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ayelet shaked

Israel News for December 28, 2015

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Terror Attacks
Yesterday, two Palestinians approached IDF soldiers at the Huwwarah checkpoint, south of Nablus in the West Bank, and began stabbing a soldier in the face. The other soldiers shot and killed both terrorists. The soldier was lightly wounded and another soldier was accidentally wounded in the shooting.

For further reading click here.

Brazil Crisis
Back in August the PM appointed former settlement leader Dani Dayan as ambassador to Brazil. But Brazil has refused to accept his appointment, a necessary diplomatic requirement, because Dayan lives in Ma’aleh Shomron, which is beyond the Green line, and because he was the former head of the Yesha Council, the umbrella organization of the Jewish Communities of Judea and Samaria.

In an interview Dayan compared Brazil’s refusal to accept his appointment with the EU’s discriminatory labeling regulations. He said, “I think that just as Israel reacted sharply about labeling products, it has to react to labeling people. Labeling people is worse than labeling goods.”

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely sharply reprimanded Brazil, warning that not approving the ambassador would lead to a diplomatic crisis between the countries. The former Israeli Ambassador returned to Israel last week, so there is currently no Israeli Ambassador in Brazil. Hotovely said that Israel has no intention of replacing Dayan and that Israel will simply be represented by its number two diplomat in the country.

One unlikely supporter of Dayan’s appointment is the Brazilian military. A Brazilian newspaper quoted a senior Brazilian army official as saying that continuing to hold up the appointment showed a “lack of geopolitical vision and objectivity of action. For the armed forces, it is a very sensitive situation, since our partnership with Israeli hi-tech firms is huge.”

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Full disclosure
Israel’s cabinet gave preliminary approval to a bill proposed by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked that requires nonprofit organizations that receive more than half of their funding from foreign governments or entities to disclose the sources of their funds in reports and in parliamentary discussions. In addition, their activists will be required to wear special tags when working in the Knesset.

The bill will primarily affect left leaning organizations, which tend to get significant funding from European governments or government funded organizations. In contrast, right wing groups tend to rely on wealthy private donors, who are exempt from the measures under the bill.

Critics of the bill say that besides harming the left wing groups, the bill will also further strain relations with the EU, that have already suffered as a result of the new EU labeling regulation.

Israel’s Army Radio said Sunday that it had obtained an internal European Union document quoting the EU ambassador as telling Shaked that her bill would undermine Israel’s image as a democratic and pluralistic country. The ambassador was reported as saying the bill is better suited for despotic regimes since it aims to discriminate against government critics.

Peace Now, a left wing antI-settlement group, said,”If the Minister of Justice is truly interested in transparency, she must first and foremost promote legislation requiring right wing organizations to expose the millions they receive from private donors abroad and from the state budget.”

Proponents of the bill say that foreign governments that fund Israeli nonprofit groups are basically trying to meddle in Israeli affairs. Matan Peleg, director of the right wing Im Tirtzu group, said European organizations “give small organizations in Israel super power.”

The bill is expected to pass in the Knesset.

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Security Breach
Yair Ramati, the head of the Defense Ministry’s Homa Directorate and responsible for high profile projects such as the Iron Dome and the Arrow missile defense system, has been fired for storing classified materials on his personal computer. The Defense Ministry is investigating whether any damage was caused to national security as a result of the security breach.

The decision to fire Ramati came as a shock to many in the Defense Ministry, mostly due to his reputation as a world-renowned expert in the field of rocket engineering and for his long-standing service in developing the field of Israeli aerial security. The timing of the firing is also sensitive: Ramati just led successful testing of the Arrow 3 and of the David’s sling missile defense system.

Sailing Slam
Last year Israelis won gold medals in both the boys and girls World Sailing competition. This year they will not. That’s because they won’t be attending the competition being held in Malaysia.

It seems that the Malaysians have placed conditions on the Israeli team that are clearly unacceptable. They stipulated that Israeli competitors would not be allowed to compete under the Israeli flag and wouldn’t be allowed to use or wear any symbol identifiable with Israel. In addition, the Malaysians haven’t yet approved visas for the Israeli team.

Israel filed a complaint with the World Sailing association. The organization is investigating. In a statement their spokesman said:

“World Sailing is committed to ensuring participation in our sport by competitors from all nations, and is taking this issue seriously. A member of the World Sailing Executive is on route to Malaysia to investigate this issue and is seeking clarification from the Malaysian Organizing Authority. World Sailing expects the organizing authority of its events to allow sailors from all nations to compete on an equal basis. This expectation is made clear in the bid process and is set out in the contractual documentation governing our events.”

Are the Malaysians going to get away with depriving Israel of the gold they deserve? Probably.

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Name Game
Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics has released its first ever report on baby names. According to the report, “The most common name among those born in 2014 was Mohammed.This name was very common among the population because it is given to one out of every seven Muslim boys. In comparison, the most common names among Jews and Muslim girls were given to one out of 40 children.”

There were 2,650 Mohammeds born 2014 vs. 2,000 Noams, 400 of which were girls. Other popular Jewish names were Ori, David, Yosef, Eitan, Ariel, Daniel, Yonatan and Moshe. Some of the names are not gender specific, for example, 1,300 boys and 500 girls were named Ariel. Ori and Daniel (or Danielle – in Hebrew they’re spelled the same) were also names given to both boys and girls.

For the fifteenth year in a row the top Jewish female name was Noa. Tamar came in a close second, followed by Shira, Maya, Yael, Adel, Talia, Avigail, Ayala and Sarah.

Name popularity depended on geographic location too. In Jerusalem and Bnei Brak, cities with huge Haredi populations, the most popular Jewish girls’ names were Sarah and Esther, with Noa not even cracking the top ten. Adel was number one in Ashdod, Bat Yam, Netanya, Be’er Sheva and Ashkelon for girls. Maya was first for girls in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Rishon Letzion and Ramat Gan. The most popular Arab girl’s name was Maryam.

Yosef was the most common in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak, while Noam was first in Ashkelon, Bat Yam, Holon and Be’er Sheva and Ori was the winner in Tel Aviv and Modi’in.

For further reading click here.

BDS Movement Orders Chefs to Boycott Tel Aviv Event

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The BDS movement is calling on world renown chefs who are scheduled to participate in a major culinary event in Tel Aviv to boycott it.

Some 26 top chefs and restaurateurs from famous restaurants around the world are expected to participate in the event, Open Tables, and cook in upscale restaurants in Tel Aviv throughout the month of November.

The BDS movement sent the chefs a letter signed by more than 130 civil society groups, stating: “We urge you to reconsider your involvement in this initiative aimed at using haute cuisine to mask Israel’s denial of Palestinian basic rights. Please cancel your participation in the Round Tables event until everyone has a place at the table.”

The letter went on about what they consider to be Israel’s war crimes, civil rights abuses, expulsions, apartheid … you name it and it was there. It ended with, “We urge you not to lend your culinary talents to mask Israel’s crimes.”

The organizers of the event wrote this in response: “The project will take place as planned. All the guest restaurants and chefs are on their way to Israel. Some of them have already landed in the country and have begun their activity in the hosting restaurants. All the international chefs are happy to take part in the initiative out of great interest and an acknowledgement of the developing culinary scene in Tel Aviv and Israel.”

Sounds amazing! Who wants to go to Tel Aviv?

For further reading click here.

terror on light rail

Israel News for November 10, 2015

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More Terror
A 25 Year old Israeli security guard was stabbed and lightly wounded on the light rail in Pisgat Ze’ev, Jerusalem. The Palestinian assailants were 12 and 13 years old. One of them was shot and wounded by police and the other was subdued by passengers.

A man was lightly wounded in a stabbing attack near the Damascus Gate in the Old City. The terrorist was shot and killed by police.

The Israeli army arrested 24 Hamas activists in the Qalqilya area in the West Bank on Tuesday night.

For further reading click here.

PM and Obama
PM Netanyahu and President Obama met yesterday at the White House, in their first face to face meeting in over a year.

In public statements the leaders emphasized areas of shared interest, including negotiations on a new security arrangement and the goal of peace between Israelis and Palestinians, despite the recent violence and terror.

Obama said he was focused on “how we can get back on a path toward peace, and how we can make sure that legitimate Palestinian aspirations are met through a political process, even as we make sure that Israel is able to secure itself.”

Netanyahu said, “We have not given up our hope for peace.” He reaffirmed his support for a two-state solution, though he gave no ground his longstanding conditions for achieving that outcome.

The PM said that the main theme of the conversation was a memorandum of understanding regarding increased American military aid to Israel. “We did not focus on an amount, but I presented our needs, and we hope he accepts our analysis of the regional changes. The region has turned upside down compared to the previous decade, the previous agreement was signed in 2007 and it is impossible to compare the Middle East now to what it was then.”

Netanyahu noted that a number of issues did not come up in the conversation, such as a construction freeze in Judea and Samaria (“My position on the subject is known and clear,” declared the PM), as well as the issue of the appointment of Ran Baratz as head of hasbara.

Even before Netanyahu arrived for the meeting, White House Middle East Adviser Rob Malley said, ”The president has reached the conclusion that right now – barring a major shift – the parties are not going to be in a position to negotiate a final status agreement.” White House spokesman Josh Earnest repeated that conclusion following the meeting.

So President Obama finally gets it.

For further reading click here.

London Mayor Speaks Out
The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is visiting Israel, primarily to try and lure Israeli tech businesses to London. In Tel Aviv on Monday Johnson said, “I cannot think of anything more foolish” than to boycott “a country that when all is said and done is the only democracy in the region, the only place that has in my view a pluralist open society.” He said the BDS boycotters are “a very small minority.”
Let’s hope he speaks for the majority of Brits.

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New Tourism
Aryeh Deri, who recently resigned as Minister of Economy and is now Minister of the Development of the Negev and Galilee, is planning on spending 20 million shekels to develop religiously significant sites, to increase tourism to those sites.

Deri claims that the investment in the sites, which he says are visited by millions of Israelis and Jews from abroad annually, will create employment and contribute to the economy. One of the main targets of the development project will be tombs of Jewish sages in the Galilee.

For further reading click here.

Iranian Hackers
Israeli network security firm Check Point released a report yesterday revealing that it uncovered a network of Iranian cyber hackers linked to Iran’s revolutionary guard. The group nicknamed “Rocket Kitten” by security experts, has mounted cyber attacks since 2014 on 1,600 targets globally. Targets include high profile political and defense figures in Israel, the US, NATO, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Venezuela. Check Point said they alerted European authorities, who have taken action to shut down the group. There was no comment from the FBI but the Shin Bet announced that they are aware of the issue and are dealing with it.

The Check Point report details how its experts burrowed inside the hacker group’s database, and constructed a map of malicious software tools and remote-controlled computers used by the group. The report includes several amusing anecdotes displaying the groups amateurism including how they infected their own computers with a virus that they created and then couldn’t remove. Nice try, Iran.

For further reading click here.

Pot Bust
The head of the anesthesiology department in Wolfson Hospital in Holon, Dr Avraham Dotan (65), was arrested yesterday for taking bribes to issue permits for medical marijuana and on suspicion of running an illegal marijuana trading network, which made millions. His partner and ten other suspects were also arrested.

In an undercover investigation fit for hollywood, Israeli police joined forces with the Israeli Tax Authority and the Health Ministry to uncover a complex web of middlemen who were involved. Police raided the homes of the suspects, confiscating computers and documents. An additional 130 arrest warrants have been issued to people for receiving medical marijuana permits even though they were not medically entitled to them.

For further reading click here.

No Deals
Recent figures released by the Finance Ministry show a slowdown in home purchases over the last few months. But don’t get your hopes up just yet. Four popular areas saw prices rise for all types of apartments: Tel Aviv, Rishon Lezion, Netanya, and Modi’in. The asking price for a 4-room apartment in Tel Aviv once again passed the NIS 3 million mark. Maybe it’s time to take another look at Beersheva or Carmiel.

For further reading click here.

Cheap Tickets
Heritage trips to Eastern Europe from Israel might become a lot more popular. That’s because Ryanair, the Irish discount airline, is offering super cheap flights, if you’re willing to shlep to Ovda Airport (outside of Eilat). The airline began offering 10 Euro (about $11) one-way flights to Krakow, Budapest and Kaunas (Kovno – in Lithuania). Booking a flight back to Israel is a bit more difficult, but if you’re flexible it’s not a problem.

The reason why the fares are so low is that the Israeli government offers subsidies to get European tourists to visit Eilat. So Ryanair is getting 45 Euros per tourist it flies to Eilat, but has a lot of empty planes heading back to Europe. Why not fill those seats and make a few bucks?
So Israeli taxpayers are helping pay for the vacations of European tourists. The least they can get is a cheap flight to Europe. That is, if they can afford the gas to drive down to Ovda.

For further reading click here.

Israel Events
Check out the AJC ACCESS NY Making Waves Gala on Nov. 17, which will highlight the 50th anniversary of German-Israeli relations and feature a special performance by Miri Ben-Ari.
Get Tickets and info at www.ajcnyc.org/accessnygala.

Israel News for October 30, 2015

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More Terror
Breaking news: Two Palestinians arrived at the Tapuah intersection a short time ago and attempted to stab Border Police officers protecting the site. The officers shot and killed the terrorists.

A pregnant 26-year-old woman was hit in the face by shrapnel on Thursday evening when Arabs threw rocks at her car near Karmei Tzur on Highway 60, in Gush Etzion.

In another attack on the same highway, a rock thrown by Arabs damaged a car driven by Rabbi Re’em Hacohen, head of the yeshiva in Otniel and Yehuda Glick, the chairman of the Temple Mount Heritage Foundation. They were not injured.

Also last night, terrorists carried out a drive-by shooting at a hitchhiking station near the town of Ofra (Samaria). IDF troops fired at the car, which escaped. No one was hurt at the station.

Ahmed Mansara, the 13 yr. old Palestinian who stabbed and wounded two Israelis in Pisgat Ze’ev earlier this month, was charged today with attempted murder and possession of a knife. According to Israeli law a minor cannot be imprisoned. He can only be transferred to a probation officer at a rehabilitation center.

For further reading click here.

Suing Facebook
Richard Lakin, the American educator and peace activist who died from the wounds he sustained in a Jerusalem bus terror attack this month, is still in the fight.

Days before he died, the Israel-based rights group Shurat Hadin filed a lawsuit in the US against Facebook naming Lakin as the lead plaintiff. The suit accuses Facebook of allowing “gruesome Palestinian pages that incite violence”.

Lakin’s son Micah Avni said his father was shot in the head and then stabbed multiple times – in much the same way as described in some of the videos posted online. He added that one of the Palestinians who killed his father had previously made his intentions clear on Facebook and his posts were widely reposted on social media afterward.

Shurat Hadin say that 20,000 Israelis are suing Facebook over the Palestinian incitement.

Upshot
Social media companies need to start taking responsibility for keeping all incitement to violence off their sites. They obviously have an ethical and moral obligation to do so. Now the courts will decide whether they have a legal responsibility too.

For further reading click here.

Demolition Delays
The High Court of Justice has ordered the State to produce records of all the demolition proceeding against the homes of terrorists for the past two years. It seems as though the government has been lax in carrying out the actual demolitions after acquiring the legal judgements to do so.

High Court Justice Noam Sulberg echoed the feelings of two of his colleagues saying, “There are cases in which the verdict is handed down, and plenty of time passes until its execution. It has a negative effect on the stated urgency. A verdict is given then many months pass.”

Upshot
What is holding up these demolitions? Let’s hope the judges can figure it out and get the process back on track.

For further reading click here.

Protectsia
If you’re looking for a high level position in a prominent international zionist organization, you better make sure that you’re a member of a select group of major Israeli political parties.

At last week’s World Zionist Congress conference in Jerusalem, the major political parties and movements including Likud, Labor, Kulanu, Meretz, Shas, National Union, Yisrael Beiteinu and Mizrahi, signed a secret agreement to distribute jobs at Zionist institutions. Yesh Atid was the only major party not to sign the agreement.

According to the agreement revealed by Globes, Labor and Meretz obtained the posts of Jewish National Fund (JNF) chairman, head of the Zionist enterprises department in the Jewish Agency, and head of the education department, which is responsible for many activities of overseas emissaries and the budgets for the Reform and Conservative movements. Likud and Shas are keeping the posts of Jewish Agency chairman (occupied by Natan Sharansky), vice-chairman of the World Zionist Organization, and a bunch of other positions relating to PR and Anti-Semitism.

The Mizrahi movement, together with Yisrael Beiteinu and the National Union Party, received the positions of World Zionist Organization chairman, head of the settlement division, JNF vice-chairman, and the Aliyah department.

Apparently, it pays to be connected.

For further reading click here.

Culinary Pressure
The BDS movement is calling on world renown chefs who are scheduled to participate in a major culinary event in Tel Aviv to boycott it.

Some 26 top chefs and restaurateurs from famous restaurants around the world are expected to participate in the event, Open Tables, and cook in upscale restaurants in Tel Aviv throughout the month of November.

The BDS movement sent the chefs a letter signed by more than 130 civil society groups, stating: “We urge you to reconsider your involvement in this initiative aimed at using haute cuisine to mask Israel’s denial of Palestinian basic rights. Please cancel your participation in the Round Tables event until everyone has a place at the table.”

The letter went on about what they consider to be Israel’s war crimes, civil rights abuses, expulsions, apartheid … you name it and it was there. It ended with, “We urge you not to lend your culinary talents to mask Israel’s crimes.”

The organizers of the event wrote this in response: “The project will take place as planned. All the guest restaurants and chefs are on their way to Israel. Some of them have already landed in the country and have begun their activity in the hosting restaurants. All the international chefs are happy to take part in the initiative out of great interest and an acknowledgement of the developing culinary scene in Tel Aviv and Israel.”

Sounds amazing! Who wants to go to Tel Aviv?

For further reading click here.

Raining rats and dogs
Record breaking amounts of rain have fallen on Israel’s coastal towns and surrounding areas. Some areas received more than six times their average amount of rain for October.

The weather system that has barraged Israel with rain for the past few days has caused extensive damage, flooding and power outages. According to Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, the damage caused by the storm is the worst in the history of Israel. Tens of thousands were left without power for days. A labour dispute with electric company employees did not help the situation.

In Tel Aviv, sewers overflowed creating huge (smelly) puddles and forcing hordes of rats to the surface. Yuck.

The floods even reached the Negev, where a couple had to be rescued by helicopter yesterday and highways and roads were closed due to flash floods.

Unfortunately, the storm did not hit the more mountainous areas or the Kinneret, so it didn’t do much to replenish the water supply.

More rain is in the forecast.

For further reading click here.

New Israel App
Talk Israel is the first mobile app to bring you pro-Israel digital content from dozens of sources tailored to your personal preferences and interests using machine learning. It’s available for iPhone and Android, so look for it in the app store.
Read more about it here.

Israel News for October 23, 2015

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Another Mistake
A 28 yr. old Haredi man was arrested early this morning in Jerusalem for striking a security guard with an iron bar. He claimed that he thought the guard, who had a handgun in his belt, was a terrorist. A judge ruled leniently due the heightened tension and fear brought about by the wave of terror, and placed the assailant under house arrest.

Four men suspected of beating the Eritrean man in the Beersheva bus station “lynching” were released on bail yesterday.

Looks like a pattern here. If you’re not sure, shoot first, ask questions later, and pick up your “get out of jail free” card. The victims lose but hey, it’s an honest mistake due to the prevailing atmosphere of fear, so it’s all good.

For further reading click here.

Opinion: Troubling Case
The shooting to death of a Jewish man by soldiers in Jerusalem is still under investigation. The case is troubling. The victim, at least from his photos, clearly did not look Arab and, since he was religious, was probably wearing a kippah. Of course, none of that means he couldn’t have been a terrorist.

There was some sort of argument between him and two soldiers, which escalated into a physical scuffle. Witnesses testify that he tried to grab a soldier’s weapon. The bus driver stunned the man with a “shocker rod”. Then a civilian security guard saw the scuffle and shot the man. Then one (or both) of the soldiers shot him and killed him.

Some reports say that the man yelled, “I am Da’ash (ISIS)”. Was he saying that as a threat or maybe he was responding to the soldier’s demand that he identify himself in a sassy (and stupid, but typically Israeli) fashion? According to his former employer, he had a language problem and wasn’t totally fluent in Hebrew.

Does anyone else find this story troubling? Was the man on the ground as a result of the “shocking” when he was shot? Did the security guard have any right to shoot the man, who he couldn’t conclusively identify as a terrorist? Once the guard shot him, did the soldiers need to shoot him again? Did the soldiers feel that their lives were in danger from an unarmed, wounded man? Even if the guy was a nut case, was shooting him to death warranted? Should they have tried to shoot him in the legs?

The whole thing just doesn’t add up, but it’s unlikely that it ever will. The two soldiers will tell their side of the story in their own way, and they’ll probably be believed. In these difficult times, no one wants to accuse soldiers of anything that might make them hesitate in a real life threatening situation. So, just like the lynching of the Eritrean man, this killing will also be chalked up to mistaken identity, chaos and hysteria.

The problem now is that there are 300 soldiers patrolling the public transportation system who are not trained in police work, which is what this incident most likely was. Soldiers are trained to shoot to kill, and not ask questions. That could lead to more unfortunate incidents.

Kerry and Netanyahu
PM Netanyahu met for four hours with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Berlin yesterday. They talked about ending the violence, restoring calm, Temple Mount, status quo, incitement, yeah, yada, yada…you know the drill. Nothing new to say here. But something tells me this isn’t going to bode favorably for Israel. Let’s hope I’m wrong.

Iran Nukes
PM Netanyahu and the Israeli Government have been arguably the greatest opponents of the recent Iran Nuclear deal. But Israel’s top nuclear experts see things differently.

According to a Haaretz report, Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission, which advises the government on nuclear issues, has endorsed the deal. It believes that the deal will prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, since any Iranian violation would be easily detected due to the outside surveillance and analysis methods put in place. In fact, a lot of the technology used to detect and analyze nuclear activity was developed by Israel.

The commission members believe that the 24 hour warning required to be given to the Iranians prior to inspection is irrelevant, since any illegal activity can be detected via technology.

According to the commission, even if the Iranians could somehow build a nuclear bomb, it would be too heavy to mount on a ballistic missile that could reach Israel.

This is all based on a Haaretz source. The commission declined to issue an official statement.

Upshot
Even if the commission is right, which is really good news, it doesn’t mean that the Iran deal was a good one. Lifting the sanctions against them gives Iran much freedom and money to finance and perpetrate lots of terror and other evil things. That’s not good for anyone, except the terrorists, and maybe Assad.

For further reading click here.

Israeli Weapons
All the wars and conflicts in the world don’t seem to be helping Israel’s military exports. According to defense experts this could be the worst year for Israeli defense companies in a decade. Israel’s own defense budget won’t be of much help.

It’s so bad that the heads of the leading defense firms in Israel have requested an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss “a significant crisis in the defense industries.”

In a letter to the PM the defense industry leaders point out that, “there have been major changes in the defense sector – smaller budgets, more competition, less desire for Israeli-made products, and the growing demands to transfer know-how and work abroad.”

I guess peace on earth would put these guys out of business. Unfortunately for the rest of us, they probably don’t have to worry that much.

For further reading click here.

ISIS in Hebrew
ISIS has released its first video in Hebrew, featuring a masked terrorist threatening Israel and the Jews with all sorts of evil tidings. The Hebrew is pretty good.

Watch it for yourself here.

Enough Talk
Despite the incitement that PA President Abbas has been delivering in speeches and statements, Abbas might have to give Israel a huge thank you. Well, at least he should.

It was just revealed that Israel allowed Abbas’s brother-in-law to receive an emergency life saving operation at the Assuta Medical Center hospital in Tel Aviv, where he is currently recovering. Security personnel are protecting him, probably from the other patients.

So, can Israel expect a big thank you and change of heart from Abbas? Ok, back to reality.

For further reading click here.

Drivers Rejoice
Good news for Israeli drivers. Gas prices are continuing to fall, due primarily to the dropping price of crude oil in international markets. A gallon of gas in November will cost around $5.60. That’s pretty darn good for Israel. You can’t really drive very far there anyway, so you can make a tank last a bit longer than in the US. Unless you’re driving to Eilat or the Golan.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for October 22, 2015

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Soldiers Kill Jewish Man
Last night, in another tragic case of mistaken identity, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Jewish man at a bus stop in Jerusalem.

Background
According to police, two soldiers were waiting to get on the bus when a man getting off the bus asked them to show him their identification. They got suspicious and asked him for his ID. An argument ensued and he allegedly attacked them and tried to grab one of their guns. A civilian security guard in the area saw the scuffle, wrongly identified the man as a terrorist and shot at him. Then the soldiers opened fire, killing the man.

The victim was an immigrant from Russia who had served in the IDF in the Nahal Haredi (Ultra Orthodox) Brigade and had worked as a security guard in a school. He was currently studying at a yeshiva in Har Nof, Jerusalem. The rabbis at the yeshiva interviewed by Walla News couldn’t believe how something like this could have occurred. They all described the victim as a quiet, well mannered person who evidently made a bad mistake by arguing with the soldiers.

Police and IDF investigators are sorting through numerous testimonies that include very different facts. In one account the man shouted, “I am ISIS!” (could it have been like, “what, you think I’m ISIS?”). In another, a girl screamed, “Terrorist! Shoot him!”

Upshot
So many factors in this case point to a very tragic and deadly mistake. The soldiers were part of the reinforcements sent to bolster security on buses. They weren’t trained to do police work and handle this kind of situation. The security guard shot before positively identifying who he was shooting at. He probably should have let the soldiers handle the situation. Fear and hysteria took over. In a culture where arguing is commonplace and can often turn violent, this seems to be a case where mistakes were made and shots were fired when they shouldn’t have been. And a man is dead.

For further reading click here.

Terror Continues
This morning two terrorists tried to board a school bus in the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh. When people nearby shouted at them they got off. When police arrived they found them stabbing an 18 yr. old Haredi man. Police shot and killed one of terrorists and wounded the other. Both of the terrorists were 20 yr. olds from a village near Hebron who were working at a construction site in Beit Shemesh. They were wearing Hamas t-shirts beneath their clothing.The victim was “moderately” wounded.

A vehicle carrying five Israeli soldiers was stoned in Gush Etzion (West Bank) yesterday. When the soldiers got out they were hit by a Palestinian car. One of the soldiers was seriously wounded, 2 moderately and 2 lightly. The terrorist was shot and seriously wounded.

Earlier in the day a 20 yr. old female soldier was stabbed and seriously wounded, near the settlement of Adam. The terrorist then tried to stab another female soldier from the same unit, but she shot and killed him. Another terrorist who took part in the attack was arrested.

For further reading click here.

UNESCO Vote
We’ve got good news and bad news about yesterday’s UNESCO vote to declare Jewish holy sites to be Muslim holy sites. The good news is that the Western Wall was removed from the resolution after strong protests from UNESCO’s director general and many countries. They also removed the part about Jerusalem being the “occupied capital of Palestine.”

Here’s the bad news. They did vote to declare the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron (where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca and Leah are buried) and Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem as being Muslim sites. They also condemned Israel for a bunch of things, as usual.

The resolution passed by 26 votes to 6, with 25 abstentions. The countries that voted against the resolution were the US, UK, Germany, Holland, Estonia and the Czech Republic. France was one of the countries that abstained. Hmm.

For further reading click here.

PM Backpedals
After making the outrageous statement in a speech on Tuesday that blamed the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem for giving Hitler the idea to exterminate the Jews, PM Netanyahu backpedaled, a little.

In a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the PM clarified that the mufti’s role during the Holocaust was to “call on the Nazis to prevent Jews from fleeing Europe and support the Final Solution.”

Even Merkel was taken aback by Netanyahu’s initial statement so much so that she felt compelled to place responsibility for the Holocaust squarely on Germany. She added, “We stand behind our responsibility and I don’t see any need to change our relation to history.”

So now we’re all clear on this. Hitler was responsible for killing the Jews but the Mufti certainly supported and encouraged his evil plans. Now what about all that Arab rhetoric about pushing us into the sea? Sounds like Jewish destruction to me.

For further reading click here.

Temple Mount Visits
Yesterday Walla News reported from Arab sources that Israeli diplomats told Jordan’s King Abdullah that Israel would reduce the number of Jewish and non-Muslim visitors to the Temple Mount. Both the King and PA President Abbas rejected the offer, claiming that it was insufficient.

They weren’t the only ones unsatisfied with the proposal. Knesset members from the Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home) party called on the PM to clarify whether he instructed the diplomats to make the offer.

Education Minister and head of the Bayit Yehudi party Naftali Bennett said, “I don’t believe that the PM would offer such a proposal.” He added that if the terrorists gain concessions from their terror, then their next wave of terror will be even worse, and that in the Middle East, displays of weakness are not effective diplomacy.

The PM’s office responded that no such proposal ever existed. Good to know.

For further reading click here.

Kurdistan and Jews
Sherzad Omer Mamsani was recently appointed Jewish affairs representative for the government of the semi autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. It shouldn’t be a very taxing job, since there are no Jews in the region (also known as Kurdistan). Mamsani’s main role will be to foster relations with the 200,000 to 300,000 Kurdish Jews, most of whom live in Israel.

Kurdish officials say that there are some 200 to 300 families in Iraqi Kurdistan who outwardly converted to Islam over the last decades but who continue to secretly observe certain Jewish traditions. Mamsani is one of those who claim to have Jewish roots. He’s visited Israel several times and has written about Kurdish – Israeli ties. That cost him a hand, lost in a bombing attack against him by Muslim radicals.

His goal is to reconnect Iraqi Kurds to Jewish culture and to relatives they may have abroad. “We work with the government to reunite families, and to help those Kurds who want to find out about their Jewish roots.” Another longer term goal is to rebuild destroyed synagogues in the region.

Upshot
The Kurds seem to really like Israel. Could be because Israel reportedly purchased a large portion of Kurdish oil exports and because they’ve supplied the Kurds with military assistance, secretly of course. Maybe it’s also because there are no Jews in the country, which makes it a lot easier to be a Jew lover (although it didn’t seem to have worked in Poland).

Hey, anyone fighting ISIS is a friend.

For further reading click here.

High Rent
If you think New York City rents are high, wait until you hear what they’re charging in Tel Aviv. According to the Israeli branch of Sotheby’s International Realty, a Russian (non Israeli) just rented an apartment for $45,000 per month (that’s US dollars, not shekels).

The 3,444 sq.ft. apartment takes up a full floor at the top of the Remez Tower, a high end building in the city’s popular “old north” neighborhood. The rent doesn’t include the $1,000 per month management fee.

According to Isidora Fridman, an executive director at Sotheby’s Israel, a similar sized apartment on Fifth Avenue in New York City rents for $50,000 per month. But why would you want to live on Fifth Avenue if you could live in Tel Aviv?

For further reading click here.

police in tel aviv

Israel News for October 15, 2015

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Breaking News
Acting on new intelligence reports, Shin Bet and Police officers closed off several major roads in Tel Aviv and arrested two Arabs from East Jerusalem in Givatayim (bordering Tel Aviv) on suspicion of planning to carry out a terror attack.

For further reading: http://news.walla.co.il/item/2897645

Two More Terror Attacks
A 72 year old woman was stabbed and moderately wounded yesterday evening on Jaffa street near the central bus station. A bus driver helped her onto his bus and closed the doors on the terrorist, who then tried to stab a policeman but was shot dead. The entire bus station was shut down while police searched for accomplices. The terrorist was a 23 year old resident of East Jerusalem who was incarcerated from 2012-2015 for terror related crimes.

Earlier in the day, a 19 year old Palestinian from Hebron brandishing a knife charged at police near the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem. Border policemen shot and killed the assailant. Two people were lightly wounded from the gunfire.

Israeli security forces have begun taking measures approved by the cabinet yesterday to beef up security. The IDF deployed 300 soldiers to reinforce police in cities across Israel. Authorities also erected concrete barriers and checkpoints at the entrances of some Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, where many of the terrorists come from.

A senior IDF official said that closures of Arab neighborhoods is not a good long term solution, since terrorists still find ways out while the rest of the population remains stuck at home and grows angrier.

Abbas Speaks Out
Despite calling for calm just over a week ago, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, gave a 5 minute address on the official “Palestine” television station that was far from calming.

Abbas called on the “Palestinian heroes” to continue their struggle for peace, and for all Palestinians to unite in their nationalistic cause. He held up a picture of Ahmed Manasra, the 13 year old attacker who stabbed a Jewish boy a few days ago, and claimed that he had been killed by the Israeli government. I guess Abbas wasn’t informed that Manasra was only wounded. He obviously wouldn’t lie about something like that, right?

Abbas told Palestinians to protect the sanctity of the Haram Al Sharif (Temple Mount) and to resist Israel’s efforts to change the status quo, which prohibits non Muslims from praying there.

PM Netanyahu called Abbas’ words “inciting and lies”. He explained why, but we already know the answers, and the Palestinians aren’t interested in hearing them.

So much for calm.

For further reading: http://news.walla.co.il/item/2897471

Israelis Against Closures
There’s one group of Israelis who are adamantly against closing off Arab neighborhoods with roadblocks and checkpoints. No, they aren’t leftists. In fact, they are probably further to the right than most.

We’re referring to the Jews who live in the Arab areas of East Jerusalem, who feel that the closures are sending the message that Jerusalem is not united, but is split into two separate cities: East and West. That defeats their whole purpose of being there — to demonstrate that Jerusalem is one united city.

The Jewish residents of East Jerusalem aren’t surprised by the recent violence, and they aren’t taking any extra security measures. They claim that they live under these same circumstances on a daily basis, so they’re already well prepared.

The residents are used to hearing nightly calls from the mosque loudspeakers relating to Jews, Israel and Netanyahu — in not very positive terms, to say the least. They also get their share of molotov cocktails thrown at them. But they’re determined to stay put.

For further reading: http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4711552,00.html

Gun Control
In many instances during the recent wave of terror, civilians have assisted police in subduing or apprehending terrorists. Yesterday, Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan approved regulations to make it easier for Israelis to obtain and carry guns, in light of the security situation. He said that citizens trained to use guns strengthens the fight against terror. Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat urged citizens licensed to carry guns to do so. Gun sales are soaring.

Upshot
So what they’re saying is that the more Israelis carrying guns, the safer everyone will be. As strange as that sounds to American ears, it seems to be true in Israel, where so many people are already armed but gun violence (in non criminal circles) is almost non existent. Gun control proponents, take note.

For further reading: http://news.walla.co.il/item/2897266

Building Fences
The current fence separating Gaza from Israel hasn’t been very effective recently. Gazans have stormed the fence and broken through it on several occasions. Now the Israeli government is planning to build a new fence, similar to the one that runs along the Egyptian border. The new high tech fence will replace the existing barbed wire one and will extend along the entire 40 mile border with Gaza. Good luck breaking through this one.

Knives for Sale
The Rami Levy supermarket chain is taking it’s own security precautions to the next level. The chain will be checking all customers and employees entering the store, for weapons. It will also remove all knife displays in the store. Customers will have to get their knives at the customer service desk.

There is Hope
Just when it looks like Jewish Arab relations are doomed, a glimmer of hope arises. Hundreds of Arabs and Jews from the Jezreel Valley in the Galilee demonstrated together on the main road of the Bedouin village of Zarzir. They carried Israeli flags and signs and chanted, “end the violence”. A similar demonstration took place in the Negev.

When extremists are removed from the equation, peace is possible.

For further reading: http://www.nrg.co.il/

Israel News for August 26, 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Palestinians have yet to respond.

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

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

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

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.

Israel News for August 24, 2015

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Court Promotes Charedi Minister
The High Court has ruled that Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman of the charedi United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party must either assume the position of Health Minister or resign from his current post.

Background
The UTJ party represents the Ashkenazic charedi communities. It was formed in 1992 as a merger between the Chassidic Agudas Yisrael and the Lithuanian Degel Hatorah party. The parties policies are decided by a council of Torah Sages from each of the two factions.

Because of its fundamental opposition to a secular run government, the UTJ and its predecessors have always refused to accept ministerial portfolios in the cabinet (except for one post in the first government in 1948). Instead, they assume the title of deputy minister while performing the duties of full minister.

In the current government PM Netanyahu officially holds the title of Health Minister and Yaakov Litzman of UTJ holds the deputy minister title. But semantics aside, Litzman functions as the Health Minister.

Opposition party Yesh Atid called them on this ministerial charade and petitioned the High Court to call a spade a spade (instead of a deputy spade). The High Court agreed and ruled that Litzman must either accept the title of Health Minister or resign his post altogether.

Result
Litzman must wait for the Council of Sages of the Agudas Yisrael faction of UTJ to decide, in their meeting this Wednesday, whether to modify their policy and allow him to be a full minister. The word on the street is that the council, lead by the Gerrer Rebbe (Litzman is also a Gerrer follower) will allow him to take the ministerial post.

Upshot
Even though it is really just a question of semantics, allowing Litzman to be a full minister might represent a major philosophical shift in charedi ideology and possibly bring about a greater sense of unity between them and the non-charedi right and centrist parties.

Abbas Going to Iran
Iran already has proxies on Israel’s northern border – Hezbollah and pro-Syrian government militias – and southern border – Hamas. Now they might be preparing to close the loop in the east.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told Polish reporters that he intends to visit Iran in an effort to improve ties with what he calls a “sister” nation. The Palestinians already have an embassy in Tehran, located in the building that housed the Israeli embassy prior to the Iranian revolution.

Should Israel be worried? Maybe, if the Palestinians gain independence and call in the revolutionary guards, or if Iran donates millions of dollars of terrorist funding.

Terror cell arrested
Israeli security services announced that they arrested a cell of nine Palestinians two weeks ago in the terrorist attack near highway 443 that injured three Israelis three weeks ago. The suspects, five adults and four minors, were residents of Beit Hanina and the Old City of Jerusalem. They are also being indicted for other attacks including throwing molotov cocktails at a Jewish home in Beit Hanina, where two people were injured.

The suspects admitted that they carried out the attack to avenge the Duma attack. Since their attack there have been several more molotov cocktail attacks in that same location.

Israel Helping Kurds
According to the Financial Times, Israel has purchased over $1 billion worth of oil from the Kurds in Northern Iraq. Records show that from May to August Israel bought 19 million barrels, which is about 77% of Israel’s total oil consumption of about 240,000 barrels a day.

Some sources say that Israel is choosing to buy specifically from the Kurds in order to support them in their fight against ISIS. Other sources claim that Israel is getting a discounted price on the oil. In either case, if they’re spending those billions anyway, they might as well get some indirect security benefits as a byproduct.

PM Netanyahu has stated his support for the formation of an independent Kurdish state in Northern Iraq. That hasn’t done much to improve Israel’s relations with Turkey, which fears that the Kurds will want to integrate the heavily Kurdish areas of Southern Turkey into their state. Ironically, the Kurdish oil is transported to Israel via a Turkish port.
Business is business.

American Scraps Israel Flights
American Airlines, the world’s largest airline by fleet size, passengers flown and revenue, has decided to stop flying to Israel. They claim it’s due to financial consideration and that they lost $20 million last year on their Philadelphia – Tel Aviv route. Industry experts say that American’s Israel route is profitable. They claim that American made the decision due to their leading role in the OneWorld global alliance, whose members include Arab carriers like Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian and Malaysia Airlines.

Whatever the reason, it’s good news for the carriers that do fly to Israel. Whether it will allow them to raise prices is still to be seen.

Shas head protests Shabbat Work
Economy Minister Aryeh Deri sent a strongly worded letter to PM Netanyahu and Transport Minister Katz protesting the desecration of Shabbat by government employed construction workers. The workers were clearing up the rubble following the demolition of the Maariv Overpass on Friday, which was leveled as part of the Tel Aviv light rail construction project. Deri threatened to take action the next time work was done on Shabbat on the Tel Aviv light rail or for any government project.

Meat Wars
Ketchup isn’t the only food they’re fighting about in Israel. The pre High Holidays meat wars are heating up, and Israeli meat eaters are benefitting big time.

Background
In Israel you can buy three types of meat (from cheapest to most expensive): frozen, defrosted and fresh. Most of the frozen or defrosted meat, which leads significantly in market share, is slaughtered and prepared in accordance with kosher laws overseas and shipped to Israel. Fresh meat can either also be imported or slaughtered and prepared in Israel. It’s cheaper to import.

Shufersal, one of Israel’s largest supermarket chains, last week launched their own private label brand of fresh meat which they fly in from overseas in sections, which is cheaper than importing the calfs and then slaughtering and preparing them in Israel.

In response, Tnuva, the giant Israeli food conglomerate, has just announced that they will be importing fresh meat from Poland and selling it at prices equivalent to Shufersal’s defrosted meat. How can they do it so cheap? They’ll be shipping the meat by boat instead of by air. (Poland just got approved as a supplier of meat to Israel.)

Upshot
Something about importing meat from a country that actively participated in the slaughter of millions of Jews just doesn’t seem right. Does the savings make it ok? Perhaps.