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 1028 • October 28, 2016 • 26 Tishrei 5777

CORNERSTONE OF MASSIVE ENTRANCE PROJECT LAID explains that those planning such attacks must be "in good physical shape, (Arutz-7 INN.com 10/26/16) experienced in hand-to-hand combat, and have prior experience" in carrying The cornerstone laying was held Wednesday night for a new business district out terrorist attacks. at the entrance to Jerusalem in a festive ceremony. Another part of the document explains the best way to choose the victim. Attending the ceremony were Jerusalem Mayor and Ministers "The target must be as isolated as possible, preferably slim, so it can be Ze'ev Elkin and Yaakov Katz. moved easily. The target must not be close to sensitive locations such as Speaking at the ceremony, Elkin related the construction project to the vote police stations or military bases or checkpoints -- somewhere where there by UNESCO earlier in the day to deny the connection between the Jewish aren't many patrols and has multiple exits," it says. people and their holy sites in Jerusalem. "On this day in which UNESCO Instructions advise as to the best abduction times saying a cell planning such denies our connection to Jerusalem-there is no better time to speak about an attack "should avoid times of high security alert, and should make use of the future of Jerusalem." the dark, rough weather and disasters such as earthquakes or fires." The project, called "The Entrance to Jerusalem,' is expected to become one The document also explains that abductors should "avoid carrying out the of the most prominent business districts in the country in the coming years. It attack while other major global events may push it out of the headlines" and will be built with an investment of 1.4 billion shekels ($364 million) and cover advises terrorists planning abductions to "blend in with their surroundings and an area of about 211 hectares (521 acres). It is also expected to bring 40,000 speak Hebrew with people around them" in the targeted area. new jobs to 's capital. The project is also expected to become a major transportation hub, with a RECORD NUMBER OF JEWS VISIT TEMPLE MOUNT FOR HOLIDAYS high speed railway, two light rails, and public transit routes. (Ha’aretz 10/27/16) Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said "This is the largest and most significant A record number of Jews visited the Temple Mount during this year’s three- project for the future of Jerusalem. Tens of thousands of new jobs in an area week fall holiday season, from October 3 to October 25, and overall the five times larger than the Azrieli Towers (in ), a significant supply of number of Jewish visitors to the site in 2016 is expected to set a record. labor to boost the economy of Jerusalem, the most advanced transportation During the week of Sukkot alone, more than 1,600 Jews visited the Temple center in Israel, the largest convention center in the country, tunnels, roads, Mount compound for religious purposes after undergoing ritual immersion. and the most modern accommodations will link together into one bustling, During the entire holiday period, over 3,000 Jews visited. vibrant area." The Temple Mount was relatively quiet over the holiday period, which led the "The new entrance to Jerusalem will open new opportunities and endless police to be more flexible about allowing Jewish worshipers into the possibilities," Barkat went on. "After the building of the new business district compound. For example, in contrast to last year, the police allowed larger Jerusalem will be different from what it was before - a city with its glorious groups to enter and permitted more than one group of worshipers to be in the history sitting next to its radical changes from decay to growth, from net migration to becoming an attractive city for young people, and from dwindling Israel Report is a Student Publication of city resources to a leader in economic growth that stands on its own two feet - for future generations." Daniel Zolty, Editor-in-Chief The new district will include business centers, hotels, and leisure and culture 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 activities with a total investment of about 10 billion shekels ($2.6 billion). any of the material published: According to estimates, about 65,000 people will move through the new Anshei Chesed Cong., Boynton Beach, FL Hillel at Brandeis University business district every day. The new district area will include 24 buildings, 14 Bergen County High School of Jewish Studies Hillel at California State University - Long Beach Boca Raton Synagogue, FL Hillel at Columbia University of which will be high-rise buildings over 24 stories tall. Another 9 buildings will Carmel School, Hong Kong Hillel at Johns Hopkins University be skyscrapers 36 stories tall. Cong. Agudath Achim, Bradley Beach, NJ Hillel at Yale University Cong. Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, NJ Hillel High School, Deal NJ Work began on the project last year without any disturbance to the public. Cong. Ahavath Achim, Fairfield, CT Jewish Center of Teaneck, NJ Cong. Anshe Shalom, Jamaica Estates, NY Kehillas Bais Yehudah Tzvi, Cedarhurst, NY Cong. Anshe Sholom, New Rochelle, NY Kemp Mill Synagogue, Silver Spring, MD SECURITY FORCES DISCOVER 'ABDUCTION MANUAL' USED BY Cong. Beth Aaron, Teaneck, NJ Mizrachi Shul, Johannesburg, SA TERRORISTS (Israel Hayom 10/26/16) Cong. Beth Shalom, Monroe Twp, NJ North Shore Hebrew Academy HS, NY Cong. Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, NJ Suburban Torah Center, Livingston, NJ The recent arrest of an east Jerusalem-based terrorist cell affiliated with Cong. Etz Ahaim, Highland Park, NJ The Learning Shul, Columbia, SC Islamic State has yielded a jarring find: a "how to" document detailing the Cong. Ohr Torah, Edison, NJ Woodsburgh, NY Minyan best way to abduct Israeli soldiers and civilians. Cong. Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, NJ Young Israel Bet Tefilah of Aberdeen, NJ Cong. Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, NJ Young Israel of Brookline, MA Channel 10 reported Tuesday that the document, dubbed by the defense Cong. Sons of Israel, Allentown, PA Young Israel of East Brunswick, NJ establishment an "abduction manual," was found during a search of a Cong. Zichron Mordechai, Teaneck, NJ Young Israel of Fort Lee, NJ Cong. Zichron R. M. Feinstein, Brooklyn, NY Young Israel of Hancock Park, CA suspect's computer. Delray Orthodox Synagogue, Delray Beach, FL Young Israel of Holliswood, NY According to the report, the document was not penned by Islamic State, but East Denver Orthodox Synagogue, CO Young Israel of Houston, TX Flatbush Park Jewish Center, Mill Basin, NY Young Israel of New Hyde Park, NY has been circulating among the Gaza Strip-based terrorist organizations. Harvard University Library Young Israel of North Woodmere, NY The "manual" includes step-by-step instructions on the best times to abduct Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, NY Young Israel of New Rochelle, NY Hillel at Baruch College Young Israel of Sharon, MA Israelis, and advises three possible courses of action: abduction and YI Shomrai Emunah, Silver Spring, MD concealment, abduction and imprisonment, and abduction and murder. We encourage our readers to subscribe to our sources on the internet. For more information or to The document lists the pros and cons for each method in great detail, and subscribe by e-mail, reach us at [email protected] 2 compound simultaneously. On October 18 there were more than 400 vacation days, allowing parents to split days off to spend with sick children religious Jews on the Mount at the same time. and price regulation for baby formula. Jewish visitors also reported a certain relaxation of the restrictions on prayer and religious rituals in the compound. For example, police did not interrupt SENIOR CITIZENS A GROWING PERCENTAGE OF ISRAEL'S anyone who was praying quietly on their own, and in a number of instances POPULATION (YNet 10/25/16) Jews were even allowed to enter the compound carrying the four species is the city with the highest rate of senior citizens in Israel (20.5%), central to the observance of Sukkot. and Beitar Illit has the lowest (0.8%), according to the annual statistics “The police have gone back to exercising restraint and stopped harassing related to the elderly in Israel as prepared by the organizations Mashav and non-public prayers,” the organization of Temple Mount advocate groups said JDC Israel Eshel (the Association for the Planning and Development of in a statement. “As a result, many Jews were able to pray on the Temple Services for the Aged). Mount quietly, and some even inconspicuously carried a lulav,” they said. According to their research, in 2014 the number of senior citizens in Israel More than 11,000 Jews have visited the compound for religious purposes rose above 900,000 for the first time, with their rate of growth double that of since the beginning of 2016, similar to the number of Jews who visited during other segments of the population. In 1955, those above the age of 65 were all of 2015. The current record for Jewish visitors was set in 2014, when only 4.8% of the population, and they today are 10.8%. A majority of the 11,754 Jews visited. Last year, because of the security tensions in Jerusalem elderly (56%) are women. in general and in the areas around the Temple Mount in particular, there was A particularly worrying datum from the study is the relative number of the a slight drop in the number of Jewish worshipers. elderly to people of working age (20–64). While in 1960, there 97 senior citizens for every 1,000 persons of working age, today that number is 204. HAKAFOT IN TEL AVIV AND NEAR GAZA (YNet 10/24/16) The average monthly household income for those homes that include a Simchat Torah, the last holiday of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, ended at senior citizen was NIS 13,419 in 2014, versus NIS 18,329 for the general sunset on Monday, and, as is traditional every year, revelers took to the population. According to the data, only 44% of senior citizens in 2014 streets to dance with Torah scrolls in the celebrations of hakafot. received payments from a pay-as-you-go pension from their place of work at As every year, Ynet was there to cover some of the country's celebrations. an average amount of NIS 5,911. At the same time, 22% of recipients of state This year, live feeds were provided from Tel Aviv's Rabin Square and the pensions also required supplemental income assistance from the state. Eshkol Regional Council nearby the Gaza Strip. According to projections, by 2020, the number of elderly in the population is The Eshkol Regional Council Simchat Torah's celebrations came after a expected to surpass 12%, and by 2035 will be %15. difficult day with a rocket fired from Gaza and retaliatory air strikes and Eshel's CEO, Yossi Heiman, said, "In our strategic planning for the coming celebrated hakafot with the regional rabbi, soldiers from the Gaza Division of decade, we've decided to try to make the country take responsibility for the the IDF and the local mayor Gadi Yarkoni. retirement process. That means that cities with high rates of the elderly will In Tel Aviv's Rabin Square, several bands, including Lev Tahor and Tzilei have the burden of their care fall on the (local) authority, and that has HaOud performed for the hakafot celebrations. The ceremony began with economic implications." blowing of the shofar, which marked the end of the holidays of Tishrei and as In second place after Bat Yam was Kiryat Yam with 20% of its population a sign of solidarity with Israel. The city's chief rabbi, Yisrael Meir Lau, being aged 65 or older, and is in third place (19.6%). Unsurprisingly, welcomed those assembled. ultra-Orthodox cities populate the bottom of the list due to the high birth rate Eshkol's mayor said to Ynet that the hakafot celebrations "are especially in the sector. The penultimate place on the list (just above Beitar Illit) is celebratory and bring together all the populations in the council in shared Modi'in Illit (0.8%) and the antepenultimate place is held by Elad (1.2%). happiness: religious, secular, women, men and children, together will soldiers As for the other large cities in the country, Tel Aviv is in 22nd place with of the Gaza Division that serve in the region and defend us day and night." 14.9% senior citizens, followed by at 14.5%. Be'er Sheva is in 27th with 14.1%, and Jerusalem is in 72nd place with 8.7%. TO EXAMINE EXTENDING PARENTAL LEAVE (JPost 10/26/16) Finance Minister appointed a new task force Tuesday to RESEARCHERS OFFER SOLUTION TO JET LAG (Ha’aretz 10/21/16) examine the possibility of extending parental leave to longer than the current Decreasing oxygen levels could reduce symptoms of jet lag, a new 14 weeks during which a new parent can have his or her full salary paid Weizmann Institute of Science study shows. without going back to work. Many people feel tired during the day, sleepless at night, dizzy and even MK Rachel Azaria () will head the task force.The last time parental confused after traveling to a different time zone. Similar symptoms are leave was extended was in 2007, from 12 to 14 weeks. Mothers must take caused by changing sleep schedules due to daylight saving time or changes the first six weeks of the period, but it can otherwise be split between both to the work schedule. parents.Israel has the highest birthrate in the OECD, with 176,700 babies A new study finds that oxygen could play a key role in resetting our biological born in 2015, and the rate per mother, 3.2, is one of the highest, with the clock after its adjustment with the environment is disrupted. According to a OECD average at 1.8. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, in the study published yesterday in the journal Cell Metabolism, lower — or higher last 20 years the percentage of employed mothers of young children rose — oxygen levels alleviate symptoms of jet lag in mice. from 55% to 75%, which is almost identical to the percentage of working The study’s lead researcher, Dr. Gad Asher of the Weizmann Institute’s fathers.The increase of mothers in the workforce requires legislative Biomolecular Sciences Department, says physiological reset is “a situation in changes, including extending parental leave, Azaria said.“Parents of young which the body’s biological processes, even in each cell, are adjusted to the children in Israel were not at the center of attention, and the time has come environment’s time tables.” for that to change,” she said.“The workforce changed along with population He compares it to a large audience, in which all the people’s watches are growth and a high birthrate. Young parents work harder today than they did coordinated. “That’s about what happens to our body’s biological clock when in the past, when there was more support from the extended family, but today we need to synchronize it,” Asher told Haaretz. parents have to get by on their own, especially during parental leave.” The circadian clocks in cells enable light-sensitive organisms to coordinate Azaria added that examining an extension for parental leave is part of a their biology and behavior with changes in the light-dark cycles. “This series of bills Kulanu passed to help working parents, including adding advanced internal clock was first described scientifically in the 18th century, 3 but only in the last few years we’re beginning to understand its importance, determined that the artifact should be dated to the 7th century BCE, to the especially in the context of metabolism and effect on quality of life,” says end of the First Temple period,” said Hasson. Asher. “Most of the letters are clearly legible, and the proposed reading of the text Recent studies link obesity, diabetes and other metabolic diseases with appears as follows: “From the king’s maidservant, from Naharata, jars of disruptions in the circadian clock, in addition to studies of sleep disorders that wine, to Jerusalem.” find higher morbidity among night-shift workers. Other studies have found It was subsequently determined that the antiquity is an original shipping that light pollution contributes to the prevalence of certain diseases. document from the time of the First Temple, indicating the payment of taxes Jet lag is merely a common manifestation of a chronological-biological or transfer of goods to storehouses in Jerusalem, Hasson said. disruption, whose frequency increases as our world becomes smaller and “The document specifies the status of the sender of the shipment [the king’s more saturated by artificial light. maidservant]; the name of the settlement from which the shipment was Asher says today’s circadian clock research includes chronotherapy (the best dispatched [Naharata]; the contents of the vessels [wine]; their number or time in the day to take certain medicines) and chrononutrition (when and amount [jars] and their destination [Jerusalem],” said Hasson. what to eat according to the circadian clock). “Naharata, which is mentioned in the text, is the same Naharata that is The study’s research team included Asher’s Weizmann colleagues Yaarit referred to in the description of the border between Ephraim and Benjamin in Adamovich, Benjamin Ladeuix and Marina Golik. Joshua 16:7: ‘And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naharata, “The circadian clock consists of millions of clocks in every limb and cell,” says and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan,’” he added. Adamovich. “We wanted to understand what enables the coordination among Dr. Eitan Klein, deputy director of the IAA’s Unit for the Prevention of them, what makes them ‘tick’ in harmony.” Antiquities Robbery, said the document represents extremely rare evidence Scientists knew that temperature and eating schedules affect the circadian of the existence of an organized administration in the Kingdom of Judah. clock. Since both processes involve a change in oxygen consumption, they “It underscores the centrality of Jerusalem as the economic capital of the studied whether it serves as a coordinating signal for the body’s clocks. kingdom in the second half of the 7th century BCE,” he said. “Such a sign must be known to the body’s cells and must have a circadian “According to the Bible, the kings Menashe, Amon, or Josiah ruled in rhythm. It must also affect all the cells and make them present the same Jerusalem at this time; however, it is not possible to know for certain which of time,” says Asher. the kings of Jerusalem was the recipient of the shipment of wine.” Oxygen is identified by most body cells and fulfils the first requirement. The Amir Ganor, director of the IAA’s Unit for the Prevention of Antiquities scientists created a jet lag situation by altering the hours of light and Robbery, noted that while organic material, particularly delicate paper like darkness in the mice laboratory. “This made the mice skip six hours ahead in papyrus, decomposes over time due to its sensitivity to moisture, the desert’s time,” says Adamovich. “Like a flight from Israel to a country in the Far East.” dry climate helped preserve the ancient document. One group of mice was exposed to lower oxygen levels for several hours, “The climate of the desert is exceptional in that it facilitates the preservation while another, which served as the control group, was exposed to a steady of documents that provide invaluable information regarding the way of life in oxygen level. The mice in the first group suffered from jet lag for a antiquity and the early development of religions,” said Ganor. significantly shorter period. Hasson added that the discovery of the papyrus shows “that there are other “We reduced the oxygen level in the air from 21 percent to 14 percent. It artifacts of tremendous importance to our heritage that are waiting to be shortened their adjustment time from eight to five days,” says Asher. “We found in the Judean Desert caves.” showed that oxygen can affect the body clocks’ coordination.” Still, he warned that thieves selling such findings on the black market are Understanding how oxygen affects the circadian clock is relevant to more extricating them at an alarming rate. than jet lag, but also to people suffering from heart, vascular and chronic lung “The world’s heritage assets are being plundered on a daily basis by diseases, sleep disorders and more. antiquities robbers solely for greed,” cautioned Hasson. “We show that oxygen works for mammals, especially rodents, but it will be “The state has to mobilize and allocate the necessary resources in order to interesting to check whether it can regulate the clock for bacteria, plants, flies embark upon a historic operation together with the public, and carry out and other organisms,” says Asher. systematic excavations in all of the Judean Desert caves.” “Now, for example, we’re checking if oxygen-rich air can also shorten Denouncing UNESCO’s vote, Sports and Culture Minister Miri Regev said the recovery from jet lag. If the method is effective, we could think of simple relic further proves the historic connection between Jews and Jerusalem. solutions to implement it, for example, using oxygen masks in planes,” he “The discovery of the papyrus on which the name of our capital Jerusalem is says. written is further tangible evidence that Jerusalem was, and will remain, the eternal capital of the Jewish people,” said Regev. RARE FIRST TEMPLE-ERA SCROLL EXPOSES EARLIEST HEBREW “It is our duty to take care of the plundering of antiquities that occurs in the MENTION OF JERUSALEM (JPost 10/26/16) Judean Desert, and no less important than this is exposing the deceit of false On the same day UNESCO approved a resolution ignoring Jewish ties to the propaganda, as is once again happening today in UNESCO.” Temple Mount, the Israel Antiquities Authority on Wednesday displayed an Regev continued: “The Temple Mount – the very heart of Jerusalem and unprecedented document containing a reference to Jerusalem from the First Israel – will remain the holiest place for the Jewish people, even if UNESCO Temple period. ratifies the false and unfortunate decision another 10 times.” Written in ancient Hebrew script, and dating back to the Kingdom of Judah Preliminary results of the research findings will be presented on Thursday at during the 7th century BCE, the relic made of papyrus is the earliest extra- the Innovations in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and its Region Conference, biblical source to mention Jerusalem in Hebrew writing. which will be held on the Mount Scopus campus of the Hebrew University of Plundered from a Judean Desert cave by a band of antiquities robbers, the Jerusalem. document was seized in a complex operation by the IAA’s Unit for the The event is open to the public. Prevention of Antiquities Robbery. According to IAA director Israel Hasson, two lines of ancient Hebrew were BOLSTERING THE JEWISH DEMOCRATIC STATE (Smadar Bat Adam, preserved on the document made from the pith of the papyrus plant. Israel Hayom 10/26/16) “A paleographic examination of the letters and a C14 [radiocarbon] analysis This past Shabbat, Defense Minister Avidgor Lieberman performed two end- 4 runs: one on the Palestinian leadership, the other on the Israeli media, which weeks trying to deny the undeniable by repudiating Israel’s historical, spiritual is hiding Lieberman the pragmatic statesman from the public and insists on and emotional ties to Jerusalem. portraying him as the neighborhood bully. When the organization affirmed a resolution last week labeling the Temple In a rare interview with Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds, Lieberman discussed Mount a Muslim shrine, our Jordanian pals hailed the decision as a “victory” his plan for a regional peace agreement that would include separation and unashamedly claimed credit for having drafted the offensive decision. between Israel and the Palestinians through exchange of territory. The According to the kingdom’s official Petra News Agency, the text approved by proposal he has laid out, and not for the first time, is to abandon the concept UNESCO “was prepared by the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign and Expatriate of "territory for peace" as the best solution and conduct serious public Affairs, and presented by the Jordanian mission to UNESCO in coordination dialogue around a worldview different than the one that has guided us since with the Palestinian mission.” the 1993 Oslo Accords. The resolution, which was passed under the heading “Occupied Palestine,” The signing of those accords failed to create the hoped-for peace deal, but was labeled “historic” by Jordan’s Minister of State for Media Affairs succeeded in gouging a wound in the heart of the Israeli public and turning Mohammad Momani, who went on to parrot claims by Muslim extremists that the two blocs from political opponents into bitter enemies. Israel was endangering sites such as the Dome of the Rock and the Aksa The Left, supported by most of the popular media outlets, clung determinedly Mosque, both of which sit on the Temple Mount. to the policy that giving up Judea and Samaria, and the Gaza Strip, which Needless to say, this is hardly the way a true partner in peace should be Israel took in the 1967 Six-Day War, is the only way to peace. The Right, on behaving. Indeed, Jordan repeatedly and habitually seeks to undermine the other hand, sees withdrawal from the ancestral territory as an existential Israel and its legitimacy at just about every international forum possible. threat, since it comprises a concession of the principle that guided the Two years ago, for example, the UN Security Council debated a establishment of the state on this particular piece of land, "not through diplomatically dangerous resolution that demanded a complete Israeli strength, but by right," as late Prime Minister Menachem Begin put it. withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines by the end of 2017 and called for the The 2005 disengagement from the Gaza Strip only deepened the divide, establishment of a Palestinian state. Guess which country submitted the especially given the fact that Gaza tossed away the olive branch it had been harshly anti-Israel draft? Fortunately, the resolution failed to pass when it did given and chose the path of endless terrorism. not garner the required nine votes, but that didn’t stop Jordanian UN Lieberman's plan discusses a principle that the Israeli Left spearheads: the ambassador Dina Kawar from stating, “The fact that this draft resolution was separation of the two peoples through "re-dealing" the cards, taking into not adopted will not at all prevent us from proceeding to push the account demographic changes and with the agreement of both sides. Under international community, specifically the United Nations, toward an effective this plan, Israel would annex the major settlement blocs in Judea and involvement to achieving a resolution to this conflict.” Samaria, and in exchange would relinquish the areas with dense Muslim In other words, Amman would continue to try to coerce the Jewish state in populations in the territory that was outside its borders until 1967. It is the international arena. important to note that the process of changing borders and reassigning And that is exactly what Jordan’s King Abdullah has frequently done, territory, along with the population living there, to another country, is legal lambasting and threatening Israel in often ruthless terms. under international law and was done not long before the Oslo Accords were Two years ago, the unelected monarch accused Israel of “slaughtering our signed, when the former Soviet Union broke apart and the bloc of eastern children in Gaza and Jerusalem every five minutes.” And just last month, European countries separated into small, homogenous nations. while speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, he publicly warned The Left, as usual, has leapt as if it were bitten by a snake: "impossible," Israel in ominous terms that if it does not “embrace peace” and accept the "can't be implemented," and mainly "racist." The Israeli "righteous among the establishment of a Palestinian state, then the Jewish state will “eventually be nations" have no problem with the transfer of some 300,000 Jews, or with engulfed in a sea of hatred in a region of turmoil.” giving up what millions of their people see as the place they originated. But How sweet of him. keeping Muslims, some of whom identify as Palestinians, in their homes and But hostility toward Israel and Jews isn’t confined to the corridors of power in one their land, and joining them to the Palestinian entity, allowing them to Jordan. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that it is a widely-held help its democratic development and removing them (or not) from the Israeli sentiment among the vast majority of the Jordanian public. population? Unthinkable! According to the ADL Global 100 survey of worldwide antisemitism, which Lieberman's proposal is complex and deserving of in-depth public discussion. was conducted between July 2013 and February 2014, a whopping 81 It comprises an enormous concession for anyone who belongs to the Right, percent of Jordanians hold antisemitic views. Two-thirds of Jordanians and demands a certain concession from the Left. Anyone who wants a strong surveyed said they believe that Jews are responsible for most of the wars in Jewish, democratic, and united state should think about making peace the world, while even larger majorities assert that Jews have too much among ourselves first. control over global affairs, the media and the business world. And there is widespread support for extremism among the Jordanian JORDAN’S CHILLY PEACE WITH ISRAEL (Michael Freund, JPost populace. 10/26/16) A 2014 survey conducted by Jordan’s Center for Strategic Studies found that Yesterday marked the 22nd anniversary of the signing of the Israel-Jordan nearly 40% of the Jordanian public does not consider Islamic State (ISIS) to peace treaty, an event heralded at the time as a historic breakthrough, one be a “terrorist organization.” that would bring about a warm and lasting reconciliation between the two Another poll, conducted by the Washington Institute, revealed that 72% of countries for generations to come. Jordanians have a “positive” or “very positive” view of Hamas, which was the So much for the desert-driven delusions of the past. highest figure observed in any of the six Arab countries surveyed. For while the accord has certainly resulted in mutually beneficial Of course, compared to some of the neighboring countries in the region, arrangements, such as the 15-year gas deal signed by Jerusalem and Jordan looks like a relative island of stability, one that has thus far succeeded Amman last month, the sad fact is that although Jordan may be Israel’s in staving off a descent into Islamist jihadist chaos. But it would be foolish to neighbor, it isn’t really much of a friend. view Jordan as a friend or ally, because it simply isn’t. It is a country with Take, for example, the ongoing soap opera involving UNESCO, the UN which we are at peace, but it is a chilly peace that appears to be growing agency that has spent a considerable amount of time over the past few colder with each passing year.