In accepting Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton vows to uphold Iran deal and protect Israel
(JNS.org) Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton formally accepted her nomination for president by the Democratic Party on Thursday evening in a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
“It is with humility, determination and boundless confidence in America’s promise that I accept your nomination for President of the United States,” Clinton said, becoming the first women to ever be nominated by a major political party.
“When there are no ceilings, the sky’s the limit,” she said.
While Clinton’s speech was mainly focused on domestic policy and attacking her Republican opponent, billionaire businessman Donald Trump, Clinton did touch on a few foreign policy items, including the Iran nuclear deal and Israel.
“You want a leader who understands we are stronger when we work with our allies around the world and care for our veterans here at home,” Clinton said. “I’m proud that we put a lid on Iran’s nuclear program without firing a single shot,” she added. “Now we have to enforce it, and keep supporting Israel’s security.”
Clinton also spent time reassuring Americans that she would be the right leader to guide America through an uncertain world that has been stung by a number of terror attacks from groups like the Islamic State.
“America’s strength doesn’t come from lashing out,” Clinton said. “Strength relies on smarts, judgment, cool resolve, and the precise and strategic application of power. That’s the kind of Commander-in-Chief I pledge to be.”
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Israeli ambassador to US to DNC: Israel is committed to two-state solution
(JNS.org) Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer told a gathering of Democrats at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Philadelphia that Israel still believes that a two-state solution is the best outcome to the conflict with the Palestinians.
Speaking at a lunch on the sidelines of the DNC, Dermer said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is prepared to have a negotiated settlement,” but that he would not settle for an agreement that does not recognize Israel as the Jewish state, and “that will continue the conflict” with Israeli security concerns, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Netanyahu believes “the best solution is a demilitarized Palestinian state” that recognizes the Jewish state, Dermer said, responding to a change in the Republican Platform language that did not include a reference to a two-state solution.
However, Dermer added that “I think the overarching principle here is to respect the sovereign decisions of a fellow democracy.”
This position is in line with a proposal made by advisors to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump arguing that the U.S. should take a step back from its traditional role of mediator in the conflict. Trump also believes the U.S. should support a one-state solution, if Israel were to endorse such a path.
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Netanyahu marks Egypt’s National Day, praises El-Sisi peace push
(JNS.org) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended a reception on Thursday in honor of Egypt’s National Day, which commemorates the Egyptian revolution of 1952, at the Egyptian ambassador to Israel’s residence.
In his remarks at the reception, which was also attended by President Reuven Rivlin and Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog, Netanyahu noted that Egypt and Israel are “among the world’s oldest civilizations,” adding that he is proud that “our two nations have been in peace for nearly four decades.”
“Thousands of years ago our two peoples laid perhaps the most important foundations of human civilization and today our two peoples – in effect, the entire world – are in a continuous and daily struggle against terror and against those who are trying to destroy human civilization,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu also thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for his “leadership and for his efforts to advance peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and in the broader Middle East.”
“We welcome the efforts to advance peace by President El-Sisi, and we welcome the effort to incorporate other Arab states in this larger effort of a broader peace between all the peoples of the Middle East.”
Earlier this month, El-Sisi said that he was serious about pushing forward towards the establishment of peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
“Egypt’s recent serious effort aims to break the deadlock that has hung over peace efforts,” El-Sisi said in remarks on state-run TV. “It is a sincere effort to make everyone face their responsibilities and warn of the consequences of delays in achieving peace,” he said.
Following El-Sisi’s remarks, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry also visited Jerusalem and met with Netanyahu in the first such visit in nearly a decade.
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Israeli gift card startup raises $9.5 million
(JNS.org) An Israeli-based startup app for users who want to buy and sell unused gift cards, announced on Wednesday it has raised $9.5 million in a Series B funding round led by Scale-Up Venture Capital.
“We have created a unique technology that supports very high scale trading within a safe and reliable environment,” said Zeek CEO and Co-founder Daniel Zelkind. “The funding will help further investment in innovation, technology and marketing.”
Other major investors in Zeek include Blumberg Capital and Qualcomm Ventures.
Zeek, launched in 2014 in Tel Aviv, has also expanded to the United Kingdom, and hopes to further expand into Europe, targeting the $100 billion in unused gift cards through its marketplace of trading store credit, gift vouchers, refund slips, gift cards and e-vouchers.
“We believe that Zeek will swiftly surpass $1 billion run-rate in branded currency transactions. Intimate understanding of consumer needs puts Zeek on track to become the next tech unicorn in Europe,” General partner of Scale-Up Venture Capital, Alex Lazovsky, said in a press release.
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Netanyahu notes calm along Gaza border as Israel beefs up home defense
(JNS.org) Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday noted the relative quiet over the last two years since the 2014 summer war between Israel and Hamas, during a ceremony marking the completion of a structural reinforcement project for homes in Sderot.
“While we cannot shape the strategic environment in which we live, we do have possibility of achieving deterrence against our enemies and, to the extent that it proves necessary, to inflict significant damage on the infrastructures of terror,” Netanyahu said at the ceremony in Sderot, which is less than a mile from Gaza and has been frequently targeted by Hamas Qassam rocket attacks since 2001.
“Our policy is to respond vigorously to any violation – no matter how small – of the calm, and you see this, and make it clear to those on the other side that the rules of the game have changed,” Netanyahu said.
“Quiet here equals quiet in Gaza. Attacking us will lead to ruin and destruction for Hamas, Islamic Jihad and whoever tries to attack us from the other side of the fence. We will respond in strength to any attempt to attack our communities and our citizens.”
Netanyahu added that structurally reinforcing the residences was a “lifesaving step” but does not substitute Israel’s “offensive striking power.”
“I am constantly hearing about what Hamas is doing but I know what we are doing. I know what we are planning. I know how we are organizing. I know but I do not intend to tell you.”
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