From the Jewish Telegrapic Agency
Syria says Israeli planes hit military sites near Damascus
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Syrian government claimed that Israeli planes attacked military sites near Damascus.
The attacks, also reported on Syrian television, took place on Sunday night, Syria said. Israeli planes are reported to have hit several military facilities near Damascus International Airport and in Dimas, located north of Damascus near the border with Lebanon.
Syrian state television reports said that there were no casualties.
“The Israeli enemy committed aggression against Syria by targeting two safe areas in Damascus province, in all of Dimas and near the Damascus International Airport,” the Syrian government said.
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From the Jewish Telegrapic Agency
Netanyahu: Israeli objections staved off bad Iran deal
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Israel helped head off a bad deal with Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in an address to a forum of U.S. and Israeli leaders.
“A Nov. 24 deadline for an agreement has come and gone, and that’s fortunate,” Netanyahu said Sunday in a recorded address to the Saban Forum, which was convened under the auspices of the Brookings Institution, in Washington.
“Our voice and our concerns played a critical role in preventing a bad deal,” Netanyahu said. “We must use the time available to increase the pressure on Iran from developing a nuclear arms capability.”
The major powers and Iran agreed to extend the deadline for a deal in Iran nuclear talks to June 30.
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From the Jewish Telegrapic Agency
Japanese newspaper apologizes for ad featuring anti-Semitic author
(JTA) — A conservative national Japanese newspaper apologized for publishing an advertisement for books by an author who claimed that the Jews were behind the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed 18,000.
The apology for the ad featuring Richard Koshimizu was published Saturday in the Sankei Shimbun newspaper by its president, Takamitsu Kumasaka. It followed a letter of protest from the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“It is extremely regrettable that such disreputable content was published and was delivered to our readers,” Kumasaka said in a statement about an ad that appeared in the Nov. 26 edition of Sankei Shimbun. “I deeply apologize to our readers and to every member of the Jewish community.”
Koshimizu also blames the Jews for the 9/11 terror attack on the World Trade Center, claims the Holocaust was a myth designed to establish the State of Israel and says that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government elected in 2012 was part of a Jewish plan for global domination.
From the Jewish Telegrapic Agency
Israel, Presidents Conference urge Pollard release after collapse
WASHINGTON (JTA) – In the wake of news that Jonathan Pollard collapsed in prison and was taken to a hospital, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the United States to release the convicted spy for Israel.
Netanyahu called Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday night, a day after Pollard’s collapse.
“Pollard’s life is in danger,” Netanyahu said after the phone call. “After 30 years in prison, it’s time he should be released and live the rest of his life as a free man.”
Pollard reportedly will be returned to the infirmary of the federal prison in Butner, N.C., in the coming days and will require surgery soon, The Jerusalem Post reported, citing activists working on behalf of Pollard’s release.
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