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idf commandos undercover

Israel News for November 12, 2015

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Undercover Raid
Early this morning an IDF unit of about 20, disguised as a group of Palestinians escorting a woman in labor, entered a Palestinian hospital in Hebron to arrest Azam Shalaldah, 20, who was hospitalized in the surgical ward. Shalaldah was wanted for committing a West Bank stabbing attack on October 25 that left one Israeli moderately wounded.

While the force was arresting Shalaldah, his cousin, 27, returned from the bathroom and attacked the soldiers. He was shot several times. Palestinian sources reported that he died. Shalaldah was taken into custody. Shalaldah’s brother, who was also in the room, was tied up but not hurt.

Message to terrorists: you can run, but you can’t hide.

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Terror vs Revenge
Muawiya Alqam, 14, one of the two young boys who committed the stabbing attack on Jerusalem’s light rail on Tuesday, said on Wednesday that he decided to carry out the attack because his cousin had been shot while committing an attack near the Damascus Gate. Alqam’s family denies that he had intent to commit a terror attack.

Whether it was terror or revenge, he admitted to attacking someone with a knife and stabbing him. Guilty. The only question is the punishment, which will depend on the intent.

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Israel vs. EU
In the wake of the European Union’s decision to distinctly label Israeli products made in the West Bank, Israel announced that it will be cancelling several meetings with the EU on various subjects. The Israeli Foreign Ministry also reprimanded the EU ambassador to Israel and conveyed a similar message to senior EU officials at a meeting in EU headquarters in Brussels.
In a word, they’re pissed.

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Rabbis for Temple Mount
Seventy senior rabbis from the religious zionist movement have signed a petition under the headline, “We won’t give up the Temple Mount.” The petition was distributed during the PM’s recent visit to Washington and was seemingly directed at him and President Obama.

The signatories on the petition include rabbinic leaders spanning the wide range of political philosophies within religious zionism. Included in the signatories are R. Shmuel Eliyahu, the Chief Rabbi of Safed, R. Shlomo Riskin, Chief Rabbi of Efrat, R. Chaim Druckman, head of the Bnei Akiva yeshivas, Jerusalem Chief Rabbi Aryeh Stern, Old City Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzahl, Samaria’s Chief Rabbi Elyakim Levanon and former Chief Military Rabbi Avichai Ronsky.

The body of the petition reviews the historical existence of the two Temples on the mount and relevant prophesies speaking of the messianic age. It says, “The two temples of the people of Israel stood on the Temple Mount for some 1,000 years, before the religion of Islam even existed. No one has the authority to give up the Temple Mount. The Israeli government can definitely set the practical arrangements on the Temple Mount today, but they are only temporary.”

The rabbis concluded by saying that the Jewish people continue to pray that the prophecies of the rebuilding of the Temple should happen speedily and in our days. Amen.

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Damascus Bombed
Arab press sources in Syria and Lebanon are reporting that the area around the Damascus International Airport was hit by airstrikes on Wednesday and they’re claiming that Israel is responsible. Israeli officials had no comment. Could it be true? Well, it depends on who was bombed. If it was rebel forces, then it could just as well have been the Russians or maybe even the Americans. But if it was government forces then…hmm.

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Cheaper Hotels
Hotel rates in Israel might be getting a lot cheaper, but you’ll have to wait a few years for it to happen. Israel’s Tourism Minister Yariv Levin announced a new national plan to reduce hotel room prices by 20% in 5 years, at a joint press conference in Jerusalem with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon on Wednesday.

The plan of action is to shorten the hotel construction process by streamlining regulations, which will increase the supply of hotel rooms on the market. The higher the supply, the lower the prices.

Finance Minister Kahlon said, “The plan will lower vacation costs. The financial and real estate benefits of building hotel rooms, and the opportunity to receive more tourists here, are blessings. If the project succeeds, it will make hotel rooms in Israel accessible to the bottom segment of society. Hotel rooms will not be exclusive to the wealthy and to high-earners.”

So hang in there all you low earners and bottom feeders. You might finally get that vacation you’ve been dreaming of — or at least a night in a hotel room.

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Five Bucks
What would someone do for five bucks? More than you’d think. Just go on the Israeli owned website Fiverr, where you’ll find thousands of freelancers from all over the world offering their services for $5 (hence the name). If you think there’s no money to be made from that, think again. The company just announced that they raised $60 million from venture capitalists, which is in addition to the $50 million they previously raised. But your chances of getting that major design project done for $5 might be history. Fiverr is planning to allow freelancers to charge higher prices. That means more money for the freelancers and the company. As for your project…you get what you pay for.

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Blessing in Disguise
The Palestinian terrorist who stabbed three people last Monday in Rishon Lezion inadvertently saved the life of one of his victims. Daniel Cohen, 31, was stabbed multiple times in his upper body and seriously wounded in the attack. When doctors performed emergency surgery on him, they found a deadly tumour in his intestines, which they removed. Cohen said that he felt pains in his intestines for several weeks prior to the incident but didn’t have time to deal with it. “The terror attack saved my life,” he said.

Cohen, father of five and a Kashrut supervisor, was travelling between jobs when he was attacked at the bus stop. Cohen said the assailant attacked him from behind choking him and trying to behead him. He was stabbed multiple times in the stomach, jaw and chest, before he managed to fight the assailant off. The terrorist proceeded to stab two others before being trapped in a shop where police arrested him.

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EU Labels Israel

Israel News for November 11, 2015

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Terror Thwarted
A terrorist ran towards Border Police officers at a checkpoint near Abu Dis yesterday, bearing a knife and shouting Allahu Akbar (never a good sign). Luckily he didn’t get too far. After warning him to stop several times, which he refused to do, the officers shot and killed him.

European Labels
The EU has adopted a resolution ordering distinct labels for Israeli products made in the West Bank. EU Ambassador to Israel Lars Faaborg-Andersen was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem andreprimanded. The Ministry called the move “unusual and discriminatory,” claiming that it will only lessen the chances of peace by bolstering the Palestinian Authority’s refusal to hold direct negotiations with Israel.

Yuval Steinitz, the Minister or National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources, accused the EU of unfairly singling out Israel when it has not taken similar action toward products made in areas like Chinese-controlled Tibet or Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus. He told reporters yesterday,”We cannot conceive it but as some disguised anti-Semitism.”

The good news is that the economic impact of such a measure will likely be minimal, although it could deter some customers from purchasing individual products. While the EU is Israel’s largest trade partner, settlement products make up just a tiny portion of Israeli exports.

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Pollard and Obama
Jonathan Pollard, after serving 30 years for spying for Israel, is set to be released within the next two weeks. But it doesn’t look like he’ll be allowed to join his wife Esther in Israel. US law says that he needs to be monitored in the US for five years after his release. The only way that the law can be circumvented is if President Obama uses his powers to waive that condition. But Obama’s deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, has made it clear that the President will not interfere in the US judicial process, without exception. Unless something changes, Pollard will be spending the next few years in exile…in New York City.

Regardless of where he lives, Pollard’s service to Israel will not be forgotten. Knesset House Committee Chairman MK David Bitan (Likud) has proposed a bill for the State of Israel to support him financially for the rest of his life. Bitan said, “After everything that Pollard has gone through, and in light of his contribution to Israel, the state must ensure that he will live in dignity,”

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Religious Equality
In a speech before the Jewish Federations General Assembly, PM Netanyahu pledged government and Jewish Agency support for Reform and Conservative Jewish congregations in Israel. He said, “As prime minister of Israel I will ensure that all Jews – Reform, Conservative and Orthodox – feel at home in Israel.”

Rabbi Gilad Kariv, director of the Reform Movement in Israel, welcomed Netanyahu’s statement saying it “has to be the first step on the way to ending ongoing discrimination against Reform and Conservative communities in Israel,” and that “Discrimination against these communities, which constitute the majority of the Jewish people, damages the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and overshadows Israel’s relationship with the Diaspora. “

Israel’s ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) parties were furious. Health Minister Yaakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism) said, “The prime minister’s remarks in favor of the Reform insult us and clearly go against the coalition agreement signed with us.” Litzman said Reform and Conservative Judaism “tears apart the Jewish people and they must not be helped to hurt the Torah of Israel. It is a pity that the prime minister gave them expression and we will do everything we can so that this commitment is not met.”

MK Moshe Gafni, also of United Torah Judaism, added that Reform Jews “stick a knife in the Torah of Israel. What Netanyahu said is very serious and requires clarifications when he returns to Israel.”

Let’s see how the PM gets out of this one.

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Pay Raise
Salaries are going up in Israel…well, at least for Knesset members. On Tuesday the Knesset voted in favor of a pay raise of 800 shekels per month for MKs. Many in the opposition are not happy.

Yesh Atid Party chairman MK Yair Lapid said, “It’s a scandal that MKs insist on continuing to decide their own salaries. Today was an opportunity to do the most appropriate thing by implementing the recommendation by Prof. Haim Levy’s committee to divest MKs of responsibility for pay raises. We’ll go on fighting against this, because it’s insufferable and scandalous that MKs are raising their own pay when people can’t make ends meet.”

MK Shelly Yachimovich (Zionist Union) said, “The decision to keep the excessive pay raise for MKs … is a disgrace to the Knesset and the MKs. It unfortunately appears, however, that all sense of shame has been lost.

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Kingdom of Palestine
Is there are a legal requirement to officially refer to the Jewish state as the “State of Israel”? Apparently not, or at least not yet. According to MK Oren Hazan (Likud), “The current situation allows any MK to sign their name as a member of the Kingdom of Palestine.” That’s because there is no law on the books that establishes or regulates the country’s name. Hazan is aiming to change that by proposing a new law that would establish the country’s name as the “State of Israel” and confirm its national anthem and flag.

The bill was unanimously approved in the first reading at the committee on Tuesday, and will now be brought for a vote at a Knesset plenary session. Kingdom of Palestine came in a distant second. Not really.

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terror on light rail

Israel News for November 10, 2015

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More Terror
A 25 Year old Israeli security guard was stabbed and lightly wounded on the light rail in Pisgat Ze’ev, Jerusalem. The Palestinian assailants were 12 and 13 years old. One of them was shot and wounded by police and the other was subdued by passengers.

A man was lightly wounded in a stabbing attack near the Damascus Gate in the Old City. The terrorist was shot and killed by police.

The Israeli army arrested 24 Hamas activists in the Qalqilya area in the West Bank on Tuesday night.

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PM and Obama
PM Netanyahu and President Obama met yesterday at the White House, in their first face to face meeting in over a year.

In public statements the leaders emphasized areas of shared interest, including negotiations on a new security arrangement and the goal of peace between Israelis and Palestinians, despite the recent violence and terror.

Obama said he was focused on “how we can get back on a path toward peace, and how we can make sure that legitimate Palestinian aspirations are met through a political process, even as we make sure that Israel is able to secure itself.”

Netanyahu said, “We have not given up our hope for peace.” He reaffirmed his support for a two-state solution, though he gave no ground his longstanding conditions for achieving that outcome.

The PM said that the main theme of the conversation was a memorandum of understanding regarding increased American military aid to Israel. “We did not focus on an amount, but I presented our needs, and we hope he accepts our analysis of the regional changes. The region has turned upside down compared to the previous decade, the previous agreement was signed in 2007 and it is impossible to compare the Middle East now to what it was then.”

Netanyahu noted that a number of issues did not come up in the conversation, such as a construction freeze in Judea and Samaria (“My position on the subject is known and clear,” declared the PM), as well as the issue of the appointment of Ran Baratz as head of hasbara.

Even before Netanyahu arrived for the meeting, White House Middle East Adviser Rob Malley said, ”The president has reached the conclusion that right now – barring a major shift – the parties are not going to be in a position to negotiate a final status agreement.” White House spokesman Josh Earnest repeated that conclusion following the meeting.

So President Obama finally gets it.

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London Mayor Speaks Out
The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is visiting Israel, primarily to try and lure Israeli tech businesses to London. In Tel Aviv on Monday Johnson said, “I cannot think of anything more foolish” than to boycott “a country that when all is said and done is the only democracy in the region, the only place that has in my view a pluralist open society.” He said the BDS boycotters are “a very small minority.”
Let’s hope he speaks for the majority of Brits.

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New Tourism
Aryeh Deri, who recently resigned as Minister of Economy and is now Minister of the Development of the Negev and Galilee, is planning on spending 20 million shekels to develop religiously significant sites, to increase tourism to those sites.

Deri claims that the investment in the sites, which he says are visited by millions of Israelis and Jews from abroad annually, will create employment and contribute to the economy. One of the main targets of the development project will be tombs of Jewish sages in the Galilee.

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Iranian Hackers
Israeli network security firm Check Point released a report yesterday revealing that it uncovered a network of Iranian cyber hackers linked to Iran’s revolutionary guard. The group nicknamed “Rocket Kitten” by security experts, has mounted cyber attacks since 2014 on 1,600 targets globally. Targets include high profile political and defense figures in Israel, the US, NATO, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Venezuela. Check Point said they alerted European authorities, who have taken action to shut down the group. There was no comment from the FBI but the Shin Bet announced that they are aware of the issue and are dealing with it.

The Check Point report details how its experts burrowed inside the hacker group’s database, and constructed a map of malicious software tools and remote-controlled computers used by the group. The report includes several amusing anecdotes displaying the groups amateurism including how they infected their own computers with a virus that they created and then couldn’t remove. Nice try, Iran.

For further reading click here.

Pot Bust
The head of the anesthesiology department in Wolfson Hospital in Holon, Dr Avraham Dotan (65), was arrested yesterday for taking bribes to issue permits for medical marijuana and on suspicion of running an illegal marijuana trading network, which made millions. His partner and ten other suspects were also arrested.

In an undercover investigation fit for hollywood, Israeli police joined forces with the Israeli Tax Authority and the Health Ministry to uncover a complex web of middlemen who were involved. Police raided the homes of the suspects, confiscating computers and documents. An additional 130 arrest warrants have been issued to people for receiving medical marijuana permits even though they were not medically entitled to them.

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No Deals
Recent figures released by the Finance Ministry show a slowdown in home purchases over the last few months. But don’t get your hopes up just yet. Four popular areas saw prices rise for all types of apartments: Tel Aviv, Rishon Lezion, Netanya, and Modi’in. The asking price for a 4-room apartment in Tel Aviv once again passed the NIS 3 million mark. Maybe it’s time to take another look at Beersheva or Carmiel.

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Cheap Tickets
Heritage trips to Eastern Europe from Israel might become a lot more popular. That’s because Ryanair, the Irish discount airline, is offering super cheap flights, if you’re willing to shlep to Ovda Airport (outside of Eilat). The airline began offering 10 Euro (about $11) one-way flights to Krakow, Budapest and Kaunas (Kovno – in Lithuania). Booking a flight back to Israel is a bit more difficult, but if you’re flexible it’s not a problem.

The reason why the fares are so low is that the Israeli government offers subsidies to get European tourists to visit Eilat. So Ryanair is getting 45 Euros per tourist it flies to Eilat, but has a lot of empty planes heading back to Europe. Why not fill those seats and make a few bucks?
So Israeli taxpayers are helping pay for the vacations of European tourists. The least they can get is a cheap flight to Europe. That is, if they can afford the gas to drive down to Ovda.

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Israel Events
Check out the AJC ACCESS NY Making Waves Gala on Nov. 17, which will highlight the 50th anniversary of German-Israeli relations and feature a special performance by Miri Ben-Ari.
Get Tickets and info at www.ajcnyc.org/accessnygala.

Israel News for November 9, 2015

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More Terror
This morning a Palestinian woman brandishing a knife was shot and killed by security guards near Alfei Menashe when she failed to stop approaching them after being warned several times. Palestinian sources identified her as Rasha Awissi, 23, of Qalqilya. A note was found on her body that read, “I’m ending my path, and I’m reaching this end with my full mental capacity, in defense of my homeland and the young men and women. I can’t bear what I see any longer. All I know is that I can’t take it. To my mother and brothers, please forgive me.”

On Sunday, a 48 year old Israeli man was seriously wounded after being stabbed in his car near the West Bank Palestinian village of Nabi Elias and the Jewish settlement of Alfei Menashe. The man was returning home after shopping in the village when he was attacked. According to Palestinian sources, the 24 year old terrorist surrendered to Palestinian Authority security forces and is being held and interrogated by them. He is the third terrorist to have surrendered to Palestinian authorities, none of whom have been put on trial or extradited to Israel. Israeli security officials are not happy with the arrangement, to say the least.

For further reading click here.

A 33 year old Israeli security guard, Yishai Kreitenberg, was stabbed and lightly wounded by a female terrorist whom he stopped at the security gate of Betar Illit in the West Bank. The guard managed to shoot and seriously wound the attacker. It was Yishai’s birthday.

Hours earlier, a Palestinian rammed a car into people at a hitchhiking station at the Tapuach Junction (West Bank). Four Israelis were wounded, two critically. The terrorist was shot and killed by Border Police.

Palestinians threw rocks and firebombs at Israeli soldiers near Kever Rachel, in Hevron and in other locations throughout the West Bank.

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Wounded Policemen Dies
Binyamin Yakobowitz , a 20-year-old Israeli border policeman who was critically wounded on Wednesday in a car-ramming attack in the West Bank, died of his wounds Sunday. Upon his family’s request his organs will be donated, in their words, as “an act which could help save a life or significantly improve the life of a person in need.” The terrorist who rammed him was shot and killed at the scene.

According to Palestinian sources the terrorist’s family received his body after the attack. The IDF claims that a Red Crescent ambulance arrived at the scene of the attack and was able to remove the body from the scene undetected. An IDF spokesman said that it was not worth risking the lives of soldiers to recover the body.

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Bennett Warns
Reacting to a report in Haaretz, which said that PM Netanyahu will unveil a series of confidence-building “gestures” toward the Palestinians during his meeting today with US President Obama, Education Minister and Bayit Yehudi chairman Naftali Bennett pledged to oppose those “gestures” if they are brought to a cabinet vote.

According to Haaretz, the “gestures” will include the removal of checkpoints and easing movement restrictions on Palestinians. It will also include steps to improve the Palestinian economy – like approving infrastructure projects or approving master plans for Palestinian construction in parts of Judea and Samaria under full Israeli control.

“If the Palestinians see that terrorism will pay off, it will continue,” Bennett warned. He added, “Maybe for once the Palestinians will make gestures to Israel, such as to stop killing us?”

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Israeli Sources
CNN has reported that a US intelligence source and a diplomatic source have both indicated that at least some of the intelligence being assessed to determine the cause of the Russian passenger jet that broke up over Sinai killing 244 last week came from Israeli sources. The communications were captured by Israeli intelligence focused on the Sinai, and passed along to the United States and Britain, the sources said. There was no comment from Israeli officials.

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Cash for Kids
Yesterday the Knesset Finance Committee approved an increase in child support as part of the state budget and the coalition agreements with the ultra-Orthodox parties. The monthly allowance for a first child was increased from 140 Shekels to 150 Shekels, For second, third and fourth children it went up from 140 Shekels to 188 Shekels. From the fifth child and up there will be an allowance of 150 Shekels. This is the first increase in child support since Yesh Atid Chairman and then Finance Minister Yair Lapid slashed them in 2013 as part of his anti-ultra-Orthodox platform/policy. The ultra-Orthodox parties in Israel have always insisted on generous child support as part of their coalition agreement due to the large number of children among their constituents.

The committee also approved a savings fund for every child, where the state would deposit fifty shekel a month that could be matched by the parents until the age of 18.

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Kashrut Slap
Rabbi David Stav, Chief Rabbi of Shoham and the head of the Tzohar rabbinical organization, has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate. He is one of the founders of the conversion court recently established to serve as an alternative to the Chief Rabbinate courts, which is a direct challenge to the Rabbinate’s authority.

In a move that seems a bit too coincidental, the Chief Rabbinate’s Kosher Enforcement Unit inspected an event hall in Shoham (R. Stav’s town) and found numerous kashrut violations, including non kosher food.

Chief Rabbinate officials told Arutz Sheva that, “Rav Stav is always talking about the systems for kashrut and marriage, claiming they are not properly supervised. We think that Rav Stav should carefully check what happens in his house and in areas that are under his authority before he speaks about the national kashrut system.”

Na, na, na na na….gottcha.

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Israel News for November 6, 2015

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Breaking News
A terrorist stabbed a 30 year old man in Sha’ar Binyamin (Samaria). The man was seriously wounded and the terrorist escaped.

Earlier this morning a female terrorist attempted to run over soldiers during a violent demonstration north of Hevron. Soldiers shot and wounded her. No soldiers were hurt.

These stories are still unfolding.

Super Soldier
A 19 year IDF soldier shot a terrorist who tried to stab another soldier at a bus stop in Gush Etzion yesterday. It turns out that the same soldier was the one who shot and killed two terrorists last week. He’s only been in the army for 8 months, but he seems to have gotten the hang of things pretty quickly. This guy is a hero!

Meanwhile, the soldier’s photo has been publicized throughout the Palestinian press and social media as the murderer of martyrs and the “Terminator”, along with an abundance of threats against his life. But they already want to kill all Israeli soldiers, don’t they?

For further reading click here.

Baratz in Trouble
Yesterday we told you about the controversy raging around the Facebook comments by the PM’s newly appointed director of Hasbara (information and PR) which disparaged Israeli President Rivlin, US President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry.

Kerry spoke to Netanyahu about the comments, and the PM promised to review Baratz’s appointment. The US State Department spokesman John Kirby called the comments, “troubling and offensive” and just plain rude. He added, “We obviously expect government officials from any country, especially our closest allies, to speak respectfully and truthfully about senior U.S. government officials.”

Baratz apologized on his personal Facebook page Thursday for the post writing,
“I apologize for the hurtful things I posted. I am sorry I did not update the prime minster of these things in advance. The things I posted were written recklessly, and sometimes in jest, in a language that befits the social networks and a private individual. It is very clear to me that in my official role I have to behave and express myself differently. I asked the prime minister for an opportunity to clarify things in the coming days.”

We’ll see if an apology is enough to hold on to his job.

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Joesph’s Tomb
Two weeks ago a Palestinian mob set fire to Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem, causing extensive damage. The Palestinian leadership, led by PA President Abbas, condemned the attack and pledged to repair the tomb.
Two days ago Israel made the repairs and installed a brand new iron door, and gave a copy of the keys to the Palestinians. Yesterday the PA ripped off the door and sent it back to Israel with the keys. They claim that they are responsible for fixing the tomb and the work was done without their authorization or coordination.

They’ll hopefully leave the rest of the repairs in tact. Anyone want to buy an iron door, never used?

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Haredim in IDF
A record number of Haredim, 2,300, were drafted into the IDF last year. The previous year saw a total of 1,700 recruits. According to a senior IDF personnel officer, there are currently 4,600 Haredim serving in all areas of the IDF, of which 1,900 are in combat. Included in those numbers are Religious Zionist men (Hardalim) who choose to join the religiously strict environment of the Nahal Haredi (combat units). How do you define Haredi?

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Mishpacha Apologizes
After publishing a letter in Arabic and Hebrew begging terrorists not to attack Haredim since they do not visit the Temple Mount, Mishpacha Magazine yesterday published an apology.

Under the headline “Sorry,” Mishpaha’s Deputy Editor Aryeh Ehrlich profusely apologized for the letter that he wrote saying that it was a “gimmick” that spun out of control and that it was huge mistake that tarnished the reputation of the Haredi community, the magazine and himself. He obviously never intended to plead with terrorists or to imply that one Jewish life was more valuable than the other. It’s still unclear what exactly the “gimmick” was meant to accomplish.

At least some Arabs took the letter literally. The Arab news outlet Quds News reported the plea to spare Haredi lives and said, No way in hell, “the intifada continues!”

Our enemies see us as one people, without differentiating between religious or secular, Ashkenazi or Sephardi, rich or poor. We should learn from them.

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Out of Aleppo
An exclusive report by the Jewish Chronicle (London) has revealed the story of how the last remaining Jews of Aleppo, Syria were spirited out of the country. The rescue was organized and funded by Israeli born NY businessman Moti Kahane who sent operatives to the Aleppo home of 88 year old Mariam, her daughters Sara, in her 60s, and Gilda, in her 50s, and Gilda’s Muslim husband and three children. The men acted as if they were kidnapping the family, in order to get them to leave their home, which they had refused to do because of the constant warfare in the city. They then drove the family out of Syria, passing through numerous checkpoints manned by all sorts of Islamic terrorists, and made it across the border into Turkey.

In Istanbul, the family was placed in an apartment financed by Kahane, and handed over to the Jewish Agency to arrange for their entry into Israel. That worked out well for the Mariam and Sara, but since Gilda had converted to Islam several years before, she was told that she did not qualify for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return. So she ended up returning to Syria with her husband and kids. Very sad.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for November 5, 2015

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More Terror
An Israeli border policeman, 20, was critically wounded on Wednesday in a car-ramming attack at the Halhul Junction in the West Bank. The attacker, a Palestinian resident of Hebron, was shot and killed. He was identified as Ibrahim Saqafi, 23.

Barriers Removed
Is the terror wave finally over? Jerusalem police seem to think it’s heading in that direction. They’ve removed several barriers near East Jerusalem Arab neighborhoods that were erected to prevent stones and firebombs from hitting Jewish targets. In some cases the police has substituted barriers meant to “hermetically seal” violent neighborhoods with security checkpoints.

According to a report in Yediot Ahronot the barriers in one neighborhood were removed as a result of promises by community leaders to maintain the peace. Police sources claim that they will reinstall the barriers if the situation gets violent again.

Jerusalem police arrested Sheikh Khaled Al Mughrabi on Wednesday morning, after videos of his sermons on the Temple Mount showed him inciting violence. Here is a snippet of the kind of stuff this holy man was saying, “We will pursue the Jews everywhere. They won’t escape us. The sons of Israel will all be killed.” A religion of peace? Not quite.

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Synagogue Destruction
The High Court has postponed the scheduled demolition of the Ayelet Hashachar synagogue in Givat Ze’ev, which is near Jerusalem and over the Green Line. The demolition was to occur on Thursday, but Jerusalem police petitioned the court to postpone it, fearing violence by Jewish protesters which would escalate the tension in the capital. As a prelude, graffiti was found painted on the wall of the High Court building saying, “You don’t destroy a synagogue. We want a Jewish state.”

The courts have ruled that the synagogue was built on appropriated Palestinian land. The settlers claim that they bought the land from the Arab owner.

About 300 settlers moved into the synagogue compound on Tuesday night in protest of the demolition.

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Facebook Blunder
Dr. Ran Baratz, the newly appointed head of Public Diplomacy and Media (hasbara) at the Prime Minister’s Office, has some explaining to do about a Facebook post he wrote last week, just before getting the job.

Responding to photos showing Israeli President Reuven Rivlin sitting in economy class on his flight home from a state visit to the Czech Republic, Baratz wrote, “I think it says a lot when the President travels in economy class, walking around shaking everyone’s hands. It mainly shows him to be such a marginal figure that there is no concern for his safety. I think he could be sent in a para-glider to the Syrian Golan controlled by ISIS. They’ll return him the next day with a request for negotiating their return to Iraq, if only we take him back.” He continued the mocking for a few more lines.

The president is understandably pissed. His office released this statement: “We view this gravely and demand an explanation of whether the words written by Baratz were known to the prime minister when he made his decision to appoint Baratz to this job.”

Baratz also had this to say about US President Obama on Facebook, days before PM Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, “Obama’s reference to Netanyahu’s speech – this is what modern anti-Semitism looks like in Western and liberal countries. And it comes, of course, alongside much tolerance and understanding toward Islamic anti-Semitism. So much tolerance and understanding that they are willing to give Iran an atomic bomb.”

More stupid social media posts by someone who should know better. Do we really want this guy in charge of the PM’s media and public diplomacy?

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Israelis Heed Warning
It looks like many Israelis have taken the warning issued recently by the World health Organization against eating processed meats seriously. According to recent retail figures published in Globes, sales of processed meats in the last week have dropped by 27% on average. The hardest hit categories were frozen meats — 36% — followed by chilled products including sausages, hotdogs, and pastrami — 31%. The Israeli companies that manufacture and distribute processed meats felt the pain, big time.

If Israelis continue to be this health conscious, we could see a lot of healthy folks in the unemployment line. Or, the companies can start producing healthier products. That would be a win for everyone.

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No Movie for You
El Al is investigating an incident that occurred on a recent flight from Moscow to Tel Aviv. The captain ordered the in-flight movie stopped after about 20 minutes, out of deference to a large number of Haredi passengers on board.

The flight’s service manager, Oshrat Rosenberg, explained to irate passengers that it is El Al policy not to screen films when there is a Haredi majority on board a flight. El Al released a statement saying, “We regret the incident, which doesn’t reflect the company’s policy in any way, and are looking into what happened in order to prevent such incidents in the future.”

The movie was a romantic comedy called “Aloha”. Doesn’t seem like such a big loss, at least as far as movies go. Easy solution: install wifi on all planes and stream movies directly to people’s personal devices.

For further reading click here.

Power List
Forbes magazine has released its annual list of The World’s Most Powerful People in 2015, whom they define as the “heads of state, financiers, philanthropists and entrepreneurs [who] truly run the world.”
First on the list of 73 is Vladimir Putin followed by Angela Merkel, Barak Obama and Pope Francis. Guess who’s number 25? You got it – PM Netanyahu. Donald Trump came it at 72. By the way, this is Putin’s third year year in a row at number one. That’s kind of scary, no?

For further reading click here.

Cantor Controversy
A while back we reported about the unrest in one of the largest and most prestigious yeshivas: the Ponevich yeshiva in Bnei Brak. The yeshiva is basically split into two factions, each of which supports a different rosh yeshiva (dean). Just to give you an idea of the seriousness of these groups, one is called “the terrorists” and the other “the enemies” or “the haters” (depending on how you translate the Hebrew).

Here’s the latest incident: it is customary for a son to lead services and say kaddish each day during the year of mourning for his parent. It is also customary for a son who is observing Yartzeit (yearly anniversary of a death) for a parent to lead the service and say kaddish on that day.

Well, at the evening service Rabbi Kahaneman (leader of the enemies), who is saying kaddish for his mother who passed a few months ago, approached the lectern from which to lead the evening service. One of the “terrorists” informed him that Rabbi Markovitz (leader of the terrorists) was commemorating a Yartzeit that evening and wanted to lead services. R. Kahaneman was stunned and hesitated. The “terrorists” then knocked off his hat and kippah, and began throwing “shtenders” (lecterns) in his direction. When R. Kahaneman picked up his hat and tried to approach the lectern again, he was threatened by the “terrorists”. He told his followers not to protest, so they didn’t.

Both sides argued for about 20 minutes before they reached a decision. Rabbi Markowitz led the service (which happens to be the halacha in that particular case). What a mess.
(Ok, it’s a slow news day.)

For further reading click here.

Israel News for November 4, 2015

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Ethics and Priorities
There’s an ethical debate raging in the aftermath of the recent terror attack in Rishon Letzion in which an 80 year old woman and two other men were stabbed. A widely circulated video taken during the attack shows the woman being stabbed and falling to the ground, followed by at least a dozen Israeli men running right past her in pursuit of the terrorist. Not one stopped to help the wounded grandmother.

The woman’s granddaughter, Sagit Bracha-Eizenkot, told Channel 2 after watching the video of the incident that each of the citizens who ran past her injured grandmother “needs to do some soul searching. You want to stop the terrorist – fine, but someone needs to stop and help the wounded. We have a saying – ‘we do not leave the wounded behind.’ But that is exactly what we did.”

In response to the criticism leveled against the men who ran past without stopping to help, Bayit Yehudi MK Yinon Magal explained on Twitter that the men did the right thing by pursuing the terrorist to neutralize him before helping the wounded lady, which is what soldiers are trained to do in combat. The former commando in the elite Sayeret Matkal unit added, “Respect to the citizens who risk their lives!”

The video indicates that just 30 seconds passed from the moment the woman was stabbed to the moment at which citizens began tending to her.

What would you have done?

For further reading click here.

Knesset Rules
Last week, Arab Knesset member Ahmed Tibi (Joint List), who currently serves as Deputy Knesset Speaker, was verbally attacked by MK Ze’ev Elkin (Likud) while Elkin was addressing the Knesset. Tibi had Elkin ejected from the Knesset hall by security. After reviewing the event the Knesset’s Ethics Committee has decided that Tibi was out of line and acted wrongly by embarrassing Elkin and ejecting him. As punishment Tibi has been suspended from presiding over Knesset debates for two weeks. Arab Knesset members don’t think he should have punished at all, and that the committee is discriminating against him because he is Arab.

If you want to see tempers gone wild, watch the video here.

Radio Raid
The IDF raided the Al Hurria radio station in Hebron on Monday night and confiscated its broadcasting equipment to stop the station from inciting violence. In a statement the IDF said, “Al Hurria radio station’s agenda encourages stabbing attacks, violent riots and reports false and malicious claims of security forces executing and kidnapping Palestinians in order to provoke violence. The station glorifies attacks against Israelis and congratulates the families of attackers who died while executing attacks.”

For further reading click here.

Jordan Warms Up
A Royal Jordanian airliner was diverted to Ben Gurion Airport due to weather conditions in Amman. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing due to low fuel.

Speaking of Jordanian aircraft, Reuters reported that Israeli fighter pilots flew alongside Jordanian airforce pilots during training exercises in the US. The Jordanian planes also refueled from an Israeli tanker over the Atlantic Ocean.

It looks like Jordan is getting comfortable with Israel, at least in the air. That’s a good sign.

For further reading click here.

Start Up Nation
If you’re an admirer of Israeli high-tech companies and would love to invest in them from the US, you’ll soon get the chance to do so.

BlueStar Indexes and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) are launching the BlueStar TA-BIGITech Israeli Technology exchange traded fund (ETF) that will be traded on Nasdaq under the ticker ITEQ.

It will track the performance of the TASE and BlueStar’s BIGITech Index, which is made up of 65 stocks of Israeli high-tech companies in information technology, computer and network security, renewable and clean energy, biotechnology, sustainable agriculture, and defense technologies. Among the stocks in the ITEQ ETF will be Amdocs Ltd. (Nasdaq: DOX),Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP), Mobileye, and Elbit Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: ESLT; TASE: ESLT).

According to BlueStar founder Steven A. Schoenfeld, “This is a unique opportunity providing investors all over the world access to Israel’s innovative and dynamic technology sector through their portfolios.”

For further reading click here.

Kotel Sheds Tears
Worshippers at the Kotel were shocked by what they saw: water pouring out of the wall’s stones. Some took the unusual event as the fulfillment of ancient prophecies in the biblical books of Zecharia and Yoel which describe waters gushing from the wall as a sign of the coming of the Messiah.

While the excitement of impending redemption grew, the facilities management team came to investigate. They determined that the water was coming from a broken pipe on the Temple Mount. It’s still unclear whether the plumber who gets the job will be Muslim or Jewish. And yes, there are Jewish plumbers in Israel.

By the way, no Jewish leaders are claiming that this is a plot by the Muslims to flood the Kotel. We don’t do that.

For further reading click here.

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.

Israel News for November 2, 2015

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More Terror
On Sunday afternoon a Palestinian driver rammed his car into three Border Police officers near the Palestinian village of Beit Anun near Kiryat Arba, which is near Hebron.

Two male and one female officers, all in their twenties, were injured in the attack. One suffered severe wounds to his head, while the other two were lightly injured.

Soldiers opened fire at the car, but the driver fled the scene. Hours later he turned himself in to the police claiming it was an accident. He was arrested and transferred to Shin Bet custody for interrogation.

Earlier on Sunday, a Palestinian man attempted to stab an IDF soldier during clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians, also near Beit Anun. A Border Police officer shot and killed the assailant. None of the soldiers were wounded.

PA President Abbas has ordered military funerals for all terrorists. He also ordered a financial grant to be given to the families of terrorists, and permitted the waving of the Hamas flag at funerals. So much for trying to restore calm.

For further reading click here.

Haredim Go Arabic
On Friday we reported that the Haredi magazine, Mishpacha, published a message in Arabic pleading with Arabs not to murder members of the Haredi community, since they are not permitted to visit the Temple Mount. This message unleashed a storm of protest from everyone with a sense of Jewish unity. Some people tried to defend the magazine by saying that the message didn’t really mean what it said. Well, those folks are gonna have to rethink their apologetics.

The Badatz, which is the ruling council of the Edah Haredit (the Haredi Community), has launched a campaign to get the message across to the Arabs that Haredim don’t visit the Temple Mount and therefore should not be harmed. The campaign is being spearheaded by a group from the Satmar hasidic sect and will include advertisements in the Arabic press in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

There’s nothing ambiguous about this campaign. The message is clear: if you’re going to murder Jews, please make sure they aren’t Haredi. They really are not to blame.

Upshot
Besides the obvious, disgusting and divisive message that the Haredi leadership is sending, do they really believe that Arab terror is based on Jews visiting the Temple Mount? Does anyone believe that Arab terror would stop if Jews stopped visiting the Mount?

The terror didn’t start only after the 1967 Israeli reunification of Jerusalem. The underlying goal of Palestinian terror is to drive the Jews out of the entire land of Israel. That includes Haredim.

The targets of Palestinian terror are Jews, regardless of whether they pray three times a day or go to the beach on Saturday morning. No PR campaign will change that.

The Haredi leadership is still living in an era when the Jews of Israel lived in ghettos and were defenseless and at the mercy of their Arab rulers. Times have changed. Israel no longer begs for Arab mercy. Neither should the Haredim. Doing so divides the Jewish people and weakens it in the eyes of its enemies. Just stop.

For further reading click here.

Deri Resigns
Economy minister Aryeh Deri of the Shas party has resigned from the cabinet. Deri was seen as a stumbling block to the approval of a deal to develop Israel’s recently discovered offshore gas resources by private companies.

The deal had been stalled by the anti-trust commissioner who ruled that the government was giving too much power and control to a conglomerate of private energy companies at the expense of the citizens of Israel. Deri, as Economy Minister, had the power to overrule the anti-trust commission but refused to do so. With his departure, PM Netanyahu will take over the Economy Ministry portfolio and will push the deal forward.

Is this a good thing for the people? PM Netanyahu thinks it is. Let’s hope he’s right.

For further reading click here.

Shalom Chaver
Saturday night marked the 20 year anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Approximately 100,000 people gathered in Rabin Square, where he was murdered, to commemorate the event and pay tribute to his memory.

In an effort to give the event a non-partisan appeal, no sitting politicians were invited to speak. Former President Bill Clinton addressed the crowd and encouraged them to carry on Rabin’s legacy saying, “He refused to give up his dream of peace in the face of violence.”

In a video message, President Obama called Rabin a leader who “understood the dangers Israel faces, but he also said the Palestinians are not to be ruled over forever by force.”

“Yitzhak speaks to us still,” Obama said. “Let us demonstrate that we oppose violence and extremism of any kind, and let us exhaust every opening for the peace we know is just and possible.”

Shalom Chaver.

For further reading click here.

Henkin Memorial
Hundreds of people participated in a service to commemorate the one month anniversary of the murder of Rabbi Eitam and Naama Henkin. The couple was shot to death by Palestinian terrorists while driving with their four children on a highway in the West Bank.

Rabbi Yehuda Henkin, the father of Eitam, presented a new book that his son had just completed on the Laws of Shabbat. Naama’s mother, Hila Armoni, spoke about raising her grandchildren and the challenges of dealing with their feelings of sorrow and loss.

The warmth and solemnity of the evening was disrupted when Rabbi Meir Mazuz, the head of the Yeshiva Kisey Rachamim (seat of mercy) in Bnei Brak, addressed the crowd and said that the murder of the Henkins was Divine punishment for the gay pride parade in Jerusalem earlier this year. He also warned people not to visit the Temple Mount.

It’s unclear where the Rabbi got his insight into the cause and effect of Divine punishment. Maybe he should check back with his sources.

For further reading click here.

Tough Girl
Everyone knows Israeli women can be tough. Now it’s been proven in the ring. Israeli kickboxer Nili Block won the World Kickboxing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia on Saturday, after defeating her Croatian opponent in the finals of the women’s under 60kg category.
Do not mess with Nili!

For further reading click here.

Israel Events
On Sunday, November 22, the Ma’aleh Adumim Youth Orchestra will perform at Carnegie Hall. The orchestra, part of The George W. Schaeffer Music Conservatory in Ma’aleh Adumim, is composed of musicians who are handpicked from school music programs and invited to continue their musical education, and are taught by the some of the country’s leading artists. The event is organized by the Bnai Zion Foundation. Proceeds from the event will benefit Ma’aleh Adumim.

For more info click here.

Israel News for October 30, 2015

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More Terror
Breaking news: Two Palestinians arrived at the Tapuah intersection a short time ago and attempted to stab Border Police officers protecting the site. The officers shot and killed the terrorists.

A pregnant 26-year-old woman was hit in the face by shrapnel on Thursday evening when Arabs threw rocks at her car near Karmei Tzur on Highway 60, in Gush Etzion.

In another attack on the same highway, a rock thrown by Arabs damaged a car driven by Rabbi Re’em Hacohen, head of the yeshiva in Otniel and Yehuda Glick, the chairman of the Temple Mount Heritage Foundation. They were not injured.

Also last night, terrorists carried out a drive-by shooting at a hitchhiking station near the town of Ofra (Samaria). IDF troops fired at the car, which escaped. No one was hurt at the station.

Ahmed Mansara, the 13 yr. old Palestinian who stabbed and wounded two Israelis in Pisgat Ze’ev earlier this month, was charged today with attempted murder and possession of a knife. According to Israeli law a minor cannot be imprisoned. He can only be transferred to a probation officer at a rehabilitation center.

For further reading click here.

Suing Facebook
Richard Lakin, the American educator and peace activist who died from the wounds he sustained in a Jerusalem bus terror attack this month, is still in the fight.

Days before he died, the Israel-based rights group Shurat Hadin filed a lawsuit in the US against Facebook naming Lakin as the lead plaintiff. The suit accuses Facebook of allowing “gruesome Palestinian pages that incite violence”.

Lakin’s son Micah Avni said his father was shot in the head and then stabbed multiple times – in much the same way as described in some of the videos posted online. He added that one of the Palestinians who killed his father had previously made his intentions clear on Facebook and his posts were widely reposted on social media afterward.

Shurat Hadin say that 20,000 Israelis are suing Facebook over the Palestinian incitement.

Upshot
Social media companies need to start taking responsibility for keeping all incitement to violence off their sites. They obviously have an ethical and moral obligation to do so. Now the courts will decide whether they have a legal responsibility too.

For further reading click here.

Demolition Delays
The High Court of Justice has ordered the State to produce records of all the demolition proceeding against the homes of terrorists for the past two years. It seems as though the government has been lax in carrying out the actual demolitions after acquiring the legal judgements to do so.

High Court Justice Noam Sulberg echoed the feelings of two of his colleagues saying, “There are cases in which the verdict is handed down, and plenty of time passes until its execution. It has a negative effect on the stated urgency. A verdict is given then many months pass.”

Upshot
What is holding up these demolitions? Let’s hope the judges can figure it out and get the process back on track.

For further reading click here.

Protectsia
If you’re looking for a high level position in a prominent international zionist organization, you better make sure that you’re a member of a select group of major Israeli political parties.

At last week’s World Zionist Congress conference in Jerusalem, the major political parties and movements including Likud, Labor, Kulanu, Meretz, Shas, National Union, Yisrael Beiteinu and Mizrahi, signed a secret agreement to distribute jobs at Zionist institutions. Yesh Atid was the only major party not to sign the agreement.

According to the agreement revealed by Globes, Labor and Meretz obtained the posts of Jewish National Fund (JNF) chairman, head of the Zionist enterprises department in the Jewish Agency, and head of the education department, which is responsible for many activities of overseas emissaries and the budgets for the Reform and Conservative movements. Likud and Shas are keeping the posts of Jewish Agency chairman (occupied by Natan Sharansky), vice-chairman of the World Zionist Organization, and a bunch of other positions relating to PR and Anti-Semitism.

The Mizrahi movement, together with Yisrael Beiteinu and the National Union Party, received the positions of World Zionist Organization chairman, head of the settlement division, JNF vice-chairman, and the Aliyah department.

Apparently, it pays to be connected.

For further reading click here.

Culinary Pressure
The BDS movement is calling on world renown chefs who are scheduled to participate in a major culinary event in Tel Aviv to boycott it.

Some 26 top chefs and restaurateurs from famous restaurants around the world are expected to participate in the event, Open Tables, and cook in upscale restaurants in Tel Aviv throughout the month of November.

The BDS movement sent the chefs a letter signed by more than 130 civil society groups, stating: “We urge you to reconsider your involvement in this initiative aimed at using haute cuisine to mask Israel’s denial of Palestinian basic rights. Please cancel your participation in the Round Tables event until everyone has a place at the table.”

The letter went on about what they consider to be Israel’s war crimes, civil rights abuses, expulsions, apartheid … you name it and it was there. It ended with, “We urge you not to lend your culinary talents to mask Israel’s crimes.”

The organizers of the event wrote this in response: “The project will take place as planned. All the guest restaurants and chefs are on their way to Israel. Some of them have already landed in the country and have begun their activity in the hosting restaurants. All the international chefs are happy to take part in the initiative out of great interest and an acknowledgement of the developing culinary scene in Tel Aviv and Israel.”

Sounds amazing! Who wants to go to Tel Aviv?

For further reading click here.

Raining rats and dogs
Record breaking amounts of rain have fallen on Israel’s coastal towns and surrounding areas. Some areas received more than six times their average amount of rain for October.

The weather system that has barraged Israel with rain for the past few days has caused extensive damage, flooding and power outages. According to Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, the damage caused by the storm is the worst in the history of Israel. Tens of thousands were left without power for days. A labour dispute with electric company employees did not help the situation.

In Tel Aviv, sewers overflowed creating huge (smelly) puddles and forcing hordes of rats to the surface. Yuck.

The floods even reached the Negev, where a couple had to be rescued by helicopter yesterday and highways and roads were closed due to flash floods.

Unfortunately, the storm did not hit the more mountainous areas or the Kinneret, so it didn’t do much to replenish the water supply.

More rain is in the forecast.

For further reading click here.

New Israel App
Talk Israel is the first mobile app to bring you pro-Israel digital content from dozens of sources tailored to your personal preferences and interests using machine learning. It’s available for iPhone and Android, so look for it in the app store.
Read more about it here.