DOCSLIB.ORG

Israel Report

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

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 1001 • April 8, 2016 • 29 Adar II 5776 ISRAEL SUSPENDS CEMENT DELIVERIES TO GAZA’S PRIVATE CABINET DISCUSSES UNILATERAL WITHDRAWALS (Arutz-7 INN.com SECTOR (JPost 4/4/16) 4/6/16) Israel this week temporarily suspended the delivery of cement to Gaza’s Security Cabinet to receive report on formerly secret talks with PA to pull IDF private sector after it discovered that Hamas was siphoning the material, from Ramallah and Jericho; 'this is a prize to terror.' which is intended to rebuild destroyed houses. Security Cabinet ministers are to receive an update on Wednesday on the The Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories formerly secret talks between Israeli representatives and the Palestinian (COGAT) monitors the flow of cement into Gaza to ensure that Hamas has Authority (PA), regarding the PA demand to remove IDF forces from not used it to construct tunnels to attack Israel. On Friday COGAT posted on Ramallah and Jericho. its Arabic Facebook page that it suspended the transfer of cement to Gaza The Cabinet discussion comes around three weeks after Haaretz revealed because some deliveries had been diverted by Imad Elbaz, the deputy that secret contacts were being held between top IDF brass and senior PA director-general for Hamas’s economics office. “This is a blatant violation of sources, without government ministers or the Cabinet being informed. agreements for rehabilitation,” COGAT said in its Facebook post. Those secret talks revolved around removing the IDF presence from COGAT head Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai temporarily halted the shipments Ramallah and Jericho, two cities in Area A of Judea and Samaria designated until the matter is fully investigated, COGAT said. adding that it regretted that as being under the PA's administrative and security control according to the Hamas continues to pursue its own personal agenda at the expense of 1994 Oslo Accords. However, the IDF was forced to reenter and take back Gaza’s residents. control during 2002 Operation Defensive Shield amid the Second Intifada The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay terror war. Mladenov, issued an unusually sharp response on Monday, accusing Hamas Minister of Immigrant Absorption and Jerusalem Affairs Ze'ev Elkin (Likud), a of theft. “Those who seek to gain through the deviation of materials are member of the Security Cabinet, responded to the report with outrage, and in stealing from their own people and adding to the suffering of Palestinians in response Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told Elkin that the contacts did Gaza,” Mladenov said. not bear fruit and therefore ministers were not informed. “The reconstruction of Gaza remains critical to ensuring its stability and I urge Haaretz reports on Wednesday morning that for the first time since the initial a rapid resolution of this matter,” he added, stating that Israel alleged that “a report on contacts, the Cabinet ministers are to receive a detailed report substantial amount [of cement bound for the private sector] had been regarding the still ongoing contacts and give their opinions regarding them. diverted from its intended legitimate beneficiaries. A source involved in the affairs of the Cabinet ministers said that the The UN is working with the Palestinians and the Israelis to resolve the ministers have been given two options. situation, he said. “The people of Gaza depend on the entry of construction One option is for them to reject the IDF withdrawal plan completely and material to repair and reconstruct their damaged and destroyed houses declare that the negotiations deviated from the current government's red following the 2014 conflict and to enable much needed infrastructure and lines, while the other is to discuss all details of the plan and the responses development projects,” Mladenov said. Israel Report is a Student Publication of RIGHT-WING ISRAELIS CAUGHT TRYING TO ENTER AL-AQSA DISGUISED AS MUSLIMS (IMRA 4/5/16) Daniel Zolty, Editor-in-Chief Yonatan Kurz, Moshe Davis, Yosef Segal and Eli Levine, Editors Israeli police arrested two right-wing Jewish Israelis on Tuesday after they We are proud to be distributed by these institutions, though they do not necessarily support or condone attempted to sneak into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound disguised as any of the material published: Muslims, locals and Israeli police said. Anshei Chesed Cong., Boynton Beach, FL Hillel at California State University - Long Beach Bergen County High School of Jewish Studies Hillel at Columbia University Israeli police spokeswoman Luba al-Samri said in a statement that midday Boca Raton Synagogue, FL Hillel at Johns Hopkins University Tuesday Israeli police officers suspected two young men approaching the Carmel School, Hong Kong Hillel at Yale University Chabad of Oak Park, CA Hillel High School, Deal NJ King Faisal gate of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Cong. Agudath Achim, Bradley Beach, NJ Jewish Center of Teaneck, NJ The officers approached the two for inspection, who said they were Muslims Cong. Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, NJ Kehillas Bais Yehudah Tzvi, Cedarhurst, NY Cong. Ahavath Achim, Fairfield, CT Kemp Mill Synagogue, Silver Spring, MD heading to the Al-Aqsa mosque. The officers checked their identification Cong. Anshe Shalom, Jamaica Estates, NY Mizrachi Shul, Johannesburg, SA documents to reveal that they were 21-year-old Jewish Israelis. Cong. Beth Aaron, Teaneck, NJ North Shore Hebrew Academy HS, NY Cong. Beth Shalom, Monroe Twp, NJ Suburban Torah Center, Livingston, NJ They were arrested and taken to al-Qishla police station in occupied East Cong. Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, NJ The Learning Shul, Columbia, SC Jerusalem’s Old City for questioning, al-Samri added. Cong. Ohr Torah, Edison, NJ Woodsburgh, NY Minyan The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which sits just above the Western Wall Cong. Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, NJ Young Israel Bet Tefilah of Aberdeen, NJ Cong. Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, NJ Young Israel of Brookline, MA plaza, houses both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque. Cong. Sons of Israel, Allentown, PA Young Israel of East Brunswick, NJ The third holiest site in Islam, it is also venerated as Judaism's most holy Cong. Zichron Mordechai, Teaneck, NJ Young Israel of Fort Lee, NJ Cong. Zichron R. M. Feinstein, Brooklyn, NY Young Israel of Hancock Park, CA place, as it sits where Jews believe the First and Second Temples once Delray Orthodox Synagogue, Delray Beach, FL Young Israel of Holliswood, NY stood. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. East Denver Orthodox Synagogue, CO Young Israel of Houston, TX Flatbush Park Jewish Center, Mill Basin, NY Young Israel of New Hyde Park, NY Following Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967, Israel has maintained Harvard University Library Young Israel of North Woodmere, NY a compromise with the Islamic trust that controls the Al-Aqsa Mosque Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, NY Young Israel of New Rochelle, NY Hillel at Baruch College Young Israel of Sharon, MA compound to not allow non-Muslim prayers in the area. Hillel at Brandeis University YI Shomrai Emunah, Silver Spring, MD Israeli forces regularly escort Jewish visitors to the site, however, leading to We encourage our readers to subscribe to our sources on the internet. For more information or to tension with Palestinian worshipers. subscribe by e-mail, reach us at [email protected] 2 raised on both sides during the talks. ETHIOPIAN BRIGADE COMMANDER MAKES IDF HISTORY (Israel Hayom The second option would in essence grant legitimacy to the contacts with the 4/3/16) PA sources, and the PA's demand for withdrawals. Lt. Col. Avi Yitzhak has become the first Ethiopian Israeli to graduate the A political source said, "in my estimation holding these contacts in the current Israel Defense Forces' prestigious course for brigade commanders, which period is a prize to terror," noting on the current wave of Arab terror that has ended last week. Yitzhak is a doctor who heads the Combat Medical Branch claimed the lives of 34 victims since last September. in the Medical Corps. "After all any proposed idea of withdrawal comes due to the wave of terror we Yitzhak will soon vie for a promotion to full colonel, making him the first are in the midst of, and if we agree to a withdrawal like this, doing so will give Ethiopian in IDF history to earn such a rank. more than just a signal to the attackers and potential attackers that terror After immigrating to Israel in 1991 at the age of 19 and studying Hebrew for a pays, and with additional terrorist pressure we will withdraw from more and year at an absorption center, Yitzhak began his path in the IDF in the Medical more territory." Corps. He became the first Ethiopian Israeli to serve as a combat doctor, with In its demands the PA is asking that in the first stage of withdrawals the IDF both the Paratrooper Brigade and the elite Maglan unit. He later gained would remove its forces from Ramallah and Jericho, and in response it will expertise as a surgeon. Yitzhak was also chief medical officer for the Gaza not discontinue the security cooperation of its PA Security Forces with the Division during Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012, during which he saved IDF as it has frequently threatened to do. the life of a lieutenant colonel in the reserves who had been hit in the chest by shrapnel from a mortar round. ISRAEL'S WEAPONS SALES TO EUROPE MORE THAN DOUBLE AMID "I always felt the responsibility of representing the Ethiopian community," REFUGEE CRISIS (Ha’aretz 4/6/16) Yitzhak told Israel Hayom.
Recommended publications
  • April 1 2020

    April 1 2020

    Israel and the Middle East News Update Wednesday, April 1 Headlines: • Justice Ministry and Knesset Speaker Among Last Hurdles in Unity Talks • Blue and White Under Pressure to Compromise on Ministers • Sa’ar: Gantz Should Prevent ‘Inflated’ Unity Govt’ During Time of Crisis • Syria: Air Defenses Down Missiles from Israeli Warplanes • IDF's Top Military Commander Tests Negative for Coronavirus • Nearly a Quarter of Israel’s Workforce Unemployed due to Virus Outbreak • Gov't Mulls Lockdown on Haredi Cities as Coronavirus Patients Hit 5,591 • Palestinian Forces Conduct Rare Operation in Jerusalem Neighborhood Commentary: • Yedioth Ahronoth: “‘Chaos Reigns in the Absence of a Plan” - By Nadav Eyal, Channel Thirteen News’ foreign news editor • Al Monitor: “Why Gantz Needed to Replace Netanyahu's Knesset Speaker” - By Ksenia Svetlova, former Knesset member for Hatnua Party S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20004 www.centerpeace.org News Excerpts April 1, 2020 Ha’aretz Justice Ministry and Knesset Speaker Among Last Hurdles in Unity Talks Likud and Kahol Lavan officials hope to be able to finalize coalition talks and expect a government to be sworn in on Monday, April 6, a few days before Passover begins.The cancellation of a meeting between PM Netanyahu and Kahol Lavan leader Benny Gantz, scheduled to take place on Monday, delayed the process. The meeting was reportedly postponed as Netanyahu went into self-quarantine at his official residence after one of his aides tested positive for coronavirus. Netanyahu himself tested negative. Negotiations are focusing on government appointments, with the Justice Ministry a major point of contention.
  • The Lost Decade of the Israeli Peace Camp

    The Lost Decade of the Israeli Peace Camp

    The Lost Decade of the Israeli Peace Camp By Ksenia Svetlova Now that Israeli annexation of Jewish settlements in the West Bank is a commonplace notion, it seems almost impossible that just twelve years ago, Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) were making significant progress in the US-sponsored bilateral peace negotiations. Since then, the stalemate in the talks has become the new normal, under three consecutive governments headed by Benjamin Netanyahu. The Palestinians, led by Mahmoud Abbas and his government, have been cast as “diplomatic terrorists” for asking the international community for help. The Israeli peace camp has been subjected to a vicious smear campaign that has shaken its self-esteem and ruined its chances of winning over the public. This systematic smearing of Israeli and Palestinian two-staters has paid off. In the April 2019 elections, Israel’s progressive Meretz party teetered on the edge of the electoral barrier while Labor, once the ruling party, gained only six mandates (5% of the votes). The centrist Blue and White, a party led by ex-army chief Benny Gantz, carefully avoided any mention of loaded terms such as “the two-state solution” or “evacuation of settlements”, only calling vaguely to “advance peace” – as part of Israel’s new political vocabulary, which no longer includes “occupation” or even “the West Bank”. Despite offering no clear alternative to the peace option it managed to successfully derail, the Israeli right under Netanyahu has been in power for over a decade in a row, since 2009. Israel’s left-wing parties are fighting to survive; the Palestinians are continuing their fruitless efforts to engage the international community; and the horrid reality of a single state, in which different groups have different political and civil rights, seems just around the corner.
  • Privatizing Religion: the Transformation of Israel's

    Privatizing Religion: the Transformation of Israel's

    Privatizing religion: The transformation of Israel’s Religious- Zionist community BY Yair ETTINGER The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit organization devoted to independent research and policy solutions. Its mission is to conduct high-quality, independent research and, based on that research, to provide innovative, practical recommendations for policymakers and the public. The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars. This paper is part of a series on Imagining Israel’s Future, made possible by support from the Morningstar Philanthropic Fund. The views expressed in this report are those of its author and do not represent the views of the Morningstar Philanthropic Fund, their officers, or employees. Copyright © 2017 Brookings Institution 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20036 U.S.A. www.brookings.edu Table of Contents 1 The Author 2 Acknowlegements 3 Introduction 4 The Religious Zionist tribe 5 Bennett, the Jewish Home, and religious privatization 7 New disputes 10 Implications 12 Conclusion: The Bennett era 14 The Center for Middle East Policy 1 | Privatizing religion: The transformation of Israel’s Religious-Zionist community The Author air Ettinger has served as a journalist with Haaretz since 1997. His work primarily fo- cuses on the internal dynamics and process- Yes within Haredi communities. Previously, he cov- ered issues relating to Palestinian citizens of Israel and was a foreign affairs correspondent in Paris. Et- tinger studied Middle Eastern affairs at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and is currently writing a book on Jewish Modern Orthodoxy.
  • Command and Control | the Washington Institute

    Command and Control | the Washington Institute

    MENU Policy Analysis / Articles & Op-Eds Command and Control by David Makovsky, Olivia Holt-Ivry May 23, 2012 ABOUT THE AUTHORS David Makovsky David Makovsky is the Ziegler distinguished fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations. Olivia Holt-Ivry Articles & Testimony his week, the world's major powers resumed negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. Should they fail, T the specter of a possible Israeli strike looms large, seeming to grow more likely as Tehran's nuclear program advances. In recent weeks, however, the conventional wisdom has shifted to favor the view that Israel is not on the cusp of a strike against Iran. This has been driven in part by public comments from former Israeli security officials -- notably former Mossad head Meir Dagan and former Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin -- questioning the wisdom of such an attack. An Israeli strike is not feasible, the thinking goes, so long as its security community remains divided -- and the thinly veiled threats of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are therefore mere bluster. Don't be so sure. Dagan and Diskin's views aren't likely to tell us much about the likelihood of a strike on Iran one way or the other. For starters, they're former officials -- given the sensitivity of this issue, and the recent media misinterpretation of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Benny Gantz's remarks earlier this month, no other current members of the security establishment are likely to go public with their views.
  • Download File

    Download File

    Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Human Rights Studies Master of Arts Program Silencing “Breaking the Silence”: The Israeli government’s agenda respecting human rights NGOs activism since 2009 Ido Dembin Thesis Adviser: Prof. Yinon Cohen Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts 12 September, 2018 Abstract This research examines a key aspect in the deterioration of Israeli democracy between 2009-2018. Mainly, it looks at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Right-wing governments utilization of legislative procedure to limit the right to free speech. The aspects of the right to free speech discussed here pertain to dissenting and critical activism against these government’s policies. The suppression of said right is manifested in the marginalization, delegitimization and ultimately silencing of its expression in Human Rights NGOs activism. To demonstrate this, the research presents a case study of one such NGO – “Breaking the Silence” – and the legal and political actions designed to cause its eventual ousting from mainstream Israeli discourse. The research focuses on the importance and uniqueness of this NGO, as well as the ways in which the government perceives and acts against it. First, it analyzes the NGO’s history, modus operandi and goals, emphasizing the uniqueness that makes it a particularly fascinating case. Then, it researches the government’s specific interest in crippling and limiting its influence. Finally, it highlights the government’s toolbox and utilization thereof against it. By shining a light on this case, the research seeks to show the process of watering down of a fundamental right within Israeli democracy – which is instrumental to understanding the state’s risk of decline towards illiberal democracy.
  • 1 Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 7/16 Aktuelles Aus Israelischen Tageszeitungen 1

    1 Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 7/16 Aktuelles Aus Israelischen Tageszeitungen 1

    Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 7/16 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 1.-15. April Die Themen dieser Ausgabe 1. Rassentrennung im Krankenhaus ........................................................................................................................ 1 2. Soldat erschießt bewusstlosen Terroristen ........................................................................................................... 3 3. Herzog und Deri unter Verdacht ........................................................................................................................... 5 4. Medienquerschnitt ................................................................................................................................................ 6 1. Rassentrennung im Krankenhaus we see in hospitals. Patients, doctors, visitors and Bezalel Smotrich, Abgeordneter der Siedlerpartei other staff represent every grouping in Israel, Jew, Habayit Hayehudi, rechtfertigt die Rassentrennung Muslim and Christian, religious and secular, refugee im Kreißsaal israelischer Krankenhäuser. Es sei and citizen alike. In Israeli hospitals, there is no ganz normal, so tat er via Twitter kund, wenn seine “occupier” or “occupied,” only doctors and nurses Frau es ablehne, ihr Kind zu entbinden, wenn neben and those they care for. They can be showcased as ihr eine Frau liege, deren Kind in 20 Jahren sein a great example of co-existence. MK Bezalel Kind ermorden könnte. Parteichef Naftali Bennett Smotrich’s comments on the topic represent the distanzierte sich von Smotrich,
  • The Israeli Colonization Activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory During the 3Rd Quarter of 2017 (July- September) / 2017

    The Israeli Colonization Activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory During the 3Rd Quarter of 2017 (July- September) / 2017

    Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ) & Land Research Center – Jerusalem (LRC) [email protected] | http://www.arij.org [email protected] | http://www.lrcj.org The Israeli Colonization Activities in the occupied Palestinian Territory during the 3rd Quarter of 2017 (July- September) / 2017 July to September 2017 The Quarterly report highlights the This presentation is prepared as part of the project entitled chronology of events concerning the “Addressing the Geopolitical Israeli Violations in the West Bank and the Changes in the Occupied Gaza Strip, the confiscation and razing of Palestinian Territory”, which lands, the uprooting and destruction of fruit is financially supported by the trees, the expansion of settlements and EU and SDC. However, the erection of outposts, the brutality of the contents of this presentation Israeli Occupation Army, the Israeli settlers are the sole responsibility of violence against Palestinian civilians and ARIJ and do not necessarily properties, the erection of checkpoints, the reflect those of the donors construction of the Israeli segregation wall and the issuance of military orders for the various Israeli purposes. 1 Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ) & Land Research Center – Jerusalem (LRC) [email protected] | http://www.arij.org [email protected] | http://www.lrcj.org Map 1: The Israeli Segregation Plan in the occupied Palestinian Territory 2 Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ) & Land Research Center – Jerusalem (LRC) [email protected] | http://www.arij.org [email protected] | http://www.lrcj.org Bethlehem Governorate (July 2017 - September 2017) Israeli Violations in Bethlehem Governorate during the Month of July 2017 • Israeli Occupation Army (IOA) assaulted and injured two Palestinian journalists; Raid Sharif and Radi Karama, while they were reporting the Israeli violations near Mazmoriya military checkpoint, east of Bethlehem city.
  • Caesarea Forum - Xvii

    Caesarea Forum - Xvii

    CAESAREA FORUM - XVII PROGRAM Chair: Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Minister of Finance Academic Director of the Forum: Mr. David Brodet Wednesday and Thursday, 1st -2nd July 2009 Hotel Royal Beach, Eilat WEDNESDAY, 1st JULY 2009 8:30 - 9:30 Registration and assembly 9:30 - 13:00 First Session : "The Requisite Size of the Government - between Economy and Politics" [The Olive and Acacia Hall] Presentation of the Team's Recommendations: Prof. Joseph Zeira , Department of Economics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Presenters: Prof. Avishai Braverman, Minister of Minority Affairs Mr. Yoram Ariav , Director General and Acting Head of the Budget Department, Ministry of Finance Prof. Zvi Eckstein , Deputy Governor, Bank of Israel Dr. Michel Strawczynski, Director, Macro-Economic and Policy Department, Bank of Israel Prof. Omer Moav, Department of Economics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg , Head, National Economic Council, Prime Minister's Office Ms. Yael Andorn, Director General, Amitim Pension Funds Dr. Yossi Bachar , Economic Consulting and Business Development Ltd. Dr. Eldad Shidlovsky , Head, Economics and Research Department, Ministry of Finance Plenary discussion 13:00 - 14:15 Minister of Finance's Session : [The Ranch House Restaurant] Luncheon Address by the Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Minister of Finance 14:30 - 18:15 Second Session : "The Future of Growth Promotion in Israel: A Return to Boosting Avant-garde Industries and Scientific Technological Innovation" [The Olive and Acacia Hall] 14:30-16:30 Presentation of the Team's Recommendations: Prof. Arnon Bentor, Dean, Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty, and Senior Researcher, The Neaman Institute, The Technion Presenters: Mr. Eli Hurvitz, Chairman, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
  • Burden Sharing and the Haredim

    Burden Sharing and the Haredim

    8 Burden Sharing and the Haredim On March 12, 2014 the Knesset passed, on its which scholars should remain exempt, but also third reading, Amendment 19 to the Military states that draft evaders will be subject to arrest if Service Law, which aims to widen the participation quotas are unmet. !e comprehensive exemption of Ultra-Orthodox young men and yeshiva granting all Haredi yeshiva students aged 22 students in military and civilian national service. and over who join the workforce is of particular !is amendment also aims to promote their significance. integration into the working population. On April 17, 2014, the Ministerial Committee on Background: !e History of Burden Sharing in Military Service set concrete steps for the amendment’s implementation the Exemption (!e Arrangement and follow up. !ese were given the force of a for Deferral of Army Service Cabinet resolution. Under the new arrangement, by Yeshiva Students) the amendment will take full e"ect on July 1, Compulsory military service applies under the 2017, following an adjustment period. When in Security Service Law (Combined Version) of 1986. full force, the military or civilian national service According to this law, Israeli citizens are subject inductees will number 5,200 a year (two thirds to conscription at age 18 unless granted an of the age cohort according to current figures). exemption. Exemption was the subject of lively Until then, yeshiva students will be able to defer debates between yeshiva heads and the political their enlistment and receive an exemption at age leadership in the early days of the state. !e 22, as long as the yeshivot meet their recruitment executive committee of the Center for Service targets, which will be implemented according to to the People considered the conscription of the mandated schedule: in 2014, a total of 3,800 yeshiva students, and in March 1948 authorized Haredim are expected to join the IDF or national a temporary army service deferment for yeshiva service; in 2015, 4,500; and 5,200 in the years that students whose occupation was Torah study.1 follow.
  • Israel and Overseas: Israeli Election Primer 2015 (As Of, January 27, 2015) Elections • in Israel, Elections for the Knesset A

    Israel and Overseas: Israeli Election Primer 2015 (As Of, January 27, 2015) Elections • in Israel, Elections for the Knesset A

    Israel and Overseas: Israeli Election Primer 2015 (As of, January 27, 2015) Elections In Israel, elections for the Knesset are held at least every four years. As is frequently the case, the outgoing government coalition collapsed due to disagreements between the parties. As a result, the Knesset fell significantly short of seeing out its full four year term. Knesset elections in Israel will now be held on March 17, 2015, slightly over two years since the last time that this occurred. The Basics of the Israeli Electoral System All Israeli citizens above the age of 18 and currently in the country are eligible to vote. Voters simply select one political party. Votes are tallied and each party is then basically awarded the same percentage of Knesset seats as the percentage of votes that it received. So a party that wins 10% of total votes, receives 10% of the seats in the Knesset (In other words, they would win 12, out of a total of 120 seats). To discourage small parties, the law was recently amended and now the votes of any party that does not win at least 3.25% of the total (probably around 130,000 votes) are completely discarded and that party will not receive any seats. (Until recently, the “electoral threshold,” as it is known, was only 2%). For the upcoming elections, by January 29, each party must submit a numbered list of its candidates, which cannot later be altered. So a party that receives 10 seats will send to the Knesset the top 10 people listed on its pre-submitted list.
  • Operation Cast Lead--Zion Fascism at Its Best

    Operation Cast Lead--Zion Fascism at Its Best

    South Asian Studies A Research Journal of South Asian Studies Vol. 29, No.2, July - December 2014, pp. 685-694 Operation Cast Lead--Zion Fascism at Its Best Umbreen Javaid University of Punjab, Lahore. Maliha Shamim University of Punjab, Lahore. Abstract Jews consider themselves to be the original inhabitants of Palestine. It has always been the official policy of Israel to occupy and populate the Palestinian territories. The victories in successive Arab-Israeli wars emboldened Israel to pursue its policy more vigorously. The Palestinians of occupied territories specially those living in West Bank and Gaza have to face the onslaught of Israeli atrocities. After breaking the truce entered into with Hamas, Israel attacked Gaza in December 2008, justifying the attacks as its right of self-defense. The Gazan operation named Operation Lead was not condemned by EU, US or European countries. To prepare the Israeli army for the Gaza offensive the troops were even religiously and politically brainwashed to successfully combat the Palestinians. The elections held after the Gaza offensive and extremist candidates returned to the Israeli parliament. Such extremist stance taken by Israeli public will go a long way in making the already biased Israeli society a more racist and fascist Israeli polity. In the absence of any criticism or condemnation of Israeli actions it pursues the murder and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians with impunity. Accumulation of latest weaponry and warring techniques have transformed Israel into a regional Sparta and religious extremism and fascism have come to assume an important place in today’s Israel. This article has been prepared with the help of newspapers and answers certain questions as why is Palestine most coveted by Jews.
  • Source Sheet

    Source Sheet

    Defeating the Meraglim of 2015 R' Mordechai Torczyner – [email protected] Three articles Rav Soloveitchik's Approach To Zionism (2002), edited by Dr. Aviad haCohen, http://etzion.org.il/vbm/english/alei/14-02ral-zionism.htm Diaspora Religious Zionism: Some Current Reflections (2007), Orthodox Forum http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/730117 The Ideology of Hesder (1981), Tradition 19:3 http://etzion.org.il/vbm/english/archive/ral2-hes.htm A Halachic Zionism 1. Talmud, Ketuvot 111a ג' שבועות הללו למה אחת שלא יעלו ישראל בחומה ואחת שהשביע הקב"ה את ישראל שלא ימרדו באומות העולם ואחת שהשביע הקב"ה את העובדי כוכבים שלא ישתעבדו בהן בישראל יותר מדאי What is the purpose of these three oaths? That the Jews should not ascend as a wall, that the Jews should not rebel against the nations, and that the nations should not overly oppress the Jews. 2. Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Chanukah 3:2 ולא מצאו שמן טהור במקדש אלא פך אחד ולא היה בו להדליק אלא יום אחד בלבד והדליקו ממנו נרות המערכה שמונה ימים עד שכתשו זיתים והוציאו שמן טהור. And they did not find pure oil in the Mikdash, other than one jug, which contained enough oil to light for only one day. They lit the lamps from it for eight days, until they crushed olives and produced pure oil. 3. Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Teshuvah 2:4 מדרכי התשובה להיות השב צועק תמיד לפני ד' בבכי ובתחנונים ועושה צדקה כפי כחו ומתרחק הרבה מן הדבר שחטא בו ומשנה שמו כלומר אני אחר ואיני אותו האיש שעשה אותן המעשים ומשנה מעשיו כולן לטובה..