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1. Tension as Egypt Waits for Army's 'Important' Announcement
by Maayana Miskin
The Egyptian army plans to release an “important” statement Friday
after a meeting that followed President Hosni Mubarak's announcement
that he will not step down despite protests.
Friday's military meeting was chaired by Defense Minister Hussein
Tantawi, a sign that the military is acting independently of the
president.
On Thursday, before Mubarak told Egypt he plans to stay in power, the
military appeared to be preparing for a coup. Tantawi, head of the
military's Supreme Council, announced on national television that the
council was in permanent session, which usually occurs only during war.
The council was discussing “what measures and arrangements could be
made to safeguard the nation,” Tantawi said. His statement was termed
“Communique No. 1.” Both the title and the statement suggested that the
Supreme Council had taken control, and saw itself as responsible for
running the country.
Mubarak and his deputy, Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman, were not present at Thursday's council meeting.
On Thursday evening Mubarak said he would not be leaving despite earlier reports
to the contrary. “I will continue to shoulder my responsibilities...
until power is handed over in the lawful elections in September,” he
said.
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir Square
responded by chanting, “He must go!” and waving shoes in the air, a
gesture considered offensive in Middle Eastern culture. Protesters plan
to march in Cairo on Friday after morning prayers.
Military leaders gave no immediate response Thursday to Mubarak's
speech. In Egypt, rumors abound that the army is planning a coup.
”
2. Sharansky Marks 25 Years of Freedom
by Maayana Miskin
Friday
marks 25 years since Natan Sharansky, now head of the Jewish Agency, was
released from prison. Sharansky was imprisoned by the Soviet Union,
allegedly for espionage; the real reason for his imprisonment was his
struggle against human rights violations and his attempts to immigrate
to Israel.
Sharansky spent nine years in jail, of which
400 days were spent in solitary confinement. He was imprisoned in a
prison known as the Gulag, where torture and abuse were known to be
widespread.
While he was in prison his wife, Avital, led
international protests for his freedom. In February 2011 he was freed in
an exchange of prisoners between Russia and the United States.
He
made aliyah (immigrated) to Israel, where he wrote a book about his
experiences titled Fear No Evil, and created the Yisrael B'Aliyah party.
He served as a Member of Knesset and a minister over the course of 10
years, from 1996 to 2006, although he resigned twice during that period –
once in 2000 to protest suggestions that then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak
would give the Palestinian Authority control over part of Jerusalem,
and again in 2005 in protest of the “Disengagement” from Gaza and
northern Samaria.
Sharansky received the U.S. Medal of
Congress for his work for human rights in 1986. In 2006 he was awarded
the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 2008, he was given the
Ronald Reagan Freedom Award.
As head of the Jewish
Agency, Sharanksy continues to work on behalf of Zionism and immigration
to Israel. He is currently working on programs to strengthen young
Diaspora Jews' connection to Israel, and to fight delegitimization of
Israel.
3. Celebration Turns Ugly: Egypt's Mubarak Says He's Staying
by Chana Ya'ar and Elad Benari
The mood turned ugly in Tahrir Square as hundreds of thousands of
celebrating Egyptians heard President Hosni Mubarak inform them in a
speech Thursday night that he would not leaving, as predicted by media earlier in the day.
“I will continue to shoulder my responsibilities… until power is handed
over in the lawful elections in September,” Mubarak announced.
“He must go! He must go!” chanted the mob, waving their shoes in the
air as the mood grew ugly and hundreds of thousands roared their
frustration. Waving shoes is considered an extremely offensive gesture
in Middle Eastern culture. Officials expressed concern that a
million-man march planned to be held in Cairo on Friday could turn
violent.
Mubarak said he would transfer some of his authority to Vice President
Omar Suleiman, but said bluntly, “I do not intend to stand down any time
soon.” He added that the demands of the mob were just, and that he
would be “steadfast in meeting those demands.”
He noted, however, that mistakes are made in any political system in
any country in the world. “Owning our mistakes and holding responsible
those who must be held responsible” is part of the job of a leader, he
said.
Mubarak also made it clear that he would not accept direction from U.S.
President Barack Obama, or for that matter anyone else, commenting
pointedly, “I will not accept any advice that comes from outside the
country, from wherever it comes, for whatever reason.” It appeared the
remark came in response to a comment by Obama several hours earlier,
saying the U.S. would support Egypt in whatever way necessary in “an
orderly transition to democracy.”
Mubarak reviewed the constitutional amendments that were announced to
the protesters in prior statements, some of which were aimed at
repealing the country’s 30-year emergency status law.
He said he would delegate responsibility to Suleiman, and the country’s
emergency laws would be lifted “when the time is right” – but for now,
they would remain in place.
“I have been a youth just like you… I exhausted my life defending this
homeland,” Mubarak told the crowd. “I have lived for Egypt, and I will
die in Egypt. I will not separate from the soil until I am buried
underneath.”
Mubarak's speech did not do much to calm the protesters in Cairo's
Tahrir Square, who continued to call on him to step down immediately.
Some of the protesters called to begin marching towards the presidential
palace.
Meanwhile, Vice President Omar Suleiman called on the protesters to calm things down.
In a statement he made following Mubarak's speech, Suleiman said: "I
will do everything in my power to maintain the achievements of the
protesters. This is a crucial time for Egypt and all Egyptians should
unite and look to the future."
4. Second Rabbi Faces Arrest; 'They Are Putting Torah on Trial'
by Maayana Miskin
Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, the son of Sephardi leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, is
facing arrest over his approbation for the book Torat HaMelech (The
Torah of the King). He has stated that he will not cooperate with
police.
“The Torah is under investigation, and I have no intention of
cooperating in an investigation of a book that is solely about Torah,”
Rabbi Yaakov Yosef told Arutz Sheva's Hebrew-language news service.
The book Torat HaMelech deals with the subject of life-and-death
situations involving Jews and non-Jews, particularly during a time of
war. In particular, it focuses on what a Jewish soldier fighting for his
people is permitted to do in order to save his life, and rules that
soldiers must not endanger themselves to protect enemy civilians.
“I saw fit to give my approbation to the book so that IDF soldiers will
know the halacha [Jewish law], in contrast to the false morality that
has gone public, since Operation Cast Lead, with encouragement from the
media, the Supreme Court, and the Goldstone commission,” Rabbi Yaakov
Yosef stated.
“The rabbis of Israel must not be partners to the false beliefs that
lead to the deaths of IDF soldiers, even if the price they must pay is
arrest or persecution. This is Torah!” he concluded.
Police say the book could incite violence against non-Jews. Arrest warrants have been issued for Rabbi Yaakov Yosef and Rabbi Dov Lior
for confirming that the author is a Torah scholar by attaching their
signatures to the book. Jewish leaders and organizations have protested the plan to arrest the two rabbis.
5. Soldier Critically Wounded in Top-Secret Mission
by Maayana Miskin
An IDF soldier has been critically wounded in a top-secret mission
abroad, according to Channel 10 news. The soldier is a member of the
elite Shayetet 13 naval commando unit.
Commanders who reported the incident did not give information regarding
the mission, or the incident in which the soldier was wounded.
“These missions are very complex,” one commander explained. “They are
planned with precision, and often include preparation in Israel.”
“What must be understood is that these are among the finest soldiers in
Israel,” he continued. “These are brave fighters who know that they are
going into the heart of danger, often far from the borders of Israel.”
6. UN Denies Support for PA Terrorist in Arab TV's 'Model Woman'
by Chana Ya'ar
The United Nations has denied supporting a media campaign on women’s
issues that names blood thirsty female terrorist Dalal Mughrabi as one
of the “model women” that Arab women should admire.
The program was broadcast as part of the “White Hands Campaign – the
largest media campaign to support women’s issues.” It was organized by
the Arab Producers’ Union for TV (APUTV) in cooperation with the United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), according to a statement accessed
February 9 on the English-language website for the campaign.
The site also notes that “APUTV works under the umbrella of the Arab
League, and through the Arab Ministers Information Council,” and points
out that the official headquarters of APUTV are located in Cairo.
UNFPA senior media adviser and spokesperson Abubakar Dungus said in an
email statement, however, that the agency never pledged its support for
the program as aired. The campaign first approached the agency, he
explained to the Jerusalem Post, as a union of journalists in April
2008, asking for help in identifying issues relating to reproductive
health that could be featured in a television production on women
engaged in humanitarian work.
"We agreed to provide story ideas and public information on maternal
health, and nothing beyond the mandate of UNFPA, the United Nations
Population Fund," he stated. "We were not consulted or involved in
choosing the persons to be featured. So definitely we disavow any
program or activity that is not related to our mandate ..."
This is not the first time that Arab television has claimed support
from outside sources for its terrorist programming, and in the past has
also implied links for PATV programs with children's programs such as
Disney's Mickey Mouse.
Entitled The Model Woman, the television campaign was broadcast weekly
in November and December 2010 on more than 50 Arab TV stations,
including Palestinian Authority TV. According to the website for the
program, in fact, it is to be aired eventually on more than 100 TV
channels, government and private “and will be accompanied by a grand
media campaign to market and promote viewers to watch the program with
the marketing support of more than 400 newspaper and magazine.” (sic)
Several of the “model women” presented in a video clip translated by the media watchdog organization, Palestinian Media Watch,(PMW) represent models for murder.
Among them was Mughrabi, “famous” for her terrorist attack on Israel’s
Coastal Road in 1978 that resulted in the bloody murders of dozens of
people, including 13 children in what in later years has become known as
the Coastal Road massacre. Mughrabi was praised in the program as a
role model for “martyrdom” and “victory over enmity.”
Another was the Algerian female terrorist Djamila Bouhired, who became a
political activist, and was praised as one who exemplified “struggle”
and “human freedom.”
A third “model woman” venerated in the program was the 7th century Arab
poet Al Khansa, who celebrated the deaths of her four sons in battle as
martyrdom. Her life was cited as an example of “resolve” and “martyrdom
and giving.”
“Women are essential partners and important actors for the development
of society,” states the website, adding that one of the objectives of
the campaign is “to bring about distinguished women samples that have
offered great services to society.”
The women cited in the program, state the producers, are featured “in
order for [Arab women] to take an inspirational course for generations
to come… they are great models to be followed by the old or the young,
these women can be the working farmers, the teachers, the doctors, the
engineers, the scientists, the lawyers, the activists in all fields
whether social or political; they are the ones to sacrifice, and in all
of their cases, they are the mothers!”
7. Rabbi Eliezer Melamed Publishes Two New Volumes of Halakhic Work
by Elad Benari
Two new volumes by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed were officially launched this
past Tuesday at Yeshivat Har Bracha in Shomron (Samaria). The launching
ceremony was held in the presence of many prominent rabbis, including
Rabbi Zalman Melamed, head of the Beit El yeshiva, Rabbi Haim Druckman,
head of the Bnei Akiva yeshiva and Or Etzion Yeshiva, Rabbi Mordechai
Greenberg, head of Yeshivat Kerem BeYavne, and Rabbi Re’em HaCohen, Rosh
Yeshiva of Otniel.
The ceremony marked the publishing of two new volumes on the subject of
Shabbat in the series Peninei Halachah (Pearls of Halakha) by Rabbi
Eliezer Melamed, head of Yeshivat Har Bracha. The Peninei Halachah
series has become one of the leading series within the religious Jewish
community. To this day, with the new volumes, about 200,000 copies of it
have been published.
Peninei Halachah actually began as a radio segment on Arutz Sheva. At
the suggestion of his mother, who thought of the name for the program,
Rabbanit Shulamit Melamed, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed would teach one
practical halakhic ruling for several minutes each morning. About 18
years ago the rabbi began to write the laws and publishing them in
books. The books deal with key halakhic questions in reference to
contemporary customs and are targeted at members of all Jewish
communities.
The author's father, Rabbi Zalman Melamed, Rosh Yeshiva of Beit El,
who opened the launching event, spoke about the halakha regarding
desecrating Shabbat for the purpose of saving lives. The rabbi explained
the differences in the various halakhic approaches and gave examples of
each. He also referred to the decision-making ability of his son,
saying: "The ability to reach a decision on all religious matters, and
in particular on topics related to Shabbat, is an important virtue with
which Rabbi Eliezer Melamed has been blessed.”
Rabbi Druckman said that “Peninei Halachah has become a huge enterprise
and that is a great blessing to the people of Israel, most
importantly to its youth.” He related a story of his visit to the B’nei
Akiva yeshiva in Netanya, where a young boy came up to teach a halakha
after morning prayers. Rabbi Drucknan said that when he asked the young
boy where he learned these things, he replied that he learned them from
Peninei Halacha.
“This highlights the importance of these books,” said Rabbi Druckman.
“They teach halakha on the one hand very thoroughly, and on the other
hand, it is done in a clear, readable way. This brings people closer to
halakha and it is very important to bring youth closer to halakha.
Rabbi Melamed should be blessed.”
Rabbi Re’em HaCohen who was also present at the event said: “Halakha
requires deep theoretical study even if at first glance, some of the
researcht seems to have nothing to do with halakha. Therefore, even if
Rabbi Eliezer’s books seem so simple to comprehend, you cannot
imagine how much labor is invested by him in each issue in order to
achieve clarity of a simple law.”
Rabbi HaCohen added: “The world of halakha is very complicated but the
bottom line should be very simple. I think that these ‘pearls’ are very
clear and are the result of a deep study.”
The event was also attended by MK Yaakov “Ketzaleh” Katz, who said that
Rabbi Zalman Melamed and his son Rabbi Eliezer Melamed put together two
communities, Beit El and Har Bracha and added: “With G-d’s help they
will also build the Jewish cities of Ramallah and Shechem.”
Shomron Mayor Gershon Mesika said at the event that Har Bracha is used
as a model and example to all communities. He stressed the fact that at
each opportunity people speak about Har Bracha as a role model to all
communities in Judea and Samaria..
8. Syria Opens Up: Facebook, Youtube, Twitter Unblocked
by Hillel Fendel
In what has been attributed to a reaction to the recent developments
in Egypt, the Syrian regime has removed a five-year ban on social
networking internet sites. These include Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and
even Wikipedia in Arabic.
Internet-savvy Syrian users have been able to remain one step ahead of
government censors, indirectly setting up Facebook groups and mailing
lists to share information. Even so, they have not succeeded in
organizing a popular revolt similar to that which has occurred in Egypt.
For this reason, it is assumed, dictator President Bashar Assad fears
he has little to lose by taking this step towards the populace.
Assad’s government has even been among the first to take advantage of
the new situation, setting up dozens of support groups and sites in
support of his regime. The sites support maintaining “security and
stability.”
The Syrian ban on Facebook, Wikipedia and the like was in force for
five years, and stricter enforcement measures were recently emplaced as a
result of the events in Egypt.
Arab affairs expert Dalit HaLevi reports, based on an item in the
Arabic-language A-Sharq Al-Awsat, that supporters of the regime asked
Assad to remove the ban, in order to be able to use the Internet on
behalf of the government.
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