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Israel News for June 29, 2016

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Cabinet Meeting
The Security Cabinet has approved the reconciliation agreement signed by the PM with Turkey yesterday. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked opposed the agreement, while six other ministers voted to approve it despite concern about the political repercussions of doing so, given that polls have shown that the majority of Israelis oppose the agreement.

Opponents of the agreement believe that Israel should not pay the $20 million of reparations to the families of those killed in the IDF raid on the Marmara, because they view that as rewarding terrorism. They also want the return of the bodies of Israeli soldiers being held by Hamas in Gaza to be included in the agreement.

Let’s hope that the new agreement with Turkey brings Israel many economic, security and diplomatic benefits, and that the Turks fulfill their promise (not included in the agreement) to help bring the remains of the Israeli soldiers being held by Hamas back to their families.

For further reading click here.

UN Chief
The families of the IDF soldiers whose remains are being held by Hamas in Gaza met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon yesterday to ask him to intervene on their behalf. The meeting took place in the PM’s office in the presence of Netanyahu and Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon.

The families told the UN Chief, “You initiated the ceasefire that was exploited by Hamas to kidnap Hadar Goldin. Now we seek your involvement. Just as Gaza deserves humanitarian assistance, we also deserve humanitarian assistance.”

Ban Ki-Moon sympathized with the families, calling the situation “unjustified” and promised to appoint an official representative to handle the matter and promised that he would immediately look into how assistance could be provided upon his return to New York.

The families, however, expressed disappointment with the results of the meeting saying, “We entered the meeting with hope and left it disappointed. The UN secretary-general said that the matter was a humanitarian one. We therefore ask that the (Turkey) agreement not be signed.” They pledge to lobby ministers to vote against the agreement, which does not include a commitment by Turkey to facilitate the return of the bodies.

For further reading click here.

Differential Policy
After touring the IDF Central Command, which is responsible for Judea and Samaria, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman recommended that the IDF implement a “differential” security policy that would increase pressure in Palestinian areas that serve as a source for violence and terror activities, while easing restrictions in areas that are peaceful. He said, “This way, everyone will know that there are consequences for both directions.”

Many of the Palestinian terrorists who have carried out attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers in recent months have come from specific areas of east Jerusalem and the West Bank. The Hebron region, and the village of Yatta in particular, have become hot spots for violence and the source of attackers traveling to other areas to perpetrate attacks.

The new policy would crack down on those areas without punishing Palestinians in other areas who are keeping the peace.

Sounds logical.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for June 22, 2016

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Red Alert
When rockets are launched from Gaza into Israel, residents hear a “red alert” siren. Now residents will hear the “red alert” in the event of an active tunnel discovery. The only difference is that in addition to the siren, residents will also receive an SMS message saying, “Due to terrorist digging, residents are requested to go into their homes and switch off the lights until further notice.” An IDF official noted that, “it’s important that the civilians understand that not every alarm means terrorists have penetrated into Israel.” Good to know.

For further reading click here.

PM Tricks
Back in November of 2015, PM Netanyahu appointed Dr. Ran Baratz to be the head of PR at the Prime Minister’s Office. But because of Baratz’s tendency to post negative Facebook messages relating to public figures including Israeli President Rivlin, Barak Obama and John Kerry, his appointment was opposed by many ministers and officials.

To make it official, the Civil Service Commission, which has the last word in the matter, refused to approve Baratz’s appointment. But did that stop the PM? Of course not.

To get around the hurdles before him, Netanyahu has made Baratz a senior consultant in the Prime Minister’s Office with a salary of just 5% below what he would have made as PR director. He’ll also be performing the same duties including formulating PR strategy, writing speeches, and assembling briefings.

The current PR and media director Boaz Stempler will continue in his position, although it’s unclear how both he and Baratz will function together, since they pretty much have the same job.

The reaction from government officials: “The Prime Minister is making a mockery of civil service rules, and sending ministers a message that says they can act just like him.”

So, two salaries for one job and the PM wins again. Gotcha.

For further reading click here.

Believe it
In 2013 Police Commander Ilan Mor was found guilty of sexually harassing two subordinate junior female police officers. Mor reached a plea bargain agreement with the Justice Ministry and was fined 4,000 shekels and reprimanded by an internal Police tribunal.

Soon after his conviction, Mor was sent to study at the prestigious National Security College, which also trains senior staff in Mossad and the Shin Bet security service. He was then appointed as head of the traffic police.

But wait, it gets better. Mor was recently appointed to be the Israel Police representative in the US. That was just too much, even for Israel. Hundreds of civilians wrote letters of protest to Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan. Zazim, a nonprofit organization campaigning for social and political change, launched a campaign against the appointment.

Yesterday the police announced that Mor met with Police Commissioner Roni Alsheich and declined the posting on “family and medical grounds.” Alsheich accepted Mor’s position but asked him to remain with the police force.

So Mor, a convicted sex offender continues to be commander of Israel’s traffic police. Believe it.

For further reading click here.

Arab Poverty
According to new data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, 82 percent of East Jerusalem’s 300,000 residents lived below the poverty line in 2014, up from 76% in 2013. In 2006 the poverty rate was at 66%. The general poverty rate in Israel is 22% and the poverty rate in Jerusalem is 48%.

Reasons offered for the huge poverty rate in East Jerusalem include the separation barrier, which cuts Jerusalem off from the West Bank impeding commerce between the two areas. Another cause is thought to be the surge of violence that began in 2014, which cause a drop in tourism and loss of jobs.

However, some officials claim that flaws in the polling mechanism are adding to the increased poverty numbers. They say that the sample size is too small and many residents refuse to take part in the survey. Nevertheless, there’s still a huge poverty rate in East Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem municipality says it has launched several projects aimed at improving the situation, including setting up professional training centers and hiring 20 additional social workers to cover East Jerusalem.

“There’s been an improvement in the welfare and education systems, and I hope that within two years, we’ll see results,” said Boni Goldberg, head of the city’s social services department.

For further reading click here.

Fighter Unveiled
American aircraft maker Lockheed Martin will present the first of 33 F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jets to Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Leiberman and Israel Air Force (IAF) chief of staff Brigadier General Tal Kelman in Fort Worth, Texas today. The aircraft is called “Adir” or mighty in Hebrew.

The F-35, with its stealth abilities and the most advanced avionic systems, is viewed by Israel’s defense establishment as Israel’s plane of the future. Israel will be purchasing an additional 17 planes, making 50 in total.

Price of each plane: $85 million. Price to fly the plane for 1 hour: $35,000.

Israel’s first two F-35s will be flown to Israel by US pilots on December 12 2016. The following day, Israeli pilots will fly the aircraft in Israel’s skies. More aircraft will follow after Israeli pilots undergo training in the US.

For further reading and to see video of the new plane, click here.

Civilian Heroes
Citations were presented to 13 Israeli civilians who risked their lives to fight terror, by the Shaurat Hadin organization. To read their stories click here.

Israel News for May 25, 2016

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Done Deal
PM Netanyahu and Avigdor Liberman finalized the agreement today that will bring Yisrael Beiteynu, with its six Knesset seats into the government. The PM said, “I welcome Avigdor Lieberman and his faction members as important partners to the coalition. I value his experience, we’ve worked together before for the security and welfare of the people of Israel.”

Referring to past disagreements with Liberman, the PM said, “It’s no secret we’ve disagreed with each other, that’s part of political life. Sometimes, in the heat of the argument, things were said by both of us that should not have been said. Now, we join hands to help Israel march forward.”

He also, once again, called on Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog to join the government, “so we can have a broader government, a true unity government that would strengthen the unity among the people.”

For further reading click here.

Not so Fast
But wait, the drama is not over just yet. The new coalition agreement must be approved by the Knesset and by the government, and Bayit Yehudi Leader Naftali Bennett is threatening to vote against it. Bennett is demanding that a special military secretary be added to the cabinet in order to brief ministers on all breaking military issues. His demand comes in the wake of an official report that blamed the cabinet for mishandling Operation Protective Edge and The Second Lebanon War. Bennett claims that the military secretary to the cabinet will prevent those mishandling in the future.

Explaining his demand, Bennett said, “according to the law, the cabinet is the commander-in-chief of the IDF, not the prime minister or the defense minster. My concrete demand is to equip members of cabinet with intelligence and some tools so they could function better. The cabinet military secretary will meet with cabinet members on a regular basis and brief them on what’s happening on each of our borders, what is the situation of the enemy, what acquisitions the IDF is making, and more. We could delve into any important topic with him.”

Sounds like a reasonable request, but MK Yariv Levin, who heads the coalition negotiations on behalf of the Likud, has rejected Bennett’s demand out of hand. “We’re not renegotiating the coalition agreements with any of the partners, including Bayit Yehudi.”

Israel National Security Council chief Ya’akov Nagel was also critical of the demand, explaining that, “”Every minister can receive all the relevant information and receive preparation for the cabinet from members of the National Security Council. Every minister who wanted to – and there were ministers who wanted to – received all the relevant material ahead of cabinet discussions.”

The National Security Council produces a daily intelligence report on ongoing security matters and other issues, and Nagel made clear any minister who wanted to could receive this report and additional information that details the operational plans of the IDF.

Don’t worry, they’ll think of something.

For further reading click here.

B’tselem Complaints
B’Tselem, the watchdog NGO that monitors alleged abuses of Palestinians by the IDF, has announced that it will stop filing Palestinians’ complaints against IDF soldiers with the military justice system. The group claims that its petitions have brought no justice.

In a statement, the NGO said, “The organization does not wish to assist authorities in their attempts to create a false picture of justice being served. B’Tselem has decided to no longer approach the military law enforcement system. This also applies to cases in which soldiers are suspected of violating the law, even with the understanding that Palestinian victims have no other recourse for filing a complaint against those who harm them.”

For further reading click here.

PM is Sephardi
We all know that PM Netanyahu is a master politician, but this goes way beyond anything you could imagine. At a visit to the Diaspora Museum in Tel Aviv, the PM announced that based on DNA testing done on his brother, he is part Sephardi.

The Netanyahu family, which is originally from Lithuania and is directly descendant from the Vilna Gaon, has Spanish roots. That’s not exactly “mizrahi”, which is what the majority of Israelis who came from Arab lands are, but it’s close enough to claim dual membership in both the Ashkenazic and Sephardic population.

So who needs a “unity government” when you have a “unity Prime Minister”?

For further reading click here.

Gett Serious
Uber beware. The Israelis are coming after you, with a vengeance. Israeli tax-hailing company Gett (formerly Get Taxi) announced today that it has raised $300 million from German carmaker Volkswagen. This brings the amount raised by the Tel Aviv-based company to $520 million.

Gett was founded in 2010 and offers a range of transport and courier services in 60 cities worldwide including New York, London, and Moscow.

So a German company is funding an Israeli startup to compete against an American company with a German name. Next time you need a cab, consider going with the Israelis. And don’t worry, you most likely won’t get an Israeli driver – – unless you’re in Israel.

For further reading click here.

Bibi Netanyahu

Israel News for May 23, 2016

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PM Holds Posts
Just because the PM has welcomed Yisrael Beiteynu into the government, moving it further to the right and providing it with a safer (67 seat) majority in the Knesset, does’t mean that he’s given up on the hope of bringing Issac Herzog and the opposition into the government too. To retain his bargaining power, the PM is holding on to his positions as Foreign Minister, Communications Minister, Economy Minister and Regional Cooperation Minister, in the event that he can use them to persuade the opposition to join his coalition.

Members of the opposition have said that there is no way they’d ever join the government, especially after Israel Beiteynu’s inclusion, but stranger things have happened in Israeli politics. So the PM continues to be the busiest man in government, and the potential for a future negotiation remains alive.

For further reading click here.

Coalition Deadlock
The negotiations to finalize the coalition deal between Yisrael Beiteynu and the government continue, with the issue of pensions remaining unsolved.

Yisrael Beiteynu is demanding that the pensions of retired immigrants from the former Soviet Union be increased. The Finance Minister is refusing to budget the extra money for that, claiming that doing so would discriminate against the elderly who are not from the former Soviet Union.

Finance Minister Moshe Kahalon says that he is working to create a plan whereby all elderly in Israel would get pension increases. But Yisrael Beiteynu head Avigdor Lieberman is standing firm in his demand as a precondition for bringing his party into the government. Blackmail?

The PM called for a meeting today between the two sides to break the deadlock, but no progress was made. So the drama continues.

For further reading click here.

PM Rejects French
In a meeting with France’s Foreign Minister in Jerusalem today, PM Netanyahu (who is also Israel’s Foreign Minister) rejected the French proposed and sponsored Middle East peace summit. The PM told the French FM that direct, face to face, talks between himself and PA leader Abbas are the only way to reach a peace agreement.

The peace conference, which is scheduled for June 3, is meant to be attended by world leaders who will try to come up with a peace plan, without the attendance of either the Palestinians or the Israelis at the conference. PA President Abbas is in favor of the conference.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for May 19, 2016

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Forget Unity
Remember all that talk about the PM forming a potential unity government by bringing opposition leader Issac Herzog and his left wing faction’s 24 Knesset seats into the government? Forget about it.

Instead of forming a broad based coalition which would have created a centrist government with a large majority, the PM has decided to push the government even further to the Right by bringing Avigdor Lieberman and his Yisrael Beyteinu party into the government.

Yisrael Beyteinu currently has six Knesset members, which would boost the government’s razor thin majority of 61 seats to a little less thin 67 seats. That’s not huge, but it’s enough to give the government a bit of breathing room to push through its more controversial bills that might not garner 100% coalition support.

Avigdor Liberman formed Yisrael Beyteinu in 1999 to create a platform for Russian immigrants who support a hard line in negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. He has previously served as Foreign Minister, from 2009 to 2012 and again from 2013 to 2015, and is known for his staunchly Right wing positions.

In order to bring Liberman into the government, the PM has offered him the job of Defense Minister. That means current DM Moshe Ya’alon is out. That doesn’t come as a big surprise to Ya’alon, who has been embroiled in tensions with the PM over his statements defending the freedom of IDF officers to speak their minds, even if those words are against government policies. The PM didn’t like that very much.

Ya’alon was also attacked by Naftali Bennett and the Bayit Yehudi party for not being tough enough against the Palestinians or supportive enough of the settler movement. Bayit Yehudi officials were quick to comment on the new coalition deal, “Bogie’s (Ya’alon) going, and that’s for the best. It’s been a year of tremendous damage to the IDF. A year of abandoning soldiers, a year of terrible army culture. Bogie needs to go home, and he’s going…Lieberman’s entering (the coalition) will make the government the most right-wing government in history, and that’s good. A full right-wing government could reach a full term.”

While Naftali Bennett and many Likud members are thrilled about Liberman getting Ya’alon’s job, many in Netanyahu’s party are not. Ya’alon, a former IDF Chief of Staff and Likud member, is highly respected by party members. Furthermore, the idea of taking the job of Defense Minister away from a decorated general and giving to a politician without any military experience beyond his mandatory IDF service, during which he attained the rank of corporal, is tough to swallow. Apparently, Netanyahu is willing to do whatever it takes to strengthen his current Right wing government and implement his policies.

But don’t cry for Ya’alon just yet. Sources say that the PM is considering offering him the coveted job of Foreign Minister, which the PM has been holding on to for last few years just in case a situation arises where he needs to give the job away in order to make a deal. Now that’s foresight. Ya’alon’s associates have said that he would accept such an offer.

In addition to the Defense Ministry, Yisrael Beyteinu will get the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, which makes sense since most of the immigrants to Israel in recent years are from the former Soviet Union.

As Defense Minister Liberman will likely be able to achieve one of his other demands for entering the government: the death penalty for terrorists. Netanyahu has previously blocked the law, but that will probably change now.

But Liberman will not get everything he wants. He is expected to set aside his campaign for a law allowing for common-law marriage, reform in Jewish conversion and a tougher law to draft Haredim into the Israel Defense Forces, in order to hold together the coalition and keep the Ultra-Orthodox parties in the government.

The opposition is obviously up in arms about the appointment of Liberman as Defense Minister. Any possibility of Herzog joining Netanyahu in a unity government are now pretty much history.

The final coalition deal is likely to close on Friday. You never know what can happen until then?

For further reading click here.

Meat Law
According to Israeli law, all meat imported into the country requires the kosher certification of the Israeli Rabbinate. That means no non-kosher meat can be legally imported into Israel. A number of Arab Israeli businesses are demanding an exemption from laws prohibiting the import of non-kosher meat, and have brought their case to the Supreme Court.

The claimants in the case argue that the law constitutes religious coercion, forcing Israel’s Arab citizens to abide by Jewish religious law.

The suit was filed by Sawsan Zahar, a lawyer for Adalah, a leftwing Arab Israeli NGO. The claim was made on behalf of Ahmed Afnadi Inc., a meat store from the village of Kfar Kana.

Zahar noted that similar exemptions had been issued with regards to other laws, citing the example of pork farms which are permitted in towns with a majority of Christian Arabs.

Makes a lot of sense. Why should Arabs be force to eat kosher meat, and pay more for it?

For further reading click here.

Iron Dome at Sea
The IDF has installed the Iron Dome anti-missile system on a navy missile boat. In a recent test the ship, sailing 20 miles off the Israeli coast, successfully shot down three dummy missiles out of the sky.

To watch a video of the successful test, click here.

Israel News for May 18, 2016

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

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

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

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

This is getting interesting.

For further reading click here.

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

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

For further reading click here.

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

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

For further reading click here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For further reading click here.

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

Israel News for May 17, 2016

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Unity Talks
PM Netanyahu met with opposition leader Isaac Herzog at the PM’s residence on Sunday night to try to reach an agreement that would allow Herzog and his Knesset faction to join the government. Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, who is considered to be a close confidant of the PM on the issue, said, “I met with the prime minister today and he told me that the contacts regarding [a] unity [government] are proceeding. He is serious about expanding the government.”

Sources say that Herzog is pressing the PM for more and better jobs for his colleagues as a prerequisite for joining. Specifically, the cabinet portfolios of Justice, Communications and Culture, which are currently held respectively by Ayelet Shaked, the PM and Miri Regev, are all considered to be targets which the left wing faction want. It seems unlikely that Netanyahu will agree to giving them up, since doing so would be seen as an attack against his right wing principles and supporters. Education Minister Naftali Bennett has made it clear that his Bayit Yehudi party would leave the government if party member Shaked was removed from her position as Justice Minister.

Zionist Union MKs who have met Herzog over the past few days say he is hiding the details of the pending agreement with Netanyahu and has refused to tell them what portfolios or other achievements will be part of it. Many of them say that they would refuse to join a unity government. They’re not alone in their opposition. According to a recent poll by Channel 2 News, a majority of Israelis are not in favor of the formation of a unity government.

All this doesn’t seem to matter to the PM and Herzog, who continue to move forward with their own negotiations. As they say, politics creates strange bedfellows.

For further reading click here.

French Initiative
The French initiative to hold a Middle East Peace Summit in Paris at the end of this month has been put on hold because US Secretary of State John Kerry is unable to make it on the proposed May 30th date. The goal of the summit is to relaunch talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, with France taking over the lead broker position, which is a role they claim the US is not fulfilling, particularly ahead of the US presidential elections.

Israel objects to the initiative, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressing that the only way to advance a true peace between us and the Palestinians is by means of direct negotiations between us and them, without preconditions,” adding that “any other attempt only makes peace more remote and gives the Palestinians an escape hatch to avoid confronting the root of the conflict.”

Is the inability of Kerry to attend a deliberate attempt to scuttle or at least indefinitely postpone the summit, as a show of support for Israel before the elections, or is it just an honest scheduling conflict?

For further reading click here.

Gaza Fishermen
The Shin Bet has released information about the arrest of a Gazan fisherman back in April, who revealed that he, along with other fisherman, were smuggling weapons into Gaza by sea. The fisherman revealed how over a prolonged period he had personally helped smuggle weapons, ammunition, rocket-making equipment and other military equipment via sea into Gaza, on behalf of Hamas and other terrorist organizations.

This news comes on the heels of Israel’s recent expansion of the zone off the Gaza coast in which fisherman are permitted to operate within.

For further reading click here.

Bedouin Funding
A government committee, headed by PM Netanyahu, has voted to spend around 900 million shekels ($240 million) to develop and strengthen Bedouin communities in northern Israel over the next four years. The Bedouin serve in the IDF and pay taxes.

According to a statement released by the government, the program is meant to make the communities more economically and socially resilient, with improvements to local infrastructure, schools, and increased welfare services.

Netanyahu said, “There is no reason that an entire population which contributes to the state should not receive support in education, infrastructure, law enforcement, and personal security. I know that people are suffering, and it doesn’t have to be this way; in the 21st century people need to be able to live.”

The PM added, “I want to see [Bedouin] young men and women integrate into society, into the economy, and in education, and in everything else.”

For further reading click here.

Startup Showcase
In honor of Israel’s 68th birthday, the website nocamels.com highlighted 10 Israeli innovations that have “impacted the world for the better or are in the process of changing our lives forever.”

To check them out, click here.

Israel News for February 8, 2016

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More Palestinians
Despite the recent rise in terror, the Israeli defense establishment is recommending that an additional 30,000 Palestinians be permitted to work in Israel. The security cabinet has already approved the main provisions of the plan. The plan was presented to the ministers last month by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, coordinator of government activity in the territories.

Around 58,000 Palestinians have permits to work within Israel proper. An estimated 120,000 Palestinians in total work for Israelis, including over 30,000 who work in Israel illegally and some 27,000 who work in industrial zones in West Bank settlements.

The hope is that better economic conditions will stop the violence. This theory is prevalent in the military and security services. But it doesn’t stop there. Even Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who during the escalation has advocated getting tough with the Palestinians, yesterday expressed support for increasing the number of work permits to up to 100,000.

According to a recent poll, the number of West Bank and Gaza residents who support a third intifada dropped from 63% in November to 42% now.

But will better economic conditions stop the lone wolf attacks that have represented the overwhelming majority of recent terror attacks?

For further reading click here.

Temple Mount
Over three months ago Israel and Jordan came to an agreement to install video surveillance cameras on the Temple Mount as a way to diffuse tensions by providing evidence that the area is not being damaged by Israel and that the “status quo” is being upheld.

Since then there have been negotiations between the Israel Police and Shin Bet and the Waqf and Jordanian intelligence to work out the technicalities. The sides haven’t reached any agreement yet. According to Israeli officials, the fundamental issue holding up an agreement is the question of who will control the cameras and who will get access to the live video feed. The Jordanians want sole control over the video, which is something that Israel cannot accept, since it would allow them to potentially edit or hide video that shows Arab violations. In addition, Israel wants cameras placed inside the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, to monitor if they are being used to store weapons. The Arabs refuse to allow the cameras inside the holy sites.

Israeli officials want to implement an agreement by Passover. One official said, “If we reach that point and there will still not be agreements then all the tensions we saw around the Jewish holidays in September can start again.”

For further reading click here.

Hebron Homes
It seems that a better real estate lawyer could have prevented the eviction of Jewish families from the two houses that they occupied in Hebron a few weeks ago. According to the Defense Minister, it was a slew of technical issues relating to the sale of the property that caused the eviction.

In a meeting with local council leaders, the DM said that the Civil Administration is examining claims that the Palestinian who sold the houses to the settlers is only the owner of a storage unit on the site, and not the whole property. He also said the that the Palestinians who claim ownership of the property also filed a complaint with the police following the occupation of the homes, which is being examined.

So a thorough title search could have solved this entire issue? Something tells me that the real issue has nothing to do with paperwork and a lot to do with diplomacy.

For further reading click here.

Better Deal
The security memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Israel U.S. that was signed ten years ago is set to expire in 2018. PM Netanyahu and President Obama began negotiating a new MOU in November. There have so far been three rounds of negotiations between American and Israeli teams, but no agreement has yet been reached.

The impasse is pretty simple: Israel wants a bigger aid package and the U.S. says it’s already offering Israel the largest aid package ever. Sounds like a deadlock. But it looks like the PM has come up with a solution. In a cabinet meeting yesterday, he said that if Israel doesn’t get what it believes it needs in the agreement, he just won’t sign it. Instead, he’ll wait until a new president takes office and then try for a better deal.

The U.S. is obviously not very pleased with the PM’s negotiating strong arm negotiating tactics. A senior American official said, “Israel is of course free to wait for the next administration to finalize a new MOU should it not be satisfied with such a pledge, but we would caution that the U.S. budgetary environment is unlikely to improve in the next 1-2 years and Israel will certainly not find a president more committed to Israel’s security than is President Obama.” He claims that Israel’s security is a top priority for the Obama administration, and that Israel currently already receives receives over 50% of the total foreign military aid the U.S provides around the world.

Netanyahu apparently thinks that he can negotiated a sweeter deal with the next president. Unless of course its Trump (the king of negotiations) or Sanders (you figure it out). The way the polls are looking, maybe the PM should take what he can get now.

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Hasidic Technology
The Vishnitz Hasidic sect, which is the second largest in Israel (Ger is number one), held an emergency gathering against the dangers of technology. The gathering was led by the Rabbe of Vishnitz, attended by thousands of hassidim and broadcast live to Vishnitz communities in New York, Canada, England and Belgium.

Several prominent hassidic leaders from the communities of Vishnitz, Ger and Belz railed against the evils of smartphones. The Vishnitzer Rebbe gave the keynote address. He said, “Whoever has a connection to these things, even just at work, should know that he has no connection to us and will not participate in any of our institutions.” He added that “whoever holds a smartphone holds in his hand a spiritual bomb.”

Several resolutions were instituted by the rebbe including the banning of students from Vishnitz schools whose parents have smartphones and the formation of committees to monitor smartphone usage and enforce the bans against it.

Time to sell Apple?

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A+ Rating
Israel has received another A+ from the Standard and Poor’s credit rating agency. The agency said, ‘the stable outlook reflects our expectation that the government will maintain stable public finances and that the impact of security risks on the Israeli economy will be contained’. Good news!

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Israel News for January 22, 2016

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Hebron Eviction
In a surprise move, Jewish residents of Hebron moved into two empty houses yesterday, located in the Old City of Hebron near the Cave of the Patriarchs.

The residents, comprised of 20 families, assert that they purchased the buildings and proceeded to name them Beit Rachel and Beit Leah, in memory of the two Matriarchs.

Early today, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon ordered the families evicted from the houses, claiming that they failed to get required approvals and permits from authorities and thus, “trampled the law”.

Ya’alon said, “The settlements are important to me and I take action [to support them], but I won’t compromise on the law.”

Shlomo Levinger, a spokesman for the families, said that the families have proof of sale and all the necessary legal permits from the civil administration to inhabit the structures.

Several Knesset members criticized Ya’alon’s action. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein called on the relevant authorities to “quickly examine the legality of the purchase instead of igniting the spirits by evicting the residents.” He added, “Especially at a time when our enemies are trying to hurt us, and not just physically but also [undermine] our right over the land, it is only right to send a message that we have come home.”

The Bayit Yehudi party issued a statement saying, “Amid a terror wave, the Defense Minister is taking determined, uncompromising and insensitive action to throw Jews out of their homes,” and that he should, “direct the same passion and determination to deal with the Arab terror and illegal construction in the terrorists’ towns.”

Ya’alon responded by calling on the MKs to “restrain their remarks, support the rule of law and avoid encouraging [citizens] to take the law into their hands.”

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Abbas Contact
PA President Abbas told Israeli journalists yesterday that he has tried to make contact with PM Netanyahu but has gotten no response. He claims that during informal meetings between his and the PM’s staffers, the idea of a meeting was discussed and he agreed to the idea. Evidently, the PM didn’t. But that’s just his side of the story.

The Prime Minister’s Office denied Abbas’ claims. “This is an attempt by Abu Mazen (Abbas) to avoid taking responsibility for the lack of negotiations. Even today in Davos, Netanyahu called on Abu Mazen to [resume] negotiations without preconditions.

Abbas said that low-level contacts between the two sides, as well as security coordination, are continuing, but he could not promise that they would do so in the future.

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No Asylum
An investigative report by Haaretz has found that Israel denies the requests of Palestinians who ask for asylum or protection after being sentenced to death by the Palestinian Authority for selling land to Jews. Some of those asking for help have worked for Israel as informers.

A committee for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), a unit in the Defense Ministry, meets once a month to discuss requests by Palestinians who have asked Israel for help, after their lives have been threatened for cooperating with Israel. The process of examining each specific case is long and detailed.

The committee will not deal with Palestinians who sold land to a private person at all, and only deals with cases in which land was sold to a state institution, like the World Zionist Organization or Jewish National Fund.

However, it said that if a Palestinian claims his life is in danger for selling land to a private person and his claims are verified, he would receive “temporary assistance,” although this would be an exception.

Even if the committee does finally decide that the applicant’s life is in danger, the permit he receives does not allow him to work or entitle him to any medical or other assistance.

In 2014 only 3 requests out of 136 were granted. In 2015 just 9 out of 222 requests were approved.

Would more Palestinians agree to sell land to Jews if they were offered protection?

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Shabbat Enforcement
The Jerusalem municipality informed five small grocery stores in the city center that it will begin enforcing Shabbat regulations prohibiting the stores from being open on Shabbat. The city center is one of the areas singled out for strict enforcement of the Shabbat laws. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat claims that political pressure played no part in the municipalities decision to force the store closings, but opponents of the closings feel differently.

Claims that the city center areas contains no synagogues or religious community were dismissed by the municipality. The city’s legal opinion stated,“We reject the claim that this is an area that does not include a large religious population, because the area where the grocery store is located is a passage way between religious and ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods to houses of prayer and the Western Wall.”

Better stock up on Friday.

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Netanyahu and US
Netanyahu met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Vice President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, and discussed the impending military aid package Israel stands to receive from the U.S.

In a press interview, Netanyahu praised the aid that the Obama administration has given Israel and Kerry told reporters that the fight between Netanyahu and Obama over the Iran deal is over and that the relationship between the U.S. And Israel remains as close as ever.

So everything is wonderful.

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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.

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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!

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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?

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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.

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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.

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