Solaris is Israel's first national solar observatory
a project supported by the Ministry of Innovation
Science and Technology and the Israel Space Agency
with an investment of NIS 1.15 million for its construction and another NIS 600.000 for its operation over the next three years
This is a milestone for astronomical research in Israel
as the observatory opened its doors in the Druze town of Isfiya
which seeks to promote space education in Israeli Arab communities
Solaris has four telescopes specialized in studying solar activity and its effects on Earth
It also offers educational programs in Arabic and Hebrew
allowing students of all ages to explore topics such as solar radiation
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And She's Not AloneSamira Azzam defied tradition by starting a party that fielded the first-ever
all-woman slate of candidates for a local council in a Druze town
and that of other Druze and Arab local politicians
2023“At first I didn’t really understand how significant our story is,” says Samira Azzam
speaking from her home in the Druze town of Isfiya
and to sink also into the feeling that it’s impossible to change anything – the discrimination against Druze in general
and the discrimination against women and the corrupt politics in the community as well
talks about her work with fire in her eyes and doesn’t stop to catch her breath for a moment
2023Get email notification for articles from Adi Hashmonai FollowApr 21
2023Bereaved families and disabled Israeli military veterans from the Druze community called on Friday for government officials not to visit the graves of their relatives on Memorial Day
The Druze community is furious that
the government has decided not to send a minister to the upcoming memorial ceremony in the village of Usfiya to honor the fallen soldiers of the community.Contrary to the norm
instead of a government minister participating in the ceremony
Likud MK Eti Atiya will arrive in Daliyat al-Carmel as the government representative
the Druze community lost 13 soldiers and 12 children in the Hezbollah rocket attack disaster in Majdal Shams. Rafik Halabi
the head of the Daliyat al-Carmel Local Council
expressed his anger on X/Twitter over the government's decision to send Atiya to the ceremony: "There are no ministers
13 Druze soldiers fell in battle for Israel
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Added AnyClip script for catID not in catID != 69 && catID != 12 "); } ח״כ אתי עטיה מהליכוד
יושבת ראש הוועדה לעובדים זרים תייצג את מדינת ישראל בטקס הזיכרון המרכז לחללי העדה הדרוזית בבית העלמין הצבאי בעוספיא.אין שרים,אין רגש ,אין כבוד ואין יחס
נמאס מהזלזול הקנאי .שלושה עשר חללים דרוזים
חיילי צה״ל נפלו בחרבות ברזל .מאות במערכות ישראל
2024Get email notification for articles from Gil Gutkin FollowNov 10
2024The Druze kitchen has been in the spotlight lately on Israeli television cooking programs
Chefs Naifa Mulla and Loy Halabi turned Druze cuisine into a popular favorite among Israelis
Their goal was to challenge old prejudices
offering a contemporary interpretation of traditional cuisine
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Druze Israelis take part in a rally against Israel's nation-state law in Tel Aviv
There are hundreds of shoppers and day trippers in Daliyat al-Karmel and in Isfiya – two Druze villages in Israel's north
an attempt was made to join these two villages into one
"The Druze population is not uniform," Wafa
"A person's familial and clan affiliations are much more influential," than ethnicity
despite the broad protest effort surrounding the recently approved nation-state law (which the Druze
find offensive as it defines Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people)
quite a few dissenting voices can be heard within the Druze community
"I support the nation-state law and understand that its aim is not to harm the Druze population or any other minority in Israel," he says
Our youth no longer listen to their elders
They read what people are saying on social media and they think that the nation-state law labels us
But the nation-state bill is actually designed to protect the status of minorities in Israel
"Because if Israel becomes a state of all its citizens
the minorities will be the first to pay the price
Just look at what's happening now to the Druze communities in Syria
in Lebanon and in other countries and you'll see the status of minorities in countries that claim to be equal," he says
"There are people who insist on fomenting dissent and stirring the youngsters against the state
the ones to pay the price will be the Druze
I am 100% certain that this dispute over the nation-state law will be resolved
some 20 buses are waiting to transport demonstrators to the mass protest in Tel Aviv
passes between the buses and ensures that none of the protest signs are of a political nature
"We are not against the state or its symbols," he says
showing me that every Druze flag is paired with an Israeli flag
there were some radical leftists here and they were handing out little Palestinian Authority flags
Those flags went into the trash and we demanded that the activists leave
With all due respect to the left-wing organizations and the pro-Palestinian organizations
our protest is not anti-Zionist or against the state."
In other Druze villages across the Israeli north, the general consensus is that the protest has taken a turn that makes most Druze, even those who oppose the law, uncomfortable. "It is not acceptable for anyone to call MK Avi Dichter, who authored the law, a Nazi," says Daliyat al-Karmel Mayor Rafik Halabi
a former journalist and one of the leaders of the protest movement against the law
"Most of the Druze don't even care about the nation-state law
But there are these people who make sure to push the young people to prowwww
The people behind this are not part of the Druze community
"Nowhere in the law does it say that the Druze people don't have civil rights
and we have no problem with the State of Israel being the nation-state of the Jewish people
The Druze people have linked their fate with the Jewish state of Israel in a covenant of blood
The Druze people have thrived here since the state of Israel was established
Dozens of buses begin making their way from the Druze villages toward Tel Aviv
"There will be tens of thousands of people in the square
but our hope that this demonstration won't come back to bite us," Wafa sighs
even people who don't identify with this cause have to agree with it because that's the trend in our community
It is true that they don't listen to their elders
and it's okay for them to have their own opinion
But they have keep in mind that within our small
we have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy the protection of the State of Israel."
"I'm afraid that the Jewish public will think that we are coming out against the state," he continues
"It is important to me and many like me to clarify: We are not Palestinian
who love the state and identify with its values and its symbols – 99% of the Druze sing the national anthem Hatikva
We will continue to fight for the state that
has extended all the civil rights to its minorities."
Wafa adds that he hopes "those encouraging the youngsters to label Israel an 'apartheid state' and call the prime minister and the MKs 'Nazis' don't end up causing an irreparable rift between the Druze and the Jewish populations in Israel
"Our young people need to understand that the moment they stop serving the interests of those encouraging them to protest against the state
The New Israel Fund will take care of them
Israel has launched Operation "Port City," striking concrete plants
and cargo docks at the Houthi-controlled port in coordination with..
Indications obtained by Israel Hayom suggest that in recent weeks
The British police launched an urgent operation to stop Iranian terror cells operating within the country
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The first issue of Israel Hayom appeared on July 30
Israel Hayom was founded on the belief that the Israeli public deserves better
more balanced and more accurate journalism
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Israeli Ambassador to Panama Reda Mansour and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu | Photo: GPO/Mark Neiman/Wikimedia Commons
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday apologized to Israel's ambassador to Panama
a member of the Druze minority after he and his family were subject to a special security screening before departing from Ben-Gurion International Airport last week
According to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office
Netanyahu told Ambassador Reda Mansour that the Druze community is "close to our heart," and that he will work to "strengthen our brotherly bond."
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Reda wrote about the extra grilling on Facebook on Saturday
He described how after learning they were from the Druze-majority town of Isfiya
the airport security guard asked the ambassador and his family to step aside and asked to see their passports
"Isfiya is not a village in the [Palestinian] territories but the place of the central Druze graveyard
The first fallen soldier was my wife's grandfather who was killed in 1938
I recommend you take your security managers for a visit to this cemetery so that they learn what sacrifice is and what statesmanship and courtesy is
President Reuven Rivlin also spoke with Mansour on Saturday
"It was important for me to talk to you following the emotional turmoil you have experienced," he told the ambassador
and one cannot remain indifferent to them."
"I don't want to get into the details of what happened
and I understand that all of the relevant parties are working on investigating the subject
What is nevertheless important is what you feel
"It is important to me that you know that your long years of diplomatic work are appreciated and important for us as a country
and I am confident you will continue on your path
Our alliance with the Druze community is a covenant of life and not a blood pact
We need to make sure that we are deserving of it every single day
and not just in periods of crisis and combat," Rivlin said
The Israel Airports Authority issued a statement saying
"The security check at Ben-Gurion International Airport is [performed] without regard to religion
When you meet over 25 million passengers a year
there are those who will choose to be offended by an encounter with a security guard that is doing her job
there was nothing improper in the way the security guard did her job
my best friends are buried in a military cemetery
the ambassador tells his daughter that the security guards do everything in their power to protect her and the country."
Channel 12 News anchorman Shibel Karmi Mansour
was asked whether he had ever personally experienced discrimination at Ben-Gurion Airport
"The decision-makers need to make a decision
Either you screen everyone in a similar way as they do in the United States
Israel is home to approximately 140,000 Druze
a secretive sect that splintered off from Shiite Islam in the Middle Ages
Members of the Druze community take great pride in being fiercely loyal to the state of Israel and routinely serve in the military and the Israel Police
the highest-ranking Druze officer in the IDF is Maj
the coordinator of government activities in the territories
the members of the Druze community have felt alienated since Netanyahu's government passed a controversial nation-state law in 2018 that emphasized Israel's Jewish character
An Israeli diplomat from the country's Druze minority has accused security agents at Tel Aviv airport of racially profiling and humiliating him and his family as they travelled on official business
who hails from the mainly Druze town of Isfiya near Haifa
was flying to the Central American country on Saturday when he was stopped and interrogated by security officers at Ben Gurion airport
"When they learned that we came from Isfiya
they asked to see our passports," Mansour wrote on Facebook after the incident
Israel does not publicly admit to using racial profiling at Ben Gurion airport
but rights groups and others have alleged mistreatment or harassment of Palestinians and other minorities as passengers move through the airfield’s several-tiers of security
Foreign Ministry reviewing case after Druze envoy alleges mistreated at airport: Ministry urges 'mutual respect' at Israel's ports of entry after Reda Mansour posts angry account of being held up by security guard who learned they were from… https://t.co/9AeIPtul7N TimesofIsrael pic.twitter.com/vFAZIpb0ma
The Foreign Ministry said it was in contact with both its envoy and the Israel Airports Authority
adding that when citizens and visitors encounter officials at the entry and exit points to the country
“it must be done professionally and with mutual respect”
While Israeli Palestinians and Druze often denounce harsh treatment by the airport's security staff
it is rare for a senior official to speak out on the subject
Mansour wrote of "humiliation" and concluded his post: "Go to hell..
The veteran diplomat also noted that his village is home to a memorial for Druze soldiers killed fighting under the Israeli flag
"I advise that you take your security guards and those in charge of their training to visit this cemetery and teach them about self-sacrifice and respect," he added
Unlike Palestinian citizens of Israel who may volunteer to serve
the Druze are subject to compulsory service in the military or police alongside Jewish Israelis
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday tweeted his "deep appreciation for the work of Ambassador Mansour who represents Israel in Panama"
Netanyahu praised Israel's Druze community as "dear to our hearts"
Thousands from the country's 130,000-strong Druze community took to the streets last August to denounced a law declaring Israel the nation state of the Jewish people
arguing it renders them second-class citizens
Israel's Airports Authority on Sunday said the security guard "did his job"
"Security checks at Ben Gurion Airport are carried out regardless of religion
Haaretz reported that Israeli Foreign Ministry retirees wrote a letter in support of Mansour:
we've decided to write to you personally and express our sorrow for the experience you endured
your daughter and the rest of your family received during the security inspection at Ben Gurion Airport as well as the condescending statement issued by the Israel Airport Authority spokesperson following the incident
we've seen you invest your heart and soul in the representation of the State of Israel in the world
You are an excellent ambassador and a pride to all of us
Please express our support to your daughter and the rest of your family
"We are convinced that our friends at the Foreign Ministry will later find the way to show you their support," the letter said
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Scientologists work in their communities to bring about a drug-free world
as described in the brochure released November 13
Scientology: How We Help—The Truth About Drugs
Volunteers from the Center of Scientology for Tel Aviv set up five booths throughout the village of Isfiya in the north of Israel to help community leaders combat drug and alcohol abuse
Los Angeles, CA---A recent wave of arrests of youth caught smuggling drugs in the region prompted a search for solutions by community leaders of Isfiya, a hub of the monotheistic Middle Eastern Druze religion in the north of Israel. On learning of the Truth About Drugs program
they turned to the new Center of Scientology of Tel Aviv for help
the Isfiya City Council selects a theme for their annual parade
they transformed the festival into a way to combat drug and alcohol abuse and invited the Scientologists to set up Truth About Drugs booths around the village
The parade was led by local religious leaders—Muslims
Druze and Jews—who marched side by side to show their solidarity on this issue
at one of the five Truth About Drugs booths
Some 1,500 other festival-goers made the same commitment
“We spoke with many parents who were concerned about their children’s drinking habits,” said Ayelet Mallis, coordinator of the Scientology Center’s drug education and prevention program in Israel
“They knew they had a problem but didn't know what to do
They were relieved to find that our booklets contained the knowledge they need to communicate to their children.”
Active in drug education and prevention for more than two decades
the Church has sponsored distribution of millions of booklets
fliers and posters through thousands of drug education activities in communities
The Church of Scientology has published a new brochure, Scientology: How We Help—the Truth About Drugs, Creating a Drug-Free World, to meet requests for more information about the drug education and prevention initiative it supports. To read a copy of the brochure, visit the Scientology website
Druze and Jews marched side by side through the streets of Isfiya
in a parade dedicated to combating drug and alcohol abuse
Thousands of local villagers and festival-goers from throughout the region joined in the anti-drug parade in the village of Isfiya
at one of the five Truth About Drugs booths set up by the volunteers of the Scientology Center of Tel Aviv
officials and religious leaders pledged to live a drug-free life
“The planet has hit a barrier which prevents any widespread social progress—drugs and other biochemical substances
These can put people into a condition which not only prohibits and destroys physical health but which can prevent any stable advancement in mental or spiritual well-being.”
The Church of Scientology sponsors Truth About Drugs
one of the world’s largest nongovernmental drug education and prevention campaigns
It has been conclusively proven that when young people are provided with the truth about drugs—factual information on what drugs are and what they do—usage rates drop commensurately
Press Contact: Karin PouwPhone: (323) 960-3500Email: mediarelations@ChurchofScientology.net
Church of Scientology International 6331 Hollywood Blvd.