A7News: Trump: I have a personal connection to Judaism

Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
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Friday, Sep. 07 '18, כ"ז באלול תשע"ח



HEADLINES:
1. TRUMP: I HAVE A PERSONAL CONNECTION TO JUDAISM
2. LABOR CHIEF: IF I GO DOWN, I'M TAKING THE REST OF YOU WITH ME
3. ABBAS THREATENS TO CUT CONTACT WITH ISRAEL OVER HAMAS DEAL
4. RECORD YEAR FOR TOURISM IN ISRAEL
5. SHOULD TRUMP BE WARY OF SPIES AROUND HIM?
6. PARAGUAYAN PRESIDENT: ISRAEL'S RESPONSE WAS EXAGGERATED
7. 'HEZBOLLAH FORCES THAT INFILTRATE ISRAEL WILL NOT RETURN ALIVE'
8. WHO WRITES THE PRAYER LIST OF RAV CHAIM KANIEVSKY?


1. TRUMP: I HAVE A PERSONAL CONNECTION TO JUDAISM
by Arutz Sheva Staff

President Donald Trump spoke with Jewish leaders in a conference call Thursday, ahead of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur holidays.

During the call, the president highlighted his accomplishments over the past year, including upholding his promise to relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the deportation of Nazi war criminal Jakiw Palij, withdrawing the US from the United Nations Human Rights Council – citing its anti-Israel bias – and pulling out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Trump also noted his administration's decision to withhold funds earmarked for the Palestinian Authority until PA chief Mahmoud Abbas agrees to renew negotiations with Israel.

"I said to some of the past negotiators," Trump said. "'Did you ever do that before? Did you ever use the money angle?' They said, 'No, sir. We thought it would be disrespectful.' I said, 'I don't think it's disrespectful at all. I think it's disrespectful when people don't come to the table.'"

"Each and every one of these is something that his predecessors could have done, but did not. And so we owe him our repeated thanks. We were privileged to receive the President's wishes for a blessed New Year," said Rabbi Yaakov Menken, Managing Director of the Coalition for Jewish Values, one of the organizations invited to participate in the conference call.

Known as the "High Holy Day Conference Call", the tradition started in the Obama administration, and continued on with his successor.

Last year, Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist leaders refused to help organize the conference call, protesting the president's response to the violence in Charlottesville.

Despite the boycott, President Trump held the conference call, including Orthodox leaders.

A spokesperson from the Reform movement's Religious Action Center told the Religion News Service this week that it would boycott this year's conference call as well.

According to a report by Channel 10, President Trump also mentioned his family ties to Judaism through his daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and the couple's children.

"I have a personal connection to Judaism: Ivanka, Jared, and their kids."



2. LABOR CHIEF: IF I GO DOWN, I'M TAKING THE REST OF YOU WITH ME
by David Rosenberg

Tensions are rising within the Zionist Union, as polls show the party continuing to hemorrhage support.

Senior officials within the Labor faction of the Zionist union described the deterioration of support for party chairman Avi Gabbay, who critics say is working to fundamentally alter the Labor party.

Once the largest party in the Knesset, Labor – which ran as the 'Zionist Union' joint list in conjunction with the Hatnua party in 2015 – has failed to win the premiership since Ehud Barak's defeat of Binyamin Netanyahu in 1999.

The Zionist Union managed to win 24 seats three years ago, coming in second to the Likud's 30 mandates.

Since then, however, the party has lost ground in nearly every poll.

In polls taken between last October and November, the Zionist Union averaged 19 seats.

By February, however, that average had fallen to 15, and since July, the Zionist Union has averaged just 12 seats – half of the 24 it won in 2015. The latest Knesset poll shows the party winning just 11 mandates.

The Zionist Union's decline in the polls has left Avi Gabbay, a former Environmental Protection Minister for the Kulanu party in Netanyahu's cabinet, facing growing criticism within his own party.

According to a report Friday morning by Ma'ariv, party members have accused Gabbay of stifling dissent, with some even arguing that Gabbay has intentionally weakened Labor in an effort to dominate a smaller faction after the next election cycle, and bring the party into Prime Minister Netanyahu's next coalition government.

Gabbay, one Labor official - who previously backed the Labor chief - told Ma'ariv, is working to strip the party of its ideology, and turn the faction into a vessel for his own personal political ambitions; accusing him of "Kahlonization" – referring to Finance Minister and Kulanu chief Moshe Kahlon.

"He wants to change the character of the party; he wants to turn it from a democratic party with primaries into the second party of Kahlon, where the party chairman decides everything, like in Yesh Atid or Yisrael Beytenu."

When veteran Labor MKs urged Gabbay to change his leadership style, warning that he was harming the party's electoral prospects and his own political career, Gabbay reportedly lashed out.

"Make no mistake – I think you don't understand – if I go down, I'm taking all of you with me."

Party members who heard Gabbay's comments claimed they were intended as a threat, saying they were reminiscent of a "mobster's warnings, rather than the talk of a party chief."

Another Labor MK and critic of Gabbay argued that the party chief appeared to be intentionally shrinking the faction, hoping to dominate a smaller faction after the next election cycle.

"To some extent, for the process Gabbay is pursuing, it would actually be good for him to have the party plunge in the polls. If the party has just 10 mandates, Gabbay and [Hatnua faction chief Tzipi] Livni, with the agreement they have between themselves," can dominate the list, "with two of the [MKs] chosen by Gabbay, he'll have nearly 50% of the list" under his control.

"He can then take his party to Netanyahu," after the next elections, the Labor MK continued, "and get two or three ministerial positions, and will be able to dominate the remaining MKs in the party."


3. ABBAS THREATENS TO CUT CONTACT WITH ISRAEL OVER HAMAS DEAL
by David Rosenberg

A ceasefire agreement with Hamas could cost Israel its relationship with the Palestinian Authority, PA chief Mahmoud Abbas warned.

According to a report by the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper, senior PA officials said that Abbas has threatened to cut all contact with Israel, should the Jewish state reach a ceasefire agreement with the Hamas terrorist organization.

"Be happy with Hamas," Abbas reportedly said sarcastically.

It is unclear whether the PA chief's threat includes terminating security coordination between the IDF and the PA police force.

The PA leadership has repeatedly criticized the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, which are currently being conducted by proxy through Egypt.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has resisted efforts by the PA to reestablish full control over the coastal enclave. PA leaders have accused Hamas of using its ceasefire talks with Israel to establish itself as an independent power, stripping Ramallah of its prerogative to lead negotiations.

The PA officials quoted by the Al-Hayat report also claimed that Abbas' staunch opposition to a Hamas-Israel ceasefire had thwarted – at least temporarily – the negotiations. The officials claimed that Egypt, which facilitated the indirect talks, is concerned by the internal rift between Hamas and the PA leadership in Ramallah, and has placed the Israel-Hamas negotiations on the backburner, focusing instead on reconciliation between Gaza and Ramallah.


4. RECORD YEAR FOR TOURISM IN ISRAEL
by Gary Willig

Tourism levels rose to record levels over the last year.

Over 4 million tourists arrived in Israel over the last 12 months, of whom 3.9 million stayed at least one night. The figure represents a 20% increase over the previous year. The Hebrew month of Iyar set a new record with 429,300 tourists.

Revenues from tourism increased to NIS 20 billion (about $5.7 billion).

Surprisingly, tourism from Poland rose by 115% over the previous year.

Tourism Minister Yariv Levin stated: "The year was the best Hebrew year for tourism in Israel since the establishment of the State of Israel. The steady increase in the number of tourists arriving in Israel continues with 22 consecutive months of unprecedented numbers of tourists visiting Israel - an all-time high. The tourism industry continues to establish itself as a major growth engine for Israel's economy. We will continue our marketing activities and the steps we are taking to strengthen tourism to Israel and to bring about continued success."


5. SHOULD TRUMP BE WARY OF SPIES AROUND HIM?
by NPR

The New York Times published an anonymous op-ed Wednesday afternoon from a senior official in the Trump administration who claims to be working with others to thwart the president's agenda. Who is behind this?
[קישורים:6:Radio]


6. PARAGUAYAN PRESIDENT: ISRAEL'S RESPONSE WAS EXAGGERATED
by Elad Benari

Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez on Thursday urged Israel to reconsider the closing of its embassy in Asuncion, a move announced by Israel in response to the South American country's decision to move its embassy back to Tel Aviv.

"I regret Israel's decision. The reaction of closing the embassy was a little exaggerated and we urge authorities to reconsider it," Abdo Benitez said at a news conference, according to The Associated Press.

He said Paraguay would "stick to international law and the United Nations' resolution that still considers it a territory in conflict" between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Paraguayan embassy was relocated to Jerusalem in May. With the move, Paraguay followed in the footsteps of the US and Guatemala, which unveiled its new Jerusalem embassy on May 16, two days after the US relocated its embassy to Jerusalem.

But on Wednesday, Paraguayan Foreign Minister Luis Castiglioni announced that the embassy would move back to Tel Aviv, explaining that "Paraguay wants to contribute to an intensification of regional diplomatic efforts to achieve a broad, fair and lasting peace in the Middle East."

Abdo Benitez later explained the decision to move the embassy back to Tel Aviv was meant for Israelis and Palestinian Arabs "to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace."

US Vice President Mike Pence spoke with Abdo Benitez on Wednesday and "strongly encouraged" the Paraguayan leader to follow through with its previous commitment to move the embassy to Jerusalem, the White House said in a statement earlier on Thursday.


7. 'HEZBOLLAH FORCES THAT INFILTRATE ISRAEL WILL NOT RETURN ALIVE'
by Kobi Finkler


A senior officer in the Northern Command today, Thursday, sent a firm message to Hezbollah terrorists, referring to the possibility that a Hezbollah force would try to infiltrate an Israeli community.

The senior officer said that since Hezbollah recognizes its inferiority to the IDF, its men will try to carry out an attack on an Israeli community near the border.

"I believe that they can have excellent achievements in raids," he said. "But if Hezbollah believes that this force will be able to enter, do damage and return to Lebanon - as far as we are concerned that won't happen - it will not be able to return. We will kill them all," he said.

The senior officer added that there had been a tremendous improvement in the quantity and quality of intelligence information available to the IDF about Hezbollah.

"Our intelligence on Hezbollah has grown significantly, and what I know about Hezbollah compared to a few years ago has improved dramatically," he claimed. "It's a difference. Because of intelligence, it will be hard for them to surprise us. It allows the IDF to take risks because it assesses that they will not respond."

"Despite this, we are preparing for the attempt to surprise us on the border with Lebanon," the senior officer revealed. "If Hezbollah drops large forces into the villages and tries to go from there and hurt us, it will also be an opportunity for us to hit them."

Meanwhile, the IDF cleared for publication some of the details of the extensive engineering effort carried out in recent years on the northern border, as part of preparations for possible fighting in the area. The barrier is similar to the barrier being built in the Gaza Strip.

Currently, forces are completing the first section of the barrier, about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) in length. In addition, work to uncover strategic positions is taking place to allow for a more efficient system of lookout, locating, and identifying in the area. The strategic objective of the engineering barrier is to delay Hezbollah and help defend northern residents.

Northern Command reports three points on the route of the barrier at which there is not agreement on the exact location of the border, and negotiations are underway with the Lebanese and UNIFIL on the matter. There is concern in the command that as a result of the escalation in the pace of construction of the barrier, friction and perhaps even a local confrontation with the Lebanese army or Hezbollah will develop.

[video:2046999]


8. WHO WRITES THE PRAYER LIST OF RAV CHAIM KANIEVSKY?
by Sponsored Content

Sar HaTorah Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlita is one of the few people in our generation to truly understand the significance of Rosh Hashanah, and the effects of this day on the coming year. Each day, hundreds of people flock to his door to receive his precious blessing - especially at this most important time of the year.

Rav Chaim thus hears of all the sorrows of Klal Yisroel; widows, orphans, the destitute, the sick all find their way to him, seeking his powerful blessing and knowing that it is particularly effective. Those who have been to the Kanievsky home know that beneath his door is a prominent sign: Kupat Ha'Ir. For all the thousands who ask for his blessing, Rav Chaim devotes tremendous amounts of his precious time to Kupat Ha'ir.

ADD YOUR NAME TO RAV CHAIM'S ROSH HASHANAH PRAYER LIST.

As sunset approaches on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, a seriousness fall over Klal Yisroel. Our futures for this coming year will be determined. Rav Chaim sits in the Lederman shul in Bnei Brak, with deep understanding of the meaning of each word that he utters, truly grasping that the fate of each one of us is in the hands of Hashem. Not a second of this most holy and awesome of days is wasted.

Yet, Rav Chaim does not forget Kupat Ha'ir even on the Yom HaDin. During the daytime he will complete the whole of Sefer Tehillim with utter concentration, and then commence a yearly tradition: Rav Chaim Kanievsky says a special prayer for those who donate to the Rosh Hashanah campaign for Kupat Ha'ir, and even says a special mishberach for those who donate a certain amount.

ADD YOUR NAME TO RAV CHAIM'S ROSH HASHANAH PRAYER LIST.

One of the busiest and most honoured Torah leaders of our generation takes time out of this most precious day of the year, to pray on behalf of those who donate to one specific campaign. Rav Chaim Kanievsky knows just how desperate they are, the people who rely on the funds that Kupat Ha'ir will distribute to them from their Rosh Hashanah campaign. Only Rav Chaim, with his deep insight, knows just how critical this important mitzvah is to secure a sweet year on the Yom HaDin.

If you can't make it to Bnei Brak this year to receive Rav Chaim's brachah personally, make sure that your name is included in his prayer list on the Day of Judgement. Donate to the Kupat Ha'ir Rosh Hashanah campaign, and you will receive the blessing of the Sar HaTorah, on the day that we so desperately need all the prayers and merit that we can get.

ADD YOUR NAME TO RAV CHAIM'S ROSH HASHANAH PRAYER LIST.

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