Amid manhunt, Palestinians try to infiltrate West Bank Jewish community
(JNS.org) As Israeli security forces continued massive efforts to rescue three kidnapped teens, Palestinians on Monday tried to infiltrate the West Bank Jewish community of Kochav Yaakov, which is situated east of Ramallah in the Binyamin region.
Israel Defense Forces troops managed to disperse a cell of two or three Palestinians trying to get through the fence surrounding Kochav Yaakov, Israel Hayom reported. According to the IDF, Israeli soldiers fired shots at the Palestinians, wounding one. Another suspect fled.
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Parents of three abducted Israeli teens meet for first time
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The parents of the three abducted Israeli teens met for the first time on Tuesday, as the Shaar and Yifrach families arrived at the Frenkel family home in Nof Ayalon, near Modiin.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with the families again on Tuesday, and assured them that “the government and the military are sparing no effort” to retrieve their sons. Netanyahu convened Israel’s diplomatic-security cabinet for a special session on Monday to discuss the scope of the rescue operation.
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Israeli Defense Ministry gets $289 million budget increase
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The budget dispute between the Israeli defense and finance ministries was settled Monday, as the Finance Ministry partially granted the Defense Ministry’s request for a budget increase, appropriating an additional 1 billion shekels ($289 million).
The Defense Ministry had originally sought a budget increase of NIS 2.7 billion ($781 million), sparking a months-long dispute with the Finance Ministry. A defense official said Monday that the appropriated funds would allow the defense establishment to meet the budgetary challenges it faces in 2014.
One of the first issues to be addressed is the renewal of the Israeli Air Force’s training flights. Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz ordered the suspension of all non-essential and training air force flights on June 1, citing the budget crunch.
In exchange for the budget increase, the defense ministry agreed to vacate a military base adjacent to the Sde Dov Airport in Tel Aviv, freeing up prime real estate in the city and allowing the Israel Land Authority to develop the area.
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Jack Lew to make first trip to Israel as U.S. Treasury Secretary
(JNS.org) U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew will make his first visitto Israel in his current position next week to discuss economic cooperation between the two countries.
The Shabbat-observant Lew is currently on a tour of the Middle East, visiting the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia before coming to Israel next week as part of the U.S.-Israel Joint Economic Development Group (JEDG).
The JEDG is an annual bilateral meeting between the U.S. and Israel to discuss how to improve economic ties between the two countries as well as with the global economy.
Lew will meet with his Israeli counterpart, Finance Minister Yair Lapid, to discuss how to grow business ties and promote innovation and energy initiatives, the Israeli Finance Ministry said. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro and Bank of Israel head Karnit Flug will also attend.
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International community condemns kidnapping of Israeli teens
(JNS.org) World leaders have expressed their outrage and deep concern over the abduction of the three Israeli teens last Thursday.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, in a statement released on Sunday, said he “strongly condemns” the kidnapping and called for the teens’ “quick and safe return home.”
“The kidnapping shows more than anything else Hamas’s intentions,” said French MP Meir Habib, the head of the delegation, the Jerusalem Post reported. “It is important that this message is relayed in France, too: Peace cannot be made with terrorists.”
Other Israeli allies, including Canada, Great Britain, and Spain also condemned the kidnappings. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for the teens’ immediate release and for both Israel and the Palestinians to “exercise restraint.”
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Israel sending 50 executives to foster investment in Africa
(JNS.org) The Israeli government is sending 50 executives on a tour of Africa in an effort to grow the Jewish state’s business presence in that region during an era of a growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in other parts of the world.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman wants Israel to make deals in economically growing countries for companies such as defense contractor Elbit Systems Ltd., irrigation equipment maker Netafim Ltd., and billionaire Idan Ofer’s Israel Chemicals Ltd., which has already invested in a $642 million potash mining project in Ethiopia.
Israel’s sub-Saharan exports amounted to $1.4 billion last year, nearly four times the exports to the region in 2003, reported Business Week.
“When you look at the map, you see growth in the sub-Saharan countries that is even greater than in Asia and that offers a great deal of opportunity for Israeli companies,” said Shauli Katznelson, director of the economic division at the Israel Institute for Export and International Cooperation in Tel Aviv.
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