News Digest — 4/11/23
Palestinian Terror Cell Arrested In Jenin Before Carrying Out Attack
Five Palestinians who were planning to carry out a terrorist attack in the coming hours were arrested by the IDF, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Border Police in Jenin on Tuesday morning (11th).
Soldiers from the Duvdevan unit, Sayeret Tzanhanim and the undercover Border Police Unit arrested the five and confiscated ammunition and military equipment amid armed clashes in Jenin.
Palestinians fired at, and threw an explosive device at the Israeli forces during the arrests. No Israeli personnel were injured.
One of the Palestinians arrested was identified by Palestinian media as Ahmed Turkman, the son of one of the terrorists arrested for carrying out a shooting attack against a bus carrying IDF soldiers in the Jordan Valley last year.
The other arrested suspects were identified as Nour and Abd Abu Saqr, Ahmad al-Batal and Ahmed al-Suqi, according to Palestinian reports.
Additionally overnight, Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian in a-Ram. During the arrest, Palestinians rolled burning tires and threw rocks at the soldiers. Another Palestinian was arrested in the South West Bank as well.
Netanyahu: Gallant Will Remain Defense Minister
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Monday night (10th) to address recent national security concerns brought about by the recent wave of deadly terror attacks.
“We are standing together and working together around the clock,” said the prime minister of his relationship with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during a press conference on Monday night (10th). “Gallant will stay in his position and continue to work for the protection of Israeli citizens.”
“We will find all the terrorists and make them pay the price,” said Netanyahu.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant responded on Twitter to Netanyahu’s sentiments, saying: “We continue together with full strength, for Israel’s security.”
On March 26th, Netanyahu fired Gallant from his position as defense minister for opposing judicial reform, however, Gallant has continued to act as defense minister in the absence of a new appointment, and Netanyahu announced earlier in April that he would be “delaying” finding a replacement for Gallant before retracting his decision entirely on Monday evening (10th),
Speaking on Monday evening (10th), Netanyahu expressed concern over the image Israel projects to its enemies during this time of political unrest. He emphasized that the Israeli government should be a united front against terror.
He also touched on the tensions at the Temple Mount, saying: “We were active at the Temple Mount against young people who tried to break the status quo.”
Meanwhile, opposition leader Benny Gantz congratulated Yoav Gallant on his continued position.
IDF Deploys Commandos In Training To Bolster Cops In Tel Aviv Amid Tensions
The Israel Defense Forces on Monday morning (10th) deployed a company of commando soldiers in training to assist police in Tel Aviv, given heightened tensions in the region following a series of terror attacks and rocket fire on Israel.
The move was made following orders by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday night (6th).
The company was in its initial training period, which for soldiers of the 89th Oz Brigade, also known as the Commando Brigade, will last for 60 weeks.
Soldiers in training have at times been deployed to Israeli cities to pair up with police officers, so they can spread out the forces more, as police generally operate in pairs.
Footage from Tel Aviv’s iconic Dizengoff Square showed an officer and a number of soldiers patrolling in the area.
Tensions have soared across the region in recent days, with a rocket attack from Syria on Saturday night (8th); a barrage of rockets from Lebanon on Thursday (6th); tit-for-tat rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and Israeli strikes over the past week; clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount; terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank; and a suspected Iranian drone launched from Syria last week.
On Friday night (7th), an Arab Israeli man drove his car into a group of tourists near a promenade in Tel Aviv, killing an Italian man, Alessandro Parini, and wounding seven others.
Mother Critically Wounded In West Bank Shooting Dies Three Days After Daughters
Lucy (Lea) Dee died of her wounds, the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem said on Monday (10th), three days after the deadly terror shooting that claimed the lives of her two daughters, Maia and Rina.
Luci Dee has been in critical condition since terrorists opened fire at her car during a holiday family trip in the West Bank, killing her two daughters. She had been fighting for her life since the attack and was evacuated by a military helicopter to Hadassah.
Medical teams at Hadassah have been fighting tirelessly for the past few days, treating her both on and off the operating table and providing care to her in the Intensive Care Unit.
“We are sorry that despite our relentless efforts, and due to her extensive injuries, we had to declare her death,” the hospital said. “Her organs were donated by her family to assist others in need.”
Hospital social workers have united with professionals from the settlement of Efrat, where the Dee family lives, to provide support to the surviving family members. The sisters Maia and Rina were laid to rest on Sunday (9th).
President Isaac Herzog extended his condolences to Dee’s family in a statement.
“How much we hoped, how much we prayed, Leah, mother of Rina and Maia of blessed memory, who was fatally wounded in the terror attack in the Jordan Valley, has died of her injuries. On behalf of the entire people of Israel, I send my warmest condolences to the Dee family and pray that they will know no more sorrow. May her memory be a blessing,” the statement read.
A manhunt to apprehend the terrorists who murdered the three Dee family members is still underway and security forces are investigating if a car that Palestinian security forces said was abandoned in Nablus may have been used in the attack. Like the assailants’ car captured on security video, the car in Nablus had an Israeli license plate with a similar number, which was either stolen or forged.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said late on Sunday (9th) that security forces will continue their pursuit of the terrorists until they are apprehended. He also cautioned potential copycats about the long reach of the IDF.
“No one will escape,” he said. “We will settle accounts and bring them to justice.”
Passover Celebrations Dampened By Stormy Weather, Flooding In Israel
The southern portion of Highway 40 between Zihor junction and Mitzpe Ramon was closed in both directions due to strong winds, rain and fear of flooding on Monday evening (10th), Israel police reported.
Additionally Route 90 from Eilat as far north as the Dead Sea and Ein Gedi was closed in both directions.
The heat wave that was enjoyed across Israel last week broke on Monday evening (10th) when cool damp air came in, causing showers and thunderstorms in the south and east of Israel.
Amid this, a sandstorm began to kick up in Nitzana in the western Negev. As such, drivers were called upon to take extra care on the roads.
A large storm also came in via the Kinneret, with southeast and southwesterly winds up to 60 km/h, with thunder and lightning seen over the lake.
Those taking Passover vacations were urged not to go swimming during the storms because of breaking branches, flying objects and changes in wave-depth on the lake, risking drowning.
Following a report of three people who had gone missing due to flooding, at least 60 people were rescued thanks to radar searches. Police reports said that on Monday evening (10th), they had received thousands of calls to the southern district’s control center. Of those, hundreds reported concerns of missing loved ones, prompting continued search efforts.
One of three missing individuals was found safely by police on Tuesday morning (11th), but the search for the other two is ongoing.
Eilat Mayor Eli Lankri announced early Tuesday (11th) that a sports hall would be opened as additional shelter intended for overnight stays for vacationers who could not leave the city due to the floods.
(jpost.com; maariv.co.il)
Iran’s Jewish Community Urged To Scrap Passover Celebrations, Attend Anti-Israel March Instead
Iran’s small Jewish community urged its members this week to scrap Passover celebrations and partake in the annual pro-Palestinian Quds Day, during which demonstrators call for the destruction of the State of Israel.
“Please do not go for picnics or pleasant activities on Qud’s day,” the Jewish community of Iran asked its 9,000 members on Telegram. They were further encouraged to be mindful of Muslim “sensitivities” and to not celebrate the Jewish holiday of Passover.
“The Jewish community in the Islamic Republic is constantly monitored and forced to prove its opposition to Zionism and its allegiance to the Mullah regime if it does not want to be disturbed,” according to Beni Sabti, an expert on Iran from the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security.
“Their participation in the march on Qud’s Day – created in 1979 by the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Khomeini and referring to the common Muslim name for Jerusalem – is part of this surviving strategy,” Sabti told the Jerusalem Post. “There is a silent pressure. Everyone knows his role in this regime – so the regime won’t hurt you if you demonstrate on Quds Day,” he continued. “If you don’t demonstrate, you will be harmed.”
In a separate message to the Jewish community in Iran, members were encouraged to march in the event, held on the last Friday of the Islamic Holy month of Ramadan.
“According to our Holy Bible, every Jew must stand against the oppression of human beings. That is why, as Quds Day approaches, the Jewish community in Iran will participate in protests against the Zionist regime. Iranian Jewry has nothing to do with Zionists. We are with Iranians and Muslims,” leaders of the Iranian Jewish community said on Telegram.
The EU/UN War Against Israeli Control Of “Area C” – Benjamin Weinthal
One scandal that rarely garners headlines is illegal construction carried out in Judea and Samaria by the EU and UN. The Jerusalem Post reported in 2022 that the EU doled out half-a-billion dollars over the past seven years to support a Palestinian Authority plan to control Area C of the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) – the disputed territory where 80% of biblical events unfolded. The Oslo Accords signed in 1993 designated Area C as under Israel military and civilian control. Nearly 500,000 Israelis and 300,000 Palestinians live in Area C.
In December, 40 members of Israel’s Knesset charged the EU with working against the Jewish State, as evidenced by a leaked EU document showing how it seeks to illegally carve out territory for the creation of a Palestinian state.
They wrote, “We learned of an official policy document of the European Union…that leaves no room for doubt as to the one-sidedness and animosity of the EU towards the State of Israel and the Jewish people. The document completely ignores our people’s historical affinity to our homeland, completely ignores the political agreements and the status of the State of Israel in Area C and seeks to establish the 1949 borders as Israel’s final status permanent borders – in complete disregard of the Jewish communities in the area.”
