Middle East Roundup: September 19, 2016

PBS map
PBS map

Palestinian cleric at Al-Aqsa Mosque prays destruction of America, Russia

(JNS.org) A Palestinian Muslim cleric prayed to Allah to “vanquish American and Russia” in an address last week at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Jerusalem Post reported.

“Oh America, let me tell you about the day when the call to prayer will be heard from atop the White House, from atop the red palace in the Kremlin in Moscow,” Abdallah Ayed said in a video posted online and translated from Arabic by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

Ayed said they will shout “Allah akbar” (Arabic for God is great) from the top of the White House and Kremlin “because Allah promised us both places, Allah promised the prophet Muhammad that Islam would rule the entire land.”

Ayed ended his prayer asking to bring the caliphate soon and return to a Muslim religious and governmental rule.

*

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s American Associates elects new leader

(JNS.org) Toni Young is the new president of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU), an initiative based in New York City supporting the university and Negev community.

Young, an author, has served on the national boards of the Jewish Federations of North America, the Jewish Agency for Israel and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.

“I’m excited about this new challenge and look forward to building upon and expanding the initiatives that Lloyd Goldman and other former AABGU presidents and board members have developed so successfully,” said Young, formerly the first female president of the Jewish Federation of Delaware.

Young replaces New York real estate mogul Lloyd Goldman, who served as AABGU president for four years.

“I’m particularly thrilled to serve during the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev 2020 Vision 50th Anniversary Campaign,” she said. “I plan to increase connections between the American community and BGU, and bring in new friends and supporters who understand the miracle we are creating in the Negev desert and how important BGU is to the success of Israel.”

*

Amid new terror attacks, Israel increases security ahead of High Holidays

(JNS.org) Following a period of relative calm in recent weeks, multiple new terror attacks took place in the Jewish state since Friday, leading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to issue an assessment of Israeli security ahead of the High Holidays.

“This morning and over the weekend there were several attempts to attack IDF soldiers and security forces personnel,” Netanyahu said. “I commend the quick reactions of the soldiers and police personnel, and I send – on behalf of the entire Cabinet – my best wishes for a recovery to the wounded.”

In the latest incident on Monday, two Palestinian terrorists attempted to stab Israeli border police officers at the Cave of the Patriarchs. The officers shot and killed both men. In another incident earlier on Monday, a resident of eastern Jerusalem stabbed two police officers before one of the officers neutralized the attacker. Both officers were wounded and taken to the hospital for treatment.

On Sunday, a Palestinian terrorist infiltrated the Judaean Jewish village of Efrat, where he stabbed and injured an IDF officer. A second soldier shot the terrorist. On Friday, a Jordanian man also tried to stab an Israeli border policeman at the Damascus gate in the Old City of Jerusalem. Two Palestinian terrorists also attempted a car-ramming attack on IDF soldiers using a truck at the entrance to the Kiryat Arba Israeli village near Hebron. Separately, a bus traveling between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim was pelted with rocks and glass bottles filled with paint. And an IDF soldier was lightly wounded in another stabbing attack at a junction near Hebron.

*

Israel’s economic growth exceeded expectations in second quarter 2016

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Israel’s economic growth in the second quarter of 2016 exceeds expectations and was set at 4 percent, the Central Bureau of Statistics said Sunday.

CBS projections released in August had originally projected second-quarter growth at 3.7 percent.

The data showed that private sector productivity increased by an annualized 2.3 percent during the first half of 2016, an increase of 0.1 percent compared to previous projections and an increase of 1.9 percent compared with the sector’s performance in the first half of 2016.

Private consumption was up 10 percent in the second quarter, growing by an annualized 5.1 percent during the first six months of 2016.

Household expenditure on durable goods, such as furniture, appliances and cars, noted a sharp rise of 21.2 percent in the first half of 2016.

Private consumption has so far proven to be the economy’s main growth engine in 2016.

Exports of goods and services, excluding diamonds and startup exits, were up an annualized 1.4 percent, CBS data showed.

*
Articles from JNS.org appear on San Diego Jewish World through the generosity of Dr. Bob and Mao Shillman.  Comments intended for publication in the space below MUST be accompanied by the letter writer’s first and last name and by his/ her city and state of residence (city and country for those outside the United States.)