Jewish news briefs: August 31, 2015

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Report: Hezbollah enlisting Palestinian operatives to carry out attacks

(JNS.org) Hezbollah is working to enlist Palestinian operatives from Fatah’s Al Aksa Brigades to carry out attacks against Israeli targets in Judea and Samaria as well as inside of Israel proper, a Palestinian security source said.

A Palestinian security source told the Saudi daily newspaper Okaz that “among those Hezbollah members involved in the operation is Kayis Ubayid, who was behind the kidnapping of Col. (res.) Elahanan Tenebaum in 2000,” the Jerusalem Post reported.  Tenebaum was eventually returned to Israel in 2004 as part of a prisoner swap.

“We estimate that there are a number of youths who were drawn into joining Hezbollah’s ranks and are now operating in the West Bank, because of economic hardship or the deterioration in the security situation,” the source said, citing a recent terror attack near Beit Jala where an explosive device was thrown at Israeli soldiers as an example of Hezbollah’s involvement.

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‘Supergiant’ gas field found off coast of Egypt

(JNS.org) An Italian energy company has announced the discovery of a “supergiant” natural gas field off the coast of Egypt.

According to the Italian energy firm Eni, the gas field could hold as much as 30 trillion cubic feet of gas, which is the equivalent of 5.5 billion barrels of oil.

The gas company said that the Zohr field “could become one of the world’s largest natural-gas finds” and could help meet Egypt’s gas needs for decades to come.

“This historic discovery will be able to transform the energy scenario of Egypt,” Claudio Descalzi, CEO of ENI, said in a statement.

The find by Egypt follows other significant natural gas discoveries in the eastern Mediterranean.  Israel’s Leviathan and Tamar gas fields are thought to hold 16 trillion and 7.9 trillion cubic feet of gas respectively.

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Israeli driver lightly hurt in drive-by shooting in Samaria

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) An Israeli man was lightly wounded on Sunday afternoon in a Palestinian drive-by terrorist shooting attack in Samaria.

Ronen Edri, a resident of Shavei Shomron, came under attack while driving through the Jit junction between Kedumim and Havat Gilad in northern Samaria. Despite being wounded, he continued on to a nearby Israel Defense Forces base to report the shooting.

Edri was transported to a hospital in Kfar Saba for treatment of his wounds. He was discharged after several hours.

Recounting the attack, Edri said, “It was a normal work day for me. I was driving, and there was a vehicle in front of me that was driving relatively slowly and looked suspicious. I turned right at the junction, and I heard a loud noise. A volley of bullets hit the window on the left side of my vehicle. I hit the accelerator to get out of there as quickly as possible. I was very lucky, as the whole front passenger’s seat was riddled with bullets.”

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Israeli soldiers on patrol escape vehicular attack near Hebron

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) An attempted vehicular ramming attack near Hebron late Saturday night miraculously ended without anyone being seriously injured.

A Palestinian driver swerved his vehicle toward four Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers on foot patrol in the area. The car ran over the foot of one of the soldiers, who opened fire, damaging the rear of the vehicle.

The driver fled toward Hebron. The soldier was lightly wounded and received medical treatment.

The ramming attack was the latest in a string of similar attacks against Israeli security personnel and civilians.

On August 6, three soldiers were wounded, two of them seriously, when a Palestinian motorist rammed his car into troops stationed at a main Samaria junction. The perpetrator was shot by one of the wounded soldiers.

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UN chief to Knesset speaker: ‘Iran deal is not perfect’

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met in New York on Friday with visiting Israeli Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and told him that while the nuclear deal with Iran was “good,” it was “not perfect.”

“There are no perfect agreements,” Ban told Edelstein.

Edelstein said, “As a son of the Jewish people, who experienced the Holocaust, I believe someone when he says he wants to destroy us.”

Ban also called for the renewal of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

“You must sit and talk,” Ban said. “I am very worried from the crime, the violence and the provocations in east Jerusalem and the West Bank. The Middle East needs security and both sides have an interest to improve the situation. That will only happen through dialogue.”

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Obama tells U.S. Jews that opponents of Iran deal are not ‘warmongers’

(JNS.org) In a live webcast address to the American Jewish community on Friday, President Barack Obama sought to distance himself from accusations that those opposing the Iranian nuclear deal, including several prominent Jewish organizations such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), are warmongers.

“At no time have I suggested that somebody is a warmonger, meaning they want war,” Obama said in the webcast hosted by the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

Obama added that if the Iran nuclear deal is rejected by Congress then he won’t have many options left except the military option.

“At that point we really don’t have options,” the president said, noting, however, that it is “not to suggest that opponents of this deal want war. It is a sober analysis of what options we have available to us.”

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Report finds AEPi alumni strongly engaged in Jewish life and support for Israel

(JNS.org) A recent report on Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) has found that the fraternity has a substantial impact in influencing alumni to be more engaged in Jewish life and more supportive of Israel.

The report shows that AEPi alumni have lower rates of intermarriage, are raising their children Jewish and are more likely to have Jewish friends than Jews who were not involved with AEPI.

The report also found that nearly 60 percent of alumni have credited AEPi with “enhancing their pride in or support for Israel,” with about 80 percent of alumni having visited Israel at least once.

Additionally, the report found that AEPi alumni also exceed other Jewish men in charitable giving to both Jewish and non-Jewish organizations and non-profits.

“This study confirmed what we’ve known all along. Our brothers are more engaged in Jewish life and more supportive of Israel than other Jewish men their age,” Andy Barans, executive director of AEPi, told JNS.org.

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Articles from JNS.org appear on San Diego Jewish World through the generosity of Dr. Bob and Mao Shillman.