Israel News for 12-19-18
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Message to UN
PM Netanyahu yesterday urged the United Nations Security Council to take action against Hezbollah over its tunnels dug from Lebanon under the Israeli border. He said the council should condemn the Lebanese militant group’s “wanton acts of aggression,” designate it a terrorist organization and heighten sanctions against it. He also said that UNIFIL, the UN organization in Lebanon, should be granted full unrestricted access in southern Lebanon.
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Moscow and Hamas
Russia’s Foreign Ministry invited the head of Hamas to Moscow for talks. Israel protested the invitation. The Russians reportedly rebuffed the protest, claiming that Israel itself speaks with Hamas. Moscow has recently stepped up their involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as part of the Russian effort to establish its dominance of the Middle East.
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Expulsion Bill
A bill sponsored by the Bayit Yehudi party that would allow the IDF to expel the families of terrorists passed its preliminary vote in the Knesset by a margin of 69 to 38. If passed, the chief of the IDF’s Central Command would be able to order relatives of terrorists to be expelled from their homes within seven days of a terror attack, and sent to a different area within Judea and Samaria.
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Back to Amona
Dozens of settlers erected 2 housing units at Amona, the outpost that was forcibly evacuated almost 2 years ago. The move is in response to the recent terror attacks in the area, and was reportedly not coordinated with the IDF or civil administration. Peace Now said it would file a complaint with the police against the settlers and appeal to the attorney general.
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Greenblatt Condemns
Jason Greenblatt, US special envoy to the Middle East, condemned revenge attacks by Israeli settlers in response to the recent wave of Palestinian violence in the West Bank. On Friday, Greenblatt tweeted: “The recent Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israelis are unconscionable. But throwing rocks at vehicles that have nothing to do with these attacks is NOT a legitimate response. Innocent people could be killed.”
He also tweeted, “As I denounced incitement on the Palestinian side, I deplore the incitement to assassinate President Abbas. That’s totally unacceptable! All peace-loving people should denounce such acts as well.”
And this: “Those countries that financially support the PA but ignore the fact that the terrorists and their families will now be rewarded for their vicious actions of murdering Israelis should speak out and consider enacting a law similar to the Taylor Force Act.”
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Yeshiva High
According to a report by the Israel Democracy Institute, the number of registered yeshiva students in Israel has hit a new all-time high of 124,450 in 2017. The number includes both Israeli students and foreign nationals and is a 31% increase over the number just 3 years ago. The increase is at least partially due to the increased funding of yeshivas by the current government.
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Startup City
Yokneam, a small city in the Lower Galilee around 50 miles from Tel Aviv, is transforming into one of the country’s fastest-growing tech hubs thanks to generous government tax breaks, special grants and a high overall quality of life. There are currently around 8,000 people employed by the city’s 160 tech companies. Initially, many American companies were investing in the area but in the last few years, Chinese investments have been flowing in. The city exports roughly $6 billion worth of technology products annually, primarily in the medical and pharmaceutical fields.
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