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Israel News Hanukkah Menorah Kotel

Israel News for December 14, 2015

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Terror Attack
A Palestinian woman tried to stab an Israeli in the Givat Avot neighborhood of Hebron yesterday. She was shot and critically wounded by soldiers. No Israeli casualties were reported.

For further reading click here.

IDF Vet in ISIS
An Israeli security official confirmed a media report that an IDF veteran has joined ISIS in Syria. Wallah News identified the man as a Muslim from an Arab village in northern Israel who served in Givati, the elite infantry brigade that often operated in Gaza. Recent ISIS videos have featured Hebrew speaking Arab terrorists, presumably from Israel. Now they’ve scored one with some quality military experience. Let’s hope he doesn’t live long enough to use it.

For further reading click here.

Gaza Strikes
The Israeli air force last night struck two targets affiliated with Hamas in Gaza in response to a rocket that was fired from Gaza into Israel earlier Sunday. Although the rocket exploded in an open field and did not cause any damage, it did force residents of the Israeli border communities to seek shelter and rattle their general sense of security. Israel’s message to Hamas was clear: you will be held responsible for everything that happens in your territory.

For further reading click here.

Cop Investigated
A counter terrorism police officer who shot and killed a sixteen year old female terrorist and injured her fourteen year old cousin in Jerusalem’s Mehane Yehuda market on November 23 is being investigated by the department’s internal affairs division for using excessive force. The two assailants stabbed and injured a seventy year old man with scissors.

The investigation was initiated by Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein based on allegations that the policeman continued shooting even after the terrorist no longer posed a danger. Footage of the incident shows the officer continuing to shoot at the terrorist while she is lying on the ground motionless.

The police officer’s defense attorney said that he followed standard protocol. He saw that the terrorists posed a clear and present danger and took action to neutralize them. He was also concerned that they might be wearing hidden explosives. The officer was released from questioning without any restrictions and was allowed to hold on to his firearms, an indicator that he will not be indicted.

Jewish Home MK Shuli Muallem and Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Leiberman vociferously opposed the investigation. Paraphrasing a Talmudic phrase, Leiberman said that “those who have mercy on a terrorist with scissors will in the end be cruel to the many Israelis who will be stabbed by those scissors…”

For further reading click here.

Commish Lights
Israel’s newly appointed police commissioner Roni Alshich lit the menorah at the kotel on the eighth night of Hanukkah along with Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef and Chief Rabbi of the Kotel Shmuel Rosenbaum. Before the actual candle-lighting, Alshich presented a special Book of Psalms (Tehilim) to Naor Shalev, a 13 year old boy who was badly injured in a terror attack at Pisgat Ze’ev two months ago.

Alshich was also joined by representatives and officers of the Israel police force, whom he praised saying, “Even when we are in our own independent state we must continue to fight to protect our citizens. This is a good opportunity for me to light the menorah on behalf of the brave people doing this – the police who respond at all times to those who seek to make our people their targets of murder. Our defense forces fight the darkness, allowing our people to add light.”

For further reading click here.

First Lady
First Lady Sarah Netanyahu lit the eighth night’s Hanukkah candles with Holocaust survivors at a home for senior citizens in Jerusalem. She was joined by her son Yair and Minister of Social Equality MK Gila Gamliel.
Sarah told the residents that she and her husband were committed to supporting Holocaust survivors, and that their welfare and happiness was of utmost importance to them. She also recounted how her father was the sole survivor of his family during the holocaust and how she grew up with that knowledge as a child. She said that it was our duty to never to forget and to not let something like that ever happen again.

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Fire Compensation
Five years after the worst fire in Israel’s history, which killed 44, displaced 17,000 and burned down millions of trees in the Carmel forest, the State has agreed to compensate municipalities and businesses that suffered losses in the fire. The total compensation sum is 58 million shekels. Recipients of the funds include the municipality of Ein Hod, businesses in Daliat El Carmel (a large Druze town) and Osafia, Hotel Ya’arot Hacarmel, Kibbutz Beit Oren and several insurance companies.

The massive and deadly fire caused the government to reorganize and greatly improve the country’s fire fighting resources.

For further reading click here.

Snow Rail
If you count on the Jerusalem light rail to get around the city, you better hope for good weather. The operators of the light rail have announced that the rail will not be able to operate in more than 5 centimeters of snow. That is, unless the municipality makes sure that the snow is cleared off the rail lines. The chances of that happening are even worse than … hell freezing over? But the light rail folks promise to try their hardest to keep it operational and on schedule. What more can you ask?

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Jordan Confirms
Last week we told you about a story where Jordanian border guards snatched the kippot off the heads of a family of Israeli tourists and did not permit them to enter Jordan with them. Yesterday, a Jordanian diplomatic source admitted, in an interview with a Jordanian newspaper, that Jordanian security forces routinely prohibit Israelis with “Jewish symbols” from entering the country. He said that Jordan has had this policy for many years and that the Israeli Foreign Ministry is well aware of it. He added that Jordan has the right to enforce any policy it sees fit relating to entrance into its borders.

So if you want to express your Jewish identity in the open, save that trip to Jordan for better times. There are plenty of other places to visit, which frankly, are a heck of a lot nicer and more fun (fyi, we’ve been to Jordan).

For further reading click here.

Israel News Rivllin US visit

Israel News for December 9, 2015

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Terror Attacks
A terrorist stabbed two men near Beit Hadassah in Hebron today. The men, both in their early 20’s were wounded, one in the upper body and one in the leg. The terrorist was shot and killed. This story is still developing.

For further reading click here.

Terrorists threw four molotov cocktails at cars driving down Highway 443 towards Jerusalem last night. There were no injuries or damage to vehicles. The 443 is one of just two main arteries connecting Jerusalem to the center of the country and Tel Aviv. Keeping it safe is a priority for security forces, which is why they’re moving full force to catch the perpetrators and halt further attacks.

For further reading click here.

Israeli ISIS
The Shin Bet announced yesterday that they have arrested five Israeli Arabs from Nazareth for attempting to form an ISIS terror cell. According to the Shin Bet, the group had already started to meet, had begun training with live arms and were planning ISIS style terrorist attacks. The group had recently sworn allegiance to ISIS and to a “jihad against infidels.”

Is this a trend in the Israeli Arab community or just an isolated incident?

For further reading click here.

Convicted Terrorists
Yesterday, the Jerusalem District Court sentenced four east Jerusalem Arabs for conspiring to carry out shooting and kidnapping attacks against Jews praying on the Temple Mount and security forces posted in east Jerusalem. Three other Arabs were convicted last week on similar charges.

The head of the terror cell, Nor Hamdan, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for contact with a foreign agent, illegal military training and crimes related to illegal weapons possession and development.

Hamdan’s deputy, Imah Shaar, was sentenced to 11 years and Omar Vuzvuz and Amjad Razam were each sentenced to 10 years in prison for similar crimes.

The Shin Bet said that the cell had come into possession of two handguns, a pipe bomb, and ammunition. They won’t need those where they’re heading.

For further reading click here.

IDF Accused
The Legal Assistance Division of the Israeli Justice Ministry filed a petition with the High Court of Justice yesterday against the IDF. The petition alleges that the IDF discriminated against soldiers of Ethiopian background by granting them “poor conduct” discharges.

A “poor conduct” discharge can result in loss of state benefits including national insurance (Bituach Leumi) and can have a negative impact on finding a job.

A 2011 State Comptroller report noted that 66 percent of Ethiopians released early in 2010 were released for “poor conduct,” a percentage far above the frequency that these grounds are given for discharges among the general population.

The test case that the Justice Department is presenting involves a soldier of Ethiopian background who was released on December 31, 2013 for “poor conduct,” despite the fact that on January 8, 2014, a neurologist and the official Medical Committee said that his release should have been based on his “medical condition.”

On the other hand, the soldier attempted to desert on more than one occasion for which he was court martialed — which gives the IDF support for its “poor conduct” discharge.

The High Court will have to decide who is right and whether the IDF did actually discriminate against the soldier. But regardless of this case, it does seem like the IDF needs to review its general treatment of soldiers of Ethiopian background to make sure that it’s all perfectly “kosher”.

For further reading click here.

UNESCO Deal
The US stopped funding the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) four years ago, after it voted to admit Palestine as a member. The UNESCO move triggered an old law enacted by Congress requiring America to stop funding any UN agency that accepts the Palestinians as a full member state. That cost UNESCO $80 million in annual US funding, a quarter of its total budget. But it also cost the US its voting rights in the organization.

The US administration wants the UNESCO funding resumed and has asked Israel not to oppose a waiver to the new US foreign aid budget which would exempt the government from complying with the old law. It looks like PM Netanyahu has agreed to the request. Is this part of a bigger bargain? An even bigger question: can Israel really dictate what bills or waivers Congress passes? Apparently, they can in this case.

For further reading click here.

Israeli Poverty
The annual 2014 report on poverty released by the National Insurance Agency (Bituach Leumi) shows that 1,709,300 of Israel’s citizens live below the poverty line. That number includes 776,500 children. The figures rank Israel in the bottom two countries in the developed world (OECD), just above Mexico. In terms of poor children, Israel also ranks second to last, just above Turkey.

According to the report, the poverty income level is NIS 3,077 a month for an individual, NIS 4,923 a month for a couple and NIS 9,230 for a family of five.

Poverty among Arab families rose from 51.7% in 2013 to 52.6% in 2014. Poverty levels within the Ultra Orthodox community rose to 54.3% in 2014. Two thirds of all children in this sector of the population live in poverty.

Let’s hope that the Startup Nation can figure out a solution to this huge problem?

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Rivlin in Town
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin arrived in New York yesterday on a commercial El Al flight (probably first class) and took a train to Washington (is there first class on the train?).
Rivlin attended a joint meeting on Capitol Hill with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). He then met with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Today Rivlin and his wife will head to the White House where they will be met by the First Family. Rivlin will then meet with Obama. After that the Rivlins will join in a Hanukkah reception in their honor. Fun!

On Thursday, Rivlin is scheduled to deliver a diplomatic speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington, after which he will travel by train to New York for a series of meetings with leaders of the Jewish community.

Good luck!

For further reading click here.

Mr. Universe
Proving his Jewish mother’s claim that her son is the greatest man in the universe, Danny Kaganovich has won the Mr. Universe competition. He’s the first Israeli to ever win the international bodybuilding competition. Is mom proud now, or would she rather Danny have an MD after his name? If you’re reading this Mrs. Kaganovich, please let us know.

For further reading click here.

israel news terror

Israel News for December 1, 2015

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Arab Terror
At around 8:00am today, a Palestinian attempted to stab an Israeli man at the Gush Etzion junction but was shot and killed by soldiers at the scene. A bystander was hit in the hand and lightly wounded by a piece of shrapnel from the shooting. The junction has been the site of ten previous terrorist attacks.

Just moments later, a 25 year old man was stabbed in the Beit Yisrael neighborhood of Jerusalem. He said his attacker was an Arab man. Police are searching for the attacker.

Later this morning, a Palestinian woman was found near the settlement of Efrat with a knife in her bag. She was taken in for questioning.

Also today, a Palestinian woman tried to stab an IDF officer at a checkpoint near the West Bank settlement of Einav. She was shot and later died.

For further reading click here.

Jewish Terror
Israeli police and the Shin Bet have revealed that they have made significant progress in the investigation of one of the worst recent Jewish terror incidents, and that they are optimistic that they will solve the case and bring the perpetrators to justice. Since the case is under a strict gag order, the details of the investigation are barred from publication. According to Channel 2 News, the gag order is likely to be lifted in the next couple of days. Any guesses as to what terror incident they’re referring to?

For further reading click here.

The Handshake
In their first face to face encounter since 2010, PM Netanyahu and PA President Abbas shook hands at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris yesterday.

The two found themselves in the same row in a group photo of leaders. Only New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key stood between them. After the group photo, they shook hands and exchanged a few words. No one thinks the handshake represents any improvement in relations between the men.

The PM also had a 10-minute conversation with U.S. President Obama, which U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry joined toward the end.

For further reading click here.

Minister to Resign
Knesset Member Yinon Magal of the Bayit Yehudi party informed party leader Naftali Bennett yesterday that he would resign from the Knesset.

Police are investigating harassment complaints filed by four women against Magal relating to when he was editor-in-chief at Walla news.

Magal told Bennett that he was sure that there was no criminal aspect to anything he had done, but that he understood that there were those who had been hurt by his behavior in the past and he therefore wanted to resign from the Knesset.

In response Bennett said, “I have received the notice of Yinon’s resignation, and this is the right thing to do. I hope that the proceedings in which he finds himself will be concluded as swiftly as possible, and that he will be able to devote himself to his family and to his future career.”

Avi Wurtzman, the former deputy education minister, will take over Magal’s Knesset seat.

For further reading click here.

Arab MK to US
The chairman of the Joint List, Ayman Odeh, is set to visit the US on the first diplomatic visit ever for an Arab Knesset member. The Joint List is the unity party formed by the individual Arab political parties in order to gain more seats in the Knesset. The party is currently the third largest faction in the Knesset. That makes Odeh the defacto leader of the Arab Israeli population, and worthy of an invitation to Washington.

Odeh is expected to meet with senior White House and State Department officials. His staff is still attempting to arrange meetings with other highest-ranking Washington personalities. During his stay in Washington, Odeh is scheduled to attend a special event in his honor, hosted by billionaire Daniel Abrahams. Dozens of ambassadors from around the world are expected to attend. Odeh is also expected to visit UN headquarters in New York and meet with a number of UN ambassadors.

Odeh said, “The issues that matter to Israel’s Arab citizens are hardly represented in international dialogue. I’m going to the US to bring that voice with me to influential sources and opinion leaders, and to create contacts and connections with the progressive and civil rights movements.”

He added, “I go so that I may tell the hard truth about Netanyahu and the government in Israel, which rose to power through racist incitement against Arab citizens.”

For further reading click here.

ISIS and Israel
This could be embarrassing. According to reports in the Arab and Russian media, Israel is the major buyer of oil produced and sold by ISIS. The terrorist state produces between 20,000 and 40,000 barrels a day in Iraq and Syria, generating between $1m and $1.5 million in profits.

The oil is transported to the Kurdish city of Zakhu, near the borders of Turkey, Iraq and Syria. From there the oil is smuggled to the Turkish city of Silop, marked as originating from Kurdish regions of Iraq and sold for $15-$18 per barrel to an Israeli broker. The market price for crude oil is currently between $41 and $45 per barrel.

Back in August we quoted the “Financial Times” report that Israel obtained 75% of its oil supplies from Iraqi Kurdistan. Well, a nice chunk of that oil is made in the Islamic State.

If these reports are true, Israel is indirectly supporting ISIS to get oil for less than half the market price. And of course, ISIS is also bolstering the Jewish State.

Let’s hope the reports are false.

For further reading click here.

German Boycott
According to Israel’s Channel 10 news, Galeria Kaufhof, one of Germany’s largest department store chains, has removed Israeli products from its shelves in response to the new EU labeling regulations. The store has over 100 branches and 21,000 employees.

For further reading click here.

Google Denies
Yesterday we reported that the Foreign Ministry had announced that it had reached an agreement with Google for the company to cooperate in removing videos that incite terrorism. Well, after hearing the news, Google denied reaching any agreement with the Foreign Ministry, or with any government, to do anything beyond what it already does to police YouTube.

The Foreign Ministry corrected its original statement but reiterated that Israel was, “extremely grateful for the good relations with Google. Our common objective is to remove dangerous incitement to violence on social media. We have full confidence in the Google teams dealing with this removal.”

For further reading click here.

Israel News for November 18, 2015

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Terrorist Killed
IDF soldiers from the Haredi “Netzah Yehuda” battalion on a routine patrol came under fire from three Palestinian gunmen near the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya yesterday.

The soldiers were in a military vehicle. The terrorists pulled up in a car, got out and opened fire. The soldiers returned fire, killing one terrorist and wounding the other two. None of the soldiers were injured.

Earlier today, the Shin Bet announced that seven residents of Jaljulia, an Israeli Arab town near Kfar Saba, were arrested for planning to join and fight for ISIS in Syria. Two of them were related to the Israeli Arab who paraglided into Syria from the Golan several weeks ago.

For further reading click here.

PA vs. Terror
Apparently, the Palestinian Authority is now doing it’s part to curb the wave of terror. The governor of Jenin, Ibrahim Ramadan, told Ynet that Palestinian forces recently thwarted three attempted stabbing attacks at the Gilboa crossing next to Jenin. Plainclothes Palestinian security personnel who were stationed on the Palestinian side of the crossing in order to prevent stabbing attacks, arrested three women before they managed to carry out their attacks.

Before these undercover officers were deployed, there were four attempted stabbings at that very crossing during the recent wave of terror. According to PA officials, Palestinian security personnel also intervene when there is unrest in the West Bank to prevent any shooting at the IDF and Border Police.

The IDF also think that Abbas is reigning in the violence. A month ago IDF intelligence said that Abu Mazen (Abbas) is not inciting attacks on Israelis and is even instructing his forces to take action against violence. There is currently ongoing cooperation between Palestinian security officers and the IDF to restore the calm.

For further reading click here.

Israel’s Bride
Sara Techiya Litman, who lost her father Rav Yaakov Litman and brother Netanel in the shooting attack last Friday, was meant to get married last night. Instead she is sitting shiva. But she told Ynet, “we will not let terrorism destroy us” and that the wedding has been rescheduled for next Thursday at Binyanei Hauma in Jerusalem. Sara Techiya and her fiance Ariel called on the public to come celebrate with them saying, “all of the Jewish People are invited to arise with us from the dust and rejoice in our celebration”.

Last night, an evening of enrichment and learning for women was organized at the wedding hall where the wedding was meant to take place in order to provide inspiration and support during these difficult times. Speakers included Rabbanit Yemima Mizrahi, Chief Rabbi of Tzfat Shmuel Eliyahu, Chief Rabbi of Meitar and father of the groom Rav Beigel and other public figures..

For further reading click here.

Soldiers Protest
A couple of weeks ago we told you about the synagogue in Givat Ze’ev that that High Court ordered to demolish on the grounds that it was built on privately owned Palestinian land. The court subsequently postponed the demolition based on a request by the government claiming that the demolition would incite violence by Jewish extremists. The deadline the court set for the demolition to take place is this coming Thursday. The government has come to a compromise agreement with the community, pledging to build a new synagogue nearby. But there is still much opposition to the destruction of the synagogue.

In an unprecedented demonstration of protest, a new Facebook page has photos of IDF soldiers and Border Police holding signs saying, “I too won’t demolish a synagogue.” The signs cover the faces of the IDF and police personnel, but their uniforms are clearly visible. One sign said: “Mosques and churches are not demolished but synagogues are? Have you gone mad?”

Among the units represented on the Facebook page are the Border Police, the Tank Corps, the Golani Brigade, the G’dud 46 Brigade, the Kfir Brigade and field intelligence.

IDF soldiers are not expected to be used in the demolition, which will be carried out by Police and Border Police personnel.

Some hardline rabbis have issued statements prohibiting soldiers from following orders to demolish the synagogue. Will any of the security forces assigned the unpleasant task choose to disobey orders?

For further reading click here.

Survey Says
A survey conducted by Haifa University Sociology Professor Sami Samucha, who is an Israeli Arab, reveals some disturbing results.

According to the survey, 57% of Arab citizens of Israel feel that the recently outlawed Islamic Movement in Israel faithfully represents them. The movement incites violence related to the Temple Mount and has connections to Hamas. The survey also reveals that 18.2% of Arab Muslim citizens of Israel, and 28.1% of all supporters of the Islamic Movement, do not consider ISIS to be a radical terrorist organization, and are not ashamed of the group.

Prof. Samucha commented that the high level of support for ISIS is very troubling, particularly given that the Arab leadership in Israel and leaders of the Islamic Movement have strongly denounced the group. You think?

Upshot
The Israeli government, and the majority of Israelis, have always asserted that Israeli Arabs are loyal to the state. Is this just a delusion? If Samucha’s survey is accurate, Israel might need to rethink the way it views its Arab citizens.

For further reading click here.

Restricted Videos
Several weeks ago Israel agreed to allow the Jordanian controlled Waqf, the Muslim religious authority that administers the Temple Mount area, to place video cameras on the Mount. The cameras are meant to defuse tensions by serving as a tool to monitor Israel’s observance of the “status quo”, which prohibits non Muslims from praying on the Temple Mount. The initiative was praised by US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Well, Jordan’s King Abdullah II has thrown a wrench in the seemingly well intentioned plan. The King has announced that he intends to personally monitor the video footage from the cameras and decide which segments will be released to be seen by Israel and the world.

In response to Abdullah’s announcement, Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel (Bayit Yehudi) has called on Netanyahu to cancel the camera initiative until it is agreed to place cameras in all corners of the Mount, including the mosques, and Israel is promised full access to the footage.

In a letter to the PM Ariel wrote, “Not installing cameras in the Al-Aqsa Mosque means immunity…for the rock hoarders and throwers from inside the mosque. For the firecracker shooters, and all the inciters.”

He added, “Giving the Kingdom of Jordan, a foreign sovereign state, the right to run security cameras on the Temple Mount, without any cooperation with the Israeli Police, means one thing: an additional significant concession on the degree of Israel’s sovereignty on the Temple Mount.”

In a related story, the Jordanian King’s office is looking to hire some talented video editors.

For further reading click here.

Dutch Join Swedes
Yesterday we reported about the controversy surrounding the Swedish Foreign Minister’s apparent attempt to connect the ISIS terror attack in Paris to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Now the chairman of the Dutch Socialist Party in the Netherlands, Jan Marijnissen, has followed in her footsteps.

Referring to ISIS in a radio interview, Marijnissen said, “Their behavior eventually is connected also to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” and that the conflict in Israel “is the growth medium for such an attack.”

Will the next anti-semite in the European political leadership please stand up.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for November 17, 2015

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More Homes
PM Netanyahu yesterday approved the construction of 436 new homes in the neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, which is located in the northern part of East Jerusalem near the Arab neighborhood of Shuafat. The homes had initially been approved in 2008, but were frozen due to negative fallout from the US. Something must have happened during Netanyahu’s recent visit with Obama to change that. The Jerusalem municipality is seeking approval for an additional 1,000 housing units. Perhaps the US president is busy with more pressing matters, like ISIS and upcoming elections?

For further reading click here.

Islamic Movement
The PM’s office announced today an order by the security cabinet outlawing the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel. That means any organization or individual belonging to the northern branch or found assisting the organization in any way will be committing a criminal offense and is liable for imprisonment. The government also has the right to confiscate all property belonging to the organization.

Police and Shin Bet forces confiscated Islamic Movement property, shut down its offices and 17 non-profit organizations and movements that operate on behalf of the group, and froze all of their bank accounts.

In a statement the PM said, “The northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel undermines the state. It incites violence against innocent civilians, it has close ties with the Hamas terrorist organization, and is undermining the country in order to establish an Islamic caliphate in its place. As someone who is responsible for security of the state, I will not allow it.”

For further reading click here.

Swedish Blunder
The Swedish ambassador to Israel was called into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Director General Dr. Dore Gold to clarify a statement made by Sweden’s Foreign Minister that seemed to partially blame Israel for ISIS terror.

In an interview with Swedish TV following the Paris terror attack, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström was asked if she is concerned about the radicalization of Swedish youth who fight with Islamic State. Wallström replied, “Of course we have cause for concern, not just in Sweden but throughout the world, because there are so many being radicalized. And again, it reminds us of the situation in the Middle East, where the Palestinians see that there is no future for them and have to either accept a desperate situation or resort to violence.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Emanuel Nahshon blasted the statement.
“Anyone who engages in a foolish attempt to connect attacks by extremist Islam with the difficulties between Israel and the Palestinians is misleading himself, his people and international public opinion.The words of the Swedish foreign minister are shocking in their chutzpah. The Swedish foreign minister is systematically and unilaterally biased against Israel and is exhibiting genuine hostility when she points to any connection between the attacks in Paris and the problems between Israel and the Palestinians.”

The Swedish Foreign Ministry responded to Israel’s protest by tweeting that the foreign minister “has not said that Israeli Palestinian conflict is linked to tragic events in Paris. Sweden condemns all acts of terrorism.”

A spokesman for the Swedish Foreign Ministry said that the interview “did not imply that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had anything to do with the tragic events in Paris. We condemn all acts of terrorism. As democracies, we now must unite and fight on our shared values.”

Upshot
While it doesn’t seem as though the Swedish foreign minister did directly connect Israel as the cause of ISIS terror, by mentioning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the context of the ISIS attack, she put the idea in people’s minds. Guilt by association. Was it a stupid mistake, or did she intend to create the association?

For further reading click here.

Father Denies Snitching
Yesterday we told you about how the father of the terrorist who murdered Rabbi Yaakov and Netanel Litman on Friday told authorities that his son was guilty in order to save his home from demolition. That’s what the Shin Bet says.

Now the family of the terrorist is denying the story, claiming that the father did not snitch on his son. They admit that the father was detained at an IDF checkpoint, but deny that he willingly gave security forces any information.

I guess it was just a coincidence.

For further reading click here.

Soybean Oil
Israeli inspectors stopped a truck carrying soybean oil from Hebron to the Gaza Strip for a routine inspection. When they tested the oil, they discovered hundreds of gallons of a chemical used to make rocket fuel. Well, what do you know!

It appears that this wasn’t an isolated incident. Israeli authorities have thwarted more than 500 attempts to smuggle illicit goods from Israel into the Gaza Strip since the beginning of 2015. In addition, more than 280 trucks have been confiscated since 2014.

No rocket fuel = no rockets fired into Israel.

For further reading click here.

French Aliyah
New immigrants who arrived in Israel from France yesterday said that although they planned their Aliyah long before the murderous terror attacks on Friday, the current situation makes life impossible there for Jews. “There are police and soldiers next to the synagogues. It’s an abnormal situation” one immigrant said. Another explained that life in France is “very dangerous for the Jews. Everything is closed. People don’t go out.”

The number of Jewish immigrants from France has risen by 10% in the past year with a sharp rise following the Kosher supermarket terrorist attack in January. According to the Jewish Agency the reaction to Friday’s attacks appears different, and there has not been a significant increase in the number of Aliya related calls, but it is still early.

There are currently around a half a million Jews in France.

For further reading click here.

Hadassah Funds
Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, raises a heck of a lot of money for Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. For the past few decades they’ve taken 7% of the money raised to cover their overhead expenses. Now they’ve announced that they’ll be doubling that overhead charge to 14%, despite the tough economic state the hospital is currently in.

Sources close to Hadassah insist that the extra money will not be used for increasing executive salaries, stressing that the National President and the rest of the leadership carry out their work on a completely voluntary basis. The sources claim that fundraising is a specialist job requiring highly skilled professionals. Fundraising also includes flying Israeli doctors and researchers from Hadassah to the US and putting them up in hotels, hiring halls for fundraising events and conferences, and catering. It’s an expensive process. But the huge sums that Hadassah raises for the hospital seem to justify the added costs.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for October 26, 2015

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More Terror
This morning a 19 year old Israeli man was stabbed and seriously wounded by a 17 year old Palestinian man near Kiryat Arba. The attacker was shot and killed by soldiers.

Read more here.

Yesterday Ohad Hertz, a 25 year old Israeli man, got of a bus at a hitchhiker station on his way to his yeshiva in Elon Moreh. He noticed a suspicious 26 year old Palestinian waiting there and told him to move along to a nearby bus stop that was for Palestinians. The Palestinian said “It’s alright, don’t worry”, then turned on Ohad and kicked him to the ground. There was a fierce struggle during which the Palestinian stabbed Ohad several times. Ohad was able to throw the attacker off and draw his weapon, at which point the assailant fled towards nearby Arab villages. He was apprehended by Israeli forces soon after. Ohad sustained moderate wounds and is recovering.

Earlier in the day, at a checkpoint near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, a 17 year old Palestinian girl was asked for her ID by border police. She pulled out a knife and ran towards them. The officers shot her. She later died from her wounds.

Yesterday morning, a 58 year old man got out of his car after it was hit by stones and was then stabbed by a Palestinian at the Sair Junction in Gush Etzion. The man shot the Palestinian, who succeeded in escaping. The Israeli man’s gun was confiscated and has yet to be returned. The search for the Palestinian continues. According to Palestinian news reports a 20 year old Palestinian is in critical condition in Hebron Hospital after being shot at the Sair Junction Gush Etzion. The IDF is investigating whether it’s the same incident. Hmm, sounds about right.

On Saturday a 16 year old Palestinian disguised as a chocolate seller and holding a box of chocolates approached soldiers at a checkpoint north of Jenin in the West Bank. He suddenly threw the box down and tried to stab a security guard. He was shot and killed. No one else was hurt.

For further reading click here and here.

Rabbi Haim Yechiel Rothman, the sixth victim of the terrorist attack on the Har Nof synagogue last November, died of his wounds on Saturday and was buried yesterday in Jerusalem. He was survived by his wife, ten children and numerous grandchildren. May his memory be a blessing.

Glide to Syria
Israeli forces on the Syrian border are focused on making sure nothing comes into Israel from the Syrian side. But they’re evidently not that focused on things going the other way.

On Saturday afternoon a 23 year old Israeli Arab citizen from Jaljulya (Galilee) paraglided over the border into Syria. Israeli lookouts spotted the glider and sounded the alarm, assuming that a recreational paraglider had gone off course and accidentally blown over the border. A large number of troops converged on the area and aircraft flew over to identify the landing site.

It turns out the Arab man had recently become religious and apparently had become enamored with ISIS philosophy. The man’s father received a call from an unidentified man with a bedouin accent who assured him that, “Your son is fine. He’s with us. Don’t worry.”

Over the past two years 50 Israelis have left Israel to join ISIS forces. Ten of them have returned and been arrested.

Maybe Israel should open the border one way (out) and let anyone who wants to, leave and forfeit their citizenship? Let their people go!

For further reading click here.

Mounted Cameras
Arab leaders, including PA President Abbas, have used the Temple Mount as their main source of incitement, claiming that Israel is attempting to change the “status quo” and take over the site of the Al Aqsa mosque. Israel has consistently asserted that is has done no such thing, and has meticulously enforced the existing prohibition preventing non Muslims from praying on the Temple Mount.

Well, it took US Secretary of State John Kerry to come up with what he believes to be a fool proof way of monitoring the situation: cameras. Kerry announced the placement of the 24-hour-a-day cameras at an appearance before reporters on Saturday with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh in Amman.

“This will provide comprehensive visibility and transparency, and that could really be a game changer in discouraging anybody from disturbing the sanctity of this holy site,” Kerry said, calling it a “first step” toward bringing Israel and the Palestinians back together to discuss long-term peace.

Yesterday, Netanyahu defended the decision to install the cameras. “Israel has an interest in stationing cameras in all parts of the Temple Mount,” he said. “First, in order to disprove the claim that Israel is changing the status quo. Second, to show where the provocations really come from and to foil them before they ever happen.”

Upshot
So let’s try to understand this. The Arab leaders are going to watch the videos and admit that Israel is doing everything right and that they themselves are to blame for the incitement and violence. Are you kidding?

PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki called the plan “a new trap” on Voice of Palestine radio, accusing Israel of planning to use footage to arrest Muslim worshipers it believes are “inciting” against it.

Does John Kerry or his president understand how Arab incitement works or are they just living in a utopian fantasy? I assume PM Netanyahu knows that having cameras on the Temple Mount won’t change anything, but it can’t really make things worse. Can it? Only if the Palestinians control the videos.

For further reading click here.

Editor Fired
Not wanting to be left out of the controversy over PM Netanyahu’s recent statements regarding the Mufti and his role in convincing Hitler to murder the Jews, an editor of the Ynet news English language website decided to do a really stupid thing and post a photoshopped image of Netanyahu wearing an SS uniform on his Facebook page.

Netanyahu discovered it and filed a police complaint. The editor’s bosses found out about it too and fired him. He’ll probably think twice before posting something like that again. Hope it was worth the laugh.

For further reading click here.

It’s Pouring
Rain at this time of year in Israel is considered to be a blessing. But for tens of thousands of Israelis left without power, it might have been too much of a good thing.

The Israel Electric Company said that due to flooding, collapsed trees, and resulting traffic delays, repairing the damage could take quite some time. It’s also blaming the union for not putting their workers into emergency mode. The union says that their workers are going way beyond the call of duty.

The rain is expected to continue throughout the week. How can you complain about that?

Speaking of rain, the Israel Water Authority Council announced yesterday that water charges will fall by 3% from January 1st. Charges have been cut by a cumulative 20% in the past three years. The current cut is thanks to a 16% fall in the price of electricity in Israel in the past year. Electricity is the main cost in water desalination, which produces much of the water consumed in Israel.

So maybe so much rain is not such a blessing anymore after all?

For further reading click here.

Stock up
If you’re in Israel and planning on serving chicken for dinner this week, you better stock up. That’s what the Ministry of Agriculture is advising Israelis to do, in anticipation of a planned strike by veterinarians. All meat and poultry producers in Israel are required to have their facilities inspected by veterinarians of the Agriculture Ministry’s Veterinary Service several times a week. Without those inspections, any “live” food – meat, chicken, or fish – may not be legally sold.
So buy now, or pay up or go hungry later.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for October 23, 2015

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Another Mistake
A 28 yr. old Haredi man was arrested early this morning in Jerusalem for striking a security guard with an iron bar. He claimed that he thought the guard, who had a handgun in his belt, was a terrorist. A judge ruled leniently due the heightened tension and fear brought about by the wave of terror, and placed the assailant under house arrest.

Four men suspected of beating the Eritrean man in the Beersheva bus station “lynching” were released on bail yesterday.

Looks like a pattern here. If you’re not sure, shoot first, ask questions later, and pick up your “get out of jail free” card. The victims lose but hey, it’s an honest mistake due to the prevailing atmosphere of fear, so it’s all good.

For further reading click here.

Opinion: Troubling Case
The shooting to death of a Jewish man by soldiers in Jerusalem is still under investigation. The case is troubling. The victim, at least from his photos, clearly did not look Arab and, since he was religious, was probably wearing a kippah. Of course, none of that means he couldn’t have been a terrorist.

There was some sort of argument between him and two soldiers, which escalated into a physical scuffle. Witnesses testify that he tried to grab a soldier’s weapon. The bus driver stunned the man with a “shocker rod”. Then a civilian security guard saw the scuffle and shot the man. Then one (or both) of the soldiers shot him and killed him.

Some reports say that the man yelled, “I am Da’ash (ISIS)”. Was he saying that as a threat or maybe he was responding to the soldier’s demand that he identify himself in a sassy (and stupid, but typically Israeli) fashion? According to his former employer, he had a language problem and wasn’t totally fluent in Hebrew.

Does anyone else find this story troubling? Was the man on the ground as a result of the “shocking” when he was shot? Did the security guard have any right to shoot the man, who he couldn’t conclusively identify as a terrorist? Once the guard shot him, did the soldiers need to shoot him again? Did the soldiers feel that their lives were in danger from an unarmed, wounded man? Even if the guy was a nut case, was shooting him to death warranted? Should they have tried to shoot him in the legs?

The whole thing just doesn’t add up, but it’s unlikely that it ever will. The two soldiers will tell their side of the story in their own way, and they’ll probably be believed. In these difficult times, no one wants to accuse soldiers of anything that might make them hesitate in a real life threatening situation. So, just like the lynching of the Eritrean man, this killing will also be chalked up to mistaken identity, chaos and hysteria.

The problem now is that there are 300 soldiers patrolling the public transportation system who are not trained in police work, which is what this incident most likely was. Soldiers are trained to shoot to kill, and not ask questions. That could lead to more unfortunate incidents.

Kerry and Netanyahu
PM Netanyahu met for four hours with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Berlin yesterday. They talked about ending the violence, restoring calm, Temple Mount, status quo, incitement, yeah, yada, yada…you know the drill. Nothing new to say here. But something tells me this isn’t going to bode favorably for Israel. Let’s hope I’m wrong.

Iran Nukes
PM Netanyahu and the Israeli Government have been arguably the greatest opponents of the recent Iran Nuclear deal. But Israel’s top nuclear experts see things differently.

According to a Haaretz report, Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission, which advises the government on nuclear issues, has endorsed the deal. It believes that the deal will prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, since any Iranian violation would be easily detected due to the outside surveillance and analysis methods put in place. In fact, a lot of the technology used to detect and analyze nuclear activity was developed by Israel.

The commission members believe that the 24 hour warning required to be given to the Iranians prior to inspection is irrelevant, since any illegal activity can be detected via technology.

According to the commission, even if the Iranians could somehow build a nuclear bomb, it would be too heavy to mount on a ballistic missile that could reach Israel.

This is all based on a Haaretz source. The commission declined to issue an official statement.

Upshot
Even if the commission is right, which is really good news, it doesn’t mean that the Iran deal was a good one. Lifting the sanctions against them gives Iran much freedom and money to finance and perpetrate lots of terror and other evil things. That’s not good for anyone, except the terrorists, and maybe Assad.

For further reading click here.

Israeli Weapons
All the wars and conflicts in the world don’t seem to be helping Israel’s military exports. According to defense experts this could be the worst year for Israeli defense companies in a decade. Israel’s own defense budget won’t be of much help.

It’s so bad that the heads of the leading defense firms in Israel have requested an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss “a significant crisis in the defense industries.”

In a letter to the PM the defense industry leaders point out that, “there have been major changes in the defense sector – smaller budgets, more competition, less desire for Israeli-made products, and the growing demands to transfer know-how and work abroad.”

I guess peace on earth would put these guys out of business. Unfortunately for the rest of us, they probably don’t have to worry that much.

For further reading click here.

ISIS in Hebrew
ISIS has released its first video in Hebrew, featuring a masked terrorist threatening Israel and the Jews with all sorts of evil tidings. The Hebrew is pretty good.

Watch it for yourself here.

Enough Talk
Despite the incitement that PA President Abbas has been delivering in speeches and statements, Abbas might have to give Israel a huge thank you. Well, at least he should.

It was just revealed that Israel allowed Abbas’s brother-in-law to receive an emergency life saving operation at the Assuta Medical Center hospital in Tel Aviv, where he is currently recovering. Security personnel are protecting him, probably from the other patients.

So, can Israel expect a big thank you and change of heart from Abbas? Ok, back to reality.

For further reading click here.

Drivers Rejoice
Good news for Israeli drivers. Gas prices are continuing to fall, due primarily to the dropping price of crude oil in international markets. A gallon of gas in November will cost around $5.60. That’s pretty darn good for Israel. You can’t really drive very far there anyway, so you can make a tank last a bit longer than in the US. Unless you’re driving to Eilat or the Golan.

For further reading click here.

Israeli Soldiers Mistakenly Shoot and Kill Jewish Man

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Last night, in another tragic case of mistaken identity, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a 28 yr old Jewish man at a bus stop in Jerusalem.

Background
According to police, two soldiers were waiting to get on the bus when a man getting off the bus asked them to show him their identification. They got suspicious and asked him for his ID. An argument ensued and he allegedly attacked them and tried to grab one of their guns. A civilian security guard in the area saw the scuffle, wrongly identified the man as a terrorist and shot at him. Then the soldiers opened fire, killing the man.

The victim was an immigrant from Russia who had served in the IDF in the Nahal Haredi (Ultra Orthodox) Brigade and had worked as a security guard in a school. He was currently studying at a yeshiva in Har Nof, Jerusalem. The rabbis at the yeshiva interviewed by Walla News couldn’t believe how something like this could have occurred. They all described the victim as a quiet, well mannered person who evidently made a bad mistake by arguing with the soldiers.

shooting Jewish man

Scene of shooting.

Police and IDF investigators are sorting through numerous testimonies that include very different facts. In one account the man shouted, “I am ISIS!” (could it have been like, “what, you think I’m ISIS?”). In another, a girl screamed, “Terrorist! Shoot him!”

The facts of the case will probably become clearer as the investigation continues.

Upshot
So many factors in this case point to a very tragic and deadly mistake. The soldiers were part of the reinforcements sent to bolster security on buses. They weren’t trained to do police work and handle this kind of situation. The security guard shot before positively identifying who he was shooting at. He probably should have let the soldiers handle the situation. Fear and hysteria took over.

In a culture where arguing is commonplace and can often turn violent, this seems to be a case where mistakes were made and shots were fired when they shouldn’t have been. And a man is dead.

Israel News for October 20, 2015

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Breaking News
A masked Palestinian stabbed an Israeli officer in the face during a violent demonstration near the Jewish settlement of Negohot near Hebron. The officer, a captain in the tank corps, suffered light wounds. The terrorist, 24 year old Mohammed Masalma from the nearby village of Kfar Ava, was shot and killed.

For further reading click here.

In another incident, Palestinians threw rocks at an Israeli car near the Palestinian refugee camp of Al-Fawar south of Hebron. The 50 yr. old driver got out of his vehicle and was hit by a car and killed. It’s still unclear who hit him and whether it was intentional.

For further reading click here.

Israeli forces arrested 35 Palestinian terror suspects in the West Bank last night, including a top Hamas official, Hassan Yousef.

For further reading click here.

A Tragic Case
The tragic death of an Eritrean man who was mistakenly identified as a terrorist and shot by a security guard and beaten by a mob of bystanders is raising condemnation and calls for action by Israeli government officials. The Prime Minister condemned the vigilante violence and sent his condolences to Zerhom’s family.

The victim, Habtom Zerhom, a 20 something Eritrean migrant ran into the bus station to seek cover from the terrorist attack when he was shot by the security guard, who yelled, “terrorist!” Security cameras captured footage of Zerhom laying on the ground in a pool of his own blood while Israeli bystanders kicked him in the head and rammed him with a wooden bench. A police officer and some bystanders tried to protect him from the mob, even though they too believed that he was a terrorist.

Members of the mob who were interviewed said that had they known that Zerhom was not a terrorist they would also have protected him, but they trusted the call of the security officer. One man said, “If I would have known he wasn’t a terrorist, believe me, I would have protected him like I protect myself. I didn’t sleep well at night. I feel disgusted.” Police are reviewing the security video to identify the members of the mob, and have begun calling in witnesses and suspects for questioning.

Upshot
Some are blaming Jerusalem Mayor Barkat and other officials who have urged civilians to carry weapons and help the security forces. More likely, Zerhom’s death was the result of a tragic case of mistaken identity combined with people furious from constantly living in fear of unexpected terror attacks.

Citizens should obviously be allowed, and encouraged, to defend themselves, but lynching anyone, even a terrorist, doesn’t seem very kosher. As the PM said, “People at the scene of these incidents should evacuate the area and allow security and rescue services to work.We are a law-abiding country. No one should take the law into their own hands.”

For further reading click here.

Bedouin Security Guards
The fact that the Beersheva terrorist was an Israeli Bedouin is impacting other Bedouin, in a bad way. It seems that a large number of Bedouin work as security guards throughout the city, including at the central bus station where the attack occurred. At least one private security company has dismissed Bedouin guards who work in schools. Other security companies are feeling uneasy and might also decide to dismiss workers. For the guards that are still on duty, the suspicious looks thrown their way are not making for a pleasant work environment.

For further reading click here.

ISIS Rallies Palestinians
ISIS is trying to get involved in the wave of terror in Israel. The group released a series of videos urging Palestinians to carry out attacks against the “Jews” using every means at their disposal, including knives, vehicles, poison and explosives.

In a video titled “Return Terror to the Jews,” a masked fighter praised Arabs who are attacking Israelis, describing them as “lone wolves who refuse to be subdued and who spread fear among the sons of Zion.”

ISIS has also published several articles by prominent writers in the group to incite more anti Jewish terror. It looks like they’ve launched a full blown content marketing campaign that, combined with all the social media incitement, is turning this terror wave into a digital marketing driven horror show. Blocking their Facebook and Twitter access and jamming their internet connections might be more effective than concrete barriers and assault rifles. It’s certainly worth a try.

For further reading click here.

Are You Kidding?
Unfortunately, this is no joke. If you had any doubts about the UN being anti Israel, this should pretty much make up your mind. UNESCO, the U.N.’s cultural body, is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a proposal to declare the Western Wall (Kotel) a Muslim holy site. Yup. Six Muslim Arab countries submitted the UNESCO proposal on behalf of the Palestinians, referring to Jerusalem as, “the occupied capital of Palestine.”

Israel’s deputy foreign minister, Tzipi Hotovely, condemned the proposal, saying, “This shameful and deceitful Palestinian attempt to rewrite history will fail the test of reality.” But when did “reality” ever play a role at the UN? If Saudi Arabia can chair the UN Human Rights committee, is anything real?

For further reading click here.

Scandinavian Airlines
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has announced that they will be canceling their four weekly flights between Tel Aviv and Copenhagen due to “political instability”. They’re also canceling their flights to Moscow and Ankara. The airline did state that it would resume flights to Israel in the winter of 2016. Who wants to go to Scandinavia in the winter anyway?

For further reading click here.

Humus Peace
Is Humus the secret weapon in the search for Arab-Israeli peace? A restaurant in Kfar Vitkin, near Netanya, is testing it out by offering a 50% discount on Hummus served to mixed tables of Arabs and Jews. Management says that several tables have already taken advantage of the offer. Perhaps this test just shows how far both Arabs and Jews are willing to go to get a discount? Maybe we’re not that different after all.

For further reading click here.

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Israel News for September 2, 2015

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ISIS and the Israeli
In a totally unexpected turn of events, an Israeli 21 yr old male was apprehended by Turkish police for allegedly attempting to join ISIS forces in Syria.

The man flew from Israel to Crete, then to Izmir, Turkey and then to the Turkish city of Adana. From there he traveled overland to Iskenderun, near the Turkish-Syrian border.

The man’s family, who had been in contact with him throughout his journey, figured out that something was very wrong with their boy and contacted the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) for help. The MFA alerted the Israeli embassy and consulate in Turkey, who then asked the Turkish authorities for help. The Turks found the man and returned him to his family, who had flown to Turkey. The man and his family returned to Israel on Monday.

Upshot
Why in the world would an Israeli Jew want to join ISIS? The MFA has implied that the man was mentally imbalanced, which is really the only answer that makes any sense. The good news in all of this is that Turkish and Israeli authorities worked together, which is a hopeful sign that relations between the two countries are warming up again.

Flags at the UN
Last week we reported about a resolution drafted by the Palestinian mission to the UN permitting observer states to fly their flags alongside member nations at the UN headquarters in New York City. The Palestinians had explicitly included the Vatican, the only other observer state, in their resolution hoping that doing so would pressure the General Assembly to approve it.

The Vatican protested their inclusion in the resolution, even though they recognize the State of Palestine. So the Palestinians rewrote their resolution, removing the Vatican, and are now seeking General Assembly approval to allow non-member observer states to raise their flags.

Israel’s UN Ambassador Ron Prosor is urging UN leaders to reject the resolution. He wrote letters to the UN secretary-general and the General Assembly president accusing the Palestinians of “attempting to swiftly change longstanding U.N. tradition in order to score political points.”

The United States is on Israel’s side. U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, “We continue to believe that Palestinian efforts to pursue statehood or endorsements of statehood claims through the U.N. system that are outside of a negotiated settlement … (are) counterproductive,” adding that this includes raising the flag.

A spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters yesterday that the U.N. will abide by whatever the General Assembly decides.

Upshot
Despite the usual support the Palestinians get at the UN, in this case the UN leadership doesn’t seem too eager to anger their host nation, the US, by raising the flag of a state that it doesn’t recognize, in its largest city, which also happens to have the largest Jewish population and be very pro Israel. That might be going too far, even for them.

Gay Pride Report
The special committee investigating the gay pride parade stabbings last month submitted their final report to Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan yesterday. The report recommended reprimanding the police commander of the Jerusalem district, Moshe Edri, and dismissing three senior officers.

Erdan accepted the committees recommendations and will decide whether to take even harsher steps and dismiss additional officers.

Charedi vs. Charedi
For the first time ever, the state prosecutor has indicted a charedi man for assaulting a charedi soldier. The incident took place two weeks ago when a soldier serving in one of the charedi integration programs in the IDF went to a shul with his father in a charedi neighborhood of Jerusalem.

The soldier, in his army uniform, ran into 34 year old Ahron Tavi Korlansky, who proceeded to yell derogatory phrases at him. He also began inciting the other men praying in the synagogue. When several of them joined him in his verbal assault, Korlansly approached the soldier and began punching him in the chest and trying to grab his beret from his shoulder. When the soldier’s father tried to help his son, the men punched him too.
Korlansky also shouted threats and derogatory remarks at police officers who arrived at the scene and at the officers who questioned him at the police station.

Quite a piece of work. Hopefully he only represents a tiny fringe of extremists in the charedi community. Unfortunately, many in the community share his views, although they would not express them violently.

PM’s Dietary Dilema
Officials from the Charedi UTJ party are furious at the PM’s alleged dietary habits.They claim that Netanyahu ate at a non-kosher restaurant on his recent visit to Italy, which is totally unacceptable for the leader of the Jewish state. The established tradition is that Israeli ministers and diplomats do not eat non-kosher food at official or public events.

An official in the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that Netanyahu “was invited to a restaurant by the Italian prime minister (Matteo Renzi), but he did not eat forbidden foods.”

This isn’t the first time that the PM has caught flack over his kosher dining habits. Last year he was accused of eating at a non kosher restaurant with billionaire supporter Sheldon Adelson in New York City and at an exclusive seafood restaurant in New Jersey.

But in Netanyahu’s case, walking and talking like a duck doesn’t necessarily make him a duck. Several Orthodox Israeli officials were also at the Seafood restaurant with the PM, and no one is claiming that they ate non-kosher. So just being in a non-kosher venue doesn’t mean that he actually ate there. Maybe he just had a salad.

Let’s give the PM the benefit of the doubt. That seems like the kosher thing to do.

Shops Get Smashed
Running a retail business is hard enough as is. Getting your shop smashed by oncoming traffic makes it almost impossible. In three separate incidents over the past couple of days, drivers have lost control and smashed their vehicles into store fronts.

In the latest incident, yesterday in Hadera, a bus hit several cars before plowing into a store on a main street. The day before that, in two separate incidents, cars ended up crashing into a restaurant and retail shop.

Are Israeli drivers that bad, or are they just a tad too eager to get their shopping done? It might just be a bit of both.