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Jewish Journal

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April 8, 2015

Report: Paris kosher shop killer planned to strike Jewish school

Leave a Comment / Worldwide /

The Islamist who killed four Jews at a kosher supermarket near Paris may have attempted to murder children at a Jewish school shortly before, the French media reported.

The report Tuesday on BFMTV was based on an interview with a woman who witnessed Amedy Coulibaly cause a traffic accident and then kill a police officer south of Paris after the officer approached the scene of the accident in Montrouge, south of Paris. Coulibaly fled the scene.

One day later, on Jan. 9, Coulibaly killed his Jewish victims at the Hyper Cacher market on the eastern edge of Paris. He was killed by police hours after a siege at the market.

“Police told me that this man was armed and following a plan,” said the witness, who was also involved in the accident and was only identified as Anne. “That he had a Jewish school right next to where I had my accident and that the accident messed up his plans, so instead of killing children at a Jewish school, he killed a police officer.”

Chlomik Zenouda, vice president of the National Bureau for Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism, told JTA shortly after the Hyper Cacher shooting that there were “strong indications” that Coulibaly was planning to attack a Jewish school before shooting and killing officer Clarissa Jean-Philippe.

In March 2012, Islamist Mohammed Merah killed four children at a Jewish school in Toulouse.

On Monday, French President Francois Hollande warned about rising religious extremism during a ceremony for Holocaust victims.

“Evil did not stop at the doors of this house, but returns whenever totalitarian or fundamentalist religious ideologies grasp ahold of passions and fears,” Hollande said at the Maison d’Izieu, an orphanage turned memorial where 44 Jewish children were deported to concentration camps on April 6, 1944.

Report: Paris kosher shop killer planned to strike Jewish school Read More »

Calendar: April 11-17

Leave a Comment / What's Happening /

MON | APRIL 13

“BOOKS ’N’ BRUNCH”

It’s another kind of “bnb.” Matthew Friedman, associate regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, will speak about anti-Semitism around the world and here at home at Brandeis University’s annual fundraising event. Joining Friedman is Emmy-winning director, writer and producer Ken Levine, author of “The Me Generation … by Me,” about what it was like to grow up in the ’60s. Last but not least is Ivor Davis, investigative correspondent, who will discuss his experiences as described in his book “The Beatles and Me on Tour.” Proceeds benefit the medical research conducted at Brandeis to find cures for neurodegenerative diseases. 9:30 a.m. $65. Reservations required. Hyatt Westlake Hotel, 880 S. Westlake Blvd., Westlake Village. (818) 991-2667. ” target=”_blank”>wbtla.org. 

WED | APRIL 15

“GOD ON TRIAL”

In observance of Yom HaShoah, the Sephardic Educational Center will screen this story of Auschwitz inmates who contemplate how God could allow so much suffering. With genocide surrounding them, they put God on trial, looking at what it means to have faith in the most horrific of situations. Written by Frank Boyce and directed by Andy de Emmony, the movie features Antony Sher, Rupert Graves and Jack Shepherd. There will be a brief pre-screening ceremony and a discussion with Rabbi Daniel Bouskila after the film. 6 p.m. Free. Must RSVP. The Jewish Federation Building, Sanders Board Room, 6505 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 272-4574.

“LOOPHOLES: A PAIN IN THE I.R.S.”

Just in time for the tax deadline! This world premiere is a musical comedy based on a true story about — you guessed it — taxes, the Internal Revenue Service, and the struggles and victory of one particular payer. Using clever song and dance, creators Stan Rich and Ronnie Jayne, along with director Kiff Scholl, offer an uplifting look at one person’s small problem with big government and loop-holing all the way through. Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. $30. Through May 17. The Hudson MainStage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 960-7735. THUR | APR 16

“VISA AL PARAISO (VISA TO PARADISE)”

As a part of its “Mantener la Fe: Keep the Faith” series, the Skirball is screening this 2010 historical documentary, directed and produced by Lillian Liberman. It explores the work of Gilberto Bosques Saldivar, who served as Mexico’s consul general in France from 1939 to 1942 and issued exit visas to 45,000 Jews and Spanish Republicans persecuted by fascism. Featuring interviews with survivors and their families, as well as Saldivar himself, the film honors an extraordinary chapter in Mexico’s history. There will be a Q-and-A with Liberman after the screening. 8 p.m. $8 (general), $5 (students), free (members). Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 440-4500. FRI | APR 17

“GROW A PAIR OF … WINGS”

Amelia Phillips and Fresh Produce’d LA present the story of Sarah Klein, an imperfect perfectionist who must get in touch with her past in order to soar to her future. Guided by the whimsical ghost of her grandpa, a Holocaust survivor, Sarah first must face her fears, embrace her roots and, finally, grow a pair of wings. Directed by Stacie Hadgikosti. 8 p.m. $25. Through May 10. The Lounge Theatre, 6201 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 469-9988. ” target=”_blank”>pbs.org.

Calendar: April 11-17 Read More »

Bnei Brak funeral trampling claims second fatality

Leave a Comment / Israel /

A teenager became the second person to die in the trampling at the mass funeral of a prominent haredi Orthodox rabbi near Tel Aviv.

On Wednesday, Yitzhak Samet, 18, of Jerusalem, succumbed to injuries he suffered on April 5 while attending the funeral in Bnei Brak of Rabbi Shmuel Halevi Wosner, the Ynet news site reported. Samet, a member of the Toldos Aharon Hasidic sect who was engaged to be married, according to the Times of Israel, will be buried on Wednesday afternoon.

Nearly 100,000 mourners came to Bnei Brak for the funeral of Wosner, who died on April 3, shortly before the start of the Passover holiday. He was 101.

The first fatality from the funeral was Mordechai Moti Gerber, 27, of Elad, who died shortly after being trampled. Gerber, a former student of the rabbi, is survived by his wife and young son.

The procession began from the offices of the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva headed by Wosner and snaked through the heavily Orthodox Bnei Brak to the Zichron Meir cemetery.

Among the three critically injured at the event was a 14-year-old boy. The police have opened an investigation into possible negligence.

Wosner immigrated to Mandatory Palestine before the outbreak of World War II and later established the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva in Bnei Brak. He is the author of the Shevet Halevi commentary on Jewish law. He had been hospitalized since March.

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Boston Marathon bomber Tsarnaev found guilty of all 30 charges, will face death penalty

Leave a Comment / Is Featured?, Lead Story, Mobile, Mobile-Homepage, News, United States /

A jury on Wednesday found Dzokhar Tsarnaev guilty of killing three people and injuring 264 in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, as well as fatally shooting a police officer four days later.

Tsarnaev, 21, was found guilty of all 30 counts against him, with 17 of the charges carrying the death penalty. The same U.S. District Court jury will now decide whether to sentence him to death or life in prison without possibility of parole.

Tsarnaev silently looked down, occasionally fidgeting, as the lengthy verdict was read. The courtroom was packed with survivors of the attack, the parents of 8-year-old Martin Richard, the youngest fatality, and law enforcement officials, including former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis.

Jurors spent just over 11 hours evaluating Tsarnaev's guilt in two days of deliberations, following 16 days of testimony.

Defense lawyers began the trial by admitting that Tsarnaev carried out the April 15, 2013, bombing but said he did so at the bidding of his older brother Tamerlan, 26, who died following a gunfight with police in Watertown, Massachusetts.

Prosecutors laid out evidence that the defendant, an ethnic Chechen who immigrated from Russia a decade before the attack, had read and listened to jihadist materials, and wrote a note in the boat where he was found hiding suggesting the bombing was an act of retribution for U.S. military campaigns in Muslim-dominated countries.

The blasts killed restaurant manager Krystle Campbell, 29, Chinese exchange student Lingzi Lu, 23, and Richard. Tsarnaev also was found guilty of the fatal shooting of Massachusetts of Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier, 26.

Federal prosecutors detailed jihadi writings, including a copy of al Qaeda's “Inspire” magazine with an article on bomb-making found on of Tsarnaev's computers, describing that as evidence that he was an extremist who wanted to “punish America.”

The trial, which began in early March after a two-month jury selection process, dredged up some of worst memories in living memory in Boston. The twin pressure-cooker bombs ripped through the crowd of spectators at the race's finish line, setting off a mad rush to save the hundreds of people wounded, many of whom lost legs.

Three days later, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released images of the Tsarnaev brothers, saying they were the suspected bombers and seeking information on their identities. That set the stage for 24 hours of chaos as the duo fatally shot Collier in an unsuccessful attempt to steal his gun and went on to carjack a Chinese entrepreneur before police found them in the suburb of Watertown.

The pair fought a desperate gunfight with police, throwing a smaller pressure-cooker bomb similar to the ones they used at the race, as well as smaller pipe bombs. When Tamerlan Tsarnaev ran out of bullets in the rusty Ruger handgun his brother had borrowed from a drug-dealing friend, he charged Watertown police officers who were trying to wrestle him to the ground. Dzhokhar then hopped into the carjacked Mercedes SUV and sped toward the group, running over his brother and dragging him.

Boston Marathon bomber Tsarnaev found guilty of all 30 charges, will face death penalty Read More »

A third of Republicans support Iran nuclear deal

Leave a Comment / Is Featured?, Mobile, Mobile-Homepage, News, United States /

Thirty-one percent of U.S. Republicans favor a new nuclear deal with Iran, creating a challenge for their party's lawmakers who largely oppose the framework accord sealed between Tehran and world powers, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Wednesday.

Another 30 percent of Republicans oppose the pact, while 40 percent are not sure, according to the poll, which revealed a sharp split in the party as its leaders ramp up opposition to the deal championed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat.

The White House has launched a broad effort to persuade U.S. lawmakers and other critics to embrace the framework agreement reached last week between Iran, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.

Many details remain to be worked out for a final deal to be completed by the end of June. Public support will be critical to the White House effort to sway skeptical members of the Republican-controlled Congress, many of whom see the deal as a dangerous concession to a country that sponsors terrorism.

The nuclear deal foresees lifting U.S. and international economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for compliance with restrictions on its nuclear program.

The poll showed Obama has some selling to do among members of his own party. Though 50 percent of Democrats supported it, 10 percent were opposed and 39 percent were not sure.

Among independents – an important constituency group for both parties ahead of the 2016 presidential election – 33 percent voiced support, 21 percent registered opposition, and 45 percent said they were unsure about the deal.

Americans overall are mixed on the deal. Of those polled, 36 percent were in favor, 18 percent were against, and 46 percent unsure.

The Reuters/Ipsos online poll surveyed 2,291 American adults between April 3 and April 7, after the Iran deal was announced. Those polled included 893 Democrats, 803 Republicans and 320 independents.

People from both parties diverged substantially in their views of a U.S. rapprochement with Iran.

Sixty percent of Republicans said the United States should hold a hard line with its longtime foe and maintain or expand current sanctions, compared with 23 percent of Democrats who said the same.

Meanwhile, 48 percent of Democrats said Washington was right to improve diplomatic relations with Tehran, compared with 18 percent of Republicans.

The poll showed little support among members of both parties for using military force as a sole method for preventing Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. Five percent of Democrats supported such an option, along with 11 percent of Republicans and 6 percent of independents.

Support for the combined use of diplomatic channels along with military force was higher, however. Fifty percent of Republicans favored that combination, along with 35 percent of Democrats and 42 percent of independents.

Americans are concerned that the framework deal would make Iran a greater threat to Israel, the poll showed.

Forty-five percent of respondents said Iran would be a greater threat to the U.S. ally as a result of the deal, compared with 29 percent who said it would become a lesser threat and 26 percent who said it would have no impact.

Broken down among parties, 63 percent of Republicans believed Iran will become a greater threat to Israel as a result of the deal, while 36 percent of Democrats believed the same.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll is measured with a credibility interval. It has a credibility interval of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points for all adults polled, 3.9 percentage points for Republicans, 3.7 percentage points for Democrats, and 6.2 percentage points for independents.

For poll click here.

A third of Republicans support Iran nuclear deal Read More »

Letters to the editor: Trevor Noah, Koreatown transportation, JFS and more

Leave a Comment / Letters to the Editor, Moving & Shaking /

Golden Age of Expansion

I am a recently retired baby boomer who turned to Jewish Family Service’s Freda Mohr Multipurpose Center and Eichenbaum Fitness Center for reconnection to the Jewish community, which is aiding me into this life transition of retirement (“JFS Expands Its Own Heart in the Heart of L.A.,” April 3).

How excited I became after reading in the Jewish Journal of the generous, thoughtful lead gift the Gunthers, Lois and Richard, are contributing to our Jewish senior community. 

The Gunthers possess wisdom in recognizing the value a new building will have for our community on Fairfax Avenue. 

Thank you, and thank you again Mr. and Mrs. Gunther and Jewish Family Services, for we deserve to represent our growing Jewish senior population in a grand building. Many blessings.

Dakota Sands via email

More Listening, Less Talking

I’m a quiet-mouthed person. God gave us two ears and one mouth — the more to listen than to speak (“Let’s Leave Obama Out of Our Seders,” April 3). This is an excellent article with lots to think about. How about each of us has four children inside of us? We can be knowledgeable, arrogant and sometimes do not know how to ask. Maybe all of us, good and bad, have all these qualities.

Barbara N. Roff via jewishjournal.com

Comedy Conundrum

I watched Trevor Noah’s show on HBO and I found him very funny (“The Day After for Trevor Noah,” April 3). He was not politically correct, which made him funnier.

Ilbert Philips via jewishjournal.com

I believe he wouldn’t have gotten away with it if he weren’t part of a certain minority group, which he also disparages. Shame on you, Comedy Central.

Elizabeth Crawford via jewishjournal.com

Trevor Noah’s mom is biracial and Jewish. His father is Swiss, so most probably white. We don’t know any details. In apartheid South Africa, with that family composition, he must have had a bullying hard time, unless they had money and he went to a private school. His humor, if you can call it that, comes across somewhere between juvenile and sophomoric, like most tweets. I’m betting he’s insecure, not quite sure who he is or wants to be, and has layered on this obnoxious persona the same way he tried to acquire “Black American” lingo to impress the Apollo Theater audience. I wonder how that went over. They are tough customers.

Leona Rund Zions via jewishjournal.com

Hop on the Bus, Gus!

This is a terrific article and it’s wonderful that Joel Epstein included [Wilshire Boulevard] Temple’s investment in Koreatown as helping to enrich the communities that make up Los Angeles (“Stop Waiting for the Bus,” April 3). The temple is blessed to be on Wilshire Boulevard, which is well traversed by buses, and we’re especially excited to be equidistant between two subway stops (two blocks in either direction!) 

I think that today’s youth and young adults, in general, and Jewish youth and young adults as a subset, are becoming increasingly comfortable with the use of public transportation — especially if they have lived and gone to school or worked in cities where people have historically used buses, subways and trains. I see that trend among Jewish friends, family and neighbors and it gives me hope!

Karen Schetina via jewishjournal.com

Democracy or Dictatorship?

I work for La Opinion of Los Angeles. I and others here wonder why a Jewish publication would print a cartoonist’s vitriol on a regular basis of Israel’s democratically re-elected prime minister. Do you know if others at the Journal agree with Steve Greenberg’s vitriol toward Benjamin Netanyahu, and why? 

Raffi Padilla, LA Opinion

Our Children’s Keeper

I do believe what God did next — while at one time I would not have, I cannot help but believe now (“Pharaoh Said ‘No.’ You Won’t Believe What God Did Next.” April 3). And I agree that the Jews gave us much more than monotheism — God, through Jacob’s noble descendants, gave us the knowledge of the nature of God — that God isn’t an abstract, imperceptible power (though much about God is unknowable) but, according to Moses and the prophets, God is literally like us as we are in his image, and he continues to deal with us as his children.

John Zimmerman via jewishjournal.com

Correction

In the April 3 issue of the Jewish Journal, a photo caption in the Moving and Shaking section incorrectly spelled American Jewish Committee past President Fredrick S. Levin’s name. 

Letters to the editor: Trevor Noah, Koreatown transportation, JFS and more Read More »

Obituaries: Week of April 10th

Leave a Comment / Obituaries /

Lewis F. Blumberg died March 17 at 91. Survived by son David (Lisa); daughter Maria; 2 grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Paul Cohen died March 18 at 57. Survived by brother David (Kathy). Hillside

Fortunate Dallal died March 15 at 84. Survived by sons Stanley, Greg (Diana Cardenas Reyes), Sasson; daughter Joyce (Peter Rice); 11 grandchildren; 1 great-grandchild; sister Odille Hanson. Mount Sinai

Moshe (Morris) Feldman died Feb. 26 at 95. Survived by wife Esther; daughter Sandy Schwartz; 1 granddaughter; 1 great-grandson; sister Celia Fishbein. Chevra Kadisha 

Vincent Fortuna died Feb. 10 at 97. Survived by stepdaughter Deborah (Randi Orlik) Kerr; stepsons Michael (Kari) Kerr, Bentley (Mercedes) Kerr; grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Israel Gold died March 17 at 101. Survived by daughter Ellen (Douglas Orr); son Steven (Kathlyn); 2 granddaughters; sisters Esther Moss, Norma Riess; sisters-in-law Rae Wells, Jean (Herb) Aaron. Mount Sinai

Irving Matthews Gottlieb died March 17 at 97. Survived by sons Larry, Jeffrey (Stacy); 1 grandson. Groman Eden

Philip Greenberg died March 18 at 90. Survived by daughters Linda Kwit, Renee (Jerry) Levey; 2 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; 1 great-great grandchild. Mount Sinai

Alex M. Greenberger died Dec. 25 at 88. Survived by wife Lea; daughters Debbie Bain (Bob), Leslie, Lizzy Samuels (Avi); 10 grandchildren; nieces and nephews. Chevra Kadisha

Greti Herman died Feb. 27 at 91. Survived by son Pini; 3 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren. Chevra Kadisha

Harold Jay died March 16 at 96. Survived by daughter Pepper; son Ronald (Lia); 3 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren. Hillside

Leon Katz died Feb. 23 at 91. Survived by wife Lillian; sons David (Kathy), Paul (Susan); 4 grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Gerald Knopf died March 15 at 93. Survived by daughters Diane (Bob) Knopf-Senia, Deborah; 3 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; 1 nephew. Mount Sinai

June L. Kurtz died Feb. 28 at 86. Survived by daughters Rhonda, Jennie (Gil); brother Richard; sisters Theresa, Mirium. Mount Sinai

Danny Lerner died March 5 at 62. Survived by daughters Neer, Shiri; mother Sara; 2 grandchildren; brother Avi; sister Rivka. Chevra Kadisha

Ann Marks died March 16 at 93. Survived by sons Steven (Maria), Harold (Susan); daughter Ellen (Richard Teague); 7 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Asya Maslyansky died March 18 at 91. Survived by daughters Mara (Arik) Kashper, Irina (Mary) Kashper; brother Yuri (Gena) Igolnikov; sister Anna (Samuel) Fridberg. Mount Sinai

Naomi H. Meadows died March 17 at 90. Survived by son Theodore; 1 grandchild; 2 great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Leon Metz died March 18 at 91. Survived by son Dennis (Cassandra); daughter Lisa (Kirk) Hardy; 2 granddaughters. Mount Sinai

Sidney Sarfaty died March 14 at 82. Survived by wife Fran; son Ron (Jean); 2 grandchildren. Groman Eden

Rita Schwartz died March 19 at 95. Survived by daughter Gail (Irwin) Joseph; son Gary (Nanette); 2 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren. Hillside

Faye Sheren died March 15 at 89. Survived by daughter Bonnie. Hillside

Aaron Smith died March 18 at 98. Survived by daughter Barbara (Earl Edwards); son Michael (Darlyn); 2 granddaughters; 1 great-granddaughter; sister Sylvia Studin. Mount Sinai

Shirley Weinstein died March 18 at 84. Survived by sons Donald (Cheryl), Stewart (Amy), Jeff (Mihaela), Richard (Marie); 8 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; brother Arthur Lohr. Mount Sinai

Rose Zolen died March 18 at 89. Survived by son Michael; daughter Gail Kay. Mount Sinai

Obituaries: Week of April 10th Read More »

Real estate scion Robert Durst indicted on weapons charges in New Orleans

Leave a Comment / Is Featured?, Mobile, Mobile-Homepage, News, United States /

Robert Durst, the real estate scion awaiting extradition to California to face a murder charge, was indicted on weapons charges in New Orleans on Wednesday, the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office said.

Durst, recently featured in the HBO documentary “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” has been charged with the 2000 murder of a longtime friend in Los Angeles County and has sought a swift extradition to face that charge.

He was indicted by a grand jury on two Louisiana gun charges for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon and for carrying a weapon with a controlled substance, said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Bowman, a spokesman for Orleans Parish District, declining further comment.

A court hearing in his case is scheduled for Thursday.

Durst's attorneys had argued that his arrest last month and the initial search of his hotel room were improperly conducted.

His lawyers could not immediately be reached for comment.

Durst, 71, was arrested at a New Orleans hotel, where he was staying under an alias. Police said they found a revolver and a stash of marijuana in his room.

His arrest came the day before the airing of the final episode of the HBO series, in which a filmmaker's microphone caught him saying he had “killed them all.”

Durst was acquitted in the dismemberment killing of his neighbor in Texas in 2003. He was suspected in the 1982 disappearance of his wife, Kathleen Durst, in New York.

He has long been estranged from his powerful family with its significant New York real estate holdings.

Real estate scion Robert Durst indicted on weapons charges in New Orleans Read More »

Rahm Emanuel reelected mayor of Chicago

Leave a Comment / United States /

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel won reelection in a runoff.

Emanuel, a former chief of staff for President Barack Obama, handily led challenger Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, 56 percent to 44 percent, with 73 percent of the vote tallied when The Associated Press called the race on Tuesday night.

Emanuel, the first elected Jewish mayor of Chicago, had failed to win more than 50 percent in the first round of voting on Feb. 24, forcing the runoff.

The incumbent had raised at least $15 million for his campaign, with much of the investment made in television ads designed to prop up the mayor, who had abysmal approval ratings just last summer. In one ad, Emanuel appeared in a sweater instead of his usual business suit, and admitted he sometimes rubs people the wrong way.

In 2010, he visited Israel to celebrate the bar mitzvah of his son, Zach, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Emanuel is the son of an Israeli doctor who moved to the United States in the 1950s.

Rahm Emanuel reelected mayor of Chicago Read More »

Qatar lends Palestinians $100 million to pay salaries

Leave a Comment / Israel /

The Palestinian Authority said on Wednesday it had received a $100 million loan from Qatar to help pay civil servants salaries and alleviate an economic crisis triggered by a row with Israel over taxes.

President Mahmoud Abbas, who is visiting the Gulf state, issued a statement thanking Qatar for the loan. There was no immediate confirmation or comment from Qatari officials.

Israel collects taxes on behalf of Abbas's Palestinian Authority but suspended payments of some $130 million a month in January to protest at moves by the Palestinians to join the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Palestinian membership of the ICC started on April 1, opening the way for possible law suits against Israel for alleged war crimes tied to settlements on land the Palestinians want for an independent state.

Following widespread criticism by Western allies, Israel earlier this month released some of the frozen tax revenue, but withheld a portion of the cash, saying it was money Palestinians owed for utilities and health care supplied by Israel.

Abbas said the deductions amounted to a third of the total sum that Israel owed and refused to accept any of the money, threatening to go to the ICC over the issue.

An official at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed that Israel had deducted money to cover the Palestinians' electricity, water and health bills and was “willing to transfer back to the Palestinian Authority the sum that was returned whenever it wishes”.

Qatar lends Palestinians $100 million to pay salaries Read More »