Cypriot and Israeli leaders emphasize common threats in Jerusalem meetings
(JNS.org) Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Israeli leaders emphasized their nations’ shared challenges while holding meetings in Jerusalem.
“Israel and Cyprus are both small countries, and share common threats in the shape of radical Islam, Iran, and the ongoing conflict in Syria, to name but a few,” Israeli President Reuven Rivlin told reporters on Monday, adding that Cyprus “has always been a quiet partner for peace.”
Anastasiades said, “Cyprus and Israel are geographical neighbors, which could partly account for our close relationship. But our friendship extends beyond that. We share common democratic values, and share many concerns, which is why we have grown to rely on each other’s assistance.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Anastasiades that much of the terrorism in the Middle East “is fomented by Iran that, along with its henchmen in Hezbollah, operate a worldwide terrorism network of over 30 countries in five continents. In 2012, a Lebanese-Swedish Hezbollah terrorist was arrested in Cyprus for plotting to kill Israelis. Another Hezbollah plot was thwarted last month when Cypriot authorities arrested a Lebanese-Canadian man over his possession of alleged bomb-making materials, including ammonium nitrate fertilizer.
Anastasiades also met with Greek Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, who said the “historic course of the island of Cyprus, which is experiencing hardship, is interwoven with the course of the Middle East in general and the Holy Land in particular,” according to the Cyprus Mail.
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Hamas reportedly mulls 5-year truce with Israel in exchange for Gaza seaport
(JNS.org) Hamas leaders are mulling a possible five-year cease-fire with Israel, the Palestinian Al-Quds newspaper reported.
Israeli media confirmed that Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk arrived in the Qatari capital of Doha on Saturday to meet with fellow Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, who lives in Qatar, and other officials of the Gaza-ruling Palestinian terror group.
The truce, which is being backed by Qatar and Turkey, stipulates that Hamas halts fire against Israel for five years in exchange for Israel allowing the construction of a floating seaport off the Gaza coast. The proposed port would be inspected by Israeli and international supervisors. But Israel has previously argued that a seaport would be used by Hamas for smuggling in weapons to attack the Jewish state.
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Jeb Bush enters 2016 presidential race, vows to ‘rebuild’ U.S.-Israel friendship
(JNS.org) Former Florida governor Jeb Bush on Monday officially joined the crowded 2016 presidential race, which now has 11 contenders on the Republican side. In remarks at Miami-Dade College announcing his candidacy, Bush included a vow to “rebuild” American relations with Israel, which have seen more tension than usual under President Barack Obama.
“I will rebuild our vital friendships,” he said. “That starts by standing with the brave, democratic state of Israel.”
Coming from a family that produced two U.S. presidents, Bush has a warm relationship with the Jewish community of Florida, where he has governor from 1999-2007. He has been scrutinized by some pro-Israel observers for the presence of former secretary of state James Baker—a vocal critic of Israel—on his team of 21 foreign policy advisers. But when Baker blasted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for “diplomatic missteps and political gamesmanship” in remarks at this year’s J Street conference, Bush said through a spokesperson that he “disagrees with the sentiments [Baker] expressed” and pledged “unwavering” support for Netanyahu.
Fred Zeidman, a Houston businessman and Republican fundraiser who is close with the Bush family, told JNS.org in March that Bush “has certainly never given any indication that he won’t be as strong of a supporter [of Israel] as his brother [former president George W. Bush].”
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Spanish councilman who tweeted controversial Holocaust joke resigns
(JNS.org) A Spanish councilman from Madrid resigned on Monday due to public outrage over a tweet he made in 2011 that made light of the Holocaust.
Guillermo Zapata tweeted in 2011, “How do you fit five million Jews in a SEAT 600 [a Spanish automobile]? In the ashtray.”
The tweet garnered attention after Zapata became responsible for the Spanish capital’s cultural and sports affairs last week following the victory of his left-wing Ahora Madrid party in May’s Madrid municipal elections. In addition, it was discovered that Zapata has defended a journalist from the Spanish daily newspaper El Pais who denied the Holocaust on Twitter. That journalist was later fired.
The revelation of Zapata’s tweets caused outrage in the Spanish Jewish community. Spain’s umbrella group of Jewish communities, the FCJE, called the Holocaust joke “anti-Semitic and repugnant.”
Zapata had apologized for the Holocaust joke on Twitter, but added that he considered the joke an expression of “black humor that helps reach catharsis.”
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Anti-Israel former U.K. lawmaker George Galloway will run for London mayor
(JNS.org) Anti-Israel former United Kingdom parliament member George Galloway will enter the race to become the next mayor of London.
“I’m running because I want to represent every piece of the mosaic of this city which I have called home for 35 years,” Galloway said, The Guardian reported.
Galloway is eyeing to replace the Mayor Boris Johnson of the Conservative Party in 2016.
Last month, Galloway blamed “racists” and “Zionists” for an election loss to Labour Member of Parliament Naseem Shah. Last year, he declared his city of Bradford as an “Israel-free zone,” in which Israeli tourists, academics, and products are not welcome. Galloway has also vigorously supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying that Israel and al-Qaeda—not Assad—are responsible for using chemical weapons on Syrian civilians.
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Israel to donate $2.6 million to Syrian Druze for arms purchases
(JNS.org) Israel is set to donate $2.6 million to the Druze community in Syria for the purchasing of weapons and other items as that community comes under increased threats from Islamic terrorists, Israeli Druze Member of Knesset Ayoub Kara (Likud) said Monday.
“Israel is not a part of this fighting and doesn’t want to be, because if we say we’re going to be part of the fighting it makes it worse for our people in Syria,” Kara said, the Times of Israel reported. “But me, as a Druze guy, I’m going to do what I can to support my nation. I’m very loyal to my nation.”
According to Kara, the money was mostly raised through donations from the Israeli Druze community as well as Jews, Muslims, and Circassians who want to help protect the Syrian Druze.
Last week, members of the Jabhat al-Nusra terror group massacred at least 20 Druze in the northern Syrian province of Idlib. Fears continue to grow as the Druze, who were previously protected by the Syrian government, may face greater attacks by Sunni jihadist groups like Jabhat al-Nusra or Islamic State as they continue to make gains in the Syrian civil war.
But Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and other senior Israeli security officials have ruled out any direct Israeli intervention to protect Druze in the Jabal al-Druze region in Syria, fearing that it could entangle Israel in the bloody Syrian conflict.
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