Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Weekly roundup of world briefs

Sen. Cruz gives Trump drawings by children held hostage in Gaza

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said Sunday that he presented pictures drawn by Israeli children who were held hostage in Gaza to President-elect Donald Trump.

“This week, I met with an Israeli hostage family who had been released from Gaza,” Cruz wrote on X. “The beautiful children drew pictures for President Trump, and they asked me to deliver them.” 

The Senator, who is a staunch defender of Israel and has emerged as a close ally of the president-elect, said that he gave the pictures to Trump personally on Sunday.

Emergency vehicle dedicated in honor of ambassador’s fallen son

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Dr. Yechiel Leiter, the incoming Israeli ambassador to the United States, and his wife, Chani, dedicated a newly donated emergency response vehicle in memory of their son, Maj. (res.) Dr. Moshe Yedidya Leiter, who was killed in action. 

Moshe Leiter, a 39-year-old father of six and commander in the Israeli Air Forces’ Shaldag commando unit, was killed while inspecting a booby-trapped tunnel in Beit Hanoun in northeastern Gaza on Nov. 8. 

The vehicle, a medical ambucycle, was donated by the Falic family, owners of Duty Free Americas shops and prominent philanthropists. A dedication ceremony was held at the headquarters of the Jerusalem-based United Hatzalah volunteer emergency response organization. The event was attended by the Leiter couple, United Hatzalah President Ehud Davidson and the paramedic who treated their son.

“We know that even though he’s no longer with us, he’s continuing to act,” the Leiters said at the ceremony. “This ambucycle is such a glaring example of how his spirit is continuing to save more lives and do good, making the world a better place in his memory.”

The 8,000 trained volunteers at United Hatzalah, which was established nearly two decades ago, are know for arriving on the scene of emergencies by motorcycle within three minutes, typically faster than ambulances.

Rubio confirmed as secretary of state

(JNS) — The U.S. Senate confirmed Marco Rubio as the 72nd secretary of state on Monday.

The former senator from Florida passed by a vote of 99 to 0, becoming the first of U.S. President Donald Trump’s cabinet picks to make it through Senate confirmation.

Trump formally nominated his cabinet on Monday afternoon in his first official act upon resuming the presidency after he took the oath of office.

Before the vote on the Senate floor, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations also approved Rubio unanimously.

At his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Rubio said he expected Trump’s second term to be “perhaps the most pro-Israel administration in American history” and promised to overturn a slew of Biden administration policies that critics said were unfavorable to the Jewish state.

“There are opportunities now in the Middle East that did not exist 90 days ago,” Rubio said. “There are now factors at play in the Middle East that I think we can build upon and may open the door to extraordinary and historic opportunities, not just to provide for Israel’s security but ultimately begin to confront some of these other factors.”

Rubio also said he would overturn sanctions on Israelis living in Judea and Samaria and would more strictly enforce sanctions against terrorist groups than the Biden administration.

Finkelman follows Halevi, resigns over Oct. 7 failures

(JNS) — Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, head of the Israel Defense Forces Southern Command, announced his intention to resign, citing responsibility for the IDF’s failures before the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

He notified IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi of the decision on Tuesday after Halevi informed Defense Minister Israel Katz earlier in the day that he would be stepping down on March 6.

The IDF made Finkelman and Halevi’s resignation letters public.

Finkelman wrote in his Hebrew letter, “On Oct. 7, I failed to protect the Western Negev and its courageous, beloved residents. This failure will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

He added: “Driven by my duty to the State of Israel, I have since worked to lead the fight against Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza.”

“In this conflict, we delivered a significant blow to Hamas. We must continue to target the enemy, bring our hostages home, and restore security and prosperity to our communities.”

Halevi, who succeeded Lt. Gen. (res.) Aviv Kochavi in January 2023, said his decision to step down stemmed from his “responsibility for the IDF’s failure” during the Hamas-led Oct. 7 cross-border massacre, in which Gaza terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.

“At this juncture, when the IDF has recorded significant achievements and is in the process of implementing a deal to release the hostages, I request to end my position on March 6, 2025,” Halevi wrote to Katz.

Finkelman assumed the leadership of the IDF’s Southern Command July 2023, succeeding Maj. Gen. Eliezer Toledano.

Israel strips Amnesty of tax benefits over anti-Israel activities

(JNS) — Israel’s Tax Authority has revoked Amnesty International’s tax benefits, accusing the organization of supporting anti-Israel activities and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

Monday’s decision follows an inquiry launched in July 2023 and months of review by a special team established by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

“Whoever acts against the State of Israel will not be eligible for benefits from the State of Israel,” said Smotrich.

The Finance Ministry’s decision to revoke tax benefits stemmed partly from allegations that Amnesty Israel mirrored calls from its parent organization, including support for arms embargoes and tourism boycotts in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. 

Ministry Director-General Shlomi Heizler argued that such actions violated Israel’s Boycott Law, asserting that Amnesty Israel lacks independence due to its reliance on international funding, which constitutes 80% of its budget.

Amnesty International’s international board earlier this month suspended its Israel branch for two years, citing failure to align with Amnesty’s research, discrediting its findings, and allegations of “anti-Palestinian racism.”

The Israeli branch, founded in 1964 and one of Amnesty’s oldest chapters, denies the racism claims and disputes the parent organization’s accusations of genocide and apartheid against Israel, labeling the findings flawed and inconsistent with international definitions.

Kohelet Policy Forum excluded from Israel’s tax-exempt list

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — The Kohelet Policy Forum, a Jerusalem-based think tank that helped shape the government’s 2023 judicial reform program, has been excluded from the Knesset Finance Committee’s list of 138 Israeli nonprofits eligible for tax benefits.

This decision follows a Tax Authority review into allegations that Kohelet engages in partisan political activity. The authority has stated that more time is required to address these claims.

Kohelet, identifying itself as a nonpartisan conservative think tank, claims that it fulfills the criteria for tax-exempt status under Section 46 of the Income Tax Ordinance, which allows donors to claim tax credits for contributions. The organization remains confident that the committee will ultimately approve its application.

A Kohelet spokesperson told The Times of Israel: “Over 10,000 Israelis recently contributed to the Kohelet Policy Forum, and many more support our efforts to obtain Section 46 tax-exempt status. This status is routinely granted to similar organizations, and we meet all eligibility criteria. As a nonpartisan conservative pro-liberty think tank, we will not be silenced. We trust the Knesset Finance Committee will evaluate our application fairly and grant the status we qualify for when it is put to a vote.”

“I think everyone in the United States and in Israel understands the threat Iran poses to the peace of the world, and I really hope we will all focus on dealing with the dangers that Iran by itself and through its proxies poses to Israel,” he added.

The Islamic Republic continues to instigate terrorism in Judea and Samaria by flooding the area with weapons, The New York Times reported in April, citing American, Israeli and Iranian officials.

The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) thwarted over a thousand major Palestinian terrorist attacks in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem in 2024, according to the agency’s annual report published late last month.

The majority of the 1,040 foiled terror attacks involved firearms (689) and explosive devices (326), with the others being stabbings, car-rammings, suicide bombings and abductions, the agency said.

Google reportedly ‘rushed’ artificial intelligence to Israel after Hamas attack

(JNS) — Google “rushed” access to its artificial intelligence tools Vertex and Gemini to Israel after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

“Internal documents show Google directly assisting Israel’s Defense Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces, despite the company’s efforts to publicly distance itself from the country’s national security apparatus after employee protests against a cloud computing contract with Israel’s government,” the Post reported.

Per the documents that the Post secured, a Google staffer told the company that Israel would “turn instead to Google’s cloud rival Amazon, which also works with Israel’s government under the Nimbus contract,” if Google “didn’t quickly provide more access.”

Google fired more than 50 staff members, who protested the company’s multibillion-dollar, cloud computing Nimbus contract with the Israeli government.

Google has said that the Nimbus contract is “not directed at highly sensitive, classified or military workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence services,” per the Post.

“The documents obtained by the Post do not indicate how Israel’s military used Google’s AI capabilities, which can be used for tasks such as automating administrative functions far from the front lines,” the publication added.

IDF investigating possible terror drone found near Jewish town in Samaria

(JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday responded to reports of a possible armed drone discovered outside the Jewish town of Yitzhar in Samaria, a military spokesperson told JNS.

Troops were called to the scene after residents found “a suspicious object in the form of a drone,” the IDF spokesperson confirmed.

The soldiers moved to close the area until bomb disposal experts could be brought in to neutralize the object, according to the military.

According to the Israel Hayom daily, the incident marked the second time a suspicious drone has been found in the vicinity of Yitzhar. The previous UAV was found to be carrying a mock bomb, residents said.

Locals told the newspaper that the drone discovered on Wednesday appeared to have been launched from the Palestinian village of Madama, less than a mile north of Yitzhar.

On Tuesday, the IDF launched “Operation Iron Wall” against Iranian-backed Palestinian terror organizations in Jenin in northern Samaria.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed that Jerusalem would “not allow the arms of the Iranian octopus and radical Sunni Islam to endanger the lives of the [Israeli] residents and establish an eastern terrorist front.”

While the operation is initially only focused on the terrorist hub of Jenin, an unnamed senior security force told the Channel 14 News broadcaster on Tuesday evening that the large-scale campaign could last months.

“When it ends, the terror camps will cease to exist. What we did in Gaza, we will do to them as well; we will leave them in ruins,” the source said.

Judean town names planned neighborhood in honor of Trump

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — The mayor of Ma’ale Adumim, an Israeli town in Judea, announced on Tuesday the renaming of municipal lands as Trump One, or T-1, in honor of U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Trump’s second term is a unique opportunity to strengthen Jewish communities, especially in Judea and Samaria,” Ma’ale Adumim Mayor Guy Yifrach wrote in a statement announcing the renaming.

“We trust Trump and believe that he will promote construction in the region in the coming months,” added Yifrach.

The T-1 area spans approximately 4,000 acres and connects Ma’ale Adumim with Jerusalem. Like all Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, Ma’aleh Adumim is considered illegal by most European Union countries, which have protested plans to expand Ma’ale Adumin specifically.

The Biden administration called the project “inconsistent with international law” last year.

Proponents of the expansion say it will bolster national security and address the housing shortage in the Greater Jerusalem area, as well as increase Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria. Successive Israeli governments have, however, delayed the area’s development because of its diplomatic sensitivity.

Yifrach called T-1 is “a strategic asset” for Israel, adding that the fact it’s uninhabited “is a historical folly. The time has come to implement the vision of Israel’s leaders, who saw the development of the area as a strategic goal, and to strengthen the territorial contiguity between Ma’ale Adumim and Jerusalem.”

New Knesset law punishes denial of Oct. 7 massacre with up to five years in prison

(JNS) — The Knesset passed a law unanimously that criminalizes denying Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel.

Oded Forer, of Yisrael Beytenu, proposed the legislation, which 16 members supported in its third and final reading.

The law designates denying the massacre to defend or support Hamas or its partners, as a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in prison.

The proposal clarifies that statements made incidentally, in good faith, or for legitimate purposes will not be considered a criminal offense.

The Israeli attorney general must approve indictments under the new law.

The legislation is reportedly modeled on a 1986 law, which the Knesset passed and which criminalizes Holocaust denial.

“The horrors of Oct. 7 cannot be denied,” Forer stated after the law was approved. “The truth is more important than ever. We will not let lies and hatred prevail.”

Air France to resume flights to Israel

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Air France said that flights to Israel will resume this weekend.

The move comes as an increasing number of foreign airlines are renewing flights to Ben-Gurion International Airport as regional tensions de-escalate.

An Air France spokesman said the airline will restart service to Israel on Jan. 25 with seven weekly flights between Tel Aviv and Paris.

The announcement comes a day after British Airways confirmed to JNS that it will resume service to Israel this spring.

The Lufthansa Group of airlines announced that it will resume service to Israel next month. The global aviation group includes Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways and Eurowings.

The three major U.S. legacy carriers are still not flying to Israel, sending fares spiraling on Israel’s national carrier, EL AL, which operated a virtual monopoly on the lucrative transatlantic route for most of the 15-month-long war. Delta Airlines is due to resume service to Tel Aviv from New York in April.

Likud Knesset member calls to revoke citizenship of former MK Hanin Zoabi

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Likud Knesset Member Ariel Kallner is urging action to revoke former Palestinian-Israeli MK Hanin Zoabi’s citizenship for expressing support for the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. 

“There is no place in the State of Israel for supporting atrocities the likes of which have not occurred since the Holocaust,” Kallner wrote in a letter to Israeli Minister of Interior Moshe Arbel. “Anyone who crosses this red line does not deserve Israeli citizenship.”

Zoabi, a former member of the Arab Israeli Balad Party, said during the Palestine Congress Vienna, held Oct. 5-6, 2024, that “It’s not Hamas who is resisting. It is the Palestinian people.”

“You cannot differentiate between Hamas and the Palestinian people. You cannot differentiate between them. Those who entered on the seventh of October—they didn’t enter Israeli borders. They entered their own land. This is their land,” she said to applause.

A video of her comments was made public on Monday by Israel’s Channel 14 investigative journalist Ishay Fridman.

Due to its extremist positions, Balad had twice been disqualified from running for Knesset seats by Israel’s Central Elections Committee, most recently in 2022. The Israeli Supreme Court overturned both bans.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 01/31/2025 17:41