Wednesday, November 19, 2014
JPost Editorial: Unjustifiable horror
Though Palestinian nationalist movements have always been murderously violent, the most depressing and wretched spectacle of the last decade has been the degeneration of Palestinian nationalism into a theocratic, death-worshiping radical Islamism. Even assassins from the ostensibly secular PFLP, founded by the nominally Christian Palestinian George Habash, now shout Allahu Akbar so that no mistake can be made about the source of their murderous inspiration.At funerals for synagogue terror victims, mourners grieve with 24 orphans from one street
The obscenity of what transpired Tuesday morning in Har Nof’s Kehilat Yaakov Synagogue cannot be explained away by glib terms like “despair” or “occupation.” There are millions of people living between the Mediterranean and the Jordan – Jewish, Muslim, and Christian – who may fall into despair without resorting to heinous crimes like the one perpetrated in Har Nof.
Nor does the murder of innocent civilians advance the Palestinian cause. Religious Jews wrapped in prayer shawls and phylacteries lying in pools of their own blood on the floor of a synagogue is an instantly recognizable image – not just for Jews. It conjures up centuries of violent anti-Semitism and places the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the context of just another example of irrational – and therefore incurable – Jew hatred. It seems to prove to Jewish Israelis that there is really nothing to talk about with the Palestinians, let alone a peace agreement that must of necessity rest on mutual trust.
Thousands of mourners gathered in Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighborhood Tuesday evening to pay their last respects to three of the four men killed while praying in their local synagogue earlier in the day in a terrorist attack. A fifth victim, policeman Zidan Saif, who was shot in the head in the shootout with the terrorists, died of his wounds late Tuesday in the hospital.Thousands attend funeral of policeman who died defending worshipers in synagogue attack
The crowd assembled outside the synagogue where Rabbi Aryeh Kupinsky, 40, Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Goldberg, and Rabbi Kalman Levine, 50, were killed by two Palestinian terrorists. The three were buried at the Har Hamenuhot cemetery in a joint funeral.
The funeral of the fourth victim, 59-year-old Rabbi Moshe Twersky, took place earlier on Tuesday.
Twersky, Kupinsky and Levine also held US citizenship, and Goldberg held British citizenship.
President Reuven Rivlin arrived at the synagogue to pay his respects to the victims’ families. Shas MK Eli Yishai and a number of other Israeli parliamentarians also attended the funerals.
Thousands of loved ones, neighbors, politicians and well-wishers from across the country made their way to the village of Yanuh Jat in the Galilee on Wednesday, to bid farewell to Zidan Saif, the Druse policeman who died of a gunshot wound suffered at the scene of the terror attack at a Jerusalem synagogue.
The funeral was attended by President Reuven Rivlin, Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, National Police Commissioner Inspector General Yochanan Danino, and leaders from the Druse community of Israel.
“We are burying a hero of the Israel police, who laid down his own body to protect the worshippers at the synagogue in Har Nof,” Aharonovitch said in his eulogy. “Zidan was there first and operated with courage. Without hesitation he charged inside, in the face of the horrors there. He followed the principles of the Israel Police and did what is expected of a courageous warrior.”
The minister added that “his heroism cost him his life, but saved the lives of others. Zidan is a source of pride for his family, for the Druse community and for the police and the people of Israel.”
Times of Israel Live Blog: ‘We won’t let terror win,’ Rivlin vows at policeman’s funeral
Israel early Wednesday demolished the home of East Jerusalem car terrorist Abdel Rahman al-Shaludi, who on October 22 killed two people in a hit-and-run attack in Jerusalem. A fifth victim of Tuesday’s Jerusalem synagogue terror attack, Druze policeman Zidan Saif, died of his wounds late Tuesday, having been shot in the gunfight that ended the Har Nof synagogue assault. The four Jewish victims were laid to rest on Tuesday afternoon. Condemnation of the attack, in which the two terrorists used a gun, ax and meat cleaver to attack worshipers before the police arrived and killed them, poured in from Israeli and international leaders, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. But Abbas was blamed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for inciting terrorism against Israel. Late Tuesday, Netanyahu demanded global denunciation of Palestinian terrorism and incitement, vowed that Israel would “settle scores” with the terrorists, and issued a call for national unity.Politics Can't Explain the Israeli Synagogue Attack. Only Hatred Can.
Rarely has it been clearer: these men were killed simply because they were Jews living in the land of Israel. That they were rabbis killed at prayer is a potent symbol of the attack's senselessess, but their orthodoxy also serves as evidence of how utterly self-defeating Palestinian terrorism is.Murdered, Because They Were Jews
The ultra-Orthodox, after all, are some of the most pragmatic and powerful players in Israeli politics. For the last two decades, the ultra-Orthodox parties have been kingmakers, key to the governments of both right and left due to their flexibility on negotiations with the Palestinians. It was the largest of these parties, Shas, that offered Yitzchak Rabin the crucial coalition support he needed to proceed to the Oslo accords. Together, the two main ultra-Orthodox parties hold 18 seats in Israel’s 120-seat, famously fractious parliament. Any conceivable left-leaning coalition would rely on their votes.
But in recent years, the ultra-Orthodox shifted strongly in the direction of the hawks. This shift, and its reasons, has mirrored the rest of Israeli society, and it has very little to with revisionist or expansionist ideology. The ultra-Orthodox, dismissive of Israel’s secular establishment and content to wait for the messiah, continue to be among those least ideologically committed to Jewish sovereignty over the land. But their confidence in the Palestinians and their leadership, in their willingness or ability to stop incitement and curb terrorism, has diminished dramatically.
Elsewhere on social media, Palestinians in Gaza circulated cartoons using the image of the meat cleaver and knife used in the attacks, to mock the Jews.Abbas' advisor blesses terrorists and their weapons
As a Muslim who has spoken all my life for the rights of the Palestinians to a state of their own, I was left holding my head in despair and shame.
Just an hour earlier, I had read news of my co-religionists killing four Christians in random acts of revenge in the Kenyan city of Mombasa.
What have we become, I asked myself?
The irony is the Jews murdered were from a sect that poses no threat to Muslims or Palestinians.
They are against the very idea of Jews ascending the Temple Mount to pray, an issue that has become a bone of contention in recent weeks between Jerusalem's Muslims and Jews.
Following yesterday's terror attack in which five Israelis were killed by two terrorists with pistols, knives and axes, Abbas' advisor and Fatah Central Committee member Sultan Abu Al-Einein praised the terrorists and their weapons on his Facebook page. Continuing the PA policy of justifying the attacks and riots as religiously mandated, he referred to the terrorists as "those who carry out Ribat" (religious conflict/war over land claimed to be Islamic) and stated that "we are the soldiers of Allah."Yes, Mahmoud Abbas IS to Blame
"Peace be upon you, oh children of Jerusalem. Oh, those who carry outRibat (religious conflict/war over land claimed to be Islamic) in the plazas of the first direction of prayer of Allah (i.e. the Al-Aqsa Mosque) in the name of your people and your Arab nation... Blessed be your quality weapons, the wheels of your cars, your axes and kitchen knives. By Allah, these are stronger than the arsenals of our enemy, because [they are being used] according to Allah's will. We are the soldiers of Allah." [Facebook page of Abbas' advisor and Fatah Central Committee member Sultan Abu Al-Einein, Nov. 19, 2014]
He is, in fact, directly responsible for this attack, as it was carried out by a faction under his authority.Terror Attack in Jerusalem • Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer • Kelly File • 11/18/14 •
The PFLP is a far-left organization which blends neo-Marxism with ultranationalism, and has been responsible for many other terrorist atrocities in the past.
It is also the second-largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) - which is led by none other than Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. And you can be sure that Abbas's Fatah and the PFLP will remain comrades even after this event.
It remains to be seen whether Abbas will go so far as to send a letter of condolence to the families of the two murderers in this attack, as he did in the case of Mu'taz Hijazi, the Islamic Jihad terrorist who shot and seriously wounded Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick. That blatant act of support for a would-be murderer even provoked rare condemnation from Israel's chief negotiator Tzipi Livni, who noted: "You can't on the one hand go round saying you condemn violence and on the other hand send letters encouraging it."
Quite so. And one might add to that: you can't parade yourself as a moderate man of peace, as a legitimate negotiating partner, when the major partner within your own organization (PLO) carries out such indiscriminate slaughter of Jewish worshipers, while your own faction joins your "unity government" partner Hamas in reveling in and celebrating the act of murder, while encouraging further atrocities.
The ‘Jerusalem Intifada’ is different, and harder to stop
One former Israeli security chief said that only a tougher hand against Jerusalem’s Palestinians can stop the wave of violence.Netanyahu okays checkpoints in East Jerusalem neighborhoods
“We’re perceived as suckers,” Aryeh Bibi, who served as Jerusalem’s chief of police between 1989-1991 and later as a Kadima MK, told The Times of Israel. “We must change our entire perception. Rather than us fortifying ourselves through guards in synagogues and schools, we should send the forces to the seam zone (between East and West Jerusalem) and have them bunker up. We should set up roadblocks and send tax officials to Jabel Mukaber. Demolishing the homes [of terrorists] and deporting [their families] from the village after revoking their Jerusalem residency will have a great impact.
“It makes no sense that Jews are scared to walk around and they can travel freely,” Bibi said, proposing to increase the pressure on would-be terrorists through a mix of bureaucratic and security measures, such as closures and increased Social Security oversight.
“Social pressure on them within their villages is significant, and we must make sure that they’re under pressure. There’s no other way.”
For the first time in decades, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the deployment of checkpoints at the entrance to East Jerusalem’s Arab neighborhoods.Ya'alon to freeze steps easing conditions for Palestinians amid security tensions
The decision to impose greater security measures on the city’s Palestinian population came in the wake of Tuesday’s terrorist attack at a synagogue in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem, in which four men were killed and several others injured during morning prayers.
The two suspects, residents of the neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber, were killed in a shootout with police outside the house of prayer.
The prime minister also instructed security forces to carry out raids on the homes of suspected terrorists in the city.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said Wednesday that he would be freezing planned steps to ease conditions for Palestinians in the West Bank in light of the recent wave of Palestinian violence.Netanyahu to world leaders: I want to see outrage over this massacre
Ya'alon's comments came in response to a parliamentary question posed by Bayit Yehudi MK Orit Struck: "The IDF intends to open roads to the Arab population in Samaria, both within and near Jewish towns as part of a 'relief package.' What does the relief package include and what is the justification for its existence during a wave of terror?"
Ya'alon said in response to the query: "As a result of the escalation in the security situation, these steps have been frozen."
PM says Hamas, Islamic Movement, PA are spreading blood libel against Israel and its Jewish citizens, which fuel the ongoing campaign of violence.Major Jewish Group Calls on U.S., EU to End Palestinian Authority Funding After Terror Attack
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday called on world leaders to denounce the attack in a Jerusalem synagogue that claimed the lives of four worshipers.
"I call on all the leaders of countries in the Western world: I want to see outrage over this massacre. I want to see denunciation," he said at a press conference in Jerusalem Tuesday night.
A leading Jewish advocacy organization has called on the United States and the European Union to end funding of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the wake of today’s terrorist attack against a Jerusalem synagogue which resulted in the murder of four Jewish worshipers.Israel’s UN Amb: UNSC Must Understand Har Nof Massacre
“We speak for all 400,000 constituent families of our human rights NGO to demand that our leaders do more than offer ‘heartfelt condolences’ for such senseless attacks,” said Rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper, Dean and Founder and Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
“These attacks with knives, axes, guns, and cars by Palestinians are not senseless but calculated and part of an ongoing terror campaign against Jews that have involved members of terror groups and which have been lauded by the Palestinian Authority.
“Too many Western politicians, instead of unequivocally condemning the growing wave of terror, in effect reward those who promote and celebrate murderers, by using their parliamentary positions to endorse a non-existent Palestinian state and other diplomatic and material support for the Palestinian cause,” the Center said.
The following is the full text of the letter sent by Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor, both to the president of the United Nations Security Council, Gary Francis Quinlin, and to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban ki-moon. Prosor’s letter is about the murders of Israelis praying in a synagogue, when they were – literally – cut down with axes, knives and a meat cleaver.First Responders Recount Treating Victims of Jerusalem Terror Attack: ‘It Was One of the Cruelest Scenes I Have Ever Witnessed’
The letter describes not only the horrific events, but places the blame squarely on Mahmoud Abbas, the acting leader of the Palestinian Authority, for his repeated acts of incitement. It also describes the official Fatah website referring to the massacre as a “heroic operation,” and the celebrations which erupted amongst the Palestinian Arabs upon hearing of the gruesome murder of innocent, unarmed Jewish worshippers.
Amb. Prosor called up on the president of the Security Council to distribute the letter, in its entirety, to the full Security Council, as an official document of the UNSC.
Among the first on scene to give medical treatment to the injured was United Hatzalah Paramedic Yanki Erlich. As he bent down to check on the first victim he suddenly heard gunshots fired in his direction. In a desperate attempt to jump to safety from the gunfire he slipped on a puddle of blood and fell, breaking his leg. With great effort, he still managed to drag himself to safety.Day after terror attack, congregants return to pray at Har Nof synagogue
EMT Avi Nefosi arrived from around the corner and found himself taking cover behind his car as the gunfight raged overhead and additional police reinforcements raced to the scene. By the time the police declared it safe for medical rescue forces to enter the scene dozens of United Hatzalah volunteers were on scene.
Avi relayed to United Hatzalah headquarters as he entered the scene. “I see one terrorist, neutralized, dead, one police officer lightly wounded in the leg, 2 people dead, I have someone alive, I need more people on the inside”.
Joining him on the sweep of the building United Hatzalah physician Dr. Joyce Morrel. After entering the synagogue and attending to those who needed help she bent down to one of the casualties, still lying on the ground and covered him with his prayer shawl, in which, just a few moments before, he began to pray, suspecting nothing.
Members of Kehilat Bnei Torah Synagogue returned Wednesday for morning prayers (Shacharit), the first service held at the shul since the gruesome terror attack Tuesday that left five people dead.Chief Rabbi “Dismayed” by Silence of Muslim Religious Leaders Following Terror Attack
For the first time, a security guard kept watch at the entrance.
The regular congregants were joined by several Israeli political figures, including Economy Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) and US-born Yesh Atid MK Rabbi Dov Lipman.
Lipman said he wanted to “demonstrate support for the regular minyan attendees” and convey the message that the Jewish people in Israel will not be intimidated by terror attacks.
The Times of Israel reports that Chief Rabbi David Lau of Israel reached out to Muslim religious leaders in the wake of today’s terror attack in a Jerusalem synagogue.
"Israel’s Chief Rabbi David Lau tells Channel 2 he’s dismayed by the silence of Muslim religious leaders in the wake of today’s terrorist attack in Har Nof. …
He adds that he hopes they will join him “at the entrance to the synagogue” where the attack took place in order to denounce it."
Lau said that in the past he had been in touch with a number of Palestinian religious leaders, but “today those same leaders have not responded to his calls.”
Israel to Demolish Terrorists' Houses, Expel Terrorist's Wife
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu held an emergency security consultation this afternoon in response to the morning's terrorist attack at a synagogue in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem.IDF demolishes east Jerusalem home of terrorist who ran over and killed baby, woman
Among those in attendance were Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shabak) Director Yoram Cohen, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, State Attorney Shai Nitzan, Jerusalem District Police Commander Moshe Edri and Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai.
Following discussions, Netanyahu ordered the demolition of the homes of the terrorists and directed that enforcement against those who incite toward terrorist attacks be significantly increased.
In addition, Interior Minister Gilad Erdan announced he would be revoking the residency permit of the wife of one of the two terrorists involved in this morning's attack. The woman is a Palestinian from the Judea-Samaria region but until now had been granted a residency permit after marrying her husband, who was a resident of Jerusalem.
Early Wednesday morning, the IDF Engineering Corps demolished the east Jerusalem home of the terrorist who killed a three-month-old baby girl and a woman from Ecuador last month when he rammed his vehicle into a crowd of people in the capital.
Abdel Rahman al-Shalodi, a convicted Palestinian terrorist from the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan was shot by police and died in hospital after the October attack that killed the baby Chaya Zissel Braun, as well as Karen Yemima Mosquera, a 22-year-old Ecuadorian.
A demolition notice signed by the IDF Home Front Command was given to al-Shalodi's family last week. (h/t Bob Knot)
Obama Responds to Jerusalem Synagogue Attack: 'Too Many Palestinians Have Died'
President Obama has responded to today’s terrorist attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem in which four Israeli Jews attending morning prayers condemning the attack, and stating that “the majority of Palestinians” want peace.Kerry condemns Jerusalem attack, Palestinian incitement
In a statement delivered to the White House press pool, President Obama responded to the attack by declaring that “too many Palestinians have died,” as well as Israelis, in the struggle between the state of Israel and the terrorist group Hamas and its affiliates, including the internationally active Muslim Brotherhood. “At this difficult time,” the President told reports, “I think it’s important for both Palestinians and Israelis to try to work together to lower tensions and reject violence.”
“We have to remind ourselves that the majority of Palestinians and Israelis overwhelmingly want peace,” the statement concludes, before the President begins remarks on the Ebola crisis in West Africa. The President did not take questions.
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.In Washington, terror attack focuses lens on PA incitement
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.”
The Republican Jewish Coalition offered its condolences to the victims and prayers for peace “to all Israelis confronting the scourge of vicious terrorism.” RJC National Chairman David Flaum called in a statement for “American policy-makers to offer appropriate support and solidarity at this solemn moment.”New York City increases security around synagogues
The group complimented Secretary of State John Kerry, who quickly issued an unequivocal condemnation of the attack. They raised an eyebrow at incitement in recent weeks by Palestinian leaders and placed “a heavy measure of responsibility for this horror on a Palestinian leadership that has tacitly and explicitly encouraged terrorist violence.”
“We urge members of the Obama administration to adhere to this standard of moral clarity in all their statements and actions during the difficult days ahead,” Flaum concluded.
The National Jewish Democratic Council also issued a statement condemning the attack, and noting that “the attack, taking place as it did so far from the neighborhood in which the terrorists lived, represents a premeditation that was encouraged by incitement from within their community.”
Without specifically mentioning any actors, the NJDC called on “all people and nations to repudiate these actions and to isolate anyone responsible for encouraging violence against innocent civilians.”
New York City on Tuesday increased its police presence at synagogues and other locations in the wake of an attack on a Jerusalem synagogue that left five dead.FBI to Probe Har Nof Synagogue Massacre
“The NYPD is following developments in Jerusalem closely and working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor any further developments,” the city’s police commissioner, Bill Bratton, said in a statement. “As of now, there is no specific credible threat to New York City.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio asked New Yorkers to remain alert and report suspicious activity, WCBS-TV reported. He said that the NYPD is “in close contact with its liaison post in Israel.”
The FBI said in a statement that it was “aware of the situation” and was “working in close collaboration and cooperation with the appropriate Israeli allies and partners.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is set to investigate the horrific terror attack at a Jerusalem synagogue that took the lives of four rabbis and an Israeli Druze police officer, and wounded six others.NYT Editorial: Horror in Israel
U.S. law enforcement officials said Tuesday night the case fell into the agency’s domain because three of the victims were American citizens.
President Barack Obama condemned the attack following a conversation between Secretary of State John Kerry and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
This was the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians in more than three years and the worst in Jerusalem since 2008. But it also is part of an alarming wave of violence fueled by a dispute over a holy site in the Old City known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount.Palestine House board member criticizes Palestinian President for condemning Jerusalem Massacre
The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, had to be pushed by Secretary of State John Kerry into speaking out. “We condemn the killings of worshipers at the synagogue in Jerusalem and condemn acts of violence no matter their source,” Mr. Abbas said in a statement. That was apparently the first time he had denounced Palestinian attacks in recent days.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, which was celebrated by many in Gaza and the West Bank. As a political leader, Mr. Abbas has a duty to make the moral case that such brutality and inhumanity can only bring shame upon the Palestinian people. (h/t Bob Knot)
Dr. Nazih Khatatba, editor of the Toronto-based Meshwar newspaper, a member of Palestine House in Mississauga, and a former senior official (1994-2002) of the Palestinian Authority, seems to not regret his latest editorial, in which he implicitly justified the 'run-over' and stabbing attacks against Israeli Jews and called for launching an all-out struggle with weapons against Israel.Palestine House board member praises the terrorists who committed the Jerusalem massacre and calls them: “role models”
On his Facebook page Khatatba harshly criticized the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), for issuing an official announcement condemning (however faintly) the Jerusalem massacre on November 18, 2014, in which 4 rabbis and an Israeli officer were murdered by Palestinian terrorists armed with a handgun, an axe and a knife.
Monira Kitmitto is a Palestinian activist, resident of Oakville who serves as a board member of The Palestine House in Mississauga (Ontario) and is also a member of the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA). She has worked in Palestinian refugee camps Lebanon and was an active member in the Union of Palestinian Women.Jordan delays return of ambassador to Israel after synagogue attack
Following the news reports on the massacre carried out by Palestinian terrorists in Jerusalem synagogue, Monira Kitmitto posted (November 18, 2014) the following on her Facebook page (translated from Arabic):
“In al-Quds like in the Galilee, the [West] Bank, Gaza and the Negev, in spite of the consecutive tragedies there is a spirit of manhood in the air and heroism on the ground. Ghassan and Udai Abu Jamal [the Palestinian cousins who murdered with a handgun, an axe and a knife 4 rabbis and wounded 8 in Jerusalem massacre], you are role models and an example [for others]. Glory to both of you and to all [others who committed similar operations].”
An official source told the Jordanian daily Al Ghad that originally, the plan was to return Obeidat to his post before the end of the month should quiet in the Temple Mount be maintained. Yet following recent developments, Jordanian officials decided to further wait before any moves are made.Whoa – I Almost Praised The Killings In English Too By Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (satire)
Official's were worried about "settlers flocking to Al-Aksa compound" in reaction to Tuesday's attack, "a situation which would greatly embarrass Jordan, since that is where a red line is drawn."
Further addressing Tuesday's attack on a Jerusalem synagogue, officials said the incident was of no concern to Jordan.
My office issued a condemnation of the killings in Jerusalem yesterday, almost as soon as I heard about them. It was important that the world see that announcement, in English, so that it would be clear what position the Palestinian people are taking on the public stage. What the world didn’t see was that I almost issued the wrong statement in English – we were this close to having my praise for the killers in Arabic issued as the English statement. Whew.Ireland Condemns Attack, Calls for Talks to 'End the Occupation'
We narrowly averted that disaster when a trusted secretary reviewed the text before transmission. Thank Allah for him! It would have been awkward to have to explain the language of martyrdom, admiration, and inspiration, not to mention vengeance, ethnocentrism, and antisemitism. John Kerry would not have been pleased. But we caught it in time, and are implementing measures to ensure that doesn’t happen again.
Even more disturbing, though, is that I almost issued the bland, diplo-speak condemnation in Arabic through our local media. If I’d been seen as actually denouncing the violence, it would mean my head. Fatah would collapse before the more radical factions in the West bank – and forget about Gaza. No matter that the actual condemnation was of a general nature, avoiding mention of yesterday’s particular attack in isolation, and taking care to blame Israel for the situation. The very implication that Abu Mazen had placed the attack in a negative context would spell disaster for my political future. No damage control could save me or my cronies from the rage of the Palestinian street.
Ireland’s Foreign Minister, Charlie Flanagan, condemned the terrorist attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem, and called for a return to peace talks that would “the occupation of the Palestinian territories.”Douglas Murray: Baroness Warsi uses her retirement to provoke British Jews
“I condemn absolutely the horrific attack on the Har Nof synagogue in Jerusalem and express my deepest sympathies to the Israeli victims of this brutal and senseless terrorist act and their families. The desecration of a place of worship, in a city held holy by so many people of different faiths around the world, is an unacceptable attack on the freedom of worship,” Flanagan said in a statement posted on his website.
“I call on all sides to avoid provocations in response to these brutal murders and to act with responsibility and restraint. The violence of recent months in Jerusalem has underlined the importance of respect for all religions and the need to ensure a sustainable political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” he added.
At the same time, Flanagan said, “I reiterate my call for an urgent return to the negotiations and call on all parties to take steps towards the achievement of the two-State framework and the ending of the occupation of the Palestinian territories.”
If anyone ever wondered what the over-promoted, incapable and incompetent Baroness Sayeeda Warsi was planning to do in retirement, now we know: provoke British Jews on Twitter. Today, after four Jews, one a British citizen, were butchered while praying in Israel, Sayeeda Warsi used the opportunity to taunt British Jews. Not just the Zionist Federation but a former British Jewish communal leader as well.IsraellyCool: Anti-Israel Neturei Karta Shocked Muslims Would Celebrate Massacre Of Jews
In Sayeeda Warsi’s world you see, Jews who protest that it is wrong only for Muslims to be allowed to pray at a site in Jerusalem holy to both Muslims and Jews are morally equivalent to Palestinian Muslims who use meat cleavers to butcher rabbis while they are praying. It is a relief that Sayeeda Warsi is no longer in the cabinet. But what a disgrace that she ever got there in the first place. As for any further future? The ‘Respect’ party does not currently have a representative in the House of Lords. Why doesn’t Warsi apply?
The Neturei Karta is a fringe, anti-Israel movement. At most they represent about 5000 of the world’s approximately 18 million Jews. But that doesn’t stop the Israel-haters from holding the NK up as Jews representing Judaism.Palestinians in Gaza and Lebanon Celebrate Jerusalem Synagogue Terror Attack
Among the despicable acts of NK members are participating in a Holocaust denial conference in Iran (including bonus lip-lock with Ahmadinejad), offering to spy for Iran against Israel, serving as a minister for Arafat, and memorializing him.
So I have to admit to cracking a smile upon seeing them share a tweet of mine, along with this comment, following yesterday’s massacre of worshiping Jews.
Mahmoud Abbas Condemns Jerusalem Synagogue Attack; Palestinian Politicians: Rabbis Are Not Civilians
Palestinian Animated Song Threatens to Chase Israelis Away with Terror Attacks (h/t dabney)
Former Jordanian MP on PA TV: The Christian West Must Help the Muslims Expel the Jews from Jerusalem
CNN’s Tapper: More Americans Killed by Palestinian Terrorists than ISIS in 2014
In the wake of today’s terror attack at a Jerusalem synagogue, Jake Tapper of CNN’s The Lead made a startling observation:DISGUSTING: CNN host defends Palestinian argument that ALL Israelis can be targeted!
"More people with American citizenship have been killed by Palestinian terrorists in the last year than have been killed by ISIS."
The three Americans confirmed killed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) were journalists James Foley, Steven Sotloff and, most recently, aid worker Abdul-Rahman Peter Kassig.
After the evil events in Israel this morning, it takes a lot of gall to defend the Palestinian argument that all Israelis are soldiers so they can all be targeted for death, but there’s no low that CNN’s Ashleigh Banfield will refuse to sink to.Alan Dershowitz: "There is no moral equivalence" between Palestinian murders & Israeli attacks
Yes, nearly all Israeli citizens are required to have military training, but does that mean that children can be targeted and slaughtered by the monsters in the Gaza strip? It’s horrendous that this idiot would even suggest such a thing, but such is the state of news media today.
Alan Dershowitz: Synagogue ax attack in Israel "inspired by Abbas"
Alan Dershowitz: Islamists Extremists won't accept Israel "even if the size of a postage stamp"
CBC Must Apologize for Disgraceful Headline in Jerusalem Terror Attack Coverage
For the CBC, the fatal shooting of 2 unidentified individuals by Jerusalem police, rather than the actions of terrorists or identities of the victims was deemed more newsworthy. Despite the lead paragraph’s referring to the attackers as “suspected Palestinian men,” CBC editors chose to not include this information in its headline and perhaps worse, CBC editors’ use of the word “apparent” conveyed that this might not have even been an attack.CNN Apologizes for 'Israel Shoots Palestinians' Headline
Though it was a breaking story at the time of the release of the CBC’s article at 1:01am today, CBC knew when releasing its article that at least 3 Israelis were wounded at the time and that Israeli police claimed the attack was terrorism. Why not at least say so in attribution? For CBC, the Israeli police’s killing of who we now know to be the attackers was definite and absolute, while the murder of innocent Israeli Jews praying in a place of worship was “apparent”. There was no mention about the backgrounds of the terrorists, or the heinous acts that they actually committed in this headline. As well, the headline could have even lead some to conclude that Israeli police killed 2 Israelis, perhaps even synagogue congregants, as the identities of the 2 who were fatally shot weren’t disclosed in this headline.
Several hours and countless angry responses later, the international news corporation finally apologized.CNN Coverage of Har Nof Massacre Sparks Call to Pull Press Privilege
"As CNN updated its reporting on the terrorist attack on the synagogue in Jerusalem earlier today, our coverage did not immediately reflect the fact that the two Palestinians killed were the attackers. We erred and regret the mistake," said a statement.
But the particular headline in question was just one of a raft of CNN bloopers surrounding the attack - leading many Israelis suspicious that the "mistake" had more to do with the corporation's editorial line than human error, with some accusing reporters of bending over backwards to play-down Palestinian violence.
Dagan has filed a formal complaint with the Government Press Office (GPO) against CNN reporter Ben Wederman who he charges with being responsible for the headline and the network’s distorted coverage of the attack.Latest Israeli web trend: CNN 'victim blaming' memes
“There is no reality elsewhere in the world where journalists can report a terror attack in this style,” Dagan stated. “This rule should also apply to foreign reporters in Israel. There is good and there is bad, there are killers and there are victims.
The media arena in recent years has become an equally important battlefield for Israel and it must use all the tools at its disposal to demand certain baselines in its media coverage. Coverage like this legitimizes the next murder; whoever loses in this, loses the next war as well.”
A "CNN victim blaming" meme trend has emerged in response to the TV news network's skewed coverage of the deadly terror attack on a Jerusalem synagogue on Tuesday.Jew Attacked by Arabs with Iron Bars in Jerusalem
In its initial coverage of the attack, CNN used the headline "4 Israelis, 2 Palestinians dead in Jerusalem," which failed to mention that the two Palestinians who were shot and killed by Israeli police were in fact the midst of a deadly attack on Jewish worshippers.
Just hours after four Jews were murdered praying at a synagogue in Jerusalem's Har Nof, a young Jew in his 20s was attacked by two Arab assailants armed with iron bars in Jerusalem's Old City on Tuesday night.Palestinian coroner ‘agreed Arab bus driver hanged himself’
The attack took place at the Old City's New Gate, located in the north-western corner of the Old City and not far from the Jerusalem Municipality building.
The two Arab attackers fell upon their victim as he was riding a bicycle, hitting him with iron bars and leaving him moderately wounded.
The youth was treated on the scene by Magen David Adom (MDA) medics and evacuated to the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in the capital.
Police are searching for the two attackers, who fled from the scene of the crime.
The Palestinian forensic examiner who took part in the autopsy of a Palestinian bus driver, who was found hanged Sunday night, agreed with the initial findings that the death was a suicide, according to the director of the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute.Did Palestinian pathologist recant findings in death of Jerusalem bus driver?
Police and officials from the institute announced on Monday that the examination had found no signs of foul play. Director Dr. Chen Kugel explained that, in the absence of signs of violence to the neck or body, it was highly unlikely that Yusuf Hassan al-Ramouni, 32, could have been murdered.
“It is very hard to hang a conscious person against his will without leaving signs (of violence) other than those caused to the neck by the actual hanging,” Kugel said.
He added that Palestinian examiner Dr. Saber al-Alul concurred throughout the process. Al-Alul was now not answering his calls, Kugel added, in an Army Radio interview Wednesday morning.
"The findings of the autopsy led to the clear conclusion that his death was a result of suicide," wrote Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, the Coordinator of Israeli Activities in the Territories to Hussein al-Sheikh, the minister of civil affairs in the PA.
"It is important to emphasize that during the autopsy there was overall agreement among the participants regarding the conclusions, including by the Palestinian pathologist," according to the letter, to which the official autopsy report was appended.
Publications in Palestinian media and social networks rejecting the findings, he added, "stem from the alleged Palestinian pathology's unacceptance of the autopsy's genuine results," Mordechai wrote. "We urge you to take all appropriate measures to stop such incitement… and bring the genuine facts… to the attention of the Palestinian public."
The Palestinian Authority planned to question the pathologist regarding his findings, according to Israeli media.
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