The Implications and Consequences of Expulsion for the Jewish People
Chanukah: Returning Home to Sa-Nur, Ganim and Northern Gaza, by Hillel Fendel (Israel National News)
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The upcoming Chanukah holiday week will see at least three grass-roots initiatives to return home to communities destroyed in Ariel Sharon’s Disengagement scheme.
Sixteen months after having been evicted from their homes in Gaza and northern Shomron, many of the expellees are planning to light Chanukah candles this year in what they still view as their homes.
UPS Issues Explanation on Service to Judea and Samaria
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United Parcel Service (UPS) has claimed that information that it refuses to deliver to Jews in Judea and Samaria is not correct. In a letter to Dr. Alan Lerner of the Independent Media Review and Analysis (IMRA), UPS executive Ilan Nagar said that the company provides service to all Israelis except for “remote areas…where it would be cost prohibitive to provide service.”
He pointed out that residents of Gush Etzion do not have to travel to Jerusalem to pick up packages sent via UPS. However, Nagar also wrote, “UPS’s service reaches over 80% of the population and covers approximately 60% of the territory.” The policy leaves 20 per cent of the population without service. One resident in a community in the southern Hevron Hills, less than 25 minutes from Arad, said he was told by UPS he had to go Be’er Sheva to pick up a package.
Palestinian Carrying Knife Nabbed at Checkpoint Near Ramallah
Egypt Asks Israel to Help Patrol Border Smuggling Route
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“Egypt cited the lack of manpower for the request, but Israeli sources said the real reason is that Egyptian soldiers have not been effective, according to the Jerusalem Post.”
Israel to Refuse Egyptian Troop Request
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“‘It’s not a matter of more manpower,’ one official said, ‘it’s a matter of being active, not passive.'”
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The West’s Choice (Jerusalem Post Editorial)
“Israel must make it clear that the West’s choice is not between confronting or tolerating a nuclear Iran, but between taking collective action and forcing Israel to act alone.”
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The flap over Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s seemingly inadvertent breach of Israel’s policy of nuclear ambiguity is certainly embarrassing, but does not really change anything. Since such policies should not be changed by a slip of the tongue, Olmert was wise to quickly correct himself and reiterate the familiar formula that Israel will “not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the region.”
For context, click here.
Teach the Green Line, By Evelyn Gordon (Jerusalem Post)
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Education Minister Yuli Tamir’s plan to teach the Green Line in schools has provoked a bizarre storm of outrage on the Right. What makes this reaction bizarre is not that outrage is unwarranted; it is that the outrage has focused on the wrong issue.
The Right is up in arms over Tamir’s decision that textbook maps of Israel should include the Green Line. Yet on this point, Tamir is obviously correct. Schools are supposed to give children the basic knowledge they need to function as informed citizens, and in Israel that means knowing where the Green Line is. Without that knowledge, it is impossible to form an intelligent opinion on the No. 1 political issue of recent decades: whether Israel should withdraw to the Green Line or its vicinity.
Kassam Attack on Sderot (update)
Two Kassam Rockets Land in West Negev; None Wounded
Bomb Discovered Between Itamar and Elon Moreh
Palestinian PM Returns to Gaza, Leaving Money Behind
High Court Essentially Upholds Current Targeted-Killing Policy
Molotov Cocktails Thrown at IDF Troops Near Jenin
Two Explosions Rock Gaza-Egypt Border
Kassam Attack Fired at Western Negev
IDF Order to Prevent Haniyeh from Arriving with Money
Comments by Dr. Aaron Lerner (IMRA)
“We have learned and memorized the lesson:
#1 The weak and defenseless are doomed.
#2 Doomed are they who do not believe those who threaten to eradicate them.
#3 Doomed are they who remain complacent and do not prepare themselves to thwart the danger.
#4 Doomed are they who entertain the false illusion that they could escape harm and that they could rely on the mercy of strangers.”
For context, click here.
Israel’s ambassador to Holy See tells AsiaNews PM’s visit to Benedict XVI and Secretary of State is important as bilateral talks between Israel and Holy See resume in Jerusalem. The Cenacle on Mt Zion and holy sites around the Sea of Galilee remain sticking points….
THE MAN IN CHARGE OF NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE VATICAN:
Franciscan Fr. David-Maria Jaeger is, by any measure, a remarkable man. Born of Jewish parents in Tel Aviv, Jaeger converted to Christianity and became a Catholic priest in 1986. A noted canon lawyer, he is credited with being the principal drafter and lead negotiator of the Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and Israel that took effect in 1994. He continues to be involved in negotiations on subsidiary agreements. He is also the spokesperson for the Franciscans who govern the holy sites in Jerusalem and environs.
Pines-Paz Submits Bill to Outlaw Jewish Outreach to Minors
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A bill submitted by Labor MK Ophir Pines-Paz would prosecute one who assists someone under 18 in becoming more observant – or less.
The bill would possibly affect members of the Chabad-Lubavitch and other outreach movements, as it would dictate penalties for such activities as setting up stands to put teffilin on passers-by. Those who try to shift religious youngsters away from religion would also be prosecuted.
According to Pines-Paz, the phenomenon of young people returning to religion is causing the break-up of families and “causing damage to minors.”
‘Olmert’s Comments May Prove Harmful’, By Yaakov Katz (Jerusalem Post)
For context, click here.
“Olmert’s comment was even more surprising considering that in recent weeks he held two four-hour long meetings with former minister Dan Meridor – author of Israel’s newly-formulated defense doctrine – during which he was briefed on the main principles, which include maintaining Israel’s long-standing policy of nuclear ambiguity.”
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