We are used to hearing about Iranian athletes, and athletes form a few other countries hostile to Israel,  bowing out of international competitions in order to avoid facing an Israeli competitor. It might be so as not to have to acknowledge anything official from Israel, it might be a form of protest, it might be an avoidance of indirect recognition of the State of Israel, and it might also be, even if just a bit, fear of losing to an Israeli and possibly facing a firing squad back home. 

A quick reminder to his Majesty: Annex 1 deals with the border. Annex 2 deals with water from the Jordan River that is transferred to Jordan. I have a feeling that you need that water more than you need a few dunams of land. https://t.co/g9e6Quxylg

— Ben Waxman (@benwaxman) October 21, 2018

there are some dramatic headlines in the news about Jordan canceling a couple of clauses in the peace agreement contract with Israel.

I saw the Hebrew headlines and did not really understand the issue, but hoped that if Jordan is unilaterally canceling some of the clauses Israel would respond in kind.

I looked on the main English news sites and did not find an article about this until I found one on Arutz 7. It turns out from the article that the cancellation of the clauses are actually part of the agreement.

According to Arutz7, Israel gave some farmland in the Jordan valley and Naharayim areas to Jordan as part of the peace agreement. Jordan agreed to lease the land to Israel for 25 years so Israeli farmers could continue working that land. The agreement allowed either side to back out of the lease, giving one years notice. Now, 24 years later, with one year left on the lease, Jordan has informed Israel that it will not be renewing the lease in a year from now.

I don't know what their reasons are, and it does not really matter, even if it is a shame, and even if the farmers would love to continue the lease (which I do not know to be true or false). The agreement gives them the right to decide not to renew the lease. Basically, the headlines are dramatic, but this is what Israel originally agreed to.

A common destination in recent years for small groups of Israelis, and especially Breslavers, has been the grave of Ahron Hakohen in Jordan.

According to a report on Kikar, the authorities in Jordan have told a group of Israelis who are there to daven by Ahron Hakohen's grave for his yahrtzeit, that because of the tense situation (with the shootings by the Israeli Embassy in Jordan), they will not be allowed to pray at the grave. Anybody seen doing so, will be arrested.

Rav Zalicha from Bnei Braq, who is present in Jordan, also says that the Jordanians are not letting them daven anywhere in Jordan, not just at the grave of Ahron, even in the privacy of their own hotel rooms, and not to put on tallis and/or tefillin. I am not sure how they can know that unless they have video cameras in all the rooms in the country, or at least where it is common for Israelis to stay.

The connection to Har Habayit is greater than just blaming Arab violence on Israelis actions at Har Habayit. If Israel does not allow Jews to pray on Har Habayit, and if the Arabs don't allow Jews to pray on Har Habayit and Israel lets that go with no outcry, how can we be upset when Jordan does not let Jews pray, whether in a hotel room or at the grave of Ahron Hakohen?

A Jordanian tourist in Israel stabbed a policeman and was then shot dead.

The Jordanians are upset and are demanding clarifications from Israel about the incident and why the Israelis shot a Jordanian.

Here is your clarification, King Hussein - because he stabbed an Israeli!

Even ignoring the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, no matter what country in the world you might be in, if you stab a policeman, the policeman, and other security responders, are going to shoot you dead. That's just the way it is. Add the element of terror in Israel and the trigger finger is even a bit quicker.

I had the occassion to drive northward along the coast of the Dead Sea last night, after spending the day hiking in the area (great and challenging hike called Nahal Mishmar, for those interested).

Scanning the radio stations led me to discover that Israel, or at least that region of Israel, has been conquered by the Jordanians.

Until we hit the northern tip of the Dead Sea, we could not find a single radio station in Hebrew. They were mostly Arabic and one in English. We did hear the Jordanian news broadcast in English - they even mentioned the Palestinian youth killed by Israelis after allegedly stabbing two settlers in the Occupied West Bank.

I think Israel has to take back the airwaves down there. Put up some broadcast towers in the area and make sure Israelis down there can here some Hebrew broadcasts.

He who controls the airwaves controls the ___________  (fill in the blank)

Last night 6 mishgichei kashrut working in the farms in Jordan (established there to provide vegetables from abroad due to the shmitta year making it difficult to provide local Israeli vegetables) were attacked by Arabs. It seems these Arab workers attacked the mashgichim with stones and axes.

Local police were called to the scene,. They came and protected the mashgichim and transferred them to the border-crossing with Israel.

According to the reports, it is unclear what the Arab workers were angry about, but it seems it was the result of some financial dispute.
source: Kikar

All I have to say about it is that this was something that was easily foreseen. Somehow they who set this enterprise up thought it would be a good, and cheap, idea. They thought they could trust the Arabs there and that they would be safe. I would also note this is not the first incident, though it seems to be the most serious so far (that I have heard of).

I am surprised they thought this would be a good idea.

So, Jordan took revenge on ISIS and executed a couple of terrorist prisoners they were holding in prison that were associated with ISIS.

1. Is that an effective response? Does ISIS even care, or are they now going to be made out to be martyrs? Does this create any deterrence?

2. They were not given the death sentence as the result of a fair trial. It was just a decision in order to avenge the brutal murder of a Jordanian by ISIS. Is that the right thing to do? Does the world not care that Jordan just did this? and this leads to #3

3. If Israel did the same, in response to terror attacks against its citizens, would the world react the same way - i.e. not care - or would Israel be condemned?

I would rather use firewood or even set myself on fire, but I will never import Israeli gas. We should not use the Jordanian deficit as a pretext to justify dealing with Satan. They want to starve, enfeeble and exhaust our people...The Jordanian Kingdom has had dealings with Satan since 1994, but where has it gotten us? 

-- Jordanian MP Hind al-Fayez

who can get her a match?  Just make sure it is not an Israeli-made match

The big salvation for the people who keep what they call "shmitta l'chumra", i.e. not touching any produce from Jews in Israel but only non-Jewish (aka Arab) produce, or imported produce, was supposed to be the initiative by some involved with the Eida to grow produce in Jordan and bring it in. They bought/rented the land, set up the farm, created a system with mashgichim being sent from Israel, and this would create a system of Jewish produce that is imported, instead of local Arab produce (that is usually lower quality and has the problem of supporting the Palestinians).

All was good until it no longer was.

The Jordanians are now making trouble for them. In this time of political tension and terror, the Jordanians seem to be leaning to support the Palestinians over Israel, even at the expense of the peace treaty.

Everything was working nicely, with the mashgichim coming and going, until the Jordanians put new regulations into effect this past week.

According to the new regulations, Israelis can no longer enter Jordan as individuals, but only in groups of 6 or more, along with being accompanied by a policeman and a guide during their entire stay in Jordan..

This regulation will definitely hurt their tourism industry, but more to our point, mashgichim can no longer go check out what they need to supervise, unless they go in large groups. They now lose their element of surprise, as well as requiring travel coordination with a large group, rather than one or two being able to go do their work on their own.
source: Ladaat

I am not sure what these mashgihchim are even needed for. If they already set up the farm, they already ensured it is outside of halachic Israel. Meaning, there are no shmitta issues, mashgichim are not needed for the purpose of tithing and separating truma. The produce is natural, so manufacturing or ingredients don't need supervision. Why do mashgichim need to go to Jordan to check out tomatoes and lettuce? Maybe to ensure that the vegetables are bug-free, assuming they grow them by bug-free methods?

I feel bad for the investors who put a lot into this initiative. It looks like they are going to take a hit just because they thought the Jordanians are trustworthy and want Israeli business..

this is Rav Tzvi Weber with other mashgichim entering Jordan to take a look (i.e. supervision) at the enterprise established growing produce in Jordan for import to Israel to avoid shmitta issues.

Yitzchak Rabin will be joining the IDF...

no, that is not a throwback headline... it is current.

According to NRG, shortly after the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin, 18 years ago, a new mother in Jordan named her baby after the slain Israeli prime minister - Yitzchak Rabin (I wonder - is that his last name or does he have a different last name?).. At some point they had to abandon their lives in Jordan after suffering much abuse due to his name.

Momma and little Yitzchak Rabin ended up living in Eilat, but still had Israeli bureaucracy to deal with. They wanted Israeli citizenship. Eventually, it would have been time for little Yitzchak to serve in the IDF, if he would be a citizen, but he never received his draft notice - because he is not a citizen. But that wasn't good enough for little Yitzchak. Yitzchak Rabin insisted on his right to serve his country.

This week Minister of Interior Gideon Saar personally went down to Eilat and granted Yitzchak Rabin and Momma Rabin their blue teudat zehut.

With a name like Yitzchak Rabin, I have to wonder if they qualified for citizenship based on the Law of Return...

The recent movement in Jordan to obtain the release of the terrorist who shot and killed 7 girls from Bet Shemesh has also drawn the involvement of the mayor of Bet Shemesh, Moshe Abutbol.

Mayor Moshe Abutbol has sent a letter to King Abdullah of Jordan requesting that he reject the petition for the terrorists release.

Ladaat reported on the text of the letter: Abutbol wrote the letter and sent it via the Jordanian Ambassador to Israel. In it he wrote:
the repugnant attack in the Isle of Peace in Naharayim, is a wound that still bleeds for the people of Bet Shemesh, despite the many years that have passed the intensity of the pain has not diminished. It is shocking to think that there are those who seek to free the abominable murderer whose hands are dirty with the blood of our daughters.
Every year on this difficult day, the day on which 7 girls of Bet Shemesh were killed, we come to the place, we meet with representatives of the Jordanian government and with generals from the Jordanian army, we speak again about the pain, about the anger, and about the need to arouse the importance of peace and coexistence between our people, but to much pain, the release of the abominable murderer who killed 7 young girls in cold blood is the opposite of everything we teach, the opposite of everything we seek and is simply a prize for terror in the full capacity of the words. 

Specifically on this day, the day of bereavement and mourning for the loss of our children, the day that is to be a symbol for the entire world, that the blood of our children is not free, and the petition with 110 signatures from members of the parliament for the request to free the murderer of our daughters, is something unimaginable and is something that should upset anybody who is proud of his humanity.

We remember well the visit of King Hussein of Jordan in our city Bet Shemesh when he came to visit us to express his shock and to request forgiveness from the parents of the young students who  went on a trip in the isle of Naharayim and were murdered by a lowly murderer. I request from the honorable ambassador to pass over our great pain in the name of the bereaved families, and in the names of all the residents of Bet Shemesh, and I believe that it is also in the name of all the people of Israel, to King Abdallah of Jordan and to give over to him our request that he will act with vigor to thwart any plot to free the murderer from jail.

I am full of hope that our country and he who stands at the head of it, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the president Shimon Peres, will continue on with their pressure to prevent additional pain to the pain of the families of our city who lost their daughters as a result of this shocking murder. 

The blood of Jews is not hefker.

The blood of Jews is not hefker. What an appropriate message on Yom Ha'Atzmaut. We have a Jewish country specifically to prevent the blood of Jews form being hefker ever again. the blood of Jews being treated as cheap and hefker is one of the greatest desecrations of Gods name in this world. Israel is here to prevent that. For this we have freedom and independence. And for this the soldiers gave so much from themselves over the years to protect us, to show the blood of Jews is no longer hefker, and we remember that on Yom Ha'Zikaron.

the blood of Jews is not hefker.

In 1997 a terrorist from Jordan shot and killed 7 13-year old girls from Bet Shemesh. The girls were on a class trip to the Island of Peace, a location close to Naharayim. The terrorist was apprehended and sentenced to a life in prison with hard labor. King Hussein of Jordan took the unusual step of visiting Israel right then and paid a condolence call expressing his grief at the houses of each of the families of the girls who had been killed.

A majority of the Jordanian parliament is now calling on the government to release Ahmad Musa Mustafa Daqamseh. Such a pardon would require a government decision, along with a pardon from the King of Jordan, who has as of yet not given any indication that he plans to do so. The problem with "as of yet" is that with enough media talk and promotion, if the issue picks up steam and momentum, the king could be pressured by public opinion to change his mind. Maybe not this year, but maybe next year or the year after.

I heard some of the parents on the radio talking in tears about how the government should use all diplomatic means available to pressure the Jordanian government against such a release. Better earlier than later in my opinion. Better to quash it before it gains momentum and becomes a real issue under consideration. Better quash it before public opinion is pressuring the King of Jordan.

It did make me wonder why we have a right to release terrorists from jail, despite the hurt it will cause to the families of the terrorists victims, and despite the fact that he killed people and should not be walking around as a free man, while we explicitly refuse to allow other countries to free terrorists in their jails. The reason is because in both cases we are the victims - we can choose to release terrorists who killed our children, if there might be a greater purpose - some form of peace or goodwill, or a prisoner exchange. However, we also can say that we do not approve releasing terrorists that we were victims of. We do not want Jordan releasing terrorists we were victims of. With us being the victims, at times we can choose a certain terrorist should be freed for the greater god, but a different terrorist should not. Jordan should only decide on releasing terrorists that killed Jordanians, not Israelis.

Terrorists should be taken, and kept, off the streets. The Israeli government must do all in its power to pressure the Jordanian government against such a release, and to do it in such a powerful way that this will not be a recurring issue in the coming years.

Headline Of The Day

Jewish Tourists Stoned in Jordan over 'Provocative Hats' 

  -- Israel National News

"Provocative Hats".. haha.. I needed a good laugh.

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Egypt Air has taken Israel off the map. Jordan has taken over, stretching all the way to the Mediterranean. They continue to fly to Israel, despite the fact that Israel does not seem to exist.

From Ynetnews:

Egypt Air, the largest airline in Egypt, has removed Israel from the map – literally. On its website, Ynet has learned, Jordan's land reaches the Mediterranean Sea.


The airline's subsidiary, Air Sinai, flies to Israel regularly, but customers seeking flights to Ben Gurion National Airport will have a hard time finding them. On the map are the names of the Mideast capitals – Amman, Beirut, and Damascus – but Israel is nowhere to be found.
Egypt Air is the first large airline to have omitted the state from its map of destinations. Other airlines based in Muslim countries, such as Turkish Airlines and Royal Jordanian, include Israel and Tel Aviv on its maps.


The omission is especially odd seeing as the company continues to fly to Israel four times a week. Cairo- Tel Aviv flights were temporarily halted following the recent uprising that overturned the government, but were then reinstated.


There has also been an increase in passengers on Air Sinai's flights. According to the Airports Authority, the airline saw an increase of 27% in 2010 from the year previous.

It seems like they think Jordan has conquered Israel..

When Israel considered stripping Israeli Arabs of their citizenship because they assisted terrorists, there was an outcry about "human rights", "Judaization" and more.

Yet Jordan goes ahead and begins stripping Palestinians of their citizenship of Jordan, not being done for any valid reason but just so the Palestinians should not think that is their homeland, without announcing it in advance, without asking anyone, and nobody gives a hoot about human rights or anything else.

If Jordan can do it with no problem, we too should start stripping them of their citizenship - first begin with those assisting terrorists, and then move on to the rest of them. They can retain status of permanent, or temporary, resident, but not citizen. they will enjoy all benefits of the State under the law, but will just not be citizens. It cab be done as a response to terrorism or to encourage them to seek their home in the Palestinian territories or in other Arab countries. Just like what Jordan is doing.

It seems that is the modus operandi in this neighborhood of the world (Egypt has done it as well plenty of times), and no reason for us not to play along.