Women under 33 will be able to get a state funded abortion in 2014 regardless of their circumstances according to Israeli health officials.
Subsidized abortion in Israel was only available previously for cases of rape, abuse or medical emergencies. Also, all women in the Israeli army were provided one free abortion on request.
Despite the new funding, women will still need to get the approval of a state committee before being able to obtain the abortion. Abortion is illegal without the board’s approval; however, the board approves 98% of cases that are brought before it.
The panel, which recommended the change, said that they expect to see 6,300 government-funded abortions in the new age range in 2014.
The panel will not consider any rights of the father for the baby and minors do not need to have a guardian or parent’s permission to appear before the committee to obtain an abortion.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center has released its annual list of the worst anti-Semitic statements or actions of the past year and Iran’s Supreme Leader is at the top of the list.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel was the “rabid dog” of the Middle East and that “its leaders look like beasts and cannot be called human.” The anti-Semitic rhetoric continued as the U.S. was conducting secret talks with Iran over that country’s nuclear program.
Others on the list included the American Studies Association which voted to called for a boycott of Israel because of their refusal to give away their land for a Palestinian state while refusing to acknowledge terrorism against Israel by Palestinian groups.
An American school district also made the list. Pine Bush School District in New York has reportedly taken no steps to stop abuse of Jewish students which included their being forced to dive into garbage cans to retrieve coins, the beating of a Jewish boy with a hockey stick and a Jewish girl who was held down and had a swastika drawn on her face.
Senior Israeli officials are furious after a new leak from fugitive Edward Snowden shows the NSA was tracking the e-mail of some of Israel’s highest leaders.
The report says that from 2008 to 2011, the U.S. obtained help from Britain to spy on the e-mails of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz told Israel Radio that what the NSA had done to his country was “not legitimate” intelligence gathering and he called for an agreement between the two nations regarding espionage.
A spokesman for Olmert tried to downplay the news saying the account monitored was for questions from the public and that “there is no chance there was a security or intelligence breach.”
Israel stopped all espionage actions against the U.S. when former civilian intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard was caught sending classified information to the Israelis.
“I think we should expect the same relations from the U.S.,” Steinitz said.
A sniper with the Lebanese army launched an unprovoked attack on an Israeli soldier. The soldier was driving along the border late Sunday night when he was shot by the sniper.
Two Lebanese soldiers were then killed early Monday morning by Israeli troops.
The shootings are causing concern that the area will see hostilities resume after a mostly peaceful season after a one-month war in 2006. Israeli officials said they do not want to see an escalation of the violence and they would take no actions to add to that atmosphere.
Lebanon’s National News Agency confirmed the killing of the Israeli soldier was by a member of their army but did not mention why the sniper chose to assassinate the Israeli.
United Nations officials have called on both sides to provide information for an investigation into the incident without delay.
Heavy storms continued throughout Israel on Friday, causing traffic disruptions and power outages across the country, floods in southern regions, a brief closure of Ben-Gurion International Airport, and a measure of excitement among the nation’s many snow-lovers.
Thousands of people in and around Jerusalem were left without power. A hastily assembled array of relief services, beefed up by Israeli army troops, came to the aid of hundreds of motorists who were trapped in their vehicles, some for up to 10 hours.
Speaking on the radio, Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat described the snowstorm as a “tsunami,” for which the municipality was unprepared. The city set up several improvised snow-havens, granting shelter to hundreds of the snowed-in masses, many of whom had come to the capital to celebrate what is usually a much less torrid event.
Roads to and from Jerusalem were closed Thursday night and school there was cancelled for Friday as the heaviest December storm since 1953 fell on the capital city.
Source: Haaretz – Massive snowstorm shuts down Jerusalem
The biggest December snow and rain storm in the modern history of Israel and the Palestinian territories hit on Wednesday night. Now a storm three times worse is bearing down on the epicenter.
For the many of the kids of Jerusalem, the storm has been much fun. Building snow men. Having snow ball fights. Sledding. Walking through and playing in the cold white stuff they rarely experience. Continue reading →
Tens of thousands of homes around Israel were left without electricity Friday as severe winter storms continued to batter the country.
More than 25 thousand families in Jerusalem and surrounding areas were cut off from power, Israel Radio reported. Continue reading →
The first snowfall in 100 years fell in Cairo leaving adults in awe of the sight and children playing in snow dusted parks. Other parts of the city were pelted by rain and hail during the storm.
The winter storm that rolled through the Middle East brought three feet of snow to Israel making roads into Jerusalem impassable and leaving much of the country without power. The snow was so heavy in the West Bank that olive trees buckled under the weight of the snow.
The storm drove waves to the point it hammered the Egyptian Mediterranean coast and fisherman in Alexandria were warned by officials it was too dangerous to put out to sea.
Syrian refugees in Lebanon were hit particularly hard by the storm as constructed shelters were not designed to deal with heavy snowfall and bitter cold.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is moving back and forth between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators with a stated goal of finalizing a peace accord by spring.
Kerry will hold private talks today and Friday with Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on regarding a West Bank security plan. Kerry had unveiled details of the plan for the West Bank during a visit to the region last week.
Palestinians expressed their dislike of the proposed agreement. They expressed concerns that the deal will give in to Israeli demands while offering only promises to the Palestinian people.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that the negotiations were really an “ongoing discussion” and that “we expect they wil talk about security, as they will discuss other issues.”
President Obama had said over the weekend he believed it was possible to get the framework of a deal together in just a few months.
Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu is leading a delegation of six government officials to Rome for a meeting with Pope Francis.
The two-day visit will be the first time the two men have met face-to-face.
Officials close to the scheduled meeting say it’s likely the two men will discuss the Iranian nuclear issue and ongoing peace talks with the Palestinians.
Israeli President Shimon Peres invited the Pope for a visit to Christian holy sites in April followed by Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas who met Pope Francis on October 17th. Sources say it’s likely the Pontiff will visit the Holy Land near the end of May 2014.
Israel and the Vatican established diplomatic relations in 1993 but continue to have issues regarding property rights and tax exemptions for the Catholic Church. In June, negotiators pledged to step up their work to solve outstanding issues.
