Israeli Leaders Celebrate Launch of “Innovation Center” As Model for Advancing Global Progress

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July 25, 2016

Israeli Leaders Celebrate Launch of “Innovation Center” As Model for Advancing Global Progress

Written by Jonathan Benedek/TPS on July 22, 2016

Jaffa (TPS) – Israeli political leaders and several Israel’s high-tech entrepreneurs celebrated the launch of the Innovation Center at the Peres Peace House in Jaffa, Tel Aviv on Thursday morning, viewing it as a tool not only to showcase Israel’s numerous contributions to the world, but also to build connections between different groups of people.

“The Innovation Center that will be established here will showcase our national pride and will advance peace between people,” said formee President Shimon Peres, founder of both the Peres Peace House and the Innovation Center.

“Our innovative spirit has been recognized all over the world and, of course, my heart swells with pride when I see how many nations turn to the tiny State of Israel to learn from our bold innovations and to learn how to turn the impossible into the possible,” added Peres.

Peres expressed hope that his new project will build upon the peace efforts of the Peres Peace House.

“Innovation enables dialogue between nations and between people,” Peres said. “It will enable all young people – Jews, Muslims, and Christians – to engage in science and technology equally.”

The Innovation Center will not only provide entrepreneurs with the opportunity to become further acquainted with Israeli innovations, but also to meet like-minded individuals from other backgrounds. The center’s courses, hackathons, and other educational tools will be presented and given in a number of languages to allow different groups to benefit from all it has to offer and to enable them to seize upon future opportunities.

“This center will of course showcase achievements of the past, but will primarily focus will be on the path to the future,” explained Peres. “It will highlight inventions already created as well as those yet to be developed in fields such as science, technology, medicine, agriculture, and industry.”

President Reuven Rivlin also focused on the center’s connection between both past and future achievements.

“The Innovation Center inaugurated this morning shall create a link between the past and the future,” said Rivlin. “With one eye, it looks back to the accomplishments we have achieved and with its other eye, it looks ahead to the future, planning its next step.”

“It promotes science and technology with one hand and its vision for a model society with the other,” continued Rivlin.

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said that his city was already following in the path of the Innovation Center’s model for society.

“This is the society that we are trying to have in the city of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, a city named for Herzl’s vision of a progressive, pluralistic, technological society with a Jewish majority living in peace and harmony with its Arab neighbors,” Huldai said. “Therefore, I welcome the establishment of this center, here, in Jaffa, the start-up city of Israel, on the shores of the sea that connects us with the world.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also attended the launch ceremony, committed to spreading the Innovation Center’s vision to the rest of the country.

“We will continue to build upon our immense advantages, which is first and foremost our heritage, one that always sought knowledge,” Netanyahu said. “We will ensure that our state will be vibrant, progressive, developed, inquisitive and that it will operate n fields that no one has ever before considered all while we help many people around the world. We will remain on the cutting edge.”

The Innovation Center will depict the story of Israel transforming from the startup nation to the “innovation nation” through a variety of unique tools that will include exhibits, touch tables, and interactive games. There will also be a unique digital library, the only one in the world that will allow spectators to ask questions and receive answers about Israeli innovations.

Israeli Gymnasts Win Gold in Baku Just Before Olympic Games in Rio

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July 25, 2016

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Israeli Gymnasts Win Gold in Baku Just Before Olympic Games in Rio

Written by Michael Zeff/TPS on July 24, 2016

The Israeli team brought home several medals from the International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG) World Cup Final in Rhythmic Gymnastics in Baku, Azerbaijan on Sunday just two weeks before flying to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The competition ended today with an impressive gold medal for the Israeli team at the ribbons event. The judges awarded the girls 18.500 points, putting them ahead of the Russian team by just 0.15 points.

Israel also took the gold for this event at the European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships earlier this month.

In addition, the team won a silver medal on July 17 in the group all-around category, which is one of the important categories in the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio.

Veteran gymnast Neta Rivkin won the bronze medal during the individual ball event earlier on Sunday.

Rivkin was selected to hold the Israeli flag at the opening ceremony of the Olympics. The 2016 games will be her third as she competed at both the London and Beijing Olympic Games.

“My ambition is to win an Olympic medal. All my efforts are currently focused on the Rio de Janeiro Olympics; I am putting in doing my absolute utmost to do the very best at the Olympics,” said Rivkin.

Breaking: Terrorist Attack in Munich

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July 22, 2016

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My Message to President Abbas: 5 Steps for Peace

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July 15, 2016

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My Message to President Abbas: 5 Steps for Peace

President Abbas,
Since over the past several years, you refused to meet me and sit down and negotiate peace, I hope you’ll hear this message.

First, your advisor, Sultan Abu al Einein recently called to slit the throat of every Israeli.

Three days later, a Palestinian terrorist turned these words into action when he slit the throat of a 13-year-old beautiful girl, Hallel Yaffa Ariel, as she slept.

She was a little, innocent girl.
She didn’t deserve this.

I ask that you fire this advisor because advocating genocide is not consistent with peace.

Second, your party recently praised a terrorist on Facebook who murdered 24 civilians, innocent Israelis in cold blood.

I ask that you to pick up the phone and instruct your party’s social media manager to stop praising mass murderers.
Impressionable children read these posts.

They should be taught harmony, not hate.
Such words seriously harm the chances of peace.

Third, next week the Palestinian Authority will dedicate a monument to Abu Sukar. Abu Sukar murdered 15 people by detonating a refrigerator filled with explosives on a busy Jerusalem street.

Rather than dedicate a statue to a mass-murderer, I ask that you consider honoring a champion of co-existence.

This will help educate future generations to love peace over war, compassion over violence.
It will also help convince Israelis that they have a true partner for peace.

Fourth, the PLO currently pays a monthly salary to anyone who murders Jews.

This money provides direct incentive to commit terror.
I ask that you stop paying murderers and instead use this money to fund co-existence education, teach tolerance not terror.

Fifth, every Israeli and Palestinian child deserves a life of hope, of tranquility and opportunity.

I will continue to work tirelessly for peace.
It’s time that you join this effort.

COUP IN TURKEY MILITARY CLAIMS CONTROL

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July 15, 2016

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Turkish Military Says It Has Taken Over Country

Sky News

The Turkish military claims to have “fully seized control” of the country amid reports of gunfire and explosions.

An announcer on Turkey’s state broadcaster TRT has read out a live statement, reportedly on the orders of the military, announcing that the army has taken control.

The statement said the country is now being run by a “peace council”, declaring that martial law and a nationwide curfew are in place.

In an extraordinary interview with a Turkish broadcaster, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on people to take to the streets in support of the government.

Speaking from an unknown location on a mobile phone held up by the presenter, he said the uprising “attempt” was being run by a minority within the armed forces, warning that it would be given the “necessary response.”

CCN-Turk, meanwhile, is reporting that a loud explosion has been heard at a state-run television building in the capital Ankara.

Gunfire has been heard at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, amid reports that all flights have been cancelled in and out of the airport.

According to one news agency, a top general is among several people being “held hostage” at the military headquarters in Ankara.

Military vehicles are said to be blocking two main bridges in Istanbul, while low-flying military jets are patrolling the Turkish capital, Ankara.

The TRT broadcaster has now gone off air.

“It looks like a relatively well orchestrated coup by a substantial body of the military, not just a few colonels,” an EU source told news agency Reuters.

“They control several strategic points in Istanbul. Given the scale of the operation, it is difficult to imagine they will stop short of prevailing,” the source said.

According to Turkish media, the military statement said it had taken action to: “reinstall the constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms, to ensure that the rule of law once again reigns in the country, for the law and order to be reinstated.”

The military statement went on to say that “all international agreements and commitments will remain. We pledge that good relations with all world countries will continue.”

The Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim earlier confirmed that military action is taking place, describing it as an illegal “attempt” by a faction of the army to seize power.

Mr Yildirim called for calm, saying security forces are doing what is necessary to resolve the situation.

He warned that those responsible for this “illegal attempt ” will pay the “highest price.”

Several world leaders, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, have issued statements calling for calm.

Burglar Breaks Into Jewish Student Center At USC

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July 15, 2016

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Burglar Breaks Into Jewish Student Center At USC

Jewish students and alumni asked for the public’s help Friday to identify a man who was caught on video breaking into the Rohr Chabad Jewish Student Center of USC and stealing several valuables, including religious items.

The burglar on Tuesday night broke into the center located just steps off the “Row” at 2713 Severance St. and got away with thousands of dollars in computers, video projectors and three pairs of tefillin – phylacteries used by Jewish men for prayer, which contain handwritten scripture from the Torah.

The burglary took over two hours, with the suspect first arriving just after midnight and returning again at 5 a.m. to load the items into his car.

The center, which also serves as a residence to USC students, was empty at the time.

Security video showed the burglar loading the items into a white Dodge Caliber.

Alumni have rallied around the center, prompting many to donate more than $3,000 in the 24 hours after the break-in to help replace some of the stolen items. A GoFundMe page was set up to help raise money.

“It was a tough day, dealing with the feeling of violation, police reports, and beginning to contemplate the headaches that theft of our computer is going to cause. But it was also a special day, because of how many of you reached out with support and love,” Rabbi Dov Wagner wrote on his Facebook page.

Anyone with information about the break-in or the burglar’s identity can contact Los Angeles police Detective Potter at (213) 485-2582.

AMID NICE TERROR ATTACK, JEWS OF FRANCE MOVING TO ISRAEL

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July 15, 2016

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AMID NICE TERROR ATTACK, JEWS OF FRANCE MOVING TO ISRAEL

The Fellowship has received more than 5,000 calls in recent months from French Jews about aliyah, expects numbers to climb after latest attack

NICE, France, July 15 – The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship), the main organization helping Jews of France immigrate to Israel (make aliyah), has received thousands of recent inquiries from French Jews seeking to go to Israel and expects that number to climb following Thursday’s terror attack in Nice.

The Fellowship in June brought 82 Jews from across France to Israel, and, additionally, is preparing to bring more than 150 to Israel this month, including several Nice families. French Jews in this seaside city were attending a Fellowship aliyah meeting Thursday evening one block from where a terrorist rammed a truck filled with munitions into a large crowd celebrating Bastille Day, in one of the country’s worst terrorist attacks. An estimated 84 men, women and children were killed and many more were injured. According to media reports, two French-Jewish women, Clara Bensimon, 80, and her sister Raymonde Mamane, 77, were among five Jews wounded in the Nice attack.

The Fellowship says it has received more than 5,100 calls and hundreds of emails from French Jews inquiring about aliyah in recent months, and now Fellowship officials expect that number to climb amid the attack in Nice, the latest to strike France over the past year.

“We mourn for the victims of this despicable attack and pray for a speedy recovery for those who were hurt,” said Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and president of The Fellowship. “Sadly, this horrific attack underscores the pressing need to help bring as many Jews who wish to leave France to their homeland in Israel, and this is what we will continue to do.”

The French-Jewish aliyah is part of The Fellowship’s global aliyah initiative to bring Jews facing economic and security threats to Israel. In recent months The Fellowship has helped over 2,000 Jews make aliyah, not only from France but also from other countries where Jews face economic and security challenges including Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, Turkey and Ukraine. The Fellowship has also been funding security upgrades at French-Jewish communal institutions, including schools and synagogues, in the wake of terror attacks over the past year.

Several of the Jews leaving France with The Fellowship say they are escaping what has become an intolerable situation for the Jewish community. Some describe being afraid to wear yarmulkes outdoors or to display any other visible signs of being Jews, while others say they are growing increasingly concerned about radical Islamic anti-Semitism.

About The Fellowship:

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) was founded in 1983 to promote better understanding and cooperation between Christians and Jews, and build broad support for Israel. Today it is one of the leading forces in helping Israel and Jews in need worldwide – and is the largest channel of Christian support for Israel. Led by its founder and president, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, The Fellowship now raises more than $140 million per year, mostly from Christians, to assist Israel and the Jewish people. Since its founding, The Fellowship has raised more than $1.3 billion for this work. The organization has offices in Jerusalem, Chicago, Miami, Toronto, Seoul, and Sao Paulo. For more information, visit www.ifcj.org.

Dozens Killed in Nice Terror Attack

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July 14, 2016

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At least 30 people were killed Thursday in a terror attack in Nice, France when a truck crashed into a crowd of holiday revelers.

Express News

French news agency AFP reported that police are investigating a possible terrorist “attack” and there were unconfirmed reports of the sound of gunfire from the scene.

Witnesses said the truck “rammed” the crowd where it was thickest at more than 30mph, and images emerged of the cab riddled with bullets.

Crowds had packed out the city’s main promenade to watch a fireworks display marking Bastille Day, a major public holiday in France.

One witness reported horrific scenes with “dead bodies everywhere” and distressing video footage emerged of people fleeing the Promenade des Anglais, in the southern French city, in terror.

One eyewitnesse raised fears that the incident “had to be planned”.

They said: “I’m in Nice and cannot describe the situation – scary awful. Dead bodies everywhere people killed in front of my eyes. Had to be planned.”

A reporter for the Nice Matin newspaper who was covering the celebrations added: “There are people in blood, probably full of wounded.”

Local paper Nice Matin posted a photograph online of the white truck riddled with bullets, suggesting that police fired at the driver as it careered into the crowds.

A witness told the paper: “We had just crossed the road and there was a huge crowd of people. We were returning and we heard ‘boom, boom, boom’ and we saw a lorry on the promenade which ploughed right through.

“My son was there right next to it. It hit where the crowd was thickest and was travelling very quickly – about 50km per hour (31mph).”

It is not yet known whether or not the driver is dead or alive.

A hashtag was also started up on Twitter – #portesouvertesnice – for shellshocked witnesses and victims of the attack looking for somewhere to spend the night.

Large Gaza Smuggling Attempt Thwarted at Erez Crossing

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July 13, 2016

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Large Gaza Smuggling Attempt Thwarted at Erez Crossing

Written by Michael Zeff/TPS on July 13, 2016

Gaza Border (TPS) – Israeli security officials foiled yet another smuggling attempt into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday at the Erez Crossing. The large number of goods discovered was destined to be used for military purposes.

“The discovery was unusual, even to those familiar with the most creative smuggling attempts and methodologies,” said an official with the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

The items seized in the massive confiscation included security cameras, 14 small UAVs and UAV components, military-grade optical gear such as binoculars, laser pointers for weapons, rifle scopes, communications equipment, electronic components, weapons components, and scuba diving equipment. The Defense Ministry official related that this was just a partial list of all that was confiscated in the attempt to smuggle the equipment by hiding it in innocuous looking packages and mailing it to Gaza through the Israeli Postal Service.

Ministry of Defense Crossing Authority officials together with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) have foiled hundreds of attempts to smuggle goods to Gaza through the Israeli Postal Service by way of the Erez Crossing over the past few months.

“Terror organizations in the Gaza Strip are seeking more innovative methods to transfer weapons,” explained a Defense Ministry spokesperson. “Today’s discovery is a demonstration of the heavy pressure being applied to smugglers and terrorist operatives by the Shin Bet, COGAT, the Tax Authority, the Israel Police, and the Defense Ministry Crossings Authority.”

An investigation by the Israel Police and the Shin Bet is now underway to identify and locate all those involved in the smuggling operation.

Israeli MKs Angered by U.S. Senate Report on V15 Funding

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July 13, 2016

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Israeli MKs Angered by U.S. Senate Report on V15 Funding

Written by Tzvi Lev/TPS on July 13, 2016

Jerusalem (TPS) — Right-wing Israeli lawmakers reacted angrily on Wednesday morning to the findings of a United States Senate report released on Monday, according to which the American State Department provided funding to V15, an Israeli NGO, during last year’s election campaign in an effort to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to the report, V15 received $349,276 from the American State Department during the election campaign. The money was funnelled to V15 through its parent organization OneVoice, which works to advance the two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

“This is scandalous — a blunt attempt to overthrow the Israeli government using U.S. government funding,” MK Yoav Kisch of the Likud party told Tazpit Press Service (TPS). “It was a blunt and bizarre intervention in Israel’s internal affairs. This report underscores the urgent need to pass my V15 bill.”

MK Kisch was referring to a bill he introduced in March that would prevent political NGOs from receiving foreign funds during an election campaign.

Israeli campaign finance regulations forbid political parties from having connections with NGOs that support a specific party or candidate. While V15, which described itself as non-partisan, did not endorse Zionist Union candidate Isaac Herzog — thus following the letter of the law — it worked to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the 2015 elections, adopting the slogan “Anyone but Bibi.”

Describing the revelation as a “diplomatic earthquake,” MK Bezalel Smotrich (Jewish Home) slammed the U.S. government for meddling in Israel’s internal affairs. “It is outlandish and unbelievable,” he told TPS. “The transparency law could not have come at a better time.”

MK Smotrich was speaking of a law passed in the Knesset on Monday that requires NGOs that receive more than half of their budget from a foreign government to reveal that fact in all their published material.

The party that benefited the most from V15’s work during the 2015 election campaign was Zionist Union, which was considered the main alternative to the Likud. Zionist Union MKs quickly denied any connection to V15, as did MK Eitan Cabel, who headed its election committee in 2015. “Personally, I say outright and in the clearest possible way: I am unaware of any affiliation between V15 and Zionist Union,” Cabel told TPS.

Political strategist Reuven Adler, who worked for Zionist Union during the elections, agreed. “They did not assist us in any way,” he told TPS. ”We never spoke to them, and our polls never showed any sign that they helped us at all.”

Tal Harris, who was the director of OneVoice during the 2015 elections, refused to comment.

A State Department spokesperson denied the allegations. “I’m not going to go into details, but to our understanding the report showed there is no proof that the OneVoice organization used money to influence the Israeli election,” he said.