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Israeli President Reuven Rivlin Hosts Chilean President Sebastian Pinera & Wife During State Visit  

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Israeli President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin on Wednesday welcomed Chilean President Sebastián Piñera to Beit HaNasi. Photo Credit: Mark Neiman (GPO)

Israeli President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin on Wednesday welcomed Chilean President Sebastián Piñera to Beit HaNasi. President Piñera and his wife who are visiting Israel, were received in an official ceremony during which the two national anthems were played. The presidents reviewed an IDF honor guard and then made joint statements to the press.

By: David Ha”Ivri

President Rivlin to President Piñera: “The gaps between us and the Palestinians are great, but we must begin with small steps of cooperation, and not to boycott or refuse plans that will improve our economic and social situation. We must cooperate in every field where we can work together. That is the only way.”

At the beginning of his remarks, President Rivlin welcomed President Piñera on his second visit to Israel, noting the historic connection between the State of Israel and its capital, Jerusalem. “Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people since the days of King David. As you know, the sovereign State of Israel allows, develops and cares for freedom of worship and religion for all those who enter the gates of Jerusalem. Our historical connection to Jerusalem, and our sovereignty in Jerusalem, make us responsible for preserving Jerusalem as a city of faith and peace.” The President also noted the deep friendship between Chile and Israel, even before the establishment of the State of Israel, in saving hundreds of Jews from the horrors of the Holocaust.

“The relations between our two countries have had ups and downs, but at the basis of all this is a solid foundation of friendship,” the president continued, speaking to President Piñera: “I am happy to say that under your leadership the cooperation between the two countries is reaching new heights. In the same year, we became members of the OECD. Despite the many challenges we have faced over the years, our countries have succeeded in developing stable and growing economies. Against all odds, against the natural elements, our countries have turned agriculture into a source of national pride and profit.”

Regarding the calls opposing cooperation between the two countries, the president said: “We must stand together in and counter those voices. We must prove, through what we do on the ground, that we are much stronger together than we are separately.”

Referring to his counterpart’s visit to the Palestinian Authority, the president stressed the need to promote cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians and not to boycott various initiatives: “On our tour of our region, you will also visit the Palestinian Authority. I recently spoke with Abu Mazen, who called me to offer me condolences and we are in constant contact, even if we do not always agree. Peace is the aspiration of the people of Israel. The gaps between us and the Palestinians are great, but we must begin with small steps of cooperation, and not to boycott or refuse plans that will improve our economic and social situation. We must cooperate in every field where we can work together. That is the only way.” Concluding his remarks, the President thanked his colleague and wished for continued fruitful cooperation for the benefit of both peoples.

The President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, thanked the President for his warm welcome and expressed his condolences on the passing of Nechama. The president said he was happy to be visiting Israel again, this time to further strengthen relations between the two countries. ”In the coming days, we will sign agreements in order to strengthen our friendship and cooperation in areas that are important to us, such as satellite technology, water desalination and irrigation, which will help deal with our northern desert, solar energy and cyber defense. We hope that the visit will be fruitful, expand relations and strengthen cooperation between the two countries,” he said.

“I would like to stress our appreciation for your good will to find the path to peace and harmony with the Palestinian people. I know that you have always asked for peace in the Holy Land. It is a land sacred to a very large part of mankind, the capital of the three monotheistic religions. This is the place for a meeting where the three religions can cooperate with each other. Despite the differences, what unites humanity is the fact that we are all the children of that God,” he added.

Historic Jewish Prayer in Bahrain Synagogue at US-Led Mideast Economic Conference

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US Mideast envoy Jason Greenblatt (left) is part of a Jewish prayer service in Bahrain, June 26, 2019. (Youtube)

Among those in attendance was Jason Greenblatt, a senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump.

By: UWI Staff

At the beginning of a new day of proceedings at the U.S-led Bahrain conference on the economic future of the Middle East, Jewish attendees participated in a morning service. Wearing Jewish prayer shawls and tefillin (phylacteries) in an Arab state that does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel, the men danced in a circle to the song, “Am Yisrael Chai” (the people of Israel live).

Among those in attendance at the prayer service was Jason Greenblatt, a senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump.

David Makovksy, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, wrote on Facebook that there was no challenge gathering up a quorum of at least 10 men, known as a minyan, to conduct an official service.

During his stay in Bahrain, Makovksy met with the Gulf state’s former ambassador to the U.S Houda Nonoo, “who is also a member of the 34-member Jewish community of Bahrain,” he added.

Makovsky says that Ambassador Nonoo told him that this morning’s Jewish prayer service was “the first daily minyan she can recall since the synagogue was reopened by Bahraini authorities in 1995,” at a time when Israel was gaining access to the Arab world after granting the Palestinians self-rule in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip and signing a peace treaty with Jordan.

According to the ambassador, there were some 1,500 Jews in Bahrain before the modern Jewish State was established in 1948. Since then, she told Makovsky, there have been prayer services in private homes and there is occasional prayer at the synagogue when American Jewish sailors of the U.S. Fifth Fleet are in the area.

Times of Israel correspondent Raphael Ahren says that he organized Wednesday morning’s prayer service with the help of Ambassador Nonoo “and the approval of authorities in Manama.”

Ahren writes that “Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center led prayers. After the service, one of the worshipers gave a sermon about the weekly Torah reading.” (United With Israel)

Read more at: unitedwithisrael.org

Three Big Questions on Jews and Israel for the Democratic Candidates

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Jack Rosen is the president of the American Jewish Congress

Amid fractures in the American right and left wings over Israel and the cares and concerns of Jewish voters, particularly the dramatic rise in anti-Semitism, Jewish-American voters cannot afford to make a decision in the 2020 Presidential elections lightly.

By Jack Rosen, President of the American Jewish Congress  

That’s why I’m asking all of the contenders for President to address the following three topics head-on: 

  1. What tangible steps will you take against anti-Semitic violence and hate crime? 

White supremacist violence against Jews has taken our sense of safety even in our safest places. For the first time in decades, Jewish Americans are afraid for themselves and for their children. Rates of hate crimes against Jews, which have been rising for years, have spiked even from a year ago. 

Of course, it is the acts of great violence against our community that have left the deepest scars — the synagogue shooting in Poway was timed for the six-month anniversary of the massacre in Pittsburgh — but for every violent attack, the police seem to apprehend three more plots.

 Swastika graffiti is nothing new, yet as larger acts of violence happen more often, we are reminded that every swastika is the seed for bloodshed. Aside from emotional and carefully-phrased condemnations, though, we have not heard much in the way of concrete solutions. We deserve to see these threats against Jews and non Jews answered. 

I ask each candidate, what do you propose we do to combat white supremacist hate and domestic terrorism on a national scale? What will you do, if elected, to help Jewish people rest easier? 

  1. How do we stop the politicization of anti-Semitism and Israel? What will you do to rise above it?

Considering how immediate issues about anti-Semitism and Israel feel to many Jewish Americans, it is endlessly frustrating to see these matters treated more as political/partisan checkboxes instead of things that affect Americans’ lives and futures.

 The Jewish community wants leaders who will approach these issues based on merit and impact, not political salience. The same applies to the anti-Semitic rhetoric we have seen from our elected representatives — in interviews, in campaign ads, and on the House floor. While the other party will always leap to condemn harmful anti-Semitic words, many politicians excuse or justify them, or at least fail to condemn them, when it’s from their own party. 

This tiresome pattern of double standards has left many of us feeling disenfranchised and overlooked by both parties. Israel matters to America for many reasons that shouldn’t be partisan. But Israel also matters personally to many Jewish Americans and affects our own families.

 Unfortunately, the 2020 candidates are no exception to the trend of politicizing Israel; just last week, Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg used assistance to Israel, one of the most long-standing bipartisan issues, as a political instrument in his fight for the 2020 Democratic nomination. 

I call upon the candidates to tell the Jewish community: Can we count on you to approach issues related to anti-Semitism and Israel with your best judgment as a leader? How will you help to stop this trend of commodifying Jews and the Jewish vote? We want to know where you stand — and whether you will keep that stance in spite of new political winds.

 How will you handle our Middle East policy in the context of what the Trump administration has already done?  

The Trump administration’s actions in the Middle East have been controversial, and his ambitions to create a true Israeli-Palestinian peace plan have been met with a great deal of skepticism. 

Objectively, Trump has accomplished a lot in the Middle East. Trump pulled out of UNRWA and the Iran Deal. He moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, fulfilling a decades-long promise of the U.S. Congress. He has withdrawn most of our presence in Syria — which was controversial with Israel and several other countries in the region. The upcoming Bahrain conference is bringing the U.S. to the table with the Middle East’s most powerful Arab states to discuss the region’s economic future, a big step. 

By and large, any Democrat who is elected President will be expected to overturn what Trump has done in regard to Iran. I would argue that the new President should wait and see the outcomes of Trump’s policies before suggesting a complete overhaul.

 However, the questions remain: How much are the candidates planning to change? If we were to reenter the Iran deal, as some candidates have proposed, how will the new deal be negotiated to assuage the concerns and existential fears of last time? 

It is unavoidable that party politics will affect how we approach the Middle East. But these are some of the most complicated political situations in the world; sweeping yes/no answers will not suffice. I encourage you to get technical and to propose solid, nuanced policies. As prospective candidates for the presidency, your beliefs and positions matter to Jewish voters; as contenders for the Democratic nomination, this responsibility is only amplified. 

The overwhelming majority of Jewish Americans vote Democrat, but they are also a subgroup of Democrats that don’t always align with the party norm. By answering difficult questions like these along the path to nomination, you can give Jews — as engaged and as attentive a bloc as any — more clarity into their options and greater confidence that their voices will be heard by their next President.

Jack Rosen is President of the American Jewish Congress (AJC)

TRAVEL WARNING: More Tourists Die from Mysterious Illnesses in the Dominican Republic; Trip Cancellations Continue 

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shutterstock

The Jewish Voice has officially declared a travel warning to anyone even considering taking a trip to the Dominican Republic this summer. According to a NY Post report, the embattled Caribbean nation has found itself immersed in a maelstrom of controversy due to the increasing number of those tourists falling seriously ill and those dying from mysterious sources.  

Edited by: JV Staff

At least 11 American tourists have died as a result of illnesses they contracted while in the Dominican Republic. 

The NYP reported that trips booked to the island dropped by 74.3% for the months of July and August compared to the same period last year, according to a study from ForwardKeys, which analyzes more than 17 million daily bookings.

The number of trips canceled to the country also increased by 51.2% between June 1 and June 19.

According to the Post report, the tourism cancellations hit a high of 70% on June 10, which coincided with the death of a Staten Island mother, Leyla Cox, 53, at a Punta Cana resort.  

Though tourism to the Dominican Republic has plummeted, other island getaways have seen a boost in visitors, according to the NYP report.

Jamaica, the Bahamas and Aruba have all seen an increase in trips booked between June 1 and June 19, according to the study.

On Wednesday, June 26, the Post reported that an engaged woman from North Carolina says she got “deathly sick” on a Dominican Republic vacation after drinking from her resort’s poolside bar.

“I FaceTimed my daughter and … I was crying, I said, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to make it back home,’” Teresa McAbee told news station WYFF.

McAbee told the Post that she had checked into a resort on May 27 in Punta Cana amid a health crisis on the Caribbean island. During the trip, McAbee became so sick that she could hardly move, she said.

“We were at the pools, at the swim bar, just having fun,” McAbee told the news station. “Within 30 minutes of getting to the room, I just became deathly sick.”

The NYP reported that for the next two days, McAbee suffered from severe nausea and stomach pains, according to the news station. Her fiance and another member of their group also fell ill, but their symptoms were not as severe as hers, she said.

She returned home to Gaffney, NC, and went to the hospital, where she spent 10 hours in the emergency room, according to WYFF. McAbee never received a diagnosis for the terrifying illnesses.

“I’ve been sick before with the flu and viruses, but never anything like that,” McAbee said.

On June 25, the Post reported that a teenage girl from Argentina has gone into a coma while vacationing in the Dominican Republic, with doctors pointing to a life-threatening diabetic condition — even though her family says she has no history of diabetes.

Candela Saccone, 15, had been scheduled to return home from Punta Cana on June 19 after traveling there earlier in the week, but she reportedly became quite ill that morning, according to the NYP report.

Her mother, Natalia Knetch, told CNN’s Spanish-language news channel that she rushed the teen — who was displaying symptoms of dizziness, dehydration and vomiting — to a local medical center, where doctors diagnosed her with diabetic cetoacidosis.

The NYP reported that the condition is described online by the Mayo Clinic as a “serious complication of diabetes that occurs when your body produces high levels of blood acids called ketones.” It normally develops “when your body can’t produce enough insulin,” the clinic says.

According to the NYP report, Candela was reportedly transported from Punta Cana to the General Hospital of the Plaza de la Salud in Santo Domingo — with Argentine officials claiming that the initial medical center “did not have sufficient equipment to treat her.” It’s unclear when she went into the coma, only that the teen was still unconscious and in critical condition on Tuesday, yet stable and showing signs of improvement, according to CNN.

Also on June 26, the New York Post reported that a man from Denver was so sick that he was asked to get off of his return flight from the Dominican Republic, and has spent the past three days there in critical condition — vomiting, alone and screaming in pain in a hospital bed, his relatives said.

Khalid Adkins became so ill on the trip with his daughter that he wasn’t allowed to fly home Sunday — and has been forced to stay on the embattled Caribbean island, news station KDVR reported.

“He said, ‘They pulled me off the plane and made me go to the hospital,’” his sister-in-law, Marla Strick, told the news station.

The NYP reported that Strick said Adkins was “dripping sweat and went to the bathroom to throw up and that’s when they kicked him off the plane.”

Adkins was brought to a hospital in Santo Domingo, where doctors told the family he was in critical condition, according to the news station. His relatives said they haven’t received an official diagnosis, but he’s experiencing kidney failure and having trouble breathing.

The Jewish Voice reported that on Monday June 18th, the state department confirmed that Joseph Allen, 55, was found dead in his hotel room at the Terra Linda Resort in Sosua. As reported by the NY Daily News, Allen was the ninth American tourist since 2018 to die in the small Caribbean country.

Allen, a New Jersey man, was vacationing with his friends, confirmed his sister Jamie Reed. Reed said Allen, Allen, who is survived by a 23-year-old son, “complained about being hot at the pool. He said he was going to his room to take a shower. When his friends came back, he said he wasn’t feeling 100% again, and said he was going to lie down for the night. The next morning his friend said he hadn’t heard from Joe before breakfast, so he knocked on his door and there was no response.” Allen’s friends asked the resort to perform a wellness check. But to their dismay, “They found him on the floor,” Reed said. “He had been there for a while. Rigor mortis had set in, and he was cold.”

Reed said that her brother was generally in good health before the trip and didn’t have any known health conditions. Also, he regularly visited the Dominican Republic a few times a year, so the family had not been concerned about the recent wave of deaths “because he does this all the time.” Reed also said that she reached out to Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) in hopes that the investigation in the Dominican Republic would not be blocked after her brother’s autopsy. “The families need answers,” she said. “We deserve answers … My brother was my best friend. I spoke to him every day. This is killing me.”

“My brother was a hard worker,” Allen’s brother, Jason Allen, told NBC. “He taught me a lot about sacrifice. … He taught me so many things about being a man. He was selfless.” Jason Allen said his family wants the matter investigated “no matter how much money or how much time it is”.

The U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo is facilitating collaboration between US and Dominican investigators. “The safety and security of U.S. citizens that live in, work in, and visit the Dominican Republic remains our highest priority,” Ambassador Robin Bernstein said. “These incidents are tragic and we offer our deepest condolences to those personally impacted.”

Open Skies: Israel and Chile Signed a New Aviation Agreement

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Israel and Chile have signed a new aviation agreement enabling regular flights between the two countries.

The agreement was signed by Minister Smotrich and Chilean Foreign Ministry Director General at the Prime Minister’s Bureau in the presence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chilean President, who is currently visiting Israel.

Minister of Transport and Member of the Political-Security Cabinet, Bezalel Smotrich, and Chilean Foreign Ministry Director-General Patricio Torres signed a new aviation agreement on Wednesday allowing airlines of both countries to operate regular flights between Israel and Chile via Brazil The agreement was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chilean President Sebastián Piñera, who is currently visiting Israel.

The aviation agreement with Chile was initialed in 2017 and replaced the previous agreement signed between the two countries in 1982. Today there are three weekly flights on the Santiago – Sao Paulo – Tel Aviv route. The flights are operated by the Chilean airline and are used to fly passengers and cargo between Chile and Israel via Brazil.

Minister Smotrich noted that the agreement signed will help strengthen economic ties between the two countries. According to the agreement, El Al will be able to implement “code sharing” arrangements on non-direct flights between Israel and Chile. As part of the arrangement, the passengers will be able to fly with El Al from Tel Aviv to Madrid and Iberia from Madrid to Santo Domingo.

The new agreement was signed as part of the open sky revolution, enabling the expansion of active flights and the launching of direct flights on new routes. It should be noted that in the past decade, since the open skies were introduced, there has been a 40 percent increase in international passenger traffic at Ben-Gurion Airport, and the prices of flights to Europe and destinations around the world have been reduced by tens of percent.

 

Caught: A Truck Dumping Construction Waste at Ashkelon Coast

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A Truck dumping construction waste at a pirate site on the Ashkelon coast was seized and the relevant operators will be charged.

The Green Police of the Ministry of the Environment in action, a truck was caught dumping construction waste at a illegal dump grounds on Ashkelon beach. The relevant people will be investigated and will be indicted.

The southern team of the Green Police of the Ministry of the Environment worked for several days staking out a pirate dump in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council and collected evidence about the site’s operators, the method of work, the owners of the site and the general conduct.

On Tuesday, 25.6.2019, after various types of waste were dumped by garbage trucks and before the earth was covered with dirt, the Environmental  team, in cooperation with a Border Police force, carried out open criminal enforcement.

As part of the activity, the crew seized a truck from which mixed waste was dumped inside the pirate site. The truck was caught and taken to a parking lot for impounded vehicles. At the same time, waste disposal operations began at the Morasha site.

The Green Police has opened an investigation, and in the coming days all the relevant bodies will be questioned and indictments will be filed against all those involved.

 

The First Hotel in Israel in the National Infrastructure Track was Approved by the Housing Cabinet

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Thanks to an amendment to the Planning and Building Law initiated by the Ministry of Tourism, the Government Housing Cabinet approved an addition of 845 hotel rooms in Eilat.

Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin said: “The approval for the addition of 845 rooms to Eilat is a huge line for tourism in the city, and we are also making an unprecedented leap in the construction of guest rooms.

Asher Gabbay, owner of the Astral hotel chain said: “The move by the Tourism Minister to solve the bureaucratic complication and to promote the construction of hotels within the framework of the HUITAL is ingenious. Normally, processing a request for a change in the urban building plan can take up to six years, now within this program it should take about one year and four months. The difference in time frame saves a lot of money. The new hotel will allow us to market a room for NIS 200 per night.”

The government housing cabinet, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, today approved the plan approved by the National Infrastructure Committee, which allows the Astral hotel chain to build a new 500-room hotel, The chain’s hotels in Eilat:

Astral Palma Hotel – an addition of 60 suites.
Astral Village – 40 extra rooms.
Astral Nirvana Hotel – 50 accommodation units.
Astral Nirvana Suites – 50 accommodation units.
Astral Maris Hotel – 145 rooms.

Total construction rights of 845 rooms to the city of Eilat.

845 hotel accommodation rooms will be added to Eilat within the framework of Astral’s request, submitted to the National Infrastructure Committee. In addition, there are rights to build another 400 rooms, and a total of 1,245 rooms that will be built over the next six years, the network reported.

The committee was established with the aim of institutionalizing a unique planning body, which will specialize in statutory promotion and planning of detailed plans before implementing, on a short schedule, infrastructure programs of national importance. For the first time under the leadership of the Ministry of Tourism, hotels have been defined as a national infrastructure, and the committee has the authority to shorten bureaucratic procedures and timetables in all matters related to the procedures of their planning.

According to Amendment 107 to the Planning and Building Law, which was approved in 2016, it was decided that the Minister of Tourism may declare a tourism complex that will be properly defined for a national infrastructure program in several tracks: one or more hotels, including at least 400 accommodation units in one complex, Accommodation units, or an initiative to establish at least four hotels in a regional or national layout.

In addition to approving the plan in the Housing Cabinet, the developers submitted applications for grants under the Encouragement of Capital Investments Law. Pursuant to the provisions of the Law and in accordance with the Ministry’s procedures, the enterprise is expected to receive grants up to 33% of the recognized investment amount of the Originator.

Entrepreneur Asher Gabay adds: “The HUTAL has shortened our time by at least half and has made our low-cost hotel relevant. Beyond that, the approval today provides support for Eilat’s low-cost tourism. The new hotel will allow us to sell a room for NIS 200 per night, from the outset it is adapted to operationally inefficient tourism. The hotel will have advanced technology and the only option to sell rooms at attractive and cheap prices is to build a hotel that will meet high standards, innovative and international. “Gabbai also wants to clarify that a building permit is expected to be received in January 2020 and the beginning of construction in February 2020.

Sight, But No Vision: The Sin of the Spies

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In parshas Shelach, Moshe sends miraglim-spies- to scout out the land of Eretz Yisrael. With the exception of Yehoshua and Kalev, the Meraglim returned with a negative report about the land- attempting to dissuade the Jewish people away from entering Eretz Yisrael. Photo Credit: YouTube

It was a stormy night, and a battle ship was on exercise at sea. The captain stood on the bridge, looking into the foggy night ahead of him. Suddenly, he heard the look-out shout from the observation post, “There’s a light on the starboard side!”

“Is it steady or moving?” the captain asked.

“It’s moving,” the lookout replied. This meant they were on a direct collision course with the other ship. The captain quickly ran up and grabbed the ship radio. “We are on collision course!” he signaled to the other ship. “Change course 20 degrees immediately.”

The signal was quickly came back ‘”Advisable for you to change course.”

Infuriated, the captain immediately replied ‘”I am a captain. Change your course NOW.”

“I am a seaman second class. You had better change your course 20 degrees,” came the reply.

By now, the captain was outraged. ‘”I am a battleship. Change course or suffer the consequences!”

Back came the signal, “I am a lighthouse.”

The captain changed course.

Human beings have a remarkable ability and tendency to jump to conclusions, assuming that we know the truth of a situation when, in fact, we have completely misjudged it. One of the most powerful learning experiences a person can have is that of a paradigm shift- a shift in perspective whereby we learn to see something in a fundamentally and entirely different way. This concepts links to an essential insight in this week’s parsha, Shelach.

The Sin of the Miraglim

In parshas Shelach, Moshe sends miraglim-spies- to scout out the land of Eretz Yisrael. With the exception of Yehoshua and Kalev, the Meraglim returned with a negative report about the land- attempting to dissuade the Jewish people away from entering Eretz Yisrael. While we often view their account as malicious libel, this does not seem to be the case if one reads the story at the surface level. As the spies scouted the land, they witnessed multiple giants burying the dead, and upon return they reported this to the Jewish People. Chazal explain that the Miraglim violated the prohibition of lashon hara–evil speech. However, they did not speak about people, only a piece of land! Does lashon hara really apply to inanimate objects? Furthermore, the miraglim spoke the truth. They saw people dying, and they passed on that information. Was it not their job to report what they saw?

Proper Sight

There are two levels of truth: The first is how things appear on the physical surface, the second is the meaning that lies behind that exterior. In the same sense, there are two levels of sight: the first is physical sight, whereby you see the physical object itself; the second is spiritual sight, whereby you give meaning to that which you have seen. Improper sight is seeing only that which is on the surface, without sourcing it back to its root, without seeing that which truly lies behind it. When the surface no longer reflects a deeper truth, it becomes a shell of an object, lacking any internal meaning, like a body without a soul. For example, if you were to look at someone’s face and see only flesh and bone, without recognizing that there’s a consciousness, a sentient being, behind that surface, that would be a gross corruption of sight. Your physical sight is correct, but the meaning you have given to your physical sight is far from the truth. Similarly, when you witness an event, you have the ability to understand the meaning that lies behind the event. If, however, you don’t ascertain the truth that lies beneath the surface level, you are likely to project your own personal perceptions onto the situation, twisting its true meaning to align with your subjective reality.

The Miraglim: Corruption of Sight

The Miraglim’s physical sight was perfect; what they lacked was spiritual sight. They physically saw giants burying their dead. They, however, interpreted this to mean that the land kills its people and “consumes its inhabitants.” In reality, as the Midrash explains, Hashem performed a miracles to aid the Miraglim in their mission. Hashem killed off the leaders of the giants in each city so that the dwellers would be distracted, ensuring that the Miraglim would not be discovered. The death of the giants was the surface fact, the spies’ fault lay in the meaning they projected onto it.

Similarly, the Miraglim reported to Klal Yisrael that when they came across the giants “we were like grasshoppers in our eyes” (Bamidbar 13:33). They projected their fear and lack of faith onto the giants. In their own eyes, the giants viewed them as grasshoppers. They were no longer transmitting an account of objective reality, rather, they were depicting and projecting their own spiritual and existential insecurities onto their experiences. This was their two-fold mistake. They not only misunderstood their physical experiences, but then projected their misunderstanding onto the report they brought back to Klal Yisrael. We can now begin to explain why this was considered a violation of lashon harah.

The Power of Speech

As we’ve explained before, speech reflects the power of connection. We are naturally isolated and separate from one another. We are separate beings, all living in our own subjective world, our own inner universe. We will never be able to experience life through anyone else’s perspective, only through our own inner consciousness. We have our own thoughts and feelings, things no one else can see. We face our own hardships and tribulations, ones that no one else truly understands. This results in several difficulties. If I am trapped in my own inner world, how can I connect with other people? How can I know what’s going on in their heads? How can I share my inner life with them? How can I overcome this infinite barrier between myself and everyone else?

This is the power of speech. Speech allows us to connect with other people. You start with your own inner thoughts and experience. You take a deep breath and then use your throat to project your words outwards. You then use your mouth, tongue, teeth, and lips to form the specific words which will encase your thoughts as you give them concrete form. In essence, you then throw your words out into the world around you in the form of vibrations. If another person is nearby, their ears can pick up these vibrations and translate them into sound. Those sounds will form words, and those words sentences. If they speak your language, those words will take on meaning as well. They must then keep track of all the different words and sentences, holding on to them, and bringing them back from memory, in order to form a complete picture of everything you said. Amazingly, this person can now experience your inner world inside their own mind. They now contain a piece of you within themselves. The barrier between your worlds has been diminished.

The Danger of Lashon Hara

Lashon hara is taking the very tool of connection, speech, and using it to disconnect people from each other. When you say something negative about someone else, you have created a conceptual wall between the subject of your negativity and the person who you are speaking with. The very tool of connection has been corrupted to achieve its opposite goal.

The Miraglim

Through speech, the Miraglim disconnected Klal Yisrael from Eretz Yisrael. Because their sin was lashon hara, it seems possible to suggest that they violated this prohibition even though the scission was between Klal Yisrael and an inanimate object, the land of Eretz Yisrael. However, if we take into account the deep nature and role of Eretz Yisrael and the Beis Ha’Mikdash, this can be understood on a much deeper level as well. Eretz Yisrael is the makom- place- where Hashem connects to the world and most intimately connects to Klal Yisrael. By using speech to disconnect Klal Yisrael from Eretz Yisrael, the Miraglim were effectively separating Klal Yisrael from Hashem. Thus, in the deepest sense, this was the most nefarious form of lashon hara imaginable!

As the Ramban explains (Bireishis 2:9), everything the Miraglim said was “true” in the physical sense, but they failed to see the depth beneath the surface. This itself is the epitome of lashon hara: taking the truth itself and distorting it in order to create harm. Lying is a separate problem, violating the prohibition of midvar sheker tirchak. Lashon hara’s evil lies not in a fabrication, but in a corruption of an actual truth. The Miraglim suffered from a spiritual disease of ayin rah- an evil eye. They had sight, but no vision; they saw, but were blind.

 Tzitzis: The Correction of Sight

At the end of this week’s parsha, after the sin of the Miraglim, the Torah introduces us to the mitzvah of tzitzis. Why does the Torah introduce us to the mitzvah of tzitzis specifically at this point? Is there any connection between tzitzis and the sin of the Miraglim? To understand the connection, we must first recall an important principle.

The Bent Path and the Straight Path

Imagine you are walking along a straight path. At any point along the path, if you turn around, you can see where you came from. However, say that the path suddenly takes a sharp turn, bending away from its straight course. Now, if you turn around, you can no longer see the starting point of your journey. The same is true of the physical world in which we live. Originally, the physical world loyally and perfectly reflected its spiritual root. When you looked around, you saw and experienced Hashem, and knew that He created the world; it was like looking back down a straight path. However, after Adam sinned, the entire world fell. The world became a bent path, whereby it is no longer clear where we came from.

The Secret of Tzitzis

This is the secret behind Tzitzis. The Miraglim bent the straight path, refusing to connect the physical world to Hashem, refusing to see past the physical surface. Tzitzis are only required on a cornered garment. It is only when the garment ends, and begins to bend, that are obligated to put tzitzis on those corners. The straight lines of the tzitzis straighten the bent path of the garment. Thus, the tzitzis represent our ability to source ourselves back to Hashem, even on a bent path. The many details of tzitzis beautifully reflect this idea. We wear ticheiles, strings dyed a beautiful ocean blue color, to trace ourselves back to sea, then to the heavens, then to the kisei ha’kavod (Hashem’s throne), and ultimately to Hashem Himself. The gematria of tzitzis is 600, and when you add the eight strings and the five knots you get 613, corresponding to the 613 mitzvos that we use to connect ourselves to Hashem.

The Potential of Sight

We all have our own unique paradigms, the way we see ourselves, experience the world around us, and think of Hashem. The goal of life is to embark on a genuine journey of paradigm shifting. We all have the superpower called choice- we get to choose how we perceive reality and the meaning we give to our experiences. Many of us have sight, but only a few among us truly see. May we be inspired to continuously expand our horizons, revolutionize and reconstruct our set paradigms, and build deeper eyes through which we see the world.

Jews Pray in Bahrain Synagogue

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The ancient synagogue in the capital of Bahrain held a prayer service this morning. Following the conference held in the kingdom, a number of government officials including Assistant to the 45th President of the USA & Special Representative for International Negotiations, and other Jewish business people and foreign rabbis who came to Manama to attend the Peace to Prosperity conference, enabling a Minyan to be held at the gates of the synagogue. Because of the small size of the community, there are almost no prayers there on a regular basis.

Greenblatt work on his Twitter page that it was a “Great way to start the day”.

 


PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his Wife Sara Host Dinner for Chilean President Sebastian Pinera and his Wife Cecilia Morel

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara, this evening (Wednesday, 26 June 2019), at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem, hosted dinner for Chilean President Sebastian Piñera and his wife Cecilia Morel.

Prime Minister Netanyahu:

Israel and Chile have a lot in common. We share values of democracy and human rights. We share a belief in market economies and both of us have done a few things to promote these values in our respective countries. We believe in entrepreneurship. We believe in creativity. We have relatively small, not so small, but relatively small, very vibrant economies. It’s recognized by the countries in Latin America, Chile’s capacity in this regard just as the countries of the Middle East and the world recognize Israel’s capacities as an innovation nation.

We’re both relatively new members of the OECD. Our achievements have attracted much interest in foreign investments from all over the world. So we’ve achieved a lot separately but I believe that we can achieve a lot more together.

We just spent a few minutes now as we did in Brasilia, we discussed how we can increase the cooperation and exchanges between Chile and Israel, both on the governmental level and no less important on the company to company level, on the private sector level. When we last saw each other at the inauguration of President Bolsonaro in Brazil, we made a commitment to upgrade that cooperation and we are fulfilling that today.

We have already signed five agreements and we’re going to sign now another three with our respective ministers. This will push forward the capacities, the opportunities that we have to seize the opportunities and meet the challenges that we will do and we can do it better together.

I look forward to continuing this in our discussions with your delegation downstairs and then having you and your wife Cecilia at our residence today so that we can continue to forge new heights for our friendship.

Welcome, friend.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chilean President Piñera attended the signing ceremony for various bilateral agreements:

1. An MOU on a scientific cooperation program between the Science Ministry and the Chilean National Authority for Scientific and Technological Research;

2. An aviation services agreement between the governments; and

3. A declaration of intent on health and medical cooperation between the two countries’ health ministries.

 

PM Netanyahu Thanks Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed for Acceding to his Requests to Return the Remains of Shimon Re’em

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, made the following remarks at the start of his meeting with Chilean President Sebastian Piñera:

“I would like to thank my friend, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who has acceded to my requests as well as those of the family of the late Shimon Re’em. He acceded to these requests and we will now bring back his remains. We will continue to work until we also bring the remains of the late Avraham Matzliah. I want to thank the Prime Minister; these are not simple times in Ethiopia. I wish him – and the friendship between us and Ethiopia – much success.”

PM Netanyahu Meets with US Deputy Energy Secretary Danny Brouillette at Tel Aviv University Cyber Week

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Wednesday, 26 June 2019), at Tel Aviv University Cyber Week, met with US Deputy Energy Secretary Danny Brouillette. Energy Minister Dr. Yuval Steinitz and National Security Adviser and National Security Council Chairman Meir Ben-Shabbat also attended the meeting. Among the issues discussed were the economic pressure on Iran and the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in cyber defense and energy infrastructures.

Yigal Unna, Director General of the Israel National Cyber Directorate, at Cyber Week: Iran is a main cyber threat in the Middle East

“Iran and its proxies continue to pose a main cyber threat in the Middle East,” said Yigal Unna, Director General of the Israel National Cyber Directorate, today at the Cyber Week conference held at the University of Tel Aviv. “Israel is prepared for cyber threats; we have the capability to respond forcefully to cyber-attackers, and not necessarily on the same vector as the attack.”

Unna presented data according to which the Iranians are among the five most active state actors in cyberspace. “The Iranians are and have been continuously active for a long period of time deploying broad attacks, including attacks to gather intelligence, attacks to cause shifts in mentality, as well as attacks intended to cause harm and destruction to systems. Iran is one of the only countries to execute destructive attacks, primarily against Gulf states.”

Some of the newest and most widespread trends in attack surfaces in the cyberworld today that Unna presented include an additional focus on attacks on the supply chain, targeted ransom attacks on large corporations, a substantial increase in revelations of vulnerabilities in various technological infrastructures, and a substantial decrease in the amount of time between the discovery of a vulnerability and its exploitation.

According to the data presented by Unna at the conference, being held this week under the direction of the Cyber Directorate and the Blavatnik Center at Tel Aviv University, the Israeli cyber industry is on its way to breaking new records in raising capital this year. In the past half-year alone, 40 Israeli cyber firms raised a total of 850 million $, compared to 1.1 billion $ in the year 2018 (total). Likewise, in the past half-year Israeli cyber firms recorded seven exits totaling a sum of 1.5 billion dollars.

Furthermore, Unna presented at the conference for the first time the results of a new survey led by the National Cyber Directorate among companies in the private sector. According to the survey it appears that 68% of companies in the economy experienced at least one cyber attack or attempted cyber attack in the past year (of any kind) against their organizations. 63% of those who reported cyber incidents also noted that no damage was incurred as a result.

The survey also indicates that 84% of firms have a dedicated cyber-defense budget, and some 80% state that that the issue of cyber-defense rates highly on their order of priorities, particularly among companies in the fields of information and communications, as well as companies who operate internationally. Additionally, 75% of firms already have a cyber trustee. Likewise, some 60% of the organizations are accustomed to providing a cyber-defense update to their board of directors at least once a quarter.

The survey’s findings also indicate that the primary reason for investment in cyber is the high level of awareness among management of the issue. High management awareness of cyber issues was observed with relatively high prevalence among companies operating internationally.

300 companies answered the survey, forming a representative sample of the private sector in Israel and all companies from the various industries. The survey was performed by the MIS polling firm and commissioned by the National Cyber Directorate.

[17:54, 6/26/2019] Gpo What’s up group: Following is an excerpt from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks today (Wednesday, 26 June 2019), at Tel Aviv University Cyber Week:

“We’re encouraging international associations. Both government to government in cooperation on the questions of cybersecurity, a very complex issue. We have today cooperation first with our great and irreplaceable ally the United States of America. We cooperate in cybersecurity as never before and in many other fields of intelligence.

The way we protected against the hijacking of planes in the past was to put armed guards or have security forces ready to burst into hijacked planes. Later a whole industry that developed in Israel for mechanized locks on doors for pilots, separating the pilots and maintaining the security of the cockpit and so on. That’s one way to deal with hijacking. It was not ineffective. It was good. It was effective but it’s very expensive.

Here’s another way. That plane leaving from Sydney to Abu Dhabi was going to be exploded in midair. And we found out through our cyber activities we found out that ISIS was going to do this so we alerted Australian police and they stopped this before it happened. That’s a more effective way of doing this.

This particular incident leaked in the press so I can talk about it. If you multiply that 50 times, that will give you an idea of the contribution that Israel has made to prevent major terrorist operations, especially by ISIS in dozens of countries. And most of those cases were foiled because of our activities in cybersecurity.

This affects every country in the world. It affects every person in the world. It affects them not only in aviation and transportation, it affects them in everything. Israel has seized the opportunities and is meeting the dangers and we invite you to do the same with us in partnership.”

Attached photo credit: Haim Zach (GPO)
[19:55, 6/26/2019] Gpo What’s up group: PM Netanyahu Meets with Chilean President Sebastian Piñera
(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening (Wednesday, 26 June 2019), at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, met with Chilean President Sebastian Piñera.

Also attending the meeting were Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, Science Ministry Director General Ran Bar and additional senior officials. Attending for the Chilean side were Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation Minister Andres Couve, Foreign Ministry director general Patricio Torres and additional senior officials.

Prime Minister Netanyahu:

Israel and Chile have a lot in common. We share values of democracy and human rights. We share a belief in market economies and both of us have done a few things to promote these values in our respective countries. We believe in entrepreneurship. We believe in creativity. We have relatively small, not so small, but relatively small, very vibrant economies. It’s recognized by the countries in Latin America, Chile’s capacity in this regard just as the countries of the Middle East and the world recognize Israel’s capacities as an innovation nation.

We’re both relatively new members of the OECD. Our achievements have attracted much interest in foreign investments from all over the world. So we’ve achieved a lot separately but I believe that we can achieve a lot more together.

We just spent a few minutes now as we did in Brasilia, we discussed how we can increase the cooperation and exchanges between Chile and Israel, both on the governmental level and no less important on the company to company level, on the private sector level. When we last saw each other at the inauguration of President Bolsonaro in Brazil, we made a commitment to upgrade that cooperation and we are fulfilling that today.

We have already signed five agreements and we’re going to sign now another three with our respective ministers. This will push forward the capacities, the opportunities that we have to seize the opportunities and meet the challenges that we will do and we can do it better together.

I look forward to continuing this in our discussions with your delegation downstairs and then having you and your wife Cecilia at our residence today so that we can continue to forge new heights for our friendship.

Welcome, friend.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chilean President Piñera attended the signing ceremony for various bilateral agreements:

1. An MOU on a scientific cooperation program between the Science Ministry and the Chilean National Authority for Scientific and Technological Research;

2. An aviation services agreement between the governments; and

3. A declaration of intent on health and medical cooperation between the two countries’ health ministries.

 

President Rivlin hosted President Sebastián Piñera of Chile, who is visiting Israel

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President Rivlin and President Piñera

President Rivlin to President Piñera: “The gaps between us and the Palestinians are great, but we must begin with small steps of cooperation, and not to boycott or refuse plans that will improve our economic and social situation. We must cooperate in every field where we can work together. That is the only way.”

President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin welcomed President of Chile Sebastián Piñera to Beit HaNasi today, Wednesday 26 June 2019 / 23 Sivan. President Piñera, who is visiting Israel, was received in an official ceremony during which the two national anthems were played. The presidents reviewed an IDF honor guard and then made joint statements to the press.

At the beginning of his remarks, President Rivlin welcomed President Piñera on his second visit to Israel, noting the historic connection between the State of Israel and its capital, Jerusalem. “Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people since the days of King David. As you know, the sovereign State of Israel allows, develops and cares for freedom of worship and religion for all those who enter the gates of Jerusalem. Our historical connection to Jerusalem, and our sovereignty in Jerusalem, make us responsible for preserving Jerusalem as a city of faith and peace.” The President also noted the deep friendship between Chile and Israel, even before the establishment of the State of Israel, in saving hundreds of Jews from the horrors of the Holocaust.

“The relations between our two countries have had ups and downs, but at the basis of all this is a solid foundation of friendship,” the president continued, speaking to President Piñera: “I am happy to say that under your leadership the cooperation between the two countries is reaching new heights. In the same year, we became members of the OECD. Despite the many challenges we have faced over the years, our countries have succeeded in developing stable and growing economies. Against all odds, against the natural elements, our countries have turned agriculture into a source of national pride and profit.”

Regarding the calls opposing cooperation between the two countries, the president said: “We must stand together in and counter those voices. We must prove, through what we do on the ground, that we are much stronger together than we are separately.”

Referring to his counterpart’s visit to the Palestinian Authority, the president stressed the need to promote cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians and not to boycott various initiatives: “On our tour of our region, you will also visit the Palestinian Authority. I recently spoke with Abu Mazen, who called me to offer me condolences and we are in constant contact, even if we do not always agree. Peace is the aspiration of the people of Israel. The gaps between us and the Palestinians are great, but we must begin with small steps of cooperation, and not to boycott or refuse plans that will improve our economic and social situation. We must cooperate in every field where we can work together. That is the only way.” Concluding his remarks, the President thanked his colleague and wished for continued fruitful cooperation for the benefit of both peoples.

The President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, thanked the President for his warm welcome and expressed his condolences on the passing of Nechama. The president said he was happy to be visiting Israel again, this time to further strengthen relations between the two countries. ”In the coming days, we will sign agreements in order to strengthen our friendship and cooperation in areas that are important to us, such as satellite technology, water desalination and irrigation, which will help deal with our northern desert, solar energy and cyber defense. We hope that the visit will be fruitful, expand relations and strengthen cooperation between the two countries,” he said.

“I would like to stress our appreciation for your good will to find the path to peace and harmony with the Palestinian people. I know that you have always asked for peace in the Holy Land. It is a land sacred to a very large part of mankind, the capital of the three monotheistic religions. This is the place for a meeting where the three religions can cooperate with each other. Despite the differences, what unites humanity is the fact that we are all the children of that God,” he added.

Attached photo credit: Mark Neiman (GPO)

Proposed Ban on Fur in NY has Dealers & Orthodox Jews Paired as Critics

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A bill that would ban the sale of new fur apparel is making waves in NYC.

New legislation proposed in the City Council could threaten the livelihood of 150 stores in New York that earn the majority of their income by selling furs. As reported by the Times of Israel, the bill was first introduced in March by City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. “As an animal lover, I believe it is cruel to kill an animal just for the purpose of people buying and wearing a fur coat. There is really no need for this,” Johnson said in a statement before introducing the bill. In May, the council heard testimony from the bill’s opponents, including local dealers. Following the hearing, Johnson somewhat softened his stance, saying he would phase the bill over time to decrease the dramatic impact on the industry. Similarly, the New York State Senate and Assembly are also considering bills to ban the sale of fur in NYS.

According to Fur NYC, which opposes the ban, the bill would endanger the jobs of roughly 1,110 people currently employed in the sale of furs. To add to that figure, there is a whole supply chain including marketing, banking and insurance for furs, which would also be negatively impacted. “A fur ban would be catastrophic to New York City — eliminating a historic manufacturing community, along with thousands of jobs for New Yorkers who’ve never made another living and millions of tax revenue that fund critical government programs that help New Yorkers,” according to Fur NYC.

“If they don’t want to wear furs, they don’t [have to] wear it,” said Marc Kaufman, a fifth-generation fur dealer with a store in Midtown Manhattan. “If they don’t want to eat meat, let them not eat meat. But don’t impose your views on me.”

Besides fur dealers, many of whom are historically Jewish, other critics of the proposed bill include members of the African-American community, for whom furs are still a status symbol. Some environmental activists are also opposed, arguing that the ban will lead to an increase in non-biodegradable fake fur coats.

In addition Hasidic Jews are opposed to the ban. Sects of the ultra-orthodox community wear fur hats known as shtreimels on Shabbat and holidays. The hats are traditionally made from the tails of sables and foxes, and can cost up to $5,000. Brooklyn Councilman Chaim Deutsch said he opposes the ban, despite its clause giving religious exemption to allow the sale of fur for those using it as part of a religious custom. “If we ban fur and then you have people that are still out there wearing it, considering the fact that hate crime in New York City is on the rise, people will be targeted on the streets, saying, ‘Why are you wearing this if there’s a fur ban?’” said Deutsch.

Bezalel Stern, an attorney at Kelley, Drye & Warren, LLP, who represents the International Fur Federation, says the religious exemption may not even hold up in a court of law. “I think the [City Council] speaker knows that the religious exemption is unconstitutional and he’s putting it in because he wants to — excuse my pun — pull the fur over people’s eyes in order to get it passed,” Stern said.

Kushner Appeals for Peace in Bahrain; Offers $50B Plan to Palestinians

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“President Trump and America have not given up on you,” White House senior adviser Jared Kushner declared on Tuesday in Bahrain, appealing directly to the Palestinian people.

President Trump’s senior adviser, Jared Kushner, appealed Tuesday directly to the Palestinians, asking them to consider his ambitious $50 billion economic plan despite Palestinian leadership’s outright rejection of the proposal, even before it was ever released, as was reported by AP.

Kushner kicked off a two-day workshop in the tiny Gulf kingdom of Bahrain aimed at building support for his economic vision, according to a World Israel News report.

“My direct message to the Palestinians is that despite what those who have let you down in the past have told you, President Trump and America have not given up on you,” Kushner said, “This workshop is for you and if this is executed correctly it will lead to a better future for the Palestinian people: a future of dignity, prosperity and opportunity.”

World Israel News reported that Kushner’s audience in Bahrain did not include any official Israeli or Palestinian delegation. Those who heard Kushner in person were Arab finance ministers, the heads of international financial organizations and global business executives and investors.

Specifically, the heads of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are attending and speaking at the event, as will the head of FIFA, the international soccer federation, and the managers of numerous large investment funds.

Without seeing its contents, the Palestinians rejected the proposal, according to an AP report, which aims in 10 years to create a million new jobs, slash unemployment and improve living standards in Judea and Samaria, Gaza and across the Middle East. U.S. officials say the political portion of the plan addressing borders and other key issues will not be released until fall, according to the AP report.

The WIN report indicated that Kushner acknowledged that a political solution is key to the success of the economic proposal. He said it was first more important to set out what is economically possible.

“Agreeing on an economic pathway forward is a necessary precondition to resolving what has been a previously unsolvable political situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Palestinian terror group Hamas called a general strike in Gaza on Tuesday to protest the meeting, with demonstrators in Judea and Samaria burning effigies of Trump and featuring a donkey pasted over with images of Gulf royals, according to the report by AP and World Israel News.

“Palestine is not for sale!” protesters chanted. “From Bahrain to Saudi Arabia we are not tempted by your millions!” they said.

Trump, Kushner and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin argue that a new approach is necessary to jump start the peace process in the Middle East because previous efforts have resulted in an abysmal failure in terms of the two sides reaching an agreement.

The Palestinians cut ties with the White House after Trump officially recognized Israeli’s capital, Jerusalem, in December 2017, and say they will not accept a peace proposal from the Trump administration.

Trump’s Mideast team has recently signaled it will accept Israeli annexation of parts of Judea and Samaria, the biblical heartland of the Jewish people, deepening Palestinian suspicions.

Saudi Arabia, one of the few Arab countries to send its foreign minister to the event, said it remained committed to a Palestinian state, issuing the following statement: “The Kingdom reiterates its firm position on the Palestinian cause and solving it in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative, which called for establishing an independent Palestinian state along the borders of 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

Egypt and Jordan, the only Arab nations to have signed peace deals with Israel, are sending mid-level representatives to Bahrain and said they would not abandon demands for a Palestinian state, according to the AP and WIN reports.

At a ceremony hosted by Israel’s president to mark 40 years of Egyptian-Israeli peace on Tuesday, Egypt’s ambassador to Israel, Khaled Azmi, said his country’s “vision was, and still is, based on full nation-statehood and security for everyone in the region.”

Bahrain, which has close ties to the Saudis, has been criticized for hosting the conference and sharply limited the number of journalists allowed to cover it. It has defended its decision by saying its only objective is to support the “brotherly Palestinian people.”

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has argued that a new approach is necessary to jump start the peace process in the Middle East because previous efforts have resulted in an abysmal failure in terms of the two sides reaching an agreement. Photo Credit: Wikipedia

On Monday, Jewish Voice Israel correspondent David Ha’Ivri filed a detailed report concerning Palestinian business leaders who made a pit stop in the Samaria region of Israel to meet regional council head Yossi Dagan while on their way to the Bahrain conference.

According to Ha’Ivri’s report this scheduled meeting was conducted “under the radar” because of the negative fallout that would likely occur if the Palestinian government leadership caught wind of the fact that entrepreneurs were actually discussing business matters with Israelis. Ha’Ivri writes that the parties stressed that they both share the same core goal – “a better future for our children, and establishing a platform for economic cooperation between the Jewish residents and the local Arabs who are living in despair.”

The meeting is a continuation of a series of meetings and contacts held by the head of the Samaria Regional Council with the local Arab leadership, in order to create an alternative to the path of terror funded by the Palestinian Authority and to create economic cooperation that will bring genuine prosperity to all sides.

Dagan met with Ashraf Ja’abri, who left for Bahrain on Monday morning and with other delegates who wished to keep their identities anonymous from the intrusive eye of the media.

Last month, Dagan was honored as a guest for the traditional ‘Iftar’ dinner at the home of Ashraf Jabari in Hebron. He also traveled to Washington, DC with Sheikh Abu Khalil Tamimi from Ramallah and together held meetings on Capitol Hill to promote the economic peace plan.

During the meeting on Monday, Dagan said: “In recent years, we have seen Arab Sheikhs and leaders working to create a true connection between Arabs and Jews in Judea and Samaria. We respect each other, and if God put us here in the same land, we have to see how to honor each other. For the first time, we are not watching agreements being drafted between politicians who are not connected to the ground, but seeing local leaders coming together to discuss economic cooperation, which is what can bring peace. This is where it can happen “.

Jabari told Dagan at the meeting: “We are interested in building a large industrial park like the one here at Barkan that can employ thousands of workers who will be able to provide for their families and we want to build a hospital in Hebron. 25 years have passed since the Oslo Accords. What are the results? Only blood. We have to talk about how we will live. We must establish a strong economic situation and give livelihood to the people.”

Despite the Palestinian Authority’s refusal to send official representatives to the economic workshop in Bahrain, and despite their general rejection of the American initiative, a number of independent Palestinian businessmen decided to attend the summit.

Jewish Voice Israel correspondent David Ha’Ivri filed a detailed report concerning Palestinian business leaders who made a pit stop in the Samaria region of Israel to meet regional council head Yossi Dagan while on their way to the Bahrain conference. Photo Credit: INN

Jabari is considered friendly to the Jewish settlers and close to American ambassador to Israel, David Friedman. “We’ll go to Bahrain, we’ll look and hear what is proposed there. This is an opportunity for the Palestinian people because it will strengthen our economy,” the businessman said. “There are another eight or nine businessmen who are going to this conference with me, and we talked about this situation and they told me: ‘This is really the best plan for the Palestinian people”.

Dagan said that instead of “peace in the bonds between disconnected politicians, a connection must be made through the area, through the area and through economic investments.” Jabari replied that “peace will come from the bottom up, but what happened here 25 years ago came from top to bottom. (referring to foreign intervention and plans from realities on the ground).

The Palestinian businessman referred to the criticism on their decision to go to the summit, claiming that he believed it was an opportunity to advance the idea of a Palestinian state. “How can we reach a political solution without a strong economic situation?” he queried.

In a letter to Jewish Voice publisher David Ben Hooren, American Jewish Congress President Jack Rosen offered his organization’s perspective on the promising nature of the Bahrain summit.

Rosen wrote that the Bahrain conference represents “an opportunity to re-enter a process which has the potential to propel the Middle East towards a better future.”

He added that, “Despite the natural, and understandable, skepticism surrounding the workshop, we (the AJC) firmly believe that engagement on economic issues can be a springboard for further dialogue and engagement. We are proud to have been involved in similar economic development initiatives since the 1990’s, with the belief that providing a sound economic foundation for the Palestinians makes peace more viable in the future.”

“We believe that if the Palestinians are given a sense that they stand to lose by not engaging, there is a greater chance they will embrace the process – both economically and politically. In addition, the plan must create an incentive for the Palestinian people to pressure their leadership to abandon its boycott of the U.S. administration, and return to full engagement.”

Rosen wrote that participation of key Arab states in the conference – Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, the UAE and even regional adversaries Saudi Arabia and Qatar – “proves that there is growing concern in the region, as well as a desire to give this process a chance.”

He also indicated his belief that “enlisting the Arab states to invest in the future can be a game-changer, and we hope their participation will be help move the region closer towards peace. Much like the regional efforts to counter Iran’s malign activities, we hope the region’s leading powers will coalesce around the objective of assisting the Palestinians move towards a better future.”

Rosen concluded his letter by saying, “we also believe that the economic discussions cannot replace a genuine political process – one which must aim to resolve the core issues that at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A solid economic foundation can only be sustained if it is followed up by a good-faith effort to address the Palestinian aspiration for self-determination, and to ensure Israel continues to exist as a peaceful, secure democratic Jewish state. History has shown that disillusionment can lead to violence, and we caution all parties that unless steps are taken on the political track, the results may be highly destructive.

“Greater economic opportunity can help the next generation of Palestinians to choose partnership over extremism and peace over terrorism. We are hopeful that the “Peace to Prosperity” workshop in Bahrain will indeed provide the foundation for prosperity and will ultimately be combined with an honest political process. This is a first–but necessary–step toward a true Israeli-Palestinian peace and help present a better future for the region.”

            (World Israel News, AP)

Read more at: worldisraelnews.com

Legendary Journalist Steve Dunleavy Dies at 81; Staunch Supporter of Israel

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“When the first Gulf War broke out in 1991, Dunleavy hopped aboard a plane to Israel,” says Hannah Brown, who has worked for the New York Post and Jerusalem Post.

Steve Dunleavy, described as a “hard-hitting, hard-drinking journalist who helped define The New York Post as a crime reporter, editor and premier columnist,” was being mourned by the newspaper Monday upon his death at the age of 81.

He was also being remembered in Israel.

“Dunleavy, an Australian who became Rupert Murdoch’s star reporter after the media mogul purchased the New York Post in 1976, was a staunch supporter of Israel,” wrote Hannah Brown in The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. Brown had written for The New York Post before joining the Jerusalem newspaper.

“When the first Gulf War broke out in 1991, Dunleavy hopped aboard a plane to Israel,” she says. “He visited the country several times, including to report on the first Gulf War in 1991 and the 1996 elections,” Brown adds.

In its article about Dunleavy published on Monday, The New York Post praises him for his “countless exclusives, including interviews with the mother of Sirhan Sirhan, Robert F. Kennedy’s assassin, and confessed ‘Boston Strangler’ Albert DeSalvo.”

According to the NY Post report, Dunleavy also flew to California to entice three members of Elvis Presley’s “Memphis Mafia” bodyguards to reveal the singer’s drug addiction.

The ensuing series of stories boosted the circulation of the Star tabloid, where Dunleavy was then working, from 2 million to 3 million, and also led to the publication of a best-selling book, “Elvis: What Happened?” shortly before Presley’s death.

“Steve Dunleavy was one of the greatest reporters of all time,” said Rupert Murdoch, owner of The Post.

“Whether competing with his own father in the famous Sydney, Australia, tabloid wars, or over the last 40 years in New York, Steve’s life story is littered with great scoops. He was much loved by both his colleagues and editors.”

“His passing is the end of a great era,” Murdoch added.

Dunleavy began his career already at the age of 14 after he “quit school” and began working “as a copy boy at The Sun, a Sydney tabloid that employed his dad as a photographer,” says the New York Post in its obituary.

Brown recalls that in “a heartfelt column about how his son Peter was going overseas for the military just after the 9/11 terror attacks, he wrote, ‘I’m sick and tired of all this crap about suspending hostilities over Ramadan. Nobody suspended hostilities when Israel was attacked during Yom Kippur.’”

             (World Israel News)

Read more at: worldisraelnews.com

Nepotism is No Secret in Campaign  of Bronx Assemblyman’s Son

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High school teacher Eric Dinowitz, 33, is the son of Bronx Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, a Democrat who represents Kingsbridge, Norwood, Riverdale, Van Cortlandt Village, Wakefield, and Woodlawn. Photo Credit: www.krvcdc.org

Money and politics are reportedly combining in an attempt to get a Bronx assemblyman’s son elected to the New York City Council.

High school teacher Eric Dinowitz, 33, is the son of Bronx Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, a Democrat who represents Kingsbridge, Norwood, Riverdale, Van Cortlandt Village, Wakefield, and Woodlawn. He wants to serve in the City Council. According to published reports, he is getting campaign cash from his father now despite the fact that the race he wants to run in doesn’t happen until 2021.

“That’s because the Bronx political machine is pushing hard for a special election for this fall, which would give the son a big advantage over potential rivals, according to insiders,” the New York Post has reported. According to the paper, Assemblyman Dinowitz’s committee has already placed $2,675 into his son’s campaign coffers, which filings show now totals $55,247.

Readers of artvoice.com may recognize the elder Dinowitz’s name. the web site recently ran a piece with the catchy headline “NYS Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz Gives Finger To Parents of Vaccine Injured Children.”

On May 28 of this year, the story reads, Dinowitz “gave his constituents the middle finger as he strode into a press conference where he is championing taking away NY State citizens the right to their own bodies.”

“Standing outside of 250 Broadway in NYC, his photo was taken by one of Diniwitz’s constituents who was with a crowd of people protesting a Nazi-like bill that Dinowitz has been championing since 2014,” the web site reported. “This bill would take away the Constitutional Right to Religious Freedom with regard to opting out of injecting poisonous and cancer-causing substances into one’s own body. In other words, this bill would force NYS citizens to inject themselves with KNOWN carcinogens.”

Dinowitz, the artvoice.com story continued, “is using a trumped up ‘measles’ outbreak to bring his bill back to life. Back in 2014, there was no ‘outbreak’ therefore his bill died on the vine. However, now with a few cases of the measles which is not fatal, he saw fit to jump on the bandwagon to get his bill passed.”

Rita Palma, who founded the organization My Kids, My Choice, told the New York Daily News in an interview that several inoculation-averse families were protesting outside of a Manhattan press conference held by Dinowitz and state Sen. Brad Hoylman (D) when he allegedly used the offensive gesture.

“I’m terribly disappointed and disgusted that an elected official would behave in such a way to disparage people who were standing up for the rights of themselves and their children,” Palma told the newspaper.