Israel razes 2 terrorists’ homes in eastern Jerusalem
(JNS.org) Israeli security forces on Monday razed the homes of two terrorists in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber. The demolition was carried out according to government orders.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said the first home belonged to Bahaa Mohammed Khalil Alian, one of the terrorists who carried out an Oct. 13 terrorist attack on a bus traveling between Jerusalem’s Jewish neighborhood of Armon Hanatziv and Arab neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber. Haviv Haim, 78, Alon Govberg, 51, and Richard Lakin, 76, were murdered in the attack, and 10 other passengers were wounded.
The second home belonged to Alaa Abu Jamal, who killed Rabbi Yeshayahu Krishevsky in a separate terrorist attack that took place in the heart of Jerusalem on Oct. 13.
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Dani Dayan vows not to give up on Israel’s Brazil ambassadorship
(JNS.org) Dani Dayan is insisting that he has no plans to withdraw from his appointment as Israel’s ambassador to Brazil, despite the Brazilian government’s reluctance to approve him over his former role as a leader of the Israeli settlement movement in Judea and Samaria.
Dayan met last week with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely to discuss Brazil’s unwillingness to approve him as ambassador, saying he would not step down from the role. Both Netanyahu and Hotovely offered their full support. A senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official on Monday denied reports that the ministry believes Dayan should give up the ambassadorship.
Meanwhile, Dayan accused Member of Knesset Tzipi Livni (Zionist Union) of trying to thwart his appointment, writing Monday on Twitter, “14 MKs worked tirelessly against my appointment in Brazil: 13 belonging to the Joint Arab List and then Tzipi Livni.”
Dayan explained that he was referring to a series of interviews Livni has given on the matter. In response, Livni said, “I did not work against the appointment. I am in favor of worthy, talented ambassadors who represent the government—and you (Dayan])certainly fit that criteria….The thing causing damage to Israel is not your appointment, but the government’s policies [on settlements]. But you shouldn’t have to pay the price for that.”
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Hebrew University makes top 50 in Wikipedia ranking
(JNS.org) The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has placed first in Israel and 47th in the world in the Wikipedia Ranking of World Universities.
The ranking rates the influence of academic institutions based on a computerized analysis of the number of times their names appear in the online encyclopedia, as well as the appearances of each school’s name and articles in Google search engine results, according to their PageRank score. PageRank is an algorithm that determines how important a website is based in part on how many other pages link to it. It is used by Google to order search results.
The researchers from France who put together the universities ranking analyzed all 24 different language editions of Wikipedia, including a total of about 17 million articles. British institutions led the ranking, with Cambridge and Oxford universities placing first and second, respectively, followed by American universities Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton.
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U.N. envoy to disputed Palestinian territories resigns
(JNS.org) The United Nations Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) special investigator for the disputed Palestinian territories, Makarim Wibisono, announced his resignation on Monday, citing Israel’s refusal to grant him access to the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a factor in his decision.
In a statement announcing his resignation, Wibisono, an Indonesian diplomat, expressed “deep concern at the lack of effective protection of Palestinian victims of continuing human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law.”
Wibisono replaced U.S. legal expert Richard Falk in 2014. Falk, who is Jewish, had promoted a boycott of Israel and endorsed 9/11 conspiracy theories.
Like Falk, Wibisono had expressed anti-Israel views. According to U.N. Watch, Wibisono accused Israel of “unconscionable use of force against the Palestinians,” “untenable acts of aggression,” and a “policy of retribution against the entire Palestinian nation.”
Israel has long accused the U.N. of anti-Israel bias and has rejected the world body’s post of an independent investigator for the Palestinian territories.
“The Israeli decision was the consequence of the distorted and biased mandate given to the rapporteur,” said Emmanuel Nahshon, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, Reuters reported.
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UNIFIL to step up patrols in southern Lebanon following Hezbollah attack
(JNS.org) The head of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon urged all sides to “exercise utmost restraint” in the wake of the Hezbollah terror group’s attack on two Israeli army vehicles at the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday.
“The need of the time is to maintain security vigil and to exercise utmost restraint against any provocation,” U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Commander Major-General Luciano Portolano said, noting that UNIFIL has stepped up patrols in the area.
“General calm has been restored in the area and the parties have reassured me of their continued commitment to maintain the cessation of hostilities in accordance with [U.N.] resolution 1701,” he added.
Hezbollah took responsibility for Monday’s attack, saying it was carried out by a terror cell named after Samir Kuntar, a Lebanese arch-terrorist who was killed in a purported Israeli airstrike in Damascus in late December.
Israel fired on dozens of targets in southern Lebanon in response to the Hezbollah attack.
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Mideast Christian leaders condemn deadly Islamic State attack in Syria
(JNS.org) Middle East Christian leaders condemned the recent attack by the Islamic State terror group that targeted Christian-owned restaurants in the Syrian city of Al-Qamishli.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for three bombings that hit restaurants in the Syrian city of Al-Qamishli, which is home to a significant population of Syrian Christians, killing 20 people (13 of them Christians) and injuring more than 40.
“Most victims were young people willing to welcome the New Year with hope and joy,” Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan told the Catholic News Service. Instead, he said, “In tears and gloomy hope, Christians of Qamishli welcomed 2016.”
“It was a sinister message the terrorists wanted to send to the Christians of this city, sowing death and tears,” the patriarch said, describing what he called an “unprecedented terrorist massacre…a message of horror so far to the entire Christian community in this war-torn country for the past five years.”
“We dedicate this evening to prayers for the victims of those attacks. We pray for our region and country amid the bloody war that claims lives of civilians every day,” said a joint statement by the Assyrian-Syriac Churches of Hasakah province.
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Hezbollah sets off bomb at Israel-Lebanon border
(JNS.org) The Hezbollah terrorist group on Monday set off a bomb at the Israel-Lebanon border, targeting a senior official of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, Lebanese media reported.
A “relatively large” explosive targeted two armored Israeli military vehicles, according to Israel Defense Forces spokesman Brig-Gen. Moti Almoz, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The IDF responded with artillery fire into Lebanon.
“We have opened artillery fire, and created a smoke screen to cover the area. We are in control of the incident,” Almoz said.
Lebanese media reports said the IDF has fired 20 shells into southern Lebanon since Sunday. An Israeli military official told Ma’ariv that Israel’s artillery fire was meant to deter Hezbollah from laying bombs along the border following Hezbollah’s vow to avenge the death of its commander, Samir Kuntar, who was killed in a recent airstrike in Damascus. Hezbollah is holding Israel accountable for Kuntar’s death, but Israel has not confirmed nor denied its involvement.
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Egyptian ambassador returns to Israel after role’s 3-year hiatus
(JNS.org) Egypt has sent a new ambassador to Israel after a three-year hiatus, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
The ambassador, Hazen Khairat, arrived in Israel on Friday.
“I welcome the re-stationing of an Egyptian ambassador in Israel, which will enable us to further strengthen relations with this important and key Arab country,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.
Egypt withdrew its previous envoy to Israel in November 2012 in protest of Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Relations between Israel and Egypt have improved following the military removal of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 and the ongoing tenure of a new president, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who has cracked down on the Palestinian terror group Hamas and its parent organization, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.
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Israeli drug treating prostrate cancer approved in Mexico
(JNS.org) Cofepris—Mexico’s national health authority—has approved a drug invented by Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science that treats early-stage prostate cancer, a Weizmann Institute spokesperson said Monday.
A successful Phase III clinical trial of 80 patients in Latin America confirmed the high rates of cures and minimal side effects revealed in Phase II clinical trials of the drug, which is called TOOKAD® Soluble. Various results using the combined therapy of a laser light and TOOKAD Soluble included negative biopsies as well as maintenance of potency and continence.
The outpatient receives an intravenous infusion of TOOKAD, followed by a laser light shining on the cancer tissue by using inserted tiny optic fibers. When the drug is exposed to light, it kills the illuminated tissue by clogging tiny blood vessels, depriving the tumor of oxygen and nutrients. The therapy is particularly useful for treating large, deeply embedded cancer tissue.
The innovative therapy was developed by Prof. Yoram Salomon of the Biological Regulation Department and Prof. Avigdor Scherz of the Plant and Environmental Sciences Department at the Weizmann Institute, in collaboration with Steba Biotech from Luxembourg.
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Vatican’s treaty recognizing Palestinian state comes into effect
(JNS.org) The Vatican’s treaty recognizing the “state of Palestine” has come into full effect, the Holy See announced over the weekend.
The treaty, signed in June 2015, affirms a two-state solution, recognizes “Palestine” as an equal partner with Israel in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and intends to protect the rights of the Catholic Church to operate in disputed Palestinian territories.
“The agreement, consisting of a preamble and 32 articles, regards essential aspects of the life and activity of the Church in Palestine, while at the same time reaffirming the support for a negotiated and peaceful solution to the conflict in the region,” the Vatican said in a statement.
In May 2014, Pope Francis said that both Israel and “Palestine” have a right to exist.
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Anti-Semitic attack on Jewish family reported in Amsterdam
(JNS.org) The home of a Jewish family in Amsterdam was reportedly vandalized by youths shouting “cancer Jews” and “free Palestine” during the New Year holiday.
The Dutch political blog Dagelijkse Standaard, reported the incident, which occurred on the night between Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. The blog included a Facebook post by one of the victims.
“Last night, a few teens decided their celebrations are not complete without some hatred. While yelling ‘cancer Jews’ and ‘free Palestine,’ they kicked our doors and windows,” stated the post, which included a picture of the family’s damaged door.
Police have not made any arrests in connection with the incident. According to Reformatorisch Dagblad, a Dutch Protestant newspaper, members of a Dutch parliamentary group—Groep Bontes/Van Klaveren—questioned the Dutch legislature about the anti-Semitic attack, asking if the government sees a connection between the “rapidly growing anti-Semitism in our society and the massive immigration from non-Western countries in recent decades.”
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