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In a First, Twitter Adds Fact-Check Warnings to Trump Tweets

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In this Oct. 11, 2017, file photo, MSNBC television anchor Joe Scarborough takes questions from an audience at forum at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, on the campus of Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass. The husband of a woman who died accidentally in an office of then-GOP Rep. Joe Scarborough two decades ago is demanding that Twitter remove President Donald Trump’s tweets suggesting Scarborough murdered her. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

By: Dino Hazell & Barbara Ortutay

For the first time, Twitter has flagged some of President Donald Trump’s tweets with a fact-check warning.

On Tuesday, Twitter added a warning phrase to two Trump tweets that called mail-in ballots “fraudulent” and predicted that “mail boxes will be robbed,” among other things. Under the tweets, there is now a link reading “Get the facts about mail-in ballots” that guides users to a Twitter “moments” page with fact checks and news stories about Trump’s unsubstantiated claims.

The move comes after years in which Twitter has declined to apply its community guidelines and other rules of the road to the 45th U.S. president. It’s too soon to tell whether this action represents a turning point for Twitter in its treatment of Trump. But the warning labels suggest that the president has finally crossed a line that the company was not willing to move for him.

Twitter, which has tried to devise penalties for such situations, has so far done nothing about Trump’s tweets.

The husband of a woman who died by accident two decades ago in an office of then-GOP Rep. Joe Scarborough is demanding that Twitter remove the president’s tweets suggesting Scarborough, now a fierce Trump critic, killed her.

“My request is simple: Please delete these tweets,” Timothy J. Klausutis wrote to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.

The body of Lori Kaye Klausutis, 28, was found in Scarborough’s Fort Walton Beach, Florida, congressional office on July 20, 2001. Trump has repeatedly tried to implicate Scarborough, a host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show, in the death even though Scarborough was in Washington, not Florida, at the time.

It’s the latest instance in which the president has blown past Twitter’s half-hearted attempts to enforce rules intended to promote civility and “healthy” conversation on its most prominent user. Trump frequently amplifies misinformation, spreads abuse and uses his pulpit to attack private citizens and public figures alike, but has never faced Twitter sanctions on his account.

Klausutis wrote in his letter that he has struggled to move on with his life due to the ongoing “bile and misinformation” spread about his wife on the platform, most recently by Trump. His wife continues to be the subject of conspiracy theories 20 years after her death.

Klausutis said in the letter, sent last week, that his wife had an undiagnosed heart condition, fell and hit her head on her desk at work. He called her death “the single most painful thing that I have ever had to deal with” and said he feels a marital obligation to protect her memory amid “a constant barrage of falsehoods, half-truths, innuendo and conspiracy theories since the day she died.”

Trump’s tweets violate Twitter’s community rules and terms of service, he said. “An ordinary user like me would be banished,” he wrote.

At Tuesday’s White House briefing, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany repeatedly refused to say why Trump was pressing the unfounded allegations or whether he would stop tweeting about them. Instead, she focused on remarks that Scarborough made about the case that she said were inappropriate and flippant.

(AP)

Wuhan Lab Director Admits Having Three Live Strains of Bat Coronavirus

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Wang Yanyi, head of the Wuhan Institute of Virology. (Internet)

By Ilana Siyance

The Chinese lab, where Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleged that the novel and deadly coronavirus may have begun, has finally released a statement.  The Wuhan Institute of Virology now admits that it has three live strains of bat coronavirus on-site, as per the lab director, who made the statements to Chinese State media on Sunday.  The director, however, still insists that these strains are not the source of the global pandemic, which has killed over 340,000 people around the world, and infected over 5.3 million globally, as of Sunday morning.  The Institute has since 2004 “isolated and obtained some coronaviruses from bats,” said director Wang Yanyi, in an interview, as per Agence France-Presse.

As reported by the NY Post, Yanyi denied the notion that the pandemic began in her lab, and called the Trump administration allegation a “pure fabrication.”  She stressed that the strains are not the same.  “Now we have three strains of live viruses… But their highest similarity to SARS-CoV-2 only reaches 79.8 percent,” Yanyi said, referring to the coronavirus strain that causes COVID-19.  “It’s an obvious difference,” she said.

Further, Yanyi claimed that her scientists had never “encountered, researched or kept the virus” until it received the samples on December 30, when the pandemic had already unwittingly started in Wuhan.  “In fact, like everyone else, we didn’t even know the virus existed,” she said.  “How could it have leaked from our lab when we never had it?”

Chinese scientists have said from the onset that the virus first materialized in a Wuhan wet market selling live animals.  The novel virus is supposed to have been transferred from bats to humans through another animal intermediary, but that theory too has yet to be proven.  The US authorities voiced misgivings that it may have started in a lab.  “There’s enormous evidence that that’s where this began. We’ve said from the beginning that this was a virus that originated in Wuhan, China. We took a lot of grief for that from the outset. But I think the whole world can see now,” Pompeo had said on ABC News’ in early May.  “China behaved like authoritarian regimes do, attempted to conceal and hide and confuse. It employed the World Health Organization as a tool to do the same. These are the kind of things that have now presented this enormous crisis, an enormous loss of life and tremendous economic cost, all across the globe,” Pompeo had added.

The World Health Organization has repeatedly maintained that any allegations against a Wuhan lab are just “speculative”, and devoid of any proof.  On Sunday, Chinese Foreign minister Wang Yi asserted that US politicians decided to “fabricate rumors” about the virus’ origins in order to “stigmatize China.”  He said China would be “open” to international cooperation in identifying the source of COVID-19, so long as the search remains “free of political interference.”

Historic East Hampton B&B to Rent Out Entire Bldg for Summer at $1M

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An East Hamptons Inn has come up with a new business model for this summer, amid the ongoing pandemic. Hedges Inn, a historic bed and breakfast in East Hampton, will be offering the entire space to one renter. Photo Credit: tripadvisor.com

By Hellen Zaboulani

An East Hamptons Inn has come up with a new business model for this summer, amid the ongoing pandemic. Hedges Inn, a historic bed and breakfast in East Hampton, will be offering the entire space to one renter.  Many hotels have been forced to shutter their doors for fear of having the novel coronavirus spread throughout hotel guests. This luxury hotel usually splits the property which consists of 13 bedrooms, a commercial kitchen, a fully stocked bar and two lush acres of outdoor space. Usually, the hotel serves roughly 3,000 guests annually, with dozens of guests checking in at out regularly.

As reported to the NY Post, this year the inn has opted to offer the entire property to one tenant, to live in full-time from June 1 to Labor Day for $350,000 per month, for a total fee of $1 million, owners told the East Hampton Star. With an extra $100,000 the inn will include a chef and housekeeping staff for the fortunate tenant.   This arrangement will help the hotel circumvent sanitation hassles in connection with the coronavirus. With revolving guests, even with all the cleaning protocols in place, keeping guests safe from pandemic may prove impossible.

“I didn’t feel great about the nightly turnover, encouraging people to come out here, and worrying about their health and the health of the staff and the community,” manager Jenny Lilja said. “So I thought, how can we adjust our business model?” Lilja added that “it’s been nothing but cancellations” this spring.

Since the onset of the pandemic in March hotel chains across the country have either closed or turned into housing for healthcare workers, Covid-19 patients, and the homeless. This is the first time in history that NYC hotels have been forced to close their doors, with the complete shutdown in tourism throughout the country. Starting March 20, the largest hotel in the Big Apple, The New York Hilton Midtown on Sixth Avenue, shuttered all 1,878 rooms indefinitely. The luxury Baccarat hotel on West 53rd Street was shuttered a day later as well as most of the hotels that were not converted into alternative housing. As per the Post, the coronavirus will likely hurt the industry more than the attacks of 9/11 or the Great Recession in 2008. NYC hotel occupancy rates fell to a low of 74 percent following 9/11, and to 79 percent after Lehman Brothers failure, as per Sean Hennessey, an NYU professor of hospitality and President of Lodging Advisors, a consulting firm.

When Will Shopping and Tourism Reopen in NYC?

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Actual in-store shopping, however, will remain inaccessible till the third week of June at best. Photo Credit: nycgo.com

By: Hellen Zaboulani

Approximately 66 million tourists visit New York City annually. As of the eve of March 22nd, however, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered the Big Apple to take a deep sleep.  The city that never sleeps has experienced a halt in all activities and nonessential business.  Luxury shops have boarded up their once posh window displays, and malls have been shuttered indefinitely.  Hotels have been either closed or transformed into housing for the homeless, or for healthcare workers and recovering Covid-19 patients. Only hospitals, pharmacies, supermarkets and takeout places remain open.  Now, with talk of slowly opening nonessential businesses, the question on everyone’s minds is when will life return to normal? When will NYC’s famed attractions be crowded again?

The closest thing we have to a guide now is Gov. Cuomo’s four-phased reopening plan. As reported by the NY Post, the city of New York has met four of the seven benchmarks required to begin reopening. On Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that he expects the city will be ready as early as June 1st. Under the plan, curb-side retail service could begin in early June. Actual in-store shopping, however, will remain inaccessible till the third week of June at best.

The outlook for tourism is even more bleak. There does not seem to be a rainbow in sight as long as international travel restrictions remain. “Out of nearly 700 hotels, nearly half of them are closed,” said Vijay Dandapani, the President & CEO of the Hotel Association of New York. He said some hotels may start to open for regular guests beginning in July. “It hinges on how international and domestic travel pick up, how the tech companies react to this,” Dandapani said.  “Unfortunately until Broadway reopens, until the Metropolitan Opera reopens, until the museums reopen, it’s going to take a lot of time, you’re not going to have the city with all its many lights on so to speak and that’s why you’ll see lower occupancy,” added Dandapani.

Many of the famed tourist attractions won’t open till the fourth phase of the governor’s plan, which may occur towards the end of July, if all goes well. Broadway will not be reopening till September or later.  Even then things may be far from normal. Until a vaccine or cure is developed, Dandapani believes there will be a continued aversion to traveling. The new norm may include continued mask usage, outdoor retail stands outside of shops, Facetime calls with sales associates, and “single-serve public spaces”.

“First, New York City residents are going to have to come back to the city and then we will be the template for tourism. Once we start going back to Times Square and Bell Boulevard in Queens then the world will see New York City has got this,” said Councilman Paul Vallone, the Chair of the Committee on Economic Development, who introduced a bill to start an Office of Interagency Tourism Affairs.  “And once we show the world that we got it then you’ll see the tourists follow right behind them.” He says basically tourism will depend on the resilience of New Yorkers, and our ability to open up a changed but still enticing Big Apple.

Alleged Sex Offender Malka Leifer Found Fit to Stand Trial, Will be Extradited to Australia

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Alleged sex offender Malka Leifer from Australia is mentally fit to stand trial and can be extradited to face trial in her country, a Jerusalem court ruled Tuesday. Photo by Hillel Maeir/TPS on 14 June, 2018

By: TPS Staff

Alleged sex offender Malka Leifer from Australia is mentally fit to stand trial and can be extradited to face trial in her country, a Jerusalem court ruled Tuesday.

The court’s decision that Leifer is mentally fit for trial follows some six years of legal proceedings against the alleged offender.

“After this decision was made, the way has been paved to discuss the extradition petition in a focused, agile and efficient way,” the prosecution stated.

The hearing about Leifer’s extradition was set for July 20.

A psychiatric panel in January decided that the alleged sex offender, who escaped to Israel from Australia, is mentally fit to stand trial and has been feigning mental illness.

Leifer, a former Ultra-Orthodox girls’ school principal, is charged in Australia with dozens of cases of child abuse. She fled to Israel in 2008 following allegations that she had sexually abused students at the Adass Yisroel school in Melbourne on 74 different occasions.

“Too many emotions to process!!! This is huge!” Tweeted Dassi Erlich, one of Leifer’s alleged victims.

“This abusive woman has been exploiting Israeli courts for 6 years! Intentionally creating obstacles, endless vexatious arguments – only lengthening our ongoing trauma!” she added.

Former Health Minister Yaakov Litzman was embroiled in the controversy when the police exposed his aid to have Leifer kept in Israel and declared unfit to stand trial.

In August of 2019, TPS reported that Israeli police announced its recommendation to indict Litzman on accounts of aiding Leifer, and preventing the closure of a food business despite decisions to shut it down for sanitary reasons.

In its announcement, the police said it had found sufficient evidence and has passed the material on to the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office for them to decide whether or not to proceed and prosecute Litzman.

The first case the police investigated involves Leifer. Litzman is suspected of attempting to manipulate Leifer’s psychiatric evaluation to deem her mentally unfit to be extradited to Australia, where she could stand trial.

Litzman allegedly used his clout as Deputy Health Minister and met with psychiatrists who work in the Health Ministry to convince them to change their evaluation according to his wishes.

The second case related to a food business owned by Litzman’s close associate. The authorities ordered the business to close because it failed to meet sanitary standards, but Litzman allegedly stepped in to prevent the closure, using his influence on Health Ministry officials to do so.

(TPS)

Israeli Research Finds Meds for Gaucher’s Disease Effective in Fighting Coronavirus

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Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) is a government defense research institute specializing in biology, medicinal chemistry and environmental science.

By: TPS

Derivatives of two drugs designed to treat Gaucher’s disease have been shown to be effective against Coronavirus (COVID-19) and may be useful in future outbreaks, the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) in Ness Ziona revealed Tuesday.

As part of efforts at the IIBR to detect large-scale effective antiviral drugs, the Institute’s scientists have tested two drug derivatives, originally developed for patients with Gaucher’s disease.

One of the substances tested is a derivative of the Cerdelga, which has already received FDA approval and is administered to Gaucher patients, and the second drug is in advanced approval stages.

Gaucher disease is the result of a buildup of fatty substances in organs, particularly the spleen and liver. This causes the organs to enlarge and can affect their function. The fatty substances also can build up in bone tissue, weakening the bone and increasing the risk of fractures.

Treatment of a new disease, such as COVID-19, using an existing, approved drug can be a short-term solution, as one of the major challenges in developing a new drug is the prolonged-time period it takes for the research phase to produce a human-approved drug, the IIBR explained.

In the study, during which the drugs were tested on cell cultures, the use of the derivatives of both drugs led to a significant reduction in the replication capacity of the Coronavirus, a process that leads to the destruction and mortality of the infected cell. This decreased process prevents cell damage after infection with the Coronavirus.

The two drugs are now in the stage of evaluating their effectiveness as a treatment for animals infected with COVID-19.

The IIBR noted that these drugs were found to be effective against a number of different strains of viruses, including influenza viruses and West Nile fever, and were already tested on animals, which is an indication that these drugs have the potential to treat various viral diseases and against future outbreaks if clinically approved.

Since these are approved drug derivatives and a drug in advanced approval stages, the effectiveness of these drugs in patients with generalized viral diseases and COVID-19, in particular, can be relatively quickly examined and made more readily available.

There is currently a global race underway to find a cure or vaccine for the COVID-19.

Globally, the virus continues to rage, with over 5,604,000 infected in 213 countries.

Some 348,000 have died of the virus, and about 2,382,000 have recovered.

 (TPS)

Ben Gurion Airport Won’t Resume Air Travel Until Mid-July

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Despite some airlines announcing resumption of Tel Aviv flights in June, the Health Ministry gave the thumbs down, saying international travel arrangements not safe enough yet.

By: Paul Shindman

Health ministry officials who toured Ben Gurion International Airport on Monday put a damper on hopes that Israelis could whisk themselves abroad on a June vacation, saying the complex arrangements to resume air travel might only be ready in mid-July.

Health Ministry Deputy Director Prof. Itamar Grotto and the head of public health services Prof. Sigal Sadetzky toured with the airport’s officials and airline representatives as well as the steering committee of the national coronavirus commission, Channel 12 reported.

The committee is expected to decide when the skies will officially reopen, but given the difficulties, estimates are pessimistic for the short-term. Airport manager Shmuel Zakai said he expected flights to resume only in July, contrary to previous expectations and reports.

“This morning’s tour puts all the dilemmas and complexities of aviation renewal on the table,” Zakai said. “After all, none of us want morbidity to recur here in Israel and we all know that this virus came to Israel by air.”

Zakai said talks are ongoing with other countries that will be designated “green states” that have met standards for social distancing and safety of its hotels, public transport and other tourism facilities. Travelers coming from those green countries will not be obligated to self-isolate or be examined upon entering Israel.

“If we continue to work at the rate we are working, we will see dozens of flights from Ben Gurion Airport starting in mid-July and not before,” Zakai said, calling on people to “be real” and understand that the return of air travel is not a matter of days.

“At the end of June, we will only see a single flight here and there,” he said, adding that the original plan had been to open the airport in early June and allow flights only to some countries with low virus morbidity levels. The current destinations being considered for resumption of regular flights include Montenegro, Paphos, Berlin, Greek Islands, Georgia and Slovenia.

The airport has already been marked with safe distancing stickers on the floors, showing waiting passengers where to stand. Travelers will need to arrive at least four hours before their flight and will not be allowed in without a mask and having their temperature checked.

A few airlines continue to provide regular service to Israel, including United Airlines with flights to the United States.

(World Israel News)

Read more at: www.worldisraelnews.com

‘Israel Won’t Miss Historic Opportunity’ to Annex Judea & Samaria, Says Netanyahu

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wearing a face mask in line with public health restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, stands inside the court room as his corruption trial opens at the Jerusalem District Court, Sunday, May 24, 2020. He is the country’s first sitting prime minister ever to go on trial, facing charges of fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes in a series of corruption cases stemming from ties to wealthy friends. (Ronen Zvulun/ Pool Photo via AP)

The prime minister reiterated July 1 as Israel’s start date for the annexation process in Judea and Samaria.

By: Ebin Sandler

During a Likud party meeting on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlined the new government’s primary goals, recommitting to July 1 as the start date to begin moving forward with annexation of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

“We have a historic opportunity here that we haven’t had since 1948,” said Netanyahu, comparing sovereignty in Judea and Samaria to Israel’s Declaration of Independence 72 years ago.

“It’s a huge opportunity and we won’t allow it to pass us by,” he continued, reported Israel’s Channel 20.

Netanyahu added that he “does not intend to change” the July deadline for beginning the process.

Over half a million Israelis live in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, territory that Israel gained from Jordan in 1967’s Six-Day War. Under Israel’s annexation plan, which has gained tentative approval from the U.S., Arab towns and cities in Judea and Samaria would remain under Palestinian Authority control.

In addition to annexation, Netanyahu also discussed at the Monday meeting jump-starting Israel’s economy and preparing for a second wave of coronavirus.

The other items on the agenda at the Likud party meeting were the Iranian threat and the recent steps taken by International Criminal Court (ICC) to pursue war crimes charges against Israel.

Netanyahu blasted the ICC’s attempts to “delegitimize the State of Israel” and target IDF soldiers.

He also nominated Miki Zohar to serve as Likud party chairman.

The party meeting on Monday occurred in the shadow of Netanyahu’s trial on corruption charges, which began in Jerusalem on Sunday. The prime minister has consistently denounced the proceedings as a “judicial coup” designed to oust him from power.

Netanyahu is charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of public trust. He maintains his innocence on all the charges.

Netanyahu filed a motion last week asking the court to allow him to skip the arraignment hearing. The request was denied and Netanyahu’s lawyers attributed the decision to the prosecution’s desire to “present an image of Prime Minister Netanyahu sitting on the defendants’ bench, as a continuation of the ‘anyone-but-Bibi’ campaign.”

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside of the courthouse in support of the prime minister, waving Israeli flags and chanting, “Your honors, Netanyahu is not alone” and “They framed him.”

The other defendants in the case, Yediot Ahronot publisher Noni Moses, as well as Bezeq’s controlling shareholder, Shaul Elovitch and his wife Iris, also appeared in court on Sunday.

(World Israel News)

Read more at: www.worldisraelnews.com

J’slm Man Finds Bag with 40K Shekels; Tracks Down Owner & Returns It

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After finding over 40,000 shekels in a bag on the streets of Jerusalem. an ultra-Orthodox man decided to do the right thing and track down the owner even though Jewish law didn’t require him to do so.

“I decided to go above and beyond, and I asked God to act the same way with us,” said the ultra-Orthodox man who found the money.

By: Aaron Sull

After finding over 40,000 shekels in a bag on the streets of Jerusalem. an ultra-Orthodox man decided to do the right thing and track down the owner even though Jewish law didn’t require him to do so.

Thanks to checks found in the bag addressed to the recipient, Yosef Chaim Machlouf was able to successfully return the money to its owner – an Arab.

“According to Jewish law, not only did I not have to return the bag, it was even forbidden to return the bag unless doing so would sanctify God’s Name, and then it would be permissible. So I returned it,” Machlouf told Kol Hai Radio.

“Because of the situation with coronavirus, I decided to go above and beyond, and I asked God to act the same way with us,” Machlouf added.

During the same interview, the Arab who lost the bag of money came on air and thanked Machlouf for his kindness.

“In every place, there are good people and not good people. I am happy I ended up, thank God, with someone good, who returned the money to me, and I thank him very much. He’s a holy man,” he said.

Although the commandment of sanctifying God’s name (“Kiddush Ha-Shem”) and defaming God’s name (“Hillul Ha-Shem”) are not commandments explicitly written in the Torah, the Jewish sages derived it from the verses:

“You shall keep My commandments and do them: I am the Lord. You shall not profane My holy Name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel; I am the Lord who hallow you.” (Lev. 22:31, 32)

The sages saw this as an implication to perform deeds that bring praise to God and refrain from actions that diminish him in the eyes of others.

(World Israel News)

Read more at: www.worldisraelnews.com

Israel’s Train System to Return to Full Service on June 8

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Israeli commuters ride a public bus in the southern city of Ashkelon on March 29, 2020. Photo by Flash90.

Trains were to have resumed normal operations on May 17, but the decision was overruled by the Health Ministry • Israel records first COVID-19 fatality in five days, taking the national toll to 280.

By: JNS Staff

Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein agreed on Sunday to return Israel’s train system to full service on June 8 and increase the passenger limit for buses, as part of the country’s incremental lifting of coronavirus restrictions.

According to the agreement, the passenger limit on buses will be raised to 75 percent of maximum capacity starting at the end of the week, with intercity buses being permitted to transport 46 passengers at a time instead of the current limit of 23.

Intracity buses, which currently are only allowed 20 passenger at a time, will be able to transport 49, while articulated buses will be able to carry as many as 75 passengers.

Israel Railways service was shut down in March and reopened at limited capacity earlier in May. A previous agreement would have seen trains return to full service on May 17, but the decision was overruled by then-Health Ministry director-general Moshe Bar Siman Tov.

Starting on June 14, venues across the country will also be able to host live indoor concerts and performances, with social-distancing and mask-wearing regulations remaining in place, and temperatures being checked upon entrance. Tickets will only be available online, and no intermissions will be allowed.

“We’ve started opening the economy for the sake of the public and businesses, but it all depends on each and every one of us,” said Edelstein. “Without strict adherence to the guidelines, coronavirus could return, and with it, the closure of the economy.”

One new COVID-19 fatality was reported on Monday morning, the first in five days, taking the national death toll to 280.

Israel has recorded a total of 16,720 cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. There are currently only 2,517 active cases in the country, with 34 patients on ventilators.

(JNS.org)

Rare 3,500-Year-Old Tablet Found by 6-Year-Old Israeli Boy on Trip in South

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A small clay tablet depicting a captor leading a naked and humiliated captive was discovered by six-year-old Imri Elya from Kibbutz Nirim near the Gaza Strip while he was on an outing in March with his parents at the Tel Jemmeh archaeological site near Kibbutz Re’im in the south. Photo by Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities Authority on 25 May, 2020

By: TPS Staff

A small clay tablet depicting a captor leading a naked and humiliated captive was discovered by six-year-old Imri Elya from Kibbutz Nirim near the Gaza Strip while he was on an outing in March with his parents at the Tel Jemmeh archaeological site near Kibbutz Re’im in the south.

The small 2.80 x 2.80 cm tablet is a unique and rare find that has not been discovered until now in archeological excavations in Israel.

Archaeologists Saar Ganor, Itamar Weissbein and Oren Shmueli of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said that the artifact was imprinted in a carved pattern, and the artist’s fingerprints survived on the back.

The tablet depicts the scene of a man leading a captive. The captor is an important figure wearing a skirt, holding a completely naked captive with hands folded and tied behind his back.

The researchers noted that it is evident that the artist sought to emphasize the captive’s humiliation by showing him naked and perhaps to describe the ethnic differences between the captor and the captive by presenting each figure’s different facial features. The captor’s hair is curled and his face is full, while the captive is thin and his face elongated.

According to the researchers, “the artist who created this tablet appeared to have been influenced by similar representations known in Ancient Near East art. The manner in which the captive is bound has been seen previously in reliefs and artifacts found in Egypt and northern Sinai.”

Although the tablet was not found through an organized archaeological excavation, the researchers estimate, based on parallels to the Egyptian art world and local Canaanite art, that the artifact should be dated to the Late Bronze Age, between the 12th and 15th centuries BCE.

The violence portrayed raises interesting questions about the historical background of the tablet. During this period, the Egyptian Empire ruled Canaan. The latter was divided into “city-states” ruled by local kings. From letters sent by Canaan kings of that period to Egypt, known as the El Amarna letters, it is known that internal struggles and control conflicts existed between Canaanite cities.

In archeological research, Tel Jemmeh is identified with the Canaanite city of Yurza – one of the strongest Canaanite cities in the south of the country. Ganor, Weissbein and Shmueli believe that the scene depicted on the tablet symbolically describes the power struggles between the city of Yurza and one of the cities close to the Tel, possibly Gaza, Ashkelon or Lachish, or the struggle of a nomadic population residing in the Negev.

They believe that “the scene depicted on the tablet is taken from descriptions of victory parades; hence the tablet should be identified as a story depicting the ruler’s power over his enemies. This opens a visual window to understanding the struggle for dominance in the south of the country during the Canaanite period.”

Pablo Betzer, an archaeologist from the Southern District of the IAA, stated that “antiquities are our cultural heritage, and each find adds to the entire puzzle of the story of the Land.”

Therefore, he underscored the “great importance in turning archaeological findings over to the National Treasures Department to be researched and displayed for the entire public to enjoy.”

Addressing the boy’s act, he said that is “indicates value education and good citizenship on the part of Imri and his parents.”

(TPS)

PA Utilizes COVID-19 Lockdown to Dump Mounds of Garbage in Israeli Territory

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The Palestinian Authority (PA) has taken advantage of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown to establish a new illegal dump in Israeli territory, the Regavim organization has discovered.

By: TPS Staff

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has taken advantage of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown to establish a new illegal dump in Israeli territory, the Regavim organization has discovered.

The Ramallah Municipality, the seat of the Palestinian Authority and de facto capital of the autonomous areas under PA control, dumped thousands of tons of rubbish into an abandoned quarry in the Binyamin region, near a central mall and industrial center.

The PA took advantage of the fact that law enforcement activity was cut back by 70% during the lockdown to dispose of thousands of tons of garbage.

In a short period of a few weeks, thousands of cubic meters of garbage were dumped into the abandoned quarry near the Sha’ar Binyamin Commercial Center.

Trucking the garbage from Ramallah and El Bireh to an area normally policed by the Civil Administration, the PA saved itself significant expenses while polluting the area.

The waste was burned in giant bonfires that spewed toxic smoke while polluting the soil and air for miles around.

Regavim, an organization dedicated to protecting Israel’s resources and land, assessed the environmental damage using drone surveillance capabilities, and the findings showed that three enormous piles, each towering to heights of dozens of meters, amounted to more than 10,000 cubic meters of garbage.

Yishai Hemo Field Coordinator for Judea and Samaria at Regavim, said that “the illegal garbage dumps that pop up throughout Judea and Samaria every summer present an ongoing challenge, but this particular dump is something else altogether.”

“The sheer quantity of the garbage that accumulated in a few short weeks, without anyone taking the trouble to stop and investigate what has been going on literally under their noses, is unprecedented,” he stated.

Yisrael Gantz, Head of the Binyamin Regional Council, accused the PA of generating pollution that is “eco-terrorism.”

“Apparently, the natural beauty of this area’s unique ecosystem is of no interest to the Palestinians – even though many of them enjoy and benefit from it,” he added, calling on the State of Israel to “take responsibility for protecting the environment in Binyamin, and throughout Judea and Samaria.

(TPS)

Lapid Claims Netanyahu Trying to Foment ‘Civil War’

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Opposition leader Yair Lapid sharply criticized the prime minister. (Flash90/Miriam Alster)

Opposition leader Yair Lapid attacks Netanyahu’s comments at the opening of the trial, alleging Netanyahu is inciting against the rule of law.

By: Paul Shindman

Opposition leader Yair Lapid attacked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday, saying that the prime minister’s comments before the opening of his corruption trial were a form of incitement.

Speaking at a party meeting, Lapid said, “Netanyahu is trying to lead us to a civil war, he must not continue in office.”

“Netanyahu’s trial began with wild incitement against the rule of law. He knows it will end violently and he doesn’t care,” he said.

“The prime minister tried to sell us yesterday that thousands of people – police officers, investigators, lawyers, judges, journalists, politicians – share a huge conspiracy designed to build a case against him,” Lapid said. “There was a coup attempt yesterday, the one who led it is Netanyahu.”

Despite Lapid’s political rhetoric, there have been no instances of violence related to the new national unity government nor any police warnings about any uptick in threats to politicians or government institutions.

Surrounded by his Likud ministers, Netanyahu made a press statement at the opening of his trial on Sunday, charging that the cases were manufactured, a witch-hunt against him by people who had failed to beat him in the election.

“What is happening today is an attempt to thwart the will of the people, an attempt to overthrow me and the right-wing camp,” Netanyahu said Sunday.

Commenting on the political situation, the Makor Rishon newspaper noted that those on the Left who expected to see Netanyahu submissive, tired and humiliated at his trial instead found him upright and confident.

“Netanyahu, like Netanyahu, turned lemons into lemonade, and instead of delivering the desired image of defeat, he made a speech to the nation with the Likud officials behind him … and in the background, memorably, hundreds of protesters whose voices were carried to the courtroom assuring him: ‘Netanyahu, you will not walk alone.’”

(World Israel News)

Read more at: www.worldisraelnews.com

Israel Worries Abbas May Heat up Conflict with Hamas

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Flash90/Abed Rahim Khatib)

The decision by the Palestinian Authority to cut all ties with Israel means it will no longer coordinate thousands of tons of aid to Gaza every week.

By: Paul Shindman

The Palestinian decision to sever its security coordination with Israel will produce a problem on the Gaza border and may end up involving Hamas, Kan News reported Sunday.

Even though the Hamas terror organization controls the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Authority handles the weekly transfer of tens of thousands of tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza via the border crossings, as well as the flow of Gazans into Israel via the Erez and Kerem Shalom border crossings.

The PA still remains the address despite losing control of the Gaza Strip following a 2006 Hamas military coup. Since Israel does not speak directly to Hamas, the PA has become the indirect mechanism between the two, Kan‘s Palestinian Affairs reporter Gal Berger wrote.

It is unclear what effect the PA’s decision will have on the flow of goods and people into Gaza during the three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday this weekend that marks the end of Ramadan. It is not known who will coordinate the goods to and from Gaza when the crossings reopen after the holiday on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Berger suggested the UN, international aid agencies that operate in Gaza, or a “neutral” Palestinian party might be willing to take on the task.

“This decision about stopping the Gaza coordination was not made by Mahmoud Abbas by mistake or distraction,” Berger said. “He and his people know very well about these exact points to make it more difficult for Israel.”

Berger pointed out that if no solution is found to coordinate movement in and out of the Gaza Strip, Hamas in its role as the ruler of the Gaza population will be dragged into the current crisis between Israel and the PA and may begin to exert its own means of pressure on Israel.

“Hamas’ pressure from Gaza on Israel can also translate into rockets very quickly,” Berger said.

Israeli security sources estimated that security and civilian coordination between Israel and the PA will be compromised, but there won’t be a complete disconnect. However, in the Palestinian sector there was satisfaction with the move and in the Palestinian city of Qalqiliya masked men were seen shooting in the air to support the cessation of security coordination.

The cessation of security ties also included the decisions made in Ramallah to cancel the “hotline” used in emergencies for exchange of information between Israeli and Palestinian officers. The line had remained active even as the PA reduced security in past crises.

Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said last week the PA is not interested in anarchy and violence and will not allow harm to public order and the rule of law in its territory. Erekat said that although the entire security coordination system between Israel and the PA closed, there would be no impact on daily humanitarian aspects and the PA will continue to provide services to its people.

However, the PA has announced it will not allow Palestinians to enter Israel seeking medical help.

In an earlier report on Channel 11 News, some Palestinian officials criticized the move to cease security coordination saying it was an inappropriate and a hasty decision.

“Without coordination with Israel, we will not be able to get a needle into the territories, we will not even have milk,” a senior official told Channel 11.

(WIN)

Israel Approves Construction of Largest-of-its-Kind Desalination Plant

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Less than two years after the government’s decision to significantly increase Israel’s desalination capacity, the Israeli IDE Technologies and Bank Leumi were selected as winners of a tender for the construction and operation of a new desalination plant at Palmachim Beach. Photo by TPS on 27 November, 2016

By: Aryeh Savir

Less than two years after the government’s decision to significantly increase Israel’s desalination capacity, the Israeli IDE Technologies and Bank Leumi were selected as winners of a tender for the construction and operation of a new desalination plant at Palmachim Beach.

The new Sorek 2 facility, with the production capacity of 200 million cubic meters of water per year, is expected to be the largest of its kind in the world, increasing the state’s desalination capacity by 35%.

Desalinated water from the new plant is expected to flow as early as 2023.

The new plant joins five operational facilities in Israel and will strengthen the country’s ability to contend with future droughts.

IDE’s proposal was at an unprecedented price of about NIS 1.45 per cubic meter of water, the lowest price by about 65 Agorot compared to the lowest price per cubic meter of water currently paid. IDE improved its first offer by about 20 Agorot per cubic meter of water.

This improvement will save water consumers about NIS 1 billion and save the water economy about NIS 3.3 billion over the period of the facility’s operations.

The project will be funded by a consortium of entities including Israel’s Bank Leumi, the German KFW Bank, and the European Union’s European Investment Bank (EIB), which will provide a ˆ 150 million loan for the project. This loan will save the water economy about NIS 100 million.

Finance Minister Yisrael Katz stated that the new plant will “significantly increase the state’s water supply and save huge sums to the water economy.”

Minister of Water Resources Ze’ev Elkin said that “ending the tender and commencing construction on a new desalination plant in Soreq is a historic event in the Israeli economy.”

Building the plant will “give the State of Israel confidence in the strength of our water resources also in a succession of dry years, and the new tender also allows to significantly reduce costs. The State of Israel is once again proving to be the world’s leading technological power in the field of water resources,” he added.

Over the years, Israel has transformed itself from a country with serious water shortages to a global water powerhouse, exporting its knowledge to arid regions around the world.

   (TPS)

Hezbollah Taking Advantage of Corona Crisis to Smuggle Drugs

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An Israeli soldier watches along the northern border. (Flash90/Basel Awidat)

In the shadow of the coronavirus crisis, the IDF reports double the amount of attempts to smuggle drugs across the Lebanese border into Israel.

By: Lauren Marcus

As Israel slowly eases restrictions and the new government prepares to tackle the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, Hezbollah and Lebanese-organized crime groups are taking advantage of the crisis to smuggle drugs across the border into Israel, reported Makor Rishon on Sunday.

The IDF reports double the usual amount of cross-border attempts to smuggle drugs in the last few weeks, with at least one organized smuggling cell caught each day. Many of these organized smuggling groups are affiliated with Hezbollah.

Makor Rishon reports that because of the economic crisis in Israel, the demand for illicit drugs has increased. Hezbollah views the situation as a welcome opportunity to increase its funds and has expanded its drug-smuggling activities.

The IDF has also seen a significant uptick in attempts to infiltrate into Israel via the Lebanese border. Since the beginning of 2020, eight Sudanese migrants have crossed into Israel from Lebanon. All of them were detained by the IDF.

The most recent infiltration attempt was last Tuesday evening, when two Sudanese migrants cut a hole in the border fence and entered Israel. They were captured a short time later and returned to Lebanon.

In early May, five Sudanese migrants attempted to enter Israel. They were stopped and returned to Lebanon.

Last January, Ahmed Abshar Abachar, a 24-year-old Sudanese man, was detained by the IDF near the Lebanese border after he crossed into Israel. After a brief investigation, he was released and allowed to remain in Israel.

Lebanon has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, which exacerbated an existing economic crisis in the country. The nation is now on the verge of total economic collapse, defaulting on $90 billion of international debt and suffering from inflation that has rendered the Lebanese pound essentially worthless. Forty-five percent of Lebanese citizens now live below the poverty line.

The economic crisis in Lebanon has led to mass protests and rioting, and Israel has expressed fear that the unrest may be used by Hezbollah to gain control of the government. This concern is shared by many Lebanese citizens.

“A militia like Hezbollah needs a weak state to prosper. The current state of Lebanon is ideal for them,” tweeted Elie Jabbour, a Lebanese Christian. “A strong state with strong institutions doesn’t suit them at all.”

Despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus crisis in Lebanon, the IDF says that Hezbollah is strengthening its intelligence and surveillance systems along the Israeli border and operating dozens of intelligence vehicles traveling along southern Lebanese roads, documenting and photographing IDF movements in the border zone.

The IDF believes that Hezbollah isn’t interested in war with Israel. However, considering Hezbollah’s attempts to increase surveillance of Israeli activity at the border, the possibility exists that a provocative act by Hezbollah could escalate into a war. All IDF forces in the north are preparing for such a scenario.

At a UN Security Council hearing earlier this month, Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon demanded the Council spearhead a move to “significantly improve UNIFIL’s effectiveness, especially when it comes to limiting access and freedom of movement for the forces in southern Lebanon.”

UNIFIL is a UN peacekeeping mission established in 1978, serving as a buffer between the IDF and Lebanese Army in southern Lebanon and ensuring both sides comply with internationally issued directives.

“If Hezbollah continues to paralyze UNIFIL’s actions and reinforce its terrorist positions in the area, there will be no choice but to draw conclusions about the necessity of the forces in its current format,” Danon said.

(World Israel News)