Israelis on yacht rescue drowning Mideast refugees
(JNS.org) On Sunday, a yacht from an Israeli civilian navigation school conducting training near the Turkish coast encountered and rescued 11 Syrian and Iraqi migrants whose boat had capsized, in addition to a 6-month-old baby who did not survive.
The group of Israelis from the Ashdod-based Poseidon school saw a boat wreckage in the water, at first spotting and rescuing only one teenager. After searching the area, the group found 11 migrants floating in the water wearing life jackets and brought them on board. The Israelis provided food, water, and first aid to the migrants, and treated one of the migrants for diabetic shock. There were four children among the migrants. Three additional people were missing and were later discovered dead in the water by Greek authorities.
“I’ve been sailing for 40 years and this is the first time something like this has happened to me….We found out they were Syrians and Iraqis, gave them water and cell phones to talk with their families. After we told them that we Jews from Israel, they kissed us and thanked us,” said Shlomo Asban, the yacht’s captain, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
The yacht then diverted its path and took the surviving migrants to the nearby Greek island of Kastellorizo.
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U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joe Dunford meets with Netanyahu
(JNS.org) The U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Gen. Joe Dunford, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to discuss mutual regional challenges, including the current outbreak of Palestinian terror attacks, the Syrian civil war, and Iran’s growing support of terror groups around the Middle East.
“There’s no shortage of challenges, and I think that there’s common agreement that we have to stop this aggression in the region, but specifically the aggression that is aimed at Israel,” Netanyahu said during the meeting, the Associated Press reported. “There’s a lot to talk about—how to bolster our common security interests and Israel’s ability to defend itself, by itself, against these and other threats.”
“I’m confident that the solution to those challenges is our cooperation, and that’s what I’m committed to,” Dunford told Netanyahu.
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Amid stabbing wave, Hamas calls for escalation to bomb and vehicle attacks
(JNS.org) On Monday, the Gaza-ruling terror group Hamas instructed its members and affiliate groups in the West Bank to undertake suicide bomb and vehicle attacks against Israelis, particularly in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Israeli officials told Yedioth Ahronoth that Hamas terrorists could imminently attempt such attacks. Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar called for greater arming of the current wave of terror attacks, a trend some have started to refer to as the third intifada. Meanwhile, Hamas media outlets called for more vehicular terror attacks against Israelis.
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Jerusalem businesses start to rebound amid wave of terrorism
(JNS.org) Jerusalem business owners whose revenues have suffered since the beginning of the current Palestinian terrorism wave were cautiously optimistic Sunday, saying that business has picked up over the past few days.
While some businesses are still reeling, various restaurants and coffee shops in the capital have reported a “slow and steady” return to business as usual. Israel Hayom reported that the Israeli Knesset’s Economics Committee plans to discuss the plight of Jerusalem business owners during its scheduled meeting on Tuesday.
“There is a very cautious return to business as usual in Jerusalem, but we are still a long way from the seasonal average,” said Hillel Shahar, head of business development at Eden, a subsidiary of the Jerusalem Development Authority. He added, “Some sectors are facing real difficulties because the public’s mood changes by the minute.”
According to Shahar, the Jerusalem Municipality is currently developing “an online platform to offer businesses information and support.”
The Jerusalem Cinematheque is one of the establishments to experience a recent rebound in business.
“Business suffered a little last week, but it’s picking up again. The residents of Jerusalem have a lot of experience with waves of terrorism, and we are doing our best to offer some sanity through culture,” the Cinematheque’s spokeswoman told Israel Hayom.
Yet the Zap Rest restaurant and entertainment website said that the past week has seen a 64-percent drop in the public’s search for information about Jerusalem restaurants, and a 50-percent drop in similar searches for restaurants in Tel Aviv.
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‘Cut off the Jews’ heads,’ Islamic State says, feeding off Palestinian terror wave
(JNS.org) The Islamic State terror group group released a new video Sunday focusing on the wave of Palestinian terrorism in Israel and tensions surrounding Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, urging a more “aggressive jihad against the Jews.”
“Fight the Jews any way you can. Terrorize them with explosive devices, tear them to shreds. Cut off the Jews’ heads,” an Islamic State operative asserts in the video.
The six-minute video features several scenes where terrorist attacks have taken place over the past few weeks, offers a short history of the Al-Aqsa mosque, and claims the compound is under Jewish “occupation” and that Arab leaders are “not doing enough to liberate” the mosque.
The video also features various Islamic State operatives declaring they will soon arrive in Jerusalem to “help our Palestinian brothers slaughter the Jews.”
The Islamic State released a video making a direct threat to Israel in July, in which one of its top operatives in Syria vowed to “destroy Israel.” The video also delivered a threat to “uproot Hamas and all secular [Palestinian] factions.”
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IDF soldier killed, 11 Israelis wounded in Beersheba terror attack
(BreakingIsraelNews.com/JNS.org) A Sunday evening terror attack in the central bus station of Beersheba left 11 Israelis wounded and claimed the life of 19-year-old Israel Defense Forces soldier Omri Levi. The terrorist, identified as Muhanad Alukabi, 21, was an Israeli Arab from the Bedouin town of Hura.
Alukabi stabbed Levi, who later died of his wounds, and then stole his weapon, opening fire on the crowded bus terminal. The terrorist was shot dead by security forces after hiding out in a bathroom. An Eritrean migrant worker, who was mistook for a second terrorist, was shot in the head by a security officer. He died of his wounds early Monday morning in Soroka Hospital.
Israeli police have confirmed members of Alukabi’s family have been arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting terror. According to the Shin Bet, Alukabi’s mother was originally from Gaza and was granted Israeli citizenship after marrying an Israeli Arab.
Police are investigating how Alukabi managed to slip past security officers stationed at the entrance to the bus station armed with a knife and a handgun. Security measures were bolstered as of Monday morning.
Beersheba Mayor Rubik Danielovitch told Israel’s Channel 2, “We’re talking about a very serious terror attack that could have resulted in severe consequences if it weren’t for the resourcefulness and the quick response of security forces.”
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Obama: Israel has right to protect itself, both sides should ‘tamp down’ violence
(JNS.org) Israel “has a right to maintain basic law and order and protect its citizens from knife attacks and violence on the streets,” President Barack Obama said Friday.
Yet at a press conference with South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Obama also struck an evenhanded tone, calling on both the Israelis and Palestinians “to try to tamp down rhetoric that may feed violence or anger or misunderstanding.” Obama’s comments come amid widespread Israeli criticism of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for inciting violence.
Obama said that “all people in Israel and the West Bank” should “recognize that this kind of random violence is not going to result in anything other than more hardship or insecurity.”
“I don’t think we can wait for all the issues that exist between Israelis and Palestinians to be settled in order for us to try and tamp down on violence right now,” he said.
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Joseph’s Tomb set ablaze during Palestinian ‘Day of Rage’
(JNS.org) Palestinian rioters on Friday set fire to Nablus-based Joseph’s Tomb, a site holy to Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, damaging it heavily.
At least 100 Palestinians rioted outside the site as part of a “Day of Rage” across the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem. They threw a firebomb inside the premises, which set part of the site on fire. Rioters also threw rocks at Israeli troops. Multiple fires caused by the rioting were eventually put out by Palestinian security forces who control the site. Jewish prayer is allowed at the site, though under strict security guidelines.
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Palestinian terrorist posing as journalist shot dead in Hebron
(JNS.org) A Palestinian terrorist posing as a journalist was shot dead after stabbing an Israeli soldier near the Jewish community of Kiryat Arba near Hebron on Friday.
According to the IDF, the Palestinian terrorist posed as a photojournalist wearing a yellow “press” vest during the attack.
The soldier, 20, was moderately wounded and was rushed to Jerusalem’s Shaare Tzedek hospital with wounds to the back and arm.
“The Palestinian assailant disguised himself as a news photographer and attacked the soldier, wounding him moderately. The soldier was evacuated for emergency medical care. Forces on site responded to the threat, shot the attacker, resulting in his death,” the IDF said in a statement.
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CAMERA to hold Hispanic Christian-Jewish conference on Islamic extremism
(JNS.org) The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) has announced its sponsorship of an upcoming Hispanic Christian-Jewish conference on anti-Zionism and Islamic extremism.
According to CAMERA, the bilingual conference—slated for Nov. 4 at Beth Torah Benny Rok Campus in North Miami Beach, Fla.—will tackle a number of important issues to Hispanic evangelical Christians, and to Jews, such as Hezbollah’s rise in Latin America, the portrayal of Israel in Spanish-language media, evangelical Christian support for Israel, the persecution of Mideast Christians, and the BDS movement on college campuses.
“This conference crystallizes the common interests of Hispanic Evangelicals and Jews,” said Masha Gabriel, Spanish media research director for CAMERA. “Both religious groups understand the importance of fellowship when facing the rise of a common foe in the Americas.”
A recent Pew Research Center survey revealed that Hispanics are one of the fastest-growing segments of the evangelical Christian population, with 16 percent of American Hispanics identifying as evangelical in 2013, up from 12 percent in 2010.
A number of leading Hispanic and Jewish officials will speak at the conference, including Gabriel Baredes, director of Hispanic affairs, Consulate General of Israel; Pastor Mario Bramnick, president, National Hispanic Leadership Coalition; and Pastor Carlos Ortiz, president, Hispanics Allied for Israel.
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CUFI’s Action Fund slams Obama administration’s reaction to Palestinian terror
(JNS.org) The Washington, DC-based political advocacy arm of Christians United For Israel (CUFI), the largest pro-Israel organization in the U.S. with 2.2 million members, slammed the Obama administration for its comments regarding the wave of Palestinian terrorism in Israel.
“The Obama administration’s failure to unequivocally condemn the wave of Palestinian terrorist attacks on Israelis is outrageous. For an administration official to refer to these murderous rampages as part of a ‘cycle of violence,’ while issuing pleas for both sides to end hostilities, is appalling,” said Gary Bauer, director of the CUFI Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) entity as opposed to the 501(c)(3)-status CUFI nonprofit.
“There is no moral equivalence between the murderers and the victims,” he said.
Last week, in mentioning the “cycle of violence” between the Israelis and Palestinians, Secretary of State John Kerry said he did not want to blame either side.
“I am not going to point fingers [at the culprits] from afar,” Kerry said at a press conference in Washington. “This is a revolving cycle that damages the future for everybody… but when I see violence like the killing of three innocent Israelis I am going to condemn it – like we condemned the settler violence against a Palestinian family [in the village of Douma].”
State Department spokesman John Kirby went further, criticizing Israel’s use of “excessive force” against Palestinian terrorists.
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Articles from JNS.org appear on San Diego Jewish World through the generosity of Dr. Bob and Mao Shillman.