israelAM for August 4, 2015
Shin Bet Arrests Terror Suspect
The Shin Bet, Israel’s version of the FBI, arrested Meir Ettinger for “involvement in an extremist Jewish organization.” Ettinger denied the charge. Although the Shin Bet declined to connect the arrest to the arson attack at Duma, it definitely seems like there’s a connection.
The Shin Bet did single out Ettinger two days before the attack, when it announced it had uncovered a Jewish extremist movement of young settler activists responsible for a June arson attack on the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish, a prominent Catholic church near the Kinneret, and a number of other hate crimes. At the time, the Shin Bet had accused Ettinger of heading the movement.
The Israeli media has dubbed Ettinger as the Shin Bet’s “number one” most wanted Jewish extremist. He has been arrested several times before and banned from the West Bank.
In a blog post published last week, the day before the arson attack in Duma that killed a Palestinian toddler and seriously injured his family, Ettinger wrote, “The truth must be told — there is no terrorist organization, but there are many, many Jews, many more than one might think, whose value systems are completely different than those of the High Court of Justice and the Shin Bet, and are not bound by the ignorant and broken laws of the state, but rather by laws much more eternal.”
By the way, Ettinger is also the grandson of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane. That explains a lot.
IDF Destroys Jewish House
The IDF civil administration in Judea and Samaria destroyed a house in the community of Eli. The demolition was based on a 10 yr. old petition filed by Peace Now claiming that the house was built on Palestinian owned land.
A spokesmen for the community said, “”We hurt today and tomorrow we’ll move on.”The Yovel neighborhood of Eli will continue to be built, to evolve.”
Terrorist Wounds Woman
A 27 year-old woman was injured Monday night after a terrorist threw a Molotov cocktail at her car near the Arab neighborhood of Beit Hanina in Jerusalem, at the junction of highways 443 and Begin. Both roads are main arteries and are heavily traveled by Israeli drivers on their way to and from Jerusalem.
The woman was treated by Magen Adom paramedics and taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital with first and second-degree burns on 15% of her body. She is reportedly fully conscious and stable.
Her husband was rescued from the vehicle and was not injured. The vehicle was completely burned. Two other men were injured when the burning car rammed into their car.
Police are searching for the attackers.
Avigdor Liberman, former foreign minister and the head of opposition party Israel Beyteinu said, “The attack should remind anyone who needs reminding that the exception is Jews attacking Arabs while Arabs attacking Jews is the norm.
Deputy defense minister Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan remarked, “I expect that those who condemned the the terror attacks of the end of last week will also condemn this one.”
Shira Laid to Rest
Shira Banki, the 16 year old student murdered at the Gay Pride parade, was laid to rest today in Kibbutz Nachshon. Thousands of people attended the funeral. Shira’s parents called for less hatred and more love and understanding, and praised their daughter for supporting personal rights and freedom, even though she herself was not part of the gay community.
Flag Waving on Temple Mount
A Christian tourist from France waved an Israeli flag on the Temple Mount, near the Dome of the Rock. He was beaten by Arabs and arrested by Israeli police. The police also arrested three of the attackers, including a member of the Waqf Islamic trust which administers the site. The flag waver also got a bloody head as part of the deal. Lucky he wasn’t Jewish.
