Israel News for August 11, 2016
Tunnel Correction
Yesterday we mistakenly reported that 10 terrorists were killed when the terror tunnel that they were digging collapsed. According to press reports the ten were injured, not killed. It was just a case of wishful thinking on our part, and we apologize for the mistake (although perhaps some of them subsequently died??).
In any case some people have commented that the people digging the tunnels are not really terrorists, but rather they are innocent civilians forced to dig the tunnels by Hamas thugs who threaten to kill their families if they don’t comply. If that’s true, it’s certainly unfortunate and it’s even more of a reason for the UN and EU to stop propping up the Hamas government and immediately cutt off all aid, including the humanitarian aid that either directly or indirectly results in the strengthening of the terror organization.
In fact, the nations of the free world should form a military coalition and depose the Hamas government, like they did in Libya and Iraq and are currently trying to do against ISIS. Are Hamas terrorists that much different than ISIS terrorists?
But wait, Hamas confines their terror to Israel, so the world either doesn’t care or it expects Israel to take care of herself. Which brings us back to the tunnels. They need to be destroyed, regardless of who digs them. And when they do collapse, we’ll give a cheer, because it means that Israel has just become a bit safer.
Palestinian Tours
The US-based Jewish organization T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights and the controversial left wing have announced that they will begin offering Jewish groups organized day trips to the West Bank to meet with Palestinians and IDF veterans who will share with them their perspectives on issues relating to Israeli-Palestinian relations.
The objective of the new trip initiative is to “empower more American Jews to meet both Palestinians and IDF veterans who have served in the territories, to listen deeply to their narratives, and to bring these perspectives into working toward a better future for Israelis and Palestinians.”
Executive director of T’ruah Rabbi Jill Jacobs hopes that the trips will help the Jewish participants understand that “the current situation of occupation is having a deadly effect on both Israelis and Palestinians. It’s literally killing us. It’s killing us both physically and it’s killing us morally. It’s threatening Israel’s ability to survive, it’s violating the human rights of Palestinians every single day.”
No doubt about where she stands on the issue.
For further reading click here.
Doctors Strike
Today is not a good day to get sick in Israel. Doctors at state hospitals have called a 24 hour strike. They’re demanding a significant increase to their budget for the implementation of a program that would shorten waiting periods at public hospitals, additional interns to allow the doctors to rest during their shifts, and the scrapping of plans to discipline hospital administrators who exceed their set budget.
State hospitals will work according to Shabbat protocols, wherein all nonessential treatments and surgeries will be postponed. The strike is expected to increase the workload in hospitals and thus extend already prolonged waiting periods. Patients who do not require urgent care are advised to postpone their visit, or alternatively go to an HMO clinic instead.
Stay well!
For further reading click here.
Tehina Danger
About 200 tons of tehina salads made by “Shamir Salads” are being recalled from store shelves due a salmonella contamination discovered at a manufacturing plant.
For more details about the recall, click here.
PM Stuff
The Prime Minister is expecting a new residence and a new “Air Force 1”, which will end up costing around 650 million shekels. The finance Ministry feels it’s too expensive. But the PM wants it. So now they’ll fight it out.
By the way, President Rivlin, who would also use the aircraft, has stated that he doesn’t really need it and is fine flying commercial. The Prime Minister doesn’t agree.
For further reading click here.
Summer Lag
You might have noticed that August is a very slow time for Israel news. The Knesset is on vacation, as is most of the country. We’re trying our best to find stories that we think you’d like to read. But as they say, no news is good news, especially in Israel.
