Israel News for 11-14-17
Iron Dome Active
The IDF has deployed Iron Dome anti missile batteries in the center of the country in the shadow of Islamic Jihad threats to retaliate for the destruction of their terror tunnel two weeks ago.
In a video uploaded over the weekend, IDF Maj. Gen. Yoav (Poli) Mordechai warned in Arabic, “It should be clear: any response by Islamic Jihad, whatever it may be, will be responded to by Israel with power and determination, not only against Islamic Jihad but also against Hamas. We advise the Islamic Jihad leadership in Damascus to be careful and get things under control. Leaders of Islamic Jihad in Damascus—Ramadan Shalah Ziad Nakhaleh—get your hands around this quickly because you are the ones who will be held responsible.”
Despite the rising tensions along the Gaza border, Israel is working with Palestinian officials in Gaza to improve the water treatment system to improve the drinking water for the population of Gaza.
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No Peace Yet
In a statement released by the US Consulate General in Jerusalem yesterday, US negotiator Jason Greenblatt said that the US is not yet prepared to present a proposal to jump start negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Greenblatt said, “We are not going to put an artificial timeline on the development or presentation of any specific ideas and will also never impose a deal—our goal is to facilitate, not dictate, a lasting peace agreement to improve the lives of Israelis and Palestinians and security across the region.”
Greenblatt added that the decision not to present a proposal now comes after spending “a lot of time listening to and engaging with the Israelis, Palestinians and key regional leaders over the past few months.”
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EU Members Banned
Minister of Public Security, Strategic Affairs, and Information Gilad Erdan and Minister of the Interior, Development of the Negev and Galilee Aryeh Deri have refused to grant entry permits to 20 European officials including members of the European Parliament, members of the French parliament, and mayors of French cities, because they supported a boycott against Israel. The delegation had planned to visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority on November 19-23.
Deri said, “This is not the first time that I have prevented the entry of boycott activists into Israel. This time, however, it is a delegation of senior European figures coming to act against Israel, and the matter is assuming a different character. After examining the background and the circumstances, I decided that there was no place for this delegation in Israel.”
The authority to prevent entry to Israel was granted under a law passed in March. According to this law, the Population and Immigration Authority in the Ministry of the Interior is entitled to prevent a person from entering Israel if he called for a boycott against the country.
Although Israel has prevented BDS activists from entering country before, this is the first time that it has done so to government officials.
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Terror Payments
On Wednesday, November 15, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee will consider the Taylor Force Act, a bill that would freeze U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) until it stops using American tax dollars to reward Palestinian terrorists for murder of or attacks on Israelis and Americans. The bill currently has 150 co-sponsors.
The legislation is named for Taylor Force, a 28-year-old Vanderbilt University graduate student and U.S. Army veteran who was stabbed to death by a Palestinian terrorist in March 2016 during a trip to Israel. Another 10 people were injured in the attack. Under Palestinian law, the family of Force’s killer is rewarded with a life-long pension that amounts to three times the average Palestinian salary in the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority (PA) currently spends $344 million in foreign aid money a year on monthly salaries to terrorists and their families.
