A7News: 'They're trying to silence the rabbis'

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Wednesday, Jul. 17 '19, י"ד בתמוז תשע"ט





HEADLINES:
1. 'THEY'RE TRYING TO SILENCE THE RABBIS'
2. SUMMER CAMP OUTING TURNS DEADLY AT PARK IN SOUTHERN ISRAEL
3. JEREMY CORBYN CALLS EMERGENCY MEETING OVER LABOUR ANTI-SEMITISM
4. CAN TREES PROTECT ISRAELI TOWNS FROM TERRORISM?
5. HOUSE APPROVES RESOLUTION CONDEMNING TRUMP TWEETS AS 'RACIST'
6. ARCHEOLOGICAL "MEGASITE" FOUND NEAR JERUSALEM
7. TRUMP: RADICAL DEMOCRATS ARE ISRAELI-HATING ANTI-SEMITES
8. ISRAEL IDENTIFIES HEZBOLLAH PRECISION MISSILE PROJECT COMMANDER


1. 'THEY'RE TRYING TO SILENCE THE RABBIS'
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Jerusalem's Chief Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar on Tuesday expressed support for Education Minister Rabbi Rafi Peretz.

At a Torah scroll dedication ceremony, Rabbi Amar said: "Today we're facing difficult challenges. There are things which are inconceivable, various behaviors which people would have been embarrassed even to think about, and today they're trying to make it into pride. If the Education Minister made a statement, now, everyone is criticizing him - seriously, he said what's written in the Torah."

"People want to shut the rabbis' mouths. They want to make people keep quiet. Anyone who says what the Torah says is a criminal, a betrayer, he needs to be thrown out. It's not just that they're not embarrassed. I'm sure that the day will come when they will regret and be embarrassed of everything they said and did.

"Gentlemen, there are things that are forbidden, that we don't do, but they say that some people have a desire for it and they want it. It's all nonsense. Rabbi Rafi Peretz is Education Minister but he was the IDF Chief Rabbi. They're trying now to close the rabbis' mouths. We will not give in. They want to fire us for it - we're willing to be fired, whatever you want."

On Saturday evening, Rabbi Peretz told a Channel 12 interviewer that he believes homosexuals can change. On Sunday, he clarified his remarks, emphasizing that he does not believe it is necessary to send homosexuals for conversion therapy.


2. SUMMER CAMP OUTING TURNS DEADLY AT PARK IN SOUTHERN ISRAEL
by Arutz Sheva Staff

A 10-year-old boy from southern Israel was killed Wednesday morning while attending a summer camp.

The incident occurred at a park near the city of Kiryat Gat, when a large tree branch collapsed, onto a park bench crushing a 10-year-old Bedouin boy.

MDA emergency first responders were called to the scene and attempted to treat the child, but were ultimately forced to declare him dead at the scene.

The circumstances surrounding the incident and the tree's sudden collapse remain unclear, and local police have opened an investigation into the child's death.

"When we got there, we saw a huge tree branch which had fallen on a park bench where a 10-year-old boy was sitting," said MDA senior paramedic Ronen Shunam and paramedic Yisrael Ben Yehuda.

"The boy was unconscious, had no heartbeat, and was not breathing. He had a serious head injury. We performed a number of medical checks. His condition was critical, and within a short time we declared his death."

[audio:2060594]


3. JEREMY CORBYN CALLS EMERGENCY MEETING OVER LABOUR ANTI-SEMITISM
by David Rosenberg

The chairman of the UK's Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, has called an emergency meeting of his shadow cabinet, amid an ongoing crisis over anti-Semitism within the party.

According to a report by The Jewish Chronicle, Corbyn has scheduled the meeting for this coming Monday, as public criticism over the party's handling of anti-Semitism among Labour members grows.

The meeting Monday marks the first time Corbyn has agreed to hold a meeting with senior party members aimed at confronting the problem of anti-Semitism within the party.

Corbyn has faced pressure not only from outside of the party, but also from within Labour's own ranks, to take action against anti-Jewish members.

"We have got racists in the party," said Parliamentary Labour Party chairman John Cryer said, "and they are not being dealt with."

The decision to hold the meeting came after the BBC aired an expose on anti-Semitism in the Labour party which alleged that Corbyn had routinely blocked internal party probes into anti-Semitic incidents or claims against party members.

While Corbyn rejected the documentary, saying it had "many, many inaccuracies," a number of Labour MPs felt compelled to confront questions raised by the documentary.

"I don't want to just blame Corbyn - I want to blame all of the leadership team," one MP told The Jewish Chronicle on condition of anonymity. "They are a shambles taking us from one crisis to the next."


4. CAN TREES PROTECT ISRAELI TOWNS FROM TERRORISM?
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Israel will plant trees near homes located in towns on the Israel-Gaza border, in order to protect the homes from incoming anti-tank missiles fired from Gaza, Channel 13 reported Tuesday night.

According to the report, senior Gaza Division officials, including a commander in the Southern Brigade, toured the Gaza border area and mapped out the towns which are under threat from Gazan anti-tank missiles and how to protect them.

The move is part of the Gaza Division's decision to reorganize the area's defense system following the death of Moshe Feder, who was killed by a missile earlier this year.

Last week, another terror tunnel = the eighteenth in the area - was discovered in southern Israel as the IDF built an underground fence to protect Israel. IDF soldiers are investigating the tunnel, its depth, where it led from and where it led to.

They are also investigating whether the tunnel is new, or whether it is an undiscovered tunnel from Operation Protective Edge.


5. HOUSE APPROVES RESOLUTION CONDEMNING TRUMP TWEETS AS 'RACIST'
by Ben Ariel

The US House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to formally admonish President Donald Trump, approving a resolution condemning as "racist" his tweets targeting four minority congresswomen, The Hill reports.

The resolution was approved by a majority of 240-187, with four Republicans breaking with party ranks to join every voting Democrat.

Rep. Justin Amash (I-MI), who recently left the GOP over differences with Trump, also backed the resolution.

The measure "strongly condemns President Donald Trump's racist comments that have legitimized and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color by saying that our fellow Americans who are immigrants, and those who may look to the President like immigrants, should 'go back' to other countries," and vows for the United States to remain open to those " lawfully seeking refuge and asylum from violence and oppression, and those who are willing to work hard to live the American Dream, no matter their race, ethnicity, faith, or country of origin."

It also states that "immigrants and their descendants have made America stronger and that those who take the oath of citizenship are every bit as American as those whose families have lived in the United States for many generations."

The president has faced criticism for a series of tweets directed at four congresswomen on Sunday in which he called for them to "go back" to the countries that they came from and criticizing the Democratic party for condoning their "disgraceful behavior".

While Trump's tweets did not mention the four by name, it is widely believed that he was targeting Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), Ilhan Omar (MN), Rashida Tlaib (MI) and Ayanna Pressley (MA).

Three of the four congresswomen were born in the United States. Omar was born in Somalia.

On Monday, Trump reiterated his criticism, calling on the congresswomen to apologize to the US, to Israel, and to the "office of the presidency."

He once again criticized the four on Tuesday, writing, "The Democrat Congresswomen have been spewing some of the most vile, hateful, and disgusting things ever said by a politician in the House or Senate, & yet they get a free pass and a big embrace from the Democrat Party. Horrible anti-Israel, anti-USA, pro-terrorist & public shouting of the F...word, among many other terrible things, and the petrified Dems run for the hills. Why isn't the House voting to rebuke the filthy and hate laced things they have said? Because they are the Radical Left, and the Democrats are afraid to take them on. Sad!"

Tuesday's resolution was led by freshman Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), who is white but was born in Poland. He argued it was a necessary step to push back against racist rhetoric from the White House.

"Even if we may disagree on the details of immigration or border policy, racism is wrong, it is un-American," Malinowski told The Hill.

"It's not who we are. It is playing with fire because the words that the president used are heard by people with disturbed minds who do terrible things, violent things, and a line needs to be drawn. So that's what we hope to do."

On Monday, the four congresswomen held a press conference in which they blasted Trump for his rhetoric. Omar went so far as to call for the impeachment of the President.

"I have not made impeachment central to my election or my tenure. But since the day that I've gotten elected, I've said to people, it is not — if he will be impeached, but when. So it is time for us to stop allowing this President to make a mockery out of our Constitution. It is time for us to impeach this President," she said.

Of the four congresswomen in question, three have a history of making anti-Israel statements.

Ocasio-Cortez has come under fire after saying the United States operated "concentration camps" on its southern border, she previously said that cutting military and economic aid to Israel as a way to signal opposition to Israeli policies should be "on the table."

Omar was criticized after she suggested on Twitter that Republicans were attacking her at the behest of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC. She subsequently issued a half-hearted apology before ultimately deleting the controversial tweets.

Tlaib claimed in an interview in May that Palestinian Arabs living in the British Mandate prior to the establishment of the State of Israel "provided" a safe haven to Jews after the Holocaust.

She has also backed BDS and, when asked in a past television interview whether she would vote against military aid to Israel when she goes to Congress, replied "absolutely."


6. ARCHEOLOGICAL "MEGASITE" FOUND NEAR JERUSALEM
by Arutz Sheva Staff

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/266038

A huge ancient settlement, one of the largest of its kind in the region, has been discovered during archaeological excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority near Motza Junction.

The project which uncovered the site was initiated and financed by the Netivei Israel Company (the National Transport Infrastructure company). The excavations are being conducted as part of the Highway 16 Project which includes building a new entrance road to Jerusalem from the west, connecting the National Highway 1 from the Motza area to the southern part of Jerusalem ("Bayit VeGan" area), including two double tunnels.

Amongst others, thousands of arrowheads, pieces of jewelry and figurines produced by the people of the site have been unearthed during the excavations.

The Motza excavation site is situated 5 kilometers west of Jerusalem, on the banks of the Sorek Stream, near water fountains and close to a fertile valley and to the ancient way that led from the Shefela (foothills) region to Jerusalem.

According to Dr. Hamoudi Khalaily and Dr. Jacob Vardi, excavation directors at Motza on behalf of the Antiquities Authority, "this is the first time that such a large-scale settlement is discovered in Israel. At least 2,000 – 3,000 residents lived here – an order of magnitude that parallels a present-day city!"

The excavations exposed large buildings, including rooms that were used for living, as well as public facilities and places of ritual. Between the buildings, alleys were exposed, bearing evidence of the settlement's advanced level of planning. In the buildings, plaster was sometimes used for creating floors and for sealing various facilities.

According to the researchers, "In a place where people live, there are dead people as well: Burial places have been exposed in and amongst the houses, into which various burial offerings have been placed – either useful or precious objects, believed to serve the deceased in the next world.

These gifts testify to the fact that already during this ancient period, the residents of this site conducted exchange relationships with faraway places. Amongst others, unique stone-made objects were found in the tombs, made of an unknown type of stone, as well as items made of obsidian (volcanic glass) from Anatolia, and sea-shells, some of which were brought from the Mediterranean Sea and some from the Red Sea. During the excavations, artistic hand-made stone bracelets in several styles were found.

"Due to the size of the bracelets, we estimate that they were mainly worn by children", the researchers say. "We also found carefully crafted alabaster beads, as well as medallions and bracelets made of mother of pearl".

In all excavation areas, many flint tools manufactured on the site were unearthed, including thousands of arrowheads that were used for hunting, and possibly for fighting as well, axes used for tree-felling, and sickle blades and knives.

In the settlement, built storage sheds were exposed, which contained a huge quantity of legumes, especially lentils. The fact that the seeds were preserved is astonishing in the light of the site's age. This finding is evidence of an intensive practice of agriculture. Moreover, one can conclude form it that the Neolithic Revolution reached its summit at that point: animal bones found on the site show that the settlement's residents became increasingly specialized in sheep-keeping, while the use of hunting for survival gradually decreased.

According to researchers, "the exposure of the enormous site in Motza awakens extensive interest in the scientific world, changing what has been known about the Neolithic period in that area.

So far, it was believed that the Judea area was empty, and that sites of that size existed only on the other bank of the Jordan River, or at the Northern Levant. Instead of an uninhabited area from that period, we have found a complex site, where varied economic means of subsistence existed, and all this only several dozens of centimeters below the surface. All findings were recorded using an innovative three-dimensional technology, so that we can continue to research the site at the end of the excavation as well."

According to engineer Gilad Naor, Head of Projects Department at the Netivei Israel Company, "It is a huge privilege for us, as the Israel National Transport Infrastructure Company – Netivei Israel – that tomorrow's transportation infrastructure projects facilitate such special discoveries in the splendid history of our country".

According to Amit Re'em, Jerusalem District Archeologist of the Israel Antiquities Authority, along with the excitement and importance of the finds, the IAA is aware of the vital need to create an additional access road to Jerusalem.

In preparation for the release of the excavated area, the entire site was documented using advanced 3D technology that will enable research of every detail digitally. It is important to know that significant percentages of the prehistoric site around the excavation are preserved. In addition, the IAA plans to tell the story of the site at the site by means of a display and illustration. At Tel Moza, adjacent to this excavation, archaeological remains are being preserved for the public at large, and conservation and accessibility activities are being carried out in Tel Bet Shemesh and Tel Yarmut.


7. TRUMP: RADICAL DEMOCRATS ARE ISRAELI-HATING ANTI-SEMITES
by David Rosenberg

[youtube:2060520:357]

President Donald Trump excoriated several unnamed Democratic lawmakers on Monday, calling on them to apologize to the US, to Israel, and to the "office of the presidency".

"When will the Radical Left Congresswomen apologize to our Country, the people of Israel and even to the Office of the President, for the foul language they have used, and the terrible things they have said," Trump tweeted. "So many people are angry at them & their horrible & disgusting actions!"

"If Democrats want to unite around the foul language & racist hatred spewed from the mouths and actions of these very unpopular & unrepresentative Congresswomen, it will be interesting to see how it plays out. I can tell you that they have made Israel feel abandoned by the U.S."

Later on Monday, Trump tweeted a quote from South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, blasting the unnamed "radical Left Congresswomen" as "anti-Semitic," and "anti-America".

"We all know that AOC and this crowd are a bunch of Communists, they hate Israel, they hate our own Country, they're calling the guards along our Border (the Border Patrol Agents) Concentration Camp Guards, they accuse people who support Israel as doing it for the Benjamin's. they are Anti-Semitic, they are Anti-America, we don't need to know anything about them personally, talk about their policies. I think they are American citizens who are duly elected that are running on an agenda that is disgusting, that the American people will reject."

"What does it mean for America to have free Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants, no criminalization of coming into our Country - See how that works for controlling Immigration! They talk about Israel like they're a bunch of thugs, not victims of the entire region. They wanted to impeach President Trump on DAY ONE. Make them the face of the future of the Democrat Party, you will destroy the Democrat Party. Their policies will destroy our Country!" @LindseyGrahamSC Need I say more?"

The tweets were the latest in a series of social media comments targeting a group of unnamed Democratic congresswoman, likely referring to Ilhan Omar (Minnesota), Rashida Tlaib (Michigan), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York) and Ayanna Pressley (Massachusetts).

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's son, Yair, praised Trump for the comment, calling him the "best friend" the Jewish people have had in a president.

"Thank you so much! You are the best friend the Jewish people ever had in the White House!"

On Monday, the president ripped the group of unnamed Democratic congresswomen and blasted the Democratic party establishment for 'condoning' the "disgraceful behavior".

"So sad to see the Democrats sticking up for people who speak so badly of our Country and who, in addition, hate Israel with a true and unbridled passion. Whenever confronted, they call their adversaries, including Nancy Pelosi, 'RACIST.' Their disgusting language and the many terrible things they say about the United States must not be allowed to go unchallenged. If the Democrat Party wants to continue to condone such disgraceful behavior, then we look even more forward to seeing you at the ballot box in 2020!"

Ocasio-Cortez has come under fire after saying the United States operated "concentration camps" on its southern border, she previously said that cutting military and economic aid to Israel as a way to signal opposition to Israeli policies should be "on the table."

Omar was criticized after she suggested on Twitter that Republicans were attacking her at the behest of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC. She subsequently issued a half-hearted apology before ultimately deleting the controversial tweets.

Tlaib claimed in an interview in May that Palestinian Arabs living in the British Mandate prior to the establishment of the State of Israel "provided" a safe haven to Jews after the Holocaust.

She has also backed BDS and, when asked in a past television interview whether she would vote against military aid to Israel when she goes to Congress, replied "absolutely."

The tensions within the party escalated after Ocasio-Cortez told the Washington Post that she felt Pelosi was targeting women of color, though the New York Democrat said she doesn't believe the Speaker is racist.


8. ISRAEL IDENTIFIES HEZBOLLAH PRECISION MISSILE PROJECT COMMANDER
by Mordechai Sones

I24 News has identified the Iranian Revolutionary Guards engineer commanding Hezbollah's precision missile project in Lebanon as Majed Naveed.

Naveed is in charge of three Beirut sites and two others in southern Lebanon and the Beka'a Valley where engineers are working to convert Hezbollah surface-to-surface missiles into precision-guided missiles, i24NEWS revealed today.

According to the report, the IRGC Air Force engineer is also in frequent contact with a Yemen counterpart. Yemen has become a proving ground for Hezbollah and Iranian missiles fired by Huthi rebels at Saudi Arabia.

Israel estimates that Iran-backed Hezbollah possesses some 100,000 to 150,000 rockets, and has acknowledged carrying out hundreds of airstrikes targeting weapons stores and convoys destined for the Lebanese terror group in Syria, where it fights alongside Israel's arch-foe and Shiite powerhouse Iran in support of the Damascus regime.