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1. Justice Minister: Giving Infiltrators Jobs is Anti-Zionist
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman said Monday that giving work to African infiltrators, as suggested by Israel's police commander, contradicts Zionism.
He also revealed that the government is in contact with foreign officials to arrange for deporting the illegal immigrants, whose numbers have reached tens of thousands, either to their home countries or to a third party nation.
Israel must giver the infiltrators basic needs, “as required by international law," Ne’eman told the attorneys at a conference in Eilat. He immediately added that Zionism precluded giving them jobs, which “would create more unemployment among the citizens of Israel.”
Police chief Yohanan Danino has urged giving the African infiltrators employment as a way to reduce the crime rate. Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld added, "The community needs to be supported in order to prevent economic and social problems.”
Interior Minister Eli Yishai (Shas) last week rejected the suggestion. "Why should we provide them with jobs? I'm sick of the bleeding hearts, including politicians. Jobs would settle them here and would only encourage them to reproduce and attract hundreds of thousands more to come over here….The Zionist dream is dying,” he said.
Mainstream media have quoted statistics that the crime rate in the community of illegal infiltrators is declining when compared with 2010, but the statistics do not take into account that the total population now includes hundreds if not thousands of new babies and that the crime rate in specific communities is rampant.
Tel Aviv’s beaches have been hit by a literal rampage of petty thefts by illegal African immigrants, who work in groups to steal wallets, purses and cellular phones from swimmers or napping sunbathers.
Few of the infiltrators are classified as “refugees” and there is growing support in the government to take swift action to end the incoming stream before it become a flood, as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned on Sunday.
He said the current estimated number of 60,000 illegal immigrants could grow to 600,000 if action is not taken soon.
Mainstream media have somewhat softened their opposition to deportation as the infiltrators increasingly pose a demographic threat to metropolitan Tel Aviv. Left-wing groups, particularly human rights groups that are fighting the growing numbers of the nationalist and religious sectors, promote absorbing them and giving more benefits to African infiltrators and other non-Jews, especially Bedouin.
The Knesset Committee on Foreign Workers on Monday expressed near unanimity about the need to deport the infiltrators. Meretz Knesset Member Nitzan Horowitz called the government “racist," while committee chairman MK Danny Danon of the Likud labeled the illegal immigrants “enemies.“
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by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman said Monday that giving work to African infiltrators, as suggested by Israel's police commander, contradicts Zionism.
He also revealed that the government is in contact with foreign officials to arrange for deporting the illegal immigrants, whose numbers have reached tens of thousands, either to their home countries or to a third party nation.
Israel must giver the infiltrators basic needs, “as required by international law," Ne’eman told the attorneys at a conference in Eilat. He immediately added that Zionism precluded giving them jobs, which “would create more unemployment among the citizens of Israel.”
Police chief Yohanan Danino has urged giving the African infiltrators employment as a way to reduce the crime rate. Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld added, "The community needs to be supported in order to prevent economic and social problems.”
Interior Minister Eli Yishai (Shas) last week rejected the suggestion. "Why should we provide them with jobs? I'm sick of the bleeding hearts, including politicians. Jobs would settle them here and would only encourage them to reproduce and attract hundreds of thousands more to come over here….The Zionist dream is dying,” he said.
Mainstream media have quoted statistics that the crime rate in the community of illegal infiltrators is declining when compared with 2010, but the statistics do not take into account that the total population now includes hundreds if not thousands of new babies and that the crime rate in specific communities is rampant.
Tel Aviv’s beaches have been hit by a literal rampage of petty thefts by illegal African immigrants, who work in groups to steal wallets, purses and cellular phones from swimmers or napping sunbathers.
Few of the infiltrators are classified as “refugees” and there is growing support in the government to take swift action to end the incoming stream before it become a flood, as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned on Sunday.
He said the current estimated number of 60,000 illegal immigrants could grow to 600,000 if action is not taken soon.
Mainstream media have somewhat softened their opposition to deportation as the infiltrators increasingly pose a demographic threat to metropolitan Tel Aviv. Left-wing groups, particularly human rights groups that are fighting the growing numbers of the nationalist and religious sectors, promote absorbing them and giving more benefits to African infiltrators and other non-Jews, especially Bedouin.
The Knesset Committee on Foreign Workers on Monday expressed near unanimity about the need to deport the infiltrators. Meretz Knesset Member Nitzan Horowitz called the government “racist," while committee chairman MK Danny Danon of the Likud labeled the illegal immigrants “enemies.“
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2. Netanyahu: Ceding Temple Mount will Lead to War
by Gil Ronen
At a ceremony honoring the reunification of Jerusalem in the Six Day War, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made some of his strongest statements to date regarding the right of the Jewish nation to sovereignty over its ancient capital of Jerusalem.
"A lasting peace can only be made with a strong nation," Netanyahu asserted. "Without a united Jerusalem, the state of Israel will be a body with a weak heart. Our heart will never be divided again."
Speaking at a Jerusalem Day ceremony on Jerusalem's Ammunition Hill, Netanyahu noted that wherever Jewish people pray, anywhere in the world, they do so facing Jerusalem – "the place that was always the center of our lives; the place that reminds us of our glorious past and serves as a focus for our future hopes."
"We will not turn our backs on those who faced Jerusalem throughout the ages," he said. "We will safeguard Jerusalem because Israel without Jerusalem is like a body without a heart – and it was on this hill that the heart went back to beating at full strength."
"On Jerusalem Day, the divided city became whole – and it will remain that way."
"I have doubts, to put it mildly, that if we deposit the Temple Mount with foreign forces, we will not very quickly slip into a religious sectarian war," he said. "Only under Israeli sovereignty, the accessibility and freedom of worship for all religions is a certainty, and will remain a certainty. Only under Israel are peace and quiet maintained."
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
At a ceremony honoring the reunification of Jerusalem in the Six Day War, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made some of his strongest statements to date regarding the right of the Jewish nation to sovereignty over its ancient capital of Jerusalem.
"A lasting peace can only be made with a strong nation," Netanyahu asserted. "Without a united Jerusalem, the state of Israel will be a body with a weak heart. Our heart will never be divided again."
Speaking at a Jerusalem Day ceremony on Jerusalem's Ammunition Hill, Netanyahu noted that wherever Jewish people pray, anywhere in the world, they do so facing Jerusalem – "the place that was always the center of our lives; the place that reminds us of our glorious past and serves as a focus for our future hopes."
"We will not turn our backs on those who faced Jerusalem throughout the ages," he said. "We will safeguard Jerusalem because Israel without Jerusalem is like a body without a heart – and it was on this hill that the heart went back to beating at full strength."
"On Jerusalem Day, the divided city became whole – and it will remain that way."
"I have doubts, to put it mildly, that if we deposit the Temple Mount with foreign forces, we will not very quickly slip into a religious sectarian war," he said. "Only under Israeli sovereignty, the accessibility and freedom of worship for all religions is a certainty, and will remain a certainty. Only under Israel are peace and quiet maintained."
More on this topic
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Netanyahu at Merkaz HaRav: "I Will Never Divide Jerusalem" -
Olmert Under Fire for Suggesting 'Jerusalem was Never United'
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Photos: Jerusalem Day at Merkaz HaRav
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Photos, Video: Waving High the Israeli Flag in Jerusalem
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Green Light to Strengthen Jerusalem Tourism
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Activists Arrested for Bowing on Temple Mount
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3. Olmert’s ‘Bitter Mistake’ on Jerusalem
by Maayana Miskin
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat criticized a former Jerusalem mayor, ex-prime minister Ehud Olmert, over Olmert’s failed plan to split Jerusalem with the Palestinian Authority. The plan stalled when the PA left talks without signing an agreement.
“Olmert makes a bitter mistake in thinking that separation, not unity, is the solution. His words are demagoguery,” Barkat said on Sunday.
“He lost his faith in Jerusalem when he was mayor,” he continued. “He wants to run from conflicts in Jerusalem and give in to them, instead of coping with them and directing them. That is not the way.”
Most Israelis, most Jerusalem residents, and even most Arab residents of eastern Jerusalem, are not interested in splitting the city, Barkat added.
Olmert said over the weekend, “I came to very sad conclusions regarding the future of Jerusalem as a united city when I saw that governments were not able, or maybe did not want, to invest the necessary resources so that unity would be more than a slogan.”
During his time as mayor, Olmert led toward division in the city by neglecting eastern Jerusalem, said Barkat. “In my time in office,” he said, “hundreds of millions are invested – with support from the Prime Minister and his cabinet – in an unprecedented campaign to shrink the gaps in the eastern part of the city.”
“I have no doubt that the right thing to do in Jerusalem is to continue to invest and to unify instead of running away and hiding our heads in the sand – as was done in the past,” he concluded.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat criticized a former Jerusalem mayor, ex-prime minister Ehud Olmert, over Olmert’s failed plan to split Jerusalem with the Palestinian Authority. The plan stalled when the PA left talks without signing an agreement.
“Olmert makes a bitter mistake in thinking that separation, not unity, is the solution. His words are demagoguery,” Barkat said on Sunday.
“He lost his faith in Jerusalem when he was mayor,” he continued. “He wants to run from conflicts in Jerusalem and give in to them, instead of coping with them and directing them. That is not the way.”
Most Israelis, most Jerusalem residents, and even most Arab residents of eastern Jerusalem, are not interested in splitting the city, Barkat added.
Olmert said over the weekend, “I came to very sad conclusions regarding the future of Jerusalem as a united city when I saw that governments were not able, or maybe did not want, to invest the necessary resources so that unity would be more than a slogan.”
During his time as mayor, Olmert led toward division in the city by neglecting eastern Jerusalem, said Barkat. “In my time in office,” he said, “hundreds of millions are invested – with support from the Prime Minister and his cabinet – in an unprecedented campaign to shrink the gaps in the eastern part of the city.”
“I have no doubt that the right thing to do in Jerusalem is to continue to invest and to unify instead of running away and hiding our heads in the sand – as was done in the past,” he concluded.
Tags: Jerusalem ,Ehud Olmert ,Nir Barkat
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4. Turkish Report: Israel to Deploy '20,000 Commandos' to Cyprus
by Rachel Hirshfeld
Israel plans to deploy no less than 20,000 'commandos' in Greek Cyprus in order to protect its energy projects in the region, the Anatolian News Agency reported Sunday.
The report, which appears somewhat doubtful to observers familiar with the size of Israel's military, adds that at least 30,000 Israeli workers and their families will move to Limassol to work on planned joint Israeli-Cypriot projects.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with Cypriot Prime Minister Dimitris Christofias on February 16 to discuss the countries’ joint interests.
The Anatolian News Agency claims that although the content of the meeting remains confidential, it has learned new details about the meeting, quoting a senior Cypriot source who claims that Christofias president asked Netanyahu to persuade Israeli businessmen to suspend investment in the Turkish-controlled part of the island.
Only Turkey recognizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Netanyahu also reportedly offered to undertake all expenses needed to extract natural gas found in the Mediterranean. In exchange for his offer, the prime minister asked that all of the 10,000 personnel that would work at the plant be brought in from Israel with their families, increasing the number of Israeli citizens in the area to nearly 30,000.
To meet the security arrangements created by such a large number of Israelis, Netanyahu proposed that 20,000 soldiers would protect the civilians and energy facilities. "The Israelis are coming, and they are here to stay," the Anatolian News Agency quoted the official as saying.
Comment on this story
by Rachel Hirshfeld
Israel plans to deploy no less than 20,000 'commandos' in Greek Cyprus in order to protect its energy projects in the region, the Anatolian News Agency reported Sunday.
The report, which appears somewhat doubtful to observers familiar with the size of Israel's military, adds that at least 30,000 Israeli workers and their families will move to Limassol to work on planned joint Israeli-Cypriot projects.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with Cypriot Prime Minister Dimitris Christofias on February 16 to discuss the countries’ joint interests.
The Anatolian News Agency claims that although the content of the meeting remains confidential, it has learned new details about the meeting, quoting a senior Cypriot source who claims that Christofias president asked Netanyahu to persuade Israeli businessmen to suspend investment in the Turkish-controlled part of the island.
Only Turkey recognizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Netanyahu also reportedly offered to undertake all expenses needed to extract natural gas found in the Mediterranean. In exchange for his offer, the prime minister asked that all of the 10,000 personnel that would work at the plant be brought in from Israel with their families, increasing the number of Israeli citizens in the area to nearly 30,000.
To meet the security arrangements created by such a large number of Israelis, Netanyahu proposed that 20,000 soldiers would protect the civilians and energy facilities. "The Israelis are coming, and they are here to stay," the Anatolian News Agency quoted the official as saying.
Tags: Israel ,Cyprus ,Turkey ,Mediterranean ,energy
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With Sarkozy Gone And Merkel Weakened, Turks Resume EU Entry Bid
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Netanyahu Skeptical of Iran Talks
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5. 'Moral Victory' in Trial of Palmers' Killers
by Gil Ronen
Lt. Col. Ronen Atzmon, the judge in the trial of the murderers of Asher and Yonatan Palmer Hy"d, allowed supporters of the family to silently hold photographs of the two victims during the court session Sunday. Michael Craig Palmer, father of Asher and grandfather of Yonatan, who took the photo on Purim of 2011, said the decision was "an important moral victory for Asher and Yonatan." In its decision, the court "allowed their presence to be the in courtroom in the form of a photograph," he said.
Activist and writer Yehudit Tayar was one of three people who held the A4 sized photographs in their laps. She described the event shortly after the session ended:
"In the last few sessions we have held a photograph of Asher and Yonatan before we went in, and during the court sessions in order to show the faces behind the names. To humanize the situation for the court and prison officials to see what was lost by this murderous attack, and of course to show the murderers who they brutally took away from their loved ones simply because they were Jews.
"Seated quietly I held the photograph that Michael had printed out of Asher and Yonatan – a simple A4 black and white print of these two precious innocent souls who were murdered.
"The entire session today was regarding the photograph and the lawyer for the group of accused terrorists kept repeating his demand to force me to remove the photograph.
"The judge ruled that it was not a demonstration, and that I could be allowed to continue to hold the photo because these were the victims. The judge continued by stating that I was causing no disturbance to the court nor would the photo influence any more than if the photo was not there, since the entire proceedings were because of the murders of the two depicted in the photo.
"I am not ashamed to say that during the entire process we, who came for the Palmers, were very emotional. It was surrealistic that this photograph of the victims was the entire topic of the court session. This photo did what we wished it would do. This photo humanized the situation and brought the faces of the innocent victims in front of the court staff, and the accused murderers, and that is what the lawyer did not want. He did not want faces. The lawyer of the accused preferred to concentrate on time-wasting delays but now there was this photograph bringing reality into the court."
The next session in the trial will take place at the Ofer Court just north of Jersualem on June 3 at 10:00 a.m.. It is important for the Palmer family that 10 supporters -- the maximum number allowed by the court -- be present at the session, which will revolve around the role of one of the suspected murderers in the terror attack.
Those interested in supporting the Palmer family in court should email Michael Palmer by March 6 at mcpfiveone@gmail.com, so that he can submit the names to the army for security clearance.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
Lt. Col. Ronen Atzmon, the judge in the trial of the murderers of Asher and Yonatan Palmer Hy"d, allowed supporters of the family to silently hold photographs of the two victims during the court session Sunday. Michael Craig Palmer, father of Asher and grandfather of Yonatan, who took the photo on Purim of 2011, said the decision was "an important moral victory for Asher and Yonatan." In its decision, the court "allowed their presence to be the in courtroom in the form of a photograph," he said.
Activist and writer Yehudit Tayar was one of three people who held the A4 sized photographs in their laps. She described the event shortly after the session ended:
"In the last few sessions we have held a photograph of Asher and Yonatan before we went in, and during the court sessions in order to show the faces behind the names. To humanize the situation for the court and prison officials to see what was lost by this murderous attack, and of course to show the murderers who they brutally took away from their loved ones simply because they were Jews.
"Seated quietly I held the photograph that Michael had printed out of Asher and Yonatan – a simple A4 black and white print of these two precious innocent souls who were murdered.
"The entire session today was regarding the photograph and the lawyer for the group of accused terrorists kept repeating his demand to force me to remove the photograph.
"The judge ruled that it was not a demonstration, and that I could be allowed to continue to hold the photo because these were the victims. The judge continued by stating that I was causing no disturbance to the court nor would the photo influence any more than if the photo was not there, since the entire proceedings were because of the murders of the two depicted in the photo.
"I am not ashamed to say that during the entire process we, who came for the Palmers, were very emotional. It was surrealistic that this photograph of the victims was the entire topic of the court session. This photo did what we wished it would do. This photo humanized the situation and brought the faces of the innocent victims in front of the court staff, and the accused murderers, and that is what the lawyer did not want. He did not want faces. The lawyer of the accused preferred to concentrate on time-wasting delays but now there was this photograph bringing reality into the court."
The next session in the trial will take place at the Ofer Court just north of Jersualem on June 3 at 10:00 a.m.. It is important for the Palmer family that 10 supporters -- the maximum number allowed by the court -- be present at the session, which will revolve around the role of one of the suspected murderers in the terror attack.
Those interested in supporting the Palmer family in court should email Michael Palmer by March 6 at mcpfiveone@gmail.com, so that he can submit the names to the army for security clearance.
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6. High Quality of Life in Judea and Samaria, Say Gov’t Statistics
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
More than 80 percent of 304,000 Jews in Judea and Samaria own their own homes, nearly 15 percent more than the national average, according to government statistics.
The official population figures, higher by up to 20 percent than numbers reported by several left-wing groups, do not include young people living in “illegal” communities.
Information from the Central Bureau of Statistics, reported by Globes, paints a picture of quality of life not enjoyed by Israelis living in urban communities. The statistics do not include other factors such as education, which is a high priority in most towns in Judea and Samaria and is considered by most to be above par.
The supposed danger of living in Judea and Samaria has not stopped the growing demand for houses and a corresponding rise in their price. The number of new homes being sold has dropped sharply, primarily because of government policies, particularly the need for the approval of Defense Minister Ehud Barak before homes can be built. Another negative factor was the 10-month building freeze two years ago, which halted all new homebuilding for Jews in Judea and Samaria.
The result was drastic drop in home sales, falling from 830 in 2008 to 561 last year.
However, construction has taken off again. Home sales so far this year are much higher, and government tenders have been issued for thousands of new residential units.
Jewish families in Judea and Samaria are larger – an average of 4.56 people – than those outside the area, where the average household is only 3.3 people.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
More than 80 percent of 304,000 Jews in Judea and Samaria own their own homes, nearly 15 percent more than the national average, according to government statistics.
The official population figures, higher by up to 20 percent than numbers reported by several left-wing groups, do not include young people living in “illegal” communities.
Information from the Central Bureau of Statistics, reported by Globes, paints a picture of quality of life not enjoyed by Israelis living in urban communities. The statistics do not include other factors such as education, which is a high priority in most towns in Judea and Samaria and is considered by most to be above par.
The supposed danger of living in Judea and Samaria has not stopped the growing demand for houses and a corresponding rise in their price. The number of new homes being sold has dropped sharply, primarily because of government policies, particularly the need for the approval of Defense Minister Ehud Barak before homes can be built. Another negative factor was the 10-month building freeze two years ago, which halted all new homebuilding for Jews in Judea and Samaria.
The result was drastic drop in home sales, falling from 830 in 2008 to 561 last year.
However, construction has taken off again. Home sales so far this year are much higher, and government tenders have been issued for thousands of new residential units.
Jewish families in Judea and Samaria are larger – an average of 4.56 people – than those outside the area, where the average household is only 3.3 people.
More on this topic
Comment on this story
7. Officer who Jumped Terrorist: "I Noticed a Pool of Blood"
by Gil Ronen
IDF officer Lt. Matan Salomon prevented a knife attack on cyclists and soldiers at the Gush Etzion junction near Alon Shvut Sunday.
"We stood at the junction to provide security for a bicycle trek from Kiryat Arba to Jerusalem," Salomon recounted. "When the cyclists arrived I noticed a suspicious man dressed in black. He was standing about one meter behind one of my soldiers, and looking in all directions."
"I alerted the soldier and as we looked at the man's ID card I noticed that there was a knife in one of his pockets. I lunged at him and struggled with him, and managed to wrest away the knife."
Salomon wrestled the terrorist to the floor. "I noticed a pool of blood caused by self-stabbing and alerted the medical forces, who evacuated him to hospital," he said.
The terrorist is reportedly about 14 years old. A military intensive care ambulance took him to Hadassah Ein Karem for treatment.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
IDF officer Lt. Matan Salomon prevented a knife attack on cyclists and soldiers at the Gush Etzion junction near Alon Shvut Sunday.
"We stood at the junction to provide security for a bicycle trek from Kiryat Arba to Jerusalem," Salomon recounted. "When the cyclists arrived I noticed a suspicious man dressed in black. He was standing about one meter behind one of my soldiers, and looking in all directions."
"I alerted the soldier and as we looked at the man's ID card I noticed that there was a knife in one of his pockets. I lunged at him and struggled with him, and managed to wrest away the knife."
Salomon wrestled the terrorist to the floor. "I noticed a pool of blood caused by self-stabbing and alerted the medical forces, who evacuated him to hospital," he said.
The terrorist is reportedly about 14 years old. A military intensive care ambulance took him to Hadassah Ein Karem for treatment.
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8. B'Tselem Video Misrepresents Arab Arson
by Elad Benari
The extreme leftist group B'Tselem disseminated a video on Sunday which depicts clashes between residents of the Shomron community of Yitzhar and Palestinian Authority Arabs.
The video shows Arabs throwing rocks at IDF forces and at residents of Yitzhar. The Israeli soldiers are shown trying to prevent more serious clashes by firing tear gas at the Arab rioters. In addition, one of the residents of Yitzhar is depicted pulling out his gun and firing at the Arabs.
However, B’Tselem, which aims its reports only at Israel and is notorious for publishing one-sided reports aimed at damaging the IDF's and Israel's standing, failed to mention that the residents of Yitzhar were targeted by Arab arsonists and had been on the scene in an attempt to put a fire that had threatened their homes.
The incident began on Saturday afternoon at approximately 5:00 p.m. local time, when PA Arabs started a fire in several locations west of the community.
The local emergency squad and a team of firefighters who arrived on the scene were attacked with rocks that were thrown at them by approximately 200 Arab rioters. IDF soldiers and Border Police officers who arrived also were attacked and were prevented from dispersing the rioters for a long time.
As the fires continued raging, residents of Yitzhar streamed to the site to assist the fire crews. Some of them responded by throwing rocks back at the Arab rioters. Only about an hour after the incident started, did the soldiers respond to the riot and dispersed the Arabs, who went back to their village.
Residents of Yitzhar told Arutz Sheva that dozens of similar fires have been started by Arabs in the summers in recent years, mainly on Fridays and Saturdays. Attacks are often timed to take place on the Sabbath, when women and children are often at home while their husbands and fathers are in synagogue.
The community of Yitzhar responded to B’Tzelem’s video on Sunday, saying that “the emergency squad and firefighters were called to put out a series of fires started by Arabs from a nearby village. This is the third consecutive Shabbat in which Arabs set fire in an attempt to target the western neighborhood of Yitzhar. The firefighting team was attacked by an inflamed mob of hundreds of rioters who threw rocks at them.”
According to Yitzhar spokesman Avraham Binyamin, “It is clear that the use of weapons by the military force or the emergency squad was done under life-threatening circumstances. The security forces will investigate the incident and review the circumstances of the case.”
He added, “IDF and Border Police who were called to the scene were also attacked by rocks and for a long time avoided dispersing the rioters.”
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
The extreme leftist group B'Tselem disseminated a video on Sunday which depicts clashes between residents of the Shomron community of Yitzhar and Palestinian Authority Arabs.
The video shows Arabs throwing rocks at IDF forces and at residents of Yitzhar. The Israeli soldiers are shown trying to prevent more serious clashes by firing tear gas at the Arab rioters. In addition, one of the residents of Yitzhar is depicted pulling out his gun and firing at the Arabs.
However, B’Tselem, which aims its reports only at Israel and is notorious for publishing one-sided reports aimed at damaging the IDF's and Israel's standing, failed to mention that the residents of Yitzhar were targeted by Arab arsonists and had been on the scene in an attempt to put a fire that had threatened their homes.
The incident began on Saturday afternoon at approximately 5:00 p.m. local time, when PA Arabs started a fire in several locations west of the community.
The local emergency squad and a team of firefighters who arrived on the scene were attacked with rocks that were thrown at them by approximately 200 Arab rioters. IDF soldiers and Border Police officers who arrived also were attacked and were prevented from dispersing the rioters for a long time.
As the fires continued raging, residents of Yitzhar streamed to the site to assist the fire crews. Some of them responded by throwing rocks back at the Arab rioters. Only about an hour after the incident started, did the soldiers respond to the riot and dispersed the Arabs, who went back to their village.
Residents of Yitzhar told Arutz Sheva that dozens of similar fires have been started by Arabs in the summers in recent years, mainly on Fridays and Saturdays. Attacks are often timed to take place on the Sabbath, when women and children are often at home while their husbands and fathers are in synagogue.
The community of Yitzhar responded to B’Tzelem’s video on Sunday, saying that “the emergency squad and firefighters were called to put out a series of fires started by Arabs from a nearby village. This is the third consecutive Shabbat in which Arabs set fire in an attempt to target the western neighborhood of Yitzhar. The firefighting team was attacked by an inflamed mob of hundreds of rioters who threw rocks at them.”
According to Yitzhar spokesman Avraham Binyamin, “It is clear that the use of weapons by the military force or the emergency squad was done under life-threatening circumstances. The security forces will investigate the incident and review the circumstances of the case.”
He added, “IDF and Border Police who were called to the scene were also attacked by rocks and for a long time avoided dispersing the rioters.”
Tags: arson ,Yitzhar ,arson attempt
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