Israel News for December 3, 2015
Breaking Terror
Earlier today, a Palestinian pulled his car up to a checkpoint in Hizma, near Jerusalem, and shot at soldiers. A soldier was shot in the hand and lightly wounded and an Israeli civilian was seriously wounded in his upper body. The terrorist was shot and killed.
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Suspects Arrested
A court has partially lifted the gag order on the case relating to the terrorists who burned the Palestinian family in Duma four months ago. The judge revealed in a statement that, “in the last few days several youths suspected of participating in a Jewish terror group were arrested by security forces and are being interrogated about the Duma terror attack.” Further details in the case including the identities of the suspects are still under gag order.
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IDF Plans
The IDF is rolling out a new multi-year plan known as Gideon. As part of the plan the IDF has decided to cap Israel’s submarine fleet at five. It will also shut down the air force base at Sdeh Dov (just north of Tel Aviv) and transfer planes to the Hatzor base further south.
The IDF will establish a new cyber-warfare brigade and will explore acquiring new technology as well as new artillery and a new Merkava tank.
On the flip side the military is reducing investment in preparations for a potential attack on Iran and is making significant cuts to units “not related to the army’s core activities” such as the military rabbinate, the Education Corps, the military advocate general’s unit and a behavioral sciences unit. Also, the number of headquarters staff members will be cut, including two brigadier-general positions, 24 colonel positions and 80 lieutenant-colonel positions.
None of these changes will adversely affect the IDF’s combat readiness and capabilities.
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Joint Canal
Israel and Jordan are looking for someone to build a canal from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. You have until March, 2016 to submit your bid.
The primary purpose of the canal is to replenish the water in the Dead Sea, whose water level has been steadily dropping. The canal actually consists of four pipelines that will carry the water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. The first pipeline to be laid will be 200 kilometers long, and will be located entirely in Jordan.
Included in the project will be the construction of a desalination plant in Aqaba, Jordan which will supply water to Israel and Jordan. As part of the deal Israel will supply Jordan with a substantial amount of water from the Kinneret. The brine created in the desalination process will be piped along with Red Sea water to the Dead Sea.
Building the pipeline is estimated to cost $400 million. Israel hopes that it will be financed by donors wishing to help save the Dead Sea. Government sources said that several countries had already expressed interest in helping to finance the pipeline, including France and Japan.
A senior Israeli water sector source with firsthand knowledge of the project asserted that no European countries would finance the project and that the only real option is if the company building the desalination facility finances a large part of it.”
Environmental groups are opposed to the “canal”. They claim that the chemical composition of the Red Sea water will adversely affect the Dead Sea water and harm its ecosystem, including its unique health benefits, which accounts for most of the tourism in the area. Also, the pumping of water from the Red Sea will damage the sea’s coral reefs. In any case, the pipeline is expected to add 10 centimeters a year to the Dead Sea, while its water level is dropping by 1 meter per year. Not much of a boost.
The anti-pipeline groups recommend that the government correct the Dead Sea problem by stopping their diversion of the Jordan River, which is the natural supplier of water to the Dead Sea. In other words, the government is causing the drop in the Dead Sea water level by diverting the Jordan River, and they’re trying to solve the problem by pumping up water from the Red Sea. Makes sense?
Regarding financing, how about tapping the companies making billions from mining the Dead Sea salts and minerals, who are also to blame for causing the depletion in its water level?
For further reading click here.
Germany Rejects Labeling
Prof. Norbert Lammert, the president of the Bundestag (German parliament), called the EU labeling regulation “unnecessary and unwise.”
He reiterated that, “Germany not only didn’t agree to the decision, it rejected it.”
When asked whether the EU’s not having called to label products from places like Tibet or Crimea or the Western Sahara was an indication of anti-Semitism, Lammert said while he could “understand Israel’s anger,” he did not believe that it was anti-semitic in nature.
“Germany can imagine a better law, if it were to apply to everyone, on principle, to all occupied land,” he added. “Because it’s specifically against Israel, I repeat that it is unnecessary and not very smart.”
MP Elisabeth Motschmann (CDU), a member of the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committees, said, “Germany has a special responsibility towards Israel, but there are critical positions towards settlements.” She added that she would buy products without looking at where they are from and that German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier “doesn’t want” labeling.
For further reading click here.
Berlin Kosher
We usually stick exclusively to Israel news, but this was just too good to pass on.
If you’re in Germany and looking for kosher food, worry not. A large kosher supermarket opened in Berlin a few days ago. And no need to worry about the new EU labeling regulations. The store will have plenty of Israeli products, including those made in the West Bank and the Golan. The owners say they plan to keep the prices low to attract non Jewish customers. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal.
There are estimated to be over 40,000 Jews currently living in Berlin. There were 160,000 in the city prior to World War II.
For further reading click here.
Righteous Gentile
Yad Vashem has bestowed its highest honor for non Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during WWII on the late Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds.
Edmonds, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, was the highest ranking noncommissioned officer held prisoner in a German POW camp along with over 1,000 other US soldiers, some of whom were Jewish. The standard operating procedure of the German army was to separate Jewish POW’s and send them to slave labor or concentration camps, or just torture and execute them.
When the commandant of the POW camp ordered the Jewish soldiers to identify themselves, Edmonds turned to the rest of the POWs and said, “We are not doing that, we are all falling out.” The commandant turned to Edwards and said, “They cannot all be Jews.” Edwards responded, “We are all Jews here.”
The Nazi then pressed his pistol to Edward’s head and offered him one last chance. Edwards responded with his name, rank and serial number. Then he said, “If you are going to shoot, you are going to have to shoot all of us because we know who you are and you’ll be tried for war crimes when we win this war.” At that, the Nazi backed off.
Edmond’s son, a reverend, estimates that his father’s actions saved around 200 Jewish soldiers. Some of the Jewish soldiers who are still alive agree.
Edmond is the first serviceman to be honored by Yad Vashem. He is also now being considered for the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds — thank you and God bless you for your heroism.
For further reading click here.
