Jerusalem terror victims identified as US and British citizens
The names were released on Tuesday afternoon of the four victims - three dual US-Israeli nationals and one British-Israeli citizen - murdered in the terror attack at a synagogue in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Nof.The silence of prayer, shattered in a synagogue bloodbath
Rabbi Aryeh Kopinsky, 43, Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Goldberg, 68, and Rabbi Calman Levine, 55, all from the Har Nof neighborhood were identified along with Rabbi Moshe Twersky, 59, as victims murdered by two Palestinian terrorists.
Kopinsky, Levine and Twersky held dual US-Israeli citizenship after making aliya from American. Goldberg, a British-Israeli national, immigrated to Israel from Britain.
Funerals for the four were to be held Tuesday afternoon.
Kopinsky's death marked a further tragedy for his family as his daughter died three years ago in sudden circumstances.
Levine leaves behind five children and nine grandchildren.
Yaakov Amos had just finished calling silently on God to “grant peace everywhere, goodness and blessing; grace, loving kindness and mercy to us and unto all Israel, Your people,” when two terrorists stormed into Har Nof’s largest synagogue at 7:01 a.m. on Tuesday.Times of Israel Live Blog American, British victims of Jerusalem terror attack laid to rest
Amos, a trained trauma therapist, was in the middle of the Amidah prayer when he heard a pair of gunshots issued in quick succession. “Boom-boom,” he said.
He swiveled around fast, his feet still together in prayer, and saw “a Jew in phylacteries” on the floor.
In those seconds, Amos was transported from the calm of the meditative prayer into the middle of a massacre, as terrorists armed with a gun, a knife and meat cleaver killed four people and injured several more. Witnesses and rescue workers described a gruesome scene inside the Jerusalem synagogue, with blood spattering prayer books and people in the middle of prayer caught in the carnage.
Four people were killed early Tuesday morning when two Palestinian assailants entered a synagogue in Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighborhood. The two terrorists, from East Jerusalem, were killed. Condemnation over the attack has poured in from Israeli and international leaders, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, blamed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for inciting terrorism against Israel. The Times of Israel is liveblogging developments.
Graphic images: Scene from inside Jerusalem synagogue hit by terror attack
Images of blood trails in the Jerusalem synagogue emerged on Tuesday after two Palestinians armed with a meat cleaver and a gun killed four people before being shot dead by police, the deadliest such incident in six years in the Holy City amid a surge in religious conflict.Gunfire exchange at scene of Jerusalem synagogue terror attack
A worshiper who attended the morning service in the Kehillat Bnei Torah synagogue in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of West Jerusalem said about 25 people were praying when shooting broke out.
Pictures posted by an Israeli army spokesman on the Internet showed a man in a Jewish prayer shawl lying dead, a bloodied butcher's cleaver discarded on the floor and several overturned prayer tables.
Israel's ambulance service said at least eight people were seriously wounded.
Footage was released on Tuesday of shots being fired at the scene of a terrorist attack at a synagogue in Jerusalem earlier in the morning.Abu Mazen's Incitement Campaign
At least four people were killed in the attack and eight others wounded, according to Magen David Adom.
Police said the assailants, allegedly Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem, were shot and killed.
According to police, the two suspected Palestinian terrorists, armed with a gun and axes, attacked worshipers after entering a synagogue on Agasi Street in the capital's Har Nof neighborhood.
The Palestinian Authority's Incitement Campaign has reached new heights in recent weeks · Antisemitic caricatures, calls to commit terrorist attacks, blood libels and financial support for murderers and imprisoned terrorists are just some of the means Abu Mazen uses to spur his people to murder Jews · A wake-up call to those who see him as a partner for peaceReport: Har Nof Terrorist Worked Next to Synagogue
The wave of terror we've seen in recent weeks is no coincidence. For months, the Palestinian authority and the Fatah movement have been conducting an increasingly shrill incitement campaign which includes direct incitement to commit terror attacks, blood libels, anti-semitic caricatures and clips, spreading lies about Israeli desecration of Islamic holy places and more.
One example of many is a caricature published on the official Fatah facebook page – a "moderate movement", mind you – which shows a car painted in the colors of the Palestinian flag chasing after Jews who flee in fear of them. Indeed, the facebook page of Abu Mazen's Fatah movement is a central part of the incitement campaign. A few days ago, the movement published a caricature featuring the Arabic word for "run over" on a road, with the Dome of the Rock in the background. Another facebook post called for committing terrorist attacks by car: "Run over, run over, dear Palestinian, the foreign settler."
One of the terrorists behind Tuesday's massacre in Har Nof's "Kehilat Yaakov" synagogue worked next door, Palestinian sources told IDF Radio, at a grocery store in the Jewish neighborhood.Mourners gather in Jabel Mukabaer for cousins who carried out terror attack
The two, reportedly identified as cousins Uday and Rassan Abu Jamal, are also Israeli Arabs who carry blue teudat zehut identity cards.
According to reports in the Palestinian media, the terrorists are relatives of Jamal Abu Jamal, a prisoner released as part of a "political gesture" to Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas last year, in a four-part series of releases. Jamal Abu Jamal was rearrested a year ago and again earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the Israel police and the Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet) have raided the homes of two terrorists in the Arab neighborhood of Jabel Mukabar and arrested several members of their families for questioning.
Most of the family members of the two cousins were arrested this morning after the terror attack in Har Nof.PM blames Abbas, calls emergency meet in wake of attack
One of two male family members who was not arrested said his cousins were "quiet youth; uninvolved in activism of politics and not members of an organization [Hamas etc...]; they worked construction when they could find work."
Another member of the family said that the young men were influenced by the recent tensions at Al-aksa mosque and that they were angry a bus driver had been killed the day before in what they said was a murder.
Several hundred male mourners had gathered near the house because the house of the cousin's family was too small.
Young boys, released early from school gathered at the entrance to Jabel Mukabaer and burned a trash can and set up road blocks. Police cordoned off streets into the neighborhood but after early morning clashes there was relative quiet.
Many men from the area came to show respect including a local ambulance crew. Women were gathered in another location.
Netanyahu blamed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for the gruesome early morning attack, and vowed to respond harshly.Liberman: Responsibility for Synagogue Massacre Lies With Abbas
“This is the direct result of the incitement led by Hamas and Abu Mazen [Abbas], incitement that the international community irresponsibly ignores.” Netanyahu said in a statement. “We will respond with a strong hand to the cruel murder of Jews who came to pray and were caught by dark murderous hands.”
Netanyahu convened security consultations with top officials around noon. Directly after the attack, Ya’alon convened his own meeting of security brass.
Also blaming the “incitement, lies and hate” circulated by the Palestinian Authority and Abbas, Ya’alon vowed that Israel will “chase down the perpetrators and those who sent them everywhere and in every way, within the borders of Israel and outside.”
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) responded to this morning's Jerusalem terror attack, blaming incitement by Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas for the deadliest attack in the capital in years.Jerusalem Mayor: We Will Not Surrender to Terror
"An attack which is perpetrated in a synagogue during prayers is the biggest indicator that for all of these despicable acts of murder by terrorists, the responsibility lies entirely with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas," Liberman said in a Facebook post.
"Abbas has deliberately turned the conflict into a religious one between Jews and Muslims, and the systematic campaign that he leads against against Jews - including his definition of who isn't pure and should not be allowed go on the Temple Mount, is instructing these attacks," he continued, directly referring to comments Abbas has made about Jews visiting the Temple Mount and in which he called Muslims to use "all means necessary" to prevent them from doing so.
"It is incumbent upon the international community to condemn Abbas's anti-Semitic remarks, which lead to massacres such as what has taken place this morning, and to clarify to him that someone who leads in this way cannot be a legitimate political leader."
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat has vowed not to "surrender to terror" on Tuesday, after Arab terrorists executed a massacre in a Har Nof synagogue, killing four people and injuring thirteen others as they prayed the morning service.Israel to relax gun laws following synagogue attack
"Jerusalem bows its head in pain and sorrow on this difficult morning," Barkat stated. "Jerusalem residents peacefully praying in a synagogue in the heart of Jerusalem were cruelly slaughtered in cold blood while wearing their prayer shawls."
Barkat called to crack down on terror in the capital, which has been wracked by terror attack after terror attack in recent weeks.
"I promise Jerusalem residents that we will continue to fight terror with full force and we will do everything in our power to restore peace and security to Jerusalem," he stated. "I call on Israel's national government and security forces to provide Jerusalem with all of the support necessary to fight terror. I call on the international community to strongly condemn this horrific act."
"We will not surrender to terror," he vowed. "We will stand strong and defend our city from those who try to disturb the peace of our capital."
Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch pledged to ease controls on carrying weapons for self-defense after a gruesome terrorist attack at a Jerusalem synagogue that left four dead Tuesday.Kerry condemns Jerusalem attack, Palestinian incitement
It was not clear exactly what new measures would be put in place, but it was reported that the move would apply to anyone licensed to carry a gun, such as private security guards and off-duty army officers.
Aharonovitch added that “we have instructed synagogues to place security guards at their entrances.”
Army Radio reported that four Border Police reserve units have been called up.
After a meeting called by Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino, police raised the threat level to one notch below the highest designation.
Kerry telephoned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to offer condolences following the gruesome killing spree by Palestinian assailants at a Jerusalem synagogue, while other world leaders also expressed horror at the attack.Canadian FM Baird condemns 'cowardly' attack, says all Canadians standing with Israel
Kerry, in London for talks on Iran and the Middle East, called the assault an “act of pure terror and senseless brutality” and called on the Palestinian leadership to condemn it “in the most powerful terms.”
“Innocent people who had come to worship died in the sanctuary of a synagogue,” Kerry said, his voice quavering. “They were hatcheted, hacked and murdered in that holy place in an act of pure terror and senseless brutality and murder. I call on Palestinians at every single level of leadership to condemn this in the most powerful terms. This violence has no place anywhere, particularly after the discussion that we just had the other day in Amman.”
Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird condemned the "savage terrorist attack" which killed four Israelis at a Jerusalem synagogue on Monday.France's Hollande condemns Jerusalem synagogue attack, those who 'dare to praise' it
“Attacks on innocent worshippers, in what is supposed to be a place of peace and tranquility, are cowardly and must never be tolerated," Baird said.
“Those engaging in these despicable terrorist acts, and those financing or morally supporting their actions, are responsible for further aggravating an already fraught and dangerous situation," he added.
“On behalf of all Canadians, we stand with the people of Israel and offer our deepest heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims,” Baird concluded.
French President Francois Hollande condemned the terror attack at a Jerusalem synagogue Tuesday, and went further than other leaders denouncing also those who "dare to praise" the attack.Turkish FM condemns attack at Jerusalem synagogue
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu condemned the attack at a Jerusalem synagogue that left four people dead on Tuesday).Chief Rabbi Calls on Muslim Religious Leaders to Condemn Attack
Two Palestinians armed with a meat cleaver and a gun killed four people at the synagogue in west Jerusalem before being shot dead by police.
Speaking at a news conference in Ankara with his Finnish counterpart Erkki Tuomioja, Cavusoglu said Turkey opposed any attack targeting religious sites.
"We condemn every kind of attack against holy places, we think that this is wrong. We previously condemned an Israeli attack against Al-Aksa mosque," he said.
The horrific massacre at a Har Nof synagogue in Jerusalem during morning prayers is reminiscent of pogroms, the Chief Ashkenazic Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Lau, stated Tuesday.IDF Blog: 4 Killed in Jerusalem Synagogue Terror Attack
"The dreadful scene, [victims] soaked in blood donning praying shawls and phylacteries [tefilin - ed.] reminds us all of the riots and pogroms passed down through the generations of our people," Rabbi Lau stated.
"Jewish blood has flowed like water in the streets of Jerusalem for no reason," he continued. "These saints who were murdered join their brothers who were murdered, slaughtered and massacred in Israel and in the world, as holy martyrs."
Rabbi Lau then turned to the Muslim religious leaders, calling on them to stop the waves of terror in Jerusalem.
"Muslim religious leaders must speak out, clearly and unequivocally, to condemn the murder," he urged. "They must call to stop this terrible cycle of bloodshed, in which Jews are murdered in the synagogues and in the streets of the city just because they are Jews."
This morning, November 18, at least four Israelis were killed and eight injured when terrorists carried out a massacre during the morning prayer in a synagogue in Har Nof, Jerusalem. This savage attack is the most recent in the latest wave of violence and terrorism in Israel. In the past month, ten Israelis were murdered in terror attacks, and Hamas has been congratulating the attackers. This morning, members of the terrorist organization praised the attackers, describing them as heros.Fatah: Abbas only condemned murder of 4 Jews because of international pressure
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, is one of many who praised the attack, which in his words is a natural reaction to the “occupation”. In a Facebook post, he called to continue such attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Mushir al-Masri, also a Hamas spokesman, called the attack a “heroic action”.
Masri also published a photo of the attackers, calling them heroes.
Additionally, he posted an alarming cartoon in order to promote the attack on social networks.
To justify why Abbas condemned this morning's murders, Fatah publicized a video today that PMW had exposed in which Arafat's bodyguard explained that Arafat was lying when he condemned terror attacksAbbas condemns attack amid Palestinian justification
Following the Palestinian Authority's condemnation of this morning's terror attack in which 4 Jews were murdered while praying in a Jerusalem synagogue, Abbas' Fatah showed on its official Facebook page that Abbas' condemnation is not sincere.
Fatah explained Abbas' condemnation of the murders by using Palestinian Media Watch documentation showing Arafat's bodyguard explaining that Arafat would lie and condemn terror attacks due to international pressure to do so, but that "it wasn't true."
Fatah posted this text with the video: "For those who argue with Fatah: Why the PA condemns self-sacrifice operations!" [Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page", Nov. 18, 2014]
This shows that Fatah needed to justify the fact that Abbas, heading both the PA and Fatah, issued a condemnation in the name of the PA. Arguing that the reason Abbas issued the condemnation is the same reason Arafat condemned the killing of civilians - namely international pressure - Fatah states that Abbas' condemnation is not sincere.
But Tawfik Tirawi, former chief of the Palestinian General Security in the West Bank and a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, told a radio station in Hebron Tuesday morning that the attack was “nothing but a reaction to the recent crimes of the occupation and the settlers in occupied Jerusalem and across the nation. The threats of the occupation against our people and the Palestinian leadership, represented by the president, will only increase our resolve in safeguarding our rights.”Palestinians in Gaza celebrate terror attack at Jerusalem synagogue
His comments were published on Fatah’s official Facebook page.
Meanwhile, Islamic and left-wing Palestinian factions praised the attack.
Gazan revelers in Rafah handed out sweets and brandished axes and posters of the said perpetrators in praise of the deadly attack.Murder of 4 Jews praised by Abbas' advisor and Fatah
Palestinian radio reports described the attackers as "martyrs" and Hamas praised the attack. Loudspeakers at mosques in Gaza called out congratulations. However, there was no direct claim of responsibility.
Following this morning's murder of 4 Jewish worshippers in a Jerusalem synagogue, Palestinian Authority Chairman Abbas' advisor Sultan Abu Al-Einein immediately praised the attack as a "heroic operation" on his Facebook page. He posted graphic images showing pools of blood and dead Jews in prayer shawls, as well as a photo of the dead terrorists with a bloody butcher's knife on the ground next to them. Al-Einein referred to them as "Martyrs."PA supports terror in Jerusalem
These "Martyrs" were two Arab terrorists, Ghassan and Uday Abu Jamal from East Jerusalem, who entered a synagogue in Jerusalem and attacked worshippers with guns, knives and axes, killing 4 and injuring 8, 4 of them seriously. The terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire with the Israeli Security Forces that arrived on the scene.
Speaking in the name of MPs from Abbas' Fatah movement, spokesman Jamal Tirawi announced that they "welcomed the Martyrdom-seeking operation (Istish'had) in Jerusalem," and were "escorting the Martyrs (Shahids) of the Abu Jamal family to Paradise." [Donia Al-Watan News website, Nov. 18, 2014]
In an interview on Nov. 5, 2014, during the current period of Palestinian terror attacks and riots in Jerusalem, Palestinian Authority Supreme Shari'ah Judge and Abbas' advisor Mahmoud Al-Habbash assured Palestinians that PA Chairman Abbas and the PA leadership support the riots, unrest, and terror attacks that killed civilians.Abbas’ advisor: "President [Abbas] requested more Ribat" (religious conflict/war)
"First of all, allow me to say that we kiss every forehead, every hand and even every foot that carries out Ribat (religious conflict/ war over land claimed to be Islamic) at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and in Jerusalem... We are behind them. The leadership is with them... We are with them in every movement, in every action and every deed, and we welcome what they are doing at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque." [Official PA TV, Nov. 5, 2014]
Hamas and Islamic Jihad praise Jerusalem attack
Hamas and Islamic Jihad hailed a Tuesday attack on a Jerusalem synagogue which killed four Israelis, saying it was in reaction to the death of a Palestinian bus driver.Tunisian President Marzouki "Salutes the Palestinian Resistance"; Honored to Have Met Mash'al
Four people were killed in Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighborhood when two Palestinian assailants attacked worshipers at morning prayers with a meat cleaver, an ax and a gun.
“The operation in Jerusalem is a response to the murder of the martyr Yusuf Ramouni and to the series of crimes by the occupier at Al-Aqsa and Hamas calls to continue these operations,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement. “Hamas calls for more operations like it,” he added
Islamic Jihad echoed the comments in a separate statement.
“Islamic Jihad salutes the operation in Jerusalem which is a natural response to the crimes of the occupier,” it said.
Fatah Military Wing to Israelis: Our Bullets Will Continue to Be Aimed at Your Chests and Heads
BBC to Bennett: We don't want to see victims of terrorism
Bennett's comments echoed earlier remarks calling Abbas one of the biggest terrorists of the Palestinian people and blaming him for the bloodshed.Bennett shows BBC: Victim of Jerusalem Synagogue Massacre
Then, Bennett lifted a photo of the scene of the terrorist attack, depicting a man in a tallit lying face down on the floor of a synagogue.
"You know, this individual came this morning to pray," Bennett said, pointing at the man in the picture.
"We don't want to actually see that picture, if you could take that down," the interviewer shot back.
Bennett continued: "This individual came this morning to pray, just like many Muslims and many Jews went to pray this morning. The Muslims went home safe [sic], but four Jews will never come home again."
The clip soon made waves on social media, after Bennett shared it.
British journalist Jake Wallis Simons, who has covered Israel extensively for The Telegraph, among other major news sources tweeted: "BBC refuses to show picture of murdered Jewish worshiper. Didn't have a problem with dead Gazans, I recall."
Synagogue Terror Attack: Top Headline Fails
Two Palestinian terrorists entered a synagogue in Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighborhood armed with a pistol and axes, murdering four Israelis and injuring six others early Tuesday morning. What were some of the international media’s initial reactions? For Canada’s CBC News, it was all about the perpetrators:CNN Botches Coverage of Terror Attack on Israeli Synagogue
For the BBC, it wasn’t two Palestinian terrorists who carried out the attack but the “Jerusalem synagogue”:
CNN flubbed its coverage of the terrorist attack on an Israeli synagogue Tuesday, using a chyron that read “Deadly Attack on Jerusalem Mosque” over video of Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barakat speaking about the deadly attacks that left four Israelis (three of whom were Israeli-Americans) dead.CNN's Jerusalem Mosque Gaffe
“The slaughter of innocent people while they’re praying in a synagogue–there’s no doubt in my mind, it’s not even murderers, because animals don’t even behave like this,” Barakat said. “To get into a synagogue with a butcher knife and slaughter innocent people while they pray…”
Despite the fact that Barakat said “synagogue” multiple times, the sharp producers of the early-morning CNN broadcast made no effort to change the incorrect chyron.
Later, CNN featured another misleading chyron during its coverage of the attack–carried out by two Palestinians who were subsequently shot and killed by Israeli police–choosing to highlight the phrase “Police Shot, Killed Two Palestinians” and emblazon it across the screen as CNN Jerusalem correspondent Ben Wedeman gave an update on the attacks:
Former UK minister Warsi tweets ‘morally indefensible’ equivalence in Jerusalem terror attack
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi was Minister of State for Faith and Communities, until her resignation after disagreeing with David Cameron’s position on the war in Gaza, a policy she described as “morally indefensible” in its support for Israel.Guardian erases “Palestinians” from Reuters story on Jerusalem terror attack
The row over her resignation was widely (and quite sympathetically) covered by the Guardian.
Here’s Warsi’s Tweet this morning in response to today’s terror attack, in which Palestinian terrorists massacred Jewish worshippers at a synagogue in Jerusalem.
Sayeeda WarsiIn addition to the morally indefensible equivalence she imputes, the first line of Warsi’s tweet was the kind of shamefully dishonest agitprop you’d expect to see at Electronic Intifada. Israeli extremists have not of course “stormed the mosque”, nor “intimidated” Muslim worshippers – unless you consider the wish to peacefully recite Jewish prayers to be a form of “intimidation”.
Israeli extremists storm Al Aqsa & intimidate worshippers Palestinian extremists storm synagogue & kill 4 worshippers #Tragic #peacenotwar
Consistent with the omission in the headline, the word “Palestinian” was deleted from the lead sentence, despite the fact that Israeli police have clearly identified the attackers as Palestinians from east Jerusalem. (Indeed, other UK media outlets we reviewed have clearly identified the terrorists as Palestinian.)To Stop Terror, Israel Should Learn from the Palestinians
Once again, the Guardian has demonstrated their institutional bias when reporting on Israeli-Palestinian issues – specifically, a pattern of obfuscating even the most unambiguous examples of Palestinian culpability for terror, violence and incitement.
People commit acts of terrorism for the same reason they sell something – there is a profit in it. Remove the profit by increasing the costs, and they go out of business.CiF Watch suggestions for Palestinians who want to ‘ease tensions’ in Jerusalem
If a street in East Jerusalem is blocked and becomes a staging ground for thugs seeking to kill innocent motorists, level the neighborhood. Pave it over and make the street wider.
Either the Israelis will be destroyed by attrition because their people will get tired of burying their young, living under a state of siege and leave, or they will make a drastic change in policy.
The international community, you say, will not tolerate a strong response, especially the Obama Administration. So, what will they do? They will call your prime minister, chicken***t; they will falsely accuse you of war crimes, demand that you release murders, and restrain you from avenging your dead? Or, perhaps, they will recognize a non-existent Palestinian state and shred every agreement you ever signed with your enemy? Maybe, they will withhold an arms resupply during the midst of a war? Or worse, they will cut a deal with Iran and make it a nuclear power, a threat to your very existence, and prevent you from taking action?
The international community has done all of this!
Arab intellectuals tell me Israel must accommodate itself to the local culture. Indeed, the local culture enshrines collective responsibility and collective guilt. It is time for Israel to learn from the Palestinians what that means.
Whilst even beyond the UK media, most opinion leaders have narrowly focused on what Israeli leaders can do to calm the situation in Jerusalem and prevent an escalation, we here at CiF Watch tend to fancy the progressive notion that Palestinians possess moral agency, and therefore have a role to play in any plan to address rising tensions.PreOccupied TerritoryMeretz: Jewish Prayer Obviously Causes Massacres, Must Stop (satire)
So, inspired by a recent post at a site known for its decidedly unconventional take on the news, here’s our list of ways Palestinians can “ease the tension” in Jerusalem.
1. If you’re a Palestinian driving your car in Jerusalem, resist the urge to slam your vehicle into a crowd of innocent pedestrians merely because they’re likely to be Jewish. The impact of two tons of steel crashing into a human body tends to break bones, rupture organs and cause death for those in the vehicle’s path – thus escalating tensions in Jerusalem.
2. If you’re a Palestinian and happen to be carrying a knife in Jerusalem, resist the urge to stab someone with it merely because he or she is a Jew. Knives tend to damage organs, cause profuse bleeding, and could cause death – thus escalating tensions in Jerusalem.
Lawmakers from the dovish Meretz party reacted to this morning’s massacre of Jewish worshipers in Jerusalem by urging the government to promote public safety by banning Jewish prayer everywhere, as it evidently constitutes a dangerous provocation for Palestinians to erupt in deadly attacks on random Jews.
Four people were killed and eight injured when two Palestinian attackers, apparently from the eastern section of the city, entered a synagogue in the western Har Nof neighborhood during morning services and began shooting, stabbing, and hacking. The two were killed by police in an ensuing shootout, but the incident represents the latest in a string of attacks on Jews in Jerusalem, all by East Jerusalem Palestinians, involving knives, guns, or cars, against the backdrop of spiking tensions over Jewish access to the Temple Mount. As a result, Meretz members Knesset called on the Netanyahu government to institute a ban on Jewish prayer everywhere, and not merely on the Temple Mount.
“Jewish prayer clearly constitute a clear and present danger and a menace to public safety,” asserted Meretz delegation chief Zahava Gal-On. “We all see what kind of havoc results from merely the prospect of Jewish prayer in proximity to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, but this morning’s tragedy demonstrates the even greater scale of the hazard posed by Jews praying. They must be prevented from doing so.”