From Ian:
‘The New York Times’ Goes Truther on the Temple Mount
Was the White House ever in Washington, D.C.? Can we ever really know for sure? Not unless we dig under the existing structure and find indisputable archaeological evidence of the original structure, which British general Robert Ross is said—by some sources—to have torched in August, 1814.
If you find everything about the previous paragraph patently ridiculous, you are clearly not a reporter or an editor for The New York Times. This morning, the paper of record published a piece about Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, questioning whether or not it was the site of, you know, the Jewish Temple. “Historical Certainty,” the article’s headline reads, “Proves Elusive at Jerusalem’s Holiest Place.” Capping the piece is a quote from Jane Cahill, who the paper notes is not only an archaeologist but also a practicing lawyer and therefore, presumably, an expert on incontrovertible evidence. Did the ancient Jewish temple stand where the Dome of the Rock now stands? “The answer might be ‘yes,’ if the standard of proof is merely a preponderance of the evidence,” Cahill is quoted as saying, “but ‘no’ if the standard of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt.”
It’s hard to begin to dissect the Times’ potent blend of ignorance and malice. There’s reporter Rick Gladstone’s repulsive bad faith in continually moving back and forth in his text between the narrow question he seems to have asked Cahill and other scholars: did the Temples stand precisely on the exact spot on the Temple Mount where Aksa was built, or might they have stood, say 50 feet over? This, in addition to the idea, which Gladstone weaves in and out of the piece, that there is even the slightest credibility to the idea that “Jewish Temples” were, you know, the products of some kind of religious fever-dream that Zionists then appropriated for their own aggressive purposes.
Richard Millett: A Nice destruction of the Jewish state.
On Wednesday I went to the legal heart of London to hear a talk given by Professor Sir Geoffrey Nice QC. The talk Gaza-Israel: The Legal Military View was at Gresham College.
It was due to start at 6pm but I arrived at 5.50pm and by then every seat was taken including those in the overflow room. Latecomers were turned away with a copy of the talk, all 22 pages, Professor Nice was about to deliver.
On the tube home I read the Professor’s fantasyland; let’s call it Niceland.
In Niceland everyone is nice, except all Israelis (P.17):
And in Niceland history can be whatever you want it to be (P. 3):
“Israel as a state was thus imposed on and within Palestine in 1948…an as yet unfinished state project because the territorial ambitions of Israel were not satisfied. Thereafter, claiming to fight for the security of their people and preservation of their land, Israel fought their Arab neighbours, expanding Israel’s borders.”
And in Niceland those fantastical disappearing maps of Palestine used by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign are accurate (P. 5).
And in Niceland Israel never handed back the Sinai and made peace with Jordan (P.6):
“The 1967 war encouraged a revival of the “Greater Israel”, envisaged by the founder of Zionism, Theodore Herzl, as extending “from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates””.
Edgar Davidson: What to say to your MP about the failure of the media and politicians to acknowledge the current war against Israeli Jews
Note this was before I heard this evening about the appalling statement by the Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in which he blamed Israel's 'occupation' and 'violence by Palestinians and Israeli settlers' for the current situation. And there are still people who think that the Conservatives and David Cameron are 'friends of Israel'. Remember Hammond also made a blood libel antisemitic statement (one of the worst ever made by a British Cabinet member) when he said that Israel wanted to spike the Iran deal because it 'wanted to maintain a permanent state of war'. Anyway, I used the online form to contact the Prime Minister to make the following complaint:
I am appalled by the Foreign Minister's statement today which largely blames Israel for the unprecedented wave of terrorist attacks against Jewish civilians in every city of Israel (averaging 100 per day and increasing as I write) resulting in numerous dead Jews. The fact that the surge in attacks came immediately after Mahmoud Abbas (the leader of the Palestine Authority) effectively declared war against Israel's Jews at the United Nations was also unreported by the media and ignored by the Government (just like the attacks against Israelis). The media have chosen ONLY to report incidents in which the Palestinian attackers were killed in the act of committing murder. Moreover, such reports have typically led with the headline "Palestinian killed by security forces...". Now the government seems to have fallen into the same BIG LIE narrative. Perhaps Hammond could also clarify or name even one 'settler' who has attacked an Arab.
PM tells Kerry he expects PA to stop anti-Israel incitement
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Friday with US Secretary of State John Kerry, and told him he expects the Palestinian Authority to put a halt to the incitement against Israel that is fueling the current terror surge, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Saturday.
Netanyahu’s office released the statement on another day of terror and violence that saw two stabbing attacks by Palestinians in Jerusalem in which two ultra-Orthodox men and three policemen were injured.
Kerry said the US is aware that Israel is not seeking to change the status quo at the Temple Mount, the statement said. Claims that Israel intends to allow Jewish prayer at the contested holy site have been widely disseminated by Fatah, Hamas, Israel’s own Islamic Movement and others, despite insistent Israeli denials.
US says Palestinian stabbings are ‘acts of terror’
The United States regards an ongoing spate of stabbings and shootings of Israelis by Palestinians, in which four Israelis have been killed and several more injured this month, as “acts of terror,” the State Department said Friday.
Spokesman John Kirby would not be drawn on whether an apparent revenge attack by a Jewish suspect that wounded two Palestinians and two Israeli Arabs was also terrorism.
“We would consider these violent acts that we’re talking about specifically here as acts of terror,” Kirby said, answering a question about the wave of violence.
“The stabbings, the shootings, terrorism, yes.”
Why is Jaffa being attacked?
Why should anyone be shocked or surprised that Palestinian terrorism is hitting Jaffa, Petah Tikva and Kiryat Gat – all cities that have been part of Israel since its creation? Palestinian leaders are constantly indoctrinating their people with the message that Jaffa and all of Israel are also under “occupation,” eventually to be “liberated” and come under Palestinian rule.
The reason the current attacks and riots have shocked and surprised some is that Israeli leaders and the Israeli public have unfortunately not been listening to what our Palestinian Authority peace partners are telling their people about our cities.
The host on a popular weekly children’s program on official PA TV recently told children the following about Jaffa’s past and its future: Puppet “Marwan”: “This is Tel Aviv. Take a look. It was named Tel Aviv after Jaffa was occupied. Can you believe it? Jaffa was here and it became Tel Aviv....”
PA TV host: “Good for you, Marwan, you went to see Jaffa and had fun there... My friends, I am telling you that for sure Jaffa, and not only Jaffa but also Haifa, Acre, Nazareth and all the Palestinian cities occupied in 1948 will return to us one day.” (Official PA TV, May 23, 2015) According to PA education, Jaffa was Palestine, today is “occupied” Palestine, and will again be Palestine.
Former Shin Bet Official: Wave of Palestinian Violence is Result of PA Radicalization
The recent wave of Palestinian terror attacks against Jews and Israelis is largely due to a pattern of extreme radicalization that has taken place in East Jerusalem over the past twenty years, a recently retired former Shin Bet official told The Tower.
“This process began when the Palestinian Authority was established in 1994 and took over the school curricula in East Jerusalem and inserted poisonous material inciting against Jews and Israelis to the younger Palestinian generation,” Yehuda Yemini, whose area of responsibility for Israel’s internal security service included East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, said in an interview Thursday. “This is the exact generation which is behind and responsible for the recent escalation and organizes violent actions against Israeli security forces.”
Yemeni pointed out that the traditional patriarchal power structure is respected in almost all daily circumstances in Palestinian society, with the important exception of fighting Israel. “When Palestinian youth attack Israelis with rocks, fire-bombs, knifes, etc., it is harder for the community leaders and fathers to take control of the actions and condemn the perpetrators, since it makes them look as collaborators with Israel and weakens their own internal power within their communities,” he said.
When asked what inspires Palestinians to commit “lone wolf” terror attacks, Yemini explained that such attacks “are an easy way for Palestinians to ‘blow steam’ with no consequences from their own society since attacks against Israel
Two stabbed in Jerusalem, teen Palestinian assailant killed
Two ultra-Orthodox men were wounded Saturday morning in a stabbing attack in central Jerusalem, police and medical officials said, the latest in a wave of attacks spreading fear among residents.
Police said the perpetrator of the attack, a Palestinian teenager from East Jerusalem, was shot and killed by officers who rushed to the scene. Officials said the attacker was around 16 years old.
The two victims, aged 62 and 65, were on their way back from morning prayers at a local synagogue when they were attacked.
Magen David Adom medics said the two were both on their feet, “conscious and in stable condition,” when they arrived. One suffered light injuries and the other moderate. The two were evacuated to the city’s Shaare Zedek medical center.
“Israeli security forces kill boy, 16″
Sometimes anti-Israel media bias is blatant, like the NY Times disgusting attempt to deny that Jewish Temples stood on the Temple Mount. A serious backlash forced the Times to issue a correction — but why did it even attempt to feed into the incitement that denies the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount?
Other times it is more subtle, like the the headline from The Independent in Britain about the shooting of a 16 year old Palestinian boy in Jerusalem.
The headline, which is what most people read and sets the theme of an article, portrays the boy as the victim, and only obliquely references some connection to stabbings in Jerusalem.
In fact, the 16 year old had just stabbed two elderly religious Jews on their way home from Shabbat prayers at the Western Wall. They survived, but one is in serious condition.
Palestinian killed in E. Jerusalem after shooting at troops
A Palestinian seriously wounded during clashes with Israeli Border Police in East Jerusalem died of his wounds on Saturday, police and Palestinian medical sources said.
Police said he was shot after opening fire at Border Police late on Friday night, and the Red Crescent said he was killed by a live bullet at the clashes in the Shuafat refugee camp. He was identified by his family as 22-year-old Ahmed Qali.
Stones, Molotov cocktails and a pipe bomb were thrown at troops during the riots.
3 policemen injured in second terror attack in Jerusalem
Three police officers were injured in a terror attack in Jerusalem Saturday afternoon by a Palestinian terrorist, the second such attack in the day.
One officer was seriously injured and the other two were moderately wounded in the attack near Damascus Gate in the Old City. The terrorist was shot dead by nearby security forces.
According to a police statement, two Border Police officers on patrol in the area noticed a Palestinian youth who aroused their suspicions. They approached him and asked for identification. The youth handed over his ID card, according to police, then pulled out a knife and stabbed one of the officers in the neck.
A nearby group of forces saw the attack unfold and opened fire, killing the attacker, but also accidentally hitting two other officers in the process, one of them seriously, according to the police statement.
Settler leader’s family hurt in West Bank crash as car pelted with rocks
Five Israelis, including three children, were lightly wounded Friday afternoon when the car in which they were traveling crashed after being pelted with rocks near the settlement of Shiloh, in the northern West Bank.
Oriya Dagan, the wife of Yossi Dagan, head of the Regional Municipality of Samaria, and their children sustained minor injuries in the accident.
The family and two other passengers were driving to Jerusalem to spend Shabbat with Yossi Dagan, who is camped out in front of the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in protest of what Dagan and other settler leaders perceive as the government’s weak response to what Netanyahu on Wednesday said was a “wave of terror” by Palestinians.
The crash happened after the driver lost control when assailants hurled rocks at the car. Magen David Adom paramedics treated the wounded at the scene before the five were evacuated to Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem, MDA spokesman Zaki Heller said.
Netanyahu decries attack against ‘innocent Arabs’ in Dimona
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “strongly condemned” the attack in Dimona on Friday in which an Israeli teen stabbed and wounded three Palestinians and a Bedouin Arab, his office said in a statement.
“Israel is a country of law and order. Those who use violence and break the law – from whatever side – will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law,” said Netanyahu, adding that he “strongly condemns the attack against innocent Arabs.”
In the attack, a 17-year-old Jewish teen went on a stabbing spree in the southern town, in what police believe was revenge over a recent wave of Palestinian attacks against Israelis.
Knesset member Moti Yogev of the right-wing Jewish Home party also condemned the attack, urging Israelis to remain vigilant while refraining from vigilante action.
Rocket from Gaza hits southern Israel
Air raid sirens sounded in southern Israeli communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip after midnight on Saturday, following a day of deadly clashes between IDF troops and Palestinians along the border.
Rocket warnings were heard in the communities of Nir Yitzhak, Holit and Talmei Yosef.
The IDF said one rocket exploded in the Eshkol region in southern Israel, which borders the Gaza Strip and Egypt. No injuries or damage were reported. Troops were on site searching for the projectile.
A Gaza-based jihadist group claiming affiliation with the Islamic State organization claimed responsibility for the attack shortly afterwards.
Fearing escalation, Israel deploys Iron Dome in Beersheba
Israel has deployed Iron Dome missile defense batteries in the southern cities of Beersheba and Ofakim, it was announced Saturday, amidst concerns of increased rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip.
According to Ynet, the two batteries join those deployed in Sderot and Netivot in recent weeks as tensions with Palestinians have increased.
A rocket fired into Israel overnight exploded in the Eshkol region, causing no injuries.
While communities near Gaza have suffered the brunt of rocket-fire from Gaza throughout the years, Beersheba has also seen rocket attacks during times of conflict.
Jordan’s parliament accuses ‘Israeli enemy’ of state terrorism
The Jordanian parliament Saturday accused Israel of “state terrorism” against the Palestinian people after Israeli forces shot dead seven Gazans and wounded more than 140 others in border clashes in the coastal strip.
“The Israeli enemy, sapping the rights of the Palestinians on their own lands… and over their holy places, is exercising state terrorism before the eyes of the whole world,” parliament charged in a statement carried by state news agency Petra.
The legislators in Jordan, one of only two Arab countries along with Egypt to have a peace treaty with Israel, condemned “the crimes committed by Israeli forces in the West Bank and Gaza.”
Edgar Davidson: Perfect illustration of anti-Israel bias in the UK media
Full complaint to LBC:
Nothing sums up the inherent antisemitism of the British media than a segment of Nick Ferrari's prime time morning show on LBC on 25 September when he spent 30 minutes spewing vicious slander and blood libels against Israel. Taking account of the context and evidence I demand an on-air apology from Ferrari for his ignorance, bias, and lies for the reasons set out below.
In the previous weeks Israelis had been victims of multiple, unprovoked knife, car and rock attacks (not to mention rockets from Gaza and Syria) which had claimed the lives of civilians including babies. Not a single one of these hundreds of incidents got a mention on the '24 hour news' channel that is LBC. In one of these incidents a female Arab terrorist (Hadeel al-Hashlamunarmed) was armed with a knife concealed under a burka and ignored calls by soldiers to put her weapon down for several minutes, before lunging at them with the knife. At that point she was shot in the lower part of her body. She later died in hospital. As IsraellyCool reported on 25 September the British media only took an interest in the story when an alternative anti-Israel narrative was spun. Based on a photograph showing that the terrorist was very short while the soldier was tall the Palestinian lie industry claimed that the woman could not have been a terrorist and some even claimed she was unarmed.
Accepting the Palestinian narrative unquestioningly Nick Ferrari (on what was a very heavy news day in the UK) devoted the entire slot between 8.30 and 9.00am to a barrage of abuse against Israel. His invited 'guest expert' to speak about the story was a member of the UK Palestine Solidarity Committee a group of congenital liars and antisemites whose only objective is to destroy the Jewish state. None of the callers seemed to know the true facts about the incident and those who called to defend Israel were ridiculed by Ferrari who repeatedly said that "even if she had a knife what possible harm could she have done with it; it was only a knife".
In fact a subsequent investigation has confirmed that the original Israeli account of what happened was true.
Iran Caught in Another Lie
Now, Zarif has been caught in a lie again. On October 8, the Iranian news portal Tabnak quoted Zarif as denying any Iranian military role inside Syria. “At the current moment, only Iranian advisors are present in Syria, not military personnel,” he said, adding, “We have changed the nature of our presence in Syria. Our presence includes military advisors, and nothing more. I have reviewed this matter and have confidence that it is correct.”
And yet today, the Iranian government has announced that its top military official in Syria — Gen. Hossein Hamedani — has been killed in Aleppo. It is doubtful that Hamedani was merely an advisor, conducting training. After all, Aleppo has been the location of an ongoing contest for control, and Hamedani appears to have been killed in the fighting. Zarif might double-pinky swear that his assurances are the truth, but Hamedani’s corpse suggests otherwise. Obama and Kerry have doubled down on the agreement, and Senate Democrats have, with a few exceptions, assured the implementation of the JCPOA, largely on the promises of the White House and State Department. Unfortunately, once again, Zarif has shown how unstable the foundation of such promises.
A Crushing Defeat for America
In Syria, the United States and its allies are being humiliated. The ongoing debacle has evolved from an embarrassment to a near total and perhaps irreversible defeat, and the damage done to America’s geostrategic position is so complete that the White House has all but acknowledged its far-reaching consequences.
It wasn’t 16 months ago that Barack Obama reluctantly pledged to engage in the Syrian Civil War he had spent the prior two years trying to avoid. The president drew his now-infamous “red line” for action when it became clear that Bashar al-Assad’s deployment of chemical arms against civilian population centers would not end merely because he had demanded it. “What kind of world will we live in if the United States of America sees a dictator brazenly violate international law with poison gas, and we choose to look the other way?” Obama asked the nation in a prime-time address over a year after he had drawn his line in the sand. Despite the president’s hollow moralizing, that’s exactly what he did.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin provided Obama with a way to avoid following up on his own commitments by negotiating a phantom truce that would, Americans were told, avert war while simultaneously ridding the Assad regime of its weapons of mass destruction. Neither outcome occurred. Just months after Obama accepted Putin’s Trojan Horse, a virulent terrorist caliphate was born in northern Syria. It soon exploded over the Iraqi border, sacking cities like Fallujah and Mosul – cities that American servicemen and women had died fighting to liberate from Islamist radicals less than a decade prior. Only when the genocide of the Yazidi people was imminent did Obama act in Iraq. Having engaged the Islamic State in the Iraqi theater, the White House was compelled to stanch the flow of Islamist militants into Iraq from its Syrian incubator.
Can Obama Counter Hezbollah After The Nuclear Deal?
Washington, for all of its assurances that it has blocked every path to a nuclear Iran, has done little to block the pathway to a devastating regional conflict.
As senior Israeli officials have told me in private conversations repeatedly since 2013, the winds of war are blowing in Lebanon. As one told me this summer, Israel's military and defense establishment knows that the next conflict with Hezbollah "could get ugly." The Lebanese terrorist group now has 100,000 rockets -- mostly supplied by Iran and many of them with advanced capabilities -- pointing south at Israel. Hassan Nasrallah, the group's leader, boasted earlier this year that Hezbollah is not afraid of the next skirmish. He's likely feeling even more confident now that sanctions relief granted to Iran through July's nuclear deal is almost certainly going to trickle down to Hezbollah, enabling arms purchases that will make the group that much more formidable.
The new Israeli defense doctrine, released this summer, warns of a brutal conflict that could depopulate Southern Lebanon. Hezbollah dismissed it as psychological warfare, but the Lebanese public is understandably concerned. They have warned Hezbollah against darkening Israel's skies with its rockets. They remember too well the Israeli reprisals in 2006, which caused billions of dollars in damage. But what the Lebanese public may not realize is that it's too late. A great many of Hezbollah's launchers are now strategically placed in high-density population areas to ensure that an Israeli response causes unspeakable civilian casualties, but valuable public relations victories for Hezbollah.
Some analysts say Hezbollah can't afford another battle because it is drowning in its own blood in Syria. Indeed, up to 8,000 Hezbollah fighters are defending the Bashar al-Assad regime against Sunni militants, and an estimated 1,000 Hezbollah fighters have been killed in action.
Two alleged Hezbollah associates face arms, money laundering charges in New York court
Two Beirut residents have been arrested on US charges that they took part in an alleged scheme to help Hezbollah launder drug money, and to funnel thousands of weapons and military parts to criminal groups in Lebanon and Iran, prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York, said on Friday.
Iman Kobeissi, 50, was arraigned in Brooklyn on Friday and held without bail, following her arrest a day earlier in Atlanta on charges of conspiring to commit money laundering and conspiring to deal in unlicensed firearms.
The other defendant, Joseph Asmar, 42, was arrested in Paris on a US warrant and charged with money laundering conspiracy.
A lawyer for Kobeissi could not immediately be reached for comment. It is unclear whether Asmar has hired a lawyer.
Prosecutors said the arrests followed a two-year sting operation in which the defendants had meetings with an undercover US Drug Enforcement Administration agent posing as a drug trafficker.
WATCH: Explosion at pro-Kurdish rally in Turkey caught on film
At least 86 people were killed when twin explosions hit a rally of pro-Kurdish and leftist activists outside Ankara's main train station on Saturday in what Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called a terrorist attack, weeks ahead of an election.
A Reuters reporter saw bodies covered by flags and banners, including those of the pro-Kurdish opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), with bloodstains and body parts scattered on the road.
"Like other terror attacks, the one at the Ankara train station targets our unity, togetherness, brotherhood and future," Erdogan said in a statement, calling for "solidarity and determination."
Witnesses said the two explosions happened seconds apart shortly after 10.00 a.m. as hundreds gathered for a planned march to protest over a conflict between Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants in the southeast.
Outrage as Turkish Soldiers Kill Kurd, Drag Body Through Streets
Residents in Şırnak, Turkey, are expressing outrage after a video and images surfaced on the Internet, showing Turkish soldiers dragging a Kurdish man through their streets.
The video no longer exists online, but Today’s Zaman reported it shows “the body being dragged while police officers in the vehicle are heard swearing at the dead body.” One officer even congratulates “his colleague for killing the man.”
The victim is 24-year-old “Hacı Lokman Birlik, the brother-in-law of pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Şırnak deputy Leyla Birlik.” He allegedly died during a clash between Turkish forces and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a Marxist-Lenin terror group. The U.S., EU, and NATO have all designated the PKK a terrorist organization.
Those in Şırnak protested the Turkish soldiers as they participated in his funeral on Sunday. The government denied they had anything to do with it, but once images emerged, they admitted to the killing but claimed the man “was wearing a suicide vest.”
Saudi Woman Cuts Off Her Indian Maid's Hand
In a punishment not altogether unfamiliar in the Muslim world, a woman from India who was working as a domestic maid in Saudia Arabia has had her hand chopped off, allegedly by her abusive employer. Now the Indian Minister of External Affairs has become involved.
Kasturi Munirathinam has been in Riyadh for about three months. She began to complain to her family back home that her employer was not only withholding her pay, but was abusing her physically. It is alleged that her employer chopped her hand off as punishment after discovering her pleas for help.
In a video from the hospital that began making the rounds on Twitter, Munirathinam can be heard explaining in Hindi, "I pleaded with the woman not to harm me, but she kicked me, punched me and cut off my arm."
"I want to go back home," she cries. "Please help me.”
The Indian government is demanding justice. Sushma Swaraj, India's Minister for External affairs, took to Twitter overnight to express her outrage with the situation and the Islamic nation.
France Closes Louvre Israeli Discrimination Case
The French justice system on Friday closed an official investigation into allegations that the Louvre museum in Paris discriminated against Israeli students who wished to visit the world-famous museum, finding no proof to back the claim.
The investigation was closed barring any new information, a judicial source confirmed to the AFP news agency.
In June, François Heilbronn, president of the Association of "French friends of the University of Tel-Aviv," had expressed his suspicions about the way the Paris museum treated Jewish visitors.
He made a formal complaint to the French judicial system.
That month, a professor at the university had tried to make a group reservation for 12 art history students at the Louvre -- which receives nine million visitors per year -- and the Sainte-Chapelle chapel, an architectural marvel known for its 13th century Gothic style that sees one million visitors a year.
His request was turned down. He later attempted to make similar reservations under fictitious non-Israeli names and received a positive response.
Council of Europe doubles down on anti-ritual circumcision stance
The Council of Europe is maintaining its position that non-medical circumcision of boys is a violation of children’s rights, despite reports in Israeli media that said the council reversed its position.
According to statements from Israeli politicians and Jewish activists, the Council of Europe — a body for pan-European dialogue that lacks executive powers — switched positions when its Parliamentary Assembly passed Resolution 2076 on “Freedom of religion and living together in a democratic society” on Sept. 30.
Milah UK, a leading Jewish advocacy group supporting the practice of circumcision, on Tuesday said in a statement that the resolution “cancels a previous motion that had cast into doubt the legality of religious circumcision.” Milah is the Hebrew name for the ritual circumcision of eight-day-old males.
In 2013, the assembly passed Resolution 1952, which states that the practice of ritual circumcision, along with female genital mutilation, is a harmful “violation of the physical integrity of children.”
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio to visit Israel, talk anti-Semitism
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will visit Israel to speak about ways to combat anti-Semitism.
De Blasio is to leave Thursday for Jerusalem, where he will be the keynote speaker at a conference of international mayors sponsored by the American Jewish Congress and other Jewish groups.
De Blasio, who has been trying to plan a trip to Israel since the summer, will stay roughly three days and hold several events, the New York Times reported.
The first-term mayor, who is of Italian and Catholic heritage, has made strengthening ties with his Jewish constituency a priority since taking office in January 2014. He has spoken at synagogues of various denominations and loosened restrictions on the controversial metzitzah b’peh circumcision ritual at the request of Orthodox Jews.
Your multifocal glasses are all set for a revolution
Wearers of multifocals (“progressive” eyeglasses) must look through the top of the lenses for distance, through the middle for intermediate distance and through the bottom for close reading. Many people find it hard to adjust to the limited field of view per distance and even get headaches from the distortions.
If your progressive glasses could let you see about two years into the future, you’d notice an alternative on the horizon: Omnifocals from the Israeli company DeepOptics.
Already in development for three years, Omnifocals are positioned to be the first dynamic focal eyeglass lenses ever created.
They will consist of two layers: a regular static lens for far vision and a pixelated dynamic liquid-crystal lens for near and intermediate vision. This electronic pixelated lens constantly changes its optical power to adjust viewing distance based on data processed right in the frame from two hidden sensors tracking the wearer’s line of sight.
Ford seeks connected-car apps with a Start-Up Nation twist
Ford is the latest automobile manufacturer to turn to Israel as a source for technology for connect cars – vehicles that enable vehicles to upload and download information and data to and from a server, ensuring safety and enhancing the driving experience.
“We’ve done events like these around the world, but this is the first time we are doing it in Israel,” said Scott Lyons, a connected car expert and Ford’s point man on developing partnerships with app makers for connected cars. “We think Israel is a hotbed of engineering talent and ideas, and we decided it was high time we tapped into its tech ecosystem.”
Israel has emerged as a center for technology development for several auto manufacturers – the most involved being GM, which is developing technology for engineering, materials, and more.
But what has really piqued the interest of manufacturers in Israel is the country’s experience in networking technology and app development. Put the two together, and you have the ingredients for connected car tech, the latest area of expansion – and competition – that manufacturers have adopted.
Jerusalem’s Christian Zionist Super Bowl
Black lights and sensational music. Dancing. Prayer. Charity. A march of thousands of colors from more than 80 nations — a march in solidarity with Israel. In essence, it’s Jerusalem’s Christian Zionist Super Bowl.
Such was the scene of the 36th annual Feast of Tabernacles conference and celebration, hosted by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) from Sept. 27-Oct. 1. The event brought more than 5,000 people to the Israeli capital, including more than 50 pro-Israel Christian parliamentarians and government officials from more than two-dozen countries. Several African nations sent a large delegation of cabinet ministers and members of parliament (MPs) to officially represent their countries.
According to Dr. Jurgen Buhler, executive director of ICEJ, the median age of attendees was between 30 and 40. The weeklong festivities mark Israel’s largest annual event for tourists and the largest solidarity mission to the Jewish state this year, injecting an estimated $16 million into the Israeli economy.
In a video speech Sept. 29, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the Christian Zionist attendees for their “unfaltering, enthusiastic support [of Israel] over the years.”
“Israel has no better friends around the world,” he said.