March 20, 2018
Funeral of Adiel Kolman
The funeral of Adiel Kolman, the 32-year-old father of four who was killed in a terror attack on Sunday evening (18th) was held at 11 a.m. Monday morning (19th) in the Kokhav HaShahar cemetery.
Kolman was killed as he left his job at the City of David museum in the Old City and headed in the direction of Jerusalem’s light rail. A terrorist stabbed him in the upper part of his body as he neared the Lion’s Gate of Jerusalem. He was rushed to the hospital in serious condition and died before midnight.
Kolman grew up in Moshav Keshet in the Golan Heights. He leaves behind children in third and second grade as well as kindergarten and day care. His wife Ayelet is a social worker.
(jpost.com)
US Ambassador blasts PA for not condemning latest terror attacks
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman on Monday (19th) slammed the Palestinian Authority for not condemning a spate of deadly attacks that have killed two Israeli soldiers and a security guard in the past four days.
“Tragedy in Israel,” Friedman posted to his Twitter feed. “Two young soldiers, Netanel Kahalani and Ziv Daos, murdered in the north, and father of four, Adiel Kolman, murdered in Jerusalem, by Palestinian terrorists. Such brutality and no condemnation from the PA! I pray for the families and the wounded – so much sadness.”
(timesofisrael.com)
Israel arrests French consular worker for smuggling weapons to the PA
The French Embassy in Israel said on Monday (19th) it was cooperating with Israeli authorities on their arrest of a French consular staffer accused of using a diplomatic vehicle to smuggle guns between Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
“We take this case very seriously and are working very closely with the Israeli authorities on this matter,” said an embassy spokesman, who declined to comment further on the allegations against the staffer, identified as Romain Franck.
Israel announced Franck’s arrest on Monday (19th). According to a statement from the Shin Bet security agency, on at least five occasions Franck used a consular vehicle to elude security checks and move 70 guns and two assault rifles, which he received from Gaza, across the border and into the West Bank.
(israelhayom.com; reuters.com)
Ambassadors told: Behind all Hamas activity is Iran
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely told foreign ambassadors on Monday (19th) that “the tunnel that was destroyed by IDF forces this week in light of Hamas’ attempt to reconstruct the route of the tunnel towards Kibbutz Kerem Shalom is located in the area we visited just two weeks ago.”
At a briefing for the diplomats Hotovely added, “Hamas is abandoning the residents of the Gaza Strip and is using the funds for terrorist purposes against Israeli civilians. It is important to remember that behind all Hamas activity is Iran. The Iranian regime transfers $100 million a year to Hamas, money that is used against Israel and does not help the Gaza population.”
(israelnn.com)
Shiite cleric calls to revoke Nasrallah’s Lebanese citizenship for his Iran ties
A Lebanese Shiite cleric is urging Lebanon to strip Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah of his citizenship over his “clear collaboration” and allegiance to Iran.
In an interview last week on Al-Arabiya, Muhammad Ali Al-Husseini called for revoking the terror group leader’s citizenship for reportedly saying Iran’s doctrine of “Guardianship of the jurist” – which grants Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with supreme political power – is above Lebanon’s constitution.
“What Nasrallah said shows clear collaboration of a Lebanese with a foreign country, therefore, I call upon the state of Lebanon to revoke the citizenship of Hassan Nasrallah,” said Husseini.
(memri.org)
Holocaust memorial ceremony canceled after Poland censors Israeli speech
The new Polish “Holocaust Law” was felt by Israeli students in Poland Monday (19th) when a joint Israeli-Polish Holocaust remembrance ceremony was cancelled after Polish authorities tried to censor the speech of an Israeli mayor.
Mayor of Kiryat Bialik, Eli Dukorsky had been set to address a delegation of students from his city who were visiting Poland. His speech included personal accounts of the Holocaust and references to Polish bystanders and collaborators, as well as Righteous among the Nations.
Before Dukorsky spoke, local Polish authorities asked to review his speech. They then asked that he remove parts of the speech that referred to Polish complicity in the Holocaust. Dukorsky consulted the Israeli Foreign Ministry on how to proceed, and was advised to refuse the censorship of his text.
As a result, Polish authorities cancelled the ceremony, according to Israeli media.
(jpost.com)
Air India to begin direct flights to Israel over Saudi space
The flights for the Indian national carrier will begin on Thursday (22nd), and take about 7 hours, according to the airline, AFP reported. Flying through Saudi airspace knocks more than two hours off the time of the flight.
El Al, Israel’s national airline, is currently the only airline to offer direct flights between Tel Aviv and Mumbai, but avoids Saudi airspace by flying over the Red Sea, past Yemen and around the Arabian peninsula. Saudi airspace has been closed to any airline that flies to Israel.
Saudi Arabia and Israel do no have official diplomatic relations, but apparently do have “covert” relations.
(afp.com; jta.com)
After 26 years, Argentine government joins ceremony to commemorate terrorist attack on Israeli embassy
BUENOS AIRES – For the first time, the ceremony to commemorate the terrorist attack on Israel’s embassy in Buenos Aires was co-sponsored by the Argentine government.
The ceremony which took place on Friday (16th) to mark the 26th year since the attack, was held in the country’s human rights center. The terrorist attack that destroyed the Israeli embassy on March 17, 1992, killed 29 and injured 242.
(worldisraelnews.com)
Indian publisher in hot water over children’s book celebrating Hitler
An Indian publisher is facing harsh criticism for including Adolf Hitler in a children’s book titled “Great Leaders”
The book, published by Pegasus Books, is intended to teach children about current and past leaders who “dedicated their lives to the betterment of their countries and the people living in them.”
According to a statement of condemnation from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the inclusion of Hitler would “bring tears of joy to the Nazis and their racist neo-Nazi heirs.”
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the Wiesenthal Center said that equating Hitler with “truly great political and humanitarian leaders” was an “abomination.”
The Wiesenthal Center is demanding that Pegasus Books remove “Great Leaders” from circulation and from its online store.
(israelhayom.com)
Israel’s HemoScreen performs a complete blood count in 5 minutes
Israeli blood analysis startup PixCell has been awarded a 2.5 million euro grant by the European Commission to accelerate commercialization of its HemoScreen. The product is a portable, easy-to-use, blood analyzer that can be operated by anyone. It performs the most common blood test – a complete blood count – within 5 minutes, enabling physicians to diagnose and treat patients during a single visit.
HemoScreen’s performance has been comprehensively validated in 3 clinical studies in the U.S. in which operators without any training have tested thousands of blood samples, showing excellent correlation to high-end lab analyzers. The product has EU CE approval and is expected to be FDA cleared during 2018.
(globes.co.il)
