Israel News for 8-24-17
Tragic Details
The military court released its indictment of the terrorist who murdered the three members of the Salomon family in Halamish earlier this summer. The document recounts graphic details of the attack based on the terrorist’s own words.
According to the document the terrorist, after entering the settlement, came to two houses, one of which was dark and quiet. He chose the house that had its light on and noise coming from it. When he entered the house he first met Chaya (the daughter) and said “what about Al Aqsa” before plunging his knife into her chest. Then he stabbed Tova (the mother) in the back and she managed to escape upstairs. Meanwhile, Michal (the daughter-in-law) grabbed the children and ran upstairs where she hid them.
The terrorist then stabbed Yossi (the father) in the stomach. That’s when Elad (the son) jumped on the terrorist and began struggling with him. Elad was stabbed 3 times before he managed to get the knife out of the terrorist’s hand. Then the terrorist kicked him in the back, throwing him to his knees. He then stepped on his hand and hit him in his head with a cutting board and then stabbed him in the head with the knife that was in the cutting board. He then picked up the original knife and stabbed Elad 12 times.
The terrorist then returned to Yossi, who was still breathing, and stabbed him another 15 times. He was then shot by the neighbor, an IDF soldier.
For further reading click here.
US Peace Delegation
A US delegation comprised of Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt and Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy Dina Powell arrived in Israel last night. The visit’s goal, a White House source told Politico, is to “focus on the path to substantive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, combating extremism, the situation in Gaza, including how to ease the humanitarian crisis there.”
Before coming to Israel, the Americans met with leaders from the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. They will meet with PM Netanyahu today and then head to Ramallah to meet with Abbas.
The Palestinians have criticized the US as being too pro Israel and unable to serve as an impartial broker. They have also began dropping hints that they might resume their bid for full UN membership and to file suits against Israel in the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Btw, Dina Powell is an Egyptian born American (Christian) who is fluent in Arabic.
For further reading click here.
PM and Putin
PM Netanyahu met with Russian President Putin yesterday in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi to discuss the threat of Iran’s growing military presence in Syria.
Netanyahu said, “Iran is increasing its efforts to establish its military foothold in Syria. That is dangerous for Israel, the Middle East and, I believe, the whole world. Iran is already in advanced stages of taking over Iraq and Yemen, and in effect it also controls Lebanon.”
He added, “We do not forget for one minute that Iran continues to threaten Israel’s destruction every day; it is arming terrorist organizations and is itself instigating terrorism; and it is developing intercontinental missiles with the goal of arming them with nuclear warheads. For all these reasons, Israel continues to oppose Iran’s entrenchment in Syria. We will defend ourselves in any way against this threat and any threat.”
While Putin did not directly address the Iranian issue, he did praise what he described as an “efficient mechanism of cooperation” between Russia and Israel.
Israel has been in talks with US officials to obtain a commitment that the US will include a clause in any agreement to end the Syrian conflict that would require the withdrawal of all Iranian forces from the country. The US has not committed to the request.
Israel is concerned that Iran is about to build military, air and naval bases in Syria, which Israel has said would constitute the crossing of a red line.
For further reading click here.
Oh No
Last week Amanda Hanna won the 2017 Miss Lebanon Emigrant Beauty Pageant. But now she’s been stripped of her title because it was revealed that she visited Israel last year on her Swedish passport. Visiting Israel is illegal according to Lebanese law. Oh well.
For further reading click here.
Lost and Found
Last Wednesday the driver of the #422 bus that runs from Jerusalem to Bnei Brak found a roll of American cash held together with a rubber band. He turned it in to his dispatcher who then deposited it at the Ramat Gan police station.
The police placed a notice in the local Bnei Brak newspaper, saying that a large amount of money was left on the bus by an ultra-Orthodox passenger. Within hours, a man from Bnei Brak called the station and gave officers accurate details identifying the rubber band-bound wad of cash.
The driver of the bus was 35-year-old Ramadan Jamjoum, an Arab from the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina. He said the cash “did not tempt” him as “it is my duty morally and religiously, and to my God and my work, to return the money.”
Jamjoum got no reward, just a certificate of thanks from his company.
For further reading click here.
