Five fallen IDF soldiers laid to rest
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Five Israeli soldiers who were killed by terrorists near the Gaza border on Monday were laid to rest on Tuesday, July 29. They were killed when terrorists emerged from a cross-border tunnel about 150 meters inside Israel and fired an anti-tank missile at an Israel Defense Forces post.
The fallen soldiers were Sgt. Nadav Raimond, 19, of the Paratroopers Brigade; Sgt. Sagi Erez, 19, of the Givati Brigade; Sgt. Daniel Kedmi, 19, of the Kfir Brigade; Sgt. Dor Dery, 18, of the Kfir Brigade; and Sgt. Barkey Ishai Shor, 21, of the Kfir Brigade.
“Daniel, my warrior, my friend, my boy. We spent a long time together, in training exercises, in treks. You were my right hand, someone I could trust,” said Kedmi’s commander, 2nd Lt. Or Tzarfati.
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Jerusalem area comes under rocket fire after quiet week
(JNS.org) Terrorists in Gaza fired a volley of rockets at the Jerusalem area and the cities of central Israel on Tuesday night, July 29, marking the first time in more than a week that rocket sirens sounded near Jerusalem, Israel Hayom reported.
Sirens were heard in Tzur Hadassah, Beitar Ilit, Beit Shemesh, Gush Etzion, and Abu Ghosh. The Iron Dome system intercepted one rocket in the Mateh Yehuda region. A fire broke out in Tzur Hadassah, believed to be a result of falling rocket shrapnel.
Sirens went off at around 10 p.m. in Ashdod, Gan Yavne, Beer Tuvia, and Kiryat Malachi, as well as in the central Dan region. The Iron Dome defense intercepted two rockets above Rishon Lezion and Holon, and another one above Ashdod. No injuries or damage was reported. Another two rockets fell in open areas south of Ashdod.
More than 70 rockets and mortar shells were fired into southern Israel on Tuesday, primarily in the Eshkol region. In total, seven rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome, with the rest hitting unpopulated areas, causing no injuries or damage. On Wednesday morning, July 30, the rocket fire continued, with several rockets striking the Eshkol region near Gaza.
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Arab MK Hanin Zoabi suspended from Knesset for six months
(JNS.org) The Israeli Knesset’s Ethics Committee on Tuesday, July 29, decided to bar Arab MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad) from all plenum sessions and committee meetings for the next six months, following multiple complaints filed against her by MKs over her anti-Israel statements, Israel Hayom reported.
A six-month suspension is the harshest sanction the committee can impose on MKs, and Zoabi is the first MK to be subjected to long of a suspension.
Zoabi came under fire recently for saying that the abductors of murdered Israelis teens Gilad Shaar, Eyal Yifrach, and Naftali Frenkel were “not terrorists,” and for accusing the Israeli government and military of committing war crimes in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge. Her statements urging the Palestinian Authority to cease all security cooperation with Israel and encouraging a Palestinian uprising “seek to directly compromise Israel’s national security,” the Ethics Committee said.
“Given the severity of MK Zoabi’s statements, we find that imposing the harshest sanction at the committee’s disposal is warranted,” the committee said.
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Pew survey: twice as many Americans blame Hamas over Israel for conflict
(JNS.org) A new Pew Research Center survey conducted July 24-27 among 1,005 U.S. adults shows that about twice as many Americans blame the terrorist group Hamas (40 percent) as opposed to Israel (19 percent) for the current conflict in Gaza.
Twenty-five percent of those surveyed believe that Israel’s reaction to Hamas terrorism has been disproportionate, and 35 percent believe the Jewish state’s response has been correct. Fifteen percent believe that Israel should respond more forcefully.
Across the political spectrum, 60 percent of Republicans surveyed blame Hamas for the current violence. Among surveyed Democrats, opinions are more divided. Twenty-nine percent of Democrats surveyed say Hamas is more to blame, while 26 percent blame Israel more. Eighteen percent of Democrats polled blame both sides equally.
The study echoes the findings of a different Pew survey conducted earlier this month, which showed that nearly 73 percent of Republicans sympathize more with Israel than the Palestinians, compared with 44 percent of Democrats.
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Turkish PM Erdogan agrees to return Jewish group’s award
(JNS.org) Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to return the “Profile of Courage” award he had received from the American Jewish Congress in 2004 for working to help bring peace to the Middle East and his commitment to protect the Jewish community in Turkey.
The American Jewish Congress demanded the return of the award over Erdogan’s recent comments regarding Israel’s current conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Erdogan, who is campaigning for re-election, said that Israel has “surpassed Hitler in barbarism.”
Turkey’s ambassador to the U.S., Serdar Kilic, wrote to the Jewish group in a letter revealed Tuesday by the Associated Press that Erdogan would be happy to return the award because of “the regrettable stance adopted by the present leadership of the American Jewish Congress vis-a-vis the recent attacks on the innocent civilians in Gaza.”
Though violent riots over the Israel-Gaza conflict broke out earlier this month on the streets of Turkey, targeting both the Israeli Embassy in Ankara and the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul, Erdogan denied that his country has become a hostile place for Jews, telling the Daily Sabah that “Jews in Turkey are our citizens. We are responsible for their security of life and property.” But a Turkish-Jewish activist told The Algemeiner that Erdogan’s government has turned a blind eye to anti-Semitism, putting the Turkish-Jewish community “in grave danger for their lives after the escalation of the events in the Middle East.”
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