A7News: US Ambassador: Forced population transfer not a path to peace

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Thursday, Sep. 27 '18, י"ח בתשרי תשע"ט



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HEADLINES:
1. US AMBASSADOR: FORCED POPULATION TRANSFER NOT A PATH TO PEACE
2. 'RABBI' MICHELLE OBAMA
3. NETANYAHU: I GOT EVERYTHING I ASKED FOR FROM TRUMP
4. PRAYERS CONTINUE AT EGALITARIAN KOTEL AREA DESPITE PROTESTS
5. TOULOUSE IMAM PROBED FOR ANTI-SEMITIC SERMON
6. JEWISH DEMOCRATIC GROUP SUES SHELDON ADELSON FOR 'LEGAL SADISM'
7. 'PALESTINIAN STATE - A DISASTER FOR ISRAEL'
8. PROGRAM RECRUITS ISRAELI GIRLS FOR CYBER WARFARE


1. US AMBASSADOR: FORCED POPULATION TRANSFER NOT A PATH TO PEACE
by Yoni Kempinski

[youtube:2047644]

In a special Sukkot interview to be aired tonight on Arutz Sheva, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman related to his government's apparent turnaround on Palestinian state policy.

Speaking from his Jerusalem sukkah, Friedman says President Trump "wants an agreement. I think he's much less concerned about the structure than he is about the agreement."

"He spoke about it several times yesterday, and what he said is really consistent with what he's been saying all along which is: Whatever the parties can agree to, he will support. Reality is, I think, he's seen very little support on either side for a one-state solution, so, I think his observations are correct but ultimately this is about an agreement; it's not about the form of the agreement it's about what the agreement would be."

Asked bluntly whether Judea and Samaria's Jews now have reason to worry for their future, Friedman was non-committal: "I don't want to get into the details of a peace proposal."

Friedman did, however, share his personal conviction in opposition to ethnic cleansing: "I think we're still months away as the President has indicated, but I'll tell you, I've been very clear on this personally, that I don't think it's reasonable to expect any agreement to depend upon forcing people to leave their homes. That applies to Arabs as well as Jews. I think the idea of forced population transfer is not a pathway to peace," Friedman said.

Watch the full interview tonight at 20:00 on Arutz Sheva.


2. 'RABBI' MICHELLE OBAMA
by JTA and Arutz Sheva Staff

Former first lady Michelle Obama played the part of "rabbi" at a wedding ceremony between two Jews in the Chicago area over the weekend.

Obama's involvement in the September 22 wedding of Stephanie Moelis Rivkin and Joel Sircus on the banks of Lake Michigan was first reported by TMZ on Sunday. Rivkin is the daughter of Chicago's deputy mayor, Robert Rivkin, who serves under Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Barack Obama's former chief of staff. Her mother, Cindy Moelis, was appointed by President Obama as Director of the President's Commission on White House Fellowships.

The New York Times announcement of the wedding lists the couple's friend Robert Dresser as the ceremony officiant, the Forward reported. However, the bride's cousin Tina Newman posted a video of the ceremony on Instagram showing Obama officiating.

Reports did not indicate whether the wedding was "Reform" or "Conservative."


3. NETANYAHU: I GOT EVERYTHING I ASKED FOR FROM TRUMP
by Nitzan Keidar

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is very pleased with his meeting Wednesday with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

In a press briefing after the meeting, Netanyahu said, "I heard the United States' unreserved support for Israel, its right to self-defense in general, and also regarding the incident of the downing of the Russian plane in Syria. I made specific requests and got everything I asked for. The president gave explicit instructions regarding Israel's security."

Referring to Trump's support for the establishment of a Palestinian state, Netanyahu said: "We are concerned with essence. The question is, what is a state? What state will it be? Will it be Costa Rica or Iran? As far as I am concerned, as long as I am prime minister, the security control of Israel will be full to the west of the Jordan River."

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He added that he heard during his meeting with Trump from his adviser Jared Kushner that everyone interprets the concept of a "Palestinian state" differently.

He was asked why Israel does not initiate an attempt to renew political negotiations. "It is absurd to think that if the Americans are preparing a plan, we will bypass it. Nevertheless, this does not indicate that we have no contacts with the Palestinians."

Netanyahu was asked to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza. "Two sinkholes have been created: On the one hand, the economic situation in Gaza and in the Palestinian Authority is very difficult because the Americans have stopped their financial aid to UNRWA and other projects. On the other hand, the Palestinian Authority does not transfer the funds and salaries to Gaza. "

"I am not indifferent to the situation and our position is not that there is nothing to be done. We are talking about it both with Abbas and with the Egyptians," declared the prime minister.

A political source in Netanyahu's entourage also responded to reports that President Putin rejected the Prime Minister's request to meet with him following the incident of the downing of the Russian plane. "The issue was raised during the prime minister's conversation with the Russian president, and he did not reject any possibility, but rather left it open. At the moment the atmosphere in Russia is not suitable for such a meeting, but it can be assumed that a meeting with the Russian president will take place soon," he said.


4. PRAYERS CONTINUE AT EGALITARIAN KOTEL AREA DESPITE PROTESTS
by Tzvi Lev

Hundreds of Jews prayed and studied Torah on Thursday at the southern area of the Western Wall allotted for egalitarian prayer on Thursday, drawing angry responses from the Reform and Conservative movements.

Worshippers prayed in the traditional Jewish fashion, with a separation between men and women. Following the prayers, Torah classes were given throughout the day. Thursday was the second straight day that such events occurred, as a large prayer rally was held on Wednesday as well.

The prayers were angrily attacked by the Reform and Conservative movements, who contend that Robinson's Arch should be legally defined as an area reserved strictly for non-Orthodox services.

Writing on thee Facebook page of "Ezrat Yisrael - the egalitarian expansion of the Western Wall," they vehemently attacked the group of religious activists: "Call your bullying as much prayer as you like, but it will not change what really happens," they said.

"Your act is ugly, immoral and not Jewish...The Western Wall outline explicitly defined the custom of the place with the help of Israel as an egalitarian pluralist, without a barrier [between men and women]. However, upon its cancellation, this regulation cannot be enforced. Implementation of the Western Wall layout today! "

The ill-fated Western Wall plan, which would have altered the layout of the Western Wall Plaza and granted tacit recognition of the Reform Movement at the holy site.

The plan was suspended last year, before being officially canceled in January.

In 2000, in response to a series of court rulings, the government opened the southern prayer space, consisting of several temporary platforms near Robinson's Arch, to non-traditional prayer groups, including services led by the Reform and Conservative movements.

The Reform Movement, however, has demanded the southern prayer space be expanded and integrated into the larger Western Wall Plaza – in effect turning the southern prayer area into a third section of the existing Plaza, alongside the men's and women's sections.

In addition, representatives of the Reform and Conservative movements would be granted oversight of the expanded southern section of the Plaza – a move Orthodox opponents of the plan said was tantamount to recognition of the two movements, a violation of Israel's decades-old Status Quo on religion and state.


5. TOULOUSE IMAM PROBED FOR ANTI-SEMITIC SERMON
by JTA

Prosecutors in France opened an investigation for incitement against a senior Muslim cleric from Toulouse who recited anti-Semitic religious passages and predicted Israel's destruction.

On Tuesday, the Toulouse Prosecutor's Office opened a probe for alleged incitement to hate or violence against Mohamed Tatai, the imam of the newly inaugurated Grand Mosque of Toulouse and the leader of an interfaith dialogue group, the Sud Ouest daily reported.

In a sermon delivered on Dec. 15, 2017, Tatai recited a Muslim text, called a Hadith, stating that on Judgment Day, the Muslims will kill the Jews.

In June, the France chapter of the B'nai B'rith group condemned on Twitter the statements by Tatai, who told listeners that The Prophet Mohammed "told us about the final and decisive battle: 'Judgement Day will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews. The Jews will hide behind the stones and the trees, and the stones and the trees will say: Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him – except for the Gharqad tree, which is one of the trees of the Jews.'"

He added that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he was "afraid that Israel would not live longer than 76 years – as is written in the prophecies." He then said that an Israeli journalist, whom he did not name, said the 2016 funeral of Israeli President Shimon Peres was "the funeral of Israel.'"

JTA was not able to verify or locate either of the quotes referenced by Tatai.

Toulouse Prosecutor Dominique Alzeari wrote in a document connected to the investigation that "after verifying the facts connected to the dissemination of the sermon," including with a certified translation of it from Arabic, Alzeari's office opened an investigation for alleged "public verbal provocation to hatred or violence because of [the victim's] origins, ethnicity, nationality, race or religion."

The video of the Arabic-language sermon was posted in December on the YouTube channel of the Grand Mosque of Toulouse. The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) translated the video and posted it on its website.

Tatai is the president of the Circle for Civil Dialogue, a nonprofit claiming its mission is to "facilitate dialogue between citizens on a social-cultural level, educationally and through sports." On Saturday he led the inauguration ceremony of the city's new and largest mosque, a $7.5 million building, where he serves as the most prominent imam.

During the inauguration ceremony, which included the release of white doves, Tatai promised the mosque will serve "to instill the values of peace" and as a "bulwark against extremism."

In a July interview for the La Dépêche du Midi daily, Tatai said the video "takes what I said out of context." He told the daily that during the sermon, he also said that "we must do everything not to arrive" at a Muslim-Jewish war, but the assertion was not recorded in the video.

In 2012, a jihadist killed four Jews — a rabbi and three children — at a Jewish school in Toulouse.


6. JEWISH DEMOCRATIC GROUP SUES SHELDON ADELSON FOR 'LEGAL SADISM'
by JTA, Arutz Sheva Staff

A group that once was the umbrella for Jewish Democrats claims it was brought down by a libel lawsuit filed against it by Sheldon Adelson and is countersuing now that Adelson has lost.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in a federal court in New York by the National Jewish Democratic Council and its former chairman, Marc Stanley, charges the casino magnate with "legal sadism" for pursuing his lawsuit first launched in 2012, despite multiple losses in lower courts, until a federal appeals court threw it out last November.

"It is now beyond cavil that Sheldon Adelson deliberately abused the courts to try — in his words — to bankrupt the National Jewish Democratic Council for having the temerity to criticize him," the lawsuit claimed.

Adelson has already paid legal costs to the defendants after losing his lawsuit.

However, the group seeks damages under a statute in Nevada — where Adelson originally filed his lawsuit — that penalizes frivolous lawsuits. The filing does not name an amount but seeks damages to be determined at trial and punitive damages.

The lawsuit claims Adelson essentially ruined NJDC, driving away donors who were wary about being named in a lawsuit. Its then-director, David Harris, left the organization and politics because of the action. "Today, the NJDC exists only to recover its debt from litigation and pay its bills," it says.

A new group, the Jewish Democratic Council of America, was established last year in its stead.

Adelson had sued the National Jewish Democratic Council in 2012 over an online petition alleging the major Republican donor allowed prostitution at his casino in Macau. The petition included a hyperlink to an Associated Press article carrying allegations against Adelson. Much of the legal argument was over whether attaching a hyperlink is a clear enough signal that the defendants were citing available information.

The hyperlink was embedded in an online petition urging Republicans not to take money from Adelson, who in addition to being a major giver to the Republican Party also funds Jewish, pro-Israel and medical philanthropies.

He also finances Israel's most popular newspaper, Israel Hayom.

A spokesman for Adelson did not respond to a JTA request for comment.

Adelson is a major supporter


7. 'PALESTINIAN STATE - A DISASTER FOR ISRAEL'
by Gary Willig

Education Minister Naftali Bennett praised US President Donald Trump's continued support for Israel, but reiterated his continued opposition to the Two State Solution after Trump stated that he "likes the two-state solution."

"The President of the US is a true friend of Israel," Bennett wrote on Twitter. "However, it is must be emphasized that as long as the Jewish Home Party is part of Israel's Government, there will not be a Palestinian state which would be a disaster for Israel."

Bennett's statement follows the meeting between president Trump and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. During their meeting, Trump expressed his support for "everything Israel is doing as far as their defense is concerned."

"[The Israelis] are aggressive, and they have no choice but to be aggressive. It's a very difficult part of the world. So I just want to let Benjamin and all of the people know that we are with you, we are with Israel 100%."

During a press conference following the meeting, Trump also expressed his support for the Two State Solution.

"I like two-state solution," Trump said. "That's what I think works best."


8. PROGRAM RECRUITS ISRAELI GIRLS FOR CYBER WARFARE
by JTA

Tali Ben Aroya knows what it's like to feel intimidated.

As the founder of an Israeli social network startup, she recalls more than once being the only female in a room full of male business executives.

"I remember myself asking where all the other women were," she said. "I realized then that if I wanted to change things, it's not enough to be an entrepreneur. I also have to help cultivate other women to be entrepreneurs."

Even now, as she pursues a master's degree in computer science at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba, Ben Aroya, 33, is one of only three women in her class of 30.

"The problem is that tech is not being marketed in a way that gets girls interested," Ben Aroya said. "Girls want to do something that contributes to society, like finding a cure for cancer, but they don't realize that technology is the best way to do that. In our society, boys tend to be more competitive. We don't push girls to achieve higher goals."

Ben Aroya is trying to change that.

She is the chief of content development at CyberGirlz, a program that aims to cultivate interest and skills in technology among high school girls with an aptitude for it. About 2,000 girls already participate in the CyberGirlz Club and the CyberGirlz Community, which hosts hack-a-thons, training sessions, meetups and events where the girls get advice and guidance from other female mentors — many of whom have served in elite technology units of the Israeli military.

At the moment, demand for high-tech professionals in Israel outstrips supply by about 15,000 individuals, according to Start-Up Nation Central, a Tel Aviv-based nonprofit that monitors the tech ecosystem. The need for those with specific technical skills like coding, algorithms, encryption and big data is especially pressing.

Given the centrality of the tech sector to Israel's GDP, ensuring that there is a pipeline of capable people available to work in tech has become a national priority. More often than not, that pipeline is the Israeli military – especially the famed intelligence Unit 8200 — where tech-oriented young people get the crucial training and experience they need to become successful tech innovators.

Yet female soldiers comprised just 27 percent of all programmers in the Israel Defense Forces in 2015, the last year for which statistics were available. And only 12 percent of conscripts in the IDF's highly competitive cyber units were women — about the same percentage as women in the high-tech industry in general.

CyberGirlz is ramping up its effort to change that with the September launch of an afterschool club in the central Israeli city of Modiin for a select group of about 60 high school sophomores and juniors. The idea is to prep them for high-skilled technology units of the IDF.

The CyberGirlz Club is jointly financed by Israel's Defense Ministry, the Rashi Foundation and Start-Up Nation Central, which is backed by the hedge fund titan Paul Singer.

"Our aim is to bring the girls to this process already skilled, with the knowledge needed to pass the exams for Unit 8200 and serve in the military as programmers," said Maty Zwaig, Start-Up Nation Central's director of human capital programs. Zwaig herself was a lieutenant colonel in a computer unit within the IDF Intelligence Corps.

The girls will meet once a week for four hours over a two-year period. They'll learn network science, coding and digital frameworks, and be trained in using complex algorithms to track Israel's potential enemies.

Unlike conventional high school computer classes, this curriculum is focused on teaching hacker skills. The girls will practice penetration testing, which simulates cyberattacks to find potential vulnerabilities, do network analysis and learn the programming language Python.




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