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Israel News for July 12, 2016

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Temple Mount Hallel
Hundreds gathered at the entrance to the Temple Mount today to participate in a memorial service for 13 year old Hallel Ariel, who was brutally murdered by a terrorist in her bed in Kiryat Arba two weeks ago.

Hallel’s family was joined by several MKs, including Yehuda Glick and Oren Hazan from the Likud party and Bezalel Smotrich and Minister Uri Ariel from Bayit Yehudi. The Knesset members were prohibited from entering the Temple Mount by order of the Prime Minister.

There were speeches and dancing and Hallel’s father, Amichai, blew the shofar and said, “The world needs this heart (Temple Mount), otherwise blood will continue to spill. The world is waiting for us to bring the light and banish the darkness.”

Hallel’s aunt said, “This isn’t a day of sadness, this is a day of joy. Not a day of mourning and destruction, but of rebuilding and expectation for the redemption.”

Hallel’s mother Rina thanked those who came saying, “We didn’t come here this morning to cry, we came to strengthen our hearts.”

Around fifty people ascended to the Temple Mount along with the Ariel family, under heavy police protection. Ignoring the regulations against praying on the mount, the Jews recited prayers and blessings out loud. They were confronted by angry Muslims shouting, “Allah Akbar.”

For further reading click here.

Controversial Law Passes
Yesterday the Knesset passed the controversial “transparency law”, which requires NGOs to disclose details of overseas donations if more than half their funding comes from foreign governments or organizations such as the European Union. The NGO’s must disclose these funding sources in Knesset committee meetings and in all communications with public officials, the media and in ads to the public. Representatives of the NGO’s will not have to wear ID tags identifying their status while in the Knesset, as was first proposed in the earlier version of the law.

Around 27 NGO’s that receive funding from the EU or individual European governments will be directly effected by the new law, which has been categorized as anti-left by opponents, since right-wing organizations are usually funded by private donors and therefore exempt from the mandated disclosures. Almost all of the NGO’s effected by the law are left-wing human rights groups.

The law has been publicly criticized by the US and EU as being undemocratic. Peace Now has promised to challenge the law in the Supreme Court saying, “While the law will delegitimize left-wing organizations, pro-settler NGOs who receive millions of dollars in foreign donations without any transparency will remain unaffected. It is a law whose only aim is to silence and mark those who dare to voice criticism of the government or against settlements.”

Supporters of the law, led by its sponsor Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, claim that the law is necessary to prevent foreign governments from using funds to influence Israel’s domestic policies.

PM Netanyahu praised the new law, saying that it would “prevent an absurd situation in which foreign countries meddle in the internal affairs of Israel by funding NGOs and without the Israeli public’s knowledge. Contrary to claims on the left, the bill’s approval will increase transparency, will encourage the creation of a debate which truly reflects public opinion in Israel and will strengthen democracy.”

The new law will only apply to donations made after January 1, 2017 and the first report to the registrar of nonprofits will have to be made only eighteen months thereafter. The fine for non-disclosure is 29,200 shekels ($7,500).

Can the Europeans simply cover the fine and allow the NGO’s to remain silent?

For further reading click here.

IDF Rabbi
Rabbi Col. Eval Karim has been appointed by IDF Chief of Staff as the next IDF Chief Rabbi to replace the outgoing rabbi Gen. Rafi Peretz, who is retiring after six years in the position.

Karim currently serves as the head of the Rabbinate Department in the Military Rabbinate. He previously served as an officer and then commander of the elite paratrooper commando unit, and fought in two of the Lebanon wars. He studied in the Merkaz Harav Yeshiva and headed up the pre-military academy of Ateret Kohanim, before returning to the IDF Rabbinate.

Karim has come under fire for statements he made implying that woman are prohibited from serving in the IDF and that soldiers can rape gentile women during war. But the rabbi has clearly stated that his statements were made in response to purely theoretical questions of Jewish law.

Yeah Atid head Yair Lapid has called on Karim to clearly declare that he approves of women being drafted and serving in the IDF.

In response to the claims that Karim sanctioned rape in wartime by IDF soldiers, the IDF Spokesperson’s Office issued a statement saying: “Col. Karim asks to clarify that his statement was issued as the answer to a theoretical question and not in any way whatsoever a question of practical Jewish law. Rabbi Karim has never written, said or even thought that and IDF soldier is permitted to sexually assault a woman in war—anyone who interprets his words otherwise is completely mistaken. Rabbi Karim’s moral approach is attested by his years of military service in command, combat, and rabbinical positions in which he displayed complete loyalty to the values and spirit of the IDF, in particular the dignity of the person.”

Commentary
The Torah sanctions certain actions that are considered to be no longer applicable in practice. Examples of these are slavery, the killing of Amalek and the rape of gentile women during war. But these concepts are still “on the books” and are studied and analyzed as part of Jewish law. They also contain valuable homiletical messages and lessons that go far beyond their literal readings.

When a rabbi is asked a question relating to the intricacies of the laws of slavery or wartime rape, he must respond within the context of the question even though he doesn’t intend his answer to be taken as practical law. The entire discussion is clearly within the theoretical realm of intellectual scholarship.

Taken these theoretical statements as reflecting a rabbi’s practical stance is a mistake, and shows a lack of understanding of the concept of theoretical discussion and scholarship.

I think the statement of the IDF spokesman says it all.

For further reading click here.

Druze Chief MD
The IDF has appointed Colonel Dr. Badar Tarif as its new Chief Medical Officer. He will be promoted to Brigadier General. Thousands of Druze serve in the IDF, including many who serve in elite combat units and as high ranking officers. As an example, the commander of the Golani infantry brigade is also Druze.

Go Druze!

For further reading click here.

Israel News for February 25, 2016

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Victim Buried
Thousands of mourners attended the funeral of Air Force reserve Captain Eliyav Gelman in Gush Etzion last night, who was accidentally shot and killed by soldiers firing at a terrorist who was attempting to stab him.

To watch a video of the funeral, click here.

British PM
British Prime Minister David Cameron strongly criticized Israeli construction in East Jerusalem during a session of the British Parliament yesterday, saying, “I am well known for being a strong friend of Israel, but I have to say the first time I visited Jerusalem and had a proper tour around that wonderful city and saw what had happened with the effective encirclement of East Jerusalem, occupied East Jerusalem, it is genuinely shocking.”

Cameron added, “we do not support illegal settlements, we do not support what is happening in East Jerusalem and it’s very important that this capital city is maintained in the way that it was in the past.”

Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat rejected Cameron’s comments and said that the PM was unfamiliar with the realities of the situation. Barkat said, “The situation of the residents of the city is significantly better than those in the countries which surround us and, needless to say, than the situation during the British Mandate in Israel.” He added that citizens in Jerusalem have a right to live wherever they choose, irrespective of race, religion or gender.

Barkat invited Cameron, who he said was a “true friend of Israel,” to join him for a personal tour of the city. “I invite him to come and see how we have minimized the social gaps in eastern Jerusalem and I invite him to promote connections, developments, and local cooperation together with us instead of building walls and conflicts in the heart of Jerusalem.”

For further reading click here.

Yehuda Glick
Police have dismissed charges against Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick, who was accused of assaulting a Muslim woman on one of his visits there. The charges were dropped after police determined that the testimony of the plaintiff, Zoya Badrana, was fabricated.

As a result of the initial indictment, Glick was barred from entering the Temple Mount by a Jerusalem judge who said that his presence there was “inflammatory”. The dismissal of the charges against him might be sufficient grounds for overturning the court’s ruling.

After his acquittal Glick commented, “There are many here who should do some soul searching, but at this time I’m not interested in that, only in thanking God.”

For further reading click here.

Knesset vs. LGBT
A day after marking its first ever LGBT rights day, the Knesset yesterday defeated a number of bills aimed at improving the gay community’s status. Several opposition members joined the coalition in voting against the bills.

The bills, proposed by opposition members, included recognizing widowers in same sex couples, banning conversion therapy, recognizing same sex marriage contracts, and training health professionals to deal with gender and sexual inclination issues

Opposition MKs from Yisrael Beiteinu and most of the Arab MKs did not come to vote for the bills. Several other opposition members made mutual agreements with coalition members to absent themselves from the vote.

MK Amir Ohana (Likud), the first openly gay right-wing lawmaker, left the plenum without voting, while MK Sharren Haskel (Likud), head of the LGBT Knesset caucus, voted against the bills.

For further reading click here.

Haifa Scandal
Otot is an NGO that operates a hostel for homeless children in Haifa, as well as in other major Israeli cities. The Haifa hostel is located in the lower Hadar neighborhood, which apparently is not the safest place to be. The group decided to look for a better location after a number of girls staying at the hostel were sexually assaulted, cursed at and mugged in the neighborhood. A few years ago some residents threw stones at the hostel, ruined its plumbing and injured one of the girls.

Otot found a building in the central Carmel that belongs to the Rotenberg Foundation, a private foundation established in 1942 that deals with education and social affairs. The foundation agreed to rent the premises to the NGO as a hostel, and Otot has already raised some 1 million shekels in contributions for renovating the building.

About four months ago, Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav found out about the agreement between the foundation and Otot and informed the foundation chairman, David Rotenberg, that he objects to the plan. As a result, the foundation suspended the decision to rent the building to the NGO pending the mayor’s consent.

In recorded conversations with MK Merav Ben Ari (Kulanu) who tried to persuade Yahav to change his mind, the mayor is heard saying, “Let them go to Kiryat Ata… Why do I have to give you a place in Haifa? Heaven forbid if they come here… If you want to continue with this there will be a world war.” He also said, “I have the autistic [children], I [should] have the homeless? What’s the matter with you?… I don’t want them in my city, let them go to Kiryat Ata.”

Talk about political correctness. Is this guy for real? Does he think he’s running for President of the U.S.?
 
For further reading click here.

Tech Shortage
The High Tech industry in Israel has been a major contributor to economic and job growth in the country. However, the industry is doing so well and growing so quickly, that it’s running out of skilled employees to hire. The limited labor supply has also driven wages up, which is great for employees but not so great for the companies. The situation is forcing companies to move, or consider moving, operations overseas to places with larger and cheaper skilled labor pools.

PM Netanyahu, who also serves as Economy Minister, wants to solve the problem by allowing companies to import skilled foreign workers. The plan, raised in a meeting this week with ministry Chief Scientist Avi Hasson, would begin by issuing work visas to hundreds of foreigners, mainly software engineers.

A forum of Israeli technological colleges has said that the answer is not to import workers, but rather to encourage more Israelis to study science, technology, engineering and math.

So if you’re a computer scientist or software engineer, Israel needs you.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for January 15, 2016

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Terror Attacks
An IDF officer was lightly wounded near Nablus yesterday when a Palestinian terrorist stabbed him. The terrorist was shot and killed. Earlier in the day a terrorist attempted to stab soldiers near Hebron and was shot and killed.There were no Israeli casualties.

For further reading click here.

PM Supports Shaked
PM Netanyahu publicly threw his support behind a controversial law proposed by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked known as the “NGO transparency bill”.

The law states that if a nongovernmental organization receives more than half its funding from a foreign government, the NGO must disclose that fact and its representatives must wear tags that reflect that when they appear in the Knesset. Almost all of the NGOs that receive foreign government funding are left-wing.

The law has been criticized by the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, as well as by the ambassadors of Germany, Britain, France, Holland and the European union.

The bill was approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation a few weeks ago, which in theory obligates the coalition to support it. It is now being discussed by the Knesset.

The PM compared the bill to a law enacted by the U.S. Congress in January 2015. That law says that if representatives of an NGO that receives money from a foreign country are appearing at a congressional hearing, they must submit a written declaration about their foreign funding before the hearing. The American law, Netanyahu said, is far more stringent than the Israeli proposal, because it applies even if the NGO receives only one dollar from a foreign government, whereas the Israeli law would apply only to groups that obtain more than half their funding from foreign governments.

In a statement to the foreign media the PM said, “I fail to understand how greater transparency is undemocratic. … It is the most obvious request in every democracy. Transparency is the heart of democracy. When you hear about the use and abuse of NGOs here – transparency is the least we want and is much warranted and it is common sense. Israel is being held to a different standard here.”

Israel held to a higher standard? Impossible!

For further reading click here.

One More Thing
During the same talk with the foreign media, Netanyahu lashed out against Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom for saying that Israel may be guilty of the extrajudicial killing of Palestinians. He said, “What the Swedish FM said is outrageous, it’s immoral it’s unjust. It is definitely wrong and it singles out Israel in an absurd way… and it’s stupid.”

The PM also made some comparisons, saying, “People are defending themselves against assailants wielding knives, who are about to stab them to death, and they shoot them, and that’s extrajudicial killings?”

“So why is San Bernardino not extrajudicial killings? And, the other day in Paris, a knife-wielding terrorist was shot to death. Is that extrajudicial killings? Does the Swedish foreign minister suggest that there be examinations of what happened in Paris or in the United States?

No ambiguity here. But do you think the PM’s remarks will change the way the Swedes view Israel?

For further reading click here.

PM vs. Brazil
PM Netanyahu is standing firm in his appointment of Dani Danon as Israel’s Ambassador to Brazil despite Brazil’s refusal to accept Danon’s credentials, which they must do for the ambassador to officially take his position. The reason for their refusal is because of Danon’s past position as head of the Yesha council, which represents the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria — which Brazil considers to be occupied territory according to international law.

There were recent reports that Foreign Ministry officials had retracted their pro-Danon stance and were ready to relent and appoint a different ambassador, but the PM’s latest position seems to contradict that.

This could develop into a real breakdown in relations between the two countries, which wouldn’t be beneficial for either side. Let’s hope they figure out a solution asap.

For further reading click here.

Refugee Camp Apathy
According to a Walla report, many Palestinians living in refugee camps in the West Bank are refusing to join the current wave of terror, claiming that they have nothing to gain from it. They feel the only result will be a return of Israeli soldiers and Shin Bet to their camps. Ironically, this “wave of terror” is one of the calmest periods over the last decade in the refugee camps, which were a hotbed of violence during the second Intifada (2000-4).

One Palestinian resident of Jenin described the current wave of violence as, “a passing fad”. He explained that they did not gain anything from the second intifada, they just paid a heavy price so there is no reason to join the current wave of violence and send their kids out with knives.

According to the report many in the refugee camps share his sentiments and do not believe that the recent wave of terror will continue much longer or that it will make a difference. They feel no allegiance to the Palestinian authority and do not see the this wave of terror as their struggle.

For further reading click here.

Shopping Peace
In a 200 million shekel project, Israeli business mogul and owner of supermarket chain Rami Levi, is set to build the first Palestinian Israeli mall. The 20,000 square meter mall is to be located in the Palestinian town of A-Ram, which is located northeast of Jerusalem and is estimated to have around 50,000 inhabitants.

The plan is to have Palestinian chain stores next to Israeli chain stores, with both Palestinians and Israelis shopping side by side. The security situation does not bother Rami Levy who said, “we will serve everyone regardless of race or nationality.” He also promised equal employment opportunities regardless of race, nationality or religion.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for January 6, 2016

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Tragic Accident
First-Lt. Yishai Rosales, 23, from Beit Meir, was killed by shrapnel when a mortar round was fired in the wrong direction at the Tze’elim IDF training base during a course for company and battalion commanders. Rosales was a platoon commander in the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda Battalion (Nahal Haredi).

For further reading click here.

Spy Convicted
Corporal Elad Sela, who served in the Etzion Regional Brigade of the IDF, was convicted by a military court of passing secret information to right wing extremists. The court found him guilty of searching through classified computer files to look for information on “price tag” suspects from the Bat Ayin settlement in Gush Etzion, where he lives, and to alert them regarding planned raids against them by security forces.

The court sentenced Sela to 45 months in prison along with an additional suspended sentence and a demotion to the rank of private.

In a statement the IDF said, “Leaks such as this must be eradicated from the army and those who breach the trust given to them by the army and who harm security interests must be punished severely.”

Sela is married and the father of two.

For further reading click here.

Israel Folds
Last week we reported that Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely was adamant that Israel would stand behind Dani Dayan, its appointed ambassador to Brazil, even though the Brazilian government refused to approve Dayan because of his history as a leader in the settlement movement.

Well, it looks like Hotovely has had second thoughts. Foreign Ministry officials are now advising the government to choose a different ambassador to Brazil. Next week Brazil’s ambassador to Israel will reportedly be summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a discussion, during which the gravity with which Israel views the non-approval of Dayan’s appointment will be made clear to him. A senior Foreign Ministry official said that only after all options have been exhausted, including initiating a phone call between PM Netanyahu and Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff, will they “calculate a new move”.

One of the options being considered is to nominate Dayan as ambassador to another country and to send a new ambassador to Brazil. Dayan’s name has already been mentioned as a possible candidate for the position of Israel’s Consul General in New York or Los Angeles.

You can’t win ‘em all.

For further reading click here.

Bad Facebook
Shurat HaDin, an Israeli based civil rights NGO, set out to test whether Facebook applies double standards when it comes to incitement. On December 29, 2015, the NGO launched “The Big Facebook Experiment” by publishing two nearly identical Facebook pages: “Stop Palestinians” and “Stop Israel.” Over the next few days they posted hateful content on both pages, and then reported the content to Facebook.

For example, the pro-Palestinian page promised to “demolish the Zionist invader,” and called for revenge against the “Zionist enemy that threatens Al-Aqsa.” A call to rise up against Israel was portrayed in a cartoon featuring a Star of David bearing crocodile with the Temple Mount compound perched beneath the roof of its mouth and a knife nested against its snout – an accompanying post to the illustration called for “death to all the Jews.”

Meanwhile, on the pro-Israel page, a post calling for war against the “Palestinian enemy” claimed that “more and more soldiers in the IDF know that there is a need to destroy the Arab enemy.” Another post featured a collage of a handful of so-called “price tag” attacks and an accompanying caption calling for “death to all the Arabs.”

The anti-Palestinian page was shut down by Facebook, on the same day that it was reported, for “containing credible threat of violence” which “violated our [Facebook’s] community standards.” The anti-Israeli page was not shut down, despite its identical hateful content. Facebook claimed that this page was “not in violation of Facebook’s rules.”

In October Shurat Hadin filed a lawsuit against Facebook on behalf of 20,000 Israelis to stop allowing Palestinian terrorists to incite violent attacks against Israeli citizens on the social network’s platform.

According to the NGO, “Facebook actively assists the inciters to find people who are interested in acting on their hateful messages by offering friend, group and event suggestions and targeting advertising based on people’s online ‘likes’ and internet browsing history.” Additionally, Facebook often gives incitement pages the freedom to operate and continue operation despite reports of hateful content, under the claim that they do not violate its “community standards.”

Druze News
Yesterday, Israel’s National Council for Building and Planning approved PM Netanyahu’s initiative to establish a new Druze town in the north of the country. The town, which will be located near Tiberias, will be the first new Druze town to be built by the state since 1948 and the first time in 130 years that a new Druze community will be established in the territory of what is now Israel.

The PM said, “I view the building of this new town as a very important initiative that will bring progress to the Druze sector.”

There are currently 18 Druze towns recognized by the state – four in the Golan and 14 in the Galilee. Except for those in Golan, the Druze serve in the IDF, primarily in combat units and with distinction.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for August 26, 2015

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New Top Cop
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan has chosen a new police inspector-general to head up Israel’s national police force. The nominee, who still needs to be approved by a government committee, is 51 year old IDF Brigadier General (reserve) Gal Hirsch.

Background
Hirsch, originally from Arad, had a distinguished military career, holding numerous commands in elite combat units. He resigned from the IDF in 2006 amid allegations of mishandling an incident during the second Lebanon war, but was exonerated by an investigative committee.

Hirsch is currently chairman of the Israel Leadership Institute, an educational NGO, and Defensive Shields Holdings, a security consulting company.

Challenges
The new police chief will have his work cut out for him. Sex scandals that have forced out several senior police commanders and allegations of corruption in several recent high profile cases have further depleted the top echelons of command, which Hirsch will have to rebuild most likely by bringing in people from outside the force.
The scandals and corruption have eroded the respect people have for the police. Recent surveys show that 70% of Israelis do not have faith in their police force. This could be one reason why there are 1,000 job openings for police officers that the force is having a hard time filling.

Upshot
Hirsch’s nomination ruffled lots of feathers among the top brass in the police force, who thought one of their own should get the top job. They’re hoping that that he doesn’t get approved by the committee. Some of them might quit if he does. Whoever ends up with the job will have a lot of hard work ahead of him.

Terror in Jerusalem
According to statistics compiled by the Ministry of Construction and Housing, there were 580 documented terror attacks against both civilian and security forces during June and July in the Jerusalem areas that include the old city, the Mount of Olives, the Silwan (Shiloah) neigborhood and the City of David. That’s an average of almost ten per day.

Arad Blocks Africans
As we reported in yesterday’s email, the government is set to release close to 1,500 asylum seekers being held at the Holot detainment center in the Negev. The African migrants, who entered Israel illegally, have been banned from living or working in Tel Aviv and Eilat. Most of them have worked in those cities for years. Yesterday, twenty Africans released from Holot were arrested by immigration officials for just being in Tel Aviv.

Not to be outdone, the mayor of Arad, a southern city assumed to be a prime destination for the released detainees, declared his intention to keep them out. He sent police and inspectors to set up checkpoints at the entrances to the city to turn back asylum seekers looking to make Arad their new home. There are currently already several hundred asylum seekers living in Arad.

So where should these asylum seekers go? The government and many Israelis hope they choose another country.

Vatican Opposes Palestinians
The Palestinian mission to the UN drafted a resolution that would allow non-member observer states to fly their flags alongside member states at the UN headquarters in New York City. There are only two non-member states at the UN: Palestine and the Vatican.

The Palestinians explicitly included the Vatican in their resolution draft, hoping that doing so would compel member nations to approve it, especially since Pope Francis is due to address the UN General Assembly next month.

The Vatican was not pleased. In a note circulated to some U.N. members, the Vatican made clear that while it did not object to the Palestinians proposing a resolution to fly their own flag, the Holy See had no plans to join the initiative – even though the Vatican formally recognized the State of Palestine earlier this year.

“The Holy See does not intend to co-sponsor a draft resolution that the State of Palestine may eventually present on the matter,” the note said. “The Holy See asks the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations kindly to remove in its draft resolution any reference to the ‘Holy See’ and any generic reference ‘on behalf of the Observer States’.”

The Palestinians have yet to respond.

Upshot
Even though most member states are usually more than willing to vote against Israel’s interests, agreeing to fly the flag of a state that the US doesn’t recognize in the heart of US territory and in a heavily pro Israel city is going too far, even for them. Even the pope gets that.

Fined for Shabbat Observance
Many Israeli cities have regulations that impose fines on businesses that stay open on Shabbat. One establishment, called Henry’s, is being fined by its parent company for closing on Shabbat.

The shop, which has a kashrut certificate, is located in a new upscale shopping center in Tel Aviv. The owners of the center claim that the contracts they signed with their shops requires them to be open seven days a week. They’re fining the Shabbat observing store owners 3,500 Shekels per month for violating their contract. The Tel Aviv religious council is protesting.