News Digest — 5/1/23
Speaker McCarthy At Western Wall: ‘Israel Is A Blessed Nation’
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Congressman Kevin McCarthy arrived in Israel on Sunday afternoon (4/30) together with a delegation of members of Congress from both the Republican and Democratic parties. His first stop upon arrival was the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
The delegation was received by the rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, and by the director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, Mordechai Eliav, who explained the importance of the holy site for the Jewish people and presented them with a model of the Temple and the history of Jerusalem.
The Western Wall rabbi prayed with them, and Congressman McCarthy and his delegation prayed for peace in the United States and Israel and placed a note between the stones of the Western Wall.
The Rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, told the Congressmen: “These ancient stones at our feet are the same stones that supported the Temple almost two thousand years ago. The Temple was destroyed but its spirit remained in the world – a spirit of freedom and mission, and a spirit of faith in the Creator and in humanity. It is a spirit that carried the Jewish people to every corner of the world in their long journey. For many years we have been admiring how the American nation expresses the deepest and most important values of the Jewish spirit. We have a covenant that unites us, Jews and Americans. A covenant of destiny – to be faithful messengers of the Creator of the world, and to repair the world in the kingdom of the Almighty. Together, let us recite Psalm 121 from the words of King David, which deals with the protection of the Almighty over all of us in our comings and goings.”
Congressman McCarthy signed the Western Wall guestbook in the name of the United States Congress, writing: “Israel, you are a blessed nation, and our shared values unite a bond that will never break.” He also noted that he looks forward to Israel’s next 75 years of a long connection that just gets stronger.
When Speaker McCarthy landed on Sunday (4/30) at Ben Gurion Airport, he was greeted by his counterpart, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. McCarthy is scheduled to address the Knesset on Monday afternoon (1st) at the legislature’s opening meeting of its summer session.
(isnn.com)
Syria Says Israeli Strikes Hit Homs Area, Damage Reported
Suspected Israeli airstrikes targeted the Syrian province of Homs early Saturday (4/29), state media reported. Syria’s state news agency SANA, citing military officials, said that three were wounded in the strike. It reported that Syrian air defenses responded to the alleged Israeli missiles in the sky over Homs and shot some of them down.
The pro-government Sham FM radio reported that “fires broke out and explosions could be heard from the area.”
The Britain-based opposition war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israeli missiles had destroyed an ammunition depot belonging to the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah at a military airport in the countryside of Homs. The observatory said it was the second time Israel targeted the site in a month. On April 2, state media reported that Israeli airstrikes hit several sites in Homs, wounding five soldiers. The observatory said two Hezbollah members were killed. There was no immediate statement from Israel on the strikes.
Israel, which has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment next door, has reportedly carried out hundreds of strikes on targets in government-controlled parts of neighboring Syria in recent years, but rarely acknowledges them. Earlier this year, suspected Israeli strikes in Syria intensified, culminating in an exchange on the border April 8, when the Israeli military said its forces attacked targets in Syria after six rockets were launched from southern Syria toward the Golan Heights.
Iran’s President Raisi To Visit Syria For The First Time In Over A Decade
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi will go to Damascus on Wednesday (3rd) at the official invitation of the Syrian president for a “very important” two-day visit, state media reported.
“Dr. Raisi’s trip to Damascus next Wednesday (3rd) is a very important trip due to the changes and developments that are taking place in the region,” IRNA state news agency on Sunday (4/30) quoted Iran’s ambassador to Syria Hossein Akbari, as saying.
The visit comes against the backdrop of a rapprochement between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia, and increased Arab engagement with Damascus.
Iran is a major ally of President Bashar Assad and has given financial and military support to his regime during Syria’s 12-year-old conflict.
“This trip will not only be beneficial for Tehran and Damascus, but it is also a very good event that other countries in the region can also take advantage of,” Akbari was reported as saying.
Raisi’s visit will be the first by an Iranian president to Damascus since the start of the civil war in Syria in 2011.
The last Iranian president to visit the Syrian capital was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in September 2010.
The Islamic Republic finances arms for, and commands a number of Syrian and foreign militia groups fighting alongside the Assad regime’s regular armed forces, chief among them Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah terror group.
Palestinians Blast European President For Saying ‘Israel Made The Desert Bloom’
Palestinians from across the political spectrum condemned European Commission President Ursula von der Leven over the weekend for saying that Israel “made the desert bloom.”
Her statement was included in a special message poster on Twitter by the European Union Delegation to Israel to celebrate 75 years of Israel’s Independence and friendship with Europe.
“Today we celebrate 75 years of vibrant democracy in the heart of the Middle East,” she said. “Seventy-five years of dynamism, ingenuity, and groundbreaking innovations. You have literally made the desert bloom”
The Palestinian Authority denounced the remarks as “racist” and demanded that the European Commission president apologize to both European citizens and the Palestinian people.
“The State of Palestine rejects the inappropriate, false, and discriminatory remarks by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leven, particularly the ‘made the desert bloom’ anti-Palestinian racist trope,” the Palestinian Foreign Affairs Ministry said. “Such a propagandist discourse dehumanizes and erases the Palestinian people and falsifies their rich history and civilization.”
According to the ministry, “such a narrative perpetuates the continued and racist denial of the Makba (catastrophe – reference to the establishment of Israel) and whitewashes Israel’s illegal and apartheid regime.”
Hamas officials accused the European Commission president of “hypocrisy.”
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said that von der Leven’s message to Israel “on the anniversary of its founding on the ruins of our Palestinian land represents the height of hypocrisy and bias in favor of the occupation.”
Abu Zuhri said that the message of congratulations to Israel expresses the denial of the rights of the Palestinian people and ignores their historic presence in the homeland.
He added that the message “raises questions about the nature of the European position toward the conflict in Palestine.” The Hamas official accused the European Commission president of provoking the Palestinians by saying that “Israel is a democracy.”
Basem Naim, head of the Hamas Political and External Affairs Department, accused the European Commission president of repeating lies promoted by the leaders of the Zionist enterprise. He said: “Palestine was never a desert that blossomed during the era of Israel barbarism. Thousands of years ago, Palestine was the cradle of civilizations, the meeting point of coexistence, and the path for science and progress.”
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the Arab League also condemned the European Commission president’s remarks dubbing them offensive to the Palestinians and their history.
Israel Fights Back As Indonesia Bans Its Athletes From International Competitions
Indonesian Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs Dito Ariotedio said Sunday (1st) that Israel was not among the 69 countries that have been confirmed for participation during the Association of National Olympic Committees [ANOC] meeting.
“I don’t see Israel in the participants list, so it won’t be a problem,” he said, as quoted by Antara news agency.
The ANOC will take place between August 5th and 12th on the island of Bali, with the participation of 1,600 athletes from 130 countries. Indonesia was granted the right to host the games on the condition that all participating countries would be allowed to compete. Recently there have been reports that the Indonesian government announced that they will not allow entry for Israelis to the competition.
Meanwhile, Israel has been pressuring the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and ANOC to intervene and ensure that Israeli athletes are allowed to travel to Bali. Organizers have already prevented Israeli athletes from attending the main delegations conference taking place currently in Bali.
The Olympic Committee of Israel stated: “After many conversations with heads of the International Olympic Committee in recent months, a letter was sent to the President and CEO of ANOC clarifying that Israeli athletes will participate in the ANOC only if they are given equal conditions to those of other countries.
The letter said, in part: “It should be noted that the IOC is in continuous contact with us on the matter, and we are confident that they will uphold the equality and right of the State of Israel to compete in any competition worldwide, as has been done throughout the year.”
Last month, Indonesia was stripped of hosting the men’s Under-20 FIFA World Cup amid political turmoil regarding Israel’s participation.
Following a meeting between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and President of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI), Erick Thohir in Doha, FIFA has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove Indonesia as the host of the tournament.
