3 women carrying babies among Jerusalem right-wing detainees

Elkana Friedman from Israel wins International Bible Contest

Fourteen-year-old Israeli Elkana Friedman wins the annual International Bible Contest held in Jerusalem every year to mark Israel’s Independence Day.

Friedman, from the West Bank settlement of Beit El, beats 15 other competitors to claim the prize.

The final is attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky and Education Ministry Director-General Michal Cohen.

Congratulating the winner, Netanyahu says: “I just came from a meeting with outstanding soldiers, and when asked what I would like to see from here on, I answered: ‘Love of Israel and love of the Bible.'”

The runner-up in this year’s contest, Tehila Matas, is the sister of last year’s winner, Eyal Matas.

The winner is awarded a four-year scholarship to Bar-Ilan University, near Tel Aviv.

Elkana Friedman, the winner of the annual International Bible Contest, stands with Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on May 12, 2016 (screen capture: Channel 1)

Livni pays tribute to brother who dies of cancer

Zionist Union MK Tzipi Livni pays tribute to her brother, Eli Livni, after he dies of cancer.

“They say that the righteous die on the holidays,” she writes on Facebook. “Eli my brother left us on the eve of Independence Day. A man who loved his country, fought for it and closed his eyes as through the window fireworks announced the 68th year of independence. Our parents, who were married on the day the state was established, on this day received their son to them.”

Likud MK opposes Zionist Union joining government

Likud MK Yoav Kish expresses his opposition to talks between Netanyahu and Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog on expanding the coalition government.

“As chairman of the Land of Israel lobby I am opposed to the Labor party [the senior partner in Zionist Union] joining the government, if it even slightly influences the guidelines of the government of Israel and support for our right to settle in all parts of our country,” Kish says, according to Walla.

“If the Labor Party chooses to disregard its values in order ​​to enter the government that would be their own decision,” he adds.

Erdogan: Turkey preparing to clear IS from Syrian side of border

Turkey is preparing to “clean” the Syrian side of the border of Islamic State jihadists after a Turkish border town comes under repeated deadly rocket attacks, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says.

“We are doing all the necessary preparations to clean the other side of the border because of the problems in Kilis,” Erdogan says amid persistent speculation of a possible Turkish cross-border ground operation, without giving details on the preparations.

Around two dozen people have been killed in the Turkish border town of Kilis by rocket fire from IS jihadists since January, prompting the army to respond with artillery fire.

Erdogan also complains that Turkey is not receiving the support it desires from its allies in the fight against IS, and indicates Ankara is prepared to take unilateral action.

“While our citizens fall martyr every day in the streets of Kilis by rockets launched from the other side, what can we expect from our allies?” he says. “Let me say it here. We will not hesitate to take needed steps on our own if necessary.”

— AFP

Egyptian activists campaign for release of street performers

Egyptian activists take to social media to support an online campaign demanding the release of four detained members of a satirical street group whose selfie-style video clips mocked the country’s general-turned-president, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

The activists post selfies on Facebook, entitled “does a mobile phone camera rattle you?” and directed at Sissi.

The campaign comes after police on Monday arrested four members of the group Awlad el-Shawarea, or “Street children.” A fifth member is arrested over the weekend but later released on bail. The performers are facing several charges, including inciting terror attacks and street protests as well as insulting state institutions.

Famous Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef — often described as the Jon Stewart of Egypt — is also taking part in the online campaign. Youssef’s show was taken off the air when freedoms significantly diminished after then-military-chief Sissi ousted Egypt’s first freely elected leader, the Islamist Mohammed Morsi, in July 2013.

“If you truly are not scared of anyone, let them go free,” Youssef posts, referring to the performers and alluding to Sissi’s recent repeated assertions that no one scares him.

— AP

Hamas police arrest Gazan protesting high unemployment

Police in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip arrest a young Palestinian for protesting over high unemployment in the coastal enclave, the Palestinian news agency Ma’an reports.

The Gaza-based Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights says that 15 unemployed university graduates on Monday launched a sit-in and hunger strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to protest the high unemployment and poor living conditions in the Strip.

Ma’an quotes the center as saying that two police cars went to the scene of the protest and arrested 24-year-old Ikrima Mitwalli, and dispersed the rest of the protesters.

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics says there were 193,000 unemployed people in Gaza in 2015, some 41% of the working-age population, Ma’an reports. Trade unions in Gaza, however, place the unemployment rate closer to 60%.

35,000 visit Sea of Galilee on Independence Day

Some 35,000 people visit the Sea of Galilee for Independence Day today, Channel 10 reports.

The large number of visitors to the lake shores has caused the closure of some beaches, the local authority says.

9/11 commission member says Saudi officials ‘supported’ hijackers

A former member of the US commission into the September 11, 2001, attacks says he believes there is clear evidence that Saudi officials provided support for the hijackers who carried out the attacks.

According to the Guardian, John H. Lehman, a New York investment banker and former Navy secretary under Ronald Reagan, says Saudi government employees were part of a support network for the terrorists, and calls on the Obama administration to quickly declassify a Congressional report on Saudi ties to the attack.

“There was an awful lot of participation by Saudi individuals in supporting the hijackers, and some of those people worked in the Saudi government,” the Guardian quotes Lehman as saying.

Netanyahu begins Q&A with Twitter users

Netanyahu begins answering questions from Twitter users in a special Independence Day feature.

In one of his first responses, the PM defines “The rise of radical Islam, led by Iran and ISIS” as “the greatest threat to Israel and the civilized world.”

#asknetanyahu pic.twitter.com/5h1dcKX40Z

— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 12, 2016

4 planes deploy to fight fire near Jerusalem

Four planes are deployed to battle a brush fire close to the entrance to Jerusalem, Walla reports.

Due to the warm weather and strong winds, the fire spreads quickly in the direction of the Ramot neighborhood of the capital.

Trump arrives at RNC headquarters for Ryan meeting

Donald Trump arrives at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee in Washington, DC, for a sit-down with House Speaker Paul Ryan and RNC Chairman Reince Priebus.

Ryan has openly expressed his reservations about supporting Trump as the party nominee for president.

BREAKING: @realDonaldTrump arrives at RNC HQ https://t.co/WK0zw1wsKv

— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) May 12, 2016

PM: I am willing to meet Abbas right now

Netanyahu tells Twitter Q&A that he is willing to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas immediately, at the home of either leader.

“I’m willing to met President Abbas today, right now,” he says in answer to the question: “What steps are you taking to protect Israel as both Jewish and Democratic?”

“He can come to my home here in Jerusalem or I can go to his home in Ramallah,” the prime minister says.

.@Sam_Rubinstein #asknetanyahu pic.twitter.com/i3TRJrh4mj

— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 12, 2016

Joint List leader: Acknowledging Nakba is only way to reconciliation

Joint (Arab) List chairman MK Ayman Odeh joins the March of the Return for Palestinian refugees in the Negev.

“The question of the Nakba is not a question of the past, but the question of the future,” he says, referring to the Palestinian name for Israel’s independence, which translates as “catastrophe.”

“Acknowledging the Nakba… is the only way to true reconciliation between the two peoples,” he says.

— Dov Lieber

Trudeau: Canada proud to call Israel close partner, steadfast ally

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sends greetings to Israel on the occasion of its 68th Independence Day, calling the Jewish state “a close partner and steadfast ally.”

“Today, we celebrate the 68th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel with our Israeli friends and Jewish communities, both here in Canada, and around the world,” he says in a statement on his website.

“The State of Israel is a thriving and vibrant country, which Canada is proud to call a close partner and steadfast ally.

“Canada and Israel unite in their people-to-people ties, shared values, respect for democracy, and growing trade relationship. I look forward to continuing to strengthen our strong friendship.

“Although today is a joyous day, let us also reflect on the threat that Israel and its people continue to face throughout the world in the form of terrorist attacks, acts of anti-Semitism, and religious intolerance. Canada stands with Israel and will continue to promote peace and stability in the region.

“On behalf of Sophie and our children, I wish everyone celebrating Israel’s Independence Day a Yom Ha’atzmaut Sameach. Shalom.”

Istanbul blasts wounds at least 4 — reports

A Turkish news agency says four people are wounded in explosion close to a vehicle carrying military personnel in Istanbul. The blast occurs close to military barracks, reports say.

— Agencies

Woody Allen’s son: ‘PR engine’ halted probes of alleged sexual abuse

The son of Woody Allen and actress Mia Farrow says the director’s “powerful publicist” pressured reporters to drop investigations into his alleged sexual abuse of Dylan Farrow, his then 7-year-old daughter.

In an essay in The Hollywood Reporter, Ronan Farrow says that Allen’s “PR engine revved into action” when allegations were raised that the Jewish filmmaker sexually assaulted his daughter.

“Every day, colleagues at news organizations forwarded me the emails blasted out by Allen’s powerful publicist,” writes Farrow. “Those emails featured talking points ready-made to be converted into stories, complete with validators on offer — therapists, lawyers, friends, anyone willing to label a young woman confronting a powerful man as crazy, coached, vindictive. At first, they linked to blogs, then to high-profile outlets repeating the talking points — a self-perpetuating spin machine.”

— JTA

Saudi woman gets 6-year sentence for supporting IS

A Saudi woman is sentenced to six years in prison for “acts of sedition” including pledging allegiance to the Islamic State jihadist group, newspapers report.

Al-Hayat daily reports that the judge decides to keep her in jail for only three years after she expresses “regret” for her “acts of sedition” and suspends the rest of the sentence. She is however banned from traveling abroad for six years, it adds.

The woman is convicted of pledging allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State group that has seized territory in Iraq and Syria. She posted messages on Twitter supporting a deadly attack on security forces, and hung posters at a mosque and on utility poles to seek the release of a suspected militant, Saudi Gazette says.

— AFP

Zimmerman auctioning gun he used to shoot Trayvon Martin

Former Florida neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman is auctioning off the pistol he used in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager.

In an interview with Orlando, Florida, TV station WOFL, Zimmerman says he has just received the pistol back from the US Justice Department, which took it after he was acquitted in Martin’s 2012 shooting death.

“And I thought it’s time to move past the firearm,” Zimmerman tells the station. “And if I sell it and it sells, I move past it. Otherwise, it’s going in a safe for my grandkids and never to be used or seen again.”

The auction listing on GunBroker.com lists the gun as a 9 mm Kel-Tec PF-9 pistol. The auction begins at 11 a.m. EDT today and ends at the same time tomorrow. The bidding starts at $5,000.

The auction listing also says a portion of the proceeds will go toward fighting what Zimmerman calls violence by the Black Lives Matter movement against law enforcement officers, combating anti-gun rhetoric of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and ending the career of Angela Corey, the attorney who led the prosecution against Zimmerman.

The listing ends with a Latin phrase that translates as “if you want peace, prepare for war.”

— AP

Nasrallah: Islamic State carrying out new Nakba

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah accuses Islamic State of carrying out a new Nakba, and vows that groups will “stand in their way.”

“The Islamic State takes pride in killing women and children in Baghdad,” Nasrallah says, according to Lebanese website naharnet.com.

“There is a great difference between the current Nakba and the one of 1948. There are groups that currently exist that will stand in the way of this new Nakba.”

He blames the US for the rise of IS, saying it “and its regional allies have brought takfiri [non-believers] and barbaric terrorist groups aimed at destroying the spirit and will of the resistance.”

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah delivers a speech from Beirut, Lebanon, on May 12, 2016 (screen capture: Press TV)

Nasrallah: West has no problem with Muslims, but with anti-Israel forces

Nasrallah says while “the West does not have a problem with Muslims,” it does have a problem “with the movements and people who reject Israeli occupation of Palestine.”

The Hezbollah leader also says the West has “a problem with all those who reject foreign hegemony in the region,” Naharnet.com reports.

“The US, Israel, and the West have a problem today, called the axis of resistance, embodied in Iran, Syria, and the resistance movements in Lebanon and Palestine,” he says.

Nasrallah: US created IS to fight its and Israel’s enemies

Hezbollah leader Nasrallah accuses the US of creating Islamic State to fight its and Israel’s enemies in the Middle East.

“Islamic State is a means to achieve US goals, as demonstrated through the return of American troops in Iraq,” he says according to naharnet.com.

“They want IS to reach all of Iran’s borders and even within Iran itself,” he adds. “They sought to fight us through direct means, such as the 2006 war with Israel, but they failed and so they are seeking the same method they adopted when they fought the Soviet Union.”

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei: Gaza key part of refugee crisis

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei says he felt compelled to visit Gaza to understand its part in the global refugee crisis for a documentary he is filming.

While Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans have formed the bulk of the thousands of people fleeing to Europe, hundreds of Palestinians have also made the treacherous journey. Ai says he could not ignore the decades-old reality of Palestinian refugees due to their “long history.”

“It is a big population and has such a complexity of political conditions and affects a huge society,” he says. “If we are doing a documentary film we have to search [for] what happened in this refugee situation in the global sense and Gaza is a very, very important location we have to film in.”

— AFP

Ryan after Trump meeting: Totally committed to working together

House Speaker Paul Ryan says after meeting with presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump that the two are “totally committed to working together.”

“The United States cannot afford another four years of the Obama White House, which is what Hillary Clinton represents,” the two say in a joint statement. “We will be having additional discussions, but remain confident there’s a great opportunity to unite our party and win this fall, and we are totally committed to working together to achieve that goal.”

just in: joint statement from Paul Ryan and Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/83oaxhcaEH

— Rosie Gray (@RosieGray) May 12, 2016

UNWRA: A fifth of Syria’s Palestinians have fled the country

More than 20 percent of Syria’s Palestinian refugees have fled the country and its five-year war, says the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA.

“Before the war, there were 560,000 Palestine refugees. We estimate that currently about 110,000 to 120,000 have left the country,” UNRWA chief Pierre Krahenbuhl says on a visit to Damascus.

“There are about 45,000 who went to Lebanon, 15,000 to Jordan,” he says. “The others –- therefore almost half of those who have left –- have traveled, we presume, through Turkey and then to a variety of other countries.

“Some of them will be in Europe. We know of Palestine refugees who have reached parts of Asia. We know of some who have reached Latin America.”

Syria is home to 12 refugee camps, three of them unofficial, according to UNRWA.

— AFP

Right-wing protesters arrested for march on Temple Mount

Police in Jerusalem arrest five right-winger protesters participating in an illegal march to the Temple Mount.

A police statement says that the at around 6 p.m., dozens of right-wing activists begin an unauthorized procession from the city center towards the Temple Mount. The police commanding officer at the scene calls on the marchers to disperse, as the event is taking place illegally, and when the marchers refuse, the five are arrested. All the detainees are taken in for questioning and the other marchers are dispersed.

— Judah Ari Gross

WATCH: Declaration of Independence brought to life in Tel Aviv

Israeli performers in Tel Aviv mark Independence Day with a recreation of the May 14, 1948 declaration of independence by the man who would become the nascent state’s first prime minister, David Ben Gurion.

The recreation, which is held outside Independence Hall on Rothschild Boulevard (the building where the actual declaration took place), veers into creative licence, as Ben-Gurion appears to be accompanied by both Golda Meir and Theodor Herzl, neither of whom was there at the time.

The original declaration:

Google marks Independence Day with special doodle

Google users in Israel are treated to a special Google doodle in honor of Independence Day.

Those who access the search engine’s homepage can see the epitome of Israeli activity on the day – barbecuing. And while most Israelis do restrict themselves to cook-outs in less perilous locations, people can indeed be seen setting up their barbecue on a traffic island, as best spots in the country’s parks and nature reserves quickly fill up.

French Jew who faked anti-Semitic attack gets suspended sentence

A French Jewish teacher who pretended to have been the victim of anti-Semitic violence by Islamic State supporters days after the terror attacks in Paris receives a six-month suspended sentence.

The unnamed 57-year-old maintains his version of events throughout the trial in Marseille, claiming that, just days after the November 13 attacks in Paris, he was assaulted by three men armed with knives, claiming to be from IS.

“The truth is he wasn’t assaulted in the way he says,” says prosecutor Andre Ribes, underlining doubts raised by all the police officers, firefighters, doctors and experts involved in the case.

“I have never seen real injuries from a knife that looked like this,” says one local official, adding that he thought marital problems may have been the reason for the defendant’s lie.

A teacher of history and geography in a Jewish school, the man receives extensive coverage in the media at the time, appearing alongside Jewish community leaders and displaying superficial wounds on his forearm and abdomen.

— AFP

Herzog: I wouldn’t join government without having influence

Amid rumors of ongoing talks on bringing his party into the government, Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog says he would not join the coalition without having any real power. “I am not a decoration committee, he says, “the shared path is the deciding factor.”

“In recent days I have heard a lot of insights and sardonic cynicism from analysts who always know everything. I do not know everything, but I know what is my truth,” Herzog writes on Facebook. “In the past year, I have received daily requests to join the government, and I answered them: It does not interest me to sit there without my hands on the steering wheel, I am not a decoration committee.”

Channel 2 also quotes Herzog as saying that, “Rumors of a breakthrough are premature. If there is a worthwhile offer, I will consider it.”

10 right-wing activists arrested for trying to reach Temple Mount

Police say 10 right-wing activists are arrested at the Damascus Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem, for trying to form a human chain to reach the Temple Mount, and thereby preventing Arab entry to the site.

The detainees include three women carrying babies strapped to their bodies, who are arrested for violence and disturbing the peace. The police say that aside from the violence, the women acted in such a manner as to endanger their infants. They are taken for questioning and social care workers are brought in due to the involvement of the babies.

— Judah Ari Gross

Yachimovich: Unity government proposal should’ve been rejected long ago

MK Shelly Yachimovich decries rumors that the Zionist Union party will soon be joining the government.

“This proposal should have been rejected long ago, but unfortunately this was not the case. In internal discussions, I expressed my opinion in sharp terms,” she writes in a message sent to reporters.

“This is not a unity government, it is a right-wing government in every way, into which the Labor Party [the Zionist Union’s senior member] is crawling without any conditions to receive ministries and treats.”

Federal agents raid New York Hasidic town of Kiryas Joel

Federal agents are searching the New York Hasidic village of Kiryas Joel for the second time in the past two months.

According to the Forward, investigators from the FBI, Sullivan County District Attorney’s office, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms search locations throughout the town.

Last week, two videos surfaced apparently showing a Kiryas Joel principal kissing a male student. In March, FBI agents raided schools in the village in connection with their use of the federal E-rate technology subsidy program.

Kiryas Joel is run by a Satmar faction led by Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum.

— JTA

Ex-UK Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks gets $250K prize from Conservative foundation

Former British chief rabbi Jonathan Sacks is receiving a $250,000 award from a foundation dedicated to advancing conservative principles.

The Milwaukee-based Bradley Foundation says Sacks will receive one of four Bradley Prizes, each of which carries a stipend of $250,000.

In a statement, the foundation calls Sacks an “international religious leader, philosopher, award-winning author, respected moral voice.”

The foundation includes among its principles supporting “limited, competent government and a dynamic marketplace for economic, intellectual, and cultural activity.”

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (courtesy/Core18)

— JTA

Labor MK Margalit to PM: I will never join your government

Erel Margalit joins fellow Labor MK Shelly Yachimovich in vocally opposing the party joining the government, as rumors of an impending deal continue to spread.

Margalit sends Netanyahu a letter stating that he will never join a unity government under the prime minister.

“I wish to inform you that I have no intention of joining this government, and do not consider me to be a possible voice for the coalition, but rather as a determined and sure voice for the opposition,” Margalit writes.