Riots in Amman after shooting of Jordanian citizen who attacked Israeli soldier
(JNS.org) Riots broke out in Amman following Monday’s incident in which a Jordanian citizen was shot and killed at the Allenby Bridge crossing between the West Bank and Jordan after he apparently attacked an Israeli soldier.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the attacker charged at soldiers with a metal pole while shouting “Allah Akbar,” and then attempted to grab a soldier’s rifle. After being shot in the lower part of his body, the attacker began to strangle a soldier, prompting further fire that resulted in the attacker’s death.
Jordanian media reported that the Jordanian who was killed was Raed Alaa el-Deen Za’eiter, an Amman judge of Palestinian origin.
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Tel Aviv bus bomber sentenced to 25 years in jail
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The Tel Aviv District Court on Monday sentenced 20-year-old Tayibe resident Mohammed Mafarja to 25 years in jail for placing an explosive device on a Tel Aviv bus in November 2012, an attack that wounded 24 people.
Mafarja placed an explosive on Bus 142, got off the bus near the Diamond Exchange in Ramat Gan, and minutes later, an accomplice detonated the device via cellphone as the bus traveled west on Shaul Hamelech Street in Tel Aviv.
As part of a plea bargain, Mafarja was convicted of attempted murder, carrying out actions with intent to aid an enemy, and causing an explosion that resulted in severe injuries.
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Competition for $250K inclusion prize launched by Ruderman Family Foundation
(JNS.org) The Ruderman Family Foundation on Tuesday announced the opening of a global competition for its third annual $250,000 Ruderman Prize in Inclusion, to be split equally among five organizations that have “demonstrated their commitment to the full inclusion of people with disabilities into the Jewish community through innovative programs and services.”
“It is our hope that by shining a light on the leaders in inclusion in our community that we will encourage other organizations to follow their lead and effectuate lasting change,” said Jay Ruderman, president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, which is headquartered in Boston and Israel. “We believe that a more inclusive Jewish community is a fair and flourishing one for all.”
Organizations in Russia, the U.K., the U.S., Mexico, Israel, South Africa, and Argentina have received the prize in the past. The foundation is accepting applications for this year’s prize until April 7. More information is available at www.rudermanfoundation.org.
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IDF displays missiles that were seized on Iranian ship
(JNS.org) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday toured a display of Syrian-made missiles that were recently intercepted by the Israeli Navy on a Gaza-bound ship from Iran. The missiles are being displayed in the port of Eilat.
“Iran, a brutal regime, has not abandoned its deep involvement in terrorism, its systematic efforts to undermine peace and security throughout the Middle East, and its ambition to destroy the state of Israel,” Netanyahu said.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the weaponry on board the seized Iranian ship included dozens of M-302 missiles, which have a range of 62-124 miles. The weapons were originally flown from Syria to Iran. From Iran, they were shipped by boat to Iraq. The shipment was intercepted while it was being moved by boat from Iraq to Sudan, from where the weapons would have been smuggled to Gaza.
Ilan Berman, vice president of the American Foreign Policy Council, told JNS.org that while Iran’s nuclear program “is the fast mover in international discussions,” the Iranians are at the same time “working very diligently on expanding the scope and lethality of their missile program,” which is a delivery vehicle for nuclear weapons.
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Scribe restores Book of Esther scroll for Catholic nuns in time for Purim
(JNS.org) Ahead of Purim, a collaboration between an order of nuns and a British Jewish scribe to restore an ancient scroll telling the story of the holiday is drawing attention as a sign of progress in Catholic-Jewish relations.
Scribe Mordechai Pinchas restored a megillah (scroll) of the Book of Esther and returned it to the Benedictine Tyburn Nuns at a London ceremony last week.
The parchment was written in Venice, Italy in the 18th century. It was donated to the order of nuns by Jordan and Lorraine Cherrick from St. Louis, Mo. The scroll is “a biblical artifact symbolizing ever-deepening Jewish-Catholic relations,” said Mother General Xavier McMonagle, according to the British Catholic Herald.
According to McMonagle, the figure of Esther “has remained very powerful in Catholic Christian religion, devotion and spirituality as a symbol, an image and a model of powerful intercession with God to change the course of human events from bad to good.”
“The need for Esther’s example is ever present in our minds, whether we are Christians or Jews,” McMonagle said. “Esther is a memorial, a living point of confidence that God can change things for the better, and he can do it even by working miracles.”
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U.S. denying visas to Israeli intelligence and defense personnel
(JNS.org) The U.S. State Department has reportedly begun a policy of denying visa requests from members of Israel’s intelligence and defense sectors.
Senior security personnel said they have seen “hundreds of cases” in which members of the Shin Bet, Mossad, and Israeli defense industry workers have been told they cannot visit the U.S., Ma’ariv reported.
Additionally, Israeli security personnel working in the U.S. reported being only given short-term visas and being forced to leave for Canada and then reapply.
Daniel Pipes, president of the Middle East Forum, said the policy might be the work of some within the State Department who are attempting to undermine U.S.-Israel relations.
“Despite a generally flourishing U.S.-Israel bond, there are those in the bowels of the bureaucracy who wish to derail it and, at times, they achieve small victories,” Pipes told JNS.org.
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Brooklyn College apologizes for ejection of Jewish students at anti-Israel event
(JNS.org) The Louis D. Brandeis Center (LDB) for Human Rights Under Law said it “welcomes” an apology by Brooklyn College President Karen Gould for the school’s forcible ejection of four pro-Israel Jewish students at an anti-Israel event hosted by the college last year.
On February 7, 2013, Brooklyn College hosted a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions event, sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine, which featured anti-Israel activists Judith Butler and Omar Barghouti. Four students—Melanie Goldberg, Michael Ziegler, Ari Ziegler, and Yvonne Juris—were forced to leave by school public safety officials over allegations by a non-campus event organizer that the students were being disruptive and passing out flyers.
A City University of New York (CUNY) investigation on the incident concluded that there was “no justification for the removal of the four students,” and Gould acknowledged that the students had every right to “remain at the event.”
“I wish to publicly apologize on behalf of Brooklyn College to Melanie, Michael, Ari and Yvonne over the treatment they received,” Gould stated.
LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus said, “This was a shameful incident, and we are pleased that the university has accepted responsibility.”
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Amnesty International: Syria carrying out war crimes against Palestinians
(JNS.org) “War crimes, starvation and death” are being carried out against Palestinians in Syria, according to a new report issued by Amnesty International ahead of the three-year anniversary of the beginning of the Syrian civil war.
The report highlights the Syrian government’s actions against Palestinian and Syrian civilians in the Damascus suburb of Yarmouk. Amnesty said more than 200 people have died in Yarmouk, where government forces have carried out attacks, including air raids and shelling with heavy weapons, on civilian buildings like schools, hospitals, and a mosque.
“Civilians of Yarmouk are being treated like pawns in a deadly game in which they have no control,” stated Philip Luther, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International.
Prior to the Syrian civil war, Yarmouk was home to Syria’s largest Palestinian refugee community, numbering around 180,000 Palestinians. But the report says only 17,000-20,000 people remain there now.
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U.S. announces transfer of $429 million to Israel for Iron Dome
(JNS.org) The United States on Monday announced the immediate transfer of $429 million to Israel to continue manufacturing and purchasing Iron Dome anti-rocket batteries.
The decision to provide additional Iron Dome funding was first reported by Israel Hayom on Monday. The U.S. Defense Department made the official announcement later in the day.
The Defense Department hailed the prowess of the Israeli-made aerial defense system, saying the deal to provide the funding was signed last week and represents the shared strategic interests of both countries. Currently, there are seven Iron Dome batteries in operation, and the Israel defense establishment’s goal is to have 14 batteries in operation by the end of 2015.
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