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Byline: Edgar Asher

A relatively quiet year

A relatively quiet year

Among the events that began the Jewish year of 5775 (2014/15), Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu traveled to the United States, where he addressed the United Nations to warn of the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran, and met with U.S. President Barak Obama at the White House.

Prior to that visit, in September 2014, Israel received from Germany another state-of–the-art submarine, the INS Tanin. In October, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon was taken by the Israel Defence Forces to see a Hamas-built tunnel on the Gaza border, used for the purpose of terrorism.

In November, there was an attack on the Jerusalem light rail in which one person died after a terrorist drove his light van into a crowd of people waiting at a train station, and also injured more than a dozen others. The same month saw two terrorists enter Kehilat Ya’acov Synagogue in Jerusalem and attack worshippers at morning prayers with knives, axes and guns, killing four people and injuring a further eight.

In December, Labor party leader Isaac Herzog and Hatnua party leader and former justice minister Tzipi Livni announced that the two parties would join, with Herzog becoming party leader. Another new face was that of Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, who became the new chief of staff of the IDF in February.

The year was a reality check for some public figures, as their misconduct caught up with them. In February, former chief rabbi Yona Metzger, who had been subject to an investigation for accepting bribes, was indicted. In March, former prime minister Ehud Olmert was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to a prison term.

With respect to the environment and public space, the Tel Hiriya waste dump outside Tel Aviv was closed down and a development started for the foundation of a huge urban park in its place.

In March, Netanyahu won the general election, but was only able to form a majority government with a coalition. Later that month, seven siblings, aged 5 to 16, from Brooklyn were buried in Jerusalem after they died in a fire in their home.

During the year, several incidents brought into focus the complaint, particularly by Jews of Ethiopian descent, of discrimination by the police. In one, an Israeli Ethiopian IDF soldier, Damas Pakada, was attacked by a policeman, after which Pakada was invited to the Prime Minister’s Office to receive an apology.

In April, Israel was one of the first countries to respond to the earthquake in Nepal. Within a day or two, a field hospital was set up by the IDF in Katmandu.

In May, there was another attack on the light rail system in Jerusalem. This time, the terrorist was shot in the legs, then apprehended, by a security guard.

In July, the United States announced that it would release Jonathan Pollard in November. Pollard will have served 30 years in prison for spying for Israel. He will not be allowed to leave the United States for five years after his release.

In August, Yishai Shissel, who had recently been released from prison for stabbing participants in Jerusalem’s Pride parade 10 years earlier, once again attacked marchers in the annual parade. He stabbed six people at random, and a 16-year-old died of her injuries. Once again, Israel was faced with problems relating to discrimination and violence.

As the year closed, the government concluded a deal with the companies that will be responsible for mining the huge quantities of natural gas found off Israel’s coast.

 

photo - A border policeman walks past the covered body of a victim of the terror attack near the Jerusalem light rail in November 2014
A border policeman walks past the covered body of a victim of the terror attack near the Jerusalem light rail in November 2014. (all photos from Ashernet)
photo - Near the end of February 2015, Israel and Jordan sign an agreement to revitalize the Dead Sea by building an $800 million pipeline from the Red Sea. The measures will not only slow down the evaporation of the Dead Sea, but also supply electricity to both countries when completed.
Near the end of February 2015, Israel and Jordan sign an agreement to revitalize the Dead Sea by building an $800 million pipeline from the Red Sea. The measures will not only slow down the evaporation of the Dead Sea, but also supply electricity to both countries when completed.
photo - In March 2015, Likud wins the general election
In March 2015, Likud wins the general election.
photo - On March 22, Gabriel Sassoon from New York eulogizes in Jerusalem his seven children who were killed in a house fire the previous Shabbat in Brooklyn.
On March 22, Gabriel Sassoon from New York eulogizes in Jerusalem his seven children who were killed in a house fire the previous Shabbat in Brooklyn.
photo - The Tel Hirya reclamation project and urban park, April 2015.
The Tel Hirya reclamation project and urban park, April 2015.
photo - In April, Senator John Boehner visits Israel to show his solidarity over the rejection of the deal with Iran.
In April, Senator John Boehner visits Israel to show his solidarity over the rejection of the deal with Iran.
photo - Israel Defence Forces medical personnel treat injured Nepalese at the IDF field hospital in Katmandu, May 2015.
Israel Defence Forces medical personnel treat injured Nepalese at the IDF field hospital in Katmandu, May 2015.
photo - Ethiopian Jews and their supporters protest outside the Ministry of Defence headquarters in central Tel Aviv, June 2015.
Ethiopian Jews and their supporters protest outside the Ministry of Defence headquarters in central Tel Aviv, June 2015.
photo - Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu receives Esther Pollard in his office on July 29, 2015, following the news that her husband Jonathan Pollard is to be freed from prison in the United States in November.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu receives Esther Pollard in his office on July 29, 2015, following the news that her husband Jonathan Pollard is to be freed from prison in the United States in November.
photo - In August 2015, Jerusalemites take to the streets in a rally against violence and hate crimes. Thousands also take part in the demonstration in Tel Aviv.
In August 2015, Jerusalemites take to the streets in a rally against violence and hate crimes. Thousands also take part in the demonstration in Tel Aviv.

 

 

Format ImagePosted on September 11, 2015September 9, 2015Author Edgar AsherCategories IsraelTags Israel
A look into the Ashernet archives

A look into the Ashernet archives

Traveling by car between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in 1973. (photo by Edgar Asher)

In the 1970s, Edgar Asher worked at BBC Television News as a photojournalist. In 1973, he went to Israel to take photos of the country, mainly for the Ministry of Tourism, but also to update the BBC stills library. It was his first trip – he and his family would make aliya in 1975.

photo - With café culture yet to be established, Dizengoff Street was one of the only places to go and, noting the average age of the clientele in this photo, the “city that never sleeps” did not apply to 1970s Tel Aviv
With café culture yet to be established, Dizengoff Street was one of the only places to go and, noting the average age of the clientele in this photo, the “city that never sleeps” did not apply to 1970s Tel Aviv. (photo by Edgar Asher)
photo - Adiv Hotel on Ben Yehuda Street in Tel Aviv, 1973
Adiv Hotel on Ben Yehuda Street in Tel Aviv, 1973. (photo by Edgar Asher)

 

Format ImagePosted on July 10, 2015July 8, 2015Author Edgar AsherCategories IsraelTags Adiv Hotel, BBC, Ben Yehuda, Dizengoff
Report concludes Iranian Jews were murdered

Report concludes Iranian Jews were murdered

Former Sephardi chief rabbi Shlomo Amar (at head of table) joins David Meidan, to Amar’s right, to inform Iranian Jewish families of the fate of their family members. (photo by Ashernet/IGPO)

For the past 20 years, the fate of eight Iranian Jews who were attempting to escape to Israel has been unknown. On Thursday, March 20, former Mossad official David Meidan, who was charged with the inquiry into the disappearance of the eight Jews (plus three other Jews who were last heard from in 1997), told the families in Jerusalem that there is enough reliable information to conclude that all eight of the original Jews were captured and murdered while making their escape.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that the Mossad had been tracking the 11 Jews who had fled Iran in four separate groups, eight in 1994 and the remaining three in 1997. The Iranian Jews vanished without a trace during their clandestine attempts to reach Israel. Families were left clinging to the hope that they had been kidnapped, or perhaps held in captivity by foreign governments. The Mossad did not provide detail into when or where the eight were killed, or by whom.

The Prime Minister’s Office said that the Mossad had relied on a “reliable source” for the information. An inquiry into the fate of the additional three Iranian Jews, who were last heard from in 1997, is ongoing.

The original eight Jews included Babak Shaoulian-Tehrani, 17, of Tehran; Shahin Nik-Khoo, 19, of Tehran; Salari Behzad, 21, of Kermanshah; Farad Ezati-Mahmoudi, 22, of Kermanshah; Homayoun Bala-Zade, 41, of Shiraz; Omid Solouki, 17, of Tehran; Rubin Kohan-Mosleh, 17, of Shiraz; and Ibrahim Kohan-Mosleh, 16, of Shiraz.

The three Jews whose fates remain currently unknown are Syrous Ghahremani, 32 at time of disappearance, of Kermanshah; Ibrahim Ghahremani, 61, of Kermanshah; and Nourollah Rabi-Zade, 52, of Shiraz.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sent his condolences to the families and pledged to continue the investigation into the disappearance of the remaining three Iranians.

Meidan, the veteran Mossad official overseeing the investigation, was also involved in the negotiations for the release of soldier Gilad Shalit. After retiring two years ago, Meidan was approached by Netanyahu to continue to investigate the two cases.

Before the findings were presented to the families, the report was sent to former Sephardi chief rabbi Shlomo Amar, who ruled that the information was reliable according to halachah, Jewish law, a ruling that would allow the wives of the victims to remarry if they wish.

Format ImagePosted on March 28, 2014April 10, 2014Author Edgar AsherCategories IsraelTags Babak Shaoulian-Tehrani, Farad Ezati-Mahmoudi, Homayoun Bala-Zade, Ibrahim Ghahremani, Ibrahim Kohan-Mosleh, Nourollah Rabi-Zade, Omid Solouki, Rubin Kohan-Mosleh, Salari Behzad, Shahin Nik-Khoo, Syrous Ghahremani
PM Harper visits Israel

PM Harper visits Israel

Left to right: Laureen Harper looks on as her husband receives a ceremonial souvenir key from the Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein in the Knesset’s Chagall Room. (photo by Ashernet)

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu welcomed Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife, Laureen, to Israel earlier this week, acclaiming him as “a great friend of the Jewish state.” During his official four-day visit to Israel, Harper addressed the Knesset and also held a meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. This was Harper’s first visit to Israel.

photo - Stephen Harper and Binyamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu welcomes Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at Ben Gurion Airport.
(photo by Ashernet)

During his speech to the Knesset, Harper spoke out strongly in defence of Israel. “People who would never say they hate and blame the Jews for their own failings or the problems of the world, instead declare their hatred of Israel and blame the only Jewish state for the problems of the Middle East,” he said. “This is twisted logic and outright malice. Some civil-society leaders today call for a boycott of Israel – most disgracefully of all, some openly call Israel an apartheid state. Think about that. Think about the twisted logic and outright malice behind that. A state, based on freedom, democracy and the rule of law, that was founded so Jews can flourish as Jews and seek shelter from the shadow of the worst racist experiment in history,” he said.

“But what else can we call criticism that selectively condemns only the Jewish state and effectively denies its right to defend itself while systematically ignoring – or excusing – the violence and oppression all around it? This is the face of the new antisemitism. It targets the Jewish people by targeting Israel and attempts to make the old bigotry acceptable for a new generation.”

photo - Stephen Harper addresses the Knesset
The Canadian prime minister received a standing ovation after addressing the members of Knesset on Monday, Jan. 20.
(photo by Ashernet)

He continued, “Canada will defend Israel’s right to exist, because Jewish people deserve their own homeland after generations of persecution. Jewish people deserve to live safely and peacefully in that homeland. And, just as Canada supports Israel’s right to self-defence, Canada supports a just and secure future for the Palestinian people.” Earlier that day, Harper announced a $66 million aid package for the Palestinians.

Format ImagePosted on January 24, 2014April 7, 2014Author Edgar AsherCategories IsraelTags $66 milion, Binyamin Netanyahu, Laureen Harper, Stephen Harper, Yuli Edelstein

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