rabbi murdered in jerusalem

Israel News for October 13, 2015

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Breaking News
A Total of 3 Israelis were killed and 24 wounded in 4 terror attacks today.

In Jerusalem two terrorists boarded the number 78 bus in Armon Hanetziv, shooting and stabbing. Two Israelis were killed and 16 wounded. Police shot and killed one of the terrorists and injured the other.

Also in Jerusalem, an Arab employee of Bezeq (Israeli phone company) rammed his Bezeq vehicle into a crowd of people at a bus stop on Malchei Yisrael street. He then got out of his car and stabbed people. One Israeli man was killed. Three more Israelis were injured.The terrorist was killed by police. He was related to the terrorists who attacked the shul in Har Nof last year.

In Raanana a resident of East Jerusalem stabbed a man before being subdued by people at the scene. Later, another East Jerusalem resident stabbed four Israelis. People chased down the terrorist and subdued him until police arrived.

These stories are still unfolding.

Terror Youth
There were four terrorist attacks in Jerusalem yesterday.

At around 8:30pm a Palestinian, screaming Allah Ahkbar, tried to grab a soldier’s gun on a bus. When he failed he stabbed the soldier in the head. A border policeman who was also on the bus tried to stop the terrorist and was also stabbed. A passerby with a pair of nunchucks noticed the commotion, hopped on the bus and hit the terrorist. Then police officers boarded the bus. There was a struggle. They shot and killed him.

Earlier in the day two Palestinians stabbed a 21 year old man and a 13 year old boy who was riding his bike, in the Pisgat Zeev neighborhood of Jerusalem. The terrorists were 15 and 13 years of age, from East Jerusalem. One was run down by a car and injured. The other was shot to death by border police when he refused to drop his knife. The Israeli victims are in serious condition.

Shortly before that, on Ammunition Hill, a 16 year old girl from East Jerusalem stabbed a border policeman in the back. He then shot and wounded her.

In the morning, an 18 year old Palestinian stabbed a border policeman in his flak jacket at the Lion’s Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem. The terrorist was shot and killed. The border policeman was not injured.

Upshot
One of the striking and most disturbing common denominators of the recent terror spree is the young age of the terrorists. Almost all of them are teenagers, most attending high school. They seem to be getting their inspiration via social media, which is where they are usually posting warning signs of their impending attacks.

The real battle to stop these attacks might have to be fought in the classrooms and on Facebook and Twitter, to change their way of thinking before they have a chance to act on their impulses. Unfortunately, it might be too late for this generation of Palestinian youth. That leaves heightened security, intelligence and aggressive prevention as Israel’s only options — which in turn fuels Palestinian hatred. And so, round and round it goes — where (or how) it stops, nobody knows.

For further reading: http://news.walla.co.il/item/2896727

Guns for Terrorists
The nightmare scenario of Arab terrorists trading in their knives for automatic weapons could be getting closer to fruition.

A few days ago there was a burglary at Kibbutz Naot Mordechai in the Galilee. Six M16 assault rifles were stolen from the kibbutz armory. It’s unclear whether the robbers had nationalistic motives, but the threat of these and other weapons ending up in the hands of Arab terrorists is very real.

The money to be made from selling weapons is substantial. An M16 goes for 55,000 shekels on the black market, a handgun 25,000 and a grenade 2,500. A bullet for a handgun runs 8 shekels.

Special police units have been operating in Nazareth, Karmiel and Shafram for past four years to investigate and combat illegal arms in the Israeli Arab population. In that time period they have confiscated 133 handguns, 146 rifles and 186 grenades. And there’s a lot more where that came from.

Analysts believe that the weapons are primarily being used for criminal purposes and are unlikely to be used for terror. In fact, local Arab leaders are happy that the police is cracking down on illegal weapons and hope that it will help reduce crime in Arab areas.
But the possibility of these weapons getting into the hands of terrorists exists, and is scary as hell.

For further reading: http://news.walla.co.il/item/2896706

India Goes Both Ways
In a speech at the University of Jordan in Amman on Sunday, India’s president Pranab Mukherjee declared his support for both Israel and an independent Palestinian state. “India’s traditional support to the Palestinian cause remains steadfast and unwavering while we pursue strong relations with Israel.”

He also quoted a statement made by modern India’s founder Mahatma Ghandi in 1938 where he said, “Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English and France to the French,” and that it would be “a crime against humanity to reduce the proud Arabs so that Palestine can be restored to the Jews partly or wholly as their national home.”

Mukherjee is scheduled to visit Israel today for a three day visit. He will meet with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, and opposition leader Isaac Herzog. He’ll visit Yad Vashem and the grave of Theodore Hertzl. He’ll also lay a wreath at the grave of former Palestinian Authority chair Yasser Arafat before meeting with current president Mahmoud Abbas.

In July, India abstained in a vote on a UN Human Rights Council resolution that backed a report critical of Israel’s behavior during last summer’s war in Gaza. That shocked the Palestinians and put a huge smile on the Israelis.

Upshot
India is traditionally known for its lack of anti-semitism. They seem to earnestly want to be friends with both sides, and particularly reap the benefits of Israeli military and weapons technology. But they also have a population of over 130 million muslims to placate. Will they be able to be BFF’s with everyone? With all the Israelis trekking through India, they just might.

For further reading: http://www.timesofisrael.com/indian-president-declares-support-for-palestinians-ahead-of-israel-trip/

Salad Crisis
In a previous issue we reported that prices of tomatoes and cucumbers, the mainstay of Israeli salad, were going through the roof. One of the primary reasons for the veggie inflation was the severe summer heat wave. Well, the director general of the Ministry of Agriculture, Shlomo Ben-Eliyahu, told the Knesset Economics Committee yesterday that, “the shortage in tomatoes will continue until the beginning of December,” and that, “farmers can only produce about 50% of demand,” of fruits and vegetable in general.

What happened to all that amazing Israeli agro-technology that can turn sand dunes into Whole Foods suppliers? It could be that Israeli brains are focusing more on cyber security, biotech and other successful venture capital type startup ventures and less on the less sexy world of farming.

Could this be the end of Israeli salad for the masses who can’t afford to pay the price of a local tomato? Let’s pray for the health of Israeli salad. Without it, what would an Israeli breakfast (or lunch) be?

For further reading: http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-israels-tomato-shortage-to-continue-until-december-1001072977

Haneen Zoabi

Netanyahu Calls for Criminal Charges Against Haneen Zoabi

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PM Netanyahu has asked Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to open a criminal investigation against Knesset member Haneen Zoabi of the Joint Arab List for incitement to violence.

Background
This isn’t the first time that the Attorney General is investigating Zoabi, the first and only female Arab Israeli Knesset member, because of her anti-Israel statements and actions.

In 2010 Zoabi participated in the Gaza flotilla and was on the ship when Israeli commandos boarded it under attack, killing nine and wounding dozens. In the Knesset Zoabi called the raid a “pirate military operation” and asked for an international investigation. She was stripped of the right to participate in Knesset discussions and to vote in parliamentary committees.

In 2012 she was almost banned from running for election in the 2013 elections for Knesset, but the rulings against her were overturned by the High Court of Justice.

In 2013, five days after the kidnapping of three Israeli teens, Zoabi said, “Is it strange that people living under occupation and living impossible lives, in a situation where Israel kidnaps new prisoners every day, is it strange that they kidnap? They are not terrorists. Even if I do not agree with them, they are people who do not see any way to change their reality, and they are compelled to use means like these.”

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein ordered an investigation of Zoabi on charges of incitement and public disgrace. She was suspended from the Knesset plenum for a duration of six months.

The PM’s current case against Zoabi is based primarily on this statement made by her that was quoted in the Hamas newspaper over the weekend:

“Hundreds of thousands of worshippers must ascend to Al-Aqsa to stand against the Israeli plot to allow the blood of East Jerusalem residents to be spilled,” one of the quotes said. Another quote stated that if “thousands of [our] people turn out, these incidents will turn into a real intifada.”

Upshot
For the sake of democracy, Israel has accepted the presence of Arab Knesset members who seem to act against the best interests of the State. But inciting violence against Israelis is unacceptable. It might also be criminal.

For further reading: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.679817

terror in israel

Terror Attacks Continue in Israel. Rockets fired from Gaza.

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This morning a terrorist stabbed a border policeman in his flack jacket at the Lion’s Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem. The terrorist was killed. The border policeman was not injured.

Last night a 22 year old Israeli-Arab rammed his car into people waiting at a bus stop and then jumped out his car and proceeded to stab them. The attack occurred near Kibbutz Gan Shmuel north of Hadera. A 19 year old female soldier was seriously wounded, a fifteen year old girl was moderately wounded and two others were lightly wounded. It was the fifteen year old girl’s birthday. The terrorist tried to escape but was apprehended shortly after. Shin Bet identified him as Alaa Raed Ahmad Ziwad of the Israeli-Arab town of Umm al-Fahm. he was originally from near Jenin in the West Bank, but received Israeli citizenship through his father’s family unification.

Israeli Arab Knesset members condemned the attack saying the terrorist was not the norm and that Israeli Arabs support a non violent struggle. “Violence is not our path and it never has been,” said Aiman Uda, chairman of the Joint Arab list. He then blamed Netanyahu and the government for the violence.

Yesterday morning a Palestinian woman detonated an explosive device in her car while being stopped for driving violations at the A-Zaim checkpoint near Ma’aleh Adumim, just outside of Jerusalem. The 45-year-old male police officer who stopped her was lightly wounded as a result of the explosion. The terrorist suffered moderate wounds.

Early Sunday morning the IAF struck Hamas weapons manufacturing sites in Gaza. This was in response to rocket fire from Gaza after two Palestinians were killed in a demonstration near the border fence. The rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome over the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. More rockets were fired late last night from Gaza. There were no injuries or damages caused by any of the rockets. A pregnant woman and her two year old baby died after their house collapsed as a result of the Israeli airstrike.

Yesterday evening there were demonstrations in Israeli-Arab towns across northern Israel. There were also several demonstrations in the West Bank and near the border fence in Gaza. Shots fired from Gaza hit a vehicle near a kibbutz in the Eshkol Regional Council in the afternoon.

For further reading: http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4709573,00.html

terror in israel

Israel News for October 12, 2015

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The Terror Continues
This morning a terrorist stabbed a border policeman in his flack jacket at the Lion’s Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem. The terrorist was killed. The border policeman was not injured.

Last night a 22 year old Israeli-Arab rammed his car into people waiting at a bus stop and then jumped out his car and proceeded to stab them. The attack occurred near Kibbutz Gan Shmuel north of Hadera. A 19 year old female soldier was seriously wounded, a fifteen year old girl was moderately wounded and two others were lightly wounded. It was the fifteen year old girl’s birthday. The terrorist tried to escape but was apprehended shortly after. Shin Bet identified him as Alaa Raed Ahmad Ziwad of the Israeli-Arab town of Umm al-Fahm. he was originally from near Jenin in the West Bank, but received Israeli citizenship through his father’s family unification.

Israeli Arab Knesset members condemned the attack saying the terrorist was not the norm and that Israeli Arabs support a non violent struggle. “Violence is not our path and it never has been,” said Aiman Uda, chairman of the Joint Arab list. He then blamed Netanyahu and the government for the violence.

Yesterday morning a Palestinian woman detonated an explosive device in her car while being stopped for driving violations at the A-Zaim checkpoint near Ma’aleh Adumim, just outside of Jerusalem. The 45-year-old male police officer who stopped her was lightly wounded as a result of the explosion. The terrorist suffered moderate wounds.

Early Sunday morning the IAF struck Hamas weapons manufacturing sites in Gaza. This was in response to rocket fire from Gaza after two Palestinians were killed in a demonstration near the border fence. The rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome over the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. More rockets were fired late last night from Gaza. There were no injuries or damages caused by any of the rockets. A pregnant woman and her two year old baby died after their house collapsed as a result of the Israeli airstrike.

Yesterday evening there were demonstrations in Israeli-Arab towns across northern Israel. There were also several demonstrations in the West Bank and near the border fence in Gaza. Shots fired from Gaza hit a vehicle near a kibbutz in the Eshkol Regional Council in the afternoon.

For further reading: http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4709573,00.html

PM vs. Zoabi
PM Netanyahu has asked Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to open a criminal investigation against Knesset member Haneen Zoabi of the Joint Arab List for incitement to violence.

Background
This isn’t the first time that the Attorney General is investigating Zoabi, the first and only female Arab Israeli Knesset member, because of her anti-Israel statements and actions.

In 2010 Zoabi participated in the Gaza flotilla and was on the ship when Israeli commandos boarded it under attack, killing nine and wounding dozens. In the Knesset Zoabi called the raid a “pirate military operation” and asked for an international investigation. She was stripped of the right to participate in Knesset discussions and to vote in parliamentary committees.

In 2012 she was almost banned from running for election in the 2013 elections for Knesset, but the rulings against her were overturned by the High Court of Justice.

In 2013, five days after the kidnapping of three Israeli teens, Zoabi said, “Is it strange that people living under occupation and living impossible lives, in a situation where Israel kidnaps new prisoners every day, is it strange that they kidnap? They are not terrorists. Even if I do not agree with them, they are people who do not see any way to change their reality, and they are compelled to use means like these.”

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein ordered an investigation of Zoabi on charges of incitement and public disgrace. She was suspended from the Knesset plenum for a duration of six months.

The PM’s current case against Zoabi is based primarily on this statement made by her that was quoted in the Hamas newspaper over the weekend:
“Hundreds of thousands of worshipers must ascend to Al-Aqsa to stand against the Israeli plot to allow the blood of East Jerusalem residents to be spilled,” one of the quotes said. Another quote stated that if “thousands of [our] people turn out, these incidents will turn into a real intifada.”

Upshot
For the sake of democracy, Israel has accepted the presence of Arab Knesset members who seem to act against the best interests of the State. But inciting violence against Israelis is unacceptable. It might also be criminal.

For further reading: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.679817

New Top Cop
The cabinet unanimously approved the appointment of Roni Alsheich as the new Commisioner of Israel’s national police. Alsheich, 52, has been the deputy director of the Shin Bet and will begin his new position as top cop on November 11. Alscheich wears a kippah, is the father of seven and lived for many years on a settlement in the West Bank. Will any of that make a difference in how he carries out his police duties?

For Further reading: http://www.jta.org/2015/10/11/news-opinion/israel-middle-east/shin-bet-no-2-approved-as-head-of-israel-police

Arab Mayor Blasts MKs
Israelis aren’t the only ones upset about the role that Arab Knesset members have been playing in inciting the recent Arab unrest in Israel. The Arab mayor of Nazareth, Ali Salam, is mad as hell.

According to Salam around 20,000 to 30,000 Jews visit Nazareth every weekend, spending approximately 10 million shekels. This past weekend, no Jews came.

Salam directs most of his anger at the Arab MKs. “They staged a parade, and after the parade they left the young people, who started throwing stones and burning things. Yesterday, it was the Hadash Party’s parade. Before that, it was the parade by Shabaab members. Each time, somebody else is responsible for the destruction. We can’t have everyone coming to make a parade in Nazareth. The business owners want to demonstrate against what’s happening.”

“Most of the MKs want to come for the publicity, to be seen and photographed. I’m sick and tired of them. Let them do something for the benefit of the people who voted for them. I asked the MKs to get out of town – to leave us in peace. I told Aiman Udeh, ‘Get out of here. I don’t want you to come to Nazareth. You’ve destroyed my city.’

Salam summed up his feelings like this: “I want to tell all the people who call themselves leaders: we have no other way. The only way is to live together. What I’m afraid of now is another intifada. If that happens, it will be different than anything we’ve been through before. It will be worse.”

For Further reading: http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-nazareth-mayor-the-situation-is-ruining-our-businesses-1001072714

Jordan Says No Tefillin
According a report on Israel radio, a Jordanian security official at the border crossing prohibited a group of religious Israeli tourists from bringing their tefillin into the country.

The Jordanian official said that Jordan did not allow ritual objects into the country for fear of provoking Muslims and endangering the safety of the tourists.

It seems that Israeli travel agents are aware of the regulation but choose not to inform Israeli tourists because enforcement is at the discretion of the border officials and can vary depending on the specific situation.

Upshot
Maybe this isn’t the best time for Israeli tourists to be traveling to an Arab country, with or without tefillin?

For Further reading: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/201725#.VhsH1RNVikp

call to prayer

A Jewish Call to Prayer the Arabs Can Appreciate

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In this amazing video Yitchak Meir belts out the Jewish prayers “Shema Yisrael” and “Hashem Hu Haelokim” in the style of the Moslem calls to prayer that can be heard 5 times a day throughout Jerusalem.

Listen to it, feel the power, and imagine how it feels to have to listen to someone else’s religious chant at all hours of the day. Perhaps it’s time for Israeli Muslims to give up the microphone and sound blasting system?

jewish divorce israel

Israeli Woman Refuses to Accept Divorce and is Fined

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The High Court of Justice approved sanctions placed on a woman who refused to accept a Get (Jewish divorce) from her husband.

Background
According to Jewish law, in order to be considered divorced and permitted to remarry, a husband must willingly give his wife a divorce document called a Get. If he fails to do so, the woman may not remarry. A woman whose husband refuses to give her a Get is called an Agunah (chained).

The Israeli rabbinical courts, which have jurisdiction over all marriage and divorce cases, have the power to impose financial sanctions and other punitive measures, including incarceration, against the uncooperative husband. In most cases monetary sanctions are enough to persuade him to give the Get. Unfortunately, not always.

There’s another requirement for the divorce to be “kosher”: the wife must willingly accept the Get from her husband. Since polygamy in Judaism was banned over 1000 years ago (at least for Ashkenazim. The Sephardic ban took effect with the establishment of the State of Israel), until the wife accepts the Get, the husband cannot remarry.

A 2008 case brought before the rabbinical court revolved around a wife who refused to accept the Get from her husband. The court imposed monetary sanctions against her in the amount of 2,000 shekels per week (to the state) to persuade her to reconsider. She didn’t. The husband then took her before the secular court, which upheld the decision of the rabbinical court and placed a judgement against her.

The woman refused to pay the sanctions and brought her case before the High Court, claiming that the Rabbinical Court had no authority to sanction her.

Yesterday, High Court justice Miriam Naor said she disagreed – confirming the Rabbinical Court decision and imposing the NIS 2,000 weekly fine on the woman.

Hopefully this will finally get her to accept the Get and allow her husband to remarry.

Israel News for October 9, 2015

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BREAKING NEWS
Following a quiet morning in Israel a 16 year old religious youth was stabbed on Shmuel Hanavi street in Jerusalem. The attacker was apprehended shortly after by a fireman who was driving by. This was the same road as the tractor terrorist attack in 2014 and close to the location of yesterday’s stabbing.

Shortly after a 47 year old policeman was stabbed in Kiryat Arba close to Hebron. Patrol policeman had stopped the suspect for questioning when he drew his knife, stabbed the policeman and tried the grab his gun. Police shot the terrorist and he is in a critical condition.

These were the ninth and tenth Israelis to be wounded in stabbing attacks in the last 24 hours.

In Afula a female terrorist tried to stab a security guard and passersby at the entrance to the central bus station. She was shot and wounded.

There were also riots in the Shuafat refugee camp earlier this morning following the funeral of the youth killed in yesterdays violence.

Earlier today, an Israeli stabbed three Palestinians and one Bedouin man in Dimona, in a revenge attack. The prime minister strongly condemned the attack, saying violence against innocent Arabs is unacceptable.

For further reading: http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4708932,00.html

Terror Continues
The terror spree continued yesterday.

As we reported yesterday, a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem stabbed and seriously wounded a 25 year old ultra orthodox yeshiva student near the light rail on French Hill in Jerusalem. He then tried to grab the gun from a security guard nearby, but following a scuffle fled the scene. Members of the Yasam anti-terrorist police unit apprehended the terrorist.

Police forces entered the Shoafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem to search the home of the attacker. They were attacked by a mob of thousands of young Palestinians throwing rocks and firebombs. Nine police officers were wounded, but the police was able to gain control of the area and complete their search. During the violence police shot and killed a 20 year old Palestinian man and wounded six others.

Later in the afternoon, a 19 year old Palestinian man from East Jerusalem stabbed five Israelis with a screwdriver near the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv. The terrorist tried to flee but was shot and killed by an IAF officer.

Then a Palestinian stabbed a 25 year old Israeli man near Kiryat Arba. The man was seriously wounded. Security forces are searching for the attacker.

Finally, last night a 20 year old Palestinian man repeatedly stabbed a 21 year old soldier in Afula. The terrorist was subdued by citizens and police. Bystanders tried to attack the terrorist. Three police officers were injured protecting him.

PM Netanyahu called for a unity government, but opposition leader Isaac Herzog rejected his offer and called for him to resign.

Let’s all pray for the terror victims and for the terror to end.

Jews Demonstrate
Hundreds of right wing Jewish activists demonstrated in Gan Sacher park in Jerusalem against the recent wave of Arab terror. Four men were arrested including Bentzi Gopstein, the leader of the extreme right wing Lehava group.

The demonstrators were permitted to march to the Kotel via the Zion Gate. They chanted slogans including, “Kahana Chai”, “Mohammed is dead” and “Death to the Arabs”. Some tried to attack Arab taxis. Several men were arrested along the way for disorderly conduct.

For further reading: http://news.walla.co.il/item/2895745

Clarification on Temple Mount
Yesterday we reported that the PM had banned government ministers and Knesset members from visiting the Temple Mount, but that the ban did not apply to Arab officials. That caused a storm of protest from right wing ministers including Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel.

Well, the PM’s office issued a clarification saying that the ban applied to both Jewish and Arab ministers and Knesset members. In fact, a senior Israeli official said Thursday that Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah had planned on visiting the Temple Mount, but Netanyahu ordered the police to prevent him from arriving at the site out of a concern that his visit could fan the flames.

The Joint Arab List responded that party members would ignore Netanyahu’s announcement and continue visiting the Al-Aqsa mosque as individuals and in groups.
So now, everyone’s upset. Business as usual.

For further reading: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.679335

PM Halts Construction
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to withdraw his plan to build 538 housing units in Itamar, a community in Northern Samaria (West Bank), due to intense international pressure. Instead, the prime minister will promote a master plan for Itamar that retroactively approves existing buildings, but does not allow for the construction of new ones.

Background
Itamar was established in 1984 without a municipal plan that would allow construction. So basically, all the construction in the community for the last twenty years is technically illegal. It was only after the horrific murder of the Fogel family by terrorists in 2011 that the government finally decided to work on advancing a proposal for a municipal plan.

In the initial plan presented to planning agencies three years ago, the state sought retroactive approval for 137 existing homes as well as an expansion of the settlement by thousands of dunams through the construction of 537 new housing units, to be built with Defense Ministry approval.

A year and a half ago, Netanyahu ordered a general suspension of the planning process and of approval of new homes in West Bank settlements over his concern that the United States would decide not to exercise its veto power on resolutions aimed at Israel in the UN Security Council. As a result, the plan for Itamar also stalled.

After the murder of the Henkins last week and protests by settlers, the PM decided to push the municipal plan through, but not the part about the new 538 homes.

Upshot
Even though the settlers are not happy with the shelved construction plans, the legalization of the existing homes is still a statement of support for the settlement movement by the PM. So basically, neither the right nor the left is happy.

For further reading: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.679325

Tables Turned
The High Court of Justice approved sanctions placed on a woman who refused to accept a Get (Jewish divorce) from her husband.

Background
According to Jewish law, in order to be considered divorced and permitted to remarry, a husband must willingly give his wife a divorce document called a Get. If he fails to do so, the woman may not remarry. A woman whose husband refuses to give her a Get is called an Agunah (chained).

The Israeli rabbinical courts, which have jurisdiction over all marriage and divorce cases, have the power to impose financial sanctions and other punitive measures, including incarceration, against the uncooperative husband. In most cases monetary sanctions are enough to persuade him to give the Get. Unfortunately, not always.

There’s another requirement for the divorce to be “kosher”: the wife must willingly accept the Get from her husband. Since polygamy in Judaism was banned over 1000 years ago (at least for Ashkenazim. The Sephardic ban took effect with the establishment of the State of Israel), until the wife accepts the Get, the husband cannot remarry.

A 2008 case brought before the rabbinical court revolved around a wife who refused to accept the Get from her husband. The court imposed monetary sanctions against her in the amount of 2,000 shekels per week (to the state) to persuade her to reconsider. She didn’t. The husband then took her before the secular court, which upheld the decision of the rabbinical court and placed a judgement against her.

The woman refused to pay the sanctions and brought her case before the High Court, claiming that the Rabbinical Court had no authority to sanction her.

Yesterday, High Court justice Miriam Naor said she disagreed – confirming the Rabbinical Court decision and imposing the NIS 2,000 weekly fine on the woman.

Hopefully this will finally get her to accept the Get and allow her husband to remarry.

For further reading: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/201586#.VhbFnRNViko

Oil’s Well that Ends Well
If you’re one of those cynics who likes to wonder why God told Moses to lead the Jews to Israel instead of to one of the oil rich Arab lands, you’re time might be up. It looks like there’s oil in the rocky earth of the Golan. Lot’s of it.

Afek Oil and Gas, an Israeli subsidiary of the U.S. company Genie Energy, recently confirmed the find but won’t be sure exactly how much oil is there until they actually extract it.

According to a September 2014 Times of Israel report on the Golan exploration, Genie Energy is chaired by Howard Jonas and counts among its more notable investors the “former US Vice President Dick Cheney, Michael Steinhardt, Jacob Rothschild, and Rupert Murdoch.”

The reserves could potentially produce billions of barrels, which would far exceed Israel’s annual oil consumption of 240,000 barrels.

The only problem is that with oil prices at a low, the cost of extracting the oil from the rocky soil might make it economically unprofitable. Also, the oil fields proximity to the Syrian border might make create an “explosive” situation.

But let’s stop being so negative. Between the offshore gas and the Golan oil, Israel might be a natural resource rich destination after all. So, looks like Moses didn’t take a wrong turn after all.

For further reading: http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-huge-oil-discovery-on-golan-heights-1001071698

Israel News for October 8, 2015

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Breaking News
This morning a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem stabbed and seriously wounded a 25 year old ultra orthodox yeshiva student near the light rail on French Hill in Jerusalem. He then tried to grab the gun from a security guard nearby, but following a scuffle fled the scene. Members of the Yasam anti-terrorist police unit apprehended the terrorist. The story is still unfolding.

Female Stabber
The 18 year old Arab woman who stabbed a 36 year old Israeli man near the Lion’s Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem on Wednesday had aspirations of becoming a martyr. At least that’s what she wrote on her Facebook page hours before her attack. She wrote, “where am I going? I’m going to become a shaheed (martyr). I want to ask you one thing — not to cry for me when I become a martyr. My greatest desire is to be a martyr for Allah.”

Unfortunately for her, she failed in her mission. She also failed to become a murderer, through no fault of her own. She tried her best but she ended up stabbing a reserve paratroop officer. After being stabbed in the head and back he turned to face her, drew his weapon and shot her. She was seriously injured.

The woman was studying to be a history and geography teacher at the University of Bethlehem. We can only hope that she’ll never get the chance to become a martyr or teach children to follow in her evil ways.

For further reading: http://news.walla.co.il/item/2895431

Terror Spree
There were several separate terror attacks in Israel yesterday.

In the southern town of Kiryat Gat, an Arab man stabbed a soldier in a public bus and stole his rifle. The attacker fled into a residential building. Unfortunately for him, anti-terrorist police happened to be around and saw him. They put a quick end to his life of terror and sent him directly to “paradise”. The Palestinian press identified the terrorist as a 17 year old from the Hebron area. The Israeli soldier was lightly wounded and taken to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon.

In Petach Tikva, an Arab got off a bus at the entrance to a large mall and stabbed a 25 year old Israeli man. Passersby chased the terrorist, disarmed him and subdued him until police arrived. The victim was taken to the hospital with moderate wounds. The attacker was identified as Tamer Yunis Ahmed Vareidat, 25, from Daheira, near Hebron.

In the Jerusalem neighborhood of Abu Tur, police stopped a 15 year old Arab for questioning. The teen pulled a knife and tried to stab them. The officers subdued him.

Israeli forces at the Al Zaim checkpoint near Mount Scopus in Jerusalem opened fire at an Arab driver when he tried to run them over with his vehicle. The driver was moderately wounded.

There were also stoning incidents near Gush Etzion and Bet El.

Upshot
Doesn’t look like Abbas’s call for calm has been too effective. He might have already lost any control he had to stop the violence. Is this the beginning of a new intifada?

For further reading: http://news.walla.co.il/item/2895353

Barkat Packing
Jerusalem’s mayor Nir Barkat is not afraid to get his hands dirty when it comes to security issues in the city. Back in February he tackled a knife-wielding attacker outside the municipality building.

Barkat was recently photographed carrying an assault rifle during a visit to the Arab neighborhood of Beit Hanina in east Jerusalem.

The mayor’s office remarked that the mayor is a “licensed and trained gun owner” and was carrying his weapon with him during a visit with Israeli security forces. The statement added that “many terror attacks in Jerusalem have been prevented or neutralized due to the quick actions and response of responsible bystanders.”

So it seems that Vladimir Putin isn’t the only leader ready to get physical. Let this be a warning to the terrorists: beware of Barkat.

PM Bans Ministers
There’s a reason why there haven’t been any recent visits by government ministers to the Temple Mount. That’s because prior to leaving on his trip the New York to address the UN, the PM issued an order prohibiting ministers and Knesset members from visiting the site. The order doesn’t apply to Arab Knesset members.

New PM Diggs
Plans have been submitted to the Jerusalem municipal planning committee for the construction of a new residence and office for the Prime Minister in the Givat Ram neighborhood of Jerusalem. The area already houses other government buildings including the Knesset and the Foreign Ministry as well as many national museums and one of the campuses of Hebrew University.

The two buildings will be built on an empty 7.4 acre plot and will cost around 650 million shekels ($169 million).

It’s about time they moved the PM from his current location in the crowded Rehavia neighborhood, where the residents will most likely be thankful for the traffic relief, demonstrations and official activity. On the other hand, the security in the neighborhood was pretty darn good. But it must have been a logistics nightmare for the PM’s security detail.

Best of luck on the project!

For further reading: http://www.haaretz.com/business/.premium-1.679266

Prayers Answered
On the holiday of Shmini Atzeret, which was just celebrated on Monday, Jews say a special series of prayers for rain. Well, what do you know? It looks like our prayers were especially effective this year. There has been a significant amount of rainfall throughout Israel in the last few days, which is very unusual. The rain is expected to continue until the weekend. The usual pattern is for the rains to come in the second half of the month, so if that holds true, this could be a truly blessed year for Israel — at least in the rain department.

For further reading: http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/729/615.html

Henkin murderers arrested

Henkin Murderers Arrested Just Days After Attack

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Five members of a terror cell affiliated with Hamas in Nablus in the West Bank were arrested Monday during a joint operation conducted by the Shin Bet security agency, the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Police.

According to the Shin Bet, each of the Palestinian men arrested had a defined role in the attack. One checked the route, three were in the vehicle used in the attack – a driver and two gunmen, and a cell commander, who was not in the vehicle. Several additional suspects have also been arrested on suspicion of aiding the cell.

During questioning, the cell members said that after they opened fire on the car carrying the Henkins, they left their vehicle, approached the car and fired on the couple at close range.

During the shooting, one of the cell members was accidentally shot by one of his colleagues and dropped his pistol, which was left at the scene and found by Israeli forces. After carrying out the shooting, the terrorists fled toward Nablus.

The cell members also admitted to being involved in two other shooting attacks in recent weeks, neither of which resulted in casualties.

PM Netanyahu issued a statement on Monday saying, “We are acting with a strong hand against terrorism and against inciters. We are operating on all fronts. We have brought an additional four IDF battalions into Judea and Samaria, and thousands of police into Jerusalem. The police are going deeply into the Arab neighborhoods, which has not been done in the past. We will demolish terrorists’ homes. We are allowing our forces to take strong action against those who throw rocks and firebombs. This is necessary in order to safeguard the security of Israeli citizens on the roads and everywhere.”

On a visit to the murder site, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon announced that the government will install a network of security cameras on the roads of Judea and Samaria which he believes will, “significantly change our ability to prevent these sort of attacks and to apprehend the perpetrators.”

On a related topic, Israeli forces destroyed the family homes in Jerusalem of the two terrorists that murdered four Jewish worshippers in a Har Nof Synagogue last year.

Upshot
How amazing is it that Israeli security forces were able to arrest the Henkin’s murderers only two days after their attack? You can’t not be impressed. They’ve undoubtedly also prevented scores of attacks, but with every Israeli civilian a target, it’s simply impossible to prevent them all.

According to Israeli sources, the Shin Bet actually sent in undercover operatives into a Nablus hospital to nab one of the terrorists before he could hide and probably disappear.

For further reading: http://www.jta.org/2015/10/06/news-opinion/israel-middle-east/terror-cell-members-that-killed-israeli-couple-arrested

Watch video of the PM’s statement here – http://news.nana10.co.il/Article/?ArticleID=1151399

abbas and terror

More Terror as Abbas Speaks of Calm

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After weeks of Palestinian violence and terror attacks against Israeli targets, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas finally called for calm yesterday.

Speaking to senior officials of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Ramallah, Abbas said that he has told the Israelis that the Palestinians don’t want “military and security escalations.” He said the message had been delivered to Palestinian security forces and activists but added that, “at the same time, we will protect ourselves.”

Abbas also said he was ready to renew dialogue with Israel.

While it still might be too early to tell if his words will make a difference, they certainly didn’t have any immediate effect.

A Palestinian female stabbed a 36 year old Israeli man in the back near the Lion’s Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem last night. After being stabbed, the man was able to draw his weapon and shoot the terrorist, seriously wounding her. Both were taken to Hadassah Hospital.

An eighteen month old Israeli baby and her mother were injured when stones were thrown at their car near the settlement of Eli in Samaria yesterday.

Meanwhile, in Qalandia, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, demonstrators hurled burning tires, rocks and a firebomb at Israeli forces, injuring one police officer. Security forces opened fire with rubber bullets and small .22-caliber rounds, shooting demonstrators in the legs. Clashes also erupted in the West Bank cities of Bethlehem, Nablus, Ramallah, Jenin and Hebron.

Upshot
The real question is, does Abbas really have the power to stop Palestinian attacks against Israeli targets? If the attackers are “lone wolves” acting independently, then it’s unlikely that anything he says will stop them. If they are motivated by religious fervor, he’s also not the man they’ll be looking to for direction.

However, he does control the Palestinian security forces which probably do have the power and the informants to crack down on likely terror sources and arrest them before they have a chance to act. Let’s see if this most recent statement of “calm” will have the desired effect (at least the effect that Israel desires).

For further reading: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_ISRAEL_PALESTINIANS