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Friday, Feb. 10 '17, י"ד בשבט תשע"ז
HEADLINES:
1. TRUMP: I'M NOT GOING TO CONDEMN ISRAEL, IT'S BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH
2. WATCH: SIX WOUNDED IN PETAH TIKVA TERROR ATTACK
3. 'I GRABBED A CHAIR AND STOPPED THE TERRORIST'
4. 'TIME TO CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL ARAB CONSTRUCTION'
5. 'OVERNIGHT OUR HOME BECAME ILLEGAL'
6. ATTEMPTED TERROR ATTACK NEAR HEVRON
7. WILL ARAB NATIONS BE PART OF TRUMP'S SOLUTION FOR PEACE?
8. 'THESE DEMONSTRATORS ARE DESECRATING GOD'S NAME'
1. TRUMP: I'M NOT GOING TO CONDEMN ISRAEL, IT'S BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH
by David Rosenberg
On Friday, Israel Hayom published an interview with President Donald Trump, the first he has granted to an Israeli media outlet since taking office in January.
The interview was released just hours after President Trump dined with Israel Hayom owner and GOP donor Sheldon Adelson at the White House Thursday evening.
In the interview, the president, who is slated to meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu next week, praised the Israeli premier, but said he felt the recent announcements of housing projects in Judea and Samaria did not improve the prospects for peace in the region.
"I know Israel very well," said Trump, "and I respect it; I want to get peace between Israel and the Palestinians and even more than that."
President Trump said on his relationship with Netanyahu: "We've always had [a good chemistry]. The Prime Minister is a good man who wants to do the right thing for Israel and he wants peace. He wants it fully. I've always liked him."
But, Trump continued, he did not understand how expansion of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria would promote peace.
"There is limited land left, and every time you take land for settlements, there's less land left. I'm not someone who believes that advancing the settlements is good for peace. But we're checking all the possibilities."
Regarding America's relationship with Israel, the president predicted that ties between the two countries would strengthen, claiming that the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama White House had brought relations with Israel to a nadir.
"We'll have better relations with Israel. The agreement with Iran was a disaster for Israel, it's unbelievable, both in terms of how it was negotiated and the way it was implemented. Everything about this deal is terrible. As a businessman I know how to tell a bad deal from a good deal. This deal is impossible to understand. I can't understand it. And you can see how Iran is behaving: instead of thanking Obama, who was so biased in their favor, they acted arrogantly even before he left the White House. It's a shame this deal was made."
Trump also said despite his disagreement with Israel over the expansion of Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria, he would not condemn Israel.
"I don't want to condemn Israel. Israel has a long history of condemnations and challenges. I don't want to condemn Israel during my administration. I understand Israel very well and respect it very much. Israelis have gone through very difficult periods. I want peace between Israelis and Palestinians and even more than that. I think peace for Israel would be great for Israel, not just good."
When asked whether he planned to fulfill his campaign pledge to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem, the president said he was still considering the issue.
"I want Israel to behave sensibly during the peace process, that it should come after so many years. And maybe there will even be the chance for a bigger peace than just an Israeli-Palestinian [deal]. I want both sides to behave reasonably, and we'll have better chances that way.
"I'm thinking about it. I'm learning the subject, and we'll see what happens. It's not an easy decision. It's already been debated for years. No one didn't want to make the decisions, and I'm thinking very seriously about it."
President Trump reiterated his optimism regarding the prospects for a comprehensive Middle East peace, though he acknowledged that many of his own advisers have suggested such an achievement is impossible.
"No deal is good if it's not good for both sides. Right now we're in a process that's lasted for years, decades. A lot of people think that it is impossible to do this [to reach a final status agreement], a lot of smart people around me say it is impossible to reach an agreement. I don't agree with them. I think that it is possible to reach an agreement, and we need to reach an agreement."
2. WATCH: SIX WOUNDED IN PETAH TIKVA TERROR ATTACK
by David Rosenberg
[youtube:2024393]
Six people were wounded in a combination shooting and stabbing attack Thursday afternoon in a Petah Tikva market.
At 4:42, MDA first responders were dispatched to the market after the MDA Yarkon Region call center received a report regarding the attack.
MDA Emergency responders report that two men and two women were wounded in the attack, including a man and woman in their 50s, a man in his 40s, and a woman in her 30s.
Most of the victims were shot by the terrorist, while at least one was stabbed.
The ages of the two additional victims have yet to be released. The injuries of all six are said to be light or light-to-moderate.
Police units have been deployed to the area, and are investigating the shooting.
Police say the terrorist, a 19-year old man from the Palestinian Authority city of Shechem in Samaria, was subdued by civilians at the scene while still carrying his gun. He was then handed over to authorities.
A senior EMT who responded to the attack said the market was in "chaos" following the shootings.
"There was a riot and chaos when I arrived on the scene. I identified a 30-year old female sitting on a chair at the entrance of a store. She suffered wounds to her limbs but was fully conscious. Ten meters away, there were a male and a female in their 50s, also fully conscious, with wounds to their lower extremities. We provided them with preliminary medical treatment and quickly evacuated them to the hospital in light-moderate condition."
[youtube:2024394]
3. 'I GRABBED A CHAIR AND STOPPED THE TERRORIST'
by Yoni Kempinski
Avi Assaf, who was wounded when a terrorist opened fire in a market in Petah Tikva Thursday afternoon, described to Arutz Sheva how he chased and subdued the terrorist despite his injuries.
Six people were wounded in the terrorist attack.
"I heard shots and people shouting 'terrorist! terrorist!' The terrorist ran and I chased him for 2-3 blocks with four other people," said Assaf, who is currently being treated at Belinson Hospital in Petah Tikvah.
The terrorist entered a store for sewing machines, and Assaf followed him. "He took two screwdrivers and tried to stab me. I grabbed a chair to stop him. Somehow, he manged to stab me in the ear and neck. I had realized he was a terrorist after hearing gunshots, and I saw the terrorist's gun. Now I feel fine, thank God."
[youtube:2024403]
The gunman, a 19-year old resident of the Palestinian Authority controlled city of Shechem in Samaria, opened fire on shoppers at the entrance to the Petah Tikva market at approximately 4:40 p.m., wounding several people before charging into a sewing machine shop.
But when the terrorist attempted to open fire at those inside, his firearm jammed and he was unable to continue shooting.
At that point, the terrorist grabbed a screwdriver and began stabbing customers.
The terrorist was then subdued and handed over to police.
Six people were wounded in the attack, including three with light injuries and three more listed in moderate condition.
4. 'TIME TO CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL ARAB CONSTRUCTION'
by David Rosenberg
The overwhelming majority of Israeli Jews say Israel should do more to enforce the law against illegally built structures in the Arab sector, a new poll says.
According to a survey conducted by Tel Aviv University in conjunction with the Israel Democracy Institute's Guttman Center, 71.0% of Israeli Jews say they support the Prime Minister's push to increase enforcement of building laws against illegal construction in Arab communities.
In December, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu instructed law enforcement officials to crack down on illegal structures in Arab towns across the Galilee, Negev, and eastern Jerusalem.
"There will be no double standards regarding construction," said Netanyahu. "There will be equal enforcement of the law in Israel for both Jews and are Arabs."
The shift ends decades of lax enforcement against illegal construction in Arab communities, where demolition orders are rarely issued, much less carried out.
A month after Netanyahu ordered police to enforce building codes in Arab towns, authorities carried out a demolition of several buildings in the illegal Bedouin settlement of Umm Al-Hiran in the Negev.
During the demolition, Yakoub Al-Kiyan, an educator with ties to the southern branch of the Islamic Movement, murdered police officer Erez Levy in a ramming attack on police. Al-Kiyan was then eliminated by security forces on the scene.
While few Jewish Israelis (22.2%) doubt the police department's description of the attack, a whopping 80.1% of Israeli Arabs said they do not believe Al-Kiyan carried out a terror attack, or that Levy's death was intentional. Only 6.4% of Israeli Arabs said they believed the official version of the events at Umm Al-Hiran.
The poll also found that 37.1% of Israeli Jews favor annexing Judea and Samaria, compared to 53.4% who say they oppose annexation. Among Israeli Arabs, 15.1% said they supported annexing Judea and Samaria.
Were Israel to annex those areas, few Israeli Jews believe full citizenship should be extended to the Arab residents of Judea and Samaria. Only 24.5% said residents of the Palestinian Authority ought to be given citizenship in the case of annexation, while 29.8% said they should be given residency status – like most Arabs in eastern Jerusalem – which permits freedom of travel but does not extend the right to vote. In addition, 31.5% of Israeli Jews said PA residents should be given no new status in the case of annexation.
Israeli Jews were roughly equally divided as to whether the government should lift the partial construction freeze on Judea and Samaria now that Donald Trump has taken office.
Almost half (45.3%) said Israel should significantly expand construction across Judea and Samaria following Trump's inauguration, while 50.0% said Israel should not.
5. 'OVERNIGHT OUR HOME BECAME ILLEGAL'
by Uzi Baruch
With challenges to the recently passed law already being presented, the right-wing response to one planned appeal by leftist organizations to the Supreme Court to strike down the Regulation Law was not long in coming.
A family from the town of Nili filed a civil damages suit against the Civil Administration for one million shekels ($270,000). Several months ago the family was shocked to discover that the house which they had legally constructed was declared illegal overnight.
The couple had moved from Tel Aviv to Nili, an upper-middle class, secular town in the Binyamin region of Samaria. In 2013 they were given the rights to use a lot located within the boundaries of the town and constructed a house at a cost of 2 million shekels ($540,000).
But in March 2015, the Civil Administration used the "Blue Line" procedure on Nili, in which old maps demarcating state land in Judea and Samaria are redrawn with the precision of modern computers. The step was taken without prior notice and without contacting the families affected, and left the street on which the family's house had been legally constructed outside the boundaries of the state land, retroactively making the house illegal.
The value of the house dropped accordingly.
The family's attorney, Dr. Harel Arnon, emphasized in the suit that the Supreme Court has stated clearly in a number of prior judgments that the director of the state land administration in Judea and Samaria is liable and must take special precautions for the public regarding the allocation of land.
The suit could also have repercussions for the fate of the Regulation Law, which was passed by the Knesset this week.
The Regulation Law would allow homes allegedly constructed on private Arab land to remain and the owner to be compensated with either another plot of land or monetary compensation equalling 125% of the land's value.
Should the Supreme Court strike down the Regulation Law, the Regavim legal organization has threatened that the thousands of Israeli citizens who stand to lose their homes would bring lawsuits similar to the suit of the family from Nili against the state.
"In recent years, legal advisers and officials of the Civil Administration, have been removing land and houses in settlements which were established decades ago [from their original places within the boundaries of state lands]," Regavim said in a statement. "These measures have severely harmed the communities and the basic human rights [of the residents] and have caused tremendous economic damage to thousands of families, who built their houses legally, and which became illegal overnight. The Regulation Law provides a logical and moral [answer], and is necessary for all those home-owners and landowners."
"It is simple math. If the Regulation Law is overturned because of leftist organizations, then the state will have to pay billions of shekels in compensation to all of those who have been harmed by the egregious move of the Civil Administration."
6. ATTEMPTED TERROR ATTACK NEAR HEVRON
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A vehicle bearing Palestinian Authority license plates was used in an attempt to ram IDF soldiers in the Hevron area Friday morning.
No injuries were reported in the incident, which took place at a junction south of Hevron, near Beit Hagai.
Initial reports indicate the driver of the vehicle continued driving after failing to hit his intended victims, and fled in the direction of the Palestinian Authority village of Yatta.
The attempted attack comes less than 24 hours after an 18-year old terrorist opened fire on shoppers in the Petah Tikva market Thursday afternoon, wounding six.
7. WILL ARAB NATIONS BE PART OF TRUMP'S SOLUTION FOR PEACE?
by Gary Willig
American Middle East policy experts believe that US President Donald Trump is seeking to bring Sunni Arab states, such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, into his emerging framework for a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, according to a report by the New York Times.
According to the report, Trump's approach dovetails with that of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who believes a regional framework for peace may succeed in light of the Palestinian Authority's refusal to engage in bilateral negotiations without preconditions.
President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu are scheduled to meet for the first time since Trump took office next week.
However, the report also states that Trump has listened to requests from the leaders of the Sunni states not to engage in pro-Israel moves which could "make life harder" for them, such as moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
"There are some quite interesting ideas circulating on the potential for U.S.-Israeli-Arab discussions on regional security in which Israeli-Palestinian issues would play a significant role," said Robert Satloff, the executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "I don't know if this is going to ripen by next week, but this stuff is out there."
Netanyahu believes that Israel's closer relations with the Sunni states in recent years in light of the threats posed by the Ayatollah's regime in Iran and the ISIS terrorist organization, those states would be more willing to contribute to a regional peace settlement than in the past.
"The logic of outside-in is that because the Palestinians are so weak and divided — and because there's a new, tacit relationship between the Sunni Arabs and Israel — there's the hope the Arabs would be prepared to do more," said former Middle East peace negotiator Dennis B. Ross.
The underlying assumption of the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority was that peace between Israel and the PA would lead to peace between Israel and the wider Arab and Muslim worlds. The proposed new approach with reverse that assumption and instead seek to leverage Israel's improving relationship with Sunni Muslim states to achieve peace between Israel and the PA.
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, whom Trump appointed as Special Envoy to the Middle East, is said to be intrigued by the idea of substituting a regional framework for bilateral negotiations.
8. 'THESE DEMONSTRATORS ARE DESECRATING GOD'S NAME'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Deputy Defense Minister Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan (Jewish Home) slammed the haredi demonstrations against enlistment in the IDF which have occurred around the country this week.
Rabbi Den-Dahan criticized the 'Yerushalmi Faction', a Litvish movement led by Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach that is staunchly opposed to haredi enlistment in the IDF, for instigating the protests and riots, which have blocked roads, led to the injuries of several police officers, and led to dozens of arrests of rioters.
"There is no decree of recruitment," Rabbi Ben-Dahan told Army Radio. "Everyone who wants to study Torah can study Torah. We are talking about those who walk around the streets and do not study Torah."
Rabbi Ben-Dahan expressed his disgust with the violence at several of the demonstrations, including an incident in which a haredi soldier was attacked. "It's an attitude that shows real ingratitude. There are people who do not sleep day and night to protect you. And this is you're attitude towards them]? This is the thanks?"
"They are using the Torah to act [in a way which is] contrary to it. They are trying to sanctify God's name, but they are really desecrating God's name. [They are turning] the Torah into a tool for hurting others," Rabbi Ben-Dahan continued.
[twittervideo:2024413]
A video circulation on social media showed a soldier appearing to use pepper spray in an attempt to disperse protesters villifying him. A short time later, a demonstrator assaults the soldier, kicking him and knocking him to the ground. Other demonstrators then join in and begin hitting and kicking the soldier.
The attack continues for several moments before passersby are able to rescue the soldier. He appears to have suffered only light injuries.
MK Yehuda Glick (Likud) also condemned the violence as contrary to Torah values.
"These people are connected to a Torah that is not the same as mine. They are slandering the Torah. Of course, these are outlaws who belong behind bars for a long time," he tweeted.
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