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1. Report: UN Teaches Jihad in Jerusalem
by Maayana Miskin
The Palestinian Authority continues to incite young schoolchildren to armed struggle against Israel in its textbooks – textbooks that are used by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to teach incitement in Israel's capital city, says investigative reporter David Bedein, who spoke in an interview with Arutz Sheva's Hebrew-language news service.
The books in question include passages praising terrorists killed while attacking Israel as “martyrs”. They also teach children that Arabs descended from those who fled Israel during the War of Independence have a right to “return” to Israel.
Bedein's finding that the textbooks in Arab schools in Jerusalem are as problematic as those used in PA schools elsewhere is backed by a frank interview with PA Minister of Education Lamis al-Alami, who spoke with a member of Bedein's investigative team and told her that the textbooks provided by the PA for UNRWA schools are the precisely the same in Jerusalem as in Ramallah, Shechem and Gaza.
"These books discuss war against Israel, martyrs, the right of return. It's the first education system since the Third Reich which prepares its pupils to demonize Jews and to wage war against the Jews ” Bedein said.
He invited listeners to verify his story for themselves, saying, “Go to book stores on Salah a-Din street [a major road in eastern Jerusalem – ed.] and compare the books you see there to those sold in Ramallah and Gaza. It's the same thing, books engaged in racist incitement against the Jewish people.”
Arab schools in Jerusalem receive funding from the Jerusalem municipality. UNRWA schools in Jerusalem and elsewhere receive much of their funding from 38 nations, primarily from the United States and the European Union. Two UNRWA facilities are located inside Jerusalem - in the neighborhoods of Shuafat and Kalandia.
Bedein first raised the issue of incitement in Jerusalem schools 10 years ago. Among those he spoke to was former prime minister Ehud Olmert, then mayor of Jerusalem, who responded at a news conference to Bedein's question with little concern. “They can teach what they want, and we'll teach what we want,” Olmert said about incitement in the PA school books being used by Arab schools with funding from the Jerusalem municipality and the Israel Ministry of Education.
Bedein expressed hope that current Israeli leaders will now eact differently. Three officials have the power to change the situation, he said – Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, Education Minister Gidon Saar and Education Committee head Zevulun Orlev.
A new film, "For the Sake of Nakba", details the connection between the UNRWA and PA incitement. Bedein and the research agency that he heads, the Center For Near East Policy Research, www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com, produced the new movie in response to a challenge to prove the reports of incitement in UNRWA schools. The video was recently screened on Capitol Hill. It is based on first-hand testimony from PA leaders and teachers and students in UN schools. It will also be shown at the Orthodox Union's Israel Center in Jerusalem Tuesday August 10th at 11:30 a.m., followed by "For the Sake of Allah", Bedein's film about what Hamas prisoners say they would do if released.
2. 7 Family Members Killed in Train-Minibus Collision
by Maayana Miskin and Elad Benari
[map:42]
Seven members of the same family were killed in the fatal collision between a minibus and a train on Thursday evening.
The names of the seven, residents of Beitar Illit who were on their way to a vacation when the accident occurred, were cleared for publication early Friday morning. They are Aryeh Bernstein (43) and his wife Rivka (41), and their children: Malka Gotstein (21), Yochanan (16), Chana (14), and Mordechai-Aharon (9). Their grandson Mordechai-Aharon Bernstein was also killed in the accident. Malka Gotstein's husband, Dudu (22), was critically wounded in the accident.
Aryeh Bernstein was identified as a volunteer with the ZAKA rescue organization. He was identified by friends from ZAKA who had rushed to the scene of the crash in order to provide assistance.
Their funeral will take place on Friday morning at 10:30.
The accident occurred after the driver of the minibus drove onto the train tracks when the warning lights were on. A guard stationed along the tracks relayed a warning to the driver of the oncoming train, but he was unable to stop in time.
Dozens of people were wounded in the accident, including pregnant women. Three military helicopters were called to the scene to help care for the wounded. The Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva treated at least eight of the wounded. One was in moderate condition and the rest were only lightly wounded.
The driver of the minibus, who suffered mild injuries, was treated at the Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva. He was later interrogated by police, and said that that he saw the train barrier going down at the last moment and hit the brakes, but was unable to stop the vehicle in time.
Yoram Weiss, the driver of the train, said in an interview to Israel’s Channel 10 News that as far as he had seen, the minibus driver did not realize he was approaching the tracks until the barrier hit the minibus. According to Weiss, it was only at that time that the driver of the minibus attempted to brake. He said that he felt the train hitting the minibus but does not know any further details. He added that he was grateful that the train did not go off the track as a result of the accident.
Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, announced following the accident that a committee will be appointed in order to investigate the circumstances of the accident.
3. Jerusalem: Fake Muslim Graves Removed after Arutz Sheva Report
by Chezki Ezra and Gil Ronen
Following the exclusive Arutz Sheva report Wednesday morning that Muslims were enlarging the Mamilla cemetery with fake tombs, authorities removed the tombs by Wednesday evening.
Dozens of false tombs were “planted” just west of the cemetery, on land that is part of Independence Park (Gan HaAtzmaut) at city center. There were no graves beneath the tombs.
The fake tombs were removed by the Jerusalem Municipality and the Israel Lands Authority.
A municipality employee told Arutz Sheva that the faux graves were apparently part of a plan to have the Muslim Waqf submit a demand for the additional land to be placed under Muslim ownership.
4. IDF: Hamas Constantly Trying to Abduct Jews in Judea, Samaria
by Gil Ronen
Terror organizations in Judea and Samaria – first and foremost Hamas – are constantly trying to carry out abductions of Jewish soldiers or civilians, IDF sources said Thursday.
The IDF has learned that Hamas elements in Judea and Samaria are stepping up attempts to carry out a kidnapping “in order to assist the general Palestinian struggle.” They are being encouraged by Hamas's headquarters in Damascus.
Military experts estimate that the abduction planned for Judea and Samaria will not be modeled on the Gilad Shalit abduction in 2006, in that the terrorists will not seek to hold a live hostage. Instead, they would rather abduct their victim, kill him, and then negotiate for his return, while creating uncertainty regarding the hostage's condition.
The IDF has identified concrete attempts at kidnapping, but military sources said that until now, whenever an infrastructure for abducting soldiers was established, Israeli security forces foiled the plot immediately.
Recent cases in which Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria reported attempted abductions were not carried out by terror groups, the sources said, but criminally motivated carjackings.
5. Samaria Warns Central Israel: Don't be the Next Sderot
by Maayana Miskin
The Samaria Residents' Council is reaching out to central Israel to warn residents of the dangers they could face in case of a withdrawal from Samaria. On the anniversary of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, council activists traveled to Petach Tikva, Raanana, Hadera, Netanya, Herziliya and Kfar Saba to remind those living there of the fate suffered by those living near Gaza when Israeli civilians and soldiers were no longer present in the area.
After the Disengagement from Gaza, terrorists in the area increased the scope and frequency of their attacks on Israeli towns nearby. A short time later Hamas was victorious in the PA elections, and in 2007 the terrorist group seized control of Gaza, eventually waging war on all of southern Israel during the Cast Lead battle in early 2009.
The Samaria Residents' Council handed out flyers and set up information booths to spread its message: by saving Samaria, residents of central Israel will be saving themselves as well. The flyers included contact information and an invitation to call to learn more.
Council member Benny Katzover, a longtime Land of Israel activist, said response to the campaign has been positive. “We see a lot of support on the street,” he said. Residents of central Israel have grown to understand that the Jewish towns on the hills of Samaria protect them, he explained.
Many residents of central Israel have been convinced to come see Samaria first hand, Katzover reported. Others have joined in the campaign and taken an active role in fighting to preserve Jewish life in the region.
Those who decided to see Samaria for themselves were taken on the same tour given to ministers, MKs, and journalists who have agreed to visit Samaria in recent months. Among other things, they saw the award-winning Hararei Kedem vineyard in Yitzhar, and learned about the production of goat cheese at a farm in Itamar.
They were also taken to Mitzpeh Shloshet Hayamim, which overlooks the Dead Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee).
The tours given to MKs and journalists have been proven a success. A popular broadcaster who took one of the tours described the experience as an “awareness revolution,” while another participant, a columnist for Maariv newspaper, decided to move to the Samaria town of Nofim.
6. US Report on Terror Says Israel's Cast Lead Was a Success
by Maayana Miskin
The United States State Department has released its annual report on worldwide terrorism. The report found that the number of terrorist attacks worldwide, and the number of people killed in such attacks was much lower in 2009 than just three years earlier. However, threats remain, said the document, which mentioned Al-Qaeda and Iran as central figures in the global terror threat.
There were 10,999 terrorist attacks worldwide in 2009, down from 14,443 in 2006. Terror attacks claimed 14,971 victims in 2009, down from 23,000 in 2006.
The report cited Israel as a success story, pointing out that four Israelis were killed by terrorists in 2009, down from 27 in 2008. Israel's Cast Lead counterterrorism operation in Gaza in the beginning of 2009 led to a dramatic decrease in the frequency of attacks from the area.
The report gave Lebanon mixed reviews. The Lebanese government took steps to curb terrorism within its borders “including stronger monitoring in and around Palestinian refugee camps,” the report found. However, its border with Syria “remained a problem related to arms smuggling,” and Hizbullah “continued its acquisition of smuggled arms... in violation of UN resolution 1701.”
The Lebanese government “continued to recognize Hizbullah, a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, as a legitimate 'resistance group' and political party,” the report stated.
Egypt was praised for its “active opposition to terrorism.” However, the report noted that Egypt's Sinai region has become a hotbed for terrorism and criminal activity. The area “was a base for the smuggling of arms and explosives into Gaza... [Smuggling] has created criminal networks that may be associated with terrorist groups in the region.”
Al-Qaeda: Biggest Threat
The Al-Qaeda terrorist organization poses the biggest threat to the United States, according to the State Department. The group's Iraq branch suffered several losses in Iraq, and lost support among Iraqi civilians, but its branches in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen remain strong. Its leaders continue to plot attacks on the US and on American interests worldwide.
The group has proved itself to be “adaptable and resilient,” the report said, and its core in Pakistan “remained the most formidable terrorist organization targeting the US homeland.”
Al-Qaeda has lost some support in Iraq and in the Muslim world as a whole, the report said, in particular in response to terrorist attacks that kill local Muslims. However, the organization has increased its attempts to recruit members in Europe and North America, with some success.
Iran: Biggest Terror Sponsor
Iran remained the most active state sponsor of terrorism in 2009, the report said. “Iran's financial, material and logistic support for terrorist and militant groups throughout the Middle East and Central Asia had a direct impact on international efforts to promote peace, threatened economic stability in the Gulf, and undermined the growth of democracy,” it stated.
Among the terrorist groups receiving funding, weapons, and training from Iran are Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the PFLP, Hizbullah, Shiite Muslim groups in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Iran has also refused to put senior members of Al-Qaeda on trial.
Another major sponsor of terrorism is Syria, which publicly condemns terrorism but insists that many organizations that target civilians are actually “national liberation movements” and not terrorist groups. Syria provides a safe haven for members of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the PFLP, and provides material support to Hizbullah.
7. Poland Will Deport Israeli to Germany
by Hillel Fendel
Poland’s Supreme Court has given the final OK, and the Israeli accused of forging a German passport in order to facilitate the assassination of a Hamas terrorist will be deported to Germany.
The dead man was Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, a senior Hamas military commander and one of the founders of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. He was found dead in a hotel room in Dubai in January of this year. Though at the time of his death, he was wanted by the Israeli, Egyptian and Jordanian governments, many believe that Israel’s Mossad was behind his murder.
Poland’s Supreme Court has now given its final approval for the deportation of someone known as Uri Brodsky, which is not assumed to be his real name. The man is suspected of having helped forge a German passport that aided one of the killers of Al-Mabhouh. Several Israelis are said to have followed Al-Mabhouh to Dubai and then to his hotel room, where he was found dead several hours after checking in.
The man known as Brodsky was arrested in early July, at Germany’s behest, when he landed in Warsaw. The Germans suspect that he submitted documents in the German city of Cologne requesting a passport in the name of Michael Bodenheimer.
The Polish court’s decision was delayed for several weeks, apparently because Poland feared that the deportation would harm its diplomatic relations with Israel.
If convicted, the man known as Brodsky could face several years in prison.
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