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1. Terrorists to Retain Half their National Insurance Benefits
by Gil Ronen
The Knesset's Labor, Welfare and Health Committee voted Monday in favor of a bill that would cut 50 percent off National Insurance benefits to citizens involved in serious terrorist crimes. Government lawyers had opposed cutting off all benefits to terrorists and the formulation is presented as a compromise between the state lawyers and the bill's initiators, MKs David Rotem and Robert Ilatov of Yisrael Beitenu.
The bill would reduce by 50 percent the stipends to Israeli citizens who were involved in terror activity and sentenced to at least ten years in jail for it.
The stipends that will be slashed are those for people suffering from work-related disabilities, accident insurance, unemployment benefits, bankruptcy, old age pension and surviving relative stipends. It will be brought before the plenum for its first reading.
MK Rotem said Monday, "This is a compromise I had no choice but to agree to. The original bill I submitted included a complete cutoff of stipends to anyone who was convicted [of terrorism]. The will to protect the state's citizens is not met with true understanding by all of the advisors in the government's ministries. When one seeks to harm terrorists, 'constitutional problems' crop up. The bill we have before us is better than nothing."
Attorney Shai Somech of the Justice Ministry told MKs who voted on the bill that "the use of stipends as a means of punishment creates constitutional and legal difficulties." In addition, he said, "punishment meted out after the jail sentence has been served and the fact that the more a person is needy, the more severely he will be punished – these are also problems. Even so, the bill's wording is acceptable to us despite the difficulties."
Uri Eldar of the Socialist Education Fund expressed opposition to the bill. "What will happen to a person who does not receive stipends after he completes serving his punishment? He will reach the welfare authorities and a social worker will have to take care of him, so what have we saved here? We need to act as a civilized country."
Welfare Committee Chairman MK Chaim Katz summed up the debate. "The blood of Israel's citizens cannot be shed freely. Let the terrorists see this and know that their old age and welfare may be damaged, and they will be deterred from terrorist activity," he said.
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by Gil Ronen
The Knesset's Labor, Welfare and Health Committee voted Monday in favor of a bill that would cut 50 percent off National Insurance benefits to citizens involved in serious terrorist crimes. Government lawyers had opposed cutting off all benefits to terrorists and the formulation is presented as a compromise between the state lawyers and the bill's initiators, MKs David Rotem and Robert Ilatov of Yisrael Beitenu.
The bill would reduce by 50 percent the stipends to Israeli citizens who were involved in terror activity and sentenced to at least ten years in jail for it.
The stipends that will be slashed are those for people suffering from work-related disabilities, accident insurance, unemployment benefits, bankruptcy, old age pension and surviving relative stipends. It will be brought before the plenum for its first reading.
MK Rotem said Monday, "This is a compromise I had no choice but to agree to. The original bill I submitted included a complete cutoff of stipends to anyone who was convicted [of terrorism]. The will to protect the state's citizens is not met with true understanding by all of the advisors in the government's ministries. When one seeks to harm terrorists, 'constitutional problems' crop up. The bill we have before us is better than nothing."
Attorney Shai Somech of the Justice Ministry told MKs who voted on the bill that "the use of stipends as a means of punishment creates constitutional and legal difficulties." In addition, he said, "punishment meted out after the jail sentence has been served and the fact that the more a person is needy, the more severely he will be punished – these are also problems. Even so, the bill's wording is acceptable to us despite the difficulties."
Uri Eldar of the Socialist Education Fund expressed opposition to the bill. "What will happen to a person who does not receive stipends after he completes serving his punishment? He will reach the welfare authorities and a social worker will have to take care of him, so what have we saved here? We need to act as a civilized country."
Welfare Committee Chairman MK Chaim Katz summed up the debate. "The blood of Israel's citizens cannot be shed freely. Let the terrorists see this and know that their old age and welfare may be damaged, and they will be deterred from terrorist activity," he said.
Tags: terror legislation
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2. PA Rejects Maaleh Adumim, Gush Etzion as Israeli
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The Palestinian Authority has ditched any Quartet hopes for a negotiated peace with Israel and rejects Jewish sovereignty over “settlement blocs,” such as the city of Maaleh Adumim, home to approximately 40,000 Jews, and the Gush Etzion communities populated by Jews before the 1948 War of Independence.
It also demands the release of terrorists, the right to maintain a PA army and a halt to Jewish growth in Judea and Samaria in all parts of Jerusalem the Authority claims, according to PA documents that recently were presented to the Quartet and which were reported Sunday by the Hebrew-language Yisrael HaYom newspaper.
The Quartet – consisting of the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States – met with PA and Israeli negotiators five times in Jordan in the past several weeks in a renewed Western effort to reach a negotiated agreement.
The only thing both asides agreed to was another date for a meeting, but that also was called off by the Palestinian Authority, which has indicated it feels ready to go back “Plan B” and win its territorial and political demands through membership in the United Nations.
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas failed to gain the necessary two-thirds support in the United Nations Security Council last October for a motion to bring the request for membership to the General Assembly, where the PA is assured a majority. The Security Council make-up has since changed, but a two-thirds majority for the PA remains far from assured.
The PA document presented in Jordan includes a demand for 98.1 percent of Judea and Samaria and areas of Jerusalem that were restored to Israel in the Six-Day War in 1967.
Virtually all of the Palestinian Authority demands are a rejection of Israeli “red lines,” which include maintaining the Oslo Accords prohibition on the establishment of a Palestinian Authority army.
“They ignored facts that have been on the ground for 40 years,” an Israeli source told the newspaper. “They ended up going back to the demands for a freeze on building for Jews in Judea and Samaria and the demand for freeing Hamas’ spokesman for Judea and Samaria."
“We did not agree to anything. The objective of gaining trust was not achieved. Most of the dialogue was a rehash of former requests for pre-conditions, this time through a back door. They also refused to agree for a meeting between Abbas and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.”
The central committee of Fatah, headed by Abbas, confirmed the document’s conclusion on Sunday, demanding that any agreement with Israel be based on the temporary borders determined by the 1949 Armistice Agreement, which became obsolete after the war in 1967.
Abbas chaired Sunday’s meeting, according to the Bethlehem-based Ma'an news agency, which added that the discussion also covered reconciliation with Hamas.
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by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The Palestinian Authority has ditched any Quartet hopes for a negotiated peace with Israel and rejects Jewish sovereignty over “settlement blocs,” such as the city of Maaleh Adumim, home to approximately 40,000 Jews, and the Gush Etzion communities populated by Jews before the 1948 War of Independence.
It also demands the release of terrorists, the right to maintain a PA army and a halt to Jewish growth in Judea and Samaria in all parts of Jerusalem the Authority claims, according to PA documents that recently were presented to the Quartet and which were reported Sunday by the Hebrew-language Yisrael HaYom newspaper.
The Quartet – consisting of the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States – met with PA and Israeli negotiators five times in Jordan in the past several weeks in a renewed Western effort to reach a negotiated agreement.
The only thing both asides agreed to was another date for a meeting, but that also was called off by the Palestinian Authority, which has indicated it feels ready to go back “Plan B” and win its territorial and political demands through membership in the United Nations.
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas failed to gain the necessary two-thirds support in the United Nations Security Council last October for a motion to bring the request for membership to the General Assembly, where the PA is assured a majority. The Security Council make-up has since changed, but a two-thirds majority for the PA remains far from assured.
The PA document presented in Jordan includes a demand for 98.1 percent of Judea and Samaria and areas of Jerusalem that were restored to Israel in the Six-Day War in 1967.
Virtually all of the Palestinian Authority demands are a rejection of Israeli “red lines,” which include maintaining the Oslo Accords prohibition on the establishment of a Palestinian Authority army.
“They ignored facts that have been on the ground for 40 years,” an Israeli source told the newspaper. “They ended up going back to the demands for a freeze on building for Jews in Judea and Samaria and the demand for freeing Hamas’ spokesman for Judea and Samaria."
“We did not agree to anything. The objective of gaining trust was not achieved. Most of the dialogue was a rehash of former requests for pre-conditions, this time through a back door. They also refused to agree for a meeting between Abbas and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.”
The central committee of Fatah, headed by Abbas, confirmed the document’s conclusion on Sunday, demanding that any agreement with Israel be based on the temporary borders determined by the 1949 Armistice Agreement, which became obsolete after the war in 1967.
Abbas chaired Sunday’s meeting, according to the Bethlehem-based Ma'an news agency, which added that the discussion also covered reconciliation with Hamas.
Tags: Palestinian Authority ,Abbas ,Israel ,Oslo ,Quartet
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3. Gov’t ‘Rains Out’ Jews from Patriarchs’ Cave
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Heavy rains forced Jews out of the Patriarchs’ Cave in Hevron on the Sabbath because of lack of government funds for maintenance, according to the Hevron Jewish community.
Israel was happy to receive the much needed rain and snow which helped replenish the Kinneret and underground water sources, but the flooding of the holy site in Hevron came days after the government refused to add the Patriarchs’ Cave to the list of places designated for special additional funding.
Two years, ago the government added the holy sites to Israel's list of "heritage sites."
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said at the time, “Rachel's Tomb and the Tomb of the Patriarchs, the over 3,500-year old resting places of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of the Jewish People - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel - certainly deserve preservation and rehabilitation.”
However, no work has been carried out by authorities to prevent flooding that forced Jews out of the prayer this past Friday night the third time this month.
An electrical closet is located at the end of the flooded hall, endangering the entire structure as well as the people inside.
Hevron community spokesman Noam Arnon said that local leaders have unsuccessfully tried for several years to convince authorities to leakproof the makeshift flimsy roof, part of which previously has caved in.
In addition, Jewish worshippers suffer from the noise of the Muslim muezzin’s call for prayers in the building, which is used both by Jews and Muslims.
"The Patriarchs’ Cave is the second most important Jewish site, after the Temple Mount, where our forefathers and mothers are buried," Arnon reminded.
“If this is the way the government deals with a heritage site such as the cave, it is no wonder that the nations of the world treats us with disrespect,” he added.
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by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Heavy rains forced Jews out of the Patriarchs’ Cave in Hevron on the Sabbath because of lack of government funds for maintenance, according to the Hevron Jewish community.
Israel was happy to receive the much needed rain and snow which helped replenish the Kinneret and underground water sources, but the flooding of the holy site in Hevron came days after the government refused to add the Patriarchs’ Cave to the list of places designated for special additional funding.
Two years, ago the government added the holy sites to Israel's list of "heritage sites."
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said at the time, “Rachel's Tomb and the Tomb of the Patriarchs, the over 3,500-year old resting places of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of the Jewish People - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel - certainly deserve preservation and rehabilitation.”
However, no work has been carried out by authorities to prevent flooding that forced Jews out of the prayer this past Friday night the third time this month.
An electrical closet is located at the end of the flooded hall, endangering the entire structure as well as the people inside.
Hevron community spokesman Noam Arnon said that local leaders have unsuccessfully tried for several years to convince authorities to leakproof the makeshift flimsy roof, part of which previously has caved in.
In addition, Jewish worshippers suffer from the noise of the Muslim muezzin’s call for prayers in the building, which is used both by Jews and Muslims.
"The Patriarchs’ Cave is the second most important Jewish site, after the Temple Mount, where our forefathers and mothers are buried," Arnon reminded.
“If this is the way the government deals with a heritage site such as the cave, it is no wonder that the nations of the world treats us with disrespect,” he added.
Tags: Patriarcha' Cave ,Hevron ,Cave of Machpelah
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4. No Fuel in Gaza, but Hamas Doesn't Want it from Israel
by Elad Benari
Fuel from Egypt has yet to be transferred to Gaza despite assurances it would arrive on Sunday, a power authority official in Gaza said.
The Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency reported on Sunday that while an Egyptian parliamentarian said Saturday that Egypt would pump 500,000 liters of fuel into Gaza per day for its power plant, which shut down last Tuesday, and 100,000 for gas stations, the route of the promised fuel into Gaza appeared to be holding up the delivery.
The report said Egypt wants to stop the passage of fuel through tunnels under the border between Gaza and Egypt, but the official Rafah terminal is not equipped for goods transfers.
Ma’an noted that the only alternative route is for the fuel to cross into Israel and then back into Gaza through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom terminal.
However, Gaza’s Hamas rulers appear to be reluctant to transfer the fuel through Israel. Energy Authority official Ahmad Abu al-Amreen told Ma'an that the government does not want to rely on transfers via Israel, because it claims Israel severely restricts the movement of people and goods from Gaza. He added, however, that Hamas will allow shipment via the Israeli crossing temporarily to alleviate the current emergency.
Abu al-Amreen added the power authority had not received notification from Egypt about how the fuel would be transferred.
“We keep contacting the relevant authorities in Egypt, but so far we received no answers,” he said.
The Gaza Energy Authority announced more than ten days ago that if fuel doesn't enter the coastal enclave within 72 hours the Hamas-controlled area will face a severe electricity crisis.
Hamas called on Arab and Islamic countries to intervene to prevent a crisis and sought to blame Israel for the shortage, citing an "Israeli ban on construction materials."
The terror group says it has been impossible to rebuild power stations destroyed in Operation Cast Lead early in 2009.
However, Israel began allowing construction materials for pre-approved projects like schools, hospitals, and critical infrastructure to enter Gaza in early 2011 - leading many observers to place the blame on the impending 'crisis' on Hamas.
Hamas, they say, benefits from inaction because any crisis will provide them with fuel for their propaganda machine and allow them to incite local passions against Israel.
In addition to allowing construction material and other goods to enter Gaza, Israel also allows exporting of agricultural products, such as strawberries and carnations, from Gaza to Europe, as part of an extensive project financed by the Dutch government. Recently it was announced that, in addition to the agricultural exports, Gaza will soon be able to export furniture to Europe as part of a new pilot program.
Gaza has just recently begun exporting tomatoes to Saudi Arabia. The tomatoes were transferred to Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing on February 8, and a day later were exported abroad via the Allenby Bridge. Several days before that, Gaza exported 31 tons of tomatoes to Jordan.
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by Elad Benari
Fuel from Egypt has yet to be transferred to Gaza despite assurances it would arrive on Sunday, a power authority official in Gaza said.
The Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency reported on Sunday that while an Egyptian parliamentarian said Saturday that Egypt would pump 500,000 liters of fuel into Gaza per day for its power plant, which shut down last Tuesday, and 100,000 for gas stations, the route of the promised fuel into Gaza appeared to be holding up the delivery.
The report said Egypt wants to stop the passage of fuel through tunnels under the border between Gaza and Egypt, but the official Rafah terminal is not equipped for goods transfers.
Ma’an noted that the only alternative route is for the fuel to cross into Israel and then back into Gaza through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom terminal.
However, Gaza’s Hamas rulers appear to be reluctant to transfer the fuel through Israel. Energy Authority official Ahmad Abu al-Amreen told Ma'an that the government does not want to rely on transfers via Israel, because it claims Israel severely restricts the movement of people and goods from Gaza. He added, however, that Hamas will allow shipment via the Israeli crossing temporarily to alleviate the current emergency.
Abu al-Amreen added the power authority had not received notification from Egypt about how the fuel would be transferred.
“We keep contacting the relevant authorities in Egypt, but so far we received no answers,” he said.
The Gaza Energy Authority announced more than ten days ago that if fuel doesn't enter the coastal enclave within 72 hours the Hamas-controlled area will face a severe electricity crisis.
Hamas called on Arab and Islamic countries to intervene to prevent a crisis and sought to blame Israel for the shortage, citing an "Israeli ban on construction materials."
The terror group says it has been impossible to rebuild power stations destroyed in Operation Cast Lead early in 2009.
However, Israel began allowing construction materials for pre-approved projects like schools, hospitals, and critical infrastructure to enter Gaza in early 2011 - leading many observers to place the blame on the impending 'crisis' on Hamas.
Hamas, they say, benefits from inaction because any crisis will provide them with fuel for their propaganda machine and allow them to incite local passions against Israel.
In addition to allowing construction material and other goods to enter Gaza, Israel also allows exporting of agricultural products, such as strawberries and carnations, from Gaza to Europe, as part of an extensive project financed by the Dutch government. Recently it was announced that, in addition to the agricultural exports, Gaza will soon be able to export furniture to Europe as part of a new pilot program.
Gaza has just recently begun exporting tomatoes to Saudi Arabia. The tomatoes were transferred to Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing on February 8, and a day later were exported abroad via the Allenby Bridge. Several days before that, Gaza exported 31 tons of tomatoes to Jordan.
Tags: Gaza ,Gaza Aid ,Gaza Economy
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5. ‘Israel Needs 100 Planes to Attack Iran’
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Israel would have to deploy most of its air force to attack Iran and still would lack planes, analysts told The New York Times in an article that may have been timed as part of an American campaign to talk down Israel from considering a military strike.
The bottom line is that despite Israel’s superiority in surgical strikes, such as the attack on Iraq’s nuclear reactor in 1981 and on a Syrian nuclear facility under construction four years ago, Iran is another story. Israel does not have the capability to fly the distance to Iran nor does it have the arsenal that can damage Iran’s underground nuclear facilities, buried under concrete bunkers in mountainous areas, analysts told correspondent Elisabeth Bumiller.
“There’s only one superpower in the world that can carry this off,” meaning the United States, said former U.S. Air Force intelligence official Lt. Gen David A. Depulta. “Israel’s great on a selective strike here and there,” he added.
The article was published while Tom Donilon, President Barack Obama’s National Security Advisor, was in Jerusalem, where he spoke with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Sunday. Details of their conversation were not released, but it is assumed his visit carried a message that Israel should back down from its hints that an aerial strike on Iran is imminent.
Donilon’s visit came one day after U.S. Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told CNN that an Israeli strike would be “destabilizing.”
American officials have insisted that economic sanctions on Iran are working, and that it is only a matter of time before Tehran realizes it must change course in its nuclear development or face economic disaster. Israel is afraid that it is only a matter of time before Ahmadinejad will be able to have control of a nuclear warhead that can be launched on Israel.
Previous scenarios of an Israel attack on Iran have indicated that it would take at least month to complete, possibly touching off a regional war and/or a punishing Iranian blockade of the Strait Of Hormuz, the passageway for a sizeable amount of the world’s oil and natural gas needs.
American estimates of Israel’s lack of capability to carry out a successful strike on Iran are limited by the unknown factor of weapons or tactics that Israel may possess.
Nevertheless, analysts’ conclusions, as reported in the Times, are that Israel would need refueling planes to enable its planes to reach Iran and return, a trip of 2,000 miles, and would need permission to use the air space of Jordan, Saudi Arabia or Iraq.
Unless Israel has more re-fueling planes than is known, it does not have enough to support an aerial strike, according to defense consultant Scott Johnson. Since the refueling planes need additional fighter planes to guard them, he told Bumiller, “The numbers [of planes] you need just skyrocket.”
They would require refueling supertankers to fly at the height of 50,000 feet, and the warplanes would need to knock out Iran’s radar systems to allow the craft to attack without encountering anti-missile fire.
Even if Israel got that far, it still would lack the bombing power to penetrate nuclear facilities, such as the underground Natanz plan and the Fordo uranium enrichment site in the mountains.
Israel has several American-made bunker buster bombs, but they are not thought to be powerful enough to do the job.
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by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Israel would have to deploy most of its air force to attack Iran and still would lack planes, analysts told The New York Times in an article that may have been timed as part of an American campaign to talk down Israel from considering a military strike.
The bottom line is that despite Israel’s superiority in surgical strikes, such as the attack on Iraq’s nuclear reactor in 1981 and on a Syrian nuclear facility under construction four years ago, Iran is another story. Israel does not have the capability to fly the distance to Iran nor does it have the arsenal that can damage Iran’s underground nuclear facilities, buried under concrete bunkers in mountainous areas, analysts told correspondent Elisabeth Bumiller.
“There’s only one superpower in the world that can carry this off,” meaning the United States, said former U.S. Air Force intelligence official Lt. Gen David A. Depulta. “Israel’s great on a selective strike here and there,” he added.
The article was published while Tom Donilon, President Barack Obama’s National Security Advisor, was in Jerusalem, where he spoke with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Sunday. Details of their conversation were not released, but it is assumed his visit carried a message that Israel should back down from its hints that an aerial strike on Iran is imminent.
Donilon’s visit came one day after U.S. Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told CNN that an Israeli strike would be “destabilizing.”
American officials have insisted that economic sanctions on Iran are working, and that it is only a matter of time before Tehran realizes it must change course in its nuclear development or face economic disaster. Israel is afraid that it is only a matter of time before Ahmadinejad will be able to have control of a nuclear warhead that can be launched on Israel.
Previous scenarios of an Israel attack on Iran have indicated that it would take at least month to complete, possibly touching off a regional war and/or a punishing Iranian blockade of the Strait Of Hormuz, the passageway for a sizeable amount of the world’s oil and natural gas needs.
American estimates of Israel’s lack of capability to carry out a successful strike on Iran are limited by the unknown factor of weapons or tactics that Israel may possess.
Nevertheless, analysts’ conclusions, as reported in the Times, are that Israel would need refueling planes to enable its planes to reach Iran and return, a trip of 2,000 miles, and would need permission to use the air space of Jordan, Saudi Arabia or Iraq.
Unless Israel has more re-fueling planes than is known, it does not have enough to support an aerial strike, according to defense consultant Scott Johnson. Since the refueling planes need additional fighter planes to guard them, he told Bumiller, “The numbers [of planes] you need just skyrocket.”
They would require refueling supertankers to fly at the height of 50,000 feet, and the warplanes would need to knock out Iran’s radar systems to allow the craft to attack without encountering anti-missile fire.
Even if Israel got that far, it still would lack the bombing power to penetrate nuclear facilities, such as the underground Natanz plan and the Fordo uranium enrichment site in the mountains.
Israel has several American-made bunker buster bombs, but they are not thought to be powerful enough to do the job.
Tags: Iran Nuclear threat ,Israel ,Iran
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6. Yet Another Carjacking: 'Arabs Targeting Women'
by Gil Ronen
Following the exclusive report Sunday on a recent carjacking in Samaria, yet another eyewitness account of a carjacking incident has reached Arutz Sheva.
Yaakov Gonen, a resident of Karnei Shomron, described a carjacking that he witnessed last week, in the early afternoon.
He was on his way eastward from Rishon LeTzion toward Karnei Shomron. A short distance after the Tzofim Junction, he looked leftward and saw a parked car, and "some kind of struggle" going on inside it.
"I saw the car standing but moving, and I saw the door opening and a woman being pushed out of it, and shouting 'help!' as she was being pushed… As I am running, I see an Arab Subaru vehicle getting nearer in reverse. The driver is looking backward and driving toward us."
A few seconds passed and the woman who had been struggling with the attacker was thrown out of the vehicle. Her hand was caught in the seat belt, though, and she was dragged on the ground for a few meters before she could free it.
The Subaru driver got out of his car and ran into the bushes, leaving his car behind. But a short time later a third man got into the Subaru and drove away with it. Gonen realized that the three were working as a team.
All the while, cars were driving by – mostly driven by Arabs – and no one stopped.
After 25 minutes, a military force arrived but did not even try to give chase to the thieves, who were probably already in Kalkilya. Gonen wrote about the incident in his community's email group and called on all those who do not possess gun permits – to get them, "or take along a baseball bat."
He also noted that the Arabs prefer to on women and suggested that women avoid driving alone, especially in the evening and nighttime.
The police's Judea and Samaria District said in response to a query by Arutz Sheva: "The subject is known and is on the District's agenda. Following the events, the police are carrying out an intensive investigation and also carrying out operational moves, both visible and undercover."
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by Gil Ronen
Following the exclusive report Sunday on a recent carjacking in Samaria, yet another eyewitness account of a carjacking incident has reached Arutz Sheva.
Yaakov Gonen, a resident of Karnei Shomron, described a carjacking that he witnessed last week, in the early afternoon.
He was on his way eastward from Rishon LeTzion toward Karnei Shomron. A short distance after the Tzofim Junction, he looked leftward and saw a parked car, and "some kind of struggle" going on inside it.
"I saw the car standing but moving, and I saw the door opening and a woman being pushed out of it, and shouting 'help!' as she was being pushed… As I am running, I see an Arab Subaru vehicle getting nearer in reverse. The driver is looking backward and driving toward us."
A few seconds passed and the woman who had been struggling with the attacker was thrown out of the vehicle. Her hand was caught in the seat belt, though, and she was dragged on the ground for a few meters before she could free it.
The Subaru driver got out of his car and ran into the bushes, leaving his car behind. But a short time later a third man got into the Subaru and drove away with it. Gonen realized that the three were working as a team.
All the while, cars were driving by – mostly driven by Arabs – and no one stopped.
After 25 minutes, a military force arrived but did not even try to give chase to the thieves, who were probably already in Kalkilya. Gonen wrote about the incident in his community's email group and called on all those who do not possess gun permits – to get them, "or take along a baseball bat."
He also noted that the Arabs prefer to on women and suggested that women avoid driving alone, especially in the evening and nighttime.
The police's Judea and Samaria District said in response to a query by Arutz Sheva: "The subject is known and is on the District's agenda. Following the events, the police are carrying out an intensive investigation and also carrying out operational moves, both visible and undercover."
Tags: carjacking
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7. Jewish Drivers Warn IDF: Protect Us, or We'll Protect Ourselves
by Maayana Miskin
In recent days several female Jewish drivers have been attacked by Palestinian Authority Arabs while on the roads in Judea and Samaria (Shomron).
At least three Jewish women were the victims of violent carjackings in the last seven days alone. Each of the women was forced off the road when it was blocked by armed PA Arabs, then dragged roughly from her vehicle by the attackers and thrown down on the road, while they made off with her car.
Israeli cars have yellow license plates, making them distinguishable from PA license plates and there are obviously Arabs along the road who let the carjackers know when women pass them while driving alone.
On Sunday, dozens of residents of the Shomron town of Kedumim responded by blocking PA drivers from merging onto Route 55.
“If we can’t travel safely on the highways, they won’t either,” the protesters explained.
Their goal was also to send a message to security forces after the highway attacks, they said. “We expect the army and police to focus on preventing these kind of incidents,” they demanded.
“If they do not,” protesters added, “we know how to defend ourselves.”
Protesters took the time to hold prayers on the roadside.
Attacks by Arabs on Israeli drivers have been on the rise since last year. Several violent attacks have been reported in recent weeks.
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by Maayana Miskin
In recent days several female Jewish drivers have been attacked by Palestinian Authority Arabs while on the roads in Judea and Samaria (Shomron).
At least three Jewish women were the victims of violent carjackings in the last seven days alone. Each of the women was forced off the road when it was blocked by armed PA Arabs, then dragged roughly from her vehicle by the attackers and thrown down on the road, while they made off with her car.
Israeli cars have yellow license plates, making them distinguishable from PA license plates and there are obviously Arabs along the road who let the carjackers know when women pass them while driving alone.
On Sunday, dozens of residents of the Shomron town of Kedumim responded by blocking PA drivers from merging onto Route 55.
“If we can’t travel safely on the highways, they won’t either,” the protesters explained.
Their goal was also to send a message to security forces after the highway attacks, they said. “We expect the army and police to focus on preventing these kind of incidents,” they demanded.
“If they do not,” protesters added, “we know how to defend ourselves.”
Protesters took the time to hold prayers on the roadside.
Attacks by Arabs on Israeli drivers have been on the rise since last year. Several violent attacks have been reported in recent weeks.
Tags: Judea and Samaria ,terrorism ,highway
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8. Carjacking Victim: 'It's Like the Wild West'
by David Lev
The dangerous phenomenon of Arabs attempting to steal Jewish vehicles by carjacking on the roads of Samaria is a growing problem; Arutz Sheva hears stories about such events nearly daily.
And in an interview Sunday, Orly Ofir, a resident of Kedumim, a Shomron community 20 minutes from Kfar Saba, told about her recent experience - of being forcibly thrown from her vehicle in the dead of night, and having to walk in pitch blackness for at least 15 minutes before she was able to get help.
The incident took place several weeks ago. Ofir was returning home from her job in Ariel, via the narrow road that crossing Nachal Kana between Roads 5 and 55. A bit before the exit to Emanuel on that road, a car passed her and stopped on the road, leaving her no choice other than to stop, or to drive on the shoulder, which would have been very dangerous. “I realized what was happening, that this vehicle was not simply trying to pass me,” she said.
“I tried to lock the door, but was unable to do so in time,” Ofir said, describing the seconds after which an Arab emerged from the vehicle in front of her. “He banged loudly on the window and started cursing me in Arabic,” she said. “I tried to pull the door closed but was unable to. He managed to pull the door open and grabbed my scarf and started choking me. All the while he was screaming at me to get out of the car. I tried to do so but couldn't unlock the seat belt. I tried to resist, but in the end he pulled me out of the car and threw me to the side of the road,” Ofir said, adding that she left behind her bag and other personal effects.
Ofir was injured when the Arab ejected her from the vehicle, and she was unable to get up for several minutes. Fortunately, no vehicles drove through while she lay splayed on the ground.
After she was able to get up, she tried to get her bearings. “It was a bit after eight at night. It was dark, and there were no street lights on the road until the Emanuel junction. I started running, and tried to wave down passing vehicles. But no one stopped; perhaps they feared an Arab trap, or perhaps they didn't see me because it was dark.” One vehicle that did stop was driven by an Arab, but Ofir decided not to accept the driver's offer of help. “I didn't want to take a chance,” she said.
As she ran towards the Emanuel junction, Ofir said, her shoes began to fall apart – so she took them off in order to be able to continue running. As she ran, she prayed – and after about 15 minutes, she made it to the lighted junction, where a driver who realized something had happened her and stopped to help, taking her to the entrance of Emanuel.
There she reported her experiences to police – where she was told that the incident would be classified as a “criminal incident. They wanted the car, not you,” she quoted police as saying.
But it was clearly far more, says Ofir. It could easily have turned to far more. “We feel like we are in the wild west here, like we are helpless,” she added.
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by David Lev
The dangerous phenomenon of Arabs attempting to steal Jewish vehicles by carjacking on the roads of Samaria is a growing problem; Arutz Sheva hears stories about such events nearly daily.
And in an interview Sunday, Orly Ofir, a resident of Kedumim, a Shomron community 20 minutes from Kfar Saba, told about her recent experience - of being forcibly thrown from her vehicle in the dead of night, and having to walk in pitch blackness for at least 15 minutes before she was able to get help.
The incident took place several weeks ago. Ofir was returning home from her job in Ariel, via the narrow road that crossing Nachal Kana between Roads 5 and 55. A bit before the exit to Emanuel on that road, a car passed her and stopped on the road, leaving her no choice other than to stop, or to drive on the shoulder, which would have been very dangerous. “I realized what was happening, that this vehicle was not simply trying to pass me,” she said.
“I tried to lock the door, but was unable to do so in time,” Ofir said, describing the seconds after which an Arab emerged from the vehicle in front of her. “He banged loudly on the window and started cursing me in Arabic,” she said. “I tried to pull the door closed but was unable to. He managed to pull the door open and grabbed my scarf and started choking me. All the while he was screaming at me to get out of the car. I tried to do so but couldn't unlock the seat belt. I tried to resist, but in the end he pulled me out of the car and threw me to the side of the road,” Ofir said, adding that she left behind her bag and other personal effects.
Ofir was injured when the Arab ejected her from the vehicle, and she was unable to get up for several minutes. Fortunately, no vehicles drove through while she lay splayed on the ground.
After she was able to get up, she tried to get her bearings. “It was a bit after eight at night. It was dark, and there were no street lights on the road until the Emanuel junction. I started running, and tried to wave down passing vehicles. But no one stopped; perhaps they feared an Arab trap, or perhaps they didn't see me because it was dark.” One vehicle that did stop was driven by an Arab, but Ofir decided not to accept the driver's offer of help. “I didn't want to take a chance,” she said.
As she ran towards the Emanuel junction, Ofir said, her shoes began to fall apart – so she took them off in order to be able to continue running. As she ran, she prayed – and after about 15 minutes, she made it to the lighted junction, where a driver who realized something had happened her and stopped to help, taking her to the entrance of Emanuel.
There she reported her experiences to police – where she was told that the incident would be classified as a “criminal incident. They wanted the car, not you,” she quoted police as saying.
But it was clearly far more, says Ofir. It could easily have turned to far more. “We feel like we are in the wild west here, like we are helpless,” she added.
Tags: carjacking ,arab terrorism ,Road Safety
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