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Hollywood stars celebrate Shimon Peres’ 90th
The great and the good are visiting Israel to celebrate the 90th birthday of the Jewish state’s President Shimon Peres , who is the oldest political leader in the world. Those visiting include Hollywood stars Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone. Stone stated her "love" for Israel, before likening the complexity of the Middle East peace process to making a visit to the gym.
Hollywood star Sharon Stone:
"I think there can be peace in the Middle East any minute that you choose to have it. We can have peace in the Middle East now. The minute that we just do it. It's like going to the gym, when do you not want to be fat? Today? When do you want to be in shape? Today?"
During her visit, 71-year-old US entertainer Barbra Streisand has attacked Orthodox Jews in Israel for making women sit in the back of buses and for seeking to prevent them following religious rituals traditionally reserved for men.
US entertainer Barbra Streisand:
"It's distressing to read about women in Israel being forced to sit in the back of a bus or when we here about women of the Wall having metal chairs hurled at them when they intend to peacefully and legally pray. Or women being banned from singing in public ceremonies. But I'm also pleased to read that things are changing here, repairs are slowly being made and that's very good."
Jewish Oscar and Emmy award-winner Streisand was speaking at a ceremony at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where she was awarded an honorary doctorate.
19 june 2013
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Massive US-Jordan exercise wraps up
The biggest international training exercise in Jordan’s history is wrapping up, with a clear and unmistakable military message sent east to Syria, and the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
The maneuvers, called "Eager Lion", combined land, air and sea maneuvers across the desert kingdom, and brought together 8,000 personnel from 19 Arab and European nations. In infantry exercises, Marines practiced demolishing barriers with explosives. Elsewhere, allied soldiers playing the role of the enemy – among them troops from Iraq and Lebanon – spoke with Syrian accents.
The US Osprey troop carrier also was on display, with Jordanian troops taking the role of landing site security. The aircraft was specifically designed to bring heavily-armed Marines into remote regions at high speed, ready to fight. The Jordanian army rarely can afford major exercises; "Eager Lion" was financed largely by the United States.
At sea, warships from six nations cruised the Gulf of Aqaba and practiced assisting refugees and intercepting high-speed boats piloted by suicide bombers. Officers said that the main goal of the ship maneuvers was to prepare response to humanitarian crises.
Exercise spokesmen said overall the aim of the "Eager Lion" training was to ready Jordan and its allies to control spillover fighting from Syria, and to handle an increasing stream of refugees from that country’s civil war. More than one million Syrian refugees now live in Jordan.
But area experts say the exercise also has readied the ground for international force to invade Syria to take control of its chemical weapons stockpile. Washington has deployed Patriot missile batteries along Jordan’s border with Syria.
According to regional news reports, America also will base a squadron of 12 to 24 F-16 fighter jets in Jordan as well. The Assad regime and Russia have called the military moves in Jordan concerning.
19 june 2013
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Peres and Clinton turn on the charm for gala evening
The small academic center in Rehovot baring the name of Shimon Peres was in the center stage of Israeli news as they hosted their gala evening with two presidents, Bill Clinton and Shimon Peres , talking to around 600 people in the audience comprising from Israelis of all walks of life.
There wasn’t a person in the audience who didn’t feel the mutual admiration that both men feel for each other and they didn’t hide it from anyone.
Israeli President Shimon Peres:
"Dear Bill Clinton, you coming here is a holiday for our people, believe me. In my judgment, you are today the most beloved person of our time. In my eyes, you're the greatest leader of our age. And a great and moving friend of the Jewish people and of the state of Israel. "
Former US President Bill Clinton:
"President Peres, I will carry what you said tonight with me for the rest of my life. I always loved coming here, since I first came with my wife in 1981, 32 years ago, I have always felt at home.
It was my great honor to be here when President Peres celebrated his 80 th birthday. I am now at his 90 th ."
One of the fascinating stories both men reviled during their speeches was about the day when then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin met Yasser Arafat on the White House lawn and that famous handshake that went down in the history books.
Israeli President Shimon Peres :
"When Yitzhak heard that Arafat is coming, he says 'I'm not going,' and then a phone came from Bill and he says 'Yitzhak, you shall come,' and he came but then he made a condition 'No handshakes!' I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the three of them: Arafat, Yitzhak and Bill holding them together and they shook hands. I believe Yitzhak wasn't prepared for this occasion, because after he shook the hands of Arafat he turned to me and told me 'Now it's your turn'."
Former US President Bill Clinton:
"It is true that I got him to shake hands with Arafat, but first I had to get Arafat to agree to come to the peace signing without the pistol he always wore around his waist. I said 'Yitzhak, you have to shake his hand,' he said 'Ok'. I, and I'll never forget what he said; he said 'I suppose so, after all, you don't make peace with your friends.' But before he said to Shimon 'Now you shake his hand', he looked at me and he said 'I will do this but no kissing!'"
After the event we wanted to get some reactions from the people who were there to witness it all.
Rita Faruz, Singer:
"Great people, great minds, great souls, great hearts and it was amazing to be here. You can learn a lot from these people, to try to you know, to make my dreams come true, that it's something for the future, for people, for our world."
Dana Weiss, TV Presenter/MC of the Event:
"The fact that president Clinton has come especially to honor us this evening and give us this frank and candid and illuminating talk which will for sure be food for thought for us.
I think there's no American who loves us more and there is no American who is loved more by the Israelis and when he talks to us we listen, and he was here to tell us the truth and to open our eyes and to ask us to look for a better future."
After a public outcry in the Israeli media about President Clinton's fee for his 45-minute keynote speech which reportedly was a half a million dollars, Clinton decided to give up his fee and ask that all the money the Peres Center collected by invested in the institution deducting his travel and accommodation fees.
Ron Jacobsohn, JN1 , Rehovot
19 june 2013
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Official linked with bloody bombing named Luxor governor
A former member of an Islamist militant group accused of slaughtering dozens of foreigners in the Egyptian tourist mecca Luxor, has promised to the historic city on the Nile and its ancient edifices are perfectly safe for tourists to visit , now that he has been appointed governor.
Adel Mohamed al-Khayat was a member of the group Jama'a Islamiya, which has been blamed for gunning down 58 tourists – among them members of Japanese and Swiss tour groups – in the Nile’s Valley of the Queens in 1997.
Four Egyptians also died in the attack. Egypt’s Islamist President Mohammed Morsi’s appointed al-Khayat as the top government official in Luxor earlier this week.
Luxorians have taken to the streets to protest, and Egypt's Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou tried to quit over al-Khayat's appointment. Prime Minister Hisham Kandil, a close ally of President Mohammed Morsi, refused to accept the resignation.
One former official said al-Khayat’s militant past made his appointment as the Egypt’s tourism minister nothing less than a direct insult against Egyptian honour and national pride, and a slap in the face of foreign visitor to boot.
Mounir Fakhry Abdel-Nour, former Tourist Minister :
"I think it's an insult. It's an insult to the tourism industry. It's an insult to tourists. It's an insult to Egyptians. Egyptians are proud of their history, are proud of their culture, and those people unfortunately have absolutely no recognition to Egyptian history and Egyptian culture."
During the 1990s al-Khayat was a senior leader in Jama’a Islamiya, a group that at the time was committed to destroying both the secular Egyptian state, and temples from the ages of the Pharaohs as un-Islamic. Luxor is the best-preserved temple complex from that era.
Government spokesmen said al-Khayat’s appointment to head the Luxor city government would actually be beneficial for foreign visitors to Egypt, because he would focus on improving security. They said that he no longer held extreme Islamist beliefs. Tourism accounts for some 10 percent of Egypt’s GDP.
19 june 2013
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'Standing Man' inspires Turks to silently protest
Several anti-government protests have taken place throughout Turkey, but they differ from the violent clashing seen thus far in the protesters movement against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan . The "Standing Man" who stood silently for eight hours in Taksim Square has inspired others to do the same.
19 june 2013
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Nazi henchman Laszlo Csatary is charged
98-year-old war-crimes suspect Laszlo Csatary has been formally charged by Hungarian prosecutors for his "wilful assist in the execution and torture of the Jews deported from Kosice, Slovakia to concentration camps in territories occupied by the Germans" in World War Two.
Csartary, who lived in Canada for decades after the war, has denied the charges, although Holocaust survivors remember his sinister figure.
Auschwitz survivor Edita Salamonova:
"I can see him in front of me. A tall handsome man but with a heart of stone. It reminds me of our arrival at Auschwitz. When I saw him it was the same as when I saw Mengele."
Asked whether she would testify against Csatary, Salamoneva recoiled in horror.
Auschwitz survivor Edita Salamonova:
"Oh my God, no, no! What for? I don't want to. I can see him on television, he doesn't care about anything. He lives a happy life. And so many people. I don't want to go there! No, I am still under that pressure and I am still afraid. I can't find peace."
Csartary’s arrest last year after decades in hiding can largely be attributed to the work of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, after their chief "Nazi hunter" in Jerusalem collated a dossier.
Chief 'Nazi Hunter' Efraim Zuroff:
"I think this very clearly shows that even today it's possible to bring Nazi war criminals to justice. And it's especially important I think for Hungary, where they're having considerable difficulty in confronting their history during World War II and their collaboration with the Nazis in Holocaust crimes. So it's important to send a message that people like Csatary who thought that they were acting in a patriotic way on behalf of their country are war criminals, and should be brought to justice and shouldn't be glorified by Hungarian society."
Csartary is currently under house arrest and the first session of his trial is now expected to be held within three months. He is expected to face trial in Hungary, although he could be extradited to Slovakia, where he was convicted for war crimes in absentia in 1948.
19 june 2013
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Spanish U21’s beat Italy in Jerusalem final
After watching their compatriots lift the 2008 and 2012 European Championships and the 2010 World Cup, Spain’s young football stars have beaten Italy 4-2 in this year’s UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship final, held in the Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem.
Spain’s coach praised his winning players, including Barcelona midfielder Thiago who scored a hat-trick in the final and Malaga attacker Isco, who is wanted by Real Madrid and Manchester City.
As the tournament drew to a close, UEFA President Michel Platini spoke of his belief that football and politics should remain separate.
UEFA President Michel Platini:
"Me, I want the children of Palestine to play football, I want the children of Israel to play football, I want the children of Italy, Spain, Germany, Norway to play football and I don't want to get into the problems of politics because I think it is important for organisations like us to be organisations that are dedicated to the development of football and are not too involved in politics and that we leave politics to the politicians."
The tournament is being hailed as the most important sporting event held in the Jewish state for 45 years – since the 1968 Paralympic Games.
19 june 2013
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Peres celebrates his 90th birthday
Israeli President Shimon Peres celebrated his 90th birthday in the presence of world leaders and international celebrities.
Among the guests were former US President Bill Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair:
"Shimon has been defence minister, finance minister, foreign minister, prime minister. It's his birthday, he is 90, now he is president. What comes next? Well, we in Britain have our queen and you have your Shimon."
There was also a special performance from singer Barbra Streisand, who sang one of her greatest hits, "People", as well as a Hebrew Prayer.
American singer Barbra Streisand:
"At the request of the President, I'm going to sing a song that he loves, maybe a different melody, Shimon, but it's the one I've loved for many years, 'Avinu Malkenu'."
Peres himself took to the stage, calling for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, saying that the children of tomorrow could still be given light and hope. Peres’ tireless campaigning for a peace agreement has won him supporters and sympathisers around the world, and the last five years, serving as Israel’s president, has also gained him much affection at home.
19 june 2013
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Scientists preparing for Mars in Utah desert
Volunteer scientists are now experiencing Mars-like lives in the Utah desert as part of a mission for the Mars Desert Research Station. Utah was selected due to its Mars-like terrain, environment and appearance, It contains many riverbeds, craters and a rocky red surface coated in a fine red dust - the closest geological conditions to Mars, on earth.
Adrien Russel, Belgium team engineer:
“We will simulate life conditions on Mars and to see what challenges can arise if you have to live a long period of time in a small habitat.”
Mars Desert Research is a global program where four to six crew members - the commander, a health and safety officer, an astronomer, and a journalist - live and work for days, weeks and sometimes months in relative isolation in Mars-like habitats.
A number of state-sponsored, private and non-profit organisations, including NASA, hold ambitious plans to send astronauts to Mars in the near future. One Dutch company has even sold nearly 80,000 one-way tickets to Mars, where they plan to create a future colony .
19 june 2013
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Home of cricket Lord’s hosts Savile Row
The iconic home of cricket, Lord’s, has been taken over by male models for a showcase of suits from world renowned Savile Row tailors. The fashion display’s theme was the English gentleman.
Former cricketer Ed Smith:
“We're at Lord's, which is the home of cricket. Every sport has somewhere special, somewhere which is the most iconic ground in the world and in the case of cricket, that's here. Lord's is the most remarkable place, it's retained an atmosphere as a ground rather than just a stadium, so it has a very very special place in cricket history and in cricket's present as well. It's an opportunity to have an event here celebrating the idea of the gentleman in the place which sort of made that idea famous really.”
Rather than strolling down a catwalk, models just relaxed on benches sipping whiskey and walked around the historic venue while being followed by cameras, in a move which Savile Row tailors were quick to praise.
Richard Anderson, owner of 13 Savile Row:
“We want to move away from Savile Row being a fuddy duddy institution and really show it at its exciting best and I think a showcase like this does it extremely well.”
Lord’s cricket ground was established in 1814 and the site is also home to the world's oldest sporting museum. England will play Australia in the second test of the five-match Ashes series at the famous ground next month.
19 june 2013
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Is Rouhani really a 'moderate'?
New reports on Iran’s president-elect Hassan Rouhani have cast doubt on the "moderate" label he has been given by much of the international media.
The London based pan-Arab daily newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat has revealed that Rouhani’s son committed suicide over his father’s close ties to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei . The paper reports that in his suicide not to his father Rouhani’s son wrote: "I hate your lies, your corruption, your double acts and your hypocrisy. It makes me sick seeing you kiss the hand of Khamenei."
Rouhani has been deeply involved in the Iranian political establishment for decades, moving to France in 1978 to join Ruhollah Khomeini, the ayatollah who went on to lead the Islamic Revolution which toppled the Iranian shah in 1979. Rouhani then helped build the Islamic Republic, holding a number of influential positions in the security services. He was Chairman of the Supreme National Security Council from 1989-2005, the period during which the Council is alleged to have masterminded the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural centre in Buenos Aires in which 85 people were killed.
Between 2003 and 2005 Rouhani was Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator with the West. He is said to have boasted to his Iranian colleagues about how he easily outwitted European diplomats. In 2004 he gave a speech behind closed doors to Iranian lawmakers and academics in which he revealed how Tehran tried to deceive the international community so as to buy more time to progress with its nuclear programme.
A number of onlookers, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have suggested that Rouhani’s election will not change the trajectory of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. The president-elect’s label as a "moderate", they say, is simply a distraction, whilst is it in fact Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who retains ultimate control.
19 june 2013
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Robo style: Robot mimics popular horse-riding dance
South Korean researchers have developed a robot that can do the horse-riding dance made famous by South Korean singer Psy . “Hubo 2” has been created by scientists from the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Researchers say the robot’s movements are made to look realistic, with flexible limbs.
19 june 2013
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Iran economy improves after Rowhani election
Iran's stock exchange and currency markets have reacted positively to Hasan Rowhani's victory in the country's presidential election . The stock exchange has jumped up by two per cent, whilst the Rial has increased by 9% against the US Dollar.
However, the rial has lost more than half of its value over the past year , mainly due to the government's economic mismanagement and Western oil and banking sanctions imposed in response to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. As a result, Iran has suffered a sharp drop in foreign exchange revenues.
The so-called moderate Rowhani won the election outright by gaining almost 51 per cent of the vote, eliminating the need for a run-off. He has spoken of his desire to make Iran’s nuclear programme completely ‘transparent’, although has previously claimed the Persian state’s diplomatic statements were a ruse designed to buy more time to move nuclear plans forward.
19 june 2013
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NSA and FBI fight back with terror claims
The director of the United States’ National Security Agency has claimed that the Agency’s Orwellian surveillance and data monitoring programmes have prevented at least 50 terror attacks in the past 12 years.
NSA Director Keith Alexander:
"In recent years these programs, together with other intelligence, have protected the U.S. and our allies from terrorist threats across the globe to include helping prevent the terrorist - the potential terrorist events over 50 times since 9/11."
Alexander was backed up by the deputy director of the FBI, who listed specific examples of where surveillance has helped to capture those suspected of terror.
FBI Deputy Director Sean Joyce:
"Also David Headley, a U.S. citizen living in Chicago. The FBI received intelligence regarding his possible involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks responsible for the killing of over 160 people. Also, NSA through 702 coverage of an al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist found that Headley was working on a plot to bomb a Danish newspaper office that had published the cartoon depictions of the Prophet Mohammed."
The techniques used by the NSA, CIA and FBI are now under close surveillance themselves, following revelations from former NSA worker-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden in British newspaper The Guardian. The US government stands accused of straying beyond its constitutional remit and infringing upon longstanding civil liberties with its phone and internet spying.
19 june 2013
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Facebook CEO meets Park Geun-hye on economy
Twenty-nine-year-old Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is usually seen sporting a hooded sweatshirt, but for his meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-hye he finally got out the suit. The two met in Seoul to discuss Park’s vision for a ‘creative economy,’ which calls for creating new business opportunities and jobs.
The South Korean President has held numerous summits recently with a number of leading figures from the tech world as she seeks to entrench South Korea's position as one of the world's most connected countries. Zuckerberg managed not to offend her like Bill Gates did when he shook her hand with his other hand in his pocket, which is seen as a major sign of disrespect.
19 june 2013
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UEFA games in Israel help rebrand the state
When you think of Brazil, people often imagine beaches and carnival. When you think of Italy, people think of great food. Unfortunately when many people think of Israel, they picture a country in conflict . Therefore, Israel is trying to change that and rebrand itself as a nation.
- What is nation branding and why is it necessary?
Yuri Gankin , Branding Consultant:
“The purpose of nation branding is to associate a country with the core values dictated by its competitive adventures, whether for example a country is beautiful or the people are warm and the country is one who welcomes, so we can take a country and associate it with certain values that we want the world to see.”
- And how can Israel brand or rebrand itself?
Yuri Gankin , B randing Consultant :
“ Israel can brand itself or rebrand itself by showcasing different sides that people are not accustomed to see. For example, if we take Israel's culture or Israel's sports , we want to show the world, and mainly the European countries, that Israel is not all about terrorist attacks or about military conflicts. We want to show the world another Israel and to show a smiling Israel, a better Israel, people in Israel that enjoy life and their cheerful, and then we take them and we show a comprehensive picture of Israel and we try to display Israel's other character. “
- How will the UEFA games assist and impact people's perception of Israel?
Yuri Gankin , B randing Consultant:
"We actually show the world that Israel is a place in which such sporting events can be held, ok, because in the past the Israel national team they weren't allowed to host some games in Israel and now it has changed because Israel is not all about military conflicts or terror attacks . We are a safe country that such games, in such a high-caliber perspective can be held in. We show Israel's cities, we show the players that go around the stadiums and they go around the country, they enjoy the beach and they talk to people. If we take the people, sitting at home in Europe and they watch the European championships held here, they see a different Israel, they see an Israel they are not accustomed to. It's about sports, it's about life, and it's about the desire to enjoy a tournament that is held here and not in other countries.”
In Israel, most people take great pride in the fact that their nation was chosen to host the UEFA games over other nations that bid including Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and England. Hosting the final tournament is a first in Israeli history.
Barak Bar Zohar, Netanya Resident:
“ It's a great pride that Israel are hosting the Euro tournament, I'm very happy for them, it can change the image of the Israeli people.”
Dori Prior, Tel - Aviv Resident:
“ I've been to the World Cup in South Africa, it's not the same but here, like this tournament, this organization, I think can make us, me and my friends here, as Israeli, to be proud .”
Matan Shulim, Tel - Aviv Resident:
“People do read about it, people around the world still think it's the Middle East and we ride on camels, but they see we have electricity and stuff like that, so yeah it'll improve our image in the world.”
Yoni Rosen , Ramat Ha-Sharon Resident:
“ The games in Israel it's very exciting. I think it's really cool that actually all the teams came to Israel. It's looks like on TV the games I saw they looked pretty good; the crowd showed up, the stadiums look good so it's all good, but you know its wait and see how it ends. You know, if everything turns out quiet and cool, so it will be a good image.”
Yuri Gankin, Branding Consultant:
“We can use the European championship to change people's perspective, to change what people think about Israel, to display another Israel, a better Israel. The people in Europe, they see things that are not, that they are not accustomed to, that's good for us, that's what's happening right now.”
Israel has received its first chance to host such a huge international sporting event this month, and is hoping this would be the first of many .
Sivan Raviv, JN1 , Israel
19 june 2013
After the Arab Spring: Former Mossad chief Meir Dagan says Israel has 'unique' opportunity for new regional alliances in a 'rapidly shifting Middle East'
Hydrocarbon policy: Israel to permit 40% gas exports from new gas finds and keep the remainder on the domestic market
Iran atomic dawn: Former US counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke says Israel is running out of time to deal with Tehran’s nuclear programme but that outright military intervention could have 'apocalyptic' consequences
Old prejudices: Holland’s deputy Prime Minister has condemns an anti-Semitic comment made on Dutch television about a concert by Barbra Streisand
Southern Comfort: Micky Arison’s Miami Heat beat San Antonio to level Championship series
Hydrocarbon policy: Israel to permit 40% gas exports from new gas finds and keep the remainder on the domestic market
Iran atomic dawn: Former US counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke says Israel is running out of time to deal with Tehran’s nuclear programme but that outright military intervention could have 'apocalyptic' consequences
Old prejudices: Holland’s deputy Prime Minister has condemns an anti-Semitic comment made on Dutch television about a concert by Barbra Streisand
Southern Comfort: Micky Arison’s Miami Heat beat San Antonio to level Championship series
Breaking news
- Massive US-Jordan exercise wraps up
- Nazi henchman Laszlo Csatary is charged
- Peres celebrates his 90th birthday
- Yemenis protest Guantanamo Bay prison
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President Shimon Peres celebrates 90th birthday
Although it isn’t until August 2 nd , Israeli President Shimon Peres is celebrating his 90 th birthday a bit early this year. Many high profile guests are invited, including Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. Born on August 2 nd , 1923 in Poland, Peres is widely respected for his Middle East peace efforts.
He has been a Labour Party prime minister two times, but Peres never won a general election outright over five tries from 1977 to 1996. He was elected Israel’s president by parliament in 2007.
Peres was popular during his first term as prime minister in 1985 – 1986 where he improved relations with Egypt and cut inflation down from 445 percent a year to under 20 percent.
In 1994 he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Peres took over after Rabin was shot dead in 1995, but 1996 saw an election loss to Benjamin Netanyahu.
In 2005 Peres surprised his supporters by leaving the Labour party to join the newly formed Kadima party that was established to end the conflict with the Palestinians.
As Israel’s president, Peres has promoted making peace with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas along with the isolation of Hamas.
Peres has written several books. He is married, with three children.
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NYC couple fight for WWII property
Since the 1989 democratic transition, Poland has pledged time after time to pass a law dealing with private property restitution from the Second World War . But no such law has passed and the number of heirs is fast dwindling. Still that hasn’t stopped a New York City couple from fighting for what they feel is their rightful property.
This yellowed schematic from 1929 outlines in rough detail the family property Lea Evron says belongs to her.
Lea Evron:
“Behind the building there was a little garden, and behind the garden was the factory that my father owned with his brother. And you know I have very nice memories from before the war, but that’s about it.”
Born to a Polish Jewish family in 1935, Lea was just four years old when the Nazis invaded. The Germans confiscated her father’s apartment house and factory in the southern city of Zywiec. Lea and her mother went into hiding -- her sister and father perished.
Lea Evron:
“When the communists came they took over the factory, and the -- as I was told -- some of the workers were living in the building, because when we came back we couldn’t get into our apartment.”
In the decades after the war, Lea hopscotched from Sweden to Switzerland to Israel and finally to the United States. And over the years, she and her husband Jehuda procured hundreds of pages of documents, including a deed that lists her as the rightful heir .
Jehuda Evron:
“We have all the deed and everything.”
- So you have all the paperwork?
Lea Evron:
“I have everything.”
Jehuda Evron:
“We have all the paperwork.”
Lea Evron:
“Everything.”
The documents fill drawers and shelves in the Evrons’ study. But because Poland has no mechanism for the reclamation of property seized during the war, Lea has so far been unsuccessful in her attempts to reclaim her father’s land -- despite multiple Polish court rulings in her favor.
Steven Schwager, World Jewish Restitution Organization:
“We know unofficially there are at least 40 thousand potential Jewish claims for heired property.”
Steven Schwager co-chairs the executive committee of the World Jewish Restitution Organization.
Steven Schwager, World Jewish Restitution Organization:
“The issue is not getting their property back and it’s not getting money for it. None of those things can make up for the horrors of the Holocaust. But it is a symbol of justice.”
Meanwhile, Jehuda and Lea have said they will continue their fight. Their children have pledged to carry the torch in the event of their deaths.
Jehuda Evron:
“You see, to give up, in my opinion, it’s not an option, because there’s too much of injustice.”
Lea Evron:
“And really why? Why? I mean, my father worked for it hard.”
Jehuda Evron:
“All his life!”
Lea Evron:
“All his life and his brother. Why should they get it? Why?”
Poland does have a law dealing with the restitution of communal property -- things like synagogues and schools, that were seized during the war. But the Polish Foreign Ministry says the courts are where private cases should be adjudicated, and that the legal situation of Jews is ‘no different from the situation of other persons.’
Stephen Fee, JN1 , New York
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4000 Iran troops to aid Assad forces in Syria
Iran is reportedly preparing to send 4,000 Revolutionary Guard troops to Syria to aid the regime of Bashar Assad . Syrian government forces have already been bolstered by Lebanese fighters from militant group Hezbollah. Shiite Iran and its proxy Hezbollah have vowed to help the Assad regime to crush the largely Sunni rebellion supported by the West and Sunni Arab states.
Iran’s dramatic intervention comes hot on the heels of a US announcement last week that it is mulling imposing a non-fly-zone over Syria and would arm ‘vetted’ Syrian rebels, because of Washington’s belief that Assad’s government has crossed Washington’s ‘red line’ by using chemical weapons in the conflict. However, the Obama administration’s decision to align with the Sunni rebels has been described as a risky move.
The US says it will only arm secular Sunni rebels belonging to the officially recognized Free Syria Army, but there are real fears that many of the sophisticated weapons, including much-prized anti-aircraft missiles, could then fall into the hands of Hezbollah and the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusrah Front – by far the most potent and influential rebel group active in Syria.
However, extremist rebels may have already obtained such weapons. On Sunday, a rebel video posted to YouTube showed what appeared to be a large supply of the type of anti-aircraft missiles that the Obama administration has urgently tried to keep away from al-Nusrah and other extremist Sunni rebel groups; including a powerful new brigade from Chechnya.
The missiles, believed to be shoulder- launched SA-16s, are displayed in a video allegedly made by a Chechen-dominated jihadist group of foreign fighters. The weapons could hit most types of aircraft and may be a potent means of breaking the dominance over Syrian skies enjoyed by President Bashar al-Assad's air force.
There is increasing concern that the bloody re-opening of Islam’s ancient schism by the Syrian conflict will lead to a broader regional war , dragging in Syria’s neigbours, allies and foes. Lebanon is already suffering the deadly spillover effects and Israel, fearful of a new front on the Golan Heights, is keeping a watchful eye on developments.
The Netanyahu government has struck inside Syria at least three times in recent months to stop Syrian weaponry being shipped to Hezbollah in Lebanon, but Israel unlike its Western allies, may have more to fear from a new an Islamist caliphate than a continuation of Assad’s rule.