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Roger Stone Holds Staten Island Fundraiser to Help Pay Legal Fees

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Roger Stone held at a fundraiser on Staten Island last Saturday night, to raise money for his legal defense. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Roger Stone held at a fundraiser on Staten Island last Saturday night, to raise money for his legal defense.

The 66-year-old lobbyist and strategist is known for his use of opposition research, usually for candidates of the Republican Party. He has worked for politicians including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Jack Kemp, Bob Dole and most recently was a longtime advisor for President Donald Trump. On January 25th, Stone was arrested at his residence in Florida in connection with Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel investigation. He is being charged with witness tampering, obstructing an official proceeding, and five counts of making false statements, all of which he is pleading not guilty to.

As reported by the NY Post, to date he has raked up roughly $2 million in lawyer bills, awaiting his trial which has been set for November 5th. The fundraiser, held at an Annadale restaurant in Staten Island, was filled to capacity with over 100 supporters attending, at $150 a head. Stone, who seemed upbeat, spent the night complaining to supporters about the “relentless attacks” against him in the media, but was careful not to violate the gag order in place ahead of his obstruction trial. “And yes, I am eating a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,” Stone told the crowd, referring to his financial woes.

Former “Manhattan Madam” Kristin Davis, and former congressman Michael Grimm were both at his side at the event, Grimm confiding that he had been through a similar “witch hunt”. Rich Valdes, the conservative radio producer and host and potential Republican challenger who will take on Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, was also at the fundraiser.

Stone also has an online fundraising at stonedefensefund.com, which he said has attracted about 40,000 donors. Despite this, he said the lawyers’ bills have forced him to sell his home and his car. “If you see a picture of me on social media, on Instagram, eating a big steak or a nice plate of lasagna, you can bet someone else is paying for it,” he noted.

Stone said he is no longer in direct contact with President Trump, but that they have known each other since 1979. At the time, Stone was working for Ronald Reagan’s New York campaign and Mr. Trump was an important donor.

Scott Stringer: Affordability Crisis Causes People to Leave NYC

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New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer and family march on 55th Celebrate Israel Parade in New York on 5th Avenue. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Housing, childcare and transportation costs are outstripping wages, creating an “affordability crisis” that is causing people to leave New York City, a new report shows.

New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer last week released a new year of data detailing how New York City’s affordability crisis is straining households across the five boroughs.

The updated “Affordability Index” tracks how the rising costs of basic necessities like housing, transportation, healthcare, and child care, are squeezing the budgets of New York City households and leaving them with dwindling savings.

“New York City’s affordability crisis impacts every New Yorker and every community – and the numbers laid out in our affordability index shine a light on this worsening crisis. Over the last decade, the lack of affordable housing and the soaring cost of everything from child care to basic everyday necessities have ravaged New Yorkers’ bank accounts, and now, these pressures are pushing people out,” said Stringer. “This data shows exactly why we need an affordable housing plan that puts people before profits and a bold investment in quality affordable child care. We can’t allow a two-million dollar luxury condo to become the entry price to New York City. We need to meet this growing crisis with the urgency it demands and do everything in our power to keep New York City an aspirational city for our next generation.”

The affordability index is updated annually to monitor the economic struggles of four typical City household types: single adults, married couples with no children, single parents with two children, and married couples with two children. This year’s updated affordability index shows that between 2005 and 2017, typical household incomes increased by just 1.9 percent per year for single adult households and 3.0 percent or more for other households in the index, as the share of incoming remaining for these typical households has generally fallen.

Single parents with two children struggle the most to afford living in New York City and have significant trouble paying for basic necessities. For these households, the costs of basic expenses actually exceeded incomes by 26 percent in 2017, meaning these New York City families are making compromises, racking up debt, or forgoing basic needs.

In fact, the analysis shows that since 2005, single adults with children saw monthly basic expenses rise by $1,508 or 48 percent, while incomes grew just $1,079 or 42 percent over the same period.

Single adults also saw their monthly basic expenses rise faster than incomes. The analysis notes a 41 percent jump in costs and a 26 percent rise in income, leaving those households with just $648 leftover after taxes and basic needs in 2017, down from $831 over a decade ago.

Bklyn Born Artist Transforms Broadway into Artificial Bird Display

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Nearly a dozen artificial birds representing species that some claim are in danger thanks to climate change, are now on display at the Broadway Mall between 64th and 157th streets. Photo Credit: gothamtogo.com

New Yorkers are talking about Birds over Broadway. But it’s not a new play.

Nearly a dozen artificial birds representing species that some claim are in danger thanks to climate change, are now on display at the Broadway Mall between 64th and 157th streets.

Teaming up with the New York City chapter of the Audubon Society is Brooklyn-born artist Nicolas Holiber. He has taken lumber from old floorboards and shipping pallets and refashioned them to create the work of art.

At Dante Park, right across from Lincoln Center, strollers can fine an almost 15-foot long red-necked grebe along with three baby chicks sitting on its back. The bird’s bill is aligned with a clock – watching time run out, get it?

On 148th Street sits a recreation of a snowy owl.

On 105th Street, a wooden double-crested cormorant sits poised.

On 79th street there is a diminutive American bittern bearing red and white stripes, gazing up at the heavens.

At 96th Street, the street is now adorned with a large brant, a form of saltwater goose.

Holiber was the subject of a piece on kickstarter.com, which pointed out that the public art exhibition is intended to raise awareness for bird species whose existence is threatened by climate change, while also bringing beauty to the urban landscape.

“Stretching from 64th Street north to 166th Street in Manhattan, the exhibition will display sculptures in prominent locations on the median that bisects Broadway, called the Broadway Malls,” the site reports. “Holiber is the youngest artist ever to have a solo exhibition on the malls and this will be one of the largest to date.”

Each sculpture will be made out of 100% reclaimed or recycled wood, kickstarter.com noted. “Through a partnership with Big Reuse, the artist will receive salvaged lumber to be used for each bird. Holiber will also reprocess found wood from around the streets of New York City. Additionally, sponsorship for all of the hardware needed to build the sculptures has been provided by Marjam Supply Company.”

The birds’ importance lies in generating awareness, the group continued. “Why are these birds important? Because they come from a group identified in the National Audubon Society Birds & Climate Change Report, which revealed that 314 species—nearly half of all North American birds—will be imperiled over the coming decades due to shifting and contracting habitat zones as a result of global warming. Each sculpture will be accompanied by information on that specific bird, the threats it faces, and what concerned viewers can do to help.”

LIC Warehouse Near Waterfront May Soon Become Residential Tower

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The Long Island City skyline. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

A Long Island City warehouse near the waterfront may soon give rise to a residential tower.

A two-story warehouse and an adjacent parking lot at 2-33 50th Avenue has been placed on the market. That means the site could be purchased and developed in one of the hottest housing development markets in the city.

JLL and chairman of New York investment sales Bob Knakal have been tapped to market and peddle the property.

According not published reports, the site in question is able to accommodate more than 440,000 square feet of new space. Thus far, it has no sale price, but insiders say they expect it go for an amount in the tens of millions.

“It’s the best development site available in Queens right now,” Knakal told Crain’s New York Business. the edifice in question is located inside an opportunity zone where, among other things, capital gains can be sheltered from taxation. “There will be a lot of interest both from the development community and from opportunity-zone buyers,” he added.

“The site sits a block from the Vernon Boulevard subway station on the No. 7 line, offering a close connection to Manhattan and, Knakal noted, the Hudson Yards development, which opened this year,” Crain’s reported. “There’s over 80,000 jobs being created in the Hudson Yards and the 7 train is the only public transit link to the neighborhood,” Knakal said. “Living in this neighborhood, with such a great connection, is almost as good as being able to walk to work.”

The site’s zoning reportedly permits approximately 420,000 square feet of residential space. Knakal told Crain’s that the remaining square footage could be community space or retail. “The property sits among a cluster of large residential spires built along the East River in Long Island City over the past decade. Knakal said nearly all of the rental and condo apartments in the area have been absorbed and that recent years have seen a lull in new development in that particular. “There’s an air bubble in the supply of new apartments here,” Knakal said. “A developer could take advantage of that with this site.”

JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated) itself is a leading professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. The Fortune 500 company has annual revenue of $16.3 billion, operations in over 80 countries and a global workforce of over 91,000.

Extravagant Midtown Penthouse on the Market for $98M; NYC’s Second Priciest Home

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The Big Apple is full of fine condos and lavish penthouses. Not many, however, can justify a price tag of $98 million.

The 19,815-square-foot quintuplex penthouse, at 172 Madison Avenue in Midtown, listed for $98 million, is truly exceptional. The sprawling five story home boasts 18- to 32-foot-high ceilings and “nearly anything that money can buy and the mind can imagine is possible,” as per the listing. It features a total of 26 rooms, with 11 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, several fireplaces, outdoor terraces on each floor, a private roof deck with a pool and Jacuzzi, and a total of over 4,500 square feet of outdoor terrace space. It also has river to river views in the heart of New York. It has been adoringly nicknamed Le Penthouse. “If this is how you love to live, this is your call to action, you will love to create this one of a kind white box into a home,” the brokers wrote in the listing. Raphael Sitruk and Efraim Tessler of Keller Williams NYC were the lucky ones to be entrusted with the listing.

Designed by the late architect Karl Fischer and developed by Tessler, the memorizing home is conveniently located between 33rd and 34th Streets—an eight-minute walk to Madison Square Park, and 11 minutes away from Grand Central. Interior design was by Shamir Shah. The fully staffed building includes a 67-ft salt-water lap pool, Jacuzzi, steam room, Yoga room, a gym with complimentary classes, a lounge with billiards, a children’s playroom, and of course an on-site 172 Spa for pets. Homes include a smart system to control climate, lighting, shades and music. Common charges in the building are $30,461 per month, and taxes are $51,269 monthly.

As reported by Curbed NY, the building sits on a once-foreclosed site, where in 2011 Russian-based developers NMP Group defaulted on a loan after making plans for the building. Real estate investor Yitzchak Tessler rescued the project, purchasing and completing it. The 33-story building, dressed in reflective glass that is accentuated by robust onyx-colored frames, was built in 2016 and offers 72 apartments. Some of the building’s units first hit the market in 2015, before completion. Currently other available listings at the building include 2- bedroom apartments, with 1,488 total square footage, asking over $2.5 million; a 3-bedroom with 2,146 square feet asking $5.75 million; and a 4-bedroom penthouse with 3,548 square feet of space asking a cool $14 millio

Ocasio-Cortez Hits Amazon with More Baseless Accusations

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is in hot water once again for saying what many claim are ridiculous things — this time slamming Amazon for paying peanuts to employees. Problem is: they don’t. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is in hot water once again for saying what many claim are ridiculous things — this time slamming Amazon for paying peanuts to employees.

Problem is: they don’t. Ocasio-Cortez, the first-time Congresswoman, known nationally for repeatedly jamming her foot in her mouth in front of television cameras, criticized Amazon for paying entry-level, order-fulfillment center workers just $15 per hour – even though that is double the federally mandated minimum wage. Her statements came as a guest on ABC News’ “This Week” program eight days ago.

The Congresswoman also complained about the economy, which she judges to be “immoral,” and insisted that Amazon underpays, as she put it, “every single person.”

Amazon justifiably called the allegations “absurd.” Rather than apologize, Ocasio-Cortez turned up the volume, taking to social media to broadcast her silliness more widely.

According to Amazon, it employs about 647,000 across the United States. In addition to salary, full-time and some part-time employees receive health-care coverage and college benefits.

One of Ocasio-Cortez’s tweets bellowed that “1 in 10 of Amazon’s Ohio employees were on food stamps after the company opened fulfillment centers in the state. Paying full-time employees so little that they require gov food assistance is what paying starvation wages means.”

“The disconcerting thing is the amount of job destruction she brings about, as well as the airtime she gets,” the New York Post’s Jonathon Trugman wrote. “She helped kill 25,000 high-paying jobs in the city, which needs them, and yet some people treat her like she walks on water. It’s a shame, because 77 percent of New Yorkers wanted the Amazon jobs and $150,000 average pay packages, and the governor made a good deal that would have netted NY and NYC $25 billion in tax revenue over 10 years, despite a modest credit in the beginning.”

Only weeks ago, radio talk show host Mark Levin said this about Ocasio-Cortez on BlazeTV: “The idea that this woman is celebrated and promoted by the media is really appalling. She’s a dunderhead, she doesn’t know a damn thing, she hasn’t done a damn thing. This is like going to a sorority house or a frat house. People are sitting around after about three beers just burping out stupid stuff all the time.”

More recently, she posted a video on social media in which she likened detention centers at America’s southern border to World War Two-style concentration camps. “The U.S. is running concentration camps on our southern border, and that is exactly what they are,” the witless Ocasio-Cortez said.

Sotheby’s Realty to Open New Brokerage in Qatar

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Sotheby’s International Realty is expanding its presence in the Middle East.

The luxury brokerage firm is adding a new branch in Qatar, as per the Real Deal. The new arm, to be headquartered in the capital city Doha, will be owned by lifestyle conglomerate Alfardan Group. Doha is not only the capital but also the largest and most populous city in the Arabic state of Qatar, which famously has the highest per capita income in the world. The city is located on the coast of the Persian Gulf. The firms’ emphasis will be on luxury residential markets, working with clients from all across the world who are looking to buy high-end real estate.

Philip White, the President and CEO of Sotheby’s International Realty, said in a statement that the country’s “high-income economy and global real estate interest” were key factors for selecting the region for the expansion. Seran Gheorghe has been appointed as the general manager of the Doha-based office. Gheorghe is a real estate veteran in the region and had been employed with Gulf Sotheby’s International Realty in Dubai. As reported by Inman, Gheorghe said the Qatari market has exquisite beachfront villas and high-end apartments and penthouses, which have attracted buyers from all around the globe including India, China, the U.S. and Europe. “We pride ourselves in offering the highest level of support and advice to our clients before, during and after the transaction,” Gheorghe said. “Aligning our company with the Sotheby’s International Realty brand will further provide our clients with unparalleled marketing, global reach and exposure.”

Sotheby’s luxury real estate brand was founded in 1976 by the Sotheby’s Auction House. It currently has 990 offices in 72 countries and territories worldwide. The brand reached $112 billion in sales last year, a company record. It is now owned by Reology Holdings, which is traded on the NYSE, and also owns Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, Century 21, Coldwell Banker and Corcoran among other holdings.

Qatar has frequented headlines of late, for having won the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament, which will be held in late November until mid-December of 2022, to avoid the country’s summer heat. Though the decision was seeped in controversy, it is probably now leading to this entry by Sotheby’s Realty. The event will doubtlessly bring publicity and growth into the region.

The launch of the new branch also comes after a subsidiary of Peerage Capital acquired Sotheby’s Canadian brokerage division. In May, the private equity company bought Sotheby’s International Realty Canada from a subsidiary of Dundee Corp. The deal impacted SIRC’s 540 realtors in 32 offices across the country, who were reportedly be given the option to stay with the newly acquired brokerage.

Social Media Influencer Helps Expose Anti-Semitism

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Liora Rez, Executive Director of StopAntisemitism.org, is helping to lead the charge against anti-Semitism in the online sphere. Having worked as a social media influencer since 2013 under the name “Jewish Chick”, Rez combined efforts with a few like-minded individuals in 2018 to start a grassroots effort in fighting the rabid Jew hatred she was encountering online.

Liora Rez, Executive Director of StopAntisemitism.org, is helping to lead the charge against anti-Semitism in the online sphere. Having worked as a social media influencer since 2013 under the name “Jewish Chick”, Rez combined efforts with a few like-minded individuals in 2018 to start a grassroots effort in fighting the rabid Jew hatred she was encountering online.

In less than a year’s time, the organization’s reach on social media exceeds 750,000 per month and the group counts several dozen orgs as partners.

Rez states “The rise of anti-Semitism is a symptom of a bigger issue as hatred and bigotry in America are moving beyond just racism against Jews. Our goal is to keep anti-Semites accountable and create consequences for their hatred and racist actions by substantiating the fact that they are the enemies of the American people and conflict with American values and morals.”

StopAntisemitism.org receives tips from the public about anti-Semitic incidents, monitors media and social media to reveal anti-Semitism in all facets of American society, and educates the public about anti-Semitism through online platforms, petitions, and clear calls to action. Calls to action via petitions include Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UCLA, Marc Lamont Hill, and currently, CAIR’s influence over Congress.

In less than a year’s time, the organization’s reach on social media exceeds 750,000 per month and the group counts several dozen orgs as partners.

“Many individual reporters follow us, both Jewish and non, because they’re aware our social media followers submit tips via our online platforms and website. Once we expose the anti-Semitic event(s), the media follows up and reports on it. We’re slowly becoming the first source for anti-Semitism, primarily from the under 35 demographic.”

You can follow StopAntisemitism.org on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter as well as subscribing to updates here.

Rivlin Hosts Event Marking 40 Years of Israel-Egypt Peace with Cairo’s Ambassador Present

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President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin on Tuesday hosted a meeting to mark the 40th anniversary of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. Egyptian Ambassador to Israel Khaled Azmi, Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Minister of Regional Cooperation Tzachi Hanegbi also took part in the event. Photo Credit: Mark Neiman (GPO)

President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin on Tuesday hosted a meeting to mark the 40th anniversary of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. Egyptian Ambassador to Israel Khaled Azmi, Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Minister of Regional Cooperation Tzachi Hanegbi also took part in the event. The event included members of the diplomatic corps, Israeli ambassadors who previously served in Egypt and officials who served in key roles during the peace process with Egypt

President Rivlin said: “The peace treaty between Israel and Egypt was signed only six years after a terrible war between our countries in 1973. We could never have imagined that only a few years later our leaders would hug and shake hands. This should serve as an inspiration for our efforts to achieve peace with all of our neighbors, and especially our Palestinian neighbors.”

“Two generations of Israelis and Egyptians know only peace between our countries,” the president said at the beginning of his remarks.” The gift of peace is a tremendous gift which the leaders of Egypt and Israel have given to their children and grandchildren. I want to especially express our appreciation to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi whose commitment to peace, stability and cooperation has ensured that our relationship stays strong.”

Speaking to Egyptian Ambassador Khaled Azmi, the president said: “My friend, the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt is the cornerstone of stability in the Middle East. I hope that President Sisi and I have an opportunity to meet soon, and to mark many decades of mutual, strategic collaboration between our countries. I also wish to thank President Sisi for his warm letter of condolence after the passing away of my wife, Nechama.”

Egyptian Ambassador Khaled Azmi: “Middle East peace can best be served by learning from our own past experiences. Our peace treaty has set important example in how Middle East peace is negotiated, and by what means should Arab and Israeli interests be accounted for in a peace process. Egypt was the pioneer in initiating peace in the Middle East. Our vision was, and still is, based on full nation-statehood and security for everyone in the region. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has wasted the resources and disrupted the lives of the people of the Middle East for many decades. It is saddening to claim the status-quo as the most that we can achieve of the hopes and aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians. The goal we aim to achieve through negotiations between the two parties is one that is based on justice, legitimate rights and mutual willingness to coexist in two neighboring independent states living in peace and security. This will provide a tangible new reality for the Israelis and Palestinians, enabling them to enjoy the well-deserved, peace security, and prosperity.”

Ancient City Gate from King David Era Discovered in Golan Heights

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Archaeologists in Israel’s Golan Heights have made an exciting discovery, uncovering an ancient city gate from the time of King David.​ Photo Credit: www.ancient-origins.net

Archaeologists in Israel’s Golan Heights have made an exciting discovery, uncovering an ancient city gate from the time of King David.​

As reported by Fox News, the discovery was made during an excavation at the ancient city of Bethsaida. “There are not too many monumental discoveries dating from the reign of King David,” wrote Rami Arav, Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska and Bethsaida Excavation Director, in an email to Fox News. “This is absolutely a significant contribution to biblical archaeology and biblical studies.”​

Bethsaida was the capital city of the Biblical kingdom of Geshur, founded in the 11th century B.C. as a pre-planned city, said Arav. “The city included a place, granary, city walls, city gate, a high place in the city gate, and a cobblestones courtyard in front of the gate,” he explains. Bethsaida was destroyed in the year 920 B.C.

“Since this is the period of time of King David and since the Bible narrates that King David married Maachah the daughter of Talmai the king of Geshur, it is reasonable that King David walked on these very cobblestones when he visited the city,” Arav marveled.​ Bethsaida, unlike most capital cities which have been built and rebuilt so many times, is an archaeological treasure for getting the real story about what happened during the times of the Hebrew Bible and the Second Temple period. “Bethsaida is a unique example of a capital city from the 11th-8th century BCE that is available for archaeological research, as there has been no disturbance to this site,” said Arav.

An ancient monumental stone slab, was also discovered near the gate’s tower, with depictions of the moon god which was worshipped at the time by the ancient Aramean people.​

Archeologists who made the discoveries are now in their 32nd year of excavations at the ancient city. The project was at first sponsored by Israel’s Haifa University. The University of Nebraska at Omaha took over those efforts. Currently, it is being sponsored by the Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem.​

Another gate was discovered last year at the site, and was said to be dated from the First Temple period.​

Last April, archaeologists also made an important discovery in proving the actual existence of renowned Biblical King David. A large building was found at Tel ‘Eton in the valley underneath the Hills of Hebron. The breakthrough can leave no doubt that the biblical character and his kingdom were factual. The discoveries seem to have been made just in time, to prove the historical events of the bible and discredit the naysayers. “Until 25 years ago no one doubted that King David was a historical figure,” said Professor Avraham Faust, director of that archaeological dig. “In the last 25 years or so, however, David’s historicity, and especially the size of his kingdom, are hotly debated“.​

In a different project, excavations in Southern Israel by Israel Defense Forces troops working under the direction of the Israel Antiquities Authority, discovered a biblical watchtower which dates back to the 8th century B.C.​

Afula City Hall: No Arabs in Our Park This Summer

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The municipality of Afula will prevent residents of the area from entering the municipal park along the summer vacation.

The municipality of Afula will prevent residents of the area from entering the municipal park along the summer vacation.

The park will be open to the general public on Fridays, but non-residents will not be able to participate in activities that will take place there. In his election campaign, the mayor declared that “the occupation of the park must stop,” and that “Israeli flags should be waved and music should be played in Hebrew”

The Municipality of Afula will prevent non-residents of the city from entering the municipal park during the summer vacation, except for one day during the week when the site will be open to the general public. The city’s decision, which was adopted Monday, comes after Mayor Avi Elkabetz declared in his campaign that he will prevent residents of Arab communities from entering the site. “The occupation of the municipal park must stop,” he said at the time. “It’s not a political matter, it’s not a subject for elections, it’s just something fundamental – a park built for the residents of Afula should remain theirs.”

According to the decision of the municipality, residents of the city will be able to enter the park at no cost and show identification card, and children of the city will be able to buy a bracelet at a cost of ten shekels, which will give them entry to the park throughout the period. On Fridays the park will open to the general public, but non-residents of Afula will not be able to participate in activities that will take place there. The “Afula” network of community centers, which the municipality authorized to operate the park during the summer months, announced that it intends to produce dozens of leisure, community and cultural events in the park.

In recent years, residents of the city have complained that Arabs from other communities in the area are visiting the municipal park. In a demonstration held a year ago in front of the park, under the title “Preserving the Jewish Character of Afula,” one of the demonstrators said that Arabs were coming to the city because “they are hunting for Jews, they are coming to assimilate.” Another demonstrator wondered why she should go to the park and “listen only to Arabic.”

Mayor Elkabetz, who founded the municipal park in his previous term, focused on his last campaign campaign in Afula’s “Jewish character.” As part of the campaign he participated in demonstrations against the sale of houses in the city to Arabs. In one of his posts on his Facebook page, he wrote: “We must proudly fly Israeli flags throughout the park and play music in Hebrew.” Since Elkabetz was chosen, the park has been closed several times for the benefit of the residents of Afula, but not for as long as it is now planned. Earlier this month, Elkabetz took part in a demonstration against the sale of a home to an Arab family in the city – this time while he was mayor.

The municipal park will be open to the general public on Fridays free of charge, and in the rest of the week it will serve as a community center for all intents and purposes, like many other places around the country that close activities for their residents only.”

Netanyahu Leads Summit of US, Russian & Israeli Security Advisers in J’slm

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Tuesday morning, led the trilateral summit meeting of the national security advisers of the US, Russia and Israel at Jerusalem’s Orient Hotel.

The historic meeting of security advisers is being held pursuant to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s efforts with the American and Russian administrations and in continuation of the meetings held by the Prime Minister and National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat in recent days with US National Security Adviser John Bolton and the Secretary of the Russian National Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev.

National Security Adviser Ben-Shabbat and his US and Russian counterparts are currently meeting at the summit. The discussions are focusing on Iran, Syria and regional issues.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, at the start of the meeting:

“It’s historic because it’s the first meeting between our three countries’ national security advisors in our capital, Jerusalem. I want to thank President Trump and President Putin for agreeing to hold this security summit and for sending their most senior advisors. I deeply value the strong relationships that Israel has with both leaders and both countries.

As I’ve said many times, Israel’s relations with the United States of America has reached new heights under President Trump’s leadership. Equally, Israel is grateful that our friendship with Russia has gotten stronger—stronger than ever in recent years.

I had an opportunity to meet with both of you these past few days, including just now in the last few minutes, to discuss important bilateral issues, but especially the challenge of how to bring security and stability in our immediate region. Based on our discussions, I believe that there is a wider basis for cooperation between the three of us than many believe. This summit represents a real opportunity to help advance that stability in our region, and particularly in Syria.

As both of you know, Israel has acted hundreds of times to prevent Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria, while it actively and openly calls and works for our destruction. We have acted hundreds of times to prevent Iran from delivering increasingly sophisticated weaponry to Hezbollah, or to form a second front in the north against us from the Golan Heights. Israel will continue to prevent Iran from using neighboring territory as platforms to attack us, and Israel will respond forcefully to any such attacks.

I want to thank the Russian government and President Putin for working closely with Israel on a mechanism of deconfliction that helps ensure that as we defend ourselves, we do not put Russian forces in harm’s way.

I want to thank the United States and President Trump from unequivocally backing Israel’s right to defend itself. All three of us would like to see a peaceful, stable and secure Syria.

Israel’s Religious Right Faces Leadership Power Struggle

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Ayelet Shaked (l) and Rafi Peretz (r) want to lead the Union of Right-wing parties. (Flash90)

Two are vying for the top spot of the United Right, an alliance of religious-Zionist parties.

This week may determine who will head the party that wants to shore up the Likud from the right of the political spectrum in the upcoming elections, Israel Hayom reported on Sunday.

Rabbi Rafi Peretz, current head of the Union of Right-Wing Parties, or United Right, is being challenged to give up his spot to former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, who once held the No. 2 spot in the Jewish Home party, the senior partner in the United Right’s coalition.

Polls have shown that Shaked is more popular than Peretz among right-wing voters. Peretz is a neophyte politician, having been invited to lead Jewish Home right before the April elections, after it was left in shambles by the sudden departure of its former leader, Naftali Bennett, whom Shaked followed out the door to form the New Right party.

The New Right missed making it into the Knesset by only some 1,400 votes, which led to the loss of four Knesset seats that would have allowed the Likud to form a government. The United Right, which joined with two smaller parties, National Union and Jewish Strength, won five seats.

Neither Peretz nor Shaked show a willingness to budge. Peretz insists that Shaked can be second on the party list but not first.

Shaked’s supporters say the issue boils down to numbers. They say surveys show that if she is only number two, the United Right will get perhaps six seats. However, if she is the leader, the party could reach double digits.

“These are not struggles over ego,” Shaked’s camp says, “but insistence based on political analysis, in order to ensure the establishment of a right-wing government. Any other move could end with [us] sitting in the Opposition.”

However, a source involved in talks between the two summed up the feelings of those who were embittered by Shaked’s defection earlier this year.

“Rabbi Rafi stood at the head of the list and brought the needed number of mandates, while Shaked left, dismantled and endangered [us]. And now she wants to return and even get a prize for it.”

“It’s true that she’s popular, but is it so sure that she will bring so many mandates? If that’s really true, how is it that the New Right didn’t pass the electoral threshold in the last elections,” the source said.

The source admitted that “blood” spilled in the fight could “damage” the party.

Shaked’s confidantes countered doubts, saying that the focus should be on the hundreds of thousands of votes the New Right did get.

“To say they’re worth nothing is simply wrong,” they said.

            (World Israel News)

Read more at: worldisraelnews.com

 

Suspect in Rape of 7-Year Old Israeli Girl Released & Indictment Canceled

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At the end of a decisive session in Israel with the Military Advocate General (MAG), the military prosecution announced cancellation of the indictment and asked to release Mahmud Ketusa from the detention: “We have found certain evidence indicating Katusha’s involvement in the injury of the girl but not enough for a reasonable chance of conviction in court.

On Tuesday morning, the Judge Advocate General’s Office shelved the indictment against 44-year-old Mahmud Katusa from Deir Qadis, who was accused of rape of the seven-year-old girl from Modi’in Illit. Katusa will be sent home. In a dramatic decision made at the end of a meeting convened by Judge Advocate General (res.) Sharon Afek with representatives of the State Prosecutor’s Office and the police, it was said that there was insufficient evidence to establish an indictment. The findings of the supplementary investigation conducted in recent days only sharpened the evidentiary difficulties in the case.

On April 15, the girl’s parents filed a complaint with the police against Katusa and others in which they stated that their daughter had been sexually assaulted earlier, and that many of the interrogations were carried out, including the taking of testimony from the child by a skilled child investigator. The police investigation will continue with greater force, both in terms of status and in other directions, with the aim of exhausting the investigation and reaching the truth.

Deir Qadis is a Palestinian town in Area B which is under the municipal responsibility of the Palestinian Authority and on the security responsibility of Israel. Cases like this one highlight the practical complications of having three different overlapping government infrastructures operation separately in one geographical area. The gaps between them cause chaos.

The MAG announced that, “After examining the evidence in the case, the completion of the investigation and the analysis of the investigative actions that are yet to be carried out, the MAG believes that at this time there is no reasonable chance of convicting Katusa. Therefore, the MAG decided to backtrack from the indictment and allow the Israel Police to continue the investigation.”

In light of this, the Military Prosecution informed the military court of that it will take back the indictment and requested that Katusa be released from detention. “It is clear that cancellation of an indictment and the release of a defendant from detention, in a situation in which there is some evidence against him on charges of sexual offenses of a minor, is not a trivial matter, and in light of the fabric of evidence collected so far, this is the most appropriate professional decision.”

In an announcement of the Military Advocate General’s decision, it was noted that “according to the position of all the professionals involved in handling the case, the evidentiary basis underlying the indictment does not rise at this time to a reasonable chance of conviction.” Therefore, according to the law, the indictment should be retracted and Katusa must be released from detention.

Israeli Police to Recommend Indictment of MK Litzman for Helping Alleged Sex Offenders

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Police officials in Israel are said to be preparing to recommend an indictment for United Torah Judaism party chairman and Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman on charges that he used his office to illicitly provide assistance to alleged sex offenders, according to a report released Friday by the Kan public broadcaster. Photo Credit: mfa.gov.il

Police officials in Israel are said to be preparing to recommend an indictment for United Torah Judaism party chairman and Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman on charges that he used his office to illicitly provide assistance to alleged sex offenders, according to a report released Friday by the Kan public broadcaster.

One case reportedly involves Malka Leifer, a former ultra-Orthodox girls’ school principal charged in Australia with 74 counts of child sex abuse, according to the Times of Israel. “The police announced in February that they were investigating Litzman on suspicion that he pressured employees in his office to change the conclusions of their psychiatric evaluations to deem Leifer unfit for extradition,” it reported.

Another case has Litzman accused of aiding other alleged sexual predators in a manner that was against the law, Kan reported.

Litzman has claimed he did nothing wrong, but merely followed her policy of responding to those in need of assistance.

“The deputy minister is also being probed in a third case, but the likelihood of him being charged appears slim, according to the public broadcaster. It gave no details on the case,” the Times added.

The news site theyeshivaworld.com has reported that Litzman had reportedly been “playing a key role in preventing her extradition to Australia, including efforts to obtain an expert opinion that she is mentally unfit for extradition. This case against him states he exceeded and abused his authority with his involvement in the case of Laufer, and had no right to act as he did, to block the indictment of a suspect wanted by authorities in another country.”

According to i24news.tv, Litzman is suspected of “having organized for a panel of experts to issue a psychiatric opinion that would have allowed Malka Leifer, an ultra-Orthodox woman facing 74 charges of sexual abuse against minors in Australia, to evade justice by declaring her unfit for trial.”

Just weeks ago, Litzman addressed the crisis in coalition negotiations over the issue of the Draft Law. According to israelnationalnews.com, he “made it clear that he is not prepared to compromise on the issue of the law and will not hesitate to go back to elections over it. “I hope we will receive 10 seats,” he said. “Why give up, maybe someone else should give up? Be flexible? I have 20 Knesset seats together with my colleagues, someone else has less.”

Curator at USHMM Must Be Fired!!!

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Why are lunatics running Holocaust Memorial Museums around the globe? A few of them in major cities agreed with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) (D-NY) who last week caused outrage when she compared American detention centers for illegal immigrants at the southern border to…you guessed it….the concentration camps of WWII where over 6 million Jews were slaughtered in unimaginable ways. This caused a firestorm of responses to refute this idiot congresswoman who delights in bull-horning on topics that appear to be well above her childhood mentality. Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center said the congresswoman was “insulting victims of genocide.” The Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center told AOC to “learn about concentration camps.” Polish legislator, Dominik invited AOC to visit the Nazi concentration camps in Poland “So that she may see that scoring political points with inflamed rhetoric is unacceptable in our contemporary Western societies.” And on and on with those who jumped on the former barmaid for her dangerous spouting of lunacies.

But to the point of this editorial. While others lambasted Cortez, strangely, Dr. Rebecca Erbelding, an author, historical archivist and curator employed by the United States Holocaust Museum (USHMM) in D.C., supported AOC in a series of tweets: “The parallels to the 1930s-1940s refugee crisis are so obvious. Why can’t we learn?” she tweeted. She also retweeted a comment that backed the freshman congresswoman calling it “a Geppetto checkmark,” which means “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” When the USHMM was asked whether Erbelding’s comments reflect their policy, their response was that the comments came from her personal Twitter account and that was it. No denunciation against her from her employer. Going back to 1998 during the Clinton administration, the Holocaust Memorial Council, under Miles Lerman invited Yasser Arafat to visit these hallowed halls. Can we still consider this museum to reflect the memory of over 6 million Jews dead with it being used as a political institution rather than a memorial to their souls?

And to add to this horror story, the Berlin Jewish Museum must also hide its head in shame for having its director, Peter Schafer, resign for tweeting encouragement for its followers to read (and support) an article about a petition in which some scholars criticized a May 17 Bundestag resolution that bars the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and any group deemed anti-Semitic, from receiving federal funds and using public space. Schafer, to all intents and purposes, supported those opposed to the Bundestag’s describing BDS’ “patterns of argumentation and methods” as anti-Semitic, including disputing Israel’s right to exist. Mr. Shafer had to leave the Museum under these circumstances but how in the world did he ever get this job with his openly, anti-Israel sentiments?

We started this piece with AOC and we’ll end it with her and the sad story of just who her supporters are. Nancy Pelosi, when questioned about the detention camps equating to being concentration camps, stated, “I’m not up to date with her most recent remarks. I saw them on the news, but I haven’t spoken to her about that.” And our own Jerrold Nadler patted AOC on her back by saying, “One of the lessons from the Holocaust is ‘Never Again,’ not only to mass murder but also to the dehumanization of people, violations of basic rights and assaults on our common morality.” In other words, “Yeah, we have Auschwitz and Buchenwalds on the Mexican border. And we rely on these people to run our country?