Jewish news briefs: March 6, 2015

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7 injured in Palestinian vehicular terror attack in Jerusalem
(JNS.org) Six Israeli policewomen and a female cyclist were moderately wounded Friday when a Palestinian terrorist driver ran them over near a light rail station in northern Jerusalem. The station, located on Shimon Hatzadik Street, is adjacent to a Border Police facility.

The vehicular attack took place at around 10:20 a.m. According to eyewitnesses, the terrorist, driving through the street, sped up as he was approaching the station and hit the policewomen and a cyclist. He then stopped the car, got out wielding a large cleaver, and attempted to attack pedestrians in the area. But he was shot by a policeman before he was able to harm anyone else.

“The rapid response by security forces prevented this event from escalating and prevented any harm from coming to more innocent people,” said Jerusalem District Police Commander Maj. Gen. Moshe Edri, Israel Hayom reported.

The terrorist was later identified as Uday Salaymeh, a resident of the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-Amud. Magen David Adom paramedics who arrived at the scene treated the wounded on site before evacuating them to local hospitals for further treatment. Four policewomen were taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, and the two others as well as the terrorist were taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center. The cyclist was taken to Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital.
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Syrian boy who lost leg in war fitted with prosthesis in Israel
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) A 13-year-old Syrian boy who was seriously injured by a mortar in the Quneitra region three months ago as a result of the ongoing civil war in Syria was brought to Israel for surgery and fitted with a prosthetic leg that will allow him to walk again. The boy is set to return to Syria on Sunday.

The boy, who dreams of playing soccer and basketball as well as finishing high school, lost his left leg below the knee and was gravely injured by shrapnel in his right thigh. He was brought to Rambam Hospital in Haifa due to limited treatment options in Quneitra.

At first, doctors fought for his life as he suffered from serious infections. His mother was permitted to stay by his side as he underwent a series of surgeries. The young boy also had the support of the hospital’s pediatric surgery staff as well as many Israeli Arab families. As he began to heal, his supporters decided they would help pay for a prosthesis that would help him walk. A local Israeli Arab nonprofit organization, Haifa Zar’at al-Carmel, also contributed to the cost of the prosthetic leg, as did the father of another child hospitalized at Rambam.

“We try to do everything for these children who don’t really have a home to return to,” said Issa Mahaja, who heads Haifa Zar’at al-Carmel. “I am in touch with everyone who was hospitalized here and went back to Syria. Some have recovered and are doing fine, others are dealing with tremendous hardship and constantly running from battle areas.”
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PLO adopts resolution calling for end to security cooperation with Israel
(JNS.org) The central council of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has adopted a resolution calling for an end to security cooperation with Israel.

According to the PLO resolution, the Palestinians decided to “suspend all forms of security coordination given Israel’s systematic and ongoing noncompliance with its obligations under signed agreements,” and to boycott all Israeli products as well as “attempts to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.” The council also called on the international community to hold Israel accountable for “systematic violations of international law.”

The PLO move comes in response to Israel’s decision to halt the transfer of tax revenue it collects on behalf of the Palestinians, which came in response to Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas’s decision to unilaterally join the International Criminal Court.

It is unclear if Abbas, who also serves as chairman of the PLO, supports the move to end security cooperation with Israel. In the past, various Palestinian officials have called for a halt to that cooperation, but those threats have never materialized.

As part of the 1993 Oslo Accords, Israel and the PA cooperate on security issues. While Israel cut off cooperation during the Second Intifada (2000-2005), Abbas gradually restored those ties with the Jewish state using security forces and police who were trained by American Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, who headed American security assistance to the Palestinians. Israel regularly uncovers terror plots in the disputed territories by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups, not only against Israeli targets but also against the PA.
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In Saudi Arabia, Kerry attempts to ease Gulf states’ concerns over Iran talks
(JNS.org) In Saudi Arabia, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with leaders from Gulf Arab states as part of an attempt to ease their growing concerns over nuclear negotiations with Iran.

Following a meeting with Saudi King Salman and Foreign Minister Prince Sad al-Faisal, Kerry said that the U.S. is not seeking a “grand bargain” with Iran and the U.S. will not “take our eye off of Iran’s other destabilizing actions in places like Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and the Arabian peninsula, Yemen particularly.”

“Let me underscore: we are not seeking a grand bargain. Nothing will be different the day after this agreement, if we were to reach one, with respect to all of the other issues that challenge us in this region,” Kerry said.

Despite Kerry’s reassurances, Prince Saud al-Faisal remained concerned about Iran’s efforts to assert its power in the region, citing reports that Iran is involved in Iraq’s efforts to retake Tikrit as part of operations against the Islamic State, and that Iran’s power could grow once sanctions are lifted as part of a nuclear deal.

“The situation in Tikrit is a prime example of what we are worried about. Iran is taking over the country,” Prince al-Faisal said.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress received praise in an editorial by Faisal Abbas, the editor-in-chief of the Saudi-owned Dubai-based news outlet Al-Arabiya.

Saying that Netanyahu “hit the nail right on the head” in his assessment of the Iranian threats in the Middle East, Faisal wrote that Netanyahu “managed to accurately summarize a clear and present danger, not just to Israel (which obviously is his concern), but to other U.S. allies in the region.”

Abbas also slammed President Barack Obama for not realizing these threats, writing that Obama is “the only stakeholder that seems not to realize the danger of the situation” and that he is “now infamous for being the latest pen-pal of the Supreme Leader of the world’s biggest terrorist regime: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.”
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New York becomes first major city government to observe Muslim holidays
(JNS.org) New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that his city’s public schools will now close in observance of the two most holy days of the Muslim faith, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

While New York City is not alone is recognizing the Muslim holidays, with other municipalities in Massachusetts, Michigan, and New Jersey giving their students off on those holidays, New York—with its 1.1 million schoolchildren—is the first major metropolitan city to do so.

The move also fulfills a campaign promise by de Blasio, who said it was a “matter of fairness” that the Muslim holidays be recognized.

Estimates of the Muslim population of New York City range from 600,000 to up to 1 million, the New York Times reported.

For years, New York City has recognized major Jewish holidays such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Passover. Like Jewish holidays, the Muslim ones will change year to year because the Muslim calendar follows a lunar cycle.
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Israel to partially resume produce imports from Gaza
(JNS.org) Israel will partially resume purchasing fruit and vegetables from the Gaza Strip next week after a long halt on imports since Hamas took over the Palestinian coastal enclave in 2007.

Israeli officials said the resumption will help rehabilitate the Gazan economy, which was heavily damaged during last summer’s Operation Protection Edge. It will also make up for a current shortage in domestic produce coming from Israeli farms.

Jamal Abu al-Naja, director of the Gaza Vegetable Production and Export Association, expressed support for the decision and said it “will help farmers make up for their losses, increase the number of workers, and encourage investment in the agricultural sector,”Reuters reported.

COGAT, the Israeli military agency that manages Israeli civilian relations with Gaza but does not engage with Hamas, also welcomed the decision.

“The steps taken are meant to support the Palestinian population while segregating the Hamas organization, which is a terror entity that prevents the reconstruction of Gaza and uses its resources,” COGAT head Major-General Yoav Mordechai said.

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Articles from JNS.org appear on San Diego Jewish World through he generosity of Dr. Bob and Mao Shillman

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