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1. National Union: Merger Dependent on Struggle for Eretz Yisrael
by Avi Yellin
Lawmakers from the National Union party on Thursday evening responded to an earlier call from Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home-New National Religious Party) Chairman Daniel Hershkowitz for the two factions to unite by saying that so long as Bayit Yehudi remains in Netanyahu’s coalition during the government’s current ban on Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria, the National Union cannot justify merging the parties.
MK Professor Aryeh Eldad said, “At this moment, Minister Hershkowitz and the NRP are participants in the freeze [on Jewish building in Judea and Sama. Before they initiate renewed unification with the National Union, they need to explain to the public how they are ready to be full responsible partners to the government policy...”
MK Professor Michael Ben-Ari added that “Minister Hershkowitz’s call to the National Union to unite is worthy of discussion after they join the common struggle against the construction freeze on the benches of the opposition.” Referring to the forcible expulsion of Jews from the Gaza region and four northern Samarian communities in 2005, Ben-Ari said, “The National Union will not give the NRP legitimacy to be a participant in another expulsion.”
Although National Union Chairman Ya'akov (Ketzaleh) Katz responded positively to Hershkowitz’s call for unity and said that he was glad to receive Hershkowitz’s letter offering a merger of the two Zionist parties, he added that “The National Union faction, all its members and activists, throughout all of Israel, are busy these days with various activities across Yesha [Judea and Samaria -ed to thwart the racist policies against the 300,000 Jews of Judea and Samaria. After the successful nullification of the evil decrees of Netanyahu and his government, the faction will have the time to discuss the Bayit Yehudi chairman’s request.”
2. MK to Sue Women’s Lobby for Slandering Him
by Hillel Fendel
Dr. Michael Ben-Ari was the only Knesset Member to vote against a proposed law to double the potential length of maternity leave, and a leading women’s group has reacted by demanding an investigation against him for incitement. In response, Ben-Ari says he will sue them for slander, to the tune of 250,000 shekels.
Ben-Ari took part in Wednesday's Knesset vote on the preliminary reading of a bill to double women’s maternity leave from three to six months. Sixty MKs voted in favor, one abstained, and only one voted against – Ben-Ari.
In explaining his vote, Ben-Ari told the Knesset: “Let’s say I have an accounting office. A brilliant female accountant comes in and says, ‘I would like to work for you.’ I hire her, give her a few important accounts that my prestigious firm depends on, and she begins work. One day she comes to me and says, ‘Wish me mazel tov! I’m pregnant and due to give birth.’ I congratulate her; thank G-d, we’re happy when more children are born. She leaves for three months of maternity leave, while back at the office we choke under the load, but we manage to hold on for the three months. Suddenly, after the three months, she says to me, ‘It wasn’t enough, dear Mr. Boss, and the law allows me to stay home for another 12 weeks.’ I say to her, ‘But we can’t do it, everything is collapsing when you’re not here…’ Suddenly, I realize – whether I run an accounting office, a legal firm, or whatever else: The next time I have to hire someone, and a man and a woman both apply, I’ll take the man and his month of reserve duty, instead of the six months of maternity leave for a woman…”
The director of the legal department of the Women’s Lobby, Attorney Shirley Shlomiuk-Bavai, said that Ben-Ari was essentially granting legitimacy to employers who choose not to employ women of child-bearing age simply because they might wish to implement a legal right to utilize or extend their maternity leave. “This is a blatant violation of the ethical guidelines that obligate Knesset Members,” she said.
The women's group turned to both the Attorney General and the Knesset Ethics Committee, asking for an investigation into Ben-Ari's remarks. It also demands that "sharp sanctions" be taken against him.
In response, MK Ben-Ari has threatened to sue the Women’s Lobby for 250,000 shekels for slandering him. “Their response to my speech proves that they are guided by cheap populism," Ben-Ari said. "They themselves are against this law. My parliamentary aide is a woman, and I work with women, and the claims against me are fraudulent lies.”
3. Attorney to Challenge Construction Freeze on Legal Grounds
by Avi Yellin
Attorney Akiva Sylvetsky, the legal adviser for the Samaria Regional Council, is convinced that the government’s ban on Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria can be successfully challenged through legal action. Sylvetsky told Israel National News that although it is difficult to know the odds for success, an appeal must be made to the High Court of Justice to cancel the discriminatory government edict which so blatantly violates the civil rights of local Jews. The attorney added that the construction ban violates the rights of people to live where they choose and will also severely impact building contractors who will have difficulty working or providing for their families.
Although confident that the law supports the rights of local Jews to live and build in Judea and Samaria, Sylvetsky expressed sobriety regarding the infamous politically biases that exist within the courts. “Although after the precedent of the expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif it is difficult to expect that the court will overrule the prime minister and the judges will most likely claim that they do not interfere in political matters, we should still attempt to pursue this course of action. Unfortunately, we have seen and experienced that our courts are reluctant to protect the rights of Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria the way they defend the rights of Arabs in these areas.” Still Sylvetsky asserts that the objective legality of the situation and the transparency of such a blatant injustice against Israeli citizens may force the legal establishment to overcome their political biases and rule against the construction freeze.
4. New Israeli Website for Children With Diabetes
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
A new website designed for children with diabetes is to be launched at an upcoming conference on Type 1 diabetes organized by the Ziv Medical Center in Tzfat (Safed).
The Breinin Center for Type 1 Diabetes and Endocrinology at the Ziv Medical Center, headed by Dr. Orna Dali Gottfried, and the Kav-Or organization, have collaborated to produce a fun, accessible website on proper nutrition for children with diabetes. The website includes Flash technology designed for distance learning from hospital wards. The intended audience for the new website includes children with Type 1 diabetes from around the country, as well as teachers and parents.
Distance learning technology and methods are the specialties of Kav-Or, a registered charity which provides distance learning and virtual playgrounds for hospitalized children. Founded in 1993, Kav-Or now operates in more than 100 children's wards in 27 hospitals, from Eilat in the south to Nahariya in the north.
Practical content
Yoram Yanai, the new website's designer, said that access to the online content is through a virtual water park on the homepage. Through colorful, user-friendly visual interactive elements, visitors to the website will learn about sugar levels, insulin use and nutrition. Yanai added that the new website focuses more on practical issues than on detailed study of the issues raised.
The team at Ziv Medical Center responsible for the website's content collected the questions most frequently asked by children with diabetes about nutritional challenges they face. The posted answers touch on such issues as holiday meals and extracurricular activities (school trips, restaurants, sports activities, etc.), giving the children tools and information to handle the situations that may arise. For example, in order to calculate the insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio of various meals, the website includes an interactive Flash carbohydrate calculator with visual and textual elements.
Ety Amir, a nutritionist at Ziv Medical Center, emphasized the importance of training children in good eating habits and proper nutrition as a necessary treatment for Type 1 diabetes. The correct diet assists in maintaining a healthy blood-sugar level and prevents long-term complications typical of the disease.
To maximize the usefulness of the site, there is also online contact with the staff at Ziv Medical Center's Center for Type 1 Diabetes and Endocrinology.
Ziv Medical Center is a 304-bed general medical facility providing comprehensive services in 37 units, labs and institutes, including a Regional Trauma Unit, Neonate ICU, the Spingold Child Development Center, the Suzy Eban Oncology Unit and the School of Nursing, as well as a regional facility in Kiryat Shemona incorporating a Front Line Emergency Room staffed by specialists trained to care for civilians injured in terror attacks, and a dialysis center.
5. Final Agreement for Gilad Shalit's Release Almost Final
by Avi Yellin
The Egyptian al-Shuruk newspaper reported on Thursday that a deal between Israel and Hamas for the release of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit is “almost final” and should be completed within the next two weeks. What is holding up the agreement, according to the report, is consent by Israel’s government on the names of a thousand Arab prisoners – 450 of whom are currently serving long prison sentences – scheduled to be released in exchange for Shalit. A Gaza source told the newspaper that the deal was also being delayed due to Israel’s demand that a large number of prisoners who hold senior positions in the terrorist hierarchy be deported from the Land of Israel following their release.
While practically the entire Israeli public sympathizes with the Shalit family and wants to see Gilad returned safely, the agreement with Hamas has become a point of controversy during recent weeks as many citizens and public figures object to the release of convicted terrorists which they fear will set a precedent that rewards anti-Israel terrorism. It has also been argued that in addition to placing the Israeli public in danger, the release of a thousand terrorists in exchange for Shalit will encourage future kidnappings of IDF soldiers and civilians.
According to the Kuwaiti daily al-Jarida, Hamas transferred Shalit to a secure location in Egypt a few days ago where he is being accompanied by Hamas military commander Ahmed Jabari and senior Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar. Commentators have questioned the reliability of this report, which Hamas and Israeli officials have yet to comment on.
6. Israeli Technology: License Plate Recognition In Many Languages
by Yoni Kempinski
Israeli company High Tech Sollutions (HTS) presented their technology at Israel Gateway 2009 - Safe City. HTS’s proprietary Neural Network and Image Processing Technologies provide both digital and video image records, for direct recognition, identification and recording of alphanumeric and graphic codes. HTS products include image-capturing systems, core recognition engines, rich applications and provide a highly user-friendly interface.
In the following video Israel National News speaks with HTS's Meta Rotenberg about the company's License Plate Recognition technology which is exported worldwide.
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7. Expert Calls for Law Against Foreign Political Intervention
by Gil Ronen
The influential anti-Zionist organizations in Israel are funded by European Union member states, a researcher for the Institute for Zionist Strategy told Arutz Sheva. The researcher, Adi Arbel, said that European states achieve their aim of influencing Israeli policies by funding groups like Peace Now, Adallah, Yesh Din and B'Tselem.
Arbel said that it was time to legislate laws that would fight this phenomenon. “In the United States there is a law called the 'Foreign Agent Registration Act',” he explained. “Organizations that receive funds from foreign governments have to work in complete transparency and publish proper disclosure regarding every position paper or research that they publish, and say who funded it. The purpose is very clear – to have laws here in Israel, too, that will make it mandatory to have the same transparency as in the US and that will show everyone where the money to these groups comes from.”
Arbel said he was convinced that if this legislation passes, those countries would cease transferring funds to Israeli leftist groups. “These countries find it convenient to work secretly through those non-governmental organizations (NGOs). It is their indirect way of influencing what goes on in Israel. If those EU countries are exposed, they will stop transferring contributions.”
The NGOs in question cause Israel great damage, he went on to say. “We saw that they take their information outside. They took out information to the Durban racism conference which made declarations against Israel, and they sent information to Judge Goldstone, who based his report on them.”
Arbel said that the anti-Zionist groups have been exerting political pressure to try and prevent the information about their funding: “We organized a conference with Minister Michael Eitan and we invited those groups to come to the discussions. In response, they wrote a joint letter asking leftist MKs not to participate in the conference. That is why MK Daniel Ben Simon from Labor did not come and other MKs from Meretz also were missing. They want to silence us and this is strange, considering the fact that these are organizations that represent democracy.”
