Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
Tuesday, Mar. 29 '16, Adar Bet 19, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. EGYPTIAN PLANE HIJACKER ARRESTED WITH NO CASUALTIES
2. CHIEF RABBI: KILLING NEUTRALIZED TERRORISTS IS FORBIDDEN
3. ISRAEL: REPORTS ELTON JOHN TOLD TO SWEAR LOYALTY 'DELUSIONAL'
4. BENNETT: SOME OF OUR LEADERS HAVE LOST IT
5. BODY LANGUAGE EXPERT: SOLDIER WAS RIGHT IN SHOOTING TERRORIST
6. POLICE USE FAKE PRISON, ATTACKS TO SCARE JEWISH SUSPECTS
7. DEP FM: 'NO EUROPEAN LEADER WILL CONVINCE US TO COMMIT SUICIDE'
8. HUNDREDS DEMAND RELEASE OF SOLDIER FROM HEVRON SHOOTING
1. EGYPTIAN PLANE HIJACKER ARRESTED WITH NO CASUALTIES
by Arutz Sheva Staff
EgyptAir flight MS181 was hijacked shortly after taking off from Alexandria. It is now on the ground in Cyprus after landing at Larnaca Airport.
The plane is an A320 model and Cypriot news says there were 81 passengers on board. It was originally scheduled to fly from Alexandria to Cairo.
The single hijacker, who has been named as Seif Eldin Mustafa. is believed to have entered the cockpit while wearing an explosive vest. He then forced the pilots to divert the plane.
He took control of the plane in an attempt to meet with his estranged ex-wife, who lives in Cyprus. The ex-wife, named Marina Parashkou, has been brought to the airport to participate in negotiations.
"It's all to do with a woman," says Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiades, insisting that the incident is not related to terror. "We are doing everything to release the hostages."
Mustafa is still holding the cabin crew and four "foreign" passengers, EgyptAir says. The initial passenger list included eight people from the US, four from the UK, four from Denmark, two Belgians and one Italian. The identities of the remaining hostages are not known.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry in Cyprus says that Mustafa has been arrested and that the crisis is over.
2. CHIEF RABBI: KILLING NEUTRALIZED TERRORISTS IS FORBIDDEN
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Chief Sephardic Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef has released a clarification to the Saturday night lecture in which he said that non-Jews are forbidden from living in the Land of Israel.
The statement reads: "During his weekly lecture, the Rishon Lezion, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, commented on the laws of selling hametz during Passover. He explained the halachic concept of ger toshav (resident non-Jew) according to the Rambam.
"These instructions are theoretical and deal with upholding the seven Noahide Laws during the time of the Messiah. They have no connection to our current time. It's clear that there is no rule today to deport those who aren't Jewish from the Land of Israel.
"The honorable Rishon Lezion has always held a conciliatory manner and he would not present such an extreme stance. He is one of the few who declared it is forbidden to kill a neutralized terrorist and that the terrorist must be handed over to the authorities.
"The Torah of Israel is a Torah of life and encourages peace and tolerance. We are saddened that there are those in the media who choose to distort the issue, to remove it from it context and to present it in a negative light."
3. ISRAEL: REPORTS ELTON JOHN TOLD TO SWEAR LOYALTY 'DELUSIONAL'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Israel has rejected as "delusional" a claim that superstar Elton John was asked to declare loyalty to the Jewish state before an upcoming concert.
The "Rocket Man" singer's Israeli concert organizer Shuki Weiss issued the claim on Monday, saying the Interior Ministry initially made the demand as a condition for getting a visa.
"Only two weeks ago Elton John was asked to sign a declaration of loyalty. That insane idea has been dropped," he said, according to Israeli media reports.
His office pointed to a supposedly problematic clause in the visa form which reads: "I declare that I have never acted against the Jewish people or the security of the state of Israel," the Haaretz newspaper reported.
The Interior Ministry denied that was anything unusual, and said it would consider suing Weiss for defamation.
"We are talking about a blatant lie which is meant to provide headlines for the promoter at the expense of a government ministry," spokeswoman Sabin Hadad said.
"No artist has ever been asked to sign such a declaration and to think such a thing is delusional."
John is scheduled to perform in Israel's commercial capital Tel Aviv on May 26.
AFP contributed to this report.
4. BENNETT: SOME OF OUR LEADERS HAVE LOST IT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Jewish Home chairman and Education Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday once again called on the public and on his fellow politicians not to jump to conclusions regarding the soldier who was filmed while shooting a wounded Arab terrorist, so long as the investigation in the case continued.
Speaking to Channel 10 News, Bennett also continued his back and forth on the issue with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, hours after Ya'alon repeated his criticism against coalition members who gave the soldier backing, slamming the "harsh words and publication of false information, and the manipulation and the attacks against the Chief of Staff - against me is still permissible, (as) a politician, (but) against the Prime Minister and the Chief of Staff (is not)."
"What happened is that [the soldier] was placed on a field trial before the Military Police even started its investigation," Bennett said, adding, "Two terrorists came to kill civilians. Both were shot and killed and there was a very serious incident. Between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. that Thursday, before the Military Police investigation even began, the entire Israeli leadership in both the opposition and the coalition determined that the soldier committed a crime."
"Then the case goes to young Military Police investigators, and how can they conduct themselves in an objective way?" Bennett continued, demanding that the murder charges against the soldier be dropped.
Soldiers acting on a battlefield, in such a situation, cannot be branded murderers, he said. "We sent him to defend us in battle. He may have erred seriously, maybe not. We need to hear him."
"Premeditated murder is a man planning to kill another ahead of time, preparing the tools in advance, that did not happen here," Bennett continued. "The fact that we're even talking about this at all shows that many of our leaders have lost it, the difference between good and evil."
Bennett also responded to Ya'alon's criticism earlier in the Knesset, and stressed that he fully backs IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, despite Ya'alon's claims to the contrary.
"We have an excellent Chief of Staff. The Defense Minister attacked me because I spoke with the family of the soldier - I 'plead guilty'. They do not need to be boycotted; they are a normative family with four sons who served in combat roles in the army," said Bennett.
The soldier insists he shot the terrorist over concerns he was moving to detonate a bomb belt that was thought to be hidden under his unseasonable coat. That version of events was corroborated on Monday by a Magen David Adom investigative committee, which found concerns that the terrorist was hiding a bomb had not been ruled out.
5. BODY LANGUAGE EXPERT: SOLDIER WAS RIGHT IN SHOOTING TERRORIST
by Shimon Cohen
An expert on body language, Dr. Amir Helmer, has published an examination into the video of an IDF soldier shooting a neutralized terrorist in Hevron.
By analyzing it second by second, he found that the soldier's explanation is accurate and that the terrorist did pose an immediate threat during the seconds before the soldier fired.
During an interview with Arutz Sheva, Dr. Helmer spoke about the clip and what led him to his conclusions. "It interested me to examine the video because the soldier said that he saw the terrorist move. I was interested to know if that was correct. The politicians said that it was wrong and that he acted excessively. I took the clip and I saw that, before he arrived, people were yelling not to touch the terrorist because he may have an explosive.
"It was this situation into which the soldier entered. We see him talk to an officer or soldier, then turn his attention to the fact that the terrorist moved. This means that the soldier's comments were correct and accurate."
"That officer or soldier took something from him, so it would be easier for the soldier who shot to use his weapon. He moved people away from the firing line, they moved and then he fired a single shot. Not a burst and not excessively, but rather a single bullet," Dr. Helmer continued.
"The terrorist moved his head and his arm together. The movement of the hand is suitable for someone who is activating an explosive, meaning that the suspicion was real. His clothes, too. Even though it was a warm day he wore several layers, which raises the suspicion of an explosive. This means that the soldier's manner was justified and that he acted correctly. He identified the intention and immediately acted just as the army trained him to do and just as the Minister of Defense did when he was in Sayeret Matkal."
Helmer continued: "If there was an explosive belt, he would have been a hero. No one would be talking about a 'lapsed soldier' or a murderer. They would have called him a hero. This is a very fine line and it's difficult for us to decide, in this third intifada when we require the soldiers to check again and again. Why again and again, after he stabbed someone? He already carried out a stabbing."
In light of these findings, Dr. Helmer was asked if he thinks his professional analysis would cause him to be labeled as "right wing" by the media. He answered that his findings have no relevance to his political positions on issues, though "If they still asked me, then I am not right-wing. There are very clear facts here. The soldier acted according to what he felt was right at the time that he saw an immediate and clear threat."
Helmer acknowledged that various officials have pointed to the fact that six minutes passed between the attack and the shooting. However, he countered that the clip shows the soldier only arrived at the scene seconds before he saw movement and fired. Had it been a soldier who was present for several minutes and only then shot the terrorist, it would be a different issue.
To conclude, Dr. Helmer agreed it is unlikely that the politicians and journalists who severely bashed the soldier would retract their statements should they be proven wrong.
6. POLICE USE FAKE PRISON, ATTACKS TO SCARE JEWISH SUSPECTS
by Matt Wanderman
The Israel Police Service is using elaborate psychological tricks on Jews suspect of terrorism, Haaretz has uncovered.
Yitzhar Kalmanovich, one of the suspects in the Duma arson and murder, was reportedly placed in an unfamiliar cell in Acre Prison. While there, he witnessed a Jewish prisoner pull out a knife and stab and Arab prisoner.
"I ran to the door and saw it through the bars. The Arab was laying on the ground, covered in blood. He didn't say a word, it was quiet. There really was a murder here, it was scary. I was in shock. Someone in our cell quickly threw out water to clean the blood off the knife and remove all signs," Kalmanovich wrote in his diary, which was later published on Facebook.
Despite the realism, no murder actually took place. The entire Acre Prison, from the guards to the dead Arab inmate, were acting out a script in order to increase the pressure on Kalmanovich.
Each of the Duma suspects went through the same experience, though with some modifications each time. Once the stabbing took place in the hallway and the prison held an "investigation" to find the knife. Another time, the attack was preceded by a drug deal.
One teenage suspect was even prevented from attending his court hearing in order to keep him in the mock prison.
Police say that the efforts have succeeded at times, and that some prisoners broke down and admitted to additional acts of violence against Palestinians. However, critics argue that the falsified experiences are an unreasonable attempt to prevent suspects from maintaining their right to remain silent.
7. DEP FM: 'NO EUROPEAN LEADER WILL CONVINCE US TO COMMIT SUICIDE'
by Nitsan Keidar
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) says that the appointment of Dani Dayan as Israel's Consul General in New York is a major achievement for Israel.
"I think that Dani Dayan's appoint is, in a sense, a much more meaningful appointment than making him the ambassador in Brasilia," she told Arutz Sheva.
She added, "Despite Brazil's great importance, ultimately it's impossible to ignore the financial and business capital of the world combined with the ability to influence the country with which we have the most important strategic partnership. The diplomatic loudspeaker, as I would put it, that will come out of Dani Dayan's mouth will be heard much more in New York. I truly think it's a case of 'out of the strong, something sweet.'"
Yet it looks like the the Consul has much less influence on the US than the Ambassador
The hierarchy in the Foreign Ministry is very clear. The Consul General in New York is equivalent to the ambassador in a large and important state. It's completely clear that this isn't just some consul general - it's a person who oversees all the connections with the US media and all the Jewish organizations. It's the second American capital.
What about the appointment in Brazil? Will another ambassador be chosen soon?
Right now there is no decision on this. We are working separately. This was a fundamental issue. The State of Israel wanted to make it clear that no one would be rejected because he has a background in Judea and Samaria. So this goal was achieved. As for Brazil, we have a crisis involving a country undergoing a difficult political process but the main point has been made. Someone who is a "settler," and maybe a symbol of "settlements" will be our ambassador in a very important and strategic location.
According to your answer - do I understand correctly that there is no plan to fill the position of ambassador in Brasilia at the moment?
It's possible that, for now, we have an interest in doing so. As long as these political conditions remain, we may let the tension continue in order to show that we see it as a very serious issue, rejecting a person for his geographical background.
Last week the UN Human Rights Council passed another anti-Israeli resolution - this time about creating a blacklist of businesses that support communities in Judea and Samaria.
We had a discussion about this in the Foreign Minister. First of all, it's not going to be complete by tomorrow morning. Whoever chairs the Human Rights Council in Geneva needs to put together a list of businesses involved in building the communities.
How do you fight a decision like this?
The Foreign Ministry is already beginning to put pressure on commercial entities and US officials to explain that this isn't simply part of the international BDS movement and that we won't let it happen. The resolution's implementation is also very far away. It's a statement that has not yet been put into action and there is still a year until it is actualized, if at all. We tend to get overexcited over these things.
Despite this, it seems that the international community, and especially the UN, is acting in an anti-Israeli manner. And the Palestinians are trying to take advantage of it.
The Palestinians are in a position of very deep despair, because they understand that have effectively lost the world's support. They understand that they have no more tools - the world is up to its neck in the fight against radical Islamic terror alongside Europe's deep refugee crisis. They are trying to darken the State of Israel's image. We are very far from setting new precedents. Everything happening now has also occurred in the past.
Take, for example, the issue of the IDF soldier in Hevron - pictures like that always aroused the world.
The international arena is barely dealing with it. The only reaction was to the furor it raised within Israel. The world found it much less interesting than we did. In many cases it's stories we tell ourselves. I call it "homemade propaganda."
What about Europe trying to intervene between us and the Palestinians?
Countries need to talk in the language of interests. It's completely clear that all solutions to the political issue raised over the past few years are solutions that would ultimately bring radical Islamic terror to Israel's eastern border. And there is no European leader who can convince the country to commit suicide by bringing ISIS to our border.
And the French initiative? Does it have a chance?
The French initiative encountered a very active opposition from the US. It won't be fulfilled - and it was more of an attempt by France to have some control in the Middle East than an effort to change the reality.
8. HUNDREDS DEMAND RELEASE OF SOLDIER FROM HEVRON SHOOTING
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[video:2013956]
Hundreds gathered on Tuesday to protest the arrest of a soldier who killed a terrorist in Hevron last Thursday. The demonstrators met outside of a military court in Qastina where a hearing in the case is currently being held.
MK Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) joined the demonstration, saying: "We came here to support the soldier, and to compensate for the blatant interference by the Prime Minister and Defense Minister".
"From the very beginning there was inexplicable [effort] to interfere, [even] before the investigation began they were jumping on this 19-year-old soldier. I'm not deciding whether he behaved correctly or not; I prefer a soldier who errs and lives rather than a soldier who hesitates and, God forbid, is murdered by terrorists."
"We've come to support the soldier who was sent [there] by the Jewish people even when he makes a mistake; there's no way that he can be accused of murder and turned into a criminal."
"It saddens me that while the investigation hasn't even been completed yet, the Defense Minister is already making explicitly clear what he believes the proper outcome of the case should be."
MK Oren Hazan (Likud) and former Yisrael Beytenu MK Sharon Gal also participated in the demonstration.
Demonstrators chanted "free the hero" and called to soldiers standing guard saying that "its better in jail than the grave".
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
