U.S. Senators urge Obama to veto anti-Israel UN resolutions
(JNS.org) A bipartisan group of 88 U.S. senators sent a letter to President Barack Obama on Monday urging him to veto any anti-Israel resolutions regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict brought in front of the United Nations Security Council before his term ends.
The pro-Israel lobby group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), initiated and sponsored the letter with leading efforts by Sens. Michael Rounds (R-S.D.) and Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).
Hours after the statement was released, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he supported the “spirit” of the letter but did not sign it because he rejects the idea that a “two-state solution” is the “only” resolution.
Eleven others who did not sign the bipartisan letter are: Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Tom Cotton (R-Ariz.) and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.).
The letter states, “We urge you to continue longstanding U.S. policy and make it clear that you will veto any one-sided UNSC resolution that may be offered in the coming months. Any such resolution, whether focused on settlements or other final status issues, will ultimately make it more difficult for Israelis and Palestinians to resolve the conflict.”
The senators also wrote the only way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is through direct negotiations leading to a two-state solution.
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UN adopts declaration on refugees
(JNS.org) The United Nations General Assembly on Monday adopted a declaration aimed at saving lives and protecting the rights of 21.3 million refugees and migrants globally.
The New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants was adopted by all 193 members of the U.N. General Assembly at the first-ever Summit for Refugees and Migrants.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the declaration means that “more children can attend school, more workers can securely seek jobs abroad, instead of being at the mercy of criminal smugglers, and more people will have real choices about whether to move once we end conflict, sustain peace and increase opportunities at home.”
Through this declaration, world leaders committed to implementing a number of plans such as beginning negotiations for an international conference, adopting a global initiative for safe migration in 2018 and ensuring members states share the burden and responsibility for supporting refugees.
“I will be urging member states to maintain their high levels of ambition throughout these processes, and to always reach for the higher ground,” H.E. Peter Thomson, president of the U.N. General Assembly said. “The fate of millions of refugees and migrants rests with us.”
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Fisherman’s house from Ottoman period discovered on Asheklon beach
(JNS.org) A fisherman’s house from the Ottoman period was uncovered in an archaeological excavation on the beach in Ashkelon, the Israel Antiquities Authority revealed Tuesday.
Two of the buildings discovered were used as a fisherman’s house and a watch tower on a hilltop overlooking the beach and Mediterranean Sea.
“This is the first time that a building was exposed in Ashkelon that we can attribute with certainty to the fishing industry,” excavation directors Federico Kobrin and Haim Mamliya said in a prepared statement.
The excavation was conducted by young residents of Ashkelon at the initiative of the Ashkelon Economic Company and led by the Israel Antiquities Authority as a way to educate local youth about their past history.
“The young people participated in uncovering part of their city’s past; they labored diligently and conscientiously, showed their interest and curiosity regarding the finds, and it was a pleasure to work with them,” Kobrin said.
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IDF says B’Tselem waging delegitimization campaign against Israeli military
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The military on Monday issued a strong condemnation of the B’Tselem human rights organization, saying its most recent report on IDF investigations into alleged wrongdoings by Israeli forces during the 2014 Gaza conflict was “another step in the delegitimization campaign B’Tselem is waging against the Israeli legal system in general, and the military justice system in particular.”
B’Tselem’s new report accused military decision-makers of opting for operational policies that resulted in the “unprecedented killing” of Palestinian civilians, further alleging the IDF is using “an extensive cover-up mechanism” to dismiss claims brought against Israeli soldiers.
A statement by the IDF said: “The report suffers from extreme bias and unprofessionalism, and it appears that when trying to paint the Israeli legal system as flawed, B’Tselem believes the end justifies the means.
“The report either ignores vast information released by Israel with the aim of promoting transparency, or presents this information in a distorted manner. The report also demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the reality of fighting in the Gaza Strip, and unprofessionalism in the interpretation and implementation of the laws of war in this complex reality.”
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Israel seeking Chinese-speaking tour guides
(JNS.org) With a boom in tourism from China, Israel is looking to boost the number of Chinese-speaking tour guides, and officials are hoping university students to fill the void.
Israel’s Ministry of Tourism will offer grants for undergraduate or graduate students of East Asia studies to become licensed tour guides suitable for Chinese groups.
The Tourism Ministry will give nearly $4,000 to each student who takes the stringent tour guide licensing course to raise the number Chinese-speaking tour guides.
Israel has made significant investments in encouraging the trend of increasing tourism from China, including the approval of multiple entry visas for tourists and the cancellation of group visa fees.
Incoming tourism from China grew 43 percent from 2014 to 2015. The Tourism Ministry estimates 100,000 China residents will visit Israel by 2018.
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Ethiopian Israelis urge U.S. to condemn Ethiopian government
(JNS.org) Nearly 100 Ethiopian Israelis protested in front of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv on Monday, urging the U.S. government to stop supporting the Ethiopian government, the Jerusalem Post reported.
More than 400 Ethiopians have been killed during anti-government demonstrations that began in November 2015 in the Oromia and Amhara regions, according the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch.
“The United States must condemn the murders of Ethiopian citizens,” one protester, Endalamaw Hailei, told the Jerusalem Post. “I joined because I care about Ethiopia.”
Other protesters said they believe the U.S. can influence Ethiopia’s government to stop the murders of Ethiopian citizens.
The protests were sparked by the Ethiopian government’s plan to expand the capital, Addis Ababa, into Oromia which would displace farmers.
Many in Israel’s Ethiopian community have family members who still live in the African nation. There are at least 9,000 Ethiopian Jews still waiting to emigrate to Israel, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approval to process their immigration through a $1 billion program.
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