Israel News for 6-1-18
Iran Withdrawing
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday that Iranian advisers and Hezbollah fighters will be withdrawing from the southern Syrian regions of Daraa and Quneitra near Israel’s Golan Heights. Israel and Russia have been in constant talks to figure out a way to keep Iran out of the border area. Defense Minister Lieberman visited the Russian Ministry of Defense in Moscow yesterday. One Russian news outlet reported that Russia would like to reach an agreement that would deploy Russian military police and order the pullout of all Iranian forces from the border region. Syrian President Assad has denied that there are any Iranian troops in Syria.
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Gaza Quiet
Israel and Hamas have seemed to enter into a bilateral ceasefire. Israel’s security cabinet agreed on Wednesday night to halt military attacks against Hamas and other terror targets in Gaza after a massive IDF response to the rocket fire from Gaza earlier this week. The IDF will continue building the underground barrier along the Gaza border and will also continue searching for and destroying terror tunnels. Israel is also considered easing some economic restrictions against Gaza.
Meanwhile, terrorists are still sending incendiary kites into Israel, and the Hamas sponsored marches near the border are set to continue, although the numbers of participants is expected to be much lower.
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Security Council
The UN Security Council is expected to vote today on a Kuwaiti sponsored resolution condemning excessive Israeli force against Gaza, while also condemning the firing of rockets from Gaza at Israeli civilian areas. US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley blasted the proposal for discussing “excessive” Israeli force while making no mention of Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza. She said, “It is a grossly one-sided approach that is morally bankrupt and would only serve to undermine ongoing efforts toward peace between Israelis and Palestinians.” Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon also sharply criticized the proposal. The US is expected to veto the resolution if necessary.
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Palestinian Aid
Yesterday the government unveiled a program to invest massive amounts of funds in Palestinians neighborhoods of east Jerusalem. The program will invest 2 billion shekels, or $560 million, in three core areas: education, infrastructure and helping Palestinian women enter the work force. The money will be spent on a variety of programs, including nine pilot projects, in the coming five years, with the aim of attracting further government and private investment down the road.
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Prison Prayer
The Israel Prison Service (IPS) has acceded to the request of Chief Sephardic Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef and formulated a procedure that would enable haredi prisoners to pray in suits and hats, as is their normal custom. The prisoners will be able to use their personal clothing until the prison service obtains IPS tasted and approved clothing.
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Israel Parade
The annual Celebrate Israel Parade will march up Fifth Avenue in NYC this Sunday, in celebration of Israel’s 70th birthday. The parade will run between 57th st. and 74th st. between 11am and 4pm. If you’re in the NY area, come out to show your support for Israel. We’ll be there – around 72nd St. – So top by and say hello!
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Whale Visit
A Blue Whale, the largest of the whale species, showed up for an unexpected visit in the Gulf of Eilat and Red Sea this week. It was the first ever documented visit of a Blue Whale in the area. The visitor was around 20 meters long. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature data, less than 12,000 of the whales exist in the world today.
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