A7News: Coalition leaders vote to dissolve Knesset, go to elections

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Monday, Dec. 24 '18, ט"ז בטבת תשע"ט



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HEADLINES:
1. COALITION LEADERS VOTE TO DISSOLVE KNESSET, GO TO ELECTIONS
2. POPULAR WEBSITE SELLING HITLER 'SMILEY FACE' T-SHIRTS
3. ISRAEL CRACKS DOWN ON ILLEGAL PALESTINIAN GAS STATIONS
4. FATHER OF WOUNDED SOLDIER: THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS
5. TRUMP: TURKEY'S ERDOGAN IS THE MAN FOR THE JOB IN SYRIA
6. 'ERDOGAN IS AN ANTI-SEMITIC DICTATOR OBSESSED WITH ISRAEL'
7. REPORT: HONDURAS PREPARED TO MOVE EMBASSY - FOR A PRICE
8. 'TERRORISM WILL NEVER DEFEAT US'


1. COALITION LEADERS VOTE TO DISSOLVE KNESSET, GO TO ELECTIONS
by David Rosenberg

Coalition leaders voted unanimously Monday afternoon to dissolve the Knesset and go to early elections this coming spring, a Likud spokesperson said.

During a meeting Monday afternoon in the Prime Minister's Office, leaders of the coalition's five factions agreed that the current narrow government is untenable, and that the 20th Knesset must be dissolved early and new elections held.

The faction leaders voted unanimously for early elections, which will be held on April 9th, 2019.

"In the name of budgetary and national responsibility, party leaders in the coalition agreed unanimously to dissolve the Knesset and go to new elections at the beginning of April, following a full four-year term," the spokesperson announced.

The elections for the 21st Knesset will be held just over four years after the previous vote, which was held on March 17th, 2015.

Prior to the coalition's decision Monday, the next Knesset election had been scheduled for November 5th, 2019.

The decision was reached after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu convened party leaders from his narrow ruling coalition in a last-ditch effort to chart a path forward for a crucial haredi draft bill, aimed at preserving draft deferments for full-time yeshiva students, while imposing financial sanctions on yeshivas which fail to meet enlistment quotas.

The bill, sometimes referred to as the Haredi Draft Law, would largely retain open-ended draft deferments, while pressuring the haredi sector to increase the number of haredi enlistees.

The Yisrael Beytenu and Yesh Atid parties, which had both backed the bill initially, said Monday that they would vote against it in the bill's second reading in the Knesset.

With haredi lawmakers opposed to the bill, the government was counting on support from Yisrael Beytenu and Yesh Atid to pass the law ahead of the January 15th deadline imposed by the Supreme Court.

The Netanyahu government has struggled since the departure of Yisrael Beytenu last month, following the signing of an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire agreement with the Hamas terror organization.

Yisrael Beytenu's departure left the coalition with a narrow 61-seat majority in the 120-member Knesset.


2. POPULAR WEBSITE SELLING HITLER 'SMILEY FACE' T-SHIRTS
by Arutz Sheva Staff

An American shopping site, Wish, which is popular among Israelis, has recently begun selling t-shirts with smiley faces stylized after Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. Along with the shirts, the sites offers a variety of other products bearing the Nazi leader's iconic mustache and hair.

Other items include: face masks, coins, pendants, pins, rings, posters , cuff links and stickers.

The site is owned by Peter Sohlawski, who is Jewish.

Under the constitutional right of freedom of expression, there is no law prohibiting buying or selling Nazi memorabilia in the United States. Some websites no not allow selling items dedicated to the Nazi regime, such as Ebay which has a policy against the sale of such products.


3. ISRAEL CRACKS DOWN ON ILLEGAL PALESTINIAN GAS STATIONS
by Arutz Sheva Staff

On Sunday, Israeli authorities arrested suspects linked to illegal gas stations discovered during routine patrols by the Border Police and the Etzion Brigade, as well as the Civil Administration's monitoring unit.

The six pirate gas stations were operating in the villages of al-'Arub and Beit Ummar along Route 60, south of Gush Etzion. During the operation uniforms, pumps and other equipment were confiscated.

Marco Ben Shabat, director of the inspection unit, noted that in recent period there has been a significant increase in the number of illegal gas stations established throughout Judea and Samaria.

Ben Shabat stressed that "pirate gas stations constitute a serious violation of the law and a severe safety and environmental hazard."

"The inspection unit has stepped up its regular enforcement activities and since the beginning of 2018 more than 30 enforcement activities have been carried out against pirate gas stations, and we will continue to enforce the law in Judea and Samaria," he added


4. FATHER OF WOUNDED SOLDIER: THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS
by Arutz Sheva Staff

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/256618

The father of an IDF soldier seriously wounded during a recent terror attack thanked worshippers who gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem to pray for his son.

On December 13th, two soldiers were killed and two people wounded when terrorists opened fire on a group of Israelis at Givat Assaf Junction on Route 60, north of Jerusalem.

Among the wounded was 21-year-old IDF soldier Netanel Felber, an American immigrant to Israel serving in the Netzach Yehuda Battalion (also known as 'Nahal Haredi').

Hundreds gathered to pray at the Western Wall Sunday night on Felber's behalf, following a public plea from Felber's parents.

Later, Netanel's father thanked the public for their prayers.

"Today, you all came on his behalf. My son, my wife, my daughter and I all very much appreciate the support that you all have given."

"No one can ever take away from me the 21 wonderful years I had with him. Of course I hope that he lives to 120, but I have to give thanks for the 21 years [he's had thus far]."

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/256618


5. TRUMP: TURKEY'S ERDOGAN IS THE MAN FOR THE JOB IN SYRIA
by David Rosenberg

Turkey will fill the void left in Syria by America's impending departure, President Donald Trump announced Monday morning, praising Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a discussion with Erdogan on the future fight against ISIS in the war-torn country.

On Sunday night, a US defense official told CNN that the president had signed an order to begin the withdrawal of American forces deployed to Syria. The US currently has roughly 2,000 soldiers in Syria – mostly in the northeast – as part of the ongoing campaign against the ISIS terror organization.

President Trump pushed back against criticism of the move, saying that his administration had done "more damage to ISIS than all recent presidents....not even close!"

"On Syria, we were originally going to be there for three months," Trump wrote. "And that was seven years ago - we never left."

"When I became President, ISIS was going wild. Now ISIS is largely defeated and other local countries, including Turkey, should be able to easily take care of whatever remains. We're coming home!" he added.

The controversial decision was followed by the resignation of Mattis and of Brett McGurk, Trump's special envoy for the global coalition to counter ISIS.

It was later reported that President Trump spoke with Erdogan, and that he told the Turkish president that the situation in Syria was "all yours. We are done." Erdogan reportedly promised to finish off ISIS.

President Trump later confirmed the conversation with Erdogan, saying he had a "long and productive call" with Erdogan.

"I just had a long and productive call with President Erdogan of Turkey. We discussed ISIS, our mutual involvement in Syria, & the slow & highly coordinated pullout of U.S. troops from the area. After many years they are coming home. We also discussed heavily expanded Trade," Trump tweeted.

On Monday, the president praised the Turkish leader as "a man who can" defeat ISIS.

"President Erdogan of Turkey has very strongly informed me that he will eradicate whatever is left of ISIS in Syria....and he is a man who can do it plus, Turkey is right 'next door.' Our troops are coming home!"

The decision comes just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu accused Erdogan of being an "anti-Semitic dictator", the latest in a series of jabs between the two leaders.


6. 'ERDOGAN IS AN ANTI-SEMITIC DICTATOR OBSESSED WITH ISRAEL'
by David Rosenberg

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu excoriated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday, the latest escalation in a war of words between the two leaders.

During a visit to the Palmach Museum in Tel Aviv with Christian soldiers, Netanyahu blasted Erdogan's claim Israel is engaging in a 'lawless occupation of Palestinian lands', calling the Turkish leader an "anti-Semitic dictator" who was obsessed with 'trolling' Israel.

"We are proud of you; the entire nation is proud of you," Netanyahu told the Christian IDF soldiers. "You belong to the most moral army on earth."

"Not everyone shares this view. I was just exposed to the daily trolling of the anti-Semitic dictator Erdogan."

Netanyahu went on to lambast Turkey's policies towards its Turkish minority, adding that under Erdogan, Turkey appeared to be becoming "more dictatorial day by day".

"He is obsessed with Israel. He knows what a moral army is and he knows what a genuine democracy is, as opposed to an army that massacres women and children in Kurdish villages and a state which, to my regret, is becoming more dictatorial day by day."

"He is obsessed with Israel. But there has been an improvement. Erdogan used to attack me every two hours and now it is every six hours."

Earlier on Sunday, Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, demanded Israel "end the lawless occupation of Palestinian lands," accusing the Jewish state of "brutal oppression of Palestinian people".

A day earlier, Netanyahu blasted Erdogan for claiming that Israel "beats men, women and children when they are prostrate on the floor," countering that it was Turkey, not Israel, which is guilty of flagrant human rights violations.

"Erdogan, the occupier of northern Cyprus, whose army massacres women and children in Kurdish villages, inside Turkey and outside it – will not lecture Israel on morality," said Netanyahu.

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/256583


7. REPORT: HONDURAS PREPARED TO MOVE EMBASSY - FOR A PRICE
by David Rosenberg

Honduras is prepared to relocate its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – but at a price – according to a report by Channel 2 Sunday evening.

Lawmakers in the Central American nation of nine million backed the embassy move in April, passing a non-binding resolution calling on President Juan Orlando Hernandez to follow the US and Guatemala in moving their embassies to Jerusalem.

According to Channel 2 Sunday, the Hernandez administration is prepared to move the Honduran embassy to Jerusalem, and as has even drawn up a plan for undertaking the move, with a possible site already chosen for a Jerusalem embassy.

President Hernandez has dispatched a senior diplomatic team to Israel, which met with the director-general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Yuval Rotem.

While the team expressed Honduras' willingness to relocate its embassy in Israel, the diplomatic team added that it expected that Israel reciprocate with its own changes vis-à-vis its relationship with Honduras.

Chief among the Honduran requests is the call for Israel to upgrade its diplomatic mission in Honduras by opening a full embassy. At present, Israel only maintains a consulate in Tegucigalpa.

The cost of maintaining a full-fledged embassy has been estimated at one million dollars a year.

Other demands include closer economic ties, as well as technical assistance from Israel.


8. 'TERRORISM WILL NEVER DEFEAT US'
by Eliran Aharon

Culture Minister Miri Regev on Sunday visited the Givat Assaf junction in the Binyamin district of Samaria, where two IDF soldiers from the Netzach Yehuda Battalion were murdered in a Hamas shooting attack.

Minister Regev spoke with IDF commanders of the region, as well as with the head of the Beit El Council Shay Alon Council and Yisrael Ganz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council.

Regev told the local council leaders that she "came to show her support for residents and for the settlement [movement]. I also came to declare that I'm in favor of restoring the checkpoints and I'm in favor of policies for the deportation of terrorists," referring to a bill under consideration by the Knesset which would empower the IDF central command to expel the families of terrorists.

From Givat Assaf, Minister Regev continued to Amona, where she is visiting the community, renewed recently on lands purchased by Jews.

At Amona, Regev met with the parents of Shira and Amichai Ish-Ran, two of the victims of the drive-by shooting attack outside of Ofra earlier this month. The couple lost their newborn son three days after the attack.

"Life will prevail, terrorism will never defeat us," Regev said. "It is important for you to be here as well at this brief but important event."

This morning, Regev responded to the question of whether she would come to Amona despite the order issued by the head of Central Command, "I have no intention of violating a commander's order, but I do intend to reach Amona and encourage the residents."

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📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/256576