May 9, 2018
Syrian TV Reports Israeli Attack Near Damascus
Syrian state-run media reported an Israeli attack near the capital Damascus, Tuesday night (8th).
The official news agency SANA said the attack occurred in the countryside just south of Damascus. It took place about an hour after President Donald Trump announced he was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, calling Tehran a main exporter of terrorism in the region.
Following IDF reports of ‘irregular Iranian movements’ in Syria, came orders to open bomb shelters in Israel’s north. Loud explosions were heard near Damascus, which targeted a Syrian army base near the Syrian capital that housed Iranian forces.
Israel never confirms or denies airstrikes in Syria.
(ap.com; ynetnews.com)
Flammable Kites From Gaza Border Reach Judea And Samaria
A “kite bomb” similar to burning kites sent over the Gaza border in recent weeks reached a central junction in the Binyamin Regional Council, a military source confirmed to Tazpit Press Service (TPS) on Tuesday afternoon (8th). The source said that the kite was taken by the military for further investigation and that no damage had been caused.
In recent weeks, Palestinians on the Gaza border have been sending kite bombs into Israel on an almost daily basis, causing hundreds of thousands of shekels of damage to crops.
(worldisraelnews.com)
New U.S. Embassy In Jerusalem: A Stone Plaque and $400,000 In Renovations, For Now – Loveday Morris and Ruth Eglash
For all the fanfare surrounding the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem this coming Monday (14th), the move, including building modifications and additional security, cost under $400,000, a U.S. official said.
The building, which currently provides U.S. consular services such as passport renewals for U.S. citizens and visa applications, was opened in 2010. The embassy in Tel Aviv has 850 staff members, and it won’t be until a new embassy is finished in seven to ten years that a significant number of employees would move to the new location.
(washingtonpost.com)
The U.S. Embassy Prepares To Move To Jerusalem – Nadav Shragai
The transfer of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem is another nail in the coffin of UN Resolution 181 of November 29, 1947, which called for the internationalization of Jerusalem. The embassy transfer is primarily recognition of the reality that already exists: Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.
Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, insisted on declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and transferring the main government offices and institutions to the city. In a telegram that he sent to Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett on December 4, 1949, Ben-Gurion wrote: “The State of Israel will not be satisfied in any way with a foreign government in Jewish Jerusalem and its severance from the country. If we are presented with a choice of either leaving Jerusalem or the United Nations, we would prefer to leave the United Nations.”
(jcpa.org)
Abbas: Moving Embassies To Jerusalem Is Against International Law
Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Monday (7th) urged Latin American countries not to follow in Paraguay’s footsteps and move their embassies to Jerusalem.
“We hope that some countries across Latin America won’t move their embassies to Jerusalem, because that is against International Law,” Abbas said during a meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, according to AFP.
(afp.com; israelnn.com)
Tourists Say They Are Not Afraid Of Iran’s Missile Threats
On Monday (7th), Israeli defense ministers shared Iran’s plans to send missiles towards Israeli military bases from Syria in hopes to avenge the alleged Israeli airstrikes that took place last month.
While this may be frightening news to many, current visitors don’t feel overly threatened. In fact, some even say they feel safer in Israel than they do back home.
“I never really feel scared while I’m here,” New York native Sam Shatzkin said, who is visiting Israel for the seventh time. “I feel safer here than I do when I am back home.”
Other tourists said that while there is some fear, you should never let anything paralyze you from doing what you want to do and travel.
Another tourist said the tensions between Iran and Israel made her nervous, but her feelings changed as soon as she arrived in Israel.
With the warmer weather fast approaching Israel expects its tourism numbers to continue to grow.
(jpost.com,)
Bennett: Nasrallah Will ‘Lose Lebanon,’ Iranian Regime ‘On Borrowed Time’
Speaking at the 18 annual Herzliya Conference at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center Tuesday afternoon (8th), Education Minister Naftali Bennett said to Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah, “You have branded yourself as the defender of Lebanon, but if you start a war against Israel you’ll lose Lebanon.” He also said the ayatollahs’ regime in Iran is on borrowed time and will eventually collapse.
“If Iran continues on its current path,” Bennett said, “it will discover Syria has become its own Vietnam.”
(ynetnews.com)
Knesset Advances Bill Freezing PA Funding Over Terror Payouts – Raoul Wootliff
Israel’s Knesset on Monday (7th) approved a 55-14 vote in the first reading of a bill allowing the government to hold up money to the Palestinian Authority over its payments to convicted terrorists. The measure, which would cut hundreds of millions of shekels from tax revenues transferred to the PA, is similar to the Taylor Force Act in the U.S.
(timesofisrael.com)
Israel-Linked Firm To Build Desalination Plant In Mexico
Fluence Corp. will build a $48 million, 5.8 million gallon-a- day seawater desalination plant to serve more than 100,000 residents in Baja California, a region the Mexican government has declared in drought since 2014. Fluence was established a year ago through the merger of Israeli company Emefcy, which devised a breakthrough wastewater treatment system. With RWL Water.
(israel21c.org)
Twitter Being Used As A ‘Megaphone’ To Harass Jews, ADL Warns
Millions of anti-Semitic messages on Twitter have spread negative stereotypes and conspiracy theories about Jews across the social media platform, according to a report issued Monday (7th) by the Anti-Defamation League.
ADL National Director and CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said the data showed that many used Twitter as a “megaphone to harass and intimidate Jews.”
The report found that about 3 million Twitter users posted or reposted at least 4.2 million anti-Semitic tweets in English in one year.
Twitter said it has made more than 30 changes to its platform to protect users from abuse and hateful images.
(israelhayom.com; ap.com)
