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1. Did PMO Cook the Books in Yesha Vote?
by Gil Ronen
Did the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) "cook the books" in the latest vote that placed many communities in Judea and Samaria out of the national "preferred status" zones, which confer housing benefits on residents? Numerous ministers think it did.
The PMO initially published a statement that said a telephone straw poll had been carried out among all the government's ministers and that 15 had voted in favor of the decision, 10 against and the rest abstained.
However, Arutz Sheva also conducted a telephone poll among the ministers and it discovered a different picture. Arutz Sheva has learned that several ministers were not even asked for their vote.
Other ministers demanded that the vote be held again, this time publicly. The PMO listed them as abstaining.
Several ministers said that they were asked – "are you in favor of the proposal [to take Judea and Samaria communities out of the 'national preference zones']?" They replied "no," yet were listed as abstaining.
The PMO responded to these accusations by saying that the ministers' complaints had not reached the Government Secretariat and that once they did, they would be handled appropriately.
The Secretariat explained that according to the government's rules for telephone polls of ministers, "once there is a majority one way or another there is no need to keep on calling ministers." In other words, once 15 ministers out of 29 said they supported the decision, there was no need to call any more ministers. That is why four ministers were not consulted.
Judea and Samaria residents protested Sunday morning outside the Prime Minister's Office against the decision. Minister Yuli Edelstein visited the protesters and said that he had voted against the decision but was mistakenly counted as abstaining. The PMO said it was looking into the complaint.
“I will ask the Prime Minister to hold a proper discussion of the matter,” Edelstein said. “In all my years in government I cannot remember when such a sensitive topic was dealt with by a telephone vote. I am sure that if the vote had been in person, with everyone able to see how the others voted, we would have seen different results.”
Some 70 towns in Judea and Samaria had been included in the list of communities entitled for housing benefits, but following the telephone poll of ministers, this list was amended. These communities will now only be able to get the benefits if “political officials” sign off on the requests – probably meaning Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who is not a fan of Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria.
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by Gil Ronen
Did the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) "cook the books" in the latest vote that placed many communities in Judea and Samaria out of the national "preferred status" zones, which confer housing benefits on residents? Numerous ministers think it did.
The PMO initially published a statement that said a telephone straw poll had been carried out among all the government's ministers and that 15 had voted in favor of the decision, 10 against and the rest abstained.
However, Arutz Sheva also conducted a telephone poll among the ministers and it discovered a different picture. Arutz Sheva has learned that several ministers were not even asked for their vote.
Other ministers demanded that the vote be held again, this time publicly. The PMO listed them as abstaining.
Several ministers said that they were asked – "are you in favor of the proposal [to take Judea and Samaria communities out of the 'national preference zones']?" They replied "no," yet were listed as abstaining.
The PMO responded to these accusations by saying that the ministers' complaints had not reached the Government Secretariat and that once they did, they would be handled appropriately.
The Secretariat explained that according to the government's rules for telephone polls of ministers, "once there is a majority one way or another there is no need to keep on calling ministers." In other words, once 15 ministers out of 29 said they supported the decision, there was no need to call any more ministers. That is why four ministers were not consulted.
Judea and Samaria residents protested Sunday morning outside the Prime Minister's Office against the decision. Minister Yuli Edelstein visited the protesters and said that he had voted against the decision but was mistakenly counted as abstaining. The PMO said it was looking into the complaint.
“I will ask the Prime Minister to hold a proper discussion of the matter,” Edelstein said. “In all my years in government I cannot remember when such a sensitive topic was dealt with by a telephone vote. I am sure that if the vote had been in person, with everyone able to see how the others voted, we would have seen different results.”
Some 70 towns in Judea and Samaria had been included in the list of communities entitled for housing benefits, but following the telephone poll of ministers, this list was amended. These communities will now only be able to get the benefits if “political officials” sign off on the requests – probably meaning Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who is not a fan of Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria.
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2. Alert: Terrorists May Target Peres
by Gil Ronen
Israel's security agencies see an increased danger to top Israeli official as the fourth anniversary of the death of Hizbullah senior terrorist Imad Mughniyeh nears.
According to the Yisrael Hayom daily, the alerts include tip-offs that President Shimon Peres is being targeted. The level of alert among the President's bodyguards has been raised accordingly.
Security has been tightened in events attended by the President and around the rented apartment in Jerusalem's Kfar David where Peres is residing temporarily, following the flooding of the official Presidential Residence.
A violent altercation took place Sunday between Peres' bodyguards and three Arabs from eastern Jerusalem, outside the Kfar David residence. The three Arabs drew near to the security men and uttered curses and threats. One of the Arabs was arrested but the two others escaped.
Peres was not at home at the time.
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by Gil Ronen
Israel's security agencies see an increased danger to top Israeli official as the fourth anniversary of the death of Hizbullah senior terrorist Imad Mughniyeh nears.
According to the Yisrael Hayom daily, the alerts include tip-offs that President Shimon Peres is being targeted. The level of alert among the President's bodyguards has been raised accordingly.
Security has been tightened in events attended by the President and around the rented apartment in Jerusalem's Kfar David where Peres is residing temporarily, following the flooding of the official Presidential Residence.
A violent altercation took place Sunday between Peres' bodyguards and three Arabs from eastern Jerusalem, outside the Kfar David residence. The three Arabs drew near to the security men and uttered curses and threats. One of the Arabs was arrested but the two others escaped.
Peres was not at home at the time.
Tags: Imad Mughniyeh ,Shimon Peres ,terror alert
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3. Iranian Parliament's Website: Attack Israel this Year
by Gil Ronen
The Iranian parliament's official website has published an article calling on the government to attack Israel before the end of the year.
According to Israeli TV Channel 2's veteran Middle East expert, Ehud Yaari, the article cites three reasons for the call.
First – a religious fatwa allowing such a strike. Second – threats from Israel regarding a planned strike on Iran. And third – Iran's alleged military capability to carry out such an attack.
The article specifies that the area between Lod and Jerusalem should be targeted, as well as Tel Nof Air Force Base.
The article seems to be part of a recent trend in Iran to step up the rhetoric regarding a possible attack on Israel. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Friday that Israel is a “cancerous tumor that should be cut and will be cut.”
“We have intervened in anti-Israel matters, and it brought victory in the 33-day war by Hizbullah against Israel in 2006, and in the 22-day war” between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, Khamenei was quoted as saying.
He added, “From now on, in any place, if any nation or any group confronts the Zionist regime, we will endorse and we will help. We have no fear expressing this.”
On Saturday, press outlets in Iran also widely quoted a blog post by Alireza Forghani, a computer engineer, who called upon Tehran to "wipe out Israel" by 2014.
Forghani called on his leaders to target Israeli sites using land-to-land missiles. Ballistic Sijil missiles should be launched at Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, he suggested, as well as power stations and other vital infrastructure. Then, Shahab 3 and Ghader missiles should target the rest of Israel's population centers. Nine minutes would suffice for "total annihilation," he predicted.
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by Gil Ronen
The Iranian parliament's official website has published an article calling on the government to attack Israel before the end of the year.
According to Israeli TV Channel 2's veteran Middle East expert, Ehud Yaari, the article cites three reasons for the call.
First – a religious fatwa allowing such a strike. Second – threats from Israel regarding a planned strike on Iran. And third – Iran's alleged military capability to carry out such an attack.
The article specifies that the area between Lod and Jerusalem should be targeted, as well as Tel Nof Air Force Base.
The article seems to be part of a recent trend in Iran to step up the rhetoric regarding a possible attack on Israel. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Friday that Israel is a “cancerous tumor that should be cut and will be cut.”
“We have intervened in anti-Israel matters, and it brought victory in the 33-day war by Hizbullah against Israel in 2006, and in the 22-day war” between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, Khamenei was quoted as saying.
He added, “From now on, in any place, if any nation or any group confronts the Zionist regime, we will endorse and we will help. We have no fear expressing this.”
On Saturday, press outlets in Iran also widely quoted a blog post by Alireza Forghani, a computer engineer, who called upon Tehran to "wipe out Israel" by 2014.
Forghani called on his leaders to target Israeli sites using land-to-land missiles. Ballistic Sijil missiles should be launched at Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, he suggested, as well as power stations and other vital infrastructure. Then, Shahab 3 and Ghader missiles should target the rest of Israel's population centers. Nine minutes would suffice for "total annihilation," he predicted.
Tags: Iranian Nuclear Threat
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4. Hamas, Fatah Sign Reconciliation; Anger in Hamas
by Gil Ronen
Qatari mediation efforts between rival PLO groups Fatah and Hamas have succeeded and the twin terror organizations have signed a reconciliation agreement, it was reported Sunday. The impasse over the identity of the interim prime minister has been solved -- but there are already threats within Hamas to split the organization.
The Qatari suggestion, which was accepted by both parties, was that Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas would head the temporary transition government until elections are held at a date that has yet to be set.
The transition government will be composed of independent "technocrats." It will prepare the groundwork for elections for the presidency and for the legislative council. These had been delayed for procedural reasons.
The ultra-leftist Geneva Initiative called the reconciliation "a diplomatic opportunity that may never be repeated" and called upon Israel to suggest "a serious plan that will test whether the united Palestinian leadership seeks peace."
Al Arabiya news network reported Sunday that senior official sin Hamas are threatening to split the terror group in two, because they do not accept Mahmoud Abbas as prime minister, even in a transitional government.
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by Gil Ronen
Qatari mediation efforts between rival PLO groups Fatah and Hamas have succeeded and the twin terror organizations have signed a reconciliation agreement, it was reported Sunday. The impasse over the identity of the interim prime minister has been solved -- but there are already threats within Hamas to split the organization.
The Qatari suggestion, which was accepted by both parties, was that Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas would head the temporary transition government until elections are held at a date that has yet to be set.
The transition government will be composed of independent "technocrats." It will prepare the groundwork for elections for the presidency and for the legislative council. These had been delayed for procedural reasons.
The ultra-leftist Geneva Initiative called the reconciliation "a diplomatic opportunity that may never be repeated" and called upon Israel to suggest "a serious plan that will test whether the united Palestinian leadership seeks peace."
Al Arabiya news network reported Sunday that senior official sin Hamas are threatening to split the terror group in two, because they do not accept Mahmoud Abbas as prime minister, even in a transitional government.
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5. Cadets Dismissed for Praying, MKs Angry
by Gil Ronen
Zionist religious MKs think the IDF mishandled an incident in which religious cadets were dismissed from Officers' Course for missing a lesson because of the shacharit morning prayer.
The lesson was moved to an earlier time at the last moment, and therefore coincided with the regular time for the shacharit prayer. The soldiers – who are from the Gefen Battalion – prayed instead of attending the lesson.
MK Zevulun Orlev (Jewish Home) said that it was unacceptable that the IDF does not allow shacharit prayer at its proper time. "Only during an operational need or an emergency or during war, should the prayer give precedence to the operational need."
"It is too bad that all those involved – the commanders, the battalion rabbi and the combat soldiers – were not able to solve this problem, and instead turned it into a crisis."
Orlev blamed the IDF top command, too. "I call upon the Chief of Staff and the Head of Personnel Branch to change the atmosphere and create a more placating atmosphere that will allow religious and hareidi soldiers to serve in the IDF, in combat units too, while completely maintaining their religious lifestyle."
MK Yaakov Katz (Ketzaleh) of the National Union also protested the cadet's dismissal. "The enlistment statistics that show that soon, most IDF officers and soldiers will wear kippot – are a fact," he said. "Desperate attempts to change the fact that almost 50% of infantry officers are religious. It will not be possible to keep the most high-quality sector in the state, the religious [Zionists] and hareidim, from flooding the IDF and being an example of delicateness, good soldierly qualities and professionalism."
Ketzaleh added: "The ongoing abuse of kippah-wearing soldiers stems from incitement and jealousy and does not represent the comradely spirit of the IDF. It will only make our youth, the cream of the nation, even tougher."
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
Zionist religious MKs think the IDF mishandled an incident in which religious cadets were dismissed from Officers' Course for missing a lesson because of the shacharit morning prayer.
The lesson was moved to an earlier time at the last moment, and therefore coincided with the regular time for the shacharit prayer. The soldiers – who are from the Gefen Battalion – prayed instead of attending the lesson.
MK Zevulun Orlev (Jewish Home) said that it was unacceptable that the IDF does not allow shacharit prayer at its proper time. "Only during an operational need or an emergency or during war, should the prayer give precedence to the operational need."
"It is too bad that all those involved – the commanders, the battalion rabbi and the combat soldiers – were not able to solve this problem, and instead turned it into a crisis."
Orlev blamed the IDF top command, too. "I call upon the Chief of Staff and the Head of Personnel Branch to change the atmosphere and create a more placating atmosphere that will allow religious and hareidi soldiers to serve in the IDF, in combat units too, while completely maintaining their religious lifestyle."
MK Yaakov Katz (Ketzaleh) of the National Union also protested the cadet's dismissal. "The enlistment statistics that show that soon, most IDF officers and soldiers will wear kippot – are a fact," he said. "Desperate attempts to change the fact that almost 50% of infantry officers are religious. It will not be possible to keep the most high-quality sector in the state, the religious [Zionists] and hareidim, from flooding the IDF and being an example of delicateness, good soldierly qualities and professionalism."
Ketzaleh added: "The ongoing abuse of kippah-wearing soldiers stems from incitement and jealousy and does not represent the comradely spirit of the IDF. It will only make our youth, the cream of the nation, even tougher."
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6. IDF Launches Hareidi PR Campaign
by Gil Ronen
The IDF has hired public relations professionals from the hareidi sector to assist it in marketing itself to hareidim.
According to Voice of Israel government-run radio, the IDF wants an advertising campaign to encourage hareidim to enlist to the IDF, and to inform them of the tracks available to hareidim within the IDF.
The Gal Oren PR firm has won the tender issued by the Government Press Office for this purpose and hareidi PR man Yaakov (Yanki) Bichler will be handling the marketing campaign vis-à-vis the IDF's Personnel Branch.
"The IDF cannot do marketing work within the hareidi public and therefore it needs the hareidi marketing experts," a military source said. This is especially true in the last few weeks, he said, when subjects related to recruitment of hareidim and the Tal Law were in the headlines."
The source said that the campaign will not be "advertising" military service, but rather "marketing" it.
Bichler's first action was a background briefing with representatives of the hareidi press, attended by Brig. Gen. Amir Rogovsky, Head of Personnel Department.
Regarding the alleged firing of IAF Chief Rabbi, Rav Moshe Ravad, he said that Rav Ravad "had neither resigned nor been fired. We do not have such concepts."
The rabbi "is accompanying the [Shachar] project, has been a trusted associate along the path and has accompanied us," Brig. Gen. Rogovsky explained. "Today there are 3,000 hareidi soldiers in the IDF. In Shachar alone, there are more than 1,800 hareidi soldiers."
Rogovsky said that the IDF is ready to take in hareidim. This means "Integrating hareidim, not changing hareidim," he stressed.
The IDF Spokesman's Unit said that "The IDF tries to reach every enlistee and understands that there is uniqueness in the hareidi sector. That is why Personnel Branch is being assisted by a specialized firm that advises it…"
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
The IDF has hired public relations professionals from the hareidi sector to assist it in marketing itself to hareidim.
According to Voice of Israel government-run radio, the IDF wants an advertising campaign to encourage hareidim to enlist to the IDF, and to inform them of the tracks available to hareidim within the IDF.
The Gal Oren PR firm has won the tender issued by the Government Press Office for this purpose and hareidi PR man Yaakov (Yanki) Bichler will be handling the marketing campaign vis-à-vis the IDF's Personnel Branch.
"The IDF cannot do marketing work within the hareidi public and therefore it needs the hareidi marketing experts," a military source said. This is especially true in the last few weeks, he said, when subjects related to recruitment of hareidim and the Tal Law were in the headlines."
The source said that the campaign will not be "advertising" military service, but rather "marketing" it.
Bichler's first action was a background briefing with representatives of the hareidi press, attended by Brig. Gen. Amir Rogovsky, Head of Personnel Department.
Regarding the alleged firing of IAF Chief Rabbi, Rav Moshe Ravad, he said that Rav Ravad "had neither resigned nor been fired. We do not have such concepts."
The rabbi "is accompanying the [Shachar] project, has been a trusted associate along the path and has accompanied us," Brig. Gen. Rogovsky explained. "Today there are 3,000 hareidi soldiers in the IDF. In Shachar alone, there are more than 1,800 hareidi soldiers."
Rogovsky said that the IDF is ready to take in hareidim. This means "Integrating hareidim, not changing hareidim," he stressed.
The IDF Spokesman's Unit said that "The IDF tries to reach every enlistee and understands that there is uniqueness in the hareidi sector. That is why Personnel Branch is being assisted by a specialized firm that advises it…"
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7. Turkish Ship Unloads Aid to Gaza at Ashdod
by Gil Ronen
Twenty months after the Mavi Marmara incident, a Turkish ship carrying medical aid for Gaza has arrived at Ashdod Port in Israel. Kuwaiti news agency KUNA reports that Turkish Deputy Premier Bekir Bozdag confirmed this news Saturday.
The ship will unload its cargo at Ashdod, and Israel will then transfer the supplies into Gaza.
Bozdag was quoted by Turkish daily, Zaman, as saying that "innocent civilians not only die by shelling but can be killed by the strict siege they are being held under, which prevents the entry of food, medicine and other basic needs."
He said Turkey had submitted a request to the Israeli Defense Ministry, to allow safe passage for the aid ship in October last year.
The ship reportedly carries aid worth $1.5 million.
Israeli commandos boarded the Mavi Marmara after it ignored repeated requests to change course toward Ashdod, and attempted to sail directly to Gaza. The commandos encountered fierce resistance from IHH activists who attacked them on board the ship and had to kill nine of them before they could take control of the vessel. Three of the soldiers have since been recognized as suffering disabilities.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
Twenty months after the Mavi Marmara incident, a Turkish ship carrying medical aid for Gaza has arrived at Ashdod Port in Israel. Kuwaiti news agency KUNA reports that Turkish Deputy Premier Bekir Bozdag confirmed this news Saturday.
The ship will unload its cargo at Ashdod, and Israel will then transfer the supplies into Gaza.
Bozdag was quoted by Turkish daily, Zaman, as saying that "innocent civilians not only die by shelling but can be killed by the strict siege they are being held under, which prevents the entry of food, medicine and other basic needs."
He said Turkey had submitted a request to the Israeli Defense Ministry, to allow safe passage for the aid ship in October last year.
The ship reportedly carries aid worth $1.5 million.
Israeli commandos boarded the Mavi Marmara after it ignored repeated requests to change course toward Ashdod, and attempted to sail directly to Gaza. The commandos encountered fierce resistance from IHH activists who attacked them on board the ship and had to kill nine of them before they could take control of the vessel. Three of the soldiers have since been recognized as suffering disabilities.
Tags: Mavi Marmara ,Turkey ,Ashdod
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8. Dry Bones: 40 Years of Zionist Cartooning
by Elad Benari and Yoni Kempinski
The political cartoon Dry Bones and its creator, Yaakov Kirschen, will receive the Israeli Museum of Caricature and Comics’ “Golden Pencil” award next week. The prize is awarded annually as a lifetime achievement award and a prize designed to encourage creative young artists and students.
Dry Bones has appeared for almost 40 years in newspapers around the world, in The Jerusalem Post and on a successful internet blog.
Kirschen, who made aliyah to Israel from New York in 1971, told Arutz Sheva that what makes Dry Bones unique compared to other political cartoons is that it is a political comic strip.
“When I started in January of 1973, comic strips were a strip of cartoons and editorial and political cartoonists did one-panel metaphors,” he said.
Dry Bones’ main character’s name is Shuldig, which is Yiddish for “guilt”. Kirschen said the reason he chose this name is that “when I came to Israel I recognized that with all the problems, there’s no one who would accept the blame, so I decided I would create a character who would accept the blame and say, ‘I’m guilty.’”
The name of the cartoon, Dry Bones, is based on the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones coming to life. The vision’s meaning is multi-layered in Jewish tradition, with rabbinic commentaries discussing wide ranging terms. Kirschen said that as non-religious Jew he recognizes that Ezekiel’s vision is difficult to understand from a secular point of view, “so what I’m doing in Dry Bones is simply filling in the pieces that Ezekiel didn’t have time to tell us.”
He said that unlike other cartoonists, he tries to attract Israel’s enemies “so that when they laugh at a joke they will, for that moment, see it from my point of view.”
“My goal in Dry Bones is to make people laugh,” said Kirschen. “When the news is so horrendous that I can’t get a laugh out of it, then I figured I’ve failed.”
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari and Yoni Kempinski
The political cartoon Dry Bones and its creator, Yaakov Kirschen, will receive the Israeli Museum of Caricature and Comics’ “Golden Pencil” award next week. The prize is awarded annually as a lifetime achievement award and a prize designed to encourage creative young artists and students.
Dry Bones has appeared for almost 40 years in newspapers around the world, in The Jerusalem Post and on a successful internet blog.
Kirschen, who made aliyah to Israel from New York in 1971, told Arutz Sheva that what makes Dry Bones unique compared to other political cartoons is that it is a political comic strip.
“When I started in January of 1973, comic strips were a strip of cartoons and editorial and political cartoonists did one-panel metaphors,” he said.
Dry Bones’ main character’s name is Shuldig, which is Yiddish for “guilt”. Kirschen said the reason he chose this name is that “when I came to Israel I recognized that with all the problems, there’s no one who would accept the blame, so I decided I would create a character who would accept the blame and say, ‘I’m guilty.’”
The name of the cartoon, Dry Bones, is based on the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones coming to life. The vision’s meaning is multi-layered in Jewish tradition, with rabbinic commentaries discussing wide ranging terms. Kirschen said that as non-religious Jew he recognizes that Ezekiel’s vision is difficult to understand from a secular point of view, “so what I’m doing in Dry Bones is simply filling in the pieces that Ezekiel didn’t have time to tell us.”
He said that unlike other cartoonists, he tries to attract Israel’s enemies “so that when they laugh at a joke they will, for that moment, see it from my point of view.”
“My goal in Dry Bones is to make people laugh,” said Kirschen. “When the news is so horrendous that I can’t get a laugh out of it, then I figured I’ve failed.”
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