LLX News

By: Eugene Kontorovich – Newsweek; newsweek.com

Earlier this month, several left-leaning senators and representatives signed various letters contending that “Israel has an obligation under international law” to provide free vaccines for all Palestinians in the Palestinian Authority (PA). The claims are baseless, and they call into question the credibility of the legal experts who have been peddling them.

The central source of international law is treaties—agreements between the parties. While treaties often do not address many specific questions, in this case, there is a clearly applicable international agreement that directly addresses the vaccine issue—the Oslo Accords. The 1990s-era deal created the current PA government, which governs Palestinians in the West Bank (and governed Palestinians in Gaza up until Hamas took over). It also established a highly detailed division of authority between Israel and the Palestinians for issues of mutual concern, such as archaeological and holy sites, customs, taxes—and public health. Oslo provides that “Powers and responsibilities in the sphere of Health in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will be transferred to the Palestinian sides.” It also makes clear that this includes vaccination.

https://www.newsweek.com/fake-international-law-newest-anti-israel-libel-opinion-1577969

By: Michael Brown – The Christian Post; christianpost.com

Do you have your scorecards ready? We’re going to do our best to sort out the results of this week’s elections in Israel, the fourth in a period of just two years (can you imagine that?). But first, a disclaimer: by the time you read this article, the outcome may have changed. That’s how inconclusive the final voting turned out to be.

A shift in affiliation by one of the many parties receiving votes could change things overnight. Plus, on Friday, 450,000 double-sealed votes will be counted (including military votes, votes from abroad, and votes sent in because of COVID). That could shift things as well.

https://www.christianpost.com/voices/sorting-out-the-israeli-elections.html

“A truly proud and historic moment for Kosovo-Israel relations,” Kosovar Ambassador Ines Demiri tweeted. “The greatest honor of my life is to have this opportunity to open the embassy.

Kosovo opened an embassy to Israel for the first time on Sunday, making it the third country with an embassy currently in Jerusalem.”

A truly proud and historic moment for Kosovo-Israel relations,” Kosovar Ambassador Ines Demiri tweeted. “The greatest honor of my life is to have this opportunity to open the embassy and proudly serve my country in Israel.”

Demiri shared several photos of herself in front of the new embassy.

Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry tweeted that “the pledge given in the Oval Office today is finally fulfilled.”

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/kosovo-opens-embassy-in-jerusalem-661966

By: James Sinkinson – Jewish News Syndicate; jns.org

America’s venerable “paper of record” no longer deserves that title.

When it comes to reporting or commenting on the State of Israel, The New York Times, America’s so-called “paper of record,” has become more akin to an anti-Zionist advocacy organization than an unbiased news outlet, sometimes even descending into outright anti-Semitism.

According to David Bernstein, president and CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Times holds “a decided institutional bias” against Israel. This was after his organization researched 107 editorials on Israel and Jews published in the Times since 2016.

The situation has become so extreme that opinion editor Bari Weiss, one of the few openly Zionist voices employed by the Times in recent years, felt forced to resign in July 2020 because of harassment. According to Weiss, her colleagues called her a “Nazi” and “racist,” and intimated that she wrote too many “Jewish stories.”

https://www.jns.org/opinion/why-does-the-new-york-times-incessantly-attack-israel/

By: Reuters – The Jerusalem Post; jpost.com

With a length of about 1,500 km and a maximum depth of 2,700 metres, it will be the longest and deepest subsea electricity cable to have ever been constructed, the Energy Ministry said.

Cyprus, Greece and Israel on Monday signed an initial agreement to build the world’s longest and deepest underwater power cable that will traverse the Mediterranean seabed at a cost of about $900 million and link their electricity grids.

The project, called the Euro-Asia interconnector, will provide a back-up power source in times of emergency, said Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, who was in Nicosia to sign a memorandum of understanding with his counterparts.

Cypriot Energy Minister Natasa Pilides said it marked “a decisive step towards ending the island’s energy isolation, and consequently, our dependence on heavy fuels.”

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/israel-cyprus-and-greece-agree-to-link-power-grids-via-subsea-cable-661316

By: Alex Winston and Lahav Harkov – The Jerusalem Post; jpost.com

Photographs of the vessel, which Israel has accused of ‘eco-terrorism’, show the ship anchored off the Iranian coast.

Israel has named Libyan-owned Emerald as the ship that caused a huge oil spill that severely damaged the coastline and its environment, in what it described as an act of “eco-terrorism.”

The Emerald was seen anchored off Iran’s Kharg Island on January 17, according to photographs released by the Environmental Protection Ministry on Thursday.

The tar from the spillage reached Israel’s shores on February 17, causing immense damage and harm to the coastline, wildlife habitats and marine life, and polluting beaches.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/iranian-vessel-anchors-off-persian-coast-loaded-with-oil-in-pictures-660936

By: Udi Shaham – The Jerusalem Post; jpost.com

Southern Command uses mock Palestinian city to exercise various scenarios ahead of possible future confrontation.

The IDF has completed the construction of the underground concrete wall between Israel and the Gaza Strip, as part of the effort to prevent terrorists from crossing into Israel via cross-border tunnels.

The concrete wall is just one component in the 60 km.-long barrier, which also includes a fence above the ground, advanced sensors both above and underground, and cutting-edge technologies meant to tackle the tunnel threat and stop terrorist infiltrations.

Senior IDF sources told The Jerusalem Post that almost 95% of the barrier has been completed, and that it will be operational in the near future.

https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/idf-completes-underground-wall-as-israel-readies-for-hamas-war-660951

By: Yaakov Lappin – Jewish News Syndicate; jns.org

Rafael’s air-defense system has successfully intercepted more than 90 percent of projectiles headed for built-up areas in Israel since 2011 and has become an essential element of national security, even as it had to overcome resistance before its initial arrival.

Ten years have passed since the Iron Dome air-defense system, produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, made its first revolutionary interception of a Gazan rocket in Israeli skies in 2011. Since then the system has conducted more than 2,500 successful real-world interceptions, preventing large-scale carnage in Israeli cities.

It has achieved an interception rate of more than 90 percent and is considered an essential element of Israeli security, on standby against enemy arsenals threatening the Israeli home front from north to south.

While Iron Dome is indispensable today, it had to overcome some preconceived notions about the role of air defense in security before first making its appearance.

https://www.jns.org/one-decade-since-its-appearance-iron-dome-has-intercepted-2500-enemy-rockets-and-counting/

By: Abigail Klein Leichman – Israel 21c; Israel21c.org

Veterinary professionals and volunteers rush to clean the beaches and rescue injured sea turtles, birds, lizards, snails and other wildlife.

A catastrophic tar spill washing up along Israel’s entire Mediterranean coast may be the worst environmental disaster in Israeli history.

While governmental authorities investigate the source of the offshore leak of at least 1,000 tons of sticky, toxic tar, many Israeli civilians and soldiers are helping with cleanup efforts that will likely take months.

https://www.israel21c.org/israel-scrambles-to-save-animals-hurt-in-massive-tar-spill/

Israel Hayom – israelhayom.com

Among the possible scenarios that could have led to the ecological disaster is a faulty storage device at the Minerva Helen.

Five days after Israel’s shorelines was contaminated by a massive oil spill, Israeli authorities revealed on Wednesday that the Greek-flagged vessel Minerva Helen may have been the source of the pollution.

Investigators said the vessel was expected to dock at the port of Piraeus on Friday, during which they hope it could be examined to determine whether the oil originated from it. Israeli environmentalists said that they nine other vessels could have been responsible for the spill as well.

https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/02/24/israeli-authorities-reveal-suspected-vessel-behind-massive-oil-spill/