A7News: Aviv Kochavi appointed 22nd IDF Chief of Staff

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Sunday, Nov. 25 '18, י"ז בכסלו תשע"ט



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HEADLINES:
1. AVIV KOCHAVI APPOINTED 22ND IDF CHIEF OF STAFF
2. BENNETT ON BBC: WE WON'T CREATE ANOTHER PALESTINIAN STATE
3. ISRAEL MILITARY INDUSTRIES PRIVATIZATION DEAL FINALIZED
4. WHEN BDS GROUPS LIE TO THEMSELVES
5. WATCH: EL AL INCIDENT VIDEO ALTERED, MALIGNING HAREDIM
6. WATCH: ENTIRE WAREHOUSE COLLAPSES IN DOMINO EFFECT
7. BEVERLY HILLS BOYCOTTS AIRBNB
8. WILL BARAK, LIVNI, AND YA'ALON UNITE?


1. AVIV KOCHAVI APPOINTED 22ND IDF CHIEF OF STAFF
by Mordechai Sones

The Israeli government today approved the appointment of Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi to be the IDF's 22nd Chief of Staff.

Current Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot will be relieved on December 31, and Kochavi is expected to enter the Chief of Staff's 14th floor office at HaKirya in Tel Aviv.

Over the weekend, Prime Minister and Defense Minister Binyamin Netanyahu approved the appointment of Major General Eyal Zamir as Deputy Chief of Staff in place of Kochavi.

Kochavi served in the past as Northern Region Commander, Military Intelligence head, head of the Operations Division, the core division of the IDF Operations Branch, Gaza Division Commander, Fire Brigade Commander, and Paratroopers Brigade Commander.

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked welcomed the appointment: "I congratulate the next Chief of Staff, Major General Aviv Kochavi. Kochavi is an unwavering fighter, a commander with values who is worthy of the position of Chief of Staff during this sensitive period. I also congratulate his wife, Yael, a senior attorney in the State Prosecutor's Office, who over the years has done great things there. I wish Maj. Gen. Kochavi great success in the job."

Gaza Division Commander Eyal Zamir
Flash 90



2. BENNETT ON BBC: WE WON'T CREATE ANOTHER PALESTINIAN STATE
by Arutz Sheva Staff

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/255224


3. ISRAEL MILITARY INDUSTRIES PRIVATIZATION DEAL FINALIZED
by Arutz Sheva Staff

An agreement to privatize IMI Systems (Israel Military Industries) was signed Sunday in Jerusalem.

IMI manufactures weapons, munitions, and develops military technology for Israel's security forces. Under the agreement, shares in IMI Systems will be transferred to Elbit Systems.

The signing ceremony was attended by the Accountant General of the Ministry of Finance, Rony Hizkiyahu, the Head of the Government Companies Authority Yanki Koint, the Director General of the Ministry of Defense Udi Adam, the Head of the Israel Land Authority Adiel Shimron, the controlling shareholder of Elbit Systems Michael Federman and the CEO of Elbit Systems.

The decision to privatize IMI was made by the government in 2013. At the end of a competitive process for the sale of the company managed by the Government Companies Authority in 2015, Elbit remained as the top contender. In June 2017, the Committee for the Sale of State Shares authorized Accountant General Rony Hizkiyahu to negotiate with Elbit on the terms of the sale.

As part of the negotiations, the Accountant General reached an agreement with Elbit, which was approved by the committee, according to which the company would be sold for NIS 1.8 billion ($482 million), of which NIS 1.4 billion ($375 million) would be paid on the closing date and the balance in two installments in 2020 and 2022. An additional NIS 100 million ($27 million) is dependent on results.

The agreements anchor the evacuation of Ramat Hasharon and the Tirat Hacarmel area in a way that will enable the development of tens of thousands of housing units in areas in high demand and the establishment of factories in the Ramat Beka area in the Negev that will promote employment and development. In addition, the agreements protect the competition between the Israeli defense industries and the Ministry of Defense as a central customer of IMI Systems products.

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon said: "The privatization of IMI will contribute to Israel's economy in several ways: upgrading the defense industries, improving the competitiveness of defense exports, creating independence for society and ending dependence on Israel's defense industry. The creation of thousands of jobs in the Negev and the Galilee, and the evacuation of land for construction for young couples in areas of demand, have [motivated us] to reach the moment of signing, and the State of Israel and all citizens of Israel will benefit from this process in the coming years."

Accountant General Roni Hizkiyahu noted: "The successful completion of the sale of IMI Systems has many advantages, primarily: protecting the interests of the Ministry of Defense, strengthening the healthy competition between the defense industries and contributing greatly to the future of IMI and its employees. I would like to thank the Director General of the Ministry of Defense, the Director of the Israel Land Authority and the employees of the Ministry of Finance and the Attorney General for the close cooperation that resulted in an excellent result for the Israeli economy and its security."


4. WHEN BDS GROUPS LIE TO THEMSELVES
by Mordechai Sones


What happens when BDS groups have no achievements? They make them up. Students from the Palestinian Solidarity Group (PSG) at Leeds University in Britain published a demand on the university to divest from companies with financial ties to Israel including Airbus, United Technologies, and the Kenes Group.

Later, the group announced the university responded that it had divested from those companies. PSG quickly announced the 'victory' on their Facebook page. Other BDS websites joined in announcing the victory including the Electronic Intifada, Middle East Monitor, War on Want, Middle East Eye, and others who joyfully reported on the "achievement".

However, the university later issued its own press release where it explained it had divested from these companies several months prior due to the 'climate change strategy' that it had implemented to divest from companies they are convinced harm the environment.

The university later reiterated in another press release that it has no policy of boycotting companies connected to Israel and that it has no intentions of adopting such a policy.

The PSG failed to update its statement based on the university's comments.

Attorney Nati Rom, Founder of the 'Lev HaOlam' Organization, which fights against the global boycott of Israel and Judea and Samaria, said, "BDS groups did what they know best: spread fake news. They entangled themselves in their own lies, just like they do with the lies they spread against Israel every day."

Attorney Rom regularly participates in conferences around the world where he confronts the lies of the BDS and tells the 'true story' to citizens abroad. He explains, "The BDS has no foundations on which to stand other than anti-Semitism, hatred of the Jewish people, and hatred of the Jewish State. Therefore, they base their entire narrative on lies, spreading misinformation, and condemning Israel through lies and incitement. I am happy that this time they were blatantly exposed, and I hope that in the future more and more people will recognize that all the information spread by these groups against Israel is part of one gigantic lie."


5. WATCH: EL AL INCIDENT VIDEO ALTERED, MALIGNING HAREDIM
by Mordechai Sones

Channel 10 edited the video of haredi passengers singing joyfully on last week's delayed flight, replacing the soundtrack with one of a hostile confrontation.

Channel 10 later apologized and attributed it to a "technical problem".

Original video:
Altered video:
Many in the haredi community have been calling to boycott El Al following a flap last Shabbat between the carrier and its observant passengers.

Last Thursday, hundreds of passengers waited at New York City's JFK airport for El Al Flight LY002, a direct service flight from New York to Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport.

The flight had been scheduled to depart at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, but was delayed after several crew members were late in arriving at the airport – reportedly due to snow storms.

During the flight, however, the captain informed passengers that the plane would be stopping in Athens to drop off any passengers who wished to ensure that they did not violate the Sabbath, while secular passengers would continue on to Israel, arriving after the beginning of the Jewish holy day.

Initial reports after the plane landed claimed that religious passengers had "rioted" on the flight after it became clear the plane would not arrive in Israel before the beginning of the Sabbath. News of the alleged violence by religious passengers went viral on social media outlets.

But passengers denied the claims, saying that at no time did any of the roughly 180 religious passengers on board the flight ever use violence or attack the flight crew, and pushed back against allegations haredi passengers had attempted to break into the cockpit.

It was discovered that the rioting incident never happened, and that responsibility for the aggravation was that of El Al alone. There was no physical violence. El Al decided to land in Athens and told passengers they would arrive before Shabbat when the delay was due to the fact that their air crew was a few hours late for the flight.

Athens International Airport
iStock


6. WATCH: ENTIRE WAREHOUSE COLLAPSES IN DOMINO EFFECT
by Matanel Roth

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/255219

Online shopping in the modern era has created the need for huge warehouses that can quickly deliver goods to buyers.

A viral video that has been circulating over the past few days reveals the fragility of the giant warehouses. The video, recorded on the security cameras a year ago but only recently distributed on the Internet, shows how a small bump to a shelf can lead to the collapse of the entire warehouse.

In the video, the forklift driver moves along the giant shelves and in one moment of inattention lightly hits the shelf on his right. A moment later, a huge collapse of all the shelves of the same column begins, burying him under all the crates. However, the domino effect does not stop and in less than a minute the entire warehouse collapses in what appears to be the end of the forklift driver's employment in the warehouse.

Since the video took place about a year ago, there is no information about the location of the storeroom and the fate of the wretched driver, and apparently no warehouse has jumped to admit that it is the subject of the video.

It is clear from the video that the warehouse worker is the cause of the collapse, but it seems to us that even those planning a warehouse that can collapse after such a light blow should share part of the blame.


7. BEVERLY HILLS BOYCOTTS AIRBNB
by Arutz Sheva Staff

The Beverly Hills, California city council unanimously passed a resolution condemning Airbnb's decision to remove its list of apartments and holiday units in Judea and Samaria "settlements" from its website.

"We find the actions of Airbnb deplorable. On behalf of our residents, this unanimous resolution reflects the City Council's ongoing commitment to Israel and to exposing hatred anywhere it exists," Beverly Hills Mayor Julian Gold said in a statement released by the city.

"Airbnb is not welcome in Beverly Hills as long as its policies are based on anti-Jewish double standards," added Vice Mayor John Mirisch. "Jew hatred is a disease. We can try to inoculate others against this malady but we also must protect ourselves against its effects."

The resolution passed by the council declares:

"Whereas the City of Beverly Hills is an international tourist destination with visitors from all over the world; Whereas Airbnb is a widely used accommodations service with significant influence worldwide; Whereas Airbnb's decision to remove all listings in Jewish settlements in the West Bank demonstrates hatred, prejudice, ignorance and hypocrisy; Whereas Airbnb's actions are antithetical to the values that we hold dear in Beverly Hills; [...] Whereas prejudice and discrimination based on religion have no place in our community, country and world;

"[Therefore], the City of Beverly Hills hereby opposes Airbnb's discriminatory decision to remove all listings in Jewish settlements in the West Bank; The City of Beverly Hills hereby calls upon Airbnb to correct this act of disrespect to the land of Israel and restore its original services immediately; In the event that Airbnb does not stop, we call upon all civilized people across the globe to boycott Airbnb until such time as they desist from these despicable anti-Semitic actions."


8. WILL BARAK, LIVNI, AND YA'ALON UNITE?
by Tzvi Lev

A new report says that former Prime Minister Ehud Barak is coordinating a merger of the center-left bloc in an attempt to bring the Left back into power.

According to Channel 10, Barak met with opposition leader MK Tzipi Livni and former Defense Minister Moshe 'Bogie' Yaalon at his home last week in Tel Aviv. Livni met with Barak in the morning while Yaalon arrived separately in the afternoon.

The report appears to suggest that Barak is attempting to form a party with Livni and Ya'alon in order to consolidate support among the center-left. Ya'alon had left the Likud after a falling out with Prime Minister Netanyahu and is considering his options after polls show that his party wouldn't pass the electoral threshold.

Barak had retired from political life in 2013 but has been rumored to be planning his return ever since. In 2017, reports said that Barak and Zionist Union leader Avi Gabbay had been in talks to lay the groundwork for Barak to be given a "safe" seat on the party's Knesset list without having to run in the primaries.

Barak has continuously blasted Netanyahu and his government, even though he once split the Labor party and formed the short-lived Independence party so he could continue to serve as Netanyahu's Defense Minister.

Among other things, the former prime minister accused the government of leading towards a reality of one state with an Arab majority.

Israel's shortest-serving Prime Minister, Barak defeated Binyamin Netanyahu during his first term in May 1999, but was removed from office in a landslide election less than two years later in February 2001. During his term, he ordered the IDF retreat from the Lebanese buffer security zone it had held for 15 years, paving the way for Hezbollah takeover and, in the words of experts, providing a "tipping point" for jihadist groups across the Middle East who saw the withdrawal as a sign of weakness..

After his 2001 defeat, Barak retired from politics, but returned in 2007, winning back control of the Labor party. He was appointed as Defense Minister by Ehud Olmert later that year, a position he held until the 2013 election.




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