Israeli forces find weapons cache near Nablus, arrest suspects
(JNS.org) Israeli forces have arrested four Palestinians who were allegedly involved in illicit arms dealing and manufacturing.
The arrest raid, in the town of Urif near Nablus, took place overnight Sunday and was carried out by the Israel Defense Forces’s elite Duvdevan unit and Nahal Brigade, with the help of the Israel Police and the Shin Bet security agency. The forces confiscated a cache of improvised firearms, ammunition, and four weapon-manufacturing devices. The makeshift guns were based on the Carl Gustav, M16, and Uzi models.
Israeli officials believe that the four suspects used their connections within Judea and Samaria to expand their business ties to Israel. Two of the suspects are members of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces.
“The raid was part of the ongoing effort to counter the manufacturing and the trade of arms in Judea and Samaria,” the Shin Bet said in a statement.
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Israel to get 8 Seahawk helicopters, related defense equipment from U.S.
(JNS.org) The United States has approved the sale of eight SH-60F Seahawk helicopters and related defense equipment to Israel.
The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced that after approving the sale of eight helicopter airframes, “the State Department has made a determination approving a possible foreign military sale to Israel for excess SH-60F Seahawk helicopter equipment and support.” In a letter to the U.S. Senate dated July 6, the agency said the estimated cost for the related equipment was $300 million.
“This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a strategic regional partner, which has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East,” the letter said.
The SH-60F Seahawk—manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft—is used for anti-submarine warfare, search-and-rescue missions, and other functions.
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Two Israelis killed in car crash in California
(JNS.org) Two Israelis were killed and another was injured in a car accident in northern California on Saturday. The accident, involving a head-on collision, took place on Route 70 near the city of Chico.
The dead Israelis were a man and a woman. The injured Israeli, a woman, was taken to a hospital in Chico in moderate-to-serious condition. The families of the accident victims have been notified and are being assisted by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
Meanwhile, an Israeli man drowned in Vinales, Cuba, on Thursday. His body was found by a diver on Friday.
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IDF is Israeli public’s most trusted institution, study finds
(JNS.org) Eighty-two percent of the Israeli public has confidence in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), making it the country’s most trusted institution, according to findings published Sunday by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics.
The findings revealed that 93 percent of Israeli Jews trust the IDF. Only 32 percent of the Israeli-Arab public, however, expressed confidence in the military.
Local municipalities are the second-most trusted public institution in Israel, earning the confidence of 61 percent of respondents, while the State Comptroller placed third, with 60 percent. The legal system was fourth at 58 percent. The institution behind the survey—the Central Bureau of Statistics—came in fifth, with 54 percent of Israelis saying they trust the data it publishes. The Israel Police placed sixth at 53 percent, while only 40 percent of respondents expressed confidence in the government and 38 percent said they trust the Knesset legislature.
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Israeli woman assaulted by Jordanian man after he threw rock at vehicle
(JNS.org) A Jordanian citizen allegedly threw a stone at the vehicle of an Israeli woman, and later assaulted her, on the north-south highway near Israel’s Sea of Galilee on Friday.
Rotem Aharoni, 23, was driving when her vehicle was pelted with a rock, making her car crash into a guardrail. Once the vehicle came to a stop, the Jordanian man approached it and attempted to remove her from the car, but the appearance of a passerby caused him to flee. The suspect was shot in the leg after two hours on the run by a member of a nearby security detail, and he was then apprehended by Israeli police.
Aharoni was lightly injured and taken to treatment in a hospital near Tiberias, along with the suspect, according to the Magen David Adom emergency response group. Police are investigating how the Jordanian suspect entered Israel, and have determined that he was likely mentally unstable and was trying to steal the victim’s vehicle, the Times of Israel reported.
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