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Israeli-Iranian Singer Takes U.N. By Storm

The News From Israel

Orly Halpern rounds up the news from Israel.

"I am actually celebrating being both Israeli and Iranian..."-Iranian born Israeli singer Rita, at her U.N. performance of Hebrew and Persian songs. The Iranian ambassador was not present.

  • Peres tells EU president: Terror, not Israeli settlements, is obstacle to peace - On tour of European countries, Israeli president rejects criticism of West Bank settlements, says terrorism prevented implementation of two-state solution. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Hebron: Separate roads for Jews, Palestinians - Road leading to Cave of Patriarchs separated by fence: paved side for Jews, unpaved for Arabs. Peace Now: With settler pressure, government continues building walls, fences of racism. (Ynet)
  • East Jerusalem woman wounded by Israeli Border Police fire - Police say officers fired foam-tipped bullets to disperse crowd after rock-throwing incident, Silwan residents say no rocks were thrown. (Haaretz+)
  • Israel mistreats Palestinian children in custody, UNICEF reports - The United Nations Children Fund estimated that 700 Palestinian children aged 12-17, most of them boys, are arrested, interrogated and detained by the Israeli military, police and security agents every year in the West Bank. (Reuters, Haaretz and AFP, Ynet)
  • Lieberman imposes media ban on defense committee hearings - IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz appears before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, but media receives no information on what he said, in line with a new policy. (Israel Hayom)
  • Spurned by Likud, ultra-Orthodox parties say they'll now support the Left- Our views are much closer to Labor's than to Habayit Hayehudi's, says United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni. Former Shas MK Shlomo Benizri: I hope the national-religious camp understands the implications of what it is doing. (Israel Hayom)
  • Hundreds of arrest warrants made for ultra-Orthodox who did not report at the induction center - In light of the fact that no new law has been passed regarding draft of ultra-Orthodox, young ultra-Orthodox who did not show up received a letter that an arrest warrant is out for them. Nevertheless, IDF sources say the police probably will not make the arrests. (Maariv, p. 4)
  • Israeli Knesset discusses jailed spy Jonathan Pollard - Israel made mistakes in handling of the case, says public diplomacy minister; Lapid signs petition calling for Pollard's release. (Haaretz+)

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