Daily News Summary: Netanyahu returns mandate, Israel NGO to help the Kurds, and Elizabeth Warren considers pulling aid from Israel.

Rivlin, Netanyahu, Gantz meet September 27, 2019
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz (L), President Reuven Rivlin (C) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meet at the President's Residence in Jerusalem on September 25, 2019 (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

Netanyahu Returns Mandate:

Benjamin Netanyahu has returned the mandate to form a government back to President Rivlin after failure to form a coalition. The president is expected to now give Blue and White the chance to form their government. However, if they fail, the country will have yet another election. 

 

Israeli “Garage Start-Up” releases emissions free engine:

The Israeli company MayMaan Research has developed a piston engine that runs off of 70% water and 30% alcohol. The father and sons who founded the company hope to gain more partners to spread their creation, and integrate their engine into commercial and eventually private use. 

 

Local Municipalities leaders call on PM to fix the wall:

Multiple municipality leaders in the center and north of Israel are calling on the Prime Minister to fix the breaches in the West Bank walls in their area. The leaders cite several incidents where damaged fences have allowed terrorist to cross through and are begging the PM office to take action. 

 

Israeli NGO Launches Crowdfunding Campaign to help the Kurds:

The International Legal Form has launched a crowdfunding Campaign to raise a minimum of $100,000 to help “provide medical supplies, food, water, blankets and other essentials to wounded and displaced Kurds.” The NGO focuses on fighting terror and the BDS movement worldwide, and is partnering with other groups such as UK Lawyers for Israel, Sweden Israel Alliance, and multiple Kurdish NGOs 

 

The International Judo Federation suspends Iran indefinitely over refusing to face Israel

The International Judo Federation (IJF) determined that Iran broke many of its rules when it allegedly pressured fighter Saeid Mollaei to intentionally lose a fight in order to avoid competing against an Israeli.  According to the IFJ, Mollaei had been pressured on multiple occasions and in various ways to avoid competing with Israelis, including being approached by an Iranian on the sidelines before a fight in Tokyo last month, who told him to lose the fight. Mollaei lost the fight (apparently unintentionally) and immediately fled to Berlin.

 

Democratic Presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren would consider withholding US aid to Israel unless settlement construction stopped

At a campaign event in Iowa on Monday, Elizabeth Warren was asked if she would consider stopping US aid to Israel if it was unwilling to halt settlements. She responded that “everything is on the table.” She also said that increasing settlements “does not move us toward a two-state solution” and that it was the “official policy of the United States of America to support a two-state solution”.