Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
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Sunday, Jun. 19 '16, Sivan 13, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. TRIBUTES POUR IN FOR TEXAN HI-TECH GURU KILLED IN TA CAR CRASH
2. HALF A YEAR ON, DUMA 'SUSPECT' FOUND INNOCENT OF ALL CHARGES
3. HOLON MURDER SUSPECT FOUND DEAD
4. BENNETT BLASTS 'SELF-FLAGELLATING, CYNICAL' EX-DEFENSE MINISTERS
5. EU TO BACK FRENCH PEACE INITIATIVE
6. GOV'T APPROVES MILLIONS IN SUPPORT OF JUDEA AND SAMARIA
7. IN ISRAEL, THERE'S NO 'RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS' - AND IT WORKS
8. THREE DEAD AS CAR CRASHES INTO TEL AVIV RESTAURANT
1. TRIBUTES POUR IN FOR TEXAN HI-TECH GURU KILLED IN TA CAR CRASH
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A Texan hi-tech PR and social media guru killed in a tragic car accident in Tel Aviv Saturday night has been eulogized as one of Israel's biggest supporters in his field.
San Antonio public relations specialist Alan Weinkrantz was among three people killed when a car veered off the road and slammed into a restaurant in central Tel Aviv last night. Six other people were injured in the incident, which police say was an accident and not terror-related.
The United States Embassy in Israel notified his son Aaron of the entrepreneur's tragic death, according to the San Antonio Express.
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On Sunday, tributes to a man who spent much of the past 25 years shuttling to and from the Jewish state poured in from friends and associates in both America and Israel. Weinkrantz was on a business trip to Israel at the time of his death.
"Alan was my biggest supporter in tech, he was Israel's biggest tech social media supporter," Israeli entrepreneur Nir Kouris wrote on Facebook. "He was my mentor," he said of the social media specialist.
An online fund to raise money for his funeral had already raised nearly $8,000 by early Sunday afternoon in Israel.
Police believe the fatal accident at the Furama Chinese restaurant on the corner of Ben Yehuda and Idelson streets occurred when the driver suffered a heart attack.
An investigation is still ongoing.
2. HALF A YEAR ON, DUMA 'SUSPECT' FOUND INNOCENT OF ALL CHARGES
by Orli Harari
Half a year after he was arrested by the Shin Bet security services, interrogated for days, and accused of being a "Jewish terrorist," Israel's prosecution service has confirmed what Netanel Furkowitz's defense team have said all along: that the youth leader from the Samaria community of Kochav Hashachar is innocent of any wrongdoing, and had no connection whatsoever to the deadly arson attack in the Palestinian village of Duma last summer.
Responding to a petition from Attorney Adi Kedar of the Honenu legal rights organization, the prosecution said they had officially closed their investigation into Furkowitz, due to lack of evidence.
Furkowitz - who received an award for excellence from the president during his military service, and who had no criminal record - was arrested while on IDF reserve duty last year.
The youth leader ran an Education Ministry-sponsored program training Jewish shepherds and was well known for his positive work with local "hilltop youth", aiding many young Israelis from troubled backgrounds to gain steady employment and get their lives back on track.
He was held for 12 days without charge by the Shin Bet, who accused him of involvement in the deadly arson attack which killed three members of the Dawabshe family in 2015. Investigators claimed he had rented out a car to a youth from the Shiloh region who was suspected of involvement in the arson, and further claimed he knew full well of the suspect's involvement in the attack.
Despite Furkowitz's repeated protestations of innocence - including pointing out his public record of speaking out against "price tag" attacks - went ignored, and authorities repeatedly extended his detention on the basis of supposed "secret information" which was never revealed to his lawyers.
It was later determined by investigators that the prime suspect in the arson - Amiram Ben-Uliel - carried out the attack alone, and reached Duma by foot, not by car.
More damning still, the Shin Bet eventually admitted that the youth who bought the vehicle in question from Furkowitz was not at all involved in the arson either. He, too, was released after 21 days in custody, which included the use of violent "extraordinary interrogation" techniques.
Attorney Adi Kedar condemned the conduct of authorities in the case.
The treatment of his suspect "should keep citizens up at night - particularly residents of Judea and Samaria, who can for fabricated reasons find themselves... detained under harsh conditions, all just to serve the purposes of the Shin Ben, who knew full well that he was not involved or suspected in carrying out the crime," said Kedar.
Honenu CEO Shmuel Medad, who supported Furkowitz and his family throughout their ordeal, added: "The question is, why?"
"Why were the (security) institutions so cruel too their own brothers; to their own soldiers and citizens?" he asked.
"And the bigger question is how should we, the public, respond? How can we stop this?"
3. HOLON MURDER SUSPECT FOUND DEAD
by Ari Soffer
The prime suspect in the brutal murder of a 57-year-old man in Holon on Saturday morning has been found dead in Ramat Gan.
Police yesterday issued an urgent call for help from the public in tracking down 63-year-old Holon resident Alfonso Azariya, who has a history of mental illness and is believed to have carried out the murder in his hometown Saturday.
The victim was found with a knife in his back, and the murderer fled the scene immediately, sparking a nationwide manhunt.
Early Sunday morning police received reports that a construction worker had fallen from a building site in Ramat Gan. However, when they responded to the call they found the body of Azariya, who is believed to have committed suicide.
Paramedics attempted to resuscitate Azariya, but were forced to confirm his death shortly after arriving at the scene.
It is not yet known what motivated the killing; a police investigation is still ongoing.
4. BENNETT BLASTS 'SELF-FLAGELLATING, CYNICAL' EX-DEFENSE MINISTERS
by Ari Soffer
Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett has hit back in response to criticisms of the current government by former defense ministers Moshe Ya'alon and Ehud Barak at last week's Herzliya Conference.
Both Barak and Ya'alon took aim at the government for being, in their view, too right-wing, and Ya'alon took the opportunity to announce his ambition to replace Binyamin Netanyahu as prime minister.
Slamming the "festival of self-flagellation and cynicism," the Education Minister derided both for their ominous warnings of a threat to Israeli democracy as a result of the Israeli government's increasing nationalist bent.
"Everything is terrible and our people are becoming brutalized," Bennett said sarcastically. "I totally refute this."
"I think we have undergone a difficult year against terrorism, and the nation of Israel defeated the terror on the streets with great bravery and courage," Bennett told Amy Radio.
"I see the education system improving in all aspects, I see our economy strengthening," he added.
"We are not a perfect country, we've got plenty to fix, but I do not share this pessimism which permeates the generals and all those who see brutalization and fascism," he continued sardonically.
Asked by left-wing journalist Meir Shelo if he is dismissing "the sincere concern of people who are Zionists worried about the future of the state under this government," Bennett was unimpressed.
"They should take the trouble to present their candidacy at the next elections - and they will either be elected or not," Bennett shot back, suggesting the critics pursue their alleged grievances via the democratic process.
"Democracy is a solution which works well, but it is possible that for some of these people the results of elections aren't acceptable," he continued, referring to the Israeli electorate's rejection of left-wing parties. "What can you do? We are a government of 66 mandates and we have positions.
"Ehud Barak, who suggested giving away the majority of the Old City (of Jerusalem) to 'Palestine', to return to the '67 lines and to retreat from the Golan (Heights) - the people didn't accept his position," he said of the former Labor prime minister, whose last attempt to salvage his political career via his now defunct "Independence" party failed spectacularly.
Despite that, Barak repeated his calls for Israeli concessions at last week's Herzliya Conference.
"If he thinks that what will bring the public to support him - let him stand for election," Bennett challenged.
5. EU TO BACK FRENCH PEACE INITIATIVE
by Ben Ariel
The European Union's Foreign Affairs Council is expected to adopt a resolution that will back the French peace initiative on Monday, Haaretz reported Saturday night.
The resolution will call for an international peace conference including Israeli and Palestinian participation before the end of the year, according to the newspaper.
On June 3, France hosted a summit of foreign ministers in Paris who discussed ways in which the international community could "help advance the prospects for peace, including by providing meaningful incentives to the parties to make peace," according to a joint statement.
Senior Foreign Ministry officials said Saturday night that Israel failed to block the move by the panel of the EU's 28 foreign ministers, which will add significant weight to the French proposal. Israel can now only try to soften the wording of the resolution, they said, according to Haaretz.
Israel has rejected the French initiative, with Foreign Ministry Director-General Dore Gold said the bid was doomed to failure, like a 1916 colonial effort to carve up the Middle East.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has also stated Israel's objection to the initiative, telling French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault that it would be better if France and its partners would encourage Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas to accept Netanyahu's invitation to sit down for direct negotiations.
According to the Haaretz report, Israeli officials had not taken the French plan seriously, but after the Paris conference, Jerusalem realized that the proposal to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was gaining momentum.
France has continued to advance the initiative, which has gained wider international support. This includes follow-up measures such as forming international working teams for issues including confidence-building gestures, security arrangements and economic incentives.
Paris is pressing EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and European foreign ministers to endorse the resolution on Monday, which would fully harness the entire EU to its plan, according to the report.
A senior Foreign Ministry figure, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the draft resolution includes nearly all the items on France's "wish list."
Last week the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem and officials in Israel's diplomatic missions to Europe and to EU institutions lobbied against the resolution. The official said Israel's ambassadors conveyed its flat objection to the French initiative and to any follow up move to advance it.
The official told Haaretz the Foreign Ministry received reports that most European capitals politely rejected the Israeli arguments.
"They all agree with us in principle that direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians would be preferable, but in practical terms they didn't really pay attention to our objections and in many states they simply don't understand our position," he said.
"Also, increasingly more states want to strengthen the French initiative even further, mainly because there's no other initiative on the table to break the standstill in the peace process," he added.
The Foreign Ministry has now shifted its focus to trying to soften the resolution's wording, the report said. Israeli diplomats are focusing mainly on removing a clause linking the French initiative to the EU's proposal of December 2013 to upgrade Israel's status to that of a special privileged partner in exchange for reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
Back in January when the French initiative was announced, Paris had threatened to unilaterally recognize the "state of Palestine" if it failed.
Since then, however, Ayrault backtracked on the threat, saying France would not "automatically" recognize a Palestinian state if its initiative fails.
6. GOV'T APPROVES MILLIONS IN SUPPORT OF JUDEA AND SAMARIA
by Ari Soffer
The government on Sunday approved Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's recommendation for an additional budget of 70 million shekels to communities in Judea and Samaria.
Included in that budget is a one-off Interior Ministry grant of 15 million shekels to local councils in Judea-Samaria, to help them cope with ongoing Arab terrorism.
The Agriculture Ministry will transfer 10 million shekels to convert a number of temporary structures into permanent ones, as well as for renovations of public buildings.
The Health, Education and Welfare ministries will be allocating 12 million shekels over the course of three years, for security needs including running safe rooms, security assessments and providing social-psychological support to victims of terror.
The Welfare Ministry will be providing an additional six million shekels for other social services in Judea and Samaria, while another 5.5 million shekels has been allocated to the local tourism industry.
One particularly significant aspect of the budget is that, after years of abortive efforts by the government to approve funding for the establishment of hotels in Judea and Samaria, the government passed Tourism Minister Yariv Levin's recommendation to cover 20% of the costs of building hotels in Judea and Samaria as an incentive for investment in Israel's Biblical heartland.
Welfare and Social Service Minister Haim Katz (Likud) praised the budget, hailing the government for supporting frontline Israeli communities.
"It is our duty to take care of communities which are at the forefront of combating terrorism, and dealing bravely with the complex security and social challenges," said Katz.
During the discussion at Sunday morning's Cabinet meeting, Katz also urged the government to deal with the problem of a lack of lighting on many roads in Judea and Samaria, saying that such a crucial, potentially life-threatening issue needs to be made a priority.
Sports and Culture Minister Miri Regev (Likud), also hailed the decision, saying she was proud to have supported the measures.
She emphasized that the additional allocations in sports and culture would not come at the expense of other communities in the "periphery" (i.e. the Negev and Galilee regions).
Jewish Home party MK Bezalel Smotrich, who was among the initiators of the proposal, expressed his satisfaction at its passage.
"We are talking about an important decision, which reflects the government's commitment to strengthen" communities in Judea and Samaria, he said.
"The settlements in Judea and Samaria have stood fast for years at the security front, as well as against the ongoing wave of terror," Smotrich continued.
"The resilience of its residence is a primary national interest, which effects the entire Israeli society."
7. IN ISRAEL, THERE'S NO 'RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS' - AND IT WORKS
by Ron Kampeas
(JTA) Dirty, hot and exhausted Israeli soldiers waiting for their bus home from the army base tend, understandably, to be in a hurry to get on board.
But when I was living in Israel during the first intifada, soldiers didn't jostle to be first in line. Rather, the most coveted position was second.
That's because the bus driver had the right – under rules issued by the army and made clear to each armed soldier before she or he left the base – to order any soldier to sit in the front seat and remain alert. And the first one to get on board was the obvious choice.
If you'd just finished three weeks of training with rare interruptions for sleep and were looking forward to a snooze on the long trip home, this was definitely a downer. But it was necessitated by the rash of Palestinian terrorist attacks on bus drivers at the time.
One of the first things visitors to Israel notice is the ubiquity of young people with automatic weapons. Yet Israel suffers the tiniest fraction of the mass killings the United States does. Daniel Gordis, writing last year in a Bloomberg column, reported that Americans are 33 times more likely to kill each other with guns than Israelis. How is that possible?
The answer is couched in that front seat the Egged bus driver kept empty for a soldier.
It may not be immediately obvious, but the Israelis you see armed on the beach or at the cafe are just as subject to the army hierarchy and its regulations as they would be if they were on the front line or a base.
Calev Ben-David (an old friend) wrote this week in The Jerusalem Post about the differences between gun use in the U.S. and Israel. He noted that just 4 percent of guns in Israel are not military issue.
This means that the use of 96 percent of guns is governed by army rules of conduct. As a soldier, you're answerable to a military tribunal if you break army rules and use a gun without orders — or if you fail to use a gun when you're under standing order to do so. For example, if a terrorist boards the bus you're being forced to stay awake on.
The training Israeli soldiers receive also helps keep gun violence down. When Gabby Giffords, the Jewish congresswoman from Arizona, was shot in 2011, an armed passerby recalled later to his own horror that he nearly opened fire on the folks who were restraining the gunman.
Donald Trump's assertion that a club full of armed French concertgoers would have headed off last year's Bataclan massacre is belied by the chaos engendered when shooters lack training – not just in proper shooting of the weapon, but in identifying when and where it is safe to shoot.
The careful use of guns in Israel is about being answerable to a hierarchy, beyond being answerable to the law. This is the opposite of the "right to bear arms" in the American ethos. There is no "right" to bear arms in Israel — there is a duty to bear arms, according to strict regulations.
This is why current and former military officers, even right-wingers among them, have been appalled by public support for the soldier in Hebron who in March allegedly shot an attacker after he was subdued. As much as killing a subdued man is wrong, in Israel's military culture, using a weapon outside the command structure is equally taboo.
In some ways, then, Israel is the "well regulated militia" promised by America's Second Amendment. That component of the amendment, however, has all but been ignored in recent American court rulings.
8. THREE DEAD AS CAR CRASHES INTO TEL AVIV RESTAURANT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
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A vehicle went off the road and struck a restaurant in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, killing three and wounding another five.
The driver, a 40-year-old man and a man in his 60s were all critically wounded. All of the victims have been taken to Ichilov Hospital, where doctors declared three patients dead.
The hospital has opened an emergency line for the public. It can be reached at 1255133.
The driver is believed to be a 50-year-old man who lost consciousness before crashing into the restaurant, located on the corner of Ben Yehuda and Idelson.
A senior MDA medic said: "When we arrived at the location there was pandemonium. The wounded lay on the sidewalk, between chairs and on tables. The driver was unconscious in the car. We set up a triage and provided life-saving first aid to the victims, then evacuated them in our mobile care unit to the hospital."
Police do not believe it to be an act of terror.
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