Germany says Iran violating UN missile resolutions
(JNS.org) German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Iran is violating United Nations Security Council regulations concerning its ballistic missile program.
During remarks to the German Bundestag, Merkel said that Iran “continued unabated to develop its rocket program in conflict with the relevant provisions of the UN Security Council,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
The statement by the German leader comes following a report by the country’s intelligence agency, The Federal Office for the Protection of the Consitution, that said Iran continued to seek illegal nuclear technology in 2015.
Iran’s “illegal proliferation-sensitive procurement activities in Germany registered by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution persisted in 2015 at what is, even by international standards, a quantitatively high level. This holds true in particular with regard to items which can be used in the field of nuclear technology,” the report said.
Additionally, the reported noted “a further increase in the already considerable procurement efforts in connection with Iran’s ambitious missile technology program which could, among other things, potentially serve to deliver nuclear weapons. Against this backdrop it is safe to expect that Iran will continue its sensitive procurement activities in Germany using clandestine methods to achieve its objectives.”
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Palestinian youth pose as Hamas terrorists on Temple Mount
(JNS.org) Palestinian youth were seen posing as Hamas terrorists during Eid al-Fitr celebrations marking the end of Ramadan on the Temple Mount.
The children were seen with their faces covered with black masks featuring a Hamas bandana wrapped around their forehand and with toy guns in their hands.
The festivities were organized by the Islamic Movement, a group that promotes Islamist values among Israeli Arabs, which set up giant signs, reading: “The prisoners are our mission. Patience; following the limitations, victory will come,” in reference to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
“The phenomenon of children dressed as Hamas terrorists on the Temple Mount is unacceptable; it leads to incitement and harms the delicate fabric of life in Jerusalem,” said Maor Zemach, who heads the organization Lach Yerushalayim, Israel Hayom reported.
“This is the cynical use of small children for the purpose of incitement and the encouragement of violence. I call on Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan to fight phenomena of this type as well as the harm done to Israeli sovereignty on the Temple Mount.”
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Natan Sharansky joins protest against rabbinical court decision rejecting conversion
(JNS.org) Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharanksy on Wednesday participated in a demonstration in front of the Chief Rabbinate building in Jerusalem over a recent decision by the rabbinical court to reject a conversion by popular American Rabbi Haskel Lookstein.
“Rabbi Lookstein is a man of great renown and a lengthy record of accolades and achievements,” Sharansky said in a statement posted by the Jewish Agency.
“At a time when we are combating efforts to delegitmize Israel, as our enemies attempt to sever the ties between young Jews and the Jewish state, this is deeply detrimental to Israel’s image among Jewish communities around the world.”
Demonstrators are protesting the controversial recent decision of the rabbinical court in Petah Tikvah to reject the conversion of a woman, which was performed by Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, a prominent Modern Orthodox rabbi from New York. The protest was organized by Lookstein’s former students and ITIM, an NGO advocacy group who appealed the Petah Tikvah decision.
As a result of the decision by the rabbinical court, all of Rabbi Lookstein’s previous conversion would be rejected as well. Lookstein converted Ivanka Trump, daughter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Other prominent leaders participated in the demonstration including Modern Orthodox leader Rabbi Shlomo Riskin and several members of the Israeli Knesset.
The Supreme Rabbinical Court on Wednesday heard an appeal of the case but have not yet announced their decision.
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Israel, US successfully test integration of missile defense systems
(JNS.org) The Israeli Missile Defense Organization in partnership with the United States Missile Defense Agency and United States European Command have successfully conducted a ground test that validated the integration of Israeli and U.S. missile defense systems, Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday.
The “Integrated Ground Test 2016 (IGT-16),” which lasted five days and ended on June 22, was meant to determine the efficiency of different weapons systems operating together for the defense of Israel.
“During the test, scenarios consisted of multiple missile and rocket attacks were simulated against Israel with both United States and Israel successfully employing, engaging and destroying the simulated incoming threats. The test demonstrated the United States’ commitment for the protection of Israel as well as the interoperability between the United States and Israeli integrated defense system architecture,” the statement read.
The systems tested included the Israeli weapon system using Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 interceptors and David’s Sling Weapon System integrating with the United States Command and Control elements, Aegis ships, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Patriot missile defense systems.
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Abbas to boycott Mideast Quartet following peace process report
(JNS.org) Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday expressed his disappointment over the Middle East Quartet’s recent report on the stalled peace process and has instructed his people to not cooperate with the international group.
“We have published our position on the Quartet commission, and we said this report is not fit for the task of peace,” Abbas said, the official Palestinian Authority news agency Wafareported.
“We are very sorry that this is the position, and we hope the United Nation Security Council will not adopt this report,” Abbas said.
In their report issued last week, the Middle East Quartet – the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia – said blamed both sides for the stalled peace process. While the report criticized Israel’s ongoing construction in the disputed territories, a common complaint by the Palestinians, it also took Palestinian leaders to task for not “consistently and clearly condemning specific terrorist attacks” and for glorifying terrorists as “heroic martyrs.”
As such, Abbas has reportedly instructed his political party, the Fatah Central Committee, and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) to stop cooperating with the with the Middle East Quartet.
“It does not meet our expectations as a nation living under a foreign colonial military occupation,” said senior Palestinian official Saeb Erakat, claiming the report “attempts to equalize responsibilities between a people under occupation and foreign military occupier.”
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