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1. Syria Warns It May Use Chemical Weapons on ‘Foreign’ Forces
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Syria has admitted it has chemical weapons and in what might have been a veiled threat against Israel, said it will use them if attacked.
The regime promised it would not engage in chemical warfare against rebels, who by all accounts except for that of the government are pushing President Bashar Assad out of power.
Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi “assured” the world that it has secured chemical weapons, which it previously has not admitted to be in its possession but never would be used "inside Syria."
"No chemical or biological weapons will ever be used, and I repeat, will never be used, during the crisis in Syria, no matter what the developments inside Syria," he said on state television. "All of these types of weapons are in storage and under security and the direct supervision of the Syrian armed forces and will never be used unless Syria is exposed to external aggression."
Israel is concerned that the chemical weapons will fall into the hands of Hizbullah, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared Sunday his government will “have to act” if Assad’s regime collapses, leaving Hizbullah with the possibility of taking over his military arsenal. Assad already is suspected of having smuggled some of the chemical weapons into Lebanon for Hizbullah to stockpile.
Prime Minister Netanyahu told Fox News Sunday said that “there are other possibilities” than crossing the Syrian border in order to deal with Assad’s chemical weapons.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak was ore blunt and stated on Israeli television last Friday, “I’ve ordered the Israeli military to prepare for a situation where we would have to weigh the possibility of carrying out an attack” against Syria’s arsenal, which is believed to include mustard gas and nerve agents that can reach Israel via Scud missiles.
Syria never signed the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.
Despite the Syrian Foreign Ministry’s vow not to use chemical weapons against the opposition, U.S. Senator John McCain does not trust the regime.
"These are helicopter gunships, tanks, artillery that are slaughtering people, and now there is a risk -- and I'm not saying it is going to happen -- a risk that in his desperation, Bashar al-Assad might use those chemical weapons," McCain said on CNN.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters traveling with President Barack Obama on Air Force One, "We believe that Syria's chemical weapons remain under Syrian government control. But given the escalation in violence, and the regime's increasing attacks on its own people, we remain very concerned about these weapons."
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Syria has admitted it has chemical weapons and in what might have been a veiled threat against Israel, said it will use them if attacked.
The regime promised it would not engage in chemical warfare against rebels, who by all accounts except for that of the government are pushing President Bashar Assad out of power.
Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi “assured” the world that it has secured chemical weapons, which it previously has not admitted to be in its possession but never would be used "inside Syria."
"No chemical or biological weapons will ever be used, and I repeat, will never be used, during the crisis in Syria, no matter what the developments inside Syria," he said on state television. "All of these types of weapons are in storage and under security and the direct supervision of the Syrian armed forces and will never be used unless Syria is exposed to external aggression."
Israel is concerned that the chemical weapons will fall into the hands of Hizbullah, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared Sunday his government will “have to act” if Assad’s regime collapses, leaving Hizbullah with the possibility of taking over his military arsenal. Assad already is suspected of having smuggled some of the chemical weapons into Lebanon for Hizbullah to stockpile.
Prime Minister Netanyahu told Fox News Sunday said that “there are other possibilities” than crossing the Syrian border in order to deal with Assad’s chemical weapons.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak was ore blunt and stated on Israeli television last Friday, “I’ve ordered the Israeli military to prepare for a situation where we would have to weigh the possibility of carrying out an attack” against Syria’s arsenal, which is believed to include mustard gas and nerve agents that can reach Israel via Scud missiles.
Syria never signed the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.
Despite the Syrian Foreign Ministry’s vow not to use chemical weapons against the opposition, U.S. Senator John McCain does not trust the regime.
"These are helicopter gunships, tanks, artillery that are slaughtering people, and now there is a risk -- and I'm not saying it is going to happen -- a risk that in his desperation, Bashar al-Assad might use those chemical weapons," McCain said on CNN.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters traveling with President Barack Obama on Air Force One, "We believe that Syria's chemical weapons remain under Syrian government control. But given the escalation in violence, and the regime's increasing attacks on its own people, we remain very concerned about these weapons."
Tags: Syria ,chemical warfare ,Bashr Al-Assad ,a
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2. Tourism Minister: Bulgaria, Israel Will Strengthen Cooperation
by Chana Ya'ar
Israel and Bulgarian will strengthen their strategic cooperation on security and tourism, Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov said Monday.
The Israeli tourism leader flew to Burgas to meet with Bulgarian President Rossen Plevneliev and Prime Minister Boiko Borissov following last week's deadly terrorist attack on Israeli tourists at the Burgas airport.
Accompanying Misezhnikov was a senior delegation that included top officials from the travel industry.
Among those who went to meet with their Bulgarian counterparts were Kobi Karni, Chairman of the Israel Tourist and Travel Agents Association, Yossi Fattal, CEO of the Israel Tourist and Travel Agents Association, Ami Etgar, Director General, Israel Incoming Tourism Operators Association, Moni Bar, Honorary Consul of Bulgaria in Israel and Chairman of TUI Israel and Air Berlin Group in Israel, Yaron Miller, Founder and Owner of Flying Carpet, Boaz Waxman, Chairman of Ofir Tours, David Kaminitz, CEO I.D.B Tourism, and Yehuda Shen, Manager of the Central and South Europe Department at the Ministry of Tourism.
An investigation is proceeding into the suicide bombing on the tour bus the Israelis were boarding in the parking lot outside the airport, Misezhnikov told reporters after the meeting.
Five Israeli tourists were killed, along with the driver of the tour bus, who was an Bulgarian national, in addition to the terrorist. In addition, 35 people were wounded, including three who were critically injured and who were flown by medical helicopter to a hospital in Sofia.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
Israel and Bulgarian will strengthen their strategic cooperation on security and tourism, Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov said Monday.
The Israeli tourism leader flew to Burgas to meet with Bulgarian President Rossen Plevneliev and Prime Minister Boiko Borissov following last week's deadly terrorist attack on Israeli tourists at the Burgas airport.
Accompanying Misezhnikov was a senior delegation that included top officials from the travel industry.
Among those who went to meet with their Bulgarian counterparts were Kobi Karni, Chairman of the Israel Tourist and Travel Agents Association, Yossi Fattal, CEO of the Israel Tourist and Travel Agents Association, Ami Etgar, Director General, Israel Incoming Tourism Operators Association, Moni Bar, Honorary Consul of Bulgaria in Israel and Chairman of TUI Israel and Air Berlin Group in Israel, Yaron Miller, Founder and Owner of Flying Carpet, Boaz Waxman, Chairman of Ofir Tours, David Kaminitz, CEO I.D.B Tourism, and Yehuda Shen, Manager of the Central and South Europe Department at the Ministry of Tourism.
An investigation is proceeding into the suicide bombing on the tour bus the Israelis were boarding in the parking lot outside the airport, Misezhnikov told reporters after the meeting.
Five Israeli tourists were killed, along with the driver of the tour bus, who was an Bulgarian national, in addition to the terrorist. In addition, 35 people were wounded, including three who were critically injured and who were flown by medical helicopter to a hospital in Sofia.
Tags: Bulgaria ,Burgas ,terror abroad ,Tourism Ministry
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Israel Fears Second Olympics Massacre in London
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Israeli Survivor’s Thankful Prayer
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Al-Qaeda Linked Group Claims Responsibility for Burgas Terror
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3. 57 Jewish Graves Desecrated in Hungary
by Chana Ya'ar
Unnamed vandals have desecrated 57 graves in a Jewish cemetery some 200 miles southwest of Budapest.
The cemetery, located in the city of Kfosbar, sustained serious damage, worth some 12,000 euros, according to Jewish community leader Lazlo Rona. Local police launched an investigation into the vandalism, which took place in recent days.
It is unclear whether the desecration of the graves was associated with the discovery a week ago of wanted Nazi war criminal Ladislaus Csizsik-Csatary, 97.
Csizsik-Csatary was a police commander in charge of a Jewish ghetto in the town of Kassa --- today, the town of Kosice in Slovakia. During World War II, he helped send 15,700 Jews to their deaths at the Auschwitz death camp. After the Allies won the war, he fled the town. In 1948, he was convicted in absentia of war crimes in Czechoslovakia and was sentenced to death.
The office of the Hungarian state prosecutor announced three days after he was found that Csizsik-Csatary had been arrested on charges of committing war crimes.
Last weekend, vandals desecrated the Jewish cemetery in Anklam, police said, with some completely uprooted from their settings. Massive destruction was obvious from one corner of the cemetery to the other.
Local media in Germany reported the Anklam attorney general conducted an investigation because “the dead were disturbed,” and due to destruction of property. Police are seeking witnesses to the crime.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
Unnamed vandals have desecrated 57 graves in a Jewish cemetery some 200 miles southwest of Budapest.
The cemetery, located in the city of Kfosbar, sustained serious damage, worth some 12,000 euros, according to Jewish community leader Lazlo Rona. Local police launched an investigation into the vandalism, which took place in recent days.
It is unclear whether the desecration of the graves was associated with the discovery a week ago of wanted Nazi war criminal Ladislaus Csizsik-Csatary, 97.
Csizsik-Csatary was a police commander in charge of a Jewish ghetto in the town of Kassa --- today, the town of Kosice in Slovakia. During World War II, he helped send 15,700 Jews to their deaths at the Auschwitz death camp. After the Allies won the war, he fled the town. In 1948, he was convicted in absentia of war crimes in Czechoslovakia and was sentenced to death.
The office of the Hungarian state prosecutor announced three days after he was found that Csizsik-Csatary had been arrested on charges of committing war crimes.
Last weekend, vandals desecrated the Jewish cemetery in Anklam, police said, with some completely uprooted from their settings. Massive destruction was obvious from one corner of the cemetery to the other.
Local media in Germany reported the Anklam attorney general conducted an investigation because “the dead were disturbed,” and due to destruction of property. Police are seeking witnesses to the crime.
More on this topic
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‘Most Wanted’ Nazi is Arrested, Indicted
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PM Meets with Hungarian President On Anti-Semitism
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UK Newspaper Tracks Down No.1 'Most Wanted' Nazi
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Extreme Right Hungarian Leader Challenges Chabad Rabbi to Debate
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Hungarian Anti-Semitic Deputy Admits Jewish Roots
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US Lawmakers Call on Hungarian PM to Denounce Anti-Semitism
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4. Israel’s Knesset Scorecard: Who’s on First
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Binyamin Netanyahu: chairman of the Likud party and a chess player who managed to win a draw with chess master Natan Sharansky.
Part of his childhood was spent in the United States, and his fluent English frustrates Israeli and foreign mainstream media who hate him because his communication skills are better than theirs.
Shaul Mofaz: chairman of the Kadima party, which he joined the day after he said he would never leave the Likud. He ousted Tzipi Livni as party chair and inherited a party crippled by lack of leadership, internal dissension and a trail of corruption.
A successful former IDF Chief of Staff and arguably a less-than-successful politician, he is trying to turn the hareidi-religious draft issue into a one-issue campaign to topple Netanyahu. So far, his efforts have resulted in a fractured party, which was on the verge of a split-up Monday morning. A total mutiny was averted, but he told four Knesset Members to get lost.
Avigdor Lieberman: chairman of the Yisrael Beytenu party and a Russian immigrant who once worked as a bouncer in a bar. He was named by Voice of Israel government radio political analyst Hanan Kristal as one of Israel’s savviest politicians.
Lieberman has matter-of-factly said he will be Prime Minister one day. He might succeed unless police, who have been harassing him for 12 years, manage to convince government prosecutors to indict him for anything from breach of trust to bribery, or at least a traffic violation.
His ministers’ success in running their offices and minding their own business, unlike other undisciplined party Cabinet officers who have something to say about everything, has given Yisrael Beytenu a strong reputation among the public. It also has aroused jealousy in mainstream media people, who hate Lieberman because he says what he thinks, which is usually not in accord with the media’s center-left agenda.
Shelly Yechimovich: chairman of the Labor party and a former television and radio journalist. She is considered one of the hardest-working Knesset Members and is relatively honest intellectually. Yechimovich last year agreed to be interviewed by Arutz Sheva but only on questions concerning women’s rights and labor issues and not on the status of Judea and Samaria. Although she opposes Jewish outpost communities, she has been above politics in statements that express understanding of residents in Judea and Samaria.
Lately, buoyed by poll results showing her party within striking distance of the Likud, she has begun to take herself too seriously and really believes she can become the next Prime Minister. Her former employer, Voice of Israel, interviews her favorably on radio news broadcasts at least once a week.
Eli Yishai: Chairman of the Shas Sephardi religious party, which for years has been an enigma on the Israel political scene, and has managed to be part of a left-wing Labor coalition government and a nationalist Likud government. It has strongly supported a Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria but also backed former Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin during the age of Oslo Accords. Funding for yeshivas and social programs for low-incomes families, which are among its supporters, are the main planks of its platform.
Ehud Barak: chairman of his self-proclaimed Independence party after he quit the Labor party. Like Mofaz, he is a former IDF Chief of Staff but has proven to be a much worse politician than soldier. He swept into power after the first government of Binyamin Netanyahu fell in 1999. He enjoyed a commanding majority in his coalition government but blew it after only 18 months.
He offered then-PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat almost everything he wanted, was refused and was left with the Oslo War, otherwise known as the Second Intifada, as his less than crowning achievement. Barak then retired from politics, worked in the private business sector with strong connections in the military-industrial complex, vowed never to return to politics and then did exactly the opposite, narrowly winning the Labor party leadership in 2007.
After Netanyahu was given the nod to form the current government, Barak said he would remain in the Opposition. The next day, he accepted a position as Defense Minister. Last year, he duplicated his failure as party leader when he was Prime Minister in 2000 and split the party to create his own. Polls give him a narrow chance of entering the next Knesset.
Jewish Home: This is the party that succeeded the National Religious Party, which for years has conceded almost every ideological principle in order to maintain the political principle that it can “cause change from within.” Can it really? The jury has been out for years on that question.
Yaakov (Ketzaleh) Katz: Head of the National Union party, which stayed out of the coalition in order to maintain ideological nationalist principles rather than maintain the political principle of being unable to change from within.
His party is comprised of other strongly nationalist MKs who can freely say what they think since they have no political axe to grind within the coalition.
Meretz: This is the left-wing mirror image of the National Union. Its leadership has changed twice in the past thee years. Its strength has decreased slowly over the past several years, reflecting what even mainstream media have termed “intellectual bankruptcy" of the left, which generally demands freedom and tolerance on condition that the same rights do not apply to right-wing elements.
Yehadut HaTorah: The Ashkenazi version of Shas, it has maintained its party strength at 5-6 MKs and champions funds for yeshivas. Keeping true to its ideology, one of its MKs often runs a ministry but only as “deputy” minister in order not to give the impression that it identifies too much with the government. It is more powerful when there is a narrow coalition majority that is dependent on its MKs.
Arab parties: This is a bit of a misnomer because it includes the Hadash party, whose Jewish MK Dov Kheinin is a leader. The other parties have included an MK who fled the country after being indicted for helping Hizbullah in the Second Lebanon War. Ahmed Tibi had been the most prominent Arab MK, but his spot has been taken over by firebrand Hanin Zubai, who almost never disappoints journalists with anti-Israeli hate messages. Two weeks ago, she told students in Germany that the Israeli government is fascist.
When Jewish students arrived to counter her statements, she called them fascists, too.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Binyamin Netanyahu: chairman of the Likud party and a chess player who managed to win a draw with chess master Natan Sharansky.
Part of his childhood was spent in the United States, and his fluent English frustrates Israeli and foreign mainstream media who hate him because his communication skills are better than theirs.
Shaul Mofaz: chairman of the Kadima party, which he joined the day after he said he would never leave the Likud. He ousted Tzipi Livni as party chair and inherited a party crippled by lack of leadership, internal dissension and a trail of corruption.
A successful former IDF Chief of Staff and arguably a less-than-successful politician, he is trying to turn the hareidi-religious draft issue into a one-issue campaign to topple Netanyahu. So far, his efforts have resulted in a fractured party, which was on the verge of a split-up Monday morning. A total mutiny was averted, but he told four Knesset Members to get lost.
Avigdor Lieberman: chairman of the Yisrael Beytenu party and a Russian immigrant who once worked as a bouncer in a bar. He was named by Voice of Israel government radio political analyst Hanan Kristal as one of Israel’s savviest politicians.
Lieberman has matter-of-factly said he will be Prime Minister one day. He might succeed unless police, who have been harassing him for 12 years, manage to convince government prosecutors to indict him for anything from breach of trust to bribery, or at least a traffic violation.
His ministers’ success in running their offices and minding their own business, unlike other undisciplined party Cabinet officers who have something to say about everything, has given Yisrael Beytenu a strong reputation among the public. It also has aroused jealousy in mainstream media people, who hate Lieberman because he says what he thinks, which is usually not in accord with the media’s center-left agenda.
Shelly Yechimovich: chairman of the Labor party and a former television and radio journalist. She is considered one of the hardest-working Knesset Members and is relatively honest intellectually. Yechimovich last year agreed to be interviewed by Arutz Sheva but only on questions concerning women’s rights and labor issues and not on the status of Judea and Samaria. Although she opposes Jewish outpost communities, she has been above politics in statements that express understanding of residents in Judea and Samaria.
Lately, buoyed by poll results showing her party within striking distance of the Likud, she has begun to take herself too seriously and really believes she can become the next Prime Minister. Her former employer, Voice of Israel, interviews her favorably on radio news broadcasts at least once a week.
Eli Yishai: Chairman of the Shas Sephardi religious party, which for years has been an enigma on the Israel political scene, and has managed to be part of a left-wing Labor coalition government and a nationalist Likud government. It has strongly supported a Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria but also backed former Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin during the age of Oslo Accords. Funding for yeshivas and social programs for low-incomes families, which are among its supporters, are the main planks of its platform.
Ehud Barak: chairman of his self-proclaimed Independence party after he quit the Labor party. Like Mofaz, he is a former IDF Chief of Staff but has proven to be a much worse politician than soldier. He swept into power after the first government of Binyamin Netanyahu fell in 1999. He enjoyed a commanding majority in his coalition government but blew it after only 18 months.
He offered then-PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat almost everything he wanted, was refused and was left with the Oslo War, otherwise known as the Second Intifada, as his less than crowning achievement. Barak then retired from politics, worked in the private business sector with strong connections in the military-industrial complex, vowed never to return to politics and then did exactly the opposite, narrowly winning the Labor party leadership in 2007.
After Netanyahu was given the nod to form the current government, Barak said he would remain in the Opposition. The next day, he accepted a position as Defense Minister. Last year, he duplicated his failure as party leader when he was Prime Minister in 2000 and split the party to create his own. Polls give him a narrow chance of entering the next Knesset.
Jewish Home: This is the party that succeeded the National Religious Party, which for years has conceded almost every ideological principle in order to maintain the political principle that it can “cause change from within.” Can it really? The jury has been out for years on that question.
Yaakov (Ketzaleh) Katz: Head of the National Union party, which stayed out of the coalition in order to maintain ideological nationalist principles rather than maintain the political principle of being unable to change from within.
His party is comprised of other strongly nationalist MKs who can freely say what they think since they have no political axe to grind within the coalition.
Meretz: This is the left-wing mirror image of the National Union. Its leadership has changed twice in the past thee years. Its strength has decreased slowly over the past several years, reflecting what even mainstream media have termed “intellectual bankruptcy" of the left, which generally demands freedom and tolerance on condition that the same rights do not apply to right-wing elements.
Yehadut HaTorah: The Ashkenazi version of Shas, it has maintained its party strength at 5-6 MKs and champions funds for yeshivas. Keeping true to its ideology, one of its MKs often runs a ministry but only as “deputy” minister in order not to give the impression that it identifies too much with the government. It is more powerful when there is a narrow coalition majority that is dependent on its MKs.
Arab parties: This is a bit of a misnomer because it includes the Hadash party, whose Jewish MK Dov Kheinin is a leader. The other parties have included an MK who fled the country after being indicted for helping Hizbullah in the Second Lebanon War. Ahmed Tibi had been the most prominent Arab MK, but his spot has been taken over by firebrand Hanin Zubai, who almost never disappoints journalists with anti-Israeli hate messages. Two weeks ago, she told students in Germany that the Israeli government is fascist.
When Jewish students arrived to counter her statements, she called them fascists, too.
Tags: Knesset ,Ehud Barak ,Likud Party ,Binyamin Netanyahu
More on this topic
Comment on this story
5. Arabs: Arab MKs Don't Represent Us Well
by Gil Ronen
61.4% of Israel's Arabs have a less than favorable opinion of the way the Arab Knesset members represent the interests of Israeli Arabs, according to a new poll.
The poll, by Prof. Avi Degani, asked participants: "In your opinion, do most of the leaders of the existing Arab parties in Israel represent the interests of the Arab sector in Israel well or badly?"
A total of 31.4% answered "very badly" or "badly." Another 30.4% said "so-so," while 30.7% answered "well" or "very well."
The poll identified Arabs aged 30-55, Arab women, educated people, people with intermediate-high earnings and Druze as the groups more likely to be dissatisfied with the Arab politicians.
Another interesting finding was the high value Arab Israelis place on maintaining the values of tradition and religion. Eighty four percent of the Arab population said this was "important" or "very important" – more than the percentage that saw "economic development" or "Israeli Jordanian peace" as important.
Regardless of Degani's poll, it is a fact that Israeli Arabs have been consistently voting extremist Arab parties like Balad, Raam and Taal into the Knesset since the mid-90s.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
61.4% of Israel's Arabs have a less than favorable opinion of the way the Arab Knesset members represent the interests of Israeli Arabs, according to a new poll.
The poll, by Prof. Avi Degani, asked participants: "In your opinion, do most of the leaders of the existing Arab parties in Israel represent the interests of the Arab sector in Israel well or badly?"
A total of 31.4% answered "very badly" or "badly." Another 30.4% said "so-so," while 30.7% answered "well" or "very well."
The poll identified Arabs aged 30-55, Arab women, educated people, people with intermediate-high earnings and Druze as the groups more likely to be dissatisfied with the Arab politicians.
Another interesting finding was the high value Arab Israelis place on maintaining the values of tradition and religion. Eighty four percent of the Arab population said this was "important" or "very important" – more than the percentage that saw "economic development" or "Israeli Jordanian peace" as important.
Regardless of Degani's poll, it is a fact that Israeli Arabs have been consistently voting extremist Arab parties like Balad, Raam and Taal into the Knesset since the mid-90s.
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Railways Nixes Israeli Pride to Avoid Offending Arabs
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4 of 5 Israeli Jews Feel Bond to Diaspora Jews
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Arabs Accused of Desecrating Memorial Day Commemoration
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Arabs in Hebrew U in Pro-Terror Event on Memorial Day
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6. Labor Head Invites Kadima Defectors
by Gil Ronen
MK Shelly Yechimovich, head of the Labor party, said Monday that she would welcome defectors from Kadima who want to join her party. She was referring to the left-leaning Kadima MKs who were opposed to joining the Likud-led government earlier in the year.
"There were several Knesset Members from Kadima who said from the outset that they are functioning as an opposition and identify with us and our path," she said. "I would be happy to see those MKs, those connected, honest, true MKs who understood that Kadima has ended its road and understand, and want to be a part of a stable ideological home – the Labor party."
"Those, we would be glad accept into pour ranks, without promises, without jobs, without dividing up the loot, for ideological reasons but not as part of a move that would strengthen the Netanyahu government," she said.
Yechimovich may have been thinking specifically of Kadima MKs Robert Tibayev, Shlomo Molla and Yoel Hasson, who held a meeting in the early afternoon for consultation. There were rumors that they would join the four right-leaning MKs who wanted to split from Kadima, and then split off from the others and go their separate way, leftward.
This idea was what Yechimovich referred to as being "part of a move that would strengthen the Netanyahu government."
Likud reacted to Mofaz's accusation of political foul play Monday by mocking him. "Mofaz has become the chairman of a quarter of a faction. Even those who sat next to him do not believe his slogans, just as they did not believe him when he said 'one does not leave his home' [just before he left Likud for Kadima in 2005 – ed.] they do not believe him when he talks about equality in sharing the burden."
"Everyone remembers what Mofaz may have forgotten," the Likud statement went on, "that he was the one who approved the Tal Law when he voted enthusiastically in favor of it in the government, in 2007."
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
MK Shelly Yechimovich, head of the Labor party, said Monday that she would welcome defectors from Kadima who want to join her party. She was referring to the left-leaning Kadima MKs who were opposed to joining the Likud-led government earlier in the year.
"There were several Knesset Members from Kadima who said from the outset that they are functioning as an opposition and identify with us and our path," she said. "I would be happy to see those MKs, those connected, honest, true MKs who understood that Kadima has ended its road and understand, and want to be a part of a stable ideological home – the Labor party."
"Those, we would be glad accept into pour ranks, without promises, without jobs, without dividing up the loot, for ideological reasons but not as part of a move that would strengthen the Netanyahu government," she said.
Yechimovich may have been thinking specifically of Kadima MKs Robert Tibayev, Shlomo Molla and Yoel Hasson, who held a meeting in the early afternoon for consultation. There were rumors that they would join the four right-leaning MKs who wanted to split from Kadima, and then split off from the others and go their separate way, leftward.
This idea was what Yechimovich referred to as being "part of a move that would strengthen the Netanyahu government."
Likud reacted to Mofaz's accusation of political foul play Monday by mocking him. "Mofaz has become the chairman of a quarter of a faction. Even those who sat next to him do not believe his slogans, just as they did not believe him when he said 'one does not leave his home' [just before he left Likud for Kadima in 2005 – ed.] they do not believe him when he talks about equality in sharing the burden."
"Everyone remembers what Mofaz may have forgotten," the Likud statement went on, "that he was the one who approved the Tal Law when he voted enthusiastically in favor of it in the government, in 2007."
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7. L.A. Woman Pleads Guilty to Abetting Syrup Swastika Vandalism
by Rachel Hirshfeld
A Los Angeles woman pleaded guilty last week to driving her daughter and two other girls to a residential area where they defaced the homes with syrup swastikas, human feces and toilet paper.
Catharine Whelpley, 43, entered her plea to one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, CBS news reported.
She was ordered to complete a year of parenting classes and 80 hours of community service at Jewish Family Services, said City Attorney Carmen A. Trutanich.
According to prosecutors, Whelpley drove her 14-year-old daughter and friends to a former friend’s home, where they threw toilet paper into the trees and on the property, smeared human feces on the porch and poured maple syrup on the homeowner’s car.
Whelpley then took the teens to buy more toilet paper and drove them to a second victim’s home, where they similarly vandalized the property. At the second home, reportedly owned by the son of a Holocaust survivor, Whelpley’s daughter also wrote the word “Jew” on the sidewalk and drew swastikas in maple syrup, prosecutors said.
Whelpley waited in the car and drove the three back to her house, according to the City Attorney’s Office.
The girls were not charged, but were disciplined at school, according to CBS news. The court ruled that if Whelpley successfully completes the parenting classes and community service within the year, the case will be reduced to an infraction.
Whelpley also has attended the Museum of Tolerance program with her daughter and written letters of apology to the victims, according to the city attorney.
“It wasn’t really a planned thing…it was just supposed to be funny,” Catharine said, the Jewish Journal reported. “I knew it was mean, but I didn’t know it meant death and hate,” she added.
Whelpley claimed she drove the girls to the targeted homes with the belief that they planned only to toilet paper them, which Whelpley called “an adolescent prank,” adding that she only found out about the swastikas later on.
Comment on this story
by Rachel Hirshfeld
A Los Angeles woman pleaded guilty last week to driving her daughter and two other girls to a residential area where they defaced the homes with syrup swastikas, human feces and toilet paper.
Catharine Whelpley, 43, entered her plea to one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, CBS news reported.
She was ordered to complete a year of parenting classes and 80 hours of community service at Jewish Family Services, said City Attorney Carmen A. Trutanich.
According to prosecutors, Whelpley drove her 14-year-old daughter and friends to a former friend’s home, where they threw toilet paper into the trees and on the property, smeared human feces on the porch and poured maple syrup on the homeowner’s car.
Whelpley then took the teens to buy more toilet paper and drove them to a second victim’s home, where they similarly vandalized the property. At the second home, reportedly owned by the son of a Holocaust survivor, Whelpley’s daughter also wrote the word “Jew” on the sidewalk and drew swastikas in maple syrup, prosecutors said.
Whelpley waited in the car and drove the three back to her house, according to the City Attorney’s Office.
The girls were not charged, but were disciplined at school, according to CBS news. The court ruled that if Whelpley successfully completes the parenting classes and community service within the year, the case will be reduced to an infraction.
Whelpley also has attended the Museum of Tolerance program with her daughter and written letters of apology to the victims, according to the city attorney.
“It wasn’t really a planned thing…it was just supposed to be funny,” Catharine said, the Jewish Journal reported. “I knew it was mean, but I didn’t know it meant death and hate,” she added.
Whelpley claimed she drove the girls to the targeted homes with the belief that they planned only to toilet paper them, which Whelpley called “an adolescent prank,” adding that she only found out about the swastikas later on.
Tags: Swastika ,Mount of Olives ,Anti-Semitism
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8. Iran Downplays Threat to Close Strait of Hormuz
by Rachel Hirshfeld
Iran would not close the Strait of Hormuz as long as it is able to use the vital shipping line itself, a military commander said Monday.
"The enemies constantly state that the Islamic Republic of Iran intends to close the Strait of Hormuz, but we say that common sense does not dictate that Iran would close the Strait of Hormuz as long as it makes use of it," said Alireza Tangsiri, deputy naval commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guards, state news agency IRNA reported.
Iranian politicians and officials have often said Iran could block the strait, through which 40 percent of the world's seaborne oil exports passes, in response to sanctions or military action.
Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi told Reuters earlier this month that Iran was unlikely to follow through on the threat unless its own vessels were denied use of the strait.
Iran's parliament is debating a bill recommending the strait be closed in retaliation to a European Union embargo on Iranian oil, which went into full effect this month.
The sanctions are aimed at forcing Tehran to curb its nuclear program, which Israel and the West maintain are aimed at developing weapons capabilities, a claim which Iran has repeatedly denied.
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by Rachel Hirshfeld
Iran would not close the Strait of Hormuz as long as it is able to use the vital shipping line itself, a military commander said Monday.
"The enemies constantly state that the Islamic Republic of Iran intends to close the Strait of Hormuz, but we say that common sense does not dictate that Iran would close the Strait of Hormuz as long as it makes use of it," said Alireza Tangsiri, deputy naval commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guards, state news agency IRNA reported.
Iranian politicians and officials have often said Iran could block the strait, through which 40 percent of the world's seaborne oil exports passes, in response to sanctions or military action.
Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi told Reuters earlier this month that Iran was unlikely to follow through on the threat unless its own vessels were denied use of the strait.
Iran's parliament is debating a bill recommending the strait be closed in retaliation to a European Union embargo on Iranian oil, which went into full effect this month.
The sanctions are aimed at forcing Tehran to curb its nuclear program, which Israel and the West maintain are aimed at developing weapons capabilities, a claim which Iran has repeatedly denied.
Tags: Iran ,Strait of Hormuz ,Persian Gulf ,Israel ,nuclear program
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