Israel Active

Four Indian navy warships arrived on a goodwill visit to Haifa to "strengthen service-to-service linkages", as the two countries celebrate 20 years of diplomatic ties this year. The Indian sailors will also be paying their respects at the memorial of Indian soldiers buried in Haifa. Haifa schools’ history textbooks include how Indian soldiers fought to liberate the city from the Ottoman Turks in 1918.

The IDF and the Civil Administration have facilitated the crossing of thousands of Palestinian Arabs to pray and hold family visits in Israel. Israeli medics are present at checkpoints and soldiers have been requested to refrain from smoking, eating and drinking in public – especially at crossing points.

B.’s partial paralysis in all four limbs made him exempt from the Israeli Defence Forces. But B. volunteered and was assigned to a highly classified Intelligence unit. Now B. has graduated from the IDF officers training course, receiving the Brigade Commander Decoration.

In the first part of this week’s “Walter’s World” with Walter Bingham on Israel National Radio, Walter visits the YVEL design centre of Orna and Isaac Levy. It has awarded scholarships to 21 young Ethiopian immigrants to train in jewellery manufacture and helps them find jobs in Israel.

70 US educators are visiting Israel as part of a leadership development program. They are participating in the REALITY Israel program in partnership with Teach For America. In Israel, they will meet with their counterparts in Teach First Israel, which has 143 teachers working in 33 schools across Israel.

This is a very interesting article by Richard Marceau, about a group of Quebec nationalists (not usually pro-Israeli) visiting the Jewish State. They came to learn from the country that has had arguably the biggest success in nation building in the modern world. Their impression? “Inspiring”.

After a four-month test period, the programming schedule of Hala TV, Israel's first Arabic television station, has been officially announced. The new station will broadcast 24 hours a day. Satellite and cable viewers can tune in to Hala TV on Channel 30

Amazing that the UK Guardian newspaper allowed one of its reporters to publish this interview with ex-Brigadier-General Yehudit Grisaro. Not surprisingly, some “Graudian” readers got a little bit upset – so you may not wish to view the comments.

“We are a team here, and there is no difference”, said Palestinian Arab nurse Manar Igbarya as she worked alongside Israelis (Arabs and Jews) at Hadassah-Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem. She was accepted at the hospital because “all they cared about was how I do my job.”

Deputy Regional Development Minister Ayoub Kara revealed that he had “representatives” in Jordan assisting children and infants who have been injured in the Syrian military’s violent crackdown throughout the country. The focus was to get medicine and medical treatment to them.