HERITAGE FLORIDA JEWISH NEWS, APRIL 19, 2019 PAGE 13A
Israel approves thou-
sands of new West Bank
housing units
By Marcy Oster
JERUSALEM (JTA)--A
Defense Ministry commit-
tee approved plans for the
construction of at least 3,659
new housing units in the
West Bank.
It is the largest group of
West Bank housing units
advanced since President
Donald Trump took office
in January 2017. The Trump
administration is expected to
roll out an Israel-Palestinian
peace plan after the Israeli
elections.
Some 73 percent of the
units, or 2,656, are in settle-
ments that Israel likely will
have to evacuate under a per-
manent peace agreement, ac-
cording to Peace Now. Some
1,226 of the homes received
final approval for construc-
tion.
The Higher Planning
Council of the Civil Admin-
istration approved the 28
plans last week.
The prime minister and
the defense minister must
approve the plans; Benjamin
Netanyahu currently holds
both positions.
"The construction of the
settlements only makes it
harder to end the occupation
and to get to a two states peace
agreement and is bad for the
Israeli interest to remain
a democratic and secured
state," Peace Now said in a
statement.
Madonna will perform at
Eurovision in Israel
By Josefin Dolsten
(JTA)--Madonna will per-
form at the Eurovision con-
test in Israel in May.
The pop icon and Kabbalah
devotee will take the stage in
Tel Aviv on May 28, the Eu-
ropean Broadcasting Union
confirmed, according to
Haaretz. It will be her fourth
time performing in the Jew-
ish state.
Canadian-Israeli business-
man Sylvan Adams is shoul-
dering the $1 million cost to
bring Madonna to Israel along
with a 160-person entourage,
Haaretz reported.
Israel is hosting the 2019
contest based on singer Netta
Barzilai's victory in the 2018
competition in Portugal.
Pro-Palestinian activists
have called for boycotting the
competition. In January, 50
artists, musicians and film-
makers called on the BBC to
ask for the musid competition
to be held in another country,
citing Israel's treatment of
Palestinians.
South Africa down-
grades embassy in Israel
to liaison office
By Marcy Oster
JERUSALEM (JTA)--
South Africa has downgraded
its embassy in Israel to a
liaison office.
The office, located in Tel
Aviv, has "no political man-
date, no trade mandate and
no development coopera-
tion mandate. It will not be
responsible for trade and
commercial activities," South
African Foreign Minister
Lindiwe Sisulu said last week.
"The focus of the Liaison
Office would be on consular
and the facilitation of people-
to-people relations," Sisulu
also said.
In May 2018, South Africa
recalled its ambassador, Sisa
Ngombane, "until further
notice" after Israeli troops
killed more than 50 Palestin-
ian protesters and wounded
hundreds during protests at
the Israel- Gaza border, part of
the so-called "Great March of
Return." The violence reached
a peak on May 14, 2018 with
the dedication of the U.S.
Embassy in Jerusalem,
With the downgrading
of the embassy, and thus
diplomatic relations with
Israel, Ngombane will not be
returning to Israel.
The downgrade comes
nearly a year after the ruling
African National Congress
party called for the down-
grading of the South African
Embassy due to what it said
was the "lack of commitment
from Israel on Palestine."
Republican senators
introduce resolution
favoring protections for
Israeli Americans
By Ron Kampeas
LAS VEGAS (JTA)--Three
Republican senators intro-
duced a resolution that rec-
ognizes Israeli Americans as
a class that deserves protec-
tions against discrimination.
The resolution, introduced
by Sens. Kevin Cramer, R-
N.D Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and
Marco Rubio, R-Fla "affirms
that the Israeli-American
community has contributed
immensely to the society and
culture of the United States;
and condemns all forms of
discrimination that aim to
marginalize or disenfran-
chise members of the Israeli-
American community."
Cramer, a freshman, an-
nounced the resolution Sat-
urday at the annual meeting
in Las Vegas of the Republican
Jewish Coalition.
The resolution is the result
of work by the Israeli-Amer-
ican Civic Action Network,
a relatively young group
that reflects the increased
activism of Israeli Americans
acting and lobbying indepen-
dently from the organized
Jewish-American commu-
nity. It plans to lobby senators
from both parties to pass
the non-binding resolution.
Another advocacy group for
IsraeliAmericans, the Israeli-
American Council, praised
the resolution.
An official of the Civic
Action Network said the
resolution came about in part
because of actions taken by
the boycott Israel movement
that target Israeli individu-
als simply because they are
Israeli.
The RJC helped Cramer
in the last election, running
ads against the Democratic
incumbent, Heidi Heitkamp.
Amajor funder of the RJC and
the Israeli-American Council
is Sheldon Adelson; the RJC
annual event takes place at
Adelson's Venetian casino
resort.
Man arrested in Mon-
tana for threatening to
attack synagogue and
other locations
By Marcy Oster
(JTA)--An Albanian na-
tional with U.S. citizenship
wasarrested after he told a
federal informant that he
wanted to join ISIS and plan a
terror attack on one of several
possible locations, including
a synagogue.
Fabjan Alameti, 21, of New
York, was arrested in Montana
last week.
Beginning in January,
Alameti spoke with a fed-
eral informant about fighting
with ISIS and plotting an
attack in the U.S. against a
military facility, recruitment
center, government building,
"gay club," or Jewish temple,
FBI Special Agent Matthew
Duermeier said in a sworn
statement filed with the U.S.
Magistrate's Court in Helena,
Montana, The Associated
Press reported.
He later said he would not
carry out an attack in the
U.S. because the country had
granted him citizenship, the
statement also said.
Last month he moved to
Montana due to family issues
and because it is easier to buy
a gun in the state, he told the
informant.
After he heard about the
attacks on two mosques in
New Zealand he was inspired
to "attack random people" out
of revenge.
Alameti was arrested in
Montana on Wednesday for
possessing a weapon, an air
rifle, while using drugs, in
this case marijuana.
He was ordered held for
continued judicial proceed-
ings.
Pennsylvania lawmakers
remember Pittsburgh
synagogue shooting at-
tack
By Marcy Oster
(JTA)--Pennsylva ia law-
makers held a joint session of
the state's General A;sembly
to remember the victims of
the Pittsburgh synagogue
attack.
The memorial on Wednes-
day came a day after the
city's mayor signed into law
new gun control legislation
introduced in the aftermath
of the Oct. 27 shooting by a
white supremacist that killed
11 worshippers.
Lawmakers from the state
House of Representatives
and Senate were joined by
members of the three congre-
gations that met in the Tree
of Life synagogue building in
the Squirrel Hill neighbor-
hood, The Associated Press
reported.
April 10 was desgnated
"Stronger Than Day"
in Pennsylvania, the lashtag
used to support the Jewish
community of Pittsburgh
after the attack.
"A dark and despicable act
inspired thousands b reach
out and find ways t( lift up
their grieving and t rrified
neighbors," Gov. Ton Wolf
said in a statement before
the session.
The gun control legislation
has already been challenged in
court, with critics saying that
state law prohibits municipali-
ties from regulating guns.
Under the legislation,
the AR-15 assault-stele rifle
used by the synagogJe gun-
man would be bannet.
Trump: 'Better ch,nce'
for peace with Ne n-
yahu winning
By Ron Kampeas
WASHINGTON (TA)--
President Donald Frump
congratulated Be0amin
Netanyahu on his re-,lection
as Israeli prime miniter and
said it paved the way fir peace
in the Middle East.
"I'd like to congatulate
Bibi Netanyahu,"was he first
thing Trump said We esday
as he approached a giggle of
reporters on the Whit House
lawn. "It looks like tlat race
has beenwon by him, i may be
a little early, but I'm tearing
he won it and won it in good
fashion."
Netanyahu narrowly de-
feated Benny Gantz, the
leader of the new centrist Blue
and White party, in the elec-
tions held Tuesday. Trump
made no secret that he favored
Netanyahu in the election.
Among other boosts, Trump
invited Netanyahu to the
White House for a ceremony
marking U.S. recognition of
Israeli sovereignty over the
Golan Heights.
Another Trump adminis-
tration action seen as favoring
Netanyahu was delaying the
release of its Israeli-Palestin-
ian peace plan, which might
include difficult concessions
for Israel, until after Israel's
election. Trump appeared
ready to push ahead with the
peace plan now.
"Everybody said you can't
have peace in the Middle East
with Israel and the Palestin-
ians," the president said. "I
think we have a chance. I
think we have now a better
chance with Bibi havingwon."
US bars entry to Omar
Barghouti, co-founder
of BDS movement, at
Israeli airport
By Marcy Oster
JERUSALEM (JTA)--The
co-founder of the Boycott,
Divestment and Sanctions
movement against Israel,
Omar Barghouti, was denied
entry to the United States
even before he left Israel.
Barghouti reportedly was
traveling on a valid U.S. visa
to Washington, D.C to speak
at a series of events hosted by
the Arab American Institute
when he was stopped by staff
at Ben Gurion International
Airport, near Tel Aviv. He was
told that U.S. immigration
officials had ordered the U.S.
consul in Tel Aviv to deny
him permission to enter the
United States, National Public
Radio reported.
The only explanation given
was that it was an "immi-
gration matter," according
to a statement from the
institute.
After his speaking engage-
ments in Washington, at
Harvard and New York uni-
versities, and at a Philadelphia
bookstore, he was planning
to attend the wedding of his
daughter, who lives in the
United States.
The institute said that
Barghouti's difficulties trav-
eling in the past were due to
the Israeli government re-
stricting his ability to exit and
enter Israel by not renewing
his travel document, not by
any problems with the U.S.
government.
Barghouti joined the first
event, titled "A Candid Con-
versation about the Boycott,
Divestment, and Sanctions
(BDS) Movement," with jour-
nalist and political scientist
Peter Beinart via a video call
that was live-streamed on
social media.
During the panel, Bargh-
outi called for taking Pales-
tinian nonviolent resistance
to the "global scene" amid the
failure of the international
community to uphold Pales-
tinian rights, the Middle East
Eye reported.
Barghouti rejects the con-
cept of Israel as a Jewish state
as well as a two-state solution,
favoring instead one secular
state for both Jews and Pales-
tinians. The BDS movement
was launched in 2005.
"Omar Barghouti is a
leading Palestinian voice on
human rights. Omar's denial
of entry into the U.S. is the
latest example of the Trump
Administration's disregard for
those rights," Arab American
Institute President James
Zogby said in a statement. "It
is clear this arbitrary politi-
cal decision is motivated by
this administration's effort
to silence Palestinian voices."
Israel OKs medical
school at West Bank
university
By Marcy Oster
JERUSALEM (JTA)--The
third vote was the charm for
a medical school at a West
Bank university.
Israel's Council for Higher
Education approved the
establishment of the school
at Ariel University on Thurs-
day in a 13-5 vote.
In February, the council
voted against opening the
school after initially ap-
proving it in July. Attorney
General Avichai Mandelblit
ordered the second vote after
discovering that one of the
voting members had a conflict
of interest.
The mirror Council for
Higher Education in Judea
and Samaria voted in Febru-
ary to approve the school.
The two councils have since
combined.
The Ariel school is plan-
ning an October launch
with 70 students. Without
government accreditation,
its students would not have
been able to train at hospitals
in Israel.
There are five other medi-
cal schools in Israel, an insuf-
ficient number to train the
number of doctors needed in
the country.
Ariel had fought for many
years to be considered a full-
fledged university, and faced
opposition from Israel's other
public universities, which
feared splitting government
funds more ways, and an
increase in calls for academic
boycotts of all Israeli profes-
sors because of its West Bank
location.
American casino magnate
and philanthropist Sheldon
Adelson donated $20 million
to the university in 2017 to
expand, including building
the medical school that is
to be named for him and his
wife, Miriam, a physician who
was born in Israel. The couple
attended the inauguration
ceremony for the school in
August.
Education Minister Naftali
Bennett, the chairman of the
Council for Higher Education,
brought the recommendation
to the council. He called the
vote a"great victory" in a post
on Facebook.
"This is a triumph of
common sense over narrow
interest, and I am proud of it,"
Bennett said in a statement.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSan-
tis to make Israel his
first official interna-
tional trip
By Marcy Oster
(JTA)--Ron DeSantis will
visit Israel in his first foreign
trip as Florida governor.
DeSantis also announced
Tuesday that he will hold a
state Cabinet meeting at the
U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem,
whose move from Tel Aviv
he supported enthusiasti-
cally during his gubernatorial
campaign, the Sun-Sentinel
reported.
DeSantis, who ran for gov-
ernor touting his pro-Israel
credentials, said the May 25-
31 trip will "strengthen the
ties between Florida and the
state of Israel," the newspa-
per reported. The delegation
will include politicians from
both parties along with busi-
ness, academic and religious
leaders.
He announced the trip this
week during a visit to Temple
Kol Ami Emanu-El in Planta-
tion, in the southern part of
the state.
The governor has visited
Israel and its historic sites.
He brought home water from
the Sea of Galilee to baptize
his children.
DeSantis said he would
work with whoever forms the
new government in Israel.
In late January, DeSantis
and his Cabinet voted to put
Airbnb on Florida's list of
scrutinized companies over
its decision in November to
remove listings of rooms
and homes for rent in West
Bank Jewish settlements.
Airbnb abandoned the plan
earlier this week, prompting
a response from the governor
on Twitter.
"I am encouraged to hear
that @Airbnb will not move
forward with its policy that
would eliminate the listings of
Israeli properties," he tweet-
ed. "Floridawill never support
companies that discriminate
against Israel."
He had ordered state em-
ployees not to stay at Airbnb
homes while traveling on
state business.
Conservative rabbinical
group appoints Rabbi
Jacob Blumenthal as its
new head
By Josefin Dolsten
(JTA)--The Conservative
movement's Rabbinical As-
sembly appointed Rabbi Jacob
Blumenthal as its new chief
executive.
Blumenthal, the spiritual
leader at Shaare Torah in
Gaithersburg, Maryland, will
start in July, the organization
announced Thursday.
He succeeds Rabbi Julie
Schonfeld, the first woman
to serve as chief executive of
a major rabbinical organiza-
tion. She announced in March
2018 that she was stepping
down.
Blumenthal, 52, started
working at Shaare Torah
after being ordained by the
Jewish Theological Semi-
nary in 1999, when the
synagogue was in its startup
phase. The congregation
now counts 300 families
among its members.
In addition to his congre-
gational work, Blumenthal
has served on various com-
mittees in the Rabbinical
Assembly. He helped create
a Camp Ramah day camp in
Washington, D.C and the
Jewish Millennials Engage-
ment Project, an initiative
to reach out to young Jews.
Rabbinical Assembly Presi-
dent Rabbi Debra Newman
Kamin praised Blumenthal
in a statement, calling him
"someone who will make a
real impact on our rabbis and
our global movement."
Rabbis Harold Kravitz and
Cheryl Peretz, who served
as co-chairs of the selection
committee, said they "believe
Jacob has the ability to look
at innovative ways to move
forward our movement and
its rabbis."
