Jewish news briefs: June 30, 2015

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Iran nuclear negotiations extended to July 7

(JNS.org) Nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 nations (U.S., U.K., France, Russia, China, and Germany) missed a June 30 deadline for a final agreement and have a new deadline of July 7.

Last week, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected several key components agreed to under the framework nuclear deal in April, such as a long-term freeze on nuclear research, delayed lifting of international sanctions, and access by inspectors to all nuclear sites (including military ones).

“There are red lines which we cannot cross and some very difficult decisions,” British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said.

“There are a number of different areas where we still have major differences of interpretation in detailing what was agreed at Lausanne,” Hammond added.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Monday that the deal with Iran must be “very robust” if it would be able to prevent a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

“We have made some progress, but still it is not the end of the process,” Fabius told reporters Monday.

France, which has taken a hard line in talks with Iran, has laid out several key demands, according to Fabius, including limitations on Iranian nuclear research and production, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s ability to verify any agreement, and snapback mechanisms for sanctions, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. President Barack Obama must submit a nuclear deal to Congress by July 9, and lawmakers would then have 30 days to review the pact. If negotiations go beyond July 9, Congress would have 60 days to review the deal—more time to potentially nix the agreement.

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El Als direct flights from Boston to Israel underway

(JNS.org) The first direct Boston-Tel Aviv flight in 30 years, operated by the Israeli flagship airline El Al, departed on Sunday. The new route, which will operate three flights per week, allows nearly 70,000 people who last year flew to Israel through a connection in New York to board direct flights to the Jewish state.

The new flights will not only benefit the large number travelers interested in flying directly from Boston to Israel, but is also a boon for business ties between Israel and the U.S. state of Massachusetts.

“There are 200 companies that have facilities in both Massachusetts and Israel,” Massachusetts Port Authority CEO Thomas Glynn told the Jerusalem Post.

 

“There has been a lot of affirmative efforts by Massachusetts to increase trade with Israel,” added state Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack.

To mark the new direct route, Boston’s Logan International Airport now has an Israeli flag hanging from the ceiling of its international terminal.

“Massachusetts stands by Israel,” Pollack said, addressing a crowd of people who came to celebrate the flight route’s launch on Sunday.

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Germany to invest 500,000 euros in Israeli tech start-ups

(JNS.org) Germany will be investing 500,000 euros ($559,000 or 2.1 million shekels) in Israeli initiatives through a program launched by the German government on Israel-Germany Innovation Day in Tel Aviv on Monday, which was held as part of the ongoing commemoration of 50 years of bilateral ties between the countries.

In addition, a delegation of 100 German government and business officials arrived in Israel on Monday, headed by Karl-Ludwig Kley, chairman and CEO of the Merck pharmaceutical company, who met with Israeli Economy and Trade Minister Aryeh Deri. Kley informed Deri that his company will be purchasing the last stake in the Israeli nanotechnology company Qlight Nanotech, Israel Hayom reported.

The purchase of Qlight Nanotech will transform its operations into Merck’s official research and development center in Israel, and will also increase the company’s output.

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Initial training begins for Israels Davids Sling missile defense system

(JNS.org) The Israeli Air Force’s (IAF) Air Defense Command has launched the first training course for soldiers who will be operating the new David’s Sling missile-interception system.

Training will be led by the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Homa Directorate, which oversees the missile defense program, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Missile Defense Agency and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the lead contractor for the project.

The training course will be six months long. David’s Sling is designed to intercept medium-to-long-range missiles, fired at ranges of 25-186 miles. Once operational, it is expected to be an important tool in protecting Israel against the Hezbollah terror group.

Together with the Iron Dome and Arrow systems, David’s Sling is part of Israel’s multi-faceted missile defense program. Iron Dome intercepts short-range rockets and artillery shells, while Arrow features long-range missile interceptors. Israel’s defense establishment hopes that David’s Sling will be delivered to the IAF in early 2016.

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4 Israelis wounded in shooting, Netanyahu calls out PA for not condemning attacks

(JNS.org) Four Israelis were wounded on Monday night in a suspected Palestinian drive-by shooting terror attack near the community of Shvut Rachel in Samaria.

One of the wounded was in serious condition following the shooting, while the three others were in moderate condition. All were transported to hospitals in Jerusalem for medical treatment. They were traveling in a car on Route 458 when they were shot at from a passing vehicle.

Israeli security forces rushed to the scene of the shooting and conducted searches of the area. Earlier on Monday, an Israeli border policewoman was seriously wounded when she was stabbed by a Palestinian woman at Rachel’s Crossing, the main transit point between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

In a meeting with visiting Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “The attempts to harm us do not cease for a moment. The Shin Bet and IDF have thwarted dozens of terrorist attacks this year. We will act strongly and with determination and bring the terrorists to justice.”

He added, “The fact that the Palestinian Authority has yet to condemn these attacks should disturb not only us, but also the entire international community. Those who do not stand up unequivocally against terror cannot wash their hands of it.”

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Global Jewish population approaches pre-Holocaust level

(JNS.org) The current global Jewish population is about 14.2 million, according to new data from the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI). When combining that figure with the number of people around the world with one Jewish parent, or those who identify as part-Jewish, the total rises to 16.5 million and equals the world’s Jewish population before the Holocaust.

A report issued by JPPI indicates that the global rise in Jewish population has occurred naturally and took place mainly in Israel, where there are currently about 6.1 million Jews. Israel has one of the highest fertility rates in the Western world. This population growth is also connected the  “changing patterns of Jewish identification,” according to JPPI. For instance, 59 percent of Americans with only one Jewish parent now identify as Jewish.

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Israelis win 12 medals at European Games in Baku

(JNS.org) Israelis won 12 medals in a variety of sports at the 2015 European Games that ended Sunday in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Ziv Kalontarov, 18, won a gold medal in the men’s 50-meter freestyle swim on Saturday with a 22.16-second performance. He has qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Two days earlier, 18-year-old swimmer Marc Hinawi won the bronze medal in the men’s 1,500-meter freestyle.

In judo, 24-year-old Uri Sasson won a silver medal in the over 100 kilogram weight class and 23-year-old Sagi Muki won gold in the 73-kilogram class. Maki is the first Israeli to win a judo gold medal at the European Games.

In gymnastics, Israeli competitors won a number of medals, among them Olympic gymnast Neta Rivkin, who won bronze in the Solo Hoops event. Sergey Rikhter won bronze in the men’s 10-meter air-rifle, and Ilana Kratysh won silver in women’s freestyle wrestling.

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Israel to construct new fence along border with Jordan

(JNS.org) The Israeli security cabinet has approved the construction of an 18.64-mile fence along the Jewish state’s southern border with Jordan.

“We made a very important decision to continue a section of fence along our southern border, this time from Eilat, 30 kilometers north past the Timna airport that is under construction,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

“It is part of our national security,” he added. “It joins the fence that we built along the length of our border with Sinai, which blocked the entry of illegal migrants into Israel and—of course—the various terrorist movements. This step also joins the fence that we built on our border on the Golan Heights.”

In 2013, Israel completed construction of a fence along its entire border with Egypt in order to prevent terrorist infiltration, smuggling, and African migrants from crossing into Israel from Egypt’s restive Sinai Peninsula.

The new fence will be built completely within Israeli territory and was approved in coordination with the Jordanian government. Israel considers the new southern Timna airport to be a strategic alternative to Ben Gurion Airport, should the latter come under attack. A rocket fell about a mile from Ben Gurion during last year’s Israel-Hamas war.

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Cyprus jails Hezbollah member over plot to target Israeli interests

(JNS.org) A Cyprus court sentenced a man belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist group to six years in jail after pleading guilty to being part of a plot to target Israeli interests in the Mediterranean island country.

According to state prosecutors, Lebanese-Canadian man Hussein Bassam Abdallah admitted to having been ordered by Hezbollah to guard nine tons of ammonium nitrate at a home in Larnaca, Cyprus, the Associated Press reported. Abdallah was recruited into Hezbollah’s “military wing” and received training from the Iranian-backed terror group. He had also visited Cyprus around 10 times since 2012.

Cypriot authorities arrested Abdallah in May after being tipped off about the presence of the chemical compound at the Larnaca home. Abdallah is the second Hezbollah member to be jailed in Cyprus for plotting to attack Israelis. In 2013, a Swedish-Lebanese man was sentence to four years in jail for that reason.

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