Hamas holding two Israelis hostage in Gaza since last September
(JNS.org) The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas has been holding two Israeli citizens in Gaza captive for the last 10 months, one whose identity was revealed Thursday upon the lifting of a gag order by the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court.
An Israeli man of Ethiopian descent, 28-year-old Avera Mengistu, has been held by Hamas since crossing the border fence into Gaza last September. The identity of the other hostage remains under gag order. It is unclear why Mengistu entered Gaza.
“This is a painful situation which I, together with the relevant officials at the President’s Office, have been following closely since it began,” Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said. “I am in contact with the Mengistu family and I know that all the relevant authorities have been working tirelessly, and monitoring the issue closely, from the moment Avraham [Mengistu] crossed over the fence. This is a humanitarian issue, and we expect those holding him to behave accordingly and return him in good health. According to the information which has arisen, Mengistu is being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. We will continue to make every effort in order to bring an end to this incident, as soon as possible.”
Hamas spokesman Salah Bardawil declined to comment on the two Israelis.
“We don’t have any information about it,” said Bardawil, the Associated Press reported. “Even if is true, we don’t have instructions to talk about it.”
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U2 frontman Bono dedicates song to former Israeli president Peres
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) A moving tribute awaited former Israeli president Shimon Peres on Wednesday when U2 frontman Bono dedicated the song “One” to the Israeli statesman during a concert in Toronto.
Peres, who was attending a conference in Canada, was surprised when he received a personal invitation from Bono to be his guest at the concert, which was attended by 20,000 people.
“We understand, President Peres, that you have tried to be the voice of reason. And you’ve dedicated a lot of your life, all of your life, to try and bring peace in this really dangerous region,” the Irish singer said before performing the song “One.”
“Don’t give up on the two-state solution. At age 92, we know we can count on you,” Bono told Peres, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who will celebrate his 92nd birthday next month. “We’re going to sing this song with two ancient peoples in mind. This is called ‘One.’ Mr. President, we’re all going to sing it to you.”
Peres thanked the rocker, calling Bono “a voice for hope and peace.”
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Argentine president refuses to apologize for anti-Semitic slur
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has refused to apologize for anti-Semitic remarks she posted on Twitter last week in which she compared investment funds contributing to Argentina’s extensive national debt to William Shakespeare’s famous Jewish antagonist Shylock, playing on the old anti-Semitic claim of Jews trying to control global finance.
Fernandez tweeted the remarks following a visit to a Buenos Aires school, where she told 10-year-old students that to understand Argentina’s economic crisis, they should read Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. In that play, Jewish moneylender Shylock demands a pound of flesh in repayment for a loan.
“No, don’t laugh. Usury and bloodsuckers have been immortalized in the greatest literature for centuries,” Kirchner tweeted.
Kirchner has not only refused to apologize for the remarks, which have caused uproar in the country’s large Jewish community, but she also mocked her critics by saying that The Merchant of Venice was performed at the Habima Theater in Israel.
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Obama says odds of reaching Iran nuclear deal ‘less than 50-50’
(JNS.org) President Barack Obama has reportedly said that the odds of world powers reaching a nuclear deal with Iran are “less than 50-50.”
During a dinner with Senate Democrats on Tuesday evening, Obama said he thought the chances of arriving at a deal “were less than 50-50 at this point and that he wouldn’t agree to something he thought was weak or unenforceable,” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said in an interview with Politico on Wednesday.
“But if [Obama] comes up with an agreement and it meets his standards, he wanted us to take an honest look at it and not prejudge,” added Durbin.
According to the report, Obama sounded pessimistic concerning a nuclear deal with Iran as the negotiations missed yet another self-imposed deadline on July 7, while he also tried to assure Senate Democratic leaders that he would be willing to walk away from a bad deal with the Islamic Republic.
“He said, ‘Don’t get nervous, don’t get concerned about statements by the supreme leader, about statements in the press.I am not going to sign a deal where we can’t assure that we’ve blocked all pathways to a bomb for Iran.’ I found that very reassuring,” U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said.
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Palestinian terrorist’s father calls his son ‘hero’ in TV interview
(JNS.org) The Palestinian news agency Ma’an recently conducted an interview on the TV program “In a Prisoner’s Home” with the father of terrorist Abdallah Barghouti, who is serving 67 life sentences for terrorism, in which the father called his son a “hero.”
Barghouti masterminded some of the worst suicide bombings in Israel between 2000 and 2005—attacks that killed 67 Israelis. His father said in the interview that he is “proud” of his son, and called him a “noble fighter.”
“Abdallah Barghouti, I am proud of him, because everyone knows of Abdallah Barghouti and what he generously did for Palestine. I am proud of him and I say: Praise Allah who gave me this hero, noble fighter for Palestine and its cause. I say: Praise Allah, Lord of the Universes, Abdallah fought for Palestine and left his family, his father and mother, and left behind three children, two girls and a boy, and sacrificed everything for the Palestinian cause,” the father said, Palestinian Media Watch reported Wednesday.
“I ask every Palestinian of noble soul to follow in the footsteps of Abdallah Barghouti for Palestine and Jerusalem,” he added.
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‘Wonder Woman’ Gal Gadot reflects on IDF service and starring role
(JNS.org) Israeli actress Gal Gadot, who will portray the role of Wonder Woman in the “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” film that is due out in March 2016, said in an interview that her Israel Defense Forces (IDF) service helped prepare her for a career in Hollywood.
“The army wasn’t that difficult for me. The military gave me good training for Hollywood,” Gadot told Fashion Magazine.
When it comes to her role as Wonder Woman, which she will portray in the film alongside Henry Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman, Gadot said that the character “is the ultimate symbol of strength. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d grow up to be in a movie playing someone who influenced as many women as she has.”
Gadot said her role in the upcoming film is also empowering for her as a woman.
“Nowadays being a woman is hard,” she said, “because we have to be the best wife, best mother, best worker, best everything! But I truly believe we are more empowered… we’re also stronger, sophisticated and can achieve what we want. That’s what I would like my daughter to know.”
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Egyptian military says it has killed 241 jihadists in Sinai operations
(JNS.org) The Egyptian military says it killed 241 jihadists and lost 21 of its own soldiers during operations against an Islamic State-affiliated terror group in the Sinai Peninsula from July 1-5, AFP reported.
According to Cairo, the military is continuing to target jihadists in and around the northern Sinai city of Sheikh Zuweid.
Additionally, an Egyptian official told the Saudi daily newspaperAsharq Al-Awsat that many foreigners were found among the killed jihadists.
“Initial findings show Turks, Palestinians and Syrians among the dead,” the official said.
Meanwhile, five Egyptian civilians were killed in the northern Sinai on Wednesday when a mortar strike hit their home amid a battle between the Egyptian military and jihadists. It was not immediately clear who fired the mortar, as both sides use mortar strikes in their attacks.
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Palestinian court upholds immunity for Abbas rival Mohammed Dahlan
(JNS.org) A Palestinian appeals court has ruled to uphold parliamentary immunity for former Palestinian Authority (PA) legislator Mohammed Dahlan, who is seen by many as a potential challenger to PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
The ruling could mean that Dahlan, who has been in exile for the last several years in the United Arab Emirates, could return to the West Bank and run for PA president if Abbas—whose term has been expired since 2009—calls for new elections or steps down as president.
“We respect decisions by the Palestinian judiciary on the principle of the independence of the judicial authority,” said Abbas’s legal adviser, Hassan Al-Awri, Reuters reported.
As a rising star in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in the 1990s, Dahlan was promoted to head of security in Gaza. In 2006, he won a seat in the PA’s legislative body. But in 2007, when the Hamas terrorist ousted the Fatah political party and the PA from Gaza, many inside the PA blamed Dahlan for Hamas’s rise. His fall from grace continued in 2011 when he was charged with corruption and embezzlement by Abbas, and was stripped of his legislative seat.
Nevertheless, Dahlan has maintained some popularity among Palestinians and is continually mentioned as a possible successor to Abbas.
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