Palestinian man found guilty of murdering three Israeli family members at Shabbat table

A Palestinian man was found guilty of murdering three members of an Israeli family as they sat around their Shabbat table in the Jewish settlement of Halamish.

Omar al-Abed on Wednesday morning (27th) was found guilty of stabbing to death the three members of the Salomon family in July.

The military prosecution requested four life sentences for Abed – one for each of the dead and another for two counts of attempted murder.  Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman called for the death penalty which is an option in military court, but it has not been sought.

A sentencing hearing will be held at a later date.

(jta.org; worldisraelnews.com)

 

Hizbullah and Hamas rank at top of Forbes’ ‘Richest Terror Groups’ list

One of the more far-reaching consequences of former President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran is on display in Forbes Israel’s latest ranking of the richest terrorist groups in the world, as in 2017 Iran-backed Hizbullah leaped to the top of the list with a whopping $1.1 billion in revenue.

The Taliban is in second place with a revenue of $800 million, and Hamas is third with $700 million.

The Islamic State  used to be the richest terror organization with $2 billion in 2014.  Now they are in fifth place with a revenue of $200 million.

(forbes.com; worldisraelnews.com)

 

Hamas leader: When we liberate Palestine, we will shut down the U.S. Embassy

Mahmoud Al-Zahhar of the Hamas leadership in Gaza told Al-Jazeera TV on Dec. 17 that with regard to President Trump’s Jerusalem declaration: “One of these days, we will liberate Palestine in its entirety , and we will shut down your embassy, and deport all the people of your kind.”

(memri.org)

 

Assad government returns to Israel’s Golan border – Anna Ahronheim

Syrian government forces, backed by Iranian militias and Hizbullah, are pushing deep into the rebel-held enclave along Israel’s northern border as part of Assad’s push to reassert control of the remaining rebel-held areas of the countryside west of Damascus.

According to Lt. Col. Mordechai Kedar of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University, Israel can tolerate Assad’s presence on the Golan.  However, Israel “cannot tolerate the Iranians and its tentacles, like Hizbullah, to establish themselves on the Golan.”  From Israel’s point of view, he said, out of all the possible victors in Syria – Assad, Iran or the jihadists – Assad is the lesser of three evils.

Officials have warned that the IDF would not allow Iran to establish a military foothold within 25 miles of the border, and “the Iranians understand this,” Kedar said.

(jpost.com)

 

Erdogan: Assad a ‘terrorist’ who killed nearly 1 million Syrians

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday (27th) called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a terrorist and said it was impossible for Syrian peace efforts to continue with him.

“Assad is definitely a terrorist who has carried out state-terrorism,” Erdogan said at a televised news conference with his Tunisian counterpart Beji Caid Essebsi in Tunis.

“It is impossible to continue with Assad.  How can we embrace the future with a Syrian president who has killed close to a million of his citizens?” he asked.

(reuters.com; ynetnews.com; afp.com)

 

PM Netanyahu in IAF ceremony: “Decision of calm in Gaza, is up to Gaza”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at the Israeli Air Force Academy’s graduation ceremony in Hatzerim Wednesday (27th) and said, “We are continuing to face down large challenges in the north, south and center.  We will not allow Iran to entrench itself in Syria to harm us.”

“The decision on calm in Gaza is up to Gaza,” Netanyahu added.  “We will not allow or tolerate escalation from Hamas or any other terrorist elements.  We will use all means at our disposal to defend our sovereignty and security.”

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman also spoke and warned that should war break out in the north, Israel will hit its enemies “with a force much more impressive” than in the past.  His comments came days after reports that Iranian-backed militias were gaining ground in Syria close to Israel’s border.

(timesofisrael.com)

 

Israeli Arabs have highest life expectancy in Arab-Muslim world – Dov Chernichovsky

Compared with the populations of 21 Muslim and Arab countries, Arab Israelis have the highest life expectancy.  The life expectancy of Arab Israelis at birth in 2015 was 79, higher than such wealthy countries as Qatar, the UAE, and Bahrain.  It is also equal to that of the general U.S. population.

(taubcenter.org.il)

 

Saudi ban on Israeli chess players underscores limits of Gulf relations

Israeli athletes have a long history of being discriminated against in Arab countries.  They are denied entry to them or forbidden from flying the Israeli flag and playing the national anthem during competition; opponents forfeit matches against them or refuse to shake their hands.

It is a practice often described as an attempt to avoid “normalization” with Israel, and meant to show solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

The most recent victims of this tactic are seven Israeli chess players who were denied visas to Saudi Arabia for an international competition that kicked-off on Tuesday (26th).

But while Sunni Muslim countries publicly snub Israeli athletes, behind closed doors their officials are prepared to cooperate with the Jewish state, swapping intelligence and coordinating on the best ways to counter their mutual enemy: Iran.

(timesofisrael.com)

 

Israeli App allows hands-free use of Smartphones – Andrea K. McDaniels

Open Sesame is an app that allows people to control a touch-screen smartphone or tablet hands-free.  Instead of swiping with a finger, users control the device with small head movements or voice commands.  The technology can help people who are paralyzed or have limited mobility due to diseases such as MS or ALS.  The State of Maryland is now covering the cost of tablets with the Open Sesame technology installed for low-income people with certain disabilities, much like it does for text and braille telephones for the deaf and blind through its Maryland Accessible Telecommunications program.

(ap.com)

 

Tel Aviv assembles 118-foot Lego tower to break world record

A 118-foot Lego tower was constructed in Tel Aviv to break the Guinness World record, the mayor of the coastal city said.

Made up of more than half a million pieces, the project honors Omar Sayag, an 8-year-old who died of cancer in 2014.  Sayag built Lego towers before his death.

The previous record for the largest Lego tower dates back to 2015 when the Italian subsidiary of the Lego company built a 114.83-foot tower for the Milan World Expo.

A file, including photos taken from a drone, will be sent to Guinness to approve the new record, a spokesman from the town hall told AFP.

(afp.com)