Israel News for March 30, 2017
Terror Attempt
A Palestinian woman attempted to stab Border Police officers with a pair of scissors outside of Jerusalem’s Old City’s Damascus Gate yesterday. Police shot and killed her before she could cause any harm.
The woman, Siham Nimr, 49, from the Shuafat refugee camp in eastern Jerusalem, was the mother of a man shot by police when the car he was a passenger in rammed through a checkpoint. The driver of the car was under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Police assumed that the ramming was terror related.
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Terrorist Released
Haitham Faiz Muari, one of the terrorists convicted in the lynching of two IDF reservists in Ramallah in 2000, was released from prison yesterday and sent to Gaza. Muari had requested a retrial and his original murder conviction was converted to lesser charges due to new evidence which made definitive identification of Muari difficult at the level required in a criminal case.
Muari had been a Palestinian police officer who had arrested the two soldiers and beat them at the station. He was originally convicted of murder. Following the new trial he was convicted only of not preventing a criminal action and of attacking a soldier. Based on a new plea bargain agreement, his time already served was deemed acceptable, allowing for his release.
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Hit List
Hamas has released a hit list video of seven Israeli leaders with targets over their faces. This comes after a senior Hamas commander was gunned down by unknown assailants in Gaza last Friday night. Hamas blames Israel for the assassination and has vowed to avenge the killing.
The seven Israeli leaders in the video are Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman; IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot; Shin Bet Director Nadav Argaman; Mossad Director Yossi Cohen; IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi; Minister of Public Security and Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan; and Oz Brigade Commander David Zini.
Meanwhile, Shin Bet Director Nadav Argaman warned the the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee earlier this month that Hamas and other organized terror cells will try to carry out attacks over the Passover holiday. IDF forces are on high alert.
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Arab League Summit
The one day Arab League Summit in Jordan yesterday culminated with the Arab leaders relaunching their 2002 peace plan, which normalizes relations with Israel in exchange for Israel ceding territory captured in 1967 to a Palestinian state. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said, “The summit has ended with a message of peace.”
Trump envoy Jason Greenblatt attended the summit as an observer and met with Arab leaders and other foreign delegations to discuss U.S. perspectives and policies. According to a White House statement “the dialogue at the meetings was open, frank, and helpful.”
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New Ambassador
David Friedman was sworn in yesterday as the new US Ambassador to Israel by VP Mike Pence. Friedman’s wife, Tammy, their five children and most of their grandchildren watched. At the ceremony Pence said, “The president of the United States of America is a lifelong friend of Israel and the Jewish people and, under his leadership, if the world knows nothing else the world will know this: America stands with Israel.”
White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters that Trump “is glad that Ambassador Friedman will be officially on board as we strive for a lasting peace in the Middle East,” and that, “Mr. Friedman’s strong relationships in Israel will be a tremendous asset to the president in furthering that mission.”
The Senate approved Friedman’s nomination last week by a vote of 52-46. He has resigned from the law firm that he founded to take on his new post.
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Anti BDS
Thousands attended a conference opposing the BDS movement at the United Nations headquarters in New York yesterday. The conference, sponsored by the World Jewish Congress and Israel’s mission to the U.N., focused on ways to combat the movement on campus and on social media. Israeli UN Ambassador Danon and US Ambassador to the UN Haley addressed the conference in the UN General Assembly.
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Airport Carts
Starting in July, travelers at Ben Gurion airport will have to use their credit cards in order to use a luggage cart. The carts have always been free (unlike most other airports) but now will require a NIS 10 deposit, which will be credited back to the user after they return the cart to its designated place. So it’s still free, but now you have to clean up after yourself. No more leaving a mess!
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