Israel News for November 6, 2015
Breaking News
A terrorist stabbed a 30 year old man in Sha’ar Binyamin (Samaria). The man was seriously wounded and the terrorist escaped.
Earlier this morning a female terrorist attempted to run over soldiers during a violent demonstration north of Hevron. Soldiers shot and wounded her. No soldiers were hurt.
These stories are still unfolding.
Super Soldier
A 19 year IDF soldier shot a terrorist who tried to stab another soldier at a bus stop in Gush Etzion yesterday. It turns out that the same soldier was the one who shot and killed two terrorists last week. He’s only been in the army for 8 months, but he seems to have gotten the hang of things pretty quickly. This guy is a hero!
Meanwhile, the soldier’s photo has been publicized throughout the Palestinian press and social media as the murderer of martyrs and the “Terminator”, along with an abundance of threats against his life. But they already want to kill all Israeli soldiers, don’t they?
For further reading click here.
Baratz in Trouble
Yesterday we told you about the controversy raging around the Facebook comments by the PM’s newly appointed director of Hasbara (information and PR) which disparaged Israeli President Rivlin, US President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry.
Kerry spoke to Netanyahu about the comments, and the PM promised to review Baratz’s appointment. The US State Department spokesman John Kirby called the comments, “troubling and offensive” and just plain rude. He added, “We obviously expect government officials from any country, especially our closest allies, to speak respectfully and truthfully about senior U.S. government officials.”
Baratz apologized on his personal Facebook page Thursday for the post writing,
“I apologize for the hurtful things I posted. I am sorry I did not update the prime minster of these things in advance. The things I posted were written recklessly, and sometimes in jest, in a language that befits the social networks and a private individual. It is very clear to me that in my official role I have to behave and express myself differently. I asked the prime minister for an opportunity to clarify things in the coming days.”
We’ll see if an apology is enough to hold on to his job.
For further reading click here.
Joesph’s Tomb
Two weeks ago a Palestinian mob set fire to Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem, causing extensive damage. The Palestinian leadership, led by PA President Abbas, condemned the attack and pledged to repair the tomb.
Two days ago Israel made the repairs and installed a brand new iron door, and gave a copy of the keys to the Palestinians. Yesterday the PA ripped off the door and sent it back to Israel with the keys. They claim that they are responsible for fixing the tomb and the work was done without their authorization or coordination.
They’ll hopefully leave the rest of the repairs in tact. Anyone want to buy an iron door, never used?
For further reading click here.
Haredim in IDF
A record number of Haredim, 2,300, were drafted into the IDF last year. The previous year saw a total of 1,700 recruits. According to a senior IDF personnel officer, there are currently 4,600 Haredim serving in all areas of the IDF, of which 1,900 are in combat. Included in those numbers are Religious Zionist men (Hardalim) who choose to join the religiously strict environment of the Nahal Haredi (combat units). How do you define Haredi?
For further reading click here.
Mishpacha Apologizes
After publishing a letter in Arabic and Hebrew begging terrorists not to attack Haredim since they do not visit the Temple Mount, Mishpacha Magazine yesterday published an apology.
Under the headline “Sorry,” Mishpaha’s Deputy Editor Aryeh Ehrlich profusely apologized for the letter that he wrote saying that it was a “gimmick” that spun out of control and that it was huge mistake that tarnished the reputation of the Haredi community, the magazine and himself. He obviously never intended to plead with terrorists or to imply that one Jewish life was more valuable than the other. It’s still unclear what exactly the “gimmick” was meant to accomplish.
At least some Arabs took the letter literally. The Arab news outlet Quds News reported the plea to spare Haredi lives and said, No way in hell, “the intifada continues!”
Our enemies see us as one people, without differentiating between religious or secular, Ashkenazi or Sephardi, rich or poor. We should learn from them.
For further reading click here.
Out of Aleppo
An exclusive report by the Jewish Chronicle (London) has revealed the story of how the last remaining Jews of Aleppo, Syria were spirited out of the country. The rescue was organized and funded by Israeli born NY businessman Moti Kahane who sent operatives to the Aleppo home of 88 year old Mariam, her daughters Sara, in her 60s, and Gilda, in her 50s, and Gilda’s Muslim husband and three children. The men acted as if they were kidnapping the family, in order to get them to leave their home, which they had refused to do because of the constant warfare in the city. They then drove the family out of Syria, passing through numerous checkpoints manned by all sorts of Islamic terrorists, and made it across the border into Turkey.
In Istanbul, the family was placed in an apartment financed by Kahane, and handed over to the Jewish Agency to arrange for their entry into Israel. That worked out well for the Mariam and Sara, but since Gilda had converted to Islam several years before, she was told that she did not qualify for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return. So she ended up returning to Syria with her husband and kids. Very sad.
For further reading click here.
