April 2, 2018
Trump wished Jewish community a Happy Passover
U.S. President Donald Trump offered holiday greetings for Passover, Friday (3/30) saying:
“During the sacred holiday of Passover, Jewish families around the world give thanks to God for liberating the Jewish people from bondage in Egypt and delivering them to the promised land of Israel”
“In America, we look to the light of God to guide our steps. We trust in the power of the Almighty for wisdom and strength and we praise our heavenly Father for the blessings of freedom….Happy Passover.”
(jta.org)
IDF: At least 10 of 16 killed in Gaza border clashes were terrorists
The IDF on Saturday (3/31) identified 10 of 16 men killed in violent clashes with the IDF the previous day at the Gaza border, along with the terror organizations to which they belonged, news media reported.
The majority belonged to Hamas, including its al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and the Shati Battalion. Another casualty was affiliated with Global Jihad.
Roughly 30,000 Gazans marched to the security fence bordering Israeli territory on Friday (3/30) in what turned out to be a violent demonstration against the IDF – challenging Israeli sovereignty.
(worldisraelnews.com)
Israeli soldiers did what was necessary on Gaza border, defense minister said
Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman asserted that there will not be an international investigation into the Gaza border clashes that left 16 Palestinians dead and hundreds wounded.
“Israeli soldiers did what was necessary, I think all our soldiers deserve a medal,” Lieberman told Army Radio Sunday (1st).
Lieberman said that Israeli soldiers did not fire on peacefully protesting Palestinians and only targeted those who charged the border in an attempt to breach it or plant explosives there.
(gglz.net)
Palestinians rage at US, UK after failed bid to condemn Israel at UN
The Palestinians on Saturday (3/31) expressed outrage and disappointment over the UN Security Council’s failure to issue a resolution condemning Israel for the deaths and injuries during Friday’s (3/30) mass protests along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.
The Palestinian Authority blamed the US and Britain for obstructing the Palestinian and Arab effort to persuade the Security Council to issue a resolution blasting Israel for the 16 Palestinian fatalities.
(timesofisrael.com)
Netanyahu responds to Erdogan: ‘He occupies northern Cyprus,’ and ‘massacres civilians’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded Sunday evening (1st) ro Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s scathing comments earlier in the day, accusing the Israeli premier of being “weak” and an “occupying terrorist.”
“Erdogan is not accustomed to being answered back, but he should start getting used to it. He occupies northern Cyprus, encroaches on Kurdish territory and massacres civilians in Afrin, so he cannot preach to us on values and morals,” Netanyahu said in a tweet.
(ynetnews.com; reuters.com)
Israel confirms it is holding bodies of two terrorists killed Friday
The defense liaison to the Palestinians confirmed that Israel is holding the remains of two Hamas gunmen who were shot dead as they opened fire on Israeli soldiers Friday (3/30), and said that Gazans won’t enjoy a restoration of calm until the bodies of Israelis are returned.
Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai says that in total Israel is currently in possession of the bodies of 24 Palestinian terrorists who were killed since the 2014 Gaza war.
(timesofisrael.com)
Netanyahu speaks to slain Holocaust survivor’s son
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Sunday (1st) with Daniel Knoll, the son of Mirelle Knoll, an 85-year-old Jewish Holocaust survivor who was stabbed to death last week in her apartment in Paris, before her home was set on fire in an anti-Semitic attack.
“The people of Israel and the State of Israel are with you. This was a shocking murder. The story of your dear mother, who was cruelly taken, is a reminder for us that the struggles of our people are still before us,” he said.
(ynetnews.com)
Israeli doctors perform life saving spinal surgeries in Ethiopia – Josefin Dolsten
Eight doctors, two nurses, and one physical therapist from the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem traveled to Ethiopia last week to fix several spinal deformities in five young patients. “These cases were so bad that if we wouldn’t have operated on these children, at least half of them would be dead by next year,” said Dr. Josh Schroeder.
(jta.com)
Report: Israeli stealth fighters fly over Iran
Two Israeli F-35 fighter jets entered Iranian airspace over the past month, Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported last week. The act is a signal of heightened regional tensions especially in light of recent Israeli military attacks in Syria, including against Iranian bases in the country.
Sources quoted in Al-Jarida stated that two stealth fighters flew over Syrian and Iraqi airspace to reach Iran, and even targeted locations in the Iranian cities of Bandar Abbas, Esfahan and Shiraz.
The report also stated that the two jets went undetected by radar, including by the Russian radar system located in Syria.
The stealth fighter jets are the most advanced in the world.
(jpost.com)
New law lets Mississippi invest in Israel bonds
A new Mississippi law signed last week by Gov. Phil Bryant will allow the state treasury to invest up to $20 million in bonds issued by Israel. State Treasury Chief of Staff Michelle Williams says the treasury invests most of its excess funds in state banks, then in the U.S. Treasury. The new law will give the state treasury another option for investment – one that Williams said is safe but with a higher rate of return.
(ap.com)
