Israel News for 7-11-18
Patriot Fired
Israel fired a Patriot missile at a drone that infiltrated 10 kilometers into Israel. The drone was destroyed.
To view a video of the attack click here.
No Sale
The Palestinian mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, on Tuesday issued a new fatwa (Islamic religious decree) banning Muslims from “facilitating the transfer of ownership of any part of Jerusalem or the land of Palestine to the enemies.” The fatwa states that, “Anyone who sells his land to the enemies, or accepts compensation for it, will commit a sin.” The fatwa also ruled that Muslims were obliged to boycott anyone who violates the ruling. The boycott includes refusing to do any business with the offenders or marrying them or attending their funerals or burying them in Islamic cemeteries.
The fatwa, according to Palestinian sources, came in response to an Israeli bill allowing Jews to purchase land in Area C of the West Bank. The bill, put forward by MK Bezalel Smotrich (Bayit Yehudi), aims to change a 1953 Jordanian law that prevents foreigners and non-Arabs from directly purchasing land in the West Bank. The explanation for the bill states that it is “unacceptable” for Israeli citizens to be barred from buying land just because they are Israeli citizens.
For further reading click here.
Moscow Visit
PM Netanyahu landed in Moscow this afternoon, where he will watch the World Cup semi-final after holding a “very important” meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss an array of issues concerning Israel’s northern frontier. Netanyahu was welcomed by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. The PM signed a soccer ball which has been signed by all the leaders who have visited Russia since the start of the World Cup.
For future reading click here. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5308396,00.html
No Tariff Exemption
Israel has failed to secure an exemption from the 25% steel and 10% aluminum tariffs recently imposed by the U.S. The decision has the potential to deal a significant blow to the Israeli metal industry, as the U.S. is Israel’s largest goods export market.
According to data from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, Israeli export to the U.S. is almost twice the U.S. export to Israel, and the U.S. goods trade deficit with Israel is around $10 billion a year (for the past four years). The U.S. is Israel’s largest goods export market, accounting for 29% of Israeli export.
For further reading click here.
Moon Mission
The Israeli organization SpaceIL and the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) have announced plans to land a spacecraft on the moon. The spacecraft will be transferred to the US in November, before being launched in December. The plan is to land on the moon on February 13, 2019. If successful, Israel would become the fourth country to land a craft on the moon, after the US, the Soviet Union and China.
Dr. Ido Anteby, CEO of SpaceIL, said, “We will put the Israeli flag on the moon. It’s a small, smart spacecraft, it has a 2 meters diameter, its height is about 1.5 meters (3.2 feet), it weighs 600 kilogram, and will land on the moon at the weight of 180 kilograms.”
For further reading click here.
Holocaust Payments
The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany announced yesterday that Germany has agreed to pay another 75 million euros ($88 million) to fund social welfare services for Holocaust survivors, bringing total funding next year to 480 million euros. Germany also agreed to increase pensions paid to 55,000 Holocaust survivors in Central and Eastern Europe, and expand eligibility for child survivors.
Since 1952, Germany has paid more than $70 billion. Divide that by 6 million Jews that were murdered and you get a whopping $11,666 per victim (not including property stolen). So, do you think Germany has paid enough??
For further reading click here.
