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1. Fire in Machpela Cave
by Gil Ronen
A fire broke out in the Cave of Machpela Monday morning when a large vessel that holds memorial candles caught fire. No one was hurt.
The Tatzpit agency reported that Border Police battled the fire for about 30 minutes before putting it out. They used fire extinguishers, water and sand bags.
During this time, some of the people praying in the Cave were evacuated and no additional people were allowed to enter the Cave.
There was no meaningful damage to the Cave, except for smoke and soot marks.
Thousands of people are expected to attend a large musical concert at Hevron Monday, and to take part in tours of the city.
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by Gil Ronen
A fire broke out in the Cave of Machpela Monday morning when a large vessel that holds memorial candles caught fire. No one was hurt.
The Tatzpit agency reported that Border Police battled the fire for about 30 minutes before putting it out. They used fire extinguishers, water and sand bags.
During this time, some of the people praying in the Cave were evacuated and no additional people were allowed to enter the Cave.
There was no meaningful damage to the Cave, except for smoke and soot marks.
Thousands of people are expected to attend a large musical concert at Hevron Monday, and to take part in tours of the city.
More on this topic
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2. Finance Minister: Iran's Economy Near Collapse
by Gil Ronen
"The Iranian economy is near collapse, therefore it is time to continue to tighten the sanctions without letting up," Finance Minister Dr. Yuval Steinitz told visiting the Italian Prime Minister Monday.
Recent sanctions against Iran included the cutting off of the country's banks by the SWIFT monetary transfer service and moves against its central bank.
In his meeting with Prof. Mario Monti, who also serves as Italy's Finance Minister, the two statesmen agreed on establishing a joint technological research fund that would encourage technological and industrial cooperation between the two countries' high-tech industries.
Other matters discussed included the large deal in which the IDF is purchasing Italian-made trainer jets, and the reciprocal purchases that the Italians will make in Israel, from the Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael and Elbit.
Monti expressed great interest in Israel's two-year budget and said that European countries need to examine the idea positively.
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by Gil Ronen
"The Iranian economy is near collapse, therefore it is time to continue to tighten the sanctions without letting up," Finance Minister Dr. Yuval Steinitz told visiting the Italian Prime Minister Monday.
Recent sanctions against Iran included the cutting off of the country's banks by the SWIFT monetary transfer service and moves against its central bank.
In his meeting with Prof. Mario Monti, who also serves as Italy's Finance Minister, the two statesmen agreed on establishing a joint technological research fund that would encourage technological and industrial cooperation between the two countries' high-tech industries.
Other matters discussed included the large deal in which the IDF is purchasing Italian-made trainer jets, and the reciprocal purchases that the Italians will make in Israel, from the Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael and Elbit.
Monti expressed great interest in Israel's two-year budget and said that European countries need to examine the idea positively.
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3. Netanyahu: Iran Uses Talks to Deceive
by Gil Ronen
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met Sunday afternoon with his Italian counterpart Mario Monti. Following the meeting, Netanyahu spoke to reporters and mentioned the P5-1 talks with Iran scheduled for next week.
"We have seen that Iran uses the talks in order to deceive and mislead," he said. "We will follow the talks."
"Our policy with regard to Iran has not changed, and that is also what needs to happen at the talks," he added. "The demands from Iran must be clear – remove the enriched [nuclear] material, stop the enrichment and dismantle the installation at Qom."
Iran, meanwhile, has rejected these very demands, after they were spelled out to by European and US diplomats to The New York Times. The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Fereydoon Abbasi Davani, told Iran's ISNA news agency that the demands were "irrational."
The Fordo site, an underground bunker near Qom, "is built underground because of sanctions and the threats of attacks," he explained. "If they do not threaten us and guarantee that no aggression will occur, then there would be no need for countries to build facilities underground. They should change their behavior and language," he said.
Iran's enrichment of uranium to 20 percent purity would also continue, he vowed, the P5+1's requests notwithstanding. "We do not see any rationale for such a request from the P5+1," he said. However, he added, "We will not produce 20 percent enrichment fuel more than what we need, because it is not in our benefit to produce and keep it."
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by Gil Ronen
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met Sunday afternoon with his Italian counterpart Mario Monti. Following the meeting, Netanyahu spoke to reporters and mentioned the P5-1 talks with Iran scheduled for next week.
"We have seen that Iran uses the talks in order to deceive and mislead," he said. "We will follow the talks."
"Our policy with regard to Iran has not changed, and that is also what needs to happen at the talks," he added. "The demands from Iran must be clear – remove the enriched [nuclear] material, stop the enrichment and dismantle the installation at Qom."
Iran, meanwhile, has rejected these very demands, after they were spelled out to by European and US diplomats to The New York Times. The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Fereydoon Abbasi Davani, told Iran's ISNA news agency that the demands were "irrational."
The Fordo site, an underground bunker near Qom, "is built underground because of sanctions and the threats of attacks," he explained. "If they do not threaten us and guarantee that no aggression will occur, then there would be no need for countries to build facilities underground. They should change their behavior and language," he said.
Iran's enrichment of uranium to 20 percent purity would also continue, he vowed, the P5+1's requests notwithstanding. "We do not see any rationale for such a request from the P5+1," he said. However, he added, "We will not produce 20 percent enrichment fuel more than what we need, because it is not in our benefit to produce and keep it."
More on this topic
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Report: Israel Buys Azeri Air Field on Iran's Northern Border
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Report: Iran's Centrifuge Workshops Are Well Hidden
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4. Fire Continues: Terror Rocket hits Sderot
by Maayana Miskin
Gaza terrorists launched a rocket at the town of Sderot on Sunday evening. The rocket hit an unpopulated area and did not cause injury.
Earlier in the day terrorists fired two rockets at the city of Netivot. Those rockets hit unpopulated areas as well.
The attacks come as Israelis celebrate the week-long Passover holiday.
Gaza’s many terror organizations have been relatively inactive in recent weeks, but have launched occasional attacks, demonstrating that they do not consider themselves bound by the “calm” Hamas declared after Israel’s last counter-terror activities in the area.
Sunday’s attacks are thought to be linked to an incident Saturday night in which a group of terrorists attempting to fire a rocket were fired on by IDF soldiers. Two of the terrorists were wounded.
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by Maayana Miskin
Gaza terrorists launched a rocket at the town of Sderot on Sunday evening. The rocket hit an unpopulated area and did not cause injury.
Earlier in the day terrorists fired two rockets at the city of Netivot. Those rockets hit unpopulated areas as well.
The attacks come as Israelis celebrate the week-long Passover holiday.
Gaza’s many terror organizations have been relatively inactive in recent weeks, but have launched occasional attacks, demonstrating that they do not consider themselves bound by the “calm” Hamas declared after Israel’s last counter-terror activities in the area.
Sunday’s attacks are thought to be linked to an incident Saturday night in which a group of terrorists attempting to fire a rocket were fired on by IDF soldiers. Two of the terrorists were wounded.
Tags: Rocket attacks
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5. Evicted Jews Sleep in the Streets, Wait for Answers
by Maayana Miskin
Jews forced out of the Machpelah House in Hevron last week spent Passover in tents just meters away. In the meantime, the building sits empty.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak, with support from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, insisted on going ahead with last week’s eviction ahead of Passover, arguing that Jewish presence in the building was an operational threat that must be rectified immediately. The IDF, he said, could verify that Jews had a legal right to the home after forcing them to leave it.
The eviction caused discord in the government, with senior figures including Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz and Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon openly criticizing the decision.
Shlomo Levinger is one of the many Machpelah House residents who has been living in a tent in the street along with his young children since the expulsion. “We had pain in our hearts during the holiday,” he told Arutz Sheva. “But also great joy, and faith that we will return to the building next door.”
Twelve days have passed since Hevron’s Jewish community gave the IDF Civil Administration documents relating to the sale of the Machpelah House. “They still haven’t told us what the problem is,” Levinger related. “Apparently there is no problem.”
Civil Administration officials speaking off the record have told Jewish leaders in Hevron that the sale was legal, he said.
Passover has brought a measure of comfort as Jews visit the city and reach out to help. “Since this morning we’ve already had hundreds of people… they sympathize with us and want to assist us,” he said. There are donation boxes around the city raising funds for the purchase of more buildings for the community, Levinger noted, adding that the purchase of the Machpelah House was made possible by many contributions pooled together.
He encouraged visitors to continue to come to the Jewish quarter of the ancient city.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
Jews forced out of the Machpelah House in Hevron last week spent Passover in tents just meters away. In the meantime, the building sits empty.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak, with support from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, insisted on going ahead with last week’s eviction ahead of Passover, arguing that Jewish presence in the building was an operational threat that must be rectified immediately. The IDF, he said, could verify that Jews had a legal right to the home after forcing them to leave it.
The eviction caused discord in the government, with senior figures including Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz and Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon openly criticizing the decision.
Shlomo Levinger is one of the many Machpelah House residents who has been living in a tent in the street along with his young children since the expulsion. “We had pain in our hearts during the holiday,” he told Arutz Sheva. “But also great joy, and faith that we will return to the building next door.”
Twelve days have passed since Hevron’s Jewish community gave the IDF Civil Administration documents relating to the sale of the Machpelah House. “They still haven’t told us what the problem is,” Levinger related. “Apparently there is no problem.”
Civil Administration officials speaking off the record have told Jewish leaders in Hevron that the sale was legal, he said.
Passover has brought a measure of comfort as Jews visit the city and reach out to help. “Since this morning we’ve already had hundreds of people… they sympathize with us and want to assist us,” he said. There are donation boxes around the city raising funds for the purchase of more buildings for the community, Levinger noted, adding that the purchase of the Machpelah House was made possible by many contributions pooled together.
He encouraged visitors to continue to come to the Jewish quarter of the ancient city.
Tags: Machpela House ,Beit HaMachpela ,Hevron
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6. Terrorist Sues Reuters, Arutz Sheva
by Arutz Sheva
Terrorist Salah Hamuri, who was convicted of planning to assassinate Rav Ovadia Yosef but was freed in the Shalit deal, has sued Reuters and Arutz Sheva over what he says was an interview that "besmirched his name and portrayed him in an unfavorable light."
According to ICE, a site that specializes in Israeli media, Hamouri was arrested in 2005 on suspicion that he had planned to assassinate the former Chief Sephardic Rabbi and Shas's spiritual leader. In 2009 he was convicted and sentenced to seven years in jail. On December 18, 2011, Hamouri – who has French citizenship – was included in the Shalit deal after the French government interceded on his part.
A day after his release he was interviewed on Reuters by reporter Jihan Abdullah. On December 20, the interview was published and he was quoted as saying "I and my two friends were right to try and eliminate Rav Ovadia Yosef," and that the rabbi "deserves to die."
The statements were quoted in numerous press outlets worldwide, including Israeli ones like Besheva, Arutz Sheva and Ynet.
As a result, the French ambassador to Israel contacted Hamouri and demanded that he apologize for his statement. Hamouri refused and said the quotes were false, and that he possesses a recording of the interview. The French ambassador asked Reuters to correct the report and it did so, removing the statement that Rabbi Ovadia Yosef "deserves to die."
Some outlets, including Ynet and Walla, published the corrected report, but no such correction appeared in Arutz Sheva.
Following the initial publication of the interview, Hamouri filed a lawsuit against Reuters and Arutz Sheva, through Attorney Husam Yunes. "Following the initial publication," the lawsuit says, "very harsh responses were received, and some of the responses included threats against the life of the plaintiff, who now fears for his life and fears being hurt by people who were incited to hurt him following the publication of things that he never said…"
The lawsuit claims that the publication constituted libel, and came close to being a racist hate crime. Yunes demands 900,000 shekels compensation for his client, 300,000 of them for "dissemination of libel and damage to the plaintiff's good name in the eyes of the world's populace," and 500,000 shekels for "pain, suffering and sadness, psychological damage and anxiety."
Uzi Baruch, Editor-in-Chief of Arutz Sheva, declined to respond. Reuters also did not respond.
Comment on this story
by Arutz Sheva
Terrorist Salah Hamuri, who was convicted of planning to assassinate Rav Ovadia Yosef but was freed in the Shalit deal, has sued Reuters and Arutz Sheva over what he says was an interview that "besmirched his name and portrayed him in an unfavorable light."
According to ICE, a site that specializes in Israeli media, Hamouri was arrested in 2005 on suspicion that he had planned to assassinate the former Chief Sephardic Rabbi and Shas's spiritual leader. In 2009 he was convicted and sentenced to seven years in jail. On December 18, 2011, Hamouri – who has French citizenship – was included in the Shalit deal after the French government interceded on his part.
A day after his release he was interviewed on Reuters by reporter Jihan Abdullah. On December 20, the interview was published and he was quoted as saying "I and my two friends were right to try and eliminate Rav Ovadia Yosef," and that the rabbi "deserves to die."
The statements were quoted in numerous press outlets worldwide, including Israeli ones like Besheva, Arutz Sheva and Ynet.
As a result, the French ambassador to Israel contacted Hamouri and demanded that he apologize for his statement. Hamouri refused and said the quotes were false, and that he possesses a recording of the interview. The French ambassador asked Reuters to correct the report and it did so, removing the statement that Rabbi Ovadia Yosef "deserves to die."
Some outlets, including Ynet and Walla, published the corrected report, but no such correction appeared in Arutz Sheva.
Following the initial publication of the interview, Hamouri filed a lawsuit against Reuters and Arutz Sheva, through Attorney Husam Yunes. "Following the initial publication," the lawsuit says, "very harsh responses were received, and some of the responses included threats against the life of the plaintiff, who now fears for his life and fears being hurt by people who were incited to hurt him following the publication of things that he never said…"
The lawsuit claims that the publication constituted libel, and came close to being a racist hate crime. Yunes demands 900,000 shekels compensation for his client, 300,000 of them for "dissemination of libel and damage to the plaintiff's good name in the eyes of the world's populace," and 500,000 shekels for "pain, suffering and sadness, psychological damage and anxiety."
Uzi Baruch, Editor-in-Chief of Arutz Sheva, declined to respond. Reuters also did not respond.
Tags: Shalit deal ,Salah Hamouri ,libel suit
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7. Learning from Tragedy, IDF Develops Safer Hand Grenade
by Gil Ronen
The IDF Ground Forces will begin using a new, safer type of hand grenade in the course of the year. The safer grenade will not explode if struck by an enemy bullet. The development of the grenade was accelerated after the death of Major Eliraz Peretz in Gaza in 2010, when an enemy bullet hit a grenade he was carrying in his vest.
The grenade is an upgraded version of the veteran no. 26 grenade. However, the spark that detonates its explosive component will only be lit if the grenade's safety has been removed.
Maj. Yoav Galster, Combat Equipment Commander in the Land Forces Weapons Division said, "There are already tens of thousands of these grenades in the IDF's stores. The means of operation and the effect will stay the same, there will only be a great leap forward in terms of safety. This is the first non-sensitive ammunition currently used by the Ground Forces."
The IDF is also considering upgrading existing grenades by replacing their safety mechanisms with the upgraded kind.
The Ground Forces are also preparing to begin use another new type of grenade – the "launched smoke grenade." This is a grenade that can be fired from any rifle, instead of being thrown manually as is usually the case. This makes it possible to screen the enemy's line of sight in a fuller way while affording a better line of vision for friendly troops.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
The IDF Ground Forces will begin using a new, safer type of hand grenade in the course of the year. The safer grenade will not explode if struck by an enemy bullet. The development of the grenade was accelerated after the death of Major Eliraz Peretz in Gaza in 2010, when an enemy bullet hit a grenade he was carrying in his vest.
The grenade is an upgraded version of the veteran no. 26 grenade. However, the spark that detonates its explosive component will only be lit if the grenade's safety has been removed.
Maj. Yoav Galster, Combat Equipment Commander in the Land Forces Weapons Division said, "There are already tens of thousands of these grenades in the IDF's stores. The means of operation and the effect will stay the same, there will only be a great leap forward in terms of safety. This is the first non-sensitive ammunition currently used by the Ground Forces."
The IDF is also considering upgrading existing grenades by replacing their safety mechanisms with the upgraded kind.
The Ground Forces are also preparing to begin use another new type of grenade – the "launched smoke grenade." This is a grenade that can be fired from any rifle, instead of being thrown manually as is usually the case. This makes it possible to screen the enemy's line of sight in a fuller way while affording a better line of vision for friendly troops.
Tags: weapons development ,Eliraz Peretz ,Gaza
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8. 70,000 at Kotel for Priestly Blessing
by Gil Ronen
An estimated 70,000 people came to the Kotel Plaza in Jerusalem Monday to partake in the traditional Priestly Blessing prayer. It was one of the largest such ceremonies ever.
Police closed off all roads leading to Old City. Drivers were requested to park their cars in public parking areas.
The prayer ceremony could be viewed live on the Kotel cams.
The prayer was followed by a reception for the general public, hosted by the Chief Rabbis, Rav Shlomo Amar and Rav Yonah Metzger, as well as Kotel Rabbi Rav Shmuel Rabinovich.
The tradition of holding large-scale Priestly Blessings twice a year, during teh chol hamoed days of Pesach and Shavuot, was established by the late Rav Menachem Mendel Gefner.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
An estimated 70,000 people came to the Kotel Plaza in Jerusalem Monday to partake in the traditional Priestly Blessing prayer. It was one of the largest such ceremonies ever.
Police closed off all roads leading to Old City. Drivers were requested to park their cars in public parking areas.
The prayer ceremony could be viewed live on the Kotel cams.
The prayer was followed by a reception for the general public, hosted by the Chief Rabbis, Rav Shlomo Amar and Rav Yonah Metzger, as well as Kotel Rabbi Rav Shmuel Rabinovich.
The tradition of holding large-scale Priestly Blessings twice a year, during teh chol hamoed days of Pesach and Shavuot, was established by the late Rav Menachem Mendel Gefner.
Tags: Kotel ,Birkat Hakohanim ,Wester n Wall Plaza
More on this topic
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