Pope renews appeal for Mideast Christians
(JNS.org) Pope Francis renewed his call for the international community to do more to stop the persecution of Christians and other minorities in the Middle East and Africa during his address to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Friday.
“I must renew my repeated appeals regarding to the painful situation of the entire Middle East, North Africa and other African countries,” Pope Francis said.
“Where Christians, together with other cultural or ethnic groups, and even members of the majority religion who have no desire to be caught up in hatred and folly, have been forced to witness the destruction of their places of worship, their cultural and religious heritage, their houses and property, and have faced the alternative either of fleeing or of paying for their adhesion to good and to peace by their own lives, or by enslavement,” he added.
Pope Francis, who is in the midst of a historic six-day U.S. trip, on Thursday addressed Congress, where he also spoke about religious extremism, saying that “no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism.”
In his U.N. address, Pope Francis called on the international community to intervene and to do more to “stop and to prevent further systematic violence against ethnic and religious minorities.”
Pope Francis also sounded optimistic about the controversial Iran nuclear deal.
“I express my hope that this agreement will be lasting and efficacious, and bring forth the desired fruits with the cooperation of all the parties involved,” he said.
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Palestinian ex-prisoner charged with hurling grenade into Jaffa synagogue
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) A former Jaffa resident and former Palestinian security prisoner was indicted Thursday before the Tel Aviv District Court for throwing a stun grenade into one of the Jaffa’s synagogues.
Hafez Kondus, 57, who had served a 28-year prison sentence, was indicted for weapons offenses and racially motivated aggression for hurling a stun grenade on a building that houses a synagogue and the Shirat Moshe yeshiva. He was arrested following a joint Shin Bet and Israel Police investigation into the incident, which took place three weeks ago in the evening hours.
Riding a scooter, Kondus threw the grenade inside the building without releasing the safety pin, and then drove off. Prosecutors said they have amassed considerable evidence with which to convict Kondus, including video footage and his full confession to committing the crime.
The prosecution, which requested that Kondus be remanded in custody until the conclusion of the legal proceedings in his matter, said he committed the crimes “due to his hostility toward all knitted-kippah wearing Jews, as he deems them, according to his world view, ‘settlers’ who he believes have taken control over parts of the country and intend to damage the fabric of the city.”
According to Israel’s Shin Bet security agency, “This dangerous act, against what Kondus believed to be an expression of a plan to Judaize Jaffa, could have hurt the existing social fabric between Jews and Arabs in the city.”
Kondus was released from prison in 2012 after serving nearly three decades for security-related offenses including attempted murder, illegal arms trade, and being a member of the armed terrorist wing of Fatah, among other crimes.
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Israeli cabinet approves tougher measures against firebomb and rock throwers
(JNS.org) Israel’s security cabinet on Thursday approved tougher measures against firebomb and rock throwers, and eased security forces’ open-fire regulations against attackers.
The 10-member cabinet decided unanimously to back the measures in the wake of continuous Palestinian violence against Israelis in the vicinity of Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, with terrorists utilizing rocks and petrol bombs.
Israel’s decision is intended to “sharpen” the open-fire regulations by allowing police to shoot suspects not only when they believe their own lives are in danger, but also if they deem the perpetrators to be a danger to any member of the public, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The police will also now be allowed to use the low-powered Ruger sniper rifle, which has thus far only been used by the Israel Defense Forces in Judea and Samaria.
In addition, Netanyahu announced a minimum four-year prison sentence for anyone over the age of 18 who is caught throwing lethal objects. Minors and their parents will face lighter jail sentences and fines.
“We intend to change the norm that has taken root here where it is possible to throw lethal and murderous objects in Israel without an answer or impediment. This will change,” Netanyahu said.
Meanwhile, Israeli police have been conducting a major sweep of Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday season amid this year’s overlap of Yom Kippur (marked Wednesday) and the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha (“Feast of Sacrifice,” marked Thursday), arresting 137 Palestinians suspected of rock and firebomb throwing. Among the arrested individuals, 76 are adults and 61 are minors as young as 14, according to police. On Rosh Hashanah, 64-year-old Israeli Jewish man Alexander Levlovich was killed on his way home from a holiday dinner when Palestinian attackers pelted his car with rocks.
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Israeli company building first wind turbine farms in 30 years
(JNS.org) An Israeli company is building wind energy farms for the first time in the country in 30 years.
Afcon Holdings, a part of the Shlomo Group, is building two farms that will house 25 wind turbines each in Ramat Sirin and Ma’ale Gilboa in northern Israel. These turbines will produce 21 megawatts of electricity at any moment and will become operational in 2016, reported Yedioth Ahronoth.
Israel’s first wind farm was built 30 years ago in the Golan Heights. The new wind farms are a project that finally received a green light after overcoming several hurdles by Israel’s Electric Authority and the IDF. Geographically, there are also few sites in Israel with strong-enough winds. Some environmental groups also oppose wind farms due to fear that the turbines could harm birds.
The new turbines will measure 29 meters (95.1 feet) each and will produce 850 kilowatts of energy an hour per turbine.
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Report: Jordan’s king refuses to speak to Netanyahu over Temple Mount
(JNS.org) Jordan’s King Abdullah is refusing to speak directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to tension over the Temple Mount holy site.
According to the London-based Arab newspaper Rai Al-Youm, which cited sources in Jordan, the Jordanian monarch will not speak with Netanyahu and has decided to lobby for a United Nations Security Council resolution that would rebuke Israel’s conduct on the Temple Mount.
Israel gained control of the Temple Mount during the 1967 Six-Day War. But the holy site is administered as part of the Jordanian-run Islamic Waqf, which does not allow Jewish prayer at the site and limits non-Muslim visits.
King Abdullah has been highly critical of Israel’s recent actions against violent Palestinian protesters on the Temple Mount. On Sunday, Abdullah told a visiting delegation of Arab members of the Israeli Knesset that the site was a place for “Muslim prayer only.” Last week, Abdullah warned Israel against any further “provocation” at the holy site that could ruin relations between the two countries.
Israel responded to King Abdullah’s criticism by telling the Jordanian leader that Jordan itself that is violating the status quo at the Temple Mount by allowing armed rioters there. According to a report by Israel’s Channel 2 on Monday, the Israeli government told King Abdullah to not “run away from your responsibility” in safeguarding the holy site.
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Temple Mount initiative unearths rare seal dating back to King David-era
(JNS.org) A rare stone seal that is believed to date back to the periods of King David and Solomon in the 10th century BCE was recently uncovered by a 10-year-old Russian boy and deciphered by experts.
The limestone seal features two crude engravings of animals possibly representing a predator and prey, according to Dr. Gabriel Barkay, one of the co-founders of the Temple Mount Sifting Project, which sorts through rubble that was illegally excavated during the construction of the Marwani mosque in 1999.
Barkay said the seal highlights “the administrative activity which took place upon the Temple Mount during those times.”
“The dating of the seal corresponds to the historical period of the Jebusites and the conquest of Jerusalem by King David, as well as the construction of the Temple and the royal official compound by his son, King Solomon,” said Barkay. “What makes this discovery particularly significant is that it originated from upon the Temple Mount itself.”
The Temple Mount Sifting Project, which operates under Bar-Ilan University and is supported financially by the City of David Foundation, has also uncovered hundreds of pottery shards dating back to the 10th century BCE, including a rare arrowhead made of bronze.
“Since the Temple Mount has never been excavated, the ancient artifacts retrieved in the Sifting Project provide valuable and previously inaccessible information,” Barkay said. “The many categories of finds are among the largest and most varied ever found in Jerusalem.”
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