Israel News for October 13, 2015
Breaking News
A Total of 3 Israelis were killed and 24 wounded in 4 terror attacks today.
In Jerusalem two terrorists boarded the number 78 bus in Armon Hanetziv, shooting and stabbing. Two Israelis were killed and 16 wounded. Police shot and killed one of the terrorists and injured the other.
Also in Jerusalem, an Arab employee of Bezeq (Israeli phone company) rammed his Bezeq vehicle into a crowd of people at a bus stop on Malchei Yisrael street. He then got out of his car and stabbed people. One Israeli man was killed. Three more Israelis were injured.The terrorist was killed by police. He was related to the terrorists who attacked the shul in Har Nof last year.
In Raanana a resident of East Jerusalem stabbed a man before being subdued by people at the scene. Later, another East Jerusalem resident stabbed four Israelis. People chased down the terrorist and subdued him until police arrived.
These stories are still unfolding.
Terror Youth
There were four terrorist attacks in Jerusalem yesterday.
At around 8:30pm a Palestinian, screaming Allah Ahkbar, tried to grab a soldier’s gun on a bus. When he failed he stabbed the soldier in the head. A border policeman who was also on the bus tried to stop the terrorist and was also stabbed. A passerby with a pair of nunchucks noticed the commotion, hopped on the bus and hit the terrorist. Then police officers boarded the bus. There was a struggle. They shot and killed him.
Earlier in the day two Palestinians stabbed a 21 year old man and a 13 year old boy who was riding his bike, in the Pisgat Zeev neighborhood of Jerusalem. The terrorists were 15 and 13 years of age, from East Jerusalem. One was run down by a car and injured. The other was shot to death by border police when he refused to drop his knife. The Israeli victims are in serious condition.
Shortly before that, on Ammunition Hill, a 16 year old girl from East Jerusalem stabbed a border policeman in the back. He then shot and wounded her.
In the morning, an 18 year old Palestinian stabbed a border policeman in his flak jacket at the Lion’s Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem. The terrorist was shot and killed. The border policeman was not injured.
Upshot
One of the striking and most disturbing common denominators of the recent terror spree is the young age of the terrorists. Almost all of them are teenagers, most attending high school. They seem to be getting their inspiration via social media, which is where they are usually posting warning signs of their impending attacks.
The real battle to stop these attacks might have to be fought in the classrooms and on Facebook and Twitter, to change their way of thinking before they have a chance to act on their impulses. Unfortunately, it might be too late for this generation of Palestinian youth. That leaves heightened security, intelligence and aggressive prevention as Israel’s only options — which in turn fuels Palestinian hatred. And so, round and round it goes — where (or how) it stops, nobody knows.
For further reading: http://news.walla.co.il/item/2896727
Guns for Terrorists
The nightmare scenario of Arab terrorists trading in their knives for automatic weapons could be getting closer to fruition.
A few days ago there was a burglary at Kibbutz Naot Mordechai in the Galilee. Six M16 assault rifles were stolen from the kibbutz armory. It’s unclear whether the robbers had nationalistic motives, but the threat of these and other weapons ending up in the hands of Arab terrorists is very real.
The money to be made from selling weapons is substantial. An M16 goes for 55,000 shekels on the black market, a handgun 25,000 and a grenade 2,500. A bullet for a handgun runs 8 shekels.
Special police units have been operating in Nazareth, Karmiel and Shafram for past four years to investigate and combat illegal arms in the Israeli Arab population. In that time period they have confiscated 133 handguns, 146 rifles and 186 grenades. And there’s a lot more where that came from.
Analysts believe that the weapons are primarily being used for criminal purposes and are unlikely to be used for terror. In fact, local Arab leaders are happy that the police is cracking down on illegal weapons and hope that it will help reduce crime in Arab areas.
But the possibility of these weapons getting into the hands of terrorists exists, and is scary as hell.
For further reading: http://news.walla.co.il/item/2896706
India Goes Both Ways
In a speech at the University of Jordan in Amman on Sunday, India’s president Pranab Mukherjee declared his support for both Israel and an independent Palestinian state. “India’s traditional support to the Palestinian cause remains steadfast and unwavering while we pursue strong relations with Israel.”
He also quoted a statement made by modern India’s founder Mahatma Ghandi in 1938 where he said, “Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English and France to the French,” and that it would be “a crime against humanity to reduce the proud Arabs so that Palestine can be restored to the Jews partly or wholly as their national home.”
Mukherjee is scheduled to visit Israel today for a three day visit. He will meet with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, and opposition leader Isaac Herzog. He’ll visit Yad Vashem and the grave of Theodore Hertzl. He’ll also lay a wreath at the grave of former Palestinian Authority chair Yasser Arafat before meeting with current president Mahmoud Abbas.
In July, India abstained in a vote on a UN Human Rights Council resolution that backed a report critical of Israel’s behavior during last summer’s war in Gaza. That shocked the Palestinians and put a huge smile on the Israelis.
Upshot
India is traditionally known for its lack of anti-semitism. They seem to earnestly want to be friends with both sides, and particularly reap the benefits of Israeli military and weapons technology. But they also have a population of over 130 million muslims to placate. Will they be able to be BFF’s with everyone? With all the Israelis trekking through India, they just might.
For further reading: http://www.timesofisrael.com/indian-president-declares-support-for-palestinians-ahead-of-israel-trip/
Salad Crisis
In a previous issue we reported that prices of tomatoes and cucumbers, the mainstay of Israeli salad, were going through the roof. One of the primary reasons for the veggie inflation was the severe summer heat wave. Well, the director general of the Ministry of Agriculture, Shlomo Ben-Eliyahu, told the Knesset Economics Committee yesterday that, “the shortage in tomatoes will continue until the beginning of December,” and that, “farmers can only produce about 50% of demand,” of fruits and vegetable in general.
What happened to all that amazing Israeli agro-technology that can turn sand dunes into Whole Foods suppliers? It could be that Israeli brains are focusing more on cyber security, biotech and other successful venture capital type startup ventures and less on the less sexy world of farming.
Could this be the end of Israeli salad for the masses who can’t afford to pay the price of a local tomato? Let’s pray for the health of Israeli salad. Without it, what would an Israeli breakfast (or lunch) be?
For further reading: http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-israels-tomato-shortage-to-continue-until-december-1001072977
