Israel News for October 20, 2015
Breaking News
A masked Palestinian stabbed an Israeli officer in the face during a violent demonstration near the Jewish settlement of Negohot near Hebron. The officer, a captain in the tank corps, suffered light wounds. The terrorist, 24 year old Mohammed Masalma from the nearby village of Kfar Ava, was shot and killed.
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In another incident, Palestinians threw rocks at an Israeli car near the Palestinian refugee camp of Al-Fawar south of Hebron. The 50 yr. old driver got out of his vehicle and was hit by a car and killed. It’s still unclear who hit him and whether it was intentional.
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Israeli forces arrested 35 Palestinian terror suspects in the West Bank last night, including a top Hamas official, Hassan Yousef.
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A Tragic Case
The tragic death of an Eritrean man who was mistakenly identified as a terrorist and shot by a security guard and beaten by a mob of bystanders is raising condemnation and calls for action by Israeli government officials. The Prime Minister condemned the vigilante violence and sent his condolences to Zerhom’s family.
The victim, Habtom Zerhom, a 20 something Eritrean migrant ran into the bus station to seek cover from the terrorist attack when he was shot by the security guard, who yelled, “terrorist!” Security cameras captured footage of Zerhom laying on the ground in a pool of his own blood while Israeli bystanders kicked him in the head and rammed him with a wooden bench. A police officer and some bystanders tried to protect him from the mob, even though they too believed that he was a terrorist.
Members of the mob who were interviewed said that had they known that Zerhom was not a terrorist they would also have protected him, but they trusted the call of the security officer. One man said, “If I would have known he wasn’t a terrorist, believe me, I would have protected him like I protect myself. I didn’t sleep well at night. I feel disgusted.” Police are reviewing the security video to identify the members of the mob, and have begun calling in witnesses and suspects for questioning.
Upshot
Some are blaming Jerusalem Mayor Barkat and other officials who have urged civilians to carry weapons and help the security forces. More likely, Zerhom’s death was the result of a tragic case of mistaken identity combined with people furious from constantly living in fear of unexpected terror attacks.
Citizens should obviously be allowed, and encouraged, to defend themselves, but lynching anyone, even a terrorist, doesn’t seem very kosher. As the PM said, “People at the scene of these incidents should evacuate the area and allow security and rescue services to work.We are a law-abiding country. No one should take the law into their own hands.”
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Bedouin Security Guards
The fact that the Beersheva terrorist was an Israeli Bedouin is impacting other Bedouin, in a bad way. It seems that a large number of Bedouin work as security guards throughout the city, including at the central bus station where the attack occurred. At least one private security company has dismissed Bedouin guards who work in schools. Other security companies are feeling uneasy and might also decide to dismiss workers. For the guards that are still on duty, the suspicious looks thrown their way are not making for a pleasant work environment.
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ISIS Rallies Palestinians
ISIS is trying to get involved in the wave of terror in Israel. The group released a series of videos urging Palestinians to carry out attacks against the “Jews” using every means at their disposal, including knives, vehicles, poison and explosives.
In a video titled “Return Terror to the Jews,” a masked fighter praised Arabs who are attacking Israelis, describing them as “lone wolves who refuse to be subdued and who spread fear among the sons of Zion.”
ISIS has also published several articles by prominent writers in the group to incite more anti Jewish terror. It looks like they’ve launched a full blown content marketing campaign that, combined with all the social media incitement, is turning this terror wave into a digital marketing driven horror show. Blocking their Facebook and Twitter access and jamming their internet connections might be more effective than concrete barriers and assault rifles. It’s certainly worth a try.
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Are You Kidding?
Unfortunately, this is no joke. If you had any doubts about the UN being anti Israel, this should pretty much make up your mind. UNESCO, the U.N.’s cultural body, is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a proposal to declare the Western Wall (Kotel) a Muslim holy site. Yup. Six Muslim Arab countries submitted the UNESCO proposal on behalf of the Palestinians, referring to Jerusalem as, “the occupied capital of Palestine.”
Israel’s deputy foreign minister, Tzipi Hotovely, condemned the proposal, saying, “This shameful and deceitful Palestinian attempt to rewrite history will fail the test of reality.” But when did “reality” ever play a role at the UN? If Saudi Arabia can chair the UN Human Rights committee, is anything real?
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Scandinavian Airlines
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has announced that they will be canceling their four weekly flights between Tel Aviv and Copenhagen due to “political instability”. They’re also canceling their flights to Moscow and Ankara. The airline did state that it would resume flights to Israel in the winter of 2016. Who wants to go to Scandinavia in the winter anyway?
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Humus Peace
Is Humus the secret weapon in the search for Arab-Israeli peace? A restaurant in Kfar Vitkin, near Netanya, is testing it out by offering a 50% discount on Hummus served to mixed tables of Arabs and Jews. Management says that several tables have already taken advantage of the offer. Perhaps this test just shows how far both Arabs and Jews are willing to go to get a discount? Maybe we’re not that different after all.
For further reading click here.
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