Tag Archive for: Israel News

Worshippers Attacked
IDF forces escorting over 1,000 Jews to pray at Joseph’s Tomb, in Palestinian Authority controlled Shechem (Nablus), were attacked by Palestinians throwing firebombs and shooting at their armored vehicles. The IDF drove them back with tear gas and live fire. One Palestinian was arrested. No injuries were reported. Inside the tomb, soldiers discovered 2 explosive devices, which were then defused by sappers.

[When Jews are attacked at their place of worship in Israel, it doesn’t seem to raise any outcry or condemnation. I guess it’s their own fault for being there. Perhaps it’s time for Jews (and non Jews) around the world to start protesting attacks against Jews in Israel, the same way they do when Jews are attacked in other countries?]

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Shin Bet Warning
In a briefing to members of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Shin Bet Director Nadav Argaman said, “Over the past year, we were able to thwart 480 terror attacks, including 219 Hamas cells and 590 lone attackers. This is a very large number that is indicative of the terrorism bubbling under the surface.” But he warned that the relative quiet in the West Bank is “deceptive” and that “Hamas is trying very hard to carry out terror attacks in and from Judea and Samaria.”

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New Name
Nazareth Illit (Upper Nazareth) Mayor Ronen Plot declared Sunday that he intends to rename the city, which is located next to the biblical town of Nazareth, to avoid the confusion among its visitors. The mayor remarked, “We need to fix this mistake once and for all.” He intends to submit an official proposal to change the city’s name during the first city council meeting. Nazareth is the largest Arab city in Israel and Nazareth Illit is the largest Jewish city in the Galilee.

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Jewish Minister
The new Tunisian minister of tourism is Roni Trabelsi, a Jewish businessman who lives in France and holds Tunisian citizenship. He is a prominent and successful businessman in Tunisia, dealing mostly with tourism, and owns the Royal First Travel agency. His father is one of the leaders of the Jewish community in Tunisia, which numbers around 1,200.

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Brazil Embassy
Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro has announced that he plans to relocate Brazil’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Bolsonaro, a staunch supporter of Israel said, “Israel is a sovereign state. If you decide on your capital, we will go according to that. When I was asked during the campaign whether I would [move the embassy], I said yes, and the one who decides on the capital of the state of Israel is you, not other nations.”

He added, “As for the Palestinian embassy [in Brazil], it is built too close to the president’s palace…No embassy can be so close to the president’s palace, therefore we intend to move it from its place and there is no other way, in my opinion. Besides, Palestine first needs to be a state before it has the right to an embassy.”

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Jerusalem Blaze
A large fire erupted near the Ziporri guesthouse in the Jerusalem forest today. Eight teams of firefighters, along with firefighting planes, were called to battle the blaze. The firefighters eventually contained the blaze and prevented it from spreading to houses in Jerusalem and nearby towns. Authorities have warned that hot, dry weather and high winds could lead to a rash of fires around the country.

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New Chief
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan announced on Friday that he will recommend Moshe ‘Chico’ Edri replace Roni Alsheikh as Israel’s next police commissioner. Edri, married and father of three, is 51 and lives in Kfar Oranim, a settlement in Samaria near Modiin. He is a graduate of a religious high school in Kiryat Shmuel, served in the IDF as deputy commander of the Golani reconnaissance unit and has served in various command positions with the Israel Police since 1990.

Minister Erdan said, “Retired Major General Moshe Edri has impressive and proven command capabilities, along with many years of experience in a wide range of positions in the Israel Police and with great knowledge of the challenges facing the police in the coming years.”

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Mayoral Surprise
After an all night vote count, Aliza Bloch beat incumbent Moshe Abutbul to become the first female mayor of Beit Shemesh. Bloch, who is religious, defeated Abutbul, who is ultra-orthodox (haredi), by just 500 votes in the heavily Haredi city of 80,000. She is the first woman to ever run for mayor of the city. Bloch said she will act as a bridge between the Haredi and secular residents of the city.

While Haifa also elected its first female mayor, over 95% of Israeli municipalities have male mayors.

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Cyber Warriors
Serving in the IDF’s cyber warfare unit 8200 is usually a good career move. Just ask a former commander in the unit who was offered (and accepted) a million dollar a year job offer. Around 80% of the units soldiers accept job offers 3 months before the end of their service at an average of 20% higher salaries than the general market.
To read more about the 8200 career launcher, click here.

Gaza Updates
An IDF airstrike killed 3 terrorists near Khan Yunis who were spotted placing an explosive device on the Gaza border fence. On Friday, Four Palestinians rioters in their 20s were killed during violent protests at the Gaza border fence. IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that some 16,000 demonstrators attended Friday’s riots, hurling Molotov cocktails, hand grenades and stones at the security forces, and burning tires.

Overnight Friday, 39 rockets were launched into Israel from Gaza. In response, the airfare struck 87 targets in Gaza on Saturday morning. Out of the 39 rockets launched into Israel, the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted 17. Two rockets landed inside the Gaza Strip and the rest landed in open areas in Israel. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rocket fire and have vowed to avenge the deaths of the 3 terrorists killed near Khan Yunis.

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Oman Visit
The PM’s office said Friday that the PM has returned from a visit to the Gulf state of Oman, where he joined the country’s leader in the first meeting of its kind in more than 20 years. He had been invited by Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said after lengthy communications. Netanyahu and his wife were joined on the trip by Mossad Head Yossi Cohen, his Foreign Ministry director, and other defense officials. The two leaders issued a joint statement saying the two sides “discussed ways to advance the Middle East peace process and discussed a number of issues of mutual interest to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East.”

Palestinian President Authority President Abbas also paid a three-day visit to Oman earlier this week and Oman’s foreign minister paid a visit to the PA controlled West Bank earlier this year.

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PM Netanyahu announced Sunday that Transportation and Intelligence Minister Israel Katz will embark on a visit to Oman next week. Katz will attend an international transportation conference in Muscat upon personal invitation by his Omani counterpart and the organizers of the conference. This is the first time an Israeli minister has been formally invited to participate in an international conference in Oman.

During the visit, Katz will present the regional transportation initiative, which he is advancing jointly with Netanyahu. The initiative, called “Tracks for Regional Peace,” is aimed at connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Gulf by rail via Israel as a land bridge and Jordan as a regional transportation hub.

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First Time
The Israeli national anthem was, for the first time, played in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), when the Israeli lightweight judoka Sagi Muki won a gold medal at the Grand Slam judo tournaments on Sunday. Minister of Culture and Sport Miri Regev, who accompanied the team during the competition, wept while she sang the anthem on stage. Three other Israelis won bronze medals yesterday: Gili Cohen, Baruch Shamilov and Timna Nelson Levy.

To watch the emotional video click here. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5382307,00.html

Regev was also given a tour of the grand mosque in the capital, which is the 3rd largest mosque after Mecca and Medina. To watch a video click here.

New Construction
The Construction and Housing Ministry has approved the construction of 20,000 housing units in the city of Ma’aleh Adumim. Initially, 470 housing units will be constructed, with the remainder awaiting government approval. The project is expected to cost NIS 2.8 billion ($756 million).

Construction and Housing Minister Yoav Gallant said that the approval would “lead to significant development and growth in the population of Ma’aleh Adumim.” He said,
“In addition to the new housing units, public and educational institutions will also be established, and will include synagogues, schools, parks, community centers and sports arenas. We must continue to establish [our] hold on the Jerusalem area, from Ma’aleh Adumin in the east to Givat Zeev in the west, from Atarot in the north to the area of Bethlehem and Rachel’s Tomb to Efrat and Gush Etzion.”

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Pittsburgh
Our deepest condolences go out to the families who’s loved ones were murdered in synagogue on Shabbat simply because they were Jews. May their souls find everlasting peace in the special place reserved for those who died for being Jewish (Al Kiddush Hashem). And we pray for the full and speedy recovery of those who were wounded in the horrific shooting attack. May we never again have to mourn the murder of Jews anywhere.

Terror Attack
Early today, a terrorist stabbed a solider with a pair of scissors near the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. The soldier and another soldier fired at the terrorist, killing him. The soldier was lightly injured and evacuated to the hospital fully conscious and standing. The terrorist was a 42 yer old man from Hebron.

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Jordan Reversal
Jordan’s King Abdullah II announced Sunday that he does not plan to renew parts of the country’s 24-year-old peace agreement with Israel. The parts Jordan wants to revoke relate to two parcels of land Jordan leased to Israel for 25 years. The lease on the two territories — known as Baqoura and Ghumar in Arabic and Naharayim and Zofar in Hebrew — ends in one year. Naharayim is located just south of the Kinneret, on the eastern bank of the Jordan river. Zofar is located in the Arava, south of the Dead Sea.

In a statement the king said, “Baqoura and Ghumar are Jordanian lands and will remain Jordanian and we will exercise full sovereignty over our territory.” Abdullah has been facing major pressure in Jordan, including mass protests, to reclaim the land.

Central Arava Regional Council head Eyal Bloom expressed concern by the Jordanian decision, saying “the agricultural lands in the Tzofar enclave are significant to the security of the area, the state, the livelihood of the residents and agriculture in the central Arava. This would mean the collapse of 30 farms in an area of some 1,400 dunams (346 acres).” Israeli farmers have been cultivating the land for the past 24 years.

The terms of the peace treaty state that 25 years after the initial signing, each party will be able to discontinue the lease of the land on one condition—it should be done one year in advance, and this Sunday marks 24 years since the treaty had been agreed upon.

PM Netanyahu said that Israel would renegotiate the original agreement with Jordan.

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Rocket Hit
A rocket fired from Gaza early this morning hit a two story house in the city of Be’ersheva. Miri Shabita, the owner of the house who was sleeping downstairs, ran upstairs at the sound of the warning sirens and dragged her 3 sleeping children into the home’s bomb shelter just before the rocket hit. The mother, 39, and her 3 children aged 9, 10 and 12 were treated for shock, but were otherwise unharmed. The house was almost totally destroyed. The balcony of the house next door collapsed, and several other homes and parked cars were hit by debris and shrapnel.

The rocket attack came a day before Kamel Abbas, the head of Egyptian intelligence, is due to arrive in Israel to discuss the ceasefire talks with Hamas. After the attack, Hamas and Islamic Jihad released a joint statement in which they said they “oppose rocket fire that hurts the efforts to lift the siege,” and that they “reject all irresponsible attempts that try to change the direction and sabotage the Egyptian efforts, including the overnight firing of the rocket.”

The IDF said, “The rockets that were fired are self-produced and medium-ranged. Only two organizations in Gaza have such rockets: Hamas and Islamic Jihad. It doesn’t matter who fired, Hamas bears the responsibility.”

In response to the attack, IDF planes attacked 20 terror targets in Gaza including Hamas military bases, rocket manufacturing sites, underground infrastructure and terror tunnels. At least one terrorist was reportedly killed in the strikes.

Defense Minister Lieberman ordered the closure of the Kerem Shalom and Erez border crossings and the reduction of the strip’s fishing zone to three nautical miles.

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Aussie Surprise
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated yesterday that he was open to the idea of moving the Australian embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing the city as Israel’s capital. The move would reverse decades of Australian foreign policy and inflame tension with some of Australia’s Asian neighbors — particularly Indonesia, with which Australia is due to sign a major trade agreement. Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.

Morrison’s statement comes four days before a by-election in Sydney at which his center-right coalition runs the risk of losing its tenuous hold on power. The by-election is in the Sydney harborside seat of Wentworth. Census figures show 12.5 percent of people in Wentworth are Jewish, a significantly larger proportion than elsewhere in Australia. Coincidence? We’ll take the move any way it comes about.

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Holocaust Movie
Most of us are well aware of the collaboration with the Nazis by local police forces in Eastern European countries such as Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia etc. But most are surprised to hear that the French police engaged in roundups of thousands of Jews in France in 1942, most of whom were then transported to Auschwitz and gassed. The movie La Rafle (The Roundup) dramatically tells the story of the French collaboration. The movie first came out in 2010, but just appeared on Amazon Prime, which is where I discovered it. It is beautifully made, and a must see.

Regarding the French collaboration, it must be noted that unlike what happened in the Eastern European countries, thousands of French non Jews risked their lives to hide Jews and to help in other ways. Thousands of French collaborators were sentenced to death for their crimes after the war. Many were also killed by French civilians.

To see the movie on Amazon click here.