Haifa judge states Islamic activist Raed Salah is a ‘risk to the public’
Judge Erez Porat from the Haifa district court on Monday (23rd) rejected an appeal submitted by Islamic activist Raed Salah to be released from incarceration.
Salah, formerly the head of the Northern Islamic Movement in Israel, was arrested in August for supporting terrorism. Judge Porat said that Salah “repeats his blood-filled speeches within a tense and potentially explosive social situation…revealing that he is a public menace.”
The August arrest of Salah was based on Facebook posts, in which he called for acts of violence and applauded acts of terrorism such as the July 23 Temple Mount attack.
(jpost.com)
Palestinian stole truck to attack Israeli soldiers
A Palestinian man arrested by Israeli police Thursday (19th) driving a stolen truck said he had sought to use the truck to run over Israeli soldiers.
At a Petah Tikva court on Friday (20th), the man, 39, from Ramallah, said: “I took a truck – I wanted to run over soldiers because of Al-Aqsa,” referring to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque.
After police had called on the driver to stop, a chase ensued during which the truck smashed into a police car and another vehicle.
(timesofisrael.com)
East Jerusalemite sentenced to 16 years for planning terror attack
A Jerusalem court sentenced an Arab resident of the city to 16 years in prison for planning to carry out a stabbing during a wave of terror attacks in October 2015.
The man, 22-year-old Bahaa Iwisat of the Jabel Mukaber neighborhood, was arrested on October 23, 2015 in the Jewish neighborhood of Nof Zion after residents reported he was acting suspiciously.
Police were called and upon interrogation found that Iwisat had prepared a farewell letter to his family, then set out for the Jewish neighborhood of Nof Zion with a 12-centimeter knife “to hunt a policeman or Jew and stab them.”
The court noted that it was the action taken by the police that brought the incident to an end without injury and not any reconsideration by the defendant, making his actions those of attempted murder.
The lengthy sentence was justified, the court said, because it was a case of attempted murder in a terror attack and because of the “wave of terror, there was need to protect the public.”
(timesofisrael.com)
Jordan’s king backs Fatah-Hamas deal
Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Sunday (22nd) met with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and endorsed the reconciliation agreement between Abbas’ Fatah movement and longtime rival Hamas.
The palace in Amman said that the king “affirmed Jordan’s full support for this agreement” which it said would strengthen Palestinian unity, according to the Associated Press.
(israelnn.com; ap.com)
Fatah spokesman: Fatah will never recognize Israel – Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
Fatah spokesman Osama Al-Qawasmi told Fatah-run Awdah TV on August 23, 2017, that Hamas should not recognize Israel, since Fatah itself does not recognize and will never recognize Israel. Fatah and the PA regularly teach Palestinian children to see all Israeli cities such as Jaffa and Haifa as “occupied” Palestinian cities that will eventually be under Palestinian sovereignty.
(palwatch.org)
The jobless youth of Gaza have lost faith in everyone – Cyrille Louis
Unemployment among the under-25 age group in Gaza is 60%, with 73% for recent graduates. Abdel Rahman in Gaza City looks back on the past as if talking about a golden age. “When they were our age, our fathers and grandfathers would earn 10 times more by working for the Israelis,” he says.
Shayma al-Naji, 24, obtained her architecture certificate from the Islamic University of Gaza in 2015. She and most of her classmates are unemployed, and many have resorted to work as taxi drivers. She dreams only of leaving Gaza – two of her older sisters already moved to Britain.
Jouman Abou Jazar, 28, says, “Everybody would accept work in Israel without hesitation, including some members of Hamas who can’t make ends meet.”
(lefigaro.fr)
Report: Iranian president slams ‘corrupt’ Revolutionary Guard Corps
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has taken on the Islamic Republic’s powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps, saying they are corrupt and prevent free competition in Iran, thereby curbing its economic recovery after years of crippling Western sanctions, imposed over Iran’s nuclear program.
Now according to a New York Times report, Rouhani has turned his attention to the Revolutionary Guards, which control entire sectors of the Iranian economy.
According to the report, Rouhani’s assault on the IRGC has the support of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has “blasted officials for allowing corruption to grow in all layers of Iran’s political system, including the government.”
(israelhayom.com)
UK Jewish Board of Deputies condemn pro-Palestinian march on Balfour anniversary – Lee Harpin
A pro-Palestinian march in central London backed by trade unions on the same weekend as the Balfour Centenary commemorations has been condemned by the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
It will coincide with Balfour Shabbat, November 4, when synagogues of all denominations will host celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration.
Board president, Jonathan Arkush said: “While they mope out in the cold, we’ll be celebrating the Balfour Centenary in upbeat events right across the country. They should reflect on this as they continue their doomed campaign of rejectionism and negativity.”
(thejc.com)
Israel Aerospace Industries unveils system to neutralize mines and IEDs
Israel Aerospace Industries has unveiled a new system that safely neutralizes land-based mines and improvised devices (IEDs)
The AMMAD MK II system, which can be easily adapted to any kind of armored vehicle, generates a magnetic field that activates the charge at stand-off range.
(globes.co.il)
70th Independence Day festivities to highlight Israeli innovation
Israel’s 70th anniversary celebrations in 2018 are expected to highlight Israel’s heritage and innovation. Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis will host an event honoring Israel’s Nobel Prize laureates as part of the Independence Day festivities this coming spring, to be attended by representatives from the 160 countries with which Israel maintains diplomatic relations.
Akunis told the news media that he decided to make the flagship Independence Day event an international conference of science and technology. The event will be held in May in Jerusalem, while Israel will celebrate Independence Day on April 19.
(israelhayom.com)
