Israel News for April 14, 2016
Missile Defense Money
Democratic and Republican members of the US Congress are calling on President Obama to quadruple the amount allocated in the 2017 financial year for developing Israel’s missile defense systems. The amount currently allocated is $150 million, which the legislators want increased to $600 million. This amount is in addition to the $3.1 billion that Israel will receive in US military aid for 2017.
Sources explain that the military aid given to Israel has direct benefits for the US. A large portion of the manufacturing and development of Israel’s new missile defense systems is done in partnership with US companies, which means more jobs in the US. The US also views Israel’s missile defense systems as a battle test for the US technologies used in them.
The message is clear: a strong Israeli missile defense system is not only good for Israel, but also good for America.
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Soldier Charged
The prosecutor in the Jaffa military court announced yesterday that the soldier who shot a neutralized terrorist in Hebron 3 weeks ago will be charged with manslaughter. The soldier was originally charged with murder. The investigation and the trial continues. The soldier remains in open detention on an IDF base.
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Flag Burning
IDF soldiers were inspecting vehicles near the town of Awarta south of Nablus yesterday when they discovered a Palestinian flag in one of the cars. The soldiers removed the flag and burned it.
The IDF Spokesman issued a statement saying, “the incident is known to the commanders and was investigated. A preliminary investigation found that the incident was out of the ordinary and that the force acted improperly, and against the instructions of their commanders.”
The squad commander was relieved of his command and sentenced to 20 days in military prison. Another soldier was sentenced to a 28-day detention.
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Criminal Mayors
The Israel Police has recommended the criminal prosecution of the mayors of three municipalities including Ramat Gan and Zichron Yaakov on charges that include bribery, fraud, breach of trust and issuing threats. The cases are all separate. You don’t want to hear more about political corruption in Israel, right? That’s what I thought.
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Belgian Blunder
The Belgian Foreign Minister ignited a storm of controversy yesterday when he compared the Muslim terrorists who hid in Brussels for months to “the Jews who hid here during the Nazi occupation,” in a television interview. He later clarified that his comments pertained to ”the mechanism of hiding,” rather than the people hiding.
Everyone’s got the Jews on their mind. Hmm.
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Ukraine PM
The Ukraine has elected its first ever Jewish Prime Minister. Volodymyr Groysman, 38, was nominated by Ukraine’s president and voted in by parliament by a vote of 250-57. He has close ties with the Jewish community and with Israel. There are currently 360,000 Jews living in the Ukraine.
Looks like hell might have actually frozen over.
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Matzah Exports
According to a report by the Finance and Industry Ministry, Israel exported $12 million of Matzah in 2015. Around $7 million of that went to the US. The UK imported $1.7 million, Italy around $1m., France $700,000, Belgium $600,000, Australia $360,000, Argentina $130,000, Holland $103,000, Brazil $88,000, Romania $25,000 and Azerbaijan $19,000. Surprisingly, $4,500 worth of mitzvah went to Nigeria and $1,600 to Congo.
Israeli wine exports totaled $36.5 million. A third of those went to the US and Canada. France imported around 25% of the total, followed by the UK, Germany, Belgium and Italy.
Enjoy!
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