A7News: It's final: Israel goes to elections

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Friday, Nov. 16 '18, ח' בכסלו תשע"ט



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HEADLINES:
1. IT'S FINAL: ISRAEL GOES TO ELECTIONS
2. SHAKED: BENNETT WILL BRING BACK ISRAEL'S DETERRENCE
3. LIKUD CONTINUES SLIDE IN NEW POLL
4. DON'T LIVE IN ILLUSIONS: ANTISEMITISM IS ALIVE AND WELL
5. US TO VOTE 'NO' ON ANTI-ISRAEL UN RESOLUTION
6. EL AL FLIGHT DIVERTED TO EUROPE AFTER SHABBAT SCARE
7. ELECTIONS LIKELY AFTER KAHLON VETOES BENNETT AS DEFENSE MINISTER
8. WHAT HAPPENED WHEN US TEACHER LOST $2,000 ON TEL AVIV TRAIN?


1. IT'S FINAL: ISRAEL GOES TO ELECTIONS
by Tzvi Lev

Israel's coalition is likely over after Prime Minister Netanyahu told Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett that he will not appoint him as defense minister.

Kulanu head Moshe Kahlon had told Netanyahu that he would prefer to have a snap election and opposed Bennett becoming defense minister.

The coalition heads will meet on Sunday to agree on a date for new elections. Some potential dates are March 12, March 5, or February 26.


2. SHAKED: BENNETT WILL BRING BACK ISRAEL'S DETERRENCE
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked on Friday discussed developments in the coalition and reiterated the Jewish Home's demand that Naftali Bennett be appointed defense minister.

At a meeting with the commercial and industrial club in Tel Aviv, Shaked said that "We have a week to decide whether to go to elections or the government will fill its days until November 2019".

"In view of the crisis of security trust, it is essential to appoint Naftali Bennett as defense minister in order to restore deterrence to Israel. Israel can go back to winning. It is not right to leave the situation in the south as it is."

Shaked emphasized that "if we decide that we are going to elections, we must do so within three months, no more than that, in order to prevent harm to the economy, security and to reduce the amount of toxic public discourse".

On Thursday, Bennett said at an Education Ministry conference that he demanded to succeed Avigdor Liberman as the defense minister in order to restore Israel's deterrence vis a vis Hamas.

"Without taking responsibility for security and without dramatic change, Israel's deterrence will continue to erode, Hamas will continue not to be afraid of us. As defense minister, I intend to bring innovation, creativity and a spirit of fighting, to break a decades-long mental state," contended Bennett. "I am willing to take responsibility."



3. LIKUD CONTINUES SLIDE IN NEW POLL
by Tzvi Lev

The Likud continued its slide in the polls following Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman's resignation this past week, with a new survey finding that it would drop to 25 seats in the next elections.

According to the poll, which was commissioned by the Makor Rishon newspaper, Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid faction would get 15 seats, while the Zionist Union would drop to only 9 seats, almost a third less than the 24 it currently has.

The Israel-Arab Joint List and and a potential party headed by former IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz are both tied at 12 seats, while the Jewish Home would get 11 seats, three more than the eight it currently has.

Outgoing Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman appears to be enjoying a slight bump since his resignation, as his Yisrael Beytenu rose slightly from previous polls to seven seats. A future party by MK Orly Levi-Abekasis, Meretz, and Shas are tied at six seats while the haredi United Torah Judaism would get five Knesset seats in the next elections.

The Likud has slid in the polls ever since Liberman resigned over a cease fire that he said was "a capitulation to terrorism". A recent poll by the "Midgam" institute published pn Wednesday evening on Channel 2 revealed that if elections were held today, Likud would get weaker and receive 29 Knesset seats

According to the poll, Yesh Atid would get 18 seats, the Joint List 12, the Zionist Union 11 and the Jewish Home 11 seats.

The results show that Kulanu would get 8 seats, Yisrael Beytenu 7, United Torah Judaism also 7, Shas 6, Meretz 6, and Orly Levy Abekasis' party 5 seats.


4. DON'T LIVE IN ILLUSIONS: ANTISEMITISM IS ALIVE AND WELL
by Jay Shapiro

Jay Shapiro claims that the severe massacre in Pittsburgh did not happen simply. According to him, there is a tendency to ignore the increasing anti-Semitism throughout the United States.

He also notes that people have forgotten the numerous antisemitic attacks in the United States particularly in the twentieth century.

[audio:2049799]

[קישורים:6:Radio]


5. US TO VOTE 'NO' ON ANTI-ISRAEL UN RESOLUTION
by Elad Benari

The US announced on Thursday that it plans to vote "no" on an annual resolution at the UN condemning Israel's alleged "occupation" of the Golan Heights.

The annual resolution, entitled "The Occupied Syrian Golan", is scheduled for a vote on Friday, November 16.

In the past, the US had abstained in the vote, but in a statement, the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, explained why this year the American delegation would vote against the resolution.

"In previous years, the United States has abstained from voting on this resolution. However, given the resolution's anti-Israel bias, as well as the militarization of the Syrian Golan border, and a worsening humanitarian crisis, this year the United States has decided to vote no on the resolution," she said.

"The United States will no longer abstain when the United Nations engages in its useless annual vote on the Golan Heights. If this resolution ever made sense, it surely does not today. The resolution is plainly biased against Israel," continued Haley.

"Further, the atrocities the Syrian regime continues to commit prove its lack of fitness to govern anyone. The destructive influence of the Iranian regime inside Syria presents major threats to international security. ISIS and other terrorist groups remain in Syria. And this resolution does nothing to bring any parties closer to a peace agreement. The United States will vote no," she concluded.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, welcomed the American move to vote against the UN resolution that condemns Israel's presence in the Golan Heights.

"The change in the American voting pattern is another testament to the strong cooperation between the two countries. I thank Ambassador Haley for her continued steadfastness with Israel and the truth. It is time for the world to distinguish between those who stabilize the region and those who sow terror," he said in a statement.

Israel liberated the Golan Height from Syria in June of 1967, and the region was placed under Israeli law in 1981 by the government of Prime Minister Menachem Begin.

The world does not recognize the Israeli move and considers the Golan Heights "occupied territory".

Haley's announcement is another indication of the change in attitude towards Israel that she has led since becoming US ambassador to the UN.

Haley, who announced last month that she will step down from her role by the end of 2018, has been an outspoken critic of the UN's corruption and anti-Israel bias.

Shortly after taking office, she urged the UN Security Council to devote less attention to the Arab-Israeli conflict and make Iran's "incredibly destructive" activities a priority in the Middle East.

Speaking at the AIPAC policy conference last year, the American ambassador said "there's a new sheriff in town" and vowed that "the days of Israel bashing [at the UN] are over".


6. EL AL FLIGHT DIVERTED TO EUROPE AFTER SHABBAT SCARE
by Tzvi Lev

Two EL AL planes that took off late Friday from JFK airport in New York will land in Rome and Athens instead of Ben Gurion Airport, in order to prevent religious and haredi travelers from arriving late to Israel and thus desecrating Shabbat.

Flight LY008 will land at 15:00 in Rome. Flight LY002 will land at 14:45 in Athens.

The planes took off late from New York due to stormy weather. El Al will take care of alternative flights to Israel for all passengers, except those who prefer to stay in Athens or Rome on Shabbat so as not to violate Shabbat, and will be treated by company representatives. EL AL will place planes that will return them to Israel at the end of the Sabbath.

El Al said in a statement that "extreme weather in New York is causing cancellations and delays in hundreds of flights, including El Al flights that left Israel last night. Due to the delays and delays, El Al does not fly on Saturday, the company is forced to land Flight 002 in Athens and Flight 008 in Rome."

"EL AL will take care of alternative flights to Israel for all passengers. In addition, passengers who prefer to stay in Athens or Rome on Shabbat will be treated by representatives of the company and do not worry about returning them to Israel at the end of Shabbat. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers."

El Al has had a thorny relationship with the issue of Shabbat observance in the past. In 1982, then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin forbade El Al from flying on Shabbat due to its status as the official airline of Israel. The decision was controversial, yet Begin refused to budge, saying in the Knesset that "Shabbat is one of the loftiest values in all of humanity".

In 2006, haredi Jews boycotted El Al after it allowed several flights to take off on Shabbat to clear a backlog in Miami. After the airline refused to promise that it wouldn't happen again, haredi leader Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv called on Jews to cancel their flights with El Al even if the move meant suffering an economic loss. Hundreds canceled their flights and a month-long boycott commenced, costing El Al an estimated NIS 1 million a day.

El Al eventually apologized and obligated itself not to fly on Shabbat or Jewish holidays, and haredi leaders removed the boycott.


7. ELECTIONS LIKELY AFTER KAHLON VETOES BENNETT AS DEFENSE MINISTER
by Tzvi Lev

Kulanu party leader Moshe Kahlon told Prime Minister Netanyahu that he will not accept Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett serving as defense minister, following the resignation of current defense minister, Avigdor Liberman.

On Wednesday, Bennett issued an ultimatum to the Prime Minister, saying his Jewish Home faction will quit the coalition if he is not appointed defense minister. If Bennett's ultimatum holds, Kahlon's veto likely signals that early elections are on the way.

"Bennett doesn't have it coming to get the Defense Ministry portfolio. I'm opposed to it," Kahlon told Netanyahu.

Bennett told confidants in response that he will not accept any other portfolio. "I will not agree to compromises. Not the Foreign Ministry or anything else - only defense," he said.

Bennett currently serves as Education Minister and Minister for Diaspora Affairs.

The coalition's future appears shaky after both Kiulanu Chairman Moshe Kahlon and Shas head Aryeh Deri called for new elections on Thursday.

Jewish Home officials said Wednesday that despite warnings that Liberman's resignation would likely spell the end of the current government and the 20th Knesset, a narrow coalition could be kept in place into 2019.

The Netanyahu government currently holds a 66-seat majority in the 120 member Knesset. With Yisrael Beytenu's departure, that majority has now been reduced to just 61 seats.

On Thursday, Bennett said at an Education Ministry conference that he demanded to succeed Avigdor Liberman as the defense minister in order to restore Israel's deterrence vis a vis Hamas.

"Without taking responsibility for security and without dramatic change, Israel's deterrence will continue to erode, Hamas will continue not to be afraid of us. As defense minister, I intend to bring innovation, creativity and a spirit of fighting, to break a decades-long mental state," contended Bennett. "I am willing to take responsibility."


8. WHAT HAPPENED WHEN US TEACHER LOST $2,000 ON TEL AVIV TRAIN?
by Reut Hadar

Employees of Israel Railways made an unusual discovery Thursday afternoon on a train in a Tel Aviv rail station.

While employees of Israel's national train company frequently discover and return lost items including cellular phones, hand bags and backpacks, clothes, and even cash, Thursday's discovery drew the attention of station officials. A wallet containing two thousand US dollars in cash were found on one of the trains – lost by a passenger heading towards Ben Gurion International Airport.

On Thursday afternoon, Sarah, an American English teacher who had been teaching Israeli children as part of a volunteer program, filed a missing item report at the Haganah train station in Tel Aviv.

Sarah explained that she was returning to the US and was in a rush to catch her flight back home.

In her haste, however, Sarah had lost her wallet, which contained $2,000 in cash she had received from the volunteer program she had worked for.

The station's shift manager, Oz Yehezkel, promised that the station workers would do their best to locate her wallet and return it to a friend. Yehezkel also made sure Sarah caught a train to the airport, ensuring that she got to her flight on time.

After taking Sarah's contact information, Yehekzel notified employees regarding the lost item report. Shortly thereafter, workers located the wallet and brought it to the office, as Yehekzel notified Sarah's friend, who later picked up the wallet.

"I was really surprised when the station team called me up and told me that they found the money," the friend said.

"We've been in Israel for three months already, and everyone here has made us feel so at home. I'd like to thank Oz and the rest of the team at the station for their efforts to find the money."




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