The Arab political parties in Israel are banding together in one ticket attempting to take out Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Arab politicians, which contain communists, religious Muslims and one Jewish official, feel the joining together of the groups will drive up the historically low Arab voter turnout. They also hope they will be able to stop Netanyahu from forming a unity government should his party get into a position to form a new government.
Masoud Ganaim, a representative of the Islamic movement, said that after the incident this summer where Arab terrorists attacked Israelis in Gaza, many of the Arab residents of Israel asked the parties to unite to represent the beliefs of Arabs in the country.
Arab citizens are about 20% of Israel’s population.
Surveys of potential Arab voters show that the turnout could be as much as 10 percent higher than the last election because of a unity ticket. That would still be about 20 percent lower than average Jewish resident turnout.
President Obama will not meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he comes to Washington to address a joint session of Congress.
The White House stated that it is due to the close proximity of the Israeli elections.
“As a matter of long-standing practice and principle, we do not see heads of state or candidates in close proximity to their elections, so as to avoid the appearance of influencing a democratic election in a foreign country,” National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan stated.
House Speaker John Boehner exercised his right at Speaker of the House to invite a foreign leader to address Congress. In this case, Boehner wants Netanyahu to speak to the Congress about problems with Iran and the need for stronger sanctions against that nation.
President Obama is working to ease sanctions against Iran.
Netanyahu will speak to Congress on March 3rd and being asked to appear in January. The Israeli leader had previously planned to be in the U.S. for a conference in Washington on the March date so the speech was rescheduled to fit that trip.
Boehner said that he wants to move forward quickly on sanctions against Iran and that the speech from Netanyahu will allow members of Congress to understand what’s at stake in the region.
“Let’s send a clear message to the White House — and the world — about our commitment to Israel and our allies,” he said.
After the Palestinian leadership announced they have mended their rift with the terrorist group Hamas, Israel announced they will no longer participate in peace talks.
Hamas is considered a terrorist group by both Israel and the United States. The terrorist group refuses to acknowledge that Israel has a right to exist.
Israeli spokesmen said that no talks would be considered until a new unity government takes shape among the Palestinians and that no talks will ever take place if Hamas is backing the government.
The announcement of the ending of talks came after a six-hour conference of senior Israeli leaders.
Palestinian leadership has been trying to portray the move in a positive light by saying that the government will not be made up of people who are connected to Hamas.
Israel is preparing for the annual Passover amid heightened restrictions and concerns because of the crumbling peace process and questions about U.S. support for the nation.
Israel has sealed off the West Bank, barring any Palestinians from entering the West Bank as a protective measure against Muslim terrorist attacks during one of the Holiest weeks of the year. Israeli police are also restricting Jerusalem holy sites.
However, Israel is doing more than just preparing for their own citizens to celebrate the holiday. The country has been working to provide Passover wine, matzo and other items for the celebration for Jews trapped in countries around the world where their lives are at risk.
An Arab Israeli politician has been proving to Jewish communities in Muslim countries including the war-torn nation of Syria. Ayoub Kara refused to name the other nations where the supplies are being sent for security reasons.
The “festival of freedom” includes most of the nation shutting down in the evenings for celebrations with friends and family.
The Obama Administration is reportedly considering the release of a jailed Israeli spy in an attempt to spur forward the stalled Israel/Palestine peace talks.
Jonathan Pollard, who pleaded guilty to spying for Israel in 1987 and was sentenced to life in prison, could be released as early as April according to sources close to Secretary of State John Kerry.
Pollard, because he was sentenced before November 1, 1987, is eligible to be paroled on November 21, 2015 even without action by the Administration.
A declassified report on Pollard’s actions shows that Israel did not ask him to spy on the U.S. military or intelligence activities but rather to gain the U.S.’s information on Israel’s enemies in the Middle East and the Soviet Union.
The release of Pollard, who was given Israeli citizenship during his incarceration, has been a key item for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israeli has requested Pollard’s release multiple times as well as called for the government to show mercy in allowing him to attend events like his father’s funeral. The government as repeatedly denied any requests for mercy.
Israel has released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including convicted murderers, as part of the peace process negotiated by the United States.
Obama Administration officials, angry that Israel is refusing their demands in the ongoing peace talks to give land to the Palestinians, are making things harder for ordinary Israelis to enter the country.
In addition, the administration is blocking Israel from a special program that allows citizens to enter the country without a preapproved visa.
Countries on the list include the UK, Sweden, France, Germany, Japan and Taiwan. This means travelers from those countries with valid passports who meet the requirements of an electronic passport can enter the U.S. for 90 days without a visa. Israel has been attempting to be part of the 37 countries in the program.
When asked about their rejection, Obama officials refer to the country’s “treatment of Arab-American travelers.”
Rejections of visas to Israeli citizens have jumped a shocking 80 percent in the last year. The increase is so significant that political leaders such as Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York has called on the State Department to end “its widespread, arbitrary practice of denying young Israelis tourist visas.”
Israel, who until the recent administration was considered one of America’s closest allies, has been wondering why countries like Iceland and Latvia qualify for the special visa program while they are repeatedly rejected.
Israel scrambled their jets to the Syrian border after Syrian fighter jets and a helicopter were spotted rushing toward the border.
A report on Israeli TV said that the jets made it to a few hundred meters of the border before they turned back when the Israeli aircraft arrived on site. There was no direct conflict between the two countries’ planes.
A source told Haaretz that while Syrian aircraft in the area is not uncommon, the massive amount of planes in a short time was unusual. The call for the Israeli jets to scramble in response is considered “very rare.”
The report on TV station Channel 2 said that the scrambling of the jets also came because Syria did not notify Israel of increases in plane activity. Syria claims that they need to bring their flights near the border as part of their fight against rebels attempting to overthrow the government.
The Israeli Defense Force said that they spotted terrorists at the Syrian border placing explosives on Friday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to receive a less than friendly welcome at the White House tomorrow for a meeting with President Obama.
The President will tell Netanyahu that if he refuses to endorse Obama’s framework for peace with the Palestinians, Israel will face a bleak future and that time is running out for the country as a Jewish-majority democracy.
The President is also expected to tell Netanyahu he alone is the only Israeli that could lead his people away from the edge of oblivion.
The President said during a Thursday interview if Netanyahu rejects the Obama plan, he has to present an alternative approach. President Obama said that it would very hard for Netanyahu to provide a plausible plan.
The President also said in the interview that he believes Middle Eastern leaders in Iran and Syria know that he is serious about using force if they try to avoid agreements made with the international community.
Iranian state television called it a documentary.
World leaders are calling it an Islamic extremist fantasy involving Iran attacking and destroying Israel.
A video played computerized simulations of drones and missiles attacking Tel Aviv, Haifa, the Ben Gurion Airport and the Dimona nuclear reactor. The video claims that the attacks would only happen if Iran were to be attacked by Israel or the United States.
Israel wasn’t the only target of the faux documentary. The video showed a simulated attack on the USS Abraham Lincoln, shooting down American aircraft and then attacking American bases throughout the Middle East.
The video is entitled “The Nightmare of Vultures” and features Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stating that “anybody who thinks of attacks the Islamic Republic of Iran should be prepared to receive strong slaps and iron fists from the Armed Forces.”
Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu is leading a delegation of six government officials to Rome for a meeting with Pope Francis.
The two-day visit will be the first time the two men have met face-to-face.
Officials close to the scheduled meeting say it’s likely the two men will discuss the Iranian nuclear issue and ongoing peace talks with the Palestinians.
Israeli President Shimon Peres invited the Pope for a visit to Christian holy sites in April followed by Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas who met Pope Francis on October 17th. Sources say it’s likely the Pontiff will visit the Holy Land near the end of May 2014.
Israel and the Vatican established diplomatic relations in 1993 but continue to have issues regarding property rights and tax exemptions for the Catholic Church. In June, negotiators pledged to step up their work to solve outstanding issues.
