Geneva - U.N. war crimes investigators called on Israel on Monday to stop its snipers using lethal force against protesters on the border with Gaza, as the anniversary approached of the start of demonstrations there last year in which 189 Palestinians were killed. The Commission of Inquiry said Israel should investigate the shooting of more than 6,000 people, far beyond the criminal inquiries it has announced into 11 killings. “The most important thing for the government of Israel is to review the rules of engagement immediately and to ensure that the rules of engagement are according to accepted international law standards,” the commission’s chairman Santiago Canton told the Human Rights Council. Israel says the U.N. council is biased, and it boycotted the day-long de...
New York - Most voters in New York think it was bad for the state when Amazon dropped plans to put a second headquarters in Queens and many think U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez bears blame for the deal falling through, according to a new poll released Monday. The Siena College poll of registered voters in New York state found that 67 percent of those surveyed said the internet retailer’s decision last month was detrimental to New York. Sixty-one percent support the state and city again offering Amazon up to $3 billion in incentives to create 25,000 jobs if the internet giant reconsiders. “While some may have celebrated Amazon’s announcement to pull the plug, the vast majority of New Yorkers of every stripe thought it was bad for the Empire State,” said Siena p...
Moscow - Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed bills restricting online media and making a criminal of anyone who insults the state — laws that critics see as part of Kremlin efforts to stifle criticism and tighten media control. A bill passed by the Russian parliament earlier this month introduces fines for publishing materials showing disrespect to the state, its symbols or government organs. Repeat offenders could face a 15-day jail sentence. Another bill envisages blocking anyone who publishes “fake news” online that is perceived to threaten public health and security. It gives those who publish such information a day to correct or remove it. If they fail to do so, prosecutors will move to block them. Putin has signed both bills, according to information post...
Over a 12-hour period Sunday, President Donald Trump fired off roughly three dozen tweets or retweets. The tweets included missives that demanded the return of suspended Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, lashing out at three other Fox News anchors deemed insufficiently loyal, criticizing Sen. John McCain, railing against the “deep state” and Democrat Ilhan Omar, thanking GOP senators who didn’t defect from his declared national emergency to build his border wall, and asking if the “Federal Election Commission and/or FCC” should investigate NBC’s “not funny” Saturday Night Live re-run for being too mean to him, among many other posts.
Beto O’Rourke reported raising more than $6.1 million during the first 24 hours of his presidential campaign, a record-setting haul that narrowly tops the amount announced by Sen. Bernie Sanders and dwarfs everyone else in the 2020 field. O’Rourke was a fundraising juggernaut during his U.S. Senate race in Texas last year, but there were significant questions about whether that would translate to a national campaign where he was running against fellow Democrats, not Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. The answer appears to be yes. O’Rourke’s campaign said he raised $6,136,763 from donations that came from all 50 states, D.C., and every U.S. territory. “In just 24 hours, Americans across this country came together to prove that it is possible to run a true grassroots...
Turkey’s national carrier Turkish Airlines announced Thursday that it is launching a new route connecting Tel Aviv with Izmir. The route between Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport and Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport will begin operating on May 29, on a four-flights-per-week basis. Located on the country’s Aegean coast, Izmir is Turkey’s third most populous city, after Istanbul and Ankara, with a population of over three million.
“Tomorrow, we will begin building 840 housing units in Ariel in a new neighborhood as was approved two years ago.” srael will begin building 840 housing units in the West Bank town of Ariel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday following Sunday's terror attack.Speaking Monday at a visit to the town near which two people were killed in a terrorist attack the day before, the prime minister said, “These terrorists will not uproot us from here, the total opposite will happen. “Tomorrow, we will begin building 840 housing units in Ariel in a new neighborhood as was approved two years ago.” Netanyahu offered his condolences to the families of Rabbi Ahiad Ettinger and Gal Keidan.Keidan, 19, a soldier guarding Ariel junction was killed at the sc...
Five MS-13 members stabbed a 16-year-old fellow gangbanger 100 times because he wanted out of his crew — and then drove his corpse to Virginia, where they torched it, the victim’s mother said. Maryland cops identified the victim, Jacson Pineda-Chicas, after releasing a photo of a tattoo on his left arm, Fox News reported. When her son’s sadistic gang pals accused him of talking to cops, and threatened to kill his family, he offered himself up, the mom told the outlet. Police in Prince George’s County said Pineda-Chicas was killed in a home 60 miles away in Landover Hills, Md., that belonged to Jose Ordonez-Zometa, 29, the head of a Virginia branch of the MS-13, Fox News reported. Read more at NY POST.
A UN envoy condemned Gaza’s ruling Hamas group on Sunday for what he called its campaign of arrests and violence in confronting street protests over the past few days against high prices. Hundreds of people have taken to the streets across the enclave in “We want to live” demonstrations. Human rights officials said dozens of people have been detained or hurt. Cellular phone videos posted on social media showed Hamas security forces beating protesters with clubs, and gunshots could be heard. Tires have been burned and rocks thrown at the Hamas men. Nickolay Mladenov, the UN special coordinator for Middle East peace, said in a statement that “the long-suffering people Gaza” have a right to protest at “the dire economic situation” without fear of r...
In preparation for the Israeli general elections taking place in less than four weeks, Facebook emailed some ground rules to representatives of the political parties in the running ahead of the launch of the company’s transparency tool, set for Friday. To post or edit political ads, politicians and party members will need to confirm their identity by uploading a government-issued ID or two official documents, such as one signed by a notary public, instead. The company noted the data submitted “for the purposes of identity confirmation is encrypted” and will only be used for this purpose. Political ads published on the platform in the weeks leading up to the election will appear with a ticker on the top left corner that reads “paid for by.” Facebook’s ...
Why is Megillas Esther named after Esther and not named after Mordechai? It would seem like it should have been called Megillas Mordechai since Mordechai Hatzaddik was involved in its writing as the posuk in Esther, Perek Tes, posuk chof tes says that both Esther and Mordechai wrote the history of the Megillah. There are a couple of explanations for why it is actually called Megillas Esther. The Sefer Maharya in Parshas Vo’eschanan explains that since Esther was moser nefesh to save the Jews by approaching the king despite not being called she merited having the Megillah called after her. This is what we see in the G...
One person has died and several people injured following a suspected terror attack on a tram in the central Dutch city of Utrecht. The shooting began at 10.45am local time (9.45am GMT) when a gunman opened fire on a tram at 24 Oktoberplein, a square in the west of the city.  Police and three air ambulances swooped on the area, which was cordoned off following the shooting on Monday. Local media reports that the gunman fled the scene. Heavily-armed police were later reported to have opened fire on a house near to the square. Authorities have urged people to stay away from the scene and schools to keep their doors closed.  Utrecht Police said the force was considering the possibility of a "terrorist motive". The Dutch government raised the terrorism threat level to the h...
OCEAN COUNTY, New Jersey (WABC) -- A new health alert names six new places in New Jersey where people may have been exposed to measles. The New Jersey Department of Health is warning residents about a 3rd confirmed case of measles, making this a new outbreak in the community. This highly contagious disease has been confirmed in an adult male from Ocean County, New Jersey. Anyone who visited the following six locations may have been exposed to measles:Congregation Bais Tefilla, 33 East 8th St, Lakewood, NJ 08701 --March 9, 2019 from 8:30 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. --March 10 from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. --March 11 from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. --March 13 from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. --March 14 from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Beth Medrash Govoha, Bais Yitzchok Hall, Lakewood, NJ 08701 --March 10 from 9:...
There are multiple injuries after a shooting in the Dutch city of Utrecht, police have said.  The shooting began at 10.45am local time when a gunman opened fire in a tram on 24 Oktoberplain, a square outside the city centre. According to news website AD, the gunman then fled the scene. A number of trauma helicopters were sent to the area, police said, but it is unclear how many people have been taken to hospital.
“We believe he prevented a greater terror attack from occurring," Ettinger’s son-in-law Zeev Goldstein said. Ariel terror victim Rabbi Ahiad Ettinger, 47, died Monday morning after doctors at Beilinson hospital fought to save his life for almost 24 hours.He is the second fatality from the attack. Gal Keidan, 19, a soldier who was guarding the junction was killed at the scene will be buried in his home city of Beersheba on Monday at 11 a.m. Ettinger, 47,  was the father of 12 children and was the head of the Oz and Emunah Yeshiva in south Tel Aviv.The terrorist had shot stolen a gun from Keidan and shot at three vehicles at the junction including one that belonged to Ettinger, sending a bullet through its windshield. Ettinger’s son-in-law Zeev Goldstein had as...
חזיל ask, “Where is אסתר hinted to in the תורה? The answer is to be found in פרשת וילך in the posuk, הסתר אסתיר פני, on that day השם will hide his face. The מהרל explains that the repetition in the posuk, הסתר אסתיר indicates that on that day there will be hiddenness within hiddenness. In the days of פורים the first layer of Hashem’s hiddenness was that the Jewish people were now in a post חורבן בית המקדש world, an environment steeped in spiritual darkness which was compounded further by an even more profound layer of hiddenness, the genocidal decree of המן; ostensibly the annihilation of the Jewish People. But aside the depth of Hashem’s hiddenness, the מהרל explains that the הסתר in the...
An amazing global movement has been taking shape of recently! This international effort to stop the talking in Shul has been a huge undertaking. Keeping quiet in shul is a zechus for parnassah, shidduchim, refuos and yeshuos. However despite the knowledge that talking during davening is wrong, the epidemic continues. So you may ask, what is the best way to combat this phenomenon? The shushing and apparent frustration of onlookers hardly seems to be enough. There is an amazing lesson to be learned from the Tosfos Yom Tov, who speaks about this and is what became the basis for this new song. Shauly Waldner sings a new song composed and produced by Yitzy Waldner. Music composed and arranged by A Berko productions. The song reminds us of the amazing brochos that await us, if we focus on Dave...
Egyptian intelligence officials seethed with anger on Thursday night after missiles were fired from Gaza at Tel Aviv, Israel Hayom reported. One official, who was one of the Egyptian delegates present in Gaza during those dramatic moments, told Israel Hayom's Daniel Sirioti about the delegation's conversation with Hamas Thursday night. "At the beginning of the meeting, the atmosphere was very relaxed," the Egyptian official told Sirioti. "We had just returned from Israel with answers, we estimated that Hamas would accept them and allow us to begin a stable, long-term peace. A few minutes later, one of the Egyptian delegation's aides entered the room looking worried, and gave the delegation leaders his cellular phone." "The smiles immediately turned into fro...
Researchers working with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) uncovered archaeological finds dating from the Byzantine period at the Dudaim Educational and Recycling Park in southern Israel. The finds included remains of terraces, a water pit, and field guard's post, all from the Byzantine period. They were inspected by the IAA and some of the findings were taken for further research. The remains were found at the edge of the Dudaim Park, and the area where they were found has been declared a closed archaeological site to allow the researchers to work uninterrupted. Dudaim Park CEO Nir Bar-David said, "There is great significance in researching the history of this amazing land. Sometimes you need to stop a moment and allow professionals such as the IAA's amazing staff to do ...
A Palestinian Arab teenager was arrested Sunday afternoon, after she attempted to stab Israeli soldiers with a knife in Hevron, south of Jerusalem. The incident occurred at a checkpoint near the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hevron, when a female terrorist 17 years of age attempted to enter the holy site while carrying the knife concealed on her person. Israeli Border Police officers operating the checkpoint discovered that the terrorist was armed, and ordered her to comply with their instructions. At that point, the terrorist drew the knife and charged the officers. The officers managed to overpower the terrorist, however, and disarmed her. The terrorist was taken into custody and handed over to the Shin Bet internal security agency for interrogation. No injuries were reported in the i...
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