Peres to deliver to the White House Knesset petition for release of Pollard
(JNS.org) Israeli President Shimon Peres said he will deliver a petition to the White House urging U.S. President Barack Obama to release convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard.
The petition, which was presented to Peres by Labor MK Nachman Shai and HaBayit HaYehudi MK Ayelet Shaked, was signed by an overwhelming 106 out of 120 Knesset members, including Arab MKs.
“As president it is my clear responsibility to voice such clear consensus. I do it with pride and see it as a duty and responsibility,” Peres said, the Times of Israel reported.
Earlier, it was reported that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Israeli peace negotiators that the U.S. would consider releasing Pollard as a condition to the release of the remaining Palestinian terrorist prisoners.
However, on Wednesday, U.S. administration officials said that there is “no chance” that Pollard would be freed in return for the release of Palestinians prisoners, Israel Radio reported.
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Scholarship program co-sponsored by IDF veterans and Evangelical group encourages Druze integration
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) A first of its kind initiative designed to better integrate Druze citizens from the Golan Heights region into the Israel Defense Forces was inaugurated this week.
The scholarship is named for Maj. Salim Shufi, who fought in the IDF’s elite special forces unit, Sayeret Matkal.
After his discharge, Shufi was elected as mayor of Majdal Shams, where he represented the causes of Druze society. After Shufi died last year at 82, his friends decided to continue his efforts, collaborating with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) to create an educational program that helps young Druze integrate better into Israeli society. The program also includes educational activities to deepen their knowledge of Shufi’s efforts.
The scholarship will be awarded to 25 young Druze, who will be chosen by a committee including representatives from Shufi’s family, Sayeret Matkal veterans and IFCJ representatives.
“I am proud of this project,” said IFCJ President Yechiel Eckstein.
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Abbas at celebration for terrorists: No final peace deal until all prisoners released
(JNS.org) Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas said that there would be no final peace deal with Israel until all Palestinian prisoners are released.
“We promise you that no final agreement will be reached unless all prisoners are at home,” Abbas said at an event in Ramallah celebrating the latest release of 26 Palestinian terrorist prisoners,Ma’an News Agency reported.
Abbas promised that sick prisoners would be released after the 104 terrorists imprisoned from before the 1993 Oslo Accords are released by Israel under the Jewish state’s agreement with the PA for the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations. Israel has now freed 78 of those 104 prisoners.
“There will be more groups of those heroes every now and then and in the near future,” Abbas said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the Palestinian celebrations, saying that murderers “are not heroes.”
“The fundamental difference between us [and the Palestinians] can be seen on Monday: While we are willing to take painful, unparalleled steps to try and reach an agreement that would put an end to the conflict, they, along with their most senior leadership, are celebrating,” Netanyahu said,Haaretz reported.
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First definitive proof of ancient blue dye tekhelet revealed in Israel
(JNS.org) The first definitive proof of production of the ancient blue dye tekhelet in Israel was revealed during an Israel Antiquities Authority presentation at a Jerusalem conference.
Derived from shellfish, tekhelet is mentioned in the Torah as the dye used in the clothing of the High Priest in the Jerusalem Temple, as well as being mixed in with white in the fringes of the tzitzit garment. But the origins of tekhelet were lost after the Roman exile, and most tzitzit fringes today are colored exclusively white. Over the past century, experts—including the late Chief Rabbi Dr. Isaac Herzog—have attempted to rediscover the origins of the dye, tracing it to the hillazon snail.
“Until now, our most important discovery had been the piles and piles of murex trunculus (hillazon snail) shells from the area, which served as a silent testimony to the presence of an ancient dyeing industry in Israel,” said Dr. Naama Sukenik, a researcher at the Israel Antiquities Authority.
“But this newest finding from the times of Bar Kokhba—sky blue fabric from the Dead Sea region—is definitive proof of both a colored fabrics trade and strict adherence to the biblical commandment of tekhelet in ancient Israel,” Sukenik said.
The new evidence was presented at the “100 Years to Tekhelet Research” conference sponsored by Ptil Tekhelet, which was attended by more than 350 scientists, academics, and rabbinic scholars.
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Buffet contributes $10 million to Rambam Hospital
(JNS.org) American billionaire investor Warren Buffett has donated $10 million to Rambam Hospital in Haifa.
Buffett’s friend Eitan Wertheimer announced the donation at a recent event celebrating the 75th anniversary of the hospital,Globes reported.
Buffett and Wertheimer became close friends after Wertheimer sold his family’s 80-percent share of Israeli precision tool manufacturer Iscar to Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway firm in 2006 for $4 billion. Buffett bought the remaining 20 percent of Iscar for $2.05 billion in May, with the Israeli company becoming Buffet’s largest foreign holding.
Besides Iscar, Buffett has also invested in two other Israeli companies—Agrologic, a company that designs and manufactures systems for agricultural use, and Ray-Q Interconnect, an engineering firm.
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