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| Sunday, Oct 13 '13, Cheshvan 9, 5774 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1. 'The Left is Covering Up Terror to Avoid Blame'
by Maayana Miskin  Left-wing leaders are trying to conceal the real motives of a vicious murder last week, Jordan Valley regional council head David Elhayani has accused. Arab men infiltrated a private home in the Jordan Valley on Thursday night last week and brutally murdered Sariya Ofer, a retired IDF colonel. His wife Monique managed to flee and to get help. Sources in the military suggested Sunday that the killers were not terrorists, but rather, criminals who killed Sariya when they were interrupted during a robbery. "I don't understand them," Elhayani said, speaking to Arutz Sheva. Those claiming that the attack was not a terrorist incident cannot possibly have proof for their claims, he argued, as the Shin Bet – not the army – is conducting the investigation, and at this point is keeping its findings under wraps. "I've asked myself if perhaps these sources have an interest in presenting it as a criminal incident so that they are not blamed for what is happening in Judea and Samaria [Shomron] - for the series of incidents over the past month – so that fingers are not pointed at them," he suggested. When asked to be more explicit, he said, "Many could face blame for the incidents of the past month. It's the PA incitement, it's terrorist release, it's the left-wing anarchists who come to the Jordan Valley and create false hopes and set the Palestinians against the [Israeli] populace, and it's also the Supreme Court, which has played a part in creating the general atmosphere that allows 'settler' blood to be spilled." 'Israelis Now Second-Class Citizens' He further explained what he sees as the Supreme Court's role, "Those judges who sit at the top of Mount Olympus, who have never seen what it's like on the ground. There are more than 1,000 illegally built buildings in the Jordan Valley with demolition orders issued, but the Supreme Court within hours issues orders preventing demolitions that were planned decades ago." "The Palestinians know they have support from the High Court… We've become second-class citizens, and they are first-class citizens. The Supreme Court's behavior and irresponsibility help create an atmosphere that leads to our blood being shed," he accused. "This atmosphere is getting worse. Each party contributes its part," he said. Left-Wing Politicians 'Closing Their Eyes' Elhayani also responded to ministers from the Hatnua party, and to Labor party members, who, he says, have argued that now more than ever Israel needs to tighten its ties with the Palestinian Authority. "I don't understand those people. Is it apathy? Defeatism?... I don't understand them. How can they take this risk, which threatens our Jewish existence?" he said. "They are closing their eyes completely, they're saying, 'It's not so bad. Murdering Jews isn't so terrible, it happens. Accidents also happen.' It makes me angry," Elhayani said. "These people have no clue. They're there with American and European management and they've essentially forgotten what the Israeli public wants." Anger over 'Criminal' Attack near Jerusalem, Too Elhayani's outrage echoes sentiments expressed after military sources suggested that an attack on a nine-year-old girl in the yard of her family's home near Jerusalem may have been "criminally motivated." In that attack, an Arab man shot young Noam Glick in the neck, causing her serious injuries. The very act of attempting to murder a young child proves terrorist intent, activist Aryeh Bachrach argued last week. "Someone is trying to spread the sense that everything is OK, that there is no deterioration in security and that we can continue the negotiations [with the Palestinian Authority]," he warned.
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2. About-Face on ID: Police Want Right to Avoid Nametags
by Maayana Miskin  A Knesset committee is to vote Sunday on a bill, left over from last Knesset, that would mean harsher punishments for police officers who fail to wear name tags. The bill is meant to prevent police violence, particularly at demonstrations, by making officers aware that they can be held personally responsible for any unwarranted use of force. It passed an initial reading in the last Knesset, where it was put forth by MKs Uri Ariel, Dov Henin and Nitzan Horowitz, but its progress was frozen when the Knesset's mandate ended. At the time, the bill had support from Minister of Internal Security Yitzchak Aharonovich, whose duties include oversight of the Israel Police. However, Aharonovich has informed the bill's supporters in the current Knesset that the Israel Police no longer supports the law. "Professional sources in the Israel Police maintain that from an operative perspective, the proposal cannot be implemented, and is likely to create difficulty and complications," he explained. "It could even lead protesters to demand ID cards when there is no need, and by doing so to thwart officers' attempts to restore order when protesters riot," he warned. MK Orit Struk, one of the bill's backers in the current Knesset, expressed surprise at Aharonovich's about-face. "The fact that [officers] wear ID tags will actually ensure that people do not bother them by asking for ID," she argued. "The Police Commissioner and Minister of Internal Security, who repeatedly declare that the struggle against police violence is a top priority, are thwarting a bill which is intended solely to prevent such violence," she accused. Dozens of complaints against violent police officers have led nowhere due to the fact that those filing the complaint did not know the name of the officer who had assaulted them, she noted. Struk expressed hope that the other ministers on the committee that has convened to deliberate on the bill will vote in favor despite Aharonovich's change of heart. "I very much hope that the ministers will understand what the Police Commissioner and Minister [Aharonovich] do not – that protesters are not criminals, and there is no need to treat them as such," she said. Comment on this story
3. Israeli Company to Produce 'Next Generation' F-35 Helmets
by Arutz Sheva  Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon announced Sunday that Israeli engineering company Elbit Systems had been chosen to co-manufacture hi-tech helmets for pilots of the US F-35 stealth fighter. He said in a statement that Elbit Systems and its US partner Rockwell Collins have been chosen by the Pentagon and F35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin to supply helmets for the next generation of the Joint Strike Fighter, the hi-tech warplane that is supposed to serve as the backbone of future American air power. "I congratulate Elbit Systems on becoming a partner in this global flagship project to produce the world's most advanced warplane," Yaalon said. Elbit Systems designed the helmet for the fighter, and its selection comes after early doubts following bugs in its early designs. Israeli state-owned Israel Military Industries is already part of the F-35 project, for which it manufactures aircraft parts. Yaalon lauded the significant involvement of Israeli developers in the production of the F-35, which Israel plans to introduce into its own airforce in the coming years. "The choice of Elbit Systems to produce the pilots' helmets is a vote of confidence in Israel's defense industries and their people," he added. Israeli daily Yediot Aharanot said that Israel has so far ordered 19 of the aircraft and intends to buy more. "The new helmet, which is to be manufactured in the United States, is capable of putting flight data as well as data about weapons systems and intelligence before the pilot's eyes," it said, adding that it would be delivered as standard with every F-35 purchased around the world from 2016. "The helmet allows the pilot to see images from the cameras on the plane, including on its nose. This allows the pilot to 'see through' the front of the plane and is very helpful in dogfights and in bombing targets on the ground," it wrote. "With the Israel Air Force planning to decommission its fleet of ageing F-15s and F-16s, the F-35 will continue to ensure the country's global competitiveness," according to Lockheed Martin's website. The aircraft, which comes in conventional, vertical takeoff and aircraft carrier versions, has struggled with production delays and cost overruns. Designed to replace fighters in the US Air Force, Navy and Marines and supported by a consortium of eight countries, the programme is already the most expensive in US military history with a price tag of $395.7 billion (292.2 billion euros).
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4. Al Qaeda Chief Blames Rival Islamists for Setbacks
by Kochava Rozenbaum  Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri said Islamists in Egypt and Tunisia were in part responsible for their recent political setbacks, accusing them of having been too conciliatory in opting to participate in democratic elections. Agence France-Presse reported Friday that a 16-minute audiotape of Zawahiri released on Jihadist forums focused on his native Egypt, where he said military-backed authorities were waging war on Islam at the behest of Israel and the United States. On July 3, Egypt's military overthrew the country's first freely elected president, the Islamist Mohamed Morsi, following massive protests against his year-long rule. Morsi hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group that has long been at odds with Al-Qaeda, which rejects any participation in democratic elections. Zawahiri said the increasingly violent conflict between Morsi's Islamist backers and security forces was a "conflict against Islam, a conflict against sharia (Islamic law), a conflict against admitting the right of the Lord ...in legislation," according to a translation by the US-based SITE Monitoring Service. He called on Egyptian Muslims to "rid Egypt of this criminal gang that jumped on power with iron and fire and took advantage of the concessions of some factions in their drooling behind the mirage of the delusional reconciliation," in an apparent reference to the Brotherhood. Zawahiri said the same "tragedy" was unfolding in Tunisia, where the ruling Ennahda, another Islamist party which embraced political elections in its quest for power, has agreed to hand power over to a government of independents following a months-long crisis sparked by an opposition MP's assassination. Having taken over the leadership of Al Qaeda after Osama bin Laden was killed in a US commando raid in Pakistan in May 2011, Zawahiri is believed to be hiding out in Afghanistan or Pakistan.
Tags: Al Qaeda ,Tunisia ,Egypt ,islamists ,Mohamed Morsi
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5. Tunnel 'A Reminder that Terror Can Strike Anytime'
by Maayana Miskin  The exposure of a terrorist tunnel leading from Gaza to an Israeli town "is a reminder that terrorism exists, and can strike at any time," MK Omer Bar-Lev (Labor) said Sunday. The attack could just as easily have been aimed at any of the other many Israeli communities located in the "Gaza belt" region, he said. The Gaza belt is the several kilometers of Israeli land next to the Hamas-dominated Gaza region; communities in the area have been targeted for terrorist infiltration in the past, and receive little to no warning prior to rocket or mortar shell attacks. Bar-Lev warned against ending IDF security patrols in Israeli towns in the region, as was previously planned. "I ask, again, that the Defense Minister and the IDF cancel that decision in order to give residents of communities near the [Gaza security] fence the maximum protection, and no less important, to increase the sense of security felt by those residents who are on the front lines and who have shown determination in the face of daily threats," he said. Heads of communities in the Gaza belt region had the same request. They issued a call Sunday morning to keep IDF security operational in Israeli towns in the region. The decision to withdraw military protection from the communities is "a bizarre decision" and "disconnected from reality," they charged.
Tags: IDF ,Gaza Terror Attacks ,Gaza Tunnels ,Gaza area ,Omer Bar-Lev
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6. Revealed: Terror Tunnel Led to Israeli Town
by Maayana Miskin  IDF soldiers recently discovered a tunnel, built by Gaza terrorists, that led from Gaza to a nearby Israeli community. The discovery was made late Wednesday night, but was under a gag order until Sunday morning. Terrorists were apparently planning a large-scale infiltration and attack, and were possibly planning to bring Israeli civilians back to Gaza as captives. Terrorists have made several attempts to kidnap Israelis in recent months, with the goal of exchanging captives for terrorists being held in Israeli prisons. A terror tunnel similar to that found Wednesday night was used in the 2006 kidnapping of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, along with the killing of two other soldiers. The terror tunnel that was exposed began in the Gaza town of Absan al-Zariz, located between the city of Khan Younis and the Gaza security fence. It extended for 2.5 kilometers (over 1.5 miles). The tunnel had been packed with explosives at various points. Several offshoots had been dug leading off in various directions. Special IDF engineering troops with the Yahalom unit went along the tunnel over the weekend neutralizing explosives and locating and sealing offshoots.
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7. New York Times: Netanyahu on 'Messianic Crusade'
by Gil Ronen  Ten days after publishing a front-page editorial blasting Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's speech at the UN General Assembly as "combative" and sarcastic, the New York Times has published an interview-profile that portrays Netanyahu as a "shrill" voice on a one-man "messianic crusade" against Iran's nuclear weapons program. In the piece, the Times says Netanyahu's long campaign against Iran is "a Messianic crusade" according to "critics and admirers alike." However, it quotes mostly critics, like journalist Ben Caspit, who says of Netanyahu that he is "a professional whistle-blower. He's a professional prophet. But all the time pessimistic, threatening." The Times claims that Netanyahu not only seems "a solo act on the world stage," he is also "increasingly a one-man show in Israel, doubling as his own foreign minister." "Netanyahu is most comfortable predicting disaster, scaring people into doing something," the liberal paper quotes a political analyst as saying. "The problem is now he's lost momentum." In his recent attempts to focus the world on the Iranian nuclear program, "using ancient texts, Holocaust history and a 2011 book by Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani," the paper says, "he has sometimes come off sounding shrill" and "risks seeming frozen in the past amid a shifting geopolitical landscape." The "ancient texts" the Times appears to be referring to are the words of the Bible. Comment on this story
8. Bennett: Oslo Caused Huge Damage, Sorrow, Grief
by Gil Ronen  Economics Minister and Bayit Yehudi party chairman Naftali Bennett issued a statement Saturday evening as a memorial for slain former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was held in Tel Aviv. "On the memorial day for the murder of Yitzhak Rabin z"l," wrote Bennett, "I will state the obvious (perhaps it is not obvious to everyone) – the murder is a terrible thing, which must never be repeated. It has the potential to tear apart the state of Israel." But, he stressed, "This obvious thing does not prevent me from strongly opposing 'the Oslo path." "I believe this path is misguided and has caused tremendous damage, sorrow and grief to the people of Israel and to thousands of families that lost their loved ones in the post-Oslo terror." "For some years," he went on, "an equation was made, between denouncing the Rabin assassination, and supporting the Oslo path. I remember a poster that said 'we will not forget and we will not forgive,' which showed Rabin's picture and under it, Netanyahu's. In effect they were blaming Netanyahu for the murder, and saying 'we will not forgive.' I do not accept this at all." Bennett recalled that during the time of the assassination, he was serving as commander of a battalion in the elite Maglan unit. "I felt as if there was an attempt to turn all of the opponents of Oslo into outcasts, who are somehow responsible for the murder. Now, 18 years later, I think we have overcome that, and this is a good thing. It is OK to denounce the assassination of Rabin, and yet disagree with the political path that he led." Elected in 1992, the Labor government under Rabin held secret negotiations with the PLO terror organization in Oslo, Norway, which led to the signing of an agreement that allowed the group's leadership to take over parts of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, and to receive arms. The agreement was ratified in the Knesset by the use of political tricks that induced members of a right-wing party to abandon the opposition benches and join the government. Two years after the signing of the Oslo Accords, Hamas carried out its first suicide attack on a bus in Israel. A few years later, a murderous terror war broke out, which killed 1,178 Israelis in 2000-2009, 70% of them civilians, in over 20,000 attacks that included 144 suicide bombings. Comment on this story
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