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Sunday, Jan. 10 '16, Tevet 29, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. NASHAT MILHEM REACHED ARARA IN UNDER TWO HOURS AFTER ATTACK
2. ISRAELI FORCES THWART HAMAS CELL PLANNING SHOOTING ATTACK
3. POLICE: MILHEM MAY HAVE HAD AS MANY AS 20 ACCOMPLICES
4. HAARETZ OUTS IDF HERO WHO INFILTRATED B'TSELEM, TA'AYUSH
5. HAMAS REVEALS WHY IT PUBLISHED NEW SHALIT VIDEOS
6. POLICE COMPLAINT AGAINST DUMA VICTIMS' GRANDFATHER
7. H&M PULLS 'TALLIT SCARF' FOLLOWING CRITICISM
8. NETANYAHU: WE WILL REACH EVERY TERRORIST
1. NASHAT MILHEM REACHED ARARA IN UNDER TWO HOURS AFTER ATTACK
by Cynthia Blank
Nashat Milhem escaped home to Wadi Ara last Friday only one hour and forty minutes after carrying out a deadly shooting attack at the Simta pub in Tel Aviv.
According to information obtained by Channel 10 on Sunday morning, immediately after murdering taxi driver Amin Shaban, Milhem ditched the cab and made his way to Arara in another vehicle.
Given his return to the northern village in under two hours, it is estimated the vehicle belonged to someone Milhem knew and that he planned his escape route in advance.
The exact route Milhem used to return to Arara from Tel Aviv, however, is not yet known.
While the search for Milhem originally focused on Tel Aviv and the area, information received on Tuesday morning indicated Milhem had made his way back to Wadi Ara and the search shifted there.
It was in Arara on Friday that Milhem was eliminated in a gun battle with Yamam forces and special police units. He will be buried in a cemetery near Wadi al-Kasab on Sunday.
Police, meanwhile, continue to search for Milhem's accomplices, who are believed to have helped him hide from security forces for an entire week after the Tel Aviv attack.
The Haifa Magistrates Court on Saturday extended the arrest of four suspects thought to have aided Milhem until Tuesday, and the fifth suspect brought in for an extension hearing was extended to Monday.
Milhem's father Mohammed was also arrested on suspicions of having helped his son. Mohammed Milhem's lawyer Nahmi Feinblat stated on Friday that he would be released from arrest on Sunday.
2. ISRAELI FORCES THWART HAMAS CELL PLANNING SHOOTING ATTACK
by Uzi Baruch
In a joint operation, the Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet) and IDF forces thwarted in November a shooting attack being planned by a Hamas terror cell for Highway 35 near Hevron.
The cell had purchased an M-16 rifle and a pistol for the attack; both weapons were seized by security forces during the investigation.
In charge of the cell was Mohammed Ali Qawasmeh, 38, who recruited the terrorists - all residents of Hevron.
Qawasmeh's brother, Hassam Ali Qawasmeh, was the mastermind behind the abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers in June 2014.
In addition to Qawasmeh, members of the cell included Louie Pitzel Hashalmon, a 32-year-old Hamas terrorist imprisoned in the past, and Hamas operatives, Amar Mohammed Iwiwi, 29, and Hassam Fakhri Hashalmon, 24.
Under interrogation by Shin Bet agents, the terrorists admitted Qawasmehand the senior Hashalmon had taken a number of "surveillance" trips on Route 35, in order to identify the best point to conduct an attack.
They then purchased the weapons necessary to carry out the shooting.
It also emerged that Qawasmeh had recruited logistical assistants, who were tasked with acquiring stolen vehicles with which to carry out the attack, as well as to assist members of the cell in evading capture by Israeli security forces after the attack.
The terrorists have been indicted at the Judea Military Court on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and membership in a terror cell affiliated with the Hamas terror organization.
They will remain detained through the end of proceedings against them.
"The nabbing of this terrorist cell, who displayed a high level of preparedness in planning this attack, again shows the incessant efforts by Hamas operatives in Hevron to carry out serious attacks," the Shin Bet stated.
The Qawasmeh clan plays a central role in Hamas terrorism in the Hevron region. Just last week another Qawasmeh-led cell was busted which planned further kidnappings and murders of Israelis.
3. POLICE: MILHEM MAY HAVE HAD AS MANY AS 20 ACCOMPLICES
by Cynthia Blank
Israel Police revealed on Sunday that the number of accomplices who helped hide Tel Aviv terrorist Nashat Milhem from security forces could be as high as 20 people.
According to police assessments, of those who aided Milhem or knew his whereabouts, several were actively helping the terrorist, while others simply recognized him and failed to report him to authorities.
After a week-long manhunt, Milhem was eliminated in a gun battle with security forces on Friday evening in his hometown of Arara.
Two days later, police investigators are still trying to determine Milhem's movements within the Wadi Ara town as well as who exactly he was in contact with.
Police remain puzzled about how Milhem managed to get from Tel Aviv to Arara, though they revealed Sunday morning it had taken him less than two hours after committing the deadly shooting attack at a pub on Dizengoff Street to arrive in his hometown.
A police official, meanwhile, rejected criticism of the Israel Security Agency and police's handling of intelligence in the case.
"Intelligence coordinators did a good job here - they were cross-checking the flow of information," he told Walla! News. "There was a group of individuals (who helped). The terrorist's extended family was privy after the attack."
Earlier on Sunday, the Haifa Magistrates Court ordered the restrictive release of Milhem's father and brother; they were arrested last Tuesday on suspicion of aiding him after the attack.
4. HAARETZ OUTS IDF HERO WHO INFILTRATED B'TSELEM, TA'AYUSH
by Gil Ronen
The Haaretz newspaper has exposed the alleged identity of the young man who infiltrated leftist groups as part of an investigative report that was aired on Channel 2 last week.
The man, who was planted in the leftist groups by a group called Ad Kan, recorded the most damning documentary materials aired on the show, by use of a hidden camera. His identity was kept secret on the show, and the IDF, too, refrained from making it public when he was awarded the Chief of Staff's citation for his courage in Operation Protective Edge.
According to the Channel 2 report, the man – who was referred to by the pseudonym "Arik," was the one who asked the IDF to keep his name secret, in order to make it possible for him to continue to infiltrate the leftist groups.
The investigative report has severely damaged the groups' image as being concerned with "human rights," by exposing that senior members of B'tselem and Ta'ayush have been informing on Arabs in Judea and Samaria who wish to sell land to Jews, in the knowledge that this leads to their arrest and torture by the Palestinian Authority (PA), which issues death sentences to people who sell land to Jews.
In an apparent retaliatory move, Haaretz's Amira Hass published what she said is Arik's true, full name, and said it was possible to find his account on Facebook. She noted that the man's girlfriend, who was identified only as Anna on the television program, and whose face was not shown, can also be seen in Facebook photos with him.
According to the investigative report, Arik took part in Operation Protective Edge in 2014 and found himself, at one point, alone in hostile territory, facing three terrorists inside a building in the Shejaiya neighborhood. The incident ended with the three terrorists dead, and with Arik making it out of the building a split second before it was blown up. He, himself, suffered wounds from a grenade.
He then went straight back to his role as secret agent for Ad Kan's investigative report. He succeeded in winning the trust of Ezra Nawi, the central figure in Ta'ayush, whom he recorded boasting about informing on would-be Arab land sellers. A senior member of B'Tselem was also recorded as being part of the operation to inform on the land sellers.
Arik later received the Chief of Staff's citation for his heroism in Gaza.
5. HAMAS REVEALS WHY IT PUBLISHED NEW SHALIT VIDEOS
by Dalit Halevi
In an interview with the Hamas-affiliated "Palestine," B'ara Riyan, a spokesperson for "The Palestinian Media Center," explained Hamas's reasons for publicizing video clips documenting Gilad Shalit's captivity.
Riyan insisted that the death of Abed Al-Rahman Al-Mubashir, who led the Al-Qassam squad in charge of holding Shalit, was not involved in the decision to publicize the videos.
According to Riya, the real reason was in order to show the documented kidnapping of Shalit, and portray it as a huge success and victory for Hamas. One which allowed them to hold negotiations with Israel from a position of strength for the release of hundreds of prisoners.
"We are aiming to embarrass the occupation forces and in essence refute the Israeli claims regarding the abduction. We want to depict the ethical and moral difference between the military arm of Hamas, that is labelled a terrorist entity by the world, and the racist Israeli military that treats Palestinian prisoners in a shameful and harsh manner. We hope to create bewilderment within Israeli society," said Riyan.
Riyan went further to say that another main goal is to directly attack the morale of IDF soldiers and their families as well as affect the Israeli political system by abducting soldiers.
"We are aiming to attack the morale of Israeli soldiers, as was evident during the abduction of Shalit on social media and various internet sites. This together with attacking the morale of the families of abducted soldiers, and encouraging them to apply pressure on the Israeli government to conduct more talks and release more prisoners. This will happen after they see how pleasantly Shalit was treated at the hands of Hamas."
6. POLICE COMPLAINT AGAINST DUMA VICTIMS' GRANDFATHER
by Gil Ronen
Prominent Hevron-based nationalist activist Noam Federman filed a police complaint Sunday against Mohammed Dawabshe, whose son, daughter-in-law and grandson were murdered when their home was set on fire last July, allegedly by a Jewish extremist.
Federman's complaint accuses Dawabshe of incitement to cause bodily harm to Jews.
Speaking with a Makor Rishon / NRG reporter, Dawabshe was quoted as saying: "I tell the youth, become stronger in your faith and draw closer to Allah, then go out and carry out a jihad against the Jews."
He also reportedly said: "I hope and pray that the intifada will succeed in attaining its goals. In my eyes, it is a stepping stone to the real solution. The solution is not a Palestinian state but an Islamic caliphate in all of Palestine."
Dawabshe added, in a video that appears on the NRG website: "God willing, may the intifada avenge the blood of the Dawabshe family and Al Aqsa."
Federman's complaint was relayed to the Binyamin District police.
Federman harbors no illusions that the complaint will lead to a police investigation, however. "I wonder what excuses the police and Prosecution will provide for not putting him on trial," he wrote on Facebook.
Police and Prosecution have been quick to take drastic steps against alleged inciters as regards the Dawabshe case, but this appears to hold true only when the incitement is carried out by Jews.
The groom from a December wedding was arrested, after video from the event was leaked to the media showing Jewish extremists appearing to celebrate the deadly Duma arson while waving weapons.
Aside from the groom, three other participants in the wedding were also arrested.
In addition, police detained a resident of Kfar Tapuach in Samaria who was videotaped dancing at the wedding with a gun in his hand.
7. H&M PULLS 'TALLIT SCARF' FOLLOWING CRITICISM
by Ben Ariel
H&M has apologized for a women's scarf that looks like a tallit (prayer shawl) and said it would pull the item from shelves in Israel.
"We are truly sorry if we have offended anyone with this piece. Everyone is welcome at H&M and we never take a religious or political stand," the retailer told Vogue News.
"Stripes are one of the trends for this season and something we were inspired by. Our intention was never to upset anyone," added the company.
While the scarf remains available to purchase on the brand's website, a spokesperson quoted by Vogue News stressed, "The quantities were small and the products are no longer available in some markets."
The product received mixed reviews on social media last week. Some Jews accused the company of shamefully using a sacred Jewish religious symbol in such a way, while others cynically wondered, "Is there a tekhelet (blue fringe) option?"
This is not the first time the company made use of Jewish themes and ideas. In 2011, they issued a similarly-styled women's poncho.
And in 2014, noted Vogue News, H&M produced a menswear vest that featured a skull in the center of a Star of David. In that incident too, the company apologized and took the item off sale.
8. NETANYAHU: WE WILL REACH EVERY TERRORIST
by Arutz Sheva Staff
In response to the elimination of Arab Israeli terrorist Nashat Milhem on Friday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Saturday night praised the security forces for hunting down the shooter a week after he murdered three victims in Tel Aviv.
"In the name of every citizen of Israel, I thank the police, the Shabak (Israeli Security Agency), the Yamam (special counter-terror) unit - they did their work with professionalism, in a thorough fashion, day and night, focusing on the mission and achieving it," said Netanyahu.
The prime minister continued by issuing a stern warning to Arab terrorists.
"Anyone who comes to murder Israelis will know that sooner or later we will reach them, within the borders of the country or outside the borders of the state."
"We will reach the murderers and we will also reach all those who aided them," he added.
Netanyahu's statement comes as residents of Milhem's hometown of Arara in the north - where he was found after apparently being hidden and given food by family members - revealed that "many people knew that he was here," but chose not to let the police know.
The prime minister's statement can be viewed in Hebrew below.
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