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Sunday, Feb. 26 '17, ל' בשבט תשע"ז
HEADLINES:
1. AHMADINEJAD TO TRUMP: US BELONGS TO EVERYONE
2. FEMALE TERRORIST SENTENCED TO 16 YEARS FOR STABBING ATTACK
3. IDF HITS GAZA
4. MAN IMPERSONATING INTERIOR MINISTRY OFFICIAL ARRESTED
5. TRUMP REVOKES 'TRANSGENDER BATHROOM LAW'
6. ATTEMPTED TERROR ATTACK NORTH OF JERUSALEM
7. WATCH: HOW OSCAR TROPHIES ARE MADE
8. 'THERE ARE 15 TERROR TUNNELS UNDER GAZA BORDER'
1. AHMADINEJAD TO TRUMP: US BELONGS TO EVERYONE
by David Rosenberg
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote a 3,500 word letter to President Donald Trump in which he slams the new administration's restrictions on immigration and US "dominance" of the United Nations.
The letter was transferred to the US via the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which serves as the point of contact between the United States and Iran.
In the document, Ahmadinejad congratulated President Trump's November win and praised his 2016 campaign, which the former Iranian leader said "truthfully described the U.S. political system and electoral structure as corrupt."
But Ahmadinejad, who during his tenure as president threatened to "wipe Israel off the map" and publicly suggested the Holocaust was a hoax, chided Trump over his recent executive order temporarily restricting immigration from seven high-risk countries, saying the US must "value respect toward the diversity of nations and races."
Ahmadinejad went on to argue that the United States "belongs to all nations", suggesting the US has no right to regulate immigration into the country.
"In other words, the contemporary U.S. belongs to all nations, including the natives of the land," Ahmadinejad wrote. "No one may consider themselves the owner and view others as guests or immigrants."
The former Iranian leader made no reference in the letter to Iran's nuclear program or tensions with the West stemming from Iran's recent ballistic missile tests. Instead, Ahmadinejad blated American "dominance" of the United Nations, assailing it as the cause of "insecurity, war, division, killing and displacement of nations."
In the past, Ahmadinejad has penned letters to presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama during their terms in office.
2. FEMALE TERRORIST SENTENCED TO 16 YEARS FOR STABBING ATTACK
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2014110]
A Lod district court sentenced a 23-year old Israeli-Arab woman to 16 years in prison for a stabbing attack on a Jewish woman last April.
On April 3rd, 2016, Shatila Abu-Iyada, a resident of the Israeli-Arab city of Kfar Kassem, stabbed a 30-year old mother of three in the nearby city of Rosh Haayin.
While her family initially denied the attack was nationalistically-motivated, Abu-Iyada told investigators she had originally planned to bomb Jewish restaurant patrons to avenge the death of Muhammed Abu-Khdeir, an Arab teenager killed in 2014 following the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli youths.
After she failed to construct an explosive device, Abu-Iyada placed two knives in her purse and headed out to find a victim in Rosh Haayin. After settling upon a target, she drew the knives and stabbed her victim, who managed to flee in the midst of the attack. Civilians at the scene then confronted Abu-Iyada and aided in her capture.
The sentence is part of a plea bargain agreement, which includes a 16-year prison sentence for attempted murder, as well as 100,000 shekels ($27,160) in compensation to the victim.
3. IDF HITS GAZA
by Arutz Sheva Staff
IDF forces struck a number of Hamas positions in the northern Gaza Strip Monday morning, following rocket fire from Gaza into Israel.
The rocket landed in an open area in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council in southern Israel late Sunday night. No damage or injuries were reported.
In response, IDF artillery units struck a number of Hamas positions across the northern Gaza Strip.
4. MAN IMPERSONATING INTERIOR MINISTRY OFFICIAL ARRESTED
by Shlomo Pyotrovsky
Israel Police arrested last week an Arab resident of Jerusalem suspected of impersonation and fraudulently obtaining money.
Initial investigations show the suspect, 48, impersonated the Interior Ministry's Family Reunification Department Director several times in the past six months.
Assuming he was the department's director, Arab residents of Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria paid him money and gave him the documents necessary to advance their cases. Immediately after receiving both documents and money, the suspect disappeared.
So far, investigators have managed to locate 15 of the victims, who filed a complaint against the suspect.
Authorities estimate the suspect pocketed approximately 150,000 NIS.
The suspect's arrest has been extended until Tuesday and his investigation is still ongoing, with investigators hoping to find additional victims who can provide testimony against him.
"Israel Police works continuously to find and arrest those suspected of fraudulently collecting the money of innocent citizens... We will continue to work for the safety of all citizens, including those living in Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods," a police spokesman said.
5. TRUMP REVOKES 'TRANSGENDER BATHROOM LAW'
by Chana Roberts
[youtube:2025136]
US President Donald Trump has revoked an Obama-era federal guideline forcing public schools to allow students to use the bathroom corresponding to their chosen gender identity.
Though the Obama administration published the directive as a set of guidelines, schools were warned they would lose funding if they did not comply.
Trump has said several times that his administration is "determined to protect the rights of all Americans, including the LGBTQ community." However, he also said the issue of bathroom segregation belongs to the state and local authorities, and the federal government should not intervene.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Wednesday said Trump, "is a firm believer in states' rights."
Obama's guidelines were put on hold by a Texas federal judge after 13 states sued, arguing the federal government had overstepped its bounds.
Meanwhile, transgender advocacy groups insisted the "law" was necessary in order to protect trans students from discrimination.
Conservative activists hailed Trump's announcement, saying Obama's directives were illegal and violated the rights of cisgender students, especially girls who did not feel safe changing or using the restroom next to anatomical males.
One transgender activist, Caitlyn Jenner, tweeted on Saturday, "This is a disaster. See you in court."
6. ATTEMPTED TERROR ATTACK NORTH OF JERUSALEM
by Arutz Sheva Staff
An Arab woman who charged security guards at the Kalandia checkpoint north of Jerusalem was neutralized and arrested Monday.
The woman reportedly approached guards operating the checkpoint, walking through a lane designated for vehicular traffic. When guards ordered her to halt, the woman drew an object, possibly a knife, and continued to approach them.
After ignoring repeated orders to halt, the woman was arrested.
7. WATCH: HOW OSCAR TROPHIES ARE MADE
[youtube:2025182]
8. 'THERE ARE 15 TERROR TUNNELS UNDER GAZA BORDER'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The State Comptroller will release the report on Operation Protective Edge on Tuesday, two and a half years after the conflict.
Senior officials in the Security Cabinet and elsewhere said today that Hamas currently has at least 15 attack tunnels, and their remarks raised questions about the efficacy of the operation's achievements as declared by the political and security establishment following the 50 day conflict.
According to a report by Channel 2, officials say that Hamas currently has attack tunnels which cross under the border from Gaza into Israel. The IDF had announced at the end of Operation Protective Edge that it had destroyed all attack tunnels. These may, however, be tunnels built after the operation, as Hamas diverts cement allowed into Gaza for civilian reconstruction and uses it to build tunnels.
There have been a significant number of accidents in the tunnels, causing speculation about whether Israel has developed methods to cause tunnels to collapse, and what those suspected methods might be. Speculations run from man-made tremors to lower grade cement. The government has not answered questions on the subject.
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