Palestinian/ Israeli update 12/12/2016..Carter in Israel to celebrate F-35s arrival

Carter in Israel to celebrate F-35s arrival

Arrival of super-advanced F-35s in Israel delayed… by fog

http://www.timesofisrael.com/on-little-cat-feet-fog-keeps-mighty-f-35s-away-from-israel/

The flying bundle of military wizardry, touted as one of the most advanced weapons systems in the world, was held back in Italy by fog, playing havoc with a major welcoming ceremony. Fast, smart, stealthy and versatile, the F-35 can do it all, say its admirers, justifying its hefty $100 million a piece price tag. Just — preferably — not fly in fog. The planes can absolutely operate in bad weather, officials clarified, but flying in fog is avoided in non-operational circumstances. The planes, having begun a long journey last week from Texas in the United States all the way to Israel, were held up at the last leg of the trip, on what should have been a short flight from Italy Monday morning, as fog kept the planes grounded ahead of the planned ceremony at the Nevatim air base in southern Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, and US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter were all supposed to welcome the jets as they touched down. The IDF said in a statement that due to bad weather the fighters were not able to take off from the base where they had stopped. As a result they missed their scheduled 2 p.m. arrival at Nevatim air base in southern Israel. It was only at around 4 p.m. that the planes finally took off — and even then only after defense officials said they were considering scrapping the ceremony altogether for a clearer day. Britain Adopts an Official Definition of Anti-Semitism

Israeli High Court Rejects Appeal to Release Striking Prisoners

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950922001645

The Israeli High Court rejected Monday an appeal for the release of two Palestinian prisoners who have been on hunger strike since September 25, according to the Prisoners’ Affairs Commission. The Palestinian Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs said in a statement that the court did not care for the deteriorating health of Anas Shadid and Ahmad Abu Farah, WAFA reported. The two prisoners went on hunger strike to demand their release from administrative detention. They are currently kept at Asaf HaRofeh hospital in Israel. The commission had appealed to the High Court to release Shadid and Abu Farah to get treatment at a Palestinian hospital in Ramallah. Your Morning News From Israel – December 12, 2016