In-Depth Issues:
Israel's Population: 8 Million - Yaron Druckman (Ynet News)
Israel's population numbers 8,018,000, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported on Sunday.
There are 6,042,000 Jews (75.3% of the total), 1,658,000 Arabs (20.7%), and 318,000 non-Arab Christians and others (4%).
Since the last Independence Day, Israel's population has grown by 137,000, including 19,500 immigrants.
Poll: Most Palestinians Want Security Cooperation with Israel Stopped (JMCC-PA)
55% of Palestinians said they think security cooperation with Israel
should be terminated, while 34% favor its continuation, according to a
poll of 1,179 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza conducted on March
27-31, 2013.
Hamas Damages Gaza Heritage Site - Abeer Ayyoub (Al Monitor)
Last month Hamas' Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades bulldozed a part of
the ancient Anthedon Harbor in northern Gaza in order to expand its
military training zone.
The Anthedon seaport, which dates back
over 3,000 years to the Mycenaean era, was designated an international
heritage site by UNESCO in 2012.
Technion Named 6th in World for Entrepreneurship, Innovation - David Shamah (Times of Israel)
The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology was ranked in 6th place
in the world for entrepreneurship and innovation, in the first
comprehensive survey conducted by MIT.
The Technion was one of
only two of the top 10 universities worldwide outside the U.S. and
Europe. (The other is the National University of Singapore.)
The survey also cited the Technion among the "emerging giants whose reputation had grown considerably in recent years."
See also The Technion: Israel's Hard Drive - Danna Harman (New York Times)
A fourth of the Technion's 60,000 alumni who are of working age have,
at one time or another, initiated a business, and a fourth are CEOs or
vice presidents.
The annual output of its graduates in high-tech industries is estimated to be at least $21 billion.
Among inventions from Technion research labs: the memory stick, drip
irrigation, the Parkinson's drug rasagiline, the Iron Dome air defense
system, and instant messaging.
Courses that combine business and
innovation - like "Technological Entrepreneurship," taught by Dan
Shechtman, a Nobel laureate in chemistry - are the most popular on
campus.
Video: Hope - Israel Independence Day - Fountainheads (YouTube)
An Israel Independence Day Quiz (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)
Israel Independence Day - this year on April 16 (according to the
Jewish calendar, the 5th of Iyar) - is one of the most important dates
in contemporary Jewish history.
Take the quiz to learn more about this momentous event.
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- 1,200 Hizbullah Fighters Arrive in Syria to Back Assad Forces
Some
1,200 Hizbullah fighters arrived at the Syrian port of Tartus in the
past few days to fight alongside Assad regime troops, the Saudi daily al-Watan
reported on Sunday. These forces committed "a hideous crime" in the
town of Talkalkh, the daily said, adding that tens of thousands of
fighters entered from Iraq to aid the Syrian regime. It quoted sources
as saying that the Damascus regime "is resorting to the aid of fighters
from Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, which implies that the Syrian
recruits' desire to fight alongside the regime is decreasing." The
source added that reservists are also not complying with the army's
repeated calls to join the regime in its fighting. On Saturday, it was
reported that at least forty Hizbullah fighters and Syrian soldiers were
killed in al-Qusayr in Homs province. (Al Arabiya)
See also Hizbullah-Backed Lebanese Shiites Fight in Syria - Bassem Mroue
Hizbullah-backed fighters from Lebanon are patrolling both sides of the border with Syria. (AP)
- Erdogan: No Return of Turkish Envoy to Israel Unless Gaza Blockade Is Lifted
Turkish
Prime Minister Erdogan said Saturday that Turkey will not send an envoy
to Israel - as part of a recent move for normalization of ties after an
Israeli apology - before the blockade on Gaza is lifted. (Zaman-Turkey)
- Palestinian Prime Minister Fayyad Resigns - Joel Greenberg
Palestinian
Prime Minister Salam Fayyad resigned on Saturday, exposing a rift in
the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank at a time when the U.S. is
pushing to revive dormant peace talks with Israel. (Washington Post)
See also Fayyad's Resignation: The Beginning of the End of the PA? - Barak Ravid
The
resignation of PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Saturday will affect
Israel and the Obama administration's efforts to renew the peace
process, as well as EU policy towards the Palestinians. Fayyad, a former
IMF economist educated in the U.S., was a symbol of good governance and
the war on corruption. But PA President Mahmoud Abbas and the Fatah
party's old guard saw Fayyad as a political rival who needed to be
eliminated.
Fayyad's resignation will place a question mark on
the prospect of continued international aid to the PA without Fayyad
guarding the public coffers. (Ha'aretz)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- Jordanian Parliament Demands Release of Shooter of Seven Israeli Schoolgirls - Roi Kais
110
members of the Jordanian House of Representatives signed a petition
demanding a pardon for a Jordanian soldier who shot and killed seven
Israeli schoolgirls in 1997. Ahmad Musa Mustafa Daqamseh shot the girls
during a school fieldtrip in Naharayim, near the Israel-Jordan border.
Hussein Mjali, Jordan's former justice minister, previously referred to
the imprisoned soldier as a "hero." (Ynet News)
See also Jordan: Schoolgirls' Killer Will Not Be Released - Noam Dvir
Jordanian Ambassador to Israel Walid Khalid Obeidat said Sunday that the killer will serve his life sentence fully. (Ynet News)
- Sharp Rise in Hamas Attempts to Abduct IDF Soldiers - Yossi Yehoshua
The
Israel Security Agency reported 33 unsuccessful attempts to kidnap IDF
soldiers in the West Bank since the beginning of the year, compared with
24 thwarted attempts during all of 2012, Yediot Ahronot reported
Friday. Senior officials said the prisoner exchange deal which secured
the release of Gilad Shalit encouraged Hamas to attempt additional
kidnappings. (Ynet News)
- Palestinian Authority Budgets Nearly $1 Billion for Defense - Nitsana Darshan-Leitner
The
Palestinian Authority's new budget for 2013 allocates almost $1b.,
about 28% of the total, for defense, compared to 16% for education and
10% for medical services. This includes paying the salaries of 95% of
"defense employees" in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
Almost $60 million, or
4% of the Palestinian budget, is spent on payments to the families of
Palestinian Arab terrorists incarcerated in Israeli prisons. The most
murderous long-term terrorists pass on a salary to their relatives which
is higher than what their prison guards are making. The writer is
director of Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center, which represents terror
victims in lawsuits against terror groups, their leaders and state
backers. (Jerusalem Post)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
- PA Prime Minister Fayyad's Resignation Is Bad News for Palestinians and Israel - Jonathan S. Tobin
The
resignation of PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad lays bare the collapse of
the hope that Palestinian nationalism would be refocused on development
and coexistence rather than violence. It dooms the Palestinians to a
choice between the incompetent cadres of Fatah or the bloody Islamist
tyranny of Hamas.
Without Fayyad (or someone like him), there is
no pretense of a state living in peace with Israel, rather than a
kleptocracy run by terrorists. It is also a guarantee that the terms of
any peace deal signed with the Palestinians will not be observed.
Fayyad's tragedy was not just that both Fatah and Hamas wanted to be
rid of him, but that he had virtually no support among ordinary
Palestinians. (New York Post)
See also Fayyad's Departure May Signal Comeback for Old-Style West Bank Politics - Hugh Naylor
The
resignation of Salam Fayyad may signal a resurgence of old-style
politics in the West Bank, with a focus on backroom deal-making and
patronage. Appointed by President Abbas to the premiership in 2007,
Fayyad streamlined the PA's bloated budget while reining in corruption
and dismantling the militant groups that had roamed the West Bank. The
result was more stability and glimmers of economic prosperity. (The National-UAE)
- Stalemate in the Syrian Civil War - Col. (ret.) Dr. Jacques Neriah
On
the second anniversary of the Syrian civil war, the Assad regime
appears to be strong enough to endure a war of attrition with the rebels
even with the loss of large portions of sovereign Syrian territory.
Some analysts claim that the Syrian civil war began in 1980 when a group
of Muslim Brothers stormed the military academy in Aleppo and, after
separating the Alawite and Sunni cadets, cold-bloodedly killed the
Alawites with knives and assault rifles. The regime retaliated in 1982
by brutally killing more than 20,000 Muslim Brothers in Homs and Hama.
The coalition of minorities around Assad has not disintegrated.
Moreover, two million Alawites also understand the implications of a
Sunni Islamist regime in Syria, even one on the Egyptian model.
Israel would like to see an end to the Iranian-led "axis of evil."
However, the prospect of a militant Islamic regime, linked to al-Qaeda
and possessing the Syrian military arsenal, is a nightmare Jerusalem
cannot live with. The writer was formerly Deputy Head for Assessment of Israeli Military Intelligence. (Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)
Observations:
Israel Memorial Day - April 15, 2013
- Netanyahu: We Are Here Thanks to Israel's Fighters
Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Israeli Cabinet on Sunday: "Today,
the State of Israel honors the memory of its fallen, our soldiers and
our people who fell in Israel's wars and in the terrorist attacks. From
the moment the state was established, it has not ceased to wish for
peace with its neighbors, and to the same degree, its enemies have not
ceased from their aspiration to wipe it off the face of the earth. We
are here thanks to Israel's fighters who joined the struggle for our
existence, thanks to those who survived the wars and thanks to those who
fell. We do not forget, even for a second, that we are here thanks to
the fallen.
Today, while the accumulated threats against the
State of Israel are greater than in the past, both the IDF and our
security services are stronger than ever. We will continue to strengthen
our security, we will continue to aspire for peace with our neighbors,
and we will continue to ensure the future of our country." (Prime Minister's Office)
- Remembrance Day and Independence Day in Israel - Judy Lash Balint
Before
Israel Independence Day celebrations of the nation's 65th birthday take
place on April 16, Israel has to pay tribute to those who fell in
battles and terror attacks. Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism
Remembrance Day takes place the day before Independence Day, and the
piercing siren brings the country to a complete standstill at 8 p.m.
Sunday evening, then again at 11 a.m. Monday morning for two minutes of
silent remembrance. On Remembrance Day, all Israeli places of
entertainment, cafes and restaurants are closed, while more than 1
million Israelis visit Israel's military cemeteries. (JNS.org)
- 23,085 Soldiers Have Fallen Protecting Israel
The
Israel Defense Ministry said a total of 23,085 have fallen in Israel's
wars since 1860. Of those killed in the past year, 37 were IDF soldiers,
12 belonged to other security forces such as the police, and 43 were
IDF veterans who died as a result of disabilities they suffered while
soldiers. (Jerusalem Post)
- IDF Chief of Staff: We Have No Choice But to Keep Winning - Yoav Zitun
IDF
Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz wrote Sunday in a Memorial Day
missive to IDF soldiers: "Beyond the tales of battlefield heroism, we
remember with nostalgia and a twinge of regret the young lives cut
short; each and every one of them a whole world in his or her own
right." "Just like us they donned uniforms and bore arms. They sought to
protect their parents, children, sisters and brothers, their friends."
"Against all enemies working to wreak harm on our citizens and our
country, enemies that do not accept our existence in the Land of Israel,
we have no other option but to fight and win." (Ynet News)
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