01/16 Links Pt2: Kontorovich: ICC’s undermines its own independence with Palestine inquiry

From Ian:

---

Eugene Kontorovich: ICC’s undermines its own independence with Palestine inquiry

The ICC’s Prosecutor announced today the opening of a “preliminary examination” into “the Situation in Palestine.” This means she will consider, on jurisdictional, evidentiary and policy grounds whether to open an investigation into crimes that may have been committed during this summer’s Gaza conflict. Opening such an investigation is a fairly standard step after receiving a declaration of acceptance of jurisdiction under Article 12(3) of the Rome Statute, and would not normally warrant much notice (other preliminary investigations also involve alleged crimes by the U.S. in Afghanistan and the U.K. in Iraq, though precious few Americans or British are aware of this).
But this decision of the prosecutor is quite different, and extremely significant. The decision to open the inquiry involved the prosecutor determining that the Palestinian Authority is in fact a “state,” a necessary precondition to jurisdiction under the Rome Statute, the Court’s constitutive treaty.
The ICC has never accepted jurisdiction over what is clearly at most a “marginal” state – one that is not a U.N. member, that has not ever claimed to govern any territory, and whose recognition by other states is limited (for example, the U.S., Canada and most Western European states do not recognize the existence of a Palestinian state). This is clearly dramatically different from anything the Court has done before.
But the prosecutor did not actually determine the Palestine qualifies as a “state” under the well-established legal definitions of the term. Rather, she said that the U.N. General Assembly’s vote in 2012 to call Palestine a “non-member state” is dispositive of the question. In short, she substituted the determination of the General Assembly for her own. The GA is not a judicial body, but a political one. Its determinations are political, not legal. (It also has no power under the U.N. Charter, to create or recognize states.)

ICC prosecutor opens probe into alleged Israeli war crimes

The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor on Friday opened an initial probe to see if war crimes have been committed against Palestinians, including during last year’s Gaza conflict.
“Today the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Fatou Bensouda opened a preliminary examination into the situation in Palestine,” her office said in a statement, adding it may lead to a full-blown investigation.
Her decision comes after the Palestinians formally joined the ICC earlier this month allowing it to lodge war crimes and crimes against humanity complaints against Israel as of April 2014.
At the same time, the Palestinians also recognized the ICC’s jurisdiction retroactively, to cover the period during last summer’s war in Gaza that killed nearly 2,200 Palestinians and 72 Israelis.
“A preliminary examination is not an investigation but a process of examining the information available in order to reach a fully informed determination on whether there is a reasonable basis to proceed with a (full) investigation,” Bensouda said.

FM calls to dismantle ICC after launch of ‘war crimes’ probe

Liberman charged it was a “scandalous decision whose only goal is to try and harm Israel’s right to defend itself against terror.”
He said the decision was “solely motivated by political anti-Israel considerations,” and that Israel would not tolerate it, adding that he would recommend against cooperating with the probe.
“Israel will act in the international sphere to bring about the dismantling of this court which represents hypocrisy and gives impetus to terror,” Liberman continued in a statement released to the press.
Netanyahu also blasted the decision, accusing the ICC of being “part of the problem.”
“It’s scandalous that mere days after terrorists massacred Jews in France, the ICC prosecutor opens a probe against the Jewish state. And this is because we defend our citizens from Hamas, a terror group that signed a unity pact with the Palestinian Authority and war criminals who fired thousands of rockets at Israeli citizens,” charged the prime minister.
“Unfortunately, this makes the court part of the problem and not part of the solution,” he continued.

Plaintiffs in US terror trial: We can connect Ramallah to suicide attacks

The first US terrorist trial against the Palestinian Authority kicked into high gear its second day Wednesday, with the plaintiffs calling an expert on the IDF court system and “weaving the web that connects Ramallah to the shooting massacres and suicide bombings.”
Renowned lawyer Nick Kaufman, who has appeared before the International Criminal Court as an IDF lawyer and military court judge, went meticulously through the evidence against the PA and many of its employees relating to six terrorist attacks from 2002- 2004.
The case in New York federal court could carry as much as a billion dollar price tag if the plaintiffs win and could have a range of diplomatic and financial implications for the PA.
The case revolves around a January 22, 2002 assault-rifle attack; suicide bomb attacks on January 27, March 21 and June 19, 2002, and January 29, 2004; and an extra large-scale bombing attack on July 31, 2002 – all in Jerusalem.
The families allege, in the words of US District Judge George B. Daniels, that the PLO carried out terrorist acts to “terrorize, intimidate, and coerce the civilian population of Israel into acquiescing to defendants’ political goals and demands, and to influence the policy of the United States and Israeli governments in favor of accepting defendants’ political goals and demands.”

IDF intel officer testifies in NY on PA’s ‘revolving door policy’ for terrorists

A centerpiece of the plaintiffs’ case is that the PA supported Hamas terrorist attacks not only ideologically but also by providing weapons, money and logistical support.
Shurat Hadin – Israel Law Center director Nitsana Darshan- Leitner said, “Eviatar is testifying that the statements and terrorist attacks which were perpetrated by the employees of the Palestinian Authority were carried out to further the defendants’ official policy of using violence when the peace process stalled.”
Plaintiffs’ trial lawyer Kent Yalowitz said Eviatar’s testimony would show that the “official policies enacted by the PA into law” had “directly supported and encouraged the terror apparatus.”
The defendants continued an aggressive strategy of objecting regularly to the plaintiffs’ questions and evidence, likely to throw off the plaintiffs’ rhythm and to keep out various evidence on substantive grounds.

Sisi or ISIS?

The Obama-Sisi contrast
He directed measured, but nonetheless severe, censure at much of the Islamic clergy, their interpretation of religious texts and their prescription for how Muslims should practice their faith in the modern day: “I am referring here to the religious clerics. We have to think hard about what we are facing – and I have, in fact, addressed this topic a couple of times before. It’s inconceivable that the thinking that we hold most sacred should cause the entire umma [Islamic world] to be a source of anxiety, danger, killing and destruction for the rest of the world. Impossible!”
Ironically, Sisi spoke at the same venue that Barack Obama chose to deliver his 2009 “Outreach Speech” to the Muslim world. But the contrast between the two could hardly be more striking. As one US analyst deftly noted: “Obama began the 2009 speech by praising the same seminary that Sisi reprimanded,” emphasizing “That [Obama’s approach] is different from Sisi, who is trying to suppress the Brotherhood movement and push Al-Azhar’s Islamic leaders toward modernity.”
Sisi used the occasion to condemn the ongoing practices in the Islamic world, after having coercively removed the regressive and ruinous regime of the Muslim Brotherhood from power. By contrast, Obama heaped effusive praise on Islam, and insisted on places of honor for senior Brotherhood representatives – to the chagrin of his host, president Hosni Mubarak. Indeed, many consider Obama’s words and gestures in Cairo as providing a considerable – arguably, crucial – fillip in the process that swept the Brotherhood to power barely two years later.

Douglas Murray: Do Theresa May and Mr Henry Bellingham think we were born yesterday?

On Wednesday the Home Secretary made a statement in the House of Commons about the terrorist attacks last week in Paris. Here is part of the Hansard transcript of the resulting debate:
"Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk) (Con): Is the Home Secretary aware that when the Prophet Mohammed moved from Mecca to Medina all those years ago to establish the first Islamic state, he did not set up a sectarian caliphate, such as that demanded by the Paris murderers, but rather, under the charter of Medina, he created a multi-faith society, where Jews and Christians had the right to worship and were able to proclaim their faiths?
Mrs May: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for elucidating that fact for the House. It is very clear — everybody is very clear — that the attacks were not about Islam. The voices of Muslim communities and Muslim leaders in the United Kingdom, France and across the world have made it very clear that the attacks were not undertaken in their name. We should reiterate that very clear message."
I’m not certain which aspect is most hilarious/depressing. But I think I might go for that ‘all those years ago’. What a fantastic way for Mr Henry Bellingham to puff out a factoid he’d learned the day before yesterday. The day, in fact, when he and the Home Secretary obviously think the rest of us were born.

Israeli Envoy: UN Encouraging PA to Avoid Negotiations

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, warned the world body on Thursday that it was encouraging the Palestinian Authority (PA) to run away from peace negotiations.
Speaking to the UN Security Council, Ambassador Prosor said the PA sees the UN as its “personal vending machine” and stressed that it is the PA which continuously refuses to engage in peace talks with Israel.
“In 1967, eight Arab heads of state attended a summit in Khartoum to formulate the policies of the Arab states in conflict with Israel. They emerged with their famous three ‘no’s’ - no negotiations, no recognition of Israel, and no peace. Even when it seemed impossible, Israel continued to strive for peace,” said Prosor.

Khaled Abu Toameh: Arab League backs Palestinian plan to resubmit UN bid

The Arab League on Thursday authorized its members to seek international support for resubmitting to the UN Security Council the Palestinian resolution calling for establishing a timeline for an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines.
The decision was taken at the end of an emergency meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo.
The ministers also called for pursuing efforts to seek international support for the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.
They voiced support for Palestinian efforts to join international conventions and treaties, including the International Criminal Court.
The Arab League reiterated its “absolute” opposition to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. This “racist” demand would have “grave consequences for the Palestinians and the region,” it said.

UN Demands Israel Unfreeze PA Taxes

The United Nations (UN) on Thursday demanded that Israel unlock millions of dollars in taxes it collected for the Palestinian Authority (PA) and froze as a penalty, in response to the PA applying to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) in breach of the Oslo Accords to sue Israel.
A senior UN official claimed to the UN Security Council that the freeze of about $127 million imposed on January 3 was in violation of the Oslo Accords. He failed to mentioned that the ICC application was itself a breach, as were the numerous unilateral PA requests to join international treaties that accompanied it.
"We call on Israel to immediately resume the transfer of tax revenues," said UN Assistant Secretary-General Jens Anders Toyberg-Frandzen.
The UN's criticism joins the bandwagon after the US and European Union (EU) already slammed Israel's move, with both parties remaining notably silent regarding the PA application to ICC that triggered the Israeli response.

Israel says Swedish Foreign Minister Not Welcome

Israel said Thursday that Sweden's foreign minister was not welcome for an official visit in the country, with relations strained over Stockholm's recognition of “Palestine.”
The minister, Margot Wallstroem, last week postponed a trip to Israel indefinitely, with Israeli media reports suggesting that Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman did not want to meet her.
Sweden's decision in October to recognize "Palestine" – the first major EU nation to do so – infuriated Israel, which temporarily recalled its ambassador to Stockholm.
"Do not wait to travel to Israel until the Swedish foreign minister comes here, because that could take a long time," Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon told public broadcaster Swedish Radio.
"The Swedish foreign minister would not have been given any official meetings in Israel if she had travelled here. What Sweden did was an utterly unfriendly action," Nahshon added.

Report: Abbas 'Willing' to Give Israel a Break on ICC

A Lebanese newspaper reported that Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas told Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi that the Palestinian Authority would not file a case against Israel in the International Criminal Court if negotiations between Israel and the PA resumed “in the coming weeks.” According to the report in the Al-Ahabar newspaper, Abbas made the comments to Sisi during their meeting in Cairo Wednesday.
The PA several weeks ago formally requested membership in the ICC. Approval of the PA's membership is expected within two months. Last week, the PA recognized the ICC's jurisdiction to investigate what it said were Israeli war crimes allegedly committed during last summer's Gaza war. The ICC can prosecute individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed since July 1, 2002.
Israeli and US officials have decried the PA's attempts to be included in the ICC. Israel has delayed the transfer of $127 million to the PA in retaliation for the initial step, and the US said it was "reviewing" its $440 million aid package to the PA over the move, although technically membership to the ICC does not incur punishment - only a war crimes suit against Israel does, under American law. The PA has stated intent to file those charges against Israel in the Hague, and sources say that Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and his aides are already preparing material to do so.

On the BBC News ICC Q&A

On January 14th an article was published in the ‘Features & Analysis’ section of the BBC News website’s Middle East page under the title “Will ICC membership help or hinder the Palestinians’ cause?“. The writer of the piece is not identified but from its layout we can determine that it is intended to provide a guide to the topic in Q&A format.
The article includes several points worthy of note.
1. Under the sub-heading “Why do the Palestinians want to join the ICC?” readers are informed that:
“Palestinian leaders say they are pursuing a new strategy to put pressure on Israel after decades of armed struggle and on-and-off peace talks failed to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They describe it as “internationalising” the issue.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas signed the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding treaty, and other international agreements after the UN Security Council rejected a Palestinian-drafted resolution demanding “a full and phased withdrawal of the Israeli occupying forces” within three years. President Abbas hopes bold actions will improve his standing with a deeply frustrated Palestinian public.”
As has been the case in all BBC reporting on the issue of the ICC membership bid (and the UN Security Council bid which went before it), no effort is made to inform audiences that such moves breach existing agreements signed by the Palestinians and witnessed and guaranteed by members of the international community.

Saudi Arabia Gives the PA $60 Million

Saudi Arabia has provided $60 million in direct support for the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) budget, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Egypt Ahmad Abdulaziz Qattan said Tuesday, according to the WAFA news agency.
Qattan reportedly said that the Saudi Fund for Development had transferred $60 million to the PA Finance Ministry’s bank account.
The Saudi diplomat noted in a press release that amount covers Saudi Arabia’s financial contribution to the PA’s budget for October, November and December 2014.
The total PA budget for 2014 was estimated at $4.21 billion with a $1.25 billion deficit; when the $350 million deficit in development budget is added, the total budgetary deficit reaches $1.6 billion, noted WAFA.

Iraq Donates $28 Million to the PA

Iraq on Wednesday donated $28 million to the Arab League as part of its contribution to support the Palestinian Authority (PA), an Iraqi official said, according to the Ma’an news agency.
Iraq's representative to the Arab League, Diya al-Dabbas, said that the payment highlights Iraq's commitment to the “Palestinian cause.”
He condemned Israel's decision to freeze PA tax funds, a decision which came after the PA applied to join the International Criminal Court, and called on Arab countries to use their economic and financial weight to support the Palestinians.
Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi applauded Iraq's contribution to support the PA's budget.

Hamas accuses Israel of violating terms of Schalit deal (not satire)

Israel has violated the terms of the Gilad Schalit prisoner exchange deal, Hamas deputy leader Mussa Abu Marzouk said this week in an interview with pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat.
According to Abu Marzouk, Israel "rearrested and imprisoned many prisoners who were released, which is in violation of the deal."
He continued and said that Hamas is not willing to negotiate any new prisoner exchange deals until the Jewish state fulfills the terms of the deal made for the release of Gilad Schalit in 2011. Hamas has the bodies of St.- Sgt. Oron Shaul, whom the IDF declared dead on July 25 after he was killed during Operation Protective Edge, as well as the body of Sec.-Lt. Hadar Goldin, whose body was taken by Hamas after he was killed in Gaza on August 1.
He also criticized Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, saying that he expected him to do more to help with the reconstruction of Gaza after damage was incurred to thousands of homes during Operation Protective Edge.

Palestinians Renew Membership In Court Of Public Opinion (satire)

Following a highly showcased move of joining the International Criminal Court, the proto-state of Palestine renewed its membership in the Court of Public Opinion a judiciary body much more accepting of the Palestinian position on multiple important issues. Renewal represents a crucial step in pressuring Israel over its military activity.
Palestine has been a member of the CPO since the late 1960’s, when Israel’s success in defending itself, and consequently obtaining control over territories held by its neighbors, caused a shift in international sensibilities regarding membership. Almost invariably, membership in the CPO has correlated with the perception that a candidate is the underdog; Israel’s sudden transformation from a fledgling state fighting off hostile invaders to a regional military power made it ineligible for continued CPO membership, and the vacated position was granted to the newly-minted Palestinian nation. The Palestinians could not hope to match Israel’s military capabilities, and has thus maintained its eligibility ever since.
In contrast to other bodies that require characteristics such as sovereignty, defined borders, and at least a commitment to upholding the rule of law and basic human rights, the Court of Public Opinion has much more forgiving standards. The Palestinians have therefore retained their membership eligibility despite more than fifty years of terrorism, repression of dissent, and myriad other violations that would give most other institutions pause.

DC-based command center fights Israel’s war of ideas

Josh Block is a frenetic, sharp-tongued, non-stop PR machine with a preternatural ability to spit out facts and figures that bolster the case of the Jewish State. Since 2012 he has been the president and CEO of The Israel Project, a Washington, DC-based pro-Israel organization that has grown to mirror his personality: it is a fast-paced, single-minded war room pumping out pro-Israel memes, fighting Israel’s detractors in cyberspace, conducting polling and research, and helping to arm what Block calls “a pro-Israel social media army.”
To equip this virtual militia, The Israel Project has a rapid response team dedicated to producing infographics, videos, and other shareable products that are suited to modern channels of communications. During Israel’s summer 2014 war in Gaza, its infographics, like the Timeline of Hamas Terror, were ubiquitous across social media platforms.
Block says the rise of social media and online journalism in the past decade has transformed the way influence in Washington is wielded and the pro-Israel community has been too slow to respond.
“A decade ago, the megaphone to the people was the press,” he says. “But nowadays, the people are the press. Users of social media are not just consumers of information – they’re producers.”
Block says the anti-Israel community is taking advantage of this “transparency revolution” more quickly, and in a more sophisticated way, than Israel’s defenders.

Another Fauxtography fail

When it comes to demonising Israel the last thing that matters is truth. Time and time again we see photographs from other conflicts such as Iraq or Syria or even Bosnia or Ukraine purporting to be of Arabs mistreated and worse by Israelis. Time after time photographs are recycled from archives, given a recent date and a new caption to suit a more recent lie. Sometimes the supposed injustice to Palestinians is actually something that happened to Jews.
As it was in the graphic above. The irony is the Israeli Border Guard (a unit attached to the Police and not the IDF) is evicting Jews from Hebron. Wasn’t that exactly what the Israel Haters are demanding?

U. Illinois: Steven Salaita non-hiring final, will not reconsider

The University of Illinois Board of Trustees has just issued a statement that it will not reconsider its decision not to hire controversial anti-Israel activist Steven Salatia.
Salaita had a contingent offer of employment, requiring Board approval for the tenured position. That approval was denied in early September, after Salaita’s tweets raised questions as to his fitness.
An official faculty committee report suggested reconsideration, subject to a fitness evaluation. A second non-official report by five prominent professors rejected reconsideration.
The American Association of University Professors is expected to issue a report demanding Salaita’s hiring and threatening censure. The Trustees decision effectively preempts the AAUP’s expected report.

Roseanne Barr at the Magnes in Berkeley

Roseanne Barr (yes, that Roseanne Barr) will be appearing at the Magnes Museum in Berkeley, Feb 17, speaking about "Israel, the Jews and me"
Roseanne Barr has taken to social media to advocate for Israel, and to call out the hypocrisy of groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace.

Jewish Voice for Peace: Why liars need good memories

Jewish Voice for Peace provides a reminder why liars need good memories.
After boasting on Twitter about being "one of the fastest growing Jewish organizations in America"
Cecilie Surasky lets the cat out of the bag admitting there are only 9,000 actual donors.

Anti-Israel Brandeis Professor Set To Retire

After months of controversy following the exposure of numerous inflammatory statements made about Jews and Israel he made on a faculty listserv, Brandeis Professor Donald Hindley has announced his retirement, saying his department has become “far more conservative” than he is willing to “tolerate.”
“I just could not tolerate anymore. It just wasn’t worth tolerating anymore what the place was becoming under Lawrence,” said Hindley in an interview with Brandeis student newspaper The Justice.
The East Asia Studies professor, who has been teaching for 52 years, but after his offensive statements went public, Hindley’s status with the university came under fire.
This summer, TruthRevolt contributor and student activist Daniel Mael, a student at Brandeis, exposed troubling statements, particularly from the “Concerned” faculty listserv. Though Hindley at first attempted to deny he made some of the statements, Mael provided further proof. Brandeis President Frederick Lawrence eventually denounced the “abhorrent” statements by the “extremely small cohort of Brandeis faculty members.”

Italian aid workers abducted in Syria freed

Two Italian aid workers abducted in northern Syria last summer arrived Friday in Rome, where they were welcomed with “relief” a day after their release.
Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni welcomed Greta Ramelli, 20, and Vanessa Marzullo, 21, after their flight from Turkey landed at Ciampino military airport near Rome in the early hours of the morning.
Wearing faint smiles and with their heads bowed, the women were rushed into the airport hall without a word or even a nod towards the press.
They were to be taken to hospital for a checkup and then to see Rome’s anti-terrorist prosecution office, which has opened an investigation into their abduction.

The Great Wall of Saudi Arabia: Kingdom plans to build 600-mile barrier from Jordan to Kuwait in response to the threat of an invasion by ISIS

The Saudi royal family are building a 600-mile barrier to fortify the northern frontier of their kingdom.
The fence and ditch, punctuated with radar surveillance towers, command centres and guard posts, aims to protect the Saudis' oil-rich territory from invasion by the Islamic State insurgency.
Last week a suicide bombing and gun attack which killed two Saudi border guards and their commanding officer was styled by one analyst as the Islamic State's first attack on the kingdom.

Last Survivor of Sobibor Nazi Death Camp Passes Away

Less than two weeks before International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, the last-known living survivor of Poland’s Nazi Sobibor death camp has died at the age of 92, Israel’s NRG News reported Thursday evening.
Born to a Jewish family in Poland, Alexey Vaitsen, who passed away in the central Russian city of Ryazan, lost all his family in Nazi death camps during World War II, according to the Russian TASS News Agency.
Vaitsen, who was one of a dwindling number of survivors able to recall the Nazi horrors first-hand, testified at the trial of Nazi official and infamous camp guard Ivan Demjanjuk.
Demjanjuk, who an Israeli court originally sentenced to death in 1988, had his verdict overturned five years later by the Supreme Court after they reviewed new evidence.

Police appeal over 'cowardly' anti-Semitic graffiti daubed on Holocaust Memorial Day advertisements

Police are investigating a spate of “cowardly” hate crimes after anti-Semitic graffiti was daubed on adverts for a Holocaust Memorial Day event.
Residents in Newham spotted the graffiti, which included the words “liars” and “killers” spray painted on to the advertising boards, and posted pictures on Twitter.
Officers in Newham are treating the graffiti, which has since been removed from the adverts in High Street, Stratford, and West Ham Lane, near Stratford Park, as racially aggravated criminal damage and are checking the borough’s CCTV footage to try and identify the culprits.
Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham, condemned the behaviour. He said: “This despicable and cowardly hate crime is an assault on the values of decency and mutual respect which the vast majority of us share
“This outrage underlines not only the importance of keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive but of standing up to intolerance and hatred at every opportunity. “

Polish bishops call for Holocaust remembrance in rare move

Poland’s Catholic Church on Friday made an unprecedented appeal to its followers to help preserve the heritage of the once vibrant Polish Jewish community wiped out by Nazi Germany.
“The history of Polish Jews is an integral part of our country’s heritage. Poland was a common home for different people of different faiths,” the Polish Episcopal Conference said in a statement from its Jewish dialogue committee.
“We call on priests to launch initiatives to preserve the memory of Jewish communities in the areas where they lived, and we ask the faithful and local authorities to help them out with this task.
“Don’t shrug and say, ‘it’s not our problem’. This is an obligation of conscience.”

Israelly Cool: Clint Eastwood: “I’m A Big Supporter Of Israel”

Clint Eastwood just made my day:
Meeting the #legendary Clint Eastwood made my day. In his own words, he said "I am a big supporter of #Israel."

Israeli Solar Power Technology to Light Up Ethiopia

Ethiopia is aiming to enhance access to affordable and environmentally-friendly renewable energy for its population, with the country’s Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy announcing last month that it had signed an agreement with an Israeli solar-hybrid power company to further this goal. The leading Israeli developer of solar-biogas hybrid power technology, AORA, will be the first to provide solar-biogas hybrid power solutions for rural communities in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia often suffers from blackouts due to its lack of lack of power and two-thirds of the country’s citizens have no electricity.
“We are pleased to partner with the Ministry and look forward to bringing our technology to Ethiopia to provide the population with affordable access to power,” said Zev Rosenzweig, CEO of AORA, whose offices are based in Rehovot.
“Such access will have significant social and economic impact on off-grid communities, helping to provide power to schools and medical facilities, refrigeration for food processing and post-harvest storage, groundwater pumping and much more,” added Rosenzweig.

Palestinian strawberry growers arrive to Israel for study-tour

With the hills of Tulkarm visible in the horizon, a group of 30 Palestinian farmers peered through rows of red fruit in the Arab-Israeli city of Kalansuwa – their second stop of the day on a strawberry cultivation study tour.
“I teach English in the morning and am a farmer in the afternoon,” Naim Shakri of Tulkarm told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday’s first stop in Tel Yitzhak.
Shakri and the other farmers came to Israel for a two-day continuing education program in the Sharon region, to learn about some of the strawberry-growing methods used in Israel. The group, predominantly from the Tulkarm and Jenin areas, met with farmers developing commercial seedlings and others experimenting on new growth techniques – both employing hanging systems and traditional in-ground planting methods.
“I came to study new things today,” said Abed al-Salam, who is from a village near Tulkarm, where he grows both strawberries and vegetables.
The tour was organized by Israel’s Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria, the principle facilitator for similar such collaborative ventures between Israeli and Palestinian farmers.

Afghan War Hero Who Lost Both Legs Begins IDF Volunteer Stint

A 12-year US Army Special Operations veteran who was severely wounded by an IED blast during his service in Afghanistan is now in Israel to help the IDF as part of a volunteer project, and to show support for the Jewish State, the Israeli 0404 News site reported Thursday.
Brian Mast, who lost both legs and sustained other injuries in an attack in July 2010, arrived on Jan. 10 as a Sar-El program volunteer. The group’s itinerary includes logistics and maintenance work on bases, hikes and field trips around the country, and seminars on Israel and Jewish life.
Mast is volunteering at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv as part of his two-week experience, according to the group.
The 34-year-old Ft. Lauderdale resident, a married father of two, told the news site that “having met IDF soldiers in my military travels throughout my years in service, and having grown up in a Christian home,” along with his experiences among south Florida’s Jewish population, helped form his pro-Israel worldview.

Prisoners of Memory: An Unsung Story of WWII Volunteers From Pre-State Israel

Ben-Zion Solomin, age 101, wears the cap of a British soldier and is assisted by his son and caregiver as he slowly approaches the front of the stage to light a Hanukkah candle and welcome the crowd at the Armored Corps Memorial at Latrun, near Jerusalem.
The ceremony was held to honor the families of the prisoners of war from the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps (AMPC), who were captured by the Nazis during World War II and later freed by the Allied forces. In a cracked voice, with his son helping him, Solomin read his prepared remarks.
“In honor of the endurance, the survival, the Zionist flame, and the devotion to the security services,” he said of the candle he would light.
The marks Solomin proudly bears on his chest tell an impressive story of combat and survival, one that has almost been erased from collective memory: the story of the 3,200 volunteers from pre-state Israel who joined the pioneer corps in mid-1940, leaving their families behind to serve in His Majesty’s Armed Forces. Close to 400 of them were Arabs, and together they made up one-tenth of all the men and women from pre-state Israel who volunteered with the British army during the war.

Undoing the Inquisition

Today, the Jews who can trace their roots back to Spain, Sephardim, number no more than a few percent of the recognized global Jewish world.
The question of what happened to these people is being discussed more often in recent years and is gaining momentum even outside scholarly debates and forums. There are now websites, including large Sephardic ancestry databases such as Name Your Roots (www.nameyourroots.com), which provide all the necessary information for those who are searching for their origins.
Several new studies, however, each undertaken independently, using sophisticated identification technology based on extensive academic research demonstrate that there are approximately 100 million people around the world who are of Jewish heritage and are the descendants of the hundreds and thousands of Spanish and Portuguese Jews who were forcibly converted during the Inquisition’s reign of terror, which eventually reached the New World in the Americas. These people are varyingly called Conversos, Marranos or Bnei Anusim.
Obviously not everyone who has Jewish ancestry is aware of his roots or has an interest in pursuing the meaning of this genealogical particularity.
There are a growing number of people across Europe and Latin and North America, however, who are at different levels of curiosity about their Jewish roots, from simple interest to those who consider themselves Jews and would like a full return to the formal Jewish fold. This last group represents between 10% and 20% of the total number, according to statistically representative surveys.
Many of these people claim that they kept their Jewish traditions and can trace their family heritage directly back to the Jewish community.