‘Syria will win,’ Assad declares to audience of thousands
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Debunking rumors that he had been murdered by his bodyguards, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gave a public address before an audience of thousands in Damascus on Wednesday, declaring that “Syria will win” the country’s civil war.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony in Damascus, Assad said, “The media outside of Syria is trying to undermine the morale of the good Syrian people. We are not waging a battle. We are waging war. I am sure that in the end, Syria will win its war with all of your help.”
Assad acknowledged, however, recent “setbacks” in the war against insurgents trying to topple him. That rare admission by the Syrian leader follows opposition advances in northern and southern Syria that have punctured the notion that Assad is on his way to defeating the four-year-old rebellion. Recent events have also undermined Assad’s claim of being a bulwark against the Islamic State terror group, which has eclipsed rebels over the past year.
Yet wars have “ebb and flow, gains and losses and ups and downs,” Assad said.
“Everything fluctuates except one thing, which is faith in the soldier and his belief in ultimate victory. So when setbacks occur, it is our duty as a society to boost the morale of the soldier and not wait for him to raise ours,” he said.
Government troops withdrew from the northern Syrian city of Idlib after it fell to opposition fighters in late March, followed by withdrawals from the strategic town of Jisr al-Shughour and the Qarmeed military base last week. Assad’s troops are now under fire at a few remaining outposts, including the national hospital in Jisr al-Shughour.
In January 2015, the United Nations estimated that 220,000 people had died in the Syrian civil war.
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Israeli victim of Nepal earthquake laid to rest in Israel
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Thousands gathered in the Lehavim cemetery in southern Israel on Wednesday to pay their respects to 22-year-old Or Asraf, the sole Israeli victim of the devastating earthquake in Nepal.
“Death took you when you were happiest, enjoying every moment traveling through nature,” Asraf’s father, Patrick, said in his eulogy.
Asraf’s body was found on Sunday by his comrades from the IDF’s elite Egoz Reconnaissance Unit in the Langtang Nature Park in Nepal after an arduous search in difficult terrain.
“Your friends from the Egoz unit and IsraLife rescued you in a complicated mission that put their own lives at risk. We managed to bring you home from the mountain. We know that dozens of trekkers will never make it back down. … We reached the end of the journey. You are home,” said Patrick.
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Jewish Home party enters Netanyahu’s Likud coalition hours before deadline
(JNS.org) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party narrowly formed a coalition government with the addition of the religious Zionist Jewish Home (Habayit Hayehudi) party just two hours before the final deadline of midnight on Wednesday.
Jewish Home’s decision to join the coalition establishes a Likud-led government of 61 Knesset members—the minimum number required to form a coalition—with Kulanu, Shas, and United Torah Judaism.
“Finally, there’s a government in Israel,” Bennett said after the coalition announcement, Yedioth Ahronoth reported. “This isn’t a right-wing government, it isn’t a left-wing government, and it isn’t a center government. It’s a government of the entire nation of Israel.”
“I want to tell you, Mr. Prime Minister, we are behind you. We will help and aid you for the success of the government under your leadership,” Bennett added.
Jewish Home agreed to join after Netanyahu agreed to its demand to appoint MK Ayelet Shaked as justice minister. Netanyahu also named Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett as the new education minister and outgoing construction minister Uri Ariel as the new agriculture minister.
The announcement that a coalition has been formed follows days of tense negotiations, including some days with no communication between Likud and Jewish Home. Talks were renewed on Tuesday evening, after Likud officials applied heavy pressure on Jewish Home officials and religious Zionist rabbis to push Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett to sign a coalition deal.
Likud MK Miri Regev had said, “I call on Bennett to immediately join the government, enabling the establishment of a nationalist government. It is time to start working and stop playing ‘all-you-can-eat’ games.'”
On the other side, Jewish Home had accused Likud of humiliating it during the course of the coalition talks, particularly when Likud gave Shas control of the rabbinical courts and did not agree to appoint a Jewish Home member as deputy religious services minister.
Had Netanyahu not been able to reach a coalition by the midnight deadline, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin would have had to hold another round of consultations with party leaders and then give another party head, most likely Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog, the mandate to form the government—or he could have even called for a new election.
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Dionne Warwick won’t cancel Israel concert despite BDS pressure
(JNS.org) American singer Dionne Warwick said Wednesday that she will not cancel her planned concert in Israel despite pressure from Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement activists.
“Art has no boundaries,” Warwick said a day after hip-hop and R&B singer Lauryn Hill announced the cancellation of her scheduled concert in Israel only three days before the performance.
Warwick “would never fall victim to the hard pressures of Roger Waters, from Pink Floyd, or other political people who have their views on politics in Israel,” said a press statement made on behalf of the singer.
“Waters’s political views are of no concern to Ms. Warwick, as she holds her own unique views on world matters. Art has no boundaries. Ms. Warwick will always honor her contracts… If Ms. Warwick had an objection to performing in Israel, no offer would have been entertained and no contract would have been signed,” the statement added, the Jerusalem Post reported.
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Al Jazeera America responds to allegations of anti-Semitism
(JNS.org) Al Jazeera America, the cable news operator which is funded by the government of Qatar, has responded to allegations by a former employee that a top executive engaged in anti-Semitic, anti-American, and sexist behavior.
“Al Jazeera America does not tolerate any discriminatory conduct and we take great pride in the diversity of our organization and its leadership,” Al Jazeera CEO Ehab Al Shihabi said in a statement. “The recent attacks on us as being anti-Semitic, sexist and anti-American are absurd. Al Jazeera America’s values are based on the highest ethical standards and professionalism. Integrity and respect guide our conduct internally and externally.”
Matthew Luke, who was fired from Al Jazeera America in February, filed a $15 million lawsuit for alleged wrongful termination in retaliation for his complaints regarding Al Jazeera America executive Osman Mahmud, USA Today reported.
Luke claimed that Mahmud purposely excluded women from emails and meetings relevant to their assignments as well as making anti-Semitic and anti-American remarks. Additionally, Luke alleged that Mahmud sought to replace an Israeli cameraman with a Palestinian one.
Launched two years ago, Al Jazeera America has some of the lowest ratings in cable news, drawing only 30,000 viewers a night.
Meanwhile, a top Al-Jazeera America executive, Marcy McGinnis, said that she is resigning from her position over disagreements on the decisions and direction set forth by Al Shihabi, according to her resignation letter, CNN Money reported. Two other executives at the network, Diana Lee, vice president of human resources, and Dawn Bridges, executive vice president of communications, also resigned last week.
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Hundreds of Jews make pilgrimage to Tunisian synagogue despite terror threats
(JNS.org) Hundreds of Jews are making a pilgrimage to the ancient Tunisian synagogue of El Ghriba on the island of Djerba, despite warnings of a possible terror attack against Jewish targets.
“There is a lot of security, there are soldiers and police everywhere and that is very reassuring to us,” French-Jewish tourist Lorine Bendayan told AFP.
Tunisian security forces have erected barriers and checkpoints around the Jewish district on the island.
On Sunday, Tunisian Interior Minister Mohamed Nahem Gharsalli visited Djerba with other Tunisian senior security officials to assess the preparations for the pilgrimage, promising that the Tunisian government will protect the Jewish population.
“My visit is part of monitoring the latest preparations ahead of the pilgrimage to El Ghriba and the mobilisation of security and military forces and the civil protection and Navy to ensure the success of festivities,” said Gharsalli, AllAfrica.com reported.
Gharsalli added, “Tunisia is able to protect Jews and all its guests better than any other country.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel has received “concrete threats” of terror attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets in Tunisia.
In the past year, North Africa has become a hotbed for Islamic extremism, with the al-Qaeda and Islamic State terror groups both active in neighboring Libya, where they have murdered dozens of Christians.
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