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PM Netanyahu Leads Trilateral Summit Meeting of US, Russian and Israeli National Security Advisers

By
David Haivri
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this morning (Tuesday, 25 June 2019), at the Orient Hotel in Jerusalem, led the trilateral summit meeting of the national security advisers of the US, Russia and Israel.

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.

That’s the common goal. We also have a common objective to achieve that larger goal, and that is no foreign forces that arrived in Syria after 2011 remain in Syria. We think there are also ways to achieve this common goal, which will create a more stable Middle East, or at least a more stable Middle East in this part of that region. I believe that the outcome that I’ve just described – the departure of all foreign forces from Syria who entered Syria after 2011 – will be good for Russia, good for the United States, good for Israel, and may I add, good for Syria.

We look forward to discussing concrete ways to achieve this goal, which is critical for successfully implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2254, and Israel hopes that this summit will help bring us closer to achieving our shared goal of peace and prosperity and security – they go together – in this region.

Again, I want to welcome both of you, John and Nikolai, and your delegations to Jerusalem. Next year in Jerusalem. Perhaps before.”

National Security Adviser and National Security Council Chairman Ben-Shabbat, at the start of the meeting:

“The honor is ours to host, in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, this important meeting at the level of national security advisers and their teams, from the three countries. The meeting was preceded by in-depth and lengthy discussions between the Prime Minister and the heads of the two countries and professional-level talks, which have strengthened the sense that the time is now ripe for this diplomatic move. That it is being held to Jerusalem attests to Israel’s standing, to the superpowers’ confidence in it and to the weight it is being given on issues on the regional and global agendas.

The attainment of security and stability in our region is our common goal. Other nations and peoples in and beyond the region also aspire to it. It will be unattainable without reining in Iran’s aspirations and actions. Recent events underscore this conclusion, which must be taken into account in any outline for an agreement.

Thank you Prime Minister for the leadership. Thank you my counterparts for the willingness to clear your schedules and attend the meeting. This attests to its importance. For many, including myself, this is also a basis for optimism and an opening for hope because we can formulate an agreement on the concrete goals and on the practical steps to achieve them. I wish success to us all.”

Suspect in Rape of Seven Year Old Girl Released and Indictment Canceled

By
David Haivri
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At the end of a decisive session 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 released from detention.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Office stated in response to the Judge Advocate General’s decision that “following the testimony of the girl and her pointed at Katusa, it was decided to interrogate him as a suspect. Based on evidence in the case, we decided to order his arrest. Since then his detention has been extended by the court from time to time, on eight other occasions, according to the progress of the investigation.

“In the course of the investigation, evidence was gathered that reinforced the suspicions against Katusa beyond the testimony of the child, including certain identification procedures and matching between the details provided by the child and findings on the ground.” The military prosecution examined the evidence gathered during the investigation, The case establishes a sufficient evidentiary basis for bringing Katusa to trial, and therefore he must be indicted.”

 

Amusement Park in India Closed indefinitely as Ride Cable Snaps and Injures 12

By
Administrator
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shutterstock

According to published reports, the Free Fall ride at the Queensland Theme Park in Chennai, India was ordered by management to suspend operations “indefinitely” due to a horrifying incident that occurred last week in which 12 people were injured. Reports indicate that a mechanical malfunction caused the ride to crash 10 feet to the ground as startled onlookers gasped in trepidation. 

Edited by: JV Staff

The rest of the amusement park has also been shuttered due to the terrible accident on the popular ride. 

Fox News reported that according to The News Minute, the accident comes two months after officials sent a notice to the park about its equipment.

“We wrote to them in April to ensure that all the rides were in good shape. They claimed that they had checked everything but clearly that was not the case,” assistant commissioner Muthuvel Pandi said.

Fox News also reported that in the video of the fall, the riders are seen on two platforms being hoisted into the air. However, once the ride finishes and the platforms are lowered back to the ground, the steel cables holding one of the platforms snaps and those strapped to it crash to the ground.

The extent of the riders’ injuries was not reported, according to Fox News. 

According to police, they did not find out of the incident until the footage went viral on social media, noting no one from the park came forward to file a complaint.

“We came to know after the video of the accident reached us. The amusement park tried to hide the whole thing and we believe they convinced the visitors who were in the ride to strike a compromise. All first aid was done there without any external interference,” Pandi told the outlet.

NJ Woman Sentenced for Providing Material Support to ISIS

By
Administrator
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In 2016, Sinmyah Amera Ceasar was locked up, and 12 months later admitted her guilt, for giving material support to ISIS, according to officials. Photo Credit: YouTube

Supporting a terror group is inexcusable.

Doing it twice is unforgiveable.

A woman from New Jersey who served as what amounted to as a double-agent for the terror group ISIS has been sentenced in Brooklyn for providing it with material support. Again.

By: Lisette Mangano

In 2016, Sinmyah Amera Ceasar was locked up, and 12 months later admitted her guilt, for giving material support to ISIS, according to officials.

The woman reportedly signed a cooperation agreement with the federal government following the sentencing – then, according to the New York Post quoting prosecutors, privately went on supporting the murderous group.

As government witness Dr. Lorenzo Vivilo, the director of the program of extremism at George Washington University testified in court, “She played two main roles, which I would characterize as a disseminator and a connector… She connects them with people who are ISIS members. My assessment is that she retains the mindset of ISIS.”

“Ceasar shared propaganda on social media,” the Post reported, “and then would vet those interested and vouch for them to fellow terror supporters. She was re-arrested and pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in March.”

The question of dealing with ISIS members and supporters is a global one, currently under intense debate. Just today, the U.N.’s human rights chief said there were “only two options for dealing with the tens of thousands of suspected ISIS fighters currently detained in Syria and Iraq: They must be either tried or let go, and their families cannot be detained indefinitely,” reported NPR. “Some 55,000 suspected ISIS fighters and their family members have been swept up and detained since ISIS was effectively toppled and lost control of its territory, the U.N. says.”

“It must be clear that all individuals who are suspected of crimes — whatever their country of origin, and whatever the nature of the crime — should face investigation and prosecution, with due process guarantees,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said. She also warned that flawed trials “can only serve the narrative of grievance and revenge. And the continuing detention of individuals not suspected of crimes, in the absence of lawful basis and regular independent judicial review, is not acceptable.”

She continued, “I strongly encourage member states to act in line with the guidance note prepared by my Office, in consultation with other UN entities, regarding human rights-based responses to the situation of foreign fighters and their families. I urge all States to assume responsibility for their nationals, and to work together to provide resources to help the relevant authorities and actors in Syria and Iraq to address urgent humanitarian needs.”

LIC Warehouse Near Waterfront May Soon Become Residential Tower

By
Administrator
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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.

By: Greg Gansworth

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.

Scott Stringer: Affordability Crisis Causes People to Leave NYC

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Administrator
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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.

By: Mark Blucott

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.

Queens DA Race is Battleground For Liberal Democrats

By
Administrator
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The favored candidate among state and county party leaders, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to become the borough’s next top prosecutor is Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

There are six candidates now competing in the June 25 Democratic primary and seeking the Democratic nomination for Queens district attorney. The winner will have a good lead to win a November general election to take over for longtime District Attorney Richard Brown, who died last month at the age 86. Queens has not elected a new DA since 1991.

By: Hadassah Kalatizadeh

As reported by VIN News, the primary is turning into another battle between moderate Democrats and the liberals.  It is also slated to become a test of the influence employed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the outspoken far-left freshman Queens Congresswoman.

Each of the candidates has promised to support criminal justice reforms popular among Democrats, such as less severe prosecutions for marijuana offenses.  But the candidate furthest to the left, Tiffany Caban, is getting the most attention. The 31-year-old public defender has made her top priorities ending “racist law enforcement” and mass incarceration.  If elected, Caban, who introduces herself as “a queer Latina from a working-class family”, would not only be a first female to hold the office, but also the first person of color.  

Caban says she would end prosecutions for ‘ minor’ crimes such as unlicensed driving, recreational drug use, prostitution, and subway fare evasion,  and seek shorter sentences for some felonies. She also threatens to prosecute federal immigration agents “who exceed their authority and endanger our communities.” She is being endorsed by Ocasio-Cortez, senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, as well as the New York Times. “Each win has really reinforced for our community members just how powerful and strong we are when we stand together and we make it very clear what kinds of changes we see in our community,” Caban said. “No matter what, I think that we have built something pretty special and incredible and powerful. Since we got into the field the candidates have literally changed their policy positions to meet us where we’re at, to a degree.”

The favored candidate among state and county party leaders, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to become the borough’s next top prosecutor is Queens Borough President Melinda Katz.  The 53-year-old veteran politician served in the state Assembly from 1994 to 1999, and on the City Council from 2002 to 2009. In 1998, Katz narrowly lost a 1998 Democratic congressional primary.  Katz, a lawyer, has never worked as a prosecutor. Still, as she put it, during an interview on Friday, her extended experience working with community and religious groups in Queens makes her more qualified than the newbie candidate, Caban.  “The biggest factor that distinguishes us is that in order to institute criminal justice reform while still keeping our families safe in the borough you need to have the trust of the community,” Katz said. “You can’t introduce yourself to the community on Jan. 1 (inauguration day). It’s not going to work.”

The candidate running that is, by traditional measures, most qualified is former judge and Queens Assistant District Attorney Gregory Lasak, 66, who spent two dozen years in the Queens district attorney’s office before becoming a judge.  “As a prosecutor I put away some of the worst criminals in Queens history,” said Lasak.  

Other candidates in the race are former District of Columbia Deputy Attorney General Mina Malik, former Nassau County Assistant District Attorney Betty Lugo and former New York Deputy Attorney General Jose Nieves.  A seventh candidate, City Councilman Rory Lancman, dropped out of the race on Friday.

 

Ben Gvir Declares: Break-Up of National Union

By
David Haivri
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0

Attorney Itamar Ben Gvir head of the ‘Otzma Yehudit’ faction in the National Union coalition announces his intention of breaking off from this group due to unfulfilled signed agreements.

In letter to ‘Jewish Home’ party head Rabbi Rafi Peretz he writes:

“Unfortunately, we have not been treated fairly in the past few months. Your conduct and that of those in the ‘Jewish Home’,

You have used ‘Otzma Yehedit’ and now not keeping your commitments. As you know well and as you announced on your own, the partnership between our parties led to victory in the recent elections. If not for the conduct of Avigdor Lieberman this would have allowed the establishment Right wing government. In any case, you became Minister of Education and a member of the cabinet, Bezalel Smotrich received portfolio of Minister of Transport. The Jewish home has four Knesset members and the National Union has two, “he wrote.

In the letter that Ben-Gvir sent to the chairman of the Jewish home, Rabbi Rafi Peretz. “However, despite the fact that more than seventy thousand voters of ‘Otzma’ voted for unification Right-wing parties, over the past few months the behavior of elements in the ‘Jewish Home were unacceptable. At first there were officials who announced that the party would not comply with the Norwegian law and violate the agreement. In order to give you time to learn to be a member of the Knesset …

They were then informed by party officials that they would comply with the law but (illegally) prevent ‘Otzma’ from receiving its share in the government funding allocated to the party’s administration.

The main factor that led to the rift between Peretz and Gvir is appointments earlier this month of two senior members of the right wing group, Rabbi Peretz and Bezalel Smotrich as Ministers in the transitional government. The pre-election agreement between the three parties determined that if Itamar Ben-Gvir would not be elected to the Knesset, the party ministers will resign from membership in the Knesset within the framework of the Norwigen law in order to allow Ben-Gvir to serve as a Knesset member.

However, they now claim that as Peretz and Smotrich were appointed as ministers in a transitional government – there is no legal possibility for the implementation of the Norwegian law.

‘Otzma’ group demand that the two to resign the Knesset anyway

even without the Norwegian law, and remain only as cabinet ministers so that Ben Gvir will be able to enter Knesset in their place.

Afula City Hall: No Arabs in Our Park This Summer

By
David Haivri
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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.”

 

The Palestinian Leaders Who Want Peace and Prosperity Visit Shomron Leader on Way to Bahrain

By
David Haivri
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0
Photo: Roie Hadi

On their way to the Bahrain conference Palestinian business leaders stop at Shomron to meet Regional Council head Yossi Dagan.

A meeting under the radar. Palestinian leaders, who left for the Bahrain conference this morning, the economic summit organized by the American administration stopped on their way to the airport to discuss the economic plan with Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan. 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 prosperity to all sides.

Dagan met with Ashraf Ja’abri, who left for Bahrain this morning and with other delegates who wished to keep anonymity of their names from 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 yesterday 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 a large building industrial park like the one here at Barkan that can employ thousands of workers who will provide for their families, 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. To 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, which is due to begin tomorrow, and despite their general rejection of the American initiative a number of independent Palestinian businessmen decided to attend the summit. One of them, Ashraf Jabari, spoke with Israel News 12 and told why he decided to reach the summit.

Jabari is considered friendly to the  Jewish settlers and the 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 asked.

 

Ayoob Kara Leaves Government

By
David Haivri
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Minister of Communications Ayoob Kara announced today his resignation from the government. Kara’s resignation will take effect 48 hours later, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have to appoint a new minister in his place.

The minister, who was not elected to the last Knesset, accused the Likud leaders of “a tendentious slander campaign” and promised that he would act “to clean the Likud from the perspective of Mapai.”

Last night, he announced that he would not run for the position of ambassador to Egypt. “I decided to withdraw my candidacy for the post of ambassador, and the attacks on me and the slander I do not deserve and the delay due to political games to hurt me personally ended this saga for me,” Kara wrote in his Twitter account.

This is after the news item was first published reporting that the prime minister was considering appointing Kara to the post. Following the publication, nine former ambassadors in Cairo called on Netanyahu to refrain from appointing Kara as ambassador to Egypt. “We, the former ambassadors of Israel in Egypt, are asking you to refrain from a political appointment to serve as the next ambassador in Egypt, and to prefer the professional choice made by the Foreign Ministry’s appointments committee to a skilled diplomat, Amira Oron.”

In the resignation letter, Kara noted that “after many years of military and public service, in which I lost my dear brother for the security of Israel, my brothers, uncles and cousins, and I was also seriously wounded, the time has come to tell the people of Israel the truth. The leadership of the Likud acted to weaken and remove me from the centers of power in the movement, and even forbade me from running for the minority sector slate in the last primaries.”

“In order to stop this which-hunt and to continue to serve the State of Israel, I am not retiring from my public life, but I am embarking on a battle to purge my name and to clean the Likud of Mapai worldviews that have penetrated it in recent years.”

“In the coming days I will choose the right path and direction for the continuation of my political path, but I will always fight for the security of Israel and for my people, the tribe of Yitro, my Druze and non-Jewish brothers who have tied their fate with Israel. No more ‘woodcutters and water-carriers.In light of this I have decided to announce my resignation today as Minister of Communications in the Israeli government. ”

Recent exposure of the minister of communication’s bid to participate in a reality show was strongly criticized. The former chairman of the Second Authority, who asked to remain anonymous, was quoted saying that “an audition for the media minister for a reality show has a flaw in the highest levels. This is a very sensitive period in Israeli television that includes mergers, splits, broadcasting licenses, a law with many interpretations. It is immoral and absurd.

The former chairman claimed that this is not in line with the rules of ethics, and I have worked with many media ministers in my capacity – and I have never encountered such a problem.

The minister claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told him that the move against him was not in his mind. “He hoped that I would go in because I was 39th place. The Prime Minister called me after the primaries, to his credit. He said, ‘I am for you, I am against anyone who acted against you. It does me wrong what they did to you. We were together and we will stay together, and we will also emerge from these crises. ‘”

“People want to move forward, and they see the Druze as if they do not have a lot of electoral power – and Ayoob is celebrating at the top, closest to the prime minister. “They said, ‘Why are not we?’ Their opinions are negative, I think I am a Druze, and what angered them is that I said that I would be the next foreign minister and then realized that the man has no borders and must be stopped and dwarfed.

 

Kara letter of resignation

Israel Innovation Authority Partners with ST Engineering, One of Asia’s Largest Engineering Groups

By
David Haivri
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The Innovation Authority will connect ST Engineering to Israeli mobility, security, and smart environment companies, as part of the Research and Development (R&D) Collaboration with Multinational Corporations (MNC) Program

Jerusalem – June 23, 2019 – The Israel Innovation Authority announced today their partnership with ST Engineering, a global technology and engineering group ranked among the largest companies on the Singapore Exchange, to connect ST Engineering with groundbreaking Israeli start-ups and innovations in the fields of Smart Mobility (Intelligent Transportation Systems and Autonomous Buses), Smart Security, and Smart Environment. The partnership is part of the Innovation Authority’s Research and Development (R&D) Collaboration with Multinational Corporations (MNC) program.

The R&D Collaboration with MNCs program offers a unique framework for technological cooperation between MNCs and innovative Israeli companies. As part of the agreement, the Israel Innovation Authority will support ST Engineering in identifying technological developments and scouting Israeli companies that fall within its sphere of activity. To support further development of specific technologies, the Israel Innovation Authority will provide funding for the Israeli startups, while ST Engineering will support the startups’ R&D, testbed, marketing, and other global activities.

The partnership announcement and program launch took place at the Israel Innovation Authority offices in Jerusalem. Attendees included: Mr. Aharon Aharon, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority; Dr. Lee Shiang Long, President of ST Engineering’s Land Systems sector; and Mr. Sagi Karni, the Designated Ambassador of Israel to Singapore. Attendees from the Israel Innovation Authority also included Mr. Avi Luvton, Senior Director of Asia Pacific Operations, International Collaborations Division, and Ms. Shirley Refuah, Senior Manager of the Singapore-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation.

“R&D collaboration with the government of Israel marks an important milestone for ST Engineering as it facilitates our work with the Israel Innovation Authority and leading Israeli companies who can become technology partners for our mobility solutions.” said Dr. Lee Shiang Long, President of ST Engineering’s Land Systems sector. “ST Engineering is an established player in the autonomous bus segment. It is currently conducting intermediate stages of the trials for autonomous shuttle and bus services in different parts of Singapore, chiefly in Sentosa and Jurong Island.”

“The Innovation Authority is pleased to announce the first MNC Collaboration agreement with a Singapore-based engineering and technology group, ST Engineering. This agreement is an addition to the well-known SIIRD Foundation (Singapore Israel Industrial Research and Development) between the Israel Innovation Authority and Enterprise Singapore, and will serve to strengthen R&D and commercialization relationships between the two countries,” said Mr. Aharon Aharon, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority.

President Rivlin Spoke at the Award Ceremony for the Haim Schiff Prize for Figurative-Realistic Art

By
David Haivri
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President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin, spoke this evening, Sunday 23 June / 19 Sivan, at the award ceremony for the Haim Schiff Prize for Figurative-Realistic Art, awarded for the tenth time this year. The event was attended by Tel Aviv Museum Director Tanya Cohen Uzieli and Dovi Schiff, son of the late Haim Schiff ז”ל.

The president opened his remarks emotionally, saying that although he was still in the 30 days of mourning for his wife Nechama ז”ל, it was obvious to him that he should attend the ceremony and support the the young artists, just as she did every year. He also credited her with his love and appreciation of art and culture thanked the organizers for the opportunity to take part in the event, both in personally and on behalf of her.

The president spoke to the winner of the 2019 prize, Tigist Yoseph Ron, saying “looking at your portraits, dear Tigist, creates the electrified sensation that sharpens the skin when we stand face-to-face with another person for a long time. Tigist Yoseph Ron’s brave and wonderful portraits bring us close not only to beautiful men and women who look straight at us, they also force us to face questions we often prefer not to ask, questions about acceptance and detachment, questions about racism, exclusion and inclusion. Questions about connection and dislocation, and curiously sometimes without words, looking at an expression in paint It is much harder to avoid these questions. It is a great gift and a great lesson that you, Tigist, teach us, as observers.”

The president added: “The small State of Israel produces talented young artists and artists, but does not always know how to raise them and reward them, and to provide them with space to live in. The Schiff Prize allows these artists to come into light, and to enlighten us. But even if there were many such prizes, they should be a supplement, not an alternative to the support that the state can and should provide to its artists. ”

Attached photo credit: Amos Ben Gershom (GPO)

PM Netanyahu’s Opening Remarks at Today’s Cabinet Meeting

By
David Haivri
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“On behalf of all the members of the government, I would like to congratulate, Minister of Justice Amir Ohana, Minister of Education Rafi Peretz and Minister of Transportation Bezalel Smotrich – welcome. You know that I have a traditional blessing for all those who carry public responsibility on my shoulders – my blessings and my condolences.

Tomorrow I will lead an unprecedented summit between the two great powers – the United States and Russia, and Israel, here in Israel. The fact that this summit is taking place here in Israel is further evidence of Israel’s unique status among the nations at this time.

Yesterday I toured with the US National Security Advisor John Bolton in the Jordan Valley. I want to say something about the words ‘we visited’ – it was not flying over, these things have already been done. We literally landed on the ground, touched the Jordan Valley, viewed Sartaba and then went to Qasr al-Yahud, the monastery area at the Jordan River.

I spoke about the supreme importance of being in the Jordan Valley, in order to ensure the strategic depth and the strategic height of the State of Israel.

Some say that our presence in the Jordan Valley prevents peace. I say the opposite. If we are not there, it promises war, terror and instability that will spread in all directions – east, west, south and north. Therefore, being there is a fundamental element in the security and stability of our region, and I was impressed that US National Security Advisor Bolton agreed with me.

Today I will meet with the secretary of the National Security Council of Russia, Nikolai Petrushev, and tomorrow I will lead the tripartite summit. We will, of course, deal with Iran, Syria and other issues that make it difficult to achieve security and stability in our region, and we know that the region needs it very much, especially at this time.

At the meeting today we are passing a series of budget decisions. The most important budgetary decision is first of all NIS 800 million for the continuation of an important security project that we must not stop.

In addition, we are transferring NIS 350 million so that the afternoon school project will not stop. It serves many parents in Israel and allows us to start the new school year.

In addition, we are also transferring tens of millions of shekels for the people whose houses were lost in fires. It is the government’s duty to do so.

When we bring these things to over one billion shekels, we can do one of two things: we can simply allocate it and thereby increase the deficit and say ‘We gave’. The problem with this is that it is a primary irresponsibility, because we have to put an end to this expense, and we put a reservation here. To give a name we need to take from another place. This is what they call laundered Hebrew ‘moved’ – I call it cuts.

Cutbacks are hard. Taking from government offices is a difficult thing. No one wants to do that, nor do I want to do it. I also understand the ministers in whose offices the cuts are being made. It is very difficult for each of us, but that is what is required. We have no choice. We must take care of priorities – security, the homes that were lost fire, the IDF – these are needs that we are currently addressing and prioritizing to other needs.

In order to withstand this, we have to make the difficult decisions, and I want to tell you: this is leadership. This is measured by leadership. In all my years here, and we have dealt with deficits a little larger than what we are dealing with today, the same question always arises: What is the order of priorities?

When you talk about priorities, it’s first of all the willingness to take away and put in there, and deal with these difficulties. This is measured by leadership, and that is also measured by responsibility. I believe this table will find them both in the next hour. ”

Prime Minister Netanyahu added:

“I would like to welcome the Governor of the Bank of Israel, Professor Amir Yaron. We would be happy to hear your position. The steps that the finance minister described at this time on the eve of elections are not easy. I do not underestimate it. There is nothing casually here. It’s hard, but it’s required. The fact that we are gathered here at this time and are ready to take this step is a testament to the government’s budgetary and economic responsibility. We should all be blessed. “

500 Attendees Gather in Hamptons for Annual Heart Ball

By
Administrator
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Lucia Hwong Gordon, Randi Schatz, Lee Fryd and Joan Jedell

On Saturday June 22,2019 the Hamptons Heart Ball celebrated its 23rd year at the Southampton Arts Center with cocktails beginning at 6 PM. The 500 person sold-out $600 dinner welcomed attendees from all over the country with many Southampton Hotels booked due to the large weekend crowd. The Hamptons appears more populated than ever as restaurants, transportation, and clubs are filled to capacity weekend after weekend. There is a definite electricity in the air as more and more people are seeking to get a taste of the Hamptons and what makes it so unique. I bumped into a group from Chicago who flew in for the weekend to sample the magic of the Hamptons and they were savoring every minute of it. The American Heart Association recognizes the allure of the Hamptons with this annual event paying tribute to the philanthropists and health care professionals who are valiantly battling the scourge of heart disease utilizing all methods possible.

After a significant silent auction and cocktail spread, event Co-chairs Meredith Koslow Cohen and Dr. Jason Chinitz began the dinner by discussing the statistics of heart disease and all those whose lives are effected. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women with 610,000 people dying of the disease in the United States every year. Some risk factors that can increase the chance of developing the disease include: diabetes, obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity and excessive alcohol intake. Take heed Hamptonites excessive consumption of rose’ may be detrimental to your survival. As the dinner began, there was some more lugubrious news as we heard the heroic story of the Acompora’s who lost their son, Louis, in 2000 when he was hit in the chest with a lacrosse ball and died of blunt impact trauma to the chest. The Acompora’s have worked tirelessly to prevent this from recurring by collaborating with the American Heart Association in passing “Louis’s Law” which requires all New York schools to have an Automated External Defibrillator saving 102 lives since 2002 due to this pivotal legislation. Kudos to the Acompora’s who could have wallowed in misery and self-pity but instead took action to help others avert the tragedy they were forced to endure. While, this dinner is exciting and joyful as it ushers in the lively Hamptons summer season it is also melancholy as each year it highlights the suffering of youngsters with crippling heart injuries. After an appeal was held which raised over $700,000 there was also a live auction where a pizza car and truck was auctioned for 50 guests for the price of $4,500 and a meal for 10 by dinner caterer “Elegant Affairs” was awarded for $4,000.

Baruch Shemtov, host of “Good Day New York”, was the emcee of the evening and introduced philanthropists Toby and Larry Milstein who were the evening’s “Humanitarians with Heart” honorees. This power brother-sister duo have recently exploded onto the Manhattan and Hamptons social scene with a contagious enthusiasm as they lead the young leadership of the Frick, the MOMA, ABT, and UJA. Toby is attending Columbia Business School in the fall and Larry consults for Fortune 100 companies and non-profits across the country. These two fashion stars made it abundantly clear why they are leaders of their age group when they spoke of their commitment to philanthropy and how humbled they were to donate to the New York Presbyterian Hospital Infant Cardiac Unit two years ago with the 17-bed unit being full since day one. Toby described her tearful response when she visited newborns hooked up to heart monitors and tubes until doctors told her many would live long and healthy lives thanks to the Unit. The dinner of salmon, beef and barley might not have been the most heart healthy, however, the phenomenal band “In The Groove” had all attendees working off the calories as they played one energetic song after another mimicking the real artists to such an extraordinary degree that an uber driver asked me if the music was live or recorded.

Distinguished Service Awards were also given to renowned cardiologists Dr. Mark Saporita, whose daughter we learned was serving in the US Navy, and Dr. John Crean who said it was his life’s goal to practice medicine and have a son-he was blessed with four. These men are the real deal as their humble demeanor belied the fact that they have saved hundreds of lives during their distinguished careers as their colleagues whooped uproariously as they took to the stage. The dinner also paid tribute to dynamo Barbara Poliwoda, Regional Director for the American Heart Association for 23 years, who was stepping down after tirelessly working to advance the goals of the organization. Poliwoda, received an enthusiastic standing ovation, with Chair Meredith Cohen joking “don’t go that crazy she wasn’t that great”-but the crowd disagreed as nearly everyone remarked Barbara had achieved stratospheric results with her tenacious work ethic. At 11 PM, attendees were told they would be given free entry to the Southampton Social Club along with a free drink if they presented the red bracelet they were given at the dinner. The Social Club is the hottest spot in the entire Hamptons and this evening there were hundreds of twenty somethings gathered to enjoy the beautiful night. As I whisked my way in, I bumped into a number of dinner attendees who were excitedly recounting the success of the evening-even if the goody bags of prior years were nowhere to be found.

Jerusalem: Car and Driver Fall Out of Elevated Parking Lot

By
David Haivri
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Car falls from an elevated parking lot in a building on Tchernichovsky Street in Jerusalem.

The driver, in her 80s, was injured in moderate condition and was taken to hospital for treatment.

An elderly woman aged 85 was moderately injured Monday morning when she fell with her car from a parking lot between buildings on Tchernichovsky Street in Jerusalem.

The vehicle fell from a height of about two floors to the courtyard of building below, for a reason that is still unclear, and turned over.

Three rescue teams from the Jerusalem station who were called to the scene of the incident worked to rescue the injured woman from the vehicle and transferred her in moderate condition to the Magen David Adom teams for treatment.

At the same time, the fire fighting teams worked to prevent a fire from igniting in the area because the fuel in the tank began to leak into the vicinity.

“When we got to the scene, we saw the vehicle on its side after falling from a height of about 10 meters to a lower level from parking area of a residential building. The driver, a woman in her 80s was trapped in the car and was fully conscious. After the firefighters rescued her, she told how the accident happened as she backed away in the driveway. She suffered from facial and limb injuries, the MDA team gave her initial medical treatment and evacuated her to the hospital in moderate and stable condition.”

 

Photo: Police Spokesperson.

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