Defeat of Nazi Germany marked 68 years later
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Israel and the global community marked the 68th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II on Thursday with parades, festivals and somber memorial services.
Hundreds of people, including war veterans who fought against Germany alongside the Allied troops, marched in Jerusalem. Those who fought in Russia’s Red Army donned their military decorations. Another ceremony marking the Allied victory was held at the Yad Vashem museum Jerusalem.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat spoke directly to Israel’s youth, saying, “I call on you, young people standing here today: Look toward these fighters, look into their eyes and know that they are role models.”
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin said, “We will do everything we can to ensure that no one ever dares threaten our children, our homes and our land.”
A ceremony was also held at the Auschwitz concentration camp with children who immigrated to Israel from former Soviet Union countries.
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Israelis more optimistic than Palestinians about two states
(JNS.org) Israelis are more optimistic about the establishment of an independent Palestinian state than Palestinians themselves, and Palestinians favor armed struggle as their means of achieving statehood, a new Pew Research Center survey found.
The survey said 50 percent of Israelis believe “there is a way for Israel and an independent Palestinian state to coexist peacefully,” while only 14 percent of Palestinians support that statement. Regarding the best way to achieve statehood, an armed struggle was the most popular answer among Palestinians, at 45 percent, while 15 percent supported negotiations and 15 percent supported nonviolent resistance.
Eighty-three percent of Israeli respondents viewed the U.S. favorably, compared with 16 percent of Palestinians. Forty-seven percent of Israelis, but just 2 percent of Palestinians, said U.S. policies in the Middle East are fair.
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Kerry highlights Jordan’s role in peace
(JNS.org) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry highlighted Jordan’s role in regional peace following sudden tensions between Israel and Jordan over Jerusalem.
“Jordan is an essential partner to peace. It borders Israel and has already engaged in many activities regarding security, trade and relations,” Kerry said before meeting Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Kerry’s remarks come in the wake of a diplomatic dispute between Israel and Jordan over Muslim worshipers access to the Temple Mount during Jerusalem Day celebrations this week. Several Israeli police were mildly hurt when Muslim worshipers threw chairs at the officers. Israeli police arrested Arab youths who were yelling at Jewish worshippers.
Reacting to the incident, Jordan’s parliament voted Wednesday to recall its ambassador to Israel. But Israeli President Shimon Peres later issued a call for calm and highlighted Israel’s commitment to maintaining access to the holy sites for all religions.
“I want to say this loud and clear—we will respect all religions’ holy places and will do everything to maintain [worshippers’] security,” Peres said.
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NGO Monitor disputes B’Tselem report on Gaza
(JNS.org) The watchdog group NGO Monitor has found that the latest report from the activist group B’Tselem on Israel’s November 2012 Operation Pillar of Defense has a “number of fundamental distortions of international law.”
The B’Tselem report, released May 8, “raises suspicion” that the Israeli military “violated International Humanitarian Law (IHL).” B’Tselem claims that its top concerns of Israel’s conduct were the “lack of effective advance notice of an impending attack and an unacceptably broad definition of what constitutes a ‘legitimate target.’”
NGO Monitor, however, pointed out that B’Tselem “has no knowledge of why any sites were targeted and therefore cannot draw conclusions relating to military necessity.” NGO Monitor also said B’Tselem admits it has “central methodological limitations” in its ability to gather data on Israel’s operations Gaza. Specifically, “B’Tselem acknowledges that it ‘is unable to investigate the lawfulness of each and every military strike during the operation,’” according to NGO Monitor.
Iran, Egypt, other Muslim countries violate religious freedom
(JNS.org) Iran, Egypt and several other Muslim nations are among the world’s top violators of religious freedom, particularly for their anti-Christian and anti-Semitic persecution, according to the 2013 annual report released by the bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
The report singled out Iran’s theocratic leaders, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for their suppression on non-Islamic religions.
“Since becoming president, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for an end to the development of Christianity in Iran,” the report said.
Iran was also criticized for its state-sponsored anti-Semitism.
“Heightened anti-Semitism and repeated Holocaust denials by senior government officials and clerics continue to foster a climate of fear among Iran’s Jewish community,” the report said.
The report also singled out the Egyptian government’s failures in protecting its Christian community since the 2011 revolution.
“In Egypt, despite some progress during a turbulent political transition, the government has failed or been slow to protect from violence religious minorities, particularly Coptic Christians,” according to the report.
The report also cited the widespread anti-Semitism in Egypt’s media. A video surfaced earlier this year depicting Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi calling Zionists “bloodsuckers” and the “descendants of apes and pigs.”
“In addition, the government has not responded adequately to combat widespread and virulent anti-Semitism in the government-controlled media,” the report said.
Overall, two-thirds of the 15 countries identified as “countries of particular concern (CPC)” are Muslim. These are countries that have engaged in “particularly severe” violations of religious freedom, the report stated. They include: Burma, China, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
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Preceding provided by JNS.org