Pope Francis: Christians cannot be anti-Semitic
(JNS.org) Pope Francis, meeting for the first time as pontiff with leaders from Jewish organizations and communities on Monday, told the delegation that due to “our common roots,” a Christian “cannot be anti-Semitic.”
A delegation of Jewish leaders from the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations gathered in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican to form a private audience for Pope Francis. During his remarks, the Pope praised the landmark Second Vatican Council declaration Nostra Aetate, which he described as a “key point of reference for relations with the Jewish people.”
“The fundamental principles expressed by the Declaration have marked the path of greater awareness and mutual understanding trodden these last decades by Jews and Catholics,” Pope Francis said, Vatican Radio reported.
Jewish leaders who were in attendance praised Pope Francis for continuing the legacy of his predecessors.
“Pope Francis is a very good friend of the Jewish People and we rejoice in the fact that he will continue to advance the path of his predecessors in deepening the Catholic-Jewish relationship even further,” Rabbi David Rosen, AJC’s director of international interreligious affairs, said in a statement.
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Five Palestinian rockets fired into Israel from Gaza
(JNS.org) Five rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza on Sunday night, including two headed for Ashkelon which were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system and three which exploded in open areas, Israel Hayom reported. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Yoav “Poly” Mordechai said that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group was behind the attack, but that Israel “holds Hamas responsible for any terror emanating from the Gaza Strip.”
“Hamas is still in control of Gaza, and it bears the responsibility for what goes on there,” Mordechai said.
These were the first Palestinian rockets fired from Gaza to hit Israel in 40 days. On Monday, the Israel Air Force retaliated by attacking two terrorist arms depots, a rocket-launching site, and another terrorist hub in the Gaza Strip. The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said the Gaza targets that were hit belonged to Islamic Jihad.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “There was rocket fire into our communities, and the response came immediately. My policy is to harm anyone who tries to harm us. No trickle, no accumulation.”
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IDF battles jihadi infiltrators in surprise drill
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The Israel Defense Forces held a comprehensive drill on Sunday to prepare for a scenario in which global jihadis enter Israel and take hostages in multiple locations.
The drill simulated a situation in which terrorists from Syria or Sinai infiltrate Israel and hold civilians captive in various venues, including hospitals, a hotel and a remote village. IDF troops were sent mock emergency call-up notices. The goal was to replicate a real-life situation and take into account all the logistical and operational pitfalls of such an event.
Most of the participating IDF troops were not informed of the drill ahead of time. The military’s chain of command, from Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz on down, was part of the drill.
“The overall impression from the drill was good, although there are many details that need to be sorted out,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement Sunday.
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Netanyahu names Jacob Frenkel next Bank of Israel governor
(JNS.org) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday that former Bank of Israel Governor Prof. Jacob Frenkel, who headed the central bank between 1991 and 2000, will replace outgoing Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer, whose term will end next week, Israel Hayom reported.
The new governor’s nomination faces a legislative hurdle, as the Bank of Israel Law limits the governor to two five-year terms. The Israeli government may need to pass an amendment to the law to facilitate Frenkel’s nomination.
Frenkel, 70, a laureate of the 2002 Israel Prize in Economics, currently serves as chairman of JPMorgan Chase International, one of the three largest banks in the United States. He is expected to take office in mid-July.
Netanyahu’s top candidate for the Bank of Israel position, Professor Elhanan Helpman, declined.
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Kerry reportedly considers appointing diplomat with controversial record on Israel
(JNS.org) Secretary of State John Kerry is reportedly considering diplomat Robert Malley, who was dismissed from President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign when it was revealed that he met with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, for the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. Malley has a history of making controversial statements on Israel.
It is unclear if Malley, formerly a Middle East advisor for President Bill Clinton and currently Middle East director of the International Crisis Group, would focus on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process if appointed by Kerry, Al-Monitor reported.
Regarding the fact that he met with Hamas, Malley told The Times of London in 2008, “I’ve never hidden the fact that in my job with the International Crisis Group I meet all kinds of people.”
Malley has criticized Israel regarding its 2006 war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“A war Israel fought without a clearly defined purpose has left the country without any tangible achievement,” Malley wrote for The New York Review of Books.
Also in 2006, Malley told the Common Ground News Service that Hamas’s electoral victory over Fatah was an expression of “anger at years of humiliation and loss of self-respect because of Israeli settlement expansion, Yasser Arafat’s imprisonment, Israel’s incursions, Western lecturing and, most recently and tellingly, the threat of an aid cut off in the event of an Islamist success.”
Malley wrote for the New York Times in 2002 that “security concerns can legitimately explain some of the Israeli Army’s actions,” but that “in more than one instance, that rationale would be difficult to sustain,” accusing Israel of seeking political gain by intentionally destroying Palestinian medical facilities and “school records,” according to the Washington Free Beacon.
The potential appointment of Malley “certainly raises eyebrows—not about Malley, but about Kerry,” an unnamed source told the Washington Free Beacon. “It is surprising that Kerry would pick such a high-profile choice who has been involved in so many controversies,” the source said.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from JNS.org on reports of Malley’s potential appointment.
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