Kulanu and United Torah Judaism join Netanyahu’s governing coalition
(JNS.org) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of the Likud party, signed the Kulanu and United Torah Judaism parties into his governing coalition. Likud’s remains in negotiations with three other potential coalition partners—Habayit Hayehudi, Shas, and Yisrael Beiteinu—a week before its deadline to establish a government.
Kulanu (10 Knesset seats) and United Torah Judaism (six seats) give Likud (30 seats) 46 of the minimum 61 Knesset seats required to form an Israeli governing coalition. Habayit Hayehudi (eight), Shas (seven), and Yisrael Beiteinu (six) would bring the coalition to 67 seats.
Netanyahu said at a signing ceremony with Kulanu leader Moshe Kahlon, “We promised during the election campaign to take action to lower housing prices and the cost of living, as well as promote a series of reforms which will continue to propel the Israeli economy. I am looking forward to working together. We have spoken at length about the steps we must take together.”
Kahlon, who is set to be Israel’s next finance minister, said, “The economy needs reforms and we at Kulanu—together with Likud, the prime minister and other ministers—will know how to implement them.”
“In the next government, we will advance reforms in housing and banking, and we will act to reduce the gaps in Israeli society. We are sure we will receive full cooperation from the prime minister and from both coalition and opposition Knesset members,” said Kahlon, Israel Hayom reported.
United Torah Judaism leader Yakov Litzman said, “The coalition agreement is a good one. … There are a lot of social issues in it, including child allowances and dental care, among other things. There are many rightings of wrongs. … I hope the government lasts the full term.”
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Israel’s Gaza-border residents warn that Hamas is preparing for next war
(JNS.org) Residents of Israel’s Gaza-border communities were not surprised by the new Israeli defense establishment reports that Hamas commander Mohammed Deif is likely alive and back in charge of the Palestinian terrorist group’s military operations, nor were they surprised by recent reports that Hamas has resumed building terror tunnels and manufacturing rockets.
“The reports that Hamas is getting stronger militarily, and the fact that the group is continuing to dig attack tunnels toward Gaza border communities, come as no surprise to any resident from the area,” Yael, a member of Kibbutz Nirim, told Israel Hayom. “All the residents know which path we’re headed down, everyone sees what Hamas is doing on the other side of the fence, and it’s doing it flagrantly, right there before our, and the military’s, eyes, showing its preparations for the next round of fighting.”
Roni Kissin, the secretary of Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, is trying to remain optimistic.
“We will always have tunnels, we already had them during the Gilad Shalit abduction [in 2006],” he said. “Despite all the talk about the winds of war on the other side of the fence, we continue to live and run our lives, absorbing new families [to the kibbutz]; children are being born. All the bad news is not something that has changed our lifestyle. We chose to live in Kerem Shalom, and there is no fear in our hearts. We trust the army to do its duty. We live 50 meters (164 feet) from the border—believe me, we have not woken up to something new. This is our reality.”
Member of Knesset Haim Yellin (Yesh Atid), a member of Kibbutz Be’eri and until recently the head of the Eshkol Regional Council, said the situation needs to be resolved.
“Almost a year has passed since Operation Protective Edge, and Israel’s government is not working to prevent the next round of fighting,” Yellin said. “Mohammed Deif, dead or alive, will not stop the countdown to the next war. Terrorism needs to be fought with resolute strength, but at the same time working with world powers, especially moderate Arab nations, to achieve quiet and a diplomatic horizon.”
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Israeli restaurant in London tops GQ food and drink list
(JNS.org) The London-based and Israeli-owned restaurant The Palomar—known for its modern Jerusalemite cuisine—won “Best Restaurant” at the inaugural GQ Food and Drink Awards on Wednesday.
The Palomar is the sister restaurant of the popular Machneyuda restaurant in Jerusalem. Judges for the competition held by the well-known international monthly men’s magazine praised not only the food, but the unique atmosphere at Palomar.
One of the restaurant’s owners, chef Assaf Granit, told Israel Hayomon Wednesday, “Just being nominated was flattering. It’s like being a film director nominated alongside Martin Scorsese or Robert De Niro.”
“We’ve all just been in complete ecstasy since we got the good news,” said Granit. “The major advantage of the restaurant beyond the exceptional Israeli flavors is our approach to customers. My partners, Yossi [Elad] and Uri [Navon], and I created a home-like atmosphere for the customers. We create a mix between Israeli warmth and a high level of professionalism. We take care of every detail from the toothpicks to the music.”
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Palestinian Authority TV presents anti-Semitic ‘Protocols’ fabrication as true
(JNS.org) A Fatah party representative speaking on Palestinian Authority TVquoted from “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” and referred to the content of that fabricated anti-Semitic document as true.
“According to Israel’s ideology, strategy, and policy from 1956 until now, Gaza is outside the Israeli ideological thinking. Even in their Protocols [of the Elders of Zion] and even in their bible [it says], ‘Don’t live in Gaza,’” Fatah spokesperson Osama Al-Qawasmi recently said, Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reported Wednesday.
The comment is the latest of many in official Palestinian Authority (PA) media reports that cite the Russian-published fabrication describing Jewish plans to subjugate the world as a legitimate source, according to PMW. Often, the “Protocols” document is used to legitimize the ancient blood libel claiming that Jews kill gentiles and use their blood to make matzah for Passover.
“We have nothing with which to speak to these Israeli murderers, who go too far with their crimes, and whose God, ‘Yahweh’, is called the Lord of Hosts and demands, according to ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,’ that they offer him sacrifices during Passover in the form of Matzah made from the blood of our children,” an editorial in the official PA daily newspaper, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, stated in July 2014.
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Israeli start-up partners with Samsung on health monitoring system for elderly
(JNS.org) The Israeli start-up Mybitat and Samsung have joined forces to develop technology to help keep senior citizens safe at home.
The technology would utilize sensors and cloud-based software to monitor seniors’ daily routines, and would be able to recognize any changes in clients’ behavior and health, in which case the system would call for help.
“Samsung believes the senior population can benefit from new technologies to improve their quality of life,” said Curtis Sasaki, a senior vice president at Samsung, Yedioth Ahronoth reported. “Our work with Mybitat has the potential to make key elements of the aging process significantly easier on individuals and families.”
“We believe current systems for managing aging require significant improvement,” said Mybitat founder Mati Kochavi.
“We want to redefine these systems and offer affordable options that open up new possibilities for aging individuals. This collaboration with the Samsung Strategy and Innovation Center will help us to accelerate the day when more seniors can live their lives with improved health in familiar, comfortable surroundings,” added Kochavi.
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Jimmy Carter cancels trip to Gaza
(JNS.org) Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has cancelled a planned visit to the Gaza Strip.
No apparent reason was given for the last-minute cancellation, the Jerusalem Post reported. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin had refused a meeting with Carter during the trip, citing the latter’s “anti-Israel” views.
Carter was scheduled to visit Gaza on April 30 to meet with Hamas leaders and to discuss reconciliation efforts between Hamas and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA). His main objective was to get the PA and Hamas to actualize the reconciliation deal they reached last year.
The former American president has met with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in the past, and in 2009 he visited Gaza and met with then-Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh. Carter has been known for his critical views of Israeli policy and has used the word “apartheid” to describe Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. During Operation Protective Edge last summer, he condemned what he called the “humanitarian catastrophe” inflicted on Gaza and urged President Barack Obama to acknowledge Hamas’s legitimacy as a political player in the region.
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British PM David Cameron strongly defends Israel’s actions in Gaza
(JNS.org) British Prime Minister David Cameron staunchly defended Israel’s actions during Operation Protective Edge last summer in an interview ahead of the United Kingdom’s May 7 national elections.
Cameron told London’s Jewish Chronicle that it is “important to speak out” about Israel’s right to defend itself in Gaza last summer, arguing that it is necessary to differentiate between the “indiscriminate” attack on Israel by Hamas and the Jewish state’s defensive response.
“What I’ve seen is the attacks that take place on Israel and the indiscriminate nature of them,” Cameron said. “As prime minister, putting yourself in the shoes of the Israeli people, who want peace but have to put up with these indiscriminate attacks—that reinforces to me the importance of standing by Israel and Israel’s right to defend itself.”
Cameron added that “obviously we regret the loss of life wherever it takes place, but I do think there’s an important difference—as Prime Minister Netanyahu put it: Israel uses its weapons to defend its people and Hamas uses its people to defend its weapons.”
In a recent poll conducted by the Jewish Chronicle, 69 percent of Jewish voters said they would support the Conservative Party, compared to 22 percent Jewish support for Labour. Only 13 percent of respondents expressed support for Miliband, who is Jewish, while 64 percent backed Cameron.
Last summer, Miliband criticized Cameron for his slow response in condemning Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, rebuking the prime minister for his “silence on the killing of innocent Palestinian civilians caused by Israel’s military action.”
Opinion polls in advance of the U.K. elections suggest a neck-and-neck between the Conservative and Labour parties.
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Hamas leader Mashaal purportedly nixed large-scale terror attack on Israel
(JNS.org) Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal purportedly nixed a large-scale terror attack on Israel during the early days of Operation Protective Edge last summer.
According to a report by Israel’s Army Radio, the massive operation—which was planned by Hamas terror commander Mohammed Deif—planned to infiltrate Israel through terror tunnels, target the Israeli kibbutz of Kerem Shalom along the Gaza border, murder a number of civilians, and take others hostage. But the terror operation was nixed by Mashaal over fears of a severe Israeli response, according to the report.
Meanwhile, Israeli intelligence reportedly confirmed that Deif is alive and well, surviving an Israeli strike on his home in Gaza last August that killed his wife and two children. Deif has survived numerous assassination attempts by Israel over the years.
“The fact that the occupation confirmed that the general commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades (Deif) is alive and engaged in the missions of his commander is proof of Israeli intelligence’s failure to reach senior Palestinians,” Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh said, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Israeli intelligence also cited a growing division between Mashaal, who handles the “political wing” of Hamas, and Deif, who handles the military side, saying that Deif has been attempting to restore the Palestinian terror group’s ties with Iran while Mashaal favors stronger ties with Saudi Arabia.
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Articles from JNS.org appear on San Diego Jewish World through the generosity of Dr. Bob and Mao Shillman.
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