Archive for May 7, 2013

Lapid’s budget includes extensive cuts & unprecedented taxes

 

Finance Minister Yair Lapid presents the gov’t with final budget proposal for 2013-14, outlining aggressive cuts & a series of new unprecedented taxes meant to relieve some of the state’s 39 billion shekel ($11 b) deficit.

Zeev Klein and Israel Hayom Staff

 

Finance Minister Yair Lapid presented the government with his ministry’s final budget proposal for 2013-2014, outlining aggressive cuts and a series of new taxes meant to help cover some of the state’s 39 billion shekel ($11 billion) deficit.

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Tweet from Syria: “unlikely sight: Syrian refugees cheer Israel,”

Syrian rebels have said they no longer hate Israel, saying the Jewish state had the ‘balls’ to do what other Arab states & the West won’t do.

By Israel Today Staff

 

Syrian refugees from that country’s ongoing civil war are reportedly cheering Israel’s weekend air strikes on bases belonging to embattled dictator Bashar Assad, saying that the Jewish state has the “balls” to do what the other Arabs and the West won’t.

Clarissa Ward, a correspondent for CBS News who has spent a lot of time of late in rebel-held parts of Syria, posted Sunday to her Twitter account about an “unlikely sight: Syrian refugees cheer Israel, or rather Israeli strikes near Damascus. Continue Reading »

Erdoğan blasts Israel: No justification for air-strikes in Syria

Turkish PM joins Arab League, Egypt, Lebanon & Syrian rebels in condemning the Israeli Air Force strikes against Iranian missiles destined for Hezbollah, calling Israeli actions “unacceptable.”

By JPOST.COM STAFF

 

 

Despite having repeatedly spoken out against Syrian President Bashar Assad, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday said that alleged Israeli air raids in Syria were “unacceptable.”

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan

Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan – Photo: REUTERS/Stringer

The Israel Air Force struck storage facilities near Damascus housing Iranian Fateh-110 missiles destined for Hezbollah overnight Sunday for the second time in 48 hours – according to foreign media reports – sending flames and the sounds of blasts throughout the city.

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MK Yachimovich declines luxury car (about $420,000), again

 

Labor’s chairwoman favors Knesset members’ Mazda vehicle over Audi A6 and prefers a female driver.

‘The opposition & the public can be served very well even with a Mazda,’ Yachimovic said.

By Moran Azulay

Opposition Chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich (Labor) informed the Knesset on Monday that she was not interested in the armored A6 Audi car she is entitled to as part of her position, and asked to keep using the Mazda car given to her as a Knesset member.

Opposition Chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich (Labor) - Photo Hagai Aharon

Opposition Chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich (Labor) – Photo: Hagai Aharon

This is the second time Yachimovich relinquishes a luxury car, which is said to cost around NIS 1.5 million (about $420,000). Continue Reading »

West Bank Construction Freeze in Effect

Prime Minister tells Housing Minister to halt all new construction projects in Judea and Samaria.

By Maayana Miskin

 

 

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has requested that the Housing Ministry freeze new construction projects in Judea and Samaria (Shomron), IDF Radio (Galei Tzahal) reports.

Netanyahu met with Housing Minister Uri Ariel and asked him to halt promotion of new projects in the region, including by no longer putting up for bids tenders on new projects.

Just days ago Ariel said that if the state budget did not include funding for promised construction in Judea and Samaria, such as the planned project in E1 in Maaleh Adumim, his party would not support the budget. Continue Reading »

Israel to release planner behind 2002 Tel Aviv bombing

 

The Military Court of Appeals ruled the arrest of Jamal Tirawi, who planned deadly bombing of Tel Aviv coffee shop, violated state amnesty deal with Palestinian Authority.

By Itamar Fleishman

The Military Court of Appeals at the Ofer Base annulled on Monday the indictment filed against Jamal Tirawi, who orchestrated the terror attack at the “My Coffee Shop” cafe in Tel Aviv in 2002.

Explosion in ‘My Coffee Shop’ café in Tel Aviv – Photo: Michael Kramer

The court explained its decision by saying that the State had not kept its commitment not to arrest Tirawi under the amnesty agreement with the Palestinian Authority. Continue Reading »

Israeli MK seeks new law addressing freedom of prayer at Kotel

Israel’s Attorney General decides not to appeal Jerusalem court’s ruling that essentially enables women to pray as they choose at Western Wall.

Women of the Wall to continue their monthly service as usual on Friday, but Minister Naftali Bennett plans to set new regulations by next month.

 

Israel’s Minister of Religious Affairs Naftali Bennett plans to present new regulations for Jewish holy places that could restrict the right of Women of the Wall to pray as they see fit in the future, though he promised to formulate the new rules with input from the women’s group.

Young women wrap themselves in Israeli flags at the Western Wall

Young women wrap themselves in Israeli flags at the Western Wall.

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Kenya sends Iranian Terror Plotters to Prison For Life

On Monday a Kenyan court sentenced 2 Iranians to life in prison on terror-related charges, because they planned to attack Israeli businesses.

By David Lev

 

A Kenyan court on Monday sentenced two Iranians to life in prison on terror-related charges, including the possession of explosives allegedly to be used in bomb attacks. Ahmed Mohammed, 50, and Sayed Mansour, 51, who were arrested last June, were found guilty of possessing 15 kilos (33 pounds) of the powerful explosive RDX, found by police hidden in a hole in a golf course.

terrorists (illustrative) - Reuters

terrorists (illustrative) – Reuters

The two were planning to blow up Israeli-owned businesses and targets, as well as Saudi and US-affiliated targets, Kenyan security officials said. Continue Reading »

Turkey, Israel work out compensation draft

PM’s Office says final agreement on compensation to the families of Turks killed by IDF commandos on the Mavi Marmara expected soon.

By Attila Somfalvi, AP

 

Israel and Turkey have reached a draft agreement on compensation for the victims of a 2010 Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla.

Raid on Mavi Marmara (Archive photo: AP)

Raid on Mavi Marmara – Archive photo: AP

The draft agreement was reached during a meeting in Jerusalem on Monday between Turkish officials, headed by the deputy foreign minister, and Israeli government representatives.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Office said a final agreement was expected soon. It did not reveal details on Monday’s agreement and said “additional clarifications” were needed on a “few issues.” Continue Reading »

Does Facebook employ an antisemitic to enforce Facebook ‘hate-content’ policy?

Facebook to Jews: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Was Wrong. According to Facebook’s PR agency,  removing Anti-Semitic content will cause “harm to the people who use our service.”

By Boycott Watch

 

While many consider Facebook is the undisputed leader in social networking, its vast reach surely makes it an easy place to spread hate. Anyone can create a Facebook group at any time on any subject, and it is both impossible and impractical to monitor all posts. When improper posts are made, Facebook makes people jump through hoops to complain then you can wait 24-48 hours for a response. Continue Reading »

Syrian army source: ‘Israel used depleted uranium shells in attack’

Syrian military source downplays strategic importance of strike but assumes Israel
used depleted uranium shells to explain intensity of strike.

By JPOST.COM STAFF

 

Israel used depleted uranium shells in the alleged strike in Syria on Sunday, a senior Syrian military source told Russia Today on Monday.

Israeli Fighter Jet F-16

Israeli Fighter Jet F-16 – Photo Courtesy IDF spokesman.

“When the explosion happened it felt like an earthquake, then a giant golden mushroom of fire appeared. This tells us that Israel used depleted uranium shells,” the source said.

Depleted uranium is a byproduct of the production of enriched uranium for use in nuclear reactors. Continue Reading »

2 Syrian mortars land in Golan – none hurt, no damages

 

IDF says errant shells launched during fierce battles between Syrian rebels & regime’s forces explode in southern Golan Heights.

The Army decides to downsizes drill in north to reduce tensions. Top IDF Commander reports: ‘There are no winds of war’.

Yoav Zitun, Maor Buchnik

 

 

Two mortar shells fired Monday afternoon during battles between the Syrian army and rebels trying to overthrown President Bashar Assad‘s regime exploded in an open area near the border fence in the southern Golan Heights region, near Ramat Magshimim. Another mortar landed in Syrian territory.

אזור נפילת הפצצה בגולן (צילום: אביהו שפירא )

Area in which mortars landed – Photo: Avihu Shapira

No injuries were reported in the incident, which was apparently the result of errant fire. Continue Reading »

Statistics: Jews Far More Happy to be Living in Jerusalem Than Arabs

Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics just released a mountain of Jerusalem-related statistics, just in time for Jerusalem Day.

By David Lev

 

Jerusalem is Israel’s biggest city, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) announced Monday. In a slew of Jerusalem-related statistics, released in honor of Jerusalem Day, to be celebrated later this week, the CBS announced that at the end of 2011, there were 804,400 people living in the city, 499,400 (62%) of them Jewish. Of the rest, 281,000 (35%) were Muslim, 14,700 (2%) Christian, and 9,000 (1%) “other” or no declared religion. In addition, 200 Druze lived in the city. Continue Reading »

Hamas: No peace with Israel – EVER!

The EU, US & UN are getting all excited over The Arab League’s suggestion of an Israeli-Arab peace deal, but everyone is ignoring the actual players on the ground, like Hamas, which refuses to make any peace deal under any terms.

By Ryan Jones

 

While the American administration gets all excited over the Arab League making passing mention of its previous regional peace proposal, Western power-brokers are completely ignoring the fact that Palestinian powerhouse Hamas rejects the idea of peace with Israel under any circumstances.

zzzzzAfter Qatari Prime Minister Hamad Bin Jassem Al Thani commented last week that the Arab League would be willing to accept minor territorial compromise as part of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, US Secretary of State John Kerry got to work pressing Israel to accept the proposal. Continue Reading »

Lessons to be learned from Martin Luther King

“Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity.”
–
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

By MICHEL STEVENS

 

In his 1968 speech to the Rabbinical Assembly, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said “peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy.”

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