JNN News Update February 5th 2014
JNN NEWS, P.O. Box 7411, Jerusalem 91073, Israel
“You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” Isa 62: 6-7
NETANYAHU CALLS ON WORLD TO PRESSURE PALESTINIANS AFTER ABBAS REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE JEWISH STATE: PM Netanyahu on Monday attacked Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for his refusal to recognize Israel as the Jewish state. « The chairman of the PA was quoted today as saying he is not prepared to recognize the Jewish state. And this comes with him knowing there will not be an agreement without recognition of the nation state of the Jews, » Netanyahu said at the Likud faction meeting. It is « absurd » to think Israel would acquiesce to a peace agreement that entails Israeli recognizing a Palestinian state without gaining Palestinian recognition of a Jewish state.” « Now we will see if those same international actors, who until now have solely put pressure on Israel, will make clear to the Palestinian Authority what exactly will happen to the Palestinians if there will not be an agreement, » Netanyahu said. « Because, unless the Palestinians understand they will pay a price for the failure of peace talks, they will prefer not to continue the talks, » he added. The prime minister’s comments came after US Secretary of State John Kerry warned on Saturday that Israel faces the threat of delegitimization and boycotts should the status quo continue without progress in the peace process. « No amount of pressure, will cause me to give up on the essential interests of the State of Israel – chief of which is the security of Israel’s citizens, » Netanyahu vowed. (J.Post)
BENNETT ON BOYCOTTS: THE JEWISH PEOPLE ARE STRONGER THAN THREATS: Economy Minister Naftali Bennett responded to the recent threat of boycotts against Israel saying at a meeting on Monday that « the Jewish people are stronger than the threats. We won’t give in to scare tactics. They’re trying to crush our spirit, but we’ll win. How? By telling the truth over and over again, » Bennett stated. He also rejected Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat’s recent assertion that Palestinians have been present in the area longer than Jews. “The Land of Israel has been the inheritance of the Jewish People for 3,800 years. In the same Bible that all Muslims and Christians – and of course Jews – believe in, it says G-d gave the Land to the Jewish Nation. This is written in Hebrew and addressed to the Jews. Israel was the Jewish homeland thousands of years before there were Palestinians,” he stated. (INN) Since 2005, the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS) – one of several “boycott Israel,” alliances has called on the international community to pressure Israel economically. Their success would mean significant lifestyle changes for a multitude of consumers. Here are ten brands that BDS supporters have urged others to boycott: Pampers, Victoria’s Secret, Volvo, Intel, Israeli hummus, Motorola, Hewlett-Packard, Starbucks, McDonald’s, and SodaStream. There are thousands of other products on their list that contain or use Israeli-developed technology, including iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, Skype, computer firewalls, and Microsoft XP.
JERUSALEM MAYOR: THE CITY IS NOT TO BE DIVIDED: Mayor Nir Barkat of Jerusalem made it clear, Monday, that the capital of Israel must remain united forever. Speaking at the 11th Jerusalem Conference, Barkat said that « for more than four billion people in the world it is the center of the world, for all the tribes and all the sectors. » He stressed his wish to back PM Netanyahu for standing firm and vigilant against external and internal pressures. (INN)
IEC HEAD: WE INTEND TO COLLECT PA’s ELECTRICITY DEBT: Israel Electric Company chairman Yiftach Ron-Tal said Monday the Palestinian Authority owes the IEC NIS 1.2 billion ($375 million). The PA is the recipient of hundreds of millions of dollars of international assistance, but somehow has been unable to come up with the money to pay its electricity bill. Once in a while, the PA pays down some of its debts, but the IEC has been trying for years to get the Authority to pay the full amount – to no avail. “We are doing our best to collect the debt,” Ron-Tal said. (Arutz-7)
INTELLIGENCE MIN. SAYS ISRAEL MUST INVADE GAZA, DESTROY HAMAS: Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz has warned that at the current rate of rocket fire from Gaza terrorists, Israel will soon have to once again enter Gaza to destroy Hamas, the Islamist terrorist group which currently controls the territory. « In the last year there has been an improvement in the security situation, fewer rockets have been fired at Israel and fewer Israelis have been injured, » noted Steinitz. « But if the trickle of rockets from Gaza continues, we’ll have no choice but to enter and eliminate the Hamas rule, allowing the Palestinian Authority (PA) to rule Gaza again. » Earlier in January, security officials declared the Egypt-brokered ceasefire with Hamas as dead following rocket barrages, as IDF Radio noted 17 rockets hit Israel in the first 17 days of 2014. Following the 2005 « Disengagement » plan that evicted all Jews from Gaza and parts of northern Samaria, Hamas took over Gaza by force from the PA in 2006. Just last Sunday, recently-released Hamas leader Hassan Yousef threatened that a third intifada terror war against Israel is just around the corner. (Arutz-7) Continue to pray for the safety of Israel’s southern communities from Gaza Strip terrorist attacks. May Israel’s terrorist enemies fear far-reaching reprisals for stirring up needless trouble again against the Jewish state.
UN IGNORES STARVATION OF PALESTINIANS BY SYRIAN REGIME: Palestinian refugees are being systematically starved to death and denied medical care and humanitarian relief. And yet the United Nations is totally silent: no protests, no condemnations and no resolutions. Dr. Hussein Ibish, a noted Arab-American commentator reports Syrian strongman Bashar Assad’s regime has been routinely killing Palestinians at the Yarmouk refugee camp. It’s a situation, he writes, that “breaks new ground in cruelty.” Assad’s regime has inflicted enforced starvation; and within the last two weeks dozens of Palestinians died as a result of food and medicine shortages. Normally, the slightest allegation of suffering inflicted on Palestinians (by Israel that is) brings about instant worldwide outcry and an emergency session of the UN Security Council. But Syria has become a blind spot on the world eye-chart, most glaringly for the Obama administration. (J.Post)
DESPITE DECADES OF ENMITY, ISRAEL QUIETLY AIDS SYRIAN CIVILIANS: After a rocket critically wounded an 8-year-old boy in Syria, his mother rushed the child to a local hospital, where medics told her: « If you want to save your son, you should take him to Israel. » A few days later, the boy and his mother arrived at Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya. Nearly 200 Syrians, about a third of them women and children, have been treated at this hospital since March 2013. More than 230 others have been taken to Rebecca Sieff Hospital in Safed. A Syrian farmer whose grandchildren had been hurt in a rocket attack said he had heard about the Israeli medical care and, ignoring the political risks, worked to bring his granddaughter to Israel. « When there is peace, I will raise an Israeli flag on the roof of my house, » he said. (NY Times)
AL-JAZEERA HOST WITH RARE PRAISE FOR ISRAEL: A host on the pan-Arab station Al-Jazeera recently shared surprising praise of Israel, noting the Israeli army’s restraint as compared to the Syrian army’s brutality. While chairing a discussion between pro- and anti-Syrian regime pundits, Faisal Al-Qassem asked of the Syrian army, “Why don’t they learn from the Israeli army, which tries, through great efforts, to avoid shelling areas populated by civilians in Lebanon and Palestine? Didn’t Hezbollah take shelter in areas populated by civilians because it knows that the Israeli air force doesn’t bomb those areas? Why doesn’t the Syrian army respect premises of universities, schools, or inhabited neighborhoods?” he continued. Al-Qassem, who is famous throughout the Arab world for his provocative style, also noted the differences between the way Israeli and western forces deal with violent demonstration, as opposed to the Syrian security forces. “The Israeli army, if it wanted to break up a demonstration, would have used water cannons or rubber bullets, not rockets or explosive barrels as happens in Aleppo today,” he said. (Arutz-7)
15,000 ATTEND ISRAEL EVENT IN PARIS: 15,000 people in Paris attended a major event on Sunday featuring life in Israel, sponsored by the Jewish National Fund. In 2013, immigration from France to Israel increased by 63% in the wake of rising antisemitism. It was the first time in 12 years that such an important gathering focused on Israel had been organized in France. The day’s events included special exhibitions, featuring Israel from Zionism and agriculture to high tech, culture, art, medical and technological advances, natural resources and history, round table discussions and a festive concert of Israeli singer David Broza. Sunday’s event was surrounded by an unprecedented amount of security forces after antisemitic and pro-Palestinian groups vowed to disrupt the event with counter-demonstrations. Fears have sharpened drastically since a huge antisemitic rally was held on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day last week, with over 17,000 protesters participating in a march which featured leaders screaming slogans against Jews and denying the Holocaust. (European Jewish Press/INN)
JANUARY: RECORD-LOW WATER LEVELS: Figures detailing Israel’s water levels show that January was an extremely arid month, with water readings in certain areas at the lowest ever since the meteorological services began keeping records 88 years ago. The Kinneret Lake’s level was at 25% less than average for the month of January. In the national scale, the amount of precipitation from last September through January was only 64% the annual average for the same period. While a strong winter storm brought with it large quantities of rain last December, even leading to concerns the Kinneret might have too much water, the temporary downpour was not enough to turn back the general dry trend. (Arutz-7) Pray for abundant showers to bless Israel during the remainder of this year’s rainy season.
POVERTY REPORT: SITUATION OF THE NEEDY HAS DETERIORATED: PLEASE CONTINUE TO GIVE GENEROUSLY: Government reports released Dec 19 revealed poverty had increased by 3% among the elderly, reaching a rate of 23%. More than 180,000 elderly Israelis are living under the poverty line along with a staggering 40% of Israeli children. Please join with us at Vision for Israel & The Joseph Storehouse today to spread blessings of essential aid to needy families within Israel. We can’t do it without you. Your necessary and highly valued donations can be made at: www.visionforisrael.com. For residents in the UK and outside N. America visit our website at www.josephstorehouse.co.uk.
Barry Segal with the Editorial Staff
