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Wednesday, Jun. 29 '16, Sivan 23, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. CABINET APPROVES TURKEY RECONCILIATION AGREEMENT
2. DEATH TOLL IN TURKEY'S ATATURK AIRPORT RISES TO 41
3. TERROR VICTIM FAMILIES TURN TO COURT TO BLOCK TURKEY DEAL
4. ESTI WEINSTEIN SAGA: HAREDI COMMUNITY UNFAIRLY MALIGNED?
5. AL QAEDA TELLS TERRORISTS TO TARGET WHITES, 'AVOID MINORITIES'
6. BENGHAZI REPORT REVEALED: SURPRISE ALLIES, SECURITY SNAFUS
7. X-RAY TECHNOLOGY DISCOVERS HOLOCAUST ESCAPE TUNNEL
8. WATCH: CCTV SHOWS EXPLOSION AT ISTANBUL AIRPORT
1. CABINET APPROVES TURKEY RECONCILIATION AGREEMENT
by Ari Soffer
The Cabinet has voted to approve Israel's reconciliation agreement with Turkey, formalizing the controversial agreement in spite of some staunch opposition.
As expected, three Cabinet members voted against the deal, which has been hailed as a strategic victory by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu: Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked of the Jewish Home party, and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman of Yisrael Beytenu.
Under the terms of the deal, Israel will pay $20 million in compensation to the families of Turkish jihadists killed during an attack on IDF soldiers who boarded the Mavi Marmara in 2010, having already acceded to Turkey's demand for a formal apology over the incident. In addition, Israel will facilitate the transfer of Turkish aid shipments into Gaza.
In return, Turkey will agree to normalize relations with the Jewish state, after Ankara's Islamist government broke all ties six years ago in the aftermath of the Marmara incident. Negotiations will then begin over a potentially lucrative deal to import Israeli natural gas to Turkey.
Jerusalem and Ankara are set to exchange ambassadors in the coming weeks, for the first time since relations between the two nations collapsed.
Opponents of the deal argue that in paying compensation over the Mavi Marmara incident, the government has dealt a blow to Israeli deterrence and a victory to terrorism. Moreover, many critics have slammed Netanyahu for not including the release of Israelis held by Hamas in Gaza as a condition, given the close ties between Ankara and Hamas. The families of soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin - whose bodies are being held by Hamas - and civilian Avera Mengistu, who is still believed to be alive in Hamas captivity, have accused the government of abandoning their children.
However, in defending the deal on Monday, Netanyahu said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had written a letter committing to work towards the release of all Israelis held by Hamas. He further claimed that, contrary to critics' assertions, Turkey cannot force Hamas to release them, but added that with Erdogan's support their release is more likely.
He further touted the natural gas deal with Turkey as a major strategic achievement, while saying that enabling Turkey to repair Gaza's crumbling infrastructure would be in Israel's interests as well.
Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) similarly defended the reconciliation deal after voting for it Wednesday.
Erdan repeated Netanyahu's assertion that Turkey cannot force Hamas to hand over Shaul and Goldin's bodies, or to free Mengistu and another, unnamed Israeli Bedouin held by the terrorist group.
However, he acknowledged critics' assertion that Erdogan's letter did not constitute "significant progress", adding that therefore "in light of my request, the Cabinet will (meet to) consider the subject of the conditions of Hamas prisoners" in the coming weeks, and decide what pressure, if any, Israel can enact to secure their release.
According to Erdan, the reconciliation deal provides a number of security and economic benefits to the State of Israel.
In particular, Turkey's decision to drop its demand that Israel end its blockade of Gaza - aimed at preventing the transfer of sophisticated weapons to terrorists there - and Ankara's agreement to only transfer aid via the permitted routes in Israel, constituted a major strategic victory.
If terrorists in Gaza resumed their attacks, he added, the aid would cease.
2. DEATH TOLL IN TURKEY'S ATATURK AIRPORT RISES TO 41
by Ari Soffer and Ben Ariel
[youtube:2016617]
Turkey's Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, said Tuesday night that 41 people and three suicide bombers died in the attack at Istanbul's Ataturk airport.
140 people were wounded in the attack at the airport, which is located just outside of Istanbul.
Yildirm said that so far all indications point to the Islamic State (ISIS) group being behind the attack, adding the attackers arrived at the airport in a taxi and blew themselves up after opening fire.
He added the victims include some foreigners and that many of the dozens wounded have minor injuries but others are more badly hurt.
The Foreign Ministry in Israel said there is no indication that any Israelis were injured. Israeli passengers who were stranded at the airport following the attack were taken to nearby hotels until flights are renewed on Wednesday.
The Foreign Ministry has opened an emergency hotline at +972-2-5303155.
Turkish officials have confirmed that two suicide bombers detonated their explosives in the attack.
The attack took place in the international departures area, according to CNN.
Gunfire also heard at the site was from Turkish security forces attempting to stop the bombers, officials added.
In the confusion, some witnesses had told Reuters they saw gunmen open fire from an airport car park.
As with previous attacks, the Turkish government has placed a media blackout on Turkish outlets reporting the attack.
Footage has emerged apparently showing terrified commuters taking cover at the airport in the aftermath of the bombings.
Turkey has in recent months been targeted with deadly attacks by terrorists from the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group - including suicide bombings - as well as smaller-scale attacks by left-wing extremists.
On Wednesday morning, Turkish officials said they believe ISIS was behind the attack.
3. TERROR VICTIM FAMILIES TURN TO COURT TO BLOCK TURKEY DEAL
by Ido Ben Porat
Shurat Hadin, an organization that represents terror victims in court in Israel and around the world, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court today (Wednesday) in the name of bereaved families against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the Cabinet ministers following the agreement with Turkey that enables Hamas to continue operations from within that country.
According to the petition, the agreement provides for Hamas to continue to maintain an official base of operations in Turkish territory, and prevents expulsion and/or prosecution of Hamas officials.
"The agreement fails to address the matter of the close cooperation between Turkey and the Hamas terror organization, which has made it its business to murder Israeli civilians for decades, and Turkey's support of the organization."
The petition also contains the claim that "the agreement completely squanders the opportunity to limit the murderous terror activities perpetrated and directed from Turkish soil, and to achieve justice for victims of terror.
"The agreement completely ignores the consequences of these matters in the security, deterrence, and human spheres, in a manner that is entirely untenable and unreasonable."
"In order to quiet the uproar from this capitulation to terror, the government points out that Turkey has committed to preventing the Hamas military wing from operating in its territory, while the base that remains in Turkey will be part of the Hamas military leadership only. However, the separation between the activities of the military wing--which will not be permitted to operate on Turkish soil, and the political wing--which will continue its relations with the Turks as usual, is entirely without basis in fact or law, goes against previous conventions, and is entirely unreasonable," the petition states.
The agreement does stipulate that Turkey will not allow Hamas to plan terror attacks against Israel from its territory. However Hamas will be allowed to continue its operation in Istanbul and the Turkish government will continue its diplomatic relationship with the terror group.
What's more, on the same day that Turkey committed to preventing Hamas from planning attacks from its territory, it was reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a meeting with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in Istanbul, in which he made clear that the agreement with Israel will have no effect on Turkey's relationship with Hamas, which will continue as before.
The petition continues, "before long we won't be able to turn back; seeing as these are matters that go to the very heart of Israel's security, the subject of this petition is very urgent."
The petition is signed by terror victims and their family members.
Among those who signed is Devorah Gonen, mother of Danny Gonen (25) of Lod, who was murdered a year ago by a terrorist who shot nearly ten bullets at him. The terrorist held out his hand toward the car in which Danny and his friends were sitting, looking as if he needed help. The friends stopped the car in order to help the man who moments later became Danny's murderer.
Another signee is Ruthi Hasno, widow of Avraham Asher Hasno (54) of the town of Kiryat Arbah (near Hevron) who was murdered on the 20th of October, 2015. Avraham Hasno left his car on the side of the road after stones were thrown at it by Arab rioters, and was subsequently run over by a Palestinian truck driver.
Hasno was survived by his wife Ruthi, seven children and seven grandchildren. He had worked as the kitchen manager in the Otniel yeshiva high school.
Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, head of the 'Shurat Hadin' organization, said that the agreement signed with Turkey is an unacceptable compromise. "The cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister must oppose any rapprochement with Turkey that doesn't include a total termination of Hamas operations on Turkish soil and the expulsion of Hamas leaders from the country
"They must oppose any deal that doesn't include an end to Turkish support--whether monetary of political--of Hamas. Any agreement that doesn't fulfill these conditions will institutionalize the activities of the terror organizations and give them more legitimacy."
According to Darshan-Leitner, without insisting on these conditions Israel will be sending a message to all the nations of the world saying that it is willing to have a full diplomatic relationship with countries that host, support, and fund murderous terror groups within their borders.
"The ratification of this kind of deal damages Israel's security, hurts the terror victims who have paid a heavy price, and walks back the principles of combating terror that have been developed over many bloody years, dictating that there is no distinction to be made between the the political and military wings of any terror organization."
4. ESTI WEINSTEIN SAGA: HAREDI COMMUNITY UNFAIRLY MALIGNED?
by Shai Landesman
Channel 10 news reporter Avishai Ben-Haim, who works very closely with the haredi community (but is not haredi himself), thinks the press has committed a grave injustice in its coverage of the suicide of Esti Weinstein, saying that "basically everything you've heard about haredi wickedness in this matter is untrue."
Weinstein was found dead in her car on Sunday after years of estrangement from her Gerrer hassidic family, and her story continues to make waves in Israeli public discourse. The circumstances surrounding the tragic event have sparked debate about the Gerrer hassidic community, its social norms and practices (especially as pertains to the treatment of women), and attitudes within religious circles to those who leave religious observance.
Weinstein left a will explaining her reasons for taking her own life and a tell-all book about her life story. She accuses the Gerrer community of forbidding her children from having any contact with her once she left religious observance, and cites the disconnect from her family as the main cause of her emotional suffering, leading to her suicide. Many in the press have put the blame for the tragedy squarely on Weinstein's family and the Gerrer hassidic and wider haredi community in general. The veteran channel 10 reporter thinks this is grossly unfair.
In a Facebook post, Ben-Haim spells out the results of his investigations into specific allegations made about the circumstances of Weinstein's estrangement from her family and their conduct surrounding the funeral.
Ben-Haim opens with his impressions from the funeral itself:
"This is what injustice looks like. We came to Esti Weinstein's funeral today expecting to meet her evil and cold-hearted family and instead met a noble and sensitive family, we heard a eulogy from a loving haredi father and an explanation and request for forgiveness from a hurting haredi daughter.
"All of this means that we need to rewrite the entire story of the past 48 hours and tell the truth: everything you heard about the wickedness of the haredi side was a lie."
The Channel 10 reporter then goes into detail, discussing individual claims made in the press, going point by point through the events, in chronological order:
"Something about this seemed fishy to me from the beginning. First it was claimed that the haredi family members were going to snatch the body to bury it on their own terms. I called and spoke with the family. They were shocked by the idea, 'Of course not! Heaven forbid!'. I don't need to tell you that no one actually tried to snatch the body.
"Next they said that Weinstein's daughters broke off contact from their mother because of a cruel order from the Admor [leader of a hassidic community]. I called again, I spoke with the family, and they swore that there was no directive from the Admor and explained that this was not a religious issue at all, merely a human one. The girls were angry at their beloved mother who simply up and left them one day 7 years ago. Hence the estrangement.
"Afterwards they said that the haredim are demanding she be buried outside of the cemetery walls. I called, spoke with the family, and they were shocked by the idea, 'she was a good mother, we love her. We never had any such plans.'
"Then they said that they don't intend to sit Shiva [week-long mourning period in Jewish law] for Esti. I called, spoke with the family, they were shocked by that idea too. No such thing had ever crossed their minds.
"Next, they said that the family is demanding a small and quick haredi funeral that will demean Esti's memory. I called. Spoke with the family. They said this was untrue and that they had every intention of honoring their late mother's wishes, having already made clear that they have no problem with there being flowers and songs at the funeral [as per Weinstein's instructions in her will].
"Then the courts were petitioned to make sure that the funeral will be held with a secular atmosphere (not that songs and flowers really make a funeral 'secular'), and it was reported that the secular side won as the court ruled against the haredi family. But the haredi family never sent anyone to the hearing to contest any of this and wasn't even part of any fight. They didn't want to fight about this and there was no need to 'beat them' in court, for as I've already written, the family wanted to honor Esti's non-haredi wishes.
"After that, it was claimed that the family was boycotting the funeral, which would indeed be the height of cruelty. But then... well, then we saw a large group of haredi Gerrer hassidic women arriving at the funeral, sobbing, and sad Gerrer hassidic men, all standing to the side, quietly and politely, and waiting for the time when they will be able to take part in the proceedings. We heard the father eulogizing his daughter, and the eldest daughter Raheli eulogizing her mother. No haredi told Raheli that she wasn't allowed to speak in this kind of forum because she's a girl.
"It was then that I understood that this week, a grave injustice was committed among the Jewish people."
Some in the haredi blogosphere and beyond have reacted with skepticism to these revelations, claiming that the family was coached for their press exposure by Gerrer leadership desperate to counter all the bad PR they've been getting. However, Ben-Haim has certainly shown that at least some of the allegations made were simply inaccurate.
Ben-Haim's post ends with a quote of the full text of Weinstein's eldest daughter's eulogy, excerpts from which were available before the funeral and were published by Arutz Sheva.
5. AL QAEDA TELLS TERRORISTS TO TARGET WHITES, 'AVOID MINORITIES'
by Shai Landesman
In the most recent issue of a magazine published by Al Qaeda, the worldwide terror group called for terrorists perpetrating 'lone wolf' attacks to "avoid targeting places where minorities are found".
Recent events have shown that terrorists do not need to be in contact with, or commanded by, organized and established terror groups to do a lot of damage.
'Lone wolf' attacks, as they're often termed, are carried out by people inspired by the ideas espoused by terrorist groups, while not being operationally associated with them.
In this magazine issue, instructions, suggestions and criticisms are offered to the potential lone wolf terrorist. There is a special focus on the US, where Omar Mateen carried out his lone wolf shooting attack. Among the instructions is a directive about precisely which segment of the US population to attack.
The terrorist writer appropriates some left-wing ideas about minority groups being especially oppressed in America.
"We call upon all those oppressed by America, be it a Muslim or not, to retaliate and take back their rights by any possible means from this oppressive state," the magazine trumpets.
The writer then offers some criticism of Mateen's choice of venue. While nauseatingly lauding the attack for its success in murdering a high number of people, he nevertheless criticizes the fact that "most of the individuals present at pulse nightclub were Latino."
"We recommend that it is better to avoid targeting places and crowds where minorities are generally found in America," the writer asserts. "Therefore we advise targeting areas where the Anglo-Saxon community is generally concentrated. This class of the American community is the majority and it is the one that is in the American leadership."
Part of the reason given for this is to avoid the situation created by the Orlando attack, where there was a debate over whether it was motivated by primarily by Islam or by hatred of gays. Al Qaeda would like to make it clear to all that these attacks are motivated by global Jihadist ideas.
One only wonders how long it will take.
6. BENGHAZI REPORT REVEALED: SURPRISE ALLIES, SECURITY SNAFUS
by Rachel Kaplan
The Select Committee on Benghazi released a shocking report yesterday, detailing the bumbled efforts to save the American diplomatic team while politicians worked to protect their own backyards. The report, whose full contents can be found here, was written to be "worthy of the American people's respect, and worthy of the memory of those who died," according to Beghazi Chairman Trey Gowdy (SC).
"Nobody has ever reported that nothing was headed to Benghazi. Nobody has ever reported that not a single wheel was turning to Libya. God knows no one ever reported who actually evacuated our folks," he mused, adding, "I'm proud of what we've found and I think it's new."
Although it may be worthy, the politicians named in the epic report seem decidedly not.
"We expect our government to make every effort to save the lives of Americans who serve in harm's way. That did not happen in Benghazi." Rep. Mike Pompeo scathed, "Politics were put ahead of the lives of Americans, and while the administration had made excuses and blamed the challenges posed by time and distance, the truth is that they did not try."
Indeed they did not. When the news first broke, the White House convened an emergency meeting at 7:30 PM, that lasted a laconic 2 hours. The Vice President and Chiefs of Staff normally would have been there, but they went home to host a dinner party for foreign dignitaries. At the meeting itself, the main focus was on how Libya would react if they sent in uniformed military personnel to rescue the trapped diplomatic team. Many of the action items listed involve a Youtube video that was supposed to have sparked the tensions, and many statements include the phrases "[i]f any deployment is made," and "Libya must agree to any deployment," and "[w]ill not deploy until order comes to go to either Tripoli or Benghazi." The tragic scene ended with not a single military team sent in time to rescue the Benghazi diplomats.
In fact, there had been sub-standard security in Benghazi long before the attacks. Ambassador Stevens had planned to travel to Benghazi in August, but cancelled his trip "primarily for Ramadan/security reasons." The State Department, in a misplaced effort to not offend the Libyans, had enacted policies that included reduced security staff, and plainclothes dress.
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (GA) issued a fuming statement: "One of the most concerning parts of the State Department's policy in Libya was its reliance upon the militias of an unstable nation to protect our men and women in Benghazi. These were by no means forces that could adequately protect Americans on the ground, and the State Department knew it. But the appearance of no boots on the ground was more important to the administration."
By the time a Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST,) stationed in Rota, Spain, was sent in to Tripoli, a full twenty four hours had elapsed since the beginning of the Benghazi attack. The commander of the team found out about the situation via the news. "I was actually talking to my dad on Skype, watching the Armed Forces Network new channel...and all of a sudden we see a consulate building on fire." he recalls. "I got on the phone with my commanding officer, and we had a short talk .… And he said something more or less in the lines of, 'Make sure you do your laundry and you got enough soap.'...Around midnight is when my platoon sergeant and I initiated the recall [to assemble the Marines]." Even assembled, the team waited for three hours, changing in and out of their uniforms four times, for orders to move.
Similarly, the deployment of the Commander's In-extremis Force (CIF), a top-secret team used in crisis situations, was horribly bungled. Sent to a intermediate staging base in Sigonella, Italy, twenty two hours after the Benghazi attacks began, they had to wait there for a forklift to be brought from Zadar, Croatia before they could load themselves and their gear onto a plane to Zagreb International Airport, there to await further transportation. While waiting, the CIF Commander was not updated on what was happening on the ground until Ambassador Stevens was killed, nor was he told that the remaining personnel had been evacuated to the Annex, and that two more Americans died when the Annex was mortared.
Tied up in orders and failed paperwork, the American rescue teams failed to arrive in Benghazi in time to save U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith, nor CIA contractors Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty. In the end, the real heroes of the day were supporters of Omar Qhaddafi, who had been ousted by American forces not long before. Known as the Libyan Military Intelligence, they were not part of the Libyan government, nor any of the militias with whom the CIA or State Department had been cultivating a relationship. The organization was "comprised of former military officers under the Qadhafi regime who had gone into hiding in fear of being assassinated, and wanted to keep their presence in Benghazi as quiet as possible so as to not attract attention from the militias in control of Benghazi," stated the report. They broke their silence to rescue the terrified American mission, sending 50 heavily armed security vehicles to extract the personnel there, and to transport them to the airport in Tripoli, where they set up a barricade and waited for American backup. Until that evening, the CIA had not even known that Libyan Military Intelligence existed. Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta bluntly told the committee that "an intelligence failure" occurred with respect to Benghazi.
In the aftermath of the 800-page Benghazi report, the politicians involved rushed to defend themselves. Although Hillary Clinton has been cleared of any wrong-doing, her campaign published a sour response: "The Republicans on the House Benghazi Committee are finishing their work in the same, partisan way that we've seen from them since the beginning. In refusing to issue its report on a bipartisan basis, the Committee is breaking from the precedent set by other Congressional inquiries into the Benghazi attacks." Committee members deny any political agenda.
Rep. Martha Roby (AL), regrets: "Our committee's insistence on additional information about the military's response to the Benghazi attacks was met with strong opposition from the Defense Department, and now we know why. Instead of attempting to hide deficiencies in our posture and performance, it's my hope our report will help ensure we fix what went wrong so that a tragedy like this never happens again."
7. X-RAY TECHNOLOGY DISCOVERS HOLOCAUST ESCAPE TUNNEL
by Ido Ben-Porat
In the Ponary woods, near Vilna, scientists have made an emotional and exciting discovery. Using x-ray technology a team of researchers has found a tunnel dug by concentration camp prisoners to escape the Nazis. For decades this tunnel remained hidden, but advances in technology have revealed its exact location.
During the holocaust, over 100,000 residents of Vilna, including 70,000 Jews were murdered at Ponar (officially known today as Paneriai) by the Nazis and their corpses thrown into pits.
In 1943, as the German forces withdrew from the eastern front, a special unit was established tasked with hiding any traces of this massacre. 80 inmates from the nearby Stutthof concentration camp were formed into Leichenkommando ("corpse units"). During the day, while chained to one another, they were forced to dig up the corpses and burn them. At night they were kept in a giant pit.
These inmates realized that as soon as their awful task was completed they would also be murdered. To escape from the Nazis they dug a 35-meter tunnel leading from their pit to the other side of the fence.
The tunnel was painstakingly dug by hand over the course of 3 months. On the last night of Passover, April 15, 1944, they made their escape. Using a file they removed the chains from their legs and 40 of them escaped through the tunnel.
However, their escape was soon discovered by the guards. Only 15 prisoners managed to escape and only 11 of them managed to reach the partisans and survive the war. The remainder were caught and shot.
The Ponary massacre and the escape of the prisoners are ingrained in the collective Israeli psyche through the song with lyrics by the Warsaw Ghetto composer Szmerke Kaczerginski, sung by Chava Alberstein.
Despite many attempts to discover it, the location of this escape tunnel has been hidden since the end of World War II. Now, a team led by Dr. Jon Seligman of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Prof. Richard Freund a Judaic studies professor at the University of Hartford with support from the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum, EDVision Corporation and the PBS science series NOVA has discovered the tunnel. Using ground penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) they have found the tunnel leading from the pit where the prisoners were held.
According to Dr. Seligman, "As an Israel whose parents came from Lithuania, the moment when we discovered the tunnel was so emotional it brought me to tears. This touching evidence shows the triumph of hope over despair. Discovering the tunnel makes it possible for us to show not only the horrors of the holocaust but also the hope for life."
Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev said, "I bless the Antiquities Authority for this unique international partnership, which allows us to turn rumor into fact. The exciting discovery of the prisoners' tunnel is another proof against the holocaust deniers. The technological advances which make it possible for the Jewish people to uncover more and more stories of heroism that the Nazis tried to cover up are a great achievement and of benefit to all humanity."
The partnership intends to return to the site in the future to unearth the tunnel so that it can be presented to the public as part of the Paneriai Memorial Museum commemorating the murder of the Jews of Vilna.
A NOVA documentary on the discovery will air in 2017 on PBS.
[album:open
8. WATCH: CCTV SHOWS EXPLOSION AT ISTANBUL AIRPORT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2016618]
Footage has emerged showing the moment a deadly explosion ripped through Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens more.
Turkish authorities say two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the attack. The terrorists were fired upon by police in an attempt to stave off the attack, possibly avoiding a far greater number of casualties.
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