Israel Active

Knesset Member Aida Touma-Sliman of the Arab Joint List party became the first Arab party lawmaker to head a permanent committee of the Israeli Parliament. She is now Chair of the Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women and was elected unanimously.

Israel has added NIS 100 million to the budget for people with severe disabilities receiving government support. It has the goal of improving the situation of weaker layers of society, and others who need assistance from the state.

Israeli magician Israel Cagliostro set a Guinness World Record for the largest magic lesson. He taught a card trick emphasizing peace to 1,576 Jewish, Christian and Muslim fifth and sixth graders brought together from across Haifa for a day of fun and cross-cultural interaction.

The chairman of Qatar’s committee for reconstructing Gaza reported to the Arab media "The reconstruction process is progressing very well as construction material is being shipped to Gaza everyday without any obstacles”. “Israel has approved all the Qatari-funded projects in the Gaza Strip.”

When an Israeli Arab IDF veteran launched the Facebook site Tzahal bistahal (“the IDF is worth it”) he didn’t expect positive messages from Arabs in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Morocco. But that’s what he got. And see the photos that prove it.

The Israeli organization IsraAID is sending a team to help relief efforts in Texas, where massive flooding has killed at least 21 people and impacted thousands. IsraAID’s executive director Shachar Zahavi said a team of 10 IsraAID volunteers would help with removing debris from damaged houses.

There are many reports of the announcement that India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the first Indian head of state to visit Israel. This is from the Indian press.

Jordan’s Amer Sweity recently became the first Jordanian citizen (and probably the first from an Arab country) to earn a doctoral degree from an Israeli university. He studied desalination as part of his PhD at Ben Gurion University and wants to bring peace through water.

The Kibbutzim College of Education is opening the Center for Accessible Learning, to promote education, training, and employment for people with disabilities. It will not only help acquire a profession but also improve skills via a range of tailored and accessible training programs

For national hearing day, Shlomi Bracha of the legendary Israeli rock band Mashina - performed a unique performance of the song "Someone Hears Me" by the rock band Eifo Hayeled with children suffering from hearing disabilities. It was a joint project with the NGO MICHA.