Zaynab, some 10 km south of Damascus.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that it will launch a probe into alleged Israeli war crimes against the Palestinians. PM Netanyahu responded to the news saying, “While we are moving forward in new areas of hope and peace with our Arab neighbors, the ICC in The Hague has taken a step backwards, it finally became a weapon in the political war against the State of Israel. The prosecutor’s decision against Israel is absurd. Who are they accusing here? Iran? Turkey? Syria? No – Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. This is terrible hypocrisy.”

Israel’s Supreme Court will debate the issue of whether the Prime Minister can legally form a government while under indictment. The court has ordered the attorney general to form a legal opinion on the matter to be presented prior to the court’s debate.

An Egged bus traveling from Jerusalem to Haifa overturned near Ben Gurion Airport Sunday night and slammed into a concrete stop. Three women and one man were killed and 14 other passengers injured. The driver was charged with negligent homicide. One of the fatalities was identified as 79-year-old Yosef Kahalani, a grandfather who was returning home after a visit to Jerusalem.

Important Update:

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News Update

The Shin Bet (Israel’s FBI) announced today that it had arrested 50 Palestinian terror suspects in recent weeks, including those believed to have murdered 17-year-old Rina Shnerb in an attack at a West Bank tourist spot in August. The suspects belong to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and plotted to carry out “major terrorist attacks.” A large number of firearms and bombs were also found.

An IDF aircraft killed an armed terrorist who was approaching the security fence along the Gaza border yesterday.

Sources say that the Israeli military is considering cancelling rocket alert sirens, leaving the civilian population to rely solely on the Iron Dome defense system. The reason is because most Israeli injuries during the rocket attacks have been caused by running to find a bomb shelter. A large number of people are also often treated for shock due to anxiety involved with hearing the sirens.

During the last bout of violence, during which 450 rockets were fired at Israel, 60% of the rockets landed in open areas. Out of the remaining 40% that had been heading for residential areas, 90% were intercepted by the Iron Dome.

According to the IDF, due to the Iron Dome’s improved capabilities, it’s appropriate to reexamine the current policy and take a calculated risk in an effort to reduce the number of casualties.

The military emphasized, however, that the proposal only intends to stop the sirens during occasional rocket fire that occurs when “rouge” elements in Gaza fire rockets. During a war or a military operation the sirens would sound anytime a rocket fire is detected. In addition, the sirens policy in Israeli communities bordering Gaza also wouldn’t change since not all projectiles fired from such a short distance can be intercepted. The Home Front Command is against getting rid of the sirens. 

British newspaper The Telegraph is reporting that Hamas senior leaders are planning their attacks against Israel from offices in Istanbul, with the consent of Turkey’s president. Both Hamas and Turkish officials denied the report.

The high-speed express train line between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv was inaugurated today, 11 years after it was due to open and at more than twice the original cost. The train, which will open to the public on Saturday night, will take 28 minutes each way. The new train line is 57 kilometers long, runs over nine bridges and through five tunnels and cost NIS 7 billion to build.

The Hebrew weekly Makor Rishon reports that around 25% of the new immigrants to Israel from Russia and Ukraine just come to obtain an Israeli passport and then immediately return to their original countries. A cottage industry of companies promising expedited Israeli citizenship, and the passport that comes with it, have sprung up in Russia since the passage of a law allowing new immigrants to receive the travel document within the first three months of their aliyah. [Who knew that an Israeli passport was so valuable?]

Meanwhile, more than 40 Israeli civilians who landed on an El Al flight at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport today were detained and had their passports confiscated. All were released after two hours of questioning and fingerprinting.

Prince Charles, the future King of England, plans to visit Israel in January to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Intel has acquired Tel Aviv-based artificial intelligence chip developer Habana Labs Ltd. for $2 billion. Habana will continue to operate as an independent business unit under its current management team and will remain in Israel. In 2017 Intel bought Jerusalem-headquartered automotive chip developer Mobileye for $15.3 billion. Intel employs 12,000 people in Israel directly and another 1,100 through its subsidiary Mobileye. The State of Israel will collect somewhere between $350-$500 million of tax revenue from the sale. 

News Update

President Reuven Rivlin gave the Israeli public some encouragement regarding the upcoming unprecedented third round of elections scheduled to be held on March 2. He said, “We must not allow ourselves to sink into despair or grievance, which does no good. We must not lose faith in the democratic system or in its ability to create the reality we live in with our own hands. When the time comes, we will all exercise our democratic right and do it in the hope of a better future, as soon as possible, for us all.”

Blue and White leader Benny Gantz said that if he becomes the next PM, he will consider agreeing to a pardon for PM Netanyahu if he agrees to retire from political life. He said, “We don’t want to see another prime minister behind prison walls.” Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman also raised the idea of a pardon saying, “No immunity, pardon in exchange for honorable retirement.” He added that he believes that most of the Knesset would agree to a pardon.

Moshe Feiglin, leader of the right-wing libertarian Zehut party, said that his party will not run in the upcoming election.

The latest poll shows Blue and White with a 6 seat lead over Likud. But that would still not give them the ability to form a government. The poll, by newspaper Yisrael Hayom, also showed that Netanyahu Likud rival Gideon Sa’ar would get the same number of votes as the PM. But unlike the PM, he would potentially be able to form a unity government with Blue and White.

News Update

Likud and Blue and White have finally agreed … to a date for new elections – March 2 – unless something unexpected happens before midnight on Wednesday, and a government can be formed before the deadline expires. According to the latest poll, Likud and Blue and White would each pick up two additional seats, but the overall left-right balance would remain the same.

Russian media is reporting that Russian SU-35 fighter planes at an airbase in Syria were scrambled to intercept an alleged Israeli attack near a military base in southern Syria earlier this month. The reports have not been confirmed by Israel or Russia.

The Norwegian Parliament decided last week to cut funding for the education system of the Palestinian Authority, due to evidence of the existence of materials inciting violence, terrorism, and martyrdom in school curricula across the Palestinian territory. A statement by the ruling coalition said, “Examples of content found in Palestinian school books include references to violence, martyrdom and terror. The coalition considers this to be devastating to the peace process and the development of democracy in the region, as well as being an expression of irresponsible pedagogy, and finds it unacceptable that Norwegian funds support a school system that promotes such destructive values.” Norway previously promised to transfer around $24 million to the Palestinian Education Ministry by 2022.

The tires of around 100 vehicles in the Arab neighborhood of Shuafat were found punctured early today. Statements such as: “Arabs equal enemies”, “No place for enemies in our land” and “When Jews get stabbed do not remain silent” were also found graffitied on several houses and cars in the neighborhood. Police are searching for the suspects, who were captured on security video but cannot be identified.