Israel News for 1-29-18
Terror Attempt
A Palestinian wearing clothing resembling an IDF uniform was apprehended by IDF forces last night while he was on his way to infiltrate the settlement of Itamar in Samaria (West Bank). The terrorist had previously been arrested for terror related activities. The IDF then launched a manhunt for another terrorist who managed to flee the scene. As part of the manhunt, IDF forces entered the village of Furik, where several riots erupted.
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Annexation Bill
Likud MKs are sponsoring a new bill to apply Israeli law to settlements in Judea and Samaria. The result of the bill will, in effect, be annexation of those areas. Similar bills in the past have not been passed, primarily because of the fear of international reaction. But given the new relationship with the US administration, will this time be different?
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Tunnel Tour
After touring the Hamas terror tunnels recently uncovered by the IDF, US Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt tweeted, “Hamas wastes resources on tunnels & rockets to attack Israel, instead of helping the people of Gaza by getting the lights on, the water flowing & the economy growing. Hamas spews hateful rhetoric & foments a vicious cycle of violence. Gaza deserves better!”
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Polish Lies
The Polish parliament, the Sejm, passed a bill on Friday outlawing the use of the term “Polish death camps” and the blaming of Poles for crimes committed during the Holocaust. PM Netanyahu called the bill “baseless”.
In a statement, Yad Vashem said that, whereas “there is no doubt that the term ‘Polish death camps’ is a historical misrepresentation,” the intended law nonetheless is “liable to blur the historical truths regarding the assistance the Germans received from the Polish population during the Holocaust.”
Yeah Atid leader Yair Lapid wrote, “Hundreds of thousands of Jews were murdered without ever meeting a German. Poland was a partner in the Holocaust.”
Some Jewish historians corrected Lapid claiming that many thousands, not hundreds of thousands, of Jews were killed by Poles. They also point out that the death camps were not Polish, although they were on Polish soil.
Poland’s President promised yesterday to review the bill before deciding whether to approve it. PM Netanyahu spoke with the Polish PM last night and they agreed to open a dialogue to discuss the bill. The bill must be approved by the Polish Senate and the President before becoming law.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Naftali Bennett has instructed high schools to teach students about “the response of populations in countries occupied by the Nazis to the fate of the Jews during the Holocaust.”
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School Drama
All kindergartens, elementary schools and junior high schools in Jerusalem went on strike for two hours Monday morning to protest the assault of a teacher by a student’s mother.
The incident occurred on Friday when a mother burst into a classroom where her son was studying and slapped the English teacher across the face, kicked her and pulled her wig off her head. Following the assault, classes were canceled in protest on Sunday for two hours.
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