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1. Building Resumes in Jerusalem
by Maayana Miskin
The Housing Ministry has approved the construction of 240 homes in northern Jerusalem, after several months with no construction in Jewish neighborhoods east of the 1949 armistice line. While there was no official Jerusalem building freeze, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu assured Israelis that there would be no Jerusalem freeze, in practice, no new building permits were issued for some time.
The new Jerusalem homes will be built in the neighborhoods of Ramot and Pisgat Zeev. They were approved along with more than 3,700 housing units elsewhere in the country.
Major construction projects were approved in Netanya, Ashdod, and Tel Aviv, which are expected to get 1,100, 480, and 450 new housing units respectively. Housing Minister Ariel Attias (Shas) said his ministry is working to close the gap between demand and supply, particularly in central Israel.
Members of Knesset Zeev Elkin (Likud) and Aryeh Eldad (Ichud Leumi – National Union) of the Knesset Lobby for the Land of Israel welcomed the step to resume building, but warned that it would not be enough. “The capital of Israel and its 700,000 residents need many more housing units just to meet the minimal demands of natural growth,” they said. “The Lobby insists that thousands more units be built, in both Israel's capital and Judea and Samaria.”
While Jerusalem has historically been a Jewish city, many Jerusalem neighborhoods fell into Jordanian hands in the 1948 War of Independence. They remained under Jordanian occupation until 1967, when Israel won the Six Day War. Formerly occupied neighborhoods in eastern, northern and southern Jerusalem were soon officially annexed, and the united city became Israel's capital again.
The Palestinian Authority and Arab countries reject Israel's claim to Jerusalem and have demanded that all parts of the city that were once under Jordanian control be given to the PA to be used as the capital of a new Arab state. The PA's seat of power is currently in Ramallah.
Under the Obama administration, the United States has largely backed PA demands, and has criticized Israel for allowing Jews to build new homes throughout the city.
United States officials claimed in May that Netanyahu had given in to demands and had agreed not to build new Jewish homes in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo for two years. Netanyahu denied the report.
2. Eur. Jewish Congress: 'Jews in Europe Entering a Dark Period'
by Hillel Fendel
The European Jewish Congress warns that some Jewish communities in Europe are “teetering on the brink” due to national endorsement or neglect of anti-Semitism.
The EJC maintains that a recent wave of anti-Semitism, some of which was officially sanctioned, has left some Jewish communities in grave danger. EJC President Dr. Moshe Kantor sums up: “We are entering a very dark period for Jews in Europe.”
Recent instances of official anti-Semitism include a grave incident that occurred in Antwerp, Belgium. A respected government-funded Catholic school, the College of the Sacred Heart, hosted a "Palestine Day," replete with anti-Semitic references and activities for youngsters. One stall at the event was entitled “Throw the soldiers into the sea,” and children were invited to throw replicas of Israeli soldiers into two large tanks of water.
Last weekend, an event organized for Jewish children in Malmo, Sweden, was attacked by a gang of thugs who shouted “Heil Hitler” and “Jewish pigs.” The gang entered the site of the event and damaged property. This incident occurred only a few weeks after Malmo Mayor Ilmar Reeplau – known for having expressed understanding for anti-Semitic violence – was reelected. “We accept neither Zionism nor anti-Semitism,” Reeplau said at the time, equating Jewish national self-determination with hate and racism.
The EJC also reports that in recent months, former German Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin (who has since apologized and stepped down), European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht, and Spanish MEP Emilio Menendez del Valle have all made comments perceived as anti-Semitic.
“These events occurring soon after the anti-Semitic comments of Sarrazin, De Gucht and del Valle demonstrate that anti-Semitism is at best actively promoted, and at worst ignored, by some officials in Europe,” said EJC President Kantor. “Due to this intolerable situation, small Jewish communities like Malmo are teetering on the brink of extinction.”
“Small Jewish communities are facing a situation where they are being physically, verbally and psychologically threatened by fundamentalist elements and their extreme left-wing cohorts on one side and the far-right neo-Nazis on the other,” Kantor continued. “If they can’t receive protection or respite from mainstream officials, then we are entering a very dark period for the Jews in Europe.”
Calling on Europe
The EJC, the democratically elected representative umbrella organization of European Jewry, announced that it calls on European governments and the European Union to launch a campaign against intolerance and anti-Semitism. It similarly wants them to remind European citizens that the new Europe was established after World War II on the concept of “Never Again.”
As co-Chairman of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation, Dr. Kantor will be hosting a conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia, on October 24-25, entitled, “Towards Reconciliations, Experience, Techniques and Opportunities for Europe.” It will deal with and work towards finding solutions for issues of racism, intolerance and conflict.
3. Israel Offers First Prayers for Rain
by Maayana Miskin
On Thursday night, the seventh day of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan, Jews living in Israel began praying for rain. From this date, Ashkenazi Jews will change the phrase, "And give blessing" to “And give dew and rain for a blessing,” (Ten Tal Umatar) to their weekday prayers, while Sephardi Jews say a completely different prayer including the request for "dew and showers".
Jews living abroad will begin saying the blessing for rain in several weeks' time.
Israel is facing a water shortage. While abundant rainfall in February brought the Kinneret back over its “red line” - the point at which water levels are dangerously low – the country is still recovering from five consecutive dry years.
The custom of adding the prayer for dew and rain on 7 Cheshvan dates back to the times of the First Temple and Second Temple. At that time, Jews would gather in Jerusalem and bring sacrificial offerings during the holiday of Sukkot.
When the holiday ended, the pilgrims would return home. It took those who lived farthest from Jerusalem 15 days to make the journey, so prayers for rain were delayed for 15 days, in order to avoid requesting rain at a time when it would make their travel difficult.
Prayers for rain will be recited until the Passover holiday in spring.
4. IAF Adding Third 'Arrow' Missile Defense Battery
by Gil Ronen
The Israel Air Force is stepping up its preparations for a possible missile war with Iran and its proxies, with a new “Arrow” ground-to-air missile battery about to become operational.
IDF journal Bamachaneh reported that the new battery – the IAF's third – will begin operating soon, and will join the aerial defense "umbrella” provided by the IAF's Cherev Magen (“Defensive Sword”) unit, which operates the Arrow system.
The report did not disclose the location of the new battery but said it was in central Israel and had been carefully chosen. Officers in Cherev Magen said that several physical variables were taken into account when deciding where to place the new battery. The selected site provides the best defense for long-range threats coming from different directions.
Like the other Arrow batteries, the new battery provides defense against ballistic missiles. It will integrate the Arrow system's newest interception missile, which is considered more accurate than its predecessors. In addition, it will receive the new Oren Adir radar, which has especially long range and is better than older versions at identifying the type of missile being launched at Israel.
A new and unique center for coordination of fire will also be built at the site chosen for the Arrow battery. The center will also control the other Cherev Magen sites at Palmachim, south of Tel Aviv, and at Ein Shemer, east of Hadera.
Since the 1993 Oslo Accords, Israel has embarked on a series of strategic retreats and allowed terrorist forces into the areas it has abandoned (Judea and Samaria, Gaza and southern Lebanon), in the hope that these moves would lead to peace. Instead, they have made it possible to threaten Israel with missiles from several directions at once.
5. Violent Policemen to Pay 80,000 Shekels
by Maayana Miskin
Two policemen who were convicted for violently assaulting an innocent teenager should pay damages from their own pockets, state attorneys said Thursday. The officers should pay 80,000 shekels, they recommended.
Attorneys for the plaintiff were angered by the state's suggestion. While the two officers should pay a personal price for what they did, the police force as a whole should not escape unscathed, and should be forced to take responsibility for the incident as well, they said.
The state's proposal would punish the officers, but would leave the state and the Israel Police with no damages to pay.
The officers in question, Ori Hubar and Shmulik Ben-Hamo, were charged for the violent arrest of a Jewish teenager from Samaria more than five years ago. The officers encountered the teen at a hitchhiking post at the Tapuach Junction, where he and several others were waiting for rides.
The two asked those present to show their ID. While others displayed their cards, the boy explained that he did not have an ID card due to his age. Hubar and Ben-Hamo refused to believe him, and arrested him, handcuffed him, and slapped and kicked him.
Several people were witness to the violent arrest, including multiple IDF soldiers who were at the hitchhiking post. The soldiers tried to intervene in the beating, but were not successful.
The officers have been convicted and fined 1,200 shekels. An appeal they filed was rejected by a Jerusalem court.
The victim has filed a civil suit with the help of the Judea and Samaria Human Rights Organization. The beating caused the victim both physical and emotional trauma, and has left him with permanent disabilities, his lawyers say.
6. US Military Aid to Lebanon Unlikely after Iranian's Visit
by Gil Ronen
Sources in the US Congress said Thursday that the warm formal welcome Lebanon has extended to Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has convinced key representatives in Congress to continue the freeze on military aid to Lebanon. Lebanese daily An-Nahar reported that Reps. Howard Berman and Nita Lowey – the respective chairs of the Foreign Relations Committee and Subcommittee on Foreign Appropriations – are now “vehemently” opposed to lifting the moratorium.
The freeze was initiated in August, after a Lebanese Army sniper targeted Israeli officers on the border between the countries, killing one top officer, Lt. Col. Dov Harari. Democratic representatives Lowey and Berman said they were holding up $100 million that had been approved for Lebanon's military but not yet spent. Berman said he was concerned that the aid for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) will wind up being used by Hizbullah terrorist forces.
The congressmen are now reportedly angry not just over Ahmadinejad's visit to Lebanon but also by the fact that it began with the signing of 16 agreements for cooperation between Iran and Lebanon, including mutual assistance in the fields of energy and finance.
Nawwaf Moussawi, a senior Hizbullah leader and member of the Lebanese parliament, recently called on the Beirut government to forget about obtaining ”conditional” American military aid. He suggested the LAF look instead to Syria, Iran and countries like Russia and China for weapons and training.
7. Child Involved in Shiloach Ambush Now Claims Amnesia
by Maayana Miskin
An Arab boy from Jerusalem who ran at a Jewish man's car to throw a stone at the windshield and was hit now claims he does not remember the incident. Earlier, he had made detailed accusations regarding the incident in an interview with Ynet.
However, in a more recent interview with the pan-Arab daily Al-Sharq il-Awsat, the boy, 12-year-old Omran Mansour, said, “I only remember seeing the car coming to run me over, and I don't remember anything else... I don't know what happened, I don't remember.”
The change in Mansour's testimony followed a meeting of the Knesset's Child Welfare Committee during which MKs suggested that the parents of children who participate in stone-throwing attacks should be detained for questioning. There have also been calls to detain Mansour and other children involved in the ambush.
Mansour and several other Arab boys and teenagers gathered last Friday to ambush Jewish drivers as they drove through the Jerusalem neighborhood of Shiloach (Silwan). Several professional media photographers were at the scene; none informed police of what was happening.
Motorist David Be'eri was one of those targeted for attack. Seeing young children standing in front of his car with rocks, Be'eri swerved to the side, hitting his horn in warning. At that point, Mansour and another boy ran into the street and in front of Be'eri's car to throw rocks at his windshield. They managed to throw their rocks, but were then hit and lightly injured.
Be'eri has stated that he had no intention of hitting the boys, and was simply trying to escape the ambush in order to protect his own young son, who was sitting in his car.
In his first media interviews, before he claimed amnesia, Mansour accused Be'eri of deliberately trying to run him down, for no reason. “I didn't have time to run away, I didn't even have time to signal him... It was clear that he was doing it on purpose. I was on the sidewalk, so there's no way it wasn't deliberate,” he told Ynet. He also claimed that he had not been throwing rocks at Be'eri.
His initial claims were disproved by a video of the incident, which clearly shows that he had run into the middle of the road to throw stones when he was hit.
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