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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surrounded by Knesset members after a vote on the state budget for 2015-2016, November 18, 2015.

Israel News for November 19, 2015

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Budget Finally Passes
Knesset members had a rough night last night, staying up till the early hours of the morning to vote on Israel’s 2015-2016 budget. After many long hours of debates, which began in the afternoon, the budget was approved by a slim majority of 61 in favor to 59 against. The final vote took place after the lawmakers voted on over 1,500 different pages of objections, covering over 30,000 specific reservations to the budget, which required over 420 different votes.

The voting got off to a rough start when the electronic voting system kept breaking, causing chaos. There was also a fair share of confusion when opposition leader Yitzhak Herzog accidentally voted in favor of the government on one of the objections, to the amusement of PM Netanyahu and some ministers. But then Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel also mistakenly cast his ballot with the opposition, breaking the government’s slim majority of one. The specific paragraph being voted on then needed to be taken back to the Knesset Economic Committee to be approved before being brought back to the floor for a “do-over”, resulting in a three hour delay.

By law, the government had to pass the budget by today or the government would have fallen. The opposition attempted to delay the voting by insisting on voting on every article but the government managed to push through a shortened voting process, preventing a filibuster by the opposition which would have include the 30,000 reservations and would have take 11 days to vote on.

Opposition to the budget was fierce. Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid said at the start of the Knesset budget debate, “This is not a debate It’s a party for the chevra. Today a budget will be approved where everyone is getting something except the citizens of Israel”. Opposition leader Yitzhak Herzog said, “The Prime Minister doesn’t care that it’s impossible to live here with a rising cost of living and no solution to the housing crisis”.

The two year budget provides for 383.8 billion shekels ($98.2 billion) in 2015 spending and 424.8 billion shekels ($108.6 billion) in 2016. The 2015 budget was never approved because Netanyahu’s governing coalition broke up, which led to elections.

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Hitting Back
Israel is planning to strike back at EU countries who have decided to distinctly label Israeli products made in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan.

The countries Israel plans to take measures against are the UK, France, Spain, Denmark, Ireland, Croatia, Malta, the Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, Slovenia, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, Belgium and Finland.

The measures Israel plans to use include a re-evaluation of the EU’s role in the peace process, summoning the ambassadors of the 16 countries to the Foreign Ministry for an official rebuke, and restricting meetings between ambassadors and Israeli officials.

Israel will also be much stricter regarding entry of foreign delegations to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In certain situations, their entry may even be denied. Same goes for EU projects in those areas.

Finally, Israel will limit dialogue with the EU on matters important to the Europeans such as terror fighting techniques.

However, Israel is being careful not to hurt itself in the process. According to a senior government source, “It would be foolish to take steps that will also harm us. We had to walk a tightrope between things we wanted to do so that they would get the message and not hurting ourselves.”

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Baby Race
The doomsayers have always predicted the demise of the Jewish State based on a rapidly increasing Arab population along with a decreasing or stagnant Jewish one. Well, it looks like they might need to rethink their forecast.

According the statistics just released by Israel’s Central Bureau of statistics, the birthrate of Jewish and Arab women in Israel is about even. At the end of 2014, Jewish women in Israel had a birth rate of 3.11 children and Arab women had a birth rate of 3.17 children. Slightly more than a decade ago, there was nearly a two-child gap in the birthrate, with Arab women at 4.3 compared to Jewish women at 2.6.

These numbers don’t include Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. But still, the numbers are something to smile about. Maybe the future isn’t that bleak after all.

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Israel’s Rich
Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics has released new figures that prove that a significant portion of Israelis aren’t doing too bad financially, despite what you hear.

According to the survey figures, the proportion of households owning two or more apartments rose from 3.2% to 9.1%, primarily since 2008. The figures also show that 44,000 households, or 1.8% of all Israeli households, own three or more apartments. And apartments in Israel are not cheap.

At the same time, the figures show that the proportion of people renting homes is rising while the percentage of homeowners is declining, which underscores that many Israelis can’t afford home prices, which are only going higher. On the bright side, with all those Israelis owning second and third apartments, there’s bound to be a plentiful supply of rentals.

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Flying High
Israeli high-tech companies aren’t the only ones with turbo charged growth. El Al airlines just announced that their net profit for the third quarter of 2015 was up 820% over profits in the same quarter last year. Reasons for the surge include substantially lower oil prices and a lot more passengers. To be fair, last year’s third quarter included Operation Protective Shield, which caused a drop in travelers to Israel. But still, let’s give EL AL a high five. Now if they could only get the flight attendants to be little nicer.

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brides temple mount

Israel News for November 13, 2015

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Terror Parents
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked drafted a proposed law fining parents of minors who throw rocks but cannot be prosecuted because of their age. According to the draft, a minor under the age of 12 who commits a criminal act of terror including rock throwing, or any other form of violence, will be placed under the supervision of an officer who will warn the parents. If the minor commit further crimes, the parents will be fined by the court unless they can prove that they did everything possible to stop the crimes.

Earlier this month a law was approved that allows authorities to revoke National Insurance benefits and to fine families of minors convicted of throwing rocks for nationalistic reasons or as an act of terrorism. Under the proposed law the family could still face a fine even if they’re too young to be convicted.

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Home Demolition
The High Court for Justice has approved the demolition of the homes of six terrorists. The court rejected motions filed by the families of the terrorist to overturn the demolition orders. Homes include those of the terrorists who murdered Rabbi Eitam and Naama Henkin.
It’s about time this order was carried out. The sooner the better.

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US Supports EU
The US is supporting the recent decision of the European Union to require distinct labeling of Israeli products made in the West Bank.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, ”We do not believe that labeling the origin of products is equivalent to a boycott. And as you know, we do not consider settlements to be part of Israel. We do not view labeling the origin of products as being from the settlements as a boycott of Israel.”

Toner added that American laws for Israeli settlement exports are somewhat similar. They must be marked as “products of the West Bank,” though the U.S. does not differentiate between goods from settlements and those coming from elsewhere in the territory.

But just when you thought that everyone was against Israel, an unlikely friend emerges. Germany’s ruling party criticized the EU regulation saying that is was not constructive in facilitating negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. The German spokesman said, “As a signal to our friends in Israel, I would have appreciated, if the European Commission in this case would have abstained from the implementation of the European regulation,”

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Temple Mount Brides
Despite increased violence and tensions on the Temple Mount, there’s one group of people who will not be deterred from visiting – Jewish brides from the National Religious community (Dati Leumi).

Some sixty brides have visited the Temple Mount over the past year and the trend is only growing according to Yael Kabilio, a guide from the Women for the Temple group, who has accompanied many brides on their visits to the mount. According to Kabilio, the trend stems from both a spiritual and halachic (Jewish legal) place.

Some rabbinic authorities permit women to visit the Temple Mount only if they have immersed in a mikvah, but prior to having sexual relations with their husbands. Brides are required by Jewish law to immerse in a mikvah (for the first time, since single women do not go to the mikvah) prior to their wedding, usually the night before. Thus the wedding day is the perfect day for these women to visit the Temple Mount.

The wedding day is a very spiritual day for the bride and groom, and there is a connection between the wedding day and Jerusalem, since the destruction of Jerusalem is recalled under the wedding canopy. These brides want to connect building their own private home with the rebuilding of the Temple.

But getting up to the mount is no simple feat. Brides cannot visit in their wedding dresses, as it is considered a provocation, and they can wait in line for hours until they are allowed up. They can also be denied access, since only a restricted number of Jews are allowed up each day.

Many of the brides are assaulted by the abusive calls of the Murabitat (female Muslim activists who charge themselves with defending the Dome of the Rock). Once on the mount all non muslims are forbidden from singing, praying, dancing or making any kind of “religious displays”. Many brides have found ways around the restrictions by pretending to talk on their phones or hiding their mouths in a scarf or sweater.

The brides claim that police are hostile towards them, rushing them along and shouting at them for the slightest movement that seems “out of line”.

The most famous bride to visit the Temple Mount on her wedding day was Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotoveli, who got a VIP tour. She described the experience as “immense excitement blended with sorrow and pain. It’s not easy to see children playing soccer on the mount, disrespecting this holy place.”

Source: Yediot Ahronot Print Edition

Ethiopian Aliyah
A proposed law before the Knesset, which is expected to be approved, will facilitate the organized aliyah to Israel of the remaining Jews in Ethiopia. There are currently a little over 9,000 people in special camps set up by Israel and Jewish organizations in Addis Ababa and Gondar who have not been allowed to make aliyah because they do not meet the necessary requirements for proving that they are Jewish. Many of these people have family members in Israel.

The proposed law notes that, “issue of the families awaiting aliyah in Addis Ababa and Gondar is unique: These are people who left their home villages many years ago, and while some of their family members were allowed into Israel, they remained in Addis Ababa and Gondar, and have been maintaining a Jewish lifestyle, with active synagogues, ritual baths, observance of Shabbat and holidays, Hebrew lessons, Jewish studies, and more.”

The people in question are from the Falasha Mura community, who were compelled to convert to Christianity in the 19th century. One of the requirements of the proposed law is that the new immigrants will convert to Judaism in Israel.

Once these 9,000 are brought to Israel, no more Ethiopians will be considered eligible for aliyah.

“And the children will return to their borders” — Jeremiah 31:17

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idf commandos undercover

Israel News for November 12, 2015

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Undercover Raid
Early this morning an IDF unit of about 20, disguised as a group of Palestinians escorting a woman in labor, entered a Palestinian hospital in Hebron to arrest Azam Shalaldah, 20, who was hospitalized in the surgical ward. Shalaldah was wanted for committing a West Bank stabbing attack on October 25 that left one Israeli moderately wounded.

While the force was arresting Shalaldah, his cousin, 27, returned from the bathroom and attacked the soldiers. He was shot several times. Palestinian sources reported that he died. Shalaldah was taken into custody. Shalaldah’s brother, who was also in the room, was tied up but not hurt.

Message to terrorists: you can run, but you can’t hide.

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Terror vs Revenge
Muawiya Alqam, 14, one of the two young boys who committed the stabbing attack on Jerusalem’s light rail on Tuesday, said on Wednesday that he decided to carry out the attack because his cousin had been shot while committing an attack near the Damascus Gate. Alqam’s family denies that he had intent to commit a terror attack.

Whether it was terror or revenge, he admitted to attacking someone with a knife and stabbing him. Guilty. The only question is the punishment, which will depend on the intent.

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Israel vs. EU
In the wake of the European Union’s decision to distinctly label Israeli products made in the West Bank, Israel announced that it will be cancelling several meetings with the EU on various subjects. The Israeli Foreign Ministry also reprimanded the EU ambassador to Israel and conveyed a similar message to senior EU officials at a meeting in EU headquarters in Brussels.
In a word, they’re pissed.

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Rabbis for Temple Mount
Seventy senior rabbis from the religious zionist movement have signed a petition under the headline, “We won’t give up the Temple Mount.” The petition was distributed during the PM’s recent visit to Washington and was seemingly directed at him and President Obama.

The signatories on the petition include rabbinic leaders spanning the wide range of political philosophies within religious zionism. Included in the signatories are R. Shmuel Eliyahu, the Chief Rabbi of Safed, R. Shlomo Riskin, Chief Rabbi of Efrat, R. Chaim Druckman, head of the Bnei Akiva yeshivas, Jerusalem Chief Rabbi Aryeh Stern, Old City Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzahl, Samaria’s Chief Rabbi Elyakim Levanon and former Chief Military Rabbi Avichai Ronsky.

The body of the petition reviews the historical existence of the two Temples on the mount and relevant prophesies speaking of the messianic age. It says, “The two temples of the people of Israel stood on the Temple Mount for some 1,000 years, before the religion of Islam even existed. No one has the authority to give up the Temple Mount. The Israeli government can definitely set the practical arrangements on the Temple Mount today, but they are only temporary.”

The rabbis concluded by saying that the Jewish people continue to pray that the prophecies of the rebuilding of the Temple should happen speedily and in our days. Amen.

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Damascus Bombed
Arab press sources in Syria and Lebanon are reporting that the area around the Damascus International Airport was hit by airstrikes on Wednesday and they’re claiming that Israel is responsible. Israeli officials had no comment. Could it be true? Well, it depends on who was bombed. If it was rebel forces, then it could just as well have been the Russians or maybe even the Americans. But if it was government forces then…hmm.

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Cheaper Hotels
Hotel rates in Israel might be getting a lot cheaper, but you’ll have to wait a few years for it to happen. Israel’s Tourism Minister Yariv Levin announced a new national plan to reduce hotel room prices by 20% in 5 years, at a joint press conference in Jerusalem with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon on Wednesday.

The plan of action is to shorten the hotel construction process by streamlining regulations, which will increase the supply of hotel rooms on the market. The higher the supply, the lower the prices.

Finance Minister Kahlon said, “The plan will lower vacation costs. The financial and real estate benefits of building hotel rooms, and the opportunity to receive more tourists here, are blessings. If the project succeeds, it will make hotel rooms in Israel accessible to the bottom segment of society. Hotel rooms will not be exclusive to the wealthy and to high-earners.”

So hang in there all you low earners and bottom feeders. You might finally get that vacation you’ve been dreaming of — or at least a night in a hotel room.

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Five Bucks
What would someone do for five bucks? More than you’d think. Just go on the Israeli owned website Fiverr, where you’ll find thousands of freelancers from all over the world offering their services for $5 (hence the name). If you think there’s no money to be made from that, think again. The company just announced that they raised $60 million from venture capitalists, which is in addition to the $50 million they previously raised. But your chances of getting that major design project done for $5 might be history. Fiverr is planning to allow freelancers to charge higher prices. That means more money for the freelancers and the company. As for your project…you get what you pay for.

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Blessing in Disguise
The Palestinian terrorist who stabbed three people last Monday in Rishon Lezion inadvertently saved the life of one of his victims. Daniel Cohen, 31, was stabbed multiple times in his upper body and seriously wounded in the attack. When doctors performed emergency surgery on him, they found a deadly tumour in his intestines, which they removed. Cohen said that he felt pains in his intestines for several weeks prior to the incident but didn’t have time to deal with it. “The terror attack saved my life,” he said.

Cohen, father of five and a Kashrut supervisor, was travelling between jobs when he was attacked at the bus stop. Cohen said the assailant attacked him from behind choking him and trying to behead him. He was stabbed multiple times in the stomach, jaw and chest, before he managed to fight the assailant off. The terrorist proceeded to stab two others before being trapped in a shop where police arrested him.

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Israel News for November 2, 2015

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More Terror
On Sunday afternoon a Palestinian driver rammed his car into three Border Police officers near the Palestinian village of Beit Anun near Kiryat Arba, which is near Hebron.

Two male and one female officers, all in their twenties, were injured in the attack. One suffered severe wounds to his head, while the other two were lightly injured.

Soldiers opened fire at the car, but the driver fled the scene. Hours later he turned himself in to the police claiming it was an accident. He was arrested and transferred to Shin Bet custody for interrogation.

Earlier on Sunday, a Palestinian man attempted to stab an IDF soldier during clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians, also near Beit Anun. A Border Police officer shot and killed the assailant. None of the soldiers were wounded.

PA President Abbas has ordered military funerals for all terrorists. He also ordered a financial grant to be given to the families of terrorists, and permitted the waving of the Hamas flag at funerals. So much for trying to restore calm.

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Haredim Go Arabic
On Friday we reported that the Haredi magazine, Mishpacha, published a message in Arabic pleading with Arabs not to murder members of the Haredi community, since they are not permitted to visit the Temple Mount. This message unleashed a storm of protest from everyone with a sense of Jewish unity. Some people tried to defend the magazine by saying that the message didn’t really mean what it said. Well, those folks are gonna have to rethink their apologetics.

The Badatz, which is the ruling council of the Edah Haredit (the Haredi Community), has launched a campaign to get the message across to the Arabs that Haredim don’t visit the Temple Mount and therefore should not be harmed. The campaign is being spearheaded by a group from the Satmar hasidic sect and will include advertisements in the Arabic press in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

There’s nothing ambiguous about this campaign. The message is clear: if you’re going to murder Jews, please make sure they aren’t Haredi. They really are not to blame.

Upshot
Besides the obvious, disgusting and divisive message that the Haredi leadership is sending, do they really believe that Arab terror is based on Jews visiting the Temple Mount? Does anyone believe that Arab terror would stop if Jews stopped visiting the Mount?

The terror didn’t start only after the 1967 Israeli reunification of Jerusalem. The underlying goal of Palestinian terror is to drive the Jews out of the entire land of Israel. That includes Haredim.

The targets of Palestinian terror are Jews, regardless of whether they pray three times a day or go to the beach on Saturday morning. No PR campaign will change that.

The Haredi leadership is still living in an era when the Jews of Israel lived in ghettos and were defenseless and at the mercy of their Arab rulers. Times have changed. Israel no longer begs for Arab mercy. Neither should the Haredim. Doing so divides the Jewish people and weakens it in the eyes of its enemies. Just stop.

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Deri Resigns
Economy minister Aryeh Deri of the Shas party has resigned from the cabinet. Deri was seen as a stumbling block to the approval of a deal to develop Israel’s recently discovered offshore gas resources by private companies.

The deal had been stalled by the anti-trust commissioner who ruled that the government was giving too much power and control to a conglomerate of private energy companies at the expense of the citizens of Israel. Deri, as Economy Minister, had the power to overrule the anti-trust commission but refused to do so. With his departure, PM Netanyahu will take over the Economy Ministry portfolio and will push the deal forward.

Is this a good thing for the people? PM Netanyahu thinks it is. Let’s hope he’s right.

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Shalom Chaver
Saturday night marked the 20 year anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Approximately 100,000 people gathered in Rabin Square, where he was murdered, to commemorate the event and pay tribute to his memory.

In an effort to give the event a non-partisan appeal, no sitting politicians were invited to speak. Former President Bill Clinton addressed the crowd and encouraged them to carry on Rabin’s legacy saying, “He refused to give up his dream of peace in the face of violence.”

In a video message, President Obama called Rabin a leader who “understood the dangers Israel faces, but he also said the Palestinians are not to be ruled over forever by force.”

“Yitzhak speaks to us still,” Obama said. “Let us demonstrate that we oppose violence and extremism of any kind, and let us exhaust every opening for the peace we know is just and possible.”

Shalom Chaver.

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Henkin Memorial
Hundreds of people participated in a service to commemorate the one month anniversary of the murder of Rabbi Eitam and Naama Henkin. The couple was shot to death by Palestinian terrorists while driving with their four children on a highway in the West Bank.

Rabbi Yehuda Henkin, the father of Eitam, presented a new book that his son had just completed on the Laws of Shabbat. Naama’s mother, Hila Armoni, spoke about raising her grandchildren and the challenges of dealing with their feelings of sorrow and loss.

The warmth and solemnity of the evening was disrupted when Rabbi Meir Mazuz, the head of the Yeshiva Kisey Rachamim (seat of mercy) in Bnei Brak, addressed the crowd and said that the murder of the Henkins was Divine punishment for the gay pride parade in Jerusalem earlier this year. He also warned people not to visit the Temple Mount.

It’s unclear where the Rabbi got his insight into the cause and effect of Divine punishment. Maybe he should check back with his sources.

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Tough Girl
Everyone knows Israeli women can be tough. Now it’s been proven in the ring. Israeli kickboxer Nili Block won the World Kickboxing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia on Saturday, after defeating her Croatian opponent in the finals of the women’s under 60kg category.
Do not mess with Nili!

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Israel Events
On Sunday, November 22, the Ma’aleh Adumim Youth Orchestra will perform at Carnegie Hall. The orchestra, part of The George W. Schaeffer Music Conservatory in Ma’aleh Adumim, is composed of musicians who are handpicked from school music programs and invited to continue their musical education, and are taught by the some of the country’s leading artists. The event is organized by the Bnai Zion Foundation. Proceeds from the event will benefit Ma’aleh Adumim.

For more info click here.

Israel News for October 27, 2015

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Gaza Strike
The Israeli Air Force struck Hamas targets in Gaza last night in response to a rocket fired into an empty area of Southern Israel.

In Jerusalem, a third victim of the terror attack on bus #78 in Armon Hateziv died of his wounds. The man was 76 year old Richard Lakin, an educator and writer originally from Massachusetts.

Cameras Removed
In the wake of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s announcement that Jordan and Israel had agreed to install video surveillance cameras on the Temple Mount, Israeli police removed cameras installed by the Waqf, the Muslim religious trust that runs the site. The PM’s office issued a statement defending the move and confirmed that cameras would be installed by professional technicians approved by both Jordan and Israel.

Facebook vs. Hamas
Facebook has taken a stand against incitement to violence by Hamas and shut down numerous Hamas related pages and groups. According to a statement by Hamas, “Facebook has closed, over the past two days, a large number of pages run by and close to the Hamas movement’s media in the occupied West Bank…that played a key large role in supporting the Al-Quds intifada.”

The closures included pages based in Ramallah, Galilee, Nablus, Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Salfit, Tubas and Jenin, as well as the page of Muslim Youth League in the West Bank and some Palestinian university pages. Facebook also froze the accounts of dozens of publishers and administrators who run the pages. Hamas also announced that the page of its official spokesperson, Husam Badran, had been shut down.

Way to go Facebook! There’s no excuse for allowing pages that incite violence against anyone to continue. Let’s hope they keep up the good work.

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Terror and Food
The recent terror wave has affected Israeli stomachs. According to figures just released, supermarket sales dropped by 7% in the first two weeks of October as more Israelis chose to stay home because of the security situation. Online sales increased by 30% in the same period, but the increase didn’t make up for the in-store sales drop.

Retail clothing stores have also been badly hit during the past two months. Jerusalem has taken the worst hit with significant sales drops in the city center, Mamilla and the Malcha Mall. Large malls in Tel Aviv, Petach Tikvah, Ashdod and Beersheba have all seen drops of around 40%.

Once this wave of terror is over, there might be a big surge of spending as Israelis who’ve lost weight by not eating as much are forced to buy new clothing that fits. Let’s hope.

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Yigal Amir
Yigal Amir, the assassin who murdered Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, is serving his life sentence in solitary confinement in the Rimonim Prison. According to the rules of his incarceration, he is permitted to walk in the prison yard and to study, as long as he is accompanied by another prisoner.

The prison authority has approved two prisoners to be allowed the “honor” of serving as Amir’s escorts. One is a convicted rapist and the other is a kidnapper. They’ll be accompanying him for an hour and half on his walk and for a two hour Talmud study session. That’s quite an image.

In a disturbing survey of 480 participants in the National Religious (Zionist) community, 55% believe that Yigal Amir did not kill Rabin while 68% think that his life sentence should be commuted.

This week marks the 20th anniversary of Yitchak Rabin’s assassination.

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Prison Warden Fired
The Israel Prison Service (IPS) fired Colonel Shimon Bibas, the warden of the maximum security Nafha prison after terrorist prisoners were found with cell phones.

Dozens of prisoners managed to smuggle in the cell phones, which they allegedly used to help coordinate terror attacks. The IPS asserted that it is “waging an all-out war” on contraband cell phones, “through technological means, undercover agents,” and other measures.

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The Flag
Knesset member Yoel Hason of the Zionist Union party is calling on the Prime Minister to fire Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely for stating in a recent interview that she believes that the Israeli flag should fly over the Temple Mount. He thinks that saying that in these tense times is wrong and dangerous. She obviously disagrees, but says that her personal opinions do not affect her commitment to carrying out government policy.

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Haredim Demonstrate
The Haredi community is usually viewed as siding with the Right on the political spectrum. But not when it comes to the Temple Mount.

Haredi extremists (it’s all relative) held a demonstration in front of the home of Rabbi Yosef Elboim, a Belzer Hasid, after they discovered photos of him with a group of Jews on the Temple Mount. The photos were in an article by a Reuters correspondent who tweeted the link. Evidently some of the extremists are on Twitter.

The demonstrators called Elboim a “murderer” and held up signs publicizing the prohibitions issued by most Haredi rabbinic leaders prohibiting Jews from visiting the Temple Mount because of the fear that they might enter areas of the mount that are considered too holy to enter according to Jewish law.

Rabbi Elboim will apparently be curbing his Temple Mount visits until further notice.

On a related note, Shas MK Deputy Finance Minister Yitzhak Cohen attacked Deputy Foreign Minister Hotovely and other politicians who openly advocate Israeli sovereignty on the Temple Mount, claiming that they are “fanning the flames” of violence and endangering Jewish lives.

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Israel News for October 21, 2015

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New Terror Attacks
A Palestinian driving a car with Israeli license plates rammed into a police officer at a checkpoint near the settlement of Ofra in the West Bank. The officer was lightly wounded and the assailant fled on foot to the nearby village of Silwad.

Earlier this morning a Palestinian woman approaching the settlement of Yitzhar wielding a knife was shot and wounded by IDF troops.

Two Palestinian terrorists, aged 15 and 17, stabbed an IDF soldier near Beit Hashalom in Hebron last night, lightly wounding him, before a fellow soldier managed to shoot and kill both of the assailants.

Earlier yesterday, a terrorist tried to ram his car into Israelis waiting at a bus stop at the Gush Etzion junction in the West Bank, but was stopped by the concrete blocks placed there for just that purpose. He was, however, able to lightly wound a 20-year-old IDF soldier and a 21-year-old Israeli civilian. The terrorist then left his car with a knife drawn and tried to stab the injured Israelis. Thankfully, an IDF soldier stationed in the area shot and killed him.

Near the Gaza border fence, dozens of Gazans clashed with IDF forces, who fired tear gas and live ammunition. One Palestinian was killed and 14 wounded.

According to a high ranking IDF officer, the man killed was part of a sniper cell that was preparing to fire on IDF forces. The cell was responsible for several recent shootings at Israeli vehicles.

Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv special anti terror police squads are raiding building sites in search of illegal Palestinian workers. The raids are meant to calm the fears of the Israeli public and scare the hell out of Arab workers to dissuade inciters and potential trouble makers. We’ll see how well this strategy works.

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UN in Jerusalem
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon paid a surprise visit to Jerusalem yesterday to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in an attempt to end the wave of violence. In a press conference with PM Netanyahu, Ban said that he deplored the terror attacks against civilians and hoped to find a way to end the violence. Was he referring to attacks against Israeli or Palestinian civilians? Anything is possible at the UN.

The PM told Ban that PA President Abbas “has joined ISIS and Hamas in claiming that Israel threatens the al-Aqsa mosque,” which he said was a blatant lie. He said that Abbas has incited the violence by saying that he, “welcomes every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem” and that he has not condemned a single one of the attacks.

The PM also reiterated that Israel has always protected the holy sites of all religions and is maintaining the “status quo” on the Temple Mount, whereas the Arabs are breaking it by bringing in explosives and preventing Jews and Christians from visiting.

For its part, the executive board of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is set to vote on a resolution proclaiming the Western Wall as part of the Al Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem. The Unesco director general, Irina Bokova, reportedly appealed to the UN agency’s organizing committee to postpone the vote after meeting with Israeli and Palestinian UNESCO envoys. The vote was meant to take place yesterday but was postponed until today. Several countries are attempting to postpone the vote further. But the fact that this resolution is even on the table says it all.

What’s next, the Vatican? No, they probably wouldn’t go that far.

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Silwan Synagogue
Enforcing a ruling by the High Court of Justice, police evicted Arab squatters from the historic Yemenite Great Synagogue in the predominantly Arab neighborhood of Silwan, which is adjacent to the Old City of Jerusalem near the Temple Mount. Silwan is located above the ancient City of David, which is where Jerusalem was in the time of King David. The area now includes an archeological site.

The Yemenite synagogue was built in 1885, three years after 144 Yemenite Jewish families established a village in the area. The Jews were forced to leave in the late 1930’s due to Arab riots and violence. In 2004, Jews began to purchase property in the old Yemenite village from the Arab inhabitants and move back in.

The case to evict the Arab squatters from the legally purchased synagogue lasted for seven years until the High Court’s ruling in February and the final forcible eviction.

The synagogue will be renovated and its main sanctuary will be called Heichal Yonatan, in honor of Jonathan Pollard.

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No Vigilantes
A Tel Aviv judge ordered police to arrest a man who kicked an Arab woman who was subdued and held on the ground by several people who saw her assault a man and thought that she was a terrorist.

A video of the incident taken by a witness shows one man kicking her in the head as she lay on the ground, her hands held behind her back. The woman wasn’t carrying a weapon and was sent for psychiatric evaluation. The judge said, “Even if the accused were a terrorist, it is unacceptable for Israeli citizens to kick in the head persons who pose no threat.”

Police released a statement saying, “We wish to emphasize to the public, required to be more vigilant these days, that when a danger is over and the suspect is disarmed or incapacitated, there is a strict prohibition on using violence — citizens are expected to refrain from taking the law into their hands.”

For further reading click here.

Christian Victim
One of the victims of the stabbing attack on bus #78 last week was a Dutch Christian woman, Marike Veldman. She left her home in Holland 37 years ago to volunteer in Israel, and never left. A few years after settling in Israel she opened a foster home for Arab children in East Jerusalem where, over the years, she raised 20 children.

Recounting the terror attack, Veldman said that she saw two men, “laughing, exchanging maybe a joke or something, and then all of sudden they got up and started screaming ‘Allahu Akbar,’ and then one of them started stabbing me and he stabbed me several times, I yelled ‘Jesus help me!’”

Feldman was moderately wounded in the attack. She says that although she pities the attackers and understands their frustrations, she feels that their actions were pure evil.

Regarding Arabs she said, “Right now I’m afraid of them. I have a lot of Arab friends, but it will take me some time to trust them, and I need to heal.”

Feldman said that we will not leave Israel. “The terror must not control my life.”

For further reading click here.

PM Blunders
Talk about rewriting history. In a speech to the World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem yesterday, PM Netanyahu made a statement that’s caused just about everyone to say WTF. He basically said that it was the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini who, in late 1941, gave Hitler the idea to exterminate the Jews. Before that, Hitler just wanted to expel them.

Granted the Mufti was an evil fellow who absolutely was in favor of wiping out the Jewish people, but have you read Mein Kampf? Hitler’s war against the Jewish people was one of the foundations of his ideology, if not the primary one. Netanyahu must know that. Everyone does. So why did he say what he said?

We’ll probably hear some sort of apology later today. I doubt he’ll try to explain his way out of this one. He better not.

For further reading click here.

terror in israel

Terror Attacks Continue in Israel. Rockets fired from Gaza.

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This morning a terrorist stabbed a border policeman in his flack jacket at the Lion’s Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem. The terrorist was killed. The border policeman was not injured.

Last night a 22 year old Israeli-Arab rammed his car into people waiting at a bus stop and then jumped out his car and proceeded to stab them. The attack occurred near Kibbutz Gan Shmuel north of Hadera. A 19 year old female soldier was seriously wounded, a fifteen year old girl was moderately wounded and two others were lightly wounded. It was the fifteen year old girl’s birthday. The terrorist tried to escape but was apprehended shortly after. Shin Bet identified him as Alaa Raed Ahmad Ziwad of the Israeli-Arab town of Umm al-Fahm. he was originally from near Jenin in the West Bank, but received Israeli citizenship through his father’s family unification.

Israeli Arab Knesset members condemned the attack saying the terrorist was not the norm and that Israeli Arabs support a non violent struggle. “Violence is not our path and it never has been,” said Aiman Uda, chairman of the Joint Arab list. He then blamed Netanyahu and the government for the violence.

Yesterday morning a Palestinian woman detonated an explosive device in her car while being stopped for driving violations at the A-Zaim checkpoint near Ma’aleh Adumim, just outside of Jerusalem. The 45-year-old male police officer who stopped her was lightly wounded as a result of the explosion. The terrorist suffered moderate wounds.

Early Sunday morning the IAF struck Hamas weapons manufacturing sites in Gaza. This was in response to rocket fire from Gaza after two Palestinians were killed in a demonstration near the border fence. The rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome over the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. More rockets were fired late last night from Gaza. There were no injuries or damages caused by any of the rockets. A pregnant woman and her two year old baby died after their house collapsed as a result of the Israeli airstrike.

Yesterday evening there were demonstrations in Israeli-Arab towns across northern Israel. There were also several demonstrations in the West Bank and near the border fence in Gaza. Shots fired from Gaza hit a vehicle near a kibbutz in the Eshkol Regional Council in the afternoon.

For further reading: http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4709573,00.html

terror in israel

Israel News for October 12, 2015

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The Terror Continues
This morning a terrorist stabbed a border policeman in his flack jacket at the Lion’s Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem. The terrorist was killed. The border policeman was not injured.

Last night a 22 year old Israeli-Arab rammed his car into people waiting at a bus stop and then jumped out his car and proceeded to stab them. The attack occurred near Kibbutz Gan Shmuel north of Hadera. A 19 year old female soldier was seriously wounded, a fifteen year old girl was moderately wounded and two others were lightly wounded. It was the fifteen year old girl’s birthday. The terrorist tried to escape but was apprehended shortly after. Shin Bet identified him as Alaa Raed Ahmad Ziwad of the Israeli-Arab town of Umm al-Fahm. he was originally from near Jenin in the West Bank, but received Israeli citizenship through his father’s family unification.

Israeli Arab Knesset members condemned the attack saying the terrorist was not the norm and that Israeli Arabs support a non violent struggle. “Violence is not our path and it never has been,” said Aiman Uda, chairman of the Joint Arab list. He then blamed Netanyahu and the government for the violence.

Yesterday morning a Palestinian woman detonated an explosive device in her car while being stopped for driving violations at the A-Zaim checkpoint near Ma’aleh Adumim, just outside of Jerusalem. The 45-year-old male police officer who stopped her was lightly wounded as a result of the explosion. The terrorist suffered moderate wounds.

Early Sunday morning the IAF struck Hamas weapons manufacturing sites in Gaza. This was in response to rocket fire from Gaza after two Palestinians were killed in a demonstration near the border fence. The rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome over the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. More rockets were fired late last night from Gaza. There were no injuries or damages caused by any of the rockets. A pregnant woman and her two year old baby died after their house collapsed as a result of the Israeli airstrike.

Yesterday evening there were demonstrations in Israeli-Arab towns across northern Israel. There were also several demonstrations in the West Bank and near the border fence in Gaza. Shots fired from Gaza hit a vehicle near a kibbutz in the Eshkol Regional Council in the afternoon.

For further reading: http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4709573,00.html

PM vs. Zoabi
PM Netanyahu has asked Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to open a criminal investigation against Knesset member Haneen Zoabi of the Joint Arab List for incitement to violence.

Background
This isn’t the first time that the Attorney General is investigating Zoabi, the first and only female Arab Israeli Knesset member, because of her anti-Israel statements and actions.

In 2010 Zoabi participated in the Gaza flotilla and was on the ship when Israeli commandos boarded it under attack, killing nine and wounding dozens. In the Knesset Zoabi called the raid a “pirate military operation” and asked for an international investigation. She was stripped of the right to participate in Knesset discussions and to vote in parliamentary committees.

In 2012 she was almost banned from running for election in the 2013 elections for Knesset, but the rulings against her were overturned by the High Court of Justice.

In 2013, five days after the kidnapping of three Israeli teens, Zoabi said, “Is it strange that people living under occupation and living impossible lives, in a situation where Israel kidnaps new prisoners every day, is it strange that they kidnap? They are not terrorists. Even if I do not agree with them, they are people who do not see any way to change their reality, and they are compelled to use means like these.”

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein ordered an investigation of Zoabi on charges of incitement and public disgrace. She was suspended from the Knesset plenum for a duration of six months.

The PM’s current case against Zoabi is based primarily on this statement made by her that was quoted in the Hamas newspaper over the weekend:
“Hundreds of thousands of worshipers must ascend to Al-Aqsa to stand against the Israeli plot to allow the blood of East Jerusalem residents to be spilled,” one of the quotes said. Another quote stated that if “thousands of [our] people turn out, these incidents will turn into a real intifada.”

Upshot
For the sake of democracy, Israel has accepted the presence of Arab Knesset members who seem to act against the best interests of the State. But inciting violence against Israelis is unacceptable. It might also be criminal.

For further reading: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.679817

New Top Cop
The cabinet unanimously approved the appointment of Roni Alsheich as the new Commisioner of Israel’s national police. Alsheich, 52, has been the deputy director of the Shin Bet and will begin his new position as top cop on November 11. Alscheich wears a kippah, is the father of seven and lived for many years on a settlement in the West Bank. Will any of that make a difference in how he carries out his police duties?

For Further reading: http://www.jta.org/2015/10/11/news-opinion/israel-middle-east/shin-bet-no-2-approved-as-head-of-israel-police

Arab Mayor Blasts MKs
Israelis aren’t the only ones upset about the role that Arab Knesset members have been playing in inciting the recent Arab unrest in Israel. The Arab mayor of Nazareth, Ali Salam, is mad as hell.

According to Salam around 20,000 to 30,000 Jews visit Nazareth every weekend, spending approximately 10 million shekels. This past weekend, no Jews came.

Salam directs most of his anger at the Arab MKs. “They staged a parade, and after the parade they left the young people, who started throwing stones and burning things. Yesterday, it was the Hadash Party’s parade. Before that, it was the parade by Shabaab members. Each time, somebody else is responsible for the destruction. We can’t have everyone coming to make a parade in Nazareth. The business owners want to demonstrate against what’s happening.”

“Most of the MKs want to come for the publicity, to be seen and photographed. I’m sick and tired of them. Let them do something for the benefit of the people who voted for them. I asked the MKs to get out of town – to leave us in peace. I told Aiman Udeh, ‘Get out of here. I don’t want you to come to Nazareth. You’ve destroyed my city.’

Salam summed up his feelings like this: “I want to tell all the people who call themselves leaders: we have no other way. The only way is to live together. What I’m afraid of now is another intifada. If that happens, it will be different than anything we’ve been through before. It will be worse.”

For Further reading: http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-nazareth-mayor-the-situation-is-ruining-our-businesses-1001072714

Jordan Says No Tefillin
According a report on Israel radio, a Jordanian security official at the border crossing prohibited a group of religious Israeli tourists from bringing their tefillin into the country.

The Jordanian official said that Jordan did not allow ritual objects into the country for fear of provoking Muslims and endangering the safety of the tourists.

It seems that Israeli travel agents are aware of the regulation but choose not to inform Israeli tourists because enforcement is at the discretion of the border officials and can vary depending on the specific situation.

Upshot
Maybe this isn’t the best time for Israeli tourists to be traveling to an Arab country, with or without tefillin?

For Further reading: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/201725#.VhsH1RNVikp

Henkin murderers arrested

Henkin Murderers Arrested Just Days After Attack

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Five members of a terror cell affiliated with Hamas in Nablus in the West Bank were arrested Monday during a joint operation conducted by the Shin Bet security agency, the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Police.

According to the Shin Bet, each of the Palestinian men arrested had a defined role in the attack. One checked the route, three were in the vehicle used in the attack – a driver and two gunmen, and a cell commander, who was not in the vehicle. Several additional suspects have also been arrested on suspicion of aiding the cell.

During questioning, the cell members said that after they opened fire on the car carrying the Henkins, they left their vehicle, approached the car and fired on the couple at close range.

During the shooting, one of the cell members was accidentally shot by one of his colleagues and dropped his pistol, which was left at the scene and found by Israeli forces. After carrying out the shooting, the terrorists fled toward Nablus.

The cell members also admitted to being involved in two other shooting attacks in recent weeks, neither of which resulted in casualties.

PM Netanyahu issued a statement on Monday saying, “We are acting with a strong hand against terrorism and against inciters. We are operating on all fronts. We have brought an additional four IDF battalions into Judea and Samaria, and thousands of police into Jerusalem. The police are going deeply into the Arab neighborhoods, which has not been done in the past. We will demolish terrorists’ homes. We are allowing our forces to take strong action against those who throw rocks and firebombs. This is necessary in order to safeguard the security of Israeli citizens on the roads and everywhere.”

On a visit to the murder site, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon announced that the government will install a network of security cameras on the roads of Judea and Samaria which he believes will, “significantly change our ability to prevent these sort of attacks and to apprehend the perpetrators.”

On a related topic, Israeli forces destroyed the family homes in Jerusalem of the two terrorists that murdered four Jewish worshippers in a Har Nof Synagogue last year.

Upshot
How amazing is it that Israeli security forces were able to arrest the Henkin’s murderers only two days after their attack? You can’t not be impressed. They’ve undoubtedly also prevented scores of attacks, but with every Israeli civilian a target, it’s simply impossible to prevent them all.

According to Israeli sources, the Shin Bet actually sent in undercover operatives into a Nablus hospital to nab one of the terrorists before he could hide and probably disappear.

For further reading: http://www.jta.org/2015/10/06/news-opinion/israel-middle-east/terror-cell-members-that-killed-israeli-couple-arrested

Watch video of the PM’s statement here – http://news.nana10.co.il/Article/?ArticleID=1151399

abbas and terror

More Terror as Abbas Speaks of Calm

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After weeks of Palestinian violence and terror attacks against Israeli targets, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas finally called for calm yesterday.

Speaking to senior officials of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Ramallah, Abbas said that he has told the Israelis that the Palestinians don’t want “military and security escalations.” He said the message had been delivered to Palestinian security forces and activists but added that, “at the same time, we will protect ourselves.”

Abbas also said he was ready to renew dialogue with Israel.

While it still might be too early to tell if his words will make a difference, they certainly didn’t have any immediate effect.

A Palestinian female stabbed a 36 year old Israeli man in the back near the Lion’s Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem last night. After being stabbed, the man was able to draw his weapon and shoot the terrorist, seriously wounding her. Both were taken to Hadassah Hospital.

An eighteen month old Israeli baby and her mother were injured when stones were thrown at their car near the settlement of Eli in Samaria yesterday.

Meanwhile, in Qalandia, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, demonstrators hurled burning tires, rocks and a firebomb at Israeli forces, injuring one police officer. Security forces opened fire with rubber bullets and small .22-caliber rounds, shooting demonstrators in the legs. Clashes also erupted in the West Bank cities of Bethlehem, Nablus, Ramallah, Jenin and Hebron.

Upshot
The real question is, does Abbas really have the power to stop Palestinian attacks against Israeli targets? If the attackers are “lone wolves” acting independently, then it’s unlikely that anything he says will stop them. If they are motivated by religious fervor, he’s also not the man they’ll be looking to for direction.

However, he does control the Palestinian security forces which probably do have the power and the informants to crack down on likely terror sources and arrest them before they have a chance to act. Let’s see if this most recent statement of “calm” will have the desired effect (at least the effect that Israel desires).

For further reading: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_ISRAEL_PALESTINIANS