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1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
1,043 visit Mount on Sunday, of whom 168 are Israeli Jews and the rest tourists, police say-Police boost Temple Mount security amid heightened holiday tensions-13 Jewish visitors and one Palestinian removed from compound Sunday for ‘disturbing the peace’; 3,500 officers patrolling capital over festival-By Raoul Wootliff April 24, 2016, 9:05 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Fearing unrest during the ongoing festival of Passover, police have bolstered security in Jerusalem’s Old City and on the Temple Mount in an attempt to prevent disturbances at the flashpoint religious site.Thirteen Jewish visitors were removed from the Temple Mount compound Sunday for “disturbing the peace,” according to police, including three minors. One Palestinian was removed.Israel is concerned that Jewish visits to the Mount during the week-long holiday could trigger renewed Palestinian unrest, which has appeared to subside in recent weeks after six months of intense street violence.In total, 3,500 officers will be patrolling the capital throughout the week, police said, after tensions surged last week following a bus bombing — the first in the capital in over a decade.“The police are working and will continue to work with determination against any attempt to disturb the public peace and security, without favoritism,” a police statement read.During Passover, one of three Jewish pilgrimage holidays, tens of thousands of Jews flock to the Old City of Jerusalem, including many who visit the flashpoint Temple Mount compound, where Jews are forbidden by police to pray.In total 1,043 people visited the site Sunday, of whom 168 were Israeli Jews and the rest foreign tourists, police said.Police did not detail why they had removed the 13 people from the site, known as the Al-Aqsa compound to Muslims, but Jews are often ejected for uttering prayers.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last week Israel would deploy reinforcements around the Temple Mount during Passover to prevent “riots.”“As Passover approaches, all sorts of extremists will spread lies about our policy concerning the Temple Mount,” he said.Police have said they intend to allow Jewish visits to the site to continue as normal during the holiday, though they won’t allow disturbances.“We will not allow disturbances of public order or security, and we will act decisively against anyone who tries to do so,” police spokesperson Luba Samri said in a statement Sunday morning.On Friday police detained 10 Jewish men suspected of planning to sacrifice goats on the Mount in honor of the Passover holiday.In ancient times, Jews used to sacrifice a lamb on Passover Eve and eat it as part of the traditional Seder meal. Nearly all Jews forgo this ritual today.The Temple Mount has been at the center of months-long tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, who fear growing Jewish presence at the site that is also home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.Knesset members and ministers have been banned from entering the Temple Mount compound over Passover “for security reasons.”But a US-brokered plan to place cameras on the Temple Mount in a bid to calm tensions appeared to fall apart last week after Jordan, which is custodian of the site, said that Palestinians had protested the placement of recording devices.Israel has said it still wants the cameras.Last year, more than 50,000 Jewish worshipers attended the Birkat Kohanim (priestly blessing) ceremony at the Western Wall, which will be held on Monday this year.Israel has also closed off all crossing points for Palestiniansfrom the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, fearing a flareup in the ongoing wave of violence.Those fears were exacerbated last week, when a Palestinian suicide bomber set off a bomb on a bus in Jerusalem, wounding 20 people. The bomber, a 19-year-old Hamas terrorist from the Bethlehem area, died of wounds he sustained in the blast.AP, AFP and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Women’s priestly blessing at Jerusalem’s Western Wall curtailed-Passover service goes ahead but police enforce ban on event after attorney general rules it a ‘provocation’-By Mike Smith April 24, 2016, 3:29 pm-the times of israel
AFP — A bid by the Women of the Wall to challenge tradition at Jerusalem’s Western Wall with a blessing usually conducted by men was curtailed Sunday after a decision by the attorney general.Around 50 women gathered on the plaza leading to the wall amid Passover celebrations and held prayers, though without carrying out the full blessing.They prayed under heavy police guard as a crowd of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and boys in dark suits looked on and harangued them.A decision from Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit on Thursday prohibited the first-ever “women’s priestly blessing” at the wall because it did not conform to local custom.The ultra-Orthodox establishment that oversees the Western Wall strongly opposed the bid, viewing it as a desecration under their strict interpretation of Jewish law.It had been unclear whether the women would defy the attorney general’s ruling, but on Sunday they said police asked them to sign a document committing to not conduct the blessing, which they did.They were also kept in a cordoned-off area around 50 meters from the wall itself, with police telling them it was necessary for their safety, they said.“In order to get our buses in, we signed that we will not raise our hands in the air, we will not bless the people of Israel and we will not put our (prayer shawls) over our heads,” Anat Hoffman of Women of the Wall said. “It’s pretty demeaning, and it shows I think how grotesque and absurd the system is.”Israeli police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The traditional benediction sees male decedents the Cohanim priestly caste gather to bless crowds.It involves the raising of hands in a form similar to the “Vulcan salute” which Leonard Nimoy borrowed from Judaism for his “Star Trek” role as Mr. Spock. Those conducting the blessing also cover their heads with prayer shawls.Women participating in the prayer on Sunday wore pins in the shape of the hand gesture. At least one woman could be seen making the sign discreetly during prayers.The rabbi who oversees the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinowitz, called the gathering a “provocation” and argued that the type of blessing they wanted to carry out had never been done “by any [Jewish] community in the world.”He said their actions “hurt feelings and desecrate.”In a statement released this week to publicize the event scheduled for Sunday, the group, which has held monthly prayer services at the Western Wall for the past 27 years, said the service was aimed at preserving the tradition of the priestly blessing by making it more accessible.In a historic move, the cabinet voted two months ago to modify and enhance the Robinson’s Arch plaza for mixed gender prayer at the Western Wall, adjacent to the current Orthodox prayer plaza. It was viewed as a victory for liberal streams of Judaism, which are dominant in the US.But the plan has run into fierce opposition from ultra-Orthodox lawmakers and groups in Israel, many of whom wield influence within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s narrow coalition government.The deal would expand the wall’s non-Orthodox section and construct a shared entrance for both sides. Women of the Wall has agreed to move its monthly services to the non-Orthodox section once the deal is implemented.The decision, which allows for the construction of a massive 10,000 square feet permanent prayer area and the establishment of a new pluralistic entrance for the entire Western Wall plaza, is a benchmark case in that it would mark the first time the State of Israel is giving formal recognition to the rights of millions of Liberal Jews, complete with budget.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Islamic nations call emergency meeting on Golan Heights ‘escalation’-Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to discuss PM Netanyahu’s recent pledge that contested territory will remain Israeli ‘forever’-By Raoul Wootliff April 24, 2016, 12:47 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
The world’s largest body of Islamic nations has called for an emergency meeting over statements made last week by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel would never relinquish control over the Golan Heights.The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation will meet Tuesday at its headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to discuss “Israeli escalation against the occupied Syrian Golan,” joining others in the region to express alarm over Netanyahu’s declaration.During a cabinet visit to the area last Sunday, Netanyahu said that Israel does not oppose current efforts to reach a political agreement to end the Syrian civil war, but that Israel’s boundary line with the country will not change, referring to Jerusalem’s hold on the plateau.“I convened this celebratory meeting in the Golan Heights to send a clear message: The Golan will always remain in Israel’s hands. Israel will never withdraw from the Golan Heights,” he declared.In a statement released Sunday, the 57-member OIC called the comments “provoking acts” and said they considered them “a serious escalation and flagrant violation of the Resolutions of international legitimacy and International Law.”-OIC to Hold an Emergency Meeting at the Level of Permanent Representatives to Discuss Israeli Escalation again… https://t.co/zVh39MsfJP— OIC (@OIC_OCI) April 24, 2016-Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Six Day War from Syria and effectiverly annexed it in 1981.The international community never accepted Israel’s annexation, and Israeli leaders see in the turmoil in Syria a chance to convince the world to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan.The OIC announcement follows a similar meeting of the Arab League on the issue last Thursday during which Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi called for a special criminal court to be set up for Israel.The US, Germany, Syria and others all either condemned or said they opposed Netanyahu’s stance.The OIC held its annual summit earlier this month, focusing on the Palestinian cause, conflicts in member states and combating terrorism.During the summit the OIC passed a resolution on the Palestinian issue and support for international efforts to relaunch a “collective political process
17th-century Jewish slum unearthed in Amsterdam-400-year-old former shipyard found near the old Jewish quarter housed hundreds, is deemed ‘spectacular find’-By JTA April 24, 2016, 3:45 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
AMSTERDAM – Dutch archaeologists unearthed what they said was the remnants of a Jewish 17th-century slum in the center of the Dutch capital.The discovery of the slum on Valkenburger Street, north of the Portuguese Synagogue in the eastern part of the center of Amsterdam, was made earlier this month by a construction crew digging a foundation for a hotel and housing complex that are planned to be built on what used to be a slum.“People who lived here were so poor that they had no infrastructure,” said Jerzy Gawronski, a municipal archaeologist whom the construction crew called upon after unearthing a matrix of narrow pathways, not broader than three feet across.Bordering on the Jewish quarter of Amsterdam, the slum was inhabited by hundreds of people living in squalor and extremely crowded conditions, he told AT5, a local television station.“There were 10 people living in each small housing unit, it was damp, there were no windows and not many people survived here.” The area in question was a shipping yard in 1594, but was used for housing the Jewish community’s poor after the shipyard moved elsewhere.The discovery of the Jewish slum was documented in photos before being covered up again in preparation for construction on the relics. It is the first construction project performed there since the 1930s.Gawronski also said he found a bath, possibly a mikveh, in the Jewish slum. He called the relics “a spectacular find.”Amsterdam used to be a major Jewish hub following the immigration to it of thousands of Portuguese and Spanish Jews who were persecuted in their own country during the Inquisition period.Most of the Netherlands’ 140,000 Jews lived in Amsterdam in 1940, when Nazi Germany invaded the kingdom. Approximately 75 percent of Dutch Jewry was murdered in the Holocaust. Currently, approximately 50,000 Jews live in the Netherlands, mostly in Amsterdam.
South Africa’s Zuma in Iran praises 1979 revolution-African leader inks 8 trade deals with Islamic Republic ranging from energy development to business insurance-By AFP April 24, 2016, 5:30 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
TEHRAN, Iran — South Africa’s embattled President Jacob Zuma praised Iran’s 1979 revolution Sunday at the start of a three-day state visit which he said could “dramatically expand trade” with the Islamic republic.The overthrow of a US-backed Shah was a source of encouragement as black South Africans fought against apartheid, Zuma said at a press conference with President Hassan Rouhani.With international sanctions against Iran now lifted under its nuclear deal with world powers business activity is likely to increase.“Iran occupies a special place in our struggle against apartheid,” Zuma said, noting how Tehran cut ties with South Africa when it was under white rule, only resuming relations in 1994 after Nelson Mandela was elected as its first black president.Mandela, who served one term before voluntarily stepping down in 1999, visited Tehran before his election and soon after leaving office.“South Africans were inspired by the 1979 revolution, which showed that emancipation is possible, whatever the odds,” said Zuma, the first serving South African president to visit since.Having signed eight cooperation agreements ranging from energy development to business insurance, Zuma said the nuclear deal was an opportunity to deepen commercial links.“The challenge is to dramatically expand trade volumes,” he added.Rouhani, whose government in January implemented last summer’s nuclear deal with Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany, paid tribute to Mandela, who died aged 95 in 2013.“Let us cherish the memory of the late Nelson Mandela,” after whom a street is named in Tehran, Rouhani said. “He is so very much revered by both the South African and the Iranian people.”Rouhani, who Zuma confirmed has been invited to visit South Africa, said he would like to see direct flights opening up from Tehran.Zuma’s trip comes as he is under fire and accused of corruption at home.Julius Malema, the firebrand head of South Africa’s radical opposition Economic Freedom Fighters, warned that he could seek to remove Zuma’s African National Congress (ANC) government “through the barrel of a gun.”Late last month, a constitutional court ruled Zuma had violated the constitution in using public funds to upgrade his private residence and said he must repay the money.Malema, 35, was expelled from the ANC in 2012 when he was head of the party’s youth wing, having said the government was not doing enough to help South Africa’s poor.
Festival of spring chickens on the barbecue-The Hebrew-language media focuses on the Passover vacation, which draws droves of Israelis to enjoy nature in spots across the country-By Adiv Sterman April 24, 2016, 4:31 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Israel is in vacation mode for the Passover holiday, and, with no particularity pressing political developments in sight, the only common thread that can be found in the front page reports of the three prominent Hebrew-language papers of the day are the number of hikers, tourists, and travelers that took advantage of the sunny weather over the weekend and spent their time marveling at the wonders of the great outdoors.Over a hundred thousand people visited the numerous nature reserves, parks, and forests across the country, each daily reports alongside a photo of merry Israelis at the beach or preparing food on the barbecue. Yedioth Ahronoth notes that thousands were undeterred from traveling to areas near the Gaza Strip border, despite tensions that have risen in the region as a result of terrorist group Hamas’s renewed attack tunnel construction and the IDF’s counter responses to such efforts. With the weather set to become even hotter throughout the week, the reports in each paper add a recommendation for readers to stay hydrated.Speaking of water, Israel Hayom fiercely criticizes the US over its reported willingness to spend $8.6 million to buy heavy water from the Islamic Republic, only months after Tehran signed a nuclear deal with world powers. “The height of absurdity: The US is purchasing from the Iranian nuclear industry,” reads the headline in the right-leaning daily, which all but fully backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign to prevent the nuclear agreement from coming into fruition.The word “absurd” features again in an op-ed by Israel Hayom analyst Boaz Bismuth, who directs his dismay over the heavy water purchase at US President Barack Obama and asserts that the White House’s conduct since the signing of the nuclear deal could have provided plenty of material for a comedic play. “Washington isn’t confiscating, isn’t destroying, isn’t concerned that some third party may do dark business with the negative side of the Middle East,” he writes. “No, the US will do so in a direct manner and prove to us that dawn has come for the US and Iran.” Bismuth, always eager to stick it to Obama and his administration, warns cynically that in the current state of affairs, a day may come when the US actually purchases nuclear weapons from the Islamic Republic, which had only recently been classified by world powers as a threat to world peace.The White House maintains that Iran has met its obligations under the nuclear accord implementation process, and that the heavy water in question had already been removed from Iran, ensuring it would not be used to support the development of a nuclear weapon. “This transaction provides US industry with a critical product, while also enabling Iran to sell some of its excess heavy water,” spokesman John Kirby said after the deal was announced. Nevertheless — and unsurprisingly — the purchase immediately came under attack in Washington by officials who labeled the transaction as another concession to Tehran and a crack in the wall barring Iran from the US financial system.Yedioth Ahronoth skips the heavy water purchase entirely, and instead dedicates most of its front page to 17-year-old Or Elbaz, who was killed in Thursday’s deadly bus crash at the Carmel Tunnels near the northern Israeli city of Haifa. Alongside a photo Elbaz, a Haifa native, Yedioth prints a heart-wrenching eulogy by her father, in which he begs the Israeli public to increase its efforts in combating road accidents. “We lost a precious girl, an only girl,” Yossi Elbaz said at his daughter’s funeral, according to the daily. “Now it is all over. Our world is in ruins. We must not cease our struggle against car accidents. The roads are worse than war.”Haaretz, typically with its eye on the West Bank and on Israel’s apparent transgressions in the region, reports a spike in the number of underage Palestinians who have been detained in Jewish state’s security facilities over the past several months. According to the paper, 386 Palestinian minors are currently being held by Israel. The number of detainees under the age of 16 has jumped from 27 in September of 2015 to 103, among them five under the age of 14, in February of the current year. The report adds that at least seven detainees are being held under administrative detention, which allows for a terror suspect to be held indefinitely without trial in six-month renewable increments. While administrative detainees can appeal the detention itself to the High Court of Justice or lower district courts, the suspects do not receive full trials or have access to the evidence against them.Haaretz’s figures also reflect the growing number of underage female Palestinian detainees, which have spiked from just one last September to a full dozen in February.In the past six months, 29 Israelis and four foreign nationals have been killed in attacks by Palestinians. Nearly 200 Palestinians have also been killed, some two-thirds of them while attacking Israelis, and the rest during clashes with troops, according to the Israeli army.Israel Hayom dedicates a small section to Yoav Eliasi, a rapper known for his hard-line views who goes by the stage name The Shadow, who in a surprise move announced Saturday he would take a break from political activism on social media, and would thus effectively cease to rile up far-right-wing teens against the government, the country’s Arab population, and liberal Israelis. Eliasi’s announcement was apparently prompted by a rally in Tel Aviv, which drew far fewer participants than expected in support of soldier Elor Azaria, who was charged with killing a wounded and incapacitated Palestinian stabber in the West Bank. Eliasi, who had very vocally defended the soldier’s actions and had even organized protests against the arrest of the IDF serviceman, was asked by the organizers of the Tel Aviv rally to refrain from showing up at the event, most probably so as not to paint the protesters as extremists. “Gone are the days in which I lay [on the ground] for the entire right,” Eliasi wrote in a Facebook post, uploaded along a photoshopped image of the rapper shedding what appears to be tears of blood. “Keep on cursing the media and say they are the problem and sacrifice me in order to please them… I know you can’t see, but I too have feelings, and I also hurt, and I have also had enough.”
Fearing unrest during the ongoing festival of Passover, police have bolstered security in Jerusalem’s Old City and on the Temple Mount in an attempt to prevent disturbances at the flashpoint religious site.Thirteen Jewish visitors were removed from the Temple Mount compound Sunday for “disturbing the peace,” according to police, including three minors. One Palestinian was removed.Israel is concerned that Jewish visits to the Mount during the week-long holiday could trigger renewed Palestinian unrest, which has appeared to subside in recent weeks after six months of intense street violence.In total, 3,500 officers will be patrolling the capital throughout the week, police said, after tensions surged last week following a bus bombing — the first in the capital in over a decade.“The police are working and will continue to work with determination against any attempt to disturb the public peace and security, without favoritism,” a police statement read.During Passover, one of three Jewish pilgrimage holidays, tens of thousands of Jews flock to the Old City of Jerusalem, including many who visit the flashpoint Temple Mount compound, where Jews are forbidden by police to pray.In total 1,043 people visited the site Sunday, of whom 168 were Israeli Jews and the rest foreign tourists, police said.Police did not detail why they had removed the 13 people from the site, known as the Al-Aqsa compound to Muslims, but Jews are often ejected for uttering prayers.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last week Israel would deploy reinforcements around the Temple Mount during Passover to prevent “riots.”“As Passover approaches, all sorts of extremists will spread lies about our policy concerning the Temple Mount,” he said.Police have said they intend to allow Jewish visits to the site to continue as normal during the holiday, though they won’t allow disturbances.“We will not allow disturbances of public order or security, and we will act decisively against anyone who tries to do so,” police spokesperson Luba Samri said in a statement Sunday morning.On Friday police detained 10 Jewish men suspected of planning to sacrifice goats on the Mount in honor of the Passover holiday.In ancient times, Jews used to sacrifice a lamb on Passover Eve and eat it as part of the traditional Seder meal. Nearly all Jews forgo this ritual today.The Temple Mount has been at the center of months-long tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, who fear growing Jewish presence at the site that is also home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.Knesset members and ministers have been banned from entering the Temple Mount compound over Passover “for security reasons.”But a US-brokered plan to place cameras on the Temple Mount in a bid to calm tensions appeared to fall apart last week after Jordan, which is custodian of the site, said that Palestinians had protested the placement of recording devices.Israel has said it still wants the cameras.Last year, more than 50,000 Jewish worshipers attended the Birkat Kohanim (priestly blessing) ceremony at the Western Wall, which will be held on Monday this year.Israel has also closed off all crossing points for Palestiniansfrom the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, fearing a flareup in the ongoing wave of violence.Those fears were exacerbated last week, when a Palestinian suicide bomber set off a bomb on a bus in Jerusalem, wounding 20 people. The bomber, a 19-year-old Hamas terrorist from the Bethlehem area, died of wounds he sustained in the blast.AP, AFP and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Women’s priestly blessing at Jerusalem’s Western Wall curtailed-Passover service goes ahead but police enforce ban on event after attorney general rules it a ‘provocation’-By Mike Smith April 24, 2016, 3:29 pm-the times of israel
AFP — A bid by the Women of the Wall to challenge tradition at Jerusalem’s Western Wall with a blessing usually conducted by men was curtailed Sunday after a decision by the attorney general.Around 50 women gathered on the plaza leading to the wall amid Passover celebrations and held prayers, though without carrying out the full blessing.They prayed under heavy police guard as a crowd of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and boys in dark suits looked on and harangued them.A decision from Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit on Thursday prohibited the first-ever “women’s priestly blessing” at the wall because it did not conform to local custom.The ultra-Orthodox establishment that oversees the Western Wall strongly opposed the bid, viewing it as a desecration under their strict interpretation of Jewish law.It had been unclear whether the women would defy the attorney general’s ruling, but on Sunday they said police asked them to sign a document committing to not conduct the blessing, which they did.They were also kept in a cordoned-off area around 50 meters from the wall itself, with police telling them it was necessary for their safety, they said.“In order to get our buses in, we signed that we will not raise our hands in the air, we will not bless the people of Israel and we will not put our (prayer shawls) over our heads,” Anat Hoffman of Women of the Wall said. “It’s pretty demeaning, and it shows I think how grotesque and absurd the system is.”Israeli police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The traditional benediction sees male decedents the Cohanim priestly caste gather to bless crowds.It involves the raising of hands in a form similar to the “Vulcan salute” which Leonard Nimoy borrowed from Judaism for his “Star Trek” role as Mr. Spock. Those conducting the blessing also cover their heads with prayer shawls.Women participating in the prayer on Sunday wore pins in the shape of the hand gesture. At least one woman could be seen making the sign discreetly during prayers.The rabbi who oversees the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinowitz, called the gathering a “provocation” and argued that the type of blessing they wanted to carry out had never been done “by any [Jewish] community in the world.”He said their actions “hurt feelings and desecrate.”In a statement released this week to publicize the event scheduled for Sunday, the group, which has held monthly prayer services at the Western Wall for the past 27 years, said the service was aimed at preserving the tradition of the priestly blessing by making it more accessible.In a historic move, the cabinet voted two months ago to modify and enhance the Robinson’s Arch plaza for mixed gender prayer at the Western Wall, adjacent to the current Orthodox prayer plaza. It was viewed as a victory for liberal streams of Judaism, which are dominant in the US.But the plan has run into fierce opposition from ultra-Orthodox lawmakers and groups in Israel, many of whom wield influence within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s narrow coalition government.The deal would expand the wall’s non-Orthodox section and construct a shared entrance for both sides. Women of the Wall has agreed to move its monthly services to the non-Orthodox section once the deal is implemented.The decision, which allows for the construction of a massive 10,000 square feet permanent prayer area and the establishment of a new pluralistic entrance for the entire Western Wall plaza, is a benchmark case in that it would mark the first time the State of Israel is giving formal recognition to the rights of millions of Liberal Jews, complete with budget.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Islamic nations call emergency meeting on Golan Heights ‘escalation’-Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to discuss PM Netanyahu’s recent pledge that contested territory will remain Israeli ‘forever’-By Raoul Wootliff April 24, 2016, 12:47 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
The world’s largest body of Islamic nations has called for an emergency meeting over statements made last week by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel would never relinquish control over the Golan Heights.The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation will meet Tuesday at its headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to discuss “Israeli escalation against the occupied Syrian Golan,” joining others in the region to express alarm over Netanyahu’s declaration.During a cabinet visit to the area last Sunday, Netanyahu said that Israel does not oppose current efforts to reach a political agreement to end the Syrian civil war, but that Israel’s boundary line with the country will not change, referring to Jerusalem’s hold on the plateau.“I convened this celebratory meeting in the Golan Heights to send a clear message: The Golan will always remain in Israel’s hands. Israel will never withdraw from the Golan Heights,” he declared.In a statement released Sunday, the 57-member OIC called the comments “provoking acts” and said they considered them “a serious escalation and flagrant violation of the Resolutions of international legitimacy and International Law.”-OIC to Hold an Emergency Meeting at the Level of Permanent Representatives to Discuss Israeli Escalation again… https://t.co/zVh39MsfJP— OIC (@OIC_OCI) April 24, 2016-Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Six Day War from Syria and effectiverly annexed it in 1981.The international community never accepted Israel’s annexation, and Israeli leaders see in the turmoil in Syria a chance to convince the world to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan.The OIC announcement follows a similar meeting of the Arab League on the issue last Thursday during which Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi called for a special criminal court to be set up for Israel.The US, Germany, Syria and others all either condemned or said they opposed Netanyahu’s stance.The OIC held its annual summit earlier this month, focusing on the Palestinian cause, conflicts in member states and combating terrorism.During the summit the OIC passed a resolution on the Palestinian issue and support for international efforts to relaunch a “collective political process
17th-century Jewish slum unearthed in Amsterdam-400-year-old former shipyard found near the old Jewish quarter housed hundreds, is deemed ‘spectacular find’-By JTA April 24, 2016, 3:45 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
AMSTERDAM – Dutch archaeologists unearthed what they said was the remnants of a Jewish 17th-century slum in the center of the Dutch capital.The discovery of the slum on Valkenburger Street, north of the Portuguese Synagogue in the eastern part of the center of Amsterdam, was made earlier this month by a construction crew digging a foundation for a hotel and housing complex that are planned to be built on what used to be a slum.“People who lived here were so poor that they had no infrastructure,” said Jerzy Gawronski, a municipal archaeologist whom the construction crew called upon after unearthing a matrix of narrow pathways, not broader than three feet across.Bordering on the Jewish quarter of Amsterdam, the slum was inhabited by hundreds of people living in squalor and extremely crowded conditions, he told AT5, a local television station.“There were 10 people living in each small housing unit, it was damp, there were no windows and not many people survived here.” The area in question was a shipping yard in 1594, but was used for housing the Jewish community’s poor after the shipyard moved elsewhere.The discovery of the Jewish slum was documented in photos before being covered up again in preparation for construction on the relics. It is the first construction project performed there since the 1930s.Gawronski also said he found a bath, possibly a mikveh, in the Jewish slum. He called the relics “a spectacular find.”Amsterdam used to be a major Jewish hub following the immigration to it of thousands of Portuguese and Spanish Jews who were persecuted in their own country during the Inquisition period.Most of the Netherlands’ 140,000 Jews lived in Amsterdam in 1940, when Nazi Germany invaded the kingdom. Approximately 75 percent of Dutch Jewry was murdered in the Holocaust. Currently, approximately 50,000 Jews live in the Netherlands, mostly in Amsterdam.
South Africa’s Zuma in Iran praises 1979 revolution-African leader inks 8 trade deals with Islamic Republic ranging from energy development to business insurance-By AFP April 24, 2016, 5:30 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
TEHRAN, Iran — South Africa’s embattled President Jacob Zuma praised Iran’s 1979 revolution Sunday at the start of a three-day state visit which he said could “dramatically expand trade” with the Islamic republic.The overthrow of a US-backed Shah was a source of encouragement as black South Africans fought against apartheid, Zuma said at a press conference with President Hassan Rouhani.With international sanctions against Iran now lifted under its nuclear deal with world powers business activity is likely to increase.“Iran occupies a special place in our struggle against apartheid,” Zuma said, noting how Tehran cut ties with South Africa when it was under white rule, only resuming relations in 1994 after Nelson Mandela was elected as its first black president.Mandela, who served one term before voluntarily stepping down in 1999, visited Tehran before his election and soon after leaving office.“South Africans were inspired by the 1979 revolution, which showed that emancipation is possible, whatever the odds,” said Zuma, the first serving South African president to visit since.Having signed eight cooperation agreements ranging from energy development to business insurance, Zuma said the nuclear deal was an opportunity to deepen commercial links.“The challenge is to dramatically expand trade volumes,” he added.Rouhani, whose government in January implemented last summer’s nuclear deal with Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany, paid tribute to Mandela, who died aged 95 in 2013.“Let us cherish the memory of the late Nelson Mandela,” after whom a street is named in Tehran, Rouhani said. “He is so very much revered by both the South African and the Iranian people.”Rouhani, who Zuma confirmed has been invited to visit South Africa, said he would like to see direct flights opening up from Tehran.Zuma’s trip comes as he is under fire and accused of corruption at home.Julius Malema, the firebrand head of South Africa’s radical opposition Economic Freedom Fighters, warned that he could seek to remove Zuma’s African National Congress (ANC) government “through the barrel of a gun.”Late last month, a constitutional court ruled Zuma had violated the constitution in using public funds to upgrade his private residence and said he must repay the money.Malema, 35, was expelled from the ANC in 2012 when he was head of the party’s youth wing, having said the government was not doing enough to help South Africa’s poor.
Festival of spring chickens on the barbecue-The Hebrew-language media focuses on the Passover vacation, which draws droves of Israelis to enjoy nature in spots across the country-By Adiv Sterman April 24, 2016, 4:31 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Israel is in vacation mode for the Passover holiday, and, with no particularity pressing political developments in sight, the only common thread that can be found in the front page reports of the three prominent Hebrew-language papers of the day are the number of hikers, tourists, and travelers that took advantage of the sunny weather over the weekend and spent their time marveling at the wonders of the great outdoors.Over a hundred thousand people visited the numerous nature reserves, parks, and forests across the country, each daily reports alongside a photo of merry Israelis at the beach or preparing food on the barbecue. Yedioth Ahronoth notes that thousands were undeterred from traveling to areas near the Gaza Strip border, despite tensions that have risen in the region as a result of terrorist group Hamas’s renewed attack tunnel construction and the IDF’s counter responses to such efforts. With the weather set to become even hotter throughout the week, the reports in each paper add a recommendation for readers to stay hydrated.Speaking of water, Israel Hayom fiercely criticizes the US over its reported willingness to spend $8.6 million to buy heavy water from the Islamic Republic, only months after Tehran signed a nuclear deal with world powers. “The height of absurdity: The US is purchasing from the Iranian nuclear industry,” reads the headline in the right-leaning daily, which all but fully backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign to prevent the nuclear agreement from coming into fruition.The word “absurd” features again in an op-ed by Israel Hayom analyst Boaz Bismuth, who directs his dismay over the heavy water purchase at US President Barack Obama and asserts that the White House’s conduct since the signing of the nuclear deal could have provided plenty of material for a comedic play. “Washington isn’t confiscating, isn’t destroying, isn’t concerned that some third party may do dark business with the negative side of the Middle East,” he writes. “No, the US will do so in a direct manner and prove to us that dawn has come for the US and Iran.” Bismuth, always eager to stick it to Obama and his administration, warns cynically that in the current state of affairs, a day may come when the US actually purchases nuclear weapons from the Islamic Republic, which had only recently been classified by world powers as a threat to world peace.The White House maintains that Iran has met its obligations under the nuclear accord implementation process, and that the heavy water in question had already been removed from Iran, ensuring it would not be used to support the development of a nuclear weapon. “This transaction provides US industry with a critical product, while also enabling Iran to sell some of its excess heavy water,” spokesman John Kirby said after the deal was announced. Nevertheless — and unsurprisingly — the purchase immediately came under attack in Washington by officials who labeled the transaction as another concession to Tehran and a crack in the wall barring Iran from the US financial system.Yedioth Ahronoth skips the heavy water purchase entirely, and instead dedicates most of its front page to 17-year-old Or Elbaz, who was killed in Thursday’s deadly bus crash at the Carmel Tunnels near the northern Israeli city of Haifa. Alongside a photo Elbaz, a Haifa native, Yedioth prints a heart-wrenching eulogy by her father, in which he begs the Israeli public to increase its efforts in combating road accidents. “We lost a precious girl, an only girl,” Yossi Elbaz said at his daughter’s funeral, according to the daily. “Now it is all over. Our world is in ruins. We must not cease our struggle against car accidents. The roads are worse than war.”Haaretz, typically with its eye on the West Bank and on Israel’s apparent transgressions in the region, reports a spike in the number of underage Palestinians who have been detained in Jewish state’s security facilities over the past several months. According to the paper, 386 Palestinian minors are currently being held by Israel. The number of detainees under the age of 16 has jumped from 27 in September of 2015 to 103, among them five under the age of 14, in February of the current year. The report adds that at least seven detainees are being held under administrative detention, which allows for a terror suspect to be held indefinitely without trial in six-month renewable increments. While administrative detainees can appeal the detention itself to the High Court of Justice or lower district courts, the suspects do not receive full trials or have access to the evidence against them.Haaretz’s figures also reflect the growing number of underage female Palestinian detainees, which have spiked from just one last September to a full dozen in February.In the past six months, 29 Israelis and four foreign nationals have been killed in attacks by Palestinians. Nearly 200 Palestinians have also been killed, some two-thirds of them while attacking Israelis, and the rest during clashes with troops, according to the Israeli army.Israel Hayom dedicates a small section to Yoav Eliasi, a rapper known for his hard-line views who goes by the stage name The Shadow, who in a surprise move announced Saturday he would take a break from political activism on social media, and would thus effectively cease to rile up far-right-wing teens against the government, the country’s Arab population, and liberal Israelis. Eliasi’s announcement was apparently prompted by a rally in Tel Aviv, which drew far fewer participants than expected in support of soldier Elor Azaria, who was charged with killing a wounded and incapacitated Palestinian stabber in the West Bank. Eliasi, who had very vocally defended the soldier’s actions and had even organized protests against the arrest of the IDF serviceman, was asked by the organizers of the Tel Aviv rally to refrain from showing up at the event, most probably so as not to paint the protesters as extremists. “Gone are the days in which I lay [on the ground] for the entire right,” Eliasi wrote in a Facebook post, uploaded along a photoshopped image of the rapper shedding what appears to be tears of blood. “Keep on cursing the media and say they are the problem and sacrifice me in order to please them… I know you can’t see, but I too have feelings, and I also hurt, and I have also had enough.”
