Israel News for 3-23-18
Palestinian Antics
In a report titled “Friedman, the Ambassador of Settlements and Lawyer of Extremism,” the PA Ministry of Information in Ramallah yesterday called for placing the US ambassador on a “global terror list” “for violating international law, supporting terrorism, and promoting ethnic cleansing and black racism.” This comes days after PA President Abbas called Friedman a “settler” and “son of a dog”.
It’s unclear what the Palestinians are trying to accomplish other than look like idiots and infuriate the US. So far they’ve succeeding on both accounts.
For further reading click here.
Supreme Court
Israel’s Supreme Court yesterday rejected a petition to demolish the entire home of a terrorist responsible for the murder of three members of the Salomon family in a July, 2017 terror attack. The court rejected the petition filed by members of the Salomon family, appealing a ruling by the court in August 2017 that only the interior of the first floor of the home where terrorist Omar al-Abed lived be destroyed, leaving the second floor of the building intact.
The IDF had initially planned to demolish the entire home where al-Abed lived, but petitions brought by several left-wing NGOs on behalf of al-Abed’s family called on the Supreme Court to intervene and limit the demolition. The court accepted the request, and barred the IDF from demolishing the entire building, arguing that al-Abed had primarily used the bottom floor, while his relatives lived on the top floor.
The Salomon family’s petition argued that the entire building was liable for demolition, since al-Abed’s relatives living on the second floor had been convicted of aiding and abetting the terrorist. The petition also cited a law authorizing the IDF to demolish a house and confiscate the land on which it was built, when one of its residents was an accomplice, or accomplice after-the-fact, in offenses of violence and terrorism.
For further reading click here.
Momentous Flight
Air India flight AI 139 from Delhi to Tel Aviv made history yesterday by becoming the first commercial flight to fly to Israel over Saudi Arabia. The flight via the airspace of Oman, Saudi Arabia and Jordan took seven and a half hours, two hours less than if it had been required to circumvent Saudi Arabia.
On hand to greet the historic flight was Minister of Transport Yisrael Katz and Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin. Katz told reporters, “This is an historic moment. For the first time, there has been an official connection between the State of Israel and Saudi Arabia.”
El Al has not been granted rights to fly over Saudi Arabia on its Tel Aviv – Mumbai route and the Israeli carrier’s CEO Gonen Usishkin is protesting unfair competition. He told Yediot Ahronot, “The government is not acting for our benefit. We expect equal opportunity and it’s a shame that the government and the prime minister do not take that into account.”
For further reading click here.
Visa Regulations
The US Embassy in Israel announced yesterday that it was easing the entry visa requirements for Israelis. Under the new regulations, Israelis who are renewing a valid tourist visa or whose visa expired during the past 12 months will not need to present themselves for a personal interview with an official at the US Consulate. Applicants can request a visa renewal online and if their application is accepted they can send their passport to the consulate by mail or take it personally for the visa to be stamped on.
Israel has still not been placed on the visa waiver program, like 38 other countries, which would allow Israelis to visit the US for up to 90 days without a visa.
For further reading click here.
Shabbat Music
A couple of inspiring music videos to get you ready for Shabbat.
The first is a medley of Shlomo Carlebach shabbat songs sung by a Chassidic trio. To watch click here.
The second is a classic by Mordecai Ben David called Just One Shabbos. To listen click here.
