Israel News for November 16, 2015
IDF Raid
Last night, IDF forces entered the Qualandiya refugee camp in the West Bank and destroyed the home of the terrorist who murdered Israeli student Danny Gonen back in June.
While combat engineers prepared the house for demolition, soldiers from the Duvdevan unit securing the perimeter were attacked by hundreds of Palestinians throwing rocks and firebombs. Then soldiers identified 10 armed terrorists approaching them and preparing to fire. The soldiers opened fire killing at least two of the terrorists. There were no Israeli casualties in the operation.
Mission accomplished.
Watch a video here.
Terrorist Arrested
The terrorist who murdered Rabbi Yaakov Litman and his son Netanel on Friday was arrested at his home in Hevron by Shin Bet and IDF forces over the weekend. The suspect, Sha’adi Matuwa, 28, is married and the father of two children, and is associated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. He made the mistake of telling his brother that he committed the murders. The brother told his father, who then told Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint. The father decided that protecting his son would mean that the family home would be destroyed. He chose the house.
Shin Bet officers found the murder weapon on the suspect, as well as the vehicle he used in the attack. The suspect confessed to the murder under questioning. Security forces are now investigating and questioning other suspects who might have been involved in the planning or execution of the attack.
Upshot
It seems that the policy of demolishing the homes of the families of terrorists might be working after all. If not as a deterrent, then at least as a means of capturing wanted terrorists.
For further reading click here.
Israel Files Protest
PM Netanyahu has directed Israel’s Foreign Ministry to file a protest with the International Committee of the Red Cross, claiming that a Palestinian Red Crescent Society ambulance did not stop to help Jewish victims of a terror attack.
During a phone call with the PM on Saturday night, Noa Litman, the wife and mother of the victims of Friday’s terrorist attack, told the PM that a Red Crescent ambulance that arrived first at the scene did not stop to provide her family with emergency assistance.
In a recording of the call made to emergency services by Litman’s 16-year-old son, broadcast Friday night on Israeli television, it appears that the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance did not stop for the injured victims after realizing that they were Jewish.
“There are two wounded here, but we have the Red Crescent with us,” the teen says in the phone call, which was recorded. He then says: “The Red Crescent ambulance drove away from us, I don’t know why.”
In a statement issued late Friday evening by the Palestine Red Crescent Society, the organization denied allegations that its paramedics did not stop to assist the victims.
“A PRCS’ team arrived at the scene and started providing First Aid to the wounded. A few minutes later, two Israeli ambulances, one belonging to the Israeli army and another from Magen David Adom, arrived at the scene. The ambulances’ teams headed towards the wounded persons, brandishing their weapons. Given that Israeli paramedics had arrived and were providing medical care to casualties, PRCS’ team left the scene which they felt had become unsafe,” the statement said.
The driver of the Israeli ambulance that arrived at the scene told Israel Channel 10 that Red Crescent paramedics did not get out of their vehicle before driving away.
A thorough investigation will hopefully bring the facts of this case to light and prove whether or not the Palestinian paramedics refused to help Jews or just didn’t have a chance to do so before Israeli paramedics arrived.
Who do you believe?
For further reading click here.
Mourning
Hundreds of mourners participated in the funeral of Rabbi Yaakov and Netanel Litman, the father and son who were killed in a terrorist attack on Friday. They were on their way to a shabbat celebration in honor of the rabbi’s daughter’s upcoming marriage scheduled for this week.
The father and son were laid to rest on Har Hamenuchot in Jerusalem. Among the mourners were President Reuven Rivlin, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi David Lau.
Ltiman’s daughter, Sarah Tehiya, vowed to build a marriage and home that will perpetuate the values of her father. She also proclaimed that the Jewish People will continue to walk with pride in their land and that they will not let the Arabs disrupt their daily lives and routines. She added, “God will give us strength, just like He is giving us strength now, and we hope that the government and the state do what they need to do.”
For further reading click here.
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Egyptian Border Control
The Egyptians are helping keep illegal African migrants out of Israel. Yesterday, Egyptian security forces shot and killed 15 Sudanese migrants as they were about to illegally cross the border and enter Israel. It appears that the Sudanese stumbled into the middle of a gunfight between Egyptian troops and bedouin smugglers.
Did the Egyptians think that the Sudanese were with the bedouin or did they purposefully want to stop them from crossing into Israel?
For further reading click here.
Great Escape
The police in Israel have more on their plate than just fighting terrorism. On Sunday, over 1,000 police and corrections officers conducted a manhunt for an escaped prisoner convicted for two murders. The convict, Yaron Sanker, was in the midst of an 85 day hunger strike and being treated at a hospital in Be’er Yaakov under heavy guard when he escaped.
Sanker hailed a cab and told the driver to head to Be’er Sheva. On the way he asked the driver to call his girlfriend so that he could ask for the money for the fare. At that point the cabbie got nervous (about the money, not the murderer) and dropped Sanker off in Rishon Letzion. The driver went to the police who managed to use the cell phone to trace the location of Sanker’s girlfriend to the Be’er Sheva central bus station. They sent a welcoming party to greet Sanker, in case he showed up.
It’s not clear how Sanker made it to Be’er Sheva, but when he got to the central bus station he was recognized by a security guard who chased him down. Then the police units waiting for him joined in and arrested him.
All in a day’s work. Now the police can continue focusing on preventing terror.
For further reading click here.
