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December 16, 2017 at 6:34 pm
Hungary’s nationalist Jobbik party will not return to its far-right origins, including frequent anti-Semitic and racist remarks by its politicians, party chairman Gabor Vona said Friday.
Jobbik is the strongest opposition group but far behind Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party in the polls ahead of April’s election.
Vona told The Associated Press in an interview that he has pushed Jobbik in a more centrist direction to become a “people’s party” and attract more voters.
“I decided in 2013 that this is how I will lead the party or I won’t lead it at all,” Vona said. “The kind of anti-Semitic expressions which took place in Jobbik earlier are impossible to imagine. Or if they did, they would naturally draw the most s...
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December 16, 2017 at 6:33 pm
Closing in on the first major legislative achievement of his term, President Donald Trump on Saturday defended the Republican tax cut as a good deal for the middle class while boldly suggesting it could lead to explosive economic growth.
The legislation, which the GOP aims to muscle through Congress next week, would lower taxes on the richest Americans. Benefits for most other taxpayers would be smaller, but Trump attempted to sell the bill as a “Christmas present” for middle-class Americans in part because it would trigger job growth.
“It’ll be fantastic for the middle-income people and for jobs, most of all,” Trump told reporters on the White House lawn before traveling to Camp David for the weekend. “And I will say that because of what we&rsqu...
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December 16, 2017 at 6:29 pm
After weeks of quarrels, qualms and then eleventh-hour horse-trading, Republicans revealed the details of their huge national tax rewrite late Friday — along with announcements of support that all but guarantee approval to give President Donald Trump the Christmas legislative triumph he’s been aching for.
The legislation would slash tax rates for big business and lower levies on the richest Americans in a massive $1.5 trillion bill that the GOP plans to muscle through Congress next week before its year-end break. Benefits for most other taxpayers would be smaller.
“This is happening. Tax reform under Republican control of Washington is happening,” House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin told rank-and-file members in a conference call. “Most critics out th...
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December 16, 2017 at 6:23 pm
Dozens of rabbis sign petition asking PM Netanyahu to protect sanctity of Shabbat.
Dozens of rabbis signed a petition requesting Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu "protect the honor of Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath)."
The petition, organized by the Derech Emuna (The Path of Faith) organization, comes after the Knesset's Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved a government proposal to allow Labor and Social Services Minister Haim Katz (Likud) to define and limit the conditions under which government employees or employees of state-owned entities may be employed on Shabbat.
Derech Emuna Chairman Rabbi Baruch Efrati on Saturday night said, "Shabbat is a basic tenet of our identity. It is what makes us the Jewish nation and what gives our country its Jewish cha...
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December 16, 2017 at 6:21 pm
Aerion and Lockheed Martin join forces to develop world's first supersonic business jet.
Two leaders in supersonic technology, Aerion and Lockheed Martin announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Saturday to define a formal and gated process for exploring the feasibility of jointly developing the world's first supersonic business jet, the Aerion AS2.
Over the next 12 months, the companies expect to work together to develop a framework on all phases of the program, including engineering, certification and production.
Aerion Chairman Robert M. Bass stated, "This relationship is absolutely key to creating a supersonic renaissance. When it comes to supersonic know-how, Lockheed Martin's capabilities are well known, and, in fact, legendary. We share with Lockheed Mart...
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December 16, 2017 at 6:20 pm
Border Police arrest fifteen Jenin rioters, find knives, weapons, in rioters' vehicles.
Border Police operated in and around Jenin after hundreds of Palestinian Authority (PA) Arabs rioted on Friday, a police spokesman reported Saturday.
The PA suspects threw firebombs and rocks at Border Police officers, and blocked roads with burning tires.
Border Police carefully mobilized in the areas succeeded in containing the riots.
The officers arrested fifteen rioters at the scene, confiscating seven vehicles which served the rioters, and three motorbikes suspected of being stolen. Upon searching the vehicles, Border Police found weapons and several knives.
All of the rioters arrested are residents of Jenin and were directly involved in the riots. They have been taken for interrogation...
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December 16, 2017 at 6:19 pm
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon slams Egypt's push for the UN to rescind US Pres. Trump's recognition of Jerusalem.
Israel Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon slammed the resolution submitted to the UN Security Council calling on it to rescind US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
"In these days, when the Jewish nation is celebrating when Jerusalem was liberated thousands of years ago, the Palestinians continue to try and reinvent history," Danon said.
"No vote or discussion will change the clear facts: Jerusalem is and has always been the capital of Israel. This time, too, we will continue to defend our historical truth, together with our allies."
According to Reuters, the Egyptian-drafted text circu...
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December 16, 2017 at 6:19 pm
Police investigate whether Barry and Honey Sherman's deaths were the result of a murder-suicide.
Toronto authorities are investigating whether the deaths of Jewish billionaire and philanthropist Barry (Bernard) Sherman and his wife Honey were a murder-suicide.
The Shermans were found dead in their Toronto home on Friday morning, and police reported two "suspicious" deaths at the couple's upscale Toronto home.
According to the Toronto Star, the bodies were found together by the Shermans' indoor pool, after the real estate agent working to sell the home arrived wondering why he had not been able to reach them.
A post-mortem is being conducted on both bodies. Though the police force's homicide squad is being consulted, they are not leading the investigati...
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December 16, 2017 at 6:18 pm
Sunday's strike affects international and domestic flights schedules, as well as border crossings. Three flights are canceled.
Ben Gurion International Airport and other Israeli airports will strike on Sunday between 8:00a.m. and 12:00p.m.
At 8:00, all departures will cease, and arrivals will not be handled. This will continue until 12:00p.m.
Three flights have been canceled: An Arkia flight to Larnaca, Cyprus; an Aeroflot flight to Moscow; and a Turkish Airlines flight. There will be thirteen departures between 5:00-6:00a.m., 27 departures between 6:00-7:00a.m, and 26 departures between 7:00-8:00a.m.
Twelve flights will arrive between 5:00-8:00a.m.
At 12:00p.m., security and check-in will reopen, and the first flight is expected to take off at 2:30p.m.
Domestic flights from E...
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December 16, 2017 at 6:13 pm
New York City’s Department of Education is investigating an anti-Semitic image found at a school in the Bronx.
A swastika was found drawn in the snow Thursday morning in the courtyard of Bronx Science High School in Bedford Park.
The disturbing image was discovered by a student during third period.
So far there are no suspects.
The following is via ABC 7 NY
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December 16, 2017 at 6:13 pm
The White House is embarking on a major campaign to turn public opinion against the nation’s largely family-based immigration system ahead of an all-out push next year to move toward a more merit-based structure.
The administration was laying the groundwork for such a drive even before an Islamic State-inspired extremist who was born in Bangladesh tried to blow himself up in Midtown Manhattan on Monday. It is assembling data to bolster the argument that the current legal immigration system is not only ill-conceived, but dangerous and damaging to U.S. workers.
“We believe that data drives policy, and this data will help drive votes for comprehensive immigration reform in Congress,” said White House spokesman Hogan Gidley.
White House officials outlined their strategy ...
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December 15, 2017 at 3:54 pm
Administration official says Washington cannot envision situation under which the Kotel would not be a part of Israel.
The U.S. expects the Western Wall in Jerusalem to be part of Israel, but specific boundaries are subject to final status negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), a senior administration official said Friday.
“We cannot envision any situation under which the Western Wall would not be a part of Israel. But as the President said, the specific boundaries of sovereignty of Israel are going to be part of the final status agreement,” the official told Israeli public broadcaster Kann.
The official also noted that U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to the Western Wall as part of his upcoming trip to Israel will be an ...
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December 15, 2017 at 3:13 pm
As police continue working with the Jewish community, residents are taking measures to protect themselves.
A series of carjackings, assaults, home invasions, and other crimes in northwest Baltimore are leading the Jewish community and law enforcement to seek new solutions and increased protections.
On Seven Mile Lane, an elderly woman was recently assaulted and robbed inside her home. Due to the vigilance of a concerned neighbor, who safely got the license plate number of the intruder, a suspect was arrested in the case. Other incidents have included multiple robberies at gunpoint, mid-day home invasions, and carjackings that have forced local drivers to worry over their everyday routines.
“Having to look over my shoulder has become my new reality,” said a victim of a recent...
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December 15, 2017 at 3:11 pm
French-Jewish families are being forced from their homes in Paris suburbs as Europe continues to be convulsed by levels of anti-Semitism not seen since the end of the Second World War.
The Paris commuter newspaper 20 Minutes documents an “internal exodus” during 2017 of Jews from the Seine-Saint-Denis department, saying it is emblematic of broader concerns that French Jews, like their brothers and sisters across Europe, are finding it increasingly difficult to reconcile their faith with the changing demographics of the continent.
The paper reports that Jews are leaving their homes on the northeastern fringe of Paris to escape the open hostility that French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Sunday condemned as “well-rooted.” The newsp...
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December 15, 2017 at 3:00 pm
President Donald Trump said Friday “it’s a shame what’s happened” with the FBI, calling the agency’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation “really disgraceful.”
The comments came as Trump departed the White House for a speech at the FBI training academy in Quantico, Va. and an hour after an aide said newly revealed FBI records show there is “extreme bias” against Trump among senior leadership at the FBI.
Trump, who has described the agency as “in tatters,” is scheduled to speak at a ceremony at the FBI campus for law enforcement leaders graduating from a program aimed at raising law enforcement standards. He told reporters that “we’re going to rebuild the FBI.”
White House Deputy pres...
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December 15, 2017 at 2:41 pm
Baltimore police have arrested what they are calling an active shooter who was involved in a police pursuit in the city.
The suspect was taken into custody after a police pursuit ended at the intersection of Gwynns Falls Parkway and Reisterstown Road.
The driver, who police say is a 30-year-old male, may be connected to a triple shooting that occurred on Thursday.
Police say the suspect shot and critically wounded one man, shot another man, and shot at two others, all while the pursuit was taking place.
The incident originated in the Northwest District near Wabash and Rogers avenue, police said.
No further details were immediately available.
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December 15, 2017 at 2:23 pm
One of the thousands of firefighters battling a series of wildfires across Southern California has died, but authorities gave no hint of how.
San Diego-based Cory Iverson was assigned to the blaze northwest of Los Angeles, which has become the fourth largest in California history. Iverson, 32, was an engineer with a state fire engine strike team. He died Thursday.
Dozens of police and fire vehicles escorted a hearse carrying Iverson’s flag-draped body to the county medical examiner’s office in Ventura.
Iverson had been with the state since 2009, said Fire Chief Ken Pimlott of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean called for a moment of silence in Iverson’s memory Thursday night at an informational meeting fo...
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December 15, 2017 at 2:22 pm
Police believe terrorist who stabbed Border Police officer near Ramallah dressed up as a journalist.
The terrorist who stabbed a Border Police officer during riots near Ramallah died of his wounds on Friday evening, AFP reported.
The terrorist had pulled out a knife and stabbed the Border Police officer in the shoulder. Officers responded to the attack and shot the terrorist, neutralizing him. Approaching the terrorist, the officers realized he had an explosive belt, and shot him a second time to prevent him from detonating it.
The terrorist was later evacuated by the Red Crescent to hospital but died of his wounds hours later, the Palestinian health ministry said.
The officer, who suffered moderate injuries, was transferred for treatment at the Shaare Zedek Hospi...
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December 15, 2017 at 2:19 pm
The News Launching Post Will Improve MDA’s Emergency Response to the Benefit of the Residents of the City and Nearby Routes 431 and 40; MDA Chief Eli Bin: With This New Launching Post we are Developing and Improving our Important Activity of Saving Lives.”
A ceremony inaugurating the new MDA ambulance launching spot took place in Ramle, attended by Mayor, Mr. Michael Vidal, and MDA Yarkon Region Manager, Effi Bar. The new launching post, which opened last week, in Ganei Dan neighborhood, will soon be transferred into the MDA Blood Services Center, currently being constructed in the South of the city. Additional attendees included senior executives in the Ramle municipality, managing staff of the MDA Ayalon Region and MDA employees and volunteers.
Ramle Mayor, Mr. Michae...
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December 15, 2017 at 2:16 pm
Israeli police are questioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again as part of an investigation into two corruption allegations surrounding the long-ruling Israeli leader.
An Associated Press cameraman filmed police entering Netanyahu’s residence Friday. Media reported it was the seventh round of questioning.
One probe reportedly concerns allegations Netanyahu improperly received lavish gifts from Hollywood and business figures.
Another is over secret talks with the publisher of major Israeli newspaper Yisroel Hayom in which Netanyahu allegedly requested positive coverage in exchange for reining in a free pro-Netanyahu daily.
Netanyahu has denied wrongdoing and dismissed the accusations as a witch hunt orchestrated by a hostile media.
The scandals have yet to threaten Netanya...
