Northern Tunnels
GOC Northern Commander Maj. Gen. Yoel Strick on Thursday gave the commander of the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) a tour of the Hezbollah terror tunnel the IDF uncovered near Metula, and protested the violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 (that ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War). Strick presented the UNIFIL commander with aerial photos of a group of houses in the Lebanese village of Ramyeh, where the IDF says there is another terror tunnel is crossing into Israel, and demanded that UNIFIL work with the Lebanese army to neutralize it.

The IDF is currently in the midst of Operation Northern Shield, to expose and neutralize terror tunnels Hezbollah has constructed along the Israel-Lebanon border since 2006.

PM Netanyahu told 25 foreign ambassadors during a tour of the tunnel site in the upper Galilee. “This operation is just beginning but in the end, the tunnels weapon, in which Hezbollah has invested so much, will not exist and will not be effective.”

He added, “Israel expects an unequivocal condemnation of Hezbollah, the imposition of additional sanctions on Iran, a condemnation from the Lebanese government and a demand that it stop giving its approval for the use of its territory for these attacks against Israel.” 

He also said that Israel plans to demand a response from the international community at a meeting of the UN Security Council called for by Israel.

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Failed Resolution
The US attempt to get a UN resolution passed condemning Hamas terror failed to get the required two thirds support in the General Assembly. The US draft resolution got 87 votes in favor, 58 against, 32 abstentions and 16 countries did not vote. In an earlier procedural move requested by Kuwait, the 193-member body narrowly voted to require two-thirds support and not a simple majority for adoption of the draft resolution.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the assembly prior to the vote, “Before the General Assembly can credibly advocate compromise and reconciliation between the Palestinians and Israel, it must on record, unambiguously and unconditionally, condemn Hamas terrorism.” She also warned that, “The United States takes the outcome of this vote very seriously.”

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted, “Following just days after Hamas indiscriminately fired thousands of missiles at Israel’s citizens, UN could not muster a resolution condemning this band of terrorists. This is yet another disgraceful act of bias toward the Jewish State.”

PM Netanyahu tweeted, “While it did not achieve a two-thirds majority, this is the first time that a majority of countries have voted against Hamas and I commend each of the 87 countries that took a principled stand against Hamas.”

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Laser Defense
The Ministry of Defense is accelerating and budgeting a plan to develop a new missile interception system using powerful lasers.

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Anti Semitism
The European Union’s 28 Interior Ministers unanimously approved an 11-page declaration Thursday recognizing a common definition of anti-Semitism and acknowledging Jewish concerns given the prevalence of attacks in recent years. The Council of the European Union, composed of all EU leaders, is expected to also approve the declaration.

The declaration underlines the importance of education about the Holocaust and urges the EU’s police agency Europol to point out anti-Semitic terror content online to internet service providers. It is the first time that an official document of the Council of the European Union explicitly mentions the need to unite in the fight against anti-Semitism. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron were instrumental in getting the declaration approved by all EU nations. The final version of the declaration went through 84 drafts.

The EU countries promised to adopt and implement a holistic strategy to combat and prevent anti-Semitism, provide funding and implement measures to secure communities, promote Holocaust memory education, and pay special attention to anti-Semitism on the Internet.

For further reading click here.

Anti Israel
The International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague has reported significant progress in its preliminary investigation into a complaint filed by the Palestinians for war crimes allegedly committed by Israel in the 2014 Operation Protective Edge, during the 2018 protests on the Gaza border and over the construction of settlements and the demolition of houses in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. However, the Chief Prosecutor said, in the report, that she has not yet decided whether to open an official investigation and nor whether she has the authority to deal with the Palestinian issue.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued this statement: “The annual report of the prosecutor’s office on preliminary examinations has only just been published, and we are studying it. Recalling that Israel is not a member of the International Criminal Court, and our unequivocal position is that the tribunal has no authority to deal with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, inter alia, since the PA is not a state. We expect that at the end of the preliminary examination the prosecutor will confirm this.”

For further reading click here.

 

Bennett Furious
Education Minister Naftali Bennett lashed out at PM Netanyahu in reaction to reports that Netanyahu asked Shaul Elovitch, owner of the Walla! News website, to publish a story that Bennett’s wife, Gilat, worked as a chef at non-kosher restaurants. Bennett heads up the religious Bayit Yehudi party.

Bennett tweeted,”I feel sorry for you, Mr. Netanyahu. You personally took the trouble of calling the owners of Walla! to hurt my wife. This is a despicable and cowardly act. Shame on you.” He added, “I married Gilat, a wonderful woman, an Israeli from a secular home with values, and together we built a wonderful religious Zionist home. My family is the pride of my life. Don’t apologize to me, I’m not interested. Apologize to my wife.”

Netanyahu’s Likud Party rejected the demand for an apology and instead attacked Bennett for allegedly slandering Sara Netanyahu to the press.

For further reading click here.
 

Lights in Poland
Israel’s chief Ashkenazi rabbi, David Lau, lit a Hanukkah menorah in the Polish Parliament (Sejm) on Wednesday. Lau’s father, former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, is a holocaust survivor from Poland. This was the first time that a chief rabbi of Israel has lit Hanukkah candles at a public event in Poland.

Rabbi Lau said, “For me, this represents a closing of circles. Most of my family perished on this country’s soil, but today I am illuminating the darkness with these Hanukkah candles and thus perpetuating our glowing Jewish heritage.”

For further reading click here.

IDF Operation
The IDF launched Operation Northern Shield on Tuesday morning to expose and neutralize terror tunnels Hezbollah has constructed along the Israel-Lebanon border since 2006. The IDF claims that the tunnels are not operational and do not pose an immediate threat to Israel. The work is currently taking place in Israeli territory, but IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis noted that “Neutralizing the tunnels will not necessarily be done in our territory.” The operation is meant to last a few weeks.

One tunnel has already been found, stretching from a residential structure in the south of Kafr Kela in Lebanon and reaching 40 meters (130 feet) into Israeli territory. The IDF said it took Hezbollah two years to dig the 200-meters-long (656 feet) tunnel in the rocky terrain. One tunnel has already been found, stretching from a residential structure in the south of Kafr Kela in Lebanon and reaching 40 meters (130 feet) into Israeli territory. The IDF said it took Hezbollah two years to dig the 200-meters-long (656 feet) tunnel in the rocky terrain.

US National Security Advisor John Bolton said, “The US strongly supports Israel’s efforts to defend its sovereignty, and we call on Hezbollah to stop its tunneling into Israel and to refrain from escalation and violence. More broadly, we call on Iran and all of its agents to stop their regional aggression and provocation, which pose an unacceptable threat to Israeli and regional security.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying, “There is no doubt regarding Israel’s right to ensure its national security, including by preventing anyone from entering the country.”

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Domestic Violence
Around 30,000 people participated in a rally last night in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv against domestic violence directed at women. Other demonstrations took place throughout the day in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other cities and towns.

Demonstrations also took place in many Arab towns and cities. Dozens of men and women in Tira, Qalansawe and Tayibe protested throughout the day. They held up photos of women who were murdered and demanded to continue the struggle and put an end to domestic violence. A joint Jewish-Arab demonstration took place at the Givat Haviva Junction.
 
PM Netanyahu convened a special ministerial committee today to discuss the fight against domestic violence. The PM equated domestic violence to terrorism.

He said, “The victims are women who suffer from violence and beatings, and we are committed to implement the existing plans. I understand there is a larger budget than I thought, but it is not being utilized properly. A budget that is not utilized is like it doesn’t exist at all. We know what sums we have (at our disposal), and we will now act to get these funds out. If necessary, we’ll add funding too.”

Regarding the abusers, the PM said, “You don’t handle terrorism by only treating the victim. No one would imagine fighting terrorism without handling the terrorists. Those who can be rehabilitated, will be. But primarily we need punishment for these criminals.”

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan noted he prepared a multi-year plan to bolster the fight against domestic abuse by giving the police and the welfare authorities the tools they need to combat the phenomenon, including harsher punishments.

The PM ordered the fast tracking of a bill proposed by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Minister Erdan to combat domestic abuse using technological supervision. The bill would allow police to place GPS devices on suspected abusers to track their movements.

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Fire Prep
A State Comptroller’s report just published on the massive 2010 Carmel Forest fire that killed 44 people, reveals that local authorities and emergency services have not implemented the safety and preparedness measures learned from the tragedy. In addition, the comptroller warned about the authorities’ failures in dealing with high-rise buildings’ fires, which may turn into “death traps” for the buildings’ residents.

The Ministry of Public Security’s emergency department said that it is currently formulating and implementing a national emergency plan for dealing with a multi-faceted wave of fires.

For further reading click here.

Iranian Weapons
A Boeing 747 belonging to Iranian airline Fars Air Qeshm, which is reportedly used by the Revolutionary Guards to smuggle weapons, landed in Beirut yesterday. It was the first direct flight from Tehran to Beirut for the airline. The Iranians are suspected of smuggling advanced weapons systems into Syria and Lebanon.

For further reading click here.

Fake News
Syrian news agency SANA and Russia’s RIA news agency reported that the Syrian army shot down an Israeli warplane and 4 missiles yesterday during an attack at al-Kiswah, a town south of Damascus, which is only 50 kilometers away from the Israeli border. The town allegedly houses an Iranian base.

According to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, the Syrian reports are false and no Israeli plane was shot down. However, a surface-to-air missile was fired at an open area in the Golan Heights and IDF forces are searching the area for additional hits.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Thursday that “for the first time in 75 days, Israeli missiles directly attacked targets south of Damascus.”

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Sara Netanyahu
Sara Netanyahu, the PM’s wife, will head an Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry delegation to Guatemala in a couple of weeks. Mrs. Netanyahu and the Israeli delegation were invited, by the Guatemalan president’s wife, to take part in a cornerstone laying ceremony for a new neighborhood in a village called “Jerusalem,” which was recently built to house the victims of the Fuego volcano that erupted six months ago.

The improvised village was an initiative of Guatemala’s Jewish community rabbi, Joseph Gramon, with help from the ZAKA organization and local organizations. Mrs. Netanyahu is expected to announce additional Israeli aid in the fields of pediatrics and drinking water purification.

For further reading click here.

Partition Plan
On 29 November 1947, the United Nations General Assembly voted 33 to 13, with 10 abstentions and 1 absent, to partition Palestine into 2 separate states (Arab and Jewish). The momentous vote was widely celebrated in the soon to be Jewish state. The Arabs weren’t too happy with a state in only part of the land. When Israel officially declared statehood in May of 1948, the Arab nations tried to take the entire pie…and the rest is history.

The Israel Forever Foundation has some great articles about the momentous UN vote. To read more click here.

Making Donuts
With Hanukkah beginning on Sunday night, the website Israel21c has launched a 4 part web series to teach you how to make classic Israeli dishes in a one minute video. The first video is on making jelly donuts (sufganiyot), the traditional Israeli Hanukkah treat.

To watch the video click here.

Terror Attack
Early today, 3 soldiers doing road work on Route 60 in Gush Etzion were hit by a car driven by a terrorist. Two of the soldiers are listed in light condition and the third in moderate condition. The terrorist fled the scene but was later shot and killed by security forces.

For further reading click here.

Bahrain Next
After visiting Oman last month, PM Netanyahu will reportedly visit Bahrain. The Gulf state has 1.4 million people, including 40 Jews and one synagogue. Huda Ezra Ibrahim Nunu, a Bahraini Jewish woman, served as Bahrain’s ambassador to the US between the years 2008-2013. Attorney Nancy Dina Kadouri, also Jewish, serves as one of the members of the upper house of the National Assembly in Bahrain, whose members are appointed by the king. 

For further reading click here.

Africa and Israel
Chad’s President Idriss Deby visited Israel this past weekend for the first time. Chad is a Muslim majority central African nation that severed ties with Israel in 1972. At a press conference on Sunday with Deby, PM Netanyahu said, “Chad is a very important country. It’s an important country in Africa. It’s an important country for Israel. In the last two years I’ve been three times in Africa—East Africa and West Africa. Now I’m going to drop a big hint, I hope to come to the center of Africa. And I wish to bring with me Israeli entrepreneurs, Israeli experts, Israeli companies, everything that can improve the life of the peoples of Africa, which is something we believe in. Israel is coming back to Africa, Africa is coming back to Israel.”

One of the issues Netanyahu and Deby discussed was Israel’s intention to launch a direct fight route from South America to Israel crossing Nigeria, Sudan, and Chad’s skies, to which Deby reportedly agreed. Deby promised to assist in convincing Sudan to open its skies to Israeli flights.

The PM said, “As a leader of an African country, an important African country, a majority of whose population is Muslim, you are coming to Israel to renew our friendship and our relationship. I think it is a testament of what is going to happen with other such countries in Africa as well, and I believe that you are paving the way for many others.”

Deby said, “I’m happy to be here in your beautiful country. This visit will allow us to turn over a new leaf in the relations between both countries. This visit is historic for Israel as well as for Chad.”

Deby also met with Israeli President Rivlin, to whom he stressed his desire for a resumption of full diplomatic relations.

For further reading click here.

Thai Workers
After a year long investigation, the BBC is reporting that Thai workers in Israel are subject to abuse and neglect. The report suggests that the workers are subject to unsafe work practices, unsanitary living conditions in filthy and polluted environment, and that many of them are “overworked and underpaid.” The report also highlighted the dozens of unexplained deaths among Thai workers.

According to the report, the Israeli and Thai governments signed an agricultural labor agreement back in 2012, which saw 25,000 Thai workers being brought to the country to work on Israeli farms, and although technically the workers are legally protected, their working conditions depend on the farmers, who provide them with food and shelter and could terminate their employment at any moment.
 
Many of the Thai workers are forced to work many hours spraying pesticides without being provided protective equipment, with Israel using more pesticides per agricultural dunam than any other OECD country.

The Ministry of Labor issued an official response to the report, saying hundreds of inspections are carried out annually on farms that employ Thai workers with the help of interpreters. The ministry said, “More than 1,500 investigations have been opened since 2013—into pay and working hours. We’ve issued 3,000 warnings and 200 fines totaling more than $3.8 million.”

For further reading click here.

Major Pipeline
After two years of intensive discussions, Israel, Cyprus, Greece and Italy, with the backing of the EU, have reached an agreement on laying the world’s longest underwater pipeline for the export of gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe. The agreement should be signed in February 2019. Estimates are that it will take one year to arrange the financing for the project and five years to lay the pipeline, so that if all goes according to plan, the pipeline could be in place by 2025.

Under the terms of the agreement, exports of gas to the European market from Israel and Cyprus will be given preferential status. Other countries can be allowed to link up to the pipeline with the agreement of the founding countries. The pipeline, which will have a capacity of 10-20 billion cubic meters of gas, will be laid from Israel’s economic water to Cypriot waters and across Cyprus and via sea onto Greece, Crete and Italy.

For further reading click here.