A7News: Knesset Speaker: No way to cancel elections

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Wednesday, Jul. 03 '19, ל' בסיון תשע"ט





HEADLINES:
1. KNESSET SPEAKER: NO WAY TO CANCEL ELECTIONS
2. ARE THE 'ETHIOPIAN PROTESTS' REALLY LED BY ETHIOPIANS?
3. LEADING RABBI MOVED BY US AMBASSADOR'S SPEECH
4. NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE ANNOUNCES: KOSHER BY DEFAULT
5. ISRAEL GEARS UP FOR NEW WAVE OF PROTESTS
6. PLANE SAFELY MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING AT BEN GURION AIRPORT
7. 'TRUMP ASKED IF OPERATION DANGEROUS'
8. WATCH: CHABAD HASIDIM MARK 25 YEARS SINCE REBBE'S PASSING


1. KNESSET SPEAKER: NO WAY TO CANCEL ELECTIONS
by Haim Lev

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud) on Wednesday said his initiative to cancel September's elections had failed, and that the elections would go on as scheduled.

"In the past few days, I tried to advance for you, the citizens of Israel, a cancellation of these extraneous elections. This would have saved you billions. Unfortunately, not everyone involved cooperated, and therefore we are unable to cancel the elections," Edelstein tweeted.

Blue and White leader Yair Lapid tweeted: "Want to save even more billions, Yuli? Let's create a unity government without [Israeli Prime Minister] Binyamin [Netanyahu], that won't cave to the extortionists."

Last week, Edelstein told 103 FM Radio why he was working to cancel the repeat elections.

"Many people from the various parties said, 'What a huge mistake we made,'" he said then, adding that Blue and White MKs had also expressed regret for the new elections.

But even though members of most parties wanted to turn back the clock, Edelstein made it clear that "it will only work if we reach an absolute majority - not if we find some deserter who's willing to vote against it."

"I come with clean hands, and not as anyone's emissary. There were also people [who regretted the move] who had no fear at all of losing their seats in the next elections," he added.



2. ARE THE 'ETHIOPIAN PROTESTS' REALLY LED BY ETHIOPIANS?
by David Rosenberg

A far-left organization funded by the New Israel Fund has been actively aiding the recent wave of protests – many of them violent – which erupted across the country following the shooting death of Solomon Tekah, an Ethiopian teenager, in Haifa.

While some of the protests across the country have been peaceful, others turned violent, including attacks on police officers, ambulances, and private cars.

The joint Arab-Jewish 'Standing Together' organization, which is funded by the NIF, has taken an active role in the protests, which began Monday, resumed Tuesday following Tekah's funeral, and which are expected to continue Wednesday.

"When police officers shooting people, civilians, and kill them, we go out to the streets," Standing Together said. "When officers with a trigger finger start shooting people – that is everyone's problem, so we're all going out to the streets: blacks and whites, Jews and Arabs. Let's demand that the police protect civilians, or at least to begin with, that they stop killing them."

In many instances, participants in the more violent demonstrations are clearly not members of the Ethiopian community, with a number of Arab and non-Ethiopian Jewish rioters spotted taking part in the riots.

"About half of the demonstrators I saw were Arabs or non-Ethiopian [Jews]," said one witness, Yosef Tavin, who filmed one road-blocking demonstration in central Israel.

"There is, of course, a large group of Ethiopians holding signs and flags, but there is a group that's just as large of Arabs, and you can basically see that the Arabs are the ones running the demonstration and deciding where, who, when to attack, who will get stones and who won't."

"During the demonstration, I filmed a lot of rioting and violence. But then all of the sudden I noticed that there is someone, an Ashkenazi woman, who is bossing around the demonstrators, and they're all listening to her."

During the last wave of protests Tuesday night, 83 people were treated for injuries, with a number of private vehicles, police cars, and ambulances damaged by rioters.

Police and emergency responders have deployed extra units in anticipation of the resumption of the protests Wednesday.


3. LEADING RABBI MOVED BY US AMBASSADOR'S SPEECH
by Eliran Aharon

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the chief rabbi of the northern Israeli city of Tzfat, praised US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, for his recent speech at the unveiling of the Pilgrims' Road near the Old City of Jerusalem.

During his speech, Friedman said the discovery and unveiling of the tunnel, which links the historic city of David to the Temple Mount, was important not only as a Jewish archeological treasure, but also held significance for the United States.

Friedman went on to link the foundational values of the United States to the Israeli capital city.

"The spiritual underpinnings of our society in which we honor the dignity of every human life comes from Jerusalem," said Friedman.

Days later, Friedman echoed this sentiment at the US embassy in Jerusalem's celebration marking the 243rd American Independence Day.

Rabbi Eliyahu later said he was moved by Friedman's comments.

"We grew up living in the reality that 'The Torah shall go forth from Zion, and the word of God from Jerusalem'," said Rabbi Eliyahu, citing the biblical verse, "and that verse relates to the entire world. "When we say it, it has one specific meaning. But when they come and say that the root of all of their values is from here, from Zion, that really follows the verse 'And the nations shall see thy triumph, and all kings thy glory.'"

"His comments [Friedman's] fit with what the vice president [Mike Pence] said during his address to the Knesset, exactly in those words. He said 'We Americans are a successful people because we adopted your values'. And President Trump himself, too, said as much in his Passover blessing. Finally, the world recognizes this, thank God."

Rabbi Eliyahu emphasized that the strengthening of the US-Israel relationship was important not only for Israel, or for cooperation in practical issues of policy, but also had a positive effect on American values.

"The closeness of ties between the US and Israel is mutual; it doesn't just strengthen us against Iran; it also gives values to American society. We aren't just economies, running after money, we're also value-based societies; we have values and we fight for them and it is very important for every American child to grow up knowing that American society isn't just about materialism and economics, but also is a society with values."

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265456


4. NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE ANNOUNCES: KOSHER BY DEFAULT
by Arutz Sheva Staff

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265452

The Norwegian Cruise Line on Tuesday announced its kosher menu, which will be offered free to anyone requesting kosher food on any of the company's cruise ships.

Glatt kosher food will also be available.

The new menu will be catered by Borenstein Caterers and certified kosher by the Orthodox Union (OU). Meals will include a first course, main course, two side dishes, and dessert, and meal options will include meat, chicken, and fish.

Kosher meals must be ordered at least 30 days before the cruise begins, and passengers will be able to choose their menu for each day of the cruise when they place their order. Each meal is served sealed and with personal dishes.

Shabbat (Sabbath) meals include special challahs (braided bread) and a choice of kosher red or white wine, which will be available in a bottle or cup.

The meals will be available in the ships' cafeterias.

On holidays, the company will decorate the ships and offer special holiday meals to those signing up ahead of time, and on Pesach (Passover), matzah will be available. The ships will also offer a private room for those wishing to pray or light Shabbat and holiday candles.

"Today, we are setting a new standard in the cruise industry," Norwegian Cruise Line Vice President Nick Wilkinson said. "From now own, kosher, rich, and varied food will be part of the culinary experience we offer our guests."

"More and more Israeli families choose to vacation on our cruise ships, and we see great importance in offering appropriate solutions for our kosher-observing customers from Israel and around the world. Our decision to offer high-quality kosher meals at no extra cost is proof of the great importance we attribute to this market and to the great potential it has."


5. ISRAEL GEARS UP FOR NEW WAVE OF PROTESTS
by Arutz Sheva Staff

New protests against the shooting death of an Ethiopian-Israeli teenager in Haifa by an off-duty police officer are expected to be held across Israel beginning Wednesday afternoon.

The protests, which are slated to include road-blockings, follow two days of demonstrations and riots across the country in response to the killing of 19-year-old Solomon Tekah, an Ethiopian-Israeli man from Haifa's Kiryat Haim neighborhood.

According to a message by protest organizers, Route 38 near Beit Shemesh will be blocked starting at 4:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.

Half an hour later, protesters will gather for a demonstration in the northern city of Afula's Azmaut Square.

At 5:00 p.m., demonstrators are scheduled to gather outside of city hall in Petah Tikva.

In addition, road-blocking demonstrations are expected at 5:00 p.m. in Netanya on the coastal road near Ikea and in Tel Aviv at Azrieli Junction. Protesters are also slated to gather at 5:00 p.m. at Hanegev Junction in Beer Sheva.

At 5:30, protests are expected outside of the central police station in Rosh Haayin.

By 6:00 p.m. the protests will expand to Ashkelon, outside of the main sports center, to Ashdod, and to Kiryat Gat.

In Rishon Letzion and Jerualem's Pat Junction, protests are expected beginning at 7:00 p.m.

During the last wave of protests Tuesday night, 83 people were treated for injuries, with a number of private vehicles, police cars, and even ambulances damaged by rioters.

Police and emergency responders have deployed extra units in anticipation of the resumption of the protests Wednesday.

The riots first started Monday, following the death of 19-year-old Solomon Tekah in Haifa Sunday night.

Tekah, a member of the Ethiopian community in Israel, was fatally wounded Sunday night when an off-duty police officer spotted a group of young men fighting in the Kiryat Haim neighborhood of Haifa.

According to the officer who opened fire, when he tried to break up the fight, he was attacked by three of the young men, who allegedly hurled stones at him. Fearing for his life, the officer said, he opened fire at the ground to scare off his attackers.

One of the bullets ricocheted, he claimed, hitting and mortally wounding Tekah.

On Tuesday, hundreds gathered in the Tel Regev cemetery in Haifa for Tekah's funeral.

Relatives of Tekah claimed he was murdered by police.

"It's not 'killing', it's murder," said Tekah's cousin, Amir.

"What was he killed by? A work accident? Being hit by a car? When you take the kids out to the playground, do you go out with a gun? [The officer] saw a black man walking. And after the cop in Bat Yam was cleared of charges, what does an officer care about killing him?" Amir continued, referencing the death of Yehuda Biadga.

Biadga, a mentally-ill 24-year-old resident of Bat Yam and member of the Ethiopian community, was shot and killed this January when he was spotted brandishing a knife.

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265450


6. PLANE SAFELY MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING AT BEN GURION AIRPORT
by Arutz Sheva Staff

An emergency was declared at Ben Gurion Airport after a plane tire blew out upon its launch. The plane landed safely.

The plane, an Electra Airways Boeing 737-400 experienced the malfunction upon takeoff from the airport in Cologne, Germany. 152 passengers and crew were aboard. The plane landed shortly after 4 PM.

The alert level at Ben-Gurion Airport was raised to level 3 after the remains of one of the wheels of the plane were found on the runway in Germany, and all flights were diverted to land at Ramon Airport.

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265356

Magen David Adom teams, officers, firefighters and paramedics were rushed to the airport from Gush Dan to secure the landing of the plane, and ambulances and intensive care ambulances were making their way to Ben-Gurion Airport before the plane landed.

It is still unclear how much damage the plane has sustained.

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7. 'TRUMP ASKED IF OPERATION DANGEROUS'
by Mordechai Sones

The Israel Defense Prize was awarded today to a series of projects and activities that contributed to the security of the country and to maintaining its strength and qualitative advantage on the battlefield, both in terms of technology and operational aspects.

The award was presented at a festive ceremony held at the President's Residence in Jerusalem by President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister and Defense Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Aviv Kochavi, and Defense Ministry Director General (res.) Udi Adam.

Prime Minister Netanyahu referred to one of the operations that won the prize: bringing Iran's secret nuclear archive to Israel by the Mossad.

"I approved this action with the thought that the exposure of the plan will help persuade the President of the United States to abandon the dangerous nuclear agreement with Iran," Netanyahu said.

The Prime Minister added, "I want to tell you something I haven't told of to this day: I shared with the US President the idea of ​​the operation even before it was carried out. When I met him in Davos, I told him I was going to send our men into the heart of Tehran to bring the archive. He asked me if it was dangerous. I told him that there was considerable risk in this, but that the result justifies the risk. So when I brought the main findings we uncovered in the archive to the Oval Office at the White House, he already knew what was going on. He expressed his appreciation for the daring and achievement. I have no doubt that this helped to confirm his decision to withdraw from this dangerous agreement."

Netanyahu continued: "Yesterday, Iran announced that it had crossed the threshold of 300 kg of enriched uranium. This is another defiant step in its quest to produce nuclear weapons. Israel will not allow Iran to produce nuclear weapons. Those who threaten us with annihilation there put themselves in danger of extinction and the leadership that thinks in such terms, in similar danger.

"We always defend ourselves by ourselves, but these forces of ours are really the forces, the brains and the hearts that are presented here, and you, the winners of the Israel Defense Prize, have a basic share in strengthening the deterrent force. You all did a great job. Blessings and continued success in your activity to ensure the eternity of the nation," Netanyahu concluded.


8. WATCH: CHABAD HASIDIM MARK 25 YEARS SINCE REBBE'S PASSING
by Arutz Sheva Staff

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265408

Approximately 15,000 Chabad Lubavitch hasidim gathered Monday evening in Jerusalem, to mark the 25th anniversary of the passing of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Throughout the event, hasidim and other affiliated individuals close to the Rebbe spoke about how he impacted their lives and how they were influenced by his great light, which continues to shine even today, 25 years after his passing.

Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak Aharonov, who chairs the center for activities of Chabad emissaries in Israel, said the speech given by Poway's Rabbi Yisrael Goldstein at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly last week was one that the Rebbe had proofread 32 years ago, in preparation for planned speech at a UN event at that time.

In the center of the Jerusalem gathering, a screen showed a livestream of events happening at the Rebbe's gravesite.
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