Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
Monday, Sep. 19 '16, ט"ז באלול תשע"ו
HEADLINES:
1. ATTEMPTED TERROR ATTACK IN HEVRON - TERRORISTS NEUTRALIZED
2. WIKIPEDIA TO ERASE ENTRY ON ISRAELI TERROR VICTIM DAFNA MEIR
3. IVRI LIDER: I'LL BE HAPPY TO PERFORM IN ELKANA
4. IDF RES. MAJOR GENERAL: AZARIYA'S RIGHTS HAVE BEEN TRAMPLED ON
5. WATCH: JEWISH, ARAB DEMONSTRATORS FACE OFF IN ARAB VILLAGE
6. WITH BAN IN PLACE, GLICK PRAYS AT ENTRANCE TO TEMPLE MOUNT
7. STABBING ATTACK IN JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY
8. EXPLOSION OUTSIDE OF NEW JERSEY TRAIN STATION
1. ATTEMPTED TERROR ATTACK IN HEVRON - TERRORISTS NEUTRALIZED
by Ido Ben Porat
[youtube:2019304]
Israeli Border Police were attacked Monday afternoon outside of the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hevron by two knife-wielding Arab terrorists.
The terrorists were both shot and neutralized, however, before they could harm their intended targets.
Reports indicate that the two terrorists, residents of the city, had set out for the holy site with the intention of carrying out a terror attack on Israeli soldiers positioned at a checkpoint next to the entrance to the Tomb.
The terrorists approached several soldiers, drew their knives, and lunged at them. The soldiers immediately opened fire, however, neutralizing the attackers before they could cause harm.
One terrorist was killed on the spot, while the second was badly wounded and is in critical condition.
The attack in Hevron comes just hours after a stabbing attack in the Old City of Jerusalem left two Israeli police officers wounded – one in serious condition.
2. WIKIPEDIA TO ERASE ENTRY ON ISRAELI TERROR VICTIM DAFNA MEIR
by Yedidya Ben-Or
On Monday morning, at approximately 8 o'clock IDT, the Wikipedia Hebrew-language community finished their vote regarding whether to erase Dafna Meir's entry from the online encyclopedia.
At the end of the vote, 39 editors voted in favor of erasure, whereas only 29 voted against. Following these results, it is expected that the entry will be erased.
The discussion was initiated because one editor claimed that Wikipedia is not a memorial service, and therefore Dafna Meir does not merit a special entry in the virtual encyclopedia. According to that editor, "It does not make sense that terror victims and fallen soldiers should receive special entries and others [should] not. Since it has been decided that there is no place for memorials on Wikipedia, it is important that this article be erased."
In the course of the deliberations, a long list of reasons not to erase the article was also raised. Among them was a claim that Wikipedia does indeed have articles on various terror victims and fallen soldiers. For instance, there is a Wikipedia entry for Major Roi Klein, who died after jumping on a grenade to save his soldiers' lives.
One editor, who supported keeping the entry, argued that in her opinion Dafna Meir qualified for an entry both as a victim of a hate crime, and as a person of note. Individuals who became cultural symbols after their death, and had significant community impact during their lives, often receive special articles on Wikipedia. This editor wrote: "I personally think that Dafna Meir's life and activities also qualify her for an entry, but there is no doubt that her death, and the ramifications of the way she died, made Dafna a cultural icon and add to her importance."
Dafna Meir, 38, a nurse at Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva and mother of six, was murdered by a 16-year old knife-wielding terrorist in front of her children, at the entrance to her home in Otniel, in January of this year. She fought him fiercely, the terrorist said later, and although fatally wounded, managed to prevent him from entering the house and reaching the three children who were at home before help arrived..
3. IVRI LIDER: I'LL BE HAPPY TO PERFORM IN ELKANA
by Miriam Alster
Openly gay singer Ivri Lider responded Monday to the storm in Elkana, a predominantly religious town in Samaria, after a couple there termed him a "known deviant" and expressed their opposition to his show being held in their town next month.
"I, too, read on Walla! that I am a 'known deviant.' I want to say that this offends me, and this is not okay. It is still dumbfounding and strange to hear from people who think and speak that way, who are burned up by everyone who isn't the same as they."
Lider emphasized that he will perform as planned.
"I am sure that most of the residents of Elkana are tolerant and love music, and are waiting for the performance no less than I am. For them, I will happily come."
Ads for the performance were vandalized with the words "Desecration of [G-d's] Name" scrawled on them, presumably by those opposed to the performance.
According to the report on the website Walla!, a couple who live in the town sent an email to the entire community, describing Lider as "a known deviant."
In their message, they wrote: "How could a religious community like Elkana invite a known deviant (according to our holy Torah) to perform in our community? We don't want to be trailblazers and to become the first religious community to invite someone who is a deviant, according to the Bible, to perform in our community... This is not the way to educate our children, and certainly we cannot close our eyes to such a performance [taking place] in our community."
According to them, the event should be canceled, even though Lider has already been invited.
"It is not too late to acknowledge a tremendous error like this, and to fix it," they said.
The head of Elkana's council, Advocate Assaf Mintzer, stated that, "The 'Face to Face' festival held in Elkana is in its third year, and it was named appropriately. The festival provides interesting, quality, encounters with musicians from a variety of different backgrounds. It is held in the spirit of the Sukkot holiday, and in the festival's tradition of featuring guests who shed light on every individual and work to unite Israel."
Mintzer added that, "Music is a wondrous way to connect people; it is a common language. Any criticism on the basis of politics or personal preferences, whether in our case or any other, is fundamentally illegitimate. This is exactly the same as our disapproval of certain communities' refusal to host Ariel Zilber. The only [difference] was that he is religious and has a different political bent."
In Mintzer's words, "Artisans at the level of Ivri Lider and Hanan Ben-Ari honor us with their presence. The residents of Elkana and the surrounding towns will respect each other when they arrive en masse to the performance, as the ticket sales are demonstrating."
Homosexual relations are termed an "abomination" (toeva) in the Torah and absolutely forbidden to both Jews and non-Jews. The word "soteh" used by those against Lider can be translated in modern Hebrew as a "deviant' or as a "pervert" depending on context. The Torah does not command putting a person who is attracted to the same sex outside the pale, but it does not give any leeway to condone acting on that attraction, certainly not for openly conducting an alternative lifestyle. The issue of how to deal with people leading such lifestyles is a controversial one in today's Orthodox world, as opposed to the lifestyle itself, which is condemned.
4. IDF RES. MAJOR GENERAL: AZARIYA'S RIGHTS HAVE BEEN TRAMPLED ON
by Shlomo Pyotrovsky
On Monday, Major-General (res.) and former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Uzi Dayan, who also headed the National Security Council, took the witness stand in Elor Azariya's court case, as a witness for the defense.
Elor Azariya, an IDF soldier, is currently on trial for manslaughter after shooting a wounded Arab terrorist in Hevron in March. The soldier claimed he feared the terrorist, who was dressed too warmly for the weather that day, was hiding explosives under his clothes.
The defense submitted Dayan's opinion, in writing, to the military court, and immediately afterwards, the prosecution began their cross-examination.
At the beginning of his testimony, Dayan claimed that Azaria's case should not have been investigated by the military police investigator, since they do not have the tools to investigate an operational event.
The former Deputy Chief of Staff said, "Elor Azariya's rights to a presumption of innocence have clearly been trampled on. We are a law-abiding country. I don't know if Azariya committed a crime or not, and I am not interested in dealing with the question of what happened there."
"I submitted my opinion because I am concerned about what is happening, and about what will happen in the future. I am concerned about how this [incident] affects soldiers on the ground, and how it harms the IDF. Every day like this that passes, causes great harm to the IDF," Dayan emphasized.
The prosecution, Attorney Nadav Weisman, interrogated Dayan regarding this claim that as general commanding officer (GOC), he did not allow the military police investigator to investigate incidents before a military debriefing was held. The prosecution argued that Dayan had, in fact, allowed the military police investigator to open an investigation immediately following an event in Tarqumiya.
Dayan responded that events should not unfold this way, but [it is correct] that the authority to order an investigation is in the hands of the MIlitary Advocate General.
Regarding the military debriefing of Azariya's case, and the fact that Azariya himself did not participate in the debriefing, Dayan said, "If this is true, it casts a shadow on the debriefing. This is relevant, because it raises the question of how the case ended up in a criminal court."
According to Dayan, "Even if a soldier made a mistake, we do not take him to criminal court, unless there is a good reason to do so. A good reason? Proof that he acted with malice aforethought."
Later, Dayan asked that the case be closed, and a plea bargain be struck with Azariya.
"It's not too late to make a plea bargain. The damage that will be caused to both sides if this case is continued, will be even greater than what has been caused until now," he said.
In response to questioning, Dayan explained that he had given orders to shoot terrorists, even when they did not pose an immediate threat.
"If you [were to] ask me if terrorists should be sentenced to death - [then the answer is] yes," Dayan concluded.
5. WATCH: JEWISH, ARAB DEMONSTRATORS FACE OFF IN ARAB VILLAGE
by Yoni Kempinski
Activists from the right-wing Otzma Yehudit party marched on the Arab Israeli town of Ara on Monday as part of a protest against the family of terrorist Nasha'at Melhem.
Melhem, who murdered three and wounded seven in Tel Aviv this January, was a native of Ara and was aided in his flight from authorities by residents.
Monday's protest, which began on the outskirts of Ara, will culminate in a demonstration in front of the home of Melhem's parents.
As Otzma Yehudit activists neared the town, Arab counter-protesters confronted the demonstrators, though police maintained distance between the two groups.
6. WITH BAN IN PLACE, GLICK PRAYS AT ENTRANCE TO TEMPLE MOUNT
by Shlomo Pyotrovsky
Temple Mount activist and Likud MK Yehuda Glick arrived Monday morning at the Cotton Merchants' Gate of the Temple Mount, but was barred from approaching the entrance to the holy site..
As he approached the gate, the MK was to halt by police managing at the scene. Glick obeyed the officer's orders, remaining outside of the gate, where he prayed. Glick broadcast the event live on Facebook.
Shortly after the visit to the Old City, Glick responded to reports that he had attempted to ascend the Mount, calling the claims "baseless".
"Recently, some things have been falsely publicized in my name. Just as I clearly stated when I entered the Knesset, I am a law-abiding person and will not violate orders, and I therefore have no intention whatsoever to violate the Prime Minister's… order banning MKs from the Temple Mount. The report that I attempted to enter the Mount today is utterly baseless."
Glick's visit outside of the Mount came after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's recent decision to bar Knesset Members and ministers from the holy site. On Sunday, Glick responded, declaring he would not accept such a restriction for long.
"As long as it is the directive, I will of course honor it," said Glick. "But it's very saddening that because of the incitement against the state and agitation to violence by some Arab MKs, every Knesset Member has to pay the price."
Despite his pledge to adhere to the order, Glick emphasized that such obedience would not continue indefinitely.
"That being said, if this order continues for an extended period, I may be forced to consider acting against the decision. I won't rule out any legal action – public, political, or judicial."
7. STABBING ATTACK IN JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY
by David Rosenberg
[video:2019290]
[youtube:2019291]
Two Israelis were wounded Monday morning in a terror attack in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Initial reports indicate the two were stabbed near Herod's Gate, and that the attacker has been neutralized.
Both of the victims have been identified as police officers. One, a 38-year old female officer, is in serious condition.
The second victim, a 45-year old male officer, is in moderate condition.
MDA emergency response teams arrived on the scene and provided first aid to the wounded before evacuating them to local hospitals. The female officer was transported to Shaarei Tzedek Hospital, while the male officer is being treated in Hadassah Ein Karem.
A representative from Shaarei Tzedek, Dr. Ofer Marin, said the female victim was very seriously injured, noting that she had been stabbed in the neck.
The Arab attacker, a 20-year old resident of the capital, was shot during the course of the attack and is in critical condition.
According to a statement released by the police, the terrorist followed the two officers from Damascus Gate, drawing his knife when he closed in on his victims near Herod's Gate.
The terrorist stabbed the two officers in the upper body repeatedly.
The male officer managed to open fire in the midst of the attack, shooting and neutralizing the terrorist.
Monday's attack comes after a string of terror attacks in recent days, following weeks of relative quiet.
Half a dozen terror attacks have taken place since Friday, including a terrorist infiltration into the town of Efrat. A 30-year old IDF reserve officer was stabbed in the ensuing attack and sustained moderate injuries.
8. EXPLOSION OUTSIDE OF NEW JERSEY TRAIN STATION
by David Rosenberg
[youtube:2019295]
Witnesses say an explosion was heard outside of a train station in New Jersey Monday morning, after a suspicious object was discovered in a nearby trash can.
Police say two men had called to notify them regarding a suspicious package that had been placed in a trash can just outside of the train station, saying that a pipe and wires were conspicuously sticking out of the bag.
FBI and local authorities had sealed off the area when an explosion was heard. It is unclear if the explosion was controlled, with conflicting reports from the City of Elizabeth.
A spokesperson for Mayor Christian Bollwage claimed the blast was controlled, but Mayor Bollwage later contradicted this claim, saying the explosive pack had detonated on its own.
He added that a major catastrophe had been averted, and that given the size of the explosive device, it could have "certainly killed or injured many."
The incident comes after a weekend of bombings in New York and New Jersey. On Saturday night, an explosive device wounded 29 in Manhattan. In New Jersey, a pipe bomb exploded, and a stash of additional bombs discovered.
While no arrests have been made, the FBI has detained five individuals for questioning in connection to the bombings.
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
