Netanyahu praises Pence’s stance on Iran
With U.S. Vice President Mike Pence at his side Monday evening (22nd), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel agrees with the U.S. administration that the nuclear deal with Iran is “disastrous” and noted their countries’ shared work to prevent the Islamic Republic from destabilizing the region.
“I want to salute both President Trump and you, Mr. Vice President, for standing with the people of Iran, when so many in Europe and elsewhere were shamefully silent,” Netanyahu said at the Prime MInister’s Residence in Jerusalem before hosting Pence and his wife Karen, for a private dinner.
(israelhayom.com)
Pence says U.S. Embassy to make Jerusalem move next year on faster timetable – Jenna Johnson, Loveday Morris, and Carol Morello
The U.S. will open its embassy in Jerusalem next year, Vice President Pence said Monday (22nd) in Israel’s parliament. After Trump formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December, the State department began looking for a possible site in Jerusalem to replace the existing embassy in Tel Aviv. A State Department official said a building being eyed is the U.S. consular service building in the Arnona neighborhood, which opened in 2010 on a site originally slated for the embassy.
(washingtonpost.com)
Rivlin welcomes Pence to Jerusalem – calls him a ‘mensch’
In his opening remarks to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, President Reuven Rivlin, who does not usually speak Yiddish, used one of the most complimentary Yiddish words that can be bestowed on another person, calling the vice president “a mensch.” – meaning a person of integrity.
He used this epithet when the two sat down on Tuesday (23rd) to make statements in the presence of their respective entourages and the media.
And the president didn’t stop there, Rivlin called Pence “a dear friend of the Jewish people and the State of Israel” and told Pence that as a seventh generation Jerusalemite, he deeply appreciated the vice president’s reaffirmation of America’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
(jpost.com)
Mike Pence and wife Karen visit the Western Wall and Yad Vashem
Monday morning (22nd), Mike Pence and his wife Karen, accompanied by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Yad Vashem where the vice president placed a wreath in honor of the Jews killed in the Holocaust, at the Hall of Remembrance. They also visited some of the displays inside the museum.
Later Monday, Pence and his wife made a private visit to the Western Wall, the last stop on the Israeli leg of the vice president’s Middle East trip.
The Vice President later tweeted: “A privilege to pray at the Western Wall. This is our 4th trip to the Holy Land, but Karen and I never fail to leave without a sense our faith has been renewed – our faith in God, but also our faith in the people of Israel & and their commitment to freedom, security and peace.”
(jta.org; ynetnews.com)
Arabs have general strike for 2nd day of Pence visit
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party called for “a second day of comprehensive strikes” on Tuesday (23rd) – the last day of Pence’s visit to Israel – across “all sectors and institutions, excluding the ministries of health and education,” in protest against the U.S. Many Arab shopkeepers in eastern Jerusalem were given the instructions to strike as well.
(worldisraelnews.com)
Border Police stop 2 would-be terrorists
A Border Policeman neutralized two would-be terrorists armed with knives at the Tapuach Junction Tuesday (23rd) thwarting their attack. The policeman was unharmed.
The two would-be terrorists, teenagers, arrived at the junction from Nablus and headed toward the bus stations at the junction.
A Border Policeman noticed them and alerted the troops stationed at the junction. The suspects were told to stop, and when they failed to respond the police shot in the air. The terrorists then pulled their knives and moved on the soldiers.
In response, the suspects were shot in their lower bodies, incapacitating them. They were treated on scene and then taken to the hospital for further medical attention.
(worldisraelnews.com)
Netanyahu heads to World Economic Forum in Davos
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to fly to Switzerland on Wednesday afternoon (24th) to participate in the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, through Friday (26th).
He will meet with over ten heads of state, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
(pmo.gov.il)
Al-Qaeda calls on Muslims to ‘rise and attack Jews, Americans’
A senior Al-Qaeda leader has called on Muslims “everywhere” to rise up and kill Jews and Americans in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
In a video released Monday (22nd), Khalid Batarfi said Trump’s decision was “a declaration of a new Jewish-Crusader war” and every Muslim had a duty to “liberate” the holy city, the SITE Intelligence monitoring group reported.
“No Muslim has the right to cede Jerusalem no matter what happens,” said Batarfi, a top commander with the group’s powerful Yemen-based branch. “Only a traitor would give it up or hand it over. Let the Muslims rise and attack the Jews and Americans everywhere.”
(israelnn.com)
‘Schindler’s List survivor to address UN
Eva Lavi, the youngest survivor of the famed “Schindler’s List,” will be the keynote speaker at the United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony next week.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak and Israel’s Ambassador Danny Danon, who invited Lavi to speak at the UN, will be among the dignitaries addressing the ceremony in the General Assembly Hall.
(worldisraelnews.com)
A plaque for Oskar Schindler at Mount Zion Holocaust museum
A plaque in honor of Righteous Among the Nations Oskar Schindler will be installed in the Chamber of the Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Authority compound on Mount Zion this Thursday (25th) to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Schindler was responsible for saving the lives of about 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. In 1974 Schindler died and was buried at his request at the nearby Mount Zion cemetery in Jerusalem. The Chamber of the Holocaust, which was established in 1949, is the first museum to commemorate the Holocaust after World War II.
(israelnn.com)
