USA LAUNCHES WATER PROJECT IN JERICHO: The United States government on Sunday 15 Oct. 2017, launched a $10 million project to improve access to wastewater treatment and water for Palestinian Arab farmers in the Jericho area. Greenblatt has been among Trump's aides seeking to restart Israeli-Palestinian Arab negotiations. USA officials have spoken of improving the Palestinian Authority's economy and infrastructure as part of their efforts. The project announced Sunday aims to increase the number of homes connected to the Jericho area's wastewater treatment plant previously built with Japanese assistance by about 10,000 residents. That would leave some 70% of Jericho residents connected. Recycled wastewater would then be available to Palestinian Arab farmers in the area, it said. Palestinian Water Authority chairman Mazen Ghunaim said "this project will have a positive and direct impact on creating jobs and economic growth." (Arutz-7)

‘HEZBOLLAH DETERMINED TO GIVE ITSELF OPTION TO ATTACK AMERICA’: The United States on Tues.10 Oct. 2017, announced multi-million dollar rewards for two senior members of the Hezbollah terrorist group. Reports said the State Department would offer a reward of $12 million to anyone with information leading to the discovery, arrest, or charge of the two. The State Department's Counterterrorism Bureau said it would give $7 million and $5 million, respectively, for information leading to the capture of Talal Hamiyah and Fuad Shukr. An informational leaflet described Hamiyah as the head of the organization's External Security Organization, its "element responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of terrorist attacks outside of Lebanon." Shukr was described as a senior operative who played a central role in planning and carrying out the 1983 bombing of a USA Marine Corps barracks in Beirut that killed 241 American service personnel. Nicholas J. Rasmussen, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said that the USA believes that Hezbollah is determined to give itself an option to carry out attacks inside the United States. Hezbollah is blacklisted as a terrorist organization in the United States, which regularly sanctions members of the group. (Arutz-7)

ABBAS SAYS ‘NO’ TO TRUMP: The Fatah Revolutionary Council, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, met at the Palestinian Authority presidential headquarters in Ramallah to discuss the latest developments in the efforts to achieve reconciliation with the Hamas terrorist organization. Fatah leader and PA Chairman Abbas said at the meeting that Jerusalem was "the eternal capital of the state of Palestine." He praised the 'victory' of the Arab residents of Jerusalem against the "tyranny of the occupation" after the thwarting of the installation of metal detectors at the entrance to the Temple Mount. He also called on the UN Human Rights Council to publish its blacklist of companies which do business in Jewish communities in Judea & Samaria, and reiterated that the payments made to terrorists in Israeli prisons would continue. Abbas called the payments to terrorists a national, moral, political and human duty. The terrorists paid by the PA include many murderers and attempted murderers. The harsher their sentence, the greater the salary they receive, effectively creating a situation where the more Jews a terrorist murders, the more money he receives from the PA government. Abbas also rejected the demand to recognize Israel as a Jewish State. USA President Trump has called on Abbas to work to end terrorism, including by cutting off funding for terrorists and by ending incitement to violence against Jews. Abbas has refused. (INN)

HAMAS NAMES 2014 KIDNAPPING MASTERMIND AS NEW DEPUTY POLITICAL CHIEF: Hamas has named as its new deputy political chief Saleh el-Arouri, a man best known for attacks against Israeli targets, including the 2014 abduction and murders of Israeli teenagers Gil-Ad Shaer, Eyal Yifrach and Naftali Frankel. El-Arouri is held responsible by Israel for a long list of terrorist attacks in Judea & Samaria. The move is seen as toughening the Islamist movement’s posture in advance of reconciliation talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement. A leading Gaza analyst, Naji Shurrab, noted that Arouri’s being tapped to become deputy to politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh comes at the height of Hamas reconciliation contacts with Fatah. In his opinion the move is meant to strengthen Hamas’ position in unity negotiations and to signal that the movement will not accept Abbas’ political program, including recognition of Israel and acceptance of agreements signed with it. “Abbas wants Hamas to support his political program, including recognition of Israel, respect for agreements, peaceful resistance and being against violence. But the message here is we can’t make more concessions on the political program.” Hamas and Fatah negotiators are due to meet under Egyptian auspices in Cairo this month in a bid to advance efforts to end a decade-long division stemming from Hamas’s seizure of the Gaza Strip from Fatah forces. (J.Post)

ISRAEL’S TRADE WITH RUSSIA LEAPS BY 25%: Trade between Israel and Russia has grown this year by 25%, officials from both countries revealed. The first six months of 2017 saw increased trade between the nations of about $380 million over the corresponding period last year. Ze’ev Elkin, the cabinet minister responsible for environmental protection and issues connected with Jerusalem said, “There is still great potential for increase in trade and there is much work ahead of us,” Elkin said in reference to ongoing talks since 2013 on signing a free trade agreement with Russia. Temur Ben Yehuda, chairman of the Israeli Russian Business Council said, “We are not only conducting dialogue on increasing trade, we are also signing major agreements between Israel and Russian firms, including Watergen, Assuta and many others,” he said. The increase comes amid tightening cooperation between Israel and Russia on security issues connected with Syria, where the Russian government is engaged in propping up the beleaguered regime of the country’s president, Bashar Assad. Russia’s relations with Israel, which has remained neutral on the Syrian issue, have noticeably improved, with PM Netanyahu traveling to Moscow at least five times in one year. (Times of Israel)

FATAH PRAISES HAR ADAR TERRORIST: Nimer Mahmoud Ahmed Aljamal, the terrorist who murdered three Israelis in an attack at the entrance to the Jewish town of Har Adar 26 Sept. 2017 was praised as a 'Martyr' by Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement on its official Facebook page. Fatah's Facebook page featured a picture of Aljamal with a caption praising him, glorifying him, and expressing its condolences to his family. The PA Ministry of Health claimed that Aljamal died because he was shot by 'occupation forces' neglecting to mention that he had killed three Israelis. "The Ministry of Health officially announces the martyrdom of a citizen after the Israeli occupation forces shot him, northwest of Jerusalem," the PA Health Ministry wrote on its Facebook page. Maor Zemach, chairman of the Lach Yerushalayim movement, who translated the post praising the terrorist, said: "The Fatah movement, headed by Abu Mazen, continues to incite and glorify terrorists. This is a reality that the State of Israel must fight against. It is insane to think that only this week the Palestinian Authority, which supports terrorist murderers, was allowed to join Interpol." (Arutz-7)