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Israel News for November 6, 2015

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

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

These stories are still unfolding.

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

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

For further reading click here.

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

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

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

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

For further reading click here.

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

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

For further reading click here.

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

For further reading click here.

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

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

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

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

For further reading click here.

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

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

For further reading click here.

Israel News for October 26, 2015

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More Terror
This morning a 19 year old Israeli man was stabbed and seriously wounded by a 17 year old Palestinian man near Kiryat Arba. The attacker was shot and killed by soldiers.

Read more here.

Yesterday Ohad Hertz, a 25 year old Israeli man, got of a bus at a hitchhiker station on his way to his yeshiva in Elon Moreh. He noticed a suspicious 26 year old Palestinian waiting there and told him to move along to a nearby bus stop that was for Palestinians. The Palestinian said “It’s alright, don’t worry”, then turned on Ohad and kicked him to the ground. There was a fierce struggle during which the Palestinian stabbed Ohad several times. Ohad was able to throw the attacker off and draw his weapon, at which point the assailant fled towards nearby Arab villages. He was apprehended by Israeli forces soon after. Ohad sustained moderate wounds and is recovering.

Earlier in the day, at a checkpoint near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, a 17 year old Palestinian girl was asked for her ID by border police. She pulled out a knife and ran towards them. The officers shot her. She later died from her wounds.

Yesterday morning, a 58 year old man got out of his car after it was hit by stones and was then stabbed by a Palestinian at the Sair Junction in Gush Etzion. The man shot the Palestinian, who succeeded in escaping. The Israeli man’s gun was confiscated and has yet to be returned. The search for the Palestinian continues. According to Palestinian news reports a 20 year old Palestinian is in critical condition in Hebron Hospital after being shot at the Sair Junction Gush Etzion. The IDF is investigating whether it’s the same incident. Hmm, sounds about right.

On Saturday a 16 year old Palestinian disguised as a chocolate seller and holding a box of chocolates approached soldiers at a checkpoint north of Jenin in the West Bank. He suddenly threw the box down and tried to stab a security guard. He was shot and killed. No one else was hurt.

For further reading click here and here.

Rabbi Haim Yechiel Rothman, the sixth victim of the terrorist attack on the Har Nof synagogue last November, died of his wounds on Saturday and was buried yesterday in Jerusalem. He was survived by his wife, ten children and numerous grandchildren. May his memory be a blessing.

Glide to Syria
Israeli forces on the Syrian border are focused on making sure nothing comes into Israel from the Syrian side. But they’re evidently not that focused on things going the other way.

On Saturday afternoon a 23 year old Israeli Arab citizen from Jaljulya (Galilee) paraglided over the border into Syria. Israeli lookouts spotted the glider and sounded the alarm, assuming that a recreational paraglider had gone off course and accidentally blown over the border. A large number of troops converged on the area and aircraft flew over to identify the landing site.

It turns out the Arab man had recently become religious and apparently had become enamored with ISIS philosophy. The man’s father received a call from an unidentified man with a bedouin accent who assured him that, “Your son is fine. He’s with us. Don’t worry.”

Over the past two years 50 Israelis have left Israel to join ISIS forces. Ten of them have returned and been arrested.

Maybe Israel should open the border one way (out) and let anyone who wants to, leave and forfeit their citizenship? Let their people go!

For further reading click here.

Mounted Cameras
Arab leaders, including PA President Abbas, have used the Temple Mount as their main source of incitement, claiming that Israel is attempting to change the “status quo” and take over the site of the Al Aqsa mosque. Israel has consistently asserted that is has done no such thing, and has meticulously enforced the existing prohibition preventing non Muslims from praying on the Temple Mount.

Well, it took US Secretary of State John Kerry to come up with what he believes to be a fool proof way of monitoring the situation: cameras. Kerry announced the placement of the 24-hour-a-day cameras at an appearance before reporters on Saturday with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh in Amman.

“This will provide comprehensive visibility and transparency, and that could really be a game changer in discouraging anybody from disturbing the sanctity of this holy site,” Kerry said, calling it a “first step” toward bringing Israel and the Palestinians back together to discuss long-term peace.

Yesterday, Netanyahu defended the decision to install the cameras. “Israel has an interest in stationing cameras in all parts of the Temple Mount,” he said. “First, in order to disprove the claim that Israel is changing the status quo. Second, to show where the provocations really come from and to foil them before they ever happen.”

Upshot
So let’s try to understand this. The Arab leaders are going to watch the videos and admit that Israel is doing everything right and that they themselves are to blame for the incitement and violence. Are you kidding?

PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki called the plan “a new trap” on Voice of Palestine radio, accusing Israel of planning to use footage to arrest Muslim worshipers it believes are “inciting” against it.

Does John Kerry or his president understand how Arab incitement works or are they just living in a utopian fantasy? I assume PM Netanyahu knows that having cameras on the Temple Mount won’t change anything, but it can’t really make things worse. Can it? Only if the Palestinians control the videos.

For further reading click here.

Editor Fired
Not wanting to be left out of the controversy over PM Netanyahu’s recent statements regarding the Mufti and his role in convincing Hitler to murder the Jews, an editor of the Ynet news English language website decided to do a really stupid thing and post a photoshopped image of Netanyahu wearing an SS uniform on his Facebook page.

Netanyahu discovered it and filed a police complaint. The editor’s bosses found out about it too and fired him. He’ll probably think twice before posting something like that again. Hope it was worth the laugh.

For further reading click here.

It’s Pouring
Rain at this time of year in Israel is considered to be a blessing. But for tens of thousands of Israelis left without power, it might have been too much of a good thing.

The Israel Electric Company said that due to flooding, collapsed trees, and resulting traffic delays, repairing the damage could take quite some time. It’s also blaming the union for not putting their workers into emergency mode. The union says that their workers are going way beyond the call of duty.

The rain is expected to continue throughout the week. How can you complain about that?

Speaking of rain, the Israel Water Authority Council announced yesterday that water charges will fall by 3% from January 1st. Charges have been cut by a cumulative 20% in the past three years. The current cut is thanks to a 16% fall in the price of electricity in Israel in the past year. Electricity is the main cost in water desalination, which produces much of the water consumed in Israel.

So maybe so much rain is not such a blessing anymore after all?

For further reading click here.

Stock up
If you’re in Israel and planning on serving chicken for dinner this week, you better stock up. That’s what the Ministry of Agriculture is advising Israelis to do, in anticipation of a planned strike by veterinarians. All meat and poultry producers in Israel are required to have their facilities inspected by veterinarians of the Agriculture Ministry’s Veterinary Service several times a week. Without those inspections, any “live” food – meat, chicken, or fish – may not be legally sold.
So buy now, or pay up or go hungry later.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for September 22, 2015

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Traitorous Politics?
PM Netanyahu recently appointed Dani Dayan as Israel’s new ambassador to Brazil. The Left is in an uproar, because Dayan served as Chairman of the Yesha Council – the umbrella organization of Jewish settlement municipal councils in the West Bank – from 2007 to 2013.

In announcing Dayan’s appointment, Netanyahu said that “Latin America is one of Israel’s key destinations as part of the efforts to develop new markets that will contribute to increased economic growth in Israel. I am convinced that Dani Dayan will bring his vast experience to the position and will deepen the relations between Israel and Brazil.”

Protest
Several former ambassadors and left-wing activists met with the Brazilian ambassadors to Israel and the Palestinian Authority to convey the message that acceptance of Dani Dayan’s appointment would be tantamount to granting international legitimacy to settlements. If a host country doesn’t accept the appointment of a new ambassador, then the appointment cannot go through.

So basically, these Israelis are trying to foil their own government by appealing directly to a foreign government because they disagree with their government’s decision. Doesn’t sound too kosher.

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon blasted them on his Facebook page for slandering Israel and called their attempt “shameful, dangerous and despicable.” He added that, “Someone who has a political dispute with someone else ought to keep the argument about it at home, and not act in malicious ways that end up hurting Israel and its citizens first and foremost.”

Ministers from the Left and Right strongly criticized the unprecedented move by the activists. The only defense that the accused could offer was that they had no choice, since they have no power within the Israeli government.

So much for democracy.

Further reading – http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.669781

Israel and Russia
PM Netanyahu met with Russian President Putin yesterday in Moscow to discuss Russia’s recent military buildup in Syria and how it might affect Israel. After the meeting the PM said that the two sides agreed to establish a coordination mechanism to prevent misunderstandings and unintended confrontations between the Israeli military and Russian forces deployed in Syria.

Netanyahu added that the bulk of the conversation with Putin, which lasted two and a half hours, was dedicated to the security situation on Israel’s northern border. He noted that he made it clear to the Russian president that Israel will continue to take action to prevent the transfer of lethal weapons from Syria and Iran to Hezbollah and to thwart Iranian attempts to carry out terror attacks against Israel in the Golan Heights.

The PM said that Putin made clear that he will “ensure that whatever intentions Russia has in Syria, it will not be a partner to Iranian aggression” against Israel.

Putin said, “We never forget that in the State of Israel reside many former Soviet citizens, and that has a special implication on the relationship between our two states. Every Russian action in the area has always been very responsible. We are aware of the artillery against Israel and we condemn it.”

Upshot
The PM said that he briefed the U.S. administration on the details of his trip to Russia and the issues that were discussed with Putin. But with the Iran deal in place, making friends with Russia to make sure they don’t join up with the Iranian’s is the prudent thing to do. If you can trust Russia.

Further reading – http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.677027

Palestinian Poll
The Israeli right might not be the only ones against a two state solution.

A recent poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, a leading research group in the Palestinian territories, found that 51 percent of Palestinians oppose the two-state solution while 48 percent support it. That’s down from 51% pro and 48% against three months ago.

If new elections were held in the Palestinian territories, 35 percent said they would vote for Hamas and 35 percent for Fatah.

Asked what the most effective way of establishing an independent Palestinian state next to Israel would be, 42 percent said armed action and 29 percent said negotiation. Three months ago only 36 percent said armed action.

Finally, 78 percent of Palestinians think the chances of getting their own state in the next five years are “slim to non-existent”.

Upshot
The statistics don’t bode well for a peaceful solution to the conflict anytime soon. It just looks like the Palestinians are becoming more radicalized and viewing violence as their only solution.

Further reading – http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/21/us-palestinians-israel-survey-idUSKCN0RL1DF20150921

Supermodel’s Charedi Chupah
Supermodel Bar Rafaeli’s upcoming wedding to businessman Adi Ezra this coming Thursday is causing quite a stir in the charedi community. Why you ask? Because Rabbi Dovid Grossman, the Chief Rabbi of Migdal Ha’emek and the founder of the Migdal Or organization, will be officiating at the ceremony.

Hardly anyone in the charedi community ever probably heard of Bar Rafaeli. But now that one of the most prominent and beloved charedi rabbis is going to be doing the honors, everyone’s interested in stirring up some controversy.

Some charedi commentators are decrying the fact that R. Grossman will be denigrating himself by officiating at the wedding of a woman who doesn’t exemplify the qualities of modest dress and lifestyle that they believe is incumbent upon all respectable Jewish women.

Other charedi pundits say that R. Grossman is just fulfilling his rabbinic duty by performing a Jewish wedding, regardless of who the bride and groom are. In fact, rabbis in Israel perform weddings every day without discriminating against the lifestyles of the couples they are marrying.

R. Grossman, famous for his outreach to the non-observant community, doesn’t seem very worried. In a recent interview on a charedi radio station he said that Bar told him that during her time under the chupah (wedding canopy) she would like to feel close to God and distance herself from her “Bohemian” lifestyle”. How can he deny her that?

Further reading – http://news.walla.co.il/item/2891902

Jews Flock to Kotel
The recent tense security situation on the Temple Mount and East Jerusalem didn’t keep Jews from asking God for forgiveness on the eve of Yom Kippur. Tens of thousands of Jewish men and women gathered at the Kotel to say selichot (prayers for forgiveness). The prayers were led by Chief Rabbis of Israel David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef, Chief Rabbi of the Kotel Shmuel Rabinovitz and other senior rabbis and laymen.

The worshippers included religious and non religious, Ashkenazim and Sephardim, charedi and secular. It was a beautiful display of the unity of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel.
May we all merit blessings and forgiveness for this Yom Kippur, and a new year filled with health, happiness and peace.

Further reading – http://news.walla.co.il/item/2891949

Israel News for September 11, 2015

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Iran and Russia
According to Israeli defense officials, hundreds of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have arrived in Syria over the last few days to help the Assad regime fight rebel forces. They’ll most likely deploy near the Lebanese border to assist Hezbollah fighters there. Russia already has military advisors and security forces operating in Syria, and is planning to bring in combat aircraft and helicopters.

Israel believes that the commander of the Revolutionary Guards met with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month in Moscow to coordinate military activities in Syria.

Upshot
Has Russia found, in Iran, its ideal partner to counter US influence in the Middle East? The possibilities are frightening. On the bright side, they’re both bent on destroying ISIS, and they’re the only ones who are willing to use ground troops to do so.

Discriminatory Labeling
The European Parliament passed a resolution calling on the European Union to issue labels for products imported to Europe from areas occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, including East Jerusalem, the Golan and the West Bank settlements.

The European Parliament motion also encouraged the EU to step up its role in promoting a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians, and emphasized that “only non-violent means and respect for human rights and humanitarian law can achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said that the EU motion was “discriminatory with a sharp smell of boycott,” and added that “under the guise of a technical step, this is an attempt to force a diplomatic solution instead of encouraging the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table. Europe is acting with hypocritical sanctimoniousness toward Israel when it does not consider proposing similar solutions to northern Cyprus or Western Sahara.”

PM Netanyahu has tried to block the implementation of the motion in private meetings with several European leaders including British Prime Minister David Cameron. In a statement the PM said, “The European Parliament decision is unjustified, it is just a perversion of justice and a distortion of reason, and I think that it also harms peace, it doesn’t advance it. The roots of the conflict are not territories and the roots of the conflict are not the settlements. We already have a historical memory as to what happened when Europe marked products of Jews.”

France Wants Jews
Last year 7,000 Jews emigrated from France to Israel. Another 8,000 are expected to leave this year. But the French want their Jews back.

According to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal, the French government is concerned that the large number of educated and professional Jews leaving the country is causing a brain drain. They’ve sent their economic minister, Emmanuel Macron, to Israel to try and convince French immigrants to return.

While anti-semitism is assumed to be the main reason for increased Aliyah, the weak French economy seems to be playing a significant role too. In any case, France’s loss is Israel’s gain.

Israeli Wealth
Forbes Magazine has released its list of the top 100 wealthiest people in Israel. Every one of them is a billionaire, in shekels ($1 = close to 4 Shekels). The aggregate wealth of the top 100 equals 500 billion shekels.

The top position on the list went to Patrick Drahi at 60 billion shekels. A distant second went to Eyal Ofer with 34.3 billion. It’s doubtful that anyone who made the list is complaining. Well, in Israel, you never know.

Mission Impossible Accomplished
A married woman left her abusive husband and fled to Israel. She wanted a divorce. But there was a problem: the woman fled from a Muslim country that has no diplomatic relations with Israel. The husband was still there.

It took five years, but due to the incredible efforts of a special unit of the Bet Din (rabbinical court) in Israel that deals with obtaining divorce documents in difficult situations, she has finally received her Get (divorce).

After long and difficult secret negotiations through intermediaries in a third country, the Bet Din sent in three undercover rabbinic emissaries to the Muslim country who obtained a signed document from the husband directing them to write and deliver the divorce document. They made it back to Israel, and the woman is now free to remarry.

Drivers Don’t Pray
The Rosh Yeshiva (dean) of the Ponevich Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, one of the most prestigious in the world, has ruled that students in the yeshiva who have a driver’s license will not be allocated a seat in the yeshiva for Rosh Hashanah prayers. In the past every student got a seat in the Yeshiva without exception.

The affected students received phone calls from the administration over the last few days informing them of their predicament. Most of them happen to be 25 yrs. or older, and they aren’t taking this sitting down (literally). They claim that it’s really not the Rosh Yeshiva but the gabbai (facilities manager, sort of) who is responsible for the ruling, because he needs more available seats. The students plan to ignore the order and come to services anyway. Should be a fun service.

Israel News for September 9, 2015

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The Book of Life
In anticipation of the upcoming Rosh Hashana accounting of “who shall live and who shall die”, the Central Bureau of Statistics has released its own accounting of the Holy Land’s population for the year 5776 (Hebrew calendar).

The population in Israel grew by 158,000 or 1.9%, in line with recent years. That’s made up of 170,000 births, 40,000 deaths and 28,000 new immigrants (do the math).

Aliyah increased by 35%, with new immigrants coming from Ukraine (26%), France (25%), Russia (21%) and the United States (9%).

The total population of Israel: 8,412,000. That’s made up of 6,300,000 Jews (75%), 1,746,000 Arabs (21%) and another 4% that don’t fit into either category.

To put this in perspective, the population of Jordan is 6.5 million and that of Lebanon is 4.5 million. Syria was at 22.85 million, but it’s probably closer to 18 million today.

Upshot
At the current rate, in ten years there should be close to 8 million Jews in Israel. That means that for the first time in over 2000 years, the majority of world jewry will reside in the land of Israel.

Shabbat Soccer
Last week an Israeli labor court ruled that soccer games on Shabbat constitute a criminal offense (based on Israeli law, not Jewish law) unless the teams obtain a waiver excusing them from the Shabbat restrictions.

Hundreds of Israeli companies and businesses have received these waivers. The problem in this case is that the waivers are issued by the Economy Minister, who happens to be Aryeh Deri, the leader of the charedi Shas party. The chances of him issuing the waivers are less than the likelihood of getting a snowstorm in Eilat — in the summer.

So, the Israeli Football Association has decided that there won’t be any soccer games next Saturday.

Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev doesn’t like this situation one bit (maybe she has season tickets?). She’s established a committee to figure out a solution within 60 days. She’s also pressing the attorney general to figure out a way around the immediate crisis, telling him to, “find a way of opening the league and continuing the policy of non-enforcement for 60 days, during which time the association and the directorate will have to find a solution.”

Regev feels that the decision to play or not play on Shabbat should not be decided by the courts. She wants the decision to be in the hands of the teams. “Teams that don’t want to play on Shabbat won’t play on Shabbat. And those that want to play will play.”

The case originated from complaints by religious players in the National Soccer League who protested the scheduling of league games on Shabbat.

In a related story, Economy Minister Deri has ordered the closure of the Israeli pavilion at the IBC 2015 exhibition in Amsterdam on three of the five days of the exhibition, since they fall on Shabbat and Rosh Hashana. IBC is the premier annual event for professionals engaged in the creation, management and delivery of entertainment and news content worldwide.

Upshot
The simple solution to the soccer dilemna is to turn Sunday into a day off and have the games then. That would make a lot of working folks very happy.

Labor and Charedim Unite
Liat Shochat has won the election for mayor of the town of Or Yehuda, outside of Tel Aviv. The interesting part of the story is that she was supported by the Charedi and Religious Zionist parties and her top aide was a charedi man. Shochat, 43, is a wife and mother of four. She isn’t religious.

Upshot
Mutual respect and common goals, which Shochat and the Religious parties share, are the keys to unity and peace among all Israelis. If only this would happen more often.

Poor Judgement
A 64 year old man who immigrated to Israel from Yemen twenty years ago decided to return to Yemen to bring back his brother. He’d been there several times on visits, but the last time he went he was accused of spying and imprisoned. He was released with all of the other prisoners when rebels attacked the city. You’d think that would have been enough to keep him from returning. It wasn’t.

The man traveled to Jordan last week, but couldn’t find any flights to Yemen. Then he met three Saudis who offered to take him to Yemen with them, for free. It seems like he accepted their offer. Ok, calm down, we’re just telling you what happened.

Now he’s missing. Surprised? The Israeli foreign ministry can’t help, since Israel has no diplomatic relations with Yemen. All we can do now is pray for his safety.

Shabbat Tragedy
A husband and wife were found dead yesterday in their Jerusalem apartment. The preliminary investigation shows that they died from suffocation caused by their Shabbat blech (a piece of metal that covers the gas stovetop burners and allows one to warm food on Shabbat according to Jewish law). The couple had set up their blech and then closed all the windows in their home. The burner flame consumed all of the oxygen in the apartment and then went out, allowing carbon monoxide gas to fill the air.

The couple had been married for two years. The husband, Yaniv Yehuda, 32, was an immigrant from France. His wife Rachel, 30, was an immigrant from the US.

According to reports, the couple’s table was set for Shabbat with a tablecloth, Kiddush cup and challah. May their memory be a blessing.

Dust in the Wind
Israel’s sky turned brown and yellow yesterday as a massive sand and dust storm, which moved in from Syria, settled over the country. Israel hasn’t seen a storm like this in 75 years.

The poor air quality, combined with a drastic increase in heat and humidity, led to a huge number of people with health complications. Magen David Adom treated 290 people for asthma attacks, fainting and heart problems connected to the weather. Hospitals also treated their share of storm casualties.

Lebanon and Syria got hit at least as bad.

Meteorologists predict clear skies on the horizon. Hope they get it right.

See cool pictures here.

Another Spirit Lifting Gift
Yesterday we told you that the electric company was cutting its rates. Now Israelis will be able to toast to even more savings. That’s because the Finance Ministry and tax authority have decided to cut taxes on alcoholic drinks including beer and hard liquor. They doubled the taxes on these drinks two years ago thinking that they would prevent Israelis from harming their health by drinking too much. But it turns out that Israelis are drinking just as much as they were before. In addition, the higher prices have boosted black market “moonshiners” who are producing and selling low quality alcohol that really is harmful.

Upshot
Israelis will be able to have their booze and put money in their pockets. Happy New Year!!

Israel News for August 31, 2015

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Trouble for Top Cop Nominee
The appointment of Brig. Gen. (Res.) Gal Hirsch as the new chief of the Israel National Police is facing further delays. Allegations against him surfaced on Friday accusing him of illegal business activities. The tenure of acting police commissioner Bentzi Sau was extended for 45 days to allow the Attorney General to conduct an inquiry into Hirsch’s appointment.

Background
Hirsch’s nomination by Erdan met strong opposition from senior police brass who were not too pleased by an external nomination, especially someone who was essentially rejected by the IDF. Families of fallen soldiers from the 2006 Lebanon war also strongly protested his nomination, as they (and Maj. Gen. Almog ) hold him directly responsible as the commander of the Galilee Division to prevent the Goldwasser and Regev kidnapping, which sparked the war.

The Israeli police and the FBI are reportedly investigating allegations against Hirsch for money laundering related to arms deals made by his company Defensive Shield Holdings. But apparently there is no evidence that directly ties Hirsch to these allegations.

Hirsch strongly denies doing anything illegal. His attorney has questioned the motives of the police for bringing all this to light only now that Hirsch has been nominated. Senior police officials aren’t pleased to say the least. Not exactly the ideal way to gain the loyalty of the people you’re going to lead.

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein will investigate whether there are any significant legal issues with Hirsch’s appointment and present his opinion to the Government prior to a vote on Hirsch’s appointment. He will look into whether the nomination process was legal and whether Hirsch engaged in illegal conduct, both during his IDF service and in his business dealings.

Upshot
Weinstein is not expected to reject the nomination, but Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan is checking out alternative candidates, just in case. PM Netanyqhu fully supports Hirsch’s appointment.

Soldiers, Women and Teachers
On Friday Palestinian and foreign activists staged a violent demonstration near the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh during which protesters threw rocks at IDF soldiers. One of the soldiers chased down one of the attackers, who turned out to be a twelve year old boy, and restrained him.

Suddenly, the soldier was surrounded by several Palestinian women who started attacking him to get him to release the boy. The soldier refrained from hitting or pushing the women away. The press photographers and camera men who just happened to be on the scene (coincidence?) recorded the incident and hailed it as a victory for the Palestinian women. Other soldiers finally moved the women away and the unit commander decided to release the boy to avoid further violence.

Reactions
The Palestinians claim that the boy never threw any stones and was unjustly assaulted by the soldier.

The IDF claims that the boy was recorded throwing rocks in an observation video, but that they didn’t realize that he was a minor.

The soldier’s father told Army Radio that he’s proud of his son’s restraint in a volatile situation which could have escalated into a very unpleasant affair had one of the women gotten injured.

The mayor of Ramat Gan, Israel Singer, called for the dismissal of a Ramat Gan high school teacher who was identified in the video of the assault on the soldier. It seems that the teacher, Hertzl Schubert, attended the demonstration as a member of an extreme left wing anti-zioniist Israeli organization called Matzpen. The fact that he even indirectly participated in an assault on an Israeli soldier makes him, according to Singer, who is also the head of the local board of education, unfit to teach Israeli students who will one day serve in the IDF. Many parents of Schubert’s students agree.

A bunch of parents of Schubert’s students don’t really care about his political views and claim that he’s an excellent teacher and should not be fired.

The mother of the twelve year old boy will hopefully keep her son out of any more trouble, and the boy will hopefully have learned his lesson and not throw rocks at Israeli soldiers anymore. Or maybe not.

Turks Coming to Israel
For the first time since relations between Israel and Turkey were put on ice in 2010, after the fight between Israeli soldiers and activists on a Gaza bound Turkish registered ship, a Turkish diplomatic delegation will be visiting Israel.

The purpose of the visit is to discuss the establishment of an industrial zone near the Palestinian town of Jenin in the West Bank. Turkey is planning to invest $100 million in the project including the possible transfer of some car manufacturing currently done in Turkey to the new zone (Turkey currently manufactures about 1 million cars per year). Everything produced there will be exempt from US tariffs.

As a further sign of diplomatic thaw, last week Israel began exporting defense related products to Turkey.

So while Turkey will be fighting ISIS with Israeli weapons, Israelis might soon be driving cars made in Jenin.

[bctt tweet=”Turkish Israeli relations are warming up again.”]

UN in Israel
A United Nations conference on the protection of endangered species kicked off in Tel Aviv yesterday. This was the first time an official UN conference of this size was held in Israel that is totally unrelated to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Over 200 delegates from 57 countries are attending the four day conference, some of them from countries that don’t have formal diplomatic relations with Israel or that support the BDS movement. That’s a huge testament to the amazing work Israel is doing in environmental preservation, which the international community cannot ignore regardless of their political biases. It’s a start.

Electricians for Boycott
The US United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers union has voted in favor of a resolution at their national convention last week to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. The 37,000 member strong union is the first US union to endorse BDS.

The resolution accuses Israel of a “long history of violating the human rights of the Palestinians, starting with the ethnic cleansing of 750,000 Palestinians in 1947-48 that turned most of Palestine into the State of Israel.”

The resolution also calls for cutting off U.S. aid to Israel as well as U.S. support for a peace settlement on the basis of self-determination for Palestinians and the right of return.

It endorses the worldwide BDS movement in order to “pressure Israel to end its apartheid over the Palestinians just as similar tactics helped to end South African apartheid in the 1980s.”

The Union also voted in favor of the Iran nuclear deal.

Remember this next time you need to hire an electrician.

Israeli Football
The Israeli American Football team beat Spain 28 – 20 in their first international win to advance their bid to qualify for the International Federation of American Football’s B-Group International Tournament in 2016.

Background
Yes, Israel has a national football team. No, not soccer. Real, good old, American football. The team was formed in 2012 and consists of players from the Israeli Football League (IFL), which is sponsored by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and family. The IFL teams play with only eight players per team on the field, which is only 60 yards long. They had to make the change to 11 men and 100 yards for the international tournament.
So far, so good.

Rebbe Nachmun vs. ISIS
A 37 year old British citizen fighting with Kurdish forces against ISIS in Syria does something unusual each time his unit conquers an ISIS occupied building. He spray paints “Na Nach Nachman M’Uman” in Hebrew on the walls. The phrase is the mantra of the Breslov Chassidic sect whose founder Rebbe Nachman is buried in the Ukrainian town of Uman.

The man’s name is Timothy Paul Jacobs-Woodworth and he’s the grandson of a Holocaust survivor who converted to Christianity after the war. He plans on making Aliyah next year. Meanwhile, he continues fighting ISIS and spreading the light of Rebbe Nachman on the walls of liberated buildings throughout northern Syria.

Israel News for August 25, 2015

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Terror Cell Arrested
Security forces arrested a four man terrorist cell that was planning to shoot Jews praying at Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem (Nablus). The four were being trained and armed by an Islamic Jihad operative from Gaza. They were gathering intelligence on the daily routine of the prayer goers at the Tomb in preparation for their attack. Thankfully, that’s as far as they got.

President Rivlin Speaks
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin met yesterday at his residence with elected leaders of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Rivlin expressed his full support for the settlements in the territories saying, “Our right to this land is not a matter of political debate. It is a basic fact of modern Zionism. We must not give anyone the sense that we are in any doubt about our right to our land. For me, the settlement of the land of Israel is an expression of that right, our historical right, our national right, stemming from a love for the land of Israel, [and] from a recognition of our roots, which come together here.”

He sympathized with the settlers who are facing increased violence in the aftermath of the Duma attack that killed a Palestinian toddler and his father, but emphasized the need for restraint. He said, “Our sovereignty in this land means responsibility for all those who live here, and obliges all of us to uphold the strictest of moral codes, which is inherent in each and every one of us.”

Asylum Seekers Released
In compliance with a High Court ruling ordering the release of asylum seekers being held for longer than 12 months in the Holot facility in the Negev, the government will release 1,500 Sudanese and Eritrean asylum seekers by Wednesday.

Background
There are over 45,000 asylum seekers, primarily from Sudan and Eritrea, who almost all entered the country illegally, usually by infiltrating through Israel’s southern border with Sinai.

Since they are fleeing from war-torn countries where their lives are in danger, they are considered asylum seekers and cannot, according to Israeli law, be deported back to their home countries unless they pose a clear security threat (which they don’t).

In order to control this influx of African asylum seekers, which poses a demographic threat to the stability of the country, the Knesset passed the Anti-Infiltration law allowing the government to imprison the illegals for up to 3 months and then detain them for up to 20 months. These measures are meant to persuade the migrants to leave the country. The High Court reduced the 20 month detention term to 12 months, but kept the rest of the law in tact.

In anticipation of the release of the 1,500 Holot detainees, the government issued regulations forbidding them from returning to Tel Aviv and Eilat, which is where most of the asylum seekers in Israel live.

Representatives from hotels in the Dead Sea came to Holot to recruit close to 200 workers. Many of the others are heading to Arad and Beersheva.

Upshot
Both the Israeli government and the High Court have made it pretty clear that they do not want asylum seekers, primarily from Sudan and Eritrea, to remain in the country. But since they can’t simply deport them, their objective is to make life so difficult for them that they agree to voluntarily leave. Approximately 9,000 have already left. But life has got to be pretty bad for anyone to want to return to Sudan or Eritrea. So the government will keep tightening the screws and the Africans will keep fighting for survival until…well, we’ll have to wait and see how this ends.

Assad Speaks Out
In an interview with Hezbollah television, President Assad of Syria addressed Israel’s attack on Syrian government targets, which was in response to a rocket attack on Israel from territory under his control. In that attack Israel hit numerous government and pro government military targets and killed the four terrorists believed responsible for firing the rockets. Assad said that, at this time, defeating the anti government rebels in Syria takes priority over fighting with Israel. He also claimed that Israel was supporting the rebel groups and using them as proxies to fight Syria. So really, by fighting the rebel groups he’s fighting Israel. Interesting logic.

Gay Pride Murderer indicted
The Jerusalem District Court indicted Yishai Schlissel, the Gay Pride Parade attacker, for one count of murder and six counts of attempted murder.

A document was recently uncovered that has put the police in a tight spot. The document was presented at a special meeting of the Jerusalem police district ten days before the gay pride parade and specifically identified Schlissel as being a threat of the highest degree. That means the police should have been keeping an eye on him. They obviously didn’t. An investigative committee examining possible police negligence is hard at work to find out what went wrong.

Hasidic Crowd Control
Tomorrow the Gerrer Hasidim will celebrate the wedding of their Rebbe’s grandson in Jerusalem. But unlike the standard large charedi gathering, which often includes lots of pushing and jostling for good viewing positions, this event will hopefully be different.

The Rebbe’s gabbai (sort of like the chief of staff and personal secretary) released a letter ordering all Hassidim planning to attend the wedding to pick a spot and stay in it for the duration. That means no moving around, pushing or positioning. In other words, just be a mentch (ask your grandma what that means). And in case you think you can do as you please, the letter says that the venue will be recorded with cameras, so don’t even think about it.

The goal here is to avoid the kind of tragedy that occurred at the funeral of a prominent rabbi some months ago where a young man was trampled to death in the pushing during the funeral procession. Hopefully, the new Gerrer rules will do the trick.