Israeli transportation minister floats ‘Jerusalem guard’ plan to secure city
(JNS.org) A proposal to create a “Jerusalem guard”—a special police force comprising several thousand officers permanently deployed in Israel’s capital—is being considered by the Israeli Diplomatic-Security Cabinet, according to Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz.
Katz said Monday that he presented the plan to the cabinet and expects it to be approved, but at the same time, a senior government official said he believes Katz’s plan had not actually been presented to the cabinet for a vote, Israel Hayom reported.
The proposed force would be subordinate to the Israel Police, which means Katz is infringing on matters that fall under the purview of his political rival within the Likud party, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan (who declined to comment on the matter).
“A mass of force will make a difference. It is known that an ‘elephant is not to be trifled with,’” Katz said.
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Terrorist killing of Israeli soldier Omri Levi is second tragedy for family
(JNS.org) Crowds of mourners made their way on Monday to the home of IDF Golani Brigade soldier Sgt. Omri Levi, 19, who was murdered in the Palestinian terrorist shooting at the Beersheba bus station on Sunday.
Levi, whose father died suddenly in a heart attack two years ago, is survived by his mother, Efrat, and twin siblings, Yuval and Roi, who turned 16 on Tuesday.
“How could it happen to me again? In such a short time, two such awful tragedies happen to us,” Efrat said, Israel Hayom reported. She and the twins found it difficult to speak much, and asked for the media not to attend Omri’s funeral Monday in Moshav Sde Hemed.
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Israeli man run over and killed after rock attack near Hebron
(JNS.org) An Israeli Jewish man in his 50s was killed as the result of a rock-throwing attack on Tuesday near Hebron, making him the latest victim of the ongoing wave of terrorism in Israel.
The man was driving on a road southwest of Hebron when he came under attack by rock-throwers. He stopped his car on the side of the road and was hit by an Arab-driven truck when he exited his vehicle. The driver of the truck fled the scene, but was later apprehended.
Paramedic Eyal Mor-Yosef, who treated the victim, said, “When we arrived at the scene we saw a car and a man in his 50s lying unconscious beside it. He wasn’t breathing and he did not have a pulse. He had suffered multiple injuries. We tried to resuscitate him but ultimately pronounced him dead.”
In an earlier incident on Tuesday, an IDF was injured when a Palestinian terrorist pounced on him and stabbed him in the face. The soldier sustained superficial wounds and the attacker was shot and killed.
The attack occurred as Israeli troops passed by the village of Beit Awwa as part of a routine patrol. During the patrol, the terrorist began running out of the village toward the soldiers holding a knife, and charged at the victim. According to Palestinian media outlets, the attacker was 24-year-old Beit Awwa resident Oudai Masalmeh.
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Petition demands NBC fire reporter for misleading report on Jerusalem stabbing
(JNS.org) A petition was launched over the weekend calling on NBC to fire MSNBC reporter Ayman Mohyeldin for his misleading report on a stabbing in Jerusalem last week.
The petition, which has more than 14,000 signatures as of Monday afternoon, calls on NBC to have “Ayman removed from our television sets and have him stop poisoning the minds of the less informed.”
Last week, Mohyeldin reported on the failed stabbing attack by Palestinian terrorist Bassel Sidar, who attempted to stab Israeli police outside of the Old City of Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate. Sidar was shot dead by police.
In his report, Mohyeldin said that he did not see the alleged stabbing attempt and that the assailant was unarmed.
“He did not look to be particularly armed. Again, that was confirmed by the fact that the police ultimately removed his clothes,” Mohyeldin claimed.
But Mohyeldin was interrupted by MSNBC host Jose Diaz-Balart, who showed a picture of the Palestinian terrorist clearly holding a knife in his right hand.
“But in the video that we have that you have…we can clearly see the man in camouflage t-shirt and pants with what appears to be at least in his right hand, a knife,” Diaz-Balart said.
Mohyeldin then backtracked, saying, “The point I was trying to make was that when they flipped the body over… it was at that point that his hands were empty.”
Mohyeldin, an Egyptian American, has long been accused of harboring anti-Israel bias and came under fire for his reporting during last year’s conflict in Gaza. He reported that an Israeli drone shot a missile at a Gaza hospital when in fact it was an Islamic Jihad rocket that fell short.
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Kerry says international presence on Temple Mount is not needed
(JNS.org) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry rejected calls for an international presence on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount holy site.
“We don’t contemplate any change, but nor does Israel,” Kerry told reporters in Madrid. “Israel understands the importance of that status quo. What is important is to make sure everybody understands what that means. We are not seeking some new change. We are not seeking outsiders or others to come in.”
“We need to have clarity,” he added.
France recently introduced a proposal at the United Nations to have an international presence on the Temple Mount to ensure the status quo at the site. But both Israel and Jordan rejected the move.
Kerry plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week in Berlin, and will also meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah in Amman.
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Israel fights UNESCO resolution that claims Western Wall a Muslim holy site
(JNS.org) Israel is working to thwart an Arab-led UNESCO resolution that is seeking to declare the Western Wall as a Muslim holy site.
The proposal, which is expected to voted on by Oct. 21, is “an attempt to redraw history and blur the connection between the Jewish people and its holiest place and to create a false reality,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.
The Western Wall includes the remains of a retaining wall erected by King Herod from the Second Temple that was destroyed by the Romans during the 1st Century CE. While the Temple Mount is the holiest place in Judaism, restrictions against Jewish prayer at the site have led to the nearby Western Wall becoming a focal point for Jewish prayer.
The draft resolution was submitted to UNESCO’s Executive Council by six Arab states, including Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates, on behalf of the Palestinians. The resolution calls the Western Wall “Buraq Plaza,” in reference to the Islamic tradition that the Prophet Mohammed’s horse, Buraq, was tethered there when he ascended to heaven from the Temple Mount.
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