Campaign activity of Tzipi Livni’s husband seen as possible conflict of interest
(JNS.org) The campaign activities of Naftali Spitzer, the husband of Hatnuah party Chairwoman Tzipi Livni, could be a conflict of interest for the Zionist Camp ticket in March’s Israeli elections.
Spitzer has been very active in meetings and in defining the direction of the campaign, allegedly as a representative of his wife, who is the number-two candidate on the joint Knesset list of the Labor and Hatnuah parties. His contribution coincides with his profession: advertising and branding consultation.
According to Israeli law, during an election period, a party cannot employ a volunteer in the same field as his profession, which is considered the equivalent of a paid donation beyond the permissible campaign funds legislated for each party.
Israel Hayom reported that Spitzer, who visited the Zionist Camp’s campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv almost daily in its initial stages, has recently minimized his presence there, apparently in an effort to be more cautious. Yet Spitzer still visits the headquarters on occasion, meets with campaign managers, and participates in budget meetings. In one discussion, Spitzer sought to reduce the Zionist Camp’s budget for campaign managers and additional appointments, and to use the extra funds for purchasing advertising space for the campaign.
Within the framework of the unity deal between Labor and Hatnuah, aside from the agreement to have Livni and Labor leader Isaac Herzog rotate the role of prime minister if Zionist Camps win the election, Israel Hayom reported that Livni would have the power to veto any campaign expenditure exceeding the sum of $64,000.
Zionist Camp said in a statement, “There is nothing wrong or invalid about Livni’s or her partner’s conduct.”
*
Jordan’s King Abdullah vows ‘severe response’ to Islamic State burning of pilot
(JNS.org) Jordan’s King Abdullah vowed a “severe response” to the Islamic State terror group for its burning alive of Jordanian fighter pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh.
“The blood of martyr Moaz al-Kasasbeh will not be in vain and the response of Jordan and its army after what happened to our dear son will be severe,” King Abdullah said following a meeting with security chiefs, AFP reported.
Islamic State on Tuesday released a video showing al-Kasasbeh, 26, being burned alive. Al-Kasaesbeh, who was captured last December, is seen standing in a cage as flammable material nearby is being lit by a masked terrorist. The pilot is then burned alive. In addition, Islamic State supporters released a series of photos of the burning on social media.
Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said that Jordan will increase its efforts to combat Islamic State as part of the U.S.-led coalition against the terror group.
“We are talking about a collaborative effort between coalition members to intensify efforts to stop extremism and terrorism to undermine, degrade and eventually finish Daesh,” Mohammad al-Momani said, referencing the Arabic name for Islamic State.
In retaliation for the brutal slaying, Jordan hanged two Iraqi jihadists who were on death row: Sajida al-Rishawi, a failed female suicide bomber, and Ziad al-Karbouly, an al-Qaeda operative.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman praised Jordan for its retaliation against Islamic State.
“King Abdullah should be praised for his prompt and forceful action this morning against this act of terror, executing a female terrorist whose release ISIS (Islamic State) demanded, as well as an al-Qaeda operative, to be followed by the execution of other terrorists incarcerated in Jordan,” Lieberman said in a statement.
Lieberman added that world leaders must “follow King Abdullah’s example in combating terrorism” and reject negotiating with terrorists, saying “they must be destroyed and eradicated” as King Abdullah has done.
*
Israeli tech companies eye Asia to evade potential European sanctions
(JNS.org) Israeli technology companies are increasingly eyeing Asian markets in order to increase the demand for their products.
In the wake of rising anti-Semitism in Europe and possible trade sanctions against Israel resulting from advances by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement on that continent, the Israeli government is urging companies to diversify their export markets to other parts of the world.
Recently, several firms in the Netherlands and Denmark ended their business relationships with Israeli companies. But Europe remains Israel’s largest trading partner, with Asia coming in second. The Israeli Economy Ministry estimates that only 1,000 of 3,000 current Israeli exporters trade with Asia. Currently, Asia receives 25 percent of all Israeli exports, not far behind the 27 percent each for the U.S. and Europe. But the figure for Asia comes from exports by just two companies: Intel’s Israel unit and potash producer Israel Chemicals.
“We definitely want to reduce our dependence on certain markets in western Europe,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in January. Additionally, Israeli Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett said, “Israel has made a strategic decision to diversify its commerce… I’m talking about China, Japan, India… and it’s working, it’s going very well,” Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the Chinese management consulting firm Shengjing joined forces with the Jerusalem Venture Partners venture capital fund in launching a competition to find global start-ups.
“In the next 10 years, Israeli high-tech will have a significant Chinese component… and China can become a significant player in the Israeli economy,” said Nechemia Peres, co-founder of Pitango Venture Capital, Israel Hayom reported.
*
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz retracts comment on ‘problem of intermarriage’
(JNS.org) The head of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), retracted recent comments she made on “the problem of intermarriage” in the Jewish community.
The Shark Tank blog first reported Wasserman Schultz, who is Jewish, had said at a Jewish Federation event, “We have the problem of assimilation. We have the problem of intermarriage. We have the problem that too many generations of Jews don’t realize the importance of our institutions strengthening our community—particularly with the rise of anti-Semitism and global intolerance.”
This week, Wasserman Schultz backtracked, releasing a statement through the DNC that she does “not oppose intermarriage.”
“At an annual Jewish community event in my congressional district, I spoke about my personal connection to Judaism and in a larger context about the loss of Jewish identity and the importance of connecting younger generations to the institutions and values that make up our community. I do not oppose intermarriage; in fact, members of my family, including my husband, are a product of it,” Wasserman Schultz said, NBC News reported.
*
VP Joe Biden, other Democrats may skip Netanyahu address to Congress
(JNS.org) U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and other leading Democrats in Congress may skip Israeli Prime Ministers Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress next month amid growing tension between Netanyahu and the White House.
According to a report in Politico, Biden, who also serves as president of the U.S. Senate, has not yet committed to attending Netanyahu’s speech on March 3, while dozens of Congressional Democrats are also privately threatening to skip the address.
“Democrats have had to balance publicly supporting Israel with backing Obama, who’s trying to close a deal with Iran to curb its nuclear programs over vehement opposition from Netanyahu,”Politico reported.
The White House has not told Democratic members of Congress to skip the address, but also isn’t encouraging them to go.
“We defer to Democratic members if they’d like to attend or not,” a White House aide said Tuesday.
Netanyahu was invited by Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner (R-Ohio) to address a joint session of Congress about the threat of a nuclear Iran and radical Islam. The move set off controversy with the Obama administration, which said it was not consulted on the invitation and has argued that the address would hurt the West’s chances to forge a deal with Iran over its nuclear program. The speech was initially scheduled for Feb.11, but was moved to March 3 to accommodate Netanyahu’s address to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) convention.
*
Martin Gilbert, renowned Jewish historian and Churchill biographer, dies at 78
(JNS.org) British-Jewish historian Martin Gilbert, the official biographer of United Kingdom prime minister Winston Churchill, has passed away from cancer at 78.
A prolific author, Gilbert wrote more than 80 books during a career spanning several decades, with most focused on the life of Churchill as well as dozens of others on the Holocaust, Jewish history, and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Some of his most recent works included In Ishmael’s House: A History of the Jews in Muslim Lands; Churchill and the Jews; and The Story of Israel: From Theodor Herzl to the Roadmap for Peace.
In 1995, Gilbert was awarded knighthood for his “services to British history and international relations.” In a tweet, Britain’s Holocaust Education Trust said: “Very sad to hear of the passing of Sir Martin Gilbert, leading Holocaust historian and our great friend. Our thoughts are with his family.”
At the time of his death, Gilbert was a member of a panel conducting an investigation into the Iraq war.
*
Articles from JNS.org appear on San Diego Jewish World through the generosity of Dr. Bob and Mao Shillman.