Report: Iran may receive $20 billion in sanctions relief, tripling stated figures
(JNS.org) Senior Obama Administration officials are admitting that the interim nuclear deal between Iran and world powers may give the Islamic Republic sanctions relief that is three times as large as figures announced in official statements, Haaretz reported Wednesday.
While the U.S. has said Iran will receive about $7 billion in sanctions relief, Haaretz cited security sources in Israel who said the relief could actually amount to $20 billion.
“Economics is a matter of expectations. The Iranian stock exchange is already rising significantly and many countries are standing in line to renew economic ties with Iran based on what was already agreed in Geneva,” said the sources, noting China’s desire to renew $9 billion in contracts for the development of Iranian oil industry.
“In any case, [the sanctions relief is] about 20 or 25 billion dollars. Even the Americans understand this,” the sources said.
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Dutch, British escalate boycott of Israeli firms beyond 1967 lines
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The Netherlands’ largest drinking water supplier, Vitens, announced Tuesday that it was immediately cutting its business ties with Israel’s national water corporation, Mekorot, over the company’s operations in the West Bank.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor noted that the Dutch may not want to conduct business with Mekorot, but the Palestinians do.
“It is more than strange that this Dutch company should boycott an Israel peer that works with the World Bank on a very important regional cooperation project, which includes the Jordanians and Palestinians,” Palmor said, referring to the newly announced project of building a pipeline from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. “This only shows that by caving in to boycott pressures, one makes absurd decisions that result in a topsy-turvy situation.”
Britain also increased its financial pressure on Israel, with the British Department of Trade and Investment issuing an advisory to British citizens and companies on Tuesday, warning them against pursuing business ventures with Israeli companies or communities located beyond the 1967 lines.
Israel allows construction materials into Gaza
(JNS.org) Israel on Wednesday resumed the delivery of construction materials into the Gaza Strip, after a pause following the discovery of a massive underground smuggling tunnel near Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha in mid-October.
The decision to allow the materials into the Gaza Strip was made by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, following requests from international groups and figures, among them U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. In light of Ban’s request, Ya’alon directed Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Eitan Dangot to work with U.N. envoy Robert Serry to formulate a mechanism that will ensure the materials are not taken by Hamas.
Dangot and Serry decided to implement a system of oversight and supervision over the delivery of construction materials earmarked for only U.N.-funded projects. The mechanism will consist of supervision over U.N.-affiliated workers on the various building projects, which will include Israel receiving periodic photographs and reports.
Hillel CEO tells Swarthmore it must abide by Israel guidelines to use umbrella’s name
(JNS.org) Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, wrote a letter to Hillel’s Swarthmore College chapter criticizing the decision by its student board to disavow the Jewish campus umbrella’s guidelines forbidding engagement with groups or speakers that “delegitimize, demonize or apply a double standard to Israel.”
“I hope you will inform your colleagues on the Student Board of Swarthmore Hillel that Hillel International expects all campus organizations that use the Hillel name to adhere to these guidelines. No organization that uses the Hillel name may choose to do otherwise,” Fingerhut wrote.
Fingerhut had told JNS.org last month, “There’s no question that Hillel loves Israel, Hillel is a pro-Israel organization, Hillel is about building Jewish identity… and at the core of Jewish identity is that Israel is the home of the Jewish people.”
The student board resolution, passed Sunday, said Swarthmore Hillel would “host and partner with any speaker at the discretion of the board, regardless of Hillel International’s Israel guidelines.” Swarthmore Hillel is aligning itself with the relatively new movement called “Open Hillel,” which calls for “inclusivity and open discourse at campus Hillels,” the Forward reported.
A report by NGO Monitor has shown a close relationship between the “Open Hillel” movement and Jewish Voice for Peace, a group that openly supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.
“Open Hillel has become a willing participant in the strategic effort by anti-Israel activists to split Jews over Israel. It is the old stratagem of divide and conquer,” said Yitzhak Santis, NGO Monitor’s chief programs officer.
NY Councilwoman-elect Laurie Cumbo apologizes for ‘Jewish landlords’ comment
(JNS.org) New York City Councilwoman-elect Laurie Cumbo has apologized for a previous statement about the “knockout” attacks on Jews in Brooklyn blaming “the accomplishments of the Jewish community” for “feelings of resentment” among the African American community. She also said that black residents in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn fear being “pushed out by their Jewish landlords.”
“I sincerely apologize to all of my constituents for any pain that I have caused by what I wrote… I have taken the last week to reflect… and I understand now that my words did not convey what was in my heart, which is a profound desire to bring our diverse communities closer together,” Cumbo said in her newly released statement.
ADL New York Regional Director Evan R. Bernstein, said, “We welcome Ms. Cumbo’s apology and her recognition that her remarks about the Jewish community evoked classic anti-Semitic stereotypes and as such were deeply offensive. We are encouraged by her desire to build bridges in the community and to work to promote positive relations between of all backgrounds in her council district.”
“The Jewish Future Alliance commends Laurie Cumbo for doing the right thing and apologizing. We look forward to working together in the future as ‘one community,’” said Yaacov Behrman, executive director of the Jewish Future Alliance.
Palestinians reject U.S. plan for Israeli presence in Jordan Valley
(JNS.org) Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has rejected U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s plan for a 10-year Israeli military presence in the Jordan Valley. Palestinian officials accuse the U.S. of adopting “Israel’s point of view” through the plan.
Kerry’s proposal, which was presented to Abbas last week, called for the Israeli military to be stationed on border crossings and mountaintops for up to 10 years. During this period of time, the Israeli military would train Palestinian security forces to eventually replace them.
“Americans are talking about the security arrangements to adopt the entire Israeli point of view, whether regarding the Jordan Valley, the border crossings, or the [West Bank’s] airspace,” an anonymous Palestinian official told the official Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam.
“The Palestinian position is to not [allow] any Israeli soldier in the Palestinian state,” the Palestinian official added.
Pope Francis prays for safety and religious liberty of Mideast Christians
(JNS.org) During a Mass with Egypt’s Catholic leader, Pope Francis prayed for the safety and religious liberty of Middle East Christians.
“Let real guarantees of religious liberty be given to all, together with the rights of Christians to live peacefully in the places where they were born, in the native country they love as citizens of more than 2,000 years, in order that they might contribute as always to the good of all,” Pope Francis said during Mass on Monday with Egypt’s Coptic Catholic leader Patriarch Ibrahim Isaac Sedrak, the Catholic News Service reported.
Since the 2011 revolution that removed former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s Christian population has faced numerous attacks, including on its holiest church, St Mark’s Cathedral in Cairo in April 2013. Anti-Christian violence then intensified following the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, after Islamists blamed Christians for their involvement. In mid-August, several dozen Christian homes, businesses, and churches were burned. Egyptian Christians have also faced a recent rise in kidnappings.
During the Mass, Pope Francis prayed for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians amid their ongoing U.S.-brokered negotiations.
“Let us pray with confidence that in the Holy Land and all the Middle East peace might be able to rise from the often recurring and sometimes dramatic breaks in the peace process,” the pontiff said.
Pope Francis, who recently met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time, is expected to visit Israel in May 2014.
Jerusalem places 4th on TripAdvisor’s ‘Destinations on the rise’ list
(JNS.org) The popular Internet travel site TripAdvisor has ranked Jerusalem fourth on its list of its 2013 Travelers’ Choice Awards for Destinations on the Rise.
The award highlights 54 global destinations that have seen the greatest increase in positive reviews by global travelers from year-to-year.
“For travelers looking for inspiration for their 2014 travel planning, TripAdvisor travelers have helped us put a spotlight on some amazing destinations that caught the eye of travelers this past year,” Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor said in a statement.
Jerusalem placed behind Havana, Cuba; La Fortuna de San Carlos, Costa Rica; and Kathmandu, Nepal.
Israel has been setting records for tourism this year, with more than 339,000 tourists arriving in October, the country’s highest monthly total ever, according to the Israeli Tourism Ministry.
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Preceding provided by JNS.org