News Digest — 6/19/23
Israel Carries Out Rare Air Attack In Jenin, Troops Injured In Heavy Clashes
Multiple Israeli troops sustained injuries Monday (19th) after coming under fire while concluding an arrest in the West Bank city of Jenin.
The fighters are said to have sustained light and moderate injuries.
The operation included the rare use of Israeli attack helicopters in the territory.
“As the security forces exited the city, a military vehicle was hit by an explosive device, damaging the vehicle,” the IDF said, adding that helicopters “opened fire toward the gunmen in order to assist the extraction of the forces.”
Unconfirmed amateur video footage from Jenin – a known Islamic stronghold – appeared to show an explosion targeting an Israeli armored vehicle. Another video posted online appeared to show an Israeli military helicopter launching a rocket during the campaign.
The IDF rarely uses aircraft in its operations in the West Bank, and according to media reports, this was the first such use of a helicopter in the region since the early 2000s.
Two Palestinians were killed and 28 injured in the clashes.
The IDF has been conducting nightly raids in the West Bank as part of its anti-terrorism campaign. Since the start of the year, some 20 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian terror attacks, including children.
Israel Fast-Tracks Judea And Samaria Construction
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced during a Cabinet meeting Sunday (18th) a decision to make it easier to obtain permits to build inside Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.
At the same time, it was announced that the Civil Administration’s Higher Planning Committee is set to meet on June 26, in order to approve 4,560 new housing units in communities throughout the region.
The Cabinet also transferred most of the authority to approve such construction to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry and thus plays an important role in overseeing civilian life in Judea and Samaria via the latter ministry’s Civil Administration.
“The construction boom in Judea and Samaria and in all parts of our country continues. As we promised today we are advancing the construction of thousands more new units in Judea and Samaria,” Smotrich said Sunday (18th). “Judea and Samaria residents cease to be second-class citizens and the natural development in settlements is reflected in construction and expansion.”
The US State Department said it was “troubled” by the move and called on Israel to return to dialogue aimed at de-escalation.
“As has been long standing policy, the US opposes such unilateral actions that make solutions more difficult and are an obstacle to peace,” department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.
Since entering office in January, Netanyahu’s Coalition has approved over 7,000 new housing units in Judea and Samaria. It also amended a law to clear the way for Israelis to return to four settlements that had previously been evacuated.
In response to the decision, the Palestinian Authority said it would boycott a meeting of the Joint Economic Committee with Israel scheduled for Monday (19th). The Hamas terror group also condemned the move, saying it will “resist it by all means.”
Landmine Removals In Lebanon Endangers Israeli Side Of Border
Work to remove landmines put in place by the IDF ahead of its 2000 withdrawal from Lebanon, is endangering Israeli residents of the north. In addition to the noise of the controlled explosions, which occur just tens of meters away from the Israeli border and shake residents’ homes, the detonations also cause fragments of rocks to fly across the frontier, endangering lives and causing damage to property.
David Azulai, Mayor of the border town of Metula, said in a letter to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan, and Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, that he demands their immediate intervention. He criticized the Lebanese government and the UN for how they were dealing with the crisis. “It’s a complete failure,” he said. “It’s simply terrifying. I woke up at 7:00 am to four explosions. You can’t live like this. The Lebanese do whatever they want a short distance away from the residents’ homes, and the IDF is helpless.”
“We receive an estimated time of detonation, but there’s no warming before the actual explosion, and it startles everyone,” the town’s top security official said. The residents are informed about the situation, but it’s distressing nonetheless.”
The explosions also endanger pedestrians along Metula’s promenade. A few weeks ago, Ofir Lieberman’s solar panels, providing his home with electricity, were damaged. He lives just a 100 meters from the border.
“The explosion was very close and seemed deliberate rather than accidental,” Lieberman said, “The rocks from one of the explosions hit one panel of the solar power system and destroyed it. We only receive a general notice from the municipality that explosions will take place between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., and we are expected to be fine with it. The Lebanese also don’t place sandbags in the area to minimize and prevent the chance of debris flying towards the Israeli side,” he said.
“When detonating landmines, there are clear international rules that demand safety precautions, protective measures, prior warning and real-time warning with a siren, but nothing is being done,” a former municipal official said.
Contrary to other areas in southern Lebanon where operations to clear landmines are carried out by UNIFIL forces, the mines near Metula are dealt with by a civil contractor hired by the Lebanese government. Some in the Israeli town argue that the Lebanese government is working under the instruction of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, which conducts military drills to prepare for infiltrating Israel close to the border.
Some officials in Metula claimed that UNIFIL is obligated to take charge of the operation and clear the mines in a responsible manner. The IDF is struggling to deal with the situation, partly due to the lack of cooperation from the Lebanese side. UNIFIL’s spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told Ynet that the Lebanese operation is carried out with the IDF, and that they weren’t aware of any complaints. Tenenti added that all complaints will be looked into, and will be given the proper consideration in cooperation with the military.
New Mural Depicting Jewish History To Greet Passengers At Ben-Gurion Airport
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will unveil a new mural covering 44 meters of the entrance to Ben Gurion Airport’s Terminal 3 in a special ceremony on Tuesday (20th).
Every Israeli citizen or tourist entering the country will come face to face with the impressive mural which was gifted by Mexico in celebration of the Jewish State’s 75th Independence day.
Last week, Israel Airport Authority personnel hung the giant painting using cranes and then covered it.
The inauguration ceremony of the mural will also be attended by Transportation Minister Miri Regev, World Zionist Organization Chairman Yaakov Hagoel, and Isaac Assa, founder and president of the Israel-Latin American Network (ILAN) – a foundation promoting relations between Israel and Latin America, who worked to bring the mural to Israel.
The 5-meter-high mural was painted by the acclaimed Mexican artist Julio Carrasco Breton, who took on the challenge of depicting 4,000 years of Jewish history.
The artwork is titled “Am Yisrael Chai” (The People of Israel Live). The mural tells the story of the Jewish people from the creation of the first human, through the formation of the people of Israel, prominent Jewish figures, the Exodus, the Temple and the Jewish Kingdoms.
The mural continues into pre-modern and modern times, presenting the expulsions from Spain, the Hasidic movement, Zionist activists beginning with Theodor Herzl, Abraham Isaac Kook and Rabbi Yitzhak Halevi Herzog, the Holocaust immigration to Israel, and the state’s founding.
A highly significant part of the piece tells Israel’s 75-year-old story through its art, development, wars, innovation, landscapes, roads, leaders, scientists, intellectuals, local culture and significant events that helped shape the country.
Among the individuals depicted in the mural are Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, Naomi Shemer, Yitzhak Navon, Ilan Ramon, Reuven Rivlin, Shimon Peres, Golda Meir, Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Rabin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Chaim Weizmann. Isaac Herzog, Dana International, Yehoram Gaon and Noa Kirel.
Additionally , the mural features Israeli landmarks such as Azrieli Towers, Weizmann Institute of Science, Hadassah Medical Center, the entrance gate to Jerusalem, the Technion and the Knesset building.
“Together with the ILAN foundation and heads of the ILAN communities in Latin America, we’ve achieved the most comprehensive and detailed artistic documentation project in the history of the Jewish people and the world,” ILAN head Isaac Assa said.
“In fact, Israel is the only place in the world where the heritage and history of a people are concentrated in one accessible and artistic location, which anyone can understand, get excited about, and identify with,” he said.
“The people of Israel have come a long way, and the Jewish people have contributed values of morality, social solidarity and innovation to all of humanity. Anyone who enters Israel will be able to see with their own eyes the story of Israel’s contribution to the world,” he added.
FBI Arrests Michigan Man For Allegedly Planning Mass Attack On Synagogue
A teenager from Pickford, Michigan, was arrested on Friday (16th) by the FBI after expressing explicit neo-Nazi and antisemitic beliefs online, including allegedly planning a deadly assault at a local synagogue, according to local news sites.
Seann Pietila, 19, now faces charges of transmitting a communication containing a threat to injure another individual, according to the United States Attorney’s office for the Western District of Michigan.
The criminal complaint states that Pietila engaged in conversation on Instagram where he expressed strong hatred towards the Jewish population, voiced support for neo-Nazis and idolized previous mass shooters.
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his residence and discovered a cache of weapons, including firearms, a Nazi flag, a ghillie suit, gas masks and military sniper/survival manuals.
During the search, authorities also found a message on Pietila’s phone in the Notes app that identified a synagogue in East Lansing along with a date and a list of equipment. The FBI took immediate action upon receiving a report about threatening online communications, leading them to link the messages to Pietila.
“Antisemitic threats and violence against our Jewish community – or any other group for that matter – will not be tolerated in the Western District of Michigan,” US Attorney Mark Totten said. “Today and every day, we take all credible threats seriously.”
The criminal complaint further reveals that the suspect admired the 2019 Christchurch mass shooting in New Zealand. The date mentioned in the notes on his phone corresponded to the fifth anniversary of that event.
The FBI’s investigation into Pietila’s social media accounts uncovered additional troubling content, including images and posts featuring Nazi symbolism and references to other mass shooters.
Among the items seized from Pietila’s residence were ammo, magazines, a shotgun, a rifle, a pistol, various knives and firearm accessories.
James Tarasca, the special agent in charge of the FBI in Michigan, stated that “no American should face threats against them based on their race or religion. Crimes like the one alleged in this complaint have a profound effect not only on the intended target but the entire community.”
“I would like to thank the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office for their close collaboration during this investigation. Every Michigander should rest assured that law enforcement at all levels are working together to ensure that those who engage in this type of behavior sees justice under the law.”
(jpost.com; reuters.com)
