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Elder of Ziyon
Watch: 'Son of Hamas' stuns PA delegation at UNHCR
Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, stunned the Palestinian delegation to the UN Human Rights Council when he called out the PA's human rights abuses of their own people.AMBUSHED: U.N. Heads Turn in Stunned Disbelief as PLO Lies Exposed by Palestinian Hero
The PA delegation reacts with shock as Hassan Yousef calls the PA the “greatest enemy of the Palestinian people,” in a video posted by UNWatch.
“If Israel did not exist, you would have no one to blame,” he declared.
PMW: Fatah summer camp glorified terrorist murderer Dalal Mughrabi
Fatah does not cease to promote terrorist murderer Dalal Mughrabi as a role model for Palestinian youth. During a visit by Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki to Fatah's Al-Asifa Pioneers Summer Camp in Hebron this August, girls paraded with two flags: one, the official Palestinian flag, and the other had the image of terrorist Mughrabi. Mughrabi led the bus hijacking and murder of 37 civilians, 12 of them children, during what is known as the Coastal Road massacre, in 1978.Australia, New Zealand PMs to visit Israel for Beersheba battle anniversary
The picture of Mughrabi on the flag holding an automatic rifle is a well-known photo, often used by Fatah when praising her as a "role model" and "Martyr." For example, when members of Fatah's Central Committee celebrated the attack and praised the female terrorist on the anniversary of her attack, the photo was displayed on stage at the event.
Palestinian Media Watch reported last month on another Fatah summer camp which was named after Dalal Mughrabi earlier this year.
While visiting the Al-Asifa Pioneers, Zaki "reviewed the significance of the role of the male and female youth in the Palestinian revolution, since its outbreak." [Facebook page of Fatah Spokesman in the Southern Hebron District Maher Namoura, Aug. 8, 2017]
The prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand will visit Israel next month to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Beersheba, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
The 1917 attack on the Ottoman forces in the city, which was led by British general Edmund Allenby, enabled the British Empire to take control of southern Palestine after months of inconclusive fighting in Gaza and continue its advance towards Jerusalem.
Mounted units of soldiers from both Australia and New Zealand played key roles in the fight for the city.
The ceremony will be held on October 31 at the Beersheba Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery, where more than 1,000 commonwealth soldiers are buried, including the over 100 troops who died during the Battle of Beersheba.
The Foreign Ministry said Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will arrive in the country on October 28, while New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English will land in Israel a day later.
It did not say whether the two will hold meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or any other Israeli officials while in the country.
Netanyahu last met with Turnbull in February during his trip down under.
Survey: 60% of Arab Israelis have positive view of state
A survey of Arab citizens of Israel has found more positive attitudes to the state and its institutions than was previously thought.New UNRWA textbooks for Palestinians demonize Israel and Jews
Sixty percent surveyed said they had a favorable view of the state, while 37% said their view was unfavorable.
The poll, whose findings were released Wednesday, was conducted by the Israel office of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, the Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation at Tel Aviv University’s Dayan Center and Keevoon, a research, strategy and communications company.
The poll, conducted last month, surveyed 876 citizens of Israel and 125 east Jerusalem permanent residents. It had a margin of error of 2.25%.
Broken down by religion, 49% of Muslims view the state favorably compared with 48% unfavorably, while 61% of Christians view it favorably compared to 33% unfavorably.
Ninety-four percent of Druse view the state favorably compared to 6% unfavorably.
The survey showed that slightly more Israeli-Arabs have favorable views of the legal system, Supreme Court and police than unfavorable ones. The latter finding is seen as reflecting tremendous worries about crime in Arab communities.
New schoolbooks used in United Nations Relief and Works Agency schools in Gaza and the West Bank display extreme anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiments and no hope for peace in the region, according to a study released on Wednesday by the Center for Near East Policy Research, The Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Middle East Forum.Southern Syria: How to Stop the Iranian Plan for Regional Dominance
The research, authored by Arab textbooks expert Dr. Aaron Groiss in collaboration with leaders of each of the involved organizations, examined some 150 textbooks of various school subjects, taught in grades one through 12. Seventy-five of the books checked were published in the years 2016 and 2017, as part of a new project initiated by the Palestinian Authority, which provides its curriculum to UNRWA schools.
The contents of the books were analyzed focusing on the depiction of the Jewish/Israeli "other," which revealed three fundamentals: delegitimization, demonization and indoctrination to violent struggle instead of peace.
According to the Palestinian schoolbooks, Jews have no rights whatsoever in the region but only "greedy ambitions." The books also say that Jews have no holy places there either – the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem are all presented as Muslim holy places threatened by Jews.
Melanie Phillips: The hen-house votes for the fox
- Israel is concerned that Iran and its proxies might fill the void created by the upcoming defeat of ISIS and turn Syria into a permanent political, military and economic stronghold, threatening Israel and Jordan.
- Israel has closely followed the developing intentions and plans by Iran and Hizbullah to establish an operational infrastructure in southern Syria and to ultimately turn it into a military and terror front against Israel.
- Following Russia's military deployment in Syria, Israel was quick to launch a close dialogue with the Russian leadership. The Russians not only understand Israel's red lines but have respected them, in almost all cases saying nothing following reported Israeli attacks in Syria.
- Iran's design to create a land corridor stretching to Lebanon is well underway. Iran plans on a long-term military deployment in Syria with permanent naval and air bases as well as a military industry in order to create an Iranian sphere of direct influence in the heart of the Middle East.
- From Israel's perspective, this Iranian design is a major long-term strategic threat, as it would entrench Iran - a mortal enemy sworn to Israel's destruction - in a neighboring country, allowing Iran to turn Syria into an active front with Israel alongside Lebanon. There has been talk of establishing a Syrian Hizbullah, together with a "Shiite Legion" against Israel that would include tens of thousands of fighters from Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq.
- The U.S. and its major European allies should pay careful attention to Israel and Jordan's warning against Iran's push to fill the post-ISIS void. In practical terms, the U.S. and the UK should carefully examine if and how their existing military assets on the ground, which were originally deployed to fight ISIS, could be used to block Iran's plans, rather than withdrawing them following the defeat of ISIS.
This is totally nuts at every level. What is this “State of Palestine” Interpol has now accepted? Where are its borders? Does it include the terror-statelet of Gaza? How can people representing the murderous outfit Hamas be held to be a suitable member of any law enforcement body, let alone an international one?PM warns of retaliation for Abbas's diplomatic warfare
The Palestinian Authority pays terrorists’ families, venerates and commemorates mass murderers and teaches its children to kill Jews. Palestinian Media watch reports:
“The PA Ministry of Education has named at least 31 schools after terrorists and an additional 3 schools after Nazi collaborators, while at least 41 school names honor ‘Martyrs'”.
How can the PA possibly be considered a suitable member of Interpol? Are police officers from the US, UK and other democratic countries really going to share intelligence about Islamic terrorism with these supporters of Islamic terrorism?
By playing politics, this international policing body has at a stroke made the world less safe. When its own policing system starts treating a terror-promoting entity as a law-enforcement resource like this, you know the free world really is in the deepest possible trouble.
Jerusalem will not let continuous Palestinian diplomatic steps against Israel go without a response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday evening in reaction to Interpol’s decision earlier in the day to admit the Palestinians as a member state.Expert: Palestinians hedging their bets with hybrid strategy
Netanyahu’s comment came at a meeting in his office with US envoy Jason Greenblatt, US Ambassador David Friedman and Israel’s Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer. The Prime Minister’s Office did not indicate what that response would be.
But Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze’ev Elkin did give an indication of what measures might be considered. He said following the Interpol decision that Israel should immediately cancel all cabinet decisions regarding gestures toward the Palestinians made over the last two years, and that it should revoke the VIP passes given to the heads of the Palestinian Authority enabling easier passage into Israel.
In addition to raising the Interpol issue, Netanyahu also discussed Palestinian calls – as a member of the International Criminal Court since 2015 – to bring Israelis to trial for “war crimes,” and the Palestinian Authority’s refusal to condemn Tuesday’s terrorist attack in Har Adar.
The Palestinian leadership in Ramallah is pursuing a hybrid strategy in which it seeks bilateral negotiations with Israel, but also makes moves to challenge Israel and gain recognition in international institutions, Grant Rumley, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said on Wednesday.Six Reasons Interpol’s Decision to Admit ‘Palestine’ Is Dangerous
“The Palestinians are pursuing a strategy with multiple tracks,” Rumley, who recently co-authored a biography of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said in a phone interview.
Rumley said that since US President Donald Trump assumed office in January, the Palestinians have been open to a renewal of American-led peace talks, but also pursued international initiatives in UNESCO and most recently in Interpol, the international police cooperation organization.
According to Rumley, Abbas has traditionally pursued only one policy option at a time, but has recently adopted a hybrid approach with the encouragement of slightly younger Palestinian leaders.
“In the past for Abbas – if it was negotiations, the focus was on negotiations, and if it was the international campaign, the focus was on international moves,” Rumley said. “But I think we are now seeing him blend different policy tracks with the encouragement of younger Palestinian leaders.”
On Wednesday, the international police organization Interpol voted to admit the nonexistent “State of Palestine” despite strong Israeli objections.IsraellyCool: Interpol Has Lost Its Marbles
Below, in no particular order, are six reasons this decision is dangerous for the U.S., Israel and the international community.
1 – The terror-tied Palestinian Authority police will gain access to Interpol information about criminal activities.
The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah’s so-called military wing, is a terrorist group responsible for scores of suicide bombings, shootings and rocket attacks. I have reported over the years how Brigades members have doubled as members of Fatah security forces, with some serving in senior positions.
In one of many examples, PA President Mahmoud Abbas previously appointed senior Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades leader Mahmoud Damra commander of Force 17, the presidential guard unit. Damra was on Israel’s most wanted list for his direct involvement in numerous attacks targeting Israelis. Damra was subsequently appointed Abbas’s advisor.
In my 2007 book, Schmoozing with Terrorists, I documented other examples of Brigades members joining Fatah’s security forces, including:
2 – Hamas police may soon be part of the Palestinian Authority government that just joined Interpol.
The Palestinian Authority already contributes to the salaries of police forces in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The PA and Hamas are engaged in advanced, Egypt-brokered reconciliation talks seeking to create a Hamas-Fatah unity government.
3 – The PA can use Interpol to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials.
Interpol members have the ability to issue “red notices,” international warrants requesting the extradition of alleged criminals. While these warrants are nonbinding, they can create a host of problems for Israeli officials who travel or are based abroad. An unfriendly country may attempt to use a warrant to extradite an Israeli.
The PA has already attempted to utilize trumped up war crimes charges at the International Criminal Court. Scandalously, last year former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was summoned by British police when she visited London after Palestinian activists there used a local court to obtain an arrest warrant using politicized charges related to Israel’s defensive 2008-2009 war in the Gaza Strip.
4 – In recognizing a nonexistent state, Interpol legitimized the fake Palestinian narrative of “Palestine.”
It is not immediately clear what Palestine actually is. Such a state does not exist. There has never been a state of Palestine.
5 – At least as far as the international policing agency is concerned, Interpol seemingly granted the Palestinians de facto sovereignty over Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The Palestinians claim those territories as part of a future state, including all of eastern Jerusalem, which encompasses the Western Wall, Temple Mount and the Old City. Ostensibly, the nonexistent state of “Palestine” incorporates all of these territories.
6 – Interpol’s actions serve as a diplomatic assault on the Jewish state and will further Palestinian intransigence regarding negotiations with Israel.
The PA claims they need to take their campaign for statehood to international entities like Interpol and the United Nations because Israel refuses to give them a state. In reality, the PA is using these entities as part of a diplomatic assault against Israel while the Palestinians have repeatedly refused successive Israeli offers of a state.
According to Interpol’s website, their “role is to enable police around the world to work together to make the world a safer place. Our high-tech infrastructure of technical and operational support helps meet the growing challenges of fighting crime in the 21st century”.US, others won’t honor Palestinian Interpol notices, top lawmaker says
How can cooperating with one of the world’s most terror-oriented organizations make the world a safer place? How can sharing sensitive terror-related intelligence reports help meet the “growing challenges of fighting crime.” This is an organization that regularly sanctions the murders of Israelis, including innocent children. Major world leaders must personally call the leaders of the Palestinian Authority to force them to issue the most banal condemnations of horrific massacres.
How…how in God’s name do you think people will be safer by sharing this information with an organization that regularly incites, funds, arms and directs endless armies of terrorists?
As much as we can laugh at the jokes above, the greatest joke of all was played by Interpol this morning and the ones laughing hardest are the Palestinians.
A top US lawmaker said that Washington won’t honor Palestinian warrants issued through Interpol, though a Palestinian official claimed Ramallah had no plans to use the international policing body to seek the arrest of Israelis, but rather would pursue Palestinian criminals, including a top rival of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.Sen. Cruz: ‘By Permitting the Palestinians to Join, Interpol Has Undermined Its Own Credibility’
Interpol voted Wednesday to include Palestine as a member state, in a new boost to Palestinian efforts for international recognition and influence amid long-stalled negotiations with Israel for full statehood.
The decision drew an angry Israeli reaction and threat of retaliation. It also raised concerns that the Palestinians might use their elevated status to seek the arrests of Israelis.
US Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the top ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he was concerned that the Palestinians would now issue Interpol “red notices,” which the US Justice Department describes as the closest instrument to an international arrest warrant in use today.
Cardin said any “red notices” issued by the Palestinians “will not be recognized in many countries, including the United States.”
Cardin also told reporters that the Palestinian membership could harm peace efforts.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today released the following statement condemning the Interpol General Assembly for accepting the Palestinian Authority as a member:Netanyahu at settlement jubilee: We will never uproot Jewish or Arab communities
“The Interpol General Assembly’s decision is shameful and wrong. The Palestinians have been seeking membership and recognition in international bodies despite the reality there is no Palestinian state. This bid for membership is part of an effort to further the PA’s diplomatic and legal warfare campaign to delegitimize Israel in international forums, and I am concerned that the PA will now try to take advantage of its membership by seeking illegitimate and unjustified Interpol actions against Israeli citizens.
“Interpol is the world’s largest international organization of law enforcement agencies that assists countries in the fight against crime. By permitting the Palestinians to join, Interpol has undermined its own credibility. The PA not only fails to even condemn acts of terrorism, it incites and glorifies violence continuing to provide monthly salaries to terrorists and to the families of those who died committing terrorism. Interpol has unfortunately now provided faux legitimacy and become complicit in this political campaign against Israel.
It is long-standing policy of the United States to oppose the PA’s attempts to unilaterally become a member of international organizations. Despite today’s outcome, I commend the Trump Administration for its efforts to thwart this decision working alongside Israel.”
Jews and Arabs will not be evacuated in the pursuit of peace, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday as he pledged his support to the settlement movement at the national ceremony marking its 50th anniversary.150 companies said to get letters from UN threatening to add them to blacklist
“Settlement is important to you my friends, it is equally important to me, so I say before all and clearly: There will be no more uprooting of settlements in the Land of Israel,” he said.
“It is not just a question of the connection to the homeland, of course that is correct, but first of all, it is not the way to make peace. We will not uproot Jews, and not Arabs,” Netanyahu said.
He stood on a large makeshift neon-lit stage that was set up on a field outside of the Alon Shvut settlement and near Kibbutz Kfar Etzion, the first community built in Judea and Samaria after the Six Day War in 1967.
The fall of four Gush Etzion communities during the War of Independence and the subsequent return of Israelis to that region 19 years later, has been the symbolic heart of the five-decade-old settlement movement.
The United Nations reportedly sent letters to some 150 Israeli and overseas companies, threatening to add them to its blacklist of firms operating in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.WJC condemns UN threat to Judea and Samaria companies
Senior anonymous Israeli officials told the Haaretz daily on Wednesday that UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein sent the letters two weeks ago. Several of the companies reportedly replied to Hussein that they do not plan to renew existing contracts or to sign new ones.
The officials said that Hussein wrote in the letter — copies of which had been seen by the government — that due to their activities in the “occupied Palestinian territories” they may be added to the blacklist being compiled by the UN of companies “that operate in opposition to international law and in opposition of UN resolutions.”
An unnamed western diplomat told Haaretz that more than half of the companies that received the warning letter were Israeli, about 30 were from the US and the remainder from countries including Germany, Norway and South Korea. The diplomat added that Hussein also sent copies of the letter to foreign ministries of several countries who are home to companies which may be added to the blacklist.
Earlier this month Channel 2 reported that among those on the UN Human Rights Council list are Coca-Cola, TripAdvisor, Airbnb and Caterpillar.
The World Jewish Congress (WJC) on Wednesday condemned threats to blacklist 150 Israeli and international companies for doing business in “occupied Palestinian territories.”US Ambassador Friedman: Israel 'only occupying 2% of the West Bank'
The condemnation followed reports in Haaretz of a letter sent two weeks ago by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein warning the companies that they would be added to a database of businesses acting in violation of “international law and UN decisions.”
The letter also requested the companies clarify their business activities in Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria to the high commission.
“It is most unfortunate that an important U.N. body would blackmail global businesses into joining a hypocritical international boycott campaign against Israel,” WJC CEO Robert Singer said in a statement.
In a meeting between Singer and the high commissioner in November of 2016, Singer expressed his organization’s strong opposition to the compilation of such a database.
Since then, the statement noted, numerous senior WJC officials as well as members of the WJC’s Jewish Diplomatic Corps (JD Corps) have expressed the same views to many ambassadors to the UN Human Rights Council.
The UN Human Rights Council voted to approve the database of companies last year, despite objections from the United States and Israel. The Trump administration has been trying to persuade the UN not to publish the list.
American Ambassador to Israel David Friedman hinted at the United States' upcoming plan for Middle East peace in a preview of an exclusive interview Israeli network Walla released on Thursday morning.Media overlooks Sunni Arabs' Israel overtures
"I think the settlements are part of Israel," he said. " I think that was always the expectation when resolution 242 was adopted in 1967... The idea was that Israel would be entitled to secure borders. The existing borders, the 1967 borders, were viewed by everybody as not secure, so Israel would retain a meaningful portion of the West Bank, and it would return that which it didn't need for peace and security. "
"So," he continued, "There was always supposed to be some notion of expansion into the West Bank, but not necessarily expansion into the entire West Bank. And I think that's exactly what, you know, Israel has done. I mean, they're only occupying 2% of the West Bank. There is important nationalistic, historical [and] religious significance to those settlements, and I think the settlers view themselves as Israelis and Israel views the settlers as Israelis."
When asked if some settlements would have to be given up in a potential peace deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Friedman only responded, "Wait and see."
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are among the region's countries warming to Israel.WATCH: Biafran people call on Israel, world to fight for their freedom
I never cease to be amazed at the ability of the media to concentrate on the unimportant and ignore the serious and significant.
Case in point. In recent days three events have taken place in the Arab Middle East that indicate that a rapprochement with Israel is becoming ever-more apparent, to wit: The King of Bahrain (yes, the same one who not long ago appointed a Jewish woman as ambassador to the US) proclaimed publicly that boycotting Israel was stupid and counterproductive and invited Israelis to visit his country.
The Saudi government for the first time publicly denounced Muslim extremism of all kinds and origins without exception. This cannot have gone over well with the Wahhabi clergy, whose doctrine is the epitome of Muslim extremism. One sees the hand of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Sultan in this and many other measures, including letting women attend soccer matches and over the past 24 hours permitting women to drive.
By an order of magnitude most important, the love-fest between Netanyahu and President al-Sisi of Egypt in New York. Not only did the meeting go on for a long time and not only was it open to the press and television but both participants behaved as if they were long-lost best friends, laughing, smiling constantly and shaking hands as if they really meant it.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) held a protest in Tel Aviv Wednesday night calling for world aid in obtaining independence from Nigeria.Norwegian minister: 'We now get what Israel goes through'
The Indigenous People of Biafra are made up mainly of Christians from the Igbo ethnic group who first tried to secede from Muslim-ruled Nigeria in the 1967-1970 civil war.
The Biafran people admire the state of Israel and its history, and call on the state to help them reach freedom by endorsing their claim for independence in the United Nations.
Norway’s minister of immigration drew comparisons Wednesday between the plight of Europeans suffering from increasingly common terror attacks with the experiences endured by Israel for decades.2 IS-backing Arab Israelis charged with plotting another Temple Mount shooting
“We are experiencing now the fear that you have experienced for decades,” said Sylvi Listhaug in an exclusive interview with Ynet in Oslo. “Many people now understand the situation you live in. We see what is happening in Sweden, in Britain and in France.”
European nations, she added, “and their citizens need to understand the situation in Israel better because of the terror attacks in Israel.”
Since taking office, Listhaug has cracked down on illegal immigration into the Scandinavian country by adopting stringent policies that have resulted in just 1,000 illegal migrants entering the country in 2017 from 30,000 in 2015.
According to Listhaug, her Progress Party, which governs in a coalition with the Conservative Party, is a staunch supporter of Israel.
“The Progress Party has always been a supporter of Israel’s need to protect themselves (sic) in a region where you are the only democracy,” she claimed.
Two residents of the Arab Israeli town of Umm al-Fahm were charged on Thursday with planning to carry out a shooting attack on the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem, similar to the one that took place in July.Palestinian terrorist in 2015 Ra’anana stabbing jailed for 21 years
The two suspects, 26-year-old Sa’id Ghasoub Mahmoud Jabarin and a 16-year-old, who cannot be identified due to his age, are also believed to have supported the Islamic State terrorist organization.
A third Umm al-Fahm man, 24-year-old Firas Salah Mahmoud Mahajna, was also arrested for allegedly supporting the terrorist group and illegally possessing a gun. However, the Shin Bet security service said that he was “entirely” unconnected to the planned terror attack.
The three suspects were arrested on September 6, but information about the case was kept under a gag order until their indictment in a Haifa District Court on Thursday morning.
The Jerusalem District Court on Thursday sentenced an East Jerusalem resident to 21 years in prison for a stabbing attack in October 2015 in the city of Ra’anana.Illegal Palestinian worker arrested for allegedly planning stabbing attack
Four people were hurt in the attack by Khaled Basti, one of them seriously.
Basti, 30, attacked his victims as they stood at a bus stop on the city’s Jerusalem Boulevard. He was beaten and wrestled into submission by passersby, sustaining serious injuries in the process, from which he later recovered.
Basti was also ordered to pay NIS 145,000 ($41,000) in reparations to his victims.
Judge Ruth Lorech wrote in her ruling: “The attempted murder was carried out by the accused not out of a mental episode or momentary enragement — he planned his actions and intended to murder a Jew out of a nationalistic-ideological motive.”
She added that Basti had proven “incapable of showing any empathy toward the victims.”
A Palestinian man arrested Wednesday after working illegally in Israel admitted to planning a stabbing attack, police said on Thursday.Four lessons from the Har Adar attack
While being interrogated, the Palestinian worker confessed to seeking to buy a knife in order “to stab Jews,” according to police.
Police said the suspect, who was working at a construction site in Tel Aviv, was detained during an operation against employers of illegal Palestinian workers.
The Palestinian, a West Bank resident born in 1996, will be brought the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court on Thursday for a hearing on extending his remand, police said.
Police did not reveal the name or hometown of the suspect.
Murder of three Israelis by Palestinian laborer calls for immediate conclusions to be drawn, both because of the sensitive timing in midst of High Holy Days and because it may encourage copycat attacks. While the attack should lead to an improvement in security checks and preventive intelligence capabilities on social media, it shouldn’t have any implications on work permit system.'Somehow, despite my pain, I drew my pistol and shot'
Tuesday morning’s terror attack in Har Adar, which left three Israelis dead, requires us to draw immediate conclusions—both because of its sensitive timing and because it may encourage more Palestinians to imitate the terrorist or carry out attacks inspired by his.
The first lesson stems from the fact the terrorist did what he did following feelings of guilt and frustration of a personal nature, which have nothing to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Nevertheless, he wanted his act to be meaningful, beyond an act of personal despair. He wanted to leverage the attack and present himself as a martyr.
This isn’t the first time Palestinian terrorists channel their social and personal frustrations into a violent act of terror, but this time we are talking about a relatively older man with four children. Nevertheless, he kills Israelis he knew, worked for, and had friendly relations with some of them.
He carries out this killing spree because he is aware of the amount of hatred towards Jews and Israelis in the Palestinian territories, and he realizes he could become a national hero. More importantly, he not only commits suicide, but also secures the economic future of his children and estranged wife, who will receive their monthly allowance from the Palestinian Authority. That way, he kills two birds with one stone—he becomes a national hero and secures his family’s economic future.
Jerusalem District Police Chief Yoram Halevi visited Amit Steinhart, the security coordinator of Har Adar, who was hospitalized at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital after being seriously wounded yesterday in the murderous shooting terror attack.LA Times: Security Officers Killed in Terror Attack Embodied “Nearly the Full Rainbow of Israeli Society”
“You acted valiantly and saved lives. You paid a price and were wounded, but saved lives with your body. That is our task as security personnel: to stand on the front lines, to prevent and repel attempts to attack innocent people. This is where you were, you, the guards and fighters,” the police chief said.
Amit told the chief of police that he was excited and happy at his visit such a short time after the attack, and told Halevi what he remembered from the intense moments of the attack.
“I knew the terrorist like I knew all the other workers who would enter through the checkpoint into the community every day. He was always among the last to enter, and yesterday, something in his behavior aroused my suspicions, also because he was wearing a jacket on a hot day. We asked him to present his work permit. At that point, he hesitated a little and then opened his jacket and started shooting at my guards and at the Border Policeman.
The three security guards killed on Tuesday’s terror attack were described by the Los Angeles Times as representing “nearly the full rainbow of Israeli society,” —one was an Israeli-Arab and the other two were Israelis, one of whom was of Ethiopian extraction—were buried later in the day.Israel fears Hezbollah will receive precision-guided missiles developed by Iran
The funeral of Yousef Ottman, an Israeli-Arab, was held in his home village of Abu Ghosh. His father, Issam, told The Times of Israel that he was proud of his son, saying, “He stopped the terrorist from getting into the village at the time children were just going to school. He jumped on the terrorist and got a bullet in the chest that took his life.” He added that he, “shares in the sorrow of the other families who lost their children this day.”
Mourners at the tent set up by the family included residents of Abu Ghosh, his former colleagues from the Border Police, as well as residents of Har Adar, the community he was protecting. He was described as friendly and as an exemplary member of an elite unit of the Border Police. Ottman had worked as a security guard to earn money to go to university.
Ottman’s funeral was attended by police officials, members of Knesset, and Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev.
Under the nuclear agreement Tehran signed with world powers, which allows it to continue its missile program unabated, the Iranian military industry is developing one of its most covert projects: the RAAD anti-tank missile.US Jewish, Pro-Israel Groups Call Pre-Yom Kippur Demonstration at Qatari Embassy in DC, Demand Release of IDF Soldier Remains Held by Hamas
The Iranians have been able to reach a breakthrough in converting heavy "dumb" rockets—some old and containing hundreds of kilograms of explosives—into precision-guided missiles. These GPS-guided missiles will serve as an alternative to the inertial navigation rockets that lose of their accuracy the further they fly.
The IDF's working assumption is that these missiles will make their way to Iran's main proxy in the Middle East, Lebanese terror organization Hezbollah, which receives 75 percent of its budget from Tehran.
The development of the new RAAD missile is based on a fairly new approach to developing weapons: being able to manufacture advanced weapons independently from Russia.
An accurate missile, such as the ones being developed in Iran, is one that has a hit radius of no more than several dozens of meters from its designated target.
Jewish and Israel advocacy groups are calling a demonstration outside the Embassy of Qatar in Washington, DC on Thursday to demand that the Gulf emirate lean on Hamas to release the remains of two IDF soldiers killed by the Palestinian terrorist group in 2014.Hamas's new leader radically shifts military strategy
“For more than three years, nearly 1200 days, the parents of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul have lived in agony waiting for their dead sons’ remains to be returned for proper burials,” declared a statement from the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington announcing the demonstration.
Alongside the JCRC, an informal coalition of Jewish and pro-Israel organizations are mobilizing for the protest — including the American Jewish Committee, the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, StandWithUs, The Israel Project and The Israel Forever Foundation.
The announcement of the protest emphasized that it was being convened “the day before the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, to demand the Qatari government use its influence over the terrorist group Hamas to unconditionally and immediately return the remains of Hadar and Oron.”
Josh Block, CEO of The Israel Project, told The Algemeiner on Wednesday that the demonstration was a timely opportunity for American Jews to voice their objection to Qatar’s backing of Islamists across the Middle East.
Sinwar, freed in the 2011 Schalit prisoner swap with Israel after more than 20 years in jail, is the key decision-maker for the group and a member of the executive leadership that formulates policies.Hamas says it won’t even discuss giving up weapons if PA takes over Gaza
His election as the group’s leader in Gaza showed that Hamas’s military wing, the Izzadin Kassam Brigades, now holds more sway than the political leadership.
The Gaza Strip, which has been devastated following several wars with Israel, is experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis, with a lack of fuel to generate electricity, and of water and sanitation facilities when the power is off.
According to assessments, Israel acted wisely when it did not intervene in this past summer’s electricity crisis in Gaza, which led to Hamas taking the exceptional step of reaching into its own pocket and paying millions of shekels to Egypt for fuel.
In addition there is skyrocketing unemployment, especially among youth. Those who are lucky enough to find work receive average salaries of just over $400 a month, but nearly 80% of Gaza residents receive some form of aid.
Hamas has in the past provoked confrontation with Israel to distract attention from internal issues.
According to assessments, Hamas under Sinwar has reduced the budget of its military wing from $200 million in 2014 to some $50m. in 2017.
Nevertheless, Iran, which froze its financial support to Hamas in the Gaza Strip after the group refused to support the Assad regime in 2012, is now reported to be providing Izzadin Kassam some $60m.-$70m. In August Sinwar said that ties have been restored and that the Islamic Republic is “the largest backer financially and militarily” of Hamas’s military wing.
Senior Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk said on Thursday that the Gaza-based terror group is not prepared to discuss the dissolution of its military wing during talks with the Fatah party, as the two sides attempt to form a unity government.What Parades in Pyongyang Ends Up in Tehran
At the same time, Hamas Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar said the elusive commander of the terror group’s military wing, Muhammad Deif, supports the reconciliation attempt.
“This issue is not up for discussion, not previously and neither will it be in the future,” Abu Marzouk said in a long interview with the semi-official Turkish news agency Al-Andalous. “The weapons of the resistance are for the protection of the Palestinian people, and it is inconceivable that Hamas will lay down its weapons as long as its land is occupied and its people dispersed.”
Fatah and Hamas have been at loggerheads since Hamas violently took control of the Strip in 2007, with the two groups operating separate administrations.
Hamas’s military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, has a reported 27,000 armed men divided into six regional brigades, with 25 battalions and 106 companies.
The latest parade of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard displayed a new ballistic missile, the Khorramshahr. Though it had been modified to appear less threatening, the new missile matches a North Korean ballistic missile known by different names in the West, including BM25. The Khorramshahr could eventually enable Tehran to threaten the capitals of Europe with nuclear warheads, and it raises the level of the Iranian missile threat to Israel.IAEA Chief: We Are Now Unable to Verify Iran is Implementing Nuclear Deal
Iran’s leaders love military parades and hold them twice a year. The first is in April, when the Iranian Armed Forces – the legacy of the Shah’s imperial military machine – celebrates “Army Day.” During the second annual parade, in September, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) celebrates “Sacred Defense Week,” which commemorates the eight-year Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.
The IRGC overlaps the official armed forces in almost every respect, deploying its own infantry, armor, air force, and navy. But it possesses one service that is uniquely its own: a strategic missile force. The IRGC is tasked by the regime to develop, manufacture, and deploy Iran’s long-range as well as tactical-range missiles, including the famous liquid propellant Shahab 3 missiles and the somewhat less renowned solid propellant Sejjil 2 missiles.
The IRGC’s annual parade is a combination of carnival, exhibition of future projects, and demonstration of military power. The parade is arranged by order of significance. It ends with columns of mobile long-range ballistic missiles on their launchers, preceded by trucks bearing banners that read “Death To America” and “Death To Israel” in three languages: Persian, Arabic, and English (the English version is somewhat more polite: “Down With” rather than “Death To”). This latter part of the parade gets most of the world’s attention because it flaunts Iran’s new missiles.
The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that his organization is unable to verify that Iran is implementing the nuclear deal because he does not have the means to ensure that Tehran has not engaged in activities that “could contribute to the development of a nuclear explosive device,” in an interview published Wednesday by Reuters.PreOccupiedTerritory: Non-Arab Iran Willing To Fight Israel, West To Last Arab (satire)
Yukiya Amano told Reuters that Iran is prohibited from engaging in activities listed in Section T of Annex I of the nuclear deal, which include developing computer simulations of nuclear explosions and designing multi-point explosive detonation systems. He added that his agency does not have the “tools” to verify Iran’s compliance.
“In other sections, for example, Iran has committed to submit declarations, place their activities under safeguards or ensure access by us,” Amano told Reuters. “But in Section T I don’t see any (such commitment).”
One of the standards that the Corker-Cardin legislation sets out for the president to certify Iran’s compliance that “Iran is transparently, verifiably, and fully implementing the agreement.”
Iranian officials, presiding over a nation of non-Arabs, restated today their determination to combat Israel and Western interests in the region even as far as the death of the last Arab in the Middle East.
Government functionaries and religious officeholders in the Islamic Republic launched a coordinated domestic media campaign this morning aimed at shoring up patriotic support for the country’s financial, logistical, material, and personnel support for militias advancing Iranian interests in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen, stressing that the sacrifices necessary to achieve regional hegemony are a price Iran’s people are willing to bear, since few, if any, of the expected millions of casualties will be from Iran.
“We will fight to the last Arab, to achieve our ends, if necessary,” declared Ayatollah Tawil Hedd. “Though the bloodshed may be fierce, in the end it will only affect Arabs, so we’re cool with that.”
“Down with Western aggression!” echoed Isfahan Mayor Djenneh Sayyid. “We are fighting a fight of survival. But it’s not our survival that’s at stake. We’ll be fine. Can’t say the same for the Arabs of the region, though.”
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