A7News: Kushner: Arab states kept refugees stateless

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Thursday, Jul. 04 '19, א' בתמוז תשע"ט





HEADLINES:
1. KUSHNER: ARAB STATES KEPT REFUGEES STATELESS
2. WATCH: HUNDREDS AT WESTERN WALL FOR ROSH CHODESH PRAYERS
3. REPORT: LIKUD PRESSES TO CANCEL PA LAND THEFT DISCUSSION
4. IDF TO ALLOW REFORM MILITARY FUNERALS
5. ABBAS: BAHRAIN CONFERENCE A 'BIG LIE CONCEIVED BY KUSHNER
6. KUSHNER: PA MADE A FOOLISH & STRATEGIC MISTAKE
7. 'TRUMP ASKED IF OPERATION DANGEROUS'
8. WATCH: NEW 'DONALD TRUMP SQUARE' IN ISRAEL


1. KUSHNER: ARAB STATES KEPT REFUGEES STATELESS
by Yoni Kempinski

US President Donald Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, one of the architects of the administration's peace plan, addressed the issue of the 'Palestinian refugees' in a conversation with journalists.

He noted that the Arab countries had not absorbed Palestinian Arab refugees as Jews had been absorbed into the State of Israel. "You do have a situation when this whole thing started when you had 800,000 Jewish refugees that came out of all the different Middle Eastern countries, and you had roughly 800,000 Palestinian refugees."

"What's happened to the Jewish refugees is they've been absorbed by different places, whereas the Arab world has not absorbed a lot of these refugees over time. This situation exists because it exists. When we put out a political solution, we're gonna try to put forward the best proposed solutions that we think are pragmatic, achievable, and viable in this day and age," he said in response to a question by a Lebanese journalist.

"It's very easy, on this file, to find reasons why we shouldn't do something, and maybe that's why it's been in place for so long. But I think that the people of Lebanon would love to see a resolution to this issue, one that's fair. And I also think that the refugees, the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, who are denied a lot of rights and who don't have the best conditions right now, would also like to see a situation where there's a pathway for them to have more rights and to live a better life. We'll address that when we get to the political plan."


2. WATCH: HUNDREDS AT WESTERN WALL FOR ROSH CHODESH PRAYERS
by Hezki Baruch

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265498

In honor of Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, hundreds of worshipers arrived Thursday morning for a festive prayer at the Western Wall. The new Minister of Education and Chairman of the Jewish Home, Rabbi Rafi Peretz, joined the worshipers and called for maintaining the sanctity of the Western Wall throughout its length.

After the service, Rabbi Peretz said: "We must remember that we are in the generation of rebirth, meriting to see with our own eyes the return of G-d to Zion. We are making a great 'tikkun' [repair] for Tammuz, in which they would cry throughout the world, in which, unfortunately, we always suffered from the disgrace of destruction. Here we repair, pray and know that the Holy One, blessed be He, is returning His 'Shekhina' [presence] to Zion. This is how we will hold our heads and this is how we will live, for we are truly in a special generation and we are privileged to experience a great G-dly revelation on His nation Israel, with love."

Bezalel Zinni, head of the Joint Headquarters for the Preservation of the Sanctity of the Western Wall, said: "It was only recently reported that senior Jewish Federations in the US admit that most of the public in general and in Israel in particular does not understand or support the Reform campaign at the Western Wall, that remnant of our Holy Temple that was erased from its foundation, but to which the people of Israel are still loyal after 2,000 years."

"Again, it has become clear that all the talk of a 'rift' with Jews of the Diaspora is an invention disconnected from reality. We congratulate the Minister of Education, Rabbi Rafi Peretz, who, as he declared during the elections, arrived today and joined the masses of worshipers to express the widespread and clear public position that the sanctity of the Western Wall must be preserved throughout its length under the authority of the chief rabbinate of Israel only, and we are certain that he will also act to realize his words," Zinni added.


3. REPORT: LIKUD PRESSES TO CANCEL PA LAND THEFT DISCUSSION
by Mordechai Sones

The Regavim movement to preserve Israel's national lands and return of rule of law attacked the Likud today following a report in Yediot Ahronot newspaper that the party thwarted a discussion initiated by the movement that was planned to take place in the Knesset plenum on the issue of illegal Palestinian Authority construction.

The background to the discussion is data published by Regavim in recent days, according to which in the past ten years no less than 28,000 illegal Palestinian structures have been built in Area C, the areas of Judea and Samaria under full Israeli control under the Oslo Accords.

According to the report, after the Likud understood that the discussion was about illegal construction committed during Netanyahu's tenure, Likud MKs who supported holding a special session on the matter were asked to withdraw their signatures.

Regavim was particularly furious at the Likud Spokesman reaction to the report, who said "we oppose and act against illegal Palestinian construction, but we won't cooperate with cynical exercises by the opposition and the Left to garner media headlines."

Regavim noted, "In the last decade, the Palestinians have been encouraging European countries to take over large areas of Area C as part of the Fayyad Plan for establishing a Palestinian state," they said.

"If the just, moral, and right struggle against the ongoing failure that allows the establishment of a terror state around the corner turns the Regavim movement into the Left then we're a proud Left," countered Regavim.

The movement says, "it was clear to us that Likud members would lead the discussion, and we welcome the Likud members who signed the request to discuss the matter and expect Likud leadership to withdraw its opposition to holding this important discussion."


4. IDF TO ALLOW REFORM MILITARY FUNERALS
by Mordechai Sones

The IDF will allow a "Reform rabbi" or "rabbah" to hold military funeral ceremonies, the state's representative announced today at a hearing in the Supreme Court.

The hearing was held following a petition filed by Attorney Uri Regev in 2017 on behalf of the Hiddush Association for Religious Freedom and Equality against the IDF, claiming that Reform soldiers were discriminated against in connection with a military funeral.

The petition claims the IDF does not allow every Jewish soldier to be buried according to his faith and forces him to submit to an Orthodox military funeral run by the military rabbinate.

Following the hearing in the Supreme Court, Regev said, "Conducting a ceremony by a Reform rabbi will be a rare event, but what is more common is a secular military burial. It seems to me that in the wake of our petition, we are entering a new era."

The right to secular military burial was anchored in IDF orders already in 2017, and the novelty now is the possibility of conducting non-Orthodox burial without having to forego the military aspects of the ceremony.

Infra-Reform?
Hadas Parush/Flash 90



5. ABBAS: BAHRAIN CONFERENCE A 'BIG LIE CONCEIVED BY KUSHNER
by Elad Benari

Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas responded on Wednesday to senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, who had earlier criticized the PA leadership for boycotting the US-led Bahrain conference last week.

"The Trump administration's peace plan will fail just as the economic conference in Bahrain failed," said Abbas, according to Israeli media outlets, describing the Bahrain conference as "a big lie conceived by Kushner."

"We will not work with the American administration until it walks back its decisions. Since the Oslo Accords, Israel has been working to destroy agreements. If Israel is not committed to agreements, we will not be committed either," he declared.

Abbas further stated that the PA would not accept the United States as a lone mediator in negotiations with Israel.

In a phone briefing with Israeli and Arab journalists earlier on Wednesday, Kushner said that the PA had "made a strategic mistake" by boycotting the Bahrain conference, in which the US administration presented the economic portion of its peace plan.

He did, however, note in response to a question from an Arab journalist about the US perception of Abbas and PA leadership, "I have a lot of respect for President Abbas, he's devoted his life to making peace, he's suffered some setbacks along the way. I believe in his heart he wants to make peace, and that we can give him an opportunity to try to achieve that."

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. KUSHNER: PA MADE A FOOLISH & STRATEGIC MISTAKE
by Arutz Sheva Staff

In a phone briefing with Israeli and Arab journalists special advisory & Son-in-Law to US President Donald Trump said that the next step following the Bahrain conference will be announced next week.

In addition, he made clear that: "No plans for economic investments will be implemented before the implementation of a political plan"

"The president was very clear that he wants a solution to this issue and made it clear that he would work hard for that, but the Palestinian leadership will have to enlist and show that it is interested in a better life for the citizens," Kushner said.

Kushner noted that the economic plan presented at the conference has been "widely praised as comprehensive." He added that the US efforts have "definitely started a discussion in the Arab world" about Israel's place in the region.

"We've made a lot of progress in the Middle East in acceptance of Israel as a country," he asserted

"Palestinians are starting to see that Israel is not responsible for their problems, it's their leaders," he added.

Kushner blasted PA leadership for boycotting the Bahrain conference. "They made a strategic mistake by not engaging on this, they looked very foolish."

He added that "The Palestinian leadership will have to step up at some point and show that they want their people to live better lives."

He did, however, note in response to a question from an Arab journalist about the US perception of Abbas and PA leadership, "I have a lot of respect for President Abbas, he's devoted his life to making peace, he's suffered some setbacks along the way. I believe in his heart he wants to make peace, and that we can give him an opportunity to try to achieve that." He slammed as unconstructive the approach of "certain people around" Abbas who "aren't comfortable" with the American proposals and constantly attack them.

When asked about the "Palestinian refugees" he noted that those issues will be dealt with in the deal, however he chose to emphasize that there were thousands of Jewish refugees throughout the generations but they were absorbed by countries, while the Arab refugees weren't, and that's what brought to the situation today.


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: NEW 'DONALD TRUMP SQUARE' IN ISRAEL
by Yoni Kempinski

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265472

A city square on Petah Tikva's Haim Ozer street, the main drag on which City Hall is also located, was renamed "Donald Trump Square" in a festive ceremony on Wednesday night.

The inauguration saw the participation of Foreign Minister Haim Katz, Economics Minister Eli Cohen and Petah Tikva Mayor Rami Greenberg.

"There has never been such a sympathetic and supportive president as US President Donald Trump," Greenberg said. "We value and appreciate his support for the State of Israel and its citizens, 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."
Donald Trump Square (Credit: Yoni Kempinski)