Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas made new appointments to the Fatah leadership on February 15, 2017, and also named a deputy Chairman of the movement. He did not, however, solve the problem of the Palestinian succession struggle for the chairmanship.
Category: Israel
March 2, 2017 – Discriminatory’ housing policy raises ire in Rahat
AN UNEXPECTEDLY LARGE crowd of Rahat residents waits yesterday in Beersheba to apply to purchase housing plots.. An incident this week that illustrated the inability of the authorities to organize the marketing of housing plots in Rahat has heightened anger among Beduin residents there who have long felt they are the victims of discrimination by the state.
Hebron shooter’ Elor Azaria appeals already lenient sentence
An Israeli soldier , sentenced to 18 months in prison for shooting dead a wounded Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank last year, has filed an appeal against his manslaughter conviction and already-lenient jail term. In the petition to the court, the lawyer asked that the date his client is due to arrive to serve his time, slated for March 5, be deferred until the end of legal proceedings.
Demolition in Jerusalem leaves 30 Palestinians homeless
Last month, Israeli authorities demolished at least three homes in Issawiya in a singe day, and in January, a man in the neighborhood was forced to demolish his own home in compliance with an order from the municipality. I sraeli forces demolished a building in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya on Wednesday morning without giving prior warning, leaving 30 Palestinians homeless, under the pretext that the building lacked the nearly impossible to obtain construction permits required by Israeli authorities.
U.S. seeks end to U.N. rights council’s ‘obsession’ with Israel
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is reviewing its participation in the U.N. Human Rights Council, seeking reform of its agenda and an end to its “obsession with Israel”, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday. Washington has long argued that the Geneva forum unfairly focuses on Israel’s alleged violations of human rights, including war crimes against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces demolish 9 homes in West Bank settlement
Israeli forces are demolishing nine homes in the heart of the West Bank settlement of Ofra after the Supreme Court ruled they were built on private Palestinian land. Netzach Brodt watched as his house was destroyed and said, “We are extremely disappointed and broken that this house is being torn down.”
We cannot allow America to hate again
There has been a huge wave of terror that has hit over 100 of our nation’s Jewish institutions since January. We cannot allow America to hate again There has been a huge wave of terror that has hit over 100 of our nation’s Jewish institutions since January.
Israeli forces begin evacuating 9 settler homes in West Bank
Israeli forces began evacuating nine homes in the West Bank settlement of Ofra on Tuesday, following a Supreme Court decision that ruled they were built on private Palestinian land. Dozens of settlers and their supporters were protesting on the rooftops as military and police forces handed the evacuation orders to settler leaders and asked them to cooperate peacefully and avoid confrontation.
Palestinian envoy warns against moving US embassy in Israel
The Palestinian’s top envoy to the United States is warning that moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem could disrupt efforts to secure peace in the Middle East. Maen Areikat says an “emotional decision” to shift the embassy’s location “is going to have very, very negative repercussions” and could seriously complicate and undermine any future efforts to resolve the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
Hundreds attend Israeli funeral of Holocaust survivor from Canary Islands
More than 200 Israelis attended the funeral of a complete stranger – a Holocaust survivor from the Canary Islands who was buried in a Tel Aviv cemetery. Hilde Nathan’s final wish was to be laid to rest in Israel alongside her mother, the United With Israel organization said on its website.
PA leader issues warning to Hamas
Palestinian Authority leader Rami Hamdallah on Sunday sent a threatening message to Hamas, stating that if the movement does not agree to hold the local elections on the date determined, there will be no choice but to postpone the election in Gaza and hold them only in the PA-assigned areas of Judea and Samaria. Hamdallah gave Hamas an additional week to provide its final answer regarding the local elections, adding that the PA government in Ramallah will formulate its position based on this answer.
In besieged Gaza, first English library to open window to world
Mossab Abu Toha has never actually left Gaza, instead devouring books as an escape. Now he is struggling to open the first English-language library in the beleaguered Palestinian territory.
Israeli premier calls 1st visit to Australia ‘wonderful’
Netanyahu and his wife Sara concluded their five-day trip to Sydney on Sunday by meeting with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. Netanyahu joked with Bishop, who had recently arrived home from a trip to the United States and Britain, that the pair had “shared more or less the same route.”
Photo illustration by Sarah Rogers/The Daily BeastIsraeli AK-47s To…
An Israeli company with close connections to the country’s elite special forces has been licensed by Russia to produce assault rifles in America. KIRYAT GAT, Israel-On a balmy Friday afternoon last fall outside Tel Aviv, at a high-end restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the individuals responsible for bringing one of the world’s best-known brands into the 21st century were seated enjoying the calamari salads and red wine.
Palestinians face intense online hate from Israelis, say campaigners
Israel’s 1.7 million Palestinian citizens are facing a tidal wave of incitement and hate speech on social media, including from government ministers, community leaders have warned. They say the increasingly hostile political climate in Israel is stoking violence from the police and street gangs, and has laid the ground for a recent raft of racist legislative proposals.
Respect the actress’ privacy, requests Prithviraj
Kochi: While lauding the decision of the actress to return to the film world despite being subjected to attack by a gang of men in Kochi last week, actor Prithviraj urged media not to encircle her with cameras when she arrives at the shooting location here. Popular South Indian actress Bhavana who underwent a two-hour kidnap attempt last week has resumed her work, her co-star Prithviraj confirmed.
Pence pledges to ‘keep our end of the bargain’ with top Jewish supporters
Vice President Mike Pence delivered an ode on Friday evening to the Republican Jewish establishment that once was deeply skeptical of his boss, effusively praising several GOP luminaries such as billionaire Sheldon Adelson. Speaking before a Shabbat dinner at Adelson’s landmark Venetian hotel and casino, Pence shared his administration’s platform on Israel with several hundred members of the Republican Jewish Coalition, including a pledge to keep Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and to combat the “endless bias” of the United Nations.
UN rights office decries Israeli sentence as “excessively lenient”
Palestinians take part in a protest following the sentencing of Israeli soldier Elor Azaria, in the West Bank City of Hebron February 21, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
Israeli prime minister meets Australian opposition leader
Australia’s opposition leader Bill Shorten says he raised his Labor Party’s concerns about Israel’s settlements in Palestinian territories during discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The pair talked for almost an hour in Sydney on Friday, the third day of the first Australian visit by a serving Israeli prime minister.
Muslim campaign raises over $100,000 for vandalized Jewish cemetery
A crowdfunding campaign launched by two Muslim Americans has raised over $100,000 in less than two days for a vandalized Jewish cemetery outside of St. Louis. The LaunchGood.com campaign , titled “Muslims Unite to Repair Jewish Cemetery,” has brought in $115,000 as of Thursday morning for repairs to the Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in University City, Missouri.
Israel reinstates life term of Hamas prisoner freed in swap
A Palestinian activist says an Israeli court has ordered a senior Hamas member to complete his life sentence, after the man was freed in a 2011 swap of hundreds of inmates for an Israeli soldier held by Hamas. At the time of the exchange, Nael Barghouti had served 33 years for participating in the kidnapping and killing of an Israeli soldier, making him one of the longest-held Palestinians.
Minister: New judges will restore right-wing trust in High Court
Shaked indicates she managed to sway panel to select conservative, non-activist candidates; Naor hails picks despite failing to get own choices on bench Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked attends a meeting of the Israeli Judicial Selection Committee at the Ministry of Justice in Jerusalem on February 22, 2017. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked on Thursday hailed the new appointments to the Supreme Court, saying the four fresh faces will restore right-wing trust in Israel’s highest legal authority.
US envoy to UN meets family trying to retrieve son’s remains from Gaza
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley met Wednesday with the parents of Hadar Goldin, one of two Israeli soldiers whose body is being held by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, as the new envoy continued a push to align Washington’s stance in Turtle Bay more closely with that of Jerusalem. Leah and Simha Goldin asked Haley to help them return the bodies of Goldin and of Oron Shaul for burial in Israel.
A hard drive’s LED light can be used to covertly leak data
The seemingly harmless blinking lights on servers and desktop PCs may give away secrets if a hacker can hijack them with malware. Researchers in Israel have come up with an innovative hack that turns a computer’s LED light into a signaling system that shows passwords and other sensitive data.
A hard drive’s LED light can be used to covertly leak data
The seemingly harmless blinking lights on servers and desktop PCs may give away secrets if a hacker can hijack them with malware. Researchers in Israel have come up with an innovative hack that turns a computer’s LED light into a signaling system that shows passwords and other sensitive data.
US senator revives bill cutting funds to PA over funding for terrorists
Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham will reintroduce legislation next week that would cut US funding to the Palestinian Authority if it continues to provide monetary support to the families of those who commit acts of terror against Israelis. The bill, known as the Taylor Force Act , was first introduced last year by Graham with former Indiana Republican Sen. Dan Coats and Missouri Republican Sen. Roy Blunt.
US senator revives bill cutting funds to PA over funding for terrorists
Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham will reintroduce legislation next week that would cut US funding to the Palestinian Authority if it continues to provide monetary support to the families of those who commit acts of terror against Israelis. The bill, known as the Taylor Force Act , was first introduced last year by Graham with former Indiana Republican Sen. Dan Coats and Missouri Republican Sen. Roy Blunt.
State Department sidelined in first month of Trump presidency
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrives in Mexico City on Feb 22. The visit is the second foreign trip of Tillerson’s tenure at the State Department. The Trump administration in its first month has largely benched the State Department from its long-standing role as the preA eminent voice of U.S. foreign policy, curtailing public engagement and official travel and relegating Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to a mostly offstage role.
State Department sidelined in first month of Trump presidency
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrives in Mexico City on Feb 22. The visit is the second foreign trip of Tillerson’s tenure at the State Department. The Trump administration in its first month has largely benched the State Department from its long-standing role as the preA eminent voice of U.S. foreign policy, curtailing public engagement and official travel and relegating Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to a mostly offstage role.
New trend in film festival lineup
High-quality documentaries and films focused on the aftereffects of World War II define new trends in the 2017 East Bay Jewish International Film Festival. The 10-day festival March 2-12 brings dozens of international and independent films to Pleasant Hill’s Century 16 theater, and for two days to the Vine Cinema & Alehouse in the Tri-Valley.
Trump strikes new tone on anti-Semitism
President Donald Trump offered a forceful condemnation Tuesday of anti-Semitism, but Jewish clergy and lay representatives continued to question the president’s sincerity in combating a wave of incidents that followed Election Day. “I’m certainly glad he’s made a statement,” said Rabbi Scott Shpeen of Congregation Beth Emeth in Albany.
Netanyahu blasts UN ‘hypocrisy’, Australian PM opposes ‘one-sided resolutions’
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull offered a staunch defence of Israel on Wednesday, criticising the United Nations and vowing never to support “one-sided resolutions” calling for an end to Israeli settlement building on occupied land. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walks with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull upon their arrival at Admiralty House in Sydney, Australia, February 22, 2017.
Netanyahu is first Israeli prime minister to visit Australia
Netanyahu will start his four-day visit with talks with his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull at his official Sydney address. Turnbull wrote an opinion piece in Wednesday’s The Australian newspaper that backed Netanyahu’s criticism in 2015 that the United Nations General Assembly had adopted 20 resolutions critical of Israel in the preceding year and only one in response to the Syrian war.
Greatest War Ever:
Islamic State-linked Syrian militant groups on Monday launched a surprise attack on moderate rebels in southwestern Syria near the Golan Heights near where the Jordanian and Israeli borders converge, seizing several villages and a large town, rebels and witnesses said.
.com | Israeli court gives soldier 18 months
An Israeli military court on Tuesday sentenced a soldier to 18 months in prison for his deadly shooting of a Palestinian attacker who lay wounded on the ground, capping a nearly year-long saga that has deeply divided the country. The sentence, which included a year’s probation and a demotion in rank, was lighter than expected.
Israeli court gives soldier 18 months for fatal shooting
In this January 24, 2017 file photo, Israeli soldier Sgt. Elor Azaria attends a sentencing hearing in the military court surrounded by his family, in Tel Aviv, Israel.
No Holds Barred: Cory Booker condemned David Friedman while giving Iran a pass
There is a growing evolution in Cory’s position on Israel which is becoming more aligned with the left wing of the Democratic party. The hearing for American ambassador-designate to Israel David Friedman at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week was intense.
The hypocrisy of Jewish liberals regarding antisemitism
The alt-left should stop inciting, sanctioning and targeting Jews of any sort in Israel because it will always come back to haunt Jews in their own country. Last week’s editorial blasted US President Donald Trump for not answering questions regarding antisemitism in America.
The solution to Israel’s shortage of hi-tech workers lies in the periphery
Why should we import workers to the Israeli economy while young Israelis from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are not given the opportunity to acquire an education? We need more of this. The logo of Mellanox Technologies is seen at the company’s headquarters in Yokne’am.
Our World: Senator Menendez and the Pollard effect
Speaking to his ministers on Sunday about his visit last week to Washington, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heralded a new era in US-Israel relations. To a degree, he was correct.