From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Forbes’ billionaires list features new and old Jewish faces
The billionaires’ club isn’t as exclusive as it used to be.
On Monday Forbes released its 29th annual list of every billionaire on the planet, and it features a record 1,826 people, or 181 more than last year.
As in previous years, Jews are disproportionately represented on the roster of the world’s wealthiest, with 10 Jews among the top 50. (The list, topped by Bill Gates, ranks from richest to slightly less rich.)
Larry Ellison, the founder of the tech giant Oracle Corporation, is the wealthiest Jew in the world and the fifth wealthiest person alive. At age 70, his net worth is $54.2 billion.
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From Russia Today
King of Jordan wants to wage ‘WW3’ on ISIS
King Abdullah of Jordan has called the battle against the Islamic State “World War 3” in what is a “generational fight” to overcome these “outlaws of Islam.” Speaking to CNN, he implored all religions to come together, adding “this is our war.”
He made a point of referring to the fight against the Islamic State as a “third World War” and called upon all nations to come together to help counter the threat posed by the militant group since they conquered large swathes of Iraq and Syria last year.
“So this is our war. And we have a moral responsibility to reach out to those Muslims, to protect them, and to stop them before they reach our border,” King Abdullah said, speaking to CNN.
The king did not advocate bombarding ISIS positions with nuclear missiles or thousands of tanks, but is advocating a united front, which would bring “Muslims, Christians and other religions together.” He stressed that the ideological element of the conflict will be the hardest element to solve. The US and its allies have ample ammunition to pound Islamic State forces for decades to come.
From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Polls: Americans, especially Republicans, still viewing Netanyahu favorably
(JTA) — Despite controversy over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before Congress, more Americans view him favorably than unfavorably, according to two separate polls.
Nearly twice as many Americans viewed Netanyahu favorably, 45 percent, as unfavorably, 24 percent, according to a Gallup poll taken Feb. 8-11 — after Netanyahu had accepted the invitation from House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to speak and angered the Obama administration.
Gallup noted that Netanyahu’s favorability rating among Americans was up from 35 percent in 2012 and “ties his highest rating among the six times Gallup has measured it, spanning his three tenures as prime minister.”
A Pew Research Center poll of Americans conducted Feb. 18-22 also found more favorable than unfavorable opinion concerning Netanyahu, but with a smaller gap. It reported that 38 percent of Americans had a favorable opinion of Netanyahu, while 27 percent had an unfavorable view and 35 percent have no opinion.
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From PressTV
Israel forces open fire at Gaza fishermen
Israeli naval forces have opened fire at a number of Palestinian fishermen off the coast of northern besieged Gaza Strip.
Palestinian sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the fishermen were targeted near the neighborhood of al-Sudaniyya on Monday.
The sources said the Palestinians were forced to return to shore for fear of being arrested or their boats being confiscated by the Israeli forces.
There were no reports of casualties as a result of the incident.
An Israeli spokesman said an investigation was underway into the case.
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From PressTV
Israel calls up 3,000 reserve soldiers for West Bank drill
The Israeli military has called up 3,000 reserve soldiers as part of a wide-scale drill simulating protests by Palestinians and their clashes with Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank.
As part of the drill, which started on Sunday, another 10,000 soldiers were informed to be on alert, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
The report said that the army’s Central Command has been preparing for a possible conflict in the West Bank as soon as late March 2015.
An unnamed senior commander, meanwhile, said the exercise is “unusual in its scope… and taking part in it are all of the Central Command’s operational forces.”
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From the Jewish Daily Forward
What’s Behind Bill de Blasio’s Concern For European Jews?
N.Y. Mayor’s Global Outreach Is Good Local Politics
By Josh Nathan-Kazis
Bill de Blasio seems to be spending a lot of time worrying about Jews in Europe.
The New York City mayor has visited two different Upper East Side synagogues in the past month to deliver addresses about attacks on French Jews. He went to Paris for less than 24 hours in January to lay wreaths at the sites of the Hyper Cacher and Charlie Hebdo attacks, and to meet with French Jewish leaders. He released a statement about a vandalized Jewish cemetery in France on the afternoon of a federal holiday.
“The reason I went to Paris was because we as Americans — we have some responsibility here to say to our European brothers and sisters that we cannot accept a repeat of history,” de Blasio said on February 19, at one of the synagogue events. “That indifference only leads us down a very dangerous path.”
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From The Independent
From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Kerry decries Human Rights Council’s ‘obsession’ with Israel
(JTA) — There is an “unbalanced focus” on Israel by the United Nations Human Rights Council, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told its members.
“No one in this room can deny that there is an unbalanced focus on one democratic country,” Kerry said in an address to the council on Monday in Geneva.
“It must be said the HRC’s obsession with Israel actually risks undermining the credibility of the entire organization,” he added, citing the fact that only Israel is a permanent agenda item on the council’s schedule.
Kerry’s defense of Israel at the council comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, where he will criticize the Obama administration for the nuclear deal it is negotiating with Iran and the world powers.
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From PressTV
Palestinians to file first ICC case against Israel
Palestinian officials say the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority is planning to lodge its first case with the International Criminal Court (ICC) later this year against the Tel Aviv regime’s crimes.
“One of the first important steps will be filing a complaint against Israel at the ICC on April 1 over the (2014) Gaza war and settlement activity,” Mohammed Shtayyeh, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said on Monday.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed the request to join the ICC after the United Nations Security Council rejected a Palestinian proposal for statehood on December 30, 2014. The Palestinians have requested to join the Hague-based court in order to bring war crime charges against Israel.
On January 2, 2014, the Palestinians moved to formally join the Hague-based court in a process which is due to take effect on April 1, thus paving the way for taking potential legal action against Israeli officials for war crimes.
Israel reacted by cutting off millions of dollars in monthly tax payments it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, in order to escalate financial pressure on Palestinians.
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From The Times of Israel
UN peace envoy chides world over lack of Gaza aid
Robert Serry says only a small percentage of $5.4 billion pledged for reconstruction of Strip was delivered
UN Middle East peace envoy Robert Serry criticized the international community Monday over the failure to deliver aid promised for reconstructing Gaza, on his final trip to the Palestinian territory.
Israel and Hamas fought a devastating 50-day war in the coastal enclave last summer which killed more than 2,200 people and left 100,000 Gazans homeless and large areas of the territory in ruins.
Israel said up to half the Gazans killed were combatants and claimed it was forced to target residential areas because of Hamas military infrastructure located there.
The UN and other agencies have warned failure to rehabilitate Gaza will lead to further conflict in the near future, and urged Israel to lift its eight-year blockade of the Strip.
“Gaza is more isolated than ever, with many restrictions still in place at Israeli crossings for both goods and people and with the Rafah crossing [with Egypt] practically closed,” Serry said in a statement.
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