Netanyahu vows to stem terror wave after fatal Rosh Hashanah attack

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting in Jerusalem on Tuesday night to discuss ways to stem the recent surge of rock-throwing and firebombing attacks in Israel’s capital, including the killing of 64-year-old Jerusalem resident Alexander Levlovich in a rock-throwing attack as he drove home from a Rosh Hashanah eve dinner.

Attending the meeting were Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, Shin Bet Director Yoram Cohen, and acting Israel Police Commissioner Benzi Sau.

“We will fight aggressively against those who are seeking to violate the status quo on the Temple Mount. And we will enact a sharp change in policy regarding the throwers of rocks and firebombs. We will use any means necessary to restore quiet in Jerusalem and the surrounding area,” Netanyahu said at the meeting.

Netanyahu announced he would promote fast-track legislation that would set minimum sentences for perpetrators of rock-throwing and firebomb attacks. He also said the quickest way to deal with the problem was to keep perpetrators of such attacks in administrative detention throughout the course of legal proceedings against them. Further, Israel will examine changes in the rules of engagement for security forces and the levying of substantial fines on minors who take part in rock-throwing and firebomb attacks.
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Israel mulls its approach to Syria after Russia ramps up military presence

(BreakingIsraelNews.com/JNS.org) Following the recent increase in Russia’s military presence in Syria, Israeli officials are reassessing how to handle the fallout of the ongoing Syrian civil war.

Israel has until now assumed a standoffish approach to the Syrian conflict, sporadically retaliating to attacks by targeting weapons depots and military convoys in Syria that it deemed threatening. But with the increase of Russian military support in Syria backing President Bashar al-Assad, Israeli officials may need to change tactics.

In the aftermath of reports indicating that Russia’s diplomatic and logistical support for Assad’s forces is turning into major military backing, Israel has started putting plans in place to avoid an accidental confrontation with Moscow.

Asked at the Interdisciplinary Center conference in Herzliya, Israel, if Russian intervention in Syria might necessitate new Israeli rules of engagement, Ram Ben-Barak, director-general of Israel’s Intelligence Ministry, said that “there could certainly be ramifications for us.”

During the conference, experts described Russian policy in Syria as both an effort to shore up Assad and to mobilize Russian forces together with other world powers in order to suppress Islamic State terrorists.

Amos Gilad, senior adviser to Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, said in a speech, “We have been informed that the Russians are entering into active intervention, the Americans are attacking…The West and now, in fact, the Russians and the whole world are trying to unite against [Islamic State].”
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Some Israeli universities rise, others drop in global rankings

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Israel’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Bar-Ilan University, and Tel Aviv University all rose from the previous year in the prestigious QS World University Rankings for 2015-16, published Tuesday. Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology saw their rankings drop.

The QS ranking system is based on six performance indicators that “assess universities in four areas: research, teaching, employability and internationalization.” Each indicator is assigned a certain weight: academic reputation (40 percent), employer reputation (10 percent), student-to-faculty ratio (20 percent), citations per faculty (20 percent), international faculty ratio (5 percent), and international student ratio (5 percent).

Ben-Gurion University stood out among Israeli universities, leaping 33 places from the previous report to come in at 259th place. Tel Aviv University climbed eight places to be ranked 203rd. Bar-Ilan University was ranked among the 601-650 top universities (up from the previous report, when it was in the 651-700 group). The University of Haifa did not make the top 700 universities, but is mentioned alongside other universities in the “701 plus” group. Hebrew University dropped 10 places to 148th, and Technion dropped eight places to 198th.

Anti-Israel British MP Jeremy Corbyn elected new Labour leader

(JNS.org) Far-left U.K. parliament member Jeremy Corbyn, who has a history of anti-Israel rhetoric and a controversial association with a group run by a Holocaust denier, was elected overwhelmingly as the new leader of his country’s opposition Labour Party on Saturday.

The 66-year-old Corbyn, who won nearly 60 percent of the ballot in the first round and became the clear victor over three other Labour ministers, is known for his denunciations of the Israel Defense Forces, and his reference to the terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah as “friends.” Corbyn has in the past also offered to host representatives of the two terror groups in the British Parliament.

In an interview with the anti-Israel website Electronic Intifada in August, Corbyn expressed support for imposing an arms embargo on Israel and boycotting Israeli universities involved in arms research.

“I think we have to push robustly for the limitation of arms supplies [to Israel],” Corbyn said.

Last month, the London Jewish Chronicle also accused Corbyn in an editorial of donating funds to Deir Yassin Remembered (DYR), an organization run by Holocaust denier Paul Eisen. Eisen wrote a blog in which he called Corbyn a “long-standing associate.”

Corbyn has called this allegation “ludicrous and wrong,” and claimed he did not know about Eisen’s views about the Holocaust when he attended a few DYR meetings some years ago, according to the Guardian.

With regard to his reference to Hamas and Hezbollah as “friends,” Corbyn told U.K.’s Channel 4 News in July that he used the term in “a collective way, saying our friends are prepared to talk.”

“I think to bring about a peace process, you have to talk to people with whom you may profoundly disagree,” he said.

Board of Deputies of British Jews President Jonathan Arkush told the Telegraph in August that “the Jewish community has some very deep concerns about the reported links to a Holocaust denier and anti-Semite. Of course his views are very hostile to Israel. But the Jewish community was also very concerned about his seeming partiality towards Hamas and Hezbollah, which are both proscribed terrorist organizations.”

A recent Jewish Chronicle poll showed that seven in 10 British Jews were concerned about Corbyn becoming the Labour leader. These concerns are “not at all exaggerated” and “held by a very, very wide consensus of the (British Jewish) community,” Arkush said.
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U.S. and Israel near a deal on David’s Sling missile defense shield

(JNS.org) Israel and the United States are close to reaching an agreement on the co-production of the David’s Sling missile defense shield system.

U.S. Navy Vice Admiral James Syring, director of the Missile Defense Agency, told U.S. lawmakers on Thursday that negotiations with Israel continue on the deal and the system is expected to be operational next year following a series of successful intercept tests last April, Reuters reported.

David’s Sling was designed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems along with the U.S. defense firm Raytheon, and is designed to defend against medium-to-long range rockets and missiles from 63-125 miles. It will fill the gap between Israel’s short-range Iron Dome and Arrow ballistic missile interceptor systems, which are already in service.

The announcement comes as the U.S. is attempting to assuage fears among regional allies of Iran’s ballistic missile threat, following failed efforts to stop the nuclear deal in Congress.

“There is no doubt in my mind that Iran’s ballistic missile activities continue to pose a risk to the United States and our allies and partners in Europe, Israel, and the Gulf,” Robert Scher, assistant defense secretary for strategy, plans, and capabilities, told U.S. lawmakers Thursday, Reuters reported.

Scher said the U.S. would continue to push for cooperative missile defense programs among allies in the Middle East since the nuclear deal did not cover Iran’s work on ballistic missiles.
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India approves $400 million deal to buy 10 Israeli Heron drones

(JNS.org) The Indian government has reportedly approved a $400 million deal to purchase 10 Israeli-made Heron TP drones.

Senior Indian defense officials said the project has been “accelerated under directions from the highest levels of government” and that the drones may join service “within a year,” India’s Economic Timesreported.

The Heron drones are similar in capability to the U.S. unmanned Predator drones, which are capable of reconnaissance, combat, and support roles. The Heron drones can carry a payload of more than 2,200 pounds and are equipped with air-to-ground missiles that can detect and destroy targets deep in enemy territory.

Indian officials believe the drones will enhance India’s ability to take out large terrorist camps or individual targets in hostile territory.

“It is very good if something like this is happening. Instead of sending a pilot in a high-risk area, it is best to use an armed drone. The system can also be used for a surprise, sneak attack,” former Indian Air Chief PV Naik said.
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New York Times criticized for chart singling out Jewish lawmakers

(JNS.org) The New York Times is drawing fire for a chart that it published on Thursday about Democratic opposition to the Iran nuclear deal. The chart highlighted the Jewishness of the opposing lawmakers and their Jewish constituencies.

Appearing in the international section of the newspaper under “Lawmakers Against the Iran Nuclear Deal,” the chart listed Congressional Democrats opposing the deal followed by a column headed “Jewish?” Another column showed the lawmaker’s “district and estimated Jewish population.”

“The newspaper’s decision to signal that Jewishness is the central factor to be scrutinized when looking at opponents of the deal evokes a number of dark and dangerous stereotypes,” the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) watchdog group said in email alert about the chart.

Jonathan Greenblatt, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said the chart was “offensive” and that the newspaper should print an “admission of error.”

The chart “reinforces stereotypes about American Jews and dual loyalty, distracts from real issues,” Greenblatt said.

While the New York Times removed the “Jewish?” column of the chart by Friday, the editor behind the chart stood by his decision.

New York Times deputy Washington editor Jonathan Weisman said on Twitter, “As I said, I take responsibility for graphic & don’t apologize. We kept data, just put it into intro. I’m Jewish.”

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Articles from JNS.org appear on San Diego Jewish World through the generosity of Dr. Bob and Mao Shillman.