Rivlin tells Putin that Israel is concerned about Syrian border
(JNS.org) Israeli President Reuven Rivlin met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday where the Israeli leader urged Putin to not let Iran and Hezbollah gain a stronger foothold along the Syrian border with Israel.
In a joint press conference ahead of their meeting, both leaders praised the ties between the two countries.
“Russia and Israel have developed a special relationship primarily because 1.5 million Israeli citizens come from the former Soviet Union, they speak the Russian language, are the bearers of Russian culture, Russian mentality. They maintain relations with their relatives and friends in Russia, and this make the interstate relations very special”, Putin said, the Russian news agency TASS reported.
Rivlin also told Putin how the Jewish people will never forgot the role Russia played in World War II and that “many Holocaust survivors all over the world remember being liberated by the Red Army.”
“Today, we also both face terror and fundamentalism,” Rivlin said.
During their private meeting, Rivlin reportedly told Putin that Israel was interested in restoring United Nations peacekeeping force between the Israeli-Syria border and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was concerned about Iran and Hezbollah establishing a foothold in that region.
“Russia’s interests in Syria are clear to us,” an anonymous Israeli official told Haaretz. “President Putin spoke of his wishes and plans clearly and president Rivlin will pass them on to the prime minister.”
Putin also told Rivlin that he plans to meet with Netanyahu soon to discuss the security situation in the region.
Putin said that Russia and Israel “have a large number of questions to discuss linked with the development of bilateral trade and economic relations and questions of the region’s security,” the Russian news agency TASS reported.
“I hope that we’ll be able to discuss them in the short run with the Israeli prime minister with whom we have made arrangements for a meeting,” Putin said.
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Poll: 86% of Israelis are happy with their lives
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The overwhelming majority of Israelis are happy with their lives, and Israelis are more worried about housing prices and their children’s education than about personal safety, crime, or employment security, according to the Quality of Life Report published Wednesday by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
The data in the report was collected in 2013-2014 and is of an unprecedented extent, covering dozens of parameters and measures of the economic, social, and personal quality of life enjoyed by Israelis. All in all, according to the numbers, 86% of Israelis (90% of Jews and 73% of Arabs) are happy with their lives.
The report is the first one of its kind to rank the 10 issues Israelis see as most important. Housing prices were the No. 1 issue for Israelis, followed by the level of teaching and the education their children receive. Third was work conditions and treatment by employers, followed by economic stability and public infrastructure; green spaces and cleanliness of residential areas; balancing work and family life; crime; a sense of personal safety in public; affordable higher education; and employment security.
Surprisingly, the issue of personal safety in public was only No. 8 on the list. The survey found that 73% of Israelis felt a high level of safety when walking in their own neighborhoods after dark, with 84% of men and 63% of women saying they felt safe. Rishon Lezion, outside Tel Aviv, was ranked the safest city, with 78% of its residents saying they felt very safe. Tel Aviv came second, with 75% of its residents saying they felt very safe, followed by Beersheba (69%), Haifa (67%), and Petach Tikva (67%).
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Qatar-based educational software teaches hatred of Jews
(JNS.org) An educational program by a Qatar-based software developer teaches anti-Semitic lessons to its users, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported on Wednesday.
According to MEMRI, the prominent theme in the software claims that Jews killed the Muslim prophet Mohammed and all of Israel is under “occupation.”
A male cartoon character named Muhannad wearing a kafiya is speaking to a female character, Salma, about the areas of Israel “under occupation by the Jews.” The first lesson is called “Palestine is Free.”
“Wow, what vast areas,” Muhannad says. “Even though the Jews are very cowardly.”
Salma replies, “the Jews occupied the Muslims’ country very easily,” because “the Muslims have been remiss in taking care of matters of their religion.”
“I hate the Jews so much because they cursed Allah…. and tried to kill the prophet Mohammed.” Muhannad adds.
The software also includes a mix and match game where the user must place the right information on a map of Israel with choices such as “the Jews are the slayers of the prophet” and “the Jews violate agreements.”
Another lesson focuses on Gaza with Muhannad calling Jews “criminals.”
“They are killing them (Gazans) mercilessly,” Muhannad says. “Oh Allah, support our brothers in Gaza and destroy the Jews.”
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US, Germany, France accuse Israel of ‘appropriating’ land in the Jordan Valley
(JNS.org) Germany and France on Wednesday echoed the U.S. State Department’s accusation that Israel has appropriated large tracts of land near the Dead Sea and Jericho.
In January it was reported that the mostly desert terrain lands in the Jordan Valley were being reclassified by Israeli government officials. On Tuesday, a spokesman for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said the 578 acres of land “have been declared as state lands,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
“This decision sends a wrong signal at the wrong time,” the German Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“Especially in the current tense situation, both parties in the Middle East conflict are called on to take steps for a de-escalation and to find ways that lead to an urgently needed resumption of peace negotiations,” the statement said.
France’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Romain Nadal, said Israel’s decision violates international law and “contradict[s] commitments made by Israeli authorities in favor of a two-state solution.”
On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a press briefing that the U.S. opposes “any steps that accelerate settlement expansion, which raises serious questions about Israel’s long-term intentions.”
“This decision is, in our view, the latest step in what appears to be an ongoing process of land expropriations, settlement expansions, and legalizations of outposts that is fundamentally undermining the prospects for a two-state solution,” Kirby said.
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Netanyahu decides not to close Israeli embassy in Belarus
(JNS.org) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided not to close the Israeli Embassy in Minsk, Belarus, according to a statement released on Wednesday.
The decision was made following a number of discussions and consultations with senior Israeli Foreign Ministry officials and with Minister of Immigrant and Absorption and Jerusalem Affairs Zeev Elkin.
Earlier this month, the Conference of European Rabbis said in a letter to Netanyahu that the decision to close the embassy would negatively impact Israel’s relations with the Jewish community of Belarus, which has the third largest Jewish community in the former Soviet Union.
Israel announced the original closure in January along with the closure of four other foreign mission offices as part of a budget-saving measure.
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