A7News: Shaked: Zilber won't represent government

Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday



Thursday, Nov. 15 '18, ז' בכסלו תשע"ט



In the wake of some unfortunate news in Bet El Institutions, please assist today:
https://betelinstitutions.com/savealife/



HEADLINES:
1. SHAKED: ZILBER WON'T REPRESENT GOVERNMENT
2. FALLING ROCK KILLS ISRAELI CYCLIST ON BOLIVIA'S DEATH ROAD
3. PICTURES FROM SCENE OF BEIT SHEMESH TRAGEDY
4. BDS ACTIVIST GOES ON RACIST RANT ON AIR INDIA FLIGHT
5. GREENBLATT: NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE
6. ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION
7. MOSHE LION ELECTED AS MAYOR OF JERUSALEM
8. JEWISH HOME: DEFENSE PORTFOLIO - OR ELECTIONS


1. SHAKED: ZILBER WON'T REPRESENT GOVERNMENT
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked reiterated that Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber will not be allowed to represent the government despite Attorney General Avichai Mandeblit saying the opposite.

Mandeblit had reprimanded Zilber on Thursday for a partisan political speech she gave at the Knesset earlier this month. As part of the reprimand, Mandeblit maintained that Zilber will represent the government at his discretion.

"Deputy Attorney General Dina Silber acted with a lack of authority in her political statements last week in the Knesset Committee. According to the Knesset Basic Law, the authority to elect representatives of government ministries on Knesset committees is given to the minister in charge," said Shaked.

"I will not allow her appearance in Knesset committees in the next session."

Zilber had raised eyebrows when she blasted theCultural Loyalty Law promoted by Culture Minister Miri Regev. Speaking at a Knesset committee earlier this month, Zilber alleged that there is "a wounding social discourse. If someone can be loyal, can someone else be a traitor? A Fifth column?"

Following her speech, Shaked announced that Zilber "has finished representing my position, the position of my office, or the position of the government in the government, one of its committees, or one of the Knesset committees".



2. FALLING ROCK KILLS ISRAELI CYCLIST ON BOLIVIA'S DEATH ROAD
by Marcus M. Gilban - JTA

An Israeli woman died after a falling rock hit her during a bicycle tour along a dangerous area dubbed "death road" in the mountains of Bolivia.

The 22-year-old woman reportedly died after a 440-pound falling rock crushed her leg along the Yungas Road, Israeli media reported.

She was evacuated in critical condition on a makeshift stretcher that her Israeli friends concocted in the field after the rescue helicopter they called via a satellite phone was unable to approach due to extreme weather conditions. However, she eventually succumbed to her wounds on the way to the hospital.

Dubbed "El Camino de la Muerte" by locals, or the Death Road, the Yungas Road is considered by many to be the most dangerous stretch of road in the world. The 40-mile journey from its summit entices in excess of 25,000 mountain bike riders annually.

Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has notified the family in Israel. Bolivian and Israeli authorities are working together to handle the return of the body to the Jewish state, reported local media.

The backpacker was a recently released soldier who was on her post-army trip to South America. She was hiking with friends and two local guides. The hikers traversed a mountain some 5,400 meters above sea level, when the boulder, some six feet in diameter, fell off the mountain and struck her. She suffered an open fracture.

Bolivia's Death Road is a popular tourist destination for Israelis and other visitors to the country. Since 1999, at least 10 Israelis have died in accidents there.

Last year, Bolivia's President Evo Morales called Chile the "Israel of South America" in condemning the expulsion of nine Bolivian officials detained after being accused of smuggling, theft and illegal possession of weapons.

"Chile is the Israel of South America: It imposes political walls, invisible and mental; Gives civil death to our 9 compatriots," Morales wrote in his Twitter account.

Morales was one of Israel's fiercest critics during the Gaza war in 2014, when Bolivia declared Israel a "terrorist state." The country also canceled a 30-year-old agreement enabling Israelis to visit Bolivia without visas.

Bolivia is home to some 500 Jews, most of whom live in La Paz. There are also smaller communities in Cochabamba and Santa Cruz de la Sierra.


3. PICTURES FROM SCENE OF BEIT SHEMESH TRAGEDY
by Eliran Aharon

An Arutz Sheva correspondent documented the scene of the fire disaster in Beit Shemesh. 19 people were injured in the fire, including two children hospitalized in critical condition.

[album:open:10724]

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254772


4. BDS ACTIVIST GOES ON RACIST RANT ON AIR INDIA FLIGHT
by JTA

A British activist promoting boycotts against Israel was filmed threatening similar action against Air India unless flight attendants serve her wine on a flight that ended with her arrest.

Simone O'Broin, 50, went on a tirade aboard an Air India flight from Mumbai to London Heathrow on Saturday, the Mail Online reported Wednesday.

O'Broin, who appeared inebriated and who used to work as a head researcher for the anti-Israel Badil organization as late as 2011, was filmed by fellow passengers telling flight attendants that she is a "leader of the f***ing boycott movement," clapping in the air in front of a crew member. She added: "If I say boycott f***ing Air India, done. Do you understand me? You can't give me a wee bottle of wine?"

Earlier in her rant, O'Broin, who once co-authored a research paper with former UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk on the situation in the Palestinian Authority, said: "Do you treat business class passengers like that? Who are international criminal lawyers for the Palestinian people?"

Then her profanity-laced fulminations appeared to take a racist turn, when she told the Indian flight crew:

"I work for all you f***ing people… 'The f***ing Rohingyas, the f***ing people of all Asia, for you, I'm an international criminal lawyer. Don't get any money for it by the way. But you won't give me a f***ing glass of wine, is that correct?"

She then called a female crew member "Indian f***ing money grabbing bastard," shouting that she will "turn you inside f***ing out, you f***ing stupid c***s."

London Metropolitan Police said that O'Broin was taken into custody at Heathrow Airport upon landing.

"She was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated public disorder, common assault, and drunk and disorderly and taken to a west London police station," a police spokesperson told the newspaper. She was subsequently released under investigation, the spokesperson said.


5. GREENBLATT: NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE
by Arutz Sheva Staff

US special envoy for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt published an article this morning in Israel Hayom entitled "Now is the time to make peace and achieve prosperity in the Middle East."

Greenblatt opened the article by asserting, "The fact that various countries in the Middle East have overlapping interests has still not been internalized. These interests, such as the need to restrain Iran's negative activities, confront extremism and terrorism, and the challenges associated with water and transportation, create opportunities for cooperation for a more stable and prosperous region."

However, he said, "One significant obstacle that stands in the way of maximizing the potential in the region in all these areas is the absence of formal and open relations between Israel and its neighbors."

Greenblatt said that the hostility between the countries actually prevents Israel's neighbors from using Israeli innovation, as do many countries around the world, while noting the recent changes that have taken place with respect to the issue.

Among other things, Greenblatt mentioned the statement by Oman's foreign minister that "Israel is a state that is present in this region. We all understand this, we know this; the world is also aware of this fact. But despite that, Israel is not being treated by the other countries as it is treating the other countries. Maybe it is time for Israel to be treated the same and it should also bear the same obligations as other countries. Why? Those are really facts." Greenblatt also noted the reports that Bahrain's King Hamad Bin Isa al-Khalifa recently allowed ministers and other officials in the kingdom to meet with senior Israeli officials, and the fact that the king also expressed his opposition to a boycott of Israel several times.

"Officials from Arab countries are no longer afraid to be seen with Israeli officials. The ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates and Israel were not uncomfortable when they were seated around the same table in Washington. Egyptian President Al-Sisi recently praised Egypt's leadership as the first Arab country to establish diplomatic relations with Israel," Greenblatt wrote.

In light of these things, Greenblatt stated at the end of the article, "It is time to work together for the stability and prosperity of the region. There are real threats and real challenges facing all the countries in the region. The Palestinians face the same threats and can also benefit from these efforts. Through cooperative efforts, Israel and its neighbors will finally be able to strive to realize the potential they deserve. Adhering to the old rules - the three 'no's and the anti-normalization policies of the PLO and the Palestinian Authority - will hurt everyone: Israelis and Palestinians, as well as the region around them. Such old-fashioned approaches have proved ineffective and almost certainly harm everyone, and only make peace between Israelis and Palestinians more remote. The time has come for change, and it warms the heart to see that Arab leaders are showing the courage required to achieve it."


6. ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION
by David Rosenberg

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254717

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman announced Wednesday afternoon that he would resign his position in the Netanyahu government, and that he will call for new elections.

"I'm here to announce my resignation as Defense Minister for the State of Israel," Liberman told reporters at a press conference.

"The question is why now. As far as I'm concerned, what happened yesterday, the ceasefire yesterday, with the negotiations with Hamas, amounts to a capitulation to terrorism. There's no other way to describe it. It has no other meaning, it is simply a capitulation to terror."

Liberman cited a number of areas of disagreement between himself and Prime Minister Netanyahu, which he said culminated in Wednesday's decision.

"It is no secret that over the past few months, there have been disagreements between myself and the Prime Minister. For instance, my opposition to the [decision] to permit fuel from Qatar to be allowed into the Gaza Strip. I did not want to permit Qatari fuel in [to Gaza]. I thought that this is a mistake. Only after the Prime Minister made a formal written order was I forced to allow Qatari fuel into the Strip."

Israel recently okayed the transfer of fuel purchased by Qatar into the Gaza Strip, and allowed the transfers to continue even as Hamas forces launched rockets into southern Israel.

The Qatari fuel transfers have allowed the sole power plant in the Hamas-controlled enclave to provide electricity to residents, despite the Palestinian Authority's refusal to pay for power transfers from Israel to the Strip. The PA has demanded Hamas restore the Strip to full PA control.

Liberman also cited the recent coalition decision, pushed by Netanyahu, to delay implementation of a Supreme Court order to demolish the illegal Bedouin encampment of Khan al-Ahmar east of Jerusalem.

"The same thing happened with the evacuation of Khan al-Ahmar. With the takeover by a Bedouin tribe of a strategic area between Maale Adumim and the Dead Sea on Highway 1, I thought it was imperative that we evacuate it. Sadly, in this case as well, the Prime Minister issued a direct order and blocked the evacuation."

Speaking at a Yisrael Beytenu faction meeting Wednesday just before the press conference, Liberman told party members that he would soon tender his resignation from the Likud-led government and call for early elections.

The revelation comes less than a day after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal brokered by the Egyptian government.

Liberman opposed the deal, challenging claims by the Prime Minister's Office that the decision to adopt the ceasefire had been unanimous.

"The reports of Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman's supposed support for the ceasefire in Gaza are 'fake news'," his office claimed.

"The Defense Minister's position is unchanged and remains the same."

Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) also challenged the PMO's claims of a unanimous decision in favor of the ceasefire.

While a senior coalition official warned Wednesday morning that Liberman's departure would likely spell the end of the government and force new elections within a matter of months, leaders of the Jewish Home party say the coalition can be maintained into 2019. The party has also pushed for Bennett to replace Liberman as Defense Minister.

Elections are currently scheduled to be held in November of 2019.

Early elections could be called, however, if the coalition loses the minimum 61-seat majority. The government currently includes 66 MKs, but will decline to a razor-thin majority of 61 if Yisrael Beytenu leaves.

Tuesday's ceasefire agreement comes after two days of rocket attacks on southern Israel, as well as IDF retaliatory strikes on Hamas and Islamic Jihad positions across the Gaza Strip.

Some 500 rockets and mortar shells were launched from the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave towards Israel since Sunday night, following an incident in the southern Gaza Strip between an elite IDF special forces unit and a cell of Hamas terrorists. One person was killed and nearly 60 more injured in the rocket attacks.

One IDF officer was killed in the incident, and a second officer wounded. Seven Hamas terrorists, including a senior officer in Hamas' military wing, were also killed in the battle.


7. MOSHE LION ELECTED AS MAYOR OF JERUSALEM
by Uzi Baruch

Moshe Lion is the next mayor of Jerusalem, after winning 51.5 percent of the votes in Tuesday's runoff. His rival Ofer Berkovitch has so far won 48.5 percent of the vote.

Initially, Berkovitch led by as much as nine percent over Lion, but after the majority of the ballots were counted the gap narrowed and Lion led by about 6,000 votes.

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri congratulated Lion on Tuesday night, saying, "I just now congratulated my friend Moshe Lion, the elected mayor of Jerusalem."

Polls in more than 50 local councils in which a runoff was held in the local elections closed at 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday and the vote counting began.

In Gush Etzion, incumbent council head Shlomo Ne'eman and former deputy council head Moshe Seville went head-to-head in the runoff. After a partial count of votes, Ne'eman is ahead with about 56 percent of the votes, while Seville won about 44 percent of the vote.

In Ramat Gan, former MK Carmel Shama Hacohen defeated incumbent mayor Yisrael Singer. In Bat Yam, Likud candidate Zvika Brot defeated Yossi Bachar.

The overall voter turnout in the runoff was about 40 percent.

Throughout the day, as in the first round of voting, the Israel Police conducted special operational preparations in 54 polling stations throughout the country, with thousands of police officers, volunteers and Border Police officers taking part.

Police reported that during the day, order was maintained at polling stations throughout the country, and no unusual incidents were recorded that required the police's handling and intervention.


8. JEWISH HOME: DEFENSE PORTFOLIO - OR ELECTIONS
by Hezki Baruch

The Jewish Home faction held a meeting this evening, Wednesday, during which it decided unanimously to demand the Defense Portfolio in order "to change security policy and bring initiative and deterrence back to Israel."

The decision comes in the wake of Avigdor Liberman's announcement earlier on Wednesday that he is resigning from the position of defense minister.

In a statement, the faction said that "A government without deterrence is not a right-wing government."

"Without taking responsibility over the national mission of changing the security situation together with the prime minister, there is no point in the continued existence of the government."

The faction said that it had "authorized the party chairman [Naftali Bennett] to make every decision on the matter."

The Prime Minister has so far not met with Bennett over the continued existence of the coalition in its present form. However, he did meet with heads of the UTJ faction, Deputy Minister Yaakov Litzman and MK Moshe Gafni, and Chairman of Kulanu, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon.

The prime minister told the three that, at this time, he is not interested in having early elections, but weighed different possibilities with them for holding elections in March or May.




------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/