Israel approves 300 extra security guards for public transport after bus attack
(JNS.org) After two Palestinian terrorists boarded a bus in Jerusalem and killed two Israelis in just one of Tuesday’s terror attacks in Israel, the Israeli security cabinet announced that 300 additional security guards will be recruited for public transportation in the capital city.
Other measures approved by Israel following Tuesday’s deadly terror attacks include the demolition of Palestinians terrorists’ homes, the confiscation of property of terrorists who perpetrate attacks, the revoking of permanent residency rights of terrorists, the expansion of the operational force of the Israel Police, and the deployment of IDF units to reinforce the Israel Police in cities and along roads.
Additionally, according to the Prime Minister’s Office, “The IDF will be instructed to deploy units in sensitive areas along the security fence in the immediate term. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed that staff work be done on completing the security fence including in the southern Hebron Hills area.
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Only one mention of Israel at Democratic debate
(JNS.org) In the course of the Democratic presidential primary debate on Tuesday night, the five candidates, led primarily by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), debated a range of domestic and foreign policy issues.
But although the debate took place during a week of ongoing escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a wave of terror attacks, and an evenhandedc ondemnation of the violence issued by the Obama administration, there was only one mention of Israel during Tuesday’s debate. This contrasts with the previously held Republican debates, in which the candidates heavily addressed the relationship between the U.S. and Israel.
The lone mention of Israel was made by former Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.):
“I believe that the signal that we sent to the region when the Iran nuclear deal was concluded was that we are accepting Iran’s greater position on this very important balance of power, among our greatest ally Israel, and the Sunnis represented by the Saudi regime, and Iran. It was a position of weakness and I think it encouraged the acts that we’ve seen in the past several weeks,” Webb said.
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Thinking on their feet, Israelis use unusual tools to overpower terrorists
(JNS.org) Amid the wave of Palestinian terrorism overtaking Israel in recent days, citizens have resorted to using both ordinary and unusual objects to defend themselves and others against the terrorists.
In the city of Ra’anana on Tuesday, real estate agent Mickey Ruhani used an umbrella as a baton to hit a terrorist who attacked an Israeli victim with a knife.
“I heard a woman screaming hysterically, and without thinking too much, I took my umbrella, because I didn’t have a weapon, and began to hit the terrorist,” said Ruhani, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Meanwhile, in Tuesday’s attack on on Malchei Yisrael Street in Jerusalem, after a Palestinian terrorist drove his car into a group of people at a bus stop and then attacked people with a meat cleaver, bystander Matan Choucroun subdued the terrorist using pepper spray and a selfie stick.
In a separate incident on Monday, a bystander got on a bus and overpowered a terrorist with nunchuks, the martial arts weapon.
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U.N. calls Israeli use of force ‘excessive,’ U.S. mourns deaths on both sides
(JNS.org) The U.S. State Department issued a condemnation of the Palestinian terror attacks engulfing Israel in recent days, with the most recent attacks on Tuesday resulting in the deaths of three and injuries to at least 20. At the same time, the department also struck an evenhanded tone about the current wave of violence.
“The United States condemns in the strongest terms today’s terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians, which resulted in the murder of three Israelis and left numerous others wounded,” said State Department spokesperson John Kirby. “We mourn any loss of innocent life, Israeli or Palestinian. We continue to stress the importance of condemning violence and combating incitement. We are in regular contact with the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. We remain deeply concerned about escalating tensions and urge all sides to take affirmative steps to restore calm and prevent actions that would further escalate tensions.”
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, meanwhile, called on Israel to undertake a “serious review” of its potential “excessive” response to Palestinian terror.
“The apparent excessive use of force by Israeli security forces” is “troubling,” said Ban’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, according to AFP. That situation “demands serious review as it only serves to exacerbates the situation leading to a vicious cycle of needless bloodshed,” he added.
The U.N. has long been criticized by the pro-Israel community for its disproportionate criticism of the Jewish state.
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South Africa’s ANC party urges citizens not to travel to Israel
(JNS.org) South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), has urged its citizens not to travel to Israel unless it is to promote “solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.”
The decision came amid a “strong consensus” among the ANC’s National General Council, South Africa’s Independent Onlinereported.
According to the report, senior ANC leaders have recently criticized South African lawmakers and business leaders for traveling to Israel due to the fact that that they view the situation in Israel as worse than what was experienced during apartheid-era South Africa.
“Apartheid in South Africa was a picnic compared to what we have seen in the occupied territories,” South African Parliamentary Speaker Baleka Mbete said.
South African Jewish leaders condemned the ANC’s move, saying it unfairly singles out Israel.
“Placing a ban on traveling to Israel is wholly inconsistent with the way South Africa engages with other countries. ANC representatives regularly travel to all parts of the world, including to countries with very poor human rights records; it’s therefore grossly discriminatory to single out Israel alone for a travel boycott,” South African Jewish Board of Deputies President Zev Krengel said in a statement.
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Israel hits targets in Syria in response to mortar fire
(JNS.org) The Israel Defense Forces hit two targets in Syria on Tuesday in response to mortar fire by the Syrian military that landed in Israel.
According to the IDF, three mortars fired from Syria landed in Israeli territory on Tuesday morning in the Golan Heights. The IDF said it believes the rockets were errant fire as a result of fighting between the Syrian government and rebels in the area. The Syrian government, backed by Iranian and Hezbollah forces, has been battling rebel and Islamic terror groups in the Golan Heights over the past year amid the ongoing Syrian civil war.
“In response to the rocket fire, IDF artillery targeted two military posts of the Syrian Armed Forces in the central Syrian Golan Heights,” the IDF said in a statement, adding that it “holds the Syrian army responsible for what is taking place in its territory, and will not tolerate any attempt to undermine the sovereignty of the State of Israel, or the security of its citizens.”
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