IDF Hides
A strange thing happened to a busload of IDF paratroopers on their way to the Kotel yesterday. As the bus was nearing the Damascus Gate, which has been the site of numerous terrorist attacks and Arab unrest, the police directed the commander to order his men to close the curtains on their windows. The police didn’t want to provoke Arabs who might see the bus filled with soldiers and attack it.
The soldiers protested the order, but the commander stayed firm and the soldiers obeyed. So the IDF snuck into Jerusalem without the Arabs ever knowing it.
The incident was exposed when one of the soldiers on the bus sent a photo of all the curtains drawn to his family on Whatsapp. He wrote, “We’re passing through Damascus Gate. The police asked us to close the curtains…did we liberate Jerusalem?!”
The IDF Spokesperson responded to the report saying: “The incident stands in opposition to the army’s instructions. It will be investigated and lessons will be drawn from it.”
Does this mean the police will also start hiding? Let’s see what new Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has to say about this matter.
For further reading click here.
Ettinger Released
Meir Ettinger, 24, the grandson of the late R. Meir Kahane, was released after being held for 10 months in administrative detention on suspicion of inciting violence against Arabs. Ettinger was not officially charged with any crime.
Under the conditions of his release, Ettinger will not be allowed to enter Judea and Samaria for a whole year and will also be forbidden from entering Jerusalem for six months. He will be under house arrest every night for the next three months and has been given a list of 92 people with whom he is not allowed to have contact.
Ettinger is at the top of the Shin-Bet’s list of most dangerous right-wing Jewish extremists. According to the Shin Bet, he is the leader of “The Revolt” – a fringe religious group bent on creating war between Arabs and Jews and on undermining the secular State of Israel.
For further reading click here.
Anti BDS Conference
More than 2,000 students, pro-Israel activists, diplomats and Jewish leaders participated in the world’s largest international anti-BDS conference yesterday at the UN.
The conference, spearheaded by Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Dannon, opened with the singing of the Israeli national anthem “Hatikvah,” included speeches from high ranking officials from all over the world, and even a performance by Jewish reggae artist Matisyahu.
Ambassador Danon called on those in attendance to unite in the fight against the BDS movement saying, “The truth is that this (unity) is the most effective weapon against BDS. BDS is modern anti-Semitism, and we must unite as one body in order to expose its true face and put an end to it.”
For further reading click here.
Temple Mount Construction
The Jerusalem Municipality has issued an order, approved by the Prime Minister’s Office, calling on the Waqf to halt all construction work on the Temple Mount.
The order cites Israel Antiquities Authority warnings that the Waqf’s construction activities along the perimeter wall of the compound are destructive and are damaging valuable artifacts found there.
For further reading click here.
Jerusalem Stats
According to 2015 statistics released by the Central Bureau of Statistics, the population of Jerusalem was 870,000, which is equal to 10% of Israel’s population. That makes Jerusalem the largest city in Israel.
534,000 residents (63%) identified as Jewish, non-Arab Christian, or other religions, while the Arab population was at 316,000 (37%).
Among the Jews residing in the city, 32% defined themselves as ultra-Orthodox, 17% as religious, 13% as traditional- religious, 15% are traditional but not very religious and 21% defined themselves as secular.
For more Jerusalem population statistics, click here.
Lots of Smoke
According to figures released by Israel’s Health Ministry, around 1 million Israelis, 21 years or older, are smokers. That’s a little over 20 percent of the population, which is on par with most European countries but significantly higher than the US, where the percentage of smokers is around 15%. Broken down by gender, Israeli men come in at 26% and women at just over 15%. Israelis spend over 2 billion dollars a year on cigarettes. They spend a bit less on dairy products.
The good news for Israeli lungs is that the numbers have been trending down over the decades, from a high of over 50%. But smoking is still acceptable in Israeli society and can be done just about anywhere, unlike in the US. So if you find yourself in an outdoor Tel Aviv cafe next to a smoker, too bad for you.
For further reading click here.
Beer Stream
Israeli company Soda Stream is branching out from soda … to beer. The company has announced a new home beer system called the Beer Bar, which allows consumers to make quality home-crafted beer using sparkling water and a unique beer concentrate.
The Beer Bar enables consumers to produce crafted beer in seconds by adding Soda Steam’s Blondie concentrate to sparkling water. Blondie contains 4.5% alcohol by volume, the average level found in most global beer brands. A one liter Blondie bottle yields approximately three liters of beer.
Soda Stream stock soared about 20% as a result of the announcement.
Before you get too excited just yet, the Beer Bar is currently only available in Germany and Switzerland.
For further reading click here.
Israel News for June 6, 2016
/by Arnie SingerJerusalem Day
Yesterday, Israel celebrated the 49th year since Jerusalem was reunified, in 1967. At a special ceremony on Ammunition Hill, the scene of a fierce battle during the Six Day War that claimed the lives of 36 Israeli paratroopers, PM Netanyahu pledged, “We will never abandon the Kotel and our ties to the Temple Mount will never be denied.”
Speaking at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva later in the evening, the PM said, “We will not be ousted from our city or our land. I will not oust people from their homes and we will not be ousted from our homes.” He added, “There was no peace [here] for the [three] religions until Jerusalem was under Israeli sovereignty. Someone was always dispossessed. It is only when we watch over the city, under Israeli sovereignty, that there can be freedom for the three religions.”
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of marchers and spectators braved the rain to take part in the annual Celebrate Israel Parade in NYC yesterday.
For further reading click here.
Ethiopian Commemoration
As Israel celebrated the reunification of Jerusalem yesterday, the Ethiopian community commemorated the 4,000 Ethiopian Jews who died while in the process of leaving Ethiopia for Israel during Operation Moses. The majority of the deaths came as a result of starvation and disease while waiting in refugee camps to be airlifted.
Operation Moses, run by the Mossad and the CIA, succeeded in smuggling 8,000 Ethiopian Jews from refugee camps in Sudan to Israel from 1984-1985.
Thousands of members of the Ethiopian-Israeli community took part in the annual ceremony on Mt. Herzl. Also in attendance were Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, and the new Minister of Immigrant Absorption Sofa Landver (Yisrael Beitenu). The PM and the President both spoke about the battle against racism and discrimination.
The PM said, “I place the utmost importance on the elimination and eradication of racism and discrimination. It is an outrageous phenomenon in our country, something which is intolerable, and something which we must come out against with all of our power. (Racism and discrimination) have no place in Israeli society. You are flesh and blood part of our nation, and equal amongst equals. We salute the thousands of victims who fell during their trek from Ethiopia to Israel.”
For further reading click here.
Tough Love
Israeli paratrooper training is grueling. But one paratrooper platoon commander has taken it a step too far. The commander is on trial in a Jaffa military court for throwing a tear gas grenade into a tent full of his soldiers in order to wake them up.
According to the investigation, the platoon leader in question asked one of his soldiers to awaken the platoon at 7am. The soldier failed to do so because, he claimed, his telephone turned off. The commander, who two days earlier had warned his soldiers that he would throw a tear gas grenade into the tent if they failed to wake up on time, fulfilled his threat.
Several soldiers were injured as a result of trying to escape the tent and many of the soldiers were made ill by the gas.
The platoon commander had a history of violent acts against his soldiers. But in spite of his actions the commander was returned to his post, pending the trial results. The brigade commander explained, “In light of the fact that it was carried out in an environment in which unconventional acts such as these prevailed, he should not be dismissed…The main message is that the correct path is to fight against incidents such as these.”
For further reading click here.
Too Crowded
How many people can the Land of Israel bare? According to Dr. Alon Tal, founder of Adam Teva V’Din – Israel Union for Environmental Defense, the most pressing issue facing Israel today is overpopulation. He said that the current Israeli population growth rate is unsustainable in many ways. “We would need to be building 60,000 new apartments each year to keep up, but that’s not happening.”
Based on Israel’s current population growth, there could be 50 million people in a few decades. Think about that for a minute.
While this sounds amazing for business, is it practically sustainable? Does this mean a larger diaspora? Or a larger Israel?
One of Tal’s recommendations is to cut the current government subsidies for each new child beyond the second. He is also a big proponent of adoption as a way of maintaining the population balance.
For further reading click here.
Ask the Rabbi
A man interested in making aliyah asked Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, one of the premiere rabbinic authorities, where he should settle in Israel. The rabbi responded, “Jerusalem or Beni Brak.” The man then said that he couldn’t afford an apartment in Jerusalem or Beni Brak, but only in Netanya. The rabbi responded that he could live in Netanya, as long as his apartment was near Kiryat Sanz (the Chassidic enclave), “for there is Torah there.”
Did real estate values just go up there?
For further reading click here.
New Jews
Yes, there are now Jews in Madagascar. No, not Chabad. These are 121 Madacascar natives who just recently underwent Orthodox conversions to Judaism. The converts are former Messianic Christians who believe, as do many of the island’s natives, that they are decedents of members of the 10 lost tribes.
To read more about this and watch a video, click here.
Israel News for June 2, 2016
/by Arnie SingerPeace Summit
The long awaited French sponsored peace summit kicked off in Paris today with representatives from 30 countries, the UN and the Arab League. Of course neither Israel nor the Palestinians were invited. Makes sense, right?
Meanwhile the PM is heading to Moscow on Monday to meet with Russian President Putin, in commemoration of 25 years since the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The PM has also been reaching out to China, India and Japan.
For further reading click here.
Unity Back
Sources in the government have revealed that negotiations to bring the Zionist Union party into the coalition have begun again. The main road block to the party’s entrance is co-party leader Tzipi Livni, the former foreign and justice minister. Sources close to the Prime Minister are working on convincing Livini to change her position. Party leader Isaac Herzog has previously indicting his willingness to join the coalition under certain conditions.
If the negotiations succeed, the main loser will likely be the Bayit Yehudi party. Netanyahu has consistently been at odds with party leader Naftali Bennett, and the party’s three cabinet seats could be needed as bargaining chips to be given to the Zionist Union. Bennet has indicated that he might pull out of the government if the Zionist Union is allowed to join.
For further reading click here.
Weapons Theft
A bag full of sophisticated hitech equipment was stolen from an IDF reserve unit training in the western Negev. The thief pulled up in an All Terrain Vehicle while the soldiers were unloading their equipment and waited until they had their backs turned before swiping the bag and taking off, in broad daylight. The soldiers gave chase but could not catch the thief. IDF regulations prohibit soldiers from implementing standard rules of engagement against thieves.
Apparently, thefts like this happen on a daily basis in the Negev. The weapons are usually smuggled into Egypt. Neither the IDF nor the police has figured out an effective way to deal with the thefts.
For further reading click here.
Gay Pride Parade
The annual Tel Aviv Gay Pride parade is making its way through the streets of the city today. There are an estimated 50,000 people participating in the march and around 200,000 expected to take part in parade related events. The parade will culminate in a huge beach party.
For further reading click here. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4811482,00.html
Celebrate Israel
The annual Celebrate Israel Parade will be marching down Fifth Avenue in NYC this Sunday. The parade will feature over 30,000 marchers and hundreds of thousands of spectators. There will also be an Israel related concert in Central Park after the parade. Show your support by attending.
For more information about the parade click here.
This Sunday is also Yom Yerushalayim, celebrating the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. We’ve got a lot to celebrate and be thankful for!
Israel News for June 2, 2016
/by Arnie SingerTerror Attack
A female terrorist attempting to stab soldiers near the West Bank settlement of Einav, in northern Samaria, was shot and killed before causing any harm.
For further reading click here.
Kahalon Calls Herzog
Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, the leader of the Kulanu party, called on opposition leader Isaac Herzog to join the government in order to advance the peace process. Kahalon urged Herzog “not to miss the historic window of opportunity that has been created. You don’t conduct a peace process and don’t create change from the opposition.”
There have recently been rumors of a potential peace summit sponsored by the Egyptians that would be based on the Arab League peace plan, which the Prime Minister has spoken positively about.
Kahalon said, “The rumors and talk of a substantial diplomatic process in our region are based on a lot more than just hints in the newspapers. There is the possibility of a significant change in direction on a regional level.”
He added, “This is not the time or place to go into detail, but we have a rare opportunity for a significant change in direction on a regional level. The holding of a regional conference in connection with which all of the interested parties in the region would be represented,is an important, desirable and proper plan. The Kulanu party and I will support it and we will advance it with all our strength.”
“Such a conference will change the rules of the game, will open additional channels to diplomatic progress and contain [the means] to extract the relations between us and our neighbors from the stalemate that they are in. Such a step will be a significant stimulus to the additional expansion of the coalition, and I don’t think the Zionist Union can refrain from taking part in such a challenge.”
Sounds like something real might be cooking in the peace pot.
For further reading click here.
US Embassy Move
In 1995 the US Congress passed The Jerusalem Embassy Act, which stated that “the United States Embassy in Israel should be established in Jerusalem no later than May 31, 1999.” Built into the act was a waiver authority allowing the president to postpone the move, in the interests of national security, for six month intervals. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama have all issued waivers at six-month intervals ever since.
Yesterday President Obama renewed the waiver. In a memorandum to Secretary of State of Kerry, Obama wrote, “Pursuant to the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 7(a) of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-45) (the “Act”), I hereby determine that it is necessary, in order to protect the national security interests of the United States, to suspend for a period of 6 months the limitations set forth in sections 3(b) and 7(b) of the Act.”
Doesn’t seem likely that the embassy will be moving anytime soon.
For further reading click here.
Kotel Controversy
Leaders of the Conservative and Reform movements warned PM Netanyahu that there would be a major crisis in relations with world Jewry if the controversy over the new egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall was not resolved over the next few weeks.
The PM told the leaders that he was committed to implementing the plan but suggested that certain modifications would be necessary to overcome objections voiced by his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners.
The government approved the plan to create a new egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall in January, but since then, no progress has been made in its implementation. The Ultra-Orthodox parties are objecting to a common entrance to the new space that would be shared with the existing Kotel entrance. They want the are new area to have a separate entrance.
The Ultra-Orthodox parties also do not want the new prayer area to be directly funded by the government and they oppose granting the Conservative and Reform movement representation on the governing board that will administer the area.
The PM needs the Ultra-Orthodox parties to uphold the government and its slim majority in the Knesset. So he needs to walk a fine line in order to solve this Kotel controversy.
For further reading click here.
Israel News for June 1, 2016
/by Arnie SingerIDF Hides
A strange thing happened to a busload of IDF paratroopers on their way to the Kotel yesterday. As the bus was nearing the Damascus Gate, which has been the site of numerous terrorist attacks and Arab unrest, the police directed the commander to order his men to close the curtains on their windows. The police didn’t want to provoke Arabs who might see the bus filled with soldiers and attack it.
The soldiers protested the order, but the commander stayed firm and the soldiers obeyed. So the IDF snuck into Jerusalem without the Arabs ever knowing it.
The incident was exposed when one of the soldiers on the bus sent a photo of all the curtains drawn to his family on Whatsapp. He wrote, “We’re passing through Damascus Gate. The police asked us to close the curtains…did we liberate Jerusalem?!”
The IDF Spokesperson responded to the report saying: “The incident stands in opposition to the army’s instructions. It will be investigated and lessons will be drawn from it.”
Does this mean the police will also start hiding? Let’s see what new Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has to say about this matter.
For further reading click here.
Ettinger Released
Meir Ettinger, 24, the grandson of the late R. Meir Kahane, was released after being held for 10 months in administrative detention on suspicion of inciting violence against Arabs. Ettinger was not officially charged with any crime.
Under the conditions of his release, Ettinger will not be allowed to enter Judea and Samaria for a whole year and will also be forbidden from entering Jerusalem for six months. He will be under house arrest every night for the next three months and has been given a list of 92 people with whom he is not allowed to have contact.
Ettinger is at the top of the Shin-Bet’s list of most dangerous right-wing Jewish extremists. According to the Shin Bet, he is the leader of “The Revolt” – a fringe religious group bent on creating war between Arabs and Jews and on undermining the secular State of Israel.
For further reading click here.
Anti BDS Conference
More than 2,000 students, pro-Israel activists, diplomats and Jewish leaders participated in the world’s largest international anti-BDS conference yesterday at the UN.
The conference, spearheaded by Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Dannon, opened with the singing of the Israeli national anthem “Hatikvah,” included speeches from high ranking officials from all over the world, and even a performance by Jewish reggae artist Matisyahu.
Ambassador Danon called on those in attendance to unite in the fight against the BDS movement saying, “The truth is that this (unity) is the most effective weapon against BDS. BDS is modern anti-Semitism, and we must unite as one body in order to expose its true face and put an end to it.”
For further reading click here.
Temple Mount Construction
The Jerusalem Municipality has issued an order, approved by the Prime Minister’s Office, calling on the Waqf to halt all construction work on the Temple Mount.
The order cites Israel Antiquities Authority warnings that the Waqf’s construction activities along the perimeter wall of the compound are destructive and are damaging valuable artifacts found there.
For further reading click here.
Jerusalem Stats
According to 2015 statistics released by the Central Bureau of Statistics, the population of Jerusalem was 870,000, which is equal to 10% of Israel’s population. That makes Jerusalem the largest city in Israel.
534,000 residents (63%) identified as Jewish, non-Arab Christian, or other religions, while the Arab population was at 316,000 (37%).
Among the Jews residing in the city, 32% defined themselves as ultra-Orthodox, 17% as religious, 13% as traditional- religious, 15% are traditional but not very religious and 21% defined themselves as secular.
For more Jerusalem population statistics, click here.
Lots of Smoke
According to figures released by Israel’s Health Ministry, around 1 million Israelis, 21 years or older, are smokers. That’s a little over 20 percent of the population, which is on par with most European countries but significantly higher than the US, where the percentage of smokers is around 15%. Broken down by gender, Israeli men come in at 26% and women at just over 15%. Israelis spend over 2 billion dollars a year on cigarettes. They spend a bit less on dairy products.
The good news for Israeli lungs is that the numbers have been trending down over the decades, from a high of over 50%. But smoking is still acceptable in Israeli society and can be done just about anywhere, unlike in the US. So if you find yourself in an outdoor Tel Aviv cafe next to a smoker, too bad for you.
For further reading click here.
Beer Stream
Israeli company Soda Stream is branching out from soda … to beer. The company has announced a new home beer system called the Beer Bar, which allows consumers to make quality home-crafted beer using sparkling water and a unique beer concentrate.
The Beer Bar enables consumers to produce crafted beer in seconds by adding Soda Steam’s Blondie concentrate to sparkling water. Blondie contains 4.5% alcohol by volume, the average level found in most global beer brands. A one liter Blondie bottle yields approximately three liters of beer.
Soda Stream stock soared about 20% as a result of the announcement.
Before you get too excited just yet, the Beer Bar is currently only available in Germany and Switzerland.
For further reading click here.
Israel News for May 31, 2016
/by Arnie SingerTerror in TA
A 19 year old soldier was stabbed in the head and upper body by a 17 year old Arab terrorist using a screwdriver. The attack took place near IDF headquarters as the soldier was returning to his home. The terrorist was arrested.
For further reading click here.
Only Son
The IDF has issued a new regulation that impacts the parents of only sons. Parents with only one son have always had the right to prevent them from serving in combat units. In the event that the parents gave their son permission to serve in a combat unit but later decided to change their minds and retract their permission, the IDF was required to retrieve the son from his combat role. If this happened during a war or combat operation, the IDF would have to send a team into combat to retrieve the son (something like what happened in the movie Saving Private Ryan).
During Operation Protective Edge in 2014, the IDF had to send forces as far as 2 kilometers into the battlefield on nine separate occasions to bring out soldiers whose parents had changed their minds. To avoid endangering the lives of the soldiers who would need to be sent in to retrieve the sons, the IDF has ruled that parents who permit their only sons to serve in combat can no longer change their minds and retract their permission.
Another new IDF regulation concerns private donations to IDF soldiers. Until now civilians could drive down to an army base or position and donate stuff directly to the soldiers. This was prevalent during Operation Protective Edge. Now all donations will have to go through special centers run by the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel’s Soldiers (AWIS, also known as Ha’aguda Lema’an Hachayal).
The new regulation is meant to protect civilians from getting too close to the battlefield and also to prevent waste as a result of an overflow of unneeded or unused donations. The donation centers will be able to properly allocate donations to where they are most needed.
For further reading click here.
Arab Peace Plan
In response to the Egyptian president’s call for Israel and the Palestinians to pursue negotiations based on a peace plan proposed by the Arab League, PM Netanyahu said yesterday that, “The Arab peace initiative includes positive elements that can help revive constructive negotiations with the Palestinians,” and that, “We are willing to negotiate with the Arab states on revisions to that initiative so that it reflects the dramatic changes in the region since 2002 but maintains the agreed goal of two states for two peoples.”
The Arab plan demands that Israel return all of the land captured in 1967, but it allows for the possibility of land swaps between Israel and the Palestinians.
Netanyahu’s speech came after the official swearing in of Avigdor Liberman as Defense Minister. Lieberman echoed the PM’s remarks saying, “President Sissi’s speech was very important; it creates a genuine opportunity that obligates us to pick up the gauntlet. I certainly agree that there are some very positive elements in the Arab Peace Initiative that will enable us to conduct serious dialogue with our neighbors in the region.”
Lieberman also said that he was in favor of a two-state solution as supported by PM Netanyahu in a 2009 speech at Bar Ilan University.
For further reading click here.
Landmark Legal Decision
Tel Aviv Magistrates’s Court Judge Itai Hermelin has ruled that under certain conditions the operation of a brothel can be legal.
Hermelin imposed restrictions on the operations of a Tel Aviv brothel. However, these were subject to the state committing to avoid prosecuting sex workers who use their own apartments or locations that are rented by several women together for the purpose of prostitution, or at a location rented by one woman who then invites other women to share it.
The penalty for operating premises for the purpose of prostitution can be up to five years in jail. But the judges landmark ruling might help women avoid that punishment.
According to Israeli law, prostitution is legal, but organized prostitution in the form of brothels or pimping is prohibited. In other words a prostitute can sell her services on the street, but not in the relative security of an apartment.
In his ruling judge Hermelin wrote, “As long as prostitution is permitted in Israel – with men allowed to buy sex from strangers for money – it is incumbent upon the state to minimize the risks these women face.”
He added that “pushing these women onto the street violates their dignity in an unacceptable manner. As a result, interpreting the law in a way that criminalizes prostitution taking place in a building is unconstitutional and must be rejected.”
Based on testimony heard in the case, Hermelin also harshly criticized the police, writing that, “The attitude of the police was depicted as degrading and harmful, sometimes bordering on violent abuse. There were repeated descriptions of women being chased out of buildings naked during police raids, with abusive language being used by policemen.”
For further reading click here.
Road Trip
If you’re looking to do a road trip from Tel aviv to Beersheva, you might want to make a few interested stops along the way. To check out what there is to see, click here.
Israel News for May 27, 2016
/by Arnie SingerJerusalem Fires
Apparently as a result of the many Lag B’omer bonfires in the city, several large fires are raging on the outskirts of Jerusalem and are approaching inhabited areas due to heavy winds.
Residents were evacuated from homes in the neighborhoods of Ramot, Gilo, Romema and Abu Gosh. Residents in nearby Mevaseret Zion were told to stay indoors with doors and windows closed.
Eighteen firefighting teams were deployed, as well as a water tank and eight firefighting planes. Jerusalem’s Fire Department has put out a cross-district general call for assistance.
Smaller fires have also broken out in numerous other areas of Israel.
I guess Smokey the Bear never made it to Israel.
For further reading click here.
General Meetup
As he prepares to take over the job of Defense Minister, Avigdor Liberman met with several IDF reserve major generals to assure them that they have nothing to worry about with him at the helm of the Defense Ministry. Liberman will need to put together an operating team with a Chief of Staff before taking office on Tuesday.
There’s a lot of uneasiness throughout the Defense establishment, as well as within much of the Knesset, with Netanyahu’s appointment of Liberman, given that his only military experience was his mandatory 3 year army service during which he reached the rank of corporal. The post of Defense Minister usually goes to a prominent general with extensive military credentials.
Does a Defense Minister need to have practical military experience? The US Secretary of Defense is usually a civilian. So maybe the model can work in Israel too? On the other hand, the military in the US isn’t an integral part of American daily life and the daily security of its citizens, like the IDF is in Israel.
For further reading click here.
Minister Resigns
Minister of Environmental Protection Avi Gabay (Kulanu) announced today that he is resigning from the government in protest to Avigdor Lieberman’s joining it. He reportedly admitted that the appointment of Liberman as Defense Minister was “a step that he couldn’t live with.”
Explaining his resignation Gabay said, “This week, a year after I entered the position, came something that I just couldn’t stomach: Liberman’s appointment to minister of defense, which is in my opinion irregular even in the cynical world of politics. The minister of defense is the most important minister. I urge the Prime Minister to pull himself together and remember that the security is security, and he is relying on people and leadership, not only on tanks and planes.”
Gabby, 49, previously served as the CEO of Bezeq, Israel’s “brick and mortar” phone company, before entering the public sector.
Will there be more resignations in protest of Liberman’s entry into the government?
For further reading click here.
Homefront
According to senior officials, the Homefront Command is forming civil defense units throughout northern Israel to be prepared in the event of a future conflict with Hezbollah. The Home Front Command is not officially part of the IDF and volunteers do not wear uniforms. Israel Arab citizens are being included in the civil defense units.
For further reading click here.
Elton in TA
As the LAg B’omer bonfires of Meron died out last night, stage lights illuminated Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv for an Elton John concert with 40,000 fans in attendance. Think about it.
To see video clips of the concert, click here.
Israel News for May 26, 2016
/by Arnie SingerTerror Attack
Terrorists threw two Molotov cocktails at two Border Police women near the Ofrit base, located near Hebrew University on Mt. Scopus. The two officers were lightly injured from the fire started by the firebombs.
For further reading click here.
Lag B’omer
Hundreds of thousands of Jews from all walks of life and religious leanings converged on the town of Meron in the Galilee yesterday to celebrate the festival of Lag B’omer at the tomb of the second century Talmudic sage Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai.
Lag B’omer is the 33rd day of the 49 days counted between the second day of Passover and the holiday of Shavuot. According to the Talmud, during this period of time in the second century in Israel, 24,000 students of the great sage Rabbi Akiva mysteriously died. One of the reasons given by the Talmud was that their deaths were punishment for their ill treatment of one and other. Whatever the reasons, the students stopped dying on Lag B’omer and so the rabbis turned it into a day of celebration.
But the massive gathering at Meron is primarily in commemoration of the Yahrzeit (anniversary of the passing) of Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai (also a student of Rabbi Akiva) who is credited in Jewish tradition for authoring the Zohar, the famous cornerstone of the Kabbalah (Jewish mystical teachings).
According to the Zohar, on the day of his death Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai gathered together all of his students, who were the greatest sages of the time, and revealed to them the deepest secrets of the Kabbalah. During this momentous session his home was filled with an intense light, like a fire.
To commemorate this holy and mystical event, thousands of bonfires are lit in Meron and throughout Israel. In fact, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said that most of the air quality monitoring stations noted a rise in particle concentrations due to the many bonfires lit.
The main bonfires in Meron are lit by prominent rabbis including many Hasidic Rebbes. The first bonfire was lit at 8:30 PM last night by the Boyan Rebbe, as has been done for the last 100 years.
In addition to the bonfires, thousands of 3 year old boys are given their first haircut at Meron, following the Kabbalistic tradition performed by the Arizal, one of the greatest expounders of Kabbalah who lived in 16th century Tzfat. Hundreds of hairdressers set up shop in the area to lend a professional hand.
The festivities in Meron continue until nightfall tonight.
May the bonfires and prayers at Meron bring light and peace to the entire world.
To watch the lighting by the Boyan Rebbe at Meron, click here. (Forward the video to the 4 hr. mark)
Temple Mount
Speaking at his swearing in ceremony as a new member of the Knesset, Rabbi Yehuda Glick, a longtime Temple Mount activist, called for an end to the ban on Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount.
Glick took over the seat of former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, who resigned after Avigdor Liberman was given the defense portfolio as part of the agreement to bring his party into the government.
In his remarks Glick said, “As long as I’m here, I will do all that is in my power to end the injustice that takes place every day at the holiest place in the world, where police officers are under orders to check whether a 90-year-old Jew is, God forbid, moving his lips or not.”
On the morning before assuming his new position in the Knesset, Glick visited the Temple Mount. But he won’t be doing so again as long as he is a Knesset member, in line with the directive given by the Prime Minister to all government and Knesset members (including Arab MKs) to not visit the Temple Mount.
For further reading click here.
Aliyah
According to figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics, 3.2 million Jews immigrated to Israel since the founding of the State in 1948. 1.35 million of those Olim have come since 1990, primarily from the former Soviet Union and its satellite states.
Since 1972, 115,195 Jews have made Aliyah from the US. According to the report, the top destinations for American immigrants is Jerusalem, which is home to 29,882 American Olim who arrived since 1972. Tel Aviv was a distant second with 10,620, followed by Beit Shemesh with 6,937, Raanana with 3,717, Haifa with 3,520, Netanya with 3,043, Modiin with 2,006, and Efrat with 1,978.
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Israel News for May 25, 2016
/by Arnie SingerDone Deal
PM Netanyahu and Avigdor Liberman finalized the agreement today that will bring Yisrael Beiteynu, with its six Knesset seats into the government. The PM said, “I welcome Avigdor Lieberman and his faction members as important partners to the coalition. I value his experience, we’ve worked together before for the security and welfare of the people of Israel.”
Referring to past disagreements with Liberman, the PM said, “It’s no secret we’ve disagreed with each other, that’s part of political life. Sometimes, in the heat of the argument, things were said by both of us that should not have been said. Now, we join hands to help Israel march forward.”
He also, once again, called on Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog to join the government, “so we can have a broader government, a true unity government that would strengthen the unity among the people.”
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Not so Fast
But wait, the drama is not over just yet. The new coalition agreement must be approved by the Knesset and by the government, and Bayit Yehudi Leader Naftali Bennett is threatening to vote against it. Bennett is demanding that a special military secretary be added to the cabinet in order to brief ministers on all breaking military issues. His demand comes in the wake of an official report that blamed the cabinet for mishandling Operation Protective Edge and The Second Lebanon War. Bennett claims that the military secretary to the cabinet will prevent those mishandling in the future.
Explaining his demand, Bennett said, “according to the law, the cabinet is the commander-in-chief of the IDF, not the prime minister or the defense minster. My concrete demand is to equip members of cabinet with intelligence and some tools so they could function better. The cabinet military secretary will meet with cabinet members on a regular basis and brief them on what’s happening on each of our borders, what is the situation of the enemy, what acquisitions the IDF is making, and more. We could delve into any important topic with him.”
Sounds like a reasonable request, but MK Yariv Levin, who heads the coalition negotiations on behalf of the Likud, has rejected Bennett’s demand out of hand. “We’re not renegotiating the coalition agreements with any of the partners, including Bayit Yehudi.”
Israel National Security Council chief Ya’akov Nagel was also critical of the demand, explaining that, “”Every minister can receive all the relevant information and receive preparation for the cabinet from members of the National Security Council. Every minister who wanted to – and there were ministers who wanted to – received all the relevant material ahead of cabinet discussions.”
The National Security Council produces a daily intelligence report on ongoing security matters and other issues, and Nagel made clear any minister who wanted to could receive this report and additional information that details the operational plans of the IDF.
Don’t worry, they’ll think of something.
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B’tselem Complaints
B’Tselem, the watchdog NGO that monitors alleged abuses of Palestinians by the IDF, has announced that it will stop filing Palestinians’ complaints against IDF soldiers with the military justice system. The group claims that its petitions have brought no justice.
In a statement, the NGO said, “The organization does not wish to assist authorities in their attempts to create a false picture of justice being served. B’Tselem has decided to no longer approach the military law enforcement system. This also applies to cases in which soldiers are suspected of violating the law, even with the understanding that Palestinian victims have no other recourse for filing a complaint against those who harm them.”
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PM is Sephardi
We all know that PM Netanyahu is a master politician, but this goes way beyond anything you could imagine. At a visit to the Diaspora Museum in Tel Aviv, the PM announced that based on DNA testing done on his brother, he is part Sephardi.
The Netanyahu family, which is originally from Lithuania and is directly descendant from the Vilna Gaon, has Spanish roots. That’s not exactly “mizrahi”, which is what the majority of Israelis who came from Arab lands are, but it’s close enough to claim dual membership in both the Ashkenazic and Sephardic population.
So who needs a “unity government” when you have a “unity Prime Minister”?
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Gett Serious
Uber beware. The Israelis are coming after you, with a vengeance. Israeli tax-hailing company Gett (formerly Get Taxi) announced today that it has raised $300 million from German carmaker Volkswagen. This brings the amount raised by the Tel Aviv-based company to $520 million.
Gett was founded in 2010 and offers a range of transport and courier services in 60 cities worldwide including New York, London, and Moscow.
So a German company is funding an Israeli startup to compete against an American company with a German name. Next time you need a cab, consider going with the Israelis. And don’t worry, you most likely won’t get an Israeli driver – – unless you’re in Israel.
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Israel News for May 24, 2016
/by Arnie SingerTerrorist Neutralized
A female terrorist attempted to stab Border Police officers at a checkpoint north of Jerusalem yesterday.
According to the investigation report, at around 2:30 p.m. an Arab woman drew the suspicion of Israeli forces at the checkpoint, who called on her to stop. When she did not heed their instructions and continued approaching, officers fired in the air, as per protocol. She then drew a knife and ran towards them. Officers opened fire, fatally wounding the terrorist. Paramedics confirmed her death soon after. No officers were harmed.
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Returning Bodies
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan instructed police today to stop returning the bodies of terrorists to their families for burials. The decision comes after last night’s funeral of terrorist Alaa Abu Jamal, which turned into a pro-terror rally and incitement when 200 East Jerusalem residents crowded outside the cemetery calling out “Allahu Akbar” and “In blood and spirit we will avenge you, shahid.” Border Police prevented the crowd from entering the cemetery.
Abu Jamal had been an employee of the Bezeq phone company when he ran over pedestrians at a Jerusalem bus stop with his car, and then exited his vehicle and hit his wounded victims with an ax, killing 60 year old Rabbi Yishayahu Krishevsky.
The police had delayed the return of the bodies of East Jerusalem terrorists for six months, until the families signed agreements to hold the funerals at night with a small number of participants, in order to avoid the funeral stunning into venues of incitement.
Explaining his decision, Minister Erdan said, “I was just shown the outrageous images from the funeral last night in East Jerusalem, in which the conditions set by the police were violated and the commitments made by the families were broken. The terrorists’ families lied to the High Court of Justice. It’s a shame the High Court believed them and pressured the police to return all the bodies by Ramadan.”
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Egyptian Peace Summit
While the French are working on their peace summit that will not include the Israelis or Palestinians, the Egyptians are quietly working on their own peace initiative meant to bring both parties together.
In the last few days the Egyptians have been pushing hard to organize a summit between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who will lead the summit in Cairo.
Al-Sisi said on Egyptian television, “I say to the Israelis and ask the Israeli leadership to allow the broadcast of this speech at least once or twice. There is a real opportunity for peace even if in the short term there is no real basis given the conditions in the region.”
Maybe France should leave peace in the Middle East to the people that actually live there and understand how to get things done in that part of the world?
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Open Door
With coalition talks with Yisrael Beiteynu still in process, PM Netanyahu told the opposition, at a special Knesset meeting commemorating Theodore Herzl, that he was still open to forming a unity government with them. Responding to opposition leader Isaac Herzog’s claim that Netanyahu had closed the door on a unity government the PM said, “I haven’t closed the door. The door is open. There is still an opportunity to unite the nation. There is an opportunity for national reconciliation. I call upon you and your members not to miss this opportunity, and to join the national effort.”
The deal bringing Yisrael Beiteynu into the government was supposed be signed and sealed already, but Finance Minister Moshe Kahalon is preventing the deal from closing by refusing to commit the funds necessary to fulfill the party’s demand to increase the pensions of immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Kahalon insists that he has already proposed a plan to increase pensions of the elderly across the board and that he will not discriminate by favoring any one group.
Yisrael Beiteynu leader Avigdor Liberman claims that his pension condition is a deal breaker, and that he will not join the government without it being fulfilled. But sources in Likud are saying today that Liberman has, in fact, accepted Kahalon’s proposals and that a final deal is imminent.
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Electric Road
The Tel Aviv municipality has installed a strip of “electric road” which can charge electric cars as they drive on it. The strip of road in northern Tel Aviv is part of a trial being conducted by startup ElectRoad, which has developed technology designed to power and charge vehicles by means of cordless power transfers as they drive.
Oren Ezer, the entrepreneur behind ElectRoad, said the process of turning a road into a “smart road” is relatively simple, despite the complicated-sounding nature of the technology. Grooves are carved into the asphalt and a chain of copper loops inserted. The chain is connected to a power converter at the side of the road.
Electric cars fitted with the company’s technology have contacts fitted onto their undercarriage that receive electricity when driving over the smart road. The smart road is designed to give the vehicles enough energy to power them, as well as to charge their batteries.
If the electric road works, it will mean that electric car batteries can be smaller and much less expensive, since they’ll be able to be recharged automatically, while driving.
For further reading click here.
Israel News for May 23, 2016
/by Arnie SingerPM Holds Posts
Just because the PM has welcomed Yisrael Beiteynu into the government, moving it further to the right and providing it with a safer (67 seat) majority in the Knesset, does’t mean that he’s given up on the hope of bringing Issac Herzog and the opposition into the government too. To retain his bargaining power, the PM is holding on to his positions as Foreign Minister, Communications Minister, Economy Minister and Regional Cooperation Minister, in the event that he can use them to persuade the opposition to join his coalition.
Members of the opposition have said that there is no way they’d ever join the government, especially after Israel Beiteynu’s inclusion, but stranger things have happened in Israeli politics. So the PM continues to be the busiest man in government, and the potential for a future negotiation remains alive.
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Coalition Deadlock
The negotiations to finalize the coalition deal between Yisrael Beiteynu and the government continue, with the issue of pensions remaining unsolved.
Yisrael Beiteynu is demanding that the pensions of retired immigrants from the former Soviet Union be increased. The Finance Minister is refusing to budget the extra money for that, claiming that doing so would discriminate against the elderly who are not from the former Soviet Union.
Finance Minister Moshe Kahalon says that he is working to create a plan whereby all elderly in Israel would get pension increases. But Yisrael Beiteynu head Avigdor Lieberman is standing firm in his demand as a precondition for bringing his party into the government. Blackmail?
The PM called for a meeting today between the two sides to break the deadlock, but no progress was made. So the drama continues.
For further reading click here.
PM Rejects French
In a meeting with France’s Foreign Minister in Jerusalem today, PM Netanyahu (who is also Israel’s Foreign Minister) rejected the French proposed and sponsored Middle East peace summit. The PM told the French FM that direct, face to face, talks between himself and PA leader Abbas are the only way to reach a peace agreement.
The peace conference, which is scheduled for June 3, is meant to be attended by world leaders who will try to come up with a peace plan, without the attendance of either the Palestinians or the Israelis at the conference. PA President Abbas is in favor of the conference.
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