WORLD ISRAEL NEWS

WATCH: Palestinians march in suicide vests with raised knives
January 24, 2017
Fatah, led by Mahmoud Abbas, a Holocaust denier who financed the Munich massacre of 11 Israeli Olympic athletes, held an anniversary march featuring suicide vests and raised knives, despite being labeled “true partners” for peace by former US President Obama.
Fatah members wear “suicide belts” and carry knives at anniversary rally in Ramallah
VIDEO 0.53
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=16&v=9onqFtRQrUY

Published on 25 Jan 2017
Fatah-run Awdah TV reporter: "The Fatah Movement will defend the Palestinian national project. Fatah will continue to be like the phoenix that rises out of the fire and the ruins. Dear viewers, the anniversary of the Palestinian revolution, the 52nd anniversary of the Launch of Fatah."
IDF destroys Hamas target in response to fire from Gaza

January 25, 2017
IDF tankAn IDF tank in action. (Ofer Zidon/Flash90)
https://worldisraelnews.com/idf-destroys-hamas-target-response-fire-gaza/
Following through with its policy to respond to any provocation, the IDF destroyed a Hamas target following Palestinian cross-border fire.

An IDF tank shelled and destroyed a Hamas military position in Gaza on Tuesday night shortly after Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired at an IDF unit operating on the border fence.

There were no Israeli casualties in the incident.

The IDF views the Hamas terror organization as bearing sole responsibility for all incidents emanating from the Gaza Strip.

The border with Gaza has been fairly quiet in recent months. The last cross-border shooting incident before this one occurred a week ago, and before that there had not been an attack since mid-December.

Earlier on Tuesday, the IDF reported that its forces on the border with Lebanon came under fire. No one was injured in the incident.

The IDF did not respond to that incident and no one has taken responsibility for the shooting.

By: Aryeh Savir, world Israel News


Israel will use ‘full force’ in next conflict with Hamas
https://worldisraelnews.com/hamas-gearing-next-attack-israel-idf-officer-says-2/
January 24, 2017
Defense Minister Avigdor LibermanDefense Minister Avigdor Liberman. (Flash90)
Awaiting publication of the State Comptroller’s Report on Operation Protective Edge, Israel says it will use “full force” in the next conflict with Hamas.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman promised to use full force in the next military conflict with Gaza “until the other side waves the white flag.”

“The next conflict to break out will be with full force,” Liberman stated, addressing the annual conference of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).

“There are no more conflicts with half power or quarter power,” he continued. “We won’t stop in the middle, and these are the IDF’s orders at this time.”

The defense minister made his remarks in the wake of reports regarding the expected publication of the State Comptroller’s Report on Operation Protective Edge in 2014. The report is said to go into detail regarding the apparent plethora of indecisiveness and ineffective decision-making on the part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon before and during the launching of the operation against Hamas in Gaza.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who also spoke at the INSS conference on Tuesday, echoed Liberman’s remarks.

“We need a new security perspective, not more fixations and stumbling, but victory, a clear and total victory, A victory that does not require explanations and excuses, a victory that doesn’t need public relations, but rather speaks for itself,” Bennett said.

By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News

EU, UN condemn plans for new Jewish homes in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria
https://worldisraelnews.com/us-abstains-allowing-un-anti-israel-resolution-to-pass/
January 25, 2017
Netanyahu MogehriniPM Netanyahu and EU Foreign Minister Mogherini. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)
The EU and the UN Secretary-General criticized Israel’s plan to build 2,500 new Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria and 566 in Jerusalem.

The European Union (EU) condemned Israel’s authorization for 2,500 new Jewish housing units in Judea and Samaria and the Jerusalem municipality’s approval of 566 Jewish homes in northern portions of Jerusalem that were won by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967.

“The announcement by the Israeli government on 24 January to build 2,500 settlement units across the West Bank, and the approval of building permits for 566 settlement units in East Jerusalem on 22 January, further seriously undermine the prospects for a viable two-state solution,” said an EU spokesperson on Tuesday.

The EU spokesperson also called Israel out for going against “long-standing EU policy.”

“Continued settlement expansion, illegal under international law as reaffirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 2334, goes directly against long-standing EU policy and the recommendations of the Quartet Report,” the spokesperson continued, pointing to the objections of some in the international community.

“It is regrettable that Israel is proceeding with this policy, despite the continuous serious international concern and objections, which have been constantly raised at all levels.”

The office of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres joined the EU in condemning Israel’s approval of the new Jewish housing units, saying that it undermined the Secretary General’s vision of a two-state solution.

“For the Secretary‑General there is no Plan B for a two‑State solution,” remarked Guterres’ spokeswoman Stéphane Dujarric. “There’s a need for both parties to engage in bona fide negotiations to reach the goal of two States, Israel, Palestine, two States for two people.”

In stark contrast with the EU and UN, as well as with the Obama administration, the Trump administration has so far avoided making any condemnation regarding the construction of Jewish housing units in areas won by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967.

Asked to respond to the new housing units during a press conference on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer replied that the Trump Administration “wants to grow closer with Israel and make sure that it gets the full respect that it deserves in the Middle East.”

“Israel continues to be a huge ally of the United States,” Spicer added. “We’re going to have a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu and we will continue to discuss that.”

By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News

No condemnation from Trump on new construction in Judea and Samaria
https://worldisraelnews.com/trump-advisor-israeli-presence-in-judea-and-samaria-not-obstacle-to-peace/
The Trump administration did not condemn Israel for its announced plans to build housing units in Judea and Samaria. A new era?

There was no comment from the White House following Israel’s announcement on Tuesday that it had authorized construction of 2,500 housing units in various locations in Judea and Samaria.

Responding to a question during Tuesday’s press briefing, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the administration was still forming its foreign policy team and that building in Judea and Samaria, among other issues, will be discussed when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Washington next month.

“Israel continues to be a huge ally of the United States. He [Trump] wants to grow closer with Israel to make sure that it gets the full respect that it deserves in the Middle East, and that’s what he’s going to do. We’re going to have a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. We’ll continue to discuss that,” Spicer stated.

This response is a notable departure from the policies championed by the Obama administration, which repeatedly condemned Israel for building in its capital and in Judea and Samaria.

Associated Press quoted US officials who said that the response was not intended as a signal of any particular shift in policy. Instead, they said, it reflected the Trump administration’s plan to get its full foreign policy team in place before making a judgment.

Europeans and Palestinians Condemn Israel

The Europeans have not changed their policy and immediately condemned Israel’s announcement.

According to the European Union (EU), the construction “seriously undermines the prospects for peace with the Palestinians.”

In a statement, the European Union External Action Service (EEAS) said Israel’s plans “further seriously undermine the prospects for a viable two-state solution. It is regrettable that Israel is proceeding with this policy, despite the continuous serious international concern and objections, which have been constantly raised at all levels.”

“Continued settlement expansion, illegal under international law as reaffirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 2334, goes directly against long-standing EU policy and the recommendations of the Quartet Report. A negotiated two-state solution is the only way to fulfill the legitimate aspirations of both parties and to achieve enduring peace,” the statement read.

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi also slammed the plans.

“Once again, the Israeli government has proved that it is more committed to land theft and colonialism than to the two-state solution and the requirements for peace and stability,” she stated. “It is evident that Israel is exploiting the inauguration of the new American administration to escalate its violations and the prevention of any existence of a Palestinian state.”

Netanyahu: We Will Continue to Build

The plans were approved just days after the municipality of Jerusalem approved the construction of 566 new homes in northern portions of city. It is also expected to launch discussions regarding the authorization of 5,600 additional housing units in both northern and southern areas of the city.

Israel had refrained from construction and development in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria for several years for fear of blowback from former President Barack Obama and his administration, which repeatedly criticized Israeli “settlement” activity.

Now that Donald Trump, who appears more supportive of Israel’s presence in these areas, has entered office, Israel is expected to push for massive development in its capital and in Judea and Samaria.

“We are building and will continue to do so,” Netanyahu stated.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News


https://worldisraelnews.com/no-condemnation-from-trump-on-new-construction-in-judea-and-samaria/
Report: Trump supports Jerusalem embassy move but delayed decision, says Rudy Giuliani

January 25, 2017
Rudy GiulianiTrump adviser and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. (Youtube/Screenshot)

Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s cybersecurity adviser, told The Jerusalem Post that moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem was still ‘under active consideration.’

Former Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani, cybersecurity adviser for the Trump administration, said in an exclusive interview with the Jerusalem Post that the plan to move the US embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was being discussed.

“It is under active consideration,” Giuliani told the Post. “That is something that the president will have to decide.”

At the same time, Giuliani, who had personally encouraged the embassy move, said that Trump has not changed his mind on the issue as expressed during the presidential campaign.

“I don’t think his position has changed in any way,” Giuliani said, stressing that the president is now faced with a number of necessary consultative steps in order to proceed with the move.

“I think that now that he is in office, there are a lot more facts and arguments and people you have to consult with before you make a final decision, and it is a more deliberative process,” Giuliani stated in the interview.

Moving the embassy must “be worked out carefully with the Israeli government, so that it is done in a way they are comfortable with,” he added.

Regarding Israel’s announcement on Tuesday of plans to build 2,500 housing units in Judea and Samaria, the White House made no comment.

“No comment is a lot different than saying you shouldn’t do it, or that it is wrong, or hurts the peace process,” Guiliani told the Post, apparently referring to the Obama administration’s abstention from UN Security Council Resolution 2334 last month that condemned Israeli communities in eastern Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria as well as then Secretary of State John Kerry’s State Department address slamming the “settlements.”

“This shows you that there is a different position in Washington than there was before,” Guiliani said. Any further strategy on the issue, he continued, is “best left to a private discussion between the president and the prime minister, which can now take place because there is a much closer relationship.”

By: World Israel News Staff

Iraqi cleric: Moving US embassy to Jerusalem is ‘declaration of war’
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Palestinians Threaten US Relations If Trump Moves US Embassy to Jerusalem
Palestinians threaten to downgrade US relations if Trump moves embassy to Jerusalem
January 23, 2017
Palestinians protest trumpPalestinians protest against Trump. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)
A Palestinian official claimed that the Palestinian Authority would downgrade its relations with the US and file a complaint with the UN if Trump moves the US embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

A senior official in Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party said that the PA should downgrade its diplomatic relationship with the United States if President Trump follows through with his plan to move the US embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“If that takes place, the Palestinian side would have to sever its ties with the official staff of the illegal US embassy in Jerusalem,” claimed Fatah Central Committee member Nasser al-Kidwa, while speaking to the Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds.

“In addition to that, there is the issue of the Palestinian political representative’s office in Washington,” al-Kidwa continued.  “It would also be necessary to close the office.”

The official added that the PA would no longer accept the US as a mediator between Israel and the PA.

“It would be necessary for the Palestinian side to make clear that it no longer officially considers the United States an interlocutor and that it cannot cooperate with it directly or through the Quartet,” he said.

The Quartet, comprised of the US, European Union, UN and Russia was launched in 2002 at the height of the Second Intifada in the spirit of the “Road Map” vision of US President George W. Bush for a two-state solution between Israel and the PA.

Moreover, al-Kidwa suggested that the PA may launch a complaint against the United States of America at the United Nations Security Council. Such an initiative would not go anywhere since the US, as a permanent member of the Security Council, would veto any measures against itself.
By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News
MORE https://worldisraelnews.com/trump-team-go-forward-plan-move-us-embassy-jerusalem/


France Demands Israel Retract Plans for 566 New Jerusalem Homes
January 23, 2017
France demands that Israel cancel the Jerusalem municipality’s plan to add 566 new Jewish homes in the city.
France is calling for Israel to cancel the Jerusalem municipality’s plan to build an additional 566 Jewish homes in areas of Jerusalem that Israel won from Jordan in the Six-Day War of 1967.
“Settlements constitute a grave threat to the two-state solution, to which the international community reiterated its commitment at the international conference in Paris on January 15,” said a spokesman for France’s Foreign Ministry.
“UN Security Council Resolution 2334 reiterated the illegality of the settlements under international law and called for it to immediately and completely halt.”
The UN Security Council resolution referenced by the spokesman was passed by the UN Security Council in December when Obama ordered his US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power not to veto the resolution. It condemned any Israeli presence in eastern portions of Jerusalem such as the Western Wall and the rest of the Old City.
France, which recently sponsored an international summit in Paris that concentrated on creating a new state for the Palestinian Authority, accused then President-elect Trump of engaging in a “provocative” plan to move the US embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News
MORE https://worldisraelnews.com/70-countries-convene-for-paris-mideast-summit-to-force-concessions-on-israel/

Jerusalem mayor thanks Trump for starting embassy move process
January 23, 2017
Jerusalem mayor Nir BarkatJerusalem mayor Nir Barkat. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
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Jerusalem’s mayor praised the Trump administration for reportedly starting discussions on moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Jerusalem’s Mayor Nir Barkat praised US President Donald Trump on Monday for taking elementary steps in moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
“Trump has proven that he is a true friend of the State of Israel, and keeps his promises,” Barkat stated. “I congratulate President Trump and the historic message being sent by the White House by beginning hearings to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem.”
“The announcement sends a clear message to the world that the United States recognizes Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel,” he added.
The Trump Administration announced over the weekend that the White House has started deliberations over moving the US embassy to Jersusalem.
“We are at the very beginning stages of even discussing this subject,” Trump’s Press Secretary Sean Spicer was quoted as saying to AFP.
Jerusalem City Councilman and Deputy Mayor Meir Turjemon corroborated Spicer’s remarks to Israel’s Channel 10, claiming that US has already sent over an architect to survey several possible locations for a future US embassy in Jerusalem.
For his part, Mayor Barkat said that he is prepared to assist the US in whatever way to implement the move of the US embassy to Jerusalem.
“We’ll help the US government use its authority [and provide] all the necessary assistance to make the relocation of the embassy to Jerusalem as quickly and smoothly as possible,” he added.
By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News
[url=https://worldisraelnews.com/jerusalem-mayor-thanks-trump-for-starting-embassy-move-process/?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Palestinians+Threaten+US+Over+Embassy+Move%3B+France+Demands+Israel+Stop+Plans+to+Build+Jerusalem+Homes&utm_campaign=20170123_m137172583_Palestinians+Threaten+US+Over+Embassy+Move%3B+France+Demands+Israel+Stop+Plans+to+Build+Jerusalem+Homes&utm_term=Jerusalem+Mayor+Thanks+Trump+for+Starting+Embassy+Move+Process MORE https://unitedwithisrael.org/incoming-us-ambassador-to-un-haley-supports-moving-us-embassy-in-israel-to-jerusalem/]MORE[/url]


White House Begins Discussions on Moving US Embassy to Jerusalem
Jan 23, 2017
Israel and the US are discussing the US embassy move to Jerusalem, although it is not imminent.

The White House on Sunday issued a “clarification” stating that the US and Israel have begun to discuss the issue of moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The clarification was issued after Israel’s Channel 2 quoted an anonymous source as saying that the White House would announce the move on Monday. The report said the statement could not be confirmed.

The White House published the clarification to dispel rumors that President Donald Trump had imminent plans to announce the move. “We are at the very beginning stages of even discussing this subject,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer said in a statement.

The clarification was issued shortly before Trump spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and invited him to Washington in February.

The Prime Minister’s Office characterized the conversation as “very warm,” while the White House said it was “very nice.”

Trump’s campaign promise to move the US embassy was met with applause by Israel but was strongly condemned by the Palestinians, who have threatened to react with violence to such a move.

Trump said on Thursday, hours before he officially entered the Oval Office, that he plans to follow through with his campaign pledge to relocate the embassy.

Speaking on Monday to IDF Radio, Jerusalem’s Mayor Nir Barkat said he has learned that the US officials discussing  the issue are serious in their intent to follow through, adding, however, that such a move could not happen in a day.

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas sent messages to Trump urging him not to move the embassy and warning that he would revoke PA recognition of Israel if the move takes place.

Abbas met on Sunday with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman. Jordan, which serves as the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, has threatened that moving the embassy would cross a “red line.”

“We discussed the possibility of moving the embassy, and we say that if this thing happens, then we have measures that we agreed to implement together with Jordan,” Abbas said. “And we hope that the American administration will not do that,” Wafa, the official PA news agency, reported.

Abbas has reportedly asked Abdullah to help him establish a direct line with Washington after failing to do so himself.
By: Max Gelber, United with Israel
MORE  https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-a-declaration-of-war-on-muslims-says-abbas-adviser/

Trump Invites Netanyahu to Washington After ‘Warm Conversation’
January 22, 2017
After a friendly telephone discussion, Trump invited Netanyahu to Washington to discuss close cooperation in a number of areas, including Iran’s nuclear program and the renewal of peace talks with the Palestinians.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone to US President Donald Trump Sunday evening in what was described by the Prime Minister’s Office as a “very warm conversation.”
Netanyahu expressed his desire to work closely with the American leader and to forge a common vision to advance peace and security in the region, “with no daylight between the United States and Israel,” the PMO said.
MORE MORE


Post Obama: 566 New Jewish Housing Units Approved in Jerusalem
Jerusalem’s municipality gave approval to a plan – temporarily put on hold during the waning days of Obama’s presidency – to add 566 new housing units in the city.
The municipality of Jerusalem on Sunday approved the construction of 566 new Jewish homes in northern portions of city that were won by Israel from Jordan during the Six Day War of 1967.
“After eight difficult years of Obama, we are continuing to build in Jerusalem,” remarked Jerusalem’s Mayor Nir Barkat. “I hope that the era of government delays as a result of political pressures has ended and that we will we able to leave to a big building boom in order to strengthen the sovereignty over a united Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.”
MORE MORE


WATCH: Will Trump Be Turning Point in US Middle East Policy?
Many assumptions that accompanied the years of the Obama administration will no longer be held by US policymakers, says Ambassador Dore Gold.
Ambassador Dore Gold, president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and until recently director-general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, describes how facts surrounding the Arab-Israeli conflict have been distorted over the last eight years.
As Gold explains, certain fundamentals of US policy regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict were ignored, including the question of Israel’s future borders and the refugee issue.
The election of Donald Trump, however, could be a turning point, Gold says. Click below to hear more.
The Trump Administration: A Turning Point in Middle East Policy?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qC1wNTXHD4




https://worldisraelnews.com/bennett-to-submit-vote-on-annexing-maale-adumim/
A government minister is proposing to incorporate a handful of towns located outside of Jerusalem into Israel’s capital, essentially annexing them to Israel in the process.
Israeli Minister of Intelligence Yisrael Katz, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, is presenting a proposal on Sunday at a meeting of the security cabinet to extend Israeli sovereignty to a number of Jewish towns and communities located just outside of the current municipal boundaries of Jerusalem.
“Jerusalem first,” Katz wrote in a Facebook post, implicitly referencing US President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan of putting “American first.”

“Today I will propose at the security cabinet that we pass the ‘Greater Jerusalem Law’ that includes extending Israeli sovereignty to the surrounding communities of greater Jerusalem,” continued Katz. “This is a necessary first diplomatic step in the era of President Trump.”

Katz’s plan essentially goes farther than that of Education Minister and Jewish Home party Chairman Naftali Bennett to officially declare the town of Ma’ale Adumim as a part of Israel. The “Greater Jerusalem Law” would also incorporate Givat Ze’ev to the northwest of Jerusalem as well as Beitar Illit and the Etzion regional bloc of communities, which are directly southwest of Jerusalem, into Israel’s capital.

Despite Netanyahu’s claim that Trump requested Israel not make any unilateral moves without first discussing them with the White House, Katz said that Israel would unquestionably receive sufficient support from the new US administration.

“The support of world Jewry and our friends in the US, who see Jerusalem as the historic capital of the Jewish people for thousands of years, is assured,” Katz asserted. “There is nothing more appropriate that this bill to mark 50 years since the liberation and unification of Jerusalem.”

During the Six Day War in 1967, the Jewish state liberated eastern Jerusalem, including the Old City, which had been under Jordanian control since 1948. Israel officially declared the newly acquired portions of Jerusalem as part of its unified capital in 1980 with the passage of the Jerusalem Law.
By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News

Israeli Leaders Congratulate Trump, Look to Strengthen US-Israel Relationship
January 21, 2017
Israel’s leaders congratulated Donald Trump on his inauguration as US President and expressed excitement at working with him to strengthen the US-Israel relationship.
Israel’s political leaders expressed their congratulations to Donald Trump who was inaugurated as President of the United States on Friday.
“Congrats to my friend President Trump,” tweeted Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday before the onset of the Jewish Sabbath in Israel. “Look fwd to working closely with you to make the alliance between Israel & USA stronger than ever.”
MORE



We are your friend, not your enemy,” Netanyahu told the Iranian people, adding that their ruthless regime must be defeated – an issue that he’ll be discussing with Trump.
In a video message directed to the Iranian people, with subtitles in Farsi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his message reaches every one of them – “young and old, religious and secular, man and woman.”
The Iranian regime is cruel, but not the people, the Israel leader said, adding that he longs for the day when Israelis and Iranians will again be free to visit each other’s country.
Working towards this goal, Netanyahu plans to discuss the threat of the Iranian regime with US President Donald Trump.
WATCH: ‘We Are Your Friend,’ Netanyahu Tells the Iranian People
PM Netanyahu to the Iranian people: We are your friend not your enemy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVk8rU11acE
Published on 21 Jan 2017
I plan to speak soon with President Trump about how to counter the threat of the Iranian regime which calls for Israel's destruction. But it struck me recently that I've spoken a lot about the Iranian regime and not enough about the Iranian people, or for that matter, to the Iranian people.


In Inaugural Benediction, Rabbi Cites Psalm Remembering Zion and Jerusalem
January 22, 2017
Rabbi Marvin HierRabbi Marvin Hier (AP)
The first orthodox rabbi to say a prayer at a US presidential inauguration, Rabbi Marvin Hier commended Trump for his “strong commitment to Israel.”
By Rachel Frommer, The Algemeiner
The first orthodox Rabbi to give benediction at a US presidential inauguration cited a psalm highlighting Jerusalem at Friday’s ceremony.
Rabbi Marvin Hier — the 77-year-old founder and dean of the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center — said in his prayer for President Donald Trump: “Bless all of our allies around the world who share our beliefs, ‘By the rivers of Babylon, we wept as we remember Zion…If I forget you O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill’ (Psalm 137).”
Hier was the first religious leader to recite an invocation following Trump’s swearing-in and inaugural address. He prayed that the “Eternal God bless President Donald J. Trump and America, our great nation,” and “guide us to remember the words of the Psalmist, ‘Who may dwell on Your holy mountain? One who does what is right and speaks the truth’ (Psalm 15).”
The rabbi also reminded the crowd, “The freedoms we enjoy are not granted in perpetuity, but must be reclaimed in each generation. As our ancestors have planted for us so we must plant for others.”
As Hier took the podium — one of 6 religious figures to recite a blessing Friday — one could hear cheers and chants in support of the rabbi.
Hier’s acceptance of the inaugural invitation caused a stir in some segments of the Jewish community, but he told The Algemeiner last week that, while he did not see eye-to-eye with Trump on all issues, he’s “rooting for the success” of the new president.
“Instead of more divisiveness, let’s hope for the best from him,” Hier said. “[Let’s show] respect for the institution of the American presidency and the peaceful transition of power that comes once every four years.”
Hier also commended Trump for his “strong commitment to Israel.”
While Hier is the first orthodox rabbi to say a prayer at an inauguration, eight conservative and reform Jewish leaders have been invited in the past to presidential swearing-in ceremonies, including that of Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Reagan.
MORE


Justice Department says Trump’s son-in-law can join White House
January 22, 2017
Jared KushnerJared Kushner (AP)
Officials in the US Justice Department concluded that there would be no violation of anti-nepotism laws if President Trump includes his son-in-law as a member of his White House staff.
According to a CNN report, the US Justice Department concluded that newly inaugurated President Donald Trump would not be in violation of federal anti-nepotism laws if he moves forward with his plan to include his son-in-law Jared Kushner as a member of his White House staff.
“In choosing his personal staff, the President enjoys an unusual degree of freedom, which Congress found suitable to the demands of his office,” explained Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel Daniel Koffsky, as reported by CNN.
Moreover, the law recognizes a distinction between hiring a relative in the White House and in another agency of the executive branch.
“We believe that the President’s special hiring authority in 3 U.S.C. § 105(a) permits him to make appointments to the White House Office that the anti-nepotism statute might otherwise forbid,” Koffsky added.
At the same time, Koffsky worte that a President’s relative is still required to abide by extra restrictions as a member of the White House staff.

“A President wanting a relative’s advice on governmental matters therefore has a choice: to seek that advice on an unofficial, ad hoc basis without conferring the status and imposing the responsibilities that accompany formal White House positions; or to appoint his relative to the White House under title 3 and subject him to substantial restrictions against conflicts of interest.”
Trump’s transition team announced earlier in January that Kushner would be appointed as a senior adviser in the White House.
By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News
MORE https://worldisraelnews.com/trumps-son-law-named-senior-adviser/


WATCH: Trump vows to eradicate ‘radical Islamic terrorism’
January 21, 2017
US President Donald Trump, in his inaugural speech, declared that America will eradicate Radical Islamic terrorism from the face of the earth, drawing a sharp contrast with former President Obama, who refused to use the term “radical Islamic terrorism.”
Trump Inauguration Speech (FULL) | ABC News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=766&v=sRBsJNdK1t0

Published on 20 Jan 2017
President Trump Inauguration Address | The 45th president of the United States speaks outside the Capitol building on Inauguration Day. During his inaugural address, Trump told the American people that this was "their celebration."He echoed themes that were repeated throughout his campaign, promising not to leave "the forgotten men and women" behind, and calling for a return of power to the people as opposed to politicians in Washington.



Trump signs first executive order, weakens Obamacare
January 22, 2017
President Donald Trump signs his first executive order in the Oval Office Friday. (AP/Evan Vucci)President Donald Trump signs his first executive order in the Oval Office Friday. (AP/Evan Vucci)
Trump’s first executive order just hours after his inauguration as president was to ease regulations associated with Obamacare.
President Donald Trump signed his first executive order on Friday by giving federal agencies broad leeway to ease Obamacare regulations.
The White House has not provided details of the order. Press Secretary Sean Spicer, however, told reporters that the action was a step to “transition to repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act.
MORE


WATCH: Anarchists smash windows, set fires ahead of Trump inauguration
Anarchists in Washington smashed Starbucks and bank windows and set fires ahead of the presidential inauguration on Friday. About 200 people were arrested.
DC riot ahead of Trump's inauguration: Anarchists smashed windows and set fire
Published on 21 Jan 2017
Police have arrested more than 90 people so far today in D.C., many of them masked, black-clad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=13&v=mHdXnngplew

More than a million march in opposition to Trump
January 22, 2017
More than a million people around the world marched in protest of Trump’s presidential victory ahead of the inauguration.

More than a million people rallied at women’s marches in the nation’s capital and cities around the world Saturday to send President Donald Trump an emphatic message on his first full day in office that they won’t let his agenda go unchallenged.

Many of the women came wearing pink, pointy-eared “pussyhats” to mock the new president. Plenty of men joined in, too, contributing to surprising numbers everywhere from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles to Mexico City, Paris, Berlin, London, Prague and Sydney.

“We march today for the moral core of this nation, against which our new president is waging a war,” actress America Ferrera told the Washington crowd. “Our dignity, our character, our rights have all been under attack, and a platform of hate and division assumed power yesterday. But the president is not America. … We are America, and we are here to stay.”

The Washington rally attracted over 500,000 people by the unofficial estimate of city officials. Turnout in the capital was so heavy that the designated march route alongside the National Mall was impassable. Protesters were told to make their way to the Ellipse near the White House by way of other streets, triggering a chaotic scene that snarled downtown Washington.

“We want a leader, not a creepy tweeter,” some marchers chanted. Others: “Welcome to your first day, we will not go away!”

Around the world, women brandished signs with slogans such as “Women won’t back down” and “Less fear more love.” They decried Trump’s stand on such issues as abortion, health care, diversity and climate change. And they branded him a sexist, a bully, a bigot and more.

In Chicago, organizers canceled the march portion of their event for safety reasons after the overflow crowd reached an estimated 150,000. People made their way through the streets on their own anyway. In New York, well over 100,000 marched past Trump’s home at glittering Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. More than 100,000 also gathered on Boston Common, and a similar number demonstrated in Los Angeles.

As the demonstrators rallied alongside the National Mall, Trump opened his first full day as president by attending a prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, a tradition for the day after inauguration, and later visited the CIA. As he traveled around town, his motorcade passed large groups of protesters that would have been hard to miss.

The rallies were a peaceful counterpoint to the window-smashing unrest that unfolded on Friday when self-described anarchists tried to disrupt the inauguration. Police used pepper spray and stun grenades against the demonstrators. More than 200 people were arrested.

Marlita Gogan, who came to Washington from Houston for the inauguration, said police advised her family not to wear their “Make America Great Again Hats” as they walked through crowds of protesters while playing tourist on Saturday.

“I think it’s very oppressive,” she said of the march atmosphere. “They can have their day, but I don’t get it.”

Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump, took to Twitter to thank the participants for “standing, speaking and marching for our values.”

By: AP https://worldisraelnews.com/more-than-a-million-march-in-opposition-to-trump/?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Israeli+Leaders+Congratulate+Trump%2C+Look+for+Better+Ties%3B+Netanyahu+Reaches+Out+to+Iranians&utm_campaign=20170121_m137144611_Israeli+Leaders+Congratulate+Trump%2C+Look+for+Better+Ties%3B+Netanyahu+Reaches+Out+to+Iranians&utm_term=more_btn_dark_jpg

WATCH: Trump says, ‘I Don’t Want the Celebrities, I Want the People’
January 19, 2017
Trump says, “I Don’t Want the Celebrities, I Want the People” to attend the presidential inauguration on Friday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5bM70Fmzag



Pope Francis Strengthens Palestinian Refusal to End Hostilities with Israel

During his four years as Pope, Francis has continually put significant barriers in the way of peace between Israelis and Palestinians, and instead strengthened Abbas’s refusal to negotiate with the Jewish State.
By: Giulio Meotti, The Gatestone Institute

Palestinian Authority (PA) head Mahmoud Abbas’ activities in Rome began on January 14, with the formal opening of the Palestinian Embassy to the Vatican.

The “Palestinian president,” now in the 12th year of his four-year term, then met with Pope Francis for the third time since the start of his papacy four years ago. The high-profile get-together took place in the middle of the Palestinian attempt to bypass peace talks with Israel and to internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A few weeks ago, the UN Security Council (UNSV), in Resolution 2334, condemned Israel for its “settlements” – failing to mention any wrongdoing, such as countless Palestinian stabbings and car-rammings of Israeli civilians – and the Obama Administration, which had planned and orchestrated the UN ambush, refused, for the first time in 40 years, to veto the anti-Israel resolution, thereby ensuring it would pass.

This week, on January 15, 2017, the “Palestinian question” dominated the French “peace conference” in Paris. By opening the Palestinian embassy during this critical time of intensified anti-Israel animosity, was the Pope justifying the Palestinian-Arab attempt to isolate the Jewish State and to impose on it unacceptable conditions of surrender through international pressure?

A Long List of Anti-Israel Actions
Unfortunately, Pope Francis’s papacy has been marked by a long list of anti-Israel gestures that did not advance the cause of peace, which the Pope claims to champion.

When the Pope visited Israel in 2014, he was photographed praying at Israel’s security barrier, which had been created simply to stop the wave of Palestinian suicide bombing attacks against Israeli civilians. The Pope stood before graffiti that compared Palestinians with Jews under the Nazis. “Bethlehem looks like the Warsaw Ghetto,” the graffiti read. If it does, it only looks that way because, since the once Christian-majority city Bethlehem was transferred to total Palestinian Authority control in 1995, most of its beleaguered Christians have fled, due to Muslim persecution.

Sadly, Francis’s homily, delivered in Bethlehem, did not contain the language of peace; just admonition of Israel: “Are we like Mary and Joseph, who welcomed Jesus and cared for him with the love of a father and mother? Or are we like Herod, who wanted to eliminate him?” Was Pope Francis, as analyst Caroline Glick wrote, likening the Israelis to Herod, when it is the Palestinians who, like Herod, want to eliminate the Jews?

The Pope also met with Palestinian “refugees,” as if the 1948 war were the source of conflict between the two peoples, instead of centuries of Muslims having displaced Christians and other non-Muslims from Persia, the Christian Byzantine Empire, North Africa, Southern Spain, and most of Eastern Europe.

Pope Francis then accepted an invitation to visit — along with Muhammad Ahmad Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem — the Temple Mount, Judaism’s most sacred site also the third holiest site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. But this is the same Palestinian Mufti who justifies terrorism against the Israelis by saying, among other inflammatory declarations, that “the Hour of Resurrection will not come until you fight the Jews.”

Does it Hurt to Say Israel?
A year before his visit in the region, Pope Francis, greeting the Catholic faithful at the General Audience in Rome, said:

“I ask you to pray for the peace in the Middle East: in Syria, in Iraq, in Egypt, in Lebanon and in the Holy Land, where the Prince of Peace is born”.

Was it so difficult for the head of the Catholic Church to say the word “Israel,” instead of the sanitized “Holy Land”?

Previously, when he visited the shrine of St. Francis in Assisi, the Pope said:

“Let us listen to the cry of all those who are weeping, who are suffering and who are dying because of violence, terrorism or war, in the Holy Land, so dear to Saint Francis, in Syria, throughout the Middle East and everywhere in the world.”

Again, the Pope refused to mention any Israeli Jews among the victims of terrorism.

In the days before the launch of a devastating “Third Intifada” against the Israeli civilians, the Pope called Mahmoud Abbas an “angel of peace”. Really? An angel of peace? According to Rabbi Shmuely Boteach, “Abbas spent his life murdering Jews,” by financing the Munich terror attack in 1972, by inciting against Jews and by glorifying Palestinian terrorists. The Pope, in short is praising a corrupt supporter of terrorists, a torturer who has abolished any democratic process in the Palestinian-administered territories.

In May 2015, on “Naqba Day” (“Catastrophe Day”) — commemorating the day of Israel’s birth, when five Arab countries launched a war against Israel to wipe it out in its cradle, but lost the war — Pope Francis gave the Palestinians another symbolic victory by signing the treaty which formally recognized a “State of Palestine.”

During these four years, Pope Francis has continually put significant barriers in the way of peace between Israelis and Palestinians — a peace based on dialogue, mutual respect and the end of conflict. Instead, this supposed man of peace has strengthened Abbas’s refusal to negotiate with the Jews — the Christians’ “elder brothers,” as Pope John Paul II bravely called them — and to end hostilities with them. If this is his view of Caritas, what a tragic shame.

Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and author.

Kerry defends Obama’s failed Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts
January 17, 2017
John KerrySecretary of State John Kerry (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
Kerry claimed the Obama Administration was a “good, solid best friend of Israel,” adding that peace efforts failed because both sides failed to cooperate.
In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, outgoing US Secretary of State John Kerry rebuffed suggestions that the Obama Administration had failed in its efforts to mediate a successful peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
“The leaders of the two countries involved, one country and one entity, the Palestinian Authority, have failed to come to the table and reach agreement,” Kerry told Amanpour.
Moreover, Kerry affirmed that the US abstained in a vote in December over a UN Security Council resolution condemning any Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria as a result of what he viewed to be intransigence on both sides from moving forward.
“That is one of the reasons why we at the United Nations made the decision we made, because we believe that Israel has a major choice and the Palestinians have a major choice,” continued Kerry.
“The choice we put to Israel is if you want to be a Jewish state and you want to be a democracy, you cannot be a unitary state,” Kerry added. ” And right now, they’re marching down the road because of the increased settlements, because of the absence of a legitimate negotiation towards that possibility, and all we’re trying to do is to speak as a good, good solid best friend of Israel.”
The United Kingdom, which voted in favor of the UN Security Council resolution, criticized Kerry for giving a speech on the Mideast peace process a few days after the vote, which overly focused on Israeli “settlements” in Judea and Samaria.
https://worldisraelnews.com/uk-moves-toward-trump-israel/
By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News



Fortified wall from King David’s era exposed in southern Israel
January 17, 2017
A well-fortified wall dating from the era of King David era was exposed in Israel’s south, corroborating the biblical narrative.
A copper-smelting site and an ancient wall dating back to the 10th century BCE have been excavated at the Timna copper mines antiquities site in southern Israel’s Arava desert region, lending credence to the biblical story of the capture of Edom in the time of King David.

The well-fortified wall once ran for hundreds of meters and stood at least five meters (16.5 feet) tall. Many sling stones were discovered next to the edifice, which may be evidence of the great battle mentioned in Samuel 8:13.

The Edomites were a semi-nomadic tribal confederation which, according to the Bible, warred constantly with Israel.
“We have plenty of archaeological proof to determine that the miners who worked the Timna mines weren’t humble slaves, as had been assumed, but rather expert miners who oversaw the complex, demanding work by apprentices,” said Dr. Erez Ben-Yosef of Tel Aviv University, who headed the biblical archaeology team that uncovered the wall.
“Today we are discovering more and more evidence of a concentrated, hierarchical society that interacted extensively with its neighbors, which matches up with texts from the Bible and other sources,” he added.
Nearby mines were found to be from the time of King Solomon, King David’s son.
The Timna Valley, now a national park, was a copper-production district with thousands of mines and dozens of smelting sites. Fragments of furnaces, clothing, fabrics and rope were unearthed in the dig, as were a number of food remnants.
Archaeologists sent 11 olive and date pits found at the site to Oxford University, where they were dated to the 10th century BCE, the time during which, according to the Bible, King Solomon ruled ancient Israel.

Several other archaeological findings in Israel have lent credence to the Bible’s recounting of events, debunking schools of thought that dismissed the Bible as mere folklore.
https://worldisraelnews.com/stone-bowl-engraved-rare-hebrew-inscription-dating-hasmonean-period-discovered-jerusalem/
By: JNS.org and World Israel News Staff



UK leader rejects call to investigate Israeli embassy officials
January 17, 2017
Theresa May rejected a call from the Labour party for an investigation on a low-level Israeli embassy official who spoke of “taking down” British MPs, maintaining that an Israeli apology has closed the matter.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has rejected calls from parliamentary opposition head Jeremy Corbyn, chairman of the Labour party, to open a full investigation on Israeli officials after a low-level Israeli embassy official was revealed to have talked of “taking down” several elected members of the British Parliament.
“It is clear these comments do not reflect the views of the Embassy or Government of Israel,” said a UK government spokesman. “The UK has a strong relationship with Israel and we consider the matter closed.”
Although May and her government have fully accepted an official apology from Israel, Corbyn was not satisfied. “It is only on the basis of an investigation that Parliament and the public will be reassured that such activities will not be tolerated by your government,” he wrote to May in a letter earlier this week.

Prime Minister May has recently called out Corbyn for the prevalence of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic views in the British Labour party.
https://worldisraelnews.com/uks-prime-minister-steps-up-fight-on-anti-semitism/
By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News


UK’s Prime Minister steps up fight on anti-Semitism
“Anyone guilty of that [anti-Semitism] will be called out on it, British Prime Minister Theresa May stated.

United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Theresa May announced that her government will officially adopt a working definition of anti-Semitism, which includes attacks against Israel, while saying it was “disgusting” that anti-Semitic views are found in British politics.

“It is unacceptable that there is anti-Semitism in this country. It is even worse that incidents are reportedly on the rise. As a government, we are making a real difference and adopting this measure is a ground-breaking step,” May said in a private lunch of the Conservative Friends of Israel.

“It means there will be one definition of anti-Semitism – in essence, language or behavior that displays hatred towards Jews because they are Jews – and anyone guilty of that will be called out on it.”

The working definition of anti-Semitism was developed in May by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), an intergovernmental organization backed by 31 countries.
The IHRA defines anti-Semitism as a “certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

Having a clear definition will make it easier for political leaders to root out anti-Semitism, which is sometimes obscured by debates over what constitutes anti-Jewish language,. While the definition isn’t legally binding, it can be adopted by universities and other institutions that are struggling with this issue.
In her remarks, May also slammed the Labour Party for the increase in anti-Semitism in its ranks under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, who has also been accused of harboring anti-Semitic and anti-Israel views of his own.
A British parliamentary committee report in October said that Corbyn does not fully comprehend “the distinct nature of contemporary anti-Semitism” and suggested that the party is “institutionally anti-Semitic.”
“It is disgusting that these twisted views are being found in British politics,” May said, adding that “of course, I am talking mainly about the Labour Party and their hard-left allies.”
Calling Israel an inherently racist country or making comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany would be considered anti-Semitic under that definition.
A spokesman for Corbyn said in a statement that he fully supports the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism.
“Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party share the view that language or behavior that displays hatred towards Jews is anti-Semitism and is as repugnant and unacceptable as any other form of racism. We agree with the IHRA ‘working definition” of anti-Semitism.
Earlier this month, Home Secretary Amber Rudd promised to spend millions to provide security guards for all Jewish schools, institutions and synagogues in the country.
The Community Security Trust, a British organization that monitors and records anti-Semitic incidents, has recorded an alarming rise in anti-Semitic attacks and incidents during the first six months of 2016.
Jonathan Arkush, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, “warmly welcomed” the prime minister’s decision.
“With anti-Semitism on the rise, it has become essential to have a clear definition against which to assess attitudes that are or may be racist,” he stated.
By: JNS.org and World Israel News Staff

UK’s Prime Minister steps up fight on anti-Semitism
https://worldisraelnews.com/uks-prime-minister-steps-up-fight-on-anti-semitism/
“Anyone guilty of that [anti-Semitism] will be called out on it, British Prime Minister Theresa May stated.

United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Theresa May announced that her government will officially adopt a working definition of anti-Semitism, which includes attacks against Israel, while saying it was “disgusting” that anti-Semitic views are found in British politics.

“It is unacceptable that there is anti-Semitism in this country. It is even worse that incidents are reportedly on the rise. As a government, we are making a real difference and adopting this measure is a ground-breaking step,” May said in a private lunch of the Conservative Friends of Israel.

“It means there will be one definition of anti-Semitism – in essence, language or behavior that displays hatred towards Jews because they are Jews – and anyone guilty of that will be called out on it.”

The working definition of anti-Semitism was developed in May by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), an intergovernmental organization backed by 31 countries.

The IHRA defines anti-Semitism as a “certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

Having a clear definition will make it easier for political leaders to root out anti-Semitism, which is sometimes obscured by debates over what constitutes anti-Jewish language,. While the definition isn’t legally binding, it can be adopted by universities and other institutions that are struggling with this issue.

In her remarks, May also slammed the Labour Party for the increase in anti-Semitism in its ranks under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, who has also been accused of harboring anti-Semitic and anti-Israel views of his own.

A British parliamentary committee report in October said that Corbyn does not fully comprehend “the distinct nature of contemporary anti-Semitism” and suggested that the party is “institutionally anti-Semitic.”

“It is disgusting that these twisted views are being found in British politics,” May said, adding that “of course, I am talking mainly about the Labour Party and their hard-left allies.”

Calling Israel an inherently racist country or making comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany would be considered anti-Semitic under that definition.

A spokesman for Corbyn said in a statement that he fully supports the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism.

“Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party share the view that language or behavior that displays hatred towards Jews is anti-Semitism and is as repugnant and unacceptable as any other form of racism. We agree with the IHRA ‘working definition” of anti-Semitism.

Earlier this month, Home Secretary Amber Rudd promised to spend millions to provide security guards for all Jewish schools, institutions and synagogues in the country.
The Community Security Trust, a British organization that monitors and records anti-Semitic incidents, has recorded an alarming rise in anti-Semitic attacks and incidents during the first six months of 2016.
Jonathan Arkush, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, “warmly welcomed” the prime minister’s decision.
“With anti-Semitism on the rise, it has become essential to have a clear definition against which to assess attitudes that are or may be racist,” he stated.
By: JNS.org and World Israel News Staff


Iranian president: Trump’s opposition to nuclear deal ‘only propaganda’
January 17, 2017
rouhani
Iran’s president says he doubts that Trump could rescind what the US president-elect has referred to as “the worst deal ever signed.”

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reiterated previously expressed doubts on Tuesday regarding US president-elect Donald Trump’s ability to unilaterally rescind the nuclear agreement negotiated between Iran and the P5+1 powers.

“The president elect has shown he is not happy about the nuclear deal, calling it the worst deal ever signed,” acknowledged Rouhani. “This is only propaganda. I don’t think he can do much when he goes to the White House.”

“I am optimistic about the future of the nuclear deal,” Rouhani stated.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS in December that he has five suggestions for Trump in order to successfully undo the deal. Israel’s national intelligence agency, the Mossad, has already conducted a security briefing with Trump’s team on the Iran nuclear agreement along with other regional issues.

Several diplomats working for the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned in December that the Islamic Republic will soon have enough nuclear power to make a nuclear bomb if it does not slow down its uranium enrichment.
By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News

Israeli intelligence provides security briefing to Trump team
January 15, 2017
Yossi CohenNew Mossad head Yossi Cohen. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Israel’s Mossad director briefed the Trump team on a number of issues related to regional security, including the Iran nuclear deal and Syria’s civil war.
Yossi Cohen, director of the Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency, recently met with US President-elect Donald Trump’s team, according to a weekend report in Ynet.
During the clandestine visit, Cohen briefed the Americans on the Iranian nuclear deal and the Syrian civil war, among several regional issues. Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer was also present.
The Israeli security delegation, headed by National Security Council Chairman Yaakov Nagel, was organized by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
https://worldisraelnews.com/israeli-intelligence-provides-security-briefing-to-trump-team/
By: World Israel News Staff

https://worldisraelnews.com/youtubescreenshot-2/
WATCH: Netanyahu will suggest to Trump 5 ways to undo the Iran deal
December 13, 2016
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS’s 60 Minutes that he has several suggestions for undoing the Iran nuclear deal.

Netanyahu: I Look Forward to Working with Donald Trump

MAKING HISTORY: Israeli Lawmakers to Attend US Presidential Inauguration, ‘Open New Page’ with America

January 17, 2017

Yehuda GlickLikud MK Yehuda Glick (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)
In an unprecedented move, two members of the Israeli Knesset will attend Trump’s inauguration ceremony this Friday.

Two lawmakers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party will attend the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump on Friday. Apparently, this will be the first time that Israeli Knesset members will have attended such an event.

“I am honored to be invited to the inauguration ceremony, which is a historic occasion, and at the same time continue to strengthen the relations between Israel and the US,” said Sharren Haskel, who will be at the event with Yehuda Glick.

“As part of my diplomatic experience I have had the opportunity to meet with officials from the American government in order to foster cooperation between the US and Israel,” she added. “I will continue to work to strengthen our great alliance with the US.”

Glick, who was invited by “Hayovel,” an organization that brings Christians to Israel to help local farmers, told Times of Israel that he was specifically interested in fostering those relations.

“My going has nothing to do with my political opinions,” Glick said. “I’m going there as someone active in dialogue between American Christians and Israel. I won’t participate in any political events.”

Several prominent leaders of communities in Judea and Samaria will also attend, including Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, Efrat Mayor Oded Revivi and Ma’ale Adumim Mayor Benny Kashriel.

“We’re opening a new page with the Americans,” Kashriel stated, the Jerusalem Post reported.

By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News

Paris Peace Summit ‘Flat as a Failed Souffle,’ Israel Says
January 16, 2017
The Paris peace summit, despite concern that it could end with another damaging anti-Israel resolution, turned out “flat as a failed souffle,” Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Emanuel Nahshon said.
The conclusion of Sunday’s Mideast peace conference in Paris urged Israelis and Palestinians to “officially restate their commitment to the two-state solution.” It also warned both sides against taking one-sided actions that could hurt talks, an apparent reference to Israeli settlement building in eastern Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.
Despite concern in Israel that the conference could end with another damaging resolution against the Jewish state, nothing of the sort occurred. Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State John Kerry – who had defended the Obama administration’s abstention from UN Security Council Resolution 2334, condemning Israeli settlements and had led the failed Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations – assured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US would oppose any further resolutions based on conclusions at the summit.
https://worldisraelnews.com/kerry-tells-netanyahu-us-will-prevent-follow-un-resolution-paris/


Palestinian Official: ‘Gates of Hell will Open’ if Trump Moves Embassy to Jerusalem
January 15, 2017
Mahmoud AbbasPA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (C) waves to fellow Fatah members at a meeting in Ramallah, Nov. 29, 2016. (AP/Nasser Nasser)
Another Palestinian official came out with a dramatic warning against Trump’s plan to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, saying it would open “the gates of hell.”
A member of Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party warned on Saturday night that a major conflagration would break out all over the world if US President-elect Donald Trump follows through with his plan to move the US embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
“All chances for peace and stability will be lost,” said Fatah Revolutionary Council member Osama Qawasmeh. “The gates of hell will be opened in the region and the world.”
He also contended that “the free people of the world will not permit the passage of such a step.
Qawasmeh’s remarks follow similar warnings from other Palestinian Authority officials.
https://worldisraelnews.com/pa-official-threatens-bloodshed-confrontation-trump-settlement-policy/


France Calls Trump Plan to Move US Embassy to Jerusalem a ‘Provocation’
January 15, 2017
France’s Foreign Minister referred to Trump’s plan to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as a ‘provocation’ that could lead to serious consequences.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean Marc Ayrault criticized US President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as a “provocation” that would lead to negative repercussions.

“It would have extremely serious consequences,” he told France 3 television during Sunday’s Paris summit that is focusing on implementing a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

“One cannot have such a clear-cut, unilateral position,” he continued. “You have to create the conditions for peace.”
France, however, appeared to present a “clear-cut, unilateral position” over a year and a half ago, when Laurent Fabius, Ayrault’s predecessor, said his country would unilaterally recognize a state of Palestine if its initiative for Israel and the PA failed within a timeframe of 18 months.
By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News
https://worldisraelnews.com/france-pushes-israeli-palestinian-peace/