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Sunday, May. 29 '16, Iyar 21, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. HAMAS SUICIDE BOMB CELL PLANNED SERIES OF ATTACKS IN JERUSALEM
2. BENNETT WARNS: WE'LL FIGHT FROM THE OPPOSITION IF NEED BE
3. RUSSIA TO RETURN ISRAELI TANK FROM BATTLE OF SULTAN YACOUB
4. SARA NETANYAHU TO STAND TRIAL?
5. CANADA ONCE AGAIN BACKS ISRAEL AT THE UN
6. OBAMA ADMIN'S BREATHTAKING ISRAEL-IRAN DOUBLE-STANDARD
7. 'HE WENT TO SLEEP - BUT NEVER WOKE UP'
8. WATCH: IDF NABS JERUSALEM BUS BOMBING CELL
1. HAMAS SUICIDE BOMB CELL PLANNED SERIES OF ATTACKS IN JERUSALEM
by Ari Soffer
Israeli security forces have apprehended the Hamas terrorist cell responsible for the bombing of a number 12 bus in Jerusalem on April 18 which left 19 people injured, many of them seriously, it has been cleared for publication.
The six-man terror cell was based in the Palestinian Authority city of Bethlehem, just south of the Israeli capital, and was broken up in recent weeks in a joint operation involving the Shin Bet security service, IDF and Israel Police.
Under interrogation, the terrorists revealed that they planned additional attacks, including a series of car bombings and shootings.
They also admitted that two cell members were responsible for a shooting attack in 2015, but had failed to injure anyone in that attack.
The suicide bomber who carried out the April 18 bombing, 19-year-old Abed Al-Hamid Abu-Sarur, a resident of the Aidah neighborhood of Bethlehem, was fatally injured in the attack, and died two days later.
The Shin Bet has published the names of the other cell members. They are:
Mohammed Sami Abed Al-Hamid, 28, a resident of Beit Sahour near Bethlehem. He served time in an Israeli prison between 2004-2007 for involvement in Hamas terrorist attacks.
Under interrogation he revealed his role as the cell's bomb-maker, having learned how to manufacture explosives by watching instructional videos online. Together with other Hamas operatives he worked to source bomb-making materials, and personally led the construction of bombs including the one used in the April attack, as well as a recruit willing to become a suicide bomber. He also worked to gather other weapons for future attacks.
Al-Hamid also admitted to interrogators his involvement in an October 2015 shooting attack, together with fellow cell member Mohammed Issa Mahmoud Albarabi, 28, of Bethelehem's Gaza refugee camp.
The pair set out in a rental car along a road near the nearby Jewish town of Tekoa in Gush Etzion, and fired makeshift guns at an Israeli car heading towards Tekoa. Thankfully, the driver escaped unharmed.
Mohammed Majdi Mustafa El-Aza, a 21-year old resident of Beit Jalah near Bethlehem, operated under the guidance of Mohammed Sami and helped prepare the bomb used in the April attack. He also helped find candidates who expressed their willingness to carry out suicide bombings.
He and his mentor resolved to dispatch another suicide bomber following the successful April attack.
Ahmed Mohammed Mahmoud Masiah, 19, a resident of Aidah refugee camp in Bethlehem, transported the suicide bomber to the scene of the April attack.
30-year-old Ali Ahmed Mohammed Arouj, a resident of Bad Fluh village close to Tekoa, served time in an Israeli prison between 2004-2007 for his involvement in a terror cell which planned a bombing attack. He helped source bomb-making materials for the April attack, helped finance the cell's activities and filmed the suicide bomber's "martyrdom video."
Saeed Asame Issa Harmas, 30, a resident of Bethlehem, also spent time in Israeli prisons for terrorist activities. He helped plan the April attack, and also helped write the bomber's will and film his martyrdom video. Under interrogation he revealed to investigators a makeshift firearm he had hidden in his home, and implicated Mohammed Sami in the 2015 shooting.
Indictments against the terrorists will be served by the IDF Military Prosecution in the coming days.
2. BENNETT WARNS: WE'LL FIGHT FROM THE OPPOSITION IF NEED BE
by Ari Soffer
Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett hit out again on Sunday morning over Prime Minister Netanyahu's refusal to accept his demands for Security Cabinet reforms, warning he was not afraid to continue fighting from the opposition.
"We are not asking for jobs or money," the Education Minister said at a press conference at the Beit Himmelfarb school in Jerusalem, where he was paying a visit along with President Reuven Rivlin. "We are asking to save lives."
"I will continue to fight for and protect the soldiers of the IDF and the residents of the Gaza Belt from any position I will be in - from the government or from outside of it," Bennett continued, in a not-so-subtle warning to Netanyahu.
Bennett has conditioned his party's support for including the Yisrael Beytenu party in the coalition on the PM enacting reforms to the Security Cabinet, including the appointment of a military secretary whose task will be to ensure that all cabinet members are fully briefed on military matters.
Earlier, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked warned the Jewish Home party wasn't planning on backing down, and was prepared to topple the government over the issue.
Without the Jewish Home party's eight votes, the current coalition of 61 plus Yisrael's Beytenu's five seats would not be able to approve the coalition expansion when it goes up for a Knesset vote, with only 58 MKs in favor.
Bennett warned that without the reforms he is demanding, the mistakes of the past would continue to repeat themselves, endangering Israeli lives.
"Ten years ago I was sent along with thousands of soldiers to the Second Lebanon War, by a Cabinet which did not know its objectives or what it was voting for," he added. "I vowed that when I got out of the Lebanon War I would not allow this kind of thing to ever happen again.""Sadly, two years ago as well, during Operation Protective Edge, the Cabinet... did not understand the topic of the (terror) tunnels until I brought it to their attention on June 30, as well as the solution to the problem. I will not let this recur," he vowed.
"We are not asking for jobs or money," he repeated. "We are asking to save human lives. Human lives are more important than government portfolios."
3. RUSSIA TO RETURN ISRAELI TANK FROM BATTLE OF SULTAN YACOUB
by Ari Soffer
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday accepted a formal request by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to return the Israeli tank from the infamous Battle of Sultan Yacoub, which was captured by Syrian forces along with three IDF soldiers: Zacharia Baumel, Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman.
30 Israeli soldiers were killed in the battle, which took place during the First Lebanon War in 1982. The three captive soldiers were paraded alive on their tank through the streets of the Syrian capital Damascus shortly after, but their fate was never determined.
The Syrians were at the time a key ally of Soviet Russia, and took possession of the captured tank, which was then transferred to a military museum in Moscow.
Putin's signing of a presidential order to return the tank to Israel appears to be one of the fruits of Jerusalem's budding alliance with Moscow. Netanyahu made the request to Putin during their meeting in the Kremlin earlier this year, when the two countries reached an important strategic understanding over military coordination in Syria.
The families of the soldiers have been updated.
The Russian and Israeli armies have already begun coordinating the imminent transfer of the tank.
Prime Minister Netanyahu hailed the gesture by Putin.
"I thank the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, who answered my request to return the tank from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub back to Israel," he said, noting that it is the only tangible memorial for the families of the missing soldiers, who are presumed dead but whose remains have never been found.
"For 34 years the tank has been the only testimony from the battle, and now it will be returned to Israel thanks to President Putin's response to my request.
4. SARA NETANYAHU TO STAND TRIAL?
by David Rosenberg
Israeli police announced Sunday afternoon the completion of their investigation into claims of fraud levelled against First Lady Sara Netanyahu, saying that there exists a firm basis for indicting Mrs. Netanyahu for fraud.
The allegations stem from the First Lady's management of the Prime Minister's residence and the Netanyahus' private home in Caesarea.
Sara Netanyahu, who was herself questioned in connection with the case last December, is suspected of using government funds allotted for the Prime Minister's Office and residence to cover private family expenses.
The police has recommended the state formally charge the First Lady with fraudulent acquisition, fraud, and breach of public trust.
Dubbed the "Residences Scandal", there are actually three separate allegations in the police report.
The first relates to funding for electrical work done at the private Caesarea estate, where former Likud Central Committee member and long-time Netanyahu acquaintance Avi Fahima was regularly paid to fix problems in the building's electrical system.
According to the allegations, Fahima was often paid large bonuses, citing special circumstances such as house visits during Yom Kippur. The report also notes that even when Fahima was not listed as an official employee of the residence, he was brought in as a subcontractor.
Police also investigated suspicions that the First Lady transferred furniture purchased for the Prime Minister's official state residence to the family's private estate.
The third set of charges revolve around allegations that the First Lady returned thousands of dollars' worth of recyclable bottles from drinks purchased at the state's expense, but pocketed the money rather than reimburse the state, as required. Netanyahu later paid some 4,000 shekels to the state, though some have claimed that the value of the bottles recycled from 2009-2013 exceeded 24,000 shekels.
5. CANADA ONCE AGAIN BACKS ISRAEL AT THE UN
by Dalit Halevi
Canada once again backed Israel at the UN this week when it voted against the World Health Organization's (WHO) resolution singling out only Israel for "mental, physical and environmental health" rights abuse.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government joined the Israel, the United States, Australia, Paraguay, Guatemala, Micronesia and Papua New Guinea as the only countries to vote against the resolution, which was co-sponsored by the Arab Group of States and the Palestinian delegation.
This marks the second time since Trudeau took office in November 2015 that Canada has voted against anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations.
Shortly after Trudeau took office, Canada voted against the six resolutions condemning Israel which were passed by the UN General Assembly
This policy of supporting Israel at the UN began during former Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin's time in office and continued during the tenure of former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a supporter ally of Israel.
6. OBAMA ADMIN'S BREATHTAKING ISRAEL-IRAN DOUBLE-STANDARD
by Ari Soffer
The US State Department has been caught employing a stunning double-standards vis-a-vis Israel and Iran, shedding a light on the antagonism towards the Jewish state by the Obama administration, even as it cozies up to the Islamic Republic.
Last week, State Department spokesman Mark Toner angered officials in Israel, after he criticized the Israeli coalition deal bringing in the right-wing Yisrael Beytenu party as "rais[ing] legitimate questions" over Israel's commitment to peace.
When asked at a Wednesday press briefing if he "had any comments" about the approaching coalition deal to bring in Avigdor Liberman, Toner responded:
"We have also seen reports from Israel describing it as the most right-wing coalition in Israel's history and we also know that many of its ministers have said they oppose a two-state solution. This raises legitimate questions about the direction it may be headed in ... and what kind of policies it may adopt."
Yet just a day earlier, Toner had this to say about the election of an extreme anti-American cleric to Iran's Assembly of Experts, the powerful committee of clerics who will select the next Supreme Leader of Iran.
"One is you'll have seen, I'm sure, the reports that Ahmad Jannati, a 90-year-old anti-Western cleric, has been chosen as the head of Iran's new Assembly of Experts, which is in charge of selecting the new or whomever will be the next supreme leader," Toner was asked. "Is this a good thing? Is this a bad thing? And does this suggest that Iran may be moving toward a more pro-Western, more open-toward-the-West stance?
"Or do you have faith in Iran's internal democratic procedures?... And do you regard Iran as an ally in the fight against terrorism?"
Toner's noncommittal response was telling:
"We follow domestic events in Iran closely, as you know, but we don't have any comment at this point on the outcome of the leadership elections of the Assembly of Experts."
The stark contrast was first highlighted by American Jewish journalist Yair Rosenberg, who called out the "remarkable hypocrisy" of the Obama administration.
Under President Barack Obama, the White House has pursued a warming of ties with Iran, brokering a controversial agreement with the Islamic Republic over its illegal nuclear program, while apparently making great efforts to encourage western states and banks to do business with Tehran.
At the same time, Obama has openly clashed with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, most recently lambasting him along with other key American allies in an interview earlier this year.
7. 'HE WENT TO SLEEP - BUT NEVER WOKE UP'
by David Rosenberg
Its every parent's worst nightmare: a small child goes to sleep with no apparent signs of life-threatening illness – but never wakes up.
That's the sad story of a grief-stricken family in the Kiryat HaYovel neighborhood of Jerusalem, who discovered their three-year old son had not woken up Sunday morning – and could not be roused from sleep despite repeated attempts to wake him.
Concern turned to fear, as the desperate parents called emergency services for help.
Volunteer first responders from United Hatzalah arrived and performed first aid and resuscitation attempts. But tragically, they were unable to revive the child, and he was declared dead on the scene.
The cause of the child's death is still unknown.
Roei Shmuel Zehori, a United Hatzalah first responder who attempted to save the child recalled the incident.
"When I arrived to the place together with additional volunteer [responders] from the motorcycle unit of United Hatzalah, the child was unconscious, was not breathing, and had no heartbeat. We attempted to revive him, but very sadly after the resuscitation attempts, he was declared dead."
The child's parents said that he had not felt well in the past few days and had been taken to the doctor on Friday, though no serious illness or life-threatening problems had been found prior to his death.
8. WATCH: IDF NABS JERUSALEM BUS BOMBING CELL
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[video:2015708]
The IDF has released footage showing the nighttime raids in the Bethlehem area which netted the Hamas terror cell behind the April 18 bus bombing in Jerusalem.
The six-man terror cell had planned further attacks, including car bombings and shootings.
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