(NEWS) Czech Foreign Minister Expresses Support For Israel

"Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg expressed support for Israel and its effort to solve the Middle East crisis, he said at a meeting with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman yesterday.

Lieberman informed Schwarzenberg about the resumed peace talks with Palestinians.



Schwarzenberg told reporters that the Czech Republic does not conceal that 'it was, is and will be an ally of Israel in international politics and in Europe.'

This is one of the fundamental lines of Czech foreign policy, he added.

Lieberman said he considers the Czech Republic one of the best and most reliable friends of his country.

He also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu would visit the Czech Republic next year.

Schwarzenberg said he hopes that the complex talks on peace in the Middle East would continue well 'with God's help.'

Lieberman yesterday also commented on his statements about the Israeli-Palestinian talks.

Lieberman told Premysl Sobotka, chairman of the Senate, the upper house of parliament, that the peace talks provoked high expectations. However, a unilateral pressure on concessions must not be exerted, he added.

Sobotka said the EU should formulate a political stance on Israel on the basis of reality and not its media image.

Lieberman also met Miroslava Nemcova, chairwoman of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of parliament. They debated cooperation on parliamentary level.

Nemcova gave s him an invitation for the chairman of the Israeli parliament Knesset.

'We have also touched upon a possible visit by Netanjahu to the Czech Republic that is being arranged for next year,' Nemcova told CTK, adding that no concrete date had been set yet.

The French news agency AFP quoted Lieberman as saying that the Israeli-Palestinian talks must be based on the exchange of people and territories in relation to Israeli Arabs.



yesterday Lieberman specified that this was his private opinion and not the government's official stance.

Palestinians criticised his statements.

It is necessary to change the approach to talks with Palestinians since the hitherto course gave no results, Lieberman said.

Israel has made all gestures of good will, Lieberman pointed out, referring to long talks and a number of Israeli, American and other foreign politicians who had tried to solve the problem.

Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Is Our Home) party is pushing for the territories inhabited by Israeli Arabs to be exchanged for parts of the Jordan River's west bank to separate Jews from Arabs as much as possible and create an ethnically homogeneous Jewish state.

Seven pro-Palestine activists with banners demonstrated outside the Foreign Ministry headquarters in the Cernin palace on the occasion of Lieberman's visit.

The Czech Republic is one of the strongest allies of Israel in teh EU. Czech diplomacy supports a peaceful solution to the Middle East conflict.

During the Czech EU presidency in the first half of 2009, the Czech Republic was striving for closer relations between the EU and Israel.

Schwarzenberg then admitted that the Czech presidency and the European Commission had different opinions about the developments in Israel and that the views differed in the EU as well.

Former Czech president Vaclav Havel announced last week that he would get involved in the international campaign in support of Israel.

Former Spanish PM Jose Maria Aznar, Havel and other personalities want to promote a better picture of Israel in European and other countries whose inhabitants are more sceptical of Israel than in the United States, for instance." (source)

(SOCIAL) Perfect Harmony At The Abu Gosh Music Festival

"The Abu Gosh Vocal Music Festival, with top musicians performing in acoustically superior venues, strikes a chord among all Israelis - Jewish, Muslim and Christian.

For the past 19 years Gershon Cohen has directed and produced Israel's one and only vocal festival, the Abu Gosh Vocal Music Festival.



It is important to Cohen that the festival takes place in the Muslim Arab village of Abu Gosh, which boasts some of the best acoustic venues in the country - located in the crypt of the Crusader Church, the Benedictine Monastery, and the Kiryat Ye'arim Church.

But it isn't just the venues that attracted him to the Arab Muslim village. 'I wanted to do something in a Muslim village, and this is a Muslim village with Christian churches, and attendees are Muslim and Christian Arabs and Jews. You can't ask for a better pluralism,' he tells ISRAEL21c.

Cohen, 70, from the nearby town of Sho'eva, revived the festival, which began in the 1950s, but had died out by 1969. 'I fell in love with the music and decided to start up the festival again,' he says. 'This is the only vocal festival in Israel and it is really very beautiful.'

Abundance of local talent

Twice each year, at Sukkot and Shavuot, more than 8,000 vocal music fans from Eilat in the south to Metulla in the north, and from across Europe, descend on the pastoral town of Abu Gosh, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, to hear sweet songs of all sorts, from Mozart to Irish folk.

The upcoming festival will include some non-Israelis, as well. Among the 16 indoor concerts that will take place throughout the four-day event from September 29 to October 2, are two concerts by vocal ensemble Voces8, from London, England, and three concerts featuring the Kammerphilharmonie-Hessen chamber orchestra, from Essen, Germany.

According to Cohen, there is so much local talent that it's rare for the festival to host more than one international guest, despite the fact that they receive several requests for participation from ensembles and orchestras abroad.

'There are very good orchestras in Israel and so there is no need to bring them from abroad,' Cohen says, mentioning the Rishon LeZion Symphony Orchestra, the Ra'anana Symphonette Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. 'We have a lot of excellent musicians in Israel. The competition here is very high.'



Cohen attributes this abundance of musical talent to the flood of Russian immigration to Israel in the early '90s. 'They brought a lot of musicians and this was very good,' says Cohen. 'It's a big part of their culture and we are very happy about that.'

Israelis love music

Attendees have come to rely on the familiar structure and talent that appears at the festival and Cohen likes it that way. 'We're really not looking for 'different',' he says. 'This makes it nice because the audience knows what to expect.'

While many of the festival's musicians and audience members remain the same, the event's repertoire changes with each festival. This Sukkot, the festival will open with Brahms' German Requiem, conducted by Hanna Tzur, the festival's long-time musical director. Other concerts on the roster include sacred French music and chansons; a Balkan festival; songs of great American folk singers; a Baroque hit parade; Irish folk songs; and a concerto and mass of J.S. Bach's Cantata.

Besides the 16 ticketed indoor concerts, the festival will also feature more than 20 outdoor performances at five different locations around Abu Gosh. These include opera singing with Israeli Opera pianist Eitan Shmeisser, concerts by accordion virtuoso Emil Aibinder, among various other performances by Israeli folk singers, choirs, and small chamber groups. The event will also feature a wine tasting pavilion and a small bazaar, hosting local artisans.

Cohen says that these are just extra charms. The reason why attendees keep coming back, season after season, is the music. 'All music is very popular in Israel - jazz, pop, classical, you name it. Israelis love music, and this music has a particularly loyal following.'" (source)

(ARTS) Israel's B-Boys And Girls

"It's hot, it's hip, and it's breaking loose on Israel's streets, Israel's break dancing scene in now on the international map.

Dvir Rozen, director of the Israel Break Dance Association and CEO of his own company, Street Art Productions (SAP) says that Israel is 'getting there, we're getting in the level of the big boys abroad - the USA guys and the Europe guys.'

It all began in 1999 when Dvir rolled back the carpet and pushed away the furniture in his living room and set about memorizing and copying the moves on the classic Run DMC 1998 break dance video. He recalls holding his first event, which drew 10 people, and how each event attracted more until hundreds were arriving at his break dance gatherings in Tel Aviv shopping malls.

Dvir started the two organizations to train more B-boys and B-girls, as the break dancers refer to themselves. He holds classes and workshops and organizes shows, all of which culminate in the main annual event - the qualifying finals for Battle of the Year International, which is held in Germany in November.

Crews from all over Israel compete, with names like 'Kosher Flavor.' As has been the case for the past three years, the Unstoppables won this time and will represent Israel in Germany.

Rozen has also founded HipHop for peace and hopes to collaborate with the Camp Breakerz, a break dance group in the Gaza Strip, and bring them to Israel for the next Battle of the Year. He has high hopes to continue developing the scene and skills of the dancers and says he hopes 'to bring more respect to Israel B-boying.'" (source)





Palestine VS Israel

(BLOG) Britain's MI6 Blew Up Jewish Refugee Ships After WW2

"A new book uncovers shocking secret attacks launched on ships bearing Holocaust survivors en route to Israel. Andrew Roberts on the violent lengths to which post-war Britain went to appease oil-rich Arab states.

As Jewish survivors of the Holocaust, the pitiful remnants of History’s greatest crime, tried to make their way across an often hostile Europe at the end of the Second World War, toward at least a semblance of safety in the Holy Land, they had no shortage of problems with which to contend, including disease and malnutrition, Polish anti-Semitism, Soviet indifference, Allied bureaucracy, and Arab nationalism. Now we discover that they faced yet another peril in the shape of bombs planted on their transport ships by Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, better known as MI6.

A new book to be published next week entitled MI6: The History of the Secret Intelligence Service 1909-1949, by the distinguished British historian Keith Jeffery, reveals the existence of Operation Embarrass, a plan to try to prevent Jews getting into Palestine in 1946-'48 using disinformation and propaganda but also explosive devices placed on ships. Nor is this some speculative spy story that can be denied by the authorities: Dr. Jeffrey’s book is actually, in their own words: 'Published with the permission of The Secret Intelligence Service and the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.'"

(NEWS) Jewish Bowlers In Dallas Roll Strikes (And Gutter Balls) To Help The Community

"Bringing together Jewish young professionals isn’t as hard as you would think! Who doesn’t enjoy a game (or two or three) of bowling? Over 55 people each week did just that as part of the second summer season of the Battle of the Jewish YPs: Young Professionals Bowling League.

The league kicked off its inaugural season last summer and consisted of teams from various synagogues and Jewish organizations in the area. The top teams donated their prize money to various nonprofit groups. 'It’s a great way to meet new friends, raise some money for important Jewish charities in town and have fun all at the same time,' said Mindi Sue Sternblitz-Rubenstein, one of the co-chairs of the league. 'We all have fun and it’s nice to bowl with other young adults who are enjoying an evening with friends while benefiting so many great organizations.'



Last autumn, the league had its first fall season and put their prize money toward nearly 250 toys and books for the Santa’s Helpers toy drive. Bowlers brought additional toys to help out the cause as well.

'This has been a great opportunity for all of the YP groups to get together, have a chance to meet each other and do something great for the community,' said Brad Schweig, league co-chair. 'But for this summer’s league, we wanted to up the ante and do something great for the entire Jewish community.'

So this summer, in order to raise that ante, each team was given the opportunity to bowl on behalf of their favorite Jewish organization. Some chose their synagogue or favorite organization; others selected a volunteer project or a charitable cause.

The summer league ended up with 10 teams supporting Congregation Anshai Torah, Congregation Beth Torah, Dallas Jewish Historical Society, JCC’s Tycher Library, Jewish Family Services Food Bank, Magen David Adom, North Texas Hillel, Shearith Israel’s Mazon Program, Temple Emanu-El’s Vickery Meadows Project and Temple Shalom YPs.



Each week, teams earned $10 for their organization by having the highest score (with handicap) and highest score scratch (without handicap). The top men’s and women’s bowlers (with and without handicap) received $3 for their organization. The worst teams also got $4 each week for their organization so that EVERY team, no matter how good or bad they are, had a chance to help their group.

The Tycher Library team was the first-place team this season and got a $150 bonus for their charity in addition to the $102 they raised each week. MAZON ended up in second place and received a $100 bonus in addition to their $30.33 weekly payout. In last place was Just Jews (playing for the Jewish Family Services Food Bank), who got a $50 bonus simply because they came out each week, had a good time and realized that sometimes it pays to roll gutter balls. In the end, the league raised over $600 for the various synagogues, charities and organizations.

And while many enjoyed helping their organizations or improving their bowling skills, most just enjoyed the experience. 'The league was an amazing networking experience. I just moved to Fort Worth knowing nobody,' said Ilan Fehler, 'and now I have over 50 new friends.'

For more information the league, additional events or future leagues, contact the event organizers: Brad Schweig (brad@sunnylandfurniture.com) and Mindi Sue Sternblitz-Rubenstein (mindisue@aol.com), or visit the group, Battle of the Jewish YPs: Young Professionals Bowling League on Facebook." (source)

(MED) Haitian Kids Get Heart Surgery In Israel

"Three children from Haiti arrived at Israel's Wolfson Medical Center last week for lifesaving heart surgery from the Save a Child's Heart (SACH) project.

The arrival of Darensky Jean Francois (3), Jacqueline Senatus (2) and Stephanie Anne-Elisabeth Bercy (13) and their mothers follows the touching and memorable story of Woodley Elsyee (6) from Haiti, who was brought to SACH for heart surgery earlier this year, shortly after the devastating January earthquake that ravaged his country.

When an Israeli rescue team brought Woodley to Israel he was greeted at the airport by hundreds of well-wishers as well as SACH doctors and nurses. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak joined the SACH team to welcome Woodley, who returned to Haiti in April healthy and thriving, and started school there this month.

Thanks to extensive media exposure, SACH received the support necessary to provide the three additional Haitian children with heart surgery.

Since its inception in 1996, SACH has provided life-saving open heart surgery for more than 2,400 children and has examined and evaluated more than 5,500 children from 40 countries.

A cardiology clinic is held at the Wolfson Medical Center every Tuesday for Palestinian children from Gaza and the West Bank." (source)

(MED) Israel Is "Going Greek" To Fight UV Rays

"The secret to protection from the sun's harmful UV rays is right there on your dinner plate, says an Israeli researcher who shows that the Mediterranean diet offers protection from skin cancer.

An Israeli researcher has shown that antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, like those in the diet eaten in Mediterranean regions where melanoma rates are extremely low, can help to protect us from skin cancer.



Most of us love to have a golden, appearance-enhancing tan. But we also know that to get that summer glow we have to expose ourselves to dangerous UV rays, which has long-term implications for our health.

In a study recently published in Nutrition Reviews, Dr. Niva Shapira of Tel Aviv University (TAU) suggests that we 'go Greek' with foods such as olive oil, fish, yogurt and colorful fruits and vegetables to fight the oxidizing effect of the sun. She also recommends regular applications of sunscreen and appropriate body coverings such as hats, beach cover-ups, and other sportswear.

Put SPF on your plate

The sun's rays damage both the skin and the immune system by penetrating the skin and causing photo-oxidation, Shapira explains. This affects both the cells themselves and the body's ability to repair any damage.

Previous research demonstrated that the sun's UV rays damage the skin by exciting its molecules and causing them to become oxidized, says Shapira, who says 'My theory was that if you prepared the body with sufficient and relevant antioxidants, damage could be reduced.'

To test her theory, Shapira and Prof. Bodo Kuklinski of Rostock University in Germany organized two groups for a study at the Baltic Sea. One group was provided a drink high in antioxidants, while the other enjoyed beverages such as sodas. Those who hydrated with the antioxidant-rich drink had 50 percent fewer oxidation products in their blood at the end of the two-week period, which included five to six hours of exposure to the sun daily.

Further studies proved that these antioxidants, especially carotenoids (fruit and vegetable pigments like red from tomatoes and watermelons, and orange from carrots and pumpkins that accumulate in the skin where they serve as a first line of protection) had delayed the phenomenon of skin erythema, which indicates the initiation of tissue and DNA damage that can lead to skin cancer.



This information is invaluable, especially in light of climate change, notes Shapira. As temperature and humidity rise, which aggravates the damaging effect of solar UV rays, it is increasingly difficult for sunscreen alone to protect us effectively. So while covering up, slathering on the sunscreen, and avoiding the sun during peak hours are still important to prevent a burn, she recommends dietary changes as well, to promote skin health.

Eat the real thing

It might be tempting to load up on dietary supplements instead of changing your diet to adopt one like the Mediterranean Diet, said to have multiple benefits. But Shapira stresses that supplements are simply not as effective. Foods provide nutrient 'synergy,' she says.

'In foods, many vitamins and various antioxidants and bioactive ingredients work to support one another and the body's natural protective mechanisms. Synergies between the nutrients in your food, which make a significant contribution to health, may contrast with the relative isolation of a vitamin supplement,' she says.

The research is attracting attention: For the first time, the Israel Cancer Association has included the nutritional information as part of their 'Smart in the Sun' advisories.

It's not necessary to move to Greece, Israel or Turkey to reap the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet. Most of the appropriate foods are stocked in American and European grocery stores. Olive oil, fresh fish, fruits and vegetables, red wine in moderation, whole grains, beans and lots of water should be at the top of the shopping list, Shapira advises.

And there are some foods to avoid, she points out. Go light on red meat, processed foods, and alcohol (red wine is preferable), and be wary of foods that contain the photosensitizing compound psoralen, such as parsley, celery, dill, cilantro and figs." (source)

(TECH) Intel's New Chip Developed In Israel

"Intel's new microprocessor, the 'Sandy Bridge,' was developed at its R&D Center in Haifa, Israel.
The company revealed details about the new chip at the Intel Developers Forum in San Francisco this week. The Sandy Bridge will enter production at the end of 2010 and will be available in early 2011.

The most important attribute of the new microprocessor is the advances in its graphic capabilities. The chip is being presented as combining graphic core processing (GPU) alongside a central processing unit (MPU). This will enable Intel to compete against Nvidia and AMD in the graphic processing market.

The new micro-architecture also represents progress in overall ability and efficiency. Its higher work speed and relatively lower energy needs will extend battery life in laptops based on the new microprocessor.

Intel's Haifa facility has also been in the news recently for dedicating Israel's most environmentally-friendly office building, the IDC9.

The 11-storey, $110 million facility has a double distinction. It is Israel's first LEED-certified green building and it has been awarded Gold - the second-highest rating in the LEED certification system. LEED is an American standard for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design." (source)

(MED) Israels Male Pill The Women Have Been Waiting For

"ISRAEL21c broke the story about a new male birth control pill being developed in Israel. Now in a new video feature we take an in-depth look at the development.

A potential treatment developed by an Israeli professor to treat infertility in men, could now form the basis of the first ever birth control pill for men.

Prof. Haim Breitbart of Bar-Ilan University has spent the last 30 years and most of his professional career working to understand the biochemistry of the sperm cell.

In 2006, he authored a paper that described capacitation, which is a process that sperm go through before they can fertilize an egg. He and his team of graduate students discovered that once in the uterus, sperm undergo a variety of changes that prepare them to fertilize an egg; they synthesize certain key proteins that both help them to survive and help them to bind to the egg.

Breitbart noticed that infertile men don't produce these proteins correctly, and is now using this knowledge to treat male infertility. He subsequently realized there could be another use for this new information about protein synthesis.

"We had the idea that if we can block this synthesis we would be able to develop a new male contraceptive," he explains to ISRAEL21c." (source)

(BLOG) How Can Hollywood Help Israel?

"If you want to pack a ballroom full of Jews, try this theme: Hollywood and Israel.

It’s a relationship the Jewish community never tires of exploring, no matter how fraught or flimsy or confounding the connection.



An event organized by the pro-Israel World Alliance for Israel Political Action Committee (WAIPAC) on Sept. 14 drew a crowd of 350 to the Luxe Hotel Sunset Boulevard. There, Hollywood hotshots Sherry Lansing, Marc Platt and David Lonner thrashed out their passions and prescriptions for a Hollywood that cares — even as Israel faces an unfriendly media and artist boycotts, and as increasing political tensions tug at American Jewish loyalties.

Do people in Hollywood care about Israel? Sure. The only problem is that no one knows what Hollywood should do.

'Hollywood is packed with people who know how to influence opinion,' said Lonner, founder of Oasis Media Group, whose clients include writer/producer/director J.J. Abrams and producer/director Jon Turteltaub. 'If we can figure out a way to harness that, I do believe we can make a difference.'

But Hollywood is not monolithic. It’s 'just a group of individuals,' said Lansing, former head of Paramount Pictures and founder of The Sherry Lansing Foundation. 'There are people who care deeply, people who are indifferent and a group that is vocally opposed to Israeli policies,' she added. To lump the whole of Hollywood together would be misguided, but the panelists agreed that the prevailing industry ethos toward Israel is characterized by deep uncertainty and ambivalence.

'Hollywood loves an underdog,' said theater and film producer Platt ('Legally Blonde' franchise, 'Wicked'). 'Always has.' But while the Jewish state may have played that role well for generations past — a newly minted, vulnerable nation under constant threat and attack — these days, young Hollywood isn’t buying the Israel-as-victim ticket. Even with a nuclear threat from Iran, young Hollywood sees an Israel with power and prestige, an Israel that hasn’t always acted wisely — or kindly — when it comes to the Palestinians.

'Because Israel is in a position of power,' Platt said, 'power can be abused, and that leads to criticism.'

Though not in this room. After all, WAIPAC is not JStreet, so instead of discussing the tough choices Israel faces, the panelists stuck to their comfort zones: how much they love Israel, how they want to improve its image and how to get other people to love it, too.

'Emotionally, I can never be objective about [Israel] because I love it so much,' Platt said.

'I was always somebody who was very proud of being Jewish, but I had no idea how much I loved Israel until the plane landed on the ground [on my first trip], and I walked outside and started to cry,' Lansing said.

'I always say I’m like a light socket plugged into an energy source when I’m there,' Lonner added.

Both Lansing and Lonner have organized industry trips to the Holy Land, the best pro-Israel aphrodisiac: 'The best way to convert somebody who isn’t pro-Israel is to take them to Israel,' Lansing said again and again.



Prompted by moderator Jay Sanderson, president of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Lansing, Lonner and Platt offered up their 2 cents on how Hollywood could be of more use to Israel’s welfare.

Lansing stressed education — Internet campaigns and public service announcements; Platt said the industry needs leaders and role models who can galvanize support.

Lonner borrowed a play from Mel Gibson.

'I think there’s a gigantic market for biblical stories,' Lonner said, calling for the industry to try its hand at Hebrew bible narratives. 'Ironically, and upsettingly, the effect Mel Gibson’s movie had in this country and around the world showed that biblical stories — violence and all, sex and all — do have a marketplace.'

Sanderson wondered whether the days for telling stories about Israeli and Jewish history are over. Couldn’t a contemporary 'Ten Commandments' do the trick?

Remember, Platt warned, Hollywood is a business, first and foremost. So, while it’s nice to dream up movies that showcase Jewish values and the nuances of life in Israel, more importantly, they’ve got to sell.

'We all appreciate and respect Steven Spielberg’s great film ‘Schindler’s List,’ ' Platt said, 'but it did take the most successful director of the 20th century, a best-selling novel and a protagonist that was a Gentile, to tell the story of the Holocaust.'

'I don’t want to sound dramatic, but I’m actually more concerned today than I’ve ever been in my whole life,' Lansing said. Someone in the audience raised the issue that Lansing sits on The Carter Center board of trustees. Jimmy Carter’s 2007 book 'Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid' presents a critical view of the Israeli government.

Lansing said the book upset her, but it was no reason to end her friendship with the former president: 'To leave the table and not engage in dialogue is to ensure that no one will ever change their mind.'

When something is glaringly offensive, such as last year’s boycott of the Toronto Film Festival’s spotlight on Tel Aviv, Hollywood rallies to the cause. But, for the most part, the Jewish Hollywood behemoth can’t be bothered with the everyday trials of the Jewish state.

Besides, the film community is becoming increasingly global, where party lines do not prevail nearly as much as they do in Washington.

'More and more voices are being heard,' Platt said, 'including Israeli voices. And there’s also, as there should be, the other side — Arab voices and Palestinian voices that are also important.'

Maybe instead of asking what Hollywood can do, Hollywood Jews should ask themselves who they want to be.

'I don’t think there’s a collective response,' Platt said. 'I feel it’s in the actions of people, in the stories you tell and how you tell them, the way you behave and how you wear your Jewishness.'" (source)

(NEWS) Viva Palestina Arrives In Istanbul On Way To Gaza

"Activists with the Viva Palestina movement are determined to break the siege on the Gaza Strip with a convoy carrying humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, members said during a stop Tuesday in Istanbul.

'We will go in peace and will not stop until we reach our final destination, Gaza,' George Galloway, a former United Kingdom member of Parliament and the founder of the Viva Palestina initiative, said in a speech in Istanbul after the convoy arrived in the city.



Galloway, who has been involved in the Palestinian issue for 34 years, called for the governments of the 25 countries represented by activists joining the convoy to protect them during their journey to Gaza.

He also asked the Egyptian government and authorities to allow the convoy and the activists to pass peacefully into Gaza.

'We will comply with all formalities [Egypt] requires,' he said, adding that they had also changed their initially planned route at Egyptian authorities’ request.

Convoys from different countries will all meet in Syria before traveling to the city of al-Arish in Egypt, passing by the spot where the Mavi Marmara, a previous aid flotilla to Gaza, suffered a deadly raid from Israeli military forces on May 31.

'There, we will halt our engines, throw flowers and pray for the martyrs [who lost their lives on the Mavi Marmara],' Galloway said.

Other countries’ Viva Palestina representatives also gave speeches, calling upon the Egyptian government and Egyptian authorities to allow them to break the siege.

Many in the convoy said they would not stop their campaign until 'justice and freedom was gained by the Gaza people.'

Activists from 25 countries paid visits to the graves of Cevdet Kılıçlar and Necdetin Yıldırım, two of the nine activists who lost their lives in the attack on the Mavi Marmara.

'We are honoring them not only because of their heroism and sacrifice on board but because we believe that the attack on the Mavi Marmara changed everything forever,' Galloway said.

'I am proud of my husband and feel honored [that activists from all over the world prayed for him],' Derya Kılıçlar, Kılıçlar’s widow, told the Daily News on Tuesday.

She said she could not join the visit due to her bad health, but added that she believed her husband would have gone to Gaza again had he not lost his life in the Mavi Marmara attack.



Refika Yıldırım, the widow of Yıldırım, also told the Daily News on Tuesday that she wanted to thank all the activists for their support.

'Although we do not know each other, we believe in each other,' she said.

Activists from around the world support Gaza people

'After hearing about the brutal killings on May 31, we immediately replied to the call for another international convoy [to break the Gaza siege],' Roger Fowler, the team leader for Viva Palestina New Zealand, told the Daily News.

Fowler, who is a 62-year-old community worker and has been active in peace movements for Palestine since the 1970s, said they had run a nine-week campaign in New Zealand to collect $100,000 to purchase six vans with humanitarian aid and join the Viva Palestina convoy.

'The people of Gaza are in desperate need for food, housing, hospitals, schools, but they are unable to rebuild them because of the siege,' Fowler said.

Reacting to experts from The Israeli Project who said aid convoys disturbed peace in the region and that the Israeli military attacks on the Mavi Marmara were justified by the need to make sure there were no weapons aboard, Fowler said, 'These are Israel’s lies.'

He also said Israel knew very well that the convoys were carrying humanitarian aid and that people on board were activists. 'Everything was open.'

Fowler further said the convoy was not under any special protection of the New Zealand government during the trip, adding that the government authorities had advised the six Kiwi volunteers not to travel to the region. However, Fowler said their government had sent all their contact information to all the embassies in the region for emergency situations.

Asked whether he was concerned about his security during the trip, Fowler said, 'The level of [my] anxiety does not compare with what the people of Gaza are experiencing.'

'We have to break the siege in Gaza. It is impossible for the people there to continue like this,' Alfredo Tradardi, leader of Viva Palestina Italy, told the Daily News on Tuesday.

He said there were 15 activists joining the convoys from Italy and six vehicles with humanitarian aid provided by Italian organizations. Tradardi also said they did not have any protection from the Italian government for their trip to Gaza." (source)

(NEWS) Israel Museum Returns Nazi-Seized Klee Drawing To Heir Of Jewish Victim

"The Israel Museum in Jerusalem restituted a drawing by Paul Klee to the heir of a Jewish telephone maker who fled the Nazis in 1937.

The 1920 drawing, 'Veil Dance,' was among works that Harry Fuld left with a transportation company when he escaped Germany for England. His art collection was seized by the Nazis in 1941. The Klee drawing was among works handed over by the allies to the Jewish Restitution Successor Organization in 1948.

Fuld inherited the art collection and the telephone-making company in 1932. After losing the business under Nazi 'Aryanization' laws, he emigrated to Britain. When he died in 1963, he left his estate to his housekeeper, Gisela Martin. She, in turn, bequeathed her estate to the U.K. branch of Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical service, in 1992.

'It is gratifying that, in restituting this work, it is donated to an organization that supports a major charitable cause in Israel,' James S. Snyder, the director of the museum, said in an e-mailed statement today.

In November last year, Berlin’s museum authorities reached a settlement with Magen David Adom for a medieval alabaster relief that was also part of Fuld’s collection. The charity also recovered a painting by Henri Matisse from the Pompidou Center in Paris, and is seeking to recover objects as diverse as 12th- century Buddha statues and 16th-century Italian masters." (source)

(NEWS) Chinese Envoy: We Admire Israel

"After three years as China's ambassador to Israel, Zhao Jun is in love. 'You have created miracles for 62 years,' he says. In Yedioth Ahronoth interview, he talks about warm relations between two countries, his government's ties with Iran.

China's Ambassador to Israel Zhao Jun encounters the same question time and again. During visits to his homeland he is asked what it's like to serve in a country known as a world power with 200,000 residents.

'I explain to them that Israel only has seven million residents – barely a small town in China,' he says. 'They find it hard to believe. I understand them. News doesn't change all the time in China like it does here – every hour. It took me time to get used to it as well.'"

(NEWS) Israeli's Media Campaign In Turkey

"A brief visit by an Israeli hospital official was meant to counter tensions over new efforts to break the Gaza blockade, and help to revive damaged ties between Turkey and Israel, both close U.S. allies.

But the cool reception from Turkish media indicated the relationship is a long way from repair, four months after Israel's deadly raid on a Turkish aid ship.

'It's still raw here,' said Eli Ovits of The Israel Project, a non-profit group based in Washington that organized the trip to coincide with the arrival in Turkey of a Gaza-bound road convoy from London."

(NEWS) Arabs Attack And Wound Director Of Terror Victims Group

"Jerusalem Arabs, including children from an Israeli government school, attacked and wounded the director of the Almagor terror victims group early Wednesday morning. He and his wife narrowly escaped murder at the hands of the rioters.

The victim, former senior IDF officer Meir Indor, suffered head wounds and is being treated at Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital.

His daughter Sarah Beck, a journalist for Channel 2 television, told Israel National News her mother was driving Indor back from an all-night Torah study session at a Jewish neighborhood at the Mount of Olives (Har HaZeitim), a tradition on the last day of Sukkot, known in Hebrew as Hoshanah Raba."

(NEWS) Shalit's Brother Sends Letter Via Red Cross

"Yoel Shalit meets in Geneva with head of Red Cross operations in the Middle East to protest that no one from organization has seen his brother in more than four years. He passes on letter in hopes it will reach Gilad.

Yoel Shalit, captive soldier Gilad Shalit's older brother, met on Tuesday with the head of Middle East operations for the Red Cross, Beatrice Roggo, at their headquarters in Geneva to protest that no representatives from the International Red Cross have been able to meet with his brother in more than four years.

Yoel asked Roggo to pass on a letter to his brother. At the end of the meeting, he participated in a rally in front of the UN headquarters calling for Gilad's release."

(NEWS) Brits Deem Anti-Israel Group Holocaust Event 'Offensive'

"Government bans any mention of Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign event on the official Holocaust Memorial Day Trust’s website.

The British government has branded a Holocaust Memorial Day event organized by a radical anti-Israel campaign group earlier this year 'offensive,' banning any mention of it on the official Holocaust Memorial Day Trust’s website.

The matter came to light after Mick Napier, head of the fringe group Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC), posted the government’s letter on the organization’s website on Monday."

(TECH) ‘Smart’ Bus Stop Signs In Israel To Say When The Bus Is Due

"Solar-powered digital signs linked to GPS transmitters aboard buses will notify passengers of the vehicle’s precise location.

Within a year, bus riders in some locations will be able to get an answer to the eternal question: 'When is the next bus coming?' A new initiative by the Israel National Roads Company, announced Tuesday, aims to have solar-powered digital signs linked to GPS transmitters aboard buses, which notifying passengers of the vehicle’s precise location.

The INRC recently issued an international tender for the establishment of 100 intercity bus stations featuring solar powered digital screens that will be able to inform waiting passengers of the exact location of the expected buses and count the minutes and seconds until its arrival."

(BIZ) Investing Opportunities In Israel

Jamia Jasper, a portfolio manager for American Israeli Shared Values Fund, weighs in on successful investments in Israel.

(BIZ) Innovation Key To Israel’s Business Success