Netanyahu Denounces War Crime Probe of Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again denounced the move by the International Criminal Court to launch an inquiry into possible war crimes committed against the Palestinians. In a recent televised speech, he called the move “absurd.”
Netanyahu said the “ultimate folly” of the decision was that the democracy of Israel, a world leader in fighting terrorism, was being investigated by the ICC. At the same time, he said, “the terrorist criminals of Hamas” will be pressing the charges.
He said he would not be surprised if the Islamic State, al-Qaida and Hezbollah followed suit.

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Thousands Gather in Israel for Funeral of Four Jewish Men Killed in Paris

Israelis and their leaders mourned alongside the grieving families of four Jewish men killed by a gunman at a kosher supermarket in Paris in early January as they were buried at an emotional funeral in Jerusalem. Relatives of the victims spoke briefly at the service, in a mixture of French, English, and Hebrew, and lit candles in memory of their loved ones. An uncle called his nephew an angel; a wife said her husband was perfect; a son remembered that his father always wanted to live in Israel. “He’s here now,” the son said.

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Poll: Number of Israelis Viewing Obama as ‘Positive’ or ‘Neutral’ Drops Sharply

The percentage of Israelis who believe President Barack Obama has either a “positive” or a “neutral” view of Israel has fallen steeply in the two years since his visit to Israel in the spring of 2012, according to a Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (BESA) survey released during December.

Of the respondents, 37 % said Obama has a “positive” position toward Israel, and an equal number said he had a “negative” attitude toward the country. Another 24% said he was “neutral.”

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