Three hurt in Jerusalem stabbing attack, one critically
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Three people were wounded in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem on Wednesday, one of them critically.
Shortly after 1 p.m., two terrorists armed with knives stabbed three passersby at the Jaffa Gate in the Old City.
Emergency medical personnel were dispatched to the scene and administered life-saving treatment. All three victims were evacuated to hospitals in the area, with injuries categorized as moderate, serious and critical.
According to initial reports, one of the attackers was killed and the other was seriously wounded.
Nahum Bernstein, a first responder, recounted: “When I arrived at the scene, I saw three victims, one of them wounded critically. Together with additional volunteers we administered CPR. This was a gruesome scene on the well-known path to the Western Wall.”
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Hamas terror cell planning string of suicide attacks apprehended
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The Shin Bet security agency has uncovered a large Hamas terror network operating in Abu Dis, just outside Jerusalem, under the direction of the Hamas military wing in the Gaza Strip. The network was planning to carry out multiple bombings and suicide attacks inside Israel.
So far 25 suspected members of the network have been arrested, according to information released for publication on Wednesday. Most of the suspects are students attending the Al-Quds University campus in Abu Dis.
The interrogation has revealed that the network was headed by Ahmed Jamal Moussa Azzam, 24, from the Palestinian town of Yasuf. Azzam was reportedly recruited by Hamas officials in Gaza several months ago and instructed to establish a military infrastructure and launch terrorist attacks on Israeli targets.
Another Hamas cell was discovered in the Bethlehem area, whose members also study at the Abu Dis campus. The members of the cell had been recruited by Azzam as suicide attackers.
This discovery demonstrates once again the involvement of the Hamas military wing in masterminding the mass murders of Israelis in Judea and Samaria and in Israel proper. The latest arrests indicate that the Hamas leadership in Gaza in making exerted efforts to take advantage of the current spate of lone-wolf terrorist attacks across Israel to reintroduce bombings and suicide attacks against Israelis.
The arrests have prevented Hamas from carrying out a series of mass attacks in Judea and Samaria and in Israel that could have cost many lives and exacerbated the delicate security situation.
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Netanyahu and Putin agree to coordinate anti-terror efforts
(JNS.org) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Tuesday to discuss anti-terror efforts and the civil war in Syria.
During their conversation, Netanyahu and Putin agreed to coordinate “anti-terror” efforts, especially within Syria, the Russia news agency RIA reported.
The phone call comes following the purported Israeli assassination in Syria of Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar, who kidnapped and killed an Israeli family in 1979 and was later released from an Israeli prison in 1998 as part of a prisoner exchange with Hezbollah.
According to Arab media, many have questioned why Russia did not use its advanced S-400 air defense system to prevent the alleged Israeli airstrike.
Despite Russia’s ties with Iran and Syria as well as its tensions with the West over Ukraine, Israel has maintained a warm relationship with Putin. In September, Netanyahu flew to Moscow and met with Putin to establish a mechanism to prevent inadvertent clashes over Syria.
“Under the agreements we have with the Russians, they act in accordance with their interests; we act in accordance with our interests; and the one doesn’t bother the other,” Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said in November.
Netanyahu and Putin also met again on the sidelines of the Paris climate change conference in late November.
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Jordan denies entry to Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal
(JNS.org) Jordan has reportedly rejected a request by Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal to visit the kingdom.
According to sources within Jordan, the countries authorities told Mashaal that he is currently “unwelcome” in the country.
“The decision to prevent Mashaal from visiting Jordan is now politically motivated,” the sources said, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Mashaal was expelled from Jordan in 1999 and has resided abroad in a number of Arab states including Syria and Qatar. The Hamas leader was hoping to visit Jordan and congratulate senior Muslim Brotherhood official Zaki Bani Ershaid, who is scheduled to be released from jail in January.
The Muslim Brotherhood, which was declared a terrorist organization in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, is the most organized and powerful opposition movement within Jordan and is viewed as a potential threat to King Abdullah.
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Iranian official warns Turkey over normalizing ties with Israel
(JNS.org) An Iranian official on Monday warned Turkey not to engage in negotiations to normalize relations with Israel.
“The Muslim governments should adopt policies which meet their and the Islamic Ummah’s interests as well as the rights of the Palestinian nation,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari told reporters in Tehran, the Fars News Agency reported.
“The Turkish government shouldn’t pursue a different path (in relations) with the Quds (Jerusalem) occupying regime under such conditions that its relations with the neighboring governments have gone under certain developments,” Ansari said.
Ansari’s comments follow reports that Israel and Turkey are close to normalizing diplomatic relations after the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident in which Israeli commandos boarded the flotilla that was attempting to break the blockade of Gaza and nine Turkish citizens were killed in clashes.
On Monday, Turkey expelled Hamas’ senior representative in Istanbul, Saleh al-Arouri, which was one of Israel’s requests for normalization.
However, Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan reportedly said he will continue to support Hamas in spite of Israel’s request for Turkey to end relations with the group.
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