Need to Know for Dec. 28

UNESCO deadline, Jerusalem, Gal Gadot and a record-breaking Lego tower in Tel Aviv

Israel misses UNESCO deadline

Despite announcing that it would inform UNESCO of its decision to withdraw from the agency by the end of the year, Israel has been unable to file the necessary papers on time. The offices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization located in Paris are closed until after the New Year holiday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday instructed the director general of the Foreign Ministry to submit a formal letter of withdrawal to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, the agency’s first Jewish head. “I think that this is appropriate, given this organization’s biased, one-sided and absurd attitude toward us, and against the background of the U.S.’s strong stand at the U.N., which we welcome,” Netanyahu told his Cabinet on Sunday. It takes a year for the withdrawal request to go into effect, which would have put Israel’s request into effect at the end of 2018 along with the United States if it could get the necessary paperwork in on time. The announcement of Israel’s withdrawal from the agency comes after the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution rejecting any recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in the wake of the pronouncement by President Donald Trump two weeks ago.

White House cites Jerusalem recognition among Trump’s 2017 accomplishments

The White House included President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and his decertification of the Iran nuclear deal in a list of his first-year accomplishments. “President Trump followed through on his campaign promise and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel,” said a bullet point on the list, posted Dec. 22 and headlined, “Year One of Making America Great Again.” It appeared in a category described as “Restoring confidence in and respect for America.” Trump reversed 70 years of executive branch policy earlier this month when he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. U.S. officials have said that it will take at least several years before the U.S. embassy moves there from Tel Aviv. –JTA

President Obama — Then President Barack Obama (Dennis Brack/Pool/Getty Images)

Most admired

According to Gallup News, Americans once again are most likely to name Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton as the man and woman living anywhere in the world they admire most, as they have for the past 10 years. The pair retain their titles this year, although by much narrower margins than in the past. Obama edges out Donald Trump, 17% to 14%, while Clinton edges out Michelle Obama, 9% to 7%. The 2017 survey marks the 16th consecutive year Clinton has been the most admired woman. She has held the title 22 times in total, more than anyone else. Eleanor Roosevelt is second with 13 wins. Obama has now been named the most admired man 10 times, trailing only Dwight Eisenhower, who earned the distinction 12 times. Obama won all eight years he was president, plus 2008 — the year he was first elected — and this year, his first as a former president.

See the poll results here.

Searching for Gadot

Is Gal Gadot the most famous Israeli ever? Judging by 2017’s top Google searches, the answer might be yes. Gadot was the sixth-most searched person worldwide, and the third-most searched actor. The 32-year-old, who was born and raised in Israel and served in the Israel Defense Forces, starred in two movies this year: her breakout film “Wonder Woman” and the ensemble superhero flick “Justice League.” The movies were the #2 and #5 most-searched films, respectively. Where is Gadot most popular? Not Israel, her home country, nor the United States, where she lives now. She was most popular in the Philippines, where she was the second-most searched person overall. Other Southeast Asian countries also have Gadot-mania: Both Singapore and Malaysia searched for Gadot far more than the average country. So did Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. In the United States, she barely cracked the top 10, coming in at number 10. Worldwide, Gadot ranked below disgraced “Today” host Matt Lauer (#1); actress-turned-British princess bride Meghan Markle (#2) and, surprisingly, Nadia Toffa (#3), an Italian TV presenter who erroneously reported a dangerous nuclear experiment was planned. Still, Gadot came in above First Lady Melania Trump (#7) as well as Michael Flynn (#9), the former national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. But the funniest data point on Gadot might be one of the top searches related to her name: “gal gadot husband shirt.” People typing in that term are probably looking for an Instagram post by Gadot’s husband, real estate developer Yaron Versano, in which he’s wearing a shirt comparing “Your wife” (a generic ladies’ room symbol) to “my wife” (a drawing of Wonder Woman). In the photo, Gadot is sitting next to him with a huge grin on her face.

Dustin Diamond as Harvey Weinstein

Dustin Diamond, best known for his stint on the ’90s high school comedy Saved By The Bell as nerdy student Screech, plays a much more controversial character in rock band TENLo’s intense new music video for “Kill All The Things,” according to Billboard. In the drug-induced Joshua Mendez directed video, Diamond plays disgraced Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein, who drunkenly hooks up with a young nun (played by Kelly Cunningham), heads out from a bar into a hotel room — and reaches a gruesome and bloody demise.

See the video here.

Airport upgrades

Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport will undergo upgrades and expansions at a cost of $1.43 billion. The Israel Airport Authority announced the plans on Monday, saying the upgrades are necessary to accommodate an expected 50 percent increase in passenger turnover in the next five years, the Israeli business daily Calcalist reported. Earlier this week, the airport welcomed 2017’s 20 millionth passenger, according to Calcalist. Among the scheduled upgrades: 86 additional check-in stations, more stations for self check-in, plus six more luggage screening machines. The airport also will add eight passenger boarding bridges and two additional shuttle gates. Construction of a new Terminal 2 for is scheduled to absorb domestic flights after the closure of Tel Aviv’s Sde Dov airport, the business daily Globes reported. —JTA

All aboard

A recently approved train station to be built in Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter will reportedly be named for U.S. President Donald Trump. Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz on Tuesday approved the creation of the train station located near the Western Wall entrance, and announced that he decided to name it in honor of Trump to thank him for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the Hebrew-language daily Yediot Acharonot first reported Wednesday. The two underground stations were reportedly approved by the transportation minister following recommendations made by Israel Railways’ steering committee. The stations, one near the Western Wall entrance and another in the City Center at Jaffa and King George streets, are to be a continuation of the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem high speed train line, currently scheduled to end at the Jerusalem International Convention Center, that will be completed in several years’ time at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. It is not known what kind of archeological items could be found while digging the tunnel for the Western Wall line nor what kind of opposition it will face from the international community, which could slow down work on the line.

Lego tower built in Tel Aviv set to break world record

A Lego tower built in Tel Aviv is poised to set a new world record. The 118-foot tower was built from more than half a million Lego bricks donated by residents of Tel Aviv, in memory of a young cancer victim. Construction of the tower next to the Tel Aviv City Hall was completed on Wednesday. It was built by a cadre of Tel Aviv municipal workers and local volunteers, according to AFP. The structure has been named Omer Tower, in memory of Omer Sayag, who died of cancer in 2014 at the age of 8. Sayag built Lego towers and other constructions throughout his illness, when he was too weak to play outside, the Jerusalem Post reported. The previous Guinness World Record of 115 feet was set in 2015 by the Italian subsidiary of Lego. The municipality told AFP that it will submit proof, including photos taken from a drone, to Guinness.

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