To provide greater exposure to primary Israeli news sources and opinions in order to become better informed on the issues, and to gain a better understanding of the wide range of perspectives that exist in Israeli society and politics. Issue 1041 • January 27, 2017 • 29 Tevet 5777

IDF THWARTS TWO TERROR ATTACKS IN WEST BANK (JPost 1/25/17) and the American president invited the prime minister to meet with him in Two terror attacks were thwarted on Wednesday in the Binyamin region of Washington in early February. the West Bank, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit reported. The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that "President Trump invited A car ramming attack was thwarted on Wednesday, at a gas station off of Prime Minister Netanyahu to come to Washington to meet him in February. A Highway 60, near Kochav Ya'akov in the Binyamin region of the West Bank, final date for the visit will be set in the days ahead." according to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit. The statement also said the two leaders had a "very warm conversation," and There were no reports of Israelis hurt in the incident and the suspect was that Netanyahu "expressed his desire to work closely with President Trump to shot and killed at the scene. According to initial reports, the suspected forge a common vision and advance peace and security in the region, with no perpetrator targeted IDF soldiers in the vicinity. daylight between the United States and Israel." According to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, the suspect veered his vehicle The two leaders also "discussed the nuclear deal with Iran, the peace into a bus station where citizens and soldiers were standing and also had a process with the Palestinians and other issues," the statement said. knife in his hand however was neutralized prior to exiting the vehicle. The Trump described the discussion with Netanyahu as "very nice" and stressed circumstances surrounding the incident are still being investigated. his "unprecedented commitment" to Israel's security. A few hours later, a suspected shooting attack was reported Wednesday "The president and the prime minister agreed to continue to closely consult near an IDF guard post near Halamish, in the Binyamin region of the West on a range of regional issues, including addressing the threats posed by Bank, according to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit. Iran," the White House said in a statement after the phone call. "The The soldiers returned fire, wounding the Palestinian, the spokesperson said president stressed that countering ISIL [Islamic State] and other radical adding that Karlin rifle was found in the vehicle. The suspect was reported to Islamic terrorist groups will be a priority for his administration." be in serious condition. The statement continued that "peace between Israel and the Palestinians can There were no reported injuries to IDF forces. only be negotiated directly between the two parties. ... The United States will work closely with Israel to make progress toward that goal. The two leaders DAVID'S SLING TEST CONCLUDES SUCCESSFULLY (YNet 1/25/17) agreed to meet in early February." The Israeli security apparatus completed an experiment stretching over a The readout from the White House did not include any mention of moving the number of days of the new advance David’s Sling system capable of U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, an action that would likely spark defending against mid-range missiles. The system is being developed and anger in the Arab world. manufactured jointly by Israel's state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Earlier on Sunday, the White House said it was only in the early stages of Systems Ltd and Raytheon Co, a top US arms maker. talks to fulfill Trump's campaign pledge to relocate the embassy. During the experiment that took place on Wednesday, a number of precision "We are at the very beginning stages of even discussing this subject," White missiles were launched from Israeli Air Force (IAF) jets above the Mediterranean, at which the advanced system duly fired interception rockets Israel Report is a Student Publication of upon detection. According to the director of the Ministry of Defense and the head of the Daniel Zolty, Editor-in-Chief project’s designers Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. (RADS), the Yonatan Kurz, Moshe Davis, Alex Ostrin and Yoav Zolty, Editors We are proud to be distributed by these institutions, though they do not necessarily support or condone experiment concluded successfully in its entirety, managing to intercept every any of the material published: simulated target in the air at a high altitude far from the Israeli coastline. Anshei Chesed Cong., Boynton Beach, FL Hillel at Brandeis University Officials from the RADS and the Defense Ministry circumvented a question Bergen County High School of Jewish Studies Hillel at California State University - Long Beach Boca Raton Synagogue, FL Hillel at Columbia University as to whether a system failure was recorded yesterday during the Carmel School, Hong Kong Hillel at Johns Hopkins University experiment, responding instead by saying, “This is a series of experiments Cong. Agudath Achim, Bradley Beach, NJ Hillel at Yale University Cong. Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, NJ Hillel High School, Deal NJ that lasted a number of days and was completed with full success.” Cong. Ahavath Achim, Fairfield, CT Jewish Center of Teaneck, NJ Weighing hundreds of kilograms, the simulated missiles that the system Cong. Anshe Shalom, Jamaica Estates, NY Kehillas Bais Yehudah Tzvi, Cedarhurst, NY Cong. Anshe Sholom, New Rochelle, NY Kemp Mill Synagogue, Silver Spring, MD blasted out of the skies were just as precise. The first version of David’s Sling Cong. Beth Aaron, Teaneck, NJ Mizrachi Shul, Johannesburg, SA has already been transferred to the IAF which is expected to announce that it Cong. Beth Shalom, Monroe Twp, NJ North Shore Hebrew Academy HS, NY Cong. Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, NJ Suburban Torah Center, Livingston, NJ will be fit for operational use this year. Cong. Etz Ahaim, Highland Park, NJ The Learning Shul, Columbia, SC The system is intended to complete Israel’s air defense capabilities, Cong. Ohr Torah, Edison, NJ Woodsburgh, NY Minyan integrating itself into the anti-missile family which includes the famous Iron Cong. Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, NJ Young Israel Bet Tefilah of Aberdeen, NJ Cong. Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, NJ Young Israel of Brookline, MA Dome short-range interceptor system and the Arrow ballistic missile Cong. Sons of Israel, Allentown, PA Young Israel of East Brunswick, NJ interceptor, both of which are in service. Cong. Zichron Mordechai, Teaneck, NJ Young Israel of Fort Lee, NJ Cong. Zichron R. M. Feinstein, Brooklyn, NY Young Israel of Hancock Park, CA The sophisticated technology with which the state of the art system is Delray Orthodox Synagogue, Delray Beach, FL Young Israel of Holliswood, NY equipped is designed to protect the entire breadth of Israeli landscape. East Denver Orthodox Synagogue, CO Young Israel of Houston, TX Flatbush Park Jewish Center, Mill Basin, NY Young Israel of New Hyde Park, NY Harvard University Library Young Israel of North Woodmere, NY TRUMP INVITES NETANYAHU TO WASHINGTON IN FEBRUARY (Israel Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, NY Young Israel of New Rochelle, NY Hillel at Baruch College Young Israel of Sharon, MA HaYom 1/23/17) YI Shomrai Emunah, Silver Spring, MD U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke We encourage our readers to subscribe to our sources on the internet. For more information or to by telephone Sunday for the first time since Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, subscribe by e-mail, reach us at [email protected] 2 House spokesman Sean Spicer said in a statement. Aides said no "The American government has changed and Israel's policies also need to announcement of an embassy move was imminent. change. The Israeli government needs to approve all the plans currently on In the days leading to his inauguration, Trump had discussed the matter of the table and issue bids to build in all of Judea and Samaria, Shomron and moving the embassy with his senior staff. His close aides told Israel Hayom the Jordan Valley," said the statement. Sunday that Trump was not a person to break promises, and that the The Palestinian Authority rejected the construction plan as a "deliberate statement issued by the White House about moving the embassy should be provocation by Israel making a mockery of the international community." taken very seriously. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud In an interview with Israel Hayom in February 2016, Trump vowed to transfer Abbas, said the decision "damages attempts to restore security and stability the American Embassy to Jerusalem. to the region and will encourage radicalization and terrorism, and place Last Wednesday, Trump told Israel Hayom: "Of course I remember what I obstacles before any attempt to create a diplomatic process that would lead told you about Jerusalem. Of course I didn't forget. And you know I'm not a to peace and security." person who breaks promises." Jordan also condemned the decision. A statement by the government In Israel, meanwhile, politicians were quick to welcome the White House spokesman, Mohammed al-Momani called the plans a violation of announcement that discussions had begun on relocating the embassy to international law that seeks to undermine peace efforts and hurt Palestinian Jerusalem. rights. Jerusalem Affairs Minister Zeev Elkin (Likud) said, "I applaud the Trump "It deals a tough blow to efforts to revive the peace process," Momani said. administration for beginning to implement the campaign promise to move the He urged the international community to put pressure on Israel to stop the American Embassy to Jerusalem. A united Jerusalem is the capital of Israel construction. according to Israeli law and the American Congress, which the American The European Union called recent Israeli moves for construction in the West Congress has recognized through special legislation. The time has come to Bank and East Jerusalem "regrettable," saying that they "further seriously realize this with actions and transfer the embassy to Jerusalem." undermine the prospects for a viable two-state solution." Culture Minister Miri Regev (Likud) said, "I commend the president of the "It is regrettable that Israel is proceeding with this policy, despite the United States for initiating the process of moving the embassy to Jerusalem. continuous serious international concern and objections, which have been The time for talk is over; now is the time for actions." constantly raised at all levels," said the statement. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said: "Trump is proving he is a true friend of the On Monday, Netanyahu informed the members of the inner security cabinet State of Israel, who keeps his word. The announcement sends a clear that he has decided to lift all restrictions on Israeli construction in East message to the entire world that the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as the united Jerusalem resulting from international diplomatic pressures, two senior capital of Israel. We will help the American administration in any possible way officials who have been briefed on what transpired at the meeting said. to transfer of the embassy in the quickest and smoothest manner." Netanyahu added that at the same time when construction plans would be promoted in East Jerusalem, he intends to also advance construction in West ISRAEL APPROVES CONSTRUCTION AND PLANNING OF 2,500 Bank settlement blocs. SETTLER HOMES IN WEST BANK (Ha’aretz 1/24/17) The Jerusalem Local Planning and Building Committee on Sunday approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor the construction of hundreds of building units beyond the Green Line, or the Lieberman approved the construction and planning of some 2,500 new pre-1967 borders, in Jerusalem. Some of the committee’s hearings were housing units in the West Bank on Tuesday. postponed in recent weeks for fear of pressure from the Obama Overall, the marketing of lands for the immediate construction of 909 new administration. homes have been approved, as well as the expediting of planning at the Peace Now strongly condemned the new housing plans, calling them a relevant committees for an additional 1,642 homes. “desperate attempt” by Netanyahu to divert the agenda from the corruption According to a Defense Ministry press release, most of the units are located cases against him and criticism from the right about the handling of within settlement blocs, while some 100 of them are located in the settlement Operation Protective Edge. Netanyahu is “leading Israel into a binational of Beit El, and others in Migron. However, a look at the planned locations state reality. The price of this transparent spin of Netanyahu's will be exacted shows the construction is slated for outside the settlement blocs, as well. solely at the expense of Israeli citizens,” the organization said. [Image: Number of planned housing units] Number of planned housing units In total, 909 units were approved for immediate marketing. These are divided OBAMA RELEASED MILLIONS TO PA HOURS BEFORE LEAVING up among the following settlements: Givat Ze'ev, 552 units; Alfei Menashe, OFFICE (Arutz-7 INN.com 1/23/17) 78 units; Beitar Elite, 87 units; Ma'ale Adumim, 90 units; Ariel, 63 units; Efrat, Former U.S. President Barack Obama defied Republican opposition and 21 units and Elkana, 18 units. quietly released $221 million to the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the final Another 1,642 units will enter a planning phase in the National Planning and hours of his administration, officials told The Associated Press on Monday. Building Council, divided up as follows: Ets Efraim, 81 units; Givat Ze'ev, 100 Republican members of Congress had been holding up the money to the PA, units; Kokhav Ya'akov, 86 units; Har Gillo, 4 units; Zufim, 292 units; Oranit, but a State Department official and several congressional aides said the 154; Ariel, 899 units; Sha'arei Tikva, 6 units and Beit El, 20 units. outgoing administration formally notified Congress it would spend the money Netanyahu said that "we are building - and will continue to build." Lieberman Friday morning, just before Donald Trump became president. said that, "We are returning to life as normal in Judea and Samaria." More than $227 million in foreign affairs funding was released at the time, The new construction and planning came under fire from the Yesha Council including $4 million for climate change programs and $1.25 million for UN of settlements, which called it a "disappointment" and said the new units organizations, according to AP. "don't meet demand." The Obama administration had for some time been pressing for the release Most of the units will get caught up in bureaucracy and won't be constructed, of the money for the Palestinian Authority, which comes from the U.S. leaving just a few hundred that will, Yesha said in a statement. Agency for International Development and is to be used for humanitarian aid "Unfortunately, this is a deception meant to look like large-scale approval of in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, to support political and security reforms as well construction, while in reality, as on previous occasions, only a few hundred as help prepare for good governance and the rule of law in a future will be built and the rest will only be planned." Palestinian state, according to the notification sent to Congress quoted by the 3 news agency. and engineering, the Israeli team was the first to reserve a spot for a space The official and the aides spoke to AP on condition of anonymity as they launch out of 33 teams that began the competition. Only five teams remain were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. that have clinched spots on space launches, but all the others are set for Last March it was reported that members of Congress were delaying a after SpaceIL's scheduled launch at the end of 2017. payment of $159 million in aid allocated for the PA in an effort to pressure the The "ticket to the moon" cost the team over $10 million, a sum reached with PA to relaunch negotiations with Israel. funding by the group's two main benefactors: Morris Kahn's Kahn Foundation That was not the first time that the United States’ aid to the PA has made and Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson's Adelson Family Foundation. headlines in recent years. Washington has several times cut – and After landing on the moon, the spacecraft is expected to take photos and subsequently resumed – the financial aid to the PA. videos of the moon and broadcast them to Earth. The spacecraft is designed Previously, this issue made headlines was when the PA unilaterally applied to travel 500 yards across the surface of the moon by hopping, instead of to join the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Obama administration roving like other spacecraft in the competition. If all goes as planned, indicated at the time it was reviewing its annual $440 million aid package to SpaceIL will meet the conditions of Google's XPRIZE competition and win the PA because of the decision. $20 million. The team plans to use the prize money to promote science in Republican Senator Rand Paul later introduced a bill that would immediately Israel. halt aid to the PA until it halts its effort to join the ICC. In September of 2011, a $192 million aid package was frozen by Congress HEALTH MINISTRY PROPOSES NEW ANTI-SMOKING LAWS (Arutz-7 after the PA submitted a failed unilateral bid for United Nations membership. INN.com 1/25/17) In April of 2012, Obama bypassed a Congress block and signed a waiver Director of Public Health Services Prof. Itamar Grotto submitted to the declaring that aid to the Palestinian Authority is “important to the security Knesset on Wednesday a list of proposed steps intended to reduce the interests of the United States. number of Israeli citizens suffering from second-hand smoking. "Israel once had the best smoking laws, but we've fallen behind. The Health REPORT: BY 2035, ONLY 43,700 HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS WILL BE Ministry intends to fix this, and we have already drafted several law LEFT IN ISRAEL (JPost 1/25/17) proposals," Grotto said. By the year 2035, there will only be some 43,700 Holocaust survivors living in Israel has anti-smoking laws and smoking is forbidden in many public areas, Israel, according to a report released by the Central Bureau of Statistics the laws are not always enforced. In practice, if a given municipality chooses ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, observed annually on not to enforce the laws, it is up to the private citizen to call the police - and January 27. often, by the time the police arrive, the smoke has already left the area. The report stated that the population of survivors is aging and their numbers Grotto continued, "These proposals and initiatives are things which the are decreasing with each passing year. Health Ministry intends to advance, such as raising the tax on electronic According to forecasts, by 2020 there will only be some 156,000 survivors cigarettes to match that of regular cigarettes, limiting tobacco advertisements living in Israel and by 2025 the number will decrease to 111,100. in all media, enlarging the areas in which smoking is forbidden, and others. At the end of 2015, some 202,600 Holocaust survivors were living in Israel. "We want to forbid smoking in public areas such as open stadiums, and Of these, 63,500 were survivors from the ghettos, hideouts, labor camps and enlarge the no-smoking radius around preschools and playgrounds. concentration camps, with 78% of the survivors originating from European Regarding smoking with children in the car - this is something we are working countries. on, because its' much harder to enforce. Maybe it can be added into the An additional 108,900 lived under Nazi rule outside of Europe. Of those, 55% Transportation Ministry's laws, there are disagreements on it. were born in North Africa, primarily Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya. Some "It will also be forbidden to smoke in zoos and at open-air shows, and we 30,200 were refugees, of which 75% were born in the former Soviet Union. want to close smoking areas in places like restaurants and the Knesset." These three groups have been defined by various official government and Grotto also said these laws can be advanced quickly and without going private entities as “Holocaust survivors,” according to the report, and as such through the usual legislative process. are entitled to receive the rights and benefits due to them for their Even though smoking was on the decline in 2016, nearly 40% of Israelis are experiences and exposure to the Nazi regime. smokers by the time they finish their mandatory IDF service. “A Holocaust survivor is a person who lived in one of the countries occupied by or under the direct influence of the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945 RARE STALACTITE, STALAGMITE CAVE DISCOVERED NEAR GALILEE and/or refugees who were forced to leave their homes due to the Nazi (JPost 1/25/17) regime,” the report stated. An unusual ancient stalactite and stalagmite cave, featuring stunning Of the survivors living in Israel at the end of 2015, some 59% were women elongated limestone deposits several meters long, was recently discovered in and 41% were men. As the age of the survivors has increased, the share of the Galilee region by researchers from the Nature and Parks Authority and women has also significantly increased. Of the survivors aged 83 years and the Cave Research Center. above, some 62% were women and 38% were men According to the researchers, the cave, whose exact location is not being disclosed to the public to avert injuries or tampering, is thousands of years ISRAEL SLATED TO BE 4TH COUNTRY TO LAND VEHICLE ON THE old. MOON (Israel Hayom 1/25/17) “It is rather exciting and thrilling, yet unfortunately, it seems at this point that Israel is scheduled to become the fourth country to land a spacecraft on the we cannot open [the cave] to the public because of its characteristics and moon, with a launch planned for the end of 2017 by billionaire businessman small size,” Shai Koren, director of the Lower Galilee Nature and Parks Elon Musk's SpaceX company. Authority, said on Wednesday. “We cannot give the exact location because it The scheduled launch is also set to send several satellites into space, but the is dangerous at this time. Additionally, I will note that the stalactites and Israeli spacecraft is the only one designed to continue to the moon. stalagmites are protected as nature by law and therefore must not be The dishwasher-sized spacecraft was built by the Israeli SpaceIL team for damaged.” Google's Lunar XPRIZE competition, which aims to promote space Dr. Inon Shivtiel, of the Cave Research Center, noted that stalactites, which technology and interest in the private sector. Thanks to advanced innovation hang from the cave’s ceiling like enormous rock icicles, and stalagmites, the 4 deposited formation on the floor, are the result of water that slowly enters the welcomed in NATO headquarters and many capitals throughout the Western limestone through small cracks. world. Shivtiel said the researchers will continue to document and map the area to The Middle East and Israel were not mentioned in the speech, and any prepare a plan for its conservation. Jewish, Zionist or geopolitical overtones came from the blessing delivered by There are over 1,200 documented caves in Israel, although researchers Rabbi Marvin Hier, the dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, believe thousands more remain undiscovered. who quoted from Psalm 137: "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right The Sorek (Avshalom) Cave, perhaps the country’s most notable stalactite hand forget its skill." and stalagmite cavern, is located in a nature reserve between Jerusalem and Yet despite the absence of clues in Trump's speech about the Palestinians, Beit Shemesh on the western slopes of the Judean Hills and is open to the Iran and nuclear weapons, these matters were indeed raised in his cabinet public for tours. nominations' Senate confirmation hearings. Their testimonies, however, did not provide any clear indication of the new administration's intentions. There NETANYAHU IS NOT IRREPLACABLE (Eitan Haber, YNet 1/25/17) were discrepancies about the preferred outline for a resolution to the Israeli- It’s quite possible—and we'll never know about it—that one of the most Palestinian conflict, with some nominees leaned toward toeing the traditional delightful and exciting occasions for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is Washington line, including the "two states for two peoples" solution, instead the moment when he says to himself, or at least thinks: Look around, who of a departure from that course. can replace me? The weak Isaac Herzog? The frantic Naftali Bennett? The possibility of relocating the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem Moshe Kahlon, who I have yet to speak out against? Yair Lapid, the political was not mentioned either. Trump himself, then, will be the one to lay out his rookie? plan on these matters, apparently in his upcoming meeting with Prime So the answer to the question who can replace Netanyahu is: Everyone, Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and only then will we have a clearer idea of including those who are not on the list or in the minds of the crowners right the intended course of action. Until then, we must maintain radio silence and now. The next prime minister could come from politics, from agriculture, from avoid springing any unpleasant surprises on the new administration with the academia, from the army, from anywhere. He could arrive at the helm hasty words or actions, which could lead to an unwanted reaction from our from the periphery or from the wealthy city of Savyon. He could be Ashkenazi perspective. or Sephardic or mixed. He could be everything and everyone. The best Meanwhile, in the wake of the different and often contradictory testimonies to recent example is Donald Trump. There is not a single person in America the Senate, even more questions arise on the matter of Iran and the nuclear who did not chuckle about two years ago when Trump’s name was first deal. During the election campaign, Trump said he would "tear the nuclear raised as a candidate for the most important position in the world. Now, he is deal to shreds," a sentiment echoed by his spokespeople. Now, however, his having the last laugh. nomination for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson -- despite agreeing with new The problem here is that the bar was set by a short but great man: David Defense Secretary John Mattis' view of Iran as an enemy of the United Ben-Gurion, whose many virtues were acknowledged even by his rivals States -- prefers bolstering oversight of the deal to canceling it. Both Tillerson (although he had quite a few shortcomings too). When Ben-Gurion resigned and Mattis, incidentally, did not explain how to reconcile the president's as prime minister the first time, in 1954, everyone panicked: What will intention of normalizing U.S.-Russian relations with the seemingly happen now? Who will replace the one and only in his generation? And then contradictory fact that Russia is also an ally of Iran in Syria and in several he was replaced by Moshe Sharett and later by Levi Eshkol, and the sky did other fields. not fall, and some will say they were as good in that job as Ben-Gurion was In Israel's defense and diplomatic circles, there is almost complete or even better (I personally don’t think so, by the way). consensus over the fundamentally negative and positive aspects of the It’s true that Netanyahu is an intelligent person with a deep understanding of nuclear deal with Tehran, although there were, and will be, disagreements the state of mind in the Israeli society, and mainly an excellent campaigner over the importance of the timetable stipulated in the deal, how best to who is capable of selling tuna fish to tuna fishermen and even making a enforce it, possible alternatives, and more. Some think the deal, despite its significant profit out of it. But it’s the position—prime minister—which makes flaws, is preferable to canceling it (if that is even possible), if certain the person. What was Netanyahu before he went into politics? A sales agent conditions and restrictions are added. This matter, too, will be at the center of at the Rim furniture company. Apart from he himself, his parents and his the new president's meeting with the prime minister, who has said there are brother, who ever thought he would become prime minister? "various ways" to undo the Iran nuclear deal. The only conclusion is that no one is irreplaceable, even if he is prime The statement itself should not be taken at face value, in other words as it minister. In Israel, this is a very difficult and complicated job, perhaps more pertains to the formal framework of the deal, but by what it means; not just than any other public position in the world, but the fact is that quite a lot of regarding the ways to stunt Iranian efforts to acquire a nuclear bomb or a people are eying the house on Jerusalem’s Balfour Street. coordinated response to Iranian violations, but the issues neglected by the Not a word has been written yet, and not a word will likely be written in this deal, which right now are a more clear and present danger than the nuclear context, about one person, among the most talented ones. Pay attention to issue. These issues, of course, are Iran's ballistic missile program, its terrorist the person whose term in a senior IDF position has been quietly extended by activities and its hegemonic aspirations, evidenced among other things by one year and then by another year. He too will likely be a worthy candidate. Tehran-backed Shiite invasion of large swaths of the Middle East, and the Now’s the time for guessing. possibility that Hezbollah will attempt to open a new front with Israel by establishing a foothold on the Golan Heights. TRUMP AND ISRAEL: WAIT FOR THE MEETING (Zalman Shoval, Israel These are only some of the issues that will challenge the Trump HaYom 1/23/17) administration in the international arena. How they are confronted will U.S. President Donald Trump's impressive, unique inauguration speech last determine whether the new administration has fulfilled its promise to "make Friday, which focused on America's domestic issues and the new dawn America great again" -- and will also affect how we cope with these rising, purposefully did not shine a spotlight on the president's goals in the challenges. international arena, aside from declaring his commitment to fighting radical Islamic terrorism -- a term that former U.S. President Barack Obama refused to use -- and preserving existing alliances, which was most certainly