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1. Air Force Hits Gaza Weapons Plant following Attacks
by Maayana Miskin
The Israel Air Force demolished a weapons plant in northern Gaza early on Monday morning. The operation came in response to recent attacks by Gaza terrorists on Israelis in the western Negev.
Planes also took out two smuggling tunnel along the border between Gaza and Egypt. Pilots reported direct hits, and all planes returned safely back to base.
The IDF released its usual statement for such incidents, saying, “The IDF will not tolerate attacks on Israeli citizens or IDF soldiers, and will respond with determination and strength to any entity using terrorism against the state of Israel.” The statement also noted that “the IDF sees the Hamas terrorist organization as bearing sole responsibility for what happens in Gaza, and for maintaining quiet in the area.”
On Sunday, terrorists fired at least four rockets and mortar shells at communities in the Gaza belt region. One of the weapons used in the attacks was more advanced than the usual rockets; experts who examined the rocket found that it was produced outside Gaza and smuggled in.
On Sunday evening, an IDF reserves force arrested five Palestinian Authority Arabs near the Jewish town of Elon Moreh in Samaria. The five are thought to have been on their way to commit a terrorist attack.
Soldiers arrested an additional terrorist overnight.
2. Jewish Home Destroyed, Arab-Jewish Clash Follows
by Hillel Fendel
With only two months left until the end of the freeze on Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria, its enforcement is becoming more violent.
The tally of this morning’s destruction of a large house, goat pen and caravan: Four Jews injured, including one in serious condition, and two Arabs.
Dozens of special Yassam and Border Guard policemen, accompanied by Civil Administration personnel, swooped down on Givat Ronen (Ronen Hill) outside the Jewish town of Har Brachah in Shomron (Samaria) around 7:00 this morning. They demolished a large house belonging to the Afarsimon family, as well as a goat pen and a caravan (mobile home without wheels).
Unconfirmed reports state that a windshield of one of the security forces’ vehicles was smashed. The policemen surrounded each of the nearby houses, preventing the residents from leaving.
Anti-Jewish government actions in the Shomron are often met with a violent response against Arabs in the area, in a deterrent policy known as “Price Tag” or “Mutual Dependency.” Every time an outpost, or even a part thereof, is demolished or evacuated, a response can be foreseen. One supporter of the policy was quoted as saying, “The time has come that there should be some crazies on our side as well, that the IDF and the Arabs should say, ‘Woa, we better not start up with those guys.’ That will make more order here, instead of the one-sidedness we have now. We have become the punching bag of both the army and the Arabs, and it’s time that they think twice before starting up with us.”
According to some reports, “Price Tag” was implemented today as well, leading to mutual rock-throwings between Jews and Arabs. One of the former was seriously wounded, taken unconscious or semi-conscious to a hospital in Petach Tikvah. Three others were also reported hurt, as were two Arabs.
Anti-settlement policies are generally attributed to Defense Minister Ehud Barak, but Shomron Regional Council head Gershon Mesika said, “It’s Binyamin Netanyahu, not Barak. Netanyahu is the boss, and he’s the one who stands behind the evil and totally unnecessary destruction of a home built by a young couple with their hard-earned money – while on the next mountain there are hundreds of illegal Arab buildings.”
The Shomron Residents Committee said, “Every time Barak goes to Washington [he is scheduled to arrive there today – ed.], he destroys some Jewish houses so that he can show Obama some photographs of Jewish destruction and the expulsion of families.”
3. Barak on to Washington Again, Demolished Shomron Home First
by Hillel Fendel
Defense Minister Ehud Barak, the most left-wing and most influential minister in the right-wing government, is on his way to Washington for talks with top Obama Administration officials.
Lebanon, Iran - But Nothing on Palestinian Authority
Before his departure, he granted an interview to the Washington Post, two points of which made headlines - yet some hard questions were not asked. Barak said that if Hizbullah attacks Israel, as it did in 2006, “we will not run after each Hezbollah terrorist or launcher… We will see it as legitimate to hit any target that belongs to the Lebanese state, not just to Hizbullah." The Defense Minister also said that sanctions against Iran are not likely to be effective in the long run.
The Post described its interview with Barak as “wide-ranging,” but did not provide a precise transcript thereof. The article portrayed him as more peace-seeking than Netanyahu, and even asked him to give grades to Netanyahu’s love for peace. Excerpts:
“Barak said Israel must put forward a peace plan … Abbas [is] skeptical of Netanyahu's sincerity… Asked whether Netanyahu shared Barak's belief in the need for an Israeli peace initiative that addresses the core conflict, Barak said Netanyahu had convinced Obama at their July 6 meeting that he ‘is there. But, of course, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. We have to prove it in actions, in the negotiations.’"
Barak's Peace Plan
Minister Barak is quoted as having said that Israel “must put forward a peace plan that delineates the borders of a Palestinian state, ensures a Jewish majority inside Israel, solves the Palestinian refugee problem and offers a ‘reasonable solution’ for the future of Jerusalem.” Also noted is “Barak's failed attempt to reach an agreement with then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.” The article did not specify that Barak actually offered 98% of Judea, Samaria and Gaza at that time, 1% of the Negev, “custodianship” over the Temple Mount, and the entry of some Arab refugees from 1948. The Palestinian Authority rejected all of the above.
Interviewer Janine Zacharia also did not ask Barak what part of the above offer he feels Netanyahu should now “improve upon” in order to entice the Palestinian Authority to agree to make peace with Israel.
It has been suggested that the demolition of a Jewish home in the Shomron (Samaria) on Monday morning was a strategic decision by Barak on two fronts. It may him points with the US officials with whom he plans to meet, including Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, and may sabotage the visit of fellow Cabinet Minister Avigdor Lieberman – a long-time Barak rival – to the Shomron on Monday.
4. Abbas Under Pressure for Direct Talks
by Maayana Miskin
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is under intense international pressure to begin holding direct talks with Israel, he told members of his Fatah party during a recent conference. A senior PA member revealed Abbas' admission to the pan-Arab paper Al-Quds al-Arabi.
The source said Abbas is under pressure from “several Western countries,” which the source did not identify. The countries are able to bring heavy pressure to bear on the PA due to the fact that aid they provide makes up much of the PA's annual budget, he explained.
Abbas will not make a decision on direct talks until meeting with the Arab League's Follow-Up Committee on Thursday in Cairo. The committee includes representatives from 14 Arab countries, among them Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as well as the PA.
By opening direct talks between Israel and the PA, the Western powers hope to push Israel into a corner and force concessions, the source claimed.
Abbas has refused to begin direct talks unless Israel agrees to pre-conditions, among them a full construction freeze for Jews living east of the 1949 armistice line, including those living in north, south, or east Jerusalem or the historic basin. Another demand is for talks on the borders of a future PA state to be based on the armistice line, with any land that is annexed to Israel replaced by land from within Israel's 1948 borders.
Yet another PA demand is for negotiations on security-related matters to pick up where Abbas left off talks with former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The content of negotiations between Abbas and the former prime minister was not made public, but is believed to have included many significant Israeli concessions.
5. Foreign Minister Lieberman in Shomron
by Hillel Fendel and Yoni Kempinski
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Israel Our Home party, led his ministerial party colleagues on a visit to Jewish towns in Samaria on Monday. The tour, hosted by the Shomron Regional Council, took place in the shadow of the morning demolition ordered by Defense Minister Ehud Barak of a home in a start-up outpost outside Har Brachah.
Lieberman spoke in favor of an end to the freeze on Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria when it expires precisely two months from now, but he did not say that construction must resume freely.
“We want to make certain that in September, life will return to normal,” Lieberman said. “We don’t want to create provocations, but we certainly think that it is the right of the people living here, sent by various Israeli governments over the years, to lead normal lives, and not find themselves in a situation where 500 students are leaning in a school that was built for only 200. They deserve to have water supply, kindergartens, and all the other aspects of life that the residents of every other town in Israel enjoy.”
After saying that there must be room for natural growth, he was pressed by INN reporter Yoni Kempinski: “You’re talking about only ‘normal’ life, or do you also support the building and development of Jewish towns?”
Lieberman said, “We are talking about normal life. We are not coming to change the demographic status, but of course if people are born or people get married or want to build an extra room, it should be allowed; life should be normal. In settlement blocs, which are not in dispute in the government – places such as Ariel, Givat Ze’ev or Maaleh Adumim – there is no reason that there should not be normal construction.”
“That’s what Meridor says!” some reporters said, implying that Lieberman had not said anything more ‘nationalistic’ than what dovish Likud Minister Dan Meridor had stated. Lieberman responded, “I’m saying that there is no dispute on this point, from Dan Meridor through Avigdor Lieberman; we all agree on this.”
The implication was that he was not willing to go on record in support of new housing projects in towns such as Adam, Beit El, or Ofra (all between 4.5 and 16 kilometers of Jerusalem, to its north).
The ministers visited the towns of Bruchin and Itamar, as well as the industrial zone of Barkan and Mt. Gerizim. Lieberman pointed out the absurdity of the Talia Sasson report of several years ago in which the former State Prosecution lawyer categorized over several dozen Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria as “illegal.” Lieberman said, “Bruchin, where we are now standing, shows the absurdity of the report. The Defense Minister who signed the official decision to establish Bruchin was none other than Yitzchak Rabin in 1983. In ‘99, when it was finally built, then-Defense Minister Moshe Arens took part. It now has 100 families, and around 15% of them are members of the security forces; there is even an army installation here. There are signs at the entrance to the town saying that the Housing Ministry built the infrastructures..”
6. Rabbi Shapira Arrested in Police Raid, Books Confiscated
by Eli Stutz
A large police special patrol unit raided the home of Rabbi Yitzchak Shapira on Monday morning, showing him a warrant and arresting him. Rabbi Shapira heads the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva in the town of Yitzhar in the Shomron region. His associates say the reason for the arrest is likely his new book, The Torah of the King.
Police also simultaneously raided the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva itself, searching for copies of Rabbi Shapira's book. Police left the town after they found some 30 books and confiscated them.
The Rabbi's book was recently published in its second, updated edition. The Supreme Court has ruled that the content of the book is not grounds for an investigation against Rabbi Shapira.
The book, The Torah of the King, deals with Jewish law pertaining to Kings of Israel and the waging of wars, describing, inter alia, the situations in which a Jew is permitted to kill a non-Jew. The book does not contain any explicit references to Arabs or Palestinians.
Reviews of the book among Rabbis have been mixed, with some such as Rabbi Shlomo Aviner criticizing its publication and taking issue with the accuracy of its content. On the other hand, Rabbi Elyakim Levanon of Elon Moreh has defended Rabbi Shapira's right to analyze the issue, saying that the book is not a practical guide, but a theoretical exposition. Rabbi Levanon has also stated that while he himself may not have chosen to publish a book like Rabbi Shapira's, there are well-founded sources in Jewish law and tradition that would support its publication. The rabbis did not express opinions on the issue of free speech.
Sources close to Rabbi Shapira protested the conduct of security forces surrounding the morning raid, saying that Rabbi Shapira had not been summoned for questioning or the like prior to the abrupt arrest.
In January this year, Rabbi Shapira was arrested on suspicion of involvement in a fire in a mosque in the Arab village Yasuf. A few days later, Jerusalem Magistrates Court Justice Anat Singer ordered his release of Rabbi Shapira, and criticized the State's conduct in the case.
A Honenu legal defense organization representative, attorney Moti Grossman, who met with the Rabbi in his cell, told Arutz Sheva that investigators abused Rabbi Shapira. "It was very difficult to see him," said Grossman. "He came to me blindfolded as is done with the worst of terrorists. Seeing him blindfolded was an especially difficult sight, because we are talking about a rabbi."
Grossman said that the Shin Bet (General Security Service) tried to link Rabbi Shapira with the burning of the carpet in the Yasuf mosque, but that Rabbi Shapria strongly denied this. According to Grossman, the Shin Bet is trying to place heavy pressure on the rabbi. "He wasn't allowed to keep even the tefillin (phylacteries) he brought with him, except during the time of prayer. This is an attempt to put pressure on Rabbi Shapira."
7. Tablet Discovered by Hebrew U Matches Code of Hammurabi
by INN Staff courtesy of Hebrew University
For the first time in Israel, a document has been uncovered containing a law code that parallels portions of the famous Code of Hammurabi. The code is written on fragments of a cuneiform tablet, dating from the 18th-17th centuries B.C.E in the Middle Bronze Age, that were found in Hebrew University of Jerusalem archaeological excavations this summer at Hazor, south of Kiryat Shmonah, in northern Israel.
The Hazor excavations, known as the Selz Foundation Hazor Excavations in Memory of Yigael Yadin, are under the direction of Prof. Amnon Ben-Tor and Dr. Sharon Zuckerman of the Hebrew University Institute of Archaeology. Previous excavations were directed at the site by the late Prof. Yigael Yadin in the 1950s and 1960s.
The fragments that have now been discovered, written in Akkadian cuneiform script, refer to issues of personal injury law relating to slaves and masters, bring to mind similar laws in the famous Babylonian Hammurabi Code of the 18th century B.C.E. that were found in what is now Iran over 100 years ago. The laws also reflect, to a certain extent, Biblical laws of the type of “a tooth for tooth,” say the researchers.
The Hazor law code fragments are being prepared for publication by a team headed by Prof. Wayne Horowitz of the Hebrew University Institute of Archaeology. Thus far, words that have been deciphered include “master,” “slave,” and a word referring to bodily parts, apparently the word for “tooth.” The style of the text is similar to that of the Hammurabi Code, said Prof. Horowitz.
“At this stage, it is difficult to determine whether this document was actually written at Hazor, where a school for scribes was located, or brought from somewhere else,” said Prof. Horowitz. He said that this latest discovery opens an interesting avenue for possible further investigation of a connection between Biblical law and the Code of Hammurabi.
These two fragments are the 18th and 19th cuneiform finds from the Hazor excavations, which now form the largest corpus of documents of cuneiform texts found in Israel. Previous documents dealt with such subjects as the dispatch of people or goods, a legal dispute involving a local woman, and a text of multiplication tables. “These tablets point to Hazor’s importance as a major center for administration and scholarship in the Middle and Late Bronze Ages,” said Prof. Ben-Tor.
The Hazor excavations, sponsored by the Hebrew University and the Israel Exploration Society, take place within the Hazor National Park. The archaeological team is presently about to begin uncovering a monumental building dating to the Bronze Age, where they expect to recover additional tablets.
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