Poll: 18% of Muslims in Israel say Islamic State is not a terror group
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Eighteen percent of Muslim Arabs living in Israel do not consider the Islamic State terror group to be a terrorist organization and are not ashamed of its extremist Islamist ideology, according to the newly released 2015 Index of Arab-Jewish Relations in Israel survey, produced by Professor Sammy Smooha of the University of Haifa.
The index reveals that 57 percent of Muslim Arabs in Israel think that the Islamic Movement in Israel—whose northern branch this week was outlawed due to incitement to violence over the Temple Mount holy site—represents them faithfully, while half categorized themselves as supporters of the Islamic Movement or as being active members.
The survey, according to its website, is “based on a survey of adult Arab and Jewish populations, with more than 100 questions on 16 different issues, including segregation, perception of the other, alienation, threats, collective memory, legitimacy of coexistence and the state, the conflict with the Palestinians, Israel’s integration in the region, identity, minority leadership, means of struggle, and possibilities for change.”
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European Parliament delegation calls Israeli product labeling ‘a mistake’
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Israel received a boost of support on Tuesday as it continued to voice its objection to the European Union’s decision to label Israeli products made in Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.
European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Israel chairman Fulvio Martusciello, visiting the Knesset with his delegation on Tuesday, called the decision to label Israeli products “a mistake.”
“Europe is loud about Israel, but quiet about 200 other conflicts around the world,” Martusciello told his Israeli hosts.
European Parliament Member Marijana Petir of Croatia reiterated Martusciello’s sentiments, saying, “We will not boycott Israeli goods.”
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein warned the visiting European parliamentarians that marking products manufactured across the Green Line would actually “hurt the Palestinians workers, employed in the Israeli factories.”
According to Edelstein, “If this decision causes factories to close, unemployment and desperation will rise on the Palestinian side—and from that point the road to terrorist activity is a short one.”
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Israeli Foreign Ministry slams South African arrest warrants for IDF officers
(JNS.org) An Israeli Foreign Ministry official called South African arrest warrants against four former IDF officers involved in the 2010 Gaza flotilla incident “ugly and provocative.”
Earlier on Tuesday, an NGO called “Boycott Divestment and Sanctions Against Israel in Africa” said, “South Africa’s Directorate of the Priority Crimes Investigation Unit (DPCIU) has issued warrants of arrest against four Israeli commanders from the Israeli Navy and Israel Defense Forces,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
The warrants are related to a four-year-long case with South African journalist Gadija David, who was aboard the Mavi Marmara vessel during the 2010 incident. The NGO said that the arrest warrants were issued against former IDF chief of staff Lt.-Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi, former Navy commander Maj.-Gen. (res.) Eliezer Marom, former head of IDF Military Intelligence Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin, and former head of IDF Air Force Intelligence Brig.-Gen. (res.) Avishay Levy.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said that “there is a coalition committed to an anti-Israel agenda,” whose members “cynically abuse [South Africa’s] justice system in order to advance a hostile agenda against Israel.”
Nahshon added that he believes the South African government will not support this move.
“We know that the highest authorities in South Africa will not lend their backing to this ugly attempt,” he said.
The South African arrest warrants come as a judge issued similar warrants in Spain for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials on Tuesday, also over the flotilla incident. In May 2010, Israeli commandos boarded the Mavi Marmara, which was trying to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. After militants attacked the Israeli forces, nine Turkish citizens were killed in clashes, leading to the deterioration of Israel-Turkey relations.
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Dutch Socialist leader links Paris terror attacks to Israeli-Palestinian conflict
(JNS.org) The chairman of the Dutch Socialist Party, Jan Marijnissen, said he believes the perpetrators of the Paris terror attacks that killed 129 people were motivated in part by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“These guys…who committed the attacks likely to come from a group of indignant people in the French suburbs,” Marijnissen said in an interview with a Dutch radio station, NPO Radio 1.
“The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is for them a metaphor for the subordination of the Arab world and the Muslim community,” he said, further calling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “a breeding ground for such an attack.”
The comments by the Dutch politician follow similar rhetoric by Sweden’s Foreign Minister Margot Wallström, who said Monday that Palestinian grievances with Israel led to the Paris attacks.
“Obviously, we have reason to be worried, not just in Sweden but across the world—because there are so many that are being radicalized. Here, once again, we are brought back to situations like the one in the Middle East, where not least, the Palestinians see that there is not a future. We must either accept a desperate situation or resort to violence,” Wallström had said in a television interview.
In response to Wallström’s comments, Israel summoned Sweden’s ambassador to the Jewish state for an urgent meeting with Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General Dore Gold, calling the Swedish minister’s remarks “brazen,” “shocking,” and “hostile.”
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U.S. approves $1.29 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia
(JNS.org) The U.S. State Department has approved a $1.29 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia to replenish its weapons arsenal amid a bombing campaign in Yemen.
The sale “will replenish the Royal Saudi Air Force’s (RSAF) current inventory, augmenting Saudi Arabia’s capability,” a State Department official said.
The deal includes a shipment of more than 19,000 smart bombs, including 5,200 Paveway II laser-guided bombs in their GBU-10 and GBU-12 variants, along with 1,100 of the more modern, longer-range GBU-24 Paveway III bombs, AFP reported.
Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition against Iranian-backed Houthi Shi’a rebels in Yemen. The Saudis have been criticized by some human rights groups for civilian casualties resulting from the bombings in Yemen. Saudi Arabia is also part of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State terror group.
The weapons sale comes amid strained relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia over the Iran nuclear deal. While not as vocal as Israel, Saudi Arabia disapproves of the Obama administration-brokered deal with its regional rival over fears that it could lead to a nuclear arms race and bolster Iran’s support for terror groups in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere.
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Jordan’s King Abdullah: ‘We are facing a Third World War’
(JNS.org) Jordan’s King Abdullah believes that the international community is in the midst of a “Third World War” against the Islamic State terrorist organization as Russia and Egypt seek to work together to combat the jihadist group.
“We are facing a Third World War against humanity and this is what brings us all altogether,” Abdullah said in a news conference during a visit to Kosovo, Reuters reported.
“This is a war, as I said, repeatedly within Islam and unfortunately over 100,000 Muslims have been murdered by Daesh (Islamic State) alone over the past two years, and that doesn’t also count for the atrocities like-minded groups have also done in Africa and Asia,” he said.
Abdullah added the international community needs to “act fast to tackle the response to interconnected threats.”
“The atrocious Paris attacks shows that scourge of terrorism can strike anywhere and anytime,” he said.
Meanwhile, Egypt has said it will work together with Russia on combating international terrorism following the confirmation by Russia that a bomb did indeed bring down a Russian airliner over the Sinai Peninsula in late October, killing all 224 people aboard. The Islamic State’s Sinai branch claimed responsibility for the attack.
“Egypt confirms…its full cooperation with the Russian side to end terrorism and increase international cooperation and participation on this issue,” the Egyptian government said.
Russia President Vladimir Putin also vowed payback for the bombing.
“We will find them anywhere on the planet and punish them,” Putin said.
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Hebrew teacher fired in Jordan for linking language to learning Israeli culture
(JNS.org) A Hebrew teacher at Jordan’s Petra University was fired this week after his students reported him for saying that learning the language would help them understand Israeli culture, Israel’s Army Radio reported.
When students asked why they should learn more about Israel, the teacher replied, “Israel is a neighboring country and we have a peace agreement.” One of his students, Ayman al-Ma’mun, told the teacher he wanted to learn Hebrew so that he could carry out an attack against Jews and Israelis. The same student criticized the teacher on his Facebook page, and along with classmates pressured the Petra University administration to fire the teacher. Two days later, the school proceeded with that move.
Despite the presence of a peace treaty between the governments of Israel and Jordan, former Israeli ambassador to Jordan Oded Eran noted, “Most of the [Jordanian] professional associations—journalists, doctors, lawyers—all of them [are] anti-Israel.”
“We (Israeli Jews) are a scapegoat,” said Eran, according to Israel National News.
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Israeli economy bolstered by increased exports, investments in 3rd quarter
(JNS.org) Israel’s economy grew 2.5 percent due to an increase in exports and investments in the third quarter of 2015, newly released data revealed on Monday.
By comparison, the Israeli GDP in the year’s second quarter—from April to June—had grown just 0.2 percent, according to the country’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). The CBS said that Israel’s annual inflation fell to -0.9 in October from -0.5 percent in September, and has been consistently in the negative for 14 straight months. The bureau had initially predicted that Israeli economic growth would be 2.5 percent for the entire year in 2015.
Private spending in Israel grew 2.4 percent in the third quarter of this year. Exports, which represent 35-40 percent of Israel’s economy, grew 4.4 percent in the July-September quarter.
Spanish judge issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, other Israeli officials
(JNS.org) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and seven other Israeli government officials risk being arrested if they step foot in Spain, following a Spanish judge’s issuing of arrest warrants over the 2010 Gaza flotilla incident.
In May 2010, Israeli commandos boarded the Turkish Mavi Marmara vessel, which was trying to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. After militants attacked the Israeli forces, nine Turkish citizens were killed in clashes, leading to the deterioration of Israel-Turkey relations.
“We consider [the Spanish judge’s order] to be a provocation. We are working with the Spanish authorities to get it cancelled. We hope it will be over soon,” said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon.
Famed Israeli violinist Itzhak Perlman to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
(JNS.org) Famed Israeli violinist Itzhak Perlman will be among the 17 recipients of America’s Presidential Medal of Freedom next week. He is the fourth Israeli to receive the highest civilian honor in the U.S.
“A native of Israel, he came to the United States at a young age and was introduced to Americans broadly when he appeared on the ‘Ed Sullivan Show’ in 1958. Mr. Perlman made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1963 when he was 18,” a White House statement read.
Perlman was a soloist for several major film scores, including Schlinder’s List, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Original Score. He and wife teach young musicians through the Perlman Music Program. Perlman is also an advocate for people with disabilities.
“Through his advocacy and his example, he has been an important voice on behalf of persons with disabilities,” said the White House.
Other Jewish recipients of this year’s Presidential Medal of Freedom include film director Steven Spielberg as well as singer and actress Barbara Streisand.
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Israel’s Jewish and Arab birth rates now virtually the same
(JNS.org) Jewish women in Israel are now having children at virtually the same rate as the country’s Arab women, according to newly released data from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
Last year, the average Arab woman in Israel had 3.17 children, compared to Jewish women at 3.11. According to demographers, the 0.6 difference is “negligible,” rendering the birth rate equivalent for Jewish and Arab women.
In 2000, Arab women had an average of 4.3 children and Jewish women had 2.6 children, revealing significant growth in Israel’s Jewish population over the past 15 years. More secular Israeli cities tend to have lower birth rates. The CBS statistics were made public to commemorate International Children’s Day.
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