Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
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Tuesday, Mar. 15 '16, Adar Bet 5, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. MANHUNT UNDERWAY AFTER STABBING ATTEMPT AT SDE DOV AIRPORT
2. HOW THE EU USES 'DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY' TO GRAB ISRAELI LAND
3. POLICE ACCUSED OF BEATING STUDENTS DURING RAID ON YESHIVA
4. PROFILE: WHO WAS ISIS'S 'DEFENSE MINISTER'?
5. IDF ACCUSED OF UNFAIRLY TARGETING PATRIOTIC RABBI
6. FIVE YEARS SINCE THE FOGEL FAMILY MASSACRE
7. NJ TOWN COMES TOGETHER IN FEAR OF HAREDI 'INVASION'
8. MUSLIM TEMPLE MOUNT HATE PREACHER FINALLY JAILED
1. MANHUNT UNDERWAY AFTER STABBING ATTEMPT AT SDE DOV AIRPORT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Authorities have received reports of an attempted stabbing by Sde Dov Airport, near Tel Aviv.
Police say that they do not believe the attack was related to terror.
A suspicious man drove up to the bus station at the entrance to the Air Force base, get out of his car and tried to start up a conversation with a soldier. As the he approached, he drew a knife.
The soldier escaped injury, and the attacker fled the scene.
Police are searching the area for the perpetrator.
Security forces are reportedly concentrating their search in Tel Aviv's Ramat Aviv neighborhood.
Mako reports that authorities have told a number of Tel Aviv schools not to allow children to leave the school grounds without a parent.
The Air Force has a military base slightly west of the civilian airport. The civilian airport is continuing to function as normal and there are no changes to flights.
2. HOW THE EU USES 'DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY' TO GRAB ISRAELI LAND
by Matt Wanderman
The European Union avoids lawsuits over its funding illegal construction for Arabs in Judea and Samaria by hiding behind diplomatic immunity, the UK's Daily Mail has revealed.
The EU's meddling was first publicized by the organization Regavim, which shared pictures of EU flags in areas that were assigned to Israel in the Oslo Accords.
According to the report, whenever Regavim tried to sue the European Union for its misconduct, the EU would dismiss the charges by claiming it had diplomatic immunity.
Newly published documents show that the EU spends tens of millions of Euros from public funds to build illegal settlements and roads for Palestinians within the designated Israeli sections of Judea and Samaria. The documents outright state that the construction is designed to "pave the way" for Palestinians to take control of more land.
Illegal Arab buildings in Area C Ari Briggs, Regavim CEO
The European Union does not deny its actions, nor that they violated the Oslo Accords. Instead, a spokesperson tried to justify them by claiming that they are "in accordance with the humanitarian imperative" and the body's belief that all of Judea and Samaria should be "part of any viable future Palestinian state."
"All EU activity in the West Bank is fully in line with international humanitarian law," she said. "Under international law Israel also has the obligation to protect and facilitate development for the local population, and to grant unimpeded access for humanitarian assistance."
According to the Oslo agreement, Judea and Samaria were divided into three sections, known as A, B and C. The Palestinian Authority was given civil and security control of Area A, only civil control of Area B, and Area C remained under Israeli control. Despite this, the EU has illegally paid for over a thousand buildings for Palestinians in Area C.
Plans for illegal construction Ari Briggs, Regavim CEO
Israel regularly destroys the illegal constructions, but the EU continues to send more taxpayer money to rebuild them.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has pointed out that "When we take down these illegal constructions, we are then again condemned, so it's a Catch-22... This is a clear attempt to create political realities... I think we need to re-set our relationship with the EU."
Regavim CEO Ari Briggs says, "The EU is attempting to establish a de-facto Palestinian State on Israeli territory, with mountains of European taxpayers' money.
"They act as if they are above the law and are now attempting to hide behind diplomatic immunity. These actions would not be acceptable anywhere else on Earth, and the EU must be held accountable."
Illegal construction in Area C Ari Briggs, Regavim CEO
The organization has also noted that Article 41 of the Vienna Convention, which covers diplomatic immunity, stipulates that diplomats are forbidden from "[interfering] in the internal affairs of that State."
Some NGOs, including B'Tselem and Oxfam, have taken the EU's side. They argue that it is legitimate for the EU to encourage illegally building because Palestinians are often unable to receive building permits in Area C. Yet these same groups regularly decry any attempts to accommodate Jewish growth in Judea and Samaria.
The report has raised ire in the UK. "It is deeply concerning that the EU falls back on diplomatic immunity after breaking planning regulations," British MP Jacob Rees-Mogg told the Daily Mail. "Diplomatic immunity is there to protect envoys from unjust treatment, not to protect the high-handed behavior of arrogant bureaucracies."
He added that "the EU maintains that it is based on fundamental principles of rule of law and support for democracy. But when this clashes with its bureaucratic bungling, neither rule of law nor democracy seem important."
"No wonder the EU think they're above the law. They are untouchable," said Conservative MP Andrew Percy, adding that the revelation suggests that the EU is "undermining the Oslo Accords" and "damaging attempts at peace."
3. POLICE ACCUSED OF BEATING STUDENTS DURING RAID ON YESHIVA
by Yedidya Ben Or
Students at the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva in the community of Yitzhar claim that they were subjected to severe violence by riot police, the Israel Security Agency (ISA, also known as the Shin Bet) and Israel Police during a raid on the yeshiva around 3:00 a.m. this morning (Tuesday).
The legal defense organization Honenu is representing the youths and reports that one local minor was arrested in his home and two students arrested in the yeshiva.
Two of the detainees were released unconditionally this morning, after they were questioned on suspicion of having been involved in two confrontations with Arabs. The pair denied the accusations.
The third suspect, who claims that he was beaten after violated the police instructions by leaving his room, was released in the afternoon. A court ordered him to stay out of Samaria for the next three days. He is suspected of attacking the four riot police who arrested him.
The students and yeshiva staff say that the police acted brutally and for no clear reason. "It seemed like the raid's goal was to annoy us."
According to witnesses, the police refused to show a warrant but still entered the rooms, woke the students and confiscated all of the phones and cameras they saw. The students believe that the confiscations were intended to prevent anyone from recording what occurred.
Afterwards the officers carried out a comprehensive search. Witnesses say they overturned the contents of closets and personal property without discrimination and even threw the boys' bedding on the floor.
Two students who left their rooms were ordered to return to them. Even though they complied, a riot police officer knocked them to the floor.
Another student was beaten for allegedly not listening to the officers' orders not to leave his room during the raid. He says that several officers punched him.
The Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva says that it views the officers' conduct as a "hate crime." The injured students intend to submit complaints to the Police Investigations Unit and are considering the possibility of filing a personal civil suit against the violent officers. "The yeshiva students continue to learn Torah happily. Through much love of Israel, we hope that the police and the riot police will come out of their confusion and return to their true work - eradicating the murderous Arab terror that runs rampant all through the country."
4. PROFILE: WHO WAS ISIS'S 'DEFENSE MINISTER'?
by Serene Assir and Rouba El Husseini
A fierce, battle-hardened warlord with roots in Georgia and a thick red beard, Omar al-Shishani was one of the most notorious faces of the Islamic State jihadist group.
On Monday, the Pentagon confirmed that Shishani - whose real name is Tarkhan Batirashvili - died after being wounded in a US-led coalition strike in northeastern Syria earlier this month.
US officials previously said Shishani "likely died" in the strike, but reports surfaced that he had survived.
On Monday, Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, told AFP the US military now believed "he subsequently died of his injuries" following the strike.
Shishani, whose nom de guerre means Omar the Chechen, was one of the IS leaders most wanted by Washington which put a $5 million bounty on his head.
US officials had branded Shishani the "equivalent of the secretary of defense" for the jihadist group.
Shishani came from the ex-Soviet state of Georgia's Pankisi Gorge region, which is populated mainly by ethnic Chechens.
He fought as a Chechen rebel against Russian forces before joining the Georgian military in 2006, and fought Russian forces again in Georgia in 2008.
He resurfaced in northern Syria in 2012 as the leader of a battalion of foreign fighters, said Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, research fellow at the Middle East Forum, a US think-tank.
As early as May 2013, when IS was just emerging in Syria, he was appointed the group's military commander for the north of the country, Tamimi said.
While Shishani's exact rank was unclear, Richard Barrett of the US-based Soufan Group described him as IS's "most senior military commander", adding that he had been in charge of key battles.
"He is clearly a very capable commander and has the loyalty of Chechen fighters who are considered by ISIS as elite troops," Barrett told AFP, using another acronym for IS.
Shishani was not however a member of IS's political leadership, a structure that is even murkier than its military command.
Born to Christian father
A profile of Shishani written by an IS supporter and posted online described him as "one of the best strategic and tactical leaders".
He was born in 1986 to a Christian father and a Muslim mother, according to the text, which claims he "never lost any of his battles".
In an indication of Shishani's popularity among jihadist sympathizers, the text describes him as "the new Khalid Ibn al-Walid" - a reference to a leader from the early days of Islam who played a crucial role in spreading the nascent religion in Syria and Iraq via the sword.
Observers, however, downplayed Shishani's importance.
"He was a fierce fighter," according to Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the Syrian conflict.
"He would be sent to frontlines across IS-held territory," he said.
Still, Abdel Rahman said the impact of Shishani's death would be minimal.
"It won't have an actual impact on the battlefield. There are many other leaders," he said.
"IS chooses which faces to make known in the media - while it conceals the real leaders."
5. IDF ACCUSED OF UNFAIRLY TARGETING PATRIOTIC RABBI
by Ido Ben-Porat
Rabbi David Stav, the head of the rabbinical organization Tzohar, says that he is troubled by Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon's (Likud) instructions that the IDF not cooperate with Har Bracha Rabbi Eliezer Melamed.
"During these days I wish to embrace Rabbi Eliezer Melamed," wrote Rabbi Stav on his Facebook page. "Even though we don't always agree. Rabbi Melamed, whom I have known since we studied together at Yeshivat Merkaz Harav 40 years ago, is a great scholar and so he has the right and the obligation to express his opinion. Yes, even when someone in the military does not like them."
Rabbi Melamed was an outspoken critic of the 2005 Disengagement from Gaza and encouraged soldiers to disobey orders that went against their religious beliefs. In 2009, then-Defense Minister Ehud Barak ended the hesder program at the Har Bracha yeshiva, an order which lasted until Ya'alon permitted it to reopen in 2013.
More recently, he weighed in on the controversy over religious soldiers being forced to listen to women singing. The issue came to prominence in 2012, when about 100 yeshiva students signed a letter demanding exemptions from forced events that involve women singing, as it conflicts with their religious beliefs.
Rabbi Melamed encouraged his students to put off their enlistments until the IDF granted the request. At the same time, he strongly emphasized the importance of serving in the military and giving back to the country.
Rabbi Stav argued that the IDF is unreasonably targeting Rabbi Melamed, as it does not issue similar injunctions against the numerous haredi and left-wing figures who speak against the military.
"I have not heard the Defense Minister dare say such things about rabbis who incessantly preach against serving in the IDF. I have not heard the army ban meeting with haredi rabbis. I have not heard them ban meeting with intellectuals who speak against the IDF's actions."
He closed by asking, "Would they also ban IDF officers from meeting them? Or does the ban only affect a rabbi who educates his students to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the IDF and the state?"
6. FIVE YEARS SINCE THE FOGEL FAMILY MASSACRE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
On March 11, 2011, terrorists entered the community of Itamar and murdered five members of the Fogel family in their sleep. Ruth Fogel's parents have written a letter in memory of the loss:
"Five years ago, the ground shook and the skies opened: The Creator ordered and welcomed the pure souls of five members of the same family -- father and mother, two sons and a three-month-old baby.
"Since that year's Parshat Vayikra, we have carried the weight of the Fogel family's memories on our poor shoulders. For five years we have known: There is a time to weep and, thanks to the children who remain, also a time to laugh.
"Sadly, many names have been added to the memorial plaque, all of them with beautiful faces and kind eyes - and an evil hand holding a knife continued to cut down happy souls.
"We have been privileged to feel kind embraces and encouraging words during the painful times. Buildings of stone and homes full of life have been named after our dear children. Babies have been called Ehud and Ruth, Yoav, Elad and Hadas...
"The Prime Minister takes little Yishai on his lap, the IDF Chief of Staff offers candies and an entire country sends letter. The People of Israel, schooled in agony, is on its feet and says, without words and with much action, that we must keep the hope alive.
"The way is long and difficult, but we cannot give up our faith because we truly want what's best. We will not give up on the vision or on the dream. We wish to thank all those who shared in our sorrow and all those who have showered us with love.
"Yehuda and Tali Ben Yishai, the parents of Ruth Fogel hy"d"
The massacre victims included the parents, Ehud and Ruth, 11-year-old Yoav, 4-year-old Elad and three-month-old Hadas. Three other siblings survived; two (one six years old and one two) were asleep in the house at the time of the attack, while 12-year-old Tamar was out with a youth group. It was Tamar who alerted authorities after coming home and finding the grizzly scene.
Two people from the nearby Palestinian village of Awarta later confessed to the crime. They were convicted of murder, stealing weapons, breaking and entering, and conspiracy.
7. NJ TOWN COMES TOGETHER IN FEAR OF HAREDI 'INVASION'
by Matt Wanderman
The residents of a New Jersey town are concerned that a haredi "invasion" will soon take over their neighborhoods.
As the predominantly-Orthodox town of Lakewood continues to grow, some of its residents are looking to new homes, including in nearby Toms River. Mayor Thomas Kelaher, however, is leading an effort to show the haredim that they would not be welcome.
Kelaher told Bloomberg that residents have been complaining about "highly annoying, suspicious and creepy" realtors trying to purchase their homes. He claims they threaten homeowners that the area will be completely bought out and there will be no more non-Orthodox neighbors.
Toms River and Lakewood have similar populations, both a little under 100,000, though Lakewood's smaller size causes it to be over four times as crowded.
"It's like an invasion," said Kelaher. "It's the old throwback to the 1960s, when blockbusting happened in Philadelphia and Chicago with the African-American community -- 'I want to buy your house. You'll be sorry if you don't.' It scares the hell out of people."
The state director of Agudath Israel of America, Rabbi Avi Schnall, acknowledges that some of the realtors "are overly aggressive and making a bad name for the others," but also added that the "extent of the anger" against haredim runs deep in the surrounding towns.
Many of the opponents are gathering under a social media group called Toms River Strong to encourage their neighbors not to sell to haredim. The group's founder, Michael Dedominicis, says that the members are not anti-Semitic, but rather that they fear the newcomers would cause a decline in standards, mentioning his fear of overcrowded houses, piles of garbage on the street, and cars left on the lawns. He also suggests that the haredim would abuse the taxpayers' money.
8. MUSLIM TEMPLE MOUNT HATE PREACHER FINALLY JAILED
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A Muslim preacher who incited the murder of Jews during a series of anti-Semitic lectures on the Temple Mount has been sentenced to 11 months in jail.
Jerusalem District Court sentenced Khaled al-Mughrabi for fomenting racist and religious hatred against Jews so as to spur attacks against them in his bi-weekly sermons. The sermons came to light after the Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) organization posted translated footage from several of his rants.
An indictment against the hate preacher was initially approved by former Israeli Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein late last year.
The indictment accused al-Mughrabi of aiming via his sermons to encourage racist attitudes towards Jews, to incite violence against them and to foment hatred on the basis of race, religion and nationality. It further stated that he fully intended for his words to be translated into violent action, in the form of terrorist attacks against Israeli security forces and Jewish civilians.
[youtube:2009477]
The Honenu legal rights organization, which filed the indictment against al-Mughrabi, praised the successful conviction and jailing of the hate preacher.
"We welcome this verdict, which will see a Muslim Sheikh who repeatedly incited against Jews behind bars," the organization said in a statement.
"Unfortunately, only our involvement and the lodging of repeated complaints on the basis of material exposed by the Palestinian Media Watch organization, and even an appeal to the Attorney General and Jerusalem District Prosecutor, led the authorities to (finally) deal with Mughrabi," it continued, while lamenting that there were still "many just like him" inciting terrorism against Jews with apparent impunity.
But while Honenu's tireless work lobbying the Israeli legal system bore fruit, its efforts to persuade YouTube to take down videos of the sermons went ignored.
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