Muslim Brotherhood opponent El-Sisi wins Egyptian presidential election
(JNS.org) Former defense minister and military commander Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, hailed as a hero in Egypt for his role in the July 2013 ouster of Islamist president and Muslim Brotherhood member Mohamed Morsi, easily won the country’s presidential election with more than 93 percent of the vote, according to results revealed Thursday.
In a pre-election interview, El-Sisi said the Muslim Brotherhood would be “finished” under his watch. The Brotherhood has seen its fortunes decline precipitously since last summer. Morsi and dozens of other Brotherhood leaders are awaiting trial on charges of inciting violence and supporting foreign terrorist organizations. In March, an Egyptian judge sentenced an additional 529 Brotherhood supporters to death for the killing of a police officer during pro-Brotherhood protests last August.
El-Sisi has said he would honor the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty as president.
“I respect all international accords, including the treaty with Israel,” he said in pre-election statements.
Israel and Egypt have a shared interest in cracking down on Islamic terror groups in the Sinai Peninsula and in targeting the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.
“Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is Egypt’s strong man right now and has been fighting against radical Islam and against the Muslim Brothers. This is very positive both for Egypt, but also for Israel and the entire Middle East,” former Israeli Ambassador to Egypt Zvi Mazel told JNS.org in January.
*
Assassination plot against Lebanese Cardinal revealed amid Israel trip
(JNS.org) An assassination plot has been revealed against the head of the Lebanese Maronite Christian Church, Cardinal Bishop Beshara Rai, amid his controversial weeklong visit to Israel.
Lebanese security sources told The Daily Star that internal security forces last week arrested a man who was plotting with undisclosed regional intelligence services to assassinate the Christian leader. But later a military prosecutor downplayed the plot, saying that the man was “mentally unbalanced.” Lebanese police said that the suspect had been in Rai’s hometown taking pictures of the area.
Lost in the media attention of Pope Francis’s visit to the region, Rai is the first Lebanese religious leader to officially visit Israel since the Jewish state was founded in 1948.
His visit, however, has come at great personal risk as Hezbollah and many others in Lebanon warned Rai not to step foot in Israel.
“I am the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, of regions expanding from Turkey to Mauritania, Saudi Arabia and to Iran,” Rai had said concerning his Israel trip, the Lebanese daily Naharnet reported.
“It is my duty to welcome the pope in any country in these regions,” he said.
Since arriving in Israel with Pope Francis on Sunday in Jerusalem, Rai has been touring the Galilee, home to the majority of Israel’s Christian community. He has been visiting Christian towns in the region, including celebrating mass on the Sea of Galilee with Maronite Christians who fought in the controversial South Lebanon Army, a largely Christian militia that fought alongside Israel during the Lebanese Civil War. Overall, roughly 11,000 Maronites reside in Israel.
Israeli Christian leaders welcomed Rai’s visit and called on other Christians in the region to visit Israel and the holy sites, considering it an important pilgrimage.
“All Christians should come visit the Holy Land, it is their duty,” Bishara Shlayan, an Israeli Christian from Nazareth who is forming a new Christian political party, told JNS.org.
“We welcome Cardinal Rai, [his visit] lets us all feel the common bond of Christians,” Shlayan added.
*
Assad forces reportedly destroy ancient Syrian synagogue
(JNS.org) The ancient Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue near Damascus has been left in ruins by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, according to Syrian rebel forces and new photographs of the site.
Rebel leaders claim that Syrian government forces—who have bombarded the area for months—are to blame for the destruction, the Daily Beast reported. Thousands of irreplaceable Jewish artifacts inside the synagogue may have been damaged or destroyed.
The 400-year-old synagogue was previously damaged in 2013 amid fighting between the government and rebel groups. But later photographs indicated that the synagogue only sustained minor damage and that the Jewish artifacts were secure.
“I am deeply saddened to learn of the destruction of Jobar Synagogue, which was a treasure of Jewish and Syrian cultural heritage,” Shlomo Bolts, a Jewish official at the Syrian American Council, told the Daily Beast.
Tradition holds that the ancient synagogue is built on the site where the prophet Elijah hid himself in a cave to avoid arrest.
*
Netanyahu endorses fellow Likud member Rivlin for Israeli president
(JNS.org) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday that he is backing fellow Likud party member MK Reuven Rivlin, the former speaker of the Knesset, in the upcoming presidential election.
Netanyahu and Rivlin have had a turbulent relationship.
“We’ve gone through a lot in our lives—some better times, and some less good times, and I hope that we will see better days,” Netanyahu told Rivlin in a phone conversation, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
“I waited to see the final list of candidates, and as prime minister and head of the Likud, I support your candidacy,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister’s announcement came after an endorsement of Rivlin by Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, who heads the Habayit Hayehudi party.
“Ruby (Rivlin) is the natural candidate for Israel’s presidency,” Bennett said in a statement.
Rivlin, 74, has also gained the support of Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman and the leader of the Shas party, Aryeh Deri.
The Knesset vote to determine the next Israeli president is scheduled for June 10.
*
Ahead of World Cup, FIFA president won’t penalize Israel over Palestinian travel
(JNS.org) Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) President Sepp Blatter does not plan to take action against Israel at a June 9-10 gathering of soccer’s international governing body, just before the start of the World Cup in Brazil. Palestinians have accused Israeli forces of routinely preventing their athletes from traveling between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
On Monday, Blatter met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Football Association President Jibril Rajoub in Ramallah, and promised to work on a “solution” to the travel issue. Israel, meanwhile, said that it has eased some of the travel restrictions.
The head of the Israeli Football Association, Avi Luzon, suggested holding a “peace” match between the Israeli and Palestinian teams.
“I think that soccer can be a bridge for peace and if [the Palestinians] will want, as I have offered more than once to Jibril Rajoub, that once he decides [to accept my offer] I’m willing to hold a match between Israel and Palestine for peace,” said Luzon, reported The Jerusalem Post.
*
Brussels shooting victims buried in Israel
(JNS.org) The funeral for the two Israeli victims of the recent shooting at the Jewish Museum of Belgium in Brussels was held Tuesday at the Givat Shaul Cemetery in Tel Aviv. Hundreds of people mourned the deaths of Emanuel and Miriam Riva, who left behind two teenage daughters, Shira and Ayelet.
“Mom and Dad, I can’t believe this terrible thing happened to you,” Shira said in a eulogy at the funeral, reported Reuters. “You did not deserve this in any way.”
“You were born only a few minutes after me, but I always looked at you like my little brother. We were always together. I always protected you, even when you didn’t need it, and this time, I wasn’t even close,” said Emanuel’s twin brother Aryeh, according to The Associated Press. “I still can’t believe we won’t see you again.”
“Our hearts are broken with grief with you, we mourn with you,” said Belgian Ambassador to Israel John Cornet d’Elzius, who attended the service.
*
Preceding provided by JNS.org, which is sponsored on the pages of San Diego Jewish World through the generosity of Dr. Bob and Mao Shillman.