Israel News for January 20, 2017

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Embassy Move
The incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer held his first news conference yesterday during which he told reporters to “stay tunes” for details on Trump’s plan to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. He said, “There will be a further announcement on that. The president has made clear that Israel has not gotten the respect it deserves.”

Spicer said that Trump had been consulting with his choice for ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and his nominee for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, on whether to make the move.

Friedman is the only one of the three who has publicly stated his desire to move the embassy. Do Kushner and Tillerson agree?

Would moving the embassy immediately be a good negotiating tactic in what Trump has called the toughest negotiation ever, or would the mere threat of moving it be a more powerful tool to pressure the Palestinians into making a deal?

Regarding Kushner’s potential to succeed at his new role as Senior White House advisor with a special focus on the Middle East, Trump addressed Kushner saying, “If you can’t produce peace in the Middle East, nobody can. OK. All my life I’ve been hearing that’s the toughest deal in the world to make. And I’ve seen it, but I have a feeling that Jared is going to do a great job.” [Looks like Trump is feeling some “nachas”]

If you’re wondering what the leftist academics think about Trump and his Jewish advisors and supporter, here’s what Columbia University Professor of Modern Arab Studies Rashid Khalidi recently said:

“So they have a vision whereby the occupied territories aren’t occupied, they have a vision whereby there is no such thing as the Palestinians, they have a vision whereby international law doesn’t exist, they have a vision whereby the United States can unilaterally cancel a decision in the United Nations.

And unfortunately, these people infest the Trump transition team, these people are going to infest our government as of January 20. And they are hand in glove with a similar group of people in the Israeli government and Israeli political life who think that whatever they think can be imposed on reality.”

Meanwhile, hundreds of Palestinians participated in PA sponsored demonstrations against the planned embassy move in Nablus, Ramallah and Hebron.

For further reading click here.

Better Travel
Traveling between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem just got a lot easier and safer with the opening of the new Harel Tunnels on Highway 1. The road, which connects Jerusalem to Tel Aviv is infamous for its extreme curves and traffic congestion. The new tunnels, which run under the city of Mevasseret Zion and the most dangerous stretch of road, will hopefully change that.

At a ribbon cutting event PM Netanyahu said, “The Harel Tunnels that we are inaugurating, together with a bridge that eliminates the dangerous curve, which they called the curve of death — and with the train that will soon run on these tracks — all these will provide a boost for Jerusalem.”

According to estimates by the Transportation Ministry, the tunnels and bridge are expected to cut travel time from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to about 30 minutes (from about 50) if there is no traffic congestion. [That’s a big if.]

For further reading click here.

Must See
Israeli artist Shahak Shapira has created a unique online collection of images called “Yolocaust”, which communicates a clear and shocking message. The photos are of people taking selfies at the Holocaust memorial in Berlin. But when you mouse over the image, something happens. Instead of explaining it to you, you need to see it for yourself. Click here.

Israel Books
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Israel News for January 19, 2017

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New Missile System
After years of research and development, the Ministry of Defense Homa Administration (Israel Missile Organization), part of the Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, and the US Missile Defense Agency delivered the first new Arrow 3 advanced air defense system interceptors to Israel air force air defense units.

The Arrow 3 can intercept ballistic missiles carrying nuclear warheads while they are still in outer space. That means if someone (like Iran?) launches a nuclear missile at Israel, the Arrow 3 can intercept and destroy it before it reenters the atmosphere, thus avoiding any damage or fallout from the explosion. In the event that the Arrow 3 misses, the Arrow 2 missile defense system will kick into action and get the job done. Of course, there’s always Iron Dome as a last resort.

For further reading click here.

Funeral and Protest
Hundreds attended the funeral of Sgt. Maj. Erez Levi, the police officer who was killed in yesterday’s terror car ramming attack in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran. Levi leaves behind a widow and two small children.

Police were in the village to carry out demolition orders on several illegally built structures when the terrorist rammed his car into them, killing Levi and injuring 5 others including another police officer and an Arab MK. The terrorist was shot and killed. Several Arab MKs participated in the protest and violence against police in Umm al-Hiran.

Many Arab communities have called a general strike today to protest the demolitions. The Arab Monitoring Committee also announced three days of mourning as an expression of solidarity with the family of the car rammer, claiming that he was not a terrorist but just someone killed intentionally by police.

For further reading click here.

Trump Forgets Not
Donald Trump spoke to Yisrael Hayom reporter Boaz Bismuth in Washington yesterday who asked him, “You haven’t forgotten your promise about the embassy in Jerusalem?” Trump replied, “Of course I remember what I told you about Jerusalem. Of course I haven’t forgotten and you know I’m not a person to breach promises.“ Trump added, “I can’t wait to start working with Israel. At the end of the week the relationship between us begins in earnest.”

For further reading click here.

PA Vacation
If you’re using the travel website hotelcombined.com to plan your next vacation getaway to Israel, you might end up in Palestinian territory. That’s because several luxury hotels in the Palestinian Authority are getting rave reviews on the site.

One of the leading PA hotels is Movenpick, a 170 room five-star hotel in Ramallah, which received a near-perfect rating of 9.6 from the website. The rating weighs indices such as cleanliness, service, diversity of facilities and services, and meals.

Another five star Ramallah hotel, the Palestine Plaza, received a 9.0 rating. It’s 100 rooms are located on the 15th to 20th floors of the tallest building in the PA.

If you’re looking for a more pilgrimage oriented experience, the Jacir Intercontinental, a five-star hotel in Bethlehem, rated 8.9. The 250-room hotel offers its guests a tennis court, heated swimming pool, spa, and nightclub.

A night in one of these hotels can run you anywhere from NIS 440 to over NIS 1,000 per night. Tourists are coming from abroad as well as from Israel.

Apparently things aren’t as bad as you think in the PA.

[But I’d recommend sticking with Tel Aviv and Jerusalem over Ramallah and Bethlehem, for so many reasons…]

For further reading click here.

Israel Books
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Israel News for January 18, 2017

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Ramming Attack
A Bedouin, believed to be a member of the Islamic Movement terror group, rammed his car into police early this morning in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran in southern Israel. Israeli police officer Sgt. Maj. Erez Levi, 34, was killed. Five people were wounded including another policeman and Arab MK Ayman Odeh, the head of the Joint List party. The terrorist was shot dead.

The police and security forces had arrived at the village to carry out demolition orders against several illegally constructed homes. Residents of the village also fired on the police, who returned fire. Police described the attack as similar to the one in Jerusalem last week, where a terrorist rammed his truck into soldiers.

For further reading click here.

Stabbing Attack
Last night a terrorist holding a knife charged at soldiers manning a checkpoint near Tulkarm. The soldiers from the Home Front Command’s Shahar Battalion warned him to stop. When he did not, the battalion’s deputy commander, a major, shot at the terrorist and killed him.

To watch a video of the attack click here.

Ma’aleh Adumim
MK Bezalel Smotrich (Bayit Yehudi) announced in the Knesset that the Ministerial Committee on Legislation will debate a bill, on Sunday, to annex Ma’aleh Adumim. The city of over 37,000, considered to be a settlement, is located just minutes to the east of Jerusalem along Highway 1 in the West Bank (Judea).

Right-wing lawmakers believe there is enough support in the Knesset for its passage, given that the government and many Israelis hold that Ma’aleh Adumim will be part of Israel’s final borders in any final status agreement with the Palestinians. The debate on the annexation bill taking place days after the inauguration of Donald Trump is no coincidence.

But will Trump support annexation? Does it fit into his negotiation strategy? Is pushing the issue just days into his new administration such a good idea?

For further reading click here.

Brazil Approves Ambassador
After a year and a half without one, Israel finally has an ambassador in Brazil. The Brazilian government approved Israel’s appointee Yossi Shelly, a close confidant of PM Netanyahu. Brazil refused to endorse Israel’s original appointee, Dani Dayan, because of his history as a settlement leader. Dayan is now serving as Consul General of Israel in New York.

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement following Shelly’s nomination, saying that it marks a new chapter in the two countries’ relationship, and that the nomination is sure to strengthen their ties in the fields of trade and commerce.

For further reading click here.

Traffic Fines
The Knesset’s Economic Affairs Committee approved an order yesterday to increase punishments for serious crimes, including traffic violations. Drivers who run a red light will now be fined NIS 1,500. However, failing to yield to pedestrians will only cost drivers NIS 250. Last year 376 Israelis died in traffic accidents. Will stricter fines help?

For further reading click here.

Israel Books
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Israel News for January 17, 2017

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New Law
The Knesset yesterday passed a law that recognizes verdicts by military courts in the West Bank as admissible evidence in legal procedures in Israeli civilian courts. This is expected to Israelis much and time and money when suing Palestinians in Israeli courts, who have already been convicted in military courts in the West Bank.

Opposition members blasted the new law as the first step in annexing the West Bank. The Attorney General had also warned that the law could have severe international repercussions as it could be a violation of international law.

For further reading click here.

Drone Crash
An IDF Skylark drone crashed in southern Lebanon yesterday, near the Israeli border. The IDF is investigating the circumstances of the malfunction that caused the drone to crash. The Lebanese army is searching for the drone.

For further reading click here.

Corruption Scandals
There are several investigations and potential investigations into various corruption allegations relating to PM Netanyahu. The PM denies all of the allegations and nothing conclusive has been made public by police, nor have nay charges been filed. So until there’s something conclusive to announce, we’re going to leave this whole affair on the back burner. No sense speculating about things that might not be true, right?

Car Share
The Tel Aviv municipality is getting into the car rental business…sort of. The municipality announced today a plan for a car-sharing venture called Autotel in which 260 cars will be distributed around the city and will be available to be rented by the minute.

Autotel will be a subscription service available any Israeli resident or tourist. Tel Aviv residents will get a special digital card that will give them automatic discounts on usage fees.

The service will be ordered through a special app that will display to the subscribers a list of the available vehicles in their proximity, and enable them to order a car up to 15 minutes in advance. Monthly subscriber fees will be NIS 40-50. The per-minute rate has not yet been set, but the municipality said that it would be 30-40% cheaper than taxi rates.

Subscribers will receive an electronic card that will open the cars. Another option is to type a code in the app. The car can be taken from where it is parked and parked at a another location in the city, in contrast to current carsharing ventures, which require that the vehicle be returned to the location from which it was taken.

The municipality will allocate 520 special parking spaces. The cars will also be allowed to park in spaces on the city streets with blue and white markings and even in space reserved for people living on that street.

A telephone assistance center will operate 24 hours a day to handle any technical problems with the service or the cars. The service will be available in Hebrew and English.

For further reading click here.

Jonah Tomb
Did you know that the what is traditionally believed to be the tomb of the biblical prophet Jonah is located in the Iraqi city of Mosul? In 2014 ISIS blew up the shrine when they conquered the city. Now Iraqi forces have retaken the tomb in their offensive to reconquer Mosul. According to the biblical account, Jonah travelled to Nineveh, which is located on the outskirts of Mosul, to warn its residents to repent. Apparently, they could use a refresher.

For further reading click here.

Israel Books
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Israel News for January 16, 2017

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Paris Summit
The seventy two international leaders attending the Paris conference for peace in the Middle East this weekend, including US Secretary of State John Kerry, released a final statement calling on Israel and the Palestinians to adopt a two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders and UN Security Council resolutions and to refrain from unilateral actions.

The statement called on each side, “to refrain from unilateral steps that prejudge the outcome of negotiations on final-status issues, including, inter alia, on Jerusalem, borders, security, refugees and which they will not recognize.” It was also an implied to incoming president Trump not to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

Great Britain, which had observer status at the conference did not endorse the statement saying, “We have particular reservations about an international conference intended to advance peace between the parties that does not involve them—indeed which is taking place against the wishes of the Israelis—and which is taking place just days before the transition to a new American President when the US will be the ultimate guarantor of any agreement. There are risks therefore that this conference hardens positions at a time when we need to be encouraging the conditions for peace.”

Israeli sources were actually relieved with the final statement. John Kerry called PM Netanyahu yesterday to reassure him that no further UN Security Council actions will be taken as a result of the conference.

For further reading click here.

UN Funding
Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have introduced legislation in the senate to cut funding to the United Nations until it repeals an anti-settlements resolution passed last month by the Security Council.

The senators released a joint statement saying, “The United States is the largest contributor of funding to the United Nations, providing 22 percent of the U.N. regular budget, the highest of any member state, which gives the U.S. considerable influence over the United Nations. The United States must use this influence to help our allies, in this case Israel, which is crucial to our own national security interests.”

Senate Democrats would likely use the filibuster to block it. Similar legislation will soon be introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

For further reading click here.

Peace Man
In an interview with the Times of London, Trump said that Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and newly appointed senior White House advisor, will take on the task of negotiating peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Worth a shot.

Inauguration Guests
While the Prime Minister won’t be attending the US presidential inauguration, other Israeli leaders will. Three members of the Samaria leadership, representing the settler movement will be there, bearing gifts of Samarian agricultural produce. The three are Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan, Efrat Mayor Oded Revivi and Ma’ale Adumim Mayor Benny Kashriel. During his visit, Dagan will meet with senior officials in and connected to the incoming administration.

For further reading click here.

Jewish Bluegrass
What do you get when you combine bluegrass music with tehilim (psalms)? To listen and enjoy, click here.

Israel Books
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Israel News for January 13, 2017

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Syria Attack
The Syrian military has accused Israel of launching a missile attack against the Mezzeh military airport on the western edge of Damascus and warned Tel Aviv of repercussions.

Residents of Damascus reported hearing several explosions that shook the capital. The Mezzeh airport compound located on the southwestern edge of the capital had been used to launch attacks on rebel-held areas near Damascus and has come previously under rebel fire. The base allegedly houses Iranian Revolutionary Guard units.

Israel declined to comment on the accusation.

For further reading click here.

Mattis and Jerusalem
President-elect Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense James Mattis was questioned during his senate confirmation hearing yesterday. When asked by South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, “What’s the capital of Israel?” Mattis replied, “The capital of Israel that I go to, sir, is Tel Aviv because that’s where all their government people are.” When Graham pressed him saying, “Do you agree with me that the capital of Israel is Jerusalem?” Mattis responded, “Sir, right now I stick with the US policy.”

Mattis said that he supported a two-state solution and said, “I think ultimately we’re going to have to promote peace between the Palestinian and the Israeli authorities there, and that’s going to take time to build that kind of trust, and we should be a partner in trying to build that resolution between those peoples.”

When asked whether he would support moving the embassy Mattis said, “I would defer to the nominee of Secretary of State on that, sir.”

For further reading click here.

Gaza Aid
As a result of the relative quiet along the Gaza border in recent months, the Defense Ministry has decided to increase humanitarian shipments and open another border crossing with a conveyor system to transfer materials to Gaza. It will also increase the number of workers allowed to enter Israel. The ministry stresses that these measures can be reversed immediately if the situation along the border changes.

For further reading click here.

Meanwhile mass demonstrators erupted in Gaza against Hamas because of a lack of electricity that is severley effecting the population and crippling the economy.

For further reading click here.

Netanyahu and Inauguration
The Prime Minister’s Office has dispelled the rumors that Netanyahu was invited to attend the inauguration of Donal Trump. The PM was not invited and will not attend. Foreign leaders do not usually attend US presidential inaugurations.

For further reading click here.

Gap Year
Speaking to a room full of hundreds of high school seniors at a Bnei Akiva (religious youth group) conference, Education Minister Naftali Bennett advised the students to postpone their military services for at least a year to study Torah in a Yeshiva or another pre-IDF Torah learning center. He said that he regretted his decision not to do so. Bennett also urged students to continue daily Torah study throughout their lives.

For further reading click here.

Israel Books
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tillerson Israel

Israel News for January 12, 2017

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Hamas Hacking
It was recently discovered that Hamas managed to hack the personal phones of dozens of IDF soldiers by using fake profiles of attractive Israeli women to initiate virtual relationships with them. Then the “girls” would ask the soldiers to download a specific video chat app. The app, which was a hacking tool, gave Hamas total control over the phone and allowed them to activate the camera and microphone, access contacts, videos and photos, and even Whatsapp conversations and emails—all without the soldier being aware. Hamas also managed to delete the application from the devices, while simultaneously installing more sophisticated monitoring and control applications without leaving a trace.

The investigation into the hacking by the IDF’s Information Security Department and the Shin Bet has revealed that there was minimal damage as almost all of the photos and information stolen was of a personal nature. The IDF is working on procedures to protect soldiers from falling prey to Hamas ruses on social media and to prevent Hamas from infiltrating the close to 3,000 IDF related Facebook groups. Quite a challenge.

While most of the soldiers only received a warning from their commanders, some may be put in military prison for 28 days.

For further reading click here.

Tillerson on Israel
In the course of his Senate confirmation hearing, Rex Tillerson, President-elect Trump’s choice for Secretary of State revealed his views on issues relating to Israel.

Tillerson criticized the recent UN Security Council resolution as being a way of coercing Israel to change its policies. He said, “Israel is, has always been and remains our most important ally in the region. The UN resolution that was passed, in my view, is not helpful. It actually undermines a good set of conditions for talks to continue.” He added, “That will not lead to a solution.”

Tillerson also criticized John Kerry, saying that he found the Secretary of States decision to make a speech devoted to the Middle East conflict in which he focused heavily on Israeli settlement building as “quite troubling”.

He called on the Palestinian leadership to condemn and prevent terror attacks, saying that that was a prerequisite for “any productive discussion around settlements.” He questioned whether Israel could feasibly negotiate with a Palestinian Authority that refuses to recognize its right to exist as a Jewish state.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for January 11, 2017

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Hamas Dealings
The Arab-Israeli newspaper Kul al-Arab has reported that Qatar is mediating between Israel and Hamas in a potential prisoner exchange deal that would secure the release of the bodies of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin and Staff Sergeant Oron Shaul, who were both killed during Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014.

According to the report, the negotiations have not moved forward due to Israel’s refusal to release 60 terrorists held in Israeli prisons. Instead, Israel offered to expel them to Gaza or Qatar, which was rejected by Hamas. Non of the report was confirmed by Israeli officials.

For further reading click here.

Obama Interview
In an interview with Israeli TV program “Uvda”, US President Obama defended his decision not to veto the recent UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement building saying “I believe it was the best move for peace.” He said that Israeli settlement building is making the two-state solution almost impossible to achieve. He said, “Bibi says that he believes in the two-state solution and yet his actions consistently have shown that if he is getting pressured to approve more settlements he will do so regardless of what he says about the importance of the two-state solution.”

For further reading click here.

Ethiopian Blood
Since 1977 Ethiopian born Israelis have been banned from donating blood as a result of unproven fears that their blood might carry the HIV virus. The Health Ministry has announced that starting on July 1, their blood will be accepted. The ministry also changed the rules for blood donations from homosexuals and those older than 65.

In 1996 it was revealed that Magen David Adom had been secretly disposing blood donated by Ethiopian Jews over fears they carried HIV/AIDS. The news of the scandal led to violent clashes between the Israeli police and Ethiopian protesters charging that they were being treated as second-class citizens.

Despite the lifting of the ban, Immigration Committee Chairman MK Avraham Neguise said “MDA’s decision to delay accepting these donations for another half year, even though there’s no medical justification for it, is a continuation of the discrimination and deprivation.”

For further reading click here.

Divorce Reversal
In 2014 the Rabbinical district court of Tsfat ruled that the court could give a Get (Jewish divorce) on behalf of a husband in a coma to his wife who had been in a state of limbo (agunah) for seven years. The ruling was revolutionary, since only the husband himself can give or order the giving of a get, but based on traditional Jewish legal (halachic) sources.

Recently a man, unrelated to the the couple, came forward and demanded that the ruling be retracted because it was not correct according to Jewish law. The Tsfat court rejected his claim since the man has no bearing in the case. The man appealed to the Supreme Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem, saying that the ruling effected every Jewish man, since the woman who is eligible for marriage is really still married (if the ruling permitting the divorce was incorrect).

Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, as head of the Supreme Rabbinical Court, has agreed to review the case regarding whether the man has the right to have his claim heard. In addition R. Yosef also will allow the original ruling of the Tsfat court to be reviewed to determine its validity. That means that the divorce given to the woman could be rejected, which would return her to a state of agunah (unable to marry).

The case was brought to the Israeli Supreme Court, where the justices have forcefully spoken out against the idea of the rabbinical court attempting to retract a divorce. The court has yet to make a decision but has restricted the rabbinical court from dealing with the case for 21 days.

For further reading click here.

Driving and Praying
You don’t want your bus driver to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or falling asleep at the wheel. Well, in Bnei Brak passengers have to deal with drivers praying while driving. To see this in action click here.

israel news terror raid

Israel News for January 10, 2017

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Terrorist Killed
A Palestinian terrorist attacked IDF soldiers of the Duvdevan unit with a knife last night as the soldiers were carrying out an operation to arrest terror suspects in the Far’a refugee camp in the West Bank. The 33 year old terrorist was shot and killed by soldiers before causing any harm. During the operation the soldiers were also fired at and attacked with molotov cocktails. There were no IDF casualties.

For further reading click here.

Status Revoked
Minister of the Interior Aryeh Deri has decided to revoke the permanent resident status of 13 family members of the terrorist who killed four soldiers and injured 15 in Jerusalem on Sunday. The family members, including the terrorist’s mother, will lose all social benefits that go along with permanent residency.

This is the first time residency status of family members of terrorists has been revoked, and it precludes them from appealing to the Supreme Court. Deri decided on the move after consulting with the Prime Minister and the Shin Bet.

Deri said, “This is a decision that signals a new era against terrorism and terrorists who use their status to carry out attacks against citizens. From now on, there will be zero tolerance towards those who are involved in terrorism against Israel. Let this be known to all who are plotting, planning or considering carrying out an attack, that their families will pay a heavy price for their actions and the consequences will be severe and far-reaching.”

Israeli citizenship, however, has never been revoked from people involved in or connected to terror activity.
 
For further reading click here.

UN Condemns
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Sunday’s terror attack but added that the attack should not prevent peace starts from restarting between Israel and the Palestinians. He added that those involved in the planning and implementation of the attack “must be brought to justice, condemned and disavowed.” The UN Security Council made a similar statement condemning the attack.

For further reading click here.

 

Funeral Absence
The four soldiers killed in Sunday’s Jerusalem terror attack were laid to rest yesterday. Surprisingly, and to the consternation of the parents of the deceased, no government officials attended any of the funerals. When contacted by the press they all had different reasons and excuses why they couldn’t attend. As a result, the PM has instructed Cabinet Secretary Tzachi Braverman to formulate binding procedures requiring government ministers, deputy ministers and Knesset members to attend the funerals of fallen IDF soldiers.

The PM did visit soldiers who were wounded in the terror attack and are being treated at Shaarei Tzedek and Hadassah Hospital.

For further reading click here.

Tsfat Growing
The city of Tsfat, considered to be one of Israel’s holy cities (along with Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberius) and home to great kabbalists and mystics since the 1500’s, is already home to thousands of haredi families who make up a significant portion of the city’s population. Now two Hasidic real estate investors have announced that they will build 2,000 new homes in the city, earmarked for the haredi public.

For further reading click here.

Kushner Rises
President elect Donald Trump has appointed his son-in-law Jared Kushner as a senior White House adviser working on trade and the Middle East.

Although his name isn’t Joseph (like his grandfather and son), you can’t ignore the juxtaposition of the rise of Jared with the rise of Joseph (prime minister to Pharaoh) in the last few Torah portions (regardless of your personal political views).

May he be blessed with wisdom and success.

For further reading click here.

Amazing Story
Would you believe that an Arab boy from East Jerusalem who threw stones at soldiers is now trying to join the IDF? It’s true. To read this amazing story click here.

Israel News for January 9, 2017

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Jerusalem Terror
Yesterday a terrorist drove a truck into a a large group of young officer cadets on a popular promenade in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Armon Hanetziv. The soldiers were on a tour of Jerusalem and listening to a tour guide when the truck veered off the road and rammed into them. Several armed civilians along with two of the soldiers began firing at the truck. But before they could neutralize him the terrorist put the truck in reverse and drove over the wounded.

Four soldiers were killed and 15 soldiers and civilians were wounded in the attack. The soldiers killed were 2nd Lt. Yael Yakutiel (20) from Givatayim, whose rank was posthumously elevated to Lt.; Cadet Shir Hajaj (22) from Ma’ale Adumim, whose rank was posthumously elevated to Lt.; Cadet Shira Tzur (20) from Haifa, whose rank was posthumously elevated to 2nd Lt.; and Cadet Erez Orbach (20) from Alon Shvut, whose rank was posthumously elevated to 2nd Lt. They were all laid to rest today.

To read more about the victims click here.

The were around 300 soldiers in the area taking part in group tours. All of the soldiers were armed. The army is investigating why only two soldiers actually fired at the terrorist. One theory is that they didn’t know it was a terrorist attack until several minutes later. To read more about this click here.

Many of the soldiers ran from scene, apparently upon orders from a commander. To see footage of this from a security camera, click here.

One of the tour guides at the scene who was also injured but managed to fire at the truck with his personal weapon told media that he believed that soldiers hesitated to fire at the truck because of the recent Azaria case in which the soldier was convicted for firing at an incapacitated terrorist. However IDF officials as well as soldiers at the scene were quick to refute that claim.

One of the cadets that fired at the terrorist posted on Facebook, “Please stop listening to sources that don’t verify and immediately publish nonsense and distorted information. Please stop distributing opinions that are based on baseless lies…There is no connection to Elor Azaria. No connection.” He said that cadets ran towards the truck but were cautious about shooting due to the possibility of friendly fire accidents. He concluded by saying that regardless of what the tour guide tells the media, “we fought for our friends.”

To read more about soldiers’ reactions click here.

PM Netanyahu and DM Lieberman visited the site of the attack. Lieberman said, “It is clear that this horrible terrorist attack is not for any other reason rather than just one reason: Because we are Jews, and we live here in the State of Israel. “There was no other reason for this, and you don’t need to look for any justification—not Jewish settlements and not negotiations, but simply a terrorist attack, inspired by ISIS. We saw this in France, we saw it now in Berlin, and unfortunately, we saw it today in Jerusalem. We will fight this terrorism with all the tools at our disposal, and I am certain that there will be results and that we will triumph.”

The White House and State Department, the Canadian Prime Minister, the EU Foreign Minister, several European foreign ministers as well as the UN Security Council condemned the attack.

Palestinian sources identified the terrorist as Fadi Ahmad Al-Qunbar, a released prisoner from Jabel Mukaber, a neighborhood in east Jerusalem that borders East Talpiot. IDF troops raided the terrorist’s house shortly after the attack. The PM said that he believed that the terrorist was affiliated with ISIS. Hamas promised the attack, calling it heroic and pledging more attacks. They also gave out sweets in Gaza to celebrate.

Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan has ordered the police not to return the body of the terrorist to his family for burial. He said, “This is a particularly heinous, painful and serious crime that could lead to copycats. We will not allow the vile terrorist and his family to have a funeral that would grant him the respect that would encourage other attackers.”