Israel News for 1-30-19
Terror Attack
Earlier this morning, near the Adumim Interchange just west of Maale Adumim, a female terrorist with a knife charged at soldiers at a checkpoint. The soldiers shot and killed her.
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Election Update
Former IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz gave his first campaign speech as head of the new Israel Resilience Party in Tel Aviv last night.
He said, “The nation is strong, the country is amazing, but an ill wind is blowing. The conflict between left and right is tearing us apart; the clash between religious and secular is dividing us. The tension between Jews and non-Jews is threatening us… The political arena is poisoned. In my view, the current leadership is obsessed with itself, not with you or us.”
Regarding his security plans he said, “We will strengthen the settlement blocs and never abandon the Golan Heights. The Jordan River will remain the eastern border of Israel and we will not allow the millions of Palestinians living on the other side of the fence to threaten our security and our identity as a Jewish state. United Jerusalem will be built and thrive and forever serve as the capital of the Jewish people and the capital of Israel.”
Gantz pledged to fight against inequality and the high cost of living in Israel, and to build thousands of affordable homes. He also introduced former defense minister and chief of staff Moshe (Bugi) Ya’alon as a new partner, after Ya’alon’s Telem Party agreed to join forces with Israel Resilience.
Gantz is also reportedly in talks to bring in former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi into his party as number three on the party list.
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Meanwhile, the PM has been getting criticized for embracing the leaders of Lithuania, Ukraine, Hungary and Poland, all of whom have promoted legislation attempting to whitewash the roles that their respective countries played during the Holocaust.
Efraim Zuroff, the chief Nazi-hunter of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said, “It’s unforgivable. Netanyahu is giving them a green light. It’s like praising the Ku Klux Klan for improving racial relations in the South. We have to say the truth. We owe it to the victims.”
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UN Observers
The PM has decided not to extend the mandate of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH), a group of civilian observers from Norway, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey that have been operating in Hebron since 1997. The group reports on what they consider to be violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws. The group is viewed by the PM and many Israelis as biased against Israel.
Professor Eugene Kontorovich, the director of international law at the Kohelet Policy Forum, a conservative think tank in Jerusalem, said the Israeli decision was long overdue. He said, “TIPH was always designed to be a temporary force — that is what the T stands for, and why the mandate requires an affirmative decision to extend every three months. It was never meant to be a permanent institution, but diplomatic inertia has kept it in place for over two decades.”
In response to the Prime Minister’s decision, the Palestinian Authority asked the United Nations to deploy a permanent international force in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The UN has not yet responded to the request.
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Population Stats
According to the latest statistics, the Jewish population living in Judea and Samaria has risen over 20% (76,614 people) in the last 5 years. The get the full report click here.
