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Israel News for October 5, 2016

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Rocket Hits Sderot
A rocket fired from Gaza landed and exploded next to an elementary school in the southern city of Sderot at 10:19 this morning. The kids were at recess and ran to the bomb shelter when the sirens sounded. No injury or damage was directly caused by the rocket, although two people were treated for shock. IDF tanks responded by hitting Hamas targets in Gaza.

For further reading click here.

Talks of Unity
Sources have confirmed that talks to bring the opposition Zionist Union party into the government are in full swing, again. According to a report confirmed by Haaretz, the center-left Zionist Union party will join PM Netanyahu’s Likud-led government in exchange for eight ministerial portfolios, including the highly coveted Foreign Ministry.

Opposition leader Isaac Herzog has vehemently denied the report, calling it “baseless”, and saying that there have been no contacts with Likud over the Rosh Hashanah holiday as the report claimed. Likud also officially denied the report. But sources “in the know” claim that a new government could form within a month when the Knesset returns from its summer recess.

Herzog is reportedly trying to woo Tzipi Livni into the unity government by offering her the Foreign Ministry, while he would become Deputy Prime Minister, chief negotiator and Minister of Regional Development.

Bringing the Zionist Union into the government would free PM Netanyahu from pressure coming from the more extreme right wingers in the government, as well as from the Ultra-Orthodox parties. It would also show the international community that Israel is more willing to negotiate a peace agreement with the Palestinians, which would also help avert any potential Israeli-Palestinian related UN resolution that US President Obama might want to push through before leaving office.

For further reading click here. http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.745698

Defense Contract
Israeli defense electronics company Elbit Systems Ltd. announced today that its US subsidiary Elbit Systems of America LLC has received a $7.3 million contract to supply the Bradley Fighting Vehicle Gunner’s Hand Station to the US Army. The Defense Logistics Agency sole-source contract will be performed during a two-year period with work being completed in Fort Worth, Texas.

For further reading click here.

Nature Break
A good number of Israelis decided to say their prayers on the second day of Rosh Hashana out in nature. According to the Nature and Parks Authority (NPA) around 100,000 citizens visited the country’s nature reserves and national parks yesterday. Kite flying was particularly popular, as 2,000 people participated in NPA organized kite flying activities in various locations. Over 50,000 people visited the Kinneret, with around 16,000 filling the lake’s 15 beaches.

For further reading click here.

Fast Day
According to Jewish tradition, today is the Fast of Gedaliah, on which we refrain from eating and drinking from dawn until sunset and we try to engage in repentance and spiritual pursuits. The reason for the fast has nothing to do with helping you shed the pounds you put on from all that Rosh Hashana feasting. It has a historical basis.

After the Babylonians destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem in 423 BCE and exiled tens of thousands of Jews, they appointed Gedaliah ben Achikam as governor of the remaining Jews in Israel, of which there were a significant number. Jews who had taken refuge in surrounding lands herd of his appointment and returned to Israel. While they were still under Babylonian control, the Jews were still able to enjoy a good degree of autonomy under their Jewish governor and government.

But of course, not all Jews were satisfied. Extremists viewed Gedaliah as a collaborator with the Babylonians and as an illegitimate leader. Ishmael ben Netaniah, the leader of the “opposition”, brought a group of ten men to ostensibly celebrate the Rosh Hashana holiday with Gedaliah, but assassinated the governor instead. His men also killed the governors Babylonian military contingent. Fearing lethal retribution, most of the remaining Jews in Israel fled to Egypt, extinguishing the last vestige of Jewish autonomy in Israel until the return of the exiles nearly 70 years later.

While on the grand scale of Jewish suffering throughout history the murder of Gedaliah seems almost insignificant, the fact that our Sages instituted a fast day to commemorate the event teaches us an important lesson about Jewish unity and what can happen when we fight amongst ourselves. It’s a lesson that we need to internalize now more than ever.

Israel News for June 2, 2016

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Peace Summit
The long awaited French sponsored peace summit kicked off in Paris today with representatives from 30 countries, the UN and the Arab League. Of course neither Israel nor the Palestinians were invited. Makes sense, right?

Meanwhile the PM is heading to Moscow on Monday to meet with Russian President Putin, in commemoration of 25 years since the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The PM has also been reaching out to China, India and Japan.

For further reading click here.

Unity Back
Sources in the government have revealed that negotiations to bring the Zionist Union party into the coalition have begun again. The main road block to the party’s entrance is co-party leader Tzipi Livni, the former foreign and justice minister. Sources close to the Prime Minister are working on convincing Livini to change her position. Party leader Isaac Herzog has previously indicting his willingness to join the coalition under certain conditions.

If the negotiations succeed, the main loser will likely be the Bayit Yehudi party. Netanyahu has consistently been at odds with party leader Naftali Bennett, and the party’s three cabinet seats could be needed as bargaining chips to be given to the Zionist Union. Bennet has indicated that he might pull out of the government if the Zionist Union is allowed to join.

For further reading click here.

Weapons Theft
A bag full of sophisticated hitech equipment was stolen from an IDF reserve unit training in the western Negev. The thief pulled up in an All Terrain Vehicle while the soldiers were unloading their equipment and waited until they had their backs turned before swiping the bag and taking off, in broad daylight. The soldiers gave chase but could not catch the thief. IDF regulations prohibit soldiers from implementing standard rules of engagement against thieves.

Apparently, thefts like this happen on a daily basis in the Negev. The weapons are usually smuggled into Egypt. Neither the IDF nor the police has figured out an effective way to deal with the thefts.

For further reading click here.

Gay Pride Parade
The annual Tel Aviv Gay Pride parade is making its way through the streets of the city today. There are an estimated 50,000 people participating in the march and around 200,000 expected to take part in parade related events. The parade will culminate in a huge beach party.

For further reading click here. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4811482,00.html

Celebrate Israel
The annual Celebrate Israel Parade will be marching down Fifth Avenue in NYC this Sunday. The parade will feature over 30,000 marchers and hundreds of thousands of spectators. There will also be an Israel related concert in Central Park after the parade. Show your support by attending.

For more information about the parade click here.

This Sunday is also Yom Yerushalayim, celebrating the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. We’ve got a lot to celebrate and be thankful for!

yom hazikaron 2016

Israel News for May 11, 2016

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Officer Wounded
An IDF officer was wounded by an explosive device when he attempted to investigate a suspicious object at the West Bank checkpoint of Hizme, north of Jerusalem. After the blast, five other explosive were found at the scene and safely detonated. The IDF is investigating the possibility the explosive was detonated remotely with a mobile phone.

For further reading click here.

Hunt Continues
The manhunt continues for the two terrorists who stabbed two elderly women in Jerusalem yesterday. The police arrested two Arab youths, but released them after determining that they were not involved in the attack. The two terror victims are currently hospitalized in stable condition.

For further reading click here.

Unity Government
The Prime Minister is hard at work trying to form a unity government by including the opposition Zionist Union party, which holds 24 Knesset seats and is led by Isaac Herzog.

Sources close to the PM say Herzog has been offered at least nine ministries and an unspecified number of Knesset Committee chairmanships and deputy ministries in return for bringing his party into the government.

Currently the government’s coalition holds a narrow majority of 61 out of the 120 member Knesset. Eight of those 61 are held by Bayit Yehudi, the religious nationalist right-wing party led by Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who has threatened to pull out of the government if the Zionist Union is given too much power. Bennett has specifically mentioned the Justice Ministry, headed by Bayit Yehudi’s Ayelet Shaked, as a deal-breaker that would compel him to leave the government.

Sources within the Zionist Union say that party leaders, other than Herzog, are not keen about joining the government unless major policy changes are implemented, which doesn’t seem likely to happen. If a unity government were formed, Herzog would most likely become Foreign Minister, a post currently held by the PM, and be in charge of negotiations with the Palestinians and the “peace process”.

It’s also possible for Herzog to join a unity government with only a portion of his faction’s Knesset seats. Ten or more seats would work for the Likud headed government.

For now, the talking continues.

For further reading click here.

Yom Hazikaron
Today is Yom Hazikaron, the day of remembrance for Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror. The day was marked by a two minute nationwide siren and moments of silence at 11am, in memory of the 23,477 men and women who have fallen in defense of Israel since 1860.

Those who died in the service of the country include IDF soldiers, members of the Shin Bet security service, the Mossad, the Israel Police, the Prisons Service and those who died while serving in the pre-state underground militias and the Jewish Brigade in the British Army. Included in the count are 535 women.

To read more about Israel’s female fallen warriors, click here.

During Yom Hazikaron, cafes and places of entertainment are closed and radio and television programming features sad songs. The names of all fallen are read over the course of the day on special television and radio programs. At sunset the day transitions into Yom Haatzmaut, Israel Independence Day, with a ceremony at the national military cemetery on Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, where the national flag is returned to full staff.

Speaking at the Western Wall Yom Hazikaron ceremony, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot stressed the importance of unity, saying that soldiers and officers “leave what separates them and the differences between them behind, and are ready to give their lives for the people and the land and for their comrades.”

May Israel be blessed with peace and unity in the merit of those who gave their lives to ensure its survival.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for May 3, 2016

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Terror Roundup
An 18 year old Arab terrorist stabbed a 60 year old Jewish man leaving a yeshiva in the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City last night. The man suffered wounds to his upper body but was able to run to a police post near the Lion’s Gate. The terrorist was captured.

The military court in Judea and Samaria has convicted a Palestinian of murdering Dafna Meir, who was stabbed in her Otniel home in January. The terrorist, who was a minor at the time, confessed to the murder.

IDF forces destroyed the home of the terrorist Zir Ziad Jamal Amar, who took part in murdering Eitam and Na’ama Henkin last October. The home of the other terrorist has already been destroyed.

For further reading click here.

PM Term Limit
The Zionist Union opposition party recently submitted a bill in the Knesset that calls for imposing a two term limit for the office of Prime Minister. The bill is to be called up for discussion and voting in the upcoming Knesset summer session.

PM Netanyahu, who is currently serving his third term and will most likely continue into a fourth, is obviously against the bill and feels that it is directed at him personally. But sources in his own Likud party are saying that many party members are in favor of the term limits. The only Likud member who has openly endorsed the bill is MK Oren Hazan, who is considered a controversial figure in the party who routinely misses votes and was recently ordered to pay thousands of shekels worth of parking fines by a Tel Aviv court. He then pleaded with the court, claiming that he is broke. Oh well.

Even if the bill passes in its current form, Netanyahu will be allowed to serve six terms. Nevertheless, he is committed to defeating it. Democracy in action.

For further reading click here.

Bennett Threat
Yesterday we told you about the possibility of a unity government with the Zionist Union and that members of the party would probably be offered cabinet positions in the new government. Yesterday, Education Minister and head of the Bayit Yehudi party Naftali Bennett warned that his party would leave the government if the Justice Ministry was given to the Zionist Union.

Bennett was quote as saying, “If they take the justice portfolio away, we’re out. We see the justice portfolio as a significant issue that parallels changing the government guidelines, and not just a job. It’s not a personal issue. If they take justice away from us, we won’t sit in the coalition.”

Who said a unity government was going to be easy?

For further reading click here.

Rabbinic Court
Yesterday we reported that Israel’s Supreme Court ordered the Supreme Rabbinical Court to shutdown until seven permanent judges are appointed. Yesterday, the appointment committee succeeded in appointing one judge, Rabbi Eliezer Igra, who identifies with the National Religious movement. In other words, he is not haredi.

Although Igra was previously appointed as a temporary judge by Sephardic Chief Rabbi and head of the court R. Yitzhak Yosef, Rabbi Yosef opposed his current appointment to the permanent position. As the committee currently has a non haredi majority, it was able to push through the appointment, but only with the help of Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau, who voted for R.Igra. The committee suggested a number of additional candidates, which were all rejected.

Igra, the rabbi of Moshav Kfar Maimon in the Negev, ran for the office of Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi three years ago.

Don’t get your hopes up for a quick resolution to this issue. According to the Supreme Court ruling, the committee must appoint seven judges by Thursday in order for the rabbinical court to reopen. One down, six to go.

For further reading click here.

Gaza Crossing
Israel has announced that it will reopen the Erez crossing, which connects Gaza and Israel, to commercial traffic. There is currently only one crossing point, the Shalom crossing, into Gaza for trucks. The Erez crossing has been closed to commercial traffic since 2000. The reopening is meant to reduce the traffic at the Shalom crossing, which is currently at around 600 trucks per day. Whether it also means that Israel will allow more banned goods into Gaza, including building materials and cement, which is what the Gaza’s claim that they need for an economic recovery, is yet to be seen.

Stopping the use of those materials for tunnel construction would probably be a good start in convincing Israel to lift the ban.

For further reading click here.

Survivor Aid
In the lead up to Holocaust Remembrance Day (this Thursday), Finance Minister Moshe Kahalon has announced plans to increase annual financial support for Holocaust survivors and elderly welfare recipients by a half-billion shekels. The new plans will benefit 60,000 survivors living below the poverty line and will add NIS350 million earmarked for elderly welfare recipients.

The median age of Holocaust survivors in Israel is 82. One of the major problems in getting them the funds that they deserve is that many of them are simply unaware of the benefits they are entitled to and therefore do not collect them. An organization called Aviv for Holocaust Survivors has been established to keep survivors informed about changes that effect their benefits and to help them collect what they are entitled to.

For further reading click here.

New Photos
The Israeli Government Press Office has released hundreds of thousands of photos taken since the founding of the state and posted them on its website for all to view. Additional photographers contributed to the collection as well, some of which took pictures from before the founding of the state.

To give you an idea of the uniqueness of this amazing historical resource, you can find rare pictures of men and women praying together at the Western Wall in 1910; a rare photo of the Mosque of Omar on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem from 1920; and a picture of 13-year-old Shimon Peres before he immigrated to Israel.

To see the site for yourself, click here.

Israel News for August 14, 2015

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New IDF Strategy
IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot yesterday published the new “IDF strategy” document, which maps out the various threats against the state of Israel and the IDF’s methods of confronting them. Part of the document was, for the first time ever, made public.

The document outlines necessary changes the IDF needs to make in light of future challenges and the changing face of the enemy. The changes include improving the effectiveness of ground force maneuvers, broadening the capacity of forces to mount military operations in non-wartime situations, improving cyber warfare capabilities, and generally preserving the IDF’s intelligence, aerial and naval superiority.

Eizenkot explained that the new document aims to prepare the IDF’s forces in the coming years to defend Israel in all scenarios, including simultaneous operations on several battlefronts and complex cyber warfare. “The IDF will prevail in every mission and challenge, and will achieve its goal – to defend and to win.” [source]

Upshot
The document recognizes that times are changing and that the IDF must change with them. These changes will likely result in a smaller IDF that is more focused on successfully fulfilling its mission to defend Israel.

New UN Ambassador
PM Netanyahu has announced that he will appoint Danny Danon, currently the Minister of Science, Technology and Space, as Ambassador to the UN. Danon, a Likud member, is considered to be a staunch right-winger who is opposed to any two state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state. He has also been one of the most outspoken critics of US President Obama’s Middle East policies and has forged relationships with Republican Party conservatives. The opposition party Zionist Union called Danon’s appointment “another nail in the coffin of Israel’s foreign relations.” [source]

Opposition to Conversion Court
Hundreds of rabbis, including the two Chief Rabbis of Israel, gathered at the headquarters of the Rabbinate in Jerusalem yesterday to inaugurate a new organization (Noam) meant to strengthen and protect the power of the Chief Rabbinate.

Background
The impetus for Noam was the establishment of an independent conversion court by a group of prominent religious zionist rabbis who believe that the Chief Rabbinate is preventing the conversions of hundreds of thousands of Israelis who are considered non-Jewish according to Jewish law (Halacha).

Out of the 1 million immigrants that came to Israel from the former Soviet Union over the last 20 years, at least a third do not have Jewish mothers. They do have Jewish fathers or spouses, or at least one Jewish grandparent, and are fully integrated into Israeli society. In practice they are part of the Jewish people and the overwhelming majority want to make it official.

The problem is that most of them aren’t fully religiously observant which, according to the strict position of the Chief Rabbinate, invalidates them from converting. The founders of the independent court claim that since:
1) they have Jewish roots and are already fully part of the Jewish people in the land of Israel
and
2) if they aren’t converted they pose a grave danger of assimilation to the existing Jewish population
they can be treated leniently and converted within the bounds of Halacha.

The Chief Rabbinate and the majority of prominent rabbinic leaders from the religious zionist and the charedi camps disagree.

Upshot
Since all legal marriages in Israel must be registered by the Rabbinate, it has ultimate control in preventing “non-sanctioned” converts from marrying, at least in the eyes of Israeli law. That could lead the “break-away” rabbis to form their own marriage registration system, which would represent a complete and likely irreparable break from the Rabbinate.

Hebrew for Arab Kids
Education Minister Naftali Bennet has implemented a new elementary school curriculum which requires Hebrew language studies in Arab schools to begin in kindergarten. Until now required Hebrew language studies have begun in third grade. More hours of Hebrew language study will also be added to grades 3 to 12. Bennet claims that greater fluency in Hebrew will give Arabs greater economic and social opportunities. The changes will take effect in the coming school year and cost the government 30 million shekels. If Bennet is right, it will be money well spent. [source]

Army Radio
Ofir Akunis, the cabinet minister (Likud) in charge of the Israeli Broadcast Authority, told the Al-Monitor website that he believes public broadcasting should be balanced and that the opinions of those on the Right should get equal exposure with those on the Left. Except on Army Radio. “There I wouldn’t want balance,” he said. “There I would expect to see absolute support for the Israeli position and the position of the Israel Defense Forces. Army Radio is the station of the Israeli public and the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, and I don’t think it should provide broad coverage of the Palestinian position, for instance, or the position of illegal infiltrators.”

When asked whether this is “muzzling freedom of speech” he replied, “Just the opposite. We’re allowing people to speak. But when it comes to Army Radio, which is funded by the Ministry of Defense, the station’s purpose is to be a station for soldiers.” Sounds reasonable enough.

Stand by Your Man
In a taped phone conversation with the Chief Rabbi of Safed (R. Shmuel Eliyahu), the wife of Ezra Sheinberg, the Safed rabbi accused of molesting and raping 13 women, told him that she was aware that her husband had slept with at least two women. She claimed that he told her that he slept with the women as part of his “healing treatments”, and that it was all part of his blessing to them. She accepted his explanation. Enough said.

Never too Late
Semion Simkin, a 91-year-old Israeli Holocaust survivor won the world championship for senior runners in Lyon, France on Monday. He ran 10 kilometers in 1 hour and 20 minutes. He beat out his only competitor in the race for men between the ages of 90 and 95, a 93 year old Argentinian, by just over 21 minutes. The day before the 10k race, Simkin won the silver medal in the 5 kilometers race, with a time of 39 minutes and 47 seconds, merely five seconds behind the winner, the Portuguese Jose Canelo, 90.
Not too shabby for a man in his 90’s. Can you run a 10k? [source]