JNS news briefs: August 19, 2014

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NY Post editorial slams Obamas unforgivable Israel policy

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) A New York Post editorial published Sunday slammed the Obama administration for its recent Israel policy.

Headed “Obama deserts an ally in wartime,” the editorial said, “What kind of ally refuses to send you desperately needed weapons when you’re smack in the middle of a war? Apparently, that’s what the Obama folks did with Israel, which is caught up fighting with Hamas. It’s unforgivable.”

The editorial was referring to the Obama administration’s recent decision to hold a shipment of Hellfire missiles meant for the Israeli Air Force.

“If Israel suffers, and its terrorist enemies are emboldened, America’s own security interest abroad will be harmed,” the editorial said.

The Post added, “The president is letting his personal pique get the better of him. It”s unwise. And certainly no way treat a friend in wartime.”

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Start of Israeli school year dedicated to Operation Protective Edges aftermath

(JNS.org) The Israeli Education Ministry has decided to dedicate the first two weeks of this school year, which begins Sept. 1, to Operation Protective Edge and its aftermath.

Schools and kindergartens nationwide have been instructed to incorporate various activities aimed at addressing the students’ emotional needs, with the hope of easing them back into the school year after a war-marred summer.

In particular, schools in communities adjacent to the Israel-Gaza border have been instructed to pay special attention to the psychological impact the fighting has had on children, many of whom were essentially forced to leave their homes for the duration of the military campaign.

Meanwhile, Kibbutz Nahal Oz has decided to fortify the two kindergartens it operates by surrounding them with security walls.

“When we considered the events of the recent weeks and the things that happened during the fighting, especially the fact that almost everyone had to leave Nahal Oz, fortifying these two kindergartens became our primary concern,” a resident of the kibbutz told Israel Hayom.

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Netanyahu to Sderot teens: your resilience gives us strength

(JNS.org) “The public’s resilience, and yours, gives us considerable strength to use considerable strength,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told teenage representatives of Sderot youth groups on Monday in a meeting offering support to the southern city’s residents, who are under near-constant threat from rockets.

“We are in the midst of a diplomatic campaign and in a diplomatic campaign… one needs much strength, patience, persistence and wisdom as well,” Netanyahu said, according to Israel Hayom.

The youth group leaders told Netanyahu about the social and educational initiatives they had undertaken to bring the community together and to support Sderot residents. They also spoke of the efforts they organized to deliver packages to soldiers in Gaza and to visit injured hospitalized soldiers, women and families with husbands and fathers on reserve duty, and bereaved families.

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British supermarket Sainsburys apologizes for removal of kosher food

(JNS.org) The British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s apologized Monday for removing kosher food from the shelves of a London store over the weekend.

A manager at the Sainsbury’s Holborn branch in central London initially made the decision out of fear of looting and violence by anti-Israel protesters. But not all of the kosher foods sold at the store were made in Israel, and the decision garnered backlash.

Former Tory party MP Louise Mench tweeted, “Dear @Sainsburys kosher is JEWISH food. Israel is a COUNTRY. How DARE YOU equate Jews’food to ISRAEL, how dare you #EverydayAntisemitism.”

Sainsbury’s said on its website that it would “like to apologize for any inconvenience or offense caused” by the kosher food removal.

“The decision was taken in one store only to move these chilled products to cold storage elsewhere in that store for a short period on Saturday as a precautionary measure during a demonstration close by,”the chain said, adding that “as a non-political organization, Sainsbury’s would never take such a decision on grounds other than ensuring the quality or safety of our products.”

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Ancient coins from time of Jewish revolt against Rome unearthed

(JNS.org) Ancient bronze coins dating back to 69/70 C.E., the time of the Jewish revolt against Rome, were discovered in an archeological excavation of an ancient village in Israel. The village itself was discovered by construction workers expanding a highway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

The 114 coins contain an image of a lulav and two etrogim—two of the four species of the Sukkot holiday—and the Hebrew inscription “Year Four,”in reference of the fourth year of the revolt. On the other side of the coins another inscription reads, “For the redemption of Zion.”

“They are not referring to religious redemption, but to salvation. In other words, the minters of the coins were expressing a hope that the revolt would end well,” said Dr. Donald Zvi Ariel, head of the coins division at the Israel Antiquities Authority, according to Haaretz.

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20,000 Indians march in pro-Israel rally

(JNS.org) Nearly 20,000 participants gathered at a pro-Israel rally in Kolkata, India, on Aug. 16, marching with banners and giving speeches against the terrorist group Hamas.

“The destiny of both India and Israel as thriving democracies are intertwined. We both share the same values,”said rally organizer Tapan Ghosh, according to the Times of Israel.

The rally was organized by an Indian political movement, the Hindu Samhati, which commemorates Gopal Mukhopadhyay, “a local hero who saved many innocent lives during the Great Calcutta Killing.”The Great Calcutta Killing refers to a week of Hindu-Muslim rioting that took place in 1946.

India and Israel are both “surrounded by very tough neighbors”and are united by peace, Ghosh said.

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Shin Bet: Hamas planned West Bank terror attacks to topple Palestinian Authority

(JNS.org) Israel’s Shin Bet security agency said it has uncovered a plot by Hamas to launch a series of terror attacks in the West Bank against Israeli and Palestinian Authority (PA) targets in order to topple PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

According to the Shin Bet, an operation to thwart the plot took place over the last several months and has resulted in the arrests of 93 Hamas operatives, including 46 operatives who have been interrogated so far. Additionally, the Shin Bet recovered more than $170,000 and confiscated a large amount of heavy weapons and ammunition.

The Shin Bet said the operation was planned by Salah al-Aruri, who is based in Turkey and leads Hamas’s foreign operations.

Al-Aruri, a former West Bank resident who has been behind many other West Bank terror plots, has also been linked to June’s kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens.

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Lebanese military requests U.S. aircraft to combat Islamic State jihadists

(JNS.org) The Lebanese military issued a request to the U.S. for military assistance in combating jihadist groups, including the Islamic State.

Lebanon is asking the U.S. to provide new fixed-wing aircraft to assist in close-air support for ground troops, as well as the replenishment of ammunition depleted in its fight against the jihadists, the Daily Star reported. The money for the purchase will likely come from a $1 billion grant from Saudi Arabia.

On Aug. 2, Syrian jihadists launched an attack against a Lebanese military checkpoint near the Syrian border. While the Lebanese military eventually thwarted the attack after heavy losses, many fear that the country’s weak central government and complex sectarian mix of Christians, Sunni, and Shi’a Muslims is a ripe target for the Islamic State.

U.S. assistance is further complicated by Lebanon’s ties with Hezbollah, the Shi’a terror group headquartered in Beirut.

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Haifa considering opening high-tech stock market

(JNS.org) The mayor of Haifa is seeking to open a second Israeli stock exchange in his city, to focus on high-tech companies akin to the New York-based Nasdaq stock exchange.

“It would be something which is close to the Nasdaq,” Mayor Yona Yahavsaid, Reuters reported.

Yahav said he has written a request on the exchange to Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid.

Haifa, which is Israel’s third-largest city and its largest port, is home to research centers for several international tech giants including Intel, IBM, Google, Apple, Yahoo, and Microsoft.

The Haifa proposal comes as Israel’s main stock exchange, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE), has been struggling in recent years. Many Israeli tech companies have bypassed the TASE in favor of listing directly in the New York Stock Exchange.

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