Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Sunday, Jun. 30 '19, כ"ז בסיון תשע"ט
HEADLINES:
1. NETANYAHU: PA WANTS CONFLICT AT ANY PRICE
2. WILL RESTAURANT OPEN ON SHABBAT BE CERTIFIED KOSHER?
3. WATCH: ISRAELI 747 PASSENGER JET DEMOLISHED
4. WATCH: TRAGEDY ON ROUTE 60 AVOIDED AT THE LAST MINUTE
5. PA RELEASES BUSINESSMAN WHO TOOK PART IN BAHRAIN CONFERENCE
6. SOURCE: ISRAEL PREPARING FOR MILITARY SOLUTION
7. BENNETT: WE WILL JOIN 'TECHNICAL BLOC'
8. TRUMP, MOON, MEET KIM IN DEMILITARIZED ZONE
1. NETANYAHU: PA WANTS CONFLICT AT ANY PRICE
by Hezki Baruch
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday opened the cabinet meeting with harsh criticism of the Palestinian Authority's refusal to attend the economic workshop organized by the United States in Bahrain, and its arrest of a Palestinian Arab businessman who attended the workshop.
"In recent days, the Palestinian Authority arrested a Palestinian businessman. What was his 'crime'? He attended an economic conference that was designed to advance the Palestinian economy. The Palestinian Authority later released the man due to American pressure.
"One thing is clear from all this. The Palestinians are determined to continue the conflict at any price - including at the price of the Palestinians' own benefit. This is not how one who wants to advance peace acts."
Later, Netanyahu referred to the efforts for a truce with Hamas, and promised to intensify sanctions on Gaza if balloon terrorism does not stop.
"We understand the distress of Gaza-area communities and are working to make it as easy as possible for them. Last week we applied sanctions on Hamas, including stopping fuel, and if necessary, we will impose much tougher means on them."
However, Netanyahu pushed aside criticism over the truce with Hamas and said, "These actions are done in consultation with all the security forces. I am not impressed by the propaganda of the various 'experts.' Many of them give us advice they themselves did not implement when they were in the position."
"Let us not be confused, they will also be the first to criticize us after we embark on a large-scale military operation, something we may have to do," he added. "What guides me is one thing, and one thing only - the security of the State of Israel."
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265290
2. WILL RESTAURANT OPEN ON SHABBAT BE CERTIFIED KOSHER?
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The Chief Rabbinical Council recently summoned the owners of the Bab Al-Yaman restaurant, Yehonatan Wadai, for a hearing on the appeal filed following the Rabbinate's refusal to grant the restaurant a kashrut certificate.
A few weeks ago, a petition was submitted to the Supreme Court by the Ne'emanei Torah v'Avoda movement, on behalf of Wadai, in which the rabbinate was asked to explain why it will not issue a kashrut certification for a restaurant that is open on Saturdays without desecration of the Shabbat.
Today the restaurant serves kosher food and opens its doors on Shabbat, as stated, without desecrating Shabbat. The food is prepared in advance and heated on Shabbat plates and the payment is made before or after Shabbat, just as is done in hotels in Israel and in many kosher restaurants around the world.
"The fact that the rabbinate refuses to give kosher certification to the restaurant is strange and makes no sense," says Yonatan and Da'i, the owner of Bab El Yaman, "If hotels can receive kashrut certificates, why do not we? I call upon the rabbinate to do the right thing and to strengthen the values of Shabbat."
Tani Frank, Head of Religion and State in the Ne'emanei Torah v'Avodah movement, who submitted the petition together with Wadai, noted that "the rabbinate should have an interest in strengthening restaurants that do not violate Shabbat and serve kosher food. This strengthens local small businesses, and we very much hope that the rabbis will work to bring the hearts closer together, examine the matter impartially, and allow Bab Al-Yaman and other restaurants to open their gates on Shabbat - without desecration of the Shabbat."
3. WATCH: ISRAELI 747 PASSENGER JET DEMOLISHED
by Arutz Sheva Staff
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265300
4. WATCH: TRAGEDY ON ROUTE 60 AVOIDED AT THE LAST MINUTE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265292
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265292
5. PA RELEASES BUSINESSMAN WHO TOOK PART IN BAHRAIN CONFERENCE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Jason Greenblatt, the US Representative for International Negotiations, wrote on Twitter on Saturday night that the Palestinian Authority (PA) had released Salah Abu Mayala, a businessman from Hevron who took part in the US-led economic workshop in Bahrain this week.
"We are pleased the PA has released the Palestinian they arrested after attending the Peace to Prosperity workshop. We look fwd to continuing our conversation w all who attended the workshop & anyone else who wants a better future for the Palestinians," wrote Greenblatt.
Journalist Gal Berger reported on Saturday night on Kan 11 News that Abu Mayala was arrested upon his return home by the PA security forces.
Attempts to arrest other participants at the Bahrain conference were unsuccessful because the participants crossed the Green Line to Israeli-controlled territory.
During the Bahrain conference this week, the US administration unveiled the economic portion of its peace plan, which aims to raise more than $50 billion for the Palestinian Authority (PA) and create one million jobs for its residents within a decade.
The PA boycotted the economic conference in Bahrain, calling it a meaningless meeting that was part of a meaningless plan.
The PA, in fact, has been boycotting the US ever since Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December of 2017 and his relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem.
6. SOURCE: ISRAEL PREPARING FOR MILITARY SOLUTION
by Orly Harari
A diplomatic source has warned that Israel will reapply sanctions against Hamas, including limiting fuel and electricity, if the quiet does not continue. At the same time, Israel is also preparing for a military solution.
Recently, at least 15 fires a day were sparked by incendiary balloons. Over the past week, 100 fires broke out in Israeli towns on the Gaza border - but the IDF has refrained from responding.
On Friday, 14 fires broke out near the Gaza border, and a police sapper neutralized an explosive device hidden in what looked like a book and attached to a cluster of balloons, which had landed in an agricultural field.
In addition, 7,000 Gazans took part in the weekly riots. One of them threw a firebomb at an IDF jeep driving near the southern Gaza border. No one was injured.
Thursday saw 25 fires from incendiary balloons, and another incendiary balloon landed in a home in the Eshkol Regional Council. By miracle, no one was injured.
Wednesday saw 19 fires, mostly in the Eshkol region.
7. BENNETT: WE WILL JOIN 'TECHNICAL BLOC'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Former Minister Naftali Bennett announced that the New Right party would run in the upcoming elections as a "liberal right-wing" party.
"A party that believes in a free economy, security-related aggressiveness, the integrity of the people and the land, and welcoming Judaism," Bennett wrote on his Facebook account.
"A party that is not sectoral, but cares for all parts of our good people. We will join other parties in a technical bloc in order to ensure success," Bennett wrote. "Your insights help me a lot."
"Soon I will ask you, friends, for active assistance so that we will succeed in a big way."
A poll conducted by Prof. Camil Fuchs and published on Channel 13 on Wednesday indicated that if the elections were held today, Likud and Blue and White would win the same number of seats - 32 each.
According to the data, the Arab Joint List is the third largest with 12 seats and Yisrael Beytenu gets 7 seats.
Four parties win 6 seats - Shas, United Torah Judaism, Meretz and Ehud Barak's new party.
The Labor Party continues to weaken with 5 seats, United Right gets 4 seats, as does New Right.
8. TRUMP, MOON, MEET KIM IN DEMILITARIZED ZONE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265287
US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met Sunday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.
The meeting took place at the Korean border village of Panmunjom, on the southern side of the border.
South Korean President Moon said that Trump and Kim were "brave" for agreeing to meet. "I hope President Trump will go down in history as the president who achieves peace on Korean Peninsula."
President Trump downplayed the significance of the meeting, saying that it would be "short" and "virtually a handshake, but that's OK. A handshake means a lot."
During the meeting, Trump reportedly invited Kim to the White House, CNN reported.
"I'm inviting you to the White House. From the first moment we liked each other," said Trump of Kim, "it's an honor for me. We came from the G-20 summit in Japan, and I wanted to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. We've come a long way.
Sunday, June 30, 2019
Friday, June 28, 2019
A7News: Booby-trapped book: Terror attack in the Gaza vicinity foiled
Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Friday, Jun. 28 '19, כ"ה בסיון תשע"ט
HEADLINES:
1. BOOBY-TRAPPED BOOK: TERROR ATTACK IN THE GAZA VICINITY FOILED
2. 'TRANSFER ALL OF THE PALESTINIANS TO JORDAN'
3. LEMAAN ACHAI: TURNING POVERTY UPSIDE DOWN
4. WHAT'S IT LIKE RAISING 10 KIDS IN THE MUSLIM QUARTER?
5. 'OBAMA LEFT ISRAEL A PARTING GIFT OF BETRAYAL'
6. LEFT-WING BLOC, ARAB PARTIES GET 61 SEATS
7. US: 30% OF MINORITY AMERICANS SUPPORT REFUSING SERVICE TO JEWS
8. THE RICHEST PERSON IN AT LEAST 7 STATES IS JEWISH
1. BOOBY-TRAPPED BOOK: TERROR ATTACK IN THE GAZA VICINITY FOILED
by Orly Harari
A police sapper neutralized an explosive device attached to a cluster of balloons that landed in an agricultural field in the Eshkol Regional Council on Friday.
The explosive device was hidden in what looked like a book with the Hebrew inscription "Love Stella."
"The attached suspicious object was a book with a Hebrew inscription. The book was booby-trapped - the assumption is that the goal was that the book would detach from the balloons and appear like an innocent-looking Hebrew book," an Eshkol Council spokesperson said.
"Therefore, it is very important - in any case of identifying any suspicious object even if it's not attached to balloons - don't touch. You should move away and report it to the local IDF security coordinator," the spokesperson stressed.
Two fires broke out this morning in the Gaza perimeter, in grazing land on the kibbutz in Shaar Hanegev and in the Be'eri Forest. The fires were apparently caused by incendiary balloons.
Earlier, an Israeli official confirmed that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had reached an agreement with Hamas in which the organization would stop firing incendiary balloons and curb the demonstrations on the Gaza border fence. Israel, in return, will increase the fishing area to 15 miles and resume the flow of fuel into the Gaza Strip.
2. 'TRANSFER ALL OF THE PALESTINIANS TO JORDAN'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A right-wing Dutch parliamentarian is calling for the transfer of Palestinian Authority residents from Judea and Samaria to Jordan, offering the plan as an alternative to the US-backed 'Deal of the Century' Middle East peace plan.
Geert Wilders, chairman of the rightist Party for Freedom (PVV), said Thursday in response to this week's US-backed economic summit in Bahrain that President Donald Trump's Mideast peace plan was part of a futile effort to maintain the Palestinian Authority, which he called a "bottomless" well the international community has been "throwing money into in vain".
Speaking with Dutch reported Ernst Lissauer Thursday, Wilders offered his own plan, first unveiled in 2010, as an alternative to the US plan.
"A fifty-billion dollar plan for the Palestinians was presented to the world by the US this week in oil state Bahrain," Wilders said.
"For more than two years, work has been done on a Middle East peace plan that should end, among other things, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The financial part of the plan was presented to the world in Bahrain this week. A 'Marshall plan' that should put an end to the bottomless Palestinian well into which the UN has been depositing money in vain for sixty years."
But, Wilders continued, there seems to be little support for the plan in the European Union, with the money being "coughed up mainly by rich Arab states."
"In The Hague there is hardly any interest in this Trump project. My plan, the Wilders plan, is a better plan; all Palestinians back to Jordan."
In 2010, Wilders proposed renaming the Kingdom of Jordan as 'Palestine', and turning the country into a homeland for residents of the Palestinian Authority.
"Jordan is Palestine. Changing its name to Palestine will end the conflict in the Middle East and provide the Palestinians with an alternate homeland."
The PVV, which is now the second largest faction in the Dutch House of Representatives, came under fire by the Jordanian government for the proposal, which Jordan described as "delusional".
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265247
3. LEMAAN ACHAI: TURNING POVERTY UPSIDE DOWN
by Judy Simon
[audio:2013371]
Does giving charity actually help the poor get out of the ruts they are in? Is there a better way than paying the bills of those in debt?
Lemaan Achai is a unique organization which turns poverty on its head. Their policy is to reanalyze the situation of those in need and help raise them up from a situation of poverty to self-sufficiency.
Ron Allswang, the public relations and marketing director of Lemaan Achai, shares his personal story and the story of an organization which gives hand-ups rather than hand-outs. Don't miss it!
[קישורים:12:Radio]
4. WHAT'S IT LIKE RAISING 10 KIDS IN THE MUSLIM QUARTER?
by Hezki Baruch
In the heart of the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, Dafna Kandel hosts tourist groups and invites them to a meeting of past, present and future over a cup of coffee and cake.
Kandel talks about life in the Muslim quarter, raising her children there and the privilege to live in one of the most fascinating places in the world. "It's a personal encounter from heart to heart," Kendel tells Arutz Sheva. "At the beginning of the meeting, I talk about the historical past of the house. In the second part I talk about my personal story- why I came here 20 years ago, the complex and challenging relationships with the neighbors, what's it like to raise ten children in the heart of the Old City, and the privilege and obligation of living next to the site of the Temple."
"At the end of the meeting, I take them to the roof of the house, from where they can view the entire Old City and of course, the site of the Temple. I speak about the importance of the area, the Jewish settlement in the Old City and the coming redemption."
"The experience of hosting people in the Muslim Quarter is based on the deep connection to Jerusalem and the Old City - Jerusalem of the past, the present and the future. It's not enough just to walk around here - it's necessary to connect from the heart. That's what I offer at my home - a Jerusalem which turns all of the Jewish people into friends."
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265249
5. 'OBAMA LEFT ISRAEL A PARTING GIFT OF BETRAYAL'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman spoke on Thursday evening at the Israel Hayom Forum for US-Israel Relations in Jerusalem
Discussing the previous American administration, Friedman said that when former President Barack Obama ended his term in 2016, his administration "left a parting gift; I would say parting betrayal to the State of Israel. UN Resolution 2234, which deemed all of Judea and Samaria, all of Jerusalem… all of it was deemed to be illegally occupied territory."
"That resolution was a lie. I wish there was a better word, but there really isn't," he added.
Friedman praised US President Donald Trump's recognition of Israeli sovereignty on the Golan Heights, saying that an Israeli resolution to name a new community in the Golan after Trump was a "fitting tribute."
He added he had been privileged to be invited to an open-air cabinet meeting that took place on the Golan Heights, and whose only agenda item was to authorize "Trump Heights."
The American ambassador said that the resolution, which passed unanimously, marked the first time since 1949, when Harry Truman was so honored, that Israel had named any community after a sitting US President.
Friedman said that in the aftermath of President Trump's proclamation of March 21, 2019, many rose to applaud while words of criticism emanated from the usual corners. But as the noise dissipated and the sun rose the next day, two new realities were beyond dispute: America's stature in the world had risen and the security of its ally Israel had been enhanced.
Now, he said, he was looking back at some of the lessons he had learned.
"Foreign policy must evolve with changed circumstances. Many who criticized the President's decision noted that Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, of blessed memory, had negotiated with [then-Syrian President] Hafez Assad in 1994 to return portions of the Golan in exchange for peace and they urged that this failed process remain open. But almost nothing about the circumstances that existed then are relevant today. In particular, the Syrian civil war, in which Syria has murdered or displaced more than 1 million of its own people and became a client-state of Iran, is a seminal event that cannot be ignored."
"By affirming Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, President Trump has sent a clear and moral message to the world that Syria has forfeited any legitimate claim to the Golan Heights," Friedman said.
Second, Friedman continued, "Brains without courage make for a weak foreign policy. All presidents are smart. If they weren't, they never would have attained their lofty positions."
The ambassador said that past US presidents all grasped the need for Israel to retain sovereignty over the Golan. But only President Trump had the courage to give "practical effect to this undeniable truth."
"Courage matters," he said, adding, "Right makes might. Some have criticized the president's decision as one of 'might makes right' – a euphemism for the erroneous proposition that a nation as strong as the United States can pursue a policy devoid of any moral foundation. Here, exactly the opposite is true: The United States is stronger because it has acted justly. The United States has sided with Israel, a nation that at great risk opened its border every night to provide emergency healthcare to Syria's ill and wounded, and against the Syrian regime which has inflicted unspeakable trauma upon its own people."
A fourth lesson Friedman said he has learned is that not every foreign policy decision requires a quid pro quo.
"Some suggest that America 'should have gotten something from Israel' in exchange for its recognition of the Golan. But the strength of the American decision was precisely in the fact that it was principled and grounded in law and morals, thereby untarnished by the daily negotiations common to international relations," he said.
Fifth and last is the lesson "Don't start a war that you can't afford to lose."
Syria attacked Israel in 1967 and then again in 1973, and Israel gained control of the Golan through its legitimate response to Syrian attacks aimed at Israel's destruction, Friedman said.
"Since then, Syria has continued to fail to be a partner for peace. By affirming Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, President Trump has afforded Israel the only secure and recognized boundary that could exist under these circumstances," he added.
The ambassador concluded his speech by saying that history would "reflect kindly upon President Trump's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan. Let's hope that the lessons learned from this outstanding decision will influence the international foreign policy establishment to pursue and create a more just, humane and peaceful world."
6. LEFT-WING BLOC, ARAB PARTIES GET 61 SEATS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A poll conducted by Prof. Camil Fuchs and published on Channel 13 shows that if the elections were held today, Likud and Blue and White would win the same number of seats - 32 each.
According to the data, the Arab Joint List is the third largest with 12 seats and Yisrael Beytenu gets 7 seats.
Four parties win 6 seats - Shas, United Torah Judaism, Meretz and Ehud Barak's new party.
The Labor Party continues to weaken with 5 seats, United Right gets 4 seats, as does New Right.
Earlier on Wednesday, Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak convened a press briefing during which he announced that he will establish a new party for the oncoming elections.
"We have come here to have our say about what is happening and announce the establishment of a new party that will act for major repairs in the state and in society."
"The attempts to repeatedly disrupt democratic processes and to mislead the public and offer political bribery are a direct continuation of Netanyahu's conduct, whose goal is to divide and to undermine law and order, and everything for his personal gain, in order to escape for fear of judgement. These are dark days, the likes of which we have not seen before."
"Netanyahu acts cynically, only a few weeks after he dissolved the Knesset in order to prevent the president from passing along the mandate, after Netanyahu failed [to form a coalition]. We are not blind, the election campaign was advanced only for the sake of Netanyahu, it was advanced because the operation to rescue the suspect failed."
He added, "I have known Netanyahu for more than 50 years. I have seen him in beautiful and painful moments. Netanyahu is at the end of his path, and his closest associates, including his colleagues in the faction and the government, know this. Most of them are gripped by silence and fear. As your former commander, I say to you, Netanyahu: You cannot continue to hold the steering wheel of leadership. Your time as political leader is over."
"We decided to establish an appropriate political framework in the next few days," Barak declared. "We will mobilize the brave and work to end the Netanyahu regime, Bibi, this is the time and it is your last moment to go home of your own free will. I warn you not to try to drag a whole country into chaos to get out of jail. You will run into millions of Israelis who are not ready to play that game."
7. US: 30% OF MINORITY AMERICANS SUPPORT REFUSING SERVICE TO JEWS
by Josefin Dolsten, JTA
Nineteen percent of Americans think small business owners should be allowed to refuse service to Jews if doing so would violate their religious beliefs, a new poll shows.
That is an increase from 2014, when 12 percent of respondents agreed with the statement, according to survey results published Tuesday by the Public Religion Research Institute.
The survey found increased support for business owners to refuse service to a number of other groups as well, including gays and lesbians, transgender people, atheists, Muslims and African Americans.
The proportion of Americans who think small businesses should be able to refuse service to gays and lesbians was the highest among all the minority groups, at 30 percent. The other groups ranged from 15 percent for African Americans to 29 percent for transgender people.
A significantly higher proportion of Republicans approved of service refusals in all categories than Democrats did. Twenty four percent of Republicans thought small business owners should be allowed to refuse service to Jews based on religious grounds. That number was 17 percent for Democrats.
PRRI surveyed 1,100 adults via phone with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.
8. THE RICHEST PERSON IN AT LEAST 7 STATES IS JEWISH
by JTA
The richest person in at least 7 states is Jewish.
Forbes magazine on Wednesday published a list of the richest person in each of the 50 states.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, 31, is the richest person in California with a net worth of $71 billion. Real estate developer Ted Lerner, 93, and his family are the richest in Maryland with a net worth of $5.1 billion.
Quicken Loans founder and owner Dan Gilbert, 57, who owns the Cleveland Cavaliers, is the richest person in Michigan with a net worth of $6.8 billion. Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, 85, who also owns the Las Vegas Review-Journal daily newspaper, is the richest person in Nevada with a net worth of $37.5 billion.
Former three-term New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, 77, the co-founder and majority owner of the financial information and media company Bloomberg LP, is the richest person in New York with a net worth of $58.3 billion.
Leslie Wexner, 81, the founder and CEO of L Brands, which includes Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works, is the richest person in Ohio with a net worth of $4.7 billion. Anita Zucker, CEO of InterTech Group, a private, family-owned chemicals manufacturer founded by her late husband, Jerry Zucker, is the richest person in South Carolina with a net worth of $1.8 billion.
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Friday, Jun. 28 '19, כ"ה בסיון תשע"ט
HEADLINES:
1. BOOBY-TRAPPED BOOK: TERROR ATTACK IN THE GAZA VICINITY FOILED
2. 'TRANSFER ALL OF THE PALESTINIANS TO JORDAN'
3. LEMAAN ACHAI: TURNING POVERTY UPSIDE DOWN
4. WHAT'S IT LIKE RAISING 10 KIDS IN THE MUSLIM QUARTER?
5. 'OBAMA LEFT ISRAEL A PARTING GIFT OF BETRAYAL'
6. LEFT-WING BLOC, ARAB PARTIES GET 61 SEATS
7. US: 30% OF MINORITY AMERICANS SUPPORT REFUSING SERVICE TO JEWS
8. THE RICHEST PERSON IN AT LEAST 7 STATES IS JEWISH
1. BOOBY-TRAPPED BOOK: TERROR ATTACK IN THE GAZA VICINITY FOILED
by Orly Harari
A police sapper neutralized an explosive device attached to a cluster of balloons that landed in an agricultural field in the Eshkol Regional Council on Friday.
The explosive device was hidden in what looked like a book with the Hebrew inscription "Love Stella."
"The attached suspicious object was a book with a Hebrew inscription. The book was booby-trapped - the assumption is that the goal was that the book would detach from the balloons and appear like an innocent-looking Hebrew book," an Eshkol Council spokesperson said.
"Therefore, it is very important - in any case of identifying any suspicious object even if it's not attached to balloons - don't touch. You should move away and report it to the local IDF security coordinator," the spokesperson stressed.
Two fires broke out this morning in the Gaza perimeter, in grazing land on the kibbutz in Shaar Hanegev and in the Be'eri Forest. The fires were apparently caused by incendiary balloons.
Earlier, an Israeli official confirmed that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had reached an agreement with Hamas in which the organization would stop firing incendiary balloons and curb the demonstrations on the Gaza border fence. Israel, in return, will increase the fishing area to 15 miles and resume the flow of fuel into the Gaza Strip.
2. 'TRANSFER ALL OF THE PALESTINIANS TO JORDAN'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A right-wing Dutch parliamentarian is calling for the transfer of Palestinian Authority residents from Judea and Samaria to Jordan, offering the plan as an alternative to the US-backed 'Deal of the Century' Middle East peace plan.
Geert Wilders, chairman of the rightist Party for Freedom (PVV), said Thursday in response to this week's US-backed economic summit in Bahrain that President Donald Trump's Mideast peace plan was part of a futile effort to maintain the Palestinian Authority, which he called a "bottomless" well the international community has been "throwing money into in vain".
Speaking with Dutch reported Ernst Lissauer Thursday, Wilders offered his own plan, first unveiled in 2010, as an alternative to the US plan.
"A fifty-billion dollar plan for the Palestinians was presented to the world by the US this week in oil state Bahrain," Wilders said.
"For more than two years, work has been done on a Middle East peace plan that should end, among other things, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The financial part of the plan was presented to the world in Bahrain this week. A 'Marshall plan' that should put an end to the bottomless Palestinian well into which the UN has been depositing money in vain for sixty years."
But, Wilders continued, there seems to be little support for the plan in the European Union, with the money being "coughed up mainly by rich Arab states."
"In The Hague there is hardly any interest in this Trump project. My plan, the Wilders plan, is a better plan; all Palestinians back to Jordan."
In 2010, Wilders proposed renaming the Kingdom of Jordan as 'Palestine', and turning the country into a homeland for residents of the Palestinian Authority.
"Jordan is Palestine. Changing its name to Palestine will end the conflict in the Middle East and provide the Palestinians with an alternate homeland."
The PVV, which is now the second largest faction in the Dutch House of Representatives, came under fire by the Jordanian government for the proposal, which Jordan described as "delusional".
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265247
3. LEMAAN ACHAI: TURNING POVERTY UPSIDE DOWN
by Judy Simon
[audio:2013371]
Does giving charity actually help the poor get out of the ruts they are in? Is there a better way than paying the bills of those in debt?
Lemaan Achai is a unique organization which turns poverty on its head. Their policy is to reanalyze the situation of those in need and help raise them up from a situation of poverty to self-sufficiency.
Ron Allswang, the public relations and marketing director of Lemaan Achai, shares his personal story and the story of an organization which gives hand-ups rather than hand-outs. Don't miss it!
[קישורים:12:Radio]
4. WHAT'S IT LIKE RAISING 10 KIDS IN THE MUSLIM QUARTER?
by Hezki Baruch
In the heart of the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, Dafna Kandel hosts tourist groups and invites them to a meeting of past, present and future over a cup of coffee and cake.
Kandel talks about life in the Muslim quarter, raising her children there and the privilege to live in one of the most fascinating places in the world. "It's a personal encounter from heart to heart," Kendel tells Arutz Sheva. "At the beginning of the meeting, I talk about the historical past of the house. In the second part I talk about my personal story- why I came here 20 years ago, the complex and challenging relationships with the neighbors, what's it like to raise ten children in the heart of the Old City, and the privilege and obligation of living next to the site of the Temple."
"At the end of the meeting, I take them to the roof of the house, from where they can view the entire Old City and of course, the site of the Temple. I speak about the importance of the area, the Jewish settlement in the Old City and the coming redemption."
"The experience of hosting people in the Muslim Quarter is based on the deep connection to Jerusalem and the Old City - Jerusalem of the past, the present and the future. It's not enough just to walk around here - it's necessary to connect from the heart. That's what I offer at my home - a Jerusalem which turns all of the Jewish people into friends."
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265249
5. 'OBAMA LEFT ISRAEL A PARTING GIFT OF BETRAYAL'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman spoke on Thursday evening at the Israel Hayom Forum for US-Israel Relations in Jerusalem
Discussing the previous American administration, Friedman said that when former President Barack Obama ended his term in 2016, his administration "left a parting gift; I would say parting betrayal to the State of Israel. UN Resolution 2234, which deemed all of Judea and Samaria, all of Jerusalem… all of it was deemed to be illegally occupied territory."
"That resolution was a lie. I wish there was a better word, but there really isn't," he added.
Friedman praised US President Donald Trump's recognition of Israeli sovereignty on the Golan Heights, saying that an Israeli resolution to name a new community in the Golan after Trump was a "fitting tribute."
He added he had been privileged to be invited to an open-air cabinet meeting that took place on the Golan Heights, and whose only agenda item was to authorize "Trump Heights."
The American ambassador said that the resolution, which passed unanimously, marked the first time since 1949, when Harry Truman was so honored, that Israel had named any community after a sitting US President.
Friedman said that in the aftermath of President Trump's proclamation of March 21, 2019, many rose to applaud while words of criticism emanated from the usual corners. But as the noise dissipated and the sun rose the next day, two new realities were beyond dispute: America's stature in the world had risen and the security of its ally Israel had been enhanced.
Now, he said, he was looking back at some of the lessons he had learned.
"Foreign policy must evolve with changed circumstances. Many who criticized the President's decision noted that Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, of blessed memory, had negotiated with [then-Syrian President] Hafez Assad in 1994 to return portions of the Golan in exchange for peace and they urged that this failed process remain open. But almost nothing about the circumstances that existed then are relevant today. In particular, the Syrian civil war, in which Syria has murdered or displaced more than 1 million of its own people and became a client-state of Iran, is a seminal event that cannot be ignored."
"By affirming Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, President Trump has sent a clear and moral message to the world that Syria has forfeited any legitimate claim to the Golan Heights," Friedman said.
Second, Friedman continued, "Brains without courage make for a weak foreign policy. All presidents are smart. If they weren't, they never would have attained their lofty positions."
The ambassador said that past US presidents all grasped the need for Israel to retain sovereignty over the Golan. But only President Trump had the courage to give "practical effect to this undeniable truth."
"Courage matters," he said, adding, "Right makes might. Some have criticized the president's decision as one of 'might makes right' – a euphemism for the erroneous proposition that a nation as strong as the United States can pursue a policy devoid of any moral foundation. Here, exactly the opposite is true: The United States is stronger because it has acted justly. The United States has sided with Israel, a nation that at great risk opened its border every night to provide emergency healthcare to Syria's ill and wounded, and against the Syrian regime which has inflicted unspeakable trauma upon its own people."
A fourth lesson Friedman said he has learned is that not every foreign policy decision requires a quid pro quo.
"Some suggest that America 'should have gotten something from Israel' in exchange for its recognition of the Golan. But the strength of the American decision was precisely in the fact that it was principled and grounded in law and morals, thereby untarnished by the daily negotiations common to international relations," he said.
Fifth and last is the lesson "Don't start a war that you can't afford to lose."
Syria attacked Israel in 1967 and then again in 1973, and Israel gained control of the Golan through its legitimate response to Syrian attacks aimed at Israel's destruction, Friedman said.
"Since then, Syria has continued to fail to be a partner for peace. By affirming Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, President Trump has afforded Israel the only secure and recognized boundary that could exist under these circumstances," he added.
The ambassador concluded his speech by saying that history would "reflect kindly upon President Trump's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan. Let's hope that the lessons learned from this outstanding decision will influence the international foreign policy establishment to pursue and create a more just, humane and peaceful world."
6. LEFT-WING BLOC, ARAB PARTIES GET 61 SEATS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A poll conducted by Prof. Camil Fuchs and published on Channel 13 shows that if the elections were held today, Likud and Blue and White would win the same number of seats - 32 each.
According to the data, the Arab Joint List is the third largest with 12 seats and Yisrael Beytenu gets 7 seats.
Four parties win 6 seats - Shas, United Torah Judaism, Meretz and Ehud Barak's new party.
The Labor Party continues to weaken with 5 seats, United Right gets 4 seats, as does New Right.
Earlier on Wednesday, Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak convened a press briefing during which he announced that he will establish a new party for the oncoming elections.
"We have come here to have our say about what is happening and announce the establishment of a new party that will act for major repairs in the state and in society."
"The attempts to repeatedly disrupt democratic processes and to mislead the public and offer political bribery are a direct continuation of Netanyahu's conduct, whose goal is to divide and to undermine law and order, and everything for his personal gain, in order to escape for fear of judgement. These are dark days, the likes of which we have not seen before."
"Netanyahu acts cynically, only a few weeks after he dissolved the Knesset in order to prevent the president from passing along the mandate, after Netanyahu failed [to form a coalition]. We are not blind, the election campaign was advanced only for the sake of Netanyahu, it was advanced because the operation to rescue the suspect failed."
He added, "I have known Netanyahu for more than 50 years. I have seen him in beautiful and painful moments. Netanyahu is at the end of his path, and his closest associates, including his colleagues in the faction and the government, know this. Most of them are gripped by silence and fear. As your former commander, I say to you, Netanyahu: You cannot continue to hold the steering wheel of leadership. Your time as political leader is over."
"We decided to establish an appropriate political framework in the next few days," Barak declared. "We will mobilize the brave and work to end the Netanyahu regime, Bibi, this is the time and it is your last moment to go home of your own free will. I warn you not to try to drag a whole country into chaos to get out of jail. You will run into millions of Israelis who are not ready to play that game."
7. US: 30% OF MINORITY AMERICANS SUPPORT REFUSING SERVICE TO JEWS
by Josefin Dolsten, JTA
Nineteen percent of Americans think small business owners should be allowed to refuse service to Jews if doing so would violate their religious beliefs, a new poll shows.
That is an increase from 2014, when 12 percent of respondents agreed with the statement, according to survey results published Tuesday by the Public Religion Research Institute.
The survey found increased support for business owners to refuse service to a number of other groups as well, including gays and lesbians, transgender people, atheists, Muslims and African Americans.
The proportion of Americans who think small businesses should be able to refuse service to gays and lesbians was the highest among all the minority groups, at 30 percent. The other groups ranged from 15 percent for African Americans to 29 percent for transgender people.
A significantly higher proportion of Republicans approved of service refusals in all categories than Democrats did. Twenty four percent of Republicans thought small business owners should be allowed to refuse service to Jews based on religious grounds. That number was 17 percent for Democrats.
PRRI surveyed 1,100 adults via phone with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.
8. THE RICHEST PERSON IN AT LEAST 7 STATES IS JEWISH
by JTA
The richest person in at least 7 states is Jewish.
Forbes magazine on Wednesday published a list of the richest person in each of the 50 states.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, 31, is the richest person in California with a net worth of $71 billion. Real estate developer Ted Lerner, 93, and his family are the richest in Maryland with a net worth of $5.1 billion.
Quicken Loans founder and owner Dan Gilbert, 57, who owns the Cleveland Cavaliers, is the richest person in Michigan with a net worth of $6.8 billion. Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, 85, who also owns the Las Vegas Review-Journal daily newspaper, is the richest person in Nevada with a net worth of $37.5 billion.
Former three-term New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, 77, the co-founder and majority owner of the financial information and media company Bloomberg LP, is the richest person in New York with a net worth of $58.3 billion.
Leslie Wexner, 81, the founder and CEO of L Brands, which includes Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works, is the richest person in Ohio with a net worth of $4.7 billion. Anita Zucker, CEO of InterTech Group, a private, family-owned chemicals manufacturer founded by her late husband, Jerry Zucker, is the richest person in South Carolina with a net worth of $1.8 billion.
Thursday, June 27, 2019
A7News: Report: Russia behind disruptions in Ben Gurion GPS systems
Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Thursday, Jun. 27 '19, כ"ד בסיון תשע"ט
HEADLINES:
1. REPORT: RUSSIA BEHIND DISRUPTIONS IN BEN GURION GPS SYSTEMS
2. EHUD BARAK RETURNS TO POLITICAL LIFE
3. WILL PRIZE TO MOVIE ON TERRORIST-DEFENDING ATTORNEY BE CANCELED?
4. POWAY RABBI GOES TO THE UN
5. SENATOR BOOKER WON'T RECOMMIT TO REJOINING IRAN DEAL
6. EHUD BARAK'S #2 DOES NOT RULE OUT CABINET WITH AYMAN ODEH
7. TODDLER WHO DROWNED IN GUSH ETZION IN CRITICAL CONDITION
8. NIKKI HALEY VISITS WESTERN WALL
1. REPORT: RUSSIA BEHIND DISRUPTIONS IN BEN GURION GPS SYSTEMS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The Airports Authority announced yesterday that for three weeks pilots trying to land at Ben-Gurion Airport have been encountering mysterious disruptions in the aircraft's navigation system.
Galei Tzahal revealed that senior officials involved in the affair estimate that the reason for these disruptions is a hostile attack by Russia. It was also revealed that as part of the attempts to resolve the issue, a senior Israeli defense official is currently in Europe, where he met with American officials to discuss, among other things, the issue of the disruptions.
The Airports Authority stated in connection with the disruptions: "As a result of the disturbances, some of the entry procedures for landing have been modified, via the safest and most professional medium at airports around the world (the ILS system) and in Israel, in particular. Ben Gurion Airport supervisors constantly carry out full escort of the aircraft taking off and landing, and at no stage was there a safety incident related to GPS interference in connection with the accuracy of navigation and flight routes."
It also noted that "From the first day that the disturbance appeared, officials in Israel have been working to solve the problem and find the source of the problem. "
The IDF said: "This is an incident in the civilian arena, which the IDF is assisting with technological means, in order to allow freedom of action in the airspace of the State of Israel. At this point in time, this incident does not affect the IDF's activity. The IDF is constantly working to preserve freedom of action and optimal operations across the spectrum."
2. EHUD BARAK RETURNS TO POLITICAL LIFE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak convened a press briefing Wednesday afternoon during which he announced that he will establish a new party for the oncoming elections.
"We have come here to have our say about what is happening and announce the establishment of a new party that will act for major repairs in the state and in society."
"The attempts to repeatedly disrupt democratic processes and to mislead the public and offer political bribery are a direct continuation of Netanyahu's conduct, whose goal is to divide and to undermine law and order, and everything for his personal gain, in order to escape for fear of judgement. These are dark days, the likes of which we have not seen before."
"Netanyahu acts cynically, only a few weeks after he dissolved the Knesset in order to prevent the president from passing along the mandate, after Netanyahu failed [to form a coalition]. We are not blind, the election campaign was advanced only for the sake of Netanyahu, it was advanced because the operation to rescue the suspect failed."
He added, "I have known Netanyahu for more than 50 years. I have seen him in beautiful and painful moments. Netanyahu is at the end of his path, and his closest associates, including his colleagues in the faction and the government, know this. Most of them are gripped by silence and fear. As your former commander, I say to you, Netanyahu: You cannot continue to hold the steering wheel of leadership. Your time as political leader is over."
"We decided to establish an appropriate political framework in the next few days," Barak declared. "We will mobilize the brave and work to end the Netanyahu regime, Bibi, this is the time and it is your last moment to go home of your own free will. I warn you not to try to drag a whole country into chaos to get out of jail. You will run into millions of Israelis who are not ready to play that game."
He called for the unification of forces on the Israeli left. "To those in Blue and White, my brothers in arms, those I commanded in the past, Benny, Bogie, Gabi and my good friend Yair Lapid, I tell you that our rivalry is with Netanyahu and his way. I call up everyone to whom this state is dear."
Maj. Gen. (res.) Yair Golan, who joined the party, said, "I stand here because I must. After 38 years of service, I could go to lectures in Israel and abroad and be with my family. Instead, I take upon myself this difficult journey. I feel a deep obligation to embark on this journey to repair Israeli society. Half of the people is being delegitimized."
The Likud said in response to Barak's press conference, "We are not interfering in how the left divides its mandates between Ehud Barak and Lapid and Gantz."
3. WILL PRIZE TO MOVIE ON TERRORIST-DEFENDING ATTORNEY BE CANCELED?
by Arutz Sheva Staff
In response to a sharp wave of public backlash, Israel's national lottery, Mifal HaPayis, announced that it is considering whether it can legally cancel its 150,000 shekel prize that was set to be awarded to a film positively portraying anti-Israel attorney Lea Tsemel.
Mifal HaPayis said the matter of awarding the film would be examined with legal advice.
Earlier this month at the DocAviv film festival in Tel-Aviv, the film "Advocate" that features the story of controversial attorney Tsemel was awarded a 150,000 shekel prize sponsored by Mifal HaPayis.
The prize sparked wide public outrage, which led thousands of Israelis to cancel their subscriptions to Mifal HaPayis.
Tsemel has gained notoriety for her persistent defense of terrorists with blood on their hands, including dozens of Hamas terrorists and Abdel Aziz Salha, who was pictured in the infamous photograph waving his blood-soaked hands after the lynching of two IDF soldiers in Ramallah in 2000.
According to reports, Tsemel also represents Arafat Irfaiya who earlier this year murdered and raped 19-year-old Ori Ansbacher.
The protest against the prize began in the beginning of June after the Choosing Life Forum of Bereaved families, who accompanied by the Zionist organization Im Tirtzu, began raising awareness about Tsemel and calling on Mifal HaPayis to cancel the prize.
Earlier this week, a number of bereaved families from the Choosing Life Forum protested outside the offices of Mifal HaPayis, spilling red paint on the floor and calling the prize "a spit in the faces of bereaved families and of the blood of our children that has been spilled."
The families also handed out flyers to passersby and held signs with Tsemel's quote about the 2000 Ramallah lynching: "What lynch? As if you could really think it was that."
Their protest, which was widely covered by the Israeli media and on social media, sparked a wave of subscription cancellations that has reportedly amounted to a loss of some one million shekels for Mifal HaPayis.
4. POWAY RABBI GOES TO THE UN
by Arutz Sheva Staff
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265146
On Wednesday, the UN General Assembly met to discuss the growing anti-Semitism around the world, at the initiative of Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, who has enlisted the support of the United States, Canada and European Union countries. Over 90 countries participated in a discussion that included hundreds of guests from the Jewish community in the United States, Jewish and pro-Israel organizations, and many more.
In his speech, Ambassador Danon called on the world to declare war on anti-Semitism: "The sounds we heard at Pittsburgh and Poway do not allow us to act with restraint. The world's approach to eradicating anti-Semitism must be like that of modern warfare. It must attack on multiple fronts."
Danon called on the United Nations and countries to implement a series of steps to eradicate anti-Semitism, including calling for a special envoy to fight anti-Semitism on behalf of the UN Secretary-General and promoting an active policy for monitoring and removing anti-Semitic content on the Internet. He also said countries must implement legislation to educate their population on identifying anti-Semitism. "Leaders of the world – all the allies of the Jewish people – will take that pledge today, and every day, to fight the war on Antisemitism, until anti-Semitism is gone."
Rabbi Goldstein, who was wounded in the shooting attack in Poway, California, was invited by Israel to address the discussion: "In far too many places around the world Jews are becoming more vulnerable...They are paying a shockingly high price to keep themselves safe. Since the horrific attack at our Chabad center, I have made it my personal mission to harness the tools used for spreading darkness and hate for spreading love and light. To fight darkness not with more darkness—but with a great big light."
The rabbi was accompanied by the daughter and sister of Lori Gilbert Kaye, who was murdered in the shooting.
5. SENATOR BOOKER WON'T RECOMMIT TO REJOINING IRAN DEAL
by Ben Ariel
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265171
Senator Cory Booker stood out among 10 contenders for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination when he said at a debate on Wednesday night that he would not recommit the US to the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran.
"If I have an opportunity to leverage a better deal, then I'm going to do it," Booker said, adding that he would consider security conditions in the Middle East and would not "say unilaterally" that he would rejoin the accord as it stands now.
Booker said as president he would "do the best I can to secure this country."
At the same time, he opined that it was a mistake for President Donald Trump to leave the agreement.
There are 25 candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination but only 10 participated in Wednesday night's debate due to the large number of candidates. In addition to Booker, Senator Elizabeth Warren, former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro were among those who took part in Wednesday's debate.
Former Vice President Joe Biden will participate in the second part of the debate on Thursday night.
6. EHUD BARAK'S #2 DOES NOT RULE OUT CABINET WITH AYMAN ODEH
by Mordechai Sones
Maj. Gen. (res.) Yair Golan, who joined Ehud Barak's fledgling party, says he does not rule out sitting in a cabinet with the Arab parties.
"Anyone who believes in a Jewish and democratic state that accepts minorities with kindness we don't reject him, we reject only those who reject the very existence of the State," Golan said in an interview with Kann Bet on Monday.
After party Chairman Ehud Barak refused to relate directly to the question of whether he would form a government with the Arab parties, Golan was much more forthright: "We'll invite anyone who agrees with the principles I spoke about, including Ayman Odeh. There are twenty percent Arab residents here, do we want to disqualify them? Look at the approach of Ben-Gurion and Eshkol and Rabin and Begin to the Arab population. They had a welcoming attitude. I don't understand why we should take twenty percent of the residents of Israel and make them illegitimate."
Golan claimed that he is a "man of the Left but not a Leftist": "A Leftist is an expression with a third connotation, and it has no place. We are a determined and aggressive Left who knows how to lead the Nation of Israel to a democratic, Jewish, and worthy vision."
He spoke of his positions on the necessary steps in Judea and Samaria vis-à-vis the Arabs: "The main question facing Israel is whether we are going to annexation or separation. We are unequivocally in favor of separation. This separation can be expressed in all kinds of ways and we must enter a process that will ultimately lead to separation between the Jewish population and the Palestinian population."
Ehud Barak
Flash 90
Golan referred to a speech in which he said that he "identifies horrifying processes that took place in Europe" and did not express regret. "You have to look at the processes as they are, just take a look at the corruption of the government on the subject of the elections. We should have formed a coalition of the two big parties, the Likud and Blue and White. This happens because of corruption and corruption of one man. I think that everything I said, unfortunately is absolutely true, and what happened in the past three years only proves that."
He was also asked about the issue of treatment of the justice system. "There is a way to discuss the position of the Supreme Court, but the Israeli Supreme Court is a magnificent institution, even if there are things to correct that should be done in private, you understand that there was a party here in the last elections that ran a stupid and criminal slogan: 'One will defeat the Supreme Court and the other will defeat Hamas'? The very fact that such a slogan has come into being is criminal, it mustn't happen. We will not cooperate with wild incitement against the institutions of the State.
"We do not reject anyone who is a Zionist and in favor of a democratic and Jewish state, based on the values of the prophets and the Declaration of Independence. Whoever believes in these things we don't rule out. Many members of religious Zionism believe in these values. I object to the absolute opposition that defines anyone who has a kippah on his head as messianic and an extremist. We reject only people who reject the institutions of the State or do not believe in its very existence."
7. TODDLER WHO DROWNED IN GUSH ETZION IN CRITICAL CONDITION
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The Shaare Zedek Medical Center said Thursday that the condition of a 2-year-old boy who drowned yesterday in a Gush Etzion swimming pool continues to be critical.
Doctors continue to try to stabilize his condition in a pediatric intensive care unit.
Immediately after the drowning, medics arrived at the scene and treated the toddler, evacuating him to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.
According to data from the Beterem organization for children's safety, in 2019, 8 children drowned to death in Israel, and in 2018 37 children died. Since 2008, 202 children have drowned to death.
Following the wave of drowning, the National Child Safety Program, led by the Ministry of Health, launched a campaign aimed at preventing children's drownings under the slogan "In the water, don't take your eyes off the children."
Prof. Itamar Grotto, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Health and Chairman of the National Child Safety Program, stated that "2018 was a very difficult year in terms of the number of children's drownings: during this year, 73 children drowned, some of them were left with severe injuries, and 37 of them lost their lives."
"It happens during recreation, vacation or in the yard of the house. Only close supervision, within touching distance of the child and without distractions, can prevent the next case. This year we decided on the National Child Safety Program to focus on public awareness to alert parents and raise their awareness about the dangers around water. Summer vacation is starting soon, and I call upon parents to take responsibility so that the summer will end without further drowning victims."
8. NIKKI HALEY VISITS WESTERN WALL
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who arrived in Israel to participate in the Israel Hayom Forum for US-Israel Relations, visited the Western Wall today, Wednesday, Israel Hayom reported.
Haley, who is the guest of honor at the special forum, arrived at the women's section of the Western Wall, prayed and placed a note among the stones.
Those present warmly received Haley, who is known for her consistent support for the State of Israel.
This is Haley's first visit to Israel since she left office. During her tenure as UN ambassador (beginning 2017 until the end of 2018), she took a hard line against the organization's anti-Israel bias and even used the US veto power in the UN Security Council for the first time in six years.
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Thursday, Jun. 27 '19, כ"ד בסיון תשע"ט
HEADLINES:
1. REPORT: RUSSIA BEHIND DISRUPTIONS IN BEN GURION GPS SYSTEMS
2. EHUD BARAK RETURNS TO POLITICAL LIFE
3. WILL PRIZE TO MOVIE ON TERRORIST-DEFENDING ATTORNEY BE CANCELED?
4. POWAY RABBI GOES TO THE UN
5. SENATOR BOOKER WON'T RECOMMIT TO REJOINING IRAN DEAL
6. EHUD BARAK'S #2 DOES NOT RULE OUT CABINET WITH AYMAN ODEH
7. TODDLER WHO DROWNED IN GUSH ETZION IN CRITICAL CONDITION
8. NIKKI HALEY VISITS WESTERN WALL
1. REPORT: RUSSIA BEHIND DISRUPTIONS IN BEN GURION GPS SYSTEMS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The Airports Authority announced yesterday that for three weeks pilots trying to land at Ben-Gurion Airport have been encountering mysterious disruptions in the aircraft's navigation system.
Galei Tzahal revealed that senior officials involved in the affair estimate that the reason for these disruptions is a hostile attack by Russia. It was also revealed that as part of the attempts to resolve the issue, a senior Israeli defense official is currently in Europe, where he met with American officials to discuss, among other things, the issue of the disruptions.
The Airports Authority stated in connection with the disruptions: "As a result of the disturbances, some of the entry procedures for landing have been modified, via the safest and most professional medium at airports around the world (the ILS system) and in Israel, in particular. Ben Gurion Airport supervisors constantly carry out full escort of the aircraft taking off and landing, and at no stage was there a safety incident related to GPS interference in connection with the accuracy of navigation and flight routes."
It also noted that "From the first day that the disturbance appeared, officials in Israel have been working to solve the problem and find the source of the problem. "
The IDF said: "This is an incident in the civilian arena, which the IDF is assisting with technological means, in order to allow freedom of action in the airspace of the State of Israel. At this point in time, this incident does not affect the IDF's activity. The IDF is constantly working to preserve freedom of action and optimal operations across the spectrum."
2. EHUD BARAK RETURNS TO POLITICAL LIFE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak convened a press briefing Wednesday afternoon during which he announced that he will establish a new party for the oncoming elections.
"We have come here to have our say about what is happening and announce the establishment of a new party that will act for major repairs in the state and in society."
"The attempts to repeatedly disrupt democratic processes and to mislead the public and offer political bribery are a direct continuation of Netanyahu's conduct, whose goal is to divide and to undermine law and order, and everything for his personal gain, in order to escape for fear of judgement. These are dark days, the likes of which we have not seen before."
"Netanyahu acts cynically, only a few weeks after he dissolved the Knesset in order to prevent the president from passing along the mandate, after Netanyahu failed [to form a coalition]. We are not blind, the election campaign was advanced only for the sake of Netanyahu, it was advanced because the operation to rescue the suspect failed."
He added, "I have known Netanyahu for more than 50 years. I have seen him in beautiful and painful moments. Netanyahu is at the end of his path, and his closest associates, including his colleagues in the faction and the government, know this. Most of them are gripped by silence and fear. As your former commander, I say to you, Netanyahu: You cannot continue to hold the steering wheel of leadership. Your time as political leader is over."
"We decided to establish an appropriate political framework in the next few days," Barak declared. "We will mobilize the brave and work to end the Netanyahu regime, Bibi, this is the time and it is your last moment to go home of your own free will. I warn you not to try to drag a whole country into chaos to get out of jail. You will run into millions of Israelis who are not ready to play that game."
He called for the unification of forces on the Israeli left. "To those in Blue and White, my brothers in arms, those I commanded in the past, Benny, Bogie, Gabi and my good friend Yair Lapid, I tell you that our rivalry is with Netanyahu and his way. I call up everyone to whom this state is dear."
Maj. Gen. (res.) Yair Golan, who joined the party, said, "I stand here because I must. After 38 years of service, I could go to lectures in Israel and abroad and be with my family. Instead, I take upon myself this difficult journey. I feel a deep obligation to embark on this journey to repair Israeli society. Half of the people is being delegitimized."
The Likud said in response to Barak's press conference, "We are not interfering in how the left divides its mandates between Ehud Barak and Lapid and Gantz."
3. WILL PRIZE TO MOVIE ON TERRORIST-DEFENDING ATTORNEY BE CANCELED?
by Arutz Sheva Staff
In response to a sharp wave of public backlash, Israel's national lottery, Mifal HaPayis, announced that it is considering whether it can legally cancel its 150,000 shekel prize that was set to be awarded to a film positively portraying anti-Israel attorney Lea Tsemel.
Mifal HaPayis said the matter of awarding the film would be examined with legal advice.
Earlier this month at the DocAviv film festival in Tel-Aviv, the film "Advocate" that features the story of controversial attorney Tsemel was awarded a 150,000 shekel prize sponsored by Mifal HaPayis.
The prize sparked wide public outrage, which led thousands of Israelis to cancel their subscriptions to Mifal HaPayis.
Tsemel has gained notoriety for her persistent defense of terrorists with blood on their hands, including dozens of Hamas terrorists and Abdel Aziz Salha, who was pictured in the infamous photograph waving his blood-soaked hands after the lynching of two IDF soldiers in Ramallah in 2000.
According to reports, Tsemel also represents Arafat Irfaiya who earlier this year murdered and raped 19-year-old Ori Ansbacher.
The protest against the prize began in the beginning of June after the Choosing Life Forum of Bereaved families, who accompanied by the Zionist organization Im Tirtzu, began raising awareness about Tsemel and calling on Mifal HaPayis to cancel the prize.
Earlier this week, a number of bereaved families from the Choosing Life Forum protested outside the offices of Mifal HaPayis, spilling red paint on the floor and calling the prize "a spit in the faces of bereaved families and of the blood of our children that has been spilled."
The families also handed out flyers to passersby and held signs with Tsemel's quote about the 2000 Ramallah lynching: "What lynch? As if you could really think it was that."
Their protest, which was widely covered by the Israeli media and on social media, sparked a wave of subscription cancellations that has reportedly amounted to a loss of some one million shekels for Mifal HaPayis.
4. POWAY RABBI GOES TO THE UN
by Arutz Sheva Staff
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265146
On Wednesday, the UN General Assembly met to discuss the growing anti-Semitism around the world, at the initiative of Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, who has enlisted the support of the United States, Canada and European Union countries. Over 90 countries participated in a discussion that included hundreds of guests from the Jewish community in the United States, Jewish and pro-Israel organizations, and many more.
In his speech, Ambassador Danon called on the world to declare war on anti-Semitism: "The sounds we heard at Pittsburgh and Poway do not allow us to act with restraint. The world's approach to eradicating anti-Semitism must be like that of modern warfare. It must attack on multiple fronts."
Danon called on the United Nations and countries to implement a series of steps to eradicate anti-Semitism, including calling for a special envoy to fight anti-Semitism on behalf of the UN Secretary-General and promoting an active policy for monitoring and removing anti-Semitic content on the Internet. He also said countries must implement legislation to educate their population on identifying anti-Semitism. "Leaders of the world – all the allies of the Jewish people – will take that pledge today, and every day, to fight the war on Antisemitism, until anti-Semitism is gone."
Rabbi Goldstein, who was wounded in the shooting attack in Poway, California, was invited by Israel to address the discussion: "In far too many places around the world Jews are becoming more vulnerable...They are paying a shockingly high price to keep themselves safe. Since the horrific attack at our Chabad center, I have made it my personal mission to harness the tools used for spreading darkness and hate for spreading love and light. To fight darkness not with more darkness—but with a great big light."
The rabbi was accompanied by the daughter and sister of Lori Gilbert Kaye, who was murdered in the shooting.
5. SENATOR BOOKER WON'T RECOMMIT TO REJOINING IRAN DEAL
by Ben Ariel
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265171
Senator Cory Booker stood out among 10 contenders for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination when he said at a debate on Wednesday night that he would not recommit the US to the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran.
"If I have an opportunity to leverage a better deal, then I'm going to do it," Booker said, adding that he would consider security conditions in the Middle East and would not "say unilaterally" that he would rejoin the accord as it stands now.
Booker said as president he would "do the best I can to secure this country."
At the same time, he opined that it was a mistake for President Donald Trump to leave the agreement.
There are 25 candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination but only 10 participated in Wednesday night's debate due to the large number of candidates. In addition to Booker, Senator Elizabeth Warren, former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro were among those who took part in Wednesday's debate.
Former Vice President Joe Biden will participate in the second part of the debate on Thursday night.
6. EHUD BARAK'S #2 DOES NOT RULE OUT CABINET WITH AYMAN ODEH
by Mordechai Sones
Maj. Gen. (res.) Yair Golan, who joined Ehud Barak's fledgling party, says he does not rule out sitting in a cabinet with the Arab parties.
"Anyone who believes in a Jewish and democratic state that accepts minorities with kindness we don't reject him, we reject only those who reject the very existence of the State," Golan said in an interview with Kann Bet on Monday.
After party Chairman Ehud Barak refused to relate directly to the question of whether he would form a government with the Arab parties, Golan was much more forthright: "We'll invite anyone who agrees with the principles I spoke about, including Ayman Odeh. There are twenty percent Arab residents here, do we want to disqualify them? Look at the approach of Ben-Gurion and Eshkol and Rabin and Begin to the Arab population. They had a welcoming attitude. I don't understand why we should take twenty percent of the residents of Israel and make them illegitimate."
Golan claimed that he is a "man of the Left but not a Leftist": "A Leftist is an expression with a third connotation, and it has no place. We are a determined and aggressive Left who knows how to lead the Nation of Israel to a democratic, Jewish, and worthy vision."
He spoke of his positions on the necessary steps in Judea and Samaria vis-à-vis the Arabs: "The main question facing Israel is whether we are going to annexation or separation. We are unequivocally in favor of separation. This separation can be expressed in all kinds of ways and we must enter a process that will ultimately lead to separation between the Jewish population and the Palestinian population."
Ehud Barak
Flash 90
Golan referred to a speech in which he said that he "identifies horrifying processes that took place in Europe" and did not express regret. "You have to look at the processes as they are, just take a look at the corruption of the government on the subject of the elections. We should have formed a coalition of the two big parties, the Likud and Blue and White. This happens because of corruption and corruption of one man. I think that everything I said, unfortunately is absolutely true, and what happened in the past three years only proves that."
He was also asked about the issue of treatment of the justice system. "There is a way to discuss the position of the Supreme Court, but the Israeli Supreme Court is a magnificent institution, even if there are things to correct that should be done in private, you understand that there was a party here in the last elections that ran a stupid and criminal slogan: 'One will defeat the Supreme Court and the other will defeat Hamas'? The very fact that such a slogan has come into being is criminal, it mustn't happen. We will not cooperate with wild incitement against the institutions of the State.
"We do not reject anyone who is a Zionist and in favor of a democratic and Jewish state, based on the values of the prophets and the Declaration of Independence. Whoever believes in these things we don't rule out. Many members of religious Zionism believe in these values. I object to the absolute opposition that defines anyone who has a kippah on his head as messianic and an extremist. We reject only people who reject the institutions of the State or do not believe in its very existence."
7. TODDLER WHO DROWNED IN GUSH ETZION IN CRITICAL CONDITION
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The Shaare Zedek Medical Center said Thursday that the condition of a 2-year-old boy who drowned yesterday in a Gush Etzion swimming pool continues to be critical.
Doctors continue to try to stabilize his condition in a pediatric intensive care unit.
Immediately after the drowning, medics arrived at the scene and treated the toddler, evacuating him to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.
According to data from the Beterem organization for children's safety, in 2019, 8 children drowned to death in Israel, and in 2018 37 children died. Since 2008, 202 children have drowned to death.
Following the wave of drowning, the National Child Safety Program, led by the Ministry of Health, launched a campaign aimed at preventing children's drownings under the slogan "In the water, don't take your eyes off the children."
Prof. Itamar Grotto, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Health and Chairman of the National Child Safety Program, stated that "2018 was a very difficult year in terms of the number of children's drownings: during this year, 73 children drowned, some of them were left with severe injuries, and 37 of them lost their lives."
"It happens during recreation, vacation or in the yard of the house. Only close supervision, within touching distance of the child and without distractions, can prevent the next case. This year we decided on the National Child Safety Program to focus on public awareness to alert parents and raise their awareness about the dangers around water. Summer vacation is starting soon, and I call upon parents to take responsibility so that the summer will end without further drowning victims."
8. NIKKI HALEY VISITS WESTERN WALL
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who arrived in Israel to participate in the Israel Hayom Forum for US-Israel Relations, visited the Western Wall today, Wednesday, Israel Hayom reported.
Haley, who is the guest of honor at the special forum, arrived at the women's section of the Western Wall, prayed and placed a note among the stones.
Those present warmly received Haley, who is known for her consistent support for the State of Israel.
This is Haley's first visit to Israel since she left office. During her tenure as UN ambassador (beginning 2017 until the end of 2018), she took a hard line against the organization's anti-Israel bias and even used the US veto power in the UN Security Council for the first time in six years.
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
A7News: Report: 7-year-old rape victim told the story to her friend
Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
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Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Wednesday, Jun. 26 '19, כ"ג בסיון תשע"ט
HEADLINES:
1. REPORT: 7-YEAR-OLD RAPE VICTIM TOLD THE STORY TO HER FRIEND
2. ISRAEL REBUKES CHILE OVER PRESIDENT'S VISIT TO TEMPLE MOUNT
3. JERUSALEM'S TOMB OF THE KINGS TO REOPEN FOR 1ST TIME SINCE 2010
4. NETANYAHU VOWS TO STAND BY RIGHT-WING ALLIES
5. HAMAS FURIOUS AT ISRAEL'S RESPONSE TO BALLOON TERROR
6. SUSPECT IN RAPE OF 7-YEAR-OLD RELEASED - INDICTMENT NULLIFIED
7. NETANYAHU TO EXAMINE CANCELLATION OF ELECTIONS
8. LOTTERY SUBSCRIPTION CANCELLATION WAVE
1. REPORT: 7-YEAR-OLD RAPE VICTIM TOLD THE STORY TO HER FRIEND
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The 7-year-old haredi girl who was allegedly raped by a Palestinian Authority Arab and two of his friends told her friend about the sexual assault short after it occurred, News 12 reported Tuesday night.
A welfare worker in the city where the rape occurred reported the incident to the police, who requested the victim's friend testify in the case.
Though police made every effort to ensure the girl's friend could testify, since the victim told her friend about the attack before telling her parents, the friend's parents refused to allow their daughter to be interrogated, News 12 reported.
At the same time, News 13 reported that police suspect Mahmoud Katusa, whose indictment was canceled 9 days after it was filed, had raped another girl from the same city.
That victim did testify, but did not connect Katusa to anything.
Currently, police are investigating other options, including additional Palestinian Authority workers and a local resident.
For his part, Katusa claimed to News 12 that the polygraph test showing he lied was "performed improperly," and performed in Hebrew instead of his native Arabic. He also claimed that they did not show him photos of the girl and he has no idea who they are talking about.
"I don't know who she is or what we're talking about, I'm innocent," he claimed. "I identify with the family and I have nothing against them, but they've come to the wrong person and they need to find the one who did it."
"From the first moment they took me for interrogation, they asked if I wanted a lawyer and I said no because I didn't think it was necessary. They pressured me in the interrogation, I spent almost two months in a situation where I didn't know myself."
In a News 13 interview, Katusa claimed: "This incident has ruined my life, my family, and my heart. I still don't believe it. It's all lies - not a single word said about me is true."
Attorney Yehuda Fried, who represents the victim and her family, emphasized: "The family does not want someone innocent to sit in jail. We want the perpetrator to be the one arrested. But our starting point is that he's not innocent. The military prosecutor himself said he's still a suspect and there are proofs connecting him to the crime."
2. ISRAEL REBUKES CHILE OVER PRESIDENT'S VISIT TO TEMPLE MOUNT
by Arutz Sheva Staff, AFP
Israel protested to Chile on Wednesday after President Sebastian Pinera visited a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site alongside a Palestinian Authority leader.
Pinera, on a visit to Israel, toured the Al-Aqsa mosque complex on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Tuesday, with images on social media showing him accompanied by Palestinian Authority officials, including the PA's Jerusalem affairs chief Fadi al-Hadami.
According to Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz, Chilean Ambassador Rodrigo Fernandez was rebuked for Pinera's visit taking place "in violation of the regulations and a prior agreement."
"The freedom of worship, which Israel observes more than anyone else has, should be separated from safeguarding our sovereignty on the Temple Mount," he said in a Wednesday tweet.
Foreign dignitaries normally coordinate their visits to the volatile site with Israeli officials.
An official source in the Chilean delegation said the visit was a "private" one, in which "formally, only the delegation from Chile participated."
Pinera, who landed in Tel Aviv on Monday, was due to meet with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu later in the day. Pinera will meet with Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Thursday before taking off for Japan.
3. JERUSALEM'S TOMB OF THE KINGS TO REOPEN FOR 1ST TIME SINCE 2010
by Arutz Sheva Staff, AFP
The Tomb of the Kings, a 2,000-year-old archaeological gem in the heart of Jerusalem owned by France, is to reopen to the public for the first time since 2010, the French consulate said Wednesday.
The elaborate Roman-era tomb with stone shelves that once held sarcophagi, considered among the largest in the region, will be opened on Thursday, and the following Tuesday and Thursday mornings, the consulate's website said.
Visits will be limited to 15 people in 45-minute stretches, the ticket order page said, noting the need for "proper dress" at the Tomb of the Kings, which is a funeral site.
The graves themselves will remain closed to the public for conservation and safety reasons.
The vast site, located in east Jerusalem some 700 meters (yards) north of the Old City, is hidden behind a wall with a metal gate marked by a French flag.
It has been closed since 2010 due to renovations costing around a million euros ($1.1 million).
A spokeswoman for the French Consulate General said that in opening the site, France was implementing a decision and a commitment "made a long time ago".
Jews consider the tomb a holy burial site of ancient ancestors and demand the right to pray there.
Excavations of the site began in the 1860s, with Felicien de Saulcy of France taking on the project in 1863 and seeking to confirm it was the tomb of biblical figures King David and Solomon, giving rise to the site's name.
That theory has been ruled out, but the name has endured.
Several sarcophagi were found inside and are now in the Louvre museum in Paris, including one with an Aramaic inscription.
According to the most commonly accepted theory, it refers to Queen Helena of Adiabene, in today's Iraqi Kurdistan, and she may have built the tomb for her dynasty.
After de Saulcy's excavation, the tomb was purchased by the Pereire brothers, a Jewish banking family in Paris that would later hand the property over to France.
Israel and France had negotiated the site's status and reopening, but a French consulate spokeswoman declined to give details.
"We are reopening in accordance with the rules we set for ourselves," she told AFP.
Israel's foreign minister welcomed France's decision to open the tomb.
"(I) invite the public to visit the site, which has great significance to the Jewish people, and is further testimony to the deep and multigenerational connection of the Jewish people to its eternal capital Jerusalem," Israel Katz said in a statement.
4. NETANYAHU VOWS TO STAND BY RIGHT-WING ALLIES
by Hezki Baruch
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu denied recent reports regarding alleged talks between the Likud party and the center-left Blue and White party to form a unity government.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu rejected the reports, saying his Likud party had not been in negotiations with the Blue and White party, and had not offered to form a unity government with a power-sharing arrangement to rotate the premiership between the two parties.
"I respect and value Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein," said Netanyahu, after Edelstein called for efforts to form a new government and cancel the new elections planned for this September.
"His initiative seeks to prevent another round of elections in Israel," Netanyahu continued. "The Knesset Speaker asked to meet with me in the coming days, and I will do so."
The Prime Minister pushed back on claims that his caretaker government had been in talks with the Blue and White party for the formation of a unity government with the premiership rotating between the two parties.
"All the rest is spin. At no point was rotation offered, and up to this point, there has been no contact between the Likud and Blue and White, and I have absolutely no intention of abandoning my natural allies for a right-wing government."
Earlier on Wednesday, Likud MK Miki Zohar told Reshet Bet that recent reports claiming the Likud had offered the Blue and White party a power-sharing rotational arrangement for the premiership were false.
"Blue and White was never offered a rotational arrangement; it is nothing more than their spin, I guess."
But MK Zohar said the Likud would consider any arrangement which would prevent new elections.
"Right now we aren't ruling out anything which would prevent these elections. We need to consider everything; but whether there will be a rotational arrangement, I don't know."
Earlier this week, Blue and White officials claimed that on the eve of the dissolution of the Knesset, in the midst of the final attempts to form a government, Netanyahu suggested that they join a unity government which would included rotation of the premiership – a claim the Likud quickly denied.
5. HAMAS FURIOUS AT ISRAEL'S RESPONSE TO BALLOON TERROR
by Dalit Halevi
Khalil al-Hayya, a senior member of the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza, on Tuesday said Israel bore full responsibility for the deterioration of the situation due to what he called "Israeli procrastination in the implementation of the understandings regarding the lull."
"The game of the occupation regarding the fishing area and the cessation of fuel supply to the power plant bring the understandings to a very dangerous situation with grave consequences," al-Hayya warned.
Israel restricted the permitted fishing area in the Gaza Strip and, on Tuesday, stopped fuel deliveries to the power station in Gaza.
The moves are in response to the continued firing of incendiary balloons by Gaza terrorists toward southern Israel, which causes widespread fires every day in the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas organization does not see the continuation of the confrontations along the border, including the incendiary balloon terror, as part of the understandings for a truce brokered with Israel through Egyptian mediation.
6. SUSPECT IN RAPE OF 7-YEAR-OLD RELEASED - INDICTMENT NULLIFIED
by David Rosenberg
Prosecutors dropped the indictment against a Palestinian Authority resident accused of abducting and raping a seven-year-old in a haredi town near Modi'in.
According to a statement released Tuesday by prosecutors, the suspect, Mahmoud Katusa, will be freed, and the indictment filed against him last Sunday dropped.
"After additional examinations of the material in the investigation, the chief army prosecutor…found that the evidentiary basis for the indictment does not satisfy the requirement of having a 'reasonable chance of leading to a conviction'. As such, in keeping with the court's instructions, the criminal proceedings cannot be continued, and the indictment must be withdrawn, and Katusa released from arrest."
Despite the decision to release Katusa and withdraw the indictment, investigators said the probe would continue, focusing both on Katusa and "other directions".
"The police investigation will continue and intensify, both in connection with Katusa as well as in other directions."
"As soon as the investigation has an evidentiary basis for submitting a new indictment against Katusa or others, it will be done."
Nashef Darwish, attorney of Mahmoud Katusa
Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
The bombshell announcement came Tuesday morning, following new revelations in the case, which first went public last Sunday.
Last week, army prosecutors filed an indictment against 46-year-old Mahmoud Katusa, a resident of the Palestinian Authority town of Deir Qaddis, near Modi'in Illit.
Katusa, who had worked both as a maintenance man at a school in a haredi city near Modi'in, and as a construction worker in the same city, was arrested on May 1st, after being accused of abducting a seven-year-old girl from her school, where Katusa worked, carrying her off to a nearby house Katusa was renovating, and raping her.
The indictment said that at least two other Arab workers helped Katusa commit the rape, by holding the victim's arms and legs.
Later, the victim identified Katusa as the perpetrator, pointing him out to a teacher.
Question arouse shortly after the indictment was filed, however, regarding the veracity of the child's identification of Katusa as the perpetrator.
The case lacked physical evidence, due in part to the family's decision not to immediately report the matter to police, and investigators say the victim may have been led by her mother to identify Katusa as the perpetrator.
Despite Katusa having failed a polygraph test during the initial investigation, prior to the indictment, a major discovery at the victim's home this week changed the prosecution's position regarding the indictment, Israeli media outlets reported Monday night.
7. NETANYAHU TO EXAMINE CANCELLATION OF ELECTIONS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
During the past few days, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein has been examining a move that would eliminate the dispersion of the 21st Knesset and the elections to the 22nd Knesset, Channel 12 reported Tuesday evening.
The first stage of the process, which has been greatly accelerated in recent hours, is the convening of the Knesset Presidium by the speaker and the annulment of the Knesset's election recess.
The second stage is the formulation of new legislation that will create a legal basis for canceling the dispersion of the Knesset, a basis that does not yet exist today.
This is a complex process, since such legislation must be passed by a majority of at least 80 Knesset members, such that a broad consensus is required in the Knesset, and it is contingent on the formation of a broad coalition that will allow it.
However, Prime Minister Netanyahu is already giving a tailwind to the complex process. The Likud said in response, "Prime Minister Netanyahu is taking Knesset Speaker Edelstein seriously and will review his proposal in the coming days."
Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who is currently considering forming a new left-wing party under his leadership that will run in September, has already come out against the move.
"Anyone lends a hand to canceling the dispersal of the Knesset will, in practice, become a partner for corruption from Netanyahu's school." Barak tweeted, adding, "Those who support this disgrace to save Netanyahu will be expelled from the city."
8. LOTTERY SUBSCRIPTION CANCELLATION WAVE
by Mordechai Sones
MK Etty Atia (Likud) appealed to Mifal Hapayis, the National Lottery, to re-examine the financial grant given to the filmmakers who produced Leah Tsemel - Advocate, that tells the story of a lawyer who represented terrorist murderers.
In a letter sent by MK Atia she wrote: "I hereby join the call of the bereaved families regarding suspending the grant under your auspices that the filmmakers are supposed to receive, at an amount of NIS150,000."
Atia says awarding the prize is "poking a finger in the red eyes of the bereaved families, who know no rest in dealing with the deaths of their loved ones."
MK Atia asked at the end of the letter: "Do not let this spoil the dozens of good things that Mifal Hapayis is doing for the citizens of the State of Israel."
Mifal Hapayis' intention to award a monetary prize to the film's creators aroused protest among bereaved families who even demonstrated in front of Mifal Hapayis offices demanding the grant be canceled. The protest aroused anger among Mifal Hapayis subscribers and many of them asked to cancel the subscription.
The "Choosing Life" forum of bereaved families, accompanied by the Im Tirtzu movement, said: "The protest that's been growing in recent days plus the cancellation of hundreds of subscribers is a wake-up call to Mifal Hapayis. The sane public doesn't want its money to reach the hands of a filmmaker who chose to glorify the 'terrorist advocate'. The blood of our children isn't worthless. We'll make sure to remind everyone who forgets."
B'Tzalmo Director Shai Glick said: "The money from Mifal Hapayis is intended to help Israeli society, not to glorify those who defend base terrorists, a serious mistake that can still be corrected, since the money has not yet been transferred. We demand that Mifal Hapayis hear the voice of the people and lottery subscribers and cancel the prize grant."
Bereaved families at demonstration (Hebrew): 📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265086
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Wednesday, Jun. 26 '19, כ"ג בסיון תשע"ט
HEADLINES:
1. REPORT: 7-YEAR-OLD RAPE VICTIM TOLD THE STORY TO HER FRIEND
2. ISRAEL REBUKES CHILE OVER PRESIDENT'S VISIT TO TEMPLE MOUNT
3. JERUSALEM'S TOMB OF THE KINGS TO REOPEN FOR 1ST TIME SINCE 2010
4. NETANYAHU VOWS TO STAND BY RIGHT-WING ALLIES
5. HAMAS FURIOUS AT ISRAEL'S RESPONSE TO BALLOON TERROR
6. SUSPECT IN RAPE OF 7-YEAR-OLD RELEASED - INDICTMENT NULLIFIED
7. NETANYAHU TO EXAMINE CANCELLATION OF ELECTIONS
8. LOTTERY SUBSCRIPTION CANCELLATION WAVE
1. REPORT: 7-YEAR-OLD RAPE VICTIM TOLD THE STORY TO HER FRIEND
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The 7-year-old haredi girl who was allegedly raped by a Palestinian Authority Arab and two of his friends told her friend about the sexual assault short after it occurred, News 12 reported Tuesday night.
A welfare worker in the city where the rape occurred reported the incident to the police, who requested the victim's friend testify in the case.
Though police made every effort to ensure the girl's friend could testify, since the victim told her friend about the attack before telling her parents, the friend's parents refused to allow their daughter to be interrogated, News 12 reported.
At the same time, News 13 reported that police suspect Mahmoud Katusa, whose indictment was canceled 9 days after it was filed, had raped another girl from the same city.
That victim did testify, but did not connect Katusa to anything.
Currently, police are investigating other options, including additional Palestinian Authority workers and a local resident.
For his part, Katusa claimed to News 12 that the polygraph test showing he lied was "performed improperly," and performed in Hebrew instead of his native Arabic. He also claimed that they did not show him photos of the girl and he has no idea who they are talking about.
"I don't know who she is or what we're talking about, I'm innocent," he claimed. "I identify with the family and I have nothing against them, but they've come to the wrong person and they need to find the one who did it."
"From the first moment they took me for interrogation, they asked if I wanted a lawyer and I said no because I didn't think it was necessary. They pressured me in the interrogation, I spent almost two months in a situation where I didn't know myself."
In a News 13 interview, Katusa claimed: "This incident has ruined my life, my family, and my heart. I still don't believe it. It's all lies - not a single word said about me is true."
Attorney Yehuda Fried, who represents the victim and her family, emphasized: "The family does not want someone innocent to sit in jail. We want the perpetrator to be the one arrested. But our starting point is that he's not innocent. The military prosecutor himself said he's still a suspect and there are proofs connecting him to the crime."
2. ISRAEL REBUKES CHILE OVER PRESIDENT'S VISIT TO TEMPLE MOUNT
by Arutz Sheva Staff, AFP
Israel protested to Chile on Wednesday after President Sebastian Pinera visited a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site alongside a Palestinian Authority leader.
Pinera, on a visit to Israel, toured the Al-Aqsa mosque complex on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Tuesday, with images on social media showing him accompanied by Palestinian Authority officials, including the PA's Jerusalem affairs chief Fadi al-Hadami.
According to Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz, Chilean Ambassador Rodrigo Fernandez was rebuked for Pinera's visit taking place "in violation of the regulations and a prior agreement."
"The freedom of worship, which Israel observes more than anyone else has, should be separated from safeguarding our sovereignty on the Temple Mount," he said in a Wednesday tweet.
Foreign dignitaries normally coordinate their visits to the volatile site with Israeli officials.
An official source in the Chilean delegation said the visit was a "private" one, in which "formally, only the delegation from Chile participated."
Pinera, who landed in Tel Aviv on Monday, was due to meet with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu later in the day. Pinera will meet with Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Thursday before taking off for Japan.
3. JERUSALEM'S TOMB OF THE KINGS TO REOPEN FOR 1ST TIME SINCE 2010
by Arutz Sheva Staff, AFP
The Tomb of the Kings, a 2,000-year-old archaeological gem in the heart of Jerusalem owned by France, is to reopen to the public for the first time since 2010, the French consulate said Wednesday.
The elaborate Roman-era tomb with stone shelves that once held sarcophagi, considered among the largest in the region, will be opened on Thursday, and the following Tuesday and Thursday mornings, the consulate's website said.
Visits will be limited to 15 people in 45-minute stretches, the ticket order page said, noting the need for "proper dress" at the Tomb of the Kings, which is a funeral site.
The graves themselves will remain closed to the public for conservation and safety reasons.
The vast site, located in east Jerusalem some 700 meters (yards) north of the Old City, is hidden behind a wall with a metal gate marked by a French flag.
It has been closed since 2010 due to renovations costing around a million euros ($1.1 million).
A spokeswoman for the French Consulate General said that in opening the site, France was implementing a decision and a commitment "made a long time ago".
Jews consider the tomb a holy burial site of ancient ancestors and demand the right to pray there.
Excavations of the site began in the 1860s, with Felicien de Saulcy of France taking on the project in 1863 and seeking to confirm it was the tomb of biblical figures King David and Solomon, giving rise to the site's name.
That theory has been ruled out, but the name has endured.
Several sarcophagi were found inside and are now in the Louvre museum in Paris, including one with an Aramaic inscription.
According to the most commonly accepted theory, it refers to Queen Helena of Adiabene, in today's Iraqi Kurdistan, and she may have built the tomb for her dynasty.
After de Saulcy's excavation, the tomb was purchased by the Pereire brothers, a Jewish banking family in Paris that would later hand the property over to France.
Israel and France had negotiated the site's status and reopening, but a French consulate spokeswoman declined to give details.
"We are reopening in accordance with the rules we set for ourselves," she told AFP.
Israel's foreign minister welcomed France's decision to open the tomb.
"(I) invite the public to visit the site, which has great significance to the Jewish people, and is further testimony to the deep and multigenerational connection of the Jewish people to its eternal capital Jerusalem," Israel Katz said in a statement.
4. NETANYAHU VOWS TO STAND BY RIGHT-WING ALLIES
by Hezki Baruch
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu denied recent reports regarding alleged talks between the Likud party and the center-left Blue and White party to form a unity government.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu rejected the reports, saying his Likud party had not been in negotiations with the Blue and White party, and had not offered to form a unity government with a power-sharing arrangement to rotate the premiership between the two parties.
"I respect and value Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein," said Netanyahu, after Edelstein called for efforts to form a new government and cancel the new elections planned for this September.
"His initiative seeks to prevent another round of elections in Israel," Netanyahu continued. "The Knesset Speaker asked to meet with me in the coming days, and I will do so."
The Prime Minister pushed back on claims that his caretaker government had been in talks with the Blue and White party for the formation of a unity government with the premiership rotating between the two parties.
"All the rest is spin. At no point was rotation offered, and up to this point, there has been no contact between the Likud and Blue and White, and I have absolutely no intention of abandoning my natural allies for a right-wing government."
Earlier on Wednesday, Likud MK Miki Zohar told Reshet Bet that recent reports claiming the Likud had offered the Blue and White party a power-sharing rotational arrangement for the premiership were false.
"Blue and White was never offered a rotational arrangement; it is nothing more than their spin, I guess."
But MK Zohar said the Likud would consider any arrangement which would prevent new elections.
"Right now we aren't ruling out anything which would prevent these elections. We need to consider everything; but whether there will be a rotational arrangement, I don't know."
Earlier this week, Blue and White officials claimed that on the eve of the dissolution of the Knesset, in the midst of the final attempts to form a government, Netanyahu suggested that they join a unity government which would included rotation of the premiership – a claim the Likud quickly denied.
5. HAMAS FURIOUS AT ISRAEL'S RESPONSE TO BALLOON TERROR
by Dalit Halevi
Khalil al-Hayya, a senior member of the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza, on Tuesday said Israel bore full responsibility for the deterioration of the situation due to what he called "Israeli procrastination in the implementation of the understandings regarding the lull."
"The game of the occupation regarding the fishing area and the cessation of fuel supply to the power plant bring the understandings to a very dangerous situation with grave consequences," al-Hayya warned.
Israel restricted the permitted fishing area in the Gaza Strip and, on Tuesday, stopped fuel deliveries to the power station in Gaza.
The moves are in response to the continued firing of incendiary balloons by Gaza terrorists toward southern Israel, which causes widespread fires every day in the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas organization does not see the continuation of the confrontations along the border, including the incendiary balloon terror, as part of the understandings for a truce brokered with Israel through Egyptian mediation.
6. SUSPECT IN RAPE OF 7-YEAR-OLD RELEASED - INDICTMENT NULLIFIED
by David Rosenberg
Prosecutors dropped the indictment against a Palestinian Authority resident accused of abducting and raping a seven-year-old in a haredi town near Modi'in.
According to a statement released Tuesday by prosecutors, the suspect, Mahmoud Katusa, will be freed, and the indictment filed against him last Sunday dropped.
"After additional examinations of the material in the investigation, the chief army prosecutor…found that the evidentiary basis for the indictment does not satisfy the requirement of having a 'reasonable chance of leading to a conviction'. As such, in keeping with the court's instructions, the criminal proceedings cannot be continued, and the indictment must be withdrawn, and Katusa released from arrest."
Despite the decision to release Katusa and withdraw the indictment, investigators said the probe would continue, focusing both on Katusa and "other directions".
"The police investigation will continue and intensify, both in connection with Katusa as well as in other directions."
"As soon as the investigation has an evidentiary basis for submitting a new indictment against Katusa or others, it will be done."
Nashef Darwish, attorney of Mahmoud Katusa
Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
The bombshell announcement came Tuesday morning, following new revelations in the case, which first went public last Sunday.
Last week, army prosecutors filed an indictment against 46-year-old Mahmoud Katusa, a resident of the Palestinian Authority town of Deir Qaddis, near Modi'in Illit.
Katusa, who had worked both as a maintenance man at a school in a haredi city near Modi'in, and as a construction worker in the same city, was arrested on May 1st, after being accused of abducting a seven-year-old girl from her school, where Katusa worked, carrying her off to a nearby house Katusa was renovating, and raping her.
The indictment said that at least two other Arab workers helped Katusa commit the rape, by holding the victim's arms and legs.
Later, the victim identified Katusa as the perpetrator, pointing him out to a teacher.
Question arouse shortly after the indictment was filed, however, regarding the veracity of the child's identification of Katusa as the perpetrator.
The case lacked physical evidence, due in part to the family's decision not to immediately report the matter to police, and investigators say the victim may have been led by her mother to identify Katusa as the perpetrator.
Despite Katusa having failed a polygraph test during the initial investigation, prior to the indictment, a major discovery at the victim's home this week changed the prosecution's position regarding the indictment, Israeli media outlets reported Monday night.
7. NETANYAHU TO EXAMINE CANCELLATION OF ELECTIONS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
During the past few days, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein has been examining a move that would eliminate the dispersion of the 21st Knesset and the elections to the 22nd Knesset, Channel 12 reported Tuesday evening.
The first stage of the process, which has been greatly accelerated in recent hours, is the convening of the Knesset Presidium by the speaker and the annulment of the Knesset's election recess.
The second stage is the formulation of new legislation that will create a legal basis for canceling the dispersion of the Knesset, a basis that does not yet exist today.
This is a complex process, since such legislation must be passed by a majority of at least 80 Knesset members, such that a broad consensus is required in the Knesset, and it is contingent on the formation of a broad coalition that will allow it.
However, Prime Minister Netanyahu is already giving a tailwind to the complex process. The Likud said in response, "Prime Minister Netanyahu is taking Knesset Speaker Edelstein seriously and will review his proposal in the coming days."
Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who is currently considering forming a new left-wing party under his leadership that will run in September, has already come out against the move.
"Anyone lends a hand to canceling the dispersal of the Knesset will, in practice, become a partner for corruption from Netanyahu's school." Barak tweeted, adding, "Those who support this disgrace to save Netanyahu will be expelled from the city."
8. LOTTERY SUBSCRIPTION CANCELLATION WAVE
by Mordechai Sones
MK Etty Atia (Likud) appealed to Mifal Hapayis, the National Lottery, to re-examine the financial grant given to the filmmakers who produced Leah Tsemel - Advocate, that tells the story of a lawyer who represented terrorist murderers.
In a letter sent by MK Atia she wrote: "I hereby join the call of the bereaved families regarding suspending the grant under your auspices that the filmmakers are supposed to receive, at an amount of NIS150,000."
Atia says awarding the prize is "poking a finger in the red eyes of the bereaved families, who know no rest in dealing with the deaths of their loved ones."
MK Atia asked at the end of the letter: "Do not let this spoil the dozens of good things that Mifal Hapayis is doing for the citizens of the State of Israel."
Mifal Hapayis' intention to award a monetary prize to the film's creators aroused protest among bereaved families who even demonstrated in front of Mifal Hapayis offices demanding the grant be canceled. The protest aroused anger among Mifal Hapayis subscribers and many of them asked to cancel the subscription.
The "Choosing Life" forum of bereaved families, accompanied by the Im Tirtzu movement, said: "The protest that's been growing in recent days plus the cancellation of hundreds of subscribers is a wake-up call to Mifal Hapayis. The sane public doesn't want its money to reach the hands of a filmmaker who chose to glorify the 'terrorist advocate'. The blood of our children isn't worthless. We'll make sure to remind everyone who forgets."
B'Tzalmo Director Shai Glick said: "The money from Mifal Hapayis is intended to help Israeli society, not to glorify those who defend base terrorists, a serious mistake that can still be corrected, since the money has not yet been transferred. We demand that Mifal Hapayis hear the voice of the people and lottery subscribers and cancel the prize grant."
Bereaved families at demonstration (Hebrew): 📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265086
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
A7News: 'Horrifying that suspected rapist might return to the school'
Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Tuesday, Jun. 25 '19, כ"ב בסיון תשע"ט
HEADLINES:
1. 'HORRIFYING THAT SUSPECTED RAPIST MIGHT RETURN TO THE SCHOOL'
2. SUSPECTED RAPIST OF 7-YEAR-OLD GIRL FREED
3. WATCH: JOHN BOLTON ON SECURITY MEETING IN JERUSALEM
4. SMOTRICH: HERE'S WHY OTZMA CANDIDATE ISN'T AN MK
5. ADVERTISE ON ARUTZ SHEVA – REACH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS WORLDWIDE
6. BRITISH YOUTH THREATENS TO BLOW UP PLANE AT BEN GURION AIRPORT
7. SUSPECT IN RAPE OF 7-YEAR-OLD RELEASED - INDICTMENT NULLIFIED
8. MAJOR ISRAELI CITY INAUGURATES 'TRUMP SQUARE'
1. 'HORRIFYING THAT SUSPECTED RAPIST MIGHT RETURN TO THE SCHOOL'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Attorney Yehuda Fried, who is representing the 7-year-old rape victim and her family, responded Tuesday to the alleged rapist's expected release.
On Tuesday morning, prosecutors dropped the case against 46-year-old Mahmoud Nazmi Abed Alhamid Katusa, a resident of the Palestinian Authority town of Deir Qaddis, near Modi'in Illit.
Katusa was indicted last week, but questions arose regarding whether the child's identification of him could be relied upon.
"The possibility that the rapist will walk free frightens me," Fried told 103FM Radio. "The possibility that he will return to working in the school is horrifying. We will do everything we can to change the decision."
"Last night, at midnight, the family received a notification that the interrogation of the girl yesterday, which took several hours, helped to bolster the proofs. From what they said, the girl was raped and Katusa is the suspect. We were sure that the process would continue, but this morning the indictment was canceled. I can't understand it."
2. SUSPECTED RAPIST OF 7-YEAR-OLD GIRL FREED
by Arutz Sheva Staff
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265075
Mahmoud Katusa, the suspect in the abduction and rape of a seven-year-old Israeli girl, was released from Ofer military prison northwest of Jerusalem Tuesday afternoon, following a decision by prosecutors to withdraw an indictment against him.
Upon his release from prison, Katusa was greeted by friends and family, some of whom waved PLO flags and yelled "Allahu Akhbar".
"They made up things about me," said Katusa. "I'm an innocent man. The police can say whatever they want."
Anwar Katusa, the suspect's brother, met Mahmoud outside of Ofer prison.
"Thank God the truth has come out. Our hearts are in pain over what happened to this girl, but the truth is that Mahmoud didn't do it. Catch the person who did."
On Tuesday, army prosecutors announced that they lacked sufficient evidence to push forward with a trial, and would withdraw the indictment filed against 46-year-old Mahmoud Katusa for the rape of a seven-year-old girl.
"This is a sad day," said Katusa's defense attorney, Nasahf Darwish, "but on the other hand it is also a happy day, since an innocent man is being freed."
"We identify with the girl and her family. My client was not involved – either directly or indirectly – with the story here."
But the announcement by army prosecutors Tuesday did not clear Katusa in the case.
While acknowledging that they lacked sufficient evidence to take the case to trial, prosecutors wrote in the announcement Tuesday that investigators "believe there is evidence that the girl was sexually assaulted, and there is an evidentiary basis…pointing to Katusa's involvement in the assault."
A resident of the Palestinian Authority town of Deir Qaddis, near the haredi city of Modi'in Illit, Katusa has been in custody since May 1st.
Last week, army prosecutors filed an indictment against Katusa, following a lengthy investigation, during which Katusa failed a polygraph test.
Katusa, who had worked both as a maintenance man at a school in a haredi city near Modi'in, and as a construction worker in the same city, was arrested after being accused of abducting a seven-year-old girl from her school, where Katusa worked, carrying her off to a nearby house Katusa was renovating, and raping her.
The indictment said that at least two other Arab workers helped Katusa commit the rape, by holding the victim's arms and legs.
Later, the victim identified Katusa as the perpetrator, pointing him out to a teacher.
Question arouse shortly after the indictment was filed, however, regarding the veracity of the child's identification of Katusa as the perpetrator.
The case lacked physical evidence, due in part to the family's decision not to immediately report the matter to police, and investigators say the victim may have been led by her mother to identify Katusa as the perpetrator.
Despite Katusa having failed a polygraph test during the initial investigation, prior to the indictment, a major discovery at the victim's home this week changed the prosecution's position regarding the indictment, Israeli media outlets reported Monday night.
3. WATCH: JOHN BOLTON ON SECURITY MEETING IN JERUSALEM
by Arutz Sheva Staff
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265073
4. SMOTRICH: HERE'S WHY OTZMA CANDIDATE ISN'T AN MK
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich (United Right) on Tuesday morning responded to Otzma Yehudit's Itamar Ben-Gvir, who complained that the United Right's Jewish Home faction did not keep its agreement with the party's Otzma Yehudit faction.
Earlier on Tuesday, Otzma Yehudit announced its decision to split from the United Right, which until then had included the Jewish Home, National Union, and Otzma Yehudit parties.
Part of the parties' agreement had been that when a Jewish Home candidate was appointed minister, he would apply the Norwegian Law, stepping down as MK to allow an Otzma candidate to become a Knesset member. This, however, did not happen.
"Let's start with the obvious: Agreements need to be kept," Smotrich said. "There isn't and won't be any argument about that. If I were able, I would have immediately done everything to get Itamar into the Knesset. Itamar is a friend, he's a talented person who can do a lot, and he deserves it and so do Otzma voters. But to our great dismay, this is simply not possible at the moment. I looked into it, I tried, but it simply is impossible."
"If a government would have been formed, the Norwegian Law would have been applied within a week and Rabbi Rafi [Peretz] and I would have resigned as Knesset members and allowed our friend Itamar Ben-Gvir and Orit Strock to take our places, as we agreed.
"The Norwegian Law passed during the 20th Knesset as a temporary Law, and therefore must be passed again after the 21st Knesset was sworn in.
"But this government is a temporary government, and we cannot apply the Norwegian Law in it. Despite this, at Itamar's request, I investigated the possibility of resigning from the Knesset in the usual fashion in order to allow him to enter. But this is not legally possible. According to Basic Law: The Government, during a temporary government, the Prime Minister is only allowed to appoint Knesset members to be ministers. So, if we resign from the Knesset, we will cease being ministers, and that, of course, is illogical and not what the agreement asks.
"I explained this to our dear friends in Otzma, as well as to other friends who inquired about this issue out of sincere concern.
"It is unnecessary to state that the National Union's commitment to the union with Otzma Yehudit still stands. I like Itamar and the other Otzma members. We will continue in this path, and G-d willing in the next Knesset we will be even larger.
"On the basis of this union we will, G-d willing, join with even more people, and as soon as possible, so that we can reach the next elections and maximize our political power. We will all benefit from this, and the Jewish nation, especially, will benefit from it."
5. ADVERTISE ON ARUTZ SHEVA – REACH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS WORLDWIDE
by Arutz Sheva
On the Arutz Sheva website in English, there are an average of 1.3 million unique users per month with more than 8 million page views.
Half of our readers, 50%, are from the United States. The rest from Israel, 13%; Britain, 8%; Canada, and more.
There is an option to advertise only in specific countries.
62% of the visits to the site are made from mobile devices, 28% on computers and 9% on tablets. The most popular mobile device is the Apple iPhone.
69% of our readers and viewers are men, 31% women.
Our visitors span all age groups: Four percent age between the ages of 18-24, while 17% are aged 25-34. Another 17% are between the ages of 35-44, 18% are aged 45-54, 21% are aged 55-64 and 23% are aged 65 or above.
The site is active all week and is updated 24 hours a day, except for on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
In addition to our website, we have a large and strong mailing list with 50,000 subscribers who receive the news every day to their email inbox.
Arutz Sheva has a very active Facebook page with more than 155,000 eager followers across the globe.
Whether you're looking to promote your business, service, or cause, Arutz Sheva has a variety of ad choices and placements to suit your specific needs and marketing strategy.
Contact us today for special introductory offers and package rate discounts.
6. BRITISH YOUTH THREATENS TO BLOW UP PLANE AT BEN GURION AIRPORT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
18 British youths were taken off a British Airways flight from Israel to London after the captain refused to fly them when one of them threatened to blow up the aircraft.
The participants participated in a private event in Israel. After boarding the plane, one of them announced that he would blow up the plane.
The captain updated the management of the British airline and was instructed to take the youths off the plane.
A security team was dispatched to the area, which carried out inspections of passengers and aircraft.
The baggage of the passengers was removed from the plane, which took off for London a few minutes later. The young men remained in the terminal.
7. SUSPECT IN RAPE OF 7-YEAR-OLD RELEASED - INDICTMENT NULLIFIED
by David Rosenberg
Prosecutors dropped the indictment against a Palestinian Authority resident accused of abducting and raping a seven-year-old in a haredi town near Modi'in.
According to a statement released Tuesday by prosecutors, the suspect, Mahmoud Katusa, will be freed, and the indictment filed against him last Sunday dropped.
"After additional examinations of the material in the investigation, the chief army prosecutor…found that the evidentiary basis for the indictment does not satisfy the requirement of having a 'reasonable chance of leading to a conviction'. As such, in keeping with the court's instructions, the criminal proceedings cannot be continued, and the indictment must be withdrawn, and Katusa released from arrest."
Despite the decision to release Katusa and withdraw the indictment, investigators said the probe would continue, focusing both on Katusa and "other directions".
"The police investigation will continue and intensify, both in connection with Katusa as well as in other directions."
"As soon as the investigation has an evidentiary basis for submitting a new indictment against Katusa or others, it will be done."
Nashef Darwish, attorney of Mahmoud Katusa
Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
The bombshell announcement came Tuesday morning, following new revelations in the case, which first went public last Sunday.
Last week, army prosecutors filed an indictment against 46-year-old Mahmoud Katusa, a resident of the Palestinian Authority town of Deir Qaddis, near Modi'in Illit.
Katusa, who had worked both as a maintenance man at a school in a haredi city near Modi'in, and as a construction worker in the same city, was arrested on May 1st, after being accused of abducting a seven-year-old girl from her school, where Katusa worked, carrying her off to a nearby house Katusa was renovating, and raping her.
The indictment said that at least two other Arab workers helped Katusa commit the rape, by holding the victim's arms and legs.
Later, the victim identified Katusa as the perpetrator, pointing him out to a teacher.
Question arouse shortly after the indictment was filed, however, regarding the veracity of the child's identification of Katusa as the perpetrator.
The case lacked physical evidence, due in part to the family's decision not to immediately report the matter to police, and investigators say the victim may have been led by her mother to identify Katusa as the perpetrator.
Despite Katusa having failed a polygraph test during the initial investigation, prior to the indictment, a major discovery at the victim's home this week changed the prosecution's position regarding the indictment, Israeli media outlets reported Monday night.
8. MAJOR ISRAELI CITY INAUGURATES 'TRUMP SQUARE'
by Gary Willig
The city of Petah Tikvah in central Israel will name a city square after US President Donald Trump, the municipality announced Monday.
'Trump Square' will be inaugurated in a special ceremony on the night of July 3. The ceremony will be held on in the presence of Mayor Rami Greenberg, representatives of the American Embassy and Knesset representatives.
Petah Tikvah Mayor Rami Greenberg said: "The State of Israel has not had a sympathetic and supportive president than US President Donald Trump. We appreciate and appreciate his support for the State of Israel and its residents and it is fitting that a central square in the fourth largest city in the State of Israel be named after him."
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sent a letter to Mayor Greenberg in support of the decision.
"President Trump is a true friend of the State of Israel. During his tenure, he has demonstrated uncompromising commitment to ensuring our security and our future - standing firm against the Iranian threat, the decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the transfer of the American embassy to Jerusalem and recognition of Israel's sovereignty ... The fact that President Trump is being honored in Petah Tikvah is of great importance: The establishment of Petah Tikva, the mother of the moshavot, in 1878, is considered a pioneering act that paved the way for the redemption of the land. The founders of the colony knew many difficulties, but they did not give up. And their stubbornness paid off - as the years passed Petah Tikva established itself Its status as a city and mother in Israel, whose development has not stopped."
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Tuesday, Jun. 25 '19, כ"ב בסיון תשע"ט
HEADLINES:
1. 'HORRIFYING THAT SUSPECTED RAPIST MIGHT RETURN TO THE SCHOOL'
2. SUSPECTED RAPIST OF 7-YEAR-OLD GIRL FREED
3. WATCH: JOHN BOLTON ON SECURITY MEETING IN JERUSALEM
4. SMOTRICH: HERE'S WHY OTZMA CANDIDATE ISN'T AN MK
5. ADVERTISE ON ARUTZ SHEVA – REACH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS WORLDWIDE
6. BRITISH YOUTH THREATENS TO BLOW UP PLANE AT BEN GURION AIRPORT
7. SUSPECT IN RAPE OF 7-YEAR-OLD RELEASED - INDICTMENT NULLIFIED
8. MAJOR ISRAELI CITY INAUGURATES 'TRUMP SQUARE'
1. 'HORRIFYING THAT SUSPECTED RAPIST MIGHT RETURN TO THE SCHOOL'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Attorney Yehuda Fried, who is representing the 7-year-old rape victim and her family, responded Tuesday to the alleged rapist's expected release.
On Tuesday morning, prosecutors dropped the case against 46-year-old Mahmoud Nazmi Abed Alhamid Katusa, a resident of the Palestinian Authority town of Deir Qaddis, near Modi'in Illit.
Katusa was indicted last week, but questions arose regarding whether the child's identification of him could be relied upon.
"The possibility that the rapist will walk free frightens me," Fried told 103FM Radio. "The possibility that he will return to working in the school is horrifying. We will do everything we can to change the decision."
"Last night, at midnight, the family received a notification that the interrogation of the girl yesterday, which took several hours, helped to bolster the proofs. From what they said, the girl was raped and Katusa is the suspect. We were sure that the process would continue, but this morning the indictment was canceled. I can't understand it."
2. SUSPECTED RAPIST OF 7-YEAR-OLD GIRL FREED
by Arutz Sheva Staff
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265075
Mahmoud Katusa, the suspect in the abduction and rape of a seven-year-old Israeli girl, was released from Ofer military prison northwest of Jerusalem Tuesday afternoon, following a decision by prosecutors to withdraw an indictment against him.
Upon his release from prison, Katusa was greeted by friends and family, some of whom waved PLO flags and yelled "Allahu Akhbar".
"They made up things about me," said Katusa. "I'm an innocent man. The police can say whatever they want."
Anwar Katusa, the suspect's brother, met Mahmoud outside of Ofer prison.
"Thank God the truth has come out. Our hearts are in pain over what happened to this girl, but the truth is that Mahmoud didn't do it. Catch the person who did."
On Tuesday, army prosecutors announced that they lacked sufficient evidence to push forward with a trial, and would withdraw the indictment filed against 46-year-old Mahmoud Katusa for the rape of a seven-year-old girl.
"This is a sad day," said Katusa's defense attorney, Nasahf Darwish, "but on the other hand it is also a happy day, since an innocent man is being freed."
"We identify with the girl and her family. My client was not involved – either directly or indirectly – with the story here."
But the announcement by army prosecutors Tuesday did not clear Katusa in the case.
While acknowledging that they lacked sufficient evidence to take the case to trial, prosecutors wrote in the announcement Tuesday that investigators "believe there is evidence that the girl was sexually assaulted, and there is an evidentiary basis…pointing to Katusa's involvement in the assault."
A resident of the Palestinian Authority town of Deir Qaddis, near the haredi city of Modi'in Illit, Katusa has been in custody since May 1st.
Last week, army prosecutors filed an indictment against Katusa, following a lengthy investigation, during which Katusa failed a polygraph test.
Katusa, who had worked both as a maintenance man at a school in a haredi city near Modi'in, and as a construction worker in the same city, was arrested after being accused of abducting a seven-year-old girl from her school, where Katusa worked, carrying her off to a nearby house Katusa was renovating, and raping her.
The indictment said that at least two other Arab workers helped Katusa commit the rape, by holding the victim's arms and legs.
Later, the victim identified Katusa as the perpetrator, pointing him out to a teacher.
Question arouse shortly after the indictment was filed, however, regarding the veracity of the child's identification of Katusa as the perpetrator.
The case lacked physical evidence, due in part to the family's decision not to immediately report the matter to police, and investigators say the victim may have been led by her mother to identify Katusa as the perpetrator.
Despite Katusa having failed a polygraph test during the initial investigation, prior to the indictment, a major discovery at the victim's home this week changed the prosecution's position regarding the indictment, Israeli media outlets reported Monday night.
3. WATCH: JOHN BOLTON ON SECURITY MEETING IN JERUSALEM
by Arutz Sheva Staff
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265073
4. SMOTRICH: HERE'S WHY OTZMA CANDIDATE ISN'T AN MK
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich (United Right) on Tuesday morning responded to Otzma Yehudit's Itamar Ben-Gvir, who complained that the United Right's Jewish Home faction did not keep its agreement with the party's Otzma Yehudit faction.
Earlier on Tuesday, Otzma Yehudit announced its decision to split from the United Right, which until then had included the Jewish Home, National Union, and Otzma Yehudit parties.
Part of the parties' agreement had been that when a Jewish Home candidate was appointed minister, he would apply the Norwegian Law, stepping down as MK to allow an Otzma candidate to become a Knesset member. This, however, did not happen.
"Let's start with the obvious: Agreements need to be kept," Smotrich said. "There isn't and won't be any argument about that. If I were able, I would have immediately done everything to get Itamar into the Knesset. Itamar is a friend, he's a talented person who can do a lot, and he deserves it and so do Otzma voters. But to our great dismay, this is simply not possible at the moment. I looked into it, I tried, but it simply is impossible."
"If a government would have been formed, the Norwegian Law would have been applied within a week and Rabbi Rafi [Peretz] and I would have resigned as Knesset members and allowed our friend Itamar Ben-Gvir and Orit Strock to take our places, as we agreed.
"The Norwegian Law passed during the 20th Knesset as a temporary Law, and therefore must be passed again after the 21st Knesset was sworn in.
"But this government is a temporary government, and we cannot apply the Norwegian Law in it. Despite this, at Itamar's request, I investigated the possibility of resigning from the Knesset in the usual fashion in order to allow him to enter. But this is not legally possible. According to Basic Law: The Government, during a temporary government, the Prime Minister is only allowed to appoint Knesset members to be ministers. So, if we resign from the Knesset, we will cease being ministers, and that, of course, is illogical and not what the agreement asks.
"I explained this to our dear friends in Otzma, as well as to other friends who inquired about this issue out of sincere concern.
"It is unnecessary to state that the National Union's commitment to the union with Otzma Yehudit still stands. I like Itamar and the other Otzma members. We will continue in this path, and G-d willing in the next Knesset we will be even larger.
"On the basis of this union we will, G-d willing, join with even more people, and as soon as possible, so that we can reach the next elections and maximize our political power. We will all benefit from this, and the Jewish nation, especially, will benefit from it."
5. ADVERTISE ON ARUTZ SHEVA – REACH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS WORLDWIDE
by Arutz Sheva
On the Arutz Sheva website in English, there are an average of 1.3 million unique users per month with more than 8 million page views.
Half of our readers, 50%, are from the United States. The rest from Israel, 13%; Britain, 8%; Canada, and more.
There is an option to advertise only in specific countries.
62% of the visits to the site are made from mobile devices, 28% on computers and 9% on tablets. The most popular mobile device is the Apple iPhone.
69% of our readers and viewers are men, 31% women.
Our visitors span all age groups: Four percent age between the ages of 18-24, while 17% are aged 25-34. Another 17% are between the ages of 35-44, 18% are aged 45-54, 21% are aged 55-64 and 23% are aged 65 or above.
The site is active all week and is updated 24 hours a day, except for on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
In addition to our website, we have a large and strong mailing list with 50,000 subscribers who receive the news every day to their email inbox.
Arutz Sheva has a very active Facebook page with more than 155,000 eager followers across the globe.
Whether you're looking to promote your business, service, or cause, Arutz Sheva has a variety of ad choices and placements to suit your specific needs and marketing strategy.
Contact us today for special introductory offers and package rate discounts.
6. BRITISH YOUTH THREATENS TO BLOW UP PLANE AT BEN GURION AIRPORT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
18 British youths were taken off a British Airways flight from Israel to London after the captain refused to fly them when one of them threatened to blow up the aircraft.
The participants participated in a private event in Israel. After boarding the plane, one of them announced that he would blow up the plane.
The captain updated the management of the British airline and was instructed to take the youths off the plane.
A security team was dispatched to the area, which carried out inspections of passengers and aircraft.
The baggage of the passengers was removed from the plane, which took off for London a few minutes later. The young men remained in the terminal.
7. SUSPECT IN RAPE OF 7-YEAR-OLD RELEASED - INDICTMENT NULLIFIED
by David Rosenberg
Prosecutors dropped the indictment against a Palestinian Authority resident accused of abducting and raping a seven-year-old in a haredi town near Modi'in.
According to a statement released Tuesday by prosecutors, the suspect, Mahmoud Katusa, will be freed, and the indictment filed against him last Sunday dropped.
"After additional examinations of the material in the investigation, the chief army prosecutor…found that the evidentiary basis for the indictment does not satisfy the requirement of having a 'reasonable chance of leading to a conviction'. As such, in keeping with the court's instructions, the criminal proceedings cannot be continued, and the indictment must be withdrawn, and Katusa released from arrest."
Despite the decision to release Katusa and withdraw the indictment, investigators said the probe would continue, focusing both on Katusa and "other directions".
"The police investigation will continue and intensify, both in connection with Katusa as well as in other directions."
"As soon as the investigation has an evidentiary basis for submitting a new indictment against Katusa or others, it will be done."
Nashef Darwish, attorney of Mahmoud Katusa
Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
The bombshell announcement came Tuesday morning, following new revelations in the case, which first went public last Sunday.
Last week, army prosecutors filed an indictment against 46-year-old Mahmoud Katusa, a resident of the Palestinian Authority town of Deir Qaddis, near Modi'in Illit.
Katusa, who had worked both as a maintenance man at a school in a haredi city near Modi'in, and as a construction worker in the same city, was arrested on May 1st, after being accused of abducting a seven-year-old girl from her school, where Katusa worked, carrying her off to a nearby house Katusa was renovating, and raping her.
The indictment said that at least two other Arab workers helped Katusa commit the rape, by holding the victim's arms and legs.
Later, the victim identified Katusa as the perpetrator, pointing him out to a teacher.
Question arouse shortly after the indictment was filed, however, regarding the veracity of the child's identification of Katusa as the perpetrator.
The case lacked physical evidence, due in part to the family's decision not to immediately report the matter to police, and investigators say the victim may have been led by her mother to identify Katusa as the perpetrator.
Despite Katusa having failed a polygraph test during the initial investigation, prior to the indictment, a major discovery at the victim's home this week changed the prosecution's position regarding the indictment, Israeli media outlets reported Monday night.
8. MAJOR ISRAELI CITY INAUGURATES 'TRUMP SQUARE'
by Gary Willig
The city of Petah Tikvah in central Israel will name a city square after US President Donald Trump, the municipality announced Monday.
'Trump Square' will be inaugurated in a special ceremony on the night of July 3. The ceremony will be held on in the presence of Mayor Rami Greenberg, representatives of the American Embassy and Knesset representatives.
Petah Tikvah Mayor Rami Greenberg said: "The State of Israel has not had a sympathetic and supportive president than US President Donald Trump. We appreciate and appreciate his support for the State of Israel and its residents and it is fitting that a central square in the fourth largest city in the State of Israel be named after him."
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sent a letter to Mayor Greenberg in support of the decision.
"President Trump is a true friend of the State of Israel. During his tenure, he has demonstrated uncompromising commitment to ensuring our security and our future - standing firm against the Iranian threat, the decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the transfer of the American embassy to Jerusalem and recognition of Israel's sovereignty ... The fact that President Trump is being honored in Petah Tikvah is of great importance: The establishment of Petah Tikva, the mother of the moshavot, in 1878, is considered a pioneering act that paved the way for the redemption of the land. The founders of the colony knew many difficulties, but they did not give up. And their stubbornness paid off - as the years passed Petah Tikva established itself Its status as a city and mother in Israel, whose development has not stopped."
Monday, June 24, 2019
A7News: Jewish music stars team up to help moshav destroyed in fire
Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Monday, Jun. 24 '19, כ"א בסיון תשע"ט
HEADLINES:
1. JEWISH MUSIC STARS TEAM UP TO HELP MOSHAV DESTROYED IN FIRE
2. LAWYER: SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH SUSPECTED RAPIST'S ALIBI
3. NEW JUSTICE MINISTER CALLS TO REIGN IN JUDICIAL OVERREACH
4. WOMAN INJURED AFTER CAR FALLS 2 STORIES FROM PARKING LOT
5. ADVERTISE ON ARUTZ SHEVA – REACH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS WORLDWIDE
6. BRITISH YOUTH THREATENS TO BLOW UP PLANE AT BEN GURION AIRPORT
7. NEO-NAZI MURDERER CITES JEWISH GRANDFATHER IN APPEAL FOR 'MERCY'
8. BOLTON: WITHOUT SECURITY THERE CAN BE NO PEACE
1. JEWISH MUSIC STARS TEAM UP TO HELP MOSHAV DESTROYED IN FIRE
by Yoni Kempinski
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265020
Yesterday (Sunday), the Cultural Center in Petah Tikva held a fundraising event on behalf of the residents of Mevo Modi'im, who lost their homes and all their property.
Also known as the 'Carlebach Moshav', the small town in central Israel which was founded by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and his followers. The moshav was almost entirely destroyed by a fire on May 23rd.
Top Jewish recording artists volunteered to perform, including some who grew up in Mevo Modiim and some even lost their own homes.
Among the artists who appeared on the stage were Yishai Ribo, Yitzhak Meir, Bini Landau, Aaron Razel, Haim David Serchik and others. As part of the show, NIS 100,000 ($27,740) was raised for the residents.
Most of the residents of Mevo Modi'im are on the lower end of the socio-economic scale, and many also lost their sole source of income in the fire. They were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs: no home, no clothes, no games for the children – and none of the necessities of life.
The show was held for the residents, produced by Yehuda Kalman, initiated by Sefi Meir and Yossi Harel, while everything was done voluntarily. The show was called "For My Brothers and Friends" and was hosted by Yedidya Meir.
A week after the fire disaster, the residents of Mevo Modi'im established a local committee to fight for their basic rights to proper housing, in light of the absence of a solution and in light of the difficult situation of residents who are being moved from place to place and their future to a permanent solution remains very uncertain.
Netanel Richman, a member of the Mevo Modi'im residents' Action Committee, spoke yesterday on behalf of the residents: "We all felt a powerful experience of tremendous caring from the people of Israel, we grew up on Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and on this music. For us, this was not only a fundraiser, there was great reinforcement and elevation of our spirits as well."
[album:open:11179]
2. LAWYER: SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH SUSPECTED RAPIST'S ALIBI
by 103FM
Attorney Yehuda Fried, who is representing the 7-year-old girl raped by a Palestinian Authority Arab, spoke on Sunday to 103FM Radio about the various difficulties some see in the case.
Mahmoud Nazmi Abed Alhamid Katusa, 46, was indicted last Sunday on charges of kidnapping and raping the victim, who studied in the school where he is employed as a janitor.
"The nationalistic discussion does not interest me and it does not interest the family," Fried told 103FM. "The only thing that interests me is catching the guilty party and bringing him to justice for the horrible crime he committed."
"The girl provided testimony in four different interrogations, and she provided absolute identification of the guilty party. This is a person who is familiar to her from school. What's there to be confused about? She also gave exact details about the apartment, about the vase of flowers, and everything matches the scene."
When asked how the terror-rapist could have dragged the girl through the street with no one noticing, Fried said, "The school is in a mountainous area and we're not talking about packed streets. The girl walked in unmarked paths and there it seems she was ambushed and kidnapped."
He did, however, admit that there were "absolutely" unresolved issues. "There's no interrogation without question marks," he said. "Somehow when it comes to this case there are things happening which I fail to understand. Suddenly they care about the exact date and time. Most indictments I've seen regarding sex crimes note an unknown date and an unknown time."
"The girl was sexually abused, and there are examinations which prove that. She also suffers psychological symptoms such as bedwetting, which are very common among victims of sexual assault." He added that despite the fact that the pediatrician who examined the girl did not report the crime to the authorities or send the girl to the emergency room, she still "wrote a report noting that there was a rape, which leaves no room for doubt."
The woman who alibied Katusa, Fried noted, "had a relationship of employment with him. That doesn't sit well in my stomach."
Regarding the claim that Katusa's polygraph test showed he was speaking the truth, Fried explained: "That's another bluff. Before every polygraph test, they ask standard questions: How old are you? Where do you live? What are your hobbies? And so on. He was found to be speaking the truth when answering all of these. When he was asked questions regarding the case, he was found to be lying."
"The girl told her version, and in my entire life I've never seen children lying in an interrogation. She has no motive for lying. She described things exactly as she saw them."
"Last Thursday we....met the chief military prosecutor, the prosecutor for Judea and Samaria, and the lawyer from the military prosecution who is handling the case. They stand firmly behind the case and say that all of the complications which are only now being publicized are things they do before. They submitted the indictment, and they believe in it.
"I met the parents. The parents are in a very difficult situation. They're crushed. The father almost fainted in my office. They've lost their daughter spiritually. Let's hope the truth comes to light."
3. NEW JUSTICE MINISTER CALLS TO REIGN IN JUDICIAL OVERREACH
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Justice Minister Amir Ohana (Likud) on Sunday night for the first time criticized Israel's judicial system and the Prosecutor's Office.
"It would be correct to re-examine the balance between the authorities, and that the court would rule that it should show more restraint in the issues it deals with," Ohana told participants at Jerusalem legal event.
According to Ohana, right now "the warnings of the great legalists of the past are coming true: The more the court takes controversial issues which belong in parliament into its hands and deals with political issues, the less trust there is in the judicial system."
"I still want decisions to be made in the Knesset and not by a body which was not voted in, which I believe harms itself when it enters the political realm. Because by doing that it loses the trust we want it to have."
According to Kan News, Ohana also discussed the Prosecutor's Office, saying it "works professionally and with honesty, but if we do not assume that in the Prosecutor's Office and the courts there is nothing which needs fixing, we would be amiss. The only way to correct and improve is through criticism."
4. WOMAN INJURED AFTER CAR FALLS 2 STORIES FROM PARKING LOT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
An 85-year-old woman was injured Monday morning when her car fell two stories from a parking area in Jerusalem.
The incident occurred on Tchernichovsky Street in the capital, when a car being driven by the 85-year-old woman fell off the edge of a parking lot, for reasons which still remain unclear.
The car fell down next to the entrance an adjacent apartment building two stories below.
The driver was moderately injured by the fall, and was left trapped inside her car.
Three rescue teams were dispatched to the scene, and managed to extract the elderly woman from her car. After being treated at the scene by MDA first responders, the driver was evacuated in moderate condition to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem.
Rescue workers also worked at the scene to ensure that the car did not catch on fire, after it was found that the gas tank had been damaged in the fall and was leaking fuel.
"When we arrived on the scene, we saw a car which had been flipped over on its side after falling some 10 meters (33 feet) down to the bottom floor of the parking lot of a residential building," said MDA paramedic Fadi Dakidek.
"There was a female driver in her 80s trapped inside the car. She was fully conscious. After rescue teams pulled her out, she said that the accident happened when she was driving in reverse in the parking lot. She suffered contusions to her face and limbs. We provided her with medical treatment and evacuated her to the hospital while her condition was moderate and stable."
5. ADVERTISE ON ARUTZ SHEVA – REACH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS WORLDWIDE
by Arutz Sheva
On the Arutz Sheva website in English, there are an average of 1.3 million unique users per month with more than 8 million page views.
Half of our readers, 50%, are from the United States. The rest from Israel, 13%; Britain, 8%; Canada, and more.
There is an option to advertise only in specific countries.
62% of the visits to the site are made from mobile devices, 28% on computers and 9% on tablets. The most popular mobile device is the Apple iPhone.
69% of our readers and viewers are men, 31% women.
Our visitors span all age groups: Four percent age between the ages of 18-24, while 17% are aged 25-34. Another 17% are between the ages of 35-44, 18% are aged 45-54, 21% are aged 55-64 and 23% are aged 65 or above.
The site is active all week and is updated 24 hours a day, except for on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
In addition to our website, we have a large and strong mailing list with 50,000 subscribers who receive the news every day to their email inbox.
Arutz Sheva has a very active Facebook page with more than 155,000 eager followers across the globe.
Whether you're looking to promote your business, service, or cause, Arutz Sheva has a variety of ad choices and placements to suit your specific needs and marketing strategy.
Contact us today for special introductory offers and package rate discounts.
6. BRITISH YOUTH THREATENS TO BLOW UP PLANE AT BEN GURION AIRPORT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
18 British youths were taken off a British Airways flight from Israel to London after the captain refused to fly them when one of them threatened to blow up the aircraft.
The participants participated in a private event in Israel. After boarding the plane, one of them announced that he would blow up the plane.
The captain updated the management of the British airline and was instructed to take the youths off the plane.
A security team was dispatched to the area, which carried out inspections of passengers and aircraft.
The baggage of the passengers was removed from the plane, which took off for London a few minutes later. The young men remained in the terminal.
7. NEO-NAZI MURDERER CITES JEWISH GRANDFATHER IN APPEAL FOR 'MERCY'
by David Rosenberg
A white supremacist who was convicted of first-degree murder after he ran down a protester in Charlottesville, Virginia two years ago has asked a federal judge for "mercy" when deciding upon sentencing.
On August 12th, 2017, Ohio resident James Alex Fields Jr. drove through a crowd of protesters demonstrating against the "Unite the Right" event in Charlottesville.
Fields rammed dozens of protesters with a 2010 Dodge Challenger, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and leaving 28 more injured.
The demonstrators had been protesting the gathering of neo-Nazis and other far-right activists in Charlottesville, who had turned out in the college town to challenge the city's decision to remove Confederate monuments from local parks.
Fields, now 20, pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes, and was convicted of first-degree murder last December.
A jury recommended Fields be sentenced to 419 years for the ramming attack.
But Fields' attorneys have filed a request with a federal judge asking for "mercy" in finalizing the sentence.
"No amount of punishment imposed on James can repair the damage he caused to dozens of innocent people. But this Court should find that retribution has limits," Fields' legal team wrote in a court document Friday, calling for an "expression of mercy".
In the court documents filed Friday, Fields' attorneys cited his history of mental illness, the difficulties they say he faced being raised by a single, paraplegic mother.
Prosecutors have noted that Fields had explicitly voiced neo-Nazi and white supremacist views, keeping a picture of Adolf Hitler by his bed, and had a history of racist and anti-Semitic behavior.
In his defense, Fields' legal team cited the "trauma" he suffered in growing up aware that his grandfather – who was Jewish – had murdered his grandmother, before committing suicide.
The prosecution rejected this argument, saying that Fields had shown no sign of remorse for his actions or bigotry.
"Any mental health concerns raised by the defendant do not overcome the defendant's demonstrated lack of remorse and his prior history of substantial racial animus."
8. BOLTON: WITHOUT SECURITY THERE CAN BE NO PEACE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/264983
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu took US National Security Adviser John Bolton and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman on a tour of the Jordan Valley Sunday.
"The Jordan Valley offers Israel the minimal strategic depth and strategic height for the defense of our country," the prime minister told Bolton.
"Our presence here also guarantees stability and security for the entire region," Netanyahu added.
"To those who say that for peace to be established, Israel has to leave the Jordan Valley, I say: that's not gonna bring peace. That's going to bring war and terror - and we've been there. W don't want to be there again."
US National Security Adviser Bolton said that President Trump would take Israel's concerns into consideration.
""I'll just say that without security there is no peace, there is no long-lasting peace. And I just think it's too bad, Prime Minister, that more Americans can't come to locations like this, see the geography, understand its significance, understand how it affects Israel's critical security position, and explain why Israel has taken the view that it has," Bolton said.
"I can assure you that President Trump will take the concerns that you have voiced so clearly over the years very much into account as we go forward on this."
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Monday, Jun. 24 '19, כ"א בסיון תשע"ט
HEADLINES:
1. JEWISH MUSIC STARS TEAM UP TO HELP MOSHAV DESTROYED IN FIRE
2. LAWYER: SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH SUSPECTED RAPIST'S ALIBI
3. NEW JUSTICE MINISTER CALLS TO REIGN IN JUDICIAL OVERREACH
4. WOMAN INJURED AFTER CAR FALLS 2 STORIES FROM PARKING LOT
5. ADVERTISE ON ARUTZ SHEVA – REACH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS WORLDWIDE
6. BRITISH YOUTH THREATENS TO BLOW UP PLANE AT BEN GURION AIRPORT
7. NEO-NAZI MURDERER CITES JEWISH GRANDFATHER IN APPEAL FOR 'MERCY'
8. BOLTON: WITHOUT SECURITY THERE CAN BE NO PEACE
1. JEWISH MUSIC STARS TEAM UP TO HELP MOSHAV DESTROYED IN FIRE
by Yoni Kempinski
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265020
Yesterday (Sunday), the Cultural Center in Petah Tikva held a fundraising event on behalf of the residents of Mevo Modi'im, who lost their homes and all their property.
Also known as the 'Carlebach Moshav', the small town in central Israel which was founded by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and his followers. The moshav was almost entirely destroyed by a fire on May 23rd.
Top Jewish recording artists volunteered to perform, including some who grew up in Mevo Modiim and some even lost their own homes.
Among the artists who appeared on the stage were Yishai Ribo, Yitzhak Meir, Bini Landau, Aaron Razel, Haim David Serchik and others. As part of the show, NIS 100,000 ($27,740) was raised for the residents.
Most of the residents of Mevo Modi'im are on the lower end of the socio-economic scale, and many also lost their sole source of income in the fire. They were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs: no home, no clothes, no games for the children – and none of the necessities of life.
The show was held for the residents, produced by Yehuda Kalman, initiated by Sefi Meir and Yossi Harel, while everything was done voluntarily. The show was called "For My Brothers and Friends" and was hosted by Yedidya Meir.
A week after the fire disaster, the residents of Mevo Modi'im established a local committee to fight for their basic rights to proper housing, in light of the absence of a solution and in light of the difficult situation of residents who are being moved from place to place and their future to a permanent solution remains very uncertain.
Netanel Richman, a member of the Mevo Modi'im residents' Action Committee, spoke yesterday on behalf of the residents: "We all felt a powerful experience of tremendous caring from the people of Israel, we grew up on Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and on this music. For us, this was not only a fundraiser, there was great reinforcement and elevation of our spirits as well."
[album:open:11179]
2. LAWYER: SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH SUSPECTED RAPIST'S ALIBI
by 103FM
Attorney Yehuda Fried, who is representing the 7-year-old girl raped by a Palestinian Authority Arab, spoke on Sunday to 103FM Radio about the various difficulties some see in the case.
Mahmoud Nazmi Abed Alhamid Katusa, 46, was indicted last Sunday on charges of kidnapping and raping the victim, who studied in the school where he is employed as a janitor.
"The nationalistic discussion does not interest me and it does not interest the family," Fried told 103FM. "The only thing that interests me is catching the guilty party and bringing him to justice for the horrible crime he committed."
"The girl provided testimony in four different interrogations, and she provided absolute identification of the guilty party. This is a person who is familiar to her from school. What's there to be confused about? She also gave exact details about the apartment, about the vase of flowers, and everything matches the scene."
When asked how the terror-rapist could have dragged the girl through the street with no one noticing, Fried said, "The school is in a mountainous area and we're not talking about packed streets. The girl walked in unmarked paths and there it seems she was ambushed and kidnapped."
He did, however, admit that there were "absolutely" unresolved issues. "There's no interrogation without question marks," he said. "Somehow when it comes to this case there are things happening which I fail to understand. Suddenly they care about the exact date and time. Most indictments I've seen regarding sex crimes note an unknown date and an unknown time."
"The girl was sexually abused, and there are examinations which prove that. She also suffers psychological symptoms such as bedwetting, which are very common among victims of sexual assault." He added that despite the fact that the pediatrician who examined the girl did not report the crime to the authorities or send the girl to the emergency room, she still "wrote a report noting that there was a rape, which leaves no room for doubt."
The woman who alibied Katusa, Fried noted, "had a relationship of employment with him. That doesn't sit well in my stomach."
Regarding the claim that Katusa's polygraph test showed he was speaking the truth, Fried explained: "That's another bluff. Before every polygraph test, they ask standard questions: How old are you? Where do you live? What are your hobbies? And so on. He was found to be speaking the truth when answering all of these. When he was asked questions regarding the case, he was found to be lying."
"The girl told her version, and in my entire life I've never seen children lying in an interrogation. She has no motive for lying. She described things exactly as she saw them."
"Last Thursday we....met the chief military prosecutor, the prosecutor for Judea and Samaria, and the lawyer from the military prosecution who is handling the case. They stand firmly behind the case and say that all of the complications which are only now being publicized are things they do before. They submitted the indictment, and they believe in it.
"I met the parents. The parents are in a very difficult situation. They're crushed. The father almost fainted in my office. They've lost their daughter spiritually. Let's hope the truth comes to light."
3. NEW JUSTICE MINISTER CALLS TO REIGN IN JUDICIAL OVERREACH
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Justice Minister Amir Ohana (Likud) on Sunday night for the first time criticized Israel's judicial system and the Prosecutor's Office.
"It would be correct to re-examine the balance between the authorities, and that the court would rule that it should show more restraint in the issues it deals with," Ohana told participants at Jerusalem legal event.
According to Ohana, right now "the warnings of the great legalists of the past are coming true: The more the court takes controversial issues which belong in parliament into its hands and deals with political issues, the less trust there is in the judicial system."
"I still want decisions to be made in the Knesset and not by a body which was not voted in, which I believe harms itself when it enters the political realm. Because by doing that it loses the trust we want it to have."
According to Kan News, Ohana also discussed the Prosecutor's Office, saying it "works professionally and with honesty, but if we do not assume that in the Prosecutor's Office and the courts there is nothing which needs fixing, we would be amiss. The only way to correct and improve is through criticism."
4. WOMAN INJURED AFTER CAR FALLS 2 STORIES FROM PARKING LOT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
An 85-year-old woman was injured Monday morning when her car fell two stories from a parking area in Jerusalem.
The incident occurred on Tchernichovsky Street in the capital, when a car being driven by the 85-year-old woman fell off the edge of a parking lot, for reasons which still remain unclear.
The car fell down next to the entrance an adjacent apartment building two stories below.
The driver was moderately injured by the fall, and was left trapped inside her car.
Three rescue teams were dispatched to the scene, and managed to extract the elderly woman from her car. After being treated at the scene by MDA first responders, the driver was evacuated in moderate condition to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem.
Rescue workers also worked at the scene to ensure that the car did not catch on fire, after it was found that the gas tank had been damaged in the fall and was leaking fuel.
"When we arrived on the scene, we saw a car which had been flipped over on its side after falling some 10 meters (33 feet) down to the bottom floor of the parking lot of a residential building," said MDA paramedic Fadi Dakidek.
"There was a female driver in her 80s trapped inside the car. She was fully conscious. After rescue teams pulled her out, she said that the accident happened when she was driving in reverse in the parking lot. She suffered contusions to her face and limbs. We provided her with medical treatment and evacuated her to the hospital while her condition was moderate and stable."
5. ADVERTISE ON ARUTZ SHEVA – REACH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS WORLDWIDE
by Arutz Sheva
On the Arutz Sheva website in English, there are an average of 1.3 million unique users per month with more than 8 million page views.
Half of our readers, 50%, are from the United States. The rest from Israel, 13%; Britain, 8%; Canada, and more.
There is an option to advertise only in specific countries.
62% of the visits to the site are made from mobile devices, 28% on computers and 9% on tablets. The most popular mobile device is the Apple iPhone.
69% of our readers and viewers are men, 31% women.
Our visitors span all age groups: Four percent age between the ages of 18-24, while 17% are aged 25-34. Another 17% are between the ages of 35-44, 18% are aged 45-54, 21% are aged 55-64 and 23% are aged 65 or above.
The site is active all week and is updated 24 hours a day, except for on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
In addition to our website, we have a large and strong mailing list with 50,000 subscribers who receive the news every day to their email inbox.
Arutz Sheva has a very active Facebook page with more than 155,000 eager followers across the globe.
Whether you're looking to promote your business, service, or cause, Arutz Sheva has a variety of ad choices and placements to suit your specific needs and marketing strategy.
Contact us today for special introductory offers and package rate discounts.
6. BRITISH YOUTH THREATENS TO BLOW UP PLANE AT BEN GURION AIRPORT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
18 British youths were taken off a British Airways flight from Israel to London after the captain refused to fly them when one of them threatened to blow up the aircraft.
The participants participated in a private event in Israel. After boarding the plane, one of them announced that he would blow up the plane.
The captain updated the management of the British airline and was instructed to take the youths off the plane.
A security team was dispatched to the area, which carried out inspections of passengers and aircraft.
The baggage of the passengers was removed from the plane, which took off for London a few minutes later. The young men remained in the terminal.
7. NEO-NAZI MURDERER CITES JEWISH GRANDFATHER IN APPEAL FOR 'MERCY'
by David Rosenberg
A white supremacist who was convicted of first-degree murder after he ran down a protester in Charlottesville, Virginia two years ago has asked a federal judge for "mercy" when deciding upon sentencing.
On August 12th, 2017, Ohio resident James Alex Fields Jr. drove through a crowd of protesters demonstrating against the "Unite the Right" event in Charlottesville.
Fields rammed dozens of protesters with a 2010 Dodge Challenger, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and leaving 28 more injured.
The demonstrators had been protesting the gathering of neo-Nazis and other far-right activists in Charlottesville, who had turned out in the college town to challenge the city's decision to remove Confederate monuments from local parks.
Fields, now 20, pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes, and was convicted of first-degree murder last December.
A jury recommended Fields be sentenced to 419 years for the ramming attack.
But Fields' attorneys have filed a request with a federal judge asking for "mercy" in finalizing the sentence.
"No amount of punishment imposed on James can repair the damage he caused to dozens of innocent people. But this Court should find that retribution has limits," Fields' legal team wrote in a court document Friday, calling for an "expression of mercy".
In the court documents filed Friday, Fields' attorneys cited his history of mental illness, the difficulties they say he faced being raised by a single, paraplegic mother.
Prosecutors have noted that Fields had explicitly voiced neo-Nazi and white supremacist views, keeping a picture of Adolf Hitler by his bed, and had a history of racist and anti-Semitic behavior.
In his defense, Fields' legal team cited the "trauma" he suffered in growing up aware that his grandfather – who was Jewish – had murdered his grandmother, before committing suicide.
The prosecution rejected this argument, saying that Fields had shown no sign of remorse for his actions or bigotry.
"Any mental health concerns raised by the defendant do not overcome the defendant's demonstrated lack of remorse and his prior history of substantial racial animus."
8. BOLTON: WITHOUT SECURITY THERE CAN BE NO PEACE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/264983
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu took US National Security Adviser John Bolton and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman on a tour of the Jordan Valley Sunday.
"The Jordan Valley offers Israel the minimal strategic depth and strategic height for the defense of our country," the prime minister told Bolton.
"Our presence here also guarantees stability and security for the entire region," Netanyahu added.
"To those who say that for peace to be established, Israel has to leave the Jordan Valley, I say: that's not gonna bring peace. That's going to bring war and terror - and we've been there. W don't want to be there again."
US National Security Adviser Bolton said that President Trump would take Israel's concerns into consideration.
""I'll just say that without security there is no peace, there is no long-lasting peace. And I just think it's too bad, Prime Minister, that more Americans can't come to locations like this, see the geography, understand its significance, understand how it affects Israel's critical security position, and explain why Israel has taken the view that it has," Bolton said.
"I can assure you that President Trump will take the concerns that you have voiced so clearly over the years very much into account as we go forward on this."
Saturday, June 22, 2019
A7News: New poll: Likud gets 34 seats, Blue and White 33
Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Friday, Jun. 21 '19, י"ח בסיון תשע"ט
HEADLINES:
1. NEW POLL: LIKUD GETS 34 SEATS, BLUE AND WHITE 33
2. 'WORLD'S FIRST' FULLY-ELECTRIC PLANE UNVEILED BY ISRAELI COMPANY
3. TRUMP GIVES IRAN AN ULTIMATUM
4. REPORT: US WON'T RULE OUT MILITARY STRIKE ON IRAN
5. PENTAGON RELEASES FLIGHT PATH OF DOWNED DRONE
6. FROM THE ARMY OF JUDAH - TO THE IDF
7. SUSPECT IN RAPE OF 7 YEAR OLD 'BURST INTO TEARS' IN COURT
8. WILL TRUMP STRIKE IRAN? 'YOU'LL FIND OUT SOON'
1. NEW POLL: LIKUD GETS 34 SEATS, BLUE AND WHITE 33
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A new survey by Maagar Mochot showed that if elections were held today, the Likud party would win the most seats.
The survey, conducted for 103FM Radio, showed that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's Likud would win a narrow victory with 34 Knesset seats, and the center-left Blue and White party would receive 33 seats.
The Yisrael Beytenu, Shas, and UTJ parties would receive eight seats each, while the United Right and the Arab Ta'al-Hadash would each receive six.
Left-wing Meretz would barely pass the electoral threshold, receiving just five seats, and the New Right party would receive four Knesset seats, as would Labor and the Arab Ra'am-Balad.
According to the poll, the right-wing bloc would receive 68 seats - 60 without Yisrael Beytenu - while the center-left bloc would receive 52.
If Netanyahu were forced to resign his position, 27% of respondents support MK Gideon Sa'ar (Likud) replacing him, while 19% would prefer either former Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) or Knesset Chairman Yuli Edelstein (Likud).
2. 'WORLD'S FIRST' FULLY-ELECTRIC PLANE UNVEILED BY ISRAELI COMPANY
by Sara Rubenstein
Eviation Aircraft Ltd., an Israeli aviation company, displayed the Eviation Alice, an entirely electric commuter plane, at the Paris Air Show this week.
The Alice, which can seat nine passengers and two pilots, can fly at 273 miles per hour for up to 621 miles on one battery charge, at a cost of $200 per hour of flight. The battery comprises 65% of the plane's weight. The plane's unusual and modern look, which Eviation CEO Omar Bar-Yohay described as "whale-shaped," is due to its aerodynamic efficiency.
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/264912
Eviation already has orders for a "double-digit" number of airplanes from US regional carrier Cape Air, with which Eviation signed its first deal. Each plane will carry a $4 million price tag.
"Operating at a fraction of the costs of conventional jetliners, our Alice will redefine how people travel regionally and usher in a new era of flying that is quieter, cleaner, and cost-effective," Bar-Yohay said.
The use of electric planes, especially if they "take off" and become widespread is a step in the right direction to a cleaner environment, as the high carbon emissions from standard planes have been a source of concern for environmentalists. Electric planes can also potentially decrease the high costs of plane travel due to the huge amount of oil planes require.
Bar-Yohay, speaking at a press conference at the Paris Air Show on Tuesday, said that the Alice will undergo flight-tests this year and will then be tested for certification by the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The company is expecting Alice to be ready for commercial use by 2022.
3. TRUMP GIVES IRAN AN ULTIMATUM
by Arutz Sheva Staff
US President Donald Trump sent a message to Iran setting a deadline for the rogue power to initiate talks, after which the US will attack in retaliation for downing an American surveillance drone earlier this week.
Reuters quoted a source in the Iranian government which said Trump's message was passed via Oman, and emphasized that the US does not want war.
Iran responded that "Supreme Leader [Ali] Khamenei opposes talks with the US."
Air France-KLM and Qantas have announced that they will avoid flying over parts of Iran due to "precautionary measures."
Lufthansa, as well as US airlines, noted the downed drone and said they will avoid flying over the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz.
4. REPORT: US WON'T RULE OUT MILITARY STRIKE ON IRAN
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The US government has not ruled out a future military response to Iran's downing of an American surveillance drone, a senior official told The Wall Street Journal.
Iran, meanwhile, claims it has "proof" that the drone entered its airspace.
Former US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro told Reshet Bet that the US "needs to think two or three times before responding, in order to avoid causing an unnecessary escalation."
"Israel as well does not want a war in the north with Hezbollah. Right now no one is interested in a widescale war, other than a few of [US President Donald] Trump's advisers," he explained.
ABC reported that Trump's last-minute decision to cancel the strike on Iran came in direct contradiction to US National Security Adviser John Bolton's opinion, as well as that of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
5. PENTAGON RELEASES FLIGHT PATH OF DOWNED DRONE
by Elad Benari
The Pentagon on Thursday released an image showing the flight path for the drone that was shot down by Iran, in an effort to prove that the drone was shot down in international airspace.
"This was an unprovoked attack on a US surveillance asset that had not violated Iranian airspace at any time," said Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, the commanding general of United States Air Forces Central Command.
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/264898
Earlier on Thursday, Iran filed a complaint against the US, claiming the drone was on a spy mission over its territory and was shot down in Iranian airspace.
In a letter to the UN Secretary General and the Security Council, Iran's UN Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi said a US drone entered Iranian airspace despite repeated radio warnings.
The drone, claimed the Iranian Ambassador, conducted "an overflight through the Strait of Hormuz to Chabahar port in a full stealth mode as it had turned off its identification equipment and engaged in a clear spying operation."
US officials have denied that the drone had entered Iranian airspace and stated that the drone was shot down in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump tweeted Thursday that Iran "made a very big mistake!" in shooting down the American drone.
The shooting down of the American drone comes amid heightened tensions between the Islamic Republic and the US. On Wednesday, the Pentagon said that the latest deployment of 1,000 additional troops to the Middle East, announced earlier this week, will include a Patriot missile battalion, manned and unmanned surveillance aircraft and "other deterrence capabilities."
"The United States does not seek conflict with Iran, but we are postured and ready to defend US forces and interests in the region," a Pentagon spokeswoman said in a statement.
The US deployment was announced by the Pentagon following last week's attacks on two tankers as they were passing through the Gulf of Oman.
Trump has said the twin attacks had Iran "written all over it", rejecting Tehran's vehement denial.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo similarly accused Iran of being behind the attacks in the Gulf of Oman. Iran's parliament speaker, meanwhile, hinted that Washington could be behind the tanker attacks in an attempt to pile pressure on Tehran.
6. FROM THE ARMY OF JUDAH - TO THE IDF
by Arutz Sheva Staff
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/264801
A watchtower dating from the time of the Kingdom of Judah (8th century BCE – during the reign of King Hezekiah) was recently uncovered during archeological excavations by IDF soldiers, together with the Israel Antiquities Authority, at a paratroopers base in the south of the country.
The excavation was conducted as part of the project called "The Nature Defense Forces Project- Commanders Take Responsibility for their Environment," led by the IDF's Technology and Maintenance Corps, and was carried out in cooperation with the IDF, the Ministry of Defense, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The tower, whose dimensions in antiquity is estimated to have been 5 x 3.5 m, was erected at a high geographic site, and as such, was an observation point to the Hebron Mountains, the Judean plain and the Ashkelon vicinity. It was built of especially large stones, some 8 tons in weight, and its height today reaches around 2 m.
According to Sa'ar Ganor and Valdik Lifshitz, excavation directors on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, "The strategic location of the tower served as a lookout and warning point against the Philistine enemy, one of whose cities was Ashkelon. In the days of the First Temple, the Kingdom of Judah built a range of towers and fortresses as points of communication, warning and signaling, to transmit messages and field intelligence.
This tower is one of the observation points connecting the large cities in the area, located in the Beit Mirsim (Mirsham), Tel Eton and Tel Lachish sites. In ancient times, to transmit messages, beacons of smoke were lit during the day and beacons of fire at night. It is probable that the watchtower now uncovered is one of the towers that bore some of the beacons."
In the Bible, beacons, or, in the language of the Bible, "pillars" are mentioned several times. Thus, in the story of the Concubine in Gibeah, the use of pillars of smoke is described: "The Israelites had arranged with the ambush that they should send up a great cloud of smoke from the city, and then the Israelites would counter attack .The Benjamites had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites (about thirty), and they said, "We are defeating them as in the first battle." But when the column of smoke began to rise from the city, the Benjamites turned and saw the whole city going up in smoke" (Judges 20: 38-40). The prophet Jeremiah also describes the manner in which the beacons were passed: "Flee for safety, people of Benjamin! Flee from Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in Tekoa! Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem! For disaster looms out of the north, even terrible destruction" (Jeremiah 6:1).
Evidence from another source is known from one of the ostracons (letters on clay) discovered at Tel Lachish. At the end of letter no. 4 it is written, "May God cause my lord to hear reports of good news this very day …. Then it will be known that we are watching the (fire) signals of Lachish according to the code which my lord gave us for we cannot see Azekah."
This letter shows that the existence of the beacons and the interpretation of the signals were part of the defense system and the idea of routine security, and security in times of emergency, in the Kingdom of Judea during the Iron Age.
Activity in the ancient tower, uncovered in the area of the military base, ceased on the eve of the expedition of Sennacherib, King of Assyria, to Judah in 701 BCE. Archaeological excavations revealed that the entrance to the tower was blocked, and the force stationed there apparently converged on one of the nearby fortified towns.
From biblical testimonies and archeological findings in the area, we know that Sennacherib's attack virtually destroyed Judah, including 46 cities and 2,000 villages and farms. Now, some 2700 years after Sennacherib's expedition to the Land of Judah, IDF soldiers uncovered an observation tower belonging to Judean army soldiers, similar to the watchtowers used today by the army.
Guy Saly, director of the IDF Nature Defense Forces Project states that about 150 recruits and commanders from the Paratroopers Brigade, including recruits from commando units, participated in the excavations, in an activity that lasted several months. Saly added that the project, established with the aim of leading commanders and soldiers to becoming responsible and actively involved in protecting nature, landscape and the heritage values of their surroundings, began in 2014 with eight projects, and today, as part of this project, sixty activity centers operate across the country.
"To our delight, each project creates solidarity, strengthening the connection between the soldiers and their surroundings.The IDF, a melting pot of Israel's diverse population, is a unique meeting place for people from all parts of the country, which, through environmental activities, creates between them a stronger awareness to the preservation of nature and the Israeli heritage," says Saly.
Second Lieutenant Roi Ofir, age 21, commander of the recruit team in the reconnaissance battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade, from Rosh Ha'ayin, says: "The archaeological excavation was a routine break from my point of view. I saw soldiers enjoying manual labor that has added value.This is the first time I participated in excavations. The connection to the land, and the fact that there were Jewish fighters in the past, gave me a sense of mission. The fact that there was also a connection to the area where we carried out our own military maneuvers; left us with a feeling that we were giving back.
7. SUSPECT IN RAPE OF 7 YEAR OLD 'BURST INTO TEARS' IN COURT
by Ido Ben Porat
The Palestinian Arab accused of raping the 7-year-old girl was brought in Wednesday afternoon for a remand hearing, during which he burst into tears.
The military prosecution asked the court in Ofer to extend the defendant's remand by 10 days.
The defendant's lawyer, Nashef Darwish, said that during the hearing the defendant burst into tears and told police: "Why are you asking for further investigation? What have you done all these days?"
Attorney Darwish told reporters: "There is no new case as was reported, I am unable to explain why. This case will eventually turn out to be an indictment against the investigative bodies "
The prosecution requested that the defendant's remand be extended in order to carry out further investigation in the case, and in order to exhaust the investigation into suspicions regarding others involved in the rape.
Gadi Siso, head of the Police Investigations Division, and the Military Advocate General, Major General Sharon Afek, decided yesterday to order the Central Unit in the Judea and Samaria District to conduct additional investigations.
The step is unusual, coming as it does after the Military Advocate General submitted an indictment against the suspected Palestinian Arab school janitor to the Ofer Military Court on Sunday following the police investigation.
8. WILL TRUMP STRIKE IRAN? 'YOU'LL FIND OUT SOON'
by David Rosenberg
[youtube:2059541:436]
President Donald Trump spoke with journalists following a meeting with senior security officials Thursday, telling reporters they would "soon find out" if the US will attack Iran in retaliation for the downing of an American drone recently.
When asked by a reporter whether the US planned to strike Iran, the president, who is slated to meet with Canadian premier Justin Trudeau at the White House, responded by saying "You'll soon find out."
"Obviously we're not going to be talking too much about it. You're gonna find out. They made a big mistake."
Trump also said "Iran made a big mistake. This drone was in international waters, clearly. We have it all documented. They made a very bad mistake."
"I imagine someone made a mistake," Trump said, adding that he believed it was someone "loose and stupid who did it," hinting that the US response would have been different, had the aircraft been manned.
"We didn't have a man of woman in the drone. It would have made a big, big difference."
When pressed by a reporter regarding the administration's plans, Trump said: "Let's see what happens."
Earlier on Thursday, senior Trump administration officials met with the president to discuss possible responses to the shooting down Wednesday of a US unmanned aircraft over the Strait of Hormuz.
The US and its allies have accused Iran of a number of recent attacks on oil tankers in the Straits of Hormuz.
Iran claimed responsibility for downing the American drone aircraft.
President Trump tweeted Thursday that Iran "made a very big mistake!"
The shooting down of the American drone comes amid heightened tensions between the Islamic Republic and the US.
On Wednesday, the Pentagon said that the latest deployment of 1,000 additional troops to the Middle East, announced earlier this week, will include a Patriot missile battalion, manned and unmanned surveillance aircraft and "other deterrence capabilities."
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/264877
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Friday, Jun. 21 '19, י"ח בסיון תשע"ט
HEADLINES:
1. NEW POLL: LIKUD GETS 34 SEATS, BLUE AND WHITE 33
2. 'WORLD'S FIRST' FULLY-ELECTRIC PLANE UNVEILED BY ISRAELI COMPANY
3. TRUMP GIVES IRAN AN ULTIMATUM
4. REPORT: US WON'T RULE OUT MILITARY STRIKE ON IRAN
5. PENTAGON RELEASES FLIGHT PATH OF DOWNED DRONE
6. FROM THE ARMY OF JUDAH - TO THE IDF
7. SUSPECT IN RAPE OF 7 YEAR OLD 'BURST INTO TEARS' IN COURT
8. WILL TRUMP STRIKE IRAN? 'YOU'LL FIND OUT SOON'
1. NEW POLL: LIKUD GETS 34 SEATS, BLUE AND WHITE 33
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A new survey by Maagar Mochot showed that if elections were held today, the Likud party would win the most seats.
The survey, conducted for 103FM Radio, showed that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's Likud would win a narrow victory with 34 Knesset seats, and the center-left Blue and White party would receive 33 seats.
The Yisrael Beytenu, Shas, and UTJ parties would receive eight seats each, while the United Right and the Arab Ta'al-Hadash would each receive six.
Left-wing Meretz would barely pass the electoral threshold, receiving just five seats, and the New Right party would receive four Knesset seats, as would Labor and the Arab Ra'am-Balad.
According to the poll, the right-wing bloc would receive 68 seats - 60 without Yisrael Beytenu - while the center-left bloc would receive 52.
If Netanyahu were forced to resign his position, 27% of respondents support MK Gideon Sa'ar (Likud) replacing him, while 19% would prefer either former Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) or Knesset Chairman Yuli Edelstein (Likud).
2. 'WORLD'S FIRST' FULLY-ELECTRIC PLANE UNVEILED BY ISRAELI COMPANY
by Sara Rubenstein
Eviation Aircraft Ltd., an Israeli aviation company, displayed the Eviation Alice, an entirely electric commuter plane, at the Paris Air Show this week.
The Alice, which can seat nine passengers and two pilots, can fly at 273 miles per hour for up to 621 miles on one battery charge, at a cost of $200 per hour of flight. The battery comprises 65% of the plane's weight. The plane's unusual and modern look, which Eviation CEO Omar Bar-Yohay described as "whale-shaped," is due to its aerodynamic efficiency.
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/264912
Eviation already has orders for a "double-digit" number of airplanes from US regional carrier Cape Air, with which Eviation signed its first deal. Each plane will carry a $4 million price tag.
"Operating at a fraction of the costs of conventional jetliners, our Alice will redefine how people travel regionally and usher in a new era of flying that is quieter, cleaner, and cost-effective," Bar-Yohay said.
The use of electric planes, especially if they "take off" and become widespread is a step in the right direction to a cleaner environment, as the high carbon emissions from standard planes have been a source of concern for environmentalists. Electric planes can also potentially decrease the high costs of plane travel due to the huge amount of oil planes require.
Bar-Yohay, speaking at a press conference at the Paris Air Show on Tuesday, said that the Alice will undergo flight-tests this year and will then be tested for certification by the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The company is expecting Alice to be ready for commercial use by 2022.
3. TRUMP GIVES IRAN AN ULTIMATUM
by Arutz Sheva Staff
US President Donald Trump sent a message to Iran setting a deadline for the rogue power to initiate talks, after which the US will attack in retaliation for downing an American surveillance drone earlier this week.
Reuters quoted a source in the Iranian government which said Trump's message was passed via Oman, and emphasized that the US does not want war.
Iran responded that "Supreme Leader [Ali] Khamenei opposes talks with the US."
Air France-KLM and Qantas have announced that they will avoid flying over parts of Iran due to "precautionary measures."
Lufthansa, as well as US airlines, noted the downed drone and said they will avoid flying over the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz.
4. REPORT: US WON'T RULE OUT MILITARY STRIKE ON IRAN
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The US government has not ruled out a future military response to Iran's downing of an American surveillance drone, a senior official told The Wall Street Journal.
Iran, meanwhile, claims it has "proof" that the drone entered its airspace.
Former US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro told Reshet Bet that the US "needs to think two or three times before responding, in order to avoid causing an unnecessary escalation."
"Israel as well does not want a war in the north with Hezbollah. Right now no one is interested in a widescale war, other than a few of [US President Donald] Trump's advisers," he explained.
ABC reported that Trump's last-minute decision to cancel the strike on Iran came in direct contradiction to US National Security Adviser John Bolton's opinion, as well as that of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
5. PENTAGON RELEASES FLIGHT PATH OF DOWNED DRONE
by Elad Benari
The Pentagon on Thursday released an image showing the flight path for the drone that was shot down by Iran, in an effort to prove that the drone was shot down in international airspace.
"This was an unprovoked attack on a US surveillance asset that had not violated Iranian airspace at any time," said Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, the commanding general of United States Air Forces Central Command.
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/264898
Earlier on Thursday, Iran filed a complaint against the US, claiming the drone was on a spy mission over its territory and was shot down in Iranian airspace.
In a letter to the UN Secretary General and the Security Council, Iran's UN Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi said a US drone entered Iranian airspace despite repeated radio warnings.
The drone, claimed the Iranian Ambassador, conducted "an overflight through the Strait of Hormuz to Chabahar port in a full stealth mode as it had turned off its identification equipment and engaged in a clear spying operation."
US officials have denied that the drone had entered Iranian airspace and stated that the drone was shot down in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump tweeted Thursday that Iran "made a very big mistake!" in shooting down the American drone.
The shooting down of the American drone comes amid heightened tensions between the Islamic Republic and the US. On Wednesday, the Pentagon said that the latest deployment of 1,000 additional troops to the Middle East, announced earlier this week, will include a Patriot missile battalion, manned and unmanned surveillance aircraft and "other deterrence capabilities."
"The United States does not seek conflict with Iran, but we are postured and ready to defend US forces and interests in the region," a Pentagon spokeswoman said in a statement.
The US deployment was announced by the Pentagon following last week's attacks on two tankers as they were passing through the Gulf of Oman.
Trump has said the twin attacks had Iran "written all over it", rejecting Tehran's vehement denial.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo similarly accused Iran of being behind the attacks in the Gulf of Oman. Iran's parliament speaker, meanwhile, hinted that Washington could be behind the tanker attacks in an attempt to pile pressure on Tehran.
6. FROM THE ARMY OF JUDAH - TO THE IDF
by Arutz Sheva Staff
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/264801
A watchtower dating from the time of the Kingdom of Judah (8th century BCE – during the reign of King Hezekiah) was recently uncovered during archeological excavations by IDF soldiers, together with the Israel Antiquities Authority, at a paratroopers base in the south of the country.
The excavation was conducted as part of the project called "The Nature Defense Forces Project- Commanders Take Responsibility for their Environment," led by the IDF's Technology and Maintenance Corps, and was carried out in cooperation with the IDF, the Ministry of Defense, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The tower, whose dimensions in antiquity is estimated to have been 5 x 3.5 m, was erected at a high geographic site, and as such, was an observation point to the Hebron Mountains, the Judean plain and the Ashkelon vicinity. It was built of especially large stones, some 8 tons in weight, and its height today reaches around 2 m.
According to Sa'ar Ganor and Valdik Lifshitz, excavation directors on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, "The strategic location of the tower served as a lookout and warning point against the Philistine enemy, one of whose cities was Ashkelon. In the days of the First Temple, the Kingdom of Judah built a range of towers and fortresses as points of communication, warning and signaling, to transmit messages and field intelligence.
This tower is one of the observation points connecting the large cities in the area, located in the Beit Mirsim (Mirsham), Tel Eton and Tel Lachish sites. In ancient times, to transmit messages, beacons of smoke were lit during the day and beacons of fire at night. It is probable that the watchtower now uncovered is one of the towers that bore some of the beacons."
In the Bible, beacons, or, in the language of the Bible, "pillars" are mentioned several times. Thus, in the story of the Concubine in Gibeah, the use of pillars of smoke is described: "The Israelites had arranged with the ambush that they should send up a great cloud of smoke from the city, and then the Israelites would counter attack .The Benjamites had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites (about thirty), and they said, "We are defeating them as in the first battle." But when the column of smoke began to rise from the city, the Benjamites turned and saw the whole city going up in smoke" (Judges 20: 38-40). The prophet Jeremiah also describes the manner in which the beacons were passed: "Flee for safety, people of Benjamin! Flee from Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in Tekoa! Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem! For disaster looms out of the north, even terrible destruction" (Jeremiah 6:1).
Evidence from another source is known from one of the ostracons (letters on clay) discovered at Tel Lachish. At the end of letter no. 4 it is written, "May God cause my lord to hear reports of good news this very day …. Then it will be known that we are watching the (fire) signals of Lachish according to the code which my lord gave us for we cannot see Azekah."
This letter shows that the existence of the beacons and the interpretation of the signals were part of the defense system and the idea of routine security, and security in times of emergency, in the Kingdom of Judea during the Iron Age.
Activity in the ancient tower, uncovered in the area of the military base, ceased on the eve of the expedition of Sennacherib, King of Assyria, to Judah in 701 BCE. Archaeological excavations revealed that the entrance to the tower was blocked, and the force stationed there apparently converged on one of the nearby fortified towns.
From biblical testimonies and archeological findings in the area, we know that Sennacherib's attack virtually destroyed Judah, including 46 cities and 2,000 villages and farms. Now, some 2700 years after Sennacherib's expedition to the Land of Judah, IDF soldiers uncovered an observation tower belonging to Judean army soldiers, similar to the watchtowers used today by the army.
Guy Saly, director of the IDF Nature Defense Forces Project states that about 150 recruits and commanders from the Paratroopers Brigade, including recruits from commando units, participated in the excavations, in an activity that lasted several months. Saly added that the project, established with the aim of leading commanders and soldiers to becoming responsible and actively involved in protecting nature, landscape and the heritage values of their surroundings, began in 2014 with eight projects, and today, as part of this project, sixty activity centers operate across the country.
"To our delight, each project creates solidarity, strengthening the connection between the soldiers and their surroundings.The IDF, a melting pot of Israel's diverse population, is a unique meeting place for people from all parts of the country, which, through environmental activities, creates between them a stronger awareness to the preservation of nature and the Israeli heritage," says Saly.
Second Lieutenant Roi Ofir, age 21, commander of the recruit team in the reconnaissance battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade, from Rosh Ha'ayin, says: "The archaeological excavation was a routine break from my point of view. I saw soldiers enjoying manual labor that has added value.This is the first time I participated in excavations. The connection to the land, and the fact that there were Jewish fighters in the past, gave me a sense of mission. The fact that there was also a connection to the area where we carried out our own military maneuvers; left us with a feeling that we were giving back.
7. SUSPECT IN RAPE OF 7 YEAR OLD 'BURST INTO TEARS' IN COURT
by Ido Ben Porat
The Palestinian Arab accused of raping the 7-year-old girl was brought in Wednesday afternoon for a remand hearing, during which he burst into tears.
The military prosecution asked the court in Ofer to extend the defendant's remand by 10 days.
The defendant's lawyer, Nashef Darwish, said that during the hearing the defendant burst into tears and told police: "Why are you asking for further investigation? What have you done all these days?"
Attorney Darwish told reporters: "There is no new case as was reported, I am unable to explain why. This case will eventually turn out to be an indictment against the investigative bodies "
The prosecution requested that the defendant's remand be extended in order to carry out further investigation in the case, and in order to exhaust the investigation into suspicions regarding others involved in the rape.
Gadi Siso, head of the Police Investigations Division, and the Military Advocate General, Major General Sharon Afek, decided yesterday to order the Central Unit in the Judea and Samaria District to conduct additional investigations.
The step is unusual, coming as it does after the Military Advocate General submitted an indictment against the suspected Palestinian Arab school janitor to the Ofer Military Court on Sunday following the police investigation.
8. WILL TRUMP STRIKE IRAN? 'YOU'LL FIND OUT SOON'
by David Rosenberg
[youtube:2059541:436]
President Donald Trump spoke with journalists following a meeting with senior security officials Thursday, telling reporters they would "soon find out" if the US will attack Iran in retaliation for the downing of an American drone recently.
When asked by a reporter whether the US planned to strike Iran, the president, who is slated to meet with Canadian premier Justin Trudeau at the White House, responded by saying "You'll soon find out."
"Obviously we're not going to be talking too much about it. You're gonna find out. They made a big mistake."
Trump also said "Iran made a big mistake. This drone was in international waters, clearly. We have it all documented. They made a very bad mistake."
"I imagine someone made a mistake," Trump said, adding that he believed it was someone "loose and stupid who did it," hinting that the US response would have been different, had the aircraft been manned.
"We didn't have a man of woman in the drone. It would have made a big, big difference."
When pressed by a reporter regarding the administration's plans, Trump said: "Let's see what happens."
Earlier on Thursday, senior Trump administration officials met with the president to discuss possible responses to the shooting down Wednesday of a US unmanned aircraft over the Strait of Hormuz.
The US and its allies have accused Iran of a number of recent attacks on oil tankers in the Straits of Hormuz.
Iran claimed responsibility for downing the American drone aircraft.
President Trump tweeted Thursday that Iran "made a very big mistake!"
The shooting down of the American drone comes amid heightened tensions between the Islamic Republic and the US.
On Wednesday, the Pentagon said that the latest deployment of 1,000 additional troops to the Middle East, announced earlier this week, will include a Patriot missile battalion, manned and unmanned surveillance aircraft and "other deterrence capabilities."
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/264877
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