APN's daily news review from Israel
Friday, August 17, 2018
Quote of the day:
“In the summer of 2018, the lives of dozens of soldiers and civilians were spared.
Their time may come in another year, two years or three. But today and tomorrow they’re
here. Their families weren’t shattered, graves weren’t dug, eulogies were not delivered.
What’s been said of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu many times in the past remains true
today: He doesn’t rush to send soldiers into war, certainly a war that’s unnecessary and
pointless and after which we will only return to square one. He has also succeeded in
recruiting to this judicious and mature policy of containment a defense minister (Avigdor
Lieberman), who took over that portfolio two years ago in the guise of James Bond, Rambo
and Conan the Barbarian. The size and bitterness of the pill that Netanyahu and Avigdor
Lieberman had to swallow for negotiating with Hamas, with vigorous Egyptian mediation, on
the terms of an agreement or 'arrangement,' are beyond measure.”
—Haaretz+ political analyst, Yossi Verter, looks at the decision-making behind the one-year ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.
You Must Be Kidding:
“However, as a gesture, and in a step that went beyond the letter of the law, COGAT, with the assistance of the Ministry of Communications and the Customs Authority, allowed a one-time transfer of approximately ten and a half tons of mail that had been held in Jordan."
--Israel says that it did the Palestinians a favor when it allowed to be transferred to the West Bank this week over ten tons of Palestinian mail that it prevented delivery since 2010 because it was not properly addressed to Israel.
—Haaretz+ political analyst, Yossi Verter, looks at the decision-making behind the one-year ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.
You Must Be Kidding:
“However, as a gesture, and in a step that went beyond the letter of the law, COGAT, with the assistance of the Ministry of Communications and the Customs Authority, allowed a one-time transfer of approximately ten and a half tons of mail that had been held in Jordan."
--Israel says that it did the Palestinians a favor when it allowed to be transferred to the West Bank this week over ten tons of Palestinian mail that it prevented delivery since 2010 because it was not properly addressed to Israel.
Elul, the Jewish month leading up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, is a time of reflection,
soul-searching, and repentance. Even before we reach the holy days designated for new beginnings and atonement,
Jews prepare to undertake tshuva, asking forgiveness both from our peers and from God. Each day in Elul, except
for shabbat, we blow the shofar to awaken our slumbering consciences and reach out to God, who is held to be
remarkably close and receptive to prayers during these weeks of spiritual preparation.
