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Israel News for September 21, 2016

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Turkish Attack
A Turkish man shouting “Allahu Akbar” and holding a knife and carrying a bag was shot in the leg by a security guard outside of the Israeli Embassy in the Turkish capital of Ankara today. Authorities are in the process of checking the bag for explosives. The man is thought to be mentally unstable and not connected to any terrorist organization.

For further reading click here.

Child Terrorist
A 13 year old Palestinian girl approached guards at the Eliyahu checkpoint near the settlement of Alfei Menashe in Samaria (West Bank) yesterday carrying a bag. The guards ordered the girl to stop. When she didn’t they fired warning shots into the air, but she continued approaching them. Then she put her hand under her shirt and the guards shot her in the leg, lightly wounding her. When she was subsequently questioned she said, “I came here to die.” No weapons were found on her.

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Change the Deal
Just a week after the US and Israel officially agreed on a ten year $38 billion military aid package, some US senators are calling it a raw deal for Israel and promising to do better.

Republican Senators Lindsey Graham, Kelly Ayotte, John McCain and Ted Cruz have voiced their opposition to terms in the agreement they say are unfair to Israel and have promised to pass legislation to remedy the situation.

The senators are against the clause in the agreement that prohibits Israel from requesting more aid and obligates Israel to return any additional funds it does receive from Congress. They are also against the clause that prohibits Israel from spending any of the aid on purchases from Israeli military contractors.

The senators plan to append their legislation to a bill expected later this year calling for the renewal of sanctions against Iran.

Graham, who oversees the US foreign aid budget, said last week that Israel made a mistake by signing the agreement with the Obama administration. He said, “This is a very dramatic moment in the US-Israel relationship between Congress and the State of Israel. Congress is not going to sit on the sidelines,” and added, “Now is not the time to say that we’re going to nickel and dime Israel.”

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UN Speeches
In his address to the UN General Assembly yesterday, Egyptian President al-Sisi called on the Israelis and Palestinians to make peace. He asked the Palestinians to follow the example set by Egypt, in its peace treaty with Israel. He also directly addressed the Israeli government and people saying, “We have a real opportunity to write a bright page in the history of our region, to move toward peace.”

President Obama referred to Israel in his UN address saying, “And surely, Israelis and Palestinians will be better off if Palestinians reject incitement and recognize the legitimacy of Israel, but Israel recognizes that it cannot permanently occupy and settle Palestinian land.”

To read the full text of Obama’s speech click here.

Condolence Call
The family of Sayid Amro, the Jordanian terrorist who was killed attempting to stab Israeli civilians and police officers in Jerusalem on Friday, received a condolence letter from Palestinian Authority President Abbas. In the official letter, Abbas describes Amro as, “a martyr who has quenched the land of Palestine with his pure blood.”

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemned Israel called the killing of Amro “an act of barbarism.” This is after Israel sent the Jordanians video footage of the terrorist in action.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for September 1, 2016

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Bethlehem Hospital
Defense Minister Lieberman has approved plans for the construction of a Palestinian children’s hospital in Bethlehem, in an area fully controlled by Israel. The project still needs to go through the normal approval process from the relevant authorities, but Lieberman wanted to get the ball rolling in the right direction. In doing so he was attacked by right wing groups for helping the Palestinians take over Israeli land. He claims that he is simply implementing his “carrot and stick” policy, by which he will punish communities that aid or promote terror, and reward those that keep the peace.

For further reading click here.

Settlement Expansion
The Ministry of Interior’s Settlements Subcommittee yesterday approved the construction of 120 units in the West Bank and retroactively approved several new neighborhoods that have already been constructed. The new units will be built in Efrat, Givat Ze’ev, Beit Aryeh, Nofim. An additional 234 apartments were approved in a senior citizens’ home in Elkana.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, “This significant expansion of the settlement activity poses a serious and growing threat to the viability of a two state solution. We are particularly troubled by the policy of retroactively approving illegal outposts and unauthorized settlements.”

For further reading click here.

New Ambassador
As an Egyptian military band played Hatikva, Israel’s new ambassador to Egypt, David Govrin, officially presented his credentials to Egyptian President al-Sisi in Cairo yesterday.

Govrin said, “I feel very proud to be appointed to this position in Egypt, the mother of the world, a land of cultures and ancient history. I have no doubt that the relations between Egypt and Israel are vital and central to achieve the long-awaited peace and stability in the region in general.”

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Turkish Handshake
Turkey’s President Erdogan shook the hand of Israel’s interim ambassador to Ankara, Shani Cooper. During the president’s traditional handshake with the diplomatic corps to celebrate the country’s Victory Day on August 30, Erdoğan asked to welcome Cooper. She presented herself and expressed her nation’s support for the Turkish president and republic. Erdogan spoke positively about the newly reinstated diplomatic relations between the two countries, and wished Cooper good in her new position. Israel and Turkey will soon both appoint permanent ambassadors to represent them respectively.

Erdogan yesterday formally approved the agreement reached with Israel.

For further reading click here.

Helping Survivors
Aviva Silverman, CEO of Aviv (“Spring”) for Holocaust Survivors, recently launched a new website to help inform the 180,000 holocaust survivors living in Israel and elsewhere of the benefits that they are entitled to.

Silverman founded the organization in 2007 to address the overwhelming lack of public awareness of what Israeli law provides for holocaust survivors. According to Silverman, around 25% of holocaust survivors in Israel live in poverty. Aviv for Holocaust Survivors has already helped about 50,000 survivors get over 200 million shekels in government assistance that they were entitled to.

According to the mission statement on the new website, “Our vision is that all Holocaust survivors living in Israel should live their lives with the dignity and comfort they deserve, and that they receive respect and proper treatment from the various agencies assisting them. Thousands of them do not take advantage of all their rights, whether granted to them by law or under various programs.”

Silverman said, “The new site is intended to aid all segments of the population – survivors and their families and offers easily accessible information about the rights and benefits offered to survivors from different countries around the world.”

We applaud your important work.

To check out the website go to avivshoa.co.il

School Days
About 2.2 million Israeli students started the new school year today. If you’re wondering what the average class size is in an Israeli school, Education minister Naftali Bennett explained, “Since the state was founded, the standard has been to have 40 students per class. We then set an upper limit whereby there would be up to 34 students per class, and 32 in weaker communities.”

Around 180,000 work in the Israeli school system, with 9,000 of them starting their first year.

In his opening statement to kick off the new school year Bennett said, “we’ve worked hard over the last summer and we’re well prepared. Starting last year, we’ve made a sharp turn to try to make the education system more personalized via smaller class sizes, teachers’ aides, a revolution in teaching math, and with national programs in English language instruction. We did all of this in conjunction with the Biton Commission to connect the different sectors of Israeli nation, and in conjunction with the Year of Jerusalem, which will begin soon.”

For further reading click here.

Holy City
When you think of holy city, Jerusalem comes to mind. Tel Aviv, not so much. But the new Chabad emissary in Tel Aviv, Rabbi Eli Naiditch, decided to change that perception and prove that Tel Aviv is, indeed, a holy city. So he set representatives up in four city locations who would offer men the opportunity to put on teffilin. They worked from 9am until 7pm and succeeded in enabling 262 men to put on tefillin. He reported his success to the Guinness Book of World Records. Rabbi Neiditch won’t know if he set a world record for a few months, but didn’t seem to care when he said, “This is the greatest proof that Tel Aviv is absolutely a holy city, filled with holy people.”

For further reading click here.

Survey Says
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This issue of israelAM is sponsored by us in honor of our wedding anniversary!!

Israel News for August 22, 2016

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Rocket Attack
Yesterday afternoon Hamas terrorists fired a rocket from northern Gaza at the Israeli town of Sderot. Code Red warning sirens sounded at 2:30pm. The rocket miraculously landed in between two residential buildings, causing no damage or injuries.

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Israel Responds
Israeli aircraft and artillery pounded Hamas military positions in northern Gaza throughout the night, in response to the rocket that was launched from there yesterday. Officers say that this was the strongest IDF response since Operation Protective Edge.

Former Israeli Navy commander-in-chief, Maj. Gen. (res.) Eliezer Marom explained, “this is definitely a slightly harsher response than usual for rocket fire at Sderot. Israel is showing that ‘we won’t tolerate any rocket fire from the Strip. Hamas, you are currently in control of Gaza, so you are responsible for stopping all rocket fire—no one else.'”

Marom also stressed that the unusual Israeli response perfectly corresponds to Avigdor Lieberman becoming the minister of defense, saying, ”The minister of defense is changing the game a little. It’s not a dramatic change, but this series of strikes, coming in two waves, and hitting meaningful targets—as opposed to just hitting Hamas training sites which are basically just sand dunes—is in fact a change, a change which and I think is welcome and correct.”

Despite the powerful bombardment, officials claim that Israel is not looking to escalate the conflict with Hamas and will continue allowing thousands of trucks to enter the strip daily.

For further reading click here.

Turkey Israel
The Turkish Parliament has ratified the rapprochement agreement recently signed between Israel and Turkey, officially restoring full diplomatic relations between the countries. PM Netanyahu praised the ratification.

With the deal ratified by Turkish lawmakers, the process of normalization is set to begin, including the removal of sanctions both parties have imposed on one another, an increase in the level of diplomatic relations and an exchange of ambassadors.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported that police have detained five people who tried to break into Israel’s consulate in Istanbul to protest Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. The five entered a business center housing the consulate early Monday and were detained by police who were called to the scene. Security around the building was increased.

For further reading click here.

Cairo Delegation
The Egyptian media reported that an Israeli delegation met with Egyptian officials in Cairo yesterday to reportedly discuss restarting the frozen Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and other matters of mutual interest. Egypt has been in the forefront of trying to broker a peace summit between Israel and the Palestinians.

Egyptian media also reported that Egyptian President al-Sissi said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed a willingness to host Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for talks in Moscow. European leaders have failed to bring the two sides together.

Al-Sissi said, “Egypt supports these efforts and both sides are urged to participate and respond positively to the initiative for the sake of finding light at the end of the tunnel for Palestinians and establishing their state alongside Israel.”

For further reading click here.

Farmers Wanted
Israeli consumers are facing skyrocketing vegetable prices as a result of a shortage of produce growing farmers in the country. Perhaps they’ve traded in their tractors for the chance to work at startups to get their shot at startup nation success?

Whatever the reason, the prices of tomatoes, watermelons, squash and sweet potatoes are just some of the popular veggies that are becoming more expensive by the day. And have you tried buying an avocado in Israel lately? Forget about it! That salmon avocado roll you cherish might soon become a memory.

According to estimates there are about 8,000 farmers in Israel, which is about half of the number a decade ago. Instead of produce, farmers are currently growing flowers and seeds, which are more profitable and easier to manage.

Produce was one of the few things you could claim were cheaper (and tastier) in Israel. Oh well.

For further reading click here.

Medal Miss
The Israeli Rhythmic Gymnastic team missed their chance at bringing a medal home to Israel when it finished sixth in yesterday’s final at the Rio olympics. Israelis had high hopes that the girls might snag a medal. But sixth in the world is pretty darn good. Russia took the gold medal.
Israel ended up winning two bronze medals in Rio, both in Judo. You can’t be great at everything (despite what your mother said).

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Israel News for July 29, 2016

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Dermer Praises Clinton
Ron Dermer, the Israeli ambassador to the US, credited Hillary Clinton with the leading role in achieving a cease-fire in Israel’s 2012 conflict with Hamas.

Clinton flew to the region and conducted shuttle diplomacy between Egypt and Israel to end hostilities between Israel and Hamas through indirect negotiations. Dermer, speaking at an event hosted by the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, said that because of the quick cease-fire, the eight-day conflict was the only one of Israel’s three rounds of fighting with Hamas to not include an Israeli ground operation in Gaza.

He said, “She came in and had to get it right, and had, I think, basically one shot. A lot of lives were saved.”

Dermer said the talks defined “how the U.S. and Israel work together as allies.”

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Gaza Sewage
A bipartisan group of US Congressman and Senators have sent a letter to Minister of Defense Avigdor Liberman and Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy, and Water Resources Yuval Steinitz demanding a long-term solution for the supply of electricity to the water purification facility in the Gaza Strip. The group claims that an absence of an immediate solution will have severe health and environmental consequences on both sides of the border.

The water purification plant, built in northern Gaza with $80 million of World Bank money, is barely functioning due to a lack of electricity, which is supplied by Israel. As a result, sewage in Gaza is flowing into the Mediterranean Sea. Water currents bring the sewage northeast to Israel, damaging the aquifers on both sides of the border.

According to EcoPeace Friends of the Earth Middle East Israel director Adv. Gidon Bromberg, which has been trying for several years to eliminate the hazards of sewage in the region, “The hazards of the sewage flowing from the Gaza Strip are an existing fact that cannot be ignored. Sewage constitutes a health hazard not only in the Gaza Strip, but also for nearly a million Israelis. It is a ticking bomb, and it is only a matter of time before it leads to the closure of beaches, destruction of groundwater, and the outbreak of disease on both sides of the border.”

For further reading click here.

Egyptian Independence
PM Netanyahu and President Rivlin participated in the Egyptian Independence Day celebrations at the residence of the Egyptian ambassador to Israel in Hertzlia last night. The PM praised the Egyptian President’s efforts to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The Israeli Egyptian peace treaty has held up for nearly 40 years.

For further reading click here.

Highway Security
Highway 443, which connects Modiin to Jerusalem and is one of only two major highways that connect the capital to central Israel, has been the scene of dozens of terrorist attacks in the recent wave of terror. The IDF is hoping to prevent more attacks by installing over 255 day and night vision cameras along the ten mile stretch of road. They’ll also be adding two additional surveillance balloons along the route, supplementing the one already in use. There are also currently between 50 and 70 soldiers who patrol the highway.

A significant portion of the 443 passes through the West Bank. The road is built in hilly terrain and there are Arab villages on both sides of it. There is no security fence along most of the highway, giving terrorists many opportunities to carry out attacks on the thousands of Israeli vehicles that use the road every day.

Despite the attacks along the highway in recent months, the road is considered to be safe.

Let’s hope that the new cameras help the IDF stop terrorists before they have a chance to attack.

For further reading click here.

Judge Diversity
In a sign of Israel’s increasing diversity in public office, ten out of the 16 new district judges and court registrars sworn in yesterday were women and four were Arabs. Both Israel’s Justice Minister and Supreme Court President are also women.

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Joint Exercise
The Israeli Navy and the US Marines conducted a joint training exercise. To watch a video of the exercise click here.

Israel News for May 18, 2016

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Unity Swings Right
While PM Netanyahu continues to negotiate with left wing opposition leader Isaac Herzog to bring the opposition faction into a unity government, he has begun talks with right wing Yisrael Beyteinu leader Avigdor Liberman for the same purpose.

The PM invited Liberman to discuss joining the government after Liberman laid out his conditions for joining at a press conference this morning. His conditions are: the defense ministry, the imposition of the death penalty for terrorist murderers, and pension reforms.

Liberman’s Yisrael Beyteinu party’s six Knesset seats would modestly boost the government’s current razor thin 61 (out of 120) seat majority. The party’s right wing agenda is also agreeable to most of the government’s current coalition partners. Liberman, a former ally of Netanyahu, turned down the PM’s offer for him to join the government in 2015.

Bringing Yisrael Beyteinu seems like an easily achievable and obvious move to strengthen the government, but apparently the PM would ideally like to form a unity government with the left. Whether that is possible is still up in the air. But the negotiations with Herzog are continuing.

This is getting interesting.

For further reading click here.

Terrorist Convicted
The Tel Aviv District Court today convicted Nur al-Din Abu Khashiyeh for murdering IDF First Sergeant Almog Shiloni in November of 2014. The court ruled that the murder was premeditated, not spontaneous. Besides the abundant evidence, the court relied on Khashiyeh’s own testimony, in which he said, “It’s true that I murdered Almog Shiloni. I wanted to take his weapon and spray everyone because of what your rabbis are doing in al-Aqsa. I wanted to keep going, kill everyone on the street, continue everyone’s job. I murdered him. I planned to murder him.”

The demolition order which had been issued for Abu Khashiyeh’s house was thrown out a year later by the Supreme Court, because the judges ruled that the long delay in carrying out the demolition—11 months from the day of the attack— was not reasonable and would therefore not lead to the deterrence sought.

For further reading click here.

Ettinger to be Released
Prosecutors told the Lod District Court that Meir Ettinger, the grandson of Meir Kahane who is being held by the Shin Bet under administrative detention, will be released at the end of the month, and that an administrative order will be issued to restrict the people he can make contact with and the places he can reside in.

Ettinger was detained following the murder of the Dawabsheh family in the West Bank village of Duma last July, and was placed in administrative detention for six months. His detention was later extended by another four months.

For further reading click here.

Egyptian Support
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi declared his support on Tuesday for the French initiative to hold a Mideast peace conference later this year. He called on Israel and the Palestinians to seize what he described as a “realistic” and “great” opportunity to reach a peaceful settlement to their decades-old conflict.

Al-Sisi used the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty as an example to emulate, saying that if Egypt could make peace with Israel, so could the Palestinians. He said, “I say to our Palestinian brothers, you must unite the different factions in order to achieve reconciliation and quickly. We as Egypt are prepared to take on this role. It is a real opportunity to find a long-awaited solution.”

PM Netanyahu and opposition leader Isaac Herzog both welcomed Al-Sisi’s remarks. The PM said, “I welcome Egyptian President El-Sisi’s remarks and his willingness to make every effort to advance a future of peace and security between us and the Palestinians and the peoples of the region. Israel is ready to participate with Egypt and other Arab states in advancing both the diplomatic process and stability in the region. I appreciate President Al-Sisi’s work and also draw encouragement from his leadership on this important issue.”

Palestinian Authority President Abbas also welcomed the Egyptian President’s remarks, saying, “Egypt has always been an anchor for the Palestinians, and its support of an international push will greatly aid the effort to lead to a comprehensive settlement that will include at its core the foundation of a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel.”

So basically, everyone wants peace. And yet…
 
For further reading click here.  

Law School Religion
Before last year’s Hebrew University Law School annual gala, some students requested that a mechitza (partition) be erected to allow religious women to dance separately — women only. Following a protest, the request was denied. This year the matter was put to a vote by the Hebrew U. law students’ union. The vote was 176 in favor and 211 against.

MK Shuli Moalem-Refaeli (Habayit Hayehudi) wrote to Hebrew U President Menahem Ben-Sasson, saying that not allowing the partition was “secular coercion and the exclusion of women. As a religious woman I was shocked at reports that senior faculty members were considering boycotting the event and even withdrawing its funding if the women’s request was granted. The female students are asking that their religious worldview be respected and allow them to be part of the social fabric in their lives as students. They are, of course, not demanding that their religious lifestyle be forced on others.”

Religious Jewish women aren’t the only ones getting a raw deal. The annual gala is scheduled to take place during Ramadan, which means that religious Muslim students will not be able to attend. There are no plans to change the date of the event.

For further reading click here.

Go Navy
The Israeli Navy participated in a joint Nato sponsored exercise with the US and Greek navies in the Greek Islands. To watch a video and see photos of the Israeli navy in action, click here.