Pakistan reportedly planned to bomb Israeli and U.S. consulates in India
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Pakistani intelligence services planned to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli and U.S. consulates in India, the Times of India reported Sunday. The report, citing Indian intelligence sources, said Indian security agencies foiled the plot, and on April 29 arrested Sri Lankan Sakir Hussain.
Hussain reportedly told interrogators he had been hired by senior Pakistani officials in Colombo as part of a plot to bomb the Israeli consulate in Bangaluru and the U.S. consulate in Chennai.
Indian intelligence agents said they discovered pictures of the Israeli and U.S. consulates, including gates and roads leading to the grounds, which had been mailed to Hussain’s Pakistani handlers and the Pakistani High Commission in Colombo. Hussain told interrogators he had been hired to facilitate the travel of two men from the Maldives to Chennai, including arranging their flights and accommodation.
Pakistan reportedly sought Sri Lankan accomplices to establish deniability.
*
Israel’s ‘Air Force One’ approved by government
(JNS.org) The Israeli government on Sunday approved a committee’s recommendation to purchase a plane that will serve as Israel’s “Air Force One,” Israel Hayom reported.
The approval was based on a report from a committee headed by retired State Comptroller Justice Eliezer Goldberg. The report cited two issues in its recommendation to acquire the plane: the need to maintain constant contact with Israel en route, which is not always possible on chartered transatlantic flights, as well as security, which at times prevents travel to certain states.
Acquiring and outfitting the new plane is expected to cost about $70 million.
*
Hamas sticks to its guns despite deal with Fatah
(JNS.org) Despite the recent Palestinian truce between Fatah and the Hamas terror group, the latter stated Saturday that it will not disarm its military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades. A Hamas official also negated any possibility that the Qassam Brigades would merge with the Palestinian Authority’s security forces, Army Radio reported Sunday.
Last week, the London-based Arabic-language newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported that Hamas had been “quietly talking” about dissolving the Qassam Brigades.
But a Hamas official told Al-Monitor, “Dissolving the Qassam Brigades is out of the question, and those asking for that are dreaming. The reconciliation will not be at the expense of the military wings of the resistance, which represents the national army of the state of Palestine.”
*
Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters tells Rolling Stones not to perform in Israel
(JNS.org) Pink Floyd frontman and anti-Israel activist Roger Waters, continuing his campaign to encourage artists to boycott Israel, urged the Rolling Stones to cancel a planned performance in Tel Aviv this summer.
Waters and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason wrote in a recently published article in the online arts and culture magazine Salon, “With the recent news that the Rolling Stones will be playing their first-ever concert in Israel, and at what is a critical time in the global struggle for Palestinian freedom and equal rights, we, the two surviving founders of Pink Floyd, have united in support of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS)… To the bands that intend to play Israel in 2014, we urge you to reconsider.”
*
Ukrainian Jewish mayor recovering in Israeli hospital
(JNS.org) The Jewish mayor of Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, is slowly recovering in an Israeli hospital, officials say.
Gennady Kernes, 54, was flown to Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center last week after being shot in the back by an unidentified gunman. He underwent surgery for his gunshot, and has now been taken off a respirator and is fully conscious.
Kernes had been a strong supporter of deposed pro-Russian Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. But since Yanukovych’s overthrow, Kernes had become more supportive of the new Ukrainian government and called for Kharkiv, which is 25 miles from the Russian border, to remain part of Ukraine.
*
Dutch Muslim rapper rants against Jews and homosexuals in hate-filled music video
(JNS.org) Dutch authorities are investigating a Dutch Muslim rapper named Ismo, who recently released a hate-filled music video called “One-man,” which rants against Jews and homosexuals.
In the music video, which has garnered more than 148,000 views on YouTube, Ismo, whose real name is Ismael Houllich, raps that he hates “the fucking Jews more than the Nazis” and that he “does not shake hands with faggots,” all while affirming his faith in the Quran.
The video was reported to authorities by 19-year-old Lars Hobma, who is gay, for inciting hatred, according to the Dutch daily Algemeen Daglad.
On Twitter, Ismo sought to explain his position, saying that he was referring to “Zionist Jews.”
“I do not hate all Jews, I hate the Zionists [that] ensure that Palestine become[s] almost as small as [my] neighborhood is,” he said.
*
Palestinians adopt five U.N. human rights treaties, U.N. says
(JNS.org) The Palestinians officially adopted five global treaties on human rights on Friday, according to a United Nations official.
The five treaties ban torture and racial discrimination, and protect the rights of women, children, and the disabled.
On May 7, the Palestinians are expected to join two more treaties on children’s rights, and additional human rights treaties on July 2.
“This accession to seven core human rights treaties and a key protocol is a significant step towards enhancing the promotion and protection of human rights in Palestine,” U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said, AFP reported.
The announcement is part of unilateral moves taken by the Palestinians following the collapse of their peace talks with Israel.
*
Preceding provided by JNS.org, which is sponsored on the pages of San Diego Jewish World through the generosity of Dr. Bob and Mao Shillman