Old City Terror
Adiel Coleman, a 32 year old father of 4 who was working as a security guard, was stabbed to death by a terrorist in Jerusalem’s Old City yesterday.A nearby policeman shot and killed the terrorist.

The terrorist was 28 year old Abd al-Rahman Bani Fadel, a father of 2 from Nablus. He had a temporary permit for a week that allowed him to enter Israel to search for employment. He had received such permits in the past.

Adiel Coleman was laid to rest today.

For further reading click here.

Ramming Attack
Terrorist Alaa Kabha rammed his car into a patrol of IDF soldiers on Friday afternoon on route 585 between the settlements of Mevo Dotan and Hermesh, killing two of the soldiers—an officer and a conscript—and wounding two others.

An initial investigation into the incident found that when they were spotted by the terrorist, the troops were standing near a pillbox post located between the village of Ya’bad and nearby olive plantations. The two slain soldiers were standing at the front of their jeep, while the other two stood on the vehicle’s other side, near the road.

Upon spotting the soldiers, the terrorist veered from the road, sped up, and hit the officer and the soldier who was standing with him first. The two were killed instantly. Then, the terrorist sped towards the two other troops, wounding one very seriously and the other moderately. At some point, the terrorist also hit the barbed-wire fence that surrounded the pillbox post. The soldiers did not have a chance to fire their weapons.

The terrorist admitted to committing a terror attack under interrogation by the Shin Bet, who believe that he acted as a “lone wolf”, without any support or without anyone else knowing about his intentions.

The two soldiers killed in the attack were laid to rest on Sunday. They are Sergeant Netanel Kahalani (20) and Lieutenant Ziv Daus (21).

Kahalani’s mother eulogized her son saying, “My Netanel. My dear child, how am I going to say goodbye to you today? I always knew we would separate, but I never imagined it would be this soon. You were a wonderful child, you loved living, you were full of life. My good boy with the heart of gold, thank you for 20 years of grace, love and friendship. We will never separate, you will always be in my heart. I love you very much, and I wish we would one day meet in eternity.”

To read more about the slain soldiers, click here.

Hamas Tunnel
The IDF destroyed a Hamas tunnel on Sunday from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip to the Eshkol Regional Council inside Israel. The tunnel had initially been destroyed during operation Protective Edge, but Hamas was attempting to “recycle” it. The IDF did not use explosives to destroy the tunnel. Instead, it flooded the tunnel with a certain compound that rendered it unusable. No IDF troops entered Gaza in the operation.

Over the weekend, Israeli aircraft bombed another Hamas tunnel in the central Gaza Strip. Additional Hamas military targets were also attacked, in response to IEDs that were planted near the Israeli border.

For future reading click here.

Slow Buses
Despite huge investments in public transportation, the time it takes to get to a workplace outside a person’s place of residence in Israel has become 20% longer over the past five years, according to a survey published by the Bank of Israel.

For further reading click here.

Gaza Conference
Representatives of nearly two dozen countries and international organizations gathered yesterday at the White House for a meeting to discuss aid for Gaza. The meeting was led by top U.S. Middle East negotiator Jason Greenblatt.

Greenblatt highlighted the poverty in Gaza and said, “We asked you here because we believe we can do much better – we must do much better.” Jared Kushner presented concrete ideas to assist the people of Gaza.

The Palestinian Authority boycotted the meeting, in protest of President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. UNRWA, the UN relief organization that provides most of the relief in Gaza, was not invited.

The full list of participants includes: Bahrain, Canada, Cyprus, Egypt, the European Union, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, the Middle East Quartet, Qatar, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United Nations.

The White House called the 6 hour meeting a success.

For further reading click here.

Compromise Reached
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation last night unanimously approved a compromise deal to avert a government collapse and new elections. The deal allows for the passage of the Draft Bill, which exempts yeshiva students from military service, while permitting coalition MKs to vote against it if they so choose. That means that Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and members of his party will be able to vote against the Draft Bill without being fired.

To read details of the compromise deal click here.

Assassination Attempt
A bomb was detonated near Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah’s convoy, just minutes after he crossed into Gaza from Israel at the Erez crossing. Hamdallah was visiting the area to inaugurate a desalination plant established within the framework of reconciliation with Hamas. Hamdallah was not harmed, but several of his guards were injured.

PA President Abbas condemned the assassination attempt and said, “this crime was planned and its targets and perpetrators are well-known. It is consistent with the attempts to avoid allowing the Palestinian government to operate in Gaza, undermine the reconciliation and to destroy the national enterprise by separating Gaza from the West Bank in order to establish a questionable state in the Gaza Strip.”

For further reading click here.

Birth Rate
According to Central Bureau of Statistics data on birth and fertility published Tuesday, Israel’s overall fertility rate was 3.14 children per mother in 2016. That’s the highest fertility rate among nations who are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The average OECD rate averages around 2.1 children.

Communities with highest overall fertility rates were Haredi cities and Bedouin communities in the south. Those with the lowest rate, on the other hand, were mostly Druze, or communities housing either the upper socioeconomic echelons of Israel’s population or a relatively high percentage of olim.

A total of 191,405 babies were born in Israel in 2016. By religion, 73.9% of babies born in 2016 were born to Jewish women, 20.7% to Muslims, 1.4% to Christians, 1.3% to Druze, and 2.6% to women whose religion was not classified in the census.

The average age of women giving birth for the first time was 27.6. The proportion of babies born to women 30 years or older rose from 40.2% in 2000 to 51.5% in 2016.

For further reading click here.

Spotify Launches
Spotify, the world’s largest music, podcast, and video streaming service officially launched in Israel on Monday. Spotify will charge 20 shekels a month for a premium subscription, in addition to its free service with ads.

For further reading click here.

The Winner Is
We are happy to announce that the winner of the IsraelAM book giveaway is Amee Sherer, the Executive Director of the Hillel at the University of Washington. Upon hearing that she won, Amee said, “I will be thrilled to add these books to our Hillel UW library!” And we’re thrilled that the books will be put to good use in strengthening college students’ connection with Israel.

Joint Exercise
The IDF and US Army are participating in a joint military exercise called Juniper Cobra 2018, which began March 4th and will last until the end of the month. The exercise is particularly addressing the scenario of Israel facing thousands of rockets launched simultaneously from Iran, Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

Lt.-Col. Richard Clark, commander of the American force said, “This is the biggest, most important exercise held by United States European Command this year. it symbolizes our commitment to Israel’s security. For eight months we’ve drawn conclusions from the previous exercise and thought about ways to improve our ability to defend Israel.”

He said, “Some 2,500 American troops deployed across Israel, Europe and the US are participating in the exercise along with more than 2,000 IDF soldiers. In our operation centers, we have American service members sitting side by side with Israeli defense force members, and this is the glue that is going to hold the inter-operability and the integration together when it comes time for us to execute this mission.”

For further reading click here.

Sudan Aid
A team from the Foreign Ministry headed by Ambassador to South Sudan Hanan Godar distributed 20 tons of food to refugees affected by the civil war plaguing the country. Israel enlisted in a campaign to alleviate the suffering following an international appeal for urgent assistance. Goder also announced that Israel will accept 60 students from southern Sudan for agricultural training next year.

Goder’s announcement was widely covered in the local media where Israel is viewed as a giant contributor in foreign aid and is advancing many building projects in South Sudan.

For further reading click here.

Legalizing Pot
The Knesset is close to passing a bill that would decriminalize marijuana use and possession. Passing unanimously on its first of three legislative readings, the bill proposes a NIS 1,000 ($290) fine on first-time possession of marijuana for adults. Getting caught for a second time would result in a NIS 2,000 fine. A third-time offender would have to complete a community service program. Police would only proceed with criminal charges upon a fourth offense. So using pot would still be illegal, but not jail worthy until a fourth offense.

Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan, who introduced the bill, said policy should focus on education, prevention and drug rehabilitation rather than criminalization.

In explaining the bill, lawmakers wrote that getting caught with marijuana should not impact the future of “a normative person who does not lead a criminal lifestyle.”

Marijuana use in Israel has increased from 5.5% of those aged 18-40 in 2009 to 27% in 2016. Among teenagers, the reported rise is from 5% to 10%.

For further reading click here.

Jerusalem Marathon
About 35,000 runners from 72 countries participated in the 8th annual Jerusalem Marathon today. Kenyan runner Shadrack Kipkogey finished the marathon first in 2 hours, 21 minutes and 27 seconds. It’s his third consecutive win. Last month the Tel Aviv marathon was also won by a Kenyan runner.

For further reading click here.

Music
Here’s a new song sung by Yonatan Raizel and composed by Israeli icon Motti Caspi. To listen click here.

Book Giveaway
IsraelAM is giving away 3 books to help you learn more about Israel.
The first two are historical fiction by bestselling, world famous Jewish writer Herman Wouk. The third is a non fiction work about Israel’s innovations in the field of water technology — and what Israel can teach the world in that vital area.

1. The Hope, by Herman Wouk
2. The Glory, by Herman Wouk
3. Let There Be Water, by Seth M. Siegel

Winner will be announced on Monday. After you enter, make sure you check your inbox for the confirmation email to confirm your entry.

Books can only be shipped within the US…sorry :(

To enter the giveaway click here.

Terror in Acre
A 51 year old Israeli-Arab ran over an IDF soldier near the Acre (Akko) city market yesterday morning. He then proceeded to ram his vehicle into 3 other people including a Border Policeman and another soldier. The terrorist was shot, possibly by one of his victims, and taken into custody. The terror victims were either lightly or moderately injured.

The terrorist’s family expressed their shock, saying, “It is hard for me to believe that this was a nationalistically-motivated incident. Maybe he was angry over receiving a ticket and that’s why he did it. He never thought about hurting people. He doesn’t have those types of thoughts.”

The terrorist’s defense attorney insists that he is not a terrorist and committed his crime out of anger after receiving a 1000 shekel traffic ticket.

The police and shin bet are still investigating the incident.

For further reading click here.

Hamas Busted
Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai uploaded footage to his Facebook page showing Hamas operatives hooking up illicitly to a Gaza power line Saturday in order to siphon electricity. He wrote, “The Hamas terror group continues stealing from the people of Gaza,” and that, “This power was intended for hospitals and schools, but Hamas is uninterested in the populace and even exploits it. Watch the daylight robbery.”

For further reading click here.

Netanyahu and Trump
PM Netanyahu will be meeting with President Trump later today in Washington. This will be their 5th meeting since Trump became president. Netanyahu will also be addressing the AIPAC conference.

Championship Medals
Israel’s ju-jitsu team won two gold medals, four silver medals, and seven bronze medals at the Ju-Jitsu World Championship Juniors and Aspirants 2018 in Abu Dhabi. Israel was the only country whose national anthem was not played or whose flag was not displayed at the competition.

The event was the second international sports competition in Abu Dhabi in which the Israeli team was not allowed to wear or show the Israeli flag or to have Hatikva played. In October the Israeli delegation to the the Grand Slam Judo competition was forced to compete as as part of the International Judo Federation instead of as Israelis. The jujitsu team was likewise forced to compete under the banner of the Ju-Jitsu International Federation.

The event organizers stated that the Israeli team could not be identified as Israeli due to “security concerns.”
However, the Israeli team stated that they were warmly received by the organizers of the event.
Erez Alroy, the head of the Israel Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said: “Hosts went out of their way during the competition to provide us with quality hosting—an excellent hotel, transportation everywhere, separate warm-up area and so on.”

For further reading click here.

Iran Wrestling
The head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Wrestling Federation, Rasoul Khadem, announced his resignation Wednesday, only two months after being approved for the position, in protest of Iran’s rigid stance on competing against Israeli athletes. It’s not that Khadem is pro-Israel. He just feels that the decision to boycott Israeli athletes should not be made by individual athletes or coaches, as was the case when an Iranian wrestler was ordered by his coach to lose a match to a Russian opponent at a tournament in order to avoid facing an Israeli wrestler.

Khadem explained, “If we must continue with the policy of non-competition against the Zionist regime’s athletes. The responsibility cannot fall on the shoulders of the coach and the athlete. Forcing an athlete to accept defeat or run around all night looking for a doctor’s note is not right.”

For further reading click here.

Major Traffic
Major traffic jams at the entrance to Jerusalem from Highway 1 are expected for the next 4 years due to a massive construction project that will create three times the amount of office space than there is in Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Center.

For further reading click here.

Navy Attacks
The Israeli navy attacked a Palestinian fishing boat that strayed from a permitted fishing area in the northern Gaza Strip towards Israel last night. The navy verbally warned the ship several and then fired warning shots which were all ignored. One person on the Palestinian boat was seriously wounded and was treated by Israeli sailors who subsequently boarded the boat, but he succumbed to his wounds. The two other men on the boat were taken in for questioning.

Boats are not allowed to stray beyond a fixed limit to the north towards Israeli waters. Israel restricts fishing to a seasonally adjusted zone of between six and nine nautical miles. Egypt keeps similar limitations to the south-west.

For further reading click here.

Pilots Faulted
A summary of the investigation by the IDF into the recent shooting down of an Israeli fighter jet by the Syrians said that the crew had chosen “to complete the mission and not defend themselves sufficiently. Their actions did not correlate with standard procedure while under enemy fire.”

The investigation determined that the advanced planning for the operation was done properly, and the intelligence for the mission was sufficient, leading to the successful destruction of the targets, which were marked prior to the retaliatory strike.

In total, the Syrian aerial defense apparatus launched 27 missiles at IAF planes throughout the night and early morning as events unfolded, 13 of them were fired while Israeli jets were attacking the Iranian drone’s control and command center. One of the missiles, a large long-range outdated SA-5 missile, hit the Israeli F-16.

The warning systems in the F-16 that was hit were found to be in order and alerted the pilot and navigator of the threat on time. But the F-16 flight team failed to deploy countermeasures.

A senior IAF officer said, “In the operational theatre, there were a number of planes that did indeed defend themselves against the Syrian launchings while completing their mission. One of the planes that did not defend itself, was hit.” Nevertheless, the investigation concluded that the pilot and navigator’s decision to abandon the plane after it was hit was the right one.

The officer added, “There was no Russian involvement in the incident.”

For further reading click here.

Settlement Expansion
The government yesterday unanimously approved a building plan for the Netiv Ha’avot neighborhood in Gush Etzion (West Bank), which will include the allocation of funds for the construction of 350 new housing units. Part of the neighborhood was slated for evacuation next month in accordance with an order by the Supreme Court.

Gush Etzion Council head Shlomo Ne’eman welcomed the decision saying, “This is a massive achievement for the Zionist enterprise in Judea and Samaria,” he said. “The crime of demolishing homes won’t be atoned for by new construction, but will bring about hope for the Zionist enterprise in Gush Etzion.”

For further reading click here.

Polish Law Update
Poland’s Justice Minister announced that the controversial law making any mention of Polish complicity in the Holocaust illegal will not be implemented until further discussions in the Polish Constitutional Court and until Israeli and Polish delegations have met to consider rewording it.

Poland’s Foreign Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who also serves as the country’s state prosecutor, indicated that the law will not be implemented at this stage, despite being ratified, until the Constitutional Court makes a ruling. He also said that the law does not prohibit references to crimes committed by individual Poles and groups, and added that it will not apply to Holocaust survivors, journalists or academics.

For further reading click here.

Rabbi Passes
Thousands of mourners attended the funeral procession of Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach, who passed away on Shabbat at the age of 86. Rabbi Aurbach, the eldest son of the late sage Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Aurbach ZT”L, was the founder and leader of the radical Jerusalem Faction of the Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox sect, which fiercely opposes the IDF drafting of yeshivah students as well as any yeshivah students serving in the IDF.

Addressing the crowds of mourners before they carried Rabbi Auerbach’s body to its final resting place in Jerusalem, Rabbi Tzvi Friedman, a prominent rabbi associated with the Jerusalem Faction, said in his eulogy, “We are in a war of destruction. No man should turn up (to the IDF recruitment office). Don’t be scared of the police. Go to prison happily. They can fill the prisons. It won’t help them. He single-handedly directed the struggle while facing ridicule from others.”

Rabbi Aurbach was buried next to his wife in the Har Hamenuchot cemetery in Jerusalem. He did not leave behind any children.

For further reading click here.