Pope Francis conveys Rosh Hashanah wishes, speaks on Middle East and interfaith relations
(JNS.org) In a meeting with global Jewish leaders at the Vatican, Pope Francis I wished Jews around the world a sweet and peaceful new year ahead of the Rosh Hashanah holiday.
During the private informal meeting, attended by members of the World Jewish Congress and its Latin American affiliates, Pope Francis spoke extensively about the situation in Syria, the need for protection of Christian minorities in the Middle East, and Jewish-Christian relations, specifically mentioning bans on kosher slaughter in Poland.
Pope Francis reiterated his statement from last June that a “Christian cannot be an anti-Semite” and that “to be good a Christian it is necessary to understand Jewish history and traditions.”
“Pope Francis’ leadership has not only reinvigorated the Catholic Church but also given a new momentum to relations with Judaism. Never in the past 2,000 years have relations between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people been so good,” WJC President Ronald S. Lauder said in a statement.
Since becoming pontiff in March, Pope Francis has made Jewish-Christian relations a priority, continuing the legacy of his predecessors. He has met several times with Jewish leaders and has announced tentative plans to visit Israel next year.
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Hamas slams Egypt’s destruction of homes along Gaza border for buffer zone
(JNS.org) The Egyptian military has reportedly destroyed nearly 20 homes along Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip as part of a widespread effort to crackdown on terrorists operating in the Sinai Peninsula.
Residents near the border with Gaza say Egyptian military authorities have begun to tear down homes that are suspected of hiding tunnel entrances, Reuters reported.
Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group which controls Gaza and that relies on the smuggling of weapons and goods into the territory, slammed Egypt’s decision.
“We reject any concept of building a buffer zone. Buffer zones should not be built between brothers and between friendly countries,” said Ehab al-Ghsain, spokesman for the Hamas government in Gaza, according to Reuters.
Hamas officials also said that the military crackdown on smuggling tunnels has led to dire fuel shortages in the Gaza Strip, the Associated Press reported.
Since the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi on July 3, the Egyptian military, which blames Hamas for supporting terrorist groups in the Sinai Peninsula, has begun a widespread crackdown in the largely lawless region. The Egyptian military also accuses Hamas of interfering in Egyptian politics and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.
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Israel, U.S. conduct joint missile defense test in Mediterranean
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Israel’s Homa Administration in the Defense Ministry’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure (MAFAT), in cooperation with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), has successfully tested the Sparrow target missile used in anti-missile defense systems, the Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement Tuesday.
The statement came some four hours after the 9:15 a.m. missile test, and about one hour after the Russian Defense Ministry said its radar had picked up two “objects” that were fired from the middle of the Mediterranean towards the coastline.
Israel has recently carried out similar tests in conjunction with the U.S. MDA, but Tuesday’s test comes at a time of heightened tension in the region, with U.S. and Russian naval forces in the area ahead of a possible American-led strike against the Syrian regime for its use of chemical weapons in eastern Damascus.
“The objective of the exercise was to test the advanced capabilities of the new [Sparrow] missile as well as to hone the capabilities of the Arrow missile defense system, including radar capabilities and controls,” the Israeli statement said.
Israel’s four-layer defense capability includes the Iron Dome missile defense system, David’s Sling (currently in development), the Arrow 2 and the Arrow 3 (in development). Both the Iron Dome and Arrow 2 systems are already operational.
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Ousted Egyptian president Morsi to stand trial to face charges of inciting violence
(JNS.org) Ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi will stand trial to face charges of inciting violence, an Egyptian prosecutor announced.
The charges stem from an incident in December 2012, when Morsi and several Muslim Brotherhood leaders encouraged supporters to carry out murder, use violence, as well as arrest and torture peaceful protesters outside the presidential palace, al-Masry al-Youm reported.
Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat announced the charges against Morsi along with the Muslim Brotherood’s Freedom and Justice Party leader Essam al-Erian as well as several other Muslim Brotherhood officials.
According to al-Masry al-Youm, investigations revealed that there is evidence that defendants and their supporters “assaulted protesters, removing their tents, burning them and firing on demonstrators” after protestors gathered to demonstrated against Morsi’s controversial Constitutional Declaration, which gave him sweeping presidential powers.
Morsi is also being investigated for his escape from prison during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. He is accused of conspiring with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas to commit murder during the prison break, Reuters reported.
Morsi was ousted from power on July 3 by the Egyptian military.
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Peres backs Obama on Syria, other Israeli leaders critical
(JNS.org) Israeli President Shimon Peres says he has “full faith” in President Barack Obama’s recent decision to seek Congressional approval for a strike on Syria’s chemical weapons program.
“I recommend patience. I am confident that the United States will respond appropriately to Syria,” Peres said in an hour-long interview on Israeli Army Radio.
“Weighing how to proceed is not the same as stuttering,” Peres added.
Peres’s comments come amid criticism of Obama’s cautious approach from some other Israeli leaders. Some in Israel see Obama’s strategy as a sign of waning U.S. influence in the Middle East, and a sign that Israel is increasingly left on its own to defend itself against myriad regional threats.
“In Tehran, they’re opening the champagne, and switching into a higher gear en route to nuclear weapons,” HaBayit HaYehudi (Jewish Home) Housing Minister Uri Ariel said in a Facebook post on Sunday, according to the Times of Israel.
An anonymous senior Israeli official told CNN, “The psychological barrier has been broken, these [chemical] weapons are being used on a periodic basis [by Syria]. So what does President Obama do when the information comes that the Iranians are making a breakout? This is what is on people’s minds. Next time President Obama meets Netanyahu and he says ‘I have your back,’ how can you trust what he is saying?”
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Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat tops list of Israel’s richest politicians
(JNS.org) Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat topped a list published by Forbes of Israel’s richest politicians, with a net worth of NIS 450 million, or $124.5 million.
Barkat, along with his brother Eli, made his fortune as a high-tech entrepreneur and investor in the software company, Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.
Coming in second was Labor Member of Knesset Erel Margalit, with an estimated fortune of NIS 220 million ($60.8 million). Margalit is the founder of the venture capital firm Jerusalem Venture Partners.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came in sixth, with an estimated fortune of NIS 40 million ($11.06 million). Netanyahu made a large part of his fortune as a speaker during his brief retirement from politics in the early 2000s.
Minister of the Economy and Habayit HaYehudi party leader Naftali Bennett came in seventh with an estimated fortune of NIS 25 million ($69.1 million). He is the youngest person to make the list. Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid followed Bennett with estimated fortune of NIS 22 million ($60.8 million).
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Preceding provided by JNS.org