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Sunday, October 06, 2013

10/06 Links: 9 Year Old Girl Shot By Terrorist, US Special Forces Raid Libya and Somalia

From Ian:

Nine-Year-Old Girl Shot in Terror Attack
A nine-year-old girl was seriously wounded in the neck Saturday evening in a shooting attack by one or more terrorists at Psagot, in the Binyamin region.
Magen David Adom paramedics were giving the girl first aid as IDF forces began combing the area. She was then evacuated to Shaarei Tzedek hospital with what was initially described as "a serious injury to her upper body." She was reportedly conscious.
Yoni Hacohen, a paramedic, told Arutz Sheva that she had been hit by a bullet that went clear through her neck.
Netanyahu: Palestinian incitement responsible for Psagot shooting
In remarks made at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, the premier called the incident "a heinous attack."
"This past year has been the quietest in over a decade, but lately we have noticed an increase in the number of terrorist attacks," Netanyahu said, pointing an accusatory finger at the Palestinian Authority.
"I must say that the Palestinian Authority cannot shirk its responsibility for these kinds of incidents as long as incitement there continues," the premier said. "The murderers must understand that this won't help them."
MKs: Abbas Talking Peace,but Allowing Terror
Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz warned that the attack does not bode well for diplomatic talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
“There’s an anomalous situation here where on the one hand, Abu Mazen [Abbas] talks about the diplomatic process, and on the other hand, groups that are affiliated with Fatah carry out terrorist attacks in Israel and Abu Mazen does nothing to prevent it,” he said.
US captures al-Qaida leader in Libya wanted for '98 US embassy bombings
US forces launched raids in Libya and Somalia on Saturday following the deadly attack on a Nairobi shopping mall last month, capturing a top al-Qaida figure wanted for the 1998 US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, a US official said.
Senior al-Qaida figure Anas al Liby was seized in the raid in Libya, but no militant was captured in the raid on the Somali town of Barawe, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Alleged Iranian spy indicted by Israeli prosecutors
The indictment stated that over the course of 2012, Mansouri, 55 and with dual Iranian and Belgian citizenship, was recruited by Iran with the purpose of carrying out terror operations in Israel.
Mansouri had visited Israel three times in order to establish fictitious corporations in Israel to serve as cover for creating a terrorist infrastructure, which would include at least one more Iranian agent who was expected to come to Israel in the future, said the indictment.
MEMRI: Hamas Official Calls To Launch Rockets On Jerusalem In Response To Jews Praying In Al-Aqsa Courtyard
Following recent visits by Jews to the Temple Mount, especially during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, the head of the Hamas Refugee Affairs Department, Dr. 'Issam 'Adwan, published an article on a Hamas-affiliated website in which he urged his movement to launch rockets at Jewish targets in Jerusalem. He wrote that Jews praying in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa was an even worse act than their conquering or demolishing it, and therefore the response must be harsh. He urged Palestinians to prepare themselves and the Islamic nation for a victory battle over Al-Aqsa.
Police Bust Israeli-Arab Weapons Ring, 18 Arrests
Sixteen of those arrested are men in their 20s, and an additional two are minors, police said. Additional arrests are expected.
The suspects are accused of having smuggled weapons into Israel from Palestinian Authority-controlled territories in Judea and Samaria (Shomron). Kfar Kassem is a short distance from several PA-controlled Arab towns in Samaria.
155,312 Tons of Goods were Transferred from Israel to Gaza in
September

5,549 trucks carrying 155,312 tons of goods entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing in September. Among the goods were construction materials, medical equipment, food and livestock.
Egypt Releases 2 Canadians Detained Amid Cairo Clashes
Canada's Foreign Affairs department said late Saturday that two Canadians held without charges for the past several weeks in Egypt have been released from prison, the Associated Press reports.
Lynne Yelich, a Canadian minister of consular affairs, said Canada welcomes the decision to release John Greyson, a filmmaker and professor, and Dr. Tarek Loubani, a physician.
Egypt remembers Yom Kippur 1973
“Egypt braces to cross ‘October 6,’” reads the headline of independent Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm, in an apparent allusion to the army’s October 6, 1973, crossing of the Suez Canal that marked the start of the war.
“The army vowed to continue sacrificing for the nation, while the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood planned to spoil the joy of Egyptians in their victory by taking to Tahrir Square and organizing processions against the armed forces in Cairo and the provinces,” reads the report.
PM to cabinet: Israel not opposed to diplomacy with Iran
Israel is not against diplomacy with Iran, but rather wants to ensure that negotiations with Iran will lead it to a halt of uranium enrichment, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the cabinet Sunday.
Netanyahu, in his first meeting with his cabinet since meting US President Barack Obama in Washington and saying a day later at the UN General Assembly last week that Israel would "stand alone" against Iran if need be, said he had a long, in-depth conversation with Obama about Iran and that they agree to the need to halt Iran's uranium enrichment.
New York Times Indicts Israeli Leader For Speech Exposing Iran
The New York Times editorial on the subject once again revealed the editors' consistently negative stance toward the Jewish state and its leader.
The Israeli leader's speech was labeled “aggressive,” “combative,” and “sarcastic.” Netanyahu, they wrote, “seems eager for a fight.”
The editorial warned the Israeli leader “and his supporters in Congress” that being “blinded by excessive distrust,” “exaggerat[ing] the threat” posed by Iran, trying to “block President Obama” and “sabotag[ing] the best chance to establish a new relationship” with Iran “could be disastrous.”
Obama: Iran still at least a year from a bomb
Obama, in an interview with The Associated Press, acknowledged that American estimates are “more conservative” than those of the Israelis.
Obama also said the world must “test” whether Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is serious about resolving its nuclear dispute diplomatically.
Obama Insulted the Iranian People, Says Iran's Foreign Minister
Speaking to CNN, Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Obama should not have told Netanyahu that the military option to deal with Iran’s nuclear program remains on the table.
“I was rather disappointed that President Obama used language that was insulting to the Iranian people,” Zarif said in the interview, which will air Sunday and parts of which were released Saturday.
Iran arrests four men accused of trying to sabotage nuclear production site
The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, said officials had monitored and then arrested a "number of saboteurs" before they could carry out their plan.
"Four of these individuals were caught red-handed and their interrogations are ongoing," he said, according to the Mehr news agency on Sunday. He did not identify which nuclear site they were planning to
damage or when those detained were arrested.
‘Iran Forced Hezbollah to Fight in Syria’
Sheikh Subhi Al-Tufaili, a former secretary-general of Hezbollah, told the Lebanese TV channel Al-Mustaqbal, “Generally speaking, Hezbollah is firmly opposed to the war, but a decisive Iranian decision [forced] it to participate in it.”
Tufaili’s revelation was included in a report by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) on growing criticism of Hezbollah from within.
‘Hezbollah’s long-range missiles can carry chemical weapons’
Hezbollah is in possession of long-range missiles capable of carrying a chemical warhead, a Lebanese parliamentarian said according to a report Sunday.
Khaled Zaher, from the anti-Hezbollah al-Mustaqbal party, told the Saudi al-Watan newspaper that Syrian President Bashar Assad had transferred significant amounts of weaponry to Hezbollah, including the missiles. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps supervised the transfer of the weapons and helped build and design the launching pads in Lebanon, he said.
Report: Germany gave Syria ingredients for deadly gas in 2011
The chemicals involved – sodium fluoride, hydrofluoric acid and ammonium hydrogen fluoride – can be used to manufacture sarin, the deadly nerve gas used during the August 21 attack on the edge of Damascus, which killed more than 1,400 people, according to the US government.
Arid State of Nevada Seeks Help From Israeli Agricultural Experts
In a campaign to revitalize its barren terrain, Nevada is hoping to share best practices on water and crops with Israel.
The desert-heavy U.S. state’s governor, Brian Sandoval, is planning a trip to Israel’s Negev in October to learn more about indoor farming, and how using Israeli technology could rejuvenate Nevada’s lackluster farming industry.
From Uganda to Iron Dome: A Soldier’s Motivation to Protect Her Country
It was a historical night for the 150 soldiers who stood under the stars in the Old City of Jerusalem. Standing at the Kotel — called the Western Wall in English — the soldiers were swearing their allegiance to protect the people and the State of Israel. Many of the new IDF recruits, who serve as soldiers in the Air Defense Command, protect Israel’s civilians against attacks by operating the Iron Dome missile defense system.
One soldier in the unit, Pvt. Or Meidan, stands out amongst the new recruits. In 2011, Pvt. Meidan immigrated to Israel from Uganda with her family. “We were living at a kibbutz, Yad Mordechi, during operation Pillar of Defense,” she recalls of her first days in the country. “Rockets were flying near us every day from the Hamas controlled Gaza Strip.”