British historian spurns Israeli prize on ‘political’ grounds
(JNS.org) British feminist historian Catherine Hall of University College London declined an Israeli award, the lucrative Dan David Prize, for what she called “political” reasons. Hall did not attend the award ceremony at Tel Aviv University (TAU) on Sunday.
TAU administers annual $1 million prizes, named after late philanthropist Dan David, for researchers in three different fields. Hall was among the three researchers set to split the $1 million prize in social history. Ariel David, Dan David’s son, said the $300,000 intended for Hall will instead go toward funding scholarships for TAU students.
The British Committee for the Universities of Palestine, an organization of British academics who call for boycotting Israel, quoted Hall as saying that she made “an independent political choice, undertaken after many discussions with those who are deeply involved with the politics of Israel-Palestine, but with differing views as to how best to act.”
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Northern Israelis fear Lebanese border watchtowers could be manned by Hezbollah
(JNS.org) Residents of northern Israel have expressed concern over watchtowers they say have appeared on the Israeli-Lebanese border in recent days. The watchtowers are situated inside Lebanese territory, near the border fence. Locals fear that although the watchtowers were built by the Lebanese military, they could be manned by Hezbollah terrorists in future conflicts.
Nine such watchtowers have been spotted so far, in an area stretching from Rosh Hanikra to Moshav Zarit. According to Israeli defense officials, these are ordinary watchtowers, similar to those along the Israeli-Jordanian border. But residents fear Hezbollah will take over the positions, enabling fighters to observe military forces in Israeli territory or even shoot into Israeli border communities.
“This is a warning sign,” Kobi Cohen, a resident of Moshav Zarit, told the Walla news website. “There is only one group that could have put up these watchtowers, and that’s Hezbollah.”
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‘A lot of people just started beating me,’ Arab man says of Tel Aviv supermarket brawl
(JNS.org) A brawl erupted outside a central Tel Aviv supermarket on Sunday between Israeli Border Police officers and an Arab supermarket employee, sparking a massive uproar after witnesses claimed that the policemen used excessive force against the Arab man. Security-camera footage from the scene was inconclusive.
Speaking to Army Radio on Monday, 19-year-old Maysam Abu al-Qian said, “When I returned from making a delivery for the supermarket, a man dressed in civilian clothing stopped me and asked me for my ID card. He refused to tell me why he was asking for it or why I was being arrested. I asked to see his badge, or to see a uniformed police officer. It didn’t take long before more people arrived, and the altercation turned into a violent brawl. A lot of people just started beating me in the face, in the back, in the eye. I tried to explain and to ask what they wanted from me, but no one replied. I don’t know how long it lasted. I don’t remember much.”
The off-duty Border Police officers involved in the fight argued that al-Qian, a resident of the Bedouin village of Hura, refused their demand to produce identification and began attacking them violently, which prompted them to arrest him.
Several eyewitnesses posted personal accounts of the incident on Facebook, claiming an unprovoked attack by the police officers.
After a late-night hearing, a Tel Aviv judge released Al-Qian to house arrest.
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Israel has world’s 6th-highest life expectancy, World Health Organization says
(JNS.org) Despite ongoing security threats and regional instability, Israelis can expect to live well into their 80s, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) newly released global report on life expectancy.
Japan has the world’s highest average life expectancy—nearly 84 years—followed by Switzerland, Singapore, Australia, and Spain. Israel came in sixth. The shortest life expectancy belongs to Sierra Leone, with women in that country only expected to live to about 51 years and men about 59 years.
Israelis can expect an average lifespan of 82.5 years—80.6 for men and 84.3 for women, according to WHO. This sharply contrasts with some of Israel’s neighbors, including Jordan (74 years), Egypt (71 years), and Syria (65 years).
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Israelis prefer Yisrael Beiteinu over Labor in governing coalition, polls show
(JNS.org) Israelis prefer Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to invite the Yisrael Beiteinu party to join his governing coalition over inviting the Labor party, according to polls.
An Israel Hayom survey found Thursday that when asked to choose between the two parties, 48 percent of respondents preferred Yisrael Beiteinu joining the coalition, while 31 percent thought Labor was the better choice and 21 had no opinion the matter. But regarding Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman’s apparent appointment as defense minister, replacing Moshe Ya’alon, 46 percent of respondents opposed the move and 40 percent supported it.
A poll by Israel’s Channel 2 showed that 37 percent of respondents preferred seeing Yisrael Beiteinu join the Likud party-led government compared with the 24 percent who chose Labor, while 32 percent said neither party should join the coalition.
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