Category: Articles

A pro-Palestinian activist who brutally beat a Jewish man on a New York street and bragged afterwards that he’d “do it again” was sentenced to 18 months in jail on Tuesday.

In May 2021, Waseem Awawdeh, 25, and four other men targeted Joey Borgen, who was identifiably Jewish due to the kippah he was wearing, as he walked to a pro-Israel rally in Manhattan. The assault on Joey was an assault on the whole Jewish community and the community came out repeatedly to sit in court with him, showing solidarity tinged with anger at the way this despicable hate crime was being handled.

Awawdeh was reportedly originally offered a lenient plea deal to serve six months in jail by liberal Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg, but that agreement was rescinded after widespread outrage from Jewish advocacy groups. In his impact statement, Borgen emphasized the fact that Awawdeh showed no remorse; in fact, indicated he might very well repeat this type of heinous offense.

Another participant in the attack, Faisal Elezzi, was sentenced to three years of probation and mandatory “anti-bias training” in April 2023. Three other men are currently awaiting trial for their roles in the assault on Borgen.

Sources:
Pro-Palestinian attacker of NY Jewish man sentenced to 18 months in jail, by Lauren Marcus/World Israel News, June 14, 2023

Jewish man who was savagely beaten in hate crime mob attack slams Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg for giving assailant a plea deal with 18-month sentence: ‘I wanted to see full justice’, by Keith Griffith/Daily Mail, June 15, 2023

Channel 14’s political correspondent Motti Kastel on Sunday night revealed messages from a secret WhatsApp group whose members are the founders of the anarchist groups “Crime Minister,” the Balfour Street protests in Jerusalem, and the Kaplan Street protests in Tel Aviv. The closed group includes senior officials, former chiefs of staff, and former heads of government, who are all looking for ways to revive the dwindling protests and are planning, among other things, to block Ben Gurion International Airport. The goal is the same as always: overthrow the Right-wing government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The WhatsApp conversations shed light on the reason behind the recent belligerent attacks by Ehud Barak that include calls for a civil war. This is a limited, emergency group whose members are former Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert, former Chiefs of Staff Dan Halutz and Bogie Ya’alon, Crime Minister founder Yishai Hadas, and Black Flags founders Roy Neuman, Shikma Bressler, and Eyal Schwarzman.

As reports of protest numbers are dwindling, the above-named doers of disruption and anarchy use the protests to take down the government in order to try to find meaning and relevance in their own lives. We’re glad they’ve been exposed for what they really are: SORE LOSERS.

Source:
Exposed: As Protest Numbers Dwindle, Anarchist Leadership Pushing for Violence, by David Israel/Jewish Press, June 12, 2023

A senior Israeli official said on Monday that Iran is well aware that if it manages to enrich uranium to the 90-percent level, it will face an Israeli strike.

Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium are now more than 23 times the limit set out in 2015.

These statements come at a time when reports suggest the potential for an agreement between Iran and Western countries, over the Iranian nuclear program. The official told Israel Hayom that the United States, as well as other Western nations, are also well aware that 90-percent enriched uranium – the threshold necessary for the production of a nuclear bomb – constitutes a “red line” for Israel.

Nothing is stopping Iran from building nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s recent decision to end its probe into a nuclear facility in Marivan is a surrender to Iran. Just today, a diplomatic official in Tehran confirmed that Iran is holding indirect nuclear talks with the United States through the Sultanate of Oman. Also, Iraq has agreed to pay about $2.76 billion in gas and electricity debt to Iran after receiving a sanctions waiver from the United States, a senior Iraqi foreign ministry official said.

The US is playing nice hoping for an agreement that will never come and if it does it won’t be worth the paper it’s written on. Logic only goes to follow that Israel must remain vigilant over Iran since this #1 State Sponsor of Terror continues to be a ticking time bomb – one we pray will never explode.

Sources:
Israel will strike Iran ‘if uranium enrichment reaches 90%’ – report, by i24NEWS, June 12, 2023

Iran confirms indirect nuclear deal talks with the United States, by Itamar Eichner/Ynetnews, June 12, 2023

Iraq to pay $2.76 billion in gas and electricity debt to Iran, by i24NEWS and Agencies, June 12, 2023

The Regavim Movement sent out a curious message on Sunday: “How do you ramp up enforcement against illegal Arab construction in Judea and Samaria? Easy: simply hoist an Israeli flag on it…”

According to Regavim, last week, the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria demolished an illegal Arab-built structure adjacent to the Jewish community of Haresha. Since the illegal structure was first built in 1997, it didn’t bother the Civil Administration – and nothing happened – until the Arabs abandoned the structure and Jews moved in.

Regavim first petitioned the High Court of Justice in 2006 demanding that the court force the Civil Administration to do its job. All these years, “The Civil Administration turned a blind eye,” according to Regavim, which recalled: “Complaints, warnings, pleas to the authorities who are responsible for enforcing the law and protecting the area all went unheeded.”

Source:
This, Folks, Is What Selective Enforcement in the Liberated Territories Looks Like, by David Israel/Jewish Press, June 12, 2023

The negotiations over the judicial reforms at the President’s residence will be suspended until the end of the selection process for the committee for the appointment of judges in the Knesset.

According to the report – the opposition is waiting for the results of the vote to see if it will have a representative on the committee – and if in the end it does not have a representative, the talks will not be resumed.

A break in the judicial reform talks is surely needed, however, it is imperative that the negotiations process resumes and moves forward. Let’s pray the break does both sides a world of good and brings everyone not only back to the table but back to their senses.

Source:
Opposition suspends judicial reform talks, by Israel National News, June 8, 2023

Multiple scheduled appearances in the United States by various Israeli government ministers have been cancelled in deference to the rising protests against Israel’s government. The American Jewish leftists are being egged on by ex-pat Israelis encouraged by their leftist counterparts in Israel.

For Days, MK Amichai Chikli faced protesters in Toronto, Canada but he did not back down and cancel scheduled appearances.

Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat withdrew from a Boston meeting at a reform synagogue rather than risk a confrontation with anarchists. The rabbi of the synagogue that was rented for the event had planned to join the protesters.

MK Ofir Akunis canceled in Los Angeles to avoid protesters. Consul-General Hillel Newman apologized on the minister’s behalf, quoting him as saying that his presence “might cause more provocations with the people outside and the protesters.”

Israel needs to create an international public relations campaign to mass communicate the facts about judicial reforms and why it is critical that they be implemented. Moreover, the Israel-hating people funding the left to create anarchy need to be uncovered and brought to justice. Therein lies the real problem.

Let’s keep in mind that this anarchy, and the angry protests and threats are something that was planned long before the judicial reform process was even on the table. Before it was even formed, this was a plan to overthrow Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government. Refer to this Jerusalem Post opinion by Yaron Schwartz from June 5, 2023: “Barak’s secret plot pushing the anti-judicial reform protests – opinion.”

Source:
Israeli Ministers Cancel US Appearances to Avoid Anti-Government Protesters, by Hana Levi Julian/Jewish Press, June 8, 2023

Likud Knesset member Amit Halevi is promoting a plan to divide the Temple Mount between Jews and Muslims.

Under the plan, Muslims will receive the southern Al Aqsa Mosque and its annexes and the Jews will receive the central and northern area, including the Dome of the Rock.

Halevi also seeks to change the access procedures for Jews visiting the Temple Mount, demanding that Jews be allowed to ascend the Temple Mount through all the other gates, just like Muslims. At present, Jews and tourists are only allowed to go up the mountain through the Mughrabi Gate and only during the few hours when the gate is open.

When following its original purpose, the Temple Mount should be open to all humanity that wishes to pray there in peace and harmony. Under no circumstances should this holy site be divided to satisfy the enemies of Israel, which, by the way, dividing the Temple Mount won’t satisfy them anyway.

Source:
Likud MK Amit Halevi Proposes Plan to Divide Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, by Hana Levi Julian/Jewish Press, June 7, 2023

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s “surrender” to Iran is a “black mark” on the UN watchdog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the beginning of Sunday’s weekly Cabinet meeting.

He was referring to the IAEA’s decision to end its probe into a nuclear facility in Marivan, in western Iran, where traces of uranium were found in 2019. According to Iran, the IAEA also closed a separate investigation into uranium particles found in the underground Fordow facility.

Netanyahu stated: “If the Atomic Energy Agency becomes a political organization, its monitoring activities in Iran will have no meaning, nor will the reports it produces on Iran’s nuclear activities have any meaning. In any case, Israel under our leadership does not stand by. We stand our ground firmly both in public and behind closed doors.”

In 2018, the Mossad’s theft of an entire archive of Iranian nuclear documents was nothing short of a spectacular and eye-opening undercover operation. Netanyahu noted that Israel “revealed information to the world” on Iran’s secret nuclear archive. The information “unequivocally proved that Iran violates the inspection agreements and that it operates in the nuclear field for military purposes and not for innocent civilian purposes.” Did the IAEA conveniently forget about this important Mossad operation in order to appease Iran?

Source:
Netanyahu: Atomic Watchdog’s ‘surrender’ to Iran is a ‘black mark’ on the agency, by Pesach Benson/TPS via World Israel News, June 5, 2023

A recent earthquake drill in Beit Shemesh revealed that in various areas in Ramat Beit Shemesh, the air raid sirens are not audible, Kikar Hashabbat reported.

During Operation Shield and Arrow, when rockets were fired towards Beit Shemesh, many residents said they did not hear the siren, and only found out about the rocket fire when they heard the explosions from the intercepts near their homes. The residents also did not hear the sirens sounded marking Israel’s Memorial Day.

Residents receive alerts from the Home Front Command APP. However, this is yet another example of why the application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria must happen. Necessary services such as sirens must be audible and without places like Beit Shemesh receiving the same treatment as the rest of the country, the residents are not safe. Unacceptable!!

Source:
In some Beit Shemesh neighborhoods, air raid sirens aren’t audible, by Israel National News, June 5, 2023

Justice Minister Yariv Levin has expressed his lack of faith in the process by which the Judicial Selection Committee chooses judges.

According to Israel Hayom, Levin recently told political sources that, “There will not be judicial appointments using the method of Ayelet Shaked. I do not believe in this approach for performing appointments. What is important to me is not this appointment or that one but correcting the method from its foundations.”

The site explained that Levin therefore will not agree to make “deals” for judicial appointments, in which the government and judges veto each other’s picks, such that too-liberal judges will be vetoed by the coalition, while judges deemed too conservative would be vetoed by the judges on the Judicial Selection Committee.

Levin and Hayut have already made several appointments together, on a variety of positions in the judicial system, and they meet every week. However, there remains a question regarding whether Hayut will agree, before her retirement, to approve the appointment of two conservative justices, as Levin desires.

Source:
Justice Minister: We won’t appoint judges the way Ayelet Shaked wanted, by Israel National News, June 1, 2023