If you cannot see this email properly, please click here | |
 י"א בתשרי תשע"ח / Sunday, Oct. 01 '17 Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report -http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe Headlines
1. 'The most important thing is to oppose a two-state solution'by Hezki Baruch Minister Ofer Akunis (Likud) spoke this morning with Arutz Sheva about increasing reports of a US initiative for the renewal of negotiations between Israel and the PA that is to be presented soon. “We are receiving reports about the desire of our friends in the US to renew diplomatic negotiations,” he said. “I think that the most important thing that we need to be adamant about until a US document is revealed is to present a position which many in the political and public sectors in Israel share: decisive opposition to the two-state solution.” “It’s not just the attack last week, it’s not just the attacks in past years,” he added. “The two-state solution will not bring peace - it will distance it. It is a solution that will bring about a terror state in the heart of Israel.” Okunis also addressed the upcoming meeting expected this week between PA and Hamas leadership. “My position is clear: Abbas is not a partner. He is among the main inciters against the State of Israel in every international forum and inside the PA. His meeting with Hamas is further proof of this, and the fact that he did not condemn the attack in Har Adar and other attacks is additional proof.” “Our policy is contingent. We agree to talk without preconditions. If the PA thinks that it can force the two-state solution on us through the Americans, they are greatly mistaken.” 2. Drunken man enters Yom Kippur prayers with pistol drawnby Michal Levi A man entered Yeshivat Hanegev in Netivot in southern Israel on the eve of Yom Kippur as the Kol Nidrei prayer was underway - drunk and holding a pistol in his hand. The three hundred students at the institute for Jewish religious study began to flee the scene, and police were alerted. Eyewitnesses said the attacker wore a black undershirt and was wearing a sun hat. They described the chaotic spectacle. “All the worshipers ran outside. For an instant, it seemed like a terror attack that had been planned for Yom Kippur. People were almost trampled as they scrambled to get outside. Women started crying. There was, for an instant, a feeling of death. It took some time before it became clear that we were dealing with a mentally unstable person.” Police arrived at the scene and detained the man for investigation. 3. Meet the Skunkby Mordechai Sones Holiday season is considered a tense time vis-a-vis security which is expressed, among other things, in violent Arab disturbances in Judea and Samaria. For this reason, IDF forces remain constantly vigilant to maintain order in sensitive areas. They repeatedly practice possible scenarios equipped with riot-control gear, but in recent years another significant tool has made coping with disturbances much easier. "In 2011 an incident took place in the village of Majdal Shams in the north, an event that for us changed everything," says Warrant Officer Sgt. Shimon Zino, commander of the driving school at the Central Command's training base. "More than 8,000 Syrians reached the border and broke through the fence. IDF forces rushed with jeeps to the area of commotion, but there were so many of them that our fighters found it difficult to disperse them." After that challenging day, at the end of which the forces managed to push the crowd back through the border gates, Zino's commander ordered him to find a new solution that would soundly decide the next skirmish. "I went to a short training course at the IDF's Experimentation and Quality Assurance Unit," he remembered. "We carried out an experiment there - we took a Rio truck, a large and fairly old army truck, and we put three tanks on it, each of which can hold about 2,200 liters of liquid, which can be fired from the vehicle via a canon which protrudes from its top." [video:2033484] "In one of the experiments, we took armored vehicles of the David type and shot at it with the Rio," recalls Zino. "The water jet was so forceful that it dented the armored vehicle's metal. We understood that this was a particularly powerful tool, so we also limited the allowed firing range to a distance of only 100 meters." To ensure that forces do not violate this rule, emphasizes Zino, a camera was installed above the cannon to document the cannon's use, thus ensuring it not be used in a life-threatening manner. "We soon realized that if we only fired water hoses at rioters, it would cause them to flee, but they would soon return, and that would not deter them in the long term," he explains. Therefore, Sgt. Zino thought of a creative solution; special material was added to the water: "The smell is unbearable," he says, "Those who smell it are simply unable to stay there." Because of the horrendous smell, the car was even dubbed the "Skunk". "The liquid we use does not endanger the rioter's health, but the smell it leaves in the air causes them nausea, dizziness, and vomiting, to the extent that they simply retreat on their own initiative and are unable to return to the place," explains Sgt. Zino. "I remember that after we introduced the Skunk for operational use in 2011, we arrived at a major disturbance in Beit Omar, the rioters literally blocked the road, but 10 minutes from the time the tool went into operation, not a single rioter was left in the zone." In the exercise, fighters showed Michael Oriya of the IDF website how they deal with disturbances: They threw teargas grenades, stun grenades, rubber bullets at cardboard targets, and then the vehicles entered the fray. "Today in IDF service there are two vehicles that operate this water jet system," notes Zino. According to him, the first is the "Rio" truck, which contains 6,600 liters of liquid. The second is the Mechonit Hataza, or "Water Jet Vehicle", which came into use about two years ago. Although it contains a very small amount of liquid compared to the Rio, it has great agility and maneuverability, enabling it to disperse disturbances even in narrow alleyways and crowded streets. "Both vehicles are capable of firing up to 300 meters," continues Zino, who also states that the man who operates the cannon is a fighter seated next to the driver. "It is important to note that the smell of the Skunk is also well-discernable in the driver's cabin, so both soldiers operating the vehicle are equipped with special gear that includes impermeable clothing and custom masks to prevent them from inhaling the noxious fumes." Soldiers practiced driving the vehicles on difficult terrain, and devised complex scenarios such as navigating their way out of an Arab village under the cover of night, or traveling alongside stone barrages and firebombs thrown from all sides - a common occurrence in Judea and Samaria. "We are the only unit in the IDF that trains fighters from all sectors, especially Judea and Samaria, to use the water projectile vehicles, so we are aware that training is critical, especially before the holidays," says Major Zino. "We will make sure that the fighters and the vehicles are at the peak of their operational readiness and prepared for every mission demanded of them." 4. Nasrallah threatens Israel from his bunkerby Ido ben Porat Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah spoke this morning from the bunker in which he is currently taking refuge and threatened war against Israel. According to the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar, Nasrallah addressed Israeli citizens, telling them that “The Netanyahu government is leading your nation to destruction. Don’t allow a foolish government to sweep you along with it.” According to Nasrallah, “ Netanyahu and his government don’t know if they have started a war and how they will finish it. They have no true picture of reality; if they did, they wouldn’t proceed to this folly of war.” Nasrallah also called on “Non-Zionist Jews” “to separate themselves from the Zionists, who are leading themselves to unpreventable destruction. I call on all those who came to occupied Palestine to leave and return to the countries from which they came, so as not to serve as fuel for the war that your foolish government will wage.” Housing Minister Yoav Galant (Kulanu) said in response, “Nasrallah is a dead man. We will take off the kid gloves in the next confrontation. Nasrallah speaks from his bunker with good reason. If he makes a mistake and starts a war, we will throw Lebanon back into the Stone Age.” 5. Border Police officers save Arab manby Hevron Israeli Border Police on Thursday treated a Palestinian Arab man who fainted in Hevron's Cave of the Patriarchs (Mearat Hamachpela). Border Police officers arriving at the scene immediately noticed an unconscious Palestinian Arab man in his 30s. The team's paramedic immediately began providing medical treatment, causing the Palestinian Arab to regain consciousness. His condition improved shortly thereafter. The Border Police officers also called the Red Crescent, who sent an ambulance which arrived after the victim's condition had stabilized. "This is not the first time Border Police officers and paramedics were called on to provide medical treatment to a Palestinian Arab," a Border Police spokesperson said. "Our officers provided medical treatment and will continue to do so, regardless of the victim's religion, race, or sex." 6. Netanyahu denies Turkish claim of involvement in Kurdish voteby AFP AFP - Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday denied Turkish claims of covert involvement in Iraqi Kurdistan's recent independence vote, reiterating however his "sympathy" for the Kurdish people. On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Israel's intelligence agency played a role in the September 25 referendum, citing as proof the waving of Israeli flags during celebrations for the overwhelming"yes" victory. "This shows one thing, that this administration [in northern Iraq] has a history with Mossad, they are hand-in-hand together," Erdogan said in a televised speech. Speaking at the start of his weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu noted Turkey's support for the Islamist Hamas movement which rules Gaza, before denying Erdogan's charge. "I can understand why those who support Hamas want to see the Mossad wherever things don't work out for them," Netanyahu said in remarks relayed by his office. "But Israel had no part in the Kurdish referendum, aside from the deep, natural and years-long sympathy of the Jewish people to the Kurdish people and its aspirations," he said. Israel has been the only country to openly support Kurdish independence, with Netanyahu backing "the legitimate efforts of the Kurdish people to attain a state of its own." Turkey fiercely opposed the referendum and has threatened sanctions against the region, reflecting its worries about its own sizeable Kurdish minority. 7. 'Time to strengthen Hevron'by Hezki Baruch Minister of Environmental Protection, Ze'ev Elkin (Likud), addressed the Prime Minister on Sunday morning and raised the issue of building in Hevron as a possible response to the PA’s acceptance to Interpol. “Construction in Hevron must continue and intensify," Science Minister Ofir Akunis (Likud) said, "Hevron is the city of the forefathers of the Jewish people, where our story began. There is nothing preventing, and there should be no impediment to, building in all parts of the city of Hevron under Israel's control. " Minister Ayoob Kara (Likud) also joined the calls to strengthen building in Hevron. "I am in favor of strengthening building everywhere in the Land of Israel. He who doesn’t build doesn’t stake roots," he said, adding that "Hevron is the city of our forefathers. Nothing is more important than its construction in order to demonstrate our connection to it." [video:2033489] 8. Spain attempts to thwart Catalan referendumby Arutz Sheva Staff A referendum is intended to take place today in the region of Catalonia is Spain over Catalan independence. The referendum is being held according to the decision of Catalan leadership, and faces opposition from the Spanish government. The Spanish constitutional court has ruled that the referendum is illegal. Residents of the region lined up at polling stations overnight to ensure that the stations indeed opened this morning, but it appears that the Spanish government is set on preventing the referendum from taking place. In the past hour there are reports emerging from the Catalan capital of Barcelona that Spanish police have started closing polling stations in order to put a stop to the referendum. Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, who supports a Catalan separation from Spain, said earlier that if the referendum saw a majority of “yes” votes, he would declare an independent Catalonia within 48 hours. Earlier polls had indicated that a majority of Catalans do not support independence. Nevertheless, the Spanish government is not ready to recognize the legitimacy of the referendum by any means. [youtube:2033481] Although Philip the Great conquered Catalonia in the War of Spanish Succession in 1714, the Catalans refused to accept the change in status and were finally granted a short-lived national government in 1931, during a period of Spanish democracy. General Francisco Franco reconquered the region, murdering and exiling thousands in 1938, but a certain amount of autonomy was restored in 1977. Catalonia is the industrial heartland of Spain, its center for trade in goods finance and hi-tech, and accounting for 18.8pc of Spanish GDP, compared to 17.6pc from Madrid. Secession would therefore cost Spain almost 20 per cent of its economic output. And that is without taking into account the loss of the Barcelona football team. Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report - http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe | |
|
