Ya’alon apologizes for criticism of Kerry after U.S. rebuke
(JNS.org) Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon apologized for remarks published by Yedioth Ahronoth that called U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s approach to Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations “obsessive” and “messianic.”
“The defense minister had no intention to cause any offense to the secretary, and he apologizes if the secretary was offended by words attributed to the minister,” Ya’alon’s office said in a statement.
Ya’alon reportedly said, “Secretary of State John Kerry—who came here very determined, and operates based upon an unfathomable obsession and a messianic feeling—cannot teach me anything about the Palestinians.” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki had called Ya’alon’s remarks “offensive and inappropriate, especially given all that the United States is doing to support Israel’s security needs.”
“To question Secretary Kerry’s motives and distort his proposals is not something we would expect from the defense minister of a close ally,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Dohaoh-Halevy, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, told JNS.org that Ya’alon “is worried about Israeli withdrawal to lines where Israel will be in a difficult strategic and military position to defend itself against future attacks.”
“He believes Kerry does not understand the complexity of the conflict,” said Halevy.
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Netanyahu to Birthright participants: Israel is your home
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Some 3,000 young Jewish adults from seven countries gathered on Tuesday night at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem for the mega-event of the Taglit-Birthright Israel program.
Birthright brings young Jews from around the world to Israel on free 10-day trips. At Tuesday’s event, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Birthright participants to make Israel their home.
“My message to you is short: This is your country. Come back again and again. Welcome home,” Netanyahu said.
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John Kerry enlists the Vatican to help free American-Jewish prisoner Alan Gross
(JNS.org) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has asked the Vatican to help secure the release of Jewish-American prisoner Alan Gross, who has been held in Cuba for more than four years.
On Tuesday, Kerry met with the Vatican’s secretary of state, Archbishop Pietro Parolin, to discuss a wide range of mutual issues, including the human rights situation in Cuba.
“I raised the issue of Alan Gross and his captivity, and we hope very much that there might be able to be assistance with respect to that issue,” Kerry said in a statement to the press following his meeting at the Vatican.
This past December marked the fourth anniversary of the incarceration of Gross, who is serving a 15-year prison term for helping Cuba’s Jewish community access the Internet while he was a subcontractor for the United States Agency for International Development.
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Ethiopian immigrants plant trees in Israel for Tu B’Shevat
(JNS.org) More than 400 Ethiopian immigrants living in absorption centers in Israel planted trees in honor of Tu B’Shevat, which begins Wednesday evening.
The event, which also included a ceremonial meal, was organized by Keren Kayemet LeIsrael – the Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), The Jewish Agency for Israel, the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection, and the Israeli Ministry of Education. KKL-JNF Chile donated funds for the event.
“This is a holiday that represents both social justice and environmental justice. I am pleased to celebrate the holiday with members of the Ethiopian community who are setting down roots as an integral part of Israeli society,” said Israeli Minister of Environmental Protection Amir Peretz.
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Ariel Sharon to be commemorated by Limmud FSU in Belarus
(JNS.org) The upcoming Limmud FSU conference in Belarus, to take place this summer, will honor the recently deceased former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Sharon died Saturday at the age of 85 after spending eight years in a coma. Sharon’s parents were born in Belarus, and his family immigrated to mandatory Palestine in 1922.
Chaim Chesler and Sandra Cahn, co-founders of Limmud FSU (Former Soviet Union), announced the commemoration plans Tuesday. The ceremony will take place in Sharon’s father’s hometown city of Brest and is expected to attract more than 700 Russian-speaking young adults from across the FSU. Representatives of both the Belarusian and Israeli governments are expected to attend.
This will be the second conference to be held in Belarus by Limmud FSU, which operates in eight countries.
“Limmud FSU is proud to honor Ariel Sharon’s parents, who came from Belarus, at our next event,” Cahn told JNS.org.
“People don’t always realize that many great leaders in the Jewish world and in Israel are originally from Russian-speaking countries, and our job is not only to strengthen Jewish life in those countries, but also to remind everyone of the significant role those countries and cultures have in Jewish history,” she said.
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Iran can continue nuclear research and development under interim deal
(JNS.org) Iran will be permitted to continue research and development on its nuclear enrichment program under the interim Geneva deal signed by the P5+1 and Iran.
During a conference call with reporters on Monday, when asked by a reporter about Iranian nuclear research and development, the White House said Iran could continue its “current enrichment R&D practices.”
“It—I mean, their commitment is to continue their current enrichment R&D practices, and those are the practices that are laid out in the November Director General’s report,” said one of two senior administration officials on the press briefing, the Washington Free Beacon reported. “This—that’s been documented, and that’s what they were—that’s what they will continue to do,” the White House official added.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani boasted that world powers surrendered to Iran’s will in the agreement.
“Our relationship w/ the world is based on Iranian nation’s interests. In #Geneva agreement world powers surrendered to Iranian nation’s will,” Rouhani tweeted Tuesday.
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Pro-Israel Christians protest Dutch pension giant’s divestment from Israel
(JNS.org) Hundreds of Dutch Christian activists demonstrated outside the headquarters of Dutch pension giant PGGM, to protest the pension company’s recent decision to divest from Israeli banks.
The protesters, members of the pro-Israel group Christians for Israel, held up Israeli flags and banners saying “Stop the Boycott of Israel.”
“We are against a boycott of Israel and want the decision to stop PGGM invests in five Israeli banks is reversed,” Christians for Israel Director Roger Oordt said.
The pro-Israel group was joined by Binyomin Jacobs, chief rabbi of Holland, who denounced the divestment as singling out Israel.
PGGM, which manages more than 153 billion Euros in funds and has more than 100 million Euros invested in Israel, said that its decision was based on its concern over “involvement in financing Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.”
PGGM became the latest Dutch company to join the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. Last month, the Dutch water company Vitens broke off relations with the Israeli water company Mekorot because of Israel’s policies.
Last week, Israel summoned the Dutch ambassador in Israel to explain the recent moves. Dutch Ambassador Caspar Veldkamp said PGGM’s decision “is unacceptable and relies on false pretense,’’ according to a statement by the Israeli foreign ministry.
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Former Israeli ambassador Michael Oren joins CNN
(JNS.org) Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren confirmed that he is joining CNN as an on-air analyst and contributor.
The American-born Oren, a noted historian, served as Israel’s top envoy to the U.S. from 2009-2013. He has already appeared on CNN several times, and penned an obituary for Ariel Sharon for the network.
Oren told the Jerusalem Post that he sees the new position as an opportunity to provide “balanced but insightful commentary on pressing Israeli and Middle East issues.”
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Preceding provided by JNS.org