Fifty Israelis still unaccounted for in Nepal

Still more babies to bring from Nepal, says father

Four Israeli families that were in Nepal during the earthquake that struck Nepal on Saturday return to Israel with three babies and a pair of twins.

The babies, who were all born to surrogate mothers, landed on Monday afternoon.

“There were moments of crazy fear, it was a nightmare and only now are we beginning to understand its scope,” one of the fresh fathers tells Ynet after getting off the plane.

The parents thank Magen David Adom and Interior Minister Gilad Erdan for their assistance. “There was a feeling we’re being taken care of,” says one of the fathers. “They came to pick us up, it’s like meeting angels.” Another man said “there are still two-week old babies there. It’s rainy and cold there, bring them home.”

Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir re-elected with 94% of vote

Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir won re-election with 94 percent of the vote, according to official results announced Monday, extending his 25-year rule despite international war crimes charges and multiple insurgencies.

The head of the Election Commission, Mokhtar al-Assam, announced the results to reporters. He said turnout was 46.4%, insisting that widespread reports of low participation were “not accurate.”

He said al-Bashir won 5.58 million votes. The other 12 presidential candidates were virtually unknown to the public.

The four-day vote began April 13. Nearly 13 million people were registered to vote at some 11,000 polling centers. Polling stations in the capital, Khartoum, were largely deserted.

Al-Assam said turnout was lowest in Khartoum, at 34.48%, while Kasala state in eastern Sudan led with 66.1% turnout.

— AP

Shin Bet nabs West Bank terror cell

The Shin Bet security service arrest members of a terror cell from the Palestinian village of Beit Rima in the West Bank.

They are suspected of hurling pipe bombs and Molotov cocktails at the military academy of Elisha, Israel Radio reports.

The cell was preparing to carry out additional terror attacks, according to the report.

Head of Iran’s Guard slams Saudi ‘treachery’

The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Monday accused Saudi Arabia of treachery against the Islamic world and compared the kingdom to Israel, the official IRNA news agency reports.

“Today, the treacherous Saudis are following in Israel’s footsteps,” Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari is quoted as saying.

“Saudi Arabia is shamelessly and disgracefully bombing and mass killing a nation that is fighting against the arrogant system,” or world powers, he said. He was apparently referring to Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been waging a monthlong air campaign against Iran-supported rebels, known as Houthis.

Iran has provided the Houthis with political and humanitarian support but denies arming them. The Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, last year, and Yemen’s internationally recognized president has fled the country.

Iranian leaders have repeatedly criticized the airstrikes and said the Saudi-led campaign is doomed to fail. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei went so far as to call the Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen “genocide.”

Jafari says the Saudi monarchy is facing collapse and called on his government to adopt a tougher stance toward Riyadh.

— AP

Kerry to meet Iranian FM Zarif in New York

US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart plan to meet Monday for the first time since they laid out the framework for a nuclear deal earlier this month. The State Department said Kerry and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif would meet in New York where the two are attending a conference on the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

Meanwhile the US Senate begins debate this week on a bill empowering Congress to review and potentially reject any Iran nuclear deal.

President Barack Obama grudgingly backed the bill when Democrats joined Republicans in demanding a say on any final agreement, but even with widespread support in the Senate, proponents must first win a battle with some colleagues determined to change the legislation in ways that could cost them the Democratic support needed for passage.

— AP

4 Israelis among climbers rescued from Everest

Climbers stranded for two days were plucked Monday from high altitudes on Mount Everest following a deadly quake-triggered avalanche, as exhausted and emotional mountaineers said they were thankful to be alive.

Rescue teams in three helicopters were running missions to Camps One and Two on the world’s highest peak following Saturday’s avalanche that killed 18 people further down the mountain at base camp, officials said.

The 150-odd stranded climbers, not thought to be seriously injured, were blocked by slabs of ice and snow brought down in the avalanche which damaged their land route back down the mountain.

According to Army Radio, four of the people rescued from the mountain were Israeli climbers.

“We have deployed three helicopters today to bring climbers down from Camp One and Two to base camp,” Nepalese tourism department chief Tulsi Gautam told AFP. “They are safe but we need to bring them down because part of the route is damaged.”

— AFP and Times of Israel staff

Israel main impediment to nonproliferation – Zarif

Israel is the main impediment to the universality of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, says Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in New York.

Zarif is in the US for the 2015 review conference for the NPT but he is likely to also meet with representatives of the P5+1 on the sidelines of the conference.

“The NPT states and all non-nuclear armed countries as a whole are all pursuing the same objective and that is to reach a balance among the three pillars of the Treaty; especially on the issue of nuclear disarmament, those who own nuclear weapons, Israel in particular, commit the most violations in regard to the provisions of the Treaty,” says Zarif, according to Iranian news agency Mehr News.

Israel, like India, Pakistan and North Korea, is not a signatory to the NPT.

Zarif also discussed the issue of lifting sanctions in any future nuclear accord between Iran and world powers: “We have maintained since day one that an agreement and sanctions do not go hand in hand; we have repeatedly noted that based on the framework we reached during negotiations in Lausanne, the sanctions will be lifted with the implementation of the agreement and the Security Council resolutions against Iran will be canceled by a new resolution.”

Poland refuses entry to 10 Russian bikers

Polish border guards on Monday blocked entry into Poland for 10 Russian bikers who said they were following a path commemorating the Red Army victory’s over Nazi Germany 70 years ago.

Border guard spokesman Dariusz Sienicki announced the decision after members of the Night Wolves, a nationalistic Russian group loyal to President Vladimir Putin, approached the border and tried to enter Poland.

Polish authorities said last week they would ban entry for the group, with leaders calling their plans to ride through Poland as part of World War II commemorations a provocation. The Night Wolves vowed to enter anyway and 15 were seen Monday morning at the border crossing between Brest, Belarus, and Terespol, Poland.

Belarusian guards let them pass but they were then held in a hangar by Polish officials.

“These people will not cross into Poland. Each of them will individually receive a decision denying them entry into Poland’s territory,” Sienicki said.

Some Russian bikers had been seen entering Poland earlier but they appeared to belong to another organization whose members are allowed entry.

Many Poles view the Night Wolves with suspicion because the pro-Putin bikers have rallied against the Ukrainian government and celebrated Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The German government has also expressed unease at the bikers and said they would not be welcome.

“This is not a normal bike club. They are tools in the hand of Vladimir Putin to make propaganda,” said Tomasz Czuwara, spokesman for the Open Dialog Foundation, a Polish group that supports Ukraine.

— AP

UN preparing ‘massive’ aid for Nepal

The UN food agency says it is preparing a large-scale aid operation to earthquake-ravaged Nepal, with a first plane set to arrive Tuesday.

“This will be a large, massive operation,” Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for the UN’s World Food Programme, tells AFP.

Officials say more than 3,500 people are now known to have died, including 3,432 in Nepal — making it the quake-prone Himalayan nation’s deadliest disaster in more than 80 years.

The United Nations is gearing up to launch an emergency appeal for aid for the region.

— AFP

100 Israelis in Nepal still not contacted

Israel is attempting to contact every Israeli currently in Nepal to inquire about their well-being and to enable anyone wishing to return home to do so, as well as to help as much the Nepalese people as possible in this trying time, a statement from the Foreign Ministry says.

Planes will bring to Israel all babies born to surrogate mothers in the next day, the statement said. The ministry says approximately 40 percent of babies born to surrogate mothers have already landed or are being flown today.

Most of the effort at the moment revolves around rescuing Israelis stranded in remote locations in Nepal. The Foreign Ministry says it hired helicopters and rescue vehicles wherever they are available. Some 100 Israelis have still not been contacted, the ministry says.

After a main airport in Nepal reopened Israel sent two planes with aid and medicine and two other jumbo-size aircraft will take off soon. On their way back, these planes will bring home Israeli hikers from Nepal. The ministry says Israel hopes fly the planes back home full of passengers. They will not need to pay to fly back to Israel.

There are 500 Nepalese nationals in Israel, the ministry said. According to the statement, the homes of 165 of them were ruined in the quake. The Foreign Ministry is trying to contact their families. Former Israeli ambassador to Nepal Hanan Goder is helping in this matter.

Jewish man attacked outside Paris synagogue

A French Jew from the northern Paris area told police he was assaulted by younger Arabs outside his synagogue.

The complainant, identified only as 53-year-old Salomon Z. in a report about the incident by the National Bureau for Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism, was assaulted on Saturday after attending Shabbat morning services at the synagogue of the municipality of Saint-Quen, the Bureau reported.

A man with an Arab appearance, whom the victim estimated is 25 years old, followed him into an alley, yelled “dirty Jew” at him and hit him in the face, according to an incident report by the Bureau, or BNVCA. Two other men, whom the victim also described as Arabs, joined the alleged aggressor and also hit the Jewish man.

Salomon Z. said the attackers wrestled him to the ground and produced a knife, telling him they were going to stab him, but fled the scene as onlookers began to approach.

— JTA

Man wounded by Molotov cocktail in West Bank

One man was moderately wounded when an anonymous attacker threw a Molotov cocktail at his car near Nablus, Channel 2 reports.

A-G paves way for Nepalese surrogate mothers to reach Israel

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein approved a draft that would enable surrogate mothers who are in Nepal to enter Israel, NRG reports.

The earthquake that hit Nepal on Saturday damaged the hospital where preemies and babies born to surrogate mothers. Weinstein’s draft refers to women in the second or third trimesters and who are bound by contract with intended parents and adoption agencies. Representatives of the Justice Ministry expressed fear that Weinstein’s initiative would open a loophole to human trafficking and said they would seek a verifiable process to check whether the women are really interested in leaving Nepal.

According to Weinstein’s proposed solution, any surrogate mother wishing to reach Israel must give her agreement freely and of her own volition to the Israeli consul, after he or a physician explain to her the risks of flying at high altitude at an advanced stage of pregnancy.

Both sides to the surrogate pregnancy agreement will be obligated to accept any decision by the surrogate mother, whether she plans to go to Israel or a third country, and agree in advance that this will not constitute a violation to their contract.

Footage of snow avalanche on Mt. Everest

Watch footage of the avalanche on Mount Everest in which 17 hikers were killed, during the earthquake in Nepal on Saturday. The footage was filmed by a German climber.

‘US will find it hard to support Israel at UN’

Under-Secretary of State Wendy Sherman warns Israel that the US will find it difficult to block international initiatives on resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict if the new government does not show that it is committed to the two-state solution.

Sherman was speaking at a conference of the Reform Movement in Washington, DC, according to Haaretz. She said the US always supported Israel in the international arena and will continue to do so, but added that during the campaign comments by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised questions regarding his commitment to the two-state solution.

Sherman’s comments on Monday carried a veiled threat that if Israel does not show in some manifest way its commitment to the two-state solution, it may lose US support at the UN.

Arab sector to go on strike tomorrow

The Arab sector will strike tomorrow (Tuesday) in protest of delays to construction permits in Arab communities and cities as well as the government’s policy of demolishing homes built without appropriate permits.

Organized by the High Follow Up Committee of Israel’s Arabs, the strike will be accompanied by a rally at Rabin Square at 5 p.m., where participants “will call on the Jewish public to stand together with the Arab public against the destructive and inciting policies of the Netanyahu government, which is looking to start a confrontation,” according to a statement by the organizers quoted by NRG.

“The follow-up committee emphasizes that the right for proper housing is an elementary right for every citizen and the state’s institutions must respect and fulfill it,” the statement continues.

The rally will be attended by Jewish and Arab public figures as well as MKs from the Joint (Arab) List.

‘The number of volunteers here is amazing’

Nearly 200 doctors left on a military aid delegation from Israel to Nepal, NRG reports. The delegation will establish a field hospital in the capital Kathmandu within hours of landing.

Due to security concerns that secondary quakes may yet hit the area, the plane will land in northern India, from where members of the delegation will fly to Kathmandu by military helicopters.

“The number of people who asked to volunteer here is amazing. There are senior doctors from most hospitals in Israel on this delegation.”

One of the members is a Nepali citizen who arrived in Israel for his internship as a doctor. “In the name of the citizens of Nepal, in my own name and in the name of the Nepalese government I want to thank you for what you are doing,” the man said.

Canadian Jew thought missing in Nepal contacts family

A 22-year-old Canadian of Jewish descent who was thought missing in Nepal contacts his family and lets them know he is safe.

Casey Blustein’s family was unable to reach him immediately after the quake.

“We are thrilled, our prayers are answered,” Mindy Kadonoff told CTV News Channel on Monday. “Best day of our life,” she said through tears.

Blustein told his mother he was in a “very safe area,” but wasn’t able to access the Internet or make phone calls over the weekend.

“We’re just so happy that he’s safe,” she said.

Chabad-Nepal seeks medicine, food

Chani Lifshitz, a Chabad emissary to Nepal, calls for donations and also asks Israelis and Jews in Nepal to watch out for secondary quakes, NRG reports.

“Two days after the tough quake that took place here we still hear secondary quakes every few hours. The situation is not yet calm, we call on all Israelis not to travel the roads and to stay in open structures,” she said.

Meanwhile the Chabad House in Kathmandu became a makeshift home for the hundreds of Israelis stranded in the area. “We’ve here two days already at the Beit Chabad which is pretty safe. At night there are hundreds of folks sleeping here and they also get to eat a hot dinner. It became their first home here in the area,” she said.

Lifshitz called on Jews everywhere to donate to the Kathmandu Beit Chabad since “we need to get all the basic products which are running out – water, rice and vegetables, equipment, medicine, all these things. We will be happy if you help us so we can help others. We have here guys who have not left the Chabad House and it has effectively become their home.”

To donate securely, click here.

German police sorry for telling fans to hide Israeli flags in soccer match

German police apologize for instructing fans of Ingolstadt not to wave Israeli flags during a match against Berlin Union, Israel Radio reports.

Israeli Almog Cohen plays for Ingolstadt, while a large percentage of Berlin Union’s fan-base is comprised of Arab residents of Berlin.

A police officer at the stadium feared violence would erupt between fans of the rival teams and instructed Ingolstadt fans not to wave the flags. On Monday, a senior German police officer said the decision was wrong and that it is part of the police force’s duty to ensure freedom of expression.

UN’s Ban ‘deplores’ Israeli attack on UN schools during Gaza war

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon deplores the results of a UN inquiry, which found that at least 44 Palestinians were killed and some 227 others wounded at UN premises due to “Israeli actions” during Operation Protective Edge, Reuters reports.

“It is a matter of the utmost gravity that those who looked to them for protection and who sought and were granted shelter there had their hopes and trust denied,” Ban wrote in a cover letter to the report on the incidents.

“I will work with all concerned and spare no effort to ensure that such incidents will never be repeated,” he added.

The UN secretary general also criticized Hamas and other Palestinian groups for putting UN schools in Gaza at risk by hiding arms in three locations not used as shelters.

“The fact that they were used by those involved in the fighting to store their weaponry — and, in two cases, probably to fire from — is unacceptable,” Reuters quoted Ban as saying.

IDF mission preparing to leave for Nepal

The IDF delegation preparing to leave for Nepal

Our soldiers prepare to travel towards #Nepal to support the Nepalese population. Updates at https://t.co/BqrD8nRbum pic.twitter.com/yuAUmAS1K4

— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) April 27, 2015

Israel highlights cooperation with UN inquiry of attacks on Gaza schools

The Foreign Ministry says Israel has received an executive summary of the UN report and will “study it carefully, with a view to continuing its cooperation with the UN Secretary General and his staff regarding the protection of UN facilities, particularly in periods of armed conflict.”

The ministry stressed that Israel cooperated fully with the inquiry.

The report “clearly documents the exploitation by terrorist organizations of UN facilities in the Gaza Strip,” the statement said. “Israel is committed to working jointly with the UN in order to improve the security of UN facilities in the Gaza Strip, with special emphasis on preventing such exploitation by terrorists. Moreover, Israel is prepared to extend its assistance to UNRWA, with the aim of preventing the recurrence of circumstances under which UN facilities are used to carry out terrorist activity, in blatant violation of international law, and in a manner that gravely endangers civilians, including UN staff,” the statement says.

Still no contact with 50 Israelis in Nepal

The latest data from the Foreign Ministry indicates that, so far, 490 Israelis were contacted in Nepal, and 50 have still not been reached.

199 people signed up for a flight back to Israel.

4 soldiers lightly hurt in accident near Gaza Strip

Four soldiers are lightly injured when their military vehicle overturns near the northern Gaza Strip.

Two were flown to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba and the other two were evacuated to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon.

Gal-on says PM supports bill that would stifle top court

After Meretz MK Zahava Gal-on met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today, she says that he wishes to push legislation that would allow the Knesset to re-legislate laws vetoed by the Supreme Court.

Gal-on said Netanyahu’s “support of the bill denies the principle of the supreme authority of the justice system and destabilizes the foundations of democracy for political interests.”

IDF troops shoot, injure rock-thrower in West Bank

A contingent of IDF soldiers fired at youths throwing stones in the village of al-Arka, near Jenin. A 16-year-old Palestinian was hit in the lower body, Ynet reports. He was evacuated to a hospital in Jenin, but the severity of his injury was unknown.