April 6, 2018
Israeli UAV fires on armed terrorist at Gaza border
An armed Palestinian man was killed by an Israeli air strike as he approached the Gaza border fence on Thursday (5th), the Israel Defense Forces said.
Palestinians are expected to resume massing along the Gaza security fence Friday (6th).
(jpost.com)
Israel warns of ecological damage as Gazans prepare to burn tens of thousands of tires at border – Tovah Lazaroff
Palestinians plan to engulf the Gaza border with smoke and flames from thousands of burning tires on Friday (6th), according to a Gaza source. Videos on social media showed hundreds of tires that have already been gathered.
In an Arabic post on Facebook, Maj. Gen Yoav Mordechai, the coordinator of government activities in the territories warned, “It’s the people of Gaza who will be strangled by black smoke.” He warned that the smoke is carcinogenic and harmful to the respiratory and immune systems. Mordechai also wrote a letter asking the World Health Organization to intervene, saying he feared the burning tires could cause an ecological disaster by poisoning plants and animals.
(jpost.com)
COGAT: ‘Hamas coerces bus companies to ferry rioters to protests’
Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai commented on the manner in which Hamas is purportedly strong-arming executives of local bus companies to ferry rioters and terrorists to participate in border protests.
“In a talk a COGAT officer held with a representative of a bus company from the Strip, a horrifying sequence of events emerged. There were threats, arrests, impounding and even the sending of Hamas-affiliated drivers to force bus companies to bring rioters to violent clashes near the border with Israel,” Mordechai said.
(ynetnews.com)
Hamas pays families of killed, wounded protesters
As “compensation,”Hamas is paying the families of Palestinians killed or wounded during the violent protests at the Israel-Gaza border, the terror group announced Thursday (5th).
Families of killed protesters, many of whom are terrorists, will received $3,000, families of those seriously wounded will get $500, and $200 will be given to those moderately wounded.
(worldisraelnews.com)
The anguish of the Palestinians – Tarek Fatah
The anguish of the Palestinian people seems to be a never-ending tragedy. Abandoned by their Arab neighbors Egypt, Jordan and Syria, and betrayed by the short-sightedness of their own divided leadership, they have slid further into the arms of Iran-backed Hamas and its cult of celebratory martyrdom as the ultimate honor.
Gaza could have been a Mediterranean paradise with mile after mile of beaches that could have turned the territory into an example of Palestinian ingenuity. Instead Gaza became a laboratory of Islamic extremism where leaders of the Palestinian Authority were tortured, assassinated, thrown off the roofs of buildings, and adversaries were killed and their bodies dragged by motorcyclists.
Palestinians today must recognize two bitter realities: Israel will never commit suicide by permitting “a right of return” to millions of descendants of the 1948 Palestinian refugees. And, Israel will never hand over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to Palestinians.
(torontosun.com)
The lessons for Israel from Gaza – Zalman Shoval
From Israel’s perspective, the main lesson from last weekend’s events in Gaza is that they should be seen as a preview of what might happen in the future if an independent Palestinian state were to be established on our eastern border under the current circumstances.
No security fence or even a concrete barrier can stop an organized mass attempt to breach the Israeli border along a much larger front than merely the Gaza border, unless the IDF maintains full control, not only of the borders of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), but inside those territories.
Israel – with the help of the United States – must move ahead toward interim solutions that will remove unnecessary financial, civil and governmental limitations from the Arab population in the territories, without affecting Israel’s operational freedom on matters of security.
(israelhayom.com)
Iran’s Supreme Leader calls on Muslims to defeat Israel
After Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said Israelis were entitled to live peacefully on their own land, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali-Khamenei on Wednesday (4th) called on the people of Muslim countries to defeat Israel. “With an intense and planned struggle they should force the enemy to retreat toward the point of demise.” Khamenei also said, “Movement toward negotiation with …[Israel] is a big, unforgivable mistake that will push back the victory of the people of Palestine.” He pledged continued Iranian backing for the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
(reuters.com)
Fatah ‘martyrs’ conference broken up in Jerusalem
Jerusalem District Commander Yoram Halevi signed an order Thursday (5th) forbidding a conference of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party in honor of terrorists.
The conference was to be held in eastern Jerusalem to honor the mothers of martyrs and those wounded while attacking Israelis.
Following the issuance of the order, police forces arrived at the scene and prevented the event from being held.
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan stated that “my policy is clear: to prevent any occurrence of incitement and support of terrorism in any way possible.”
(israelnn.com)
President of Honduras to light torch in Israel’s Independence Day ceremony
The President of Honduras will light a torch in Israel’s annual Independence Day ceremony on Mount Herzl, on April 18.
Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was re-elected for a second term in November, confirmed his attendance at the event, Culture Minister Miri Regev announced on Thursday (5th).
(jta.org)
Israel to construct wildlife corridors through new Jordan border fence – Dan Lavie
Israeli soldiers stationed near the Jordanian border have been canvassing the area to find ideal places to construct natural wildlife corridors before a new border fence is constructed. Operation Living Together is being carried out in conjunction with academic experts, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, IDF trackers, and the Jordanian army.
One purpose of the operation is to help migrating birds and animals access drinking water. The Egyptian border fence was fitted with specially designed crossings that allow only wildlife to move back and forth. “The current operation serves as a very tangible example of how the army takes wildlife into consideration during its routine missions and helps to preserve it,” said Guy Selai, founder of the “Nature Defense Forces” initiative to instill in soldiers a greater sense of responsibility for the environment in which they operate.
(israelhayom.com)
