Ya’alon Says Israel ‘Ready to Defend Ourselves, By Ourselves’
(JNS.org) Hours before a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers was expected to be finalized, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that “at the bottom line, we are headed toward a bad deal, after which we will continue to be ready to defend ourselves, by ourselves.”
“Even if there are last-minute improvements, it will still be a bad deal that will allow Iran to become a nuclear threshold state, with everything that entails,” Ya’alon said, Israel Hayom reported.
“The agreement in effect launders everything that Iran has done. Neighboring countries are now talking about their own need to arm themselves, which could spark a nuclear arms race in the region,” he continued. “Countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey are talking about it. Not to mention the fact that the agreement doesn’t require [Iran] to decommission even a single nuclear facility or destroy even a single centrifuge.”
IDF Soldier Max Steinberg Honored With Torah Scroll Dedication
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) A year after his death in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, IDF lone soldier Max Steinberg was honored with a Torah scroll dedication ceremony on Sunday at the Aish World Center in Jerusalem.The ceremony was attended by Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel David Lau, Steinberg’s friends from the IDF’s elite Golani Brigade, and his parents, Stuart and Evie, who arrived after meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.
Steinberg’s friends wrote the final letters into the Torah scroll dedicated in his name. “It is very emotional for me to see the soldiers here,” Evie Steinberg said. “Losing a child is so difficult, but we draw so much strength from the people when we come to Israel and it helps a lot.” Steinberg, a 24-year-old Los Angeles native, was one of 13 Israeli soldiers killed in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City on July 20, 2014.
Boy Attacked in Paris Suburb for Wearing a Kippah
(ynetnews.com) Six men, reportedly of African descent, attacked a 13-year-old boy while he was sitting outside of school in Paris’s 19th district. His crime: wearing a kippah. The motive behind the crime was anti-semitism—the perpetrators of the attack called out, “hit the dirty Jew.” One of the attackers stole the victim’s cell phone before fleeing the scene and the boy was taken to a hospital while suffering from head wounds. According to reports in Jewish Paris, the local police have arrested one suspect in connection with the attack.
According to the JTA, 2014 saw 105 violent attacks and 423 anti-Semitic incidents. So far in 2015, the French Jewish community has suffered 241 violent attacks against Jews, within the overall 851 anti-Semitic incidents, more than double last year’s figures. Other European countries reported similar increases including the Netherlands, UK, and Belgium.
The incident occurred on the heels of a terror attack on the Hyper Cacher market that left 4 Jews dead.
Hundreds Attend Anti-Israel Rally in Berlin
(ynetnews.com) Hundreds marched in Berlin on Saturday in a protest against “the Israeli occupation of Jerusalem” to mark Al-Quds Day, a holiday created by Iran on which Muslims are to protest against Israel. A counter-protest featured hundreds of pro-Israel demonstrators waving Israeli flags and pro-LGBT activists. Demonstrators against Israel held signs reading “freedom for Palestine” and waved Palestinian and Lebanese flags. Others held signs condemning ISIS, and some held pictures of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The pro-Israel protest was organized by groups that act in support of Israel in Germany. LGBT groups joined this year to highlight Israel’s treatment of that community in comparison to that in the Arab world and Iran.
