Obama refused to help Iranian opposition in 2009, book says
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) U.S. President Barack Obama decided not to support the Iranian opposition during the 2009 elections to protect secret negotiations he was holding with Tehran on its nuclear program, a recently published book alleges.
The Iran Wars by Jay Solomon of The Wall Street Journal, several sections of which were published by the Bloomberg news agency Wednesday, holds that Obama actively refrained from assisting the demonstrators. He ignored advisers who told him to support the opposition in Iran, even ordering the CIA to sever ties with opposition leader.
“The Agency has contingency plans for supporting democratic uprisings anywhere in the world. This includes providing dissidents with communications, money and in extreme cases even arms,” Solomon writes. “But in this case the White House ordered it to stand down.
Demonstrations broke out in June 2009 after then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner of elections that many in Iran felt were rigged. From the beginning, Obama and the White House downplayed the demonstrations’ importance, and when he finally did speak about them, he refrained from mentioning election fraud.
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IDF cleared of alleged crimes during 2014 Gaza War
(JNS.org) Israel Defense Forces soldiers have been cleared of alleged criminal misconduct during the 2014 Gaza War, Israeli prosecutors said Wednesday.
The IDF Military Advocate General (MAG) closed four cases in which the IDF allegedly killed 49 civilians during the war, including a charge that an airstrike near a United Nations school killed several children.
With the airstrike, the IDF targeted three military operatives who were traveling on motorbikes near the school. The military assessments made at the time were in accordance “with Israeli domestic law and international law requirements,” based on circumstances and aerial surveillance, the MAG unit reported.
Indictments were issued against three IDF soldiers accused of looting, aiding and abetting, whose cases will be referred for criminal investigation.
Another 13 criminal cases have been closed while some are still pending investigation.
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Brussels Airlines removes Israeli-made halva after BDS activist complains
(JNS.org) Brussels Airlines has stopped serving Israeli-made halva on flights after a complaint was launched by a Palestinian activist.
The Palestinian Solidarity Movement activist was traveling from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport to Brussels when he noticed the dessert being served was made by the Ahva brand. He informed other activists about the product and they complained to the airline who conceded to their request.
The treat is made in the Barkan industrial park in the West Bank, an area the anti-Israel group calls “illegally occupied territory.”
After the public tweeted their shock over the decision, Brussels Airlines tweeted back they “have stopped serving that product on our flights as it was not what we had ordered.”
A Brussels Airlines spokesperson denied reports that the company intentionally boycotting the Israeli-made product.
“The customer who came to us with the complaint brought to our attention that the aforementioned dessert is a controversial product,” spokesperson Kim Daenen told Yediot Ahronot. “As a company which serves an international audience full of people from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures, it is our responsibility to present products which will be amicable to all, and therefore, we decided to change desserts.”
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Israel offers help following devastating Italian earthquake
(JNS.org) Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday expressed his condolences and offered help in the wake of a deadly 6.2 magnitude earthquake that hit central Italy, killing at least 241 people.
The quake and a number of strong aftershocks left the worst devastation throughout the mountainous towns including Amatrice, Accumoli and other villages.
“I send my condolences to the people of Italy regarding the victims of the earthquake and my wishes for a quick recovery to the injured,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “I have offered search and rescue assistance to Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.”
Over 4,300 rescuers are still searching for survivors trapped under rubble in the many towns and villages affected. Thousands of people were left homeless by the quake.
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Israel launches first ever TV tourism campaign in India
(JNS.org) Israel’s Ministry of Tourism launched its first ever television advertising campaign in India.
“Breaking into the large Asian market, in particular China and India, is one of the main objectives set by the Tourism Ministry,” Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said in prepared statement. “The experiential campaign. . . has been adapted to the particular characteristics and taste of the Indian market.”
Israel will spend $1.62 million, three times its normal budget, over a two-month period promoting Israeli tourism using the slogan, “On most vacations, you take a trip. But in Israel, you take a journey.”
Last year, about 40,000 Indian tourists visited Israel, a 13 percent jump from 2014. That growth is expected to continue and by 2018, Israeli officials see the number reaching 100,000.
The focus is on tourists from India’s middle-class sector, families looking to vacation far from home and those interesting in visiting the Holy Land for Indian Christian pilgrimage trips.
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