Weekly roundup of world briefs

Family of fallen IDF soldier donates corneas, saving sight of two people

(JNS) — The family of an Israeli soldier who was killed last week in a drive-by shooting in Samaria has donated his corneas to two people, saving their eyesight, Israeli media reported on Monday.

The recipients, both in their 80s, “Were moved to tears when they heard about the identity of the donor,” Walla reported.

Baruch was securing a civilian march near Shavei Shomron in northern Samaria when he was shot from a moving vehicle. He was evacuated to Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba, where he succumbed to his wounds.

He was laid to rest in his home city of Gedera, south of Tel Aviv, last Wednesday.

Malaysian police arrest alleged Mossad ring after Hamas ‘asset’ kidnapped

(JNS) — Malaysian police say they rescued a Palestinian man captured by a group of locals who had been engaged by the Mossad.

A group of men, the alleged kidnappers, shackled and in single file, were paraded before the cameras as authorities brought them to the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate’s Court on Oct. 14.

They stand accused of kidnapping a Palestinian on behalf of the Mossad because the latter believes him to be an asset of Hamas’ “armed wing,” the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.

The alleged kidnapping supposedly took place shortly after 10 pm on Sept. 28, when two Palestinian men, both computer programmers, were about to enter their car after eating dinner at a mall in the middle of Kuala Lumpur.

The alleged victim was dragged away while being beaten and placed in another vehicle, which sped off. He was taken to a chalet “in a quiet corner of the district,” according to the New Straits Times newspaper.

Meanwhile, the second Palestinian ran to a nearby hotel to seek help. He lodged a report at the Dang Wangi police station roughly 40 minutes after the incident, the Malaysian paper reported.

The suspected terrorist asset was interrogated and beaten for 24 hours, according to the report.

“The Israelis wanted to know about his experience in computer application development, Hamas’ strength in developing software, members of the Al-Qassam Brigade that he knew and their strengths,” according to one of the alleged Malaysian kidnappers, the report said.

Police traced the route of the vehicle and arrived at the chalet, freeing the Palestinian. The interrogation was ongoing as they raided the room, according to the newspaper.

Greek synagogue restored to its former glory after 82 years

(JNS) — A synagogue in Trikala, Greece that had fallen into disrepair was rededicated this week after being renovated in part with donations from the German government, the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, and other donors.

The Kahal Kadosh Yavanim synagogue’s rededication was part of a three-day celebration, which included a concert, an inauguration ceremony and an exhibit at a local museum on the restoration project. The large Romaniote synagogue had been dismantled in 1930 due to its poor condition.

Noam Katz, Israel’s ambassador to Greece, joined in the festivities. He called it an “exciting ceremony.”

On Twitter, Katz wrote, “At the event I said: Since the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, the synagogues have served as the centers of Jewish life. In Trikala, it symbolizes the glorious presence and history of the Jewish people in Greece for many hundreds of years in Greece.

“Let us wish and pray all together that this synagogue will be a place to remember and cherish the history of the community,” the ambassador continued. “And more than that, a home for a rich and thriving community and Jewish life here in Trikala, now[a]days and in the future.”

Trikala is located in northwestern Thessaly, in central Greece. Around 500 Jews lived there before World War II. Today, several dozen Jews call the city home, according to the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece.

Fugitive terrorist slain during Ma’aleh Adumim attack; security guard wounded

(JNS) — A security guard in Ma’aleh Adumim, just east of Jerusalem, was lightly wounded in a terrorist attack on Wednesday night. 

The assailant, later identified as Udai Tamimi of Shuafat, opened fire at the entrance to the city, hitting one of the guards on duty there, aged 24, in the hand. Other civilian guards on the scene returned fire, killing him instantly.

Tamimi had been on the run from Israeli security forces since killing Military Police Sgt. Noa Lazar, 18, on Oct. 8. 

According to United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Akiva Skolnick, it was a “miracle” that the guard’s injuries were not more severe. 

“We were told at the scene that a terrorist opened fire at a security guard who miraculously was only injured in his hand,” said Skolnick. “I treated him at the scene and then he was transported to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem in light condition and fully conscious.”

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid wished the guard a swift recovery, saying in a statement released by his office on Thursday, “We will not rest until we apprehend every terrorist who attacks Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers.

He commended the security forces for neutralizing Tamimi.

Three of Fortune’s most powerful women in startups are Israeli

By Abigail Klein Leichman

(Israel21c via JNS) — Three Israeli women—Eynat Guez, Adi Tatarko and Daphne Koller—are included on Fortune magazine’s “The 15 Most Powerful Women in Startups” list for 2022.

All three head so-called unicorn companies, valued at $1 billion or more.

Tatarko, ranked eighth on the list, founded the highly successful home remodeling and design platform and community Houzz in 2009 with her husband, Alon Cohen, in Palo Alto.

Guez, ranked ninth, is cofounder and CEO of Herzliya-headquartered multinational firm Papaya Global, whose payroll automation platform is used by more than 700 companies in 160 countries.

Koller, ranked thirteenth, is a machine-learning pioneer who previously cofounded online education powerhouse Coursera. She’s currently founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Insitro, a data-driven drug discovery and development company. Koller also was named to Forbes’  “50 over 50”  list of notable entrepreneurs.

This article was first published by Israel21c.

Google launches Israeli local cloud computing region

The initiative will make it possible to move government computer systems there, improving services and creating high-tech jobs.

(JNS) Alphabet Inc.’s Google launched a local cloud computing region for Israel on Thursday, delivering cloud services to the country’s government and military in a move expected to enhance job creation and economic growth.

Billions of shekels will be invested in local infrastructure as part of the initiative, Israel’s Finance Ministry said on Thursday.

In May 2021, Israel agreed to the $1 billion, four-phase Nimbus initiative with Google and Amazon Web Services.

According to the government, the economic impact of Google’s Israeli cloud region alone will add an estimated $7.6 billion to Israel’s GDP by 2030 as well as more than 21,000 jobs in the high-tech sector and others that support cloud activities.

According to the ministry, AWS will also activate a local cloud region in the first half of 2023.

The cloud zones in Israel will make it possible to move important government computer systems there, improving services’ effectiveness, reducing the time it takes to activate digital services, and saving operational expenses.

As part of the Nimbus agreement, Google and Amazon will make reciprocal purchases and begin business collaboration in Israel, equal to 20 percent of the contract value.

IRGC chief warns Riyadh against ‘relying on Israel’

(JNS) — In an apparent reference to the strengthening ties between Israel and Gulf Arab governments, Tehran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency said on Thursday that Iranian officials had told Saudi Arabia’s leaders they should stop relying on Israel.

“This is our warning. Your house is that of a spider [fragile]. You have relied on Israel, which is on the verge of collapse, and this is your fate,” said Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, reported Tasnim.

“Stop meddling in our country’s internal affairs,” he said while speaking at the Qom Islamic Seminary.

Salami also threatened the United States and the United Kingdom, demanding they lift their sanctions imposed on Iran.

“Whatever move you make against the Iranian nation, you will receive blows several times harder,” he said.

Ali Khamenei: The West now fears our drones and missiles

(JNS) — The West formerly paid little attention to Tehran’s missile and drone technologies but now concedes that they are very dangerous and complains about Iran giving them to “so-and-so,” Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said in a statement broadcasted on Wednesday.

According to the video reported by MEMRI, Khamenei’s remarks broadcasted by Iranian Channel 1 could be a reference to recent accusations that Russia is using Iranian-made “suicide drones” in Ukraine.

Israel has been providing Ukraine with “basic intelligence about Iranian drones” that Russia is deploying in its war against Ukraine, The New York Times reported last week.

Khamenei further stated that the drones represent Iran’s pride.

Later in his speech, he said that global industrial usage of nuclear energy has expanded and that if Iran had not begun developing its nuclear project many years ago, it would have had to do so now and bear the repercussions of being far behind the rest of the world.

IDF launches week-long drill in northern Israel

Local residents will see increased military traffic and may hear explosions. 

(JNS) The Israel Defense Forces announced on Thursday the launch of a planned week-long military exercise in northern Israel.

During the drill, local civilians will see increased military traffic and may hear explosions, according to the IDF Spokesperson.

It stressed that the drill was planned, and was part of the military’s 2022 training program.

In September, the IDF held its first-ever International Operational Innovation Conference at the Tze’elim Ground Forces Training Base in the northwestern Negev, where it hosted chiefs of staff and commanders from dozens of militaries around the world.

They witnessed the elite Multidimensional Unit—a kind of innovation unit that tests out operational concepts before they are handed down to the rest of the IDF—take part in the live fire drill together with Armored Corps tanks, Golani Brigade infantry, IAF fighter jets and helicopters, drones that drop grenades on precise locations, Ground Forces robots and others.

Israel, Bahrain sign accord on agricultural cooperation

(JNS) — Israel and Bahrain on Wednesday signed an agricultural cooperation declaration on the sidelines of the first-ever International Summit on Food Technologies from the Dead Sea and Desert that took place in Eilat.

The conference, an initiative of Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, was attended by some 70 senior officials, who focused on promoting coordination and innovation in aquaculture, in particular, and the overall battle to combat food security.

The declaration calls for the promotion and expansion of cooperation between Jerusalem and Manama in the fields of agriculture, livestock and food security, and the sharing of related knowledge, technology and diverse products.

“The signing of the agreement with the Minister of Agriculture of Bahrain, at the conference attended by ministers from around the world and senior delegations from Morocco, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, constitutes an important step towards promoting cooperation which will see Israel become a center for research and development of food from the sea and the desert,” Israeli Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Oded Forer said.

Representatives at the conference also came from countries such as the United States, Chile, Ghana, Singapore, Romania, Malta, the Netherlands and Iceland.

It followed a recent decision by Forer to launch a multi-year plan to develop Eilat and the surrounding southern region at a cost of approximately $50 million.

US at UN: Russia using Iranian UAVs against Ukrainian civilians

(JNS) — The United States, United Kingdom and France on Wednesday jointly raised the issue of Iran’s transfer of attack drones to Russia at a meeting of the U.N. Security Council, according to a statement by State Department spokesperson Ned Price.

Council members received expert briefings on the matter, and the Western nations expressed  “grave concerns about Russia’s acquisition of these UAVs from Iran in violation of U.N. Security Council resolution 2231,” which formally endorsed the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, said Price.

Price noted that the United States began warning in July that Tehran was planning to supply so-called suicide drones to Moscow, and there was now “abundant evidence” that the UAVs are being used against Ukrainian civilians and critical civilian infrastructure.

“As Iran continues to lie and deny providing weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine, we are committed to working with allies and partners to prevent the transfer of dangerous weaponry to Russia,” he said.

“We will not hesitate to use our sanctions and other appropriate tools on all involved in these transfers. We will also continue to surge unprecedented security assistance to Ukraine, including air defense capabilities, so that Ukraine can defend itself from these weapons,” Price continued.

According to Ukraine, Iranian-made Shahed 136 drones have been used by Russia to assault its cities and energy infrastructure in recent days in waves of deadly strikes. The United States has described Russia’s actions as war crimes.

In addition to sending UAVs to Russia, Iran also intends to send its Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar ballistic missiles, The Washington Post said on Sunday, citing American and allied defense officials.