Terror Attack
Yesterday an IDF officer was moderately wounded and two other soldiers lightly wounded after a terrorist breached the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip and opened fire at IDF troops. The IDF said the terrorist, Hani Abu Salah, who was killed during a shoot-out with the soldiers, belonged to a Hamas unit responsible for restraining border violence along the security fence. The IDF shelled a Hamas outpost near the border in response to the attack.

The attack occurred in the area where IDF is currently constructing an underground barrier along the border in order to prevent the terror group from building cross-border attack tunnels.

According to sources in Gaza, the terrorist’s border was killed by Israeli sniper fire during mass protests in the Strip in May 2018.

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Voting Cameras
The Likud Party is requesting the chairman of the Central Election Committee, Judge Hanan Melcer to allow cameras in polling stations in the Israeli Arab sector after they claim voting law violations had occurred in the last elections.

On election day last April, Judge Melcer was alerted to the fact that Likud party activists placed 1,200 cameras in polling stations in Israeli Arab cities and towns.

Though the law is not clear, Melcer had already allowed audio recordings in poling locations but has not allowed any filming inside the voting booth, except under special circumstances.
 
It was entirely forbidden to film voter lists or protocols but registration of voters as they arrive at the stations, present their I.D cards and receive an envelope in which to place their ballots, was permissible.
Likud is pressing to be allowed to film these procedures again claiming it will prevent illegal acts.

The Likud representative in the election committee David Bitan, claimed after the April 9 vote that violations of the law occurred, alleging that husbands voted on behalf of their wives and that voters were threatened as they arrived to place their ballot.

Israeli media reported earlier this week that the Likud budget for cameras in Arab sector polling stations has been increased to NIS 2 million, and that there is a plan in place to employ hundreds of “observers” on election day and have even sent a request to the Israel Police asking for protection for them on the day.

Supporters of the Likud initiative suggest the presence of cameras will deter those trying to sway the elections, while opponents insist this move besmirches an entire sector of the population and even keeps voters who are suspicious of authorities from exercising their rights.
 
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Some Perspective
Just to add some perspective to the Middle East, Saudi Arabia published new laws early Friday that loosen restrictions on women by allowing any citizen to apply for a passport and travel freely, ending a long-standing guardianship policy that gave men control over women.

Still in place, however, are rules that require male consent for a woman to leave prison, exit a domestic abuse shelter or marry. Women, unlike men, still cannot pass on citizenship to their children and cannot provide consent for their children to marry.

[Maybe civil rights activists in the US Congress should be focusing countries other than Israel?]

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Jlo Rocks
Jennifer Lopez performed in Israel Thursday evening as part of her global It’s My Party tour celebrating her 50th birthday. Go Jlo!

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Syria Strike
Syrian state television said on Wednesday that Israel attacked a strategic area in southern Syria overlooking the Golan Heights, where Western intelligence sources previously said Iranian-backed militias are known to be based. The London based opposition  Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that there were fatalities.

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Hamas Offer
Hamas terror group said yesterday that there’s a “real chance” to negotiate a return of Israeli MIAs and POWs but the window of opportunity “could soon be closed.” The statement came just hours after a state ceremony was held in Jerusalem commemorating Israeli troops fallen in the 2014 Gaza war known as Operation Protective Edge.

The bodies of IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, who were killed during Protective Edge, are thought to still be held by Hamas. In addition, Hamas claims to have captured, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, two mentally ill Israelis who voluntarily crossed into Gaza several years ago.

Speaking at the commemoration ceremony PM Netanyahu said, “We are committed to bringing Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, as well as Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, back home. I cannot go into detail here about everything that we are doing but we are doing very much.”

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Anti BDS
The US House of Representatives on Tuesday voted 398 to 17 to approve a non-binding resolution that opposes BDS, the boycott movement against Israel.

Introduced by a bipartisan group of members, the resolution supports a two-state solution, argues the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement is an effort to delegitimize Israel and urges “Israelis and Palestinians to return to direct negotiations as the only way to achieve an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

It also recognizes the right of an American citizen to “protest or criticize the policies of the United States or foreign governments.” Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, and Republican Reps. Lee Zeldin of New York and Ann Wagner of Missouri were initial co-sponsors of the resolution.

Democrat Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan tweeted earlier this month that the resolution is “unconstitutional” and aims to “silence” opposition to Israel’s policies. Rep. Ilhan Omar and Tlaib introduced their own resolution in response to the anti-BDS resolution, affirming that Americans have “the right to participate in boycotts in pursuit of civil and human rights at home and abroad, as protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution.”

The GOP-controlled Senate passed anti-BDS legislation earlier this year that would go farther than the House’s anti-BDS resolution by making it easier for states to fight against the BDS movement. Many Senate Democrats opposed the anti-BDS language, saying it violated First Amendment rights of Americans who want to boycott Israel. That measure hasn’t been taken up by the House.

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Alleged Hit
The Iranian Tasnim News Agency published a report Wednesday quoting unnamed official sources suspecting that Israel and the United States had assassinated Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency who died last week. Amano was 72 and died of “unknown causes”.

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Bye Fax
Israel’s Fax Law will go into effect on Friday, requiring government ministries and public bodies such as hospitals, the National Insurance Institute, health funds, and others, to allow the public to contact them via email instead of via fax. [Who still uses fax??]

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Yeshiva Visit
Billionaire and staunch Israel supporter Sheldon Adelson visited the famous Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak along with his wife Miriam yesterday. He toured the yeshivah, which is one of the largest and most prominent in Israel, on his electric chair/scooter and spoke with the Rabbi Kahaneman, the Yeshiva head. He was reportedly very moved by his visit.

To view video and images of the visit, click here.

Gaza Workers
Israeli officials are discussing the possibility of allowing 5,000 workers from Gaza to work in Israeli border communities. One security official in favor of the plan said, “It’s cheaper than paying Thai workers. They won’t have to sleep inside Israel, and most importantly, they’ll have something to lose, they won’t go off and burn the field in which they work.”

He added, “In Gaza, people will choose working in Israel over digging terror tunnels. Each of the 5,000 will be thoroughly checked on his way in and out of the Strip and will earn about NIS 3,500 in comparison to about NIS 1,000 he can make inside Gaza — if he’s lucky and has a job there. We’re talking about more than NIS 25 million each month, that will allow workers to purchase products in Gaza and improve the economic situation there, which will in turn bring calm.”

The Shin Bet is rejecting the idea, since unlike in the West Bank, Israel has no presence inside the Strip, and thus can’t make immediate arrests of terror suspects if it needs to. It presented state officials with recent cases in which Hamas took advantage of sick Gazans who entered Israel for treatment and sent them into the West Bank to deliver information, funds or weaponry for terror purposes. The Shin Bet fears that Hamas could send workers on similar missions inside border fence communities so they can to gather information on IDF patrols, school schedules and similar sensitive information.

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Election Update
The Labor party and Meretz have agreed to run in a joint list in the upcoming elections. They have also apparently asked Ehud Barak to throw his new party into the group too. The latest polls show that if the three parties ran together, they would win 15 seats, compared to the six and four currently held by Labor and Meretz respectively. But the alliance would not strengthen the left-wing camp as a whole and would weaken the center-left Blue and White party, giving the Likud an advantage.

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Controversial Purchase
The Ateret Cohanim Organization, which purchases properties in the various quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem for Jews to live in, has just recently purchased two hotels near Jaffa Gate (Christian Quarter) from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. The Patriarchate apparently didn’t know exactly to whom it was selling the properties. Now it wants the courts to overturn the sale. But the courts have upheld the deal. Ateret Cohanim is expected to vacate the current tenants of the building and replace them with Jewish resident.

In a Yedioth Ahronoth’s report, it was revealed that the former manager of the Petra Hotel, Ted Bloomfield, had received funds for years from the Ateret Cohanim organization in order to push for the deal to take place, and has records that prove it. In light of this new evidence, the Greek Patriarchy is expected to file a request to cancel the court ruling approving the sale.

If the sale is upheld and the buildings are vacated, it could cause a major crisis between Israel and the Greek Orthodox Church, which could also include Russia.

The controversy could also have an impact on other lands under dispute in the capital; the Patriarchy is the original owner of massive lands within Jerusalem’s Rehavia and Talbiye neighborhoods, leased to the Israel National Fund for a period of 99 years, set to end soon. Hundreds of Israelis could lose their homes in case the church reclaims its lands in these central West Jerusalem neighborhoods.

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Peretz Apology
In an official letter to the Jewish Agency Chairman, which was addressed to the leadership of the Jewish communities around the world and especially the Jewish Federations in North America, Rabbi Peretz wrote: “Out of deep worry for the fate of the Jewish People, I used the word ‘Holocaust’, an expression that expresses the depth of pain and may not have been in place. Of course I did not mean to hurt any Diaspora Jews.

He wrote, “In my remarks, I described how anxious I am for the future of the Jewish People, especially in light of the increasing phenomenon of assimilation among Diaspora Jews, something that keeps me up at night. As someone who has been a lifelong advocate of love of Jews, it is important for me to make it clear that I respect and cherish the entire Jewish People in Israel and the Diaspora. In this context, I would be happy to cooperate with you to deepen education to Jewish identity.”

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Ancient Find
A huge ancient settlement, one of the largest of its kind in the region, has been discovered during archaeological excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority near Motza Junction (near Jerusalem). According to Dr. Hamoudi Khalaily and Dr. Jacob Vardi, excavation directors at Motza on behalf of the Antiquities Authority, “this is the first time that such a large-scale settlement is discovered in Israel. At least 2,000 – 3,000 residents lived here – an order of magnitude that parallels a present-day city!” The settlement is thought to be from the Neolithic period, which lasted until 3,500 BCE.

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Hot Hot
A severe heat wave is hitting Israel today, with temperatures hitting 100 degrees Fahrenheit almost everywhere. Meteorologists say that the heat wave will be brief, and temps will begin to cool down by evening. Conditions will be extremely dry and there will be winds, so the Fire and Rescue Services are warning people not to light fires in open areas and forests.

Try to stay cool!

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Hamas Training
Hamas yesterday held a massive military exercise throughout Gaza. All land crossings were closed and fishermen were banned going out to sea. [I wonder what they’re training for…hmm.]

For further reading click here.

Tunnel Found
The IDF has discovered a tunnel in southern Israel, originating in Gaza. The tunnel was found in an area in which many similar excavations have been discovered over the last 20 years. At this stage, it appears that this is an old tunnel, not one that was recently excavated or was intended to be used by Hamas in the near future.

For further reading click here.

Strong Statement
Rafi Peretz, Israel’s Education Minister, was quoted as having said that “assimilation [meaning intermarriage] is like the holocaust”. Apparently this is supposed to cause some sort of outrage, but should it? What he clearly meant was that assimilation was destroying the Jewish people, just as the holocaust did. Of course it’s not violent, physical destruction. But the end results — the depletion of the Jewish community (less Jews) — are the same.

Aliyah Stats
According to Israel’s Bureau of Statistics, 28,000 Jews made aliyah (immigrated) to Israel in 2018, which is 6.6% higher than in 2017. Around 10,400 of the immigrants came from Russia, which is a jump of 46% from last year. The number of immigrants from France was 2,400, a 24% drop from last year. In total, 78% of immigrants came from Europe, 15% from North America, around 5% from Asia and the rest from Africa. Most of the new immigrants are highly educated.

3D Map
We found this great 3D map of Israel, that really clarifies the topography of the land and gives you insight into the strategic issues related to defending it. Click here.

Ethiopian Crisis
On Sunday an off duty police officer shot a 19 year old Ethiopian man, Solomon Tekah, in a Haifa suburb. The officer said he opened fire while walking with his family, in order to break up a fight that he felt was endangering his family’s safety. The officer’s conduct is being investigated and is under house arrest.

Yesterday, hundreds turned out for Tekah’s funeral. Later that evening thousands of protesters blocked several major highways throughout the country to protest what they consider to be racism against the Ethiopian community. Some protesters burned tires and smashed car windows. A total of 83 people were injured in the protests, including 47 police officers, and 60 protesters were arrested.

The PM called on protesters to stop blocking roads, while promising to work on solving the communities problems. He said, “We all mourn the tragic death of the teen Solomon Tekah, ” said Netanyahu. “We embrace the family. We embrace the Ethiopian community. These are not empty words. We know there are problems that need solving, and we need to work hard to solve them, but I ask one thing of you — stop blocking roads. We are a country with a rule of law. We won’t tolerate the blocking of roads. I ask of you, let us solve problems together while respecting the law.”

President Rivlin said,“We must exhaust the investigation into Solomon’s death and we must prevent the next death. The next hit. The next humiliation. We are all committed to this.”

He added, “The rage, it must not be expressed violently. The handful of protesters who chose violence is not the face of the protest. Let us sit together… Only in this way, in an open and piercing discourse, will we reach a change. We are brothers and sisters. We came here, all of us, to our homeland, which is home for every one of us, and we are all equal in it.”

For further reading click here.

Election Updates
Avigdor Lieberman strongly criticized the religious zionist pre-army prep schools, calling them hotbeds of extremism and private militias. He also said that the entire religious zionist sector was becoming much more extremist. Finally, he said that the Haredi parties should be kept out of the next government.

Ehud Barak said that he would not join in a government led by PM Netanyahu. And the granddaughter of former PM Yitzhak Rabin announced that she is joining Barak’s new party.

MK Amir Peretz won the Labor party primaries on Tuesday and will lead the party in the elections. It’s still unclear whether Labor will join together with any of the other left leaning parties in order to make sure they pass the threshold and make it into the Knesset.

Cyprus Hit
One of the missiles fired by the Syrian army to fend off the alleged Israeli attack earlier this week ended up hitting just outside of a village in northern Cyprus. Oops.

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