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Israel News for February 6, 2017

Rocket Fired
Earlier this morning a rocket was fired into Israel from Gaza. The rocket landed in an open area, causing no damage or injuries. IDF tanks responded by firing shells at, and destroying, a Hamas lookout post near the Gaza border.

For further reading click here.

Blood Money
Police raided the family homes of seven terrorists in East Jerusalem yesterday and confiscated cash and valuables totaling over 200,000 shekels. The funds were received from Hamas as support for having committed the acts of terror.

For further reading click here.

Regulation Bill
PM Netanyahu has called on the Knesset to postpone voting on the controversial Regulation Bill, which would legalize settlements built on privately owned Palestinian land. Passage of the bill is expected to cause a severe international reaction. In light of his upcoming meeting with US President Trump, the PM most likely wants to avoid any potentially negative actions.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Bayit Yehudi), whose party initiated the bill, is refusing to contemplate any further postponements. Even if the Knesset passes the bill, many think that the Supreme Court will strike it down as being contrary to international law.

For further reading click here.

Ambassadors Meet
US United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley met with Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Dannon over the weekend. Haley tweeted, “Great meeting with Amb. @dannydanon of Israel to discuss our strong relationship. Never again will our allies question our support.” She is known to be a staunch supporter of Israel.

For further reading click here.

El Al
Despite the agreement signed back in December between management and pilots, a new dispute has erupted that is causing the cancellation of numerous El Al flights. The current disagreement relates to 40 pilots between the ages of 65 and 67. According to international regulations they are not permitted to fly, but the retirement age in Israel is 67. El Al assigns the veteran pilots to train other pilots. But they also cut their salaries. Hence the dispute.

For further reading click here.

Political Tears
What does a politician do when he needs to shed tears for the camera during an election campaign? That’s the situation that Shas leader Aryeh Deri found himself when he was filmed, during his election campaign, after the death of Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. When the tears wouldn’t flow voluntarily, Deri got a little help from an onion.

To watch the video of this happening, click here.

Prime Ministers
If you haven’t already read The Prime Ministers by Yehuda Avner, you need to do it asap. Avner worked closely for and with four of Israel’s greatest Prime Ministers and presents information and personal stories and accounts that you won’t find anywhere else. It’s an incredible book that will give you tremendous insight into Israel and its greatest leaders. To read reviews and get the book, click here.

If you’re searching for any book on Israel, Click here. We get a small commission for anything you buy on Amazon for a full 24 hours after you use the link. In other words, if you end up buying a computer and lawnmower, we get the commission on that too. It’s a great way to support us while getting great deals on your shopping. And it doesn’t cost you a cent! So please use this link for all your Amazon shopping.

Israel News for February 2, 2017

Edelstein Meets Ryan
Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein met with the Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, yesterday in Washington. Edelstein expressed his optimism in Trump’s promise to move the US embassy to Jerusalem and his hope for the move receiving the full backing of Congress.

Edelstein told Ryan, “The significance of wide support in Congress could lead to global and regional support. If the American embassy moves, I am confident other countries will also move their embassies to the capital.”

Congress has already passed a law, back in 1995, mandating the move, and has reiterated its support on many occasions. The question is whether the president will follow through on his promise or follow in the footsteps of past presidents who also made the promise to move the embassy but then decided not to do so as a result of diplomatic and international security concerns.

The president and his press secretary have both made statements indicating that the move of being discussed but has not been determined yet.

Edelstein also met with Senator Bob Corker, the current Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and discussed current affairs in the Middle East and ways to strengthen relations between the US and Israel.

For further reading click here.

Amona Evacuation
In the final step of the evacuation of Amona that began yesterday morning, police entered the settlement’s synagogue in which dozens of activists had barricaded themselves. Overnight police were unsuccessful in attempting to negotiate with the activists to convince them to leave voluntarily.

During the course of the evacuation of Amona at least 24 police officers were reported injured and 13 teenagers were arrested for disorderly conduct, assaulting police officers and obstructing them from carrying out their duties. In addition to the residents, around 400 teenagers who came to Amona to protest were evacuated.

Most of the Amona residents have been moved to temporary housing in Ofra. The status of the housing adjacent to Amona, that they were promised in a compromise agreement, is still waiting for approval from the Supreme Court. The court is supposed to rule on the matter at any moment.

For further reading and videos click here.

Arab Evictions
Earlier this week the Supreme Court overturned a ruling of the Jerusalem District court which ordered the eviction of several Arab families from their homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina because the homes were proven to be owned by Jews who want to reclaim the property.

The Supreme Court ruled to prevent the evictions because the Arabs have no other homes and evicting them would be tantamount to throwing them out to live on the street.

For further reading click here.

Prime Ministers
If you haven’t already read The Prime Ministers by Yehuda Avner, you need to do it asap. Avner worked closely for and with four of Israel’s greatest Prime Ministers and presents information and personal stories and accounts that you won’t find anywhere else. It’s an incredible book that will give you tremendous insight into Israel and its greatest leaders. To read reviews and get the book, click here.

If you’re searching for any book on Israel, Click here. We get a small commission for anything you buy on Amazon for a full 24 hours after you use the link. In other words, if you end up buying a computer and lawnmower, we get the commission on that too. It’s a great way to support us while getting great deals on your shopping. And it doesn’t cost you a cent! So please use this link for all your Amazon shopping.