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Israel News for December 1, 2016

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Knesset Modesty
Visitors to Ultra Orthodox neighborhoods in Jerusalem are used to seeing signs warning women to dress “modestly”. Now visitors to the Knesset will need to cover up too.

The Knesset has issued an updated dress code for visitors and employees that bans miniskirts, short dresses, tank tops, shorts, ripped pants, flip flops, open backed clogs and shirts with political slogans. The rules apply to those over the age of 14. Most of these rules already existed except for the miniskirt one, which was just added.

Knesset guards will be on the lookout for dress code violators.

For further reading click here.

Abbas and Trump
In a speech to his Fatah party that lasted over three hours, PA President Abbas pledged to seek incoming President Trump’s support in creating an independent Palestinian state. Abbas said, “We hope that he will be able to offer something to the Palestinian cause, to offer a solution, a sane, balanced and fair (solution).” Abbas also repeated his claim that a Palestinian state must include all of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, as well as praising several terrorists as martyrs.

For further reading click here.

Rabbis Investigate
A panel of senior rabbis has been formed by Tzfat Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu to investigate numerous accusations by women against an MK from Bayit Yehudi. The rabbis are investigating the testimonies of the accusers but have yet to ask the MK to give his side of the story. The MK vehemently denies all accusations.

Several female MKs for Meretz have called on Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennet to investigate the matter but he has supported the MK in question and recommended that any accusations be brought before the police. Non of the accusers have approached the police as of yet.

For further reading click here.

No to Tanks
The IDF’s Armored Corps is having some recruiting trouble. A group of 86 new recruits this week refused to be drafted into the tank corps, asking to be placed in different combat units, such as the infantry. The new soldiers, who make up almost half of the November draftees placed in the Armored Corps, were tried on the spot and put under arrest for refusing an order.

An IDF official remarked, “We’re not going to grovel or beg them. There are many among them who refused out of ignorance, because they simply didn’t know anything about serving on a tank, the many advantages it has, and how unique this kind of service is compared to others. The representatives we sent to them were able to convince a small part of them to go to the Armored Corp training base, but others remain in their refusal.”

The IDF is currently working on integrating women into combat roles in the Armored Corps as a result of the shortage of willing male recruits [ you’d think this would actually be an incentive for guys to join ]. There’s even a Facebook group called “Induction Center Refusniks—Combat” where soldiers exchange advice about how to refuse draft postings and get the one you really want, even if it means sitting in jail for a few days.

The IDF Spokesman’s Office said, “The draftees’ placement was done based on the army’s needs, while making the utmost effort to take their desires and aspirations into consideration. The IDF condemns the refusniks and works to put an end to the trend.”

For further reading click here.

Lieberman Visits Rebbe
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman arrived in NY yesterday on a visit. His first stop was to visit the grave of the Rivnitze Rebbe in Monsey, where he lit a candle and recited psalms. The rebbe had been close to the Lieberman family while they were still in Russia. When Lieberman was just 10 years old, the rebbe “prophecized” that he would grow up to successful and great.

To see photos of the visit click here.

Israel News for November 29, 2016

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PM Warns Cabinet
PM Netanyahu warned cabinet ministers that passing the “regulations bill”, which would retroactively legalize settlements built on private Palestinian land, would possibly lead to Israel being taken before the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague. The bill is being spearheaded by the Bayit Yehudi party in order to prevent the evacuation of the Amona outpost, which is schedule to take place on December 25th.

The PM also warned that the bill could provoke outgoing US President Obama to act against Israel at the UN. The Attorney General has already warned that the bill, if passed, would be struck down by the Supreme Court. Instead he presented a compromise by which Amona would be moved to several nearby plots of land for eight months, during which time planning and construction officials would work alongside legal experts to find nearby available land to permanently move the outpost to. At the same time the AG would explore other solutions to deal with land ownership issues. But he stressed that the compromise agreement can only be implemented if the regulations bill does not pass. The compromise agreement will also need to be approved by the Supreme Court.

Bayit Yehudi leaders are pushing forward with the bill. The Amona residents rejected any sort of compromise and have pledged to resist the evacuation.

Meanwhile, 120 senior rabbis have issued a statement calling on the public to come to Amona to passively resist the upcoming evacuation. The rabbis include Rabbi Haim Druckman, head of the Bnei Akiva yeshivas, Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, the chief rabbi of Ramat Gan, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the chief rabbi of Tzfat, Rabbi Dov Lior, the chief rabbi of Kiryat Arba, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, the head of the Ateret Cohanim yeshiva, Tzohar chairman Rabbi David Stav, Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzahl, the chief rabbi of the Old City of Jerusalem, and Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz, the head of the Maaleh Adumim yeshiva.

The rabbis wrote, “We call on all those who can to come and stay in the community. Our presences will give strength to the residents and be a clear declaration to the decision-makers that we are with the residents of Amona in every way during this difficult time, and we will continue to be with them until the Regulation Law is enacted, and Amona is saved. If, heaven forbid, the day comes for an expulsion, we urge the public to continue living in the community, and protesting vigorously the destruction of the community, through passive resistance and non-violence.”

The rabbis also called on the PM to assure that the law is passed.

For further reading click here.

Rabbi Cleared
Last week the Supreme Court ordered Rabbi Eyal Karim, the incoming IDF Chief Rabbi, to clarify controversial statements that he made in the past before being allowed to take on his new position. The court made its ruling based on a petition submitted by Meretz MKs who accused Karim of making discriminatory statements against homosexuals and women, including permitting rape during war.

Karim submitted an affidavit to the court in which he said that he never permitted rape and that he believed that all people should be treated equally, with dignity, regardless of their sexual orientation. Karim said, “Every rabbi, whether he be a teacher or a public official is required to be capable of retracting and admitting a mistake. I am not afraid to say that I was wrong. I was wrong in that I thought briefly about complicated questions which have more to them than just one halachic (Jewish legal) stance. I was wrong in that I didn’t clarify my words accurately and there were those who were hurt by them. I have already whole-heartedly apologized for this.”

Based on Karim’s statement, the court dismissed the ruling against him and permitted him to take his new position. The Meretz MKs praised the courts intervention saying, “We respect the High Court for standing by its promise to clarify Rabbi Karim’s words, and we respect the decision not to cancel the appointment. We are pleased the judges didn’t reject the petition without reason, and we are sure this ruling was justifiably detailed, and that the verdict will be quoted from in the future.”

For further reading click here.

Kotel Bill
Shas (the haredi sephardic party) has proposed a new bill in the Knesset that would place the southern area of the Kotel under the auspices of the Chief Rabbinate. The government has already agreed to turn the area in question into an egalitarian prayer space as part of a compromise agreement reached with leaders of the Reform and Conservative movements. The new bill would destroy that agreement, since the Chief Rabbinate would not permit any non orthodox forms of prayer.

The proposed bill prohibits mixed gender prayer services at the site. It also prohibits women from wearing prayer shawls or tefillin, and sets a fine of 10,000 shekels for violators.

Non orthodox leaders have attacked the bill and urged PM Netanyahu to defeat it and uphold the compromise agreement he approved.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for October 13, 2016

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Yom Kippur Riots
Israeli police clashed with violent rioters in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan yesterday, during Yom Kippur. During the riots, which lasted several hours, masked men threw rocks and molotov cocktails at police on patrol in the neighborhood. One terrorist was shot and killed. He had recently been released from prison, after serving a year and a half sentence. Silwan residents gathered at his home to praise him, and Hamas also praised him.

Police and Border Police also clashed with Palestinians in Isawiya and Jabel Mukaber yesterday. Police dispersed the rioters with no injuries on either side.

For further reading click here.

Amona Petition
As a result of threats from Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett to cause a coalition crisis, PM Netanyahu has agreed to order the State to appeal to the Supreme Court to postpone the evacuation of Amona for six months. The PM met today with Bennett, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (also from Bayit Yehudi) and Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit, where they agreed to petition the court.

The current court ruling orders the evacuation to be completed by December 25th. But a plan for where to house the Amona residents has still not been finalized. Settler leaders want the residents moved to nearby land, but Palestinian claims of ownership over that land has made that legally untenable. Israeli plans to build housing units in nearby Shiloh have been condemned by the US and also been rejected by Amona leaders.

The hope is that with more time, a solution to the crisis can be discovered.

For further reading click here.

Temple Mount Resolution
The members of UNESCO, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, will vote today on a resolution which, in addition to condemning Israel on several matters related to Jerusalem, claims that the Temple Mount is only holy to Moslems and has no historical connection to Judaism.

Over the past few weeks Israeli ambassadors and diplomats have lobbied countries to vote against the resolution, or at least to abstain. A senior Foreign Ministry official said that although the resolution is expected to pass, Israel’s diplomatic efforts had achieved some results. For example, France is expected to keep its promise and abstain from voting. Spain, Sweden and Argentina are also expected to abstain and Israel hopes Slovenia will join them. The official said that even several Arab states are unhappy with the Palestinian sponsored UNESCO resolution, but as a result of public pressure they are forced to support the Palestinians.

The US has suspended it membership, and membership fees, to UNESCO.

To read the UNESCO resolution draft, click here.

New Ferry Launches
After ten years of bureaucratic battles, a new ferry between Haifa and Acre has finally been launched. The ferry will transport tourists between the coastal cities for just 55 shekels round trip (30 one way).

For further reading click here.

Gaza Crowding
On Tuesday the two millionth resident of Gaza was born. The baby boy’s father, Jihad Shaath, proclaimed, “I hope that just like we broke the barrier of two million in the Gaza Strip, we’ll also break the Israeli blockade on it. I hope that my son will become one of the soldiers of the al-Aqsa (Martyrs’ Brigade) who will bring about the liberation of the al-Aqsa Mosque.” [With the first name “Jihad”, what do you expect?]

There are 2.5 million Palestinians living in the West Bank, which is 16 times larger than Gaza.

For further reading click here.

Rare Photos
A collection of rare photos taken by Israeli photographer Dan Hadani has been made available to the public by the National Library of Israel. The collection features photos taken of Israeli leaders in the 1960’s in candid situations.

To see some of the photos click here.

Israel News for May 2, 2016

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Court Shutdown
Israel’s Supreme Court has ordered the shutdown of the Supreme Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem until the committee that appoints dayanim (rabbinic court judges) makes seven permanent appointments to the court.

The rabbinical court, which serves as the final court of appeals in the religious court system, is composed of nine judges including the two Chief Rabbis and two other permanent judges, who have just announced their retirement from the court. Judges to the court are supposed to be appointed by an 11 member committee led by Infrastructure, Energy and Water Minister Yuval Steinitz. With the retirement of the two permanent judges, who were also members of the nominating committee, the majority of the remaining nine members of the committee are non Haredi.

To avoid the appointment of non Haredi judges, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, who is the official head of the court, has been exercising his right to appoint temporary judges (all Haredi) to one year terms without the approval of the committee. The recent Supreme Court ruling has voided those temporary appointments and ordered that permanent appointments must be made in order for the court to function.

So now Steinitz is trying to broker a compromise agreement between the Haredi and non Haredi factions of the committee to enable the seven judges to be appointed. The traditional compromise relating to appointments has always been for each religious part on the committee to appoint two judges, which would mean two for Shas (Haredi), two for UTJ (Haredi) and two for Bayit Yehudi (non Haredi). The seventh judge would be appointed by Steinitz in consultation with the Prime Minister.

However, the non Haredi members of the committee are viewing their current majority as an opportunity to break the traditional Haredi control over the court and appoint more moderate judges not only to the Supreme Rabbinical Court, but also to several regional rabbinical courts which have openings.

For further reading click here.

Unity Rumors
Rumors leaked from reliable Likud sources recently have indicated that the Likud led government would be open to creating a unity government with the opposition Zionist Union faction. According to the sources, Zionist Unity leader Issac Herzog would get the coveted Foreign Minister position (currently held by the PM) and other Zionist Union Knesset members would get cabinet posts and other senior positions in the new government.

The only catch is that the current government would demand that its policies be retained and that the right wing Bayit Yehudi party remain in the government. Those are demands that the Zionist Union will find difficult to accept. Of course, there’s always the possibility that Bayit Yehudi would withdraw from the government if a unity government with Zionist Union is formed.

For now, both Herzog and his co-leader Tzipi Livni have rejected the idea of a joining the current government. But in politics (especially in Israel), you never know.

For further reading click here.

Small Business
Israel might be considered heaven for high tech startups, but it’s pretty darn close to hell for small businesses. According to the World Bank’s annual 2016 Doing Business survey, Israel ranked 53 out of 189 as a place for conducting business. That was three places lower than last year. Among 37 developed countries in the survey, Israel ranked 34th, right behind Moldova. Only Turkey, Greece and Luxembourg ranked lower. Singapore was the top-ranked country, with the United States coming in seventh.

The Doing Business report measures how easy it is for a local entrepreneur to open and operate a small- to medium-sized business, tracking rules and regulations for such things as dealing with starting a business, construction permits, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders and labor market regulations.

Among the factors used by the World Bank, in most cases Israel ranked much lower than its overall ranking of 53. It ranked eighth for protecting minatory investors, but 56th for starting a business; 96th for dealing with construction permits; 103rd for paying taxes; and 127th for registering property, which the report said required an average of six procedures taking 81 days, and at a cost equal to 8.3% of the property’s value.

In March Prime Minister Netanyahu named a ministerial committee to deal with what he called excessive regulation, and the government has taken steps to slash red tape. The PM said, “We are commencing a major battle against excessive regulation and bureaucracy in Israel. The beneficiaries will be Israeli consumers and businesses.”

It’s about time for Israel to shed its old fashioned, socialist inspired web of regulations, bureaucracy and red tape and become the kind of place where all businesses can flourish.

For further reading click here.

Gaza Blast
The world got a bit safer yesterday when an Islamic Jihad terrorist was killed in an explosion in Gaza that sources claim was “work related.” Any guesses on what he was working on?

For further reading click here.

More Oil
According to a report just published, new drilling in the Dead Sea area has discovered oil reserves estimated to be between 7 and 11 million barrels. The oil was first discovered in 1995 but was not removed due to the low cost of oil at the time. The companies holding the drilling license plan to begin developing the field in the near future.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for February 24, 2016

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Terror Attack
According to an IDF spokesman, a Palestinian man attempted to stab Israelis at a hitchhiking stop at the Gush Etzion junction. The terrorist was shot and wounded by an Israeli civilian. An Israeli man was also accidentally hit by the gunfire and seriously wounded. Both he and the terrorist were evacuated to hospitals in Jerusalem. The wounded Israeli man is in his early 20’s.
Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel from Bayit Yehudi asked Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon to close the roads in the area to Palestinian traffic.

In Jerusalem’s Old City today, police arrested two Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem after discovering two pipe bombs and ammunition in their food stand near Herod’s Gate. The bombs were diffused.

For further reading click here.

Gaza Port
With talks between Israel and Turkey to restore their broken relationship continuing, the issue of a seaport in Gaza has resurfaced. Turkey plans to invest $5 billion in rebuilding Gaza, and wants to include a seaport as a central component.

Israel has consistently refused demands to permit a seaport in Gaza due to the obvious security concerns of the possibility (or probability) of Hamas importing weapons via the port.

Senior IDF officers are in favor, in principle, of a Gaza seaport, especially if it comes with a Hamas pledge for a long-term cease-fire. Some government ministers also support the idea, including Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel from the right wing Bayit Yehudi party. They believe that the seaport will drastically improve economic conditions in Gaza, which will lead to a drop in violence.

PM Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yaalon are opposed to any seaport in Gaza. Ya’alon is, however, willing to examine two alternatives, including opening a special quay in the Port of Ashdod for Gaza shipments or establishing a port in Al Arish, across the border in Egypt, where Egyptian security officials would check merchandise first, after which it would be taken overland to the Nitzana crossing and from there through the Kerem Shalom crossing into the Gaza Strip after examination by Israel. Both of these alternatives are currently deemed unacceptable to the Palestinians.

Another possibility that is supported by Yaalon is to build an artificial island off the Gaza coast that would have a seaport and airport. Israel would have security oversight over the island.

Anyone have any other ideas?

For further reading click here.

Leaving Jerusalem
Central Bureau of Statistics figures published yesterday show that in 2014, Jerusalem led the country in negative migration, which means more residents moved out than moved in. The numbers don’t reflect the recent terror wave that has hit Jerusalem particularly hard. They also don’t reflect a surge in aliyah from France.

According to the figures, 10,351 new residents moved to the city while 17,091 residents left. Most of those leaving were young, with 6,421 of them aged between 15-29. Only 4,393 of the new incoming residents were in that young age range, while 2,917 of the new residents were aged 30-64. The high cost of housing is assumed to be one of the main reasons why younger people leave the city.

Despite the outflow, the Jewish population is still growing in Jerusalem due to higher birthrates in the religious and Haredi communities.

Some of the cities showing positive migration include Petach Tikva, Netanya, Ashkelon and Rehovot.

For further reading click here.

No News
Everyone knows the old saying, “no news is good news.” That seems to apply really well to Israel. While we try very hard to include positive and “feel good” stories when possible, most of the news that we end up writing about isn’t so happy, to say the least. But unfortunately, that’s just the reality so there’s not much we can do but tell it to you as straight as we can. We hope you appreciate that.

On the flip side, sometimes there just isn’t much news to report on at all. As much as we search, we’re sometimes left without anything more to say. So we don’t. Today is one of those days. So remember that, “no news is good news”, and please share our newsletter with anyone you know who might be interested. See you tomorrow.

Israel News for November 3, 2015

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More Terror
In Netanya on Monday evening, a 22 year old Palestinian stabbed a 70 year old Israeli man, seriously wounding him. Police shot the attacker and arrested him.

Earlier on Monday, a 19 year old Palestinian from Hebron stabbed an 80 year old woman and two men aged 35 and 26 in Rishon Letzion. Police arrested the terrorist.

In both terror attacks the police had to protect the arrested terrorists from angry mobs.

In a recent interview with Yediot Ahronot, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid insisted that the only solution to the terror is for Israel to completely separate from the Palestinians. He didn’t explain the logistics of such a separation, but he was clear that it cannot be a unilateral separation but rather one that is agreed upon by both sides. He also said that Saudi Arabia would be open to helping this occur. In Lapid’s vision, the IDF would be permitted to enter the Palestinian zone whenever necessary.

Has Lapid forgotten that the Palestinians want their own state, complete with sovereign borders and a military to defend them, with Jerusalem as its capital? Lapid is offering them basically what they already have, surrounded by a hermetically sealed wall to keep them out of Israel. Does he seriously think that they’ll accept that, or that Saudi Arabia will help convince them to? Seems like some very wishful thinking.

Watch the interview here.

Returning Bodies of Terrorists
Despite the cabinet’s decision not to return the bodies of terrorists to their families, the IDF has decided to return the bodies. Palestinian clan leaders and activists have been carrying out a campaign consisting of private discussions with Israeli military officials as well as organized protests to convince the Israelis that not returning the bodies will cause more unrest and violence. The campaign seems to have worked.

Five bodies were recently returned to families in the Hebron area. The bodies were given elaborate funerals and official Palestinian Authority ceremonies and honors. As a result, Israel is now demanding that all funerals of returned terrorists take place at night, so as to minimize the attendance and fanfare.

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said on Sunday morning that returning the bodies will continue if there’s a guarantee that the funerals will be kept low key. Otherwise, he’ll have the bodies buried in Israel.

For further reading click here.

Jail Time
The Knesset yesterday approved a law to impose a minimum prison sentence of 2 – 4 years on rock-throwers if there is evidence proving intent to harm. The law was approved by a vote of 51-17.

The law also approved fines and law suits against families of minors convicted of throwing rocks for nationalistic reasons or as an act of terrorism. In addition, National Insurance benefits (including child support) will be revoked from parents of such a minor.

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, the architect of the law, said Israel needed to find creative solutions to stop the recent wave of terror, adding the law will “force parents to take responsibility and pay the price for their children’s actions”.

If being killed or going to prison is not enough of a deterrent for these kids, maybe hitting their parents where it really hurts will be.

For further reading click here.

Police Ban Visits
Several weeks ago PM Netanyahu banned members of knesset from visiting the Temple Mount. But it seems that the police didn’t get the message, or maybe just ignored it. That’s changed.

On Monday, acting Police Chief Commander Bentzi Sau placed a temporary ban on all MKs from visiting the Temple Mount. This comes in the wake of the unauthorized visit of Joint List MK Basel Ghattas to the Mount last week, which several ministers and public officials claimed was a direct incitement to violence.

For further reading click here.

No more fireworks
Economy Minister Aryeh Deri signed an order yesterday banning the import of garden fireworks to Israel at the request of Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan. The fireworks are frequently used in attacks on Israeli security forces during violent demonstrations on the Temple Mount and in Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem. They have also been used in attacks on Jewish homes in these neighborhoods. The police say these fireworks can be lethal and the harm they can cause far outweighs any economic damage to the importers.

Fireworks are commonly used at Muslim wedding celebrations. We’ll take dull Muslim wedding over terrorism any day.

For further reading click here.

Netanya Expands
If you’re thinking of moving to Netanya, or if you happen to own land there, you might be in luck.
Construction is beginning on a new neighborhood in the western part of the city that will include 3,000 housing unit, over 2 million sq.ft. of commercial space, public buildings and a park.
Owners of plots of land included in the building plan made a nice return on their investment. Lucky them.

For further reading click here.

Stray Cat Strut
In these times of ongoing terror and heightened stress, it’s comforting to know that Israel’s cabinet is totally focused on dealing with the crisis. Well, maybe not all cabinet members.

Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel is focusing his attention on solving what he believes to be a major issue for Israel: stray cats. If you’ve been to Israel you know that there are stray cats just about everywhere. The Environmental Protection Ministry spends over one million dollars annually on neutering and spaying stray cats, in an attempt to control their numbers.

Ariel, who is a member of the religious Bayit Yehudi party, believes that neutering or spaying animals is against Jewish law. He therefore suggested that Israel’s cat population be transferred to a foreign country. His idea didn’t go over very well with just about everyone, from politicians to animal rights groups.
Ariel subsequently retracted his proposal, but still wants to end the government’s neutering program and instead use the money for research into the stray problem.

Is he serious?

For further reading click here.

Israel Film Festival
The Other Israel Film Festival, taking place from November 25 – 12, presents dramatic and documentary films, as well as engaging panels about history, culture, and identity on the topic of minority populations in Israel with a focus on Arab citizens of Israel,, who make up twenty percent of Israel’s population. The festival will present the films Colliding Dreams, Censored Voices, Dégradé, Jeruzalem, Mussa, Oriented, Partner With The Enemy and more.

For more info click here.