From YNET News
Senior rabbi condemns IDF for accommodating LGBT ‘perverts’
Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, a central educational figure in the religious sector, called LGBT persons “perverts” at a conference on Monday and condemned the IDF for having permitted them to insert their worldview in the military system. The revelation of his remarks comes at the end of the week following the cancellation of the Be’er Sheva Pride parade and the uncovering ofhomophobic remarks from the incoming chief rabbi of the IDF.
From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Trump picks pro-Israel stalwart Mike Pence as running mate
Donald Trump and Indiana Governor Mike Pence onstage during a campaign rally at Grant Park Event Center in Westfield, Indiana, July 12, 2016. (Tasos Katopodis/AFP/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Donald Trump picked Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a pro-Israel stalwart and conservative Christian, as his running mate.
Pence, 57, emerged quickly as a leader on pro-Israel issues during his 12 years in Congress from 2001 to 2013, where he rose rapidly in the GOP caucus leadership, chairing the Republican Conference in his penultimate term, 2011-2013.
He led a number of bids to place conditions on funding for the Palestinian Authority, and in 2007 he joined then-Rep. Ron Klein, D-Fla., in convening the Congressional Anti-Semitism Task Force.
Click here for the full story
From PressTV
Suspected mastermind in Turkey coup served as military attaché to Israel
A main suspect in the failed coup against the Turkish government formerly served as a military attaché to Israel, reports say.
General Akin Öztürk, also the former commander of Turkey’s air force, was arrested on Saturday along with at least five other generals in connection to the failed coup.
From 1998 to 2000, Öztürk served in Turkey’s Tel Aviv embassy and later went on to serve as the air force commander until he stepped down last year. He retained his seat in Turkey’s Supreme Military Council.
Turkey has announced that Öztürk and his alleged partners will be tried over treason charges.
According to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, those behind the coup will not face the death penalty as it is against the country’s constitution, but constitutional changes are being considered to block future coups.
Prior to the coup, Öztürk was a celebrated military figure, honored by medals from his own country and NATO.
The coup attempt started on Friday evening when tanks took up positions on two bridges over the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, blocking traffic.
On Saturday, Turkey announced that the failed attempt to seize control of the country by a faction of the armed forces is now over, with 2,839 soldiers, including high-ranking officers being arrested.
Yildirim also said that 161 people had been killed and 1,440 wounded in clashes in the night he called a “black stain on Turkish democracy.”
From PressTV
Russia airstrikes in Syria cut off terrorists’ supply routes: Defense minister
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says his country’s aerial campaign against foreign-sponsored Takfiri militant groups operating inside Syria has changed the course of the developments on the ground in favor of the Damascus government.
“The Russian Air Force operations have changed the course of the events in favor of Syria’s legitimate government. As a result of Russian strikes, terrorists’ supply routes have been disrupted and in some places fully discontinued,” Shoigu said in Moscow on Friday.
“To date, many Takfiri groups have been busted near Hama and Homs. Militants have been pushed out of Latakia plus areas south and north of Damascus. The main road linking the capital with the country’s north has been secured as well,” the Russian defense minister pointed out.
Shoigu further noted that Russian military experts are training Syrian army units and helping them to restore fighting ability in battles against Takfiri terrorist groups.
He stated that Syrian army troops, backed by Russian fighter jets and artillery units, have already managed to retake nearly 600 populated areas from foreign-sponsored extremists.
“With active aerial and artillery support from Russian forces, Syrian soldiers have liberated 586 populated areas, including 150 towns and over 12,000 square kilometers of territory. This has helped 264,000 refugees return to their homes,” Shoigu highlighted.
Russia has been bombing Daesh and al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front terror groups in Syria since September 30, 2015 at the official request of President Bashar al-Assad.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
The UN has stopped its official casualty count in Syria, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources.
A ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia went into effect in Syria on February 27, but it does not apply to the Daesh and al-Nusra Front terrorist groups in the Arab country.
While most European countries have been voicing opposition to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, some of them are gradually making a shift in their policies as they realize the importance of Damascus’ efforts in fighting terrorism.
From PressTV
Kerry, Putin discuss coordinating efforts against Daesh, Nusra in Syria
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian President Vladimir Putin have discussed military and intelligence cooperation against Daesh and al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front terrorist groups in Syria.
The US State Department said in a statement that without “concrete and near-term steps” diplomatic efforts to end the Syria conflict could not go on “indefinitely”.
The two sides met “to advance efforts to restore the nationwide cessation of hostilities in Syria and to establish conditions that can enable political transition talks to resume between the opposition” and the Damascus government, the statement added.
At the start of his meeting with the US secretary of state, Putin said, “Our last conversation with President [Barack] Obama convinces me that we are not just developing cooperation, but doing so with the aim of achieving tangible results.”
Putin added, “I send the president my best wishes, and hope that you can report that we have moved forward on our issues, as a result of these talks.”
Earlier on Thursday, The Washington Postpublished a leaked draft of the Syrian plan that Kerry was to offer to Putin.
According to the text, the two countries will set up a Joint Implementation Group, whose “purpose is to enable expanded coordination between the United States and the Russian Federation beyond the established safety of flight procedures.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Moscow and Washington should coordinate efforts to fight terrorism in Syria.
Click here for the full story
From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Trump picks pro-Israel stalwart Mike Pence as running mate
Donald Trump and Indiana Governor Mike Pence onstage during a campaign rally at Grant Park Event Center in Westfield, Indiana, July 12, 2016. (Tasos Katopodis/AFP/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Donald Trump picked Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a pro-Israel stalwart and conservative Christian, as his running mate.
Pence, 57, emerged quickly as a leader on pro-Israel issues during his 12 years in Congress from 2001 to 2013, where he rose rapidly in the GOP caucus leadership, chairing the Republican Conference in his penultimate term, 2011-2013.
He led a number of bids to place conditions on funding for the Palestinian Authority, and in 2007 he joined then-Rep. Ron Klein, D-Fla., in convening the Congressional Anti-Semitism Task Force.
Click here for the full story
From PressTV
Suspected mastermind in Turkey coup served as military attaché to Israel
A main suspect in the failed coup against the Turkish government formerly served as a military attaché to Israel, reports say.
General Akin Öztürk, also the former commander of Turkey’s air force, was arrested on Saturday along with at least five other generals in connection to the failed coup.
From 1998 to 2000, Öztürk served in Turkey’s Tel Aviv embassy and later went on to serve as the air force commander until he stepped down last year. He retained his seat in Turkey’s Supreme Military Council.
Turkey has announced that Öztürk and his alleged partners will be tried over treason charges.
According to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, those behind the coup will not face the death penalty as it is against the country’s constitution, but constitutional changes are being considered to block future coups.
Prior to the coup, Öztürk was a celebrated military figure, honored by medals from his own country and NATO.
The coup attempt started on Friday evening when tanks took up positions on two bridges over the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, blocking traffic.
On Saturday, Turkey announced that the failed attempt to seize control of the country by a faction of the armed forces is now over, with 2,839 soldiers, including high-ranking officers being arrested.
Yildirim also said that 161 people had been killed and 1,440 wounded in clashes in the night he called a “black stain on Turkish democracy.”
From PressTV
Russia airstrikes in Syria cut off terrorists’ supply routes: Defense minister
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says his country’s aerial campaign against foreign-sponsored Takfiri militant groups operating inside Syria has changed the course of the developments on the ground in favor of the Damascus government.
“The Russian Air Force operations have changed the course of the events in favor of Syria’s legitimate government. As a result of Russian strikes, terrorists’ supply routes have been disrupted and in some places fully discontinued,” Shoigu said in Moscow on Friday.
“To date, many Takfiri groups have been busted near Hama and Homs. Militants have been pushed out of Latakia plus areas south and north of Damascus. The main road linking the capital with the country’s north has been secured as well,” the Russian defense minister pointed out.
Shoigu further noted that Russian military experts are training Syrian army units and helping them to restore fighting ability in battles against Takfiri terrorist groups.
He stated that Syrian army troops, backed by Russian fighter jets and artillery units, have already managed to retake nearly 600 populated areas from foreign-sponsored extremists.
“With active aerial and artillery support from Russian forces, Syrian soldiers have liberated 586 populated areas, including 150 towns and over 12,000 square kilometers of territory. This has helped 264,000 refugees return to their homes,” Shoigu highlighted.
Russia has been bombing Daesh and al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front terror groups in Syria since September 30, 2015 at the official request of President Bashar al-Assad.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
The UN has stopped its official casualty count in Syria, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources.
A ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia went into effect in Syria on February 27, but it does not apply to the Daesh and al-Nusra Front terrorist groups in the Arab country.
While most European countries have been voicing opposition to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, some of them are gradually making a shift in their policies as they realize the importance of Damascus’ efforts in fighting terrorism.
From PressTV
Kerry, Putin discuss coordinating efforts against Daesh, Nusra in Syria
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian President Vladimir Putin have discussed military and intelligence cooperation against Daesh and al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front terrorist groups in Syria.
The US State Department said in a statement that without “concrete and near-term steps” diplomatic efforts to end the Syria conflict could not go on “indefinitely”.
The two sides met “to advance efforts to restore the nationwide cessation of hostilities in Syria and to establish conditions that can enable political transition talks to resume between the opposition” and the Damascus government, the statement added.
At the start of his meeting with the US secretary of state, Putin said, “Our last conversation with President [Barack] Obama convinces me that we are not just developing cooperation, but doing so with the aim of achieving tangible results.”
Putin added, “I send the president my best wishes, and hope that you can report that we have moved forward on our issues, as a result of these talks.”
Earlier on Thursday, The Washington Postpublished a leaked draft of the Syrian plan that Kerry was to offer to Putin.
According to the text, the two countries will set up a Joint Implementation Group, whose “purpose is to enable expanded coordination between the United States and the Russian Federation beyond the established safety of flight procedures.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Moscow and Washington should coordinate efforts to fight terrorism in Syria.
Click here for the full story
From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Donald Trump praises Republican Party platform as most pro-Israel ever
Donald Trump waving after a news conference at the Trump Tower in New York City, May 31, 2016. (Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Donald Trump praised the Republican Party platform as “the most pro-Israel of all time!†— a signal to pro-Israel Republicans that he embraces their outlook.
Trump’s tweet Wednesday appeared to be aimed at assuaging doubts among pro-Israel Republicans that the party’s presumptive presidential nominee will hew to its pro-Israel trajectory of recent decades.
He followed the pro-Israel tweet withanother asking, “Is President Obama trying to destroy Israel with all his bad moves? Think about it and let me know!â€
Click here for the full story
From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Six things to know about Jill Stein, the last Jewish presidential candidate standing
Jill Stein announcing that she will seek the Green Party’s presidential nomination, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C, June 23, 2015. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
NEW YORK (JTA) — Voters who have their hearts set on supporting a left-wing secular Jew running an insurgent campaign still have a candidate.
Jill Stein, the 2012 Green Party candidate, is making another run. And this year, with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both earning historically low popularity ratings, she hopes she can attract at least some of Bernie Sanders’ 13 million Democratic primary voters. With a far-left platform, Stein advocates government-guaranteed full employment, a national mobilization on the order of World War II to fight climate change and an initiative to cut military spending by at least 50 percent.
Stein isn’t gaining much traction now. According to RealClearPolitics’ average, she’s polling at 3.1 percent nationally, about half of where Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson is at, and far behind Clinton and Trump. But she’s hoping to capitalize on Sanders’ endorsement of Clinton, drawing voters unwilling to support her campaign.
“If you don’t want to vote for a war monger or racist billionaire, there are more options,†she tweeted Tuesday. “The political revolution will keep going.â€
Click here for the full story
From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Conference of Presidents wants White House to apologize for comparing Israeli envoy to Boris Johnson
(JTA) — The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations is seeking an apology from the White House for having compared Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Ron Dermer, with the new British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
At a press briefing Thursday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest referenced Dermer while discussing British Prime Minister Theresa May’s selection of Johnson as foreign secretary. Asked for his response to the blunt-talking Johnson’s past criticisms of Obama, Earnest responded that he “got questions of this variety when [Israeli] Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu had announced that Ambassador Dermer would be the Israeli envoy to the United States.”
The American-born Dermer, who assumed the ambassador post in 2013, was a Republican strategist before he became one of Netanyahu’s closest advisers. He helped draft the “Contract with America,” the 1994 Republican campaign to gain control of Congress. Last year, he helped arrange Netanyahu’s controversial speech to a joint session of Congress criticizing the impending agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.
The Conference of Presidents called the comparison “inappropriate” Friday, and called on Earnest to apologize.
Click here for the full story
From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Ivanka Trump’s rabbi withdraws from Republican convention
Rabbi Haskel Lookstein is pulling out of speaking at the Republican convention. (Screenshot from YouTube)
CLEVELAND (JTA) — Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, the prominent Modern Orthodox rabbi who oversaw Ivanka Trump’s conversion to Judaism, has withdrawn from speaking at the Republican National Convention next week.
In a letter to members of his community Friday, Lookstein wrote that he had accepted Ivanka Trump’s invitation to deliver an invocation at the convention “out of respect for her and our relationship.” But he said he would withdraw because the matter had become political. Trump’s father, Donald Trump, is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
“Unfortunately, when my name appeared on a list of speakers at the convention, without the context of the invocation I had been invited to present, the whole matter turned from rabbinic to political, something which was never intended,” he wrote. “Like my father before me, I have never been involved in politics. Politics divides people.”
Lookstein is the former head of school at the Ramaz School, an elite Jewish prep school, and the former rabbi of Kehilath Jeshurun, a tony Modern Orthodox synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that his own father Joseph once led. He appeared Thursday on the list of slated speakers for the convention, which will take place Sunday through Thursday in Cleveland.
Click here for the full story
From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Cornel West, Sanders’ delegate to Dem platform committee, endorses Green Party nominee
Philosopher Cornel West, right, embracing Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in Des Moines, Iowa, Nov. 14, 2015. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Cornel West, whose appointment by Bernie Sanders to the Democratic Party platform drafting committee raised pro-Israel hackles, said he is endorsing the Green Party candidate for the presidency.
“I am supporting Jill Stein,†the philosopher wrote Thursday in The Guardian. “I have a deep love for my brother Bernie Sanders, but I disagree with him on Hillary Clinton. I don’t think she would be an ‘outstanding president’. Her militarism makes the world a less safe place.â€
Sanders, the Independent senator from Vermont and the first Jewish candidate to win major party nominating contests, this week endorsed Clinton, the former secretary of state and the presumptive nominee.
Click here for the full story
From The Times of Israel
Failed coup could spark anti-Semitism, Turkish ex-MP warns
As with 2013 Gezi Park protests, attempted putsch unlikely to derail rapprochement between Ankara and Jerusalem, but could slow it down significantly
July 17, 2016, 12:54 am
The attempt by some elements of the Turkish military to wrestle power from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the weekend will not endanger Ankara’s commitment to reconciliation with Israel, but could stir anti-Israel and even anti-Semitic sentiment, a former Turkish lawmaker warned Saturday, pointing to a “dramatic rise in vigilantism and Islamist hate speech.”
Populist politicians in Turkey tend to blame either Israel or a Jewish conspiracy for most evils befalling their country, said Aykan Erdemir, who served as a member of parliament for the opposition CHP party from 2011 until 2015. “Thanks to the ongoing Turkish-Israeli normalization, Israel and Jews were spared from such hate speech and scapegoating this time.â€
Turkish Labor Minister Süleyman Soylu has blamed the US for instigating the failed coup, “which indicates that the US has replaced Israel as the main scapegoat of populist politicians for now,†Erdemir said.
However, he added, “since the failed coup attempt, there is a dramatic rise in vigilantism and Islamist hate speech on Turkish streets. It is only a matter of time [before] the crowds scapegoat minorities.â€
People hold a banner depicting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as they gather outside the Turkish Parliament durign an extraordinary session in Ankara on July 16, 2016, following a failed coup attempt. (AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN)
From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Donald Trump praises Republican Party platform as most pro-Israel ever
Donald Trump waving after a news conference at the Trump Tower in New York City, May 31, 2016. (Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Donald Trump praised the Republican Party platform as “the most pro-Israel of all time!†— a signal to pro-Israel Republicans that he embraces their outlook.
Trump’s tweet Wednesday appeared to be aimed at assuaging doubts among pro-Israel Republicans that the party’s presumptive presidential nominee will hew to its pro-Israel trajectory of recent decades.
He followed the pro-Israel tweet withanother asking, “Is President Obama trying to destroy Israel with all his bad moves? Think about it and let me know!â€
Click here for the full story
From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Six things to know about Jill Stein, the last Jewish presidential candidate standing
Jill Stein announcing that she will seek the Green Party’s presidential nomination, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C, June 23, 2015. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
NEW YORK (JTA) — Voters who have their hearts set on supporting a left-wing secular Jew running an insurgent campaign still have a candidate.
Jill Stein, the 2012 Green Party candidate, is making another run. And this year, with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both earning historically low popularity ratings, she hopes she can attract at least some of Bernie Sanders’ 13 million Democratic primary voters. With a far-left platform, Stein advocates government-guaranteed full employment, a national mobilization on the order of World War II to fight climate change and an initiative to cut military spending by at least 50 percent.
Stein isn’t gaining much traction now. According to RealClearPolitics’ average, she’s polling at 3.1 percent nationally, about half of where Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson is at, and far behind Clinton and Trump. But she’s hoping to capitalize on Sanders’ endorsement of Clinton, drawing voters unwilling to support her campaign.
“If you don’t want to vote for a war monger or racist billionaire, there are more options,†she tweeted Tuesday. “The political revolution will keep going.â€
Click here for the full story
From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Conference of Presidents wants White House to apologize for comparing Israeli envoy to Boris Johnson
(JTA) — The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations is seeking an apology from the White House for having compared Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Ron Dermer, with the new British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
At a press briefing Thursday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest referenced Dermer while discussing British Prime Minister Theresa May’s selection of Johnson as foreign secretary. Asked for his response to the blunt-talking Johnson’s past criticisms of Obama, Earnest responded that he “got questions of this variety when [Israeli] Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu had announced that Ambassador Dermer would be the Israeli envoy to the United States.”
The American-born Dermer, who assumed the ambassador post in 2013, was a Republican strategist before he became one of Netanyahu’s closest advisers. He helped draft the “Contract with America,” the 1994 Republican campaign to gain control of Congress. Last year, he helped arrange Netanyahu’s controversial speech to a joint session of Congress criticizing the impending agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.
The Conference of Presidents called the comparison “inappropriate” Friday, and called on Earnest to apologize.
Click here for the full story
From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Ivanka Trump’s rabbi withdraws from Republican convention
Rabbi Haskel Lookstein is pulling out of speaking at the Republican convention. (Screenshot from YouTube)
CLEVELAND (JTA) — Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, the prominent Modern Orthodox rabbi who oversaw Ivanka Trump’s conversion to Judaism, has withdrawn from speaking at the Republican National Convention next week.
In a letter to members of his community Friday, Lookstein wrote that he had accepted Ivanka Trump’s invitation to deliver an invocation at the convention “out of respect for her and our relationship.” But he said he would withdraw because the matter had become political. Trump’s father, Donald Trump, is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
“Unfortunately, when my name appeared on a list of speakers at the convention, without the context of the invocation I had been invited to present, the whole matter turned from rabbinic to political, something which was never intended,” he wrote. “Like my father before me, I have never been involved in politics. Politics divides people.”
Lookstein is the former head of school at the Ramaz School, an elite Jewish prep school, and the former rabbi of Kehilath Jeshurun, a tony Modern Orthodox synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that his own father Joseph once led. He appeared Thursday on the list of slated speakers for the convention, which will take place Sunday through Thursday in Cleveland.
Click here for the full story
From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Cornel West, Sanders’ delegate to Dem platform committee, endorses Green Party nominee
Philosopher Cornel West, right, embracing Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in Des Moines, Iowa, Nov. 14, 2015. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Cornel West, whose appointment by Bernie Sanders to the Democratic Party platform drafting committee raised pro-Israel hackles, said he is endorsing the Green Party candidate for the presidency.
“I am supporting Jill Stein,†the philosopher wrote Thursday in The Guardian. “I have a deep love for my brother Bernie Sanders, but I disagree with him on Hillary Clinton. I don’t think she would be an ‘outstanding president’. Her militarism makes the world a less safe place.â€
Sanders, the Independent senator from Vermont and the first Jewish candidate to win major party nominating contests, this week endorsed Clinton, the former secretary of state and the presumptive nominee.
Click here for the full story
From The Times of Israel
Failed coup could spark anti-Semitism, Turkish ex-MP warns
As with 2013 Gezi Park protests, attempted putsch unlikely to derail rapprochement between Ankara and Jerusalem, but could slow it down significantly
July 17, 2016, 12:54 am
The attempt by some elements of the Turkish military to wrestle power from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the weekend will not endanger Ankara’s commitment to reconciliation with Israel, but could stir anti-Israel and even anti-Semitic sentiment, a former Turkish lawmaker warned Saturday, pointing to a “dramatic rise in vigilantism and Islamist hate speech.”
Populist politicians in Turkey tend to blame either Israel or a Jewish conspiracy for most evils befalling their country, said Aykan Erdemir, who served as a member of parliament for the opposition CHP party from 2011 until 2015. “Thanks to the ongoing Turkish-Israeli normalization, Israel and Jews were spared from such hate speech and scapegoating this time.â€
Turkish Labor Minister Süleyman Soylu has blamed the US for instigating the failed coup, “which indicates that the US has replaced Israel as the main scapegoat of populist politicians for now,†Erdemir said.
However, he added, “since the failed coup attempt, there is a dramatic rise in vigilantism and Islamist hate speech on Turkish streets. It is only a matter of time [before] the crowds scapegoat minorities.â€
People hold a banner depicting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as they gather outside the Turkish Parliament durign an extraordinary session in Ankara on July 16, 2016, following a failed coup attempt. (AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN)
From PressTV
Syria not interested in returning to Arab League
Syria says it is not interested in returning to the Arab League as long as the group is dominated by some regimes that conspire against Damascus and the Arab world.
A source within the Syrian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Syria “is not even thinking” about returning to the Arab League as long as the pan-Arab group is dominated by “countries known for having conspired against Syria,” and those responsible for division in the Arab world.
The source said Damascus has not made any request to rejoin the Arab League. Syria holds the group responsible for the chaos in Libya, the source said, over its role in the military intervention in the Arab country.
The Arab League should also be held accountable for aggravating the crisis in Syria and hindering efforts to resolve it, the source added.
The statement comes in response to recent remarks made by the secretary general of the Arab League where he set preconditions for Syria’s return.
Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Thursday that Syria’s membership in the Arab League can only resume after an agreement between the government and opposition.
Click here for the full story
From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Flemish Jews: Better coverage of Israel would have prepared Europe for truck attack in Nice
(JTA) — A group representing Flemish Jews said that the vehicular attack in France was shocking to Westerners because their media has willfully ignored a spate of car ramming attacks in Israel.
The Flemish Region’s Forum of Jewish Organizations issued its unusualstatement Friday about the July 14 assault in the southern French city. As many as 80 people were killed when a driver plowed his truck through a crowded promenade during the national Bastille Day holiday, in an apparent terrorist attack.
Many European Jewish groups are critical of their media’s coverage of Israel but mainstream organizations like the Forum rarely reference this in commenting about terrorist attacks in Europe.
“It is inaccurate to say, as we have heard said many times after the Nice attack, that car ramming is a new phenomenon,” the Forum wrote. “By ignoring this method of terrorism in Israel – some believe because of political correctness – one is, regrettably, confronted in a horrific manner with reality.â€
Click here for the full story
From PressTV
Pro-rape Israeli rabbi gets top military post nomination
The Israeli army has nominated a new chief rabbi accused of implying that soldiers can rape women during war to boost morale.
Among Rabbi Colonel Eyal Karim’s other colorful suggestions are the execution of those wounded in clashes with Israeli soldiers, and that women are sentimental and should not be part of the military force.
Responding to a 2002 question pertaining to the rape of enemy women, Karim (seen below) said, “War removes some of the prohibitions on sexual relations, and even though fraternizing with a gentile woman is a very serious matter, it was permitted during wartime.”
After about 10 years of outrage over his remarks, in 2012, Karim announced that rape is prohibited in every instance.
Opposition lawmakers and women’s rights groups have called for the rescinding of his Tuesday’s nomination.
“Even if he was dealing with a theoretical debate about rape during battle or [if he] opposes female service or song in the military, no, he cannot be the military rabbi,” Opposition lawmaker Tzipi Livni was quoted by The Independent as saying on Wednesday.
Click here for the full story
