January 7, 2019
IDF Soldier Wounded In Terror Attack Still Fighting For His Life
Nathaniel Felber, the 21-year-old IDF soldier who was wounded in a shooting attack last month, remains in very serious condition, as doctors continue to fight for his life.
Felber and three other people were shot in a terrorist attack at Givat Assaf Junction north of Jerusalem on December 13th.
Sergeant Yuval Mor-Yosef, 20 from Ashkelon, and Corporal Yosef Cohen, 19 from Beit Shemesh, were killed in the attack. Felber and 20-year -old Shira Sabag of Beit El were both seriously wounded.
Three of the soldiers shot in the attack were members of the Nahal Haredi Battalion.
Doctors from the Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center intensive care neurosurgery unit reported that Felber’s life is still in danger.
Felber’s brother, Daniel, told Army Radio that while Nathaniel remains in very serious condition, he has shown some improvement.
“His life is still in danger, but the doctors say there is some improvement. Two days ago, he opened one eye. But we still don’t know if he will ever wake up.”
(gglz.net)
Haley Departs UN Post, But Won’t Be Silent On Twitter
Nikki Haley left her UN ambassadorship to great fanfare this week, being celebrated on Twitter for her robust defense of Israel in New York. Her response hinted at ambitious political aspirations, despite a personal commitment against running for higher office any time soon.
Her final tweet as ambassador was a parting shot at UNESCO, an organization she called a “corrupt cesspool” for its bias against Israel – precisely the sort of rhetoric that has earned her celebrity status on the political right. The US withdrew from the UN body on New Year’s Eve.
“I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to represent the country I love so much,” Haley wrote at the end of the year. “Thank you Mr. President for the honor of a lifetime. Thanks to all who supported us these past two years. We are all blessed to live in the best country on earth.”
Haley as a civilian had to begin a new Twitter account after having 1.6 million followers while ambassador. With her new account, Haley won back tens of thousands of followers in mere hours.
In the Oval Office in November, In President Trump’s presence, Haley resigned on her own terms, and for reasons unrelated to Trump’s conduct as president. She said she would not run for the White House while Trump remained president – and that she would, in fact, campaign for him.
(jpost.com)
UNESCO Adopts “Fake History” – Nadav Shrager
Under existing conditions at UNESCO, there was no reason for Israel to keep its place at the table with the gang that every few months rewrote another chapter of the history of the Land of Israel and the Jewish people, and co-opted it for the Palestinians. UNESCO chose time and again to adopt “fake history” and Palestinian fabrications.
UNESCO questioned Jewish ties to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, treating us as if we were occupiers in our own capital, even though Jerusalem was never a capital for any Arab or Muslim ruling entity. Even the Jordanians never used Jerusalem as their capital in the years in which they occupied the city.
UNESCO decided to call Rachel’s Tomb the Bilal Ibn Rabah mosque, even though it was never traditionally called that. The Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, which Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite, was long ago stolen from us by Muslims.
We are not passersby in this land. We weren’t just born here and we didn’t just move here. The Land of Israel’s many holy sites are the cradle of our people’s birth and our present and our future here rests on more than “security needs.”
The writer is a journalist and commentator who has documented Jerusalem for 30 years
(israelhayom.com)
New Jerusalem Mayor Said Pushing Plan To Quiet Mosque Loudspeakers
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion is advancing plans to require mosques to turn down the volume of loudspeakers during the call to prayer, Hadashot TV news reported Tuesday (1st).
The plan will reportedly be one of the first major initiatives pushed by Lion, who entered office last month after winning a second-round runoff in municipal elections in November.
As part of the plan, the report said, old loudspeakers at mosques will be switched out for new ones that are quieter; the volume of the call to prayer will not be allowed to exceed the limit permitted under noise ordinances; and police will be permitted to turn down the volume of the speakers if they are too loud.
The proposal is being formulated with the support of local leaders in a number of east Jerusalem neighborhoods.
“Our goal is to deal with this issue with all the relevant parties so that all those involved will be content,” Lion said.
Jewish residents of east Jerusalem and other areas of Israel have long complained about what they say is the excessive noise coming from mosque loudspeakers, as they say it wakes them up in the middle of the night.
Critics of the bill argue that the problem can be tackled using existing noise pollution laws. Proponents of the bill say police do not enforce the existing rules, and thus, more specific legislation is needed.
(timesofisrael.com)
Guardian Falsely Blames Israel For Shortages Of Medicine In Gaza – Adam Levick
A Dec. 31 Guardian article suggests that Israel is largely to blame for the shortage of vital medicines in Gaza that is putting the lives of countless Palestinians at risk. But this is a lie. The import of antibiotics, and almost all other important medicines, is not in any way restricted by Israel.
It’s actually the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority – and not Israel – that’s responsible for the purchase of medicines for Gaza. But as part of the sanctions it imposed on Hamas in 2017, the PA often fails to send vital drugs to Gaza. The PA-imposed sanctions also include a major reduction in Gaza’s overall healthcare budget, and a frequent refusal to issue permits to Gaza patients to receive medical treatment in Israel, the West Bank and Arab countries.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that “the escalation in internal Palestinian divisions in March 2017 led to a decline in deliveries from the West Bank and the gradual rise in the percentage of essential medicines at zero stock.”
The article also fails to note that Hamas uses precious resources (including millions in international aid) for rockets, instead of drugs and other medical-related equipment its citizens desperately need. The health system in Gaza has been worn down not “by years of blockade” as the Guardian claims, but by years of Hamas rule.
(ukmediawatch.org)
Commentary: On the Move!
Following President Trump’s bold and controversial move to place the United States embassy in Jerusalem, other countries have followed his lead. Brazil’s newly elected President Jair Bolosonaro has declared that Brazil will follow America’s lead and move their embassy to Jerusalem. He recently announced, “Israel is a sovereign state, and we must respect it. Only Israelis have the right to decide what the capital of Israel should be.”
However, there are those who would disagree, and they plan to show up in January to discuss the planned move of the Brazilian embassy. An Arab League Delegation plans to ‘discuss’ the President’s move of the embassy.’ ‘They have called on Bolsonaro to refrain from taking any positions that would prejudice the legal status of Jerusalem.’
The timing of the move also presents an issue, but an adviser to President Bolsonaro says’ that while no time has been set as yet, its a clear intention to do so.’
Two questions need to be decided for President Bolsonaro. The first question he must decide is to move the embassy or not. The second will be to do it sooner or later? When those two questions are answered, then the Brazilian embassy will, indeed, be on the move. Personally, I hope it will be sooner.
(Tim Munger, The Friends of Israel Staff Writer)
