Israel News

20 month, and residents will begin moving in in early 2024. The project is expected to reach completion by 2027. The Jewish Home | JUNE 23, 2022 The project is a joint venture between the government of the Maldives and property developer Dutch Docklands. The concept of a floating city was conceived due to the fact that 80% of the Maldives’ area is less than one meter above sea level, and with rising water levels nearly all of the country may soon be submerged. Koen Olthuis, founder of Waterstudio, the architecture firm that designed the city, said that the venture “can prove that there is affordable housing, large communities, and normal towns on the water that are also safe. They (Maldivians) will go from climate refugees to climate innovators.” He added that the goal is for the city to be self-sufficient and offer everything offered on land, including electricity, sewage treatment, and so on. Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation, noted, “The cost of not adapting to these flood risks is extraordinary. We have a choice to make: we either delay and pay, or we plan and prosper. Floating offices and floating buildings are part of this planning against the climate of the future.”

UK to Electronically Monitor Refugees

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday explained his government’s plan to electronically tag asylum seekers crossing into his country.

The new guidelines would see those traveling into Britain via “unnecessary and dangerous routes” – including by means of crossing the English Channel – fitted with a GPS tag. These individuals would be required to report regularly to the authorities, and some could be barred from certain locations or subject to curfew.

Failure to comply with the guidelines would risk detention and prosecution.

However, the guidelines also state that caseworkers must consider a variety of factors when deciding whether a person should be electronically tagged, including whether a claim of torture has been accepted by the British government. At the same time, this “does not in itself prohibit imposing such a condition” and “it may still be appropriate to maintain electronic monitoring due to other relevant factors.”

Speaking to reporters at a British Air Force base, Johnson said on Saturday that he is “proud” of his country’s track record on taking in refugees and that the new plans will ensure that “asylum seekers can’t just vanish into the rest of the country.”

Not everyone is thrilled with the new guidelines: Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, said, “It’s appalling that this government is intent on treating men, women and children who have fled war, bloodshed and persecution as criminals.

“This draconian and punitive approach not only shows no compassion for very vulnerable people, it will also do nothing to deter those who are desperately seeking safety in the UK.”

Iran’s Cyberattacks Caused Air Raid Sirens

Israel’s National Cyber Directorate suspects that the air raid sirens which sounded unnecessarily on Sunday in Jerusalem and Eilat were caused by a cyber-attack.

According to Arutz Sheva, the sirens sounded on Sunday evening and were soon announced as false alarms.

It is suspected that the attack was directed at a company which provides public address systems to local authorities and that it was through this company that the attackers succeeded in operating the sirens. The Directorate has instructed the local authorities regarding means of preventing such incidents in the future.

Meanwhile, the Iranian site Tasnim falsely claimed that sirens sounded for 50 minutes in five Israeli cities, sending 30,000 running for shelter in just one city alone.

“Since Sunday night, in five large Zionist cities sirens sounded for 50 minutes, and in one city alone 30,000 people entered shelters,” Tasnim claimed. “The Zionists run to the shelters every time, in the illusion that Iran or other opposition groups are attempting to fire a missile.

“Other than ‘occupied’ Jerusalem, sirens sounded in additional cities, including Eilat, Holon, Ashkelon, and Ashdod.”

Hamas Makes Nice with Syria

Ten years ago, the Hamas terror group shunned Damascus over opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on revolutionists in his country. Now, the Islamist group is restoring ties with Assad and his regime.

One official who asked Reuters not to be named said the two sides have held several “high-profile meetings to achieve that goal.”

Hamas leaders had publicly endorsed the revolt aimed at overthrowing Assad’s dynastic rule and left their Damascus headquarters. That angered their common ally, Iran.

Since then, Hamas’s ties with Iran have been restored, and officials of the Palestinian Islamist faction praised the Islamic Republic for help with building their Gaza arsenal of long-range rockets, which they used in fighting Israel.

Knesset to Dissolve

Initial reports said the two would submit the bill to dissolve the Knesset by next week, but on Tuesday it was reported that the Knesset Presidium had approved the bill for a vote by the Knesset plenum.

The bill will be brought for a vote on Wednesday, subject to approval by the Knesset Committee.

At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is continuing his usual work from his office in Tel Aviv.

In his Monday night comments, Bennett explained, “I am not willing to accept blackmail and threats. If I harm the state because of the non-approval of the Judea and Samaria regulations, I will go.”

During the transition period, Lapid will serve as prime minister, greeting U.S. President Joe Biden during his July visit to Israel.

Elections are expected to be held on October 25, but the exact date is still subject to change.

The coalition is debating whether to attempt to “clean the table” and pass all of its current bills that are ready for second and third readings. This will both ensure that efforts to push the bills this far would not be wasted and give the coalition factions a number of achievements that they can then use for their upcoming campaigns.

However, the slew of votes will take up precious plenum floor-time and allow the opposition to use it to attack the coalition.

The opposition is still attempting to form an alternate government headed by MK Benjamin Netanyahu. This would include the Likud, United Torah Judaism (UTJ), Blue and White, New Hope and Yamina.

Israel is now the world’s number one country in the number of elections being held since 1996, as it has held elections once every 2.4 years, on average – sending Israelis to the ballot box five times in the past 3.5 years.

Staff Shortages Plague Airport

thority has a piece of advice for you: leave your luggage at home.

The airport has been struggling with staff shortages. This week, Ofer Lapler, spokesman for the Israel Airports Authority, said the airfield was dealing with a shortfall of 1,400 workers and advised passengers to “come with patience” when flying out of the country. He also advised passengers to bring small carry-ons that could be brought onboard the flight instead of bringing luggage for check-in.

The staff shortages have led to chaotic scenes at Israel’s travel hub since travel restrictions were mostly done away with in March and much of the world has opened up to tourists.

In addition to the problems at Ben Gurion Airport, El Al customers have recently faced numerous cancellations as pilots strike to demand that the company return their salaries to pre-COVID levels.

Passengers arriving at Ben Gurion’s Terminal 1 have been forced to wait in lines that stretch out the door, while the main Terminal 3 has seen the departures hall packed to the limit.

Lapler said that since March, Ben Gurion has experienced a 340% increase in passengers and flights. He further said that the Israel Airports Authority has committed to dealing only with existing flights and was resisting pressure to add additional flights during the current peak travel season, which ends in October.

Lapler noted that there were staffing problems at airports and airlines in a number of countries and said that Israel was, in fact, in an “excellent position.”

Poland: Rules for Holocaust Trips

The Polish government wants to implement rules to shape the way Israeli children visit Holocaust sites in the country.

Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said the armed guards accompanying the youth groups, the visits’ focus on the Holocaust only, and a lack of contact with Polish youth were giving young Israelis a “negative image” of Poland.

The Jewish Home | JUNE 23, 2022

“There are also threads appearing (to suggest) that Poland is an anti-Semitic country and for that reason it’s dangerous here,” Przydacz said on Monday.

He added that a new intergovernmental agreement should state in what cases guards with loaded weapons can be present. Poland would also like young Israelis to meet with their Polish peers and understand their approach to Polish-Jewish history that spans many centuries.

The annual educational trips by thousands of young Israelis were suspended during the pandemic. Last week, Israel said it was not resuming them because Poland’s right-wing government was trying to control the curriculum.

Przydacz said the reason they have not been resumed was “because we believe that (they) should be regulated by an agreement between Poland and Israel.”

Poland was the first country invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany in World War II. Nearly all of Poland’s roughly 3 million Jews were killed by the Germans and their collaborators during the Holocaust, as the Nazis built their major death camps in occupied Poland.

Young Israelis traditionally travel to Poland in the summer between 11th and 12th grade to tour former Nazi camps, learn about the Holocaust, and remember the 6 million victims. The trip has long been considered a milestone in Israeli education and, prior to the pandemic, some 40,000 Israeli students participated each year.

No Additional Work Permits for Gazans

Following a Friday night rocket attack on southern Israel, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced over the weekend that the issuance of 2,000 additional work permits for Gazans would be frozen.

The additional permits were announced last Thursday and would have expanded the number of Gazans allowed to work in Israel to 14,000.

In a statement, COGAT said, “The Hamas terror group bears responsibility for everything that is done in and emanates from the Gaza Strip towards the State of Israel, and it will bear the consequences.”

The rocket was shot down by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system, and the IDF attacked several Hamas military sites in response.

In its statement, the IDF confirmed the rocket fire, adding, “IDF aircraft struck a number of Hamas terror targets in the Gaza Strip. IDF aircraft targeted a weapons manufacturing site located inside a Hamas military post and an additional three military posts belonging to Hamas in the Gaza Strip.”

It added, “The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for all terror activity emanating from the Gaza Strip.”

NYT: IDF Killed Al Jazeera Journalist

Muslim - American journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh was “most likely”

At the same time, the investigation also said that there is no indication that Abu Aqleh was targeted personally, despite Palestinian Authority (PA) claims to the contrary.

Abu Aqleh was shot and killed on May 11, while covering a shootout between IDF troops and Palestinian Authority terrorists.

According to the Times, the investigation reconstructed the moments just before and after Abu Aqleh was shot, using videos from bystanders, security cameras, and eyewitness interviews, as well as audio analysis. The report added that there were no armed terrorists near where Abu Aqleh was shot.

“The Times found no evidence that the person who fired recognized Ms. Abu Ak-

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26 leh and targeted her personally,” the report said. “The Times was unable to determine whether the shooter saw that she and her The Jewish Home | JUNE 23, 2022 colleagues were wearing protective vests emblazoned with the word Press.” The investigation found that a total of 16 shots were fired towards a group of journalists and claimed the only “reasonable” source was a nearby Israeli convoy. The IDF has emphasized that if it was a soldier who killed Abu Aqleh, the intended target was a nearby terrorist. Experts Robert C. Maher, a gunfire acoustics expert at Montana State University in Bozeman, and Steven Beck, a former acoustics consultant for the FBI, were asked by the Times to analyze recordings. In their opinion, the projectile was a 5.66 by 45-millimeter bullet – a kind used by both the IDF and Palestinian Authority terrorists. Though the Times found that the IDF and the terrorists were equal distance from Abu Aqleh, they did not believe the terrorists to be in a position that gave a direct line of sight to where Abu Aqleh was standing. “Critically, the aural analysis of the gunfire suggested that all 16 bullets were fired from the approximate location of the Israeli vehicle,” the Times reported. Meanwhile, the IDF has pointed out that it is impossible to conclusively say who shot Abu Aqleh without examining the bullet which killed her. Thus far, the Palestinian Authority has refused to allow the bullet to be examined. On Friday, the IDF said it is expanding its investigation and again called on the PA to release the bullet – an item which can determine conclusively who shot Abu Aqleh.

Israel to Export Natural Gas to Europe

Israel, Egypt, and the European Union (EU) signed a memorandum of understanding last week under which Israel will export natural gas to the EU for the first time, the Times of Israel reported.

The landmark agreement, signed in Cairo, will increase liquified natural gas sales to EU countries.

Last year, the EU imported approximately 40% of its gas from Russia but has had difficulties this year due to the Russia-Ukraine war and the sanctions imposed on Russia.

The Israeli gas will be sent to the EU by way of Egypt, which has the facilities to liquify it for export via sea.

She added, “The memorandum of understanding will allow Israel to export Israeli natural gas to Europe for the first time, and it is even more impressive when one looks at the string of significant agreements we have signed in the past year, positioning Israel and the Israeli energy and water economy as a key player in the world,” she said.

“This is a statement to those who see in our region only negative forces such as division and conflict. This MOU shows us that we are paving a new path of partnership, solidarity and sustainability.”

European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen noted, “What a special moment. I very warmly welcome the signing of this historic agreement.”

Egyptian Petroleum Minister Tarek el-Molla said the deal is “an important milestone” for cooperation between Israel, Egypt, and the EU, and that it will lead to further cooperation between members of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum.

According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, the agreement is expected to bring in one billion shekels in annual profits.

Doron Almog to Lead Jewish Agency

Doron Almog has been nominated as the next chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, ending a more than yearlong period during which the agency – the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world – has been led by an interim head after the previous chairman, Isaac Herzog, was named president of Israel last year.

The news of Almog’s nomination was greeted positively in religious Jewish circles.

“We congratulate general (retired) and recipient of the Israel prize Doron Almog on his being chosen as chairman for the Jewish Agency for Israel,” remarked Rabbi Pesach Lerner, chairman of the Eretz Hakodesh chareidi faction of the World Zionist Organization. “His contributions to the security of the State of Israel and his many important contributions to the greater society are a source of Jewish pride for all of us. We wish him much success in his future activities on behalf of the Jewish people.”

Born in Rishon Letzion, Almog and his wife Didi have been sources of inspiration to many, having endured various personal challenges with strength and faith. Their son Eran – named after Almog’s brother Eran, a soldier in the IDF Armored Corps who was killed in action during the Yom Kippur War – was born with brain damage, suffered from severe autism and mental retardation, and died at age 23 in 2007. Their daughter Shoham was born with a severe injury to an artery in her heart and died a month after her birth in 1991.

Almog founded Aleh Negev, a village for the disabled that provides residential, medical and social services to the handicapped of southern Israel.

His nomination will need to be approved by the Jewish Agency board of governors at its plenary hearing next month.

The 71-year-old nominee fought in the Yom Kippur War as a company commander on the Sinai front and later led a force of officers and soldiers in Operation Entebbe and was the first soldier to land on the runway at Entebbe. Almog was awarded the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement – the country’s highest honor – in 2016.

Eretz Hakodesh had lobbied strongly for the new head of the Jewish Agency to be an individual not involved in the political world but someone who would focus on the primary task of the agency of “bringing Jews to Israel and Israel to Jews around the world.”

“Doron Almog is well respected in all circles,” remarked Rabbi Nechemya Malinowitz,director ofIgudYeshivosand Seminaries Bnei Chul and director of Eretz Hakodesh in Israel. “He is someone who will be focused on the