Israeli ministers increase efforts to fight boycotts
(JNS.org) Israeli government ministers are increasing their efforts to fight academic, consumer, cultural, and sports boycotts against Israel in what has become a significant diplomatic priority for the Jewish state.
Last Friday, Israel was able to thwart a Palestinian motion asking FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, to suspend the Jewish state from its ranks. Science, Technology and Space Minister Danny Danon plans to convene the heads of Israel’s universities next week to discuss how to defeat boycotts against Israeli academics, scientists, and researchers.
Danon said Monday that Israeli researchers seeking recognition from leading institutions overseas must often contend with “passive rejection,” meaning they are politely deferred or ignored.
“Unfortunately, we have to deal with organizations and agencies that have made it their mission to undermine Israel rather than promote research and development,” he said.
Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev said her ministry will form a special task force to prevent and counter boycotts against Israel.
“[Pro-Palestinian groups] urge economic, academic, cultural, and sports boycotts, and to them it is ‘right’ and ‘moral’ to wage a libelous propaganda campaign against Israel’s economy, and the wonderful intellectuals and artists based in Israel and abroad,” Regev said.
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IDF detains Hamas members on fishing boat that violated restrictions
(JNS.org) The Israeli Navy on Monday intercepted a Palestinian fishing boat carrying members of the Hamas terrorist group that repeatedly violated Israeli restrictions on fishing off the Gaza Strip.
According to military officials, the interception was necessary after the boat made several attempts to go beyond the area in which fishing is allowed, despite warnings to its crew to stop. Eventually, after firing several warning shots in the air and in the water, Israeli troops fired at the boat itself, after which point it was diverted to the Ashdod port and its crew was taken in for questioning. A Dvora-class fast patrol boat escorted the fishing boat along the way.
Gaza media reported that the boat was raided by the Israeli Navy’s elite commando unit, Shayetet 13. According to the reports, after Israeli forces detained several Hamas members, the ship was instructed to head to Ashdod.
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Ahead of ‘Unity Day,’ memorial held for 3 Jewish teens murdered by Hamas
(JNS.org) More than 1,000 people attended a memorial ceremony on Monday in the Judea and Samaria community of Talmon that marked one year since Israeli teenagers Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel, and Eyal Yifrach were kidnapped and murdered by Hamas terrorists in an incident that sparked last summer’s Gaza conflict.
Though the three boys are believed to have been murdered on the day of their abduction, their bodies were not found until 18 days later. Among those present at the ceremony were members of the search teams who looked for the boys as well as the special Israel Defense Forces unit that assisted the families during the search last summer.
Friends, relatives, and youth group leaders spoke about their memories of the boys.
“Exactly one year ago, I opened a new file on my computer and named it, ‘Waiting for Gil-adush,’” said Bat-Galim Shaar, using an affectionate nickname for her late son. “Since then, the file has filled up, and, in a way, our lives emptied.”
On Wednesday, June 3, Israelis will mark the first “Unity Day,” an initiative to bridge gaps and encourage tolerance in Israeli society and in Jewish communities abroad, created by the murdered boys’ bereaved parents, Israel’s Education Ministry, the Jerusalem municipality, and the Gesher non-profit.
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Egyptian historian: normalize relations with Israel, ditch Palestinian cause
(JNS.org) Prominent Egyptian historian Maged Farag called for his country to normalize relations with Israel and to ditch support for the Palestinian cause.
According to a report by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which translated Farag’s May 28 appearance Egypt’s Mehwar TV, Farag called on his fellow countrymen to leave “the old ideology and cultural heritage on which we were raised”—referencing the rampant anti-Semitism among the Egyptian population—and to embrace Israel out of national interests.
“There are no such things as eternal enmity or eternal love,” said Farag. “There are only eternal interests. We should identify our country’s interest. [Winston] Churchill once said that he was ready to cooperate with the Devil in the interest of his country. As a man who knows a little bit about history and about international relations, I believe that it is in our interest to maintain normal relations with Israel.”
Citing Israeli technological advances such as drip irrigation, Farag said, “They used this technology to cultivate the desert, so why can’t we use it here? Why can’t I benefit from someone who used to be my enemy?”
Farag also said the Palestinians have shown no interest in resolving “their own problems.”
“For over 70 years, the Palestinian cause has brought upon Egypt and the Egyptians nothing but harm, destruction, and expense,” said Farag.
Despite signing peace treaty in 1979, Egypt and Israel have maintained a cold peace. Under new Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, both countries have had a mutual interest in defeating Islamic extremist groups in the Sinai Peninsula and thwarting Hamas in Gaza. But anti-Semitism remains deeply embedded within Egyptian culture.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham, vocal supporter of Israel, launches presidential bid
(JNS.org) U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) announced his bid for president on Monday, joining an increasingly crowded Republican field.
Graham has been a vocal supporter of Israel and a fierce critic of President Barack Obama’s policies on the Jewish state. Amid his presidential candidacy announcement, Graham tweeted, “To our friends in Israel, I will never abandon you. I will always stand firm in supporting the one and only Jewish state.” He added, “Our ally Israel is at risk as a result of Obama’s failed leadership. We share values, we share democracy, & our friendship is unbreakable.”
During a visit to Israel last week, Graham vowed a “violent backlash” against any nation looking to push for a Palestinian statehood resolution in the United Nations Security Council.
“If there’s an effort by any nation to have the [U.N.] Security Council define the terms of the peace process, there will be a violent backlash from the United States Congress in a bipartisan fashion,” Graham said.
Graham’s remarks alluded to a recently announced proposal by France that vowed to recognize a Palestinian state if there is no agreement between Israel and the Palestinians through an upcoming French-backed U.N. Security Council resolution.
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Turkey’s Erdogan calls for ‘liberation’ of Jerusalem ahead of elections
(JNS.org) Turkey’s Islamist president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called for the “liberation” of Jerusalem during a rally ahead of Turkish parliamentary elections later this week.
“Conquest is Mecca, conquest is Saladin, it’s to hoist the Islamic flag over Jerusalem again; conquest is the heritage of Mehmed II and conquest means forcing Turkey back on its feet,” Erdogan said in a campaign speech on Saturday, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
Erdogan’s remarks came at a political rally celebrating 562 years since the Muslim Turks captured Constantinople from the Christian Byzantine Empire on May 29, 1453. Erdogan’s comments referenced the Muslim military hero Saladin, who captured Jerusalem from the Crusaders during the 12th century.
Turkey is holding parliamentary elections on June 7. Erdogan hopes that his Islamist AKP Party will win at least two-thirds of the 550 seats in the Turkish parliament, which would enable him to amend the constitution to give more power to the office of the president. But recent opinion polls indicate that Erdogan’s party will fall well short of the two-thirds threshold and may even fail to win a simple majority for the first time in 12 years.
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Narendra Modi to become first Indian prime minister to visit Israel
(JNS.org) India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, will become the first holder of his office to visit Israel later this year.
Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj revealed the plans, saying no date for Modi’s trip has been set yet and that the visit would take place “as per mutually convenient dates.”
While the official state visit will be the first of its kind for a sitting Indian leader, Modi already visited Israel in 2007 as part of a high-tech agricultural conference when he was leader of the Indian state of Gujarat from 2001-2014.
Since taking office last year, Modi has led a shift towards greater Indian ties with Israel. In February, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon visited India, where the two countries finalized a major defense deal worth more than $1.5 billion.
Modi also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Reports have indicated that Modi is considering a shift in his country’s pro-Palestinian stance at the U.N.
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