A7News: AG tells Netanyahu he will announce indictment before elections

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Friday, Feb. 01 '19, כ"ו בשבט תשע"ט





HEADLINES:
1. AG TELLS NETANYAHU HE WILL ANNOUNCE INDICTMENT BEFORE ELECTIONS
2. MUSLIMS TO NIKE: RECALL SHOE WITH 'ALLAH' ON THE SOLE
3. ANTI-SEMITIC GRAFFITI FOUND ON L.A. SYNAGOGUE
4. IDF AID DELEGATION RETURNS FROM BRAZIL
5. COULD NETANYAHU FORM ALLIANCE WITH BENNETT?
6. REPORT: NIKKI HALEY ASKS $200,000, PRIVATE JET FOR SPEAKING GIGS
7. TWO JEWISH MEN VIOLENTLY BEATEN IN CROWN HEIGHTS
8. ARABS ATTEMPT TO STEAL IDF OFFICER'S CAR


1. AG TELLS NETANYAHU HE WILL ANNOUNCE INDICTMENT BEFORE ELECTIONS
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit informed Prime Minister Netanyahu that he will announce whether to indict him prior to the upcoming elections in April.

Mandeblit has decided to announce preliminary indictments against Netanyahu in the next few weeks for charges of fraud, breach of public trust, and bribery in connection with the Case 1000, Case 2000, and Case 4000 investigations.

Mandelblit explained to Netanyahu's attorneys that "the prosecution is examining the investigative materials in a professional and orderly process, in order to make a fundamental and professional decision as soon as possible. This process has already been decided, even before the decision to advance the elections, and there is no justification to deviate from it. "

Mandelblit added that the public deserved to know Netanyahu's legal state before heading to the polls and failing to do so would harm the principle of "equality under the law".

Investigators say they have enough evidence to try Netanyahu for fraud and breach of trust in Case 1000, which revolves around allegations Netanyahu and his family accepted cash and expensive gifts from a businessman in exchange for favors.

In addition, the Prime Minister could face bribery charges in both Case 2000, which involves allegations claims Netanyahu advanced a newspaper's interests in exchange for favorable coverage, and in Case 4000, which is centered around claims Netanyahu pushed regulatory changes to benefit the Bezeq telecommunications company in exchange for favorable coverage from a news outlet owned by the leading shareholder of Bezeq.

Netanyahu has been leading an aggressive publicity campaign aiming to pressure Mandelblit not to issue an expected decision to indict him before Israelis head to the polls. On Thursday, Netanyahu said that the jurist "succumbed to pressure from the left" amid reports that Mandelblit had made his decision to indict before the elections on April 9.

The attorney general seems to have succumbed to pressure from the left and the media to file an indictment at any cost," Netanyahu said. "Only this morning our attorney placed a demand for the completion of investigations of more than 60 significant witnesses who were not investigated in any of the cases. Already this evening, the State Prosecutor's Office was quick to leak that there is no intention of examining these vital witnesses."



2. MUSLIMS TO NIKE: RECALL SHOE WITH 'ALLAH' ON THE SOLE
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Muslims are enraged after a new Nike sneaker appears to say 'Allah' on it when read from right to left, something that is considered to be an insult in the Arab world.

A petition on Change.org demands that Nike recall the Air Max 270 from stores under the claim that the shoe "insulted Islam". By Thursday, it has gathered 24,445 out of the 25,000 signatures needed.

"It is outrageous and appalling of Nike to allow the name of God on a shoe. This is disrespectful and extremely offensive to Muslims and insulting to Islam. Islam teaches compassion, kindness and fairness towards all," says the petition.

"After recalling trainers in 1997, which had a similar logo depicting the word Allah, Nike claimed to have tighten scrutiny on logo design. So why has a similar design been approved?"

The petition urges Nike "to recall this blasphemous and offensive shoe and all products with the design logo resembling the word Allah from worldwide sales immediately."

Nike said in response that the offending logo is a "stylised representation of Nike's Air Max trademark" and is not meant to offend Muslims.

"It is intended to reflect the Air Max brand only. Any other perceived meaning or representation is unintentional," said a spokesperson.


3. ANTI-SEMITIC GRAFFITI FOUND ON L.A. SYNAGOGUE
by JTA

Racist graffiti were painted on the façade of a Los Angeles synagogue.

Police are investigating who wrote "f**king Jews" on the Mishkan Torah religious seminary and synagogue in the neighborhood of Tarzana on Tuesday but have no suspects in custody, CBS's KCAL9 television channel reported.

"It's really hurtful, I mean to all the members here, they're being hurt with such a thing that somebody passed by a synagogue and wrote such a thing on the wall," Rabbi Shlomo Haghighi, who works at the synagogue, told KCAL9.

Separately on Tuesday, Turkish flags were hung at two Armenian schools in the San Fernando Valley.

The Turkish Ottoman Empire is blamed for the deaths of about a million Armenians during World War I.

Police have no suspects in custody in connection with that incident, either.

Hate crimes against Jews in America rose by more than a third in 2017 and accounted for 58 percent of all religion-based hate crimes, according to data released in November by the FBI. The report noted a 23 percent increase in religion-based hate crimes in 2017 to 1,564, representing about 20 percent of all hate crimes.

On Oct. 27, 2018, 11 people were gunned down by a far-right extremist inside a synagogue in Pittsburgh.


4. IDF AID DELEGATION RETURNS FROM BRAZIL
by Ido Ben Porat

On Friday morning, the IDF aid delegation landed in Israel after completing its mission in the area of the collapsed dam in Brazil. The delegation was welcomed with a ceremony that was held by the Commanding Officer of the Home Front Command, Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai in the Ben Gurion International Airport.

During the delegation, the troops carried out a number of missions to rescue missing people, following the Brazilian emergency authorities' request. The delegation assisted in locating and rescuing dozens of missing people using a range of advanced technological means. In addition, the soldiers assisted the local Brazilian emergency authorities and shared innovative techniques who will assist and serve the authorities in the searches.

The IDF aid delegation included approximately 130 officers and soldiers in mandatory and reserve duty and was accompanied by the IDF's Military Attaché in Brazil, Col. Raed Kadur, the Israeli Ambassador to Brazil, Mr. Yosi Sheli and his staff.

Before the Israeli delegation departed, the Brazilian rescue authorities held an appreciation ceremony for the IDF delegation.
Welcoming ceremony at Ben Gurion Airport

IDF aid delegation to Brazil
IDF Spokesman
צילום: דובר צה"ל



5. COULD NETANYAHU FORM ALLIANCE WITH BENNETT?
by Tzvi Lev

Despite the bad blood between the two for over a decade, Prime Minister Netanyahu is considering running together with Naftali Bennett's New Right in the upcoming elections.

According to the Kan report, Netanyahu is debating a union with the New Right as a response to former IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz's recent surge in the polls and speculation that Gantz could run together with Yesh Atid.

In December, Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked announced plans to break away from the Jewish Home and form a new party, called the New Right (Hayamin Hahadash). They have since been polling at an average of eight Knesset seats.

Netanyahu and Bennett have had an adversarial relationship dating back to the time when Bennett and Shaked served as key Netanyahu aides before leaving under acrimonious circumstances in 2008.

Ever since, Netanyahu and Bennett have had a frosty relationship. In addition, recent reports exposed the lengths which Netanyahu went to in order to engineer negative anti-Bennett press coverage on the Walla news site.

In December, Hadashot reported that Netanyahu had asked Walla owner Saul Elovitch to publish stories detailing that Bennett's wife Gilat worked as a chef in a non-kosher restaurant. An infuriated Bennett later tweeted that Netanyahu had committed "a despicable and cowardly act".

Earlier this month, Hadashot revealed that Netanyahu had attempted to besmirch Bennett by defaming his father Jim. The prime minister reportedly instructed Walla through an intermediary to publish that Jim Bennett had attempted to harm Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in the wake of the Oslo Accords.


6. REPORT: NIKKI HALEY ASKS $200,000, PRIVATE JET FOR SPEAKING GIGS
by Guy Cohen

Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is asking $200,000 and the use of a private jet for domestic speaking engagements, according to seven people with knowledge of the arrangement quoted by CBS.

These people, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said that engagements outside the United States could cost considerably more.

Haley's spokesperson did not respond to an email, text and call seeking comment, CBS reported.

Haley's reported fee would propel her into the league of speakers consisting of former US presidents and figures like former first lady Michelle Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Clinton brought in nearly $22 million from 2013-2015, receiving $225,000 per speaking engagement, according to an AP investigation quoted by CBS.


7. TWO JEWISH MEN VIOLENTLY BEATEN IN CROWN HEIGHTS
by Michal Levy

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/258375

Two Jewish men were violently beaten by a gang in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn on Tuesday night.

According to the Crown Height Info website, the beatings occurred a few minutes after 1:00 a.m. on President St. between Albany and Troy Ave., when the gang of three began targeting Jewish men on the block.

Their first victim, an older man, was pushed to the ground before being pummeled mercilessly with punches and kicks to his face and body. The beating, caught on video, only ended when the three suddenly broke away and fled.

A few minutes later, the gang targeted a second, younger man, who put up a fight, screaming for help and struggling with them.

Witnesses and victims immediately called 911 and Crown Heights Shomrim, who were both there in moments.

As they canvassed the area looking for the gang, a group matching the description of the gang was located. When the NYPD stopped the group, they attempted to flee. Two were caught, while the third escaped.

Shomrim, working with the police, were able to bring both victims to the 71st precinct where they positively identified their attackers.

The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force will be investigating the assaults.

Just two weeks ago, an Orthodox Jewish teenager was assaulted by a group of black teens in Crown Heights.

Last week, a Jewish woman walking in Crown Heights was punched by a black male who then ran off.


8. ARABS ATTEMPT TO STEAL IDF OFFICER'S CAR
by Arutz Sheva Staff

An IDF officer traveling on Highway 6, in the vicinity of the Baka interchange to the north, noticed a vehicle that looked like a police car with police lights and a man with a light vest standing outside and signaling the officer to stop.

The officer pulled over and waited for five minutes. When no one came out of the car he grew suspicious and locked his doors from the inside.

After another minute, three Arabs ran toward the officer's car and attempted to forcibly open its doors. He drove away and reported the incident to the police.

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/258424

Earlier this month, police report from Rosh Ha'ayin was received by the police of two Arabs who tried to steal a car at a gas station at the entrance to Kibbutz Einat. A police officer who arrived at the scene determined that while the woman was filling air in her tires one of the suspects arrived, got into the car, and tried without success to escape with it, while the other suspect was waiting in a nearby car.

When the owner noticed the suspect sitting in her car and trying to drive it, she ran toward him and began punching him in an attempt to repulse him. The suspect escaped to a vehicle waiting nearby and together the suspects fled the scene.

After receiving the report of the attempted theft, the police began extensive searches and the suspects were located near Shilat Junction in an attempt to steal a truck from the industrial area. The Arabs noticed the policemen and tried to escape, sideswiping a police car and causing it heavy damage.

The two Arabs were arrested and their remand was extended until Thursday. The police prosecution unit is expected to file an indictment against them and a request for detention until the end of the legal proceedings.