‘We cannot accept’ terrorism, Greek president says in Israel
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Israeli President Reuven Rivlin hosted Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos for a meeting in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
Before the meeting, during which Rivlin and Pavlopoulos discussed strengthening bilateral Israel-Greece ties, the two leaders toured the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial together.
Rivlin called Pavlopoulos a “true friend of Israel.”
“Close and neighboring countries in the eastern Mediterranean must recognize the common danger posed by militant Islam and ISIS (Islamic State), unite against this enemy, and to form one alliance—a regional security and economic alliance to bring an end to global terror,” Rivlin said.
Pavlopoulos said, “There are many challenges in our region and in Europe in general. Now is the time to act according to our shared values. You have experienced what it means to be refugees. In Greece we are receiving refugees just as our ancestors did, as human beings who deserve rights. Yet when it comes to terrorism, the example of the jihadists and ISIS, we cannot accept this, and we must be absolute in the face of this. Their terror is aimed at all humanity.”
Netanyahu blasts U.S. senator’s request to probe Israel’s human rights record
(JNS.org) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday responded to U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy’s (D-Vt.) letter to the U.S. State Department that asked for an investigation into Israeli and Egyptian human rights abuses.
“The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and the Israel Police do not engage in executions. Israel’s soldiers and police officers defend themselves and innocent civilians with the highest moral standards against bloodthirsty terrorists who come to murder them,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
“Where is the concern for the human rights of the many Israelis who’ve been murdered and maimed by these savage terrorists? This letter should have been addressed instead to those who incite youngsters to commit cruel acts of terrorism,” added the prime minister.
Leahy—along with 10 other members of Congress—in the letter listed several examples of alleged “gross violations of human rights” by Israel, including “extrajudicial executions” of Palestinians, Politico reported. That language on executions echoes the controversial criticism of Israel voiced earlier this year by Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom.
“In light of these reports, we request that you act promptly to determine their credibility and whether they trigger the Leahy Law and, if so, take appropriate action called for under the law,” the lawmakers wrote.
The “Leahy Law” stipulates a reduction in U.S. military aid for foreign countries whose security forces are found to have committed abuses.
Jerusalem municipality becomes member of U.N.’s World Health Organization
(JNS.org) The municipality of Jerusalem was inducted as an official member in a program of the United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO) for the Israeli capital’s work in support of senior citizens.
The municipality said in a statement that it earned the WHO recognition as a result of Jerusalem’s Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities master plan. Launched in 2014, the master plan actively supports more than 70,000 senior citizens living in Jerusalem by increasing health services and, by extension, improving their quality of life.
Iranian missile tests violate U.N. resolution, U.S. and allies say
(JNS.org) The United States and its European allies said that Iran was “in defiance of” a United Nations Security Council resolution when the Islamic Republic launched nuclear-capable missiles in March.
A joint American-European letter sent to Spanish Ambassador to the U.N. Roman Marchesi and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who represent the Security Council, requested a discussion about “appropriate responses” to Tehran’s violation. The U.S., United Kingdom, France, and Germany said the missile tests are “destabilizing and provocative.” The missiles, added the letter, are “inherently capable of delivering nuclear weapons,” the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, adopted last July, endorsed the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers but banned missiles tests such as those that Iran recently conducted. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the missile tests were meant to “show Iran’s deterrent power and also the Islamic Republic’s ability to confront any threat against the [Islamic] Revolution, the state, and the sovereignty of the country.”
World Jewish Congress lauds ‘Jewish resilience’ 500 years after first ghetto
(JNS.org) World Jewish Congress (WJC) President Ronald S. Lauder praised “Jewish resilience” in the face of persecution and anti-Semitism in remarks commemorating the 500th anniversary of the establishment of the Venetian Jewish Ghetto.
The Venetian Ghetto was an area where Jews in the Republic of Venice were forced to live from 1516 to 1797. At the time, it was history’s first documented attempt to separate a particular community from the rest of the population on religious grounds. But despite the segregation, the Jewish community flourished, establishing five synagogues over the years.
“The creation of this ghetto was a terrible act; it was the first time that an entire community was separated because of their religion….And yet, in spite of this decree, the Jewish community still flourished within the walls,” Lauder said at Venice’s La Fenice opera house. The audience included U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Italian dignitaries.
“I always find it fascinating: When Jews are singled out and placed in intolerable situations, what are the first things they do? They build synagogues. They study. They write books. They compose music and plays, and create art,” said Lauder.
“Then, as now, the prime motivation of Jews was education and charity, not bitterness,” he added. “Because of who they were, Jews were not defeated by the Venice ghetto, in spite of the effort to isolate them. And even though this was done to separate the two faiths, Jews and Christians continued to work together….We must be honest. Yes, there was anti-Semitism here in Italy, and at times, it was very brutal. Jews were isolated by severe decrees. The darkest hours occurred within my lifetime, when Italy was allied with Nazi Germany. But today, in Italy, where there was once anti-Semitism, the Italian government, the heads of parties, and the institutions, all actively fight anti-Semitism. And we appreciate this very much.”
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U.S. firms invest $50 million in Israeli marijuana research
(JNS.org) American firms have invested about $50 million in licensing Israeli medical marijuana patents, cannabis agro-tech start-ups, and companies developing delivery devices such as inhalers, scientists say.
“I expect it to grow to $100 million in the coming year,” Saul Kaye, CEO of Israel-based iCAN, said at the private cannabis research hub’s CannaTech conference in Tel Aviv in March.
Although 23 U.S. states now allow the use of medical marijuana, with four states and Washington, DC, also allowing its recreational use, scientists claim stringent American rules set by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are limiting cannabis research in the U.S.
“In the United States it’s easier to study heroin than marijuana,” said U.S. psychiatrist Suzanne Sisley, director of Medicinal Plant Research at Heliospectra, who has been researching the effects of using cannabis on military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Reuters reported.
“With marijuana you have to go through added layers of government red tape. It highlights the way marijuana research is being shackled by politics,” she said.
By contrast, in Israel, though recreational marijuana is illegal and few people are allowed permits to purchase medical cannabis, the government is much less stringent with regard to research. Cannabis growers work with scientific institutions in clinical trials to develop strains of cannabis that treat different diseases. Israeli Health Minister Yaakov Litzman supports medical cannabis usage, and has introduced steps to ease its prescription and sale in the Jewish state.
“What you would spend half a million dollars on in the U.S., you could easily get for $125,000 or $150,000 in Israel, and it’s going to be done efficiently and on time. The quality of research is world-class and the arbitrage of value is good,” said Seth Yakatan, CEO of California-based Kalytera Therapeutics.
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