Israel News for 10-22-18
Terror Attack
Early today, a terrorist stabbed a solider with a pair of scissors near the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. The soldier and another soldier fired at the terrorist, killing him. The soldier was lightly injured and evacuated to the hospital fully conscious and standing. The terrorist was a 42 yer old man from Hebron.
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Jordan Reversal
Jordan’s King Abdullah II announced Sunday that he does not plan to renew parts of the country’s 24-year-old peace agreement with Israel. The parts Jordan wants to revoke relate to two parcels of land Jordan leased to Israel for 25 years. The lease on the two territories — known as Baqoura and Ghumar in Arabic and Naharayim and Zofar in Hebrew — ends in one year. Naharayim is located just south of the Kinneret, on the eastern bank of the Jordan river. Zofar is located in the Arava, south of the Dead Sea.
In a statement the king said, “Baqoura and Ghumar are Jordanian lands and will remain Jordanian and we will exercise full sovereignty over our territory.” Abdullah has been facing major pressure in Jordan, including mass protests, to reclaim the land.
Central Arava Regional Council head Eyal Bloom expressed concern by the Jordanian decision, saying “the agricultural lands in the Tzofar enclave are significant to the security of the area, the state, the livelihood of the residents and agriculture in the central Arava. This would mean the collapse of 30 farms in an area of some 1,400 dunams (346 acres).” Israeli farmers have been cultivating the land for the past 24 years.
The terms of the peace treaty state that 25 years after the initial signing, each party will be able to discontinue the lease of the land on one condition—it should be done one year in advance, and this Sunday marks 24 years since the treaty had been agreed upon.
PM Netanyahu said that Israel would renegotiate the original agreement with Jordan.
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