Two explosions rock Eilat
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Two powerful explosions echoed through the Red Sea resort town of Eilat on Thursday night, shortly before 10 p.m. A Color Red alert did not sound beforehand. Several city residents dialed the police emergency hotline and reported the blasts.
The Israel Defense Forces and police dispatched personnel to locate the blast site and any possible projectiles, but have not reported any findings.
The blasts came as fighting between the Egyptian army and armed groups intensified in northern Sinai, near the city of el-Arish and Egypt’s border with Rafah, in the Gaza Strip.
“I was on my way to the Chicago Restaurant at the Hilton Hotel,” recounted one Eilat resident. “Just as I was approaching the entrance to the restaurant I heard one big boom and then another one. I was very scared, but I saw that it wasn’t fazing anyone else so maybe it was just me, though it’s possible people didn’t hear [the blast] because of the music.”
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July 4th celebrated at U.S. ambassador to Israel’s home
(JNS.org) Red, white and blue balloons, hamburger stands, fireworks and lavish gifts from commercial sponsors were all part of U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro’s July 4th party at his home in Herzliya Pituach.
Some 5,000 guests arrived at Shapiro’s home to celebrate the 237th anniversary of U.S. independence on Thursday. Among the guests were President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. Also present were the prime minister’s wife, Sara, and their son Yair.
“July 4th is first and foremost an American holiday,” Netanyahu said at the celebration, Israel Hayom reported. “It’s a time when Americans celebrate their freedom; it’s a time when they celebrate the cherished principles of American democracy. These are values we deeply share here in Israel. In the Middle East, Israel has always been an island of stability and democracy in a sea of instability and despotism.”
“We are celebrating not only our independence but our journey together,” Shapiro said of the U.S. and Israel. “The unbreakable security alliance and economic ties [between our countries] are based on shared fundamental principles.”
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Israeli high school students win contest with robot wedding
(JNS.org) A team of 9th-graders from a high school in Rehovot, Israel, won the RoboCup 2013 international robotics competition in Holland with their robotic re-enactment of a Jewish wedding, returning to Israel on Wednesday night with the first-place trophy.
The competition included contestants from more than 40 countries, including the U.S., Australia, Slovenia and Turkey. The students had been tasked with creating robots to act out one of three scenarios: A soccer match between a pair of two-person robot teams, a choreographed dance, or a rescue robot that can identify victims at disaster scenes and navigate to safety.
“We [the students and I] built bride and groom robots that, using sensors, know to enter the wedding canopy and start dancing. The robots we built are considered tall, at 1.3 meters [4 feet], and that also impressed people in the competition,” said Sarit Zaltsman, the teacher in charge of the robotics division at the high school, according to Israel Hayom. Zaltsman accompanied her students throughout the competition.
“Our robots were well constructed, I know this will help me in the future,” student and team member Daniel Golub said.
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Investigation approved on Arab incitement against pro-IDF Christian leader
(JNS.org) Israeli Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein has signed off on a secret investigation of Arab members of the Israeli Knesset over their alleged incitement against pro-IDF Christian leader Father Gabriel Nadaf, the Knesset’s Internal Affairs and Environment Committee said in a statement on Wednesday.
Although there were conflicting reports as to the whether such an investigation was actually underway, the subject produced a heated debate in a committee hearing held earlier Wednesday, Israel Hayom reported. Likud members of Knesset (MKs) criticized Arab lawmakers for allegedly sending threatening letters to Nadaf to protest his recent statements, in which he urged Arab Christians to join the Israel Defense Forces.
According to the Likud MKs, some in the National Democratic Assembly (a predominantly Arab party), including MK Hanin Zoabi, were outraged over Nadaf’s comments and tried to pressure him and the Christian Officer Forum to retract the statements. This pressure was allegedly accompanied by threats. Chief Superintendent Revital Karako, who represented the Israel Police in the hearing, told the committee that Weinstein had summoned the Arab MKs for questioning.
During the hearing, committee Chairwoman Miri Regev (Likud) said, “We must not let Arab MKs become Trojan horses inside the Knesset or allow them to send threatening letters against a Christian cleric who has been encouraging Christian youths to join the IDF.”
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Preceding provided by JNS.org