Netanyahu defends Jerusalem construction amid U.S., EU criticism
(JNS.org) In the face of criticism from the United States and European Union, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday defended his decision to advance 1,060 new housing units in the Jerusalem neighborhoods of Ramat Shlomo and Har Homa, which are both located beyond the pre-1967 lines.
“The French build in Paris, the English build in London, and the Israelis build in Jerusalem,” Netanyahu said at the Knesset. “To come and tell Jews not to build in Jerusalem—why? Because it will heat up the atmosphere? To certain elements in the region, our very existence is what heats up the atmosphere.”
“There is broad agreement among the public that Israel has every right to build in the Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem and the settlement blocs,” he added. “Every Israeli government over the past 50 years has done so. It is also clear to the Palestinians that these places will remain in Israel in any future agreement.”
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, “Israel’s leaders have said they would support a pathway to a two-state solution, but moving forward with this type of action would be incompatible with the pursuit of peace, and that is certainly a message that we are conveying directly.”
Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for outgoing EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, said the construction decision “will call once again into serious question Israel’s commitment to a negotiated solution with the Palestinians.”
*
Israeli Air Force’s first F-35 fighter jets set for production
(JNS.org) The U.S. Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin have reached an agreement in principle on the production of 43 F-35 joint strike fighter jets, including the first two to be built for the Israeli Air Force. The deal is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.
This will mark the eighth lot of F-35 aircraft to be produced. Production and delivery of the lot will begin in 2016.
“Today’s agreement is representative of the program’s ongoing maturation,” F-35 Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan said Monday. “Once production of LRIP 8 aircraft is completed, more than 200 F-35s will be in operation by eight nations.”
According to Lockheed Martin, the eighth lot of F-35s includes 29 U.S. aircraft, the first two F-35As for Israel, the first four F-35As for Japan, four F-35Bs for the United Kingdom, two F-35As for Norway, and two F-35As for Italy.
In 2010, Israel ordered 19 of the state-of-the-art stealth fighter planes at a cost of around $2.75 billion, with an option of increasing the total number to 75.
*
Budget crunch may force IDF to suspend training and acquisitions
(JNS.org) The Israeli defense establishment on Monday warned yet again that unless its budget is increased, the Israel Defense Forces would have no choice but to suspend training and acquisitions, Israel Hayom reported.
The current disagreement between the Defense Ministry and the Finance Ministry focuses on a sum of $1.2 billion pledged to the defense establishment in favor of external projects, such as the plan to move the military’s training bases from central Israel to the south. Defense officials said that the Finance Ministry had promised in the past that it would contribute to those projects’ funding, but now it refuses to appropriate the necessary funds.
“The problem is that the Finance Ministry routinely reneges on its agreements with us,” a defense official said Monday.
Israeli defense spending for 2015 has been set at $15 billion.
*
Arab party Balad boycotts opening of Knesset winter session
(JNS.org) Members of the Arab party Balad boycotted the opening of the Israeli Knesset winter session on Monday in response to the Knesset Ethics Committee’s decision in July to bar MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad) from all plenum sessions and committee meetings for six months, following multiple complaints filed against her by MKs over her anti-Israel statements.
In a press conference held by Balad members at the Knesset building, Zoabi said, “When they suspend me from Knesset, they are essentially saying they don’t want Arabs, they only want ‘good Arabs.’ We won’t be ‘good Arabs.’”
A new poll commissioned by Israel Hayom from the New Wave Research Institute revealed that 85 percent of Israelis would like to see Zoabi dismissed from the Knesset over her recent remarks comparing Israeli soldiers to Islamic State terrorists.
*
Tel Aviv named one of the world’s top culinary cities
(JNS.org) Tel Aviv-Jaffa, the cultural capital of Israel, has now been declared an international culinary capital in Saveur Magazine’s annual rankings of the world’s best food destinations.
The prestigious American food and lifestyle magazine rated Tel Aviv “Outstanding” along with Florence, Italy, and the French city of Lyon in the category of Best Culinary Destination, Small International, which refers to cities with a population of under 800,000. It also rated Tel Aviv “Outstanding” in the category for Best Markets and Shops, International, where it appeared alongside culinary powerhouses Paris and Barcelona.
Tel Aviv-Jaffa is home to 4,536 eating establishments and three open fresh-food markets. Locals weren’t surprised at the ranking. Rafi Mizrahi, a merchant at the Carmel Market, told Israel Hayom that “this is the number-one tourist market in the country. It has authenticity, special colors and smells—the entire Mediterranean in one market.”
*
Jewish MP addresses Ottawa terror attacks at Limmud FSU Canada
(JNS.org) Following last week’s terror attacks in Ottawa, Jewish-Canadian Member of Parliament Irwin Cotler said his country must find the right balance between tightening security and protecting democracy and freedom. Cotler made his remarks before 500 Russian-Jewish participants of the inaugural Limmud FSU Canada conference, which took place Oct. 24-26.
On Oct. 22, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, a 32-year-old convert to Islam, shot and killed Canadian reserve soldier Nathan Cirillo near the country’s war memorial and then went on a shooting spree inside the Canadian parliament, before he was shot to death by Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers.
“Canada is a country that takes pride in its openness, freedom and democracy, but at this point, the Canadian government needs to take the right measures to ensure that it remains not only peaceful but also secured in a way that we combat the threats. Security has to be expanded, but not at the expense of freedom. We need to protect democracy, but also to protect our citizens,” Cotler said.
Other notable figures to speak at Limmud FSU Canada included Israeli Minister of Culture & Sport Limor Livnat as well as author and media personality Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.
“I salute the prime minister of Canada on his strong support of Israel. The recent terrorist event in Ottawa was not only directed against the Canadian Parliament. It was also directed against the democracies of the free world,” Livnat said.
*
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College inaugurates first female president
(JNS.org) The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College inaugurated its first female president on Sunday, an appointment also marking the first time a woman has been elected president of both a seminary and a Jewish religious movement. It is also the first time an openly gay woman has attained such a role.
Rabbi Deborah Waxman became the president of a movement seeking to “reconstruct” Jewish needs based on modern spiritual needs.
“It has been energizing to know that I will not be marginalized or disqualified from serving the Jewish people,” Waxman, 46, told the Forward. “I deeply appreciate—and have richly benefited from—the Reconstructionist movement’s vanguard work on inclusion, and hope to continue it as president.”
*
Israeli relief organization delivers aid to Christians, Yazidis fleeing Islamic State
(JNS.org) The Israeli relief organization IsraAID says it has delivered humanitarian aid to Iraq’s beleaguered Christian and Yazidi populations.
In early October, the group supplied mattresses, blankets, food, and hygiene kits to more than 1,000 people in the Dohuk and Erbil refugee camps in Iraq’s Kurdish region. Most of the refugees living there are Christians and Yazidis who fled from the Islamic State terror group during the summer.
A video posted by IsraAID shows the organization’s truck arriving at a refugee camp, with relief workers being warmly greeted by the refugees as they distribute the humanitarian items.
“They were aware that we were Israeli, and they received us very well. The Kurdish people really love Israel,” IsraAID founding director Shahar Zahavi said.
While Israel does not have diplomatic relations with Iraq, Israel and the Kurds maintain warm relations, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has backed Kurdish independence.
*
Pope Francis honored by Israeli university
(JNS.org) Pope Francis received a delegation at the Vatican from Israel’s Bar-Ilan University on Monday to receive the school’s highest honor, the Award of Distinction.
The award, which was presented to the pope by Bar-Ilan University President Rabbi Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz, recognizes the pontiff’s “contribution to understanding and tolerance between Christians and Jews and the warmth he has extended toward the Jewish nation, particularly during his official visit to Israel,” the university said.
Pope Francis visited Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories last May in one his first major international trips as leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.
“Through a variety of ongoing dialogue programs aimed at fostering understanding and acceptance, Bar-Ilan University has been working to bridge gaps between various sectors of Israeli society for many years. … It is, therefore, a deep privilege to be meeting with and honoring the pope, who has taken it upon himself to undertake this tremendous task on a worldwide scale,” Hershkowitz said.
*
Dramatic rise in campus anti-Israel activity this fall, ADL says
(JNS.org) Anti-Israel activity has risen dramatically so far this year on U.S. college campuses, a new report from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) says.
According to the report, there were more than 75 anti-Israel events on American campuses during the first half of the fall semester, compared to 35 such events taking place during the same period in the fall of 2013.
“There has been a dramatic increase in anti-Israel activity reported on campus. But while the activity is intensifying, it is still not widespread. As of now the vast majority of Jewish students on campus are not affected and do not encounter these events,” ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman said.
The increase of campus anti-Zionism follows this past summer’s global upsurge of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic activity amid Israel’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.
*
Articles from JNS.org appear on San Diego Jewish World through the generosity of Dr. Bob and Mao Shillman