Netanyahu talks Israeli technology in Japan
(JNS.org) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Japan on Sunday, kicking off a four-day trip meant to strengthen the Israel-Japan relationship.
Netanyahu’s meetings during the visit are focusing on Israeli technological developments, particularly in the fields of cyber technology, water conservation, alternative energy, and biotechnology, according to Israel Hayom.
At a meeting in Tokyo on Monday with members of the Israel-Japan Parliamentary Friendship League, Netanyahu said, “There is a common bond between us: We’re both democratic, progress, technological societies. You face North Korea, which is a rogue regime with nuclear weapons. We face the possibility of Iran, which is a rogue regime that wants to have nuclear weapons. They’re cooperating between them, and we should cooperate between us, and I want to commend you for keeping the torch of Israeli-Japanese friendship alive, and now it’s growing stronger.”
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Shin Bet foils Palestinian plot to kidnap IDF soldiers
(JNS.org) Israel’s Shin Bet security agency, in conjunction with the Israel Prison Service, has foiled a plot hatched by Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences to kidnap Israeli soldiers and use them as bargaining chips in an exchange deal.
Indictments against the suspects were filed at the Salem Military Court, the Shin Bet said Sunday, Israel Hayom reported. According to investigators, the kidnappings were planned for April and would have targeted Israeli soldiers at the Huwara, Ariel, and Yitzhar junctions in Samaria.
The suspects allegedly began planning the kidnappings in 2012, recruiting soon-to-be-released prisoners to carry out the operation.
Using smuggled cellphones, the imprisoned plotters sent instructions to recruits on the outside, telling them to prepare a hiding place, purchase weapons, obtain anesthetic materials, and steal a vehicle. They were also told to visit Saudi Arabia to meet with an operative who would provide them with funding.
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Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: ‘mass produce’ Iranian missiles
(JNS.org) Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to “mass produce” missiles in reaction to Western countries’ desire to discuss curbing the Iranian missile program as part of the ongoing nuclear negotiations with the Islamic Republic.
“They expect us to limit our missile program while they constantly threaten Iran with military action… So this is a stupid, idiotic expectation… The revolutionary guards should definitely carry out their program and not be satisfied with the present level. They should mass produce. This is a main duty of all military officials,” Khamenei was quoted as telling the Iranian news agency IRNA.
Middle East expert Ilan Berman, vice president of the American Foreign Policy Council, has told JNS.org that while the nuclear program “is the fast mover in international discussions” with Iran, the “delivery capabilities are extremely important.” Missiles represent a delivery vehicle for nuclear weapons.
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Netanyahu weighs bill to delay Israeli presidential election
(JNS.org) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering initiating a bill this week to delay June’s Israeli presidential election by half a year. This would allow time for a comprehensive re-examination of the institution of the presidency.
During the six-month delay, Netanyahu will explore alternatives to the president’s choosing who gets to form the Israeli government after Knesset elections. Netanyahu has begun consultations on the matter with the heads of the parties in his governing coalition, and several options are being considered. One is that the head of the party that receives the most Knesset seats in elections would automatically get to form the government. Another is a return to direct elections for prime minister.
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Greek-American leaders condemn neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party
(JNS.org) A group of prominent Greek-American political and business leaders denounced the neo-Nazi Greek political party Golden Dawn.
“Radical extremists parading as political parties like Golden Dawn, with their message of hatred and intolerance, have no place in our society,” said U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV).
Greek-American Congress members Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and John Sarbanes (D-MD), and several New York legislators and California businessmen condemned Golden Dawn in their own statements. The party, which currently holds 16 out of 300 seats in the Greek parliament, actively promotes anti-Semitic, racist, and anti-immigrant views.
Now Greece’s fourth-largest political party, Golden Dawn is vying for a seat in the European Parliament in the upcoming May 25 elections.
“We thank these Greek-American leaders for their strong stand against Golden Dawn, which is little known in America but a looming problem in Greece,” said World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder.
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Tunisian ministers grilled over allowing entry to Israeli tourists
(JNS.org) Two Tunisian ministers were questioned by Tunisia’s Islamist-dominated parliament on Friday for allegedly allowing Israeli tourists into the country, which does not recognize Israel.
Tourism Minister Amel Karboul and Deputy Interior Minister for Security Ridha Sfar were censured in late April over these moves to “normalize” ties with Israel.
Lawmaker Faycel Jadlaoui said allowing Israelis into Tunisia “undermines state sovereignty,” AFP reported.
“We did not have our revolution so that the first revolutionary measure taken was normalization with the Zionist entity,” he said.
The inquiry follows an announcement in March announcement by the U.S.-based Norwegian Cruise Line that it would no longer stop in Tunisia, after the country refused to allow Israeli nationals the right to disembark using their Israeli passports.
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Israel divestment bill fails at another California state school
(JNS.org) An Israel divestment bill failed Thursday in the student senate of the University of California, Davis.
The vote ended in a 5-5 tie with two abstentions. The measure failed to pass when student government Vice President Maxwell Kappes decided to abstain and not break the tie.
The proposed divestment bill called on the University of California (UC) system to divest itself from holdings in companies that do business in Israel.
Last month, the student governments of San Diego State University and UC Barbara resoundingly defeated similar Israel divestment bills. But the student government at UC Riverside narrowly voted in favor of divestment.
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