by Raphael Ahren
Times of Israel
January 14, 2016

Netanyahu slams Sweden’s “immoral” criticism, EU’s “illegal” West Bank construction

Angry PM urges a “resetting” of ties with Europe and pans “absurd” labeling of settlement goods; tells journalists Swedish FM’s remarks are “outrageous, stupid”


Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a toast for the New Year with representatives of the foreign press in Jerusalem on January 14, 2016 (Photo: Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday called for a “reset” in relations with the European Union, accusing it of unfairly singling out Israel.

In addition to attacking the EU for its decision to label settlement goods, Netanyahu for the first time publicly accused the EU of building “illegal constructions” in the West Bank in an alleged bid to create “political realities” there.

Liana Jagniatinskytė of the Israeli embassy in Vilnius told an audience at the Margarita Rimkevičaitė School of Technology about Israel on January 13, 2016. She spoke to a full auditorium on Israel’s history, latest scientific achievements and innovation. Among other things, attendees learned Israeli medicine is considered the best in the world, and thousands of patients from around the world flock to Israel annually for treatment. The audience eagerly listened to how the State of Israel arose and thrived in the desert sands to become an exporter of agricultural goods with three growing seasons in what seems like the harshest and most unlikely of environments. The audience appeared most interested in learning about the Israeli military, where both boys and girls aged 18 serve. Jagniatinskytė also touched upon political issues and current events in her presentation, and spoke about the threat of terrorism. Students and members of the Panevėžys Jewish Community who helped organize this event in concert with the Israel embassy asked questions at the end of the presentation. School director Tautvydas Anilionis ended the event by presenting souvenirs to Israeli embassy representatives and said these sorts of meetings are very necessary in educating the young people of Panevėžys.

Following Marseille machete attack, president says citizens should not be forced to hide for fear of assault because of their religion.

French president François Hollande rejected as “intolerable” Wednesday the idea that fear of attack would prompt French Jews to “hide.”

“It is intolerable that in our country citizens should feel so upset and under assault because of their religious choice that they would conclude that they have to hide,” Hollande said following Monday’s attack on a kipa-wearing teacher in the southern city of Marseille. The French president’s comments came two days after a machete-wielding teen claiming to have been inspired by the Islamic State attacked a Jewish teacher, wounding him.

The knifing of Benjamin Amsellem prompted Zvi Ammar, head of Marseille’s Israeli Consistory, to warn Jews against wearing the traditional skullcap–known as a yarmulke or kipa–in public, sparking a debate over the issue.

“Remove the kipa during this troubled time until better days,” Ammar said.

Former prime minister and president of Israel Shimon Peres was hospitalized Thursday and diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. Times of Israel reported he was recuperating well after possibly having experienced a small heart attack, according to sources close to the veteran Israeli politician.

Kol Europe, the news organ of the CEJI (Contribution Juive pour une Europe Inclusive), reports on a Europol meeting of the Foreign Terrorist Fighters Working Groups of the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF) and the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL. The goal of the meeting was to focus on measures and actions to take to apprehend foreign terrorist fighters. The event gathered over 200 participants from 45 legations.

For more information, see here and here.

Police Probe Anti-Semitic Motives

Alain Ghozland was discovered dead in his home in Creteil on Tuesday morning. Photo: facebook

French police are investigating the death of a 73-year-old Jewish leader found dead in his apartment in a suburb of Paris.

Police are probing the possibility of “anti-Semitic aggression” behind the apparent murder of Alain Ghozland, a spokesperson for French Chief Rabbi Haim Korsia told the Algemeiner on Tuesday.

Originally from Algeria, Ghozland was a politician and city councilman in the heavily Jewish suburb of Creteil. His body was discovered Tuesday morning by his brother who came to look for him after he failed to show up for prayers at synagogue Monday.

Jerusalem vents fury after Swedish foreign minister Wallstrom calls for a probe into “extrajudicial killings” of Palestinian attackers. Wallstrom told last year PM and FM would not meet her if she came.

Officials from Stockholm are currently unwelcome in Israel, deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely said Wednesday, a day after Sweden’s foreign minister, Margot Wallstrom, called for an investigation to determine whether Israel has been conducting extrajudicial executions of Palestinians during the current wave of violence.

“Israel is closing its gates to official visits from Sweden,” Hotovely said during a briefing for future Israeli diplomats currently taking the cadets’ course.

“For over two years, relations with Sweden have been at some level of disconnect,” she said. “That is, we have refused visits by the Swedish foreign minister in Israel. At the clearest level, the State of Israel is sending a very stark message to Sweden that says that [when] you encourage terror [in Israel], you encourage Islamic State to act in all parts of Europe: in Brussels, in Paris.

Lithuania is solemnly marking the date 25 years ago when Soviet tanks ran over and killed peaceful protestors gathered around the Vilnius Television Tower to support Lithuanian independence from the Soviet Union. Soviet forces also attacked and seized Lithuanian Radio and Television headquarters on Kalinausko street in Vilnius.

Lithuanian prime minister Algirdas Butkevičius and first deputy chancellor of the Government Rimantas Vaitkus have met with members of the American Jewish Committee. In the meeting, Lithuania’s efforts to restore historical justice and preserve the Jewish cultural heritage in the country were underlined, close cooperation between the Government and the Lithuanian as well as international Jewish communities was noted, and opinions and insights into international developments were shared.

“Members of the Committee, thank you for your visit in Lithuania at this significant period for our country, with the approaching commemoration of the events of January 13 and the 25th anniversary of statehood. At present we pay tribute to those killed for independence, the heroes of our country”, Butkevičius said.

Photo by Robertas Dačkus, courtesy Lithuanian President’s Office

President Dalia Grybauskaitė met Tuesday with leaders of the American Jewish Committee–one of the largest and most influential NGOs in the United States which has always supported the freedom of Lithuania.

During the meeting, AJC leaders gave the president a copy of a letter written to then-president George Bush in 1991, calling for not delaying recognition of independent Lithuania and the other Baltic countries. This organization also supported Lithuania’s aspiration to become a NATO member.

Today the American Jewish Committee focuses on energy security and contributes to forming U.S. energy policies. Therefore the meeting discussed Lithuania’s experience in securing energy independence and key challenges to European energy. The President stressed that exports of U.S. energy resources to Europe were important to ensure competition in the EU market, reduce Gazprom’s influence on European countries and prevent Russian energy blackmail.

Today a delegation from the American Jewish Committee arrived in Lithuania. The AJC is a well-known global organization supporting and defending Jews with offices in the USA and around the world which works in partnership with Jewish communities in Europe and elsewhere. AJC activities are dedicated to the welfare of the Jewish people and the defense of human rights and democratic values. Twenty-five years ago when Lithuania again became independent the AJC lent their support to the activities of Lithuanian Jews and continues to support the Lithuanian Jewish Community and to make sure our rights are respected. The purpose of the delegation’s visit is to meet Lithuanian leaders and discuss geopolitical shifts of mutual concern, the effect of Russian military actions in Ukraine on the region and Eastern Europe as a whole. Discussions are also planned on bilateral relations between Lithuania and the State of Israel and Lithuania and the USA, the activities of the Goodwill Fund, issues of importance to the LJC and the LJC’s relations with the AJC.

“The AJC strove to contribute to the process of restitution of Lithuanian Jewish property, and this served Lithuania’s reputation in the world, it was beneficial not just to Jews but to Lithuania as a democratic state respecting human rights,” LJC chairwoman Faina Kukliansky said. “Many other important changes are connected with restitution. Many different social and cultural projects are being carried out currently in connection with the Jewish community, Holocaust history and the present. A number of Lithuania’s political issues are being solved with the AJC which operates actively in post-Communist states supporting Jews in the fight against anti-Semitism and the rights of Jews around the globe.”

Following Lithuanian restitution for lost Jewish property, a public organization called “The Goodwill Fund for Disbursing Compensation for Property of Jewish Religious Communities” was formed. It was established at the end of 2011 after the law on compensation was adopted on the initiative of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. This fund was created by the Lithuanian Jewish Heritage Fund in cooperation with the Lithuanian Jewish Community and the World Jewish Restitution Organization. Under the law by the year 2023 the Lithuanian state budget is to pay out 128 million litas to the Fund in compensation which is to be used to finance Lithuanian Jewish religious, cultural, health-care, athletic, educational and academic projects in Lithuania. Information about the Fund’s activities is public.

The resolution accused Israel of restricting Palestinian academic activities in Gaza and the West Bank.

NEW YORK–The American Jewish Committee praised the American Historical Association for rejecting a resolution against Israel Sunday.

The resolution accused Israel of restricting Palestinian academic activities in Gaza and the West Bank and was rejected by a vote of 111 to 50 at the AHA’s 130th annual meeting in Atlanta.

Members of France’s Jewish community wave Israeli and French flags at a ceremony outside the Hyper Cacher supermarket in Paris a year after four Jewish shoppers were killed in a terror attack at the store on January 9, 2015. (photo: Flash 90/Serge Attal)

Members of France’s Jewish community wave Israeli and French flags at a ceremony outside the Hyper Cacher supermarket in Paris a year after four Jewish shoppers were killed in a terror attack at the store on January 9, 2015. (photo: Flash 90/Serge Attal)

(JTA)–The prime minister of France, speaking at a ceremony to remember four Jewish victims of terror at a kosher supermarket in Paris, said he regrets that large numbers of his country’s Jews have left for Israel.

“France would not be France” without its Jews, Manuel Valls said Saturday evening at a commemoration held outside the Hyper Cacher supermarket on the first anniversary of the hostage siege there by an Islamist who was killed by police.

H&M is at it again–they’ve made a women’s scarf that looks remarkably like a tallit, a Jewish prayer shawl mainly worn by men.

Fashion website Racked reported that the fast-fashion retailer is currently hawking a beige scarf with black stripes on its website for $17.99. “H&M even incorporated its own version of tzitzit, the knotted fringe you’ll find on every tallit,” the story noted. The Stockholm-based chain also has a matching fringed poncho for $34.99.

This isn’t H&M’s first foray into prayer-shawl chic. In 2011, they issued a similarly-styled women’s poncho. (Three years later, the brand was accused of anti-Semitism when it issued a tank top with a skull superimposed atop a Star of David.) H&M is not the only major fashion retailer to wade into Jewish (or anti-Semitic) territory. In the summer of 2014 the Spanish chain Zara sold a children’s striped “sheriff” T-shirt which looked very similar to a concentration-camp uniform, complete with a six-pointed yellow star on the left breast. During the ensuing social media storm the brand apologized and pulled the item from stores.

Full story here.